Comfort/Time Zones

With the utmost certainty, I am losing my mind. My dog has been lodged in the pet hotel off Creighton, and I still have the ghost of one following me around. Every time I go to open the door I stall, as I'm waiting for somebody that's not there. Curse allergies and the repercussions of wanting a cuddly, fuzzy canine around! While trying to forget my dog is temporarily living elsewhere, I've also been cleaning like I do when I let OCD take over. My good friend is moving out, which sucks because I feel like we fought more than got along when we lived together, and that always bites hard. We're on great terms now, but if I had just a bit more time for boozing and being a rowdy frat dude this would have been a great arrangement. He's not moving far, so now I get to visit him in Northern Bama and go rock climbing up there. Horsepins is awesome.

As my ridiculous December descends to destruction, I can really only rely on refuge in runs. I've finally started running again, it's the greatest release on earth. I truly think, after reading Born To Run, that everyone should run like ten miles a week.

Chris McDouglas goes anatomy on your ass if you read the chapters on evolution, and proves a pretty solid point. Our nuchal notch, the divot on the back of you head, anchors your skull to your body like a horse's or dog's. Monkeys don't have that, nor apes. We also have glorified legs and some intense feet bone structures. We evolved weird. To run. So that's what I'm going to do. I have seven or eight people coming in to town to accomadate for, and it'll be interesting to see how it all works out. Both my little sisters graduate this month, with my bloodsister's celebration this weekend. (somewhere between the work conference and the visits to my dog) My brother gets married, too. He already IS married, but the celebration here should prove to be amazing whether the legalities are polished or not. My nerdy music friend from elementary school passes through Florida this month too! I'm really excited because he's been touring and teaching music in Hawaii these last couple years, and we've both aged and matured a lot since the last time we hung out. He's probably the most regular pen pal I have, and he always has great insight to the music industry and what's good. He can play 3245881759 instruments, too. It's ridiculous. If I can get through the family drama and logistical problems, this December could be amazing, we'll see as it hashes out though.

UkeRock and MeatJuice

I've met more interesting, amazing people in the last two weeks than I did in the rest of 2011.

So the last two weeks I've been working on Design Engineering 302 courtesy of my corporation's training path, and it has been a blast! Seriously. That may sound like a bore to some people, but I don't think I'll ever get enough of the 'college' atmosphere. Given that I've been to three different campuses to learn, and I live a mile from the last one I attended, I still walk my dog on campus all the time. Just to people watch. This class took place in a nice hotel in Houston and we crammed a lot of stuff in 2 weeks working 11 hour days, but it was definitely worth it. I feel like a REAL engineer now, which is ridiculous, as I'm closer to an environmental patroller than an engineer in college credits. Protect the earth! Go hippies! In the meantime I'll study HVAC and take notes on submittal completion. My coworkers made the class for me. There was Greg, a Yankee from Yonkers that loves ice hawkee and had a wit that could cut glass; and Lucas, a demented-ly silly guitarist that wears Batman hoodies (complete with the bat-ears and original grey and black color scheme...awesome)

and Marlene. Marlene is probably my favorite person I met in class because of her German accent and frankness. Not to be confused with frankforts. Marlene was the only one in the class with a background that wasn't engineering, so we kinda toddled behind the class learning as we listened, and she told some of the best stories of all time. Anyone older than 50 from a different country should have half the repertoire of stories she does.
The whole class was twelve people strong, and we went out every night to eat dinner on the company's dime and drink. Marlene and Tony (a friend of mine from Nawlins branch) got down on some Coronaritas one night, and their drink captivated me. As a huge lover of booze and boozing options, mixing a Corona and Margarita sounds gross. After that night, I came away with a newfound respect for the drink and a couple hilarious stories.

Hybrid Cocktail and Beach Beer... fun ensues.
One of which, is the meat juice.
We finished up dinner and one coworker had french dip sitting. Cold. Gross. Well the bet arose that nobody would drink the inch-tall bowl of nasty, and eventually, a rather large fellow, took the bet and chugged that crap. It was forever known as meat juice, due to some inebriation and a bet, and we didn't stop making gay jokes for the rest of the class. Working for Siemens and swallowing meat juice isn't gay, but the combination of the two results in hilarity. You'd think penis jokes get old with a company name like ours... buttttt.... heheh.

The rest of the inadequate sleep habits and hard hours I won't talk about, as it was boring and not worth the time to type into blog format.

The other great thing about this trip was my extremely long layover on the flight back to Pensacola. In Charlotte. How they sent me up here first I will never know, but I do know I'm glad it happened. I was bored, strolling through the Charlotte airport, when I heard the radio permeate the crowd more clearly. Then I realized, it was no radio, it's some college nerds sitting in the corner playing ukelele! Weirdos. I crept closer, sitting in some rocking chairs nearby. When I say I thought it was radio, I wasn't kidding. The asian girl in the middle had a voice that could sink more ships than the mermaid tales of old. She was playing uke and singing, while another girl was strumming along, and a guy about their age was singing too. I had a million thoughts about how to approach them, as I'd have died to been able to play uke as the girl, (Shannon btw) could sing. I ended up just walking over and talking to em, completely forgot about the ukes and the music. They were just too interesting and nice. I got into a discussion about Marvel vs. DC, discussed anime, shared facebooks and ate Mexican food. We ended up eating together and watching Adventure Time until I nabbed some candy from a USO and their flights left. The impression they left on me made me write this though, nerd culture is ALIVE! Alive and kicking like Chuck Norris. Round house that!
Yeah I'm an FPS nerd. Get over it.

How Bad Do I Want It?

Freedom! It's intriguing to me that without a social networking application- Facebook, I decide to start blogging again. It is a nice alternative to being in everyone's business, and somewhat reminds me of the solitude and stalwart loneliness that Hemingway and Chris McCandless from Into the Wild felt. (Sidenote-Emile Hirsch is my hero after a combination of that movie and Lords of Dogtown) After what, 48 hours of no Facebook? Yeah I guess I am that lame. My 700 'friends' and all the pictures mean absolutely nothing in real-world applications, soooo why did I focus so hard on it for years? Like I said... Freedom. I don't think adults realize how psychologically attached kids today (yeah, I'm a kid still; ask my ex) are on social networking devices. With my addictive personality, I would check on people I never liked in real life, everyday; it's tough to admit the level of creepiness I was on. I would go with heavy-breathing four-eyed freak from Hey Arnold-level weird.

The ungodly amount of time that I spent on Facebook is nice to have back too. I'm so obsessive that sometimes I'd click on the website, see if anyone updated, then get back off. Only to repeat ten minutes later. Scary right? This is the reason I haven't joined Twitter, played World of Warcraft, or tried crack. Also, drugs are bad. Having time for myself is nice, especially after I've been working hard at something for the second or third time in my life. In the last couple months I've been on the Siemens training path for design engineer, and they've sent me to three different courses outside of my humid, poor city of Pensacola. New Orleans, San Antonio, and now Houston; they all have been progressively getting tougher. Well, I take that back. New Orleans taught me how to put together submittals, which is about as tough as making airplanes. San Antonio taught me the basics of mechanical physics and electrical configurations (as provided by Siemens); Houston, so far has taught me EVERYTHING ELSE. It's a two-week course and cannot be any more compact and useful. We've gone over everything from AutoCAD to wiring diagrams, variable frequency drive selection to reading a blueprint. After spending six months as an electrical installer this should come easy- I was TOLD. I'd have to disagree. Turning a screwdriver and cutting drywall while bleeding and carrying 80 lbs of tools is not the same as sitting behind a computer eight hours a day. It didn't teach me to read diagrams or understand voltage either. (I shocked myself by shocking myself so many times.) I hope that this doesn't sound like complaining though, as I'm overly ecstatic about my job and wouldn't trade it in for anything. I'm learning a trade I've never thought about, making good money and perhaps even growing a set of balls in the process. The most manly of manly men I've ever met work in my office, they're like gorillas with man-brains. Big, burly dudes that are all competitive and let me know on a daily basis that I'm the bitch at my branch. That's okay with me for now, as I'm one of the youngest and still am learning a lot. I mostly keep my mouth shut and ears open.
The things I overhear from conversations between them are captivating though. I love books, video games, and computers. I'm a nerd. I don't think any of the guys at my branch really can relate. The common source of male bonding at work is discussions on motorcycle building, Jeep modifications, and the ever-present complaints about abbreviated software programs. CSAL, SAP, ANSI ratings, ASHRAE, CAT updates, job numbers and other things that basically serve no purpose minus confusing newbies. I've literally just grunted to fit in on several occasions. What's worse, that I did it, or that they grunted back in agreement?

(This part is something new that I'm going to start doing... given that I actually stay up-to-date with my blog...)
Song/Artist That Captivated Me Today- Brothers on a Hotel Bed/ Death Cab For Cutie
One Thing I Learned Today- I'm the worst in my class at engineering.

Game Plan

Florida has no hills. With that said, I love skateboarding regardless of the size of the challenge. With surfing, the effort put into ripping down a wave is overwhelming on our side of the Gulf; however, skating concrete waves is almost effortless if you can control the board. I ate it yesterday and opened up my pinky, hip, shoulder and knee. Totally worth it.

Life's challenging me this month too. I've been dragged through the mud at work, received multiple engineering projects that I know will keep me busy until November. This weekend I'll be watching a contingent of musical artistry via Bayfest, then next week I'm heading to San Antonio for some training and coincidental friend meeting. Two girls I knew when I lived in Japan years ago will be there the same time as I will, and the window is only 3 days long! Very neat. Later this month is DeLuna fest, but Linkin Park dropped from the festivities and I can't figure out whether Weezer and Cake are worth 200 bucks or not. That next weekend is my abuelita's birthday, and the family's headed to New York for a surprise visit. THEN there's Halloween, which I intend to spend in Tallahassee with my little sister at FSU. It's always nice to be on a girl-populated college campus around Halloween. ...Of course you're a "insert costume here", you don't look like a slut. You look like a sexy "*costume". (Sorority girls+Halloween= Costumed drunk sluts)
If I can just survive the month, my November will be buttah.

Stalemate

Where is the surf!? Where is it? Seriously? It's the right time of the year, I bought a board for this season specifically, and I suppose I made a mistake. It's rough and choppy, but the only time we got waves thus far is when that tropical depression came through! Curse you Poseidon! Using all your great magical powers to make Thailand, Japan and small Pacific-island nations suffer is messed up, and you could at least send a ripple towards the Gulf. I created this blog to talk about surfing, life, and the stuff that happens in between; however, I NEED SOME SURF for motivation! There can be no great metaphors that emanate from the shore if the gulf stays as composed and calm as a lake. Fail, Florida. Fail.

^^The magical land of Teahupoo where I wish to reside.^^

NOLA- Saint & Sinners

I just got promoted! The electrician you once knew is now a design engineer, and thus; with more time in the office, around computers, the blog you once knew has changed as well. I've always considered myself an intellectual, and have had issues putting faith in any higher power. My logic and disdain together create atheism, and there is a void of true love in such a world. In an attempt to gain some vain ideology on religion, I'm shifting toward a spiritual point of view-one that actually cares about my own soul. I've slept with the Bible close to my head at night for about a year, but honestly, haven't picked it up but a dozen times. It's an aesthetic part of my room over everything else; however, this last week in New Orleans has helped me grow. The first couple days were spent partying with Nawlins locals- girls that attended Tulane. I had a lot of fun with them, but I became more interested in hanging out with a fellow futbol player/coworker. Gil showed light on some massive holes in my life, several of which nothing could fill but religion. He was actually a Sephardic Jew, one of those Torah-totin' rabbi types, but he did an amazing job of renewing my faith. It feels like every time I turn around there's something else I need to ask forgiveness for nowadays; I'm a sinner among sinners, but I have this subtle undercurrent of hope whirring around inside me.
One of my favorite passages Gil showed me:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6

Surfing Sand Dunes?

Alas, a change of pace! A topic to write on and a new step in my life... A BRAND NEW CARRR! Well, a van; a utility van that has my company's name on the side. I'm still excited. So excited, that I'm tired by 5pm today. It's tiring trying to break a van in with car-dancing on the hour drive to Crestview and back, completely worth it though. My 2011 E-150 is actually very nice, and a gas card that lets me fill 'er up on the company's dime is muy excelente. There's enough space for a hammock in that thing!... *sidenote: I may or may not put up a hammock in my van. ...ok... yeah i did that.

I'm truly excited about outfitting the auto, as I get a day's worth of fun organizing activity. If you know me, you know I'll thoroughly enjoy this, no sarcasm. Continuity hasn't been my strong point in the series of blogposts I write, but I'm going to step it up. I've been researching different cities that have branches of Siemens, and wish I could easily decide on just one. The van wouldn't come with me, but in another city I'd get a new vehicle all over again. The true deciding factors are things like: quantity and quality of soccer leagues, weather, urban sprawl, presence of mountains and/or surf, job openings (obviously), and dog-friendliness. These ideas spawn very strange daydreams. Imagining myself as a field electrician in Cornella de Llobregat, Spain; or a field specialist in Perth, Australia; or (better yet) a wind power sales manager in Cairo...
Pictured below is Catalan Bay... where I COULD be wiring HVAC controls and such.



These aren't quite daydreams as much as they are career options now. All of these are real jobs in my field, at my company. Siemens is so widespread that it hurts to think about. After three years, my options become unlimited, as almost all the positions need an employee that's been three years with the company. I had a huge yearning to become a military man, but that's all but vanished. My dad was one, his dad was one, and I'm going Gaga-breakout ridiculous (within my family anyway) if I don't serve. I was born this way baby.

Dream Big

I've been bit. The traveling bug has got me in the rear end, and it seems like life has gotten stagnant in this dreadful pretty beach town. Last summer I visited Japan, and the west coast of the states, and my mom took me on a cruise to a bunch of Caribbean islands for her honeymoon. I don't know why it erks me to know I'm not going anywhere this summer, but I have got to plan something. My mindset isn't normally like this, and actually was the opposite growing up. I hated traveling because my mom took me to different countries (what felt like) every weekend. It's different now, and the circumstances are far from what I had growing up. I'm beginning to need that escape, or at least a plan to escape; however, with a new job that I've locked myself into it will be hard to just up and go. This brings me to my dream last night. I had moved to a city in the west, had no friends, and everything was new and different. I'd like that. The beers are taken seriously, the people are nicer, and there aren't God-fearing hippocrats yelling at me. The branch I work at is extremely small, and we are all supposed to be jack-of-all-trades kind of guys. My boss expects a lot, but rewards a lot. Most branches of Siemens don't care about personal progress nearly as much as this guy, and after three months on the job he's talking to me about becoming a technician. The end goal for getting the job as an electronic installer initially was to make money. Now it's shifted, it has become my vessel of escape, a moneymaker, a lifestyle. I don't know about making this my life quite yet, but I may start visiting other branches in other cities nearby so I can acquire some other opinions and compare the type of work and parameters they run. I could eventually be doing specialist technician work in Canada, Germany, China, Greece or Japan. The highest amount of offices is in New York, Texas, New Jersey and Arizona. Those would be the easiest places to transfer to, but I'd like someplace new. I've been in New York so many summers that it wouldn't be a big change for me, and New Jersey isn't the most magical place in the world. Texas is a huge opportunity due to what they have: windmills! Very cool, and another blog-worthy idea. The place I move could easily be California, Germany or Canada too. All of those locations have crazy amounts of offices and opportunity. (And they're all freakin' sweet.) Originally I was depressed and tore up that so many of my friends graduated with a Bachelor's and I haven't yet. I know now everything happens for a reason. If I moved to a city with a Siemens Wind Power graduates' course, and focused on the technical side of these awesome machines; I could get my BS with a purpose. (Something a lot of my friends never thought out, a BS with no purpose is just ...well... bulls***) It's a long dream away, but it's the first thing I've ever been motivated towards in the career world. Did I mention Siemens pays for college programs when you're already an employee for period of time? :)
Give me two years:

Pulling The Slack

Realizations can be ugly, despicable, wonderful and glorious things. Today, I believe I went through one of each adjective. Ugly for the ignorance that oozed out of the Kia Rio that hit me, reminding me how ghetto Pensacola is. It fueled my "get the *bleep out of Pensacola" engine. Despicable for realizing I'm becoming more responsible, which is a half full cup. However you look at the cup, half full or half empty, it's only half full. You're right no matter the view. Like Einstein said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." (I love mind-effing quotes) So I scheduled home insurance people to come tomorrow while I was driving to buy a new phone charger, then wrote down the name of the AHS agent so I could talk to her in case anything went amuck. I'm pretty sure that's responsible. If it's not, going to bed in 20 minutes so I can get sleep for my 6 AM shift tomorrow is. The wonderful came with hate for Pensacola. I realized that despite having to learn about insanely androgenous tasks like bending pipe and greasing wire, I don't like it. It's a simple realization, but one that took me the thinking route of, "I want my Bachelor's degree." (More responsiblity) I can only be so thankful for a high-paying (for my age) career in the electrical field, and am watching people around me settle into mediocrity. The doldrums aren't for me. I've considered military life, moving west to pursue selfish goals, and moving north to pursue emotional goals; however, the greatest choice is to think more. Until I have this job under my thumb, I can't make any decisions. Knowing that I don't like my job is the wonderful realization. Knowing I can use my company to change my job and surroundings is the glorious realization. It may sound silly to the reader, but as I fall asleep to the thunderstorm tonight I'll probably be thinking, "Thank goodness for Siemens." (Either that or, damn I wish I was surfing tomorrow morning haha...)

Gracias Guys.

Many times this year I've fought downhill. The wind at my back and an army of friends and family at my side have helped me get and achieve whatever I want. It's made me lazy and cocky. I have had every advantage to succeed in the last couple years in: academics, work, home life and love life that it would make some people plain sick; however, I chose to ignore approximately ninety percent of the opportunities that arose. Every class I blew off, every social screw-up, every time I didn't take work seriously, all of that is changing. I wish I could say it's ending, but I'm no perfect little robot. It's an interesting change to have a series of events whisk away the mentality of a slacker, but with how much my life is warping I must change or be defeated. When I was between goals in life several months ago and thought I was going to try joining the SEALs, I invested more of my life into the goal than I had ever done for anything with the possible exception of high school soccer tryouts. The fire I had for a secure future pushed my limitations, and helped me realize that I needed to consider all my cards in the deck of life. I would love to thank anyone that has helped me see this, and pulled me along by the ear. It's what I need sometimes, and although I may look and sound like an adult, I'm a scared-ass little child that still has no idea what I'm doing. It's tough to admit for somebody as big-headed and pig-headed as I, but I've been blessed with more than enough people that care about me that will help my sorry butt along than I deserve. I can honestly say the fire under my ass may be finally lit, if not by chance, by the combined efforts of a dozen family members and friends. Thanks guys.
To those that read this blog...hah
(short list...heheh..)
-Elaina, thanks for the job!
-Nana, thanks for the guidance and spoils (she spoils me hardcore)
-Mom, Dad, Holly and Mark, thanks for coddling me as I fail and succeed, and loving me for who I am. (That spoiled slacker kid.)
-Ali, with my first paycheck I'm bringing booze to Tally and we're drinking it.
-Linds, thanks for pushing me the years that you did. Hope you get a sweet job.

Goals

A blogpost on my goals seems fitting right now, as I require something to occupy my time and thinking about goals would be a good way to think less of regret.
My resolutions are still in effect and have passed the first month of the year:
-No video games
-No smoking
-Save more money
-Be more responsible (this last one I may have screwed, but I'm working on it)
But apart from those, the goals I have set for myself include:
-Take my new job seriously and show Britt I'm the man for this job
-Before the year's over, I want to have my Bachelor's
-I want to sustain 200 lbs for more than just a couple days
-Find a segway between a branch of the military and Siemens, then
-Pursue that segway.

Faith

The title of this blogpost is faith, but I could've interpreted 'What You Believe In' in many ways. There's a lot of things I believe in: having fun, being a good sport, love, and actual religion. Creationism is a tough topic to briefly brush over, but I can give you an idea of what my faith and ideology towards religion are. I had a tough time believing anything with such little faith around my friend circle in high school, we never talked about it nor did we care. I went through a phase where I tried to learn Eastern philosophies and things like Confucianism, Tao, and Buddhism. They weren't for me. I got many good ideas out of them, and they made me feel smarter, but apart from that they were just ideas. Christianity is my go-to when people ask what I believe, but even then there's a hundred denominations and radical branches in every one of those. I've been recently going to a Methodist church, and enjoy the sermons and way they accept just about all walks of life. I still have issues with letting the science of life ruin my belief system, but every time I pick up something by C.S. Lewis or read around Proverbs I turn back into an apologetic. There's a massive amount of evidence that shows how wrong the bible is, and that we did evolve from simple chemicals that somehow constructed single-cell organisms; however, I can't live my life without the idea of an afterlife. Having a faith in something, anything, makes for nicer and fulfilled people. I do enjoy reading about different philosophies, and Kierkegaardian is probably my favorite. The Bible is a system of morals that are truly a godsend (ironic wordplay anyone?) to the human population. However the Bible came to be, I think it's the most widespread form of human law and should be revered even if you think Jesus was a magic hippie. Kids shouldn't grow up without something to look forward to, something to believe in. They should believe they have a place in the galaxy for a reason and must do something with their existence. As we discover more about our universe, I hope that Christianity can stay a prominent belief system, and it melts together with cosmogeny. It is unfortunate that so many wars and bloodshed stems from religion, but there's radicals in every form of ideology. Christianity was just, like, more popular. Dude.

Storms on the Horizon

In the back of anyone's mind, there are fears and scary things that haunt people. Sometimes they're silly, like cotton balls or speeches; sometimes there's a point to being scared about them, like snakes and heights. I only name cotton balls because I had a friend in high school that freaked when he was around lotion or cotton balls, something about the texture I guess. Anyway, fears can be legitamite or made-up, and normally there's a couple that everyone go through. Acceptance, failure, needles, death or losing people are just a few that I'm sure everyone has felt at least once in their life. Personally, I'm kind of an adrenaline junkie. Fears based on physical pain don't scare me, and neither do attention or public speaking. I love almost all animals except hagfish and mites, but who likes mites? My fears are mostly based off of microscopic parasites, disability, or failure.
I can't stand the thought of animals I can't see eating away at dead flesh, and if I ever get an STD I'm probably going to cry. A fear of disability stems from my Hercules attitude: the idea that I can do anything physically, and if I can't I can learn how or train to it. If I was ever paralyzed or lost a limb, I'd most likely get depressed and freak out. The last of my fears, failure, is due to the fact that I have a lot of pressure on me. I can't fail, especially at this point in my life, because I'm already behind the curve that I've created in my mind. All four of my parents tell me not to worry, that I'm a great guy and success is a frame of mind; however, I want to make money. I want to make money, raise a family, have a little JRG the 4th, own a bigger truck and maybe even a boat. I simply want to be the guy that can support ALL his friends if the need arises. I love being that guy with the truck that can help people out of sand on the beach, tow a neighbor, move furniture for people and do it all for free. Having just got a new job, I feel this post is a little ironic, but it's definitely true. I fear failure and disability the most, with STDs and mites close runner-ups.

My Lifeguards

My friends are literally lifeguards in a lot of cases, but even the ones that aren't do more for me than they may realize. I've met a lot of people I call friends, but there are a few that have been there for me without fail since I met them. I could almost call some of these guys brothers without thinking about it:

Chile- I looked up to this guy in huge ways in high school, I really wasn't sure why he let me cramp his style. The guy was prom king and one of the best soccer players while still holding up some great grades. And his hair is effin' sweet. He can be either very quiet or very loud, and is always up for a good time. Love this cat.

Goose- Jewbrah, a pilot and a dog guy. That should be all I have to say, but also; he's living with me now and our families are closer now than any others I've ever encountered growing up. I'd call his parents mine, and his dogs filled a void that ripped me apart when my childhood pup Osso died. This guy is one ladies' man with a righteous bro personality. His sister and I get along like peas in a pod, and we share interests in pretty much everything. Except flying, I'll leave that to him.

Lanza- OG surf dude, this guy was my link to the cool world when I first got to Gulf Breeze, and lived with me during hurricane Ivan. He's one of the liveliest, most energetic people I've met thus far, and his personality is one of a kind.

Wermers- A friend I met through Thinh and Borgella, Mike is one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet. He's really, really smart; however, may not show you unless he feels like letting you in. Introspective and insightful, this dude's always been a great broseph.

If all I had were dude friends, I'd probably explode with the testosterone. Some of the ladies in my life keep me sane, some give me the ol' one-two if I'm acting out of line or being a jerkbag.

Erow- She has the memory of several libraries and elephants combined, and hits me with more truth than I can handle at times. This girl just recently got me a job, keeps me sane and deals with my out-of-control girly emotions all in stride. She's a pseudo-hippy from Nawlins and can booze with the best of them, Elaina Marie. Also, we take gorgeous photos.

Lindz- Lindsay and I go back for a couple years, and I've watched her whole personality change since I met her. I like to think we grew up together, as we were still kids when we met. She's helped me mature and I wouldn't be the man I am today without her. She is my ex-girlfriend, but we're still good friends despite all my stupid mood swings and her overpowering strong personality. She's a smart, tough lil' cookie that melts for very few people; I got to be one of them. It's difficult when emotions get involved; we still click all the time and have great times.

I couldn't imagine life without any of these guys, and the below dudes and dudettes are very nice to have around too.

That Mythic Spot

My parents brought me so many places in my childhood that I just adopted the idea that I'm a traveler. So I kept up the idea every chance I got, and I definitely bit when I had the opportunity to head anywher I could. In Brazil my high school friends and I trained for soccer, and Europe was basically one big aggro inline skate tour with my friend Jason Nomura. My mom had a huge traveling bug, I think I caught this itch from her. Before I could remember she took me to Argentina, and we moved to Japan when I was in fourth grade. Okinawa was like a base of operations for my mom's traveling, and I got to tag along. From Oki we hit the Koreas, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. My favorite was Phuket, Thailand. I can't tell you how much my little sister and I bonded over catchy Thai themes like 'Banana Chips' and laughing at things only kids would. Somewhere along the line we made it out to Panama to visit my friend Chuck Yeager, my longest-lasting childhood friend. My earliest memories I have are with that guy, and then randomly I have some chasing mean raccoon-like monkeys called kurumungas out of trash cans. Every special occasion that my parents get to celebrate is spent in vacation spots, almost always out-of-country. They both got remarried in the last couple years, and my mom chose a cruise, my dad chose Hawaii. On my mom's family moon cruise I still learned more about other cultures, and got a shock when I saw Haiti and even Jamaica. I had a great time, but those countries are poorer than Bali was when we went there as kids. Sometimes you don't have to leave the country to have an amazing time though, as I learned how great the west coast is this summer. On the return from Oki we drove from Seattle down to San Fransisco, and camped in the redwoods. The massive size of those trees blew my mind, and the people I met gave me different views on hundreds of topics that I don't even normally think about. Some of them had never left California, (which makes sense, the state is gorgeous and has a mentality unmatched in the entire world) but while there I learned that the important thing isn't where you are. It's how you are. Traveling is important, it gives you scope on how the world is; however, if you can find a place that has love, don't forget that place. Okinawa is one those places, so is Hawaii, and so is New Orleans. I read an article in Men's Health that put New Orleans as one of the least healthy places to live. I say bump that. If the people are loving, and the crawfish are boiling, there isn't a reason to hate. Simple truth in local food: from zenzai in Oki to poi in Oahu, food influences the way people are; they say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. That goes for anyone. Share food with someone today. Try it out. I think at this point I'm philosiphizin' and I'll quit rambling. But if you read all this, take some knowledge of my big dumb blog: share food and love, travel enough to understand more than one culture, and eventually visit either New Orleans, Okinawa, Oahu or all three.

Step Into Liquid, Among Other Titles

I almost decided to skip this step of the blog challenge, movies aren't my forte. I like a widespread selection of movies, and the majority of them are either action or comedy. Almost anything with Will Ferrell I'll watch, and I can quote a load of Anchorman one-liners. His punchlines are just too easy to repeat later. Zoolander and Wedding Crashers are probably the next in line for comedy. Monty Python has a bunch of classic movies I've watched one too many times, and Spinal Tap is a must-see for any rock fans. As far as action goes, I love me a good ol' fashioned kung fu. Tony Jaa rocks Ong Bak and the Protector, Jackie Chan is talented and funny in everything he touches, and Bruce Lee has some classic stuff. A type of movie I enjoy even more than kung fu nowadays is medieval warfare movies. Troy, 300, Arn, Robin Hood, Gladiator, Alexander the Great, A Knight's Tale (somewhat a comedy), and
the Lord of the Rings trilogy are way near the top in my book. Some other random movies that I get a kick out of are Blow, Lords of Dogtown, Across The Universe, The Green Mile, , Green Street Hooligans, Step Into Liquid, Into The Wild and Pirates of The Caribbean. Every dude has his soft spot, and mine just seems to drift toward The Notebook. I'm including it; plus, the sex scene is pretty freakin' hot.
Notable mentions that aren't quite movies but still amazing: Band of Brothers, any documentary on animals like Planet Earth or the Blue Planet, and Earthlings.

A Few of My Favorite 'Things'

The idea for this post was 'things I like'. Initially I just started grabbing photos from Facebook of anything that grabbed my attention, and it continued until I had WAY too many. I looked at the other topics to narrow down the selection, realizing that it was Things. Pets and friends are other topics so I'm saving all the pictures of me and dogs, me and my best friends, and the ex lover. I ended up compiling a list of actions and foods for the most part. I could've gone online and gotten pictures of Carlsberg and Magic Hat beer, found a photo of a soccer ball, sushi, surfboard, and a Taco Bell logo and called it quits. Instead, I figured I'd post pictures of either things I'm actually in, doing, loving; or, pictures I love for what they remind me of. This may be the greatest amount of pics I've posted in this blog.... but here goes, things I like:
Climbing-

Food-
Work Shenanigans-
Scuba Diving-
More Food-
Video Games-

Epic High Fives-
More More Food-
Skating-

Massages and Soccer (Two In One)-
RUM-
I know I missed a lot, like big hugs and posing on top of hard-to-reach places, but you get the general idea.

Kaikuahine

It means sister in Hawaiian. There's really six siblings I call brothers and sisters in total, but only one's been there my entire life. Alexis Llexia Gouldman, mah lil' sissss. She takes after my Nana, which says a lot if you knew how active and amazing my grandmother is. They have a bond I envy too, but that's not the point of this blogpost. My little sister stands a head shorter than me, but you'd think she's a foot taller with her swagger and determination. She's as fun as my dad and tenacious as my mom, and she and I have a similar taste in humor. All my friends thought she was hot growing up, to which I presented them a warning of a knuckle sandwich. Somehow she still picked guys bigger than me to date, and I'm 200 pounds of lean muscle. She was always the outgoing one of us, and has the merits from high school to show it. She's was varsity basketball like her freshman year, and could've done any sport she wanted. She also placed 36th in the 5k for Florida, and is one of very few people I know that can push me when we run. Ali is at FSU right now studying to be a dietician, and throwing down the hammer on some ridiculous nutrition courses that revolve around chemistry. (my downfall...gah I loathe chem.) I'm sure she'll live to 200, and she eats 'vegan' only. I put that in quotes to show she cheats sometimes and french fries are not something a dietician should be wolfing down, even if you's drunkskies. We have similar taste in music too, and she can recite every word of most Ludacris hits. Some of my favorite memories with her include: microwaving her Barbies, fighting over the front seat of a van in Japan until she bit me, macking on her high school girlfriends (to no avail), watching her succeed in sports and as of late, going drinking with her. Hey, vodka's vegan too. Through the divorce we bonded, and gained some other siblings.

On my mom's side we have Sean and Kayla. Sean is taller than me, takes after his dad's strong silence, and enjoys a lot of the same things as I do. We get along well.

Kayla is artsy and musical; she used to be quiet as Sean but has bloomed into quite the Hawaiian darling.

On my dad's side is Ryan, Matt, and Haley. Haley is the youngest of the six, likes guitar and is a smarty pants. She's a freshman in high school now, and her nickname is Ghetto Boo (mostly just to tease her).

Ryan is the second oldest, and I long to have passion like he and Matt. Ryan is an amazing tattoo artist; he has a sweet job that gave him permanent living priveliges on Okinawa at the Kadena Marina, and is engaged to a Filipina girl named Glenda. He looks like a hoodlum but is a down-to-earth, responsible dude.

Matt lives with me, another brother that's taller than me. He is a chef at an old folks home and is making moves to get back to Okinawa as a culinary teacher. They both have this great passion that is the hardest part of my life to find.

I love all six of these dweebs, and I think if somebody could sing we'd have a band. Ryan and Sean play bass; Kayla, Haley and I play guitar, and Matt is THE drummer. Ali can rap I guess... hah.

Lineage

The childhood I had was probably the closest I can describe to perfect, thanks to the dedication and hard work of two of the most amazing people I know: my parents. I wouldn't say I idolize them, and my mother and father aren't the only people I think of as my parents. They simply did a hell of a job raising me.

My mom, being a tough spirit from the heart of Queens, New York, has the heart of a lion. She grew up around the corner from 50 Cent and went to high school with Dennis Rodman. She speaks Spanish, French, Catalan (a mix of the previous two) and a large bit of Japanese. Most of my friends are scared of her Hispanocity, (Hispanic ferocity) but that only exists because she's the most protective person I've known. What she lacks in empathy for random people she makes up for in loving those close to her. I couldn't ask for a stronger, more energetic mother. My mom and dad divorced in 2006, but I think they're far better apart than together. Both are remarried and have their own version of happily ever after, and that's the jam.

My dad was an only child that grew up in California and Indiana. He got everything he ever wanted in life, and somehow let me do the same. I'm spoiled as month old milk. My dad is a nerd and has a childlike spirit that I inherited along with his fascination with nature. He's competitive, likes to party, and can be the most fun person in the entire world if he lets you into his friendly bubble. He's passionate like my mom, but less about people and more about hobbies. Few people in this world have experienced and achieved as much as my dad. Those are my blood parents. There were absences in my life caused by things beyond their control, thus I gained other parental figures in addition to them. The step-parents I gained from the divorce are just as important to me as any other family member.
Mark Helmus, a huge Marine Corps officer with a heart of gold, married my mom. He is the epitomy of strong, silent type, and is either as emotional or more emotional than me. Which says something, I'm a huge wuss when it comes to emotional pain.
My stepmom, Holly Schipper, is a nurse that doesn't stop smiling. Ever. It's ridiculous, she just cares for everyone all the time. Holly is one of the most genuine, happy people I've ever met. And she totally gets it from her mom, whom I love too. She babies my dad and he needs that, both of my step-parents work perfectly for the blood relative counterparts in both marriages. I love all four of my parents, it's semi-dysfunctional but it works. I'm very rich in the way of people who care for me.