Ultimate Frisbee

I have been invited to play Ultimate Frisbee with Brad and some of his friends this Wednesday. I have to admit, I am SUPER nervous about this. I haven't really played any sports since I left Buffalo like 3 years ago. I haven't run all out, besides on treadmills, in about that same time. Plus, Brad and I have talked about which one of us is faster, and I really don't want to find out that its not me. (I am most afraid of that last one. Stupid Alpha Male pride!) I can just use the excuse that no one knew me and that's why they were afraid to throw to me. Maybe......Or I could just rock it out! (I'm hoping for the latter.)

Guitar Problems

I have been fiddling around with my guitar a good deal lately. I have come to a few realizations about playing the guitar and myself.

1) The amount I play the guitar has a positive relationship with the amount I want to buy a new guitar. The more I play, the more I want a new one.

2) The more alcohol I have consumed, the better of a guitarist I THINK I am. Don't really know if its true or not.

Evolution

I don't really believe in evolution, though I do know that I can't disprove it. I won't say that we haven't changed over time, but the idea that we came from nothing just doesn't make sense to me.

What makes less sense to me are arguments like this video trying to disprove evolution using.....peanut butter?

Building A Better Body

Speaking of a routine, I recently bought a bike. That sentence really doesn't make sense by itself, since buying a bike has nothing to do with having a routine, but, in a round about way, it does. See, I want to get into better shape. The issue is, I'm not much into lifting weights. I do enjoy swimming but the pool we have at the house really isn't big enough for that. Biking is also a physical activity I enjoy so I am hoping I can get into a routine of biking everyday/every other day. I would like to eventually do a race or something. Maybe eventually ride it over longer distance.

Maybe I should focus on doing something more than just going around the block....

Worring About This Semester

I am an A student. At least normally, and it is what I want to be. Last semester, while working the night job, I studied a lot and felt like a good student. I put a little effort in and ended up getting pretty good grades. This semester is sort of a whole different story. I haven't read any of my books. I didn't study for my Spanish test (and I got an 80 on it). To top it off, I am working less than last semester and have much more time to study, but I just choose not to. I really wish I had better discipline. I really think I need to work on a routine of studying, working and social life to balance it all out. I think that was the benefit last semester, I knew what time I had to do things. We shall see, but I hope to right this ship soon!

A Good Life

It's funny how often some people can go from having a great day to having one of the worst days ever. I can be one of those people. Recently, during one of these days, I stopped and thought about it. I really have a pretty good life. I have all I need and many extras. I think I have met some of the most wonderful people in the world and am grateful for all the friends I've made.

So, when those days come, I pause and think about it. I think about all the things I'm grateful for and end up always saying to myself, "I have a really good life."

I have started saying this to myself almost everyday. Not that the days are bad, but it does seem to make them better.

Chicago, in Arizona?

I don't really care about tv. Brad doesn't either although he does enjoy occasionally watching Craig Ferguson. This desire kicked in for him the other night and, since we have cable internet, he decided to hook the tv up too. Now we aren't paying for any cable tv, so I didn't think we would be able to get anything, but Brad was happily able to watch his show.

A few days later, I was bored at home and decided to see what was on the tv. I flipped it on and scrolled around to see what stations we got. I excitedly found Discovery, which is where it stopped at my last place. I kept going and found we get most stations. One was even showing James Bond in Spanish, which I had to show Brad when he got back. Even better than that, I flipped over to a local news station. A local CHICAGO news station. Weird, I know. That oddity caused me to stay there for a few minutes. I even noticed it was the correct time, 2 hours ahead of Phoenix (at least, I assume that is the correct time for them.)

Not that I even watch the local news here, but its nice to know that I can keep up on Chicago if I get the sudden urge to know what's going on in that city.

I Like the Floor

Growing up in the house I did. I always thought hardwood floors were the coolest things. We had linoleum in the kitchen and hallway, but besides that, the rest of the house had carpet. I grew up walking, sitting, napping, wrestling, playing, doing school work, and sleeping (lots of sleeping) on carpet. When I moved to AZ, I had carpet again. A little sad, because I honestly thought carpet was a little lame. Maybe it was the fact I (and my siblings, not just me) had to vacuum it. Well, in truth, we were SUPPOSED to but I think mom had to do it more often than not. Anyways, I didn't want that hassle, so when I moved out on my own, I got a place that had hardwood(not real stuff, just some fake linoleum) in the living room and kitchen. I was pretty happy, but that carpet in the bedroom still bugged me, and while my bed mostly covered it (it was a small room), I was still left to maintain some of it. In my new place, the third in AZ, The house has either tile or Pergo flooring. I thought this was amazing. Easy to clean and good looking. I never realized how much I would miss carpeting and the those activities I would do on it.





Well.......I mostly miss that napping.

Getting the Girls

I have recently realized how irresistible I am to women. It is sort of crazy how girls fall in love with me everywhere. Not that its always a good thing. Let me explain....

Either late May or early June, Brad and I did an install at the McDonald's house. Brad started the install, I came a little bit later to finish while he went to another job. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have a young, 3 years old, daughter who was very shy the whole time I was there. She was on the couch watching a movie with her father, I think it was the newest Rambo movie, perfect for any 3 year old female, just what they always want to watch. Anyways, each time I looked over I would see her eyes peeking over the couch looking at me, I would smile and she would duck. I would laugh to myself and go about my work, not thinking much about it. Mid-July, I get a call that their Internet has been having issues since the install of our equipment, so I drive over there to fix it. As soon as I get there, this little girl (whose name I can't remember) excitedly yells, "Tom's here!" This three year old girl remembered my name after like a month and a half? I must have made an impression. (Brad believes its my beautiful hair.) She then asks, "Is Brad coming too?" Both I and her father laugh. While I work, she stands at the opposite side of the room, just watching me and smiling from the doorway, every few minutes, telling her parents, "Tom's here!" What a sweet little girl with some really nice parents. I wish all my customers could be like that family.

About a month later, my upstairs neighbor's daughter starts talking to me. I don't really recall how this started but she has decided she wants to have a water gun fight with her friends against me and my roommates. She talks to me just about every time she sees me, which is normally when I am going to a job. I think I was just taught not to be rude, especially not to kids, so I will usually talk to her and her friends for a few minutes, maybe getting to an appointment a few minutes later than expected. I believe this girl has a crush on me, as much as any 9 year old girl ever has a crush on someone.

These girls got me thinking. First, a 3 year old, then a month later, a 9 year old. Every month it jumps by 6 years. In two months, a 21 year old will fall in love with me. This is good because I do have my eye on a certain one.

A Little Music Update

One thing that I hope will always excite me as much as it does now is the joy of finding a new song or band to listen to. I am grateful to have had some good friends that help me to this end. My brother and last roommate, Mike, was good at leading me on to new artists and my one of my current roommates, Jeffrey, is amazing at this. You can read about the amazing Jeffrey here. I have actually told him that any song I hear him listening to I either think that the song is amazing or I wonder why anyone would listen to that song. More times than not, its the former.

Well, anyways, here are a few songs that I have recently been enjoying. Though Jeffrey may not have told me about all three of them, I believe he did have a had in me figuring out who the artist or song was on each and every one.

New Semester, New Schedule

And I know you are all dying to know what the schedule for this new semester will be. When making this schedule, I discovered how excited I get when thinking about a new schedule. The thrill and wonder of what each class may bring. From the teacher to the material to my classmates. It entices me to learn something new. That is why I am taking...

Intro to Physical Geography and Lab - Monday and Wednesday 12-2:45pm
Intermediate Algebra - Monday and Wednesday 3-4:15pm
Plant Growth and Development - Monday and Wednesday 7:10-9:50pm

Mythology - Tuesday and Thursday 9-10:15am
Elementary Spanish 2 - 11-12:50pm

Yeah. Fridays off!!! And only twice a week will I have to wake up before noon! If you know me, you know that this is the perfect schedule for me!

Everyone is Fond of Owls!!!

Recently, I realized that nearly every house out here has an owl somewhere in the house. Something like.....



It has become a game, during every install I go to, that I play the game, 'Find the owl'.

Its been pretty fun!

If you don't know why owls are so enjoyable, check out this video.

Blaming The Roommates

I have some pretty cool roommates. Brad, Gene, and Jeffrey are all guys I met last year during my last summer. The four of us hang out a lot. We go out to eat, go to movies, go shopping, play video games, and eat mostly as a group. The issue is that, since I have this blog, I like doing things that are 'blog worthy' which means I have to hang out with these guys when they go out. There is a 99% chance that something crazy will happen and there is an 100% that someone will say something crazy. So I need to be there so you can all hear about it. Bring there means I can't be here. Well, at least not until I find a way to be in two places at once with the same consciousness. And that doesn't seem very likely to happen in thee near future, so deal with it!

Blaming Sleep

As you all know, I LOVE my sleep. It is one of my favorite things. I used to think I was actually a fairly heavy sleeper, but have recently discovered that I just can fall asleep whenever, not that I can stay that way.

Well, I blame the lack of blogging on sleep in this way, I have a roommate that won't wake up for his alarm. Sure, he will roll over and hit snooze (only about half the times the alarm goes off), but then he falls back asleep. Plus, he is a very popular person so he gets a lot of phone calls and texts, sometimes early in the morning when he is not awake to answer so it keeps ringing. To wake him up, I actually have to wake up and yell at him or something.

Now, I am not angry at him for this, he is a good roommate in other ways. My ability to go to sleep anytime has really helped overcome that issue but those naps cut directly into my blogging time.

So you see, I can blame it on sleep.

The Wire Review

There are many reasons that I haven't blogged a lot recently. I could come up with a short list of these excuses, but right now, I will be blaming it on the TV show The Wire.

If you didn't know, this show actually ended a few years ago. I never saw it when it aired since it was on HBO but I heard that it was a good show, sometimes even referred to as one of the best shows ever. After spending around 60 hours of this summer watching this show, I don't know if I would agree with those who say it was an amazing show. While it was good and may be on the top of the heap of crime shows, I had my issues with it. These issues are my own and I should fault the show for that, since this opinion is also my own, I can just make up the rules for how to do this as I go along. I felt every season dragged along with all/most of the action happening in the last episode or two. On the other side, I think it was well acted and amazingly cast. I could empathize with the characters and when a show can make yo feel something, you can never write it off.

Well, that is it for tonight. I may just spend the next few posts blaming my lack of blogging on other things. Stay tuned for me to (maybe) blame these things for my lack of blogging: My Roommates, Sleep, Work, Rock Band, San Francisco, and many more!

Or not. Who knows what I'm going to do? Certainly not me!

Following Me via Brad

While I have been very lazy about regularly updating this blog, my friend/roommate, Brad, has been busy writing for his blog. You should check it out. Some of them have info about me, including a video of a fail of mine that almost resulted in my death. And I will leave you with that


Oh, and the link: Brad's Blog

Rocking with the Band

Recently, I made what might be my best purchase ever. I bought Rock Band, and while this might be the older version and a long time coming, it's still been tons of fun. Just about every night since I got it, two of my roommates, Jeffrey and Brad, and I have been playing it for a few hours. It bring back some great memories of rocking with my brothers and friends in both NY and AZ.

Good memories, both past and present.

My Place

Since moving out of my parents house, I really feel like anywhere that I am living is 'my place' no matter if I am renting it or having the company I am working for pay for it. I feel like, in 'my place', I should be able to do what I want and come and go when I want to. It sort of upsets me when I have to pay to do laundry and can't go to the pool whenever.

Stupid apartment complex.

Someone's Name

I wrote once about how I prefer to go by Tom over Thomas and Tommy. I recently found out that a friend I had known for over a year prefers Jeffrey over Jeff. I had been calling him Jeff since I met him. I sort of feel like a jerk. He probably introduced himself as Jeffrey and I, trying to be casual, just called him Jeff. Why is it a natural reaction for people just to shorten others names? I don't really think this is unique to me. I think most people try to make it more casual and shorten the name without thinking that the person might prefer the longer name. While doing this to make it more casual, the person who likes the longer name just gets bothered. I don't know anyone who actually gets upset about it, Jeffrey certainly doesn't, but he has admitted it does bother him. I imagine he isn't the only one this happens to.

I guess I just need to pay more attention to what people call themselves and respect there preference. It isn't much harder to say Jeffrey than it is to say Jeff, and if it means more to him, than I'm all for it.

Trying Some New Musical Flavors

I have never been a big fan of rap or country music, most of my life stating that those were the two genres that I didn't listen to. Well, thanks to Brad, I have been giving both those genres a new listen. To my surprise, I do enjoy a good deal of both types of those genres. I won't say they are my favorite or even close to it but I can't say I dislike most of those genres anymore.

Finding new songs and bands that I enjoy is always good.

School's Out for Summer!

So much for summer school. I decided that, with work, it was too much, and since I couldn't really drop the job, I dropped the class. The reduction in the amount of stress was greatly appreciated. It has really freed me up to hang out with my roommate and given me a chance to really enjoy my summer. I do sort of feel bad cause I was enjoying the class. I will probably take it during the Fall semester.

But for now, PARTY ON DUDES!!!!!

A Boy Became A Man

There is a moment in every boy's life when he becomes a man. I am not talking about when he THINKS he has become a man, that happens weekly for most, if not daily. I had those ideas many times. Like when I learned to drive, got my first job, moved out of my parents house, got a debit card, fly on a plane by myself for the first time, and ate a whole pizza myself. No, I just had the moment where I knew I was a man.

I bought a baseball glove.

Not in the Brochure

Well, These past few days and weeks have been a bit different than I expected this summer to be. After working for a security company last year, I thought I knew what I was getting in to. I knew I had worked in a small office but I didn't expect this much of a difference. Problems with equipment and scheduling. Working 10-14 hours per day one days and maybe 5 the next. On top of that, I was trying to take a really bad Internet college class. I decided, for the sake of my sanity, I would drop it and take it again in the fall.

Feel much better that I took care of that another issue I had been having recently. Smooth sailing for the rest of the summer? I hope so!

A Small Improvement

I am not the one in my family with cooking skills. Well, I am not the one with good cooking skills. Not yet at least. I have made somethings that turned out pretty darn horrible, but, thanks to some advise from my friend Brad and bullheadedness from myself, I have not given up. I recently made some BOMB (in a good way) chicken with a Caribbean Jerk seasoning. This has given rise to me starting to be a little inventive, as I am starting to think of different ways I could make a delicious meal out of this. I really wish I had a picture of the chicken, sadly I don't, but I will try to take one for the next meal I make. I never really felt creative but finding I'm not a terrible cook has given rise to this different side to me. Hope it keeps going well. Luckily, I am the type of person who likes to try new things!

Just Drive

I have driven my car a lot. From Buffalo to Phoenix, to Fort Worth, back to Phoenix, to Los Angeles, back to Phoenix, all around Arizona for my delivery job, and to Sacramento. Even with all that driving, it still isn't an activity I love to do. It is something that, if I don't do for awhile, I will miss, but I don't really ever crave to do it and am more than happy to let someone else drive. But, when uncomfortable times or hard times come, the thought always jumps into my head, 'Why don't I just drive away. Leave everything behind.' Most times I don't think too much on it but a few times I have thought of doing the whole 'Into the Wild' type thing and just disappear. I think it is just stress and I know how much it would hurt the people I love if I just dropped off, but that doesn't stop me from thinking. I have responsibilities. I can't just drive away, no matter how much I may want to. That answer would never be as easy as going to finish the install I don't want to would be.

I just have to remember everything will smooth out.

Internet Classes

So, I set up all the things I needed to for my Internet class last night. I sign into the website to check out the class and look over the syllabus. I quickly notice that the tests need to be mailed in and that the professor prefers that the final is done on campus. Wait, I thought I was taking an Internet course so I didn't have to be on campus? What is the point of an Internet course if they want me to come to campus to take the tests? Also, I have to turn assignments in every other day at least to not be dropped from the class? I thought this was more of a 'Just get it done during the semester' type class.

All I can assume is MCC doesn't know what a class being an Internet course really means.

A Good Show

I really think a good story is one that causes a person to feel moved in some way. That is why I feel that both Chuck and LOST are some of the best stories ever.

The other day, the apartment I am at (finally) got DSL hooked up. While I have been spoiled with cable for the last few months, I can work with DSL. After work Saturday, I came home and watched the season finale of Chuck with Brad. I was really sad to see the story end for now, knowing that I won't be getting anymore for months. It feels like forever, when it really isn't all that long away. At least I know there will be another season, unlike the last few years where it wasn't decided whether to continue or not until mid-summer.

After that, I watched the series finale of LOST. I will not talk about my thoughts of the show in this post. All I will say is that I was happy with how the show ended and don't feel like I've wasted my time watching it. I know things were left unanswered but I am ok with saying that I enjoyed the tale that they decided to tell. I am totally going to miss that show.

Maybe I should start rewatching the show, one episode a week.

Currently, I don't any Internet connection. Sadly, the neighbor put a password on his connection. Hope posting from my phone works.

California Stars

So, I haven't posted in a few days. Guess I should write something.

Since the drive to and through California was done mostly during the night, I listened to the song 'California Stars' by Wilco since the whole drive, I was seeing stars in California.

I really have a thing about that, listening to songs at times that are appropriate. Like listening to 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder while driving on the 60, also know as the Superstition Freeway.

Anyways, here's the video for the song California Stars' by Wilco. This song may be one of my favorite songs ever.

The Reason for the X-Box360

So, I was really torn on whether or not I should bring my tv and xbox out to Sacramento with me. I wasn't sure if I'd have room or a lot of time to use them. I am really glad I brought them. Not only have I had my fair share of time using it so far but, as I currently write this, two of my roommates are in a very heated game of NHL 09. It really bring people together.

Surprised by California

I have heard and seen many different stories about California, tons of beaches and pretty girls. Sunshine all the time but never too hot. This was a really bad picture to have when going to spend 3 months in Sacramento, and even for the drive here. While it was the middle of the night that I was driving through California, I didn't see any sun, beaches, or pretty girls. What I saw was a whole lot of nothing and smelled a whole lot of cow poop. Not really anything like what I imagined California to be like. But I can brush that all aside as long as work is busy and I get to meet this man. It would make my life to meet the Governator!

Grading My Semester

As you probably know, last semester was my first ever real full-time college experience. I remember when I got report cards with my grades in them, way back in grade school. Remembering how those days were, and that my parents used to actually put them up on the fridge, I thought I should make a little report card for this semester.

Critical Thinking - A (Probably in the top 5% of the class)

Spanish - A (So good that I could skip the final!)

Anthropology - A (Could have slept through the class and still received an A)

Chemistry - ? (Don't have the final grade yet. Expecting around a B)

Comments: Thomas was a very friendly and pleasant student this semester, always a treat to have in the classroom. Very friendly and helps the other students if he understood a particular lesson and they didn't. Could work on being more punctual to his earlier classes.

Yeah, that is probably what this semester would have looked like on a report card.

Leaving for California

That plan didn't work too well.

I got to Sacramento around 6am this morning. I had planned on getting in much closer to midnight. I got up Tuesday around 10am, needing to finish packing the kitchen and bathroom. Not really that much stuff. I guess I dragged more than I should have and it took me way to long. I wanted to leave by noon, 1pm, but I wasn't in my car until 4:35pm. Then, I hit some rush hour traffic leaving Phoenix. During the drive, I got to find to that, no matter what time of day it is, there are always going to be a lot of people driving around Los Angeles.

Around 1:30am I realized I should probably pull over and take a nap, which I do for an hour. Of course it wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, not being able to adjust my seat much, but if you know me you will know that I can pretty much sleep anywhere.

An hour nap, then back on the road. As soon as I hit the highway, I have the sudden need to go to the bathroom. After feeling this, I see a sign, 'Next service area 35 miles'. Not sure if I should just pull over or if I can make it, I keep driving and mercifully make it without any incident. After that, I buy a water at the gas station and the cashier proceeds to talk to me for like 45 minutes. Must have been lonely.

Well, the rest of the drive was uneventful. May talk more about it in a later post. I got in, saw Brad sleeping on the couch and thought I should let him sleep, he may have been sleeping out there just waiting for me, but he probably would like his sleep more than seeing me. (He wasn't waiting for me and has informed me that he is not a morning person. Really glad I let him sleep.) Though I did scare one of the other roommates when I just walked by the door she was walking out of. Great first impression!

And then I slept.

My Stuff

I am getting all ready to move out to California for the summer. Having to pack up all my stuff reminded me of something said by the late George Carlin, who I will always think of as the other Mr. Conductor after Ringo Starr. Enjoy this little bit.

My Thoughts: SB 1070

As many people know, the Arizona governor recently signed the bill SB 1070 into law. This is the law regarding illegal immigration. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on this law, though I believe many of them have no clue what it actually says. I have skimmed over the bill, so that puts me a step ahead of the masses. So I guess I'll take a few seconds to share my thoughts on the bill and illegal immigration as a whole.

I like to follow the law and be an upstanding citizen, but there are many times when I think laws don't make too much sense. I understand the need to follow traffic laws, but when it is three in the morning and I can see all ways, is there really a need to wait for a light to change? I know I can't just pick and choose when to follow laws, that is why I sit there and wait at lights no matter how late it is.

My problem with illegal immigration is that we as Americans have no problem having the 'illegals' work for cheap and do the crappy jobs that most people wouldn't want to do and certainly wouldn't want to do for the wages they are getting. For these people, they are coming to America to try to make a better life for themselves and their family. That is exactly what the American is about. The American Dream, that whoever you are, through hard work, you can make a better life for yourself. To tell these people who are coming here for that reason that they should stay out seems a bit strange to me. It almost seems like America is starting to lean away from what it says it is.

I do know and understand the issues that have arisen from illegal immigration. Drugs and violence are big ones. I will not argue with the fact that, with this law, there is a chance that these will lessen. My problem with it is that you are penalizing the many for the crimes of a few. No all illegal immigrants are drug lords, drug runners, thieves, or murders and I would guess that not even most are. I would add that I think those who are will now turn to violence more quickly if confronted by the law because they would fear deportation. The trouble causing illegals, I think, are better at hiding than those who aren't here to cause trouble. I really doubt that this law will scare anyone who is already into that type of trouble.

My biggest issue with the law, after skimming it, is the wording, 'FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON'. Now, to me, what this says is that, when a police officer confronts anyone that he has a 'reasonable suspicion' is an illegal immigrant, he shall make a 'reasonable attempt' to find out their immigration status. I really doubt I am going to be asked for my immigration status. To me, I think this leads to racial profiling. Yes, politicians will tell you this law is in place for illegal immigrants from all over but I really believe that, since the biggest group in Arizona are illegal Latin American immigrants, these are the people who will be targeted. The wording makes me worried that these will lead to racial profiling, specifically of Latin Americans because that is the biggest worry of most people in Arizona who support this bill.

Of course I think something needs to be done. I don't even think this law is terrible. I just think its a bad first step. There needs to be a way to make the immigration process quicker. After that is in place, we need to give those living here illegally a way to become legal and a reason to do so. This would mean putting a law like this in place, one that would penalize those living here illegally so that they would be 'encouraged' to become legal citizens. I believe the increase in federal tax dollars from these people would help offset the cost of all of this.

Again, I am not a politician or that knowledgeable about the laws but I am not a supporter of this law. Nor do I want a wall to be built. Laws like this really just make me wonder.

Hockey Depression

So the hockey playoff recently started. To me, they also ended recently too. 3 of the 4 teams I enjoyed watching and were rooting are already out. Most important to me, Buffalo lost. That already made me sad, then both the Phoenix Coyotes and Washington Capitals lost in 7 games. Boo!

All I can say is I hope you aren't a Chicago Blackhawk fan. If my track record holds, they'll be out soon enough. Then I won't know what to do.

Hair (Not the Musical)

I have always wanted long hair. Again, I am attempting to grow it out. I am not exactly sure why, but for as long as I can remember I have wanted long hair. Not crazy long but a good length. Something like this length.



Of course I will need to get the kick butt beard too. Then I can walk around and call everyone, 'Brother' (LOST joke).

But anyways, even though it is probably a little bit before I get there (And I honestly don't know if I'll be able to make it there or not), I am already wondering what will be the next adventure for my hair. Of course it will be something shorter. I was just curious what your suggestion might be for my next look. Feel free to post in the comments. Adding a link to the idea might be cool too, so I can see the image.

(Man, a whole post about hair. I feel so girl-y. Guns, bullets, cars, explosions, Godzilla! Ok, better, I now feel more manly.)

A Lesson From Dad

I have learned a lot from my father over the years. Not all of them instructional things, like how to tie my shoes, but many of them being more along the lines of how to act and what type of person I should be. A really do think that he has taught me more without saying a word than many people have with all they have said. Most of the reason is because I look up to my father so much. I do realize he isn't perfect, he would probably be the first to admit that, but he is still my father and is the type of person I want to be someday.

All that to say this. One of the things he told me was, 'If you act like you know what you're doing, no one will question you.' This was a lesson I used frequently at the Home Depot, trying to convince customers I knew what I was talking about. I probably wasn't the best at it, I was always glad that my pay wasn't commission based, but I got better over time. I realize I use that skill all the time now. With my current job (the one I am soon leaving) I have to go to some secure areas. No one questions me when I act like I am supposed to be there, even though many times I get lost and find I am not even in the right place. One of the weirdest places that this happens is in the hospitals. I have found a few code words that allow me to just walk past security guards and into where ever I need to. Its pretty cool but does make me worry about hospital security. I am sort of glad, sometimes, when someone stops me to ask what I am there for. I do feel like those people who sneaked in the President's party a little while ago.

Thanks Dad for teaching me to act confident even when I am not.

Semester Project

So, its almost the end of the semester for me. I had mentioned before about how I am dreading the presentation for the project but a new issue has arisen for me: lack of interest. I was sort of interested in choosing the topic I did when I needed to pick something but as the semester went on, I continued to lose interest in the idea. Now, at the end, I need to find people to survey and I really have no interest in it. I feel that this is a subject that bores me and I don't want to bore someone else with having to do it partake in it too, even though their participation is only for a few minutes. I think this really reflects why I am not a fan of semester long projects. By the time the middle of the semester rolls around, I normally don't really care for the idea as I once did. At the end of the semester, I detest the project. Like now, where I really can't stand talking about the issue any more. I guess I need to suck it up and just finish it out. There is only a few more weeks left so it shouldn't be that hard. Just annoying, but that's school for you. You win some and you lose some.

The Good, the Bad, and the Other One

I recently had the pleasure to watch the movie, 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird', which is a Korean Western movie that was heavily influenced by the Spaghetti-Western (a certain type of Western movie) 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'. It really isn't a remake, since they make it into a Korean story, changing the settings and characters quite a bit, though still keeping the Good and Bad, and just changing the Ugly to the Weird. It is a very enjoyable movie. The story revolves around a map that is rumored to lead to the Qing dynasty treasure, the all the groups that are fighting to find it. The three principle characters, the Good, Bad, and Weird, are all at odd trying to get it and some have their own back story intertwining them. Not the best of plots, at times not making tons of sense, but some amazingly fun action scenes. I would highly recommend this movie if you can find it. A trailer and clip can be found here.

Run, Run as Fast as You Can!

There are a lot of things that I like to do that I don't do enough. The one I will be talking about today is running. I REALLY enjoy going for a good run. There are a few problems with doing it though. I am not a fan of running on a treadmill, I feel like a hamster except for I am not on a wheel. I mean, if it was a wheel, that could be kind of cool. I mean for a short time, at least. So, you would think that I would love to run outside, that's when another problem occurs. I hate having people drive by me. I know this is terribly silly, and it might come from the fact that I don't have a great self image, but I feel like there are looking at me or something. Even if I could get over that, a third problem arises. I am stupid. Yeah, I know it isn't that surprising to any of you. When I do run outside, I would just run until I got tired, not really thinking, 'Oh, I'm getting a little tired now so I should turn around while I still have some gas in my tank.' No, I would go full out in a nearly straight path away from where I start. The trek home is not a fun one and is usually enough to convince me for a bit that running is bad.

I know, I should be able to just give up and run inside, or just not care what others think of me while I'm running, or, at least, use a little of the sense that GOD has given me. No, I am just going to sit here and get fat. I'll blame it on the fact that my apartment complex has been renovation the gym for months. Maybe I should just do a different exercise or something.....

Playoff Time

Hockey playoffs started last week! When the Sabres are in, this is one of my favorite times of the year. When they aren't, I still like it but it is very bittersweet. Luckily, the Sabres are in this year. My love for sports is really shown during this time. I actually watched parts of 4 different games today, at least 2/3 of 3 of the 4 games. None of the games were the Sabres, that is how much of a fanatic I am. I went grocery shopping during the second game, and feeling in the spirit, I grabbed some beer. Of course I grabbed the only beer that I feel is appropriate for hockey, Molson Canadian. I had two or three during the games. The others might sit in my fridge till next weekend when I have my next playoff hockey day.

I QUIT!!!

Tomorrow (I am talking about Monday, which is really later today, but since I will be going to bed soon, I will refer to it as tomorrow) should be one of the happiest days of my life. I need to do two things before it is definite, but I am going to tell you why its such a joyous day first. I am going to be putting in my 2 weeks notice! I was thinking about how I will be leaving the day of or after my last exams. If I can't get it moved up, my last finals are on Thursday May 13th. I get paid every week for the work I did on the prior week and the checks are issued late Thursday. They are supposed to be issued Friday but I can get mine on Thursday night. One of the perks of working nights I guess. An issue arises with this since I am hoping to leave to work in California as soon as I finish my last final which should be Thursday May 13th. If I work the first week of May, I won't be able to pick up my last paycheck! I am actually hoping to move the date of my last final up, so it would be even harder to get that check. I know I could ask them to mail it to me but I would really just rather quit, since I have the money.

The only things I need to do are, obviously, send in my notice. Prior to that, I need to check with my buddy Brad and make sure the job in California is still on. I mean, there is no reason to think it isn't other than that no company in the industry has ever seemed like they know what they are doing. I trust that, if Brad says Cali is a sure thing, there is a 90% chance it is a go. I do trust Brad, I just don't trust any company in this industry.

Either way, whether I quit this week or next, I am totally excited! While the job really is interesting, I hate the hours and the wear I put on my car. It really may be one of my favorite days ever!

Holiday When?

So I was driving down the road the other day and holidays popped into my mind. Now I am familiar with when the big ones are; Christmas, New Years, Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Thanksgiving; but I really have no idea when the smaller ones are; President's Day, Memorial Day, Fathers' Day (sorry Dad), and to be equal Mothers' Day (sorry Mom). I don't really know if this a a problem many people struggle with, but it is one of my crosses I bear. I really need to work on this problem. It is something that is creeping in starting to effect other areas of my life. Like, how do I know if I should give my parents a call or wish other people I see a happy holiday if it isn't even a holiday on that day? How would I know whether to put my left sock on first if I didn't even know it's Opposite Day or not?

Man, my life is just tough.

Coming soon! A 100% Spanish post!

System Error!

Sorry folks. There has been a computer and Internet issue with me. That is why I haven't posted recently. Hope I can get it resolved soon but for now I have to have my computer on a chair next to my tv to get connected to the internet. Needless to say, it becomes very uncomfortable to write or do anything sitting here. Hope you understand.

(For more frequent but shorter updates, follow my twitter feed.)

A Little Fuzz on My Face

I hate to shave. It is one of my least favorite things to do so I try to not do it too often. As expected, this creates a lot of scruff on my face. The problem I personally have with this is that the hair doesn't fill out very well. I don't mind growing a beard, I just have trouble growing one. I get my neck to fill in (which is terribly unattractive) and a goatee, but nothing on the cheeks. If I was a fan of the goatee, I might be grateful for this situation, but I do not like the goatee at all. I really think it is one of the lamest and overdone facial hair patters. Anytime there is an evil twin, he has a goatee. Anytime someone wants to look a little more 'hard-core', they grow a goatee. Anytime someone is too lazy to shave but still wants to look professional, they go to the goatee. They think that it looks cleaner than a full beard, but since a lot of goatees aren't well trimmed, they just look sloppy.

Maybe I am being to hard on it. I just see way too many people with a goatee and very few of them actually look good. Maybe if it didn't seem like the stand by for people, it wouldn't be as bad. Maybe I'm just jealous......maybe not.

A Bit of Basketball

I normally couldn't care less about watching basketball. Today, though, is the national championship game for college basketball, and to live up to my name, I am watching it. Well, more like, I have it on in the room I am in. Watching it out of the corner of my eye half the time but not paying total attention to it. I have to say, I actually do enjoy this game, the championship game. I really wonder if I would enjoy college basketball if I watched it more, but I sort of doubt it. I have tried a few times but it never grabbed me, I think its just that its a championship game. Its only because its so important. I really love watching any championship game. Well, aside from the NBA, I still can't get into that game.

SXSW

SXSW is a giant music festival that happens yearly in Austin, TX. If it were most anywhere else in the US, I would consider going sometime. Alas, my dislike of TX has kept me away. This hasn't stopped me from listening to a lot of the music. Someone puts a torrent up online of a song by a lot of the artists that played at the festival, and for the past two years, I've downloaded it and listened through it. These aren't little files of a few songs. There normally range around 800 songs, and I may be guessing low on that. Anyways, it took me almost all year last year to get through it, rating what I liked and deleting what I didn't. As soon as I finish, I add the new one. Its tough to want to do this again cause last year, I only kept 1/5 of the songs. Why would I want to go through 800 songs to find 160 that I actually keep, maybe 20 of those that I REALLY enjoy? I guess it is those few gems I find that keep me coming back. Even though I hear a lot of songs that I can't stand at all, there are those that I listen to over and over and occasionally go on to find other music by that artist cause I liked a song so much. I guess it's like a lot of things in life, you have to put the work in and shift through everything to find the things that are worth it.

Nice Weather for Ducks

Since I was talking about my rubberduckies last note, I thought it would be nice to share some videos. I dare you not to smile during these.



And a Classic one.



And I can't add the last one without this one. A little Jazz.

A Gift of Ducks

A few weeks ago, I got a little box set from my parents. Inside was a bunch of Wintergreen Lifesaver Mints, Spaghetti-Os, Wegmans Tuna, a Bionic Commando lunch box, and some little rubber ducks. The last part was probably the coolest. These ducks are dressed as if they were hockey players. Yes, I have had them pretended they were playing games against each other.

Here is what they look like.



Cool, right?

A Bible Thought

I know that I have a few readers who aren't too religious, so I am going to preface this posting by saying that I am talking about the Bible in this one. I don't want to throw too much stuff like this in here, but if its what's on my mind, I will share it. I will just be nice enough to preface it with something like this, so if you want to skip it, feel free.

I have been thinking a lot recently about 1 Corinthians 13. As most of you know, this is known as the love chapter. In this chapter, Paul is talking about what love is. I like to think I show love to all people I meet. I know that I don't do it 100% of the time, which I do feel bad about and know I need to work on, but I do try. The part of this chapter that I recently thought about is verse 5. "It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." (Thanks biblegateway.com for access the verse.) For years, I took this to mean, 'Don't be angry.' I would try to always hold my temper and not get mad at people. I don't really think that is what it is saying. Don't be EASILY angered. Love can get angry. It shouldn't fly off the handle or anything, but Love can be angry. This really was just a revelation to me. I thought about it, and the Bible does say GOD is Love and that GOD was angry. I guess its sort of like how a parent can get angry with a child. Being angry with them doesn't change the love they have for their child. In fact, its usually because they love the child that they are angry. The child was being disobedient and the parent is upset for the child's own good. I guess just multiply that by like a billion and you can get a small idea of what GOD is like when HE is angry. HE doesn't fly off the handle, but is always looking out for those HE loves, us. Since a Christian is supposed to be like Christ, we need to make sure to emulate GOD's love in the small way we can.

Seeing What I Can Be

I often think about what I want to do when/if I grow up. Recently, my idea is to become a Math professor or some other college teacher. I have told a few of my classmates and friends this and the normal reaction is, 'Yeah, I can totally see that.' I'm sort of glad that people see that as a fitting career for me, not that it really matters. I think I would eventually fit into whatever career I wanted to pursue. My only issue with it is that, yes I would like to teach, but am not going to kid myself into thinking it is really any type of glamorous job. I really wish people would say that they could see me doing something much more exciting, like alligator wrestling, world traveler, or professional spy.

Somewhat sadly, I couldn't find classes for any of those careers. Guess I'll just have to stick with my current plan.

My AZ Friends

I know I have said this before, but I am so thankful for the path my life has taken. I have had to deal with a few small annoyances with my jobs and money, but in the end, I have always had enough to get by.

The other night, I realized a certain path life had taken me on where I got to meet two of the most amazing people ever, my friend Brad and his sister Christin. Brad and I met while working for Siren, a decent job that didn't work out in the end. After leaving the job, I went through some pretty unsteady months but I can always look back on my time there as a blessing cause I got to meet Brad, who is probably my best friend I've made since moving out of Buffalo. Since I have been hanging out at his place, I have gotten to meet his wonderful sister, Christin. Both of them have made me feel very welcome whenever we have spent time hanging out. Brad is always inviting me over to eat dinner, go to a party or church, or just to hang. Recently, we were hanging out and I overheard Christin say that she had a blog. Of course I went home and followed her blog. Next time I saw her, I mentioned this and she was really happy to hear it. In my mind, it wasn't a big thing but I am glad she was pleased.

So, thinking back to my time with Siren, yeah, it wasn't cool what happened at the time, but if it didn't happen, I wouldn't be living on this side of town and probably wouldn't have made these friends. In the end, the small annoyance was worth it.

By the way, both Brad and Christin write blogs. You can read Brad's here and Christin's here.

Thinking in Color

I was recently having a conversation with a friend about favorite colors. It ended up evolving into a conversation about the meanings/thoughts we associate with different colors. Here are my thoughts.

Purple - This reminds me of my Aunt. She loves purple and the whole family definitely knew it. When I think of purple I think of a more mature, romantic affection. As opposed to ....

Pink - Of course, I think of this as the most girl-y color. I think of it as a young affection. Also, remind me of those Sweetheart candies. I think I am one of the few people in the world who actually likes those.

Blue - My second favorite color. Makes me think of water and the ocean. I associate it with adaptability, ease, and peace.

Green - This is my favorite color. I think of plants when I think of green. I think of life and growth with this color.

Yellow - Yellow-bellied, need I say more? Well, I probably should. The sun is actually what I think of when I think of yellow. Which might be why I think of something that's attention grabbing. Like a ray of sunshine.

Orange - Probably my least favorite color. I do not like this color much. Though I do like GoldFish crackers, (Easter Egg: Know what the first ingredient of GoldFish? If not, look it up.) when I think of orange, I, like most people, think of the fruit that shares the name. I think of confusion when thinking of this color but that probably comes from my time working for the big orange, The Home Depot.

Red - Anger. Embarrassment. Apples. I only like thinking of the last one, but I associate all three words with red.

White - I think of white as clean and pure. Like a white shirt. Which seems to attract dirt.

Black - Emptiness. I think its probably a very cool (in heat terms) color. I think it also really represents the unknown.

Well, those are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours.

Pratical Cars

Since I drive so much, I get to see a lot of other cars on the road. Not really to many when I'm driving but since I drive so much, they tend to add up. I recently realized that it bothers me when someone has a car and doesn't use it for the purpose it should be. Here are some examples.

1) Driving a sports car slowly - Since you decided to buy a sports car, you should always be going faster than me. It is a shame to have bought an engine like you have and not use it.

2) Having a pristine pickup truck - I understand, you care about your car. But, it has the bed, you paid to have the bed, you should you it. Luxury Pickup Trucks might be the stupidest thing ever. Why worry about it getting a ding in it? They are meant to get them. Pickup trucks are meant to pick up things and carry them from point A to point B, That is why they are called PICKUP TRUCKS! If you have one and don't want to help your friend move, you are just a jerk.

3) SUVs with 3 or few passengers - You bought that big vehicle to move a lot. Why not get a car, which would be cheaper and better for the environment? Oh, cause you just want to be a soccer mom? LAME!

It's funny, all these little things that bother me. But really, what sense do any of those things make?

Video Link

Sorry, don't feel like writing but do feel like sharing a video with you guys. I find this clip from the Daily Show really funny, hope you guys do too.

Maybe I'll post later too. For now, just enjoy the clip.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mass. Hysteria
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

St. Patty's Day!

Today is St. Patty's Day. A very special day for any Irish people. I think it's as special to the Irish as Cinco De Mayo is for Hispanic people. I could be wrong on that one though. I have never been much into politics but thinking about St. Patty's Day got me thinking.

One of the few things I have been taught about St. Patrick is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. Pretty impressive if it isn't just a legend. I wonder if Ireland still has any snakes. I wish he hadn't gone to Ireland, cause Washington D.C. might be able to use the chasing of snakes out of town a little more than Ireland did. I am not talking about the literal snakes, mostly the politicians. Like I said, I never have been big into politics, but I really think I would be if I felt that there were people in government that I could trust. Can we get a modern day political St. Patrick?

Sorry for the random thoughts, but hey, if that's what I have in my head, that's what I'll be sharing with you. But if you were curious if I was into the holiday spirit, I am going for a Shamrock Shake later, I am wearing green, drinking a Guinness, and made a pizza. Not that the last part is Irish at all, but it was very delicious, so I don't think the Irish in me will mind.

Taxes

Sadly, I am about to start working on my taxes today. I am not sure how long this will take since I believe I have to file a 1099 and a 1040 cause I have spent time as both an official employee (1040) and an independent contractor (1099). After I finish, I will post whether I am happy or not with the return (at least I hope there is a return) and the time it took. Might not be as bad as all that. Just really need to get down to it. Either way, I am glad I just added a few new albums that I need to rate.

EDIT: So, 1 hour 16 minutes later I will be paying 268 to the state but getting 1563 from the fed. Something like that. I know I'll be getting a lot more from the fed than I am paying to the state. And of course I e-filed the federal return so I should be getting that soon. When I do, I submit the state. I know how to work it!

Part of the Family?

So, the other day I went to hang with a classmate at her house. I wanted to celebrate Pi Day with someone, so I bought a pie and went over. Her parents were grocery shopping so her and I ate a slice of pie and watched some video on SeaWorld, Julia is a big fan of SeaWorld. While just chilling there, her mom called and they talked for a bit. We hung out for a bit longer and her parents eventually came home. They brought with them groceries. For me. Yeah, I was a bit shocked to have the parents of a friend just randomly buy me groceries. It was really nice, but this was definitely new for me. My friends' parents have bought me pizza when I'm hanging with my friends but I can't recall ever getting groceries or anything like that. It was nice. Might swing by next time I need groceries.

Small Thoughts

I have been having some trouble thinking of what to write on this blog. The problem is that most of my thoughts are long thoughts and can be covered in 140 characters or less. For this reason, I tweet most of my random thoughts. It ends up being much easier to just send a short random thought there instead of putting it on here and trying to drag it out. I do like my blog to send my rants out but it has become difficult to find time to post on here. Luckily, I have been working on a few ideas and, when I have time and the will to sit and write, they will be shared. For now, if you would like to get inside my head and know my random thoughts, check out my twitter profile.

On to Next Week Now Please.

So, this is my last week before spring break. I can not tell you how excited I am to have a small break next week, even though I will still be working. This week has been very stressful, with a few papers being due that I put off till last minute, work being busy, and personal stuff going on. I feel this break will be a chance to just catch up on a lot of things I haven't been able to do, like getting more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep. Might take a night off from work just to enjoy life. Besides relaxing, and doing the stupid assignments my teachers gave me for break, I have the big plans of doing my taxes. I know you're all jealous of my amazing life.

It's nice to just have a break and be able to breathe for a mintue.

Favorite TV show? Chuck it up to Chuck

Today, I was watching Chuck with my buddy Brad when I realized, this is by far my favorite TV show. I do love LOST too, but I do think that Chuck would beat out LOST if I actually had to make a decision of which one to watch. (Thank goodness I don't have to choose between the two!) I enjoy LOST for the story but a few times I have thought, if I hadn't been watching this whole time and didn't know when it was going to end, I would have dropped the show. I have never felt that way with Chuck, partly because I am always wondering if there is going to be another season or not. I also think Chuck is just a very well done, fun show. I enjoy the acting by all the characters. They have enough humor to balance out all the drama, never really going to far to one side or the other. I always feel very pleased after watching an episode.

Plus, a smoking hot blond doesn't hurt either.

Think About Your Problem

Last week or so, I was walking with a classmate out of our Anthropology class. We had both just given short presentations on some assigned anthropology words. I hadn't been excited about mine at all, but she had been terribly excited to give the presentation since she got it. While walking out of class she complained about how it seemed that her topic made everyone uncomfortable. Her phrase was 'Gender roles' and she had shown a video from YouTube. Even I found it to be an uncomfortable presentation. I don't really want to share what it was about, but the word Taboo was in the title of the video. I pointed this out to her and how you can't expect people to be comfortable around stuff like that, there is a reason its called taboo. She agreed but just went on complaining and bringing in the stares she gets for some of her reading choices. Again, for most people, the subject matter that she is reading is taboo. I can't believe someone would understand this and still complain.

If you want people's approval, then you have to conform. If you don't want to, then you have to not give a care what other people think! To me, this isn't a difficult idea.

What's in a Name? (Pt. 2)

So by popular demand, and so I don't get beat up by my brother who requested this, I will talk about some of my nicknames. Again, I will mention what I said in the first part, I think of myself as Tom. I know this might be upsetting to some people but I really don't think of myself as any of these nicknames. That said, I do not mind being called any of these. Not a big deal to me at all .

SportyDebo - This has become my most popular nick name in recent years. Of coures this comes from my love for Sporty Spice, she was the only talented one in the group. (Thank you Wikipedia for that little opinion) If you don't believe that, I guess it might come from the fact that I am the sibling in the Debo family that has the most interest in sports. Matter of fact, any interest means I have the most interest.

Sporty - I think its just used when folks are too lazy to add Debo to the end. Sometimes though, I worry that they are confusing me for Sporty Spice. On my bad days, we do look a bit similar. (The Sporty joke may never get old)

Debo - I was called this more when I was back in Buffalo, when hanging with my friends back there. Since moving out to AZ, Mike has taken the mantle of Debo out here, and I am the second of the Debos that people will meet so I am differentiated by being called Sporty.

Uummmm........I think that's about it. If I forgot any, please remind me. I'll either edit them in if there are just a few or do another post.

Final Answer?

Wednesday, I had my first chemistry test. I really didn't know what to expect from the test and I really hadn't studied at all cause the week was just a tough one. Luckily, the test was really easy, pretty simple stuff, but after meeting some community college students and talking to some of my classmates, I realize many others might have found it a bit difficult. One of the questions was a list of items and asking which were 'Pure' substances and which ones were 'Mixed'. I have no idea how they got these answers, but I did have one classmate say that he thought 'Blood' might be a 'Pure' substance and another say he though 'Air' was 'Pure'. This is Chemistry! We spent the first 3-6 classes just talking about the periodic table!

I just don't get how others think sometimes.

One Rotten Apple

None of my classes are really that bad. I get along with most of my classmates in the classes, but there is one issue. In my Philosophy class, I have a classmate who just seems to annoy the whole class. He always seems to have something to say that does seem relevant but the way he goes about it makes him seem like a pretentious jerk. I believe most of the class would agree. He has actually laughed a little at other classmates when they say something. I don't think I have ever had a classmate this annoying, who seems genuinely disliked by the whole class. I even think the teacher isn't a fan and she has just ignored him a few times. His comments, and responses/reactions to other peoples comments, just seem to ruin the whole class. More people would speak if he didn't monopolize the whole class.

The funny thing is that he shares a name with a former coworker who was sort of the same way, just in a work setting instead of a school setting.

Desire or Addiction?

One night not too long ago, I was working during the night, as I tend to do for my night job, and I noticed a few guys in a park playing frisbee. Man, was I jealous of them. I realized that I haven't played a sport in months and darn do I miss it. I have started to get really antsy to play something again. So antsy that I am wondering if I am sort of addicted. It feels like I need another 'hit' of sports. I don't know if its a bad thing or what. Maybe I just think it could be bad cause I use the word 'addicted' Hope its not a bad thing.

What's in a Name?

Last night, a friend and I were texting each other for a bit. For some reason, the name Tommy came up and she started telling me that she was going to call me that from now on. It got me thinking about all my different names, mostly just the variations I use of 'Thomas', and the meanings behind each one.

Thomas - Used when I need to be formal. If I am applying for a job, I refer to myself as Thomas. Also used whenever I have to deal with legal authority figure like a judge or police officer. I don't go by Thomas very often, nor do I think of myself as Thomas.

Tom - Used when I am introducing myself to most people. I feel this is the casual version of my name. I think of myself more as 'Tom' than 'Thomas' mostly cause that is what I am called 95% of the time.

Tommy - Used only by a select group of people. I don't like someone who has called me Tom to switch to Tommy, it feels weird. I do think its an immature verison of Thomas. I almost think it has gone too casual. That being said, there are a select group of people who call me Tommy that I don't mind. I think its cause they have always called me that. This group includes my sister, mother, aunt, and, for some strange reason, Corrie Hayes. They all seem to fit into a group until that last one.

Also, in my Spanish class, we have been learning about verb conjugations. Tomar, to take, in the 'you' form is Tomas. Deber, to should, in the 'I' form is Debo.

My name in Spanish, Tomas Debo, means something like 'You take, I should'. Interesante.

My Driver Test. (Spoiler: I Passed)

So, I had to take a test online for the ticket I received. I spent almost $250.00 on various fees to take the class and test online. About 4 hrs were spent not reading the text and answering questions that were supposed to make sure I read the sections. I couldn't go on until a certain time had passed even though I would have it answered in minutes. I then took the final test. 50 questions done in about 5 minutes. 100%. Was all this really necessary? I don't think so. Waste of freaking time. Well, on with the rest of the week.

A Much Needed Break

Yesterday, after studying all day, a friend invited me out. Still having a lot of studying to do, I accepted. The reason, I am not a medical student, I should be allowed to have a life.

Great time meeting a bunch of really cool new people. (By new people, I do not mean babies, who would be the newest people to the Earth. I mean, people I had never met before, or people who are new to me.)

Not Myself

Sometimes, like right now, I don't really feel like myself. I was just thinking, I should figure out who this mystery person who I feel like is. What is the story of this person? What is the nationality and background of this person? Not that I enjoy feeling like someone else, but since I can't really control it, I should study it or something.

Well, enough of that. I need to study.

The Organization

My nickname is Sporty. As you may know, it is because, out of all my family members, I am probably the most knowledgeable about sport and I definitely am the one who enjoys sports the most. I love to watch and play most sports. That being said, while I love Hockey and the NHL and enjoy football and the NFL, I can't stand the NBA or MLB. I do enjoy playing both of them, though I am a much bigger fan of the other two sports, it's just those leagues don't intrigue me. I don't really care to watch MLB regularly or the NBA at all.
I started thinking about this the other day, and started to realize why I would rather play a sport over watching it. I feel that there is a lot of 'heart' and passion missing in the leagues. When I go out to play with my friends, I am going to play the sport to have fun, not for a paycheck or because it's, 'What I do'. I know any professional athlete, from someone playing in the Premier League to someone playing Aussie Rules Football, would tell you stories of their passion or the 'heart' they have for the game they play. But, honestly, I have a hard time believing it. There is something about going out there with friends, not knowing when you'll get a chance to play a sport again and that you're just going out to have fun with, hopefully, friends who are, hopefully, are the same skill level. To me, for a professional athlete to have the same passion for a sport as I or many 'Average Joes' do just doesn't make sense to me. I am not saying most Average Joes have more passion that most athletes, but I do think that the most passionate fans have more passion than the average athletes.
This got me thinking, randomly, about other organizations, specifically the Church. I look at sport leagues and the church in somewhat the same way. I do not see a way that a church can have as much passion as a group of people just meeting to talk about their beliefs and help teach each other. I really think that is the idea that churches are supposed to be built on, but, when you look around at churches, how many do you see that are actually that way? I see way too many churches that have implemented rules on themselves of how to act or how to study the Bible. The organic growth of people spirituality doesn't seem to be apparent anywhere that I have seen. I don't want anyone to be under the impression that I believe I can 'judge' where everyone spiritual levels are. It seems that most churches are almost a 'Christian Factory', they put you through the same things wherever you go and teach some of the same basic things everywhere. When people just meet in groups together and let the conversation evolve organically, you get a chance to let people grow in the way they specifically need to. No two people grow physically in the same way, why do churches seem to think that they grow spiritually at the same rate or level?

I don't know. Maybe this doesn't make much sense to anyone but me, and maybe it won't even make sense to me tomorrow. It's just my current thought. Hope you enjoy it.

Freak Out for Fun

I think I have test anxiety. I was freaking out the other day right before taking the oral part of my Spanish quiz. I felt I hadn't studied enough and really had no idea how to respond to any question the teacher might ask. It wasn't until the night before the test that I remember that the teacher had given the class a list of about 25 questions that she would ask 3 from. After looking over the list, I felt a little better, but not much. I knew the answers when looking at the questions but when the test would come, how would I do without the sheet in front of me? So, I go in to take the test. I answer all 3 questions and being to feel like I messed up on a few words. So after the class, I talk to the professor to ask her if I could retake the test in front of her instead of being recorded through the computer. She gives me a puzzled look and informed me that she already graded them. She then shows me that I got 13/12. I guess I did perfect and even got a bonus point. All the worrying for nothing. Well, at least I can move on from that and start worrying about the written part of the test, which I will be taking Tuesday. Maybe I can get 100%+ if I worry about that too.

Time Isn't Always on My Side

Sometimes, I never feel like I have enough time to do all the things I want to or need to get done. The last few days, I have had a very strong desire to update this blog but obviously haven't actually done so. Hope I can get a few posts up in the next few days. I have a lot of studying to do so there is a good chance that by Tuesday (my next day of class) I will have a few posts up, a totally cleaned house, will feel well rested, and won't have done much studying. Ah, procrastination!

Already Nervous

SO, I really haven't given an update about how school is going. Not that I am planing on giving an in depth update yet, I sort of have something else on my mind, but I'll just say that I'm having a little bit of a rough go of it so far. Just can't really get into my classes. I'm not doing poorly, just wish I was more excited about them.

Well, anyways, too the matter at hand.......

OMG I'M FREAKING OUT!!!! For my Philosophy class, my teacher just released the instructions for the final/semester project. It is to research and make a survey about a current issue, then to interpret the data and create a presentation from it. First off, I don't really like to do research. Having never spent much time doing any, I am a little worried about that, but honestly, it's a paper, I can do it. I can figure out how to create a decent survey and all that. I am not excited about it but I can do it. I am FREAKING OUT about the presentation part of it. I honestly hate getting in front of a group of people who I don't really know to talk about anything. I am much more comfortable being part of a discussion and talking with people in a small group.

I know I'll be fine, and it's not due until late March. I just don't like the idea of doing a presentation. As the date comes closer, I may start losing some sleep (not that I get that much now) over doing it. It doesn't seem healthy to be this worked up over something that isn't going to happen for weeks.

I honestly wish I could still drop this class, that's how bad it is. Don't worry, I won't drop it. I'd still have to pay for it and that would be a waste.

Music

I had a friend of mine give me some music. She let me borrow a thumb drive of some of her favorite songs. I am not totally sure how to tell her that I don't really care for 90% of it, but I am very glad she sent it. Thanks to her, I know have probably one of my top 10 favorite songs ever, Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever, but for some reason did not have it in my music library. Hope you enjoy it too.

Commercials

I do not get advertising at all. I mean, I understand that they are trying to sell a product anyway possible. I just don't really get the idea of some commercials. Beer commercials might be the strangest ones. I never see people act like they do in commercials after having a few drinks. And why the heck does everything need to have a female model to be advertised?

I would make a terrible marketing person. I would show what the product does, no real need to embellish. Probably would have that job for a week. (At most.)

Phoenix in Phoenix!

Last night, I saw the band Phoenix play an amazing concert. I have not gone to many concerts in my life, but this was probably the best I've been to. It was an amazing time with some very good friends. I am looking forward to seeing this band when they come back to the area. I hope it's soon but, since they live in Paris, France, I sort of doubt that. Maybe an international trip???

Art of War

So, I recently started reading 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. I am thoroughly enjoying it, but it is nothing like what I expected.

Guess I won't be painting the picture of the Battle of Gettysburg anytime soon.

Make My Day

There are somethings that just make my day. I don't always know when I'll experience one of these things, but when they unexpectedly happen, the day just seems to be better. Here are the things that recently happened to me.

I enjoy writing, but most of the time, if I don't have any direction for my writing, I'll quickly get bored with it. This is why writing short restaurant reviews seem to work very well for me. I recently work a review for a restaurant called Fez on the site Yelp, which is where I do most of my reviews. I just really did this to do a little writing and let people know what my experience with the restaurant was. The next day I found I had two new friends following my reviews! One of the guys I actually know but didn't know he was on the site. The other is a complete (at least to my knowledge) stranger, who also left a comment saying that she enjoyed my reviews. Just thinking that a things that I just did for my own enjoyment was also enjoyed by others so much so that they are looking forward to reading more of my thoughts. I don't really think the writing was that outstanding but others at least seem to find it enjoyable.

Since I started school again, I have been trying to make friends in class. It isn't really that hard. I find that if I just talk to anyone in class, they find it intriguing enough to have a conversation with me, since most people don't really try to connect with classmates. I now know at least someone in each of my classes and have talked to most of those people outside of class. One of them recently told me that she actually was really glad I talked to her cause she thought I have a nice smile. This took me back a bit because if there is one thing I don't really like about myself, it my teeth and smile. I know it sounds silly but I know my teeth have weird stains on them and, I feel, don't line up perfectly. I know that I had opportunities to get this taken care of before and didn't take them, and it honestly doesn't bother me that much. I just really found it surprising that my smile is something someone would like. I think after I was told that, I had the smile stuck on my face the rest of the day. Don't get ahead of yourself, dear reader! She was just paying me a compliment, nothing more. Even knowing this, it still made my day.

I don't think in either case it was the things themselves that made my day, it was more the fact that they were unexpected. I wasn't writing a review for other people to tell me how much they enjoyed it, nor was I smiling for someone to tell me they like my smile. Both of them I just did for my own gratification and it happened to be enjoyed by others. So much so that they thought to mention it.

Life's good.

Haiti Relief

I don't really know how many people really read this, but I just want to make sure everyone has done something to help those in Haiti. Today, I just bought a shirt with the proceeds going to the Haiti efforts. If you would like to purchase one too to help while getting a stylish shirt out of the deal, check it out here. If not there, there are many of other ways to donate. Please do. I know tragedy is all around us, but when I look at what happened to them and what I have, I KNOW I can give a little to help.

Like a Child

Sometimes, I feel a lot like a child. You know. Like, when a child wants a toy. It might be something another child has and he is just jealous, or it's something he saw on a TV ad and knows that he wants it. He thinks that that one thing will make his life better. That it is the key to his happiness. When he finally gets it, he may enjoy it for a bit, but soon enough, he will find a new thing to fancy, whether it is the box the toy came in, something another child has, or just another ad. Then that new thing becomes the key to his happiness.

Yeah, I sometimes get like that. I guess I just need to do a few things.

1) Be grateful for what I have.

2) Really consider if this new thing is something I really want. Is it worth the sacrifice to get?

3) If/when I get it, make sure I value it as much as possible.

I really believe this is an issue that more people then just me have a problem with. Hope you find these thoughts interesting/helpful.

Bobsled Time!

I was just thinking about how the Winter Olympics are starting very soon. I don't know how popular they are down here in the desert since most people haven't seen snow or ice and probably don't really get any of the events. Never the less, I was getting a bit excited about some of the events (not really interested in the figure skating, but most other blade/ice related sports are cool by me) and I started to wonder if I'll be able to watch any. Probably not because of my crazy schedule. I'll miss seeing hockey, luge, curling, speed skating, skiing, snowboarding, and bobsled.

To substitute the last one, I am going to watch Cool Runnings.

'Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time!'

New Season.

Sunday last week, probably my favorite tv show had it's premier. Yeah, Chuck is back! I went over to watch most of the two-hour premier on Sunday to my good friend Brad's place. He is also a huge fan of the show. They also had another new episode last Monday, so he came over and watched it at my place. Man, I LOVE that show. I have been watching from the beginning and, to be honest, originally thought it didn't have much of a run in it. The story didn't seem like something that could continue for a long run. The thing that brought me back every week was the amazing characters, each of them is their own person with very good depth throughout the cast. I remember hearing once that you don't always need a groundbreaking story, if you have deep characters. If you can make a character that people care about, you can make up for some deficiencies in the storytelling.

Also, having an attractive, blond female lead who can act well doesn't hurt either.

Random Encounter

Two weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to start going to church again. I found a Nazarene church in my area and since I had been to one in Buffalo that I somewhat enjoyed, I decided to go. Last Sunday, I woke at about 7am, not on purpose, and got ready and just went to the 9am service. I was quickly greeted by an older gentleman named Will. I found out he is a pastor there and quickly treated me to the welcome speech. I didn't mind cause it was quick and involved a gift bag with a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks. He reminded me of Pastor Dave Hill from EHWC. He tells me about a Sunday school for college-aged people that starts at 9:30am and invites me to go next week. I thank him and enjoy the service. The service was decent, nothing ground breaking to me, but I figure I'll give it another try next week.

Next week come and I am again awake much earlier than I want to be. I decide to go to the Sunday school this week. I get there and there are only 4 other people. We chat for a bit and start talking about Isaiah. More people start coming in and one of the girls introduces herself as Laura, who I think is familiar looking. The name is familiar too. A few minutes later I realize that she is actually from my hometown and the sister of a friend of mine. After Sunday school she says that I look familiar. I respond, 'Yeah, my last name is Debo. Yours is Pasieka.' She actually remembers my brothers and going to the same church my family went to for years.

How random.

Magic Music

Sometimes, when listening to music via the radio or my iPod, I will realize how appropriate a song is to a certain situation in my life. I have started to think that these devices are a little magic. I was recently upset for not having something I wanted. Mind you, this is very much something I want. I do not in anyway need this thing. I know this but still think about how much I would like to have this thing and that I might be happy if I had it.

Then the song 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' by the Rolling Stones came on. It actually took me up until the end of the song to realize how appropriate it was for me. I am very glad I have what I need and that I always seem to get what I need when I need it. That's enough for me right now.

Construction

Since I've had this delivery job that I am currently working at, the airport here in Phoenix has been under construction. I have no idea what is going on but it seems like half the lanes are closed every night for some project. I have tried to ask people working at the airport what is going on but no one seems to know what they are doing. I really wish road construction sites needed to have a sign up stating what they are doing and how long they'd have lanes closed for. I do see that every once in awhile, but I think this should be mandatory. I would like to know if they are build a new road, widening the road, repaving it, or just taking a coffee break there. If I don't see the sign, In usually just assume that last one.

Facebook Fans

I was just on Facebook, a place I spend way too much time. I don't really do much on there besides check my friends' statuses to see what their up to and if anything interesting is happening with them. I like checking it on my phone cause it doesn't give as much info in the news feed. Mostly, it's just friends' statuses and comments between common friends. When I check Facebook on my laptop, it also shows the games people are playing and people that I am not friends with but some of my friends know that I may just have not friended yet. It also shows what I think is the most annoying thing on the whole site: Fan pages.

Honestly, I do get some of these pages. If you a fan of a sport team or celebrity, you can become a fan to show that to your friends. I get why their is a fan page for things like Comic Book, X-Box 360, Harry Potter, MLIA, Christian Bale, Tupperware, The Buffalo Sabres, Green Lantern, and Sleeping In. I understand pages like that, those are things that you like and want to show others that you like them. I DO NOT get the pages like, and these are actual pages, 'I screamed your name and you didn't hear me, thanks for making me look stupid', 'I hate stupid little kids who think that they are baddasses', 'You know what? I don't care. This is how I roll, and roll I shall', 'When I was your age, we had to blow on the video games to make them work', and 'Or you can just ignore me... That's cool.' I just don't get how you are a fan of any of these things. Maybe it's just me, but I think these things are totally ridiculous. And, it seems that the people who join these groups, join all of them. Whatever, guess I should just let it go since it deally doesn't affect me at all.

(I just didn't have anything better to write about.)

Weakness

Everyone has a weakness. Some people have a weakness for chocolate, others have a weakness for sappy movies. Superman has a weakness for Kryptonite.

Me, I have a weakness for Lifesaver Wintergreen mints. Just bought a bag over the weekend and probably have eaten half of them already. Glad my weakness doesn't make me sick, powerless, or kill me like Superman's does to him.

Snow!

The other night, I was called by work. They were shorthanded and needed someone to drive to Flagstaff for them. For those of you who aren't familiar with you Arizona geography, Flagstaff is about two and a half north of Phoenix in the mountains. Having nothing better to do, I agreed. I went to pick up the package at 10pm Sunday night. I had been told it was only going to be one box for 40lbs. When I got there and found it was actually 4 packages for 170lbs, I was wondering how to get it up to my car. Luckily, a nice skycab, one of the guys with the carts that help people with their luggage came over and helped me get it to my car.

On the drive to Flagstaff, I was on the look out for snow the whole time. I didn't notice any until I got within an hour of the city, but I could have missed it, being so late at night and so dark. When I got to the location to drop the boxes off, I noticed there was snow there. I realized I haven't seen snow in around 374 days, since I left Buffalo after visiting for Christmas '08. Thinking I don't know when I'd see snow again, I decided to run into it. After taking one step in, I thought that was enough of that. I made a snowball, but didn't have anything to throw it at so I just threw it into the street. Enough snow for me for a bit.

Ont he drive back, I got to see a coyote and tons of stars. It's nice to get away from the lights of the city ever so often to just see the billions of stars. Made for a decent trip.

Alphabetically Thankful

I was recently thinking of what I'm thankful for. I thought of writing a whole post about how thankful I am for pants. I decided it would be fun to create an alphabetical list of what I am thankful for, one thing for each letter. This could be fun, so here goes.

A - America (I need to be patriotic every once in awhile.)
B - Buffalo (The city. Even though I left it, I am still thankful to be from there.)
C - Canada (Just cause of their contribution to hockey.)
D - Debos (The coolest 'D' I could think of!'
E - Education (I love to learn. Thankful that I can.)
F - Family (Love you guys!)
G - Green (My favorite color. Guess I should be thankful for that.)
H - Hockey (Who didn't see that one.)
I - Ice (I hate drinking warm drinks that aren't supposed to be that way.)
J - Jelly/Jam (PB and J would just be weird without the J.)
K - Katamari (Probably one of the funnest games I've played.)
L - Lights (I hate living in the dark.)
M - Muppets (Almost put Music. I love Muppets a bit more than Music, but it is certainly close.)
N - Naps (How isn't?)
O - OJ (Not the athlete, the drink. Great for mornings, good with Vodka.)
P - Pizza (Beats out pants in a close one.)
Q - Questions (How else would I get answers?)
R - Roofs (Only when they aren't on fire.)
S - Sleep (Yeah, I put Naps on the list too. What about it?)
T - Tom (What a great guy he is! So thankful to know him. Aren't you?)
U - Ukuleles (Just make me laugh. I am thankful for things that make me laugh. Ukuleles makes the list.)
V - Vanilla Pudding (I like it better than Chocolate. Might be in the minority there.)
W - Women (What can I say? I am a regular guy.)
X - X Marking the Spot (How else would I know where to meet the pirates?)
Y - Yelling (Sometimes, it's jsut what the doctor ordered.)
Z - Zamboni (Clean ice!)

Maybe this would have been best for a Thanksgiving post. Oh well. It was on my mind and now it's on the internet.