Remember that one time I wrote a post about how I got a cubicle at work and I was excited about it?
You don't?
Well it's officially your lucky day because I just learned to link places in a cool way so that it's not some ugly line of letters and symbols that would completely ruin the aesthetics of my blog.
So I'll give you a moment to click that link...read what I wrote there...read it again...memorize it...send me a check for $100 because you want to support my dream of being a writer and you know this would be a great way to do that...read it again just for s's and g's...then return to this post.
...
...
...
Alright I look forward to getting that check.
So basically what has transpired is that I have now once again been upgraded from cubicle to...wait for it...office.
That's right I have an office now. And it even has one tiny window in the door. I have all of my awards and stuff on the wall and my very own bookcase and a floor lamp I got from Walmart for $8 and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Oh and it smells like vanilla because that's my natural scent. Actually that was a lie because the vanilla aroma comes from those little reeds in the colored liquid apparatus. I know right? How feng shui of me.
Can you actually use feng shui in that way? Answer...I can! Boom!
That's been pretty exciting so far because now I can close my door and listen to music while I work and I can also have official meetings with people and do other things that you do in an office. I don't know yet what those things are because I've only had an office for like a week.
On a different note the other day I went to church and got really inspired to write a serious and heart opening post about where I've been and where I want to be and stuff like that but then I lost the inspiration but just wait for it to come back. When it does I'm going to make all of you guys cry.
Really the basis of this was to brag about my new office and procrastinate from doing real work. Oh and you guys will also be glad to know I found something I'm not awesome at. Mortal Combat for the PS3. I'm actually pretty bad at it so if you want to beat me at something you may want to try that. Just saying.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
America, America...land that I looooovveeee.
Capital or Capitol?
Depends on what you're talking about. Capitol is the building and capital is pretty much everything else, including cities, letters and some sort of money. I learned this lesson the hard way...well actually I looked it up on my phone while I was in D.C. talking to the VP of my little outfit here in Shreveport. But if I had walked outside my hotel I could have taken a gander to my right and seen the Capitol with a capital C. If I was really good at throwing stones and could throw them approximately 3-4 city blocks then it would have been a stone's throw away from where we were staying.
The trip was fantastic and thoroughly exhausting. In fact there's a good chance that none of this will make sense because I tend to not proof-read my posts before I publish them and my mind hurts from over-exertion. I was given the amazing opportunity to brainstorm about work and learn about what the other Goodwill's around the country are doing from last Thursday to Tuesday. You're probably thinking some sort of thought about how that seemed to have taken up my entire weekend and shouldn't I get a few days off to make up for it this week...and I have to confess that I thought the same thing. But I guess it's the price to pay for loving your job.
We arrived on a Thursday afternoon to the Hyatt on Capitol Hill and almost immediately ate lunch. Then some of us walked around for hours seeing the monuments and generally marking off the places you have to see when you visit DC on our metaphorical lists.(Metaphorical actually isn't the right word to use there because the list doesn't represent anything, the correct word to use would be imaginary but I like metaphorical a lot better so I used that one)
I ended up acquiring a bone spur in my heel because I walked too far on a fresh pair of Toms or some other bs like that and my foot hurt the rest of the trip. Good thing my entire day was mostly sitting in conference rooms and listening to people talk about programs they had and what was working for them. That means I really only had to walk to lunch and to my room to take power naps and change for dinner. After the 8-5 grind of learning and coming up with ideas to implement in my Goodwill while someone was talking, we usually went and got dinner and "went out" afterwards. When in Rome right?
Well basically this put me to bed after midnight most nights...I'm pretty sure I met a murderer one night and I also met a real-live lobbyist. I was out and about while congress was agreeing on a budget (my theory is they were playing wall ball and making paper airplanes just so they would get some attention in the media and give the American public a good-ole classic scare. It was a really neat and safe city and if the traffic wasn't such an unholy establishment there I might consider living there one day in the late future.
I don't think I've ever felt more grown up than I did on this trip. I had a hotel room to myself with 2 double beds, I had to dress business casual everyday, and I only had to wear matching shirts one day. I met the CEO of Goodwill Industries International, bonded with my coworkers, got a lot of inspiration, and got some great ideas. Oh and I didn't have to pay for an over $200-a-night hotel and room or any food while I was there. But like I said I'm exhausted. My mind is just drained from running at a million miles an hour day after day and I'm a little bit overwhelmed after seeing all the things that I have to do in the coming months, but its a good feeling.
I feel accomplished and successful and appreciated, and my awesomeness has been confirmed. I could lie to you and say that I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama but...actually guys guess what!!! I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama and I won, then we smoked cigarettes, and then we played rock-paper-scissors for about an hour...god freaking times.
So a little advice to all of my avid readers out there...if I hear the words strategic planning, leverage resource or re-invent the wheel I will Smack you in your ribs...and that's smack with a capitol S...
Or is it capital?
Who cares?
Not me...actually that's a lie. And it should be capital.
Bye
Depends on what you're talking about. Capitol is the building and capital is pretty much everything else, including cities, letters and some sort of money. I learned this lesson the hard way...well actually I looked it up on my phone while I was in D.C. talking to the VP of my little outfit here in Shreveport. But if I had walked outside my hotel I could have taken a gander to my right and seen the Capitol with a capital C. If I was really good at throwing stones and could throw them approximately 3-4 city blocks then it would have been a stone's throw away from where we were staying.
The trip was fantastic and thoroughly exhausting. In fact there's a good chance that none of this will make sense because I tend to not proof-read my posts before I publish them and my mind hurts from over-exertion. I was given the amazing opportunity to brainstorm about work and learn about what the other Goodwill's around the country are doing from last Thursday to Tuesday. You're probably thinking some sort of thought about how that seemed to have taken up my entire weekend and shouldn't I get a few days off to make up for it this week...and I have to confess that I thought the same thing. But I guess it's the price to pay for loving your job.
We arrived on a Thursday afternoon to the Hyatt on Capitol Hill and almost immediately ate lunch. Then some of us walked around for hours seeing the monuments and generally marking off the places you have to see when you visit DC on our metaphorical lists.(Metaphorical actually isn't the right word to use there because the list doesn't represent anything, the correct word to use would be imaginary but I like metaphorical a lot better so I used that one)
I ended up acquiring a bone spur in my heel because I walked too far on a fresh pair of Toms or some other bs like that and my foot hurt the rest of the trip. Good thing my entire day was mostly sitting in conference rooms and listening to people talk about programs they had and what was working for them. That means I really only had to walk to lunch and to my room to take power naps and change for dinner. After the 8-5 grind of learning and coming up with ideas to implement in my Goodwill while someone was talking, we usually went and got dinner and "went out" afterwards. When in Rome right?
Well basically this put me to bed after midnight most nights...I'm pretty sure I met a murderer one night and I also met a real-live lobbyist. I was out and about while congress was agreeing on a budget (my theory is they were playing wall ball and making paper airplanes just so they would get some attention in the media and give the American public a good-ole classic scare. It was a really neat and safe city and if the traffic wasn't such an unholy establishment there I might consider living there one day in the late future.
I don't think I've ever felt more grown up than I did on this trip. I had a hotel room to myself with 2 double beds, I had to dress business casual everyday, and I only had to wear matching shirts one day. I met the CEO of Goodwill Industries International, bonded with my coworkers, got a lot of inspiration, and got some great ideas. Oh and I didn't have to pay for an over $200-a-night hotel and room or any food while I was there. But like I said I'm exhausted. My mind is just drained from running at a million miles an hour day after day and I'm a little bit overwhelmed after seeing all the things that I have to do in the coming months, but its a good feeling.
I feel accomplished and successful and appreciated, and my awesomeness has been confirmed. I could lie to you and say that I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama but...actually guys guess what!!! I got to play basketball with Barack Brobama and I won, then we smoked cigarettes, and then we played rock-paper-scissors for about an hour...god freaking times.
So a little advice to all of my avid readers out there...if I hear the words strategic planning, leverage resource or re-invent the wheel I will Smack you in your ribs...and that's smack with a capitol S...
Or is it capital?
Who cares?
Not me...actually that's a lie. And it should be capital.
Bye
Monday, March 28, 2011
Oh, hello suburbia
I'm going to go ahead and confess that I got the idea for this blog from Pioneer Woman, and it's going to be somewhat unoriginal in that aspect, but it'll still be awesome because I'm putting my own spin on it. Not saying that P-dubs isn't awesome but let's be honest...I'm more awesome than she is.
So let's dig in and get through this...BOOM...I couldn't resist that one. You probably don't get it but you will...trust me...you will.
Long story short I moved out of my hip downtown loft and into a house in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks down from the house I grew up in...I could probably stand to be a few blocks further away but you take what you can get. In my girlfriend's and my new lifestyle, which involves eating organic vegetables and being more environmentally conscious, we decided we would take advantage of the backyard to attempt to grow some vegetables that we can eat. Think of all the money we will save on organic produce!
This is a picture of the materials I got to build the bed...I read that raised beds are pretty much the way to go and I really don't want to look like an amateur so I went with the respectful way, in case a real gardener comes over and wants to shoot the compost with me...I felt really good about that joke.
If anyone care I bought 14 cedar fence planks and a few bundles of stakes. Then I cut 2 of the planks in half to make a box easily accessible from all sides. I found out that I have enough to build another box so keep that in mind if you go this route. It ended up looking like this...
Then this fine girl came over to help me put some dirt in and get some seeds and plants in the ground. If you're an agent with a lot of contacts that wants a model to pay a bunch of money send me an email or comment or something and we'll talk. Just realize that if she bagged an awesome guy like me she's probably pretty neat too. Here's a picture of her with a sweet garden tool doing something really important...
Then she put some tomato plants in the ground...it looked a lot like this...look at those dainty wrists...
Wow first plant ever...awwwwwww...you can do it little guy.
Then we planted some zucchini seeds, which coincidentally looked a lot like pumpkin seeds so I might be growing pumpkins, and next some broccoli, then the tomatoes in the middle, then onions and last but not least cucumbers. At the end it looked like this...
Let me explain the stone/brick things real quick. I was going to just put them between the two gardens...I haven't built number 2 yet...but I've since decided to just put them all around each one. Keep in mind this isn't my house and I'm not sure what the guy who mows the backyard will think about it but it's a risk I'm willing to take.
It's pretty awesome I know and there's absolutely no chance that this stuff will not grow. What did I learn from this experience you ask?
Pretty much that dirt is expensive and I think I know better than the farmer's almanac and other gardening books. I mean seeds don't need to be pampered like a chef do they? They ought to be able to grow in adverse circumstances. Anyways if you have any questions that you need to ask a gardener, I'm pretty much an expert now so just shoot me a question...see what I did there? With "shoot"
And remember when I dropped that "dig in" joke earlier?
I know right...pretty thick.
So let's dig in and get through this...BOOM...I couldn't resist that one. You probably don't get it but you will...trust me...you will.
Long story short I moved out of my hip downtown loft and into a house in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks down from the house I grew up in...I could probably stand to be a few blocks further away but you take what you can get. In my girlfriend's and my new lifestyle, which involves eating organic vegetables and being more environmentally conscious, we decided we would take advantage of the backyard to attempt to grow some vegetables that we can eat. Think of all the money we will save on organic produce!
This is a picture of the materials I got to build the bed...I read that raised beds are pretty much the way to go and I really don't want to look like an amateur so I went with the respectful way, in case a real gardener comes over and wants to shoot the compost with me...I felt really good about that joke.
If anyone care I bought 14 cedar fence planks and a few bundles of stakes. Then I cut 2 of the planks in half to make a box easily accessible from all sides. I found out that I have enough to build another box so keep that in mind if you go this route. It ended up looking like this...
Then this fine girl came over to help me put some dirt in and get some seeds and plants in the ground. If you're an agent with a lot of contacts that wants a model to pay a bunch of money send me an email or comment or something and we'll talk. Just realize that if she bagged an awesome guy like me she's probably pretty neat too. Here's a picture of her with a sweet garden tool doing something really important...
Then she put some tomato plants in the ground...it looked a lot like this...look at those dainty wrists...
Wow first plant ever...awwwwwww...you can do it little guy.
Then we planted some zucchini seeds, which coincidentally looked a lot like pumpkin seeds so I might be growing pumpkins, and next some broccoli, then the tomatoes in the middle, then onions and last but not least cucumbers. At the end it looked like this...
Let me explain the stone/brick things real quick. I was going to just put them between the two gardens...I haven't built number 2 yet...but I've since decided to just put them all around each one. Keep in mind this isn't my house and I'm not sure what the guy who mows the backyard will think about it but it's a risk I'm willing to take.
It's pretty awesome I know and there's absolutely no chance that this stuff will not grow. What did I learn from this experience you ask?
Pretty much that dirt is expensive and I think I know better than the farmer's almanac and other gardening books. I mean seeds don't need to be pampered like a chef do they? They ought to be able to grow in adverse circumstances. Anyways if you have any questions that you need to ask a gardener, I'm pretty much an expert now so just shoot me a question...see what I did there? With "shoot"
And remember when I dropped that "dig in" joke earlier?
I know right...pretty thick.
Monday, March 21, 2011
This weekend I didn't spend resting or traveling or playing disc golf or signing autographs or doing anything remotely enjoyable that I do on a semi-regular basis. Instead I began the process of moving all of my beautiful and completely necessary stuff out of my downtown loft and into an old house in the same neighborhood where I grew up. You might be wondering why I did this...you might also be wondering why in the world I included autographs in the earlier list of things I normally do on weekends.
The answer to the first can be found earlier on my blog but I'm not sure how to do one of those neat little links things in the paragraph so if you feel up to it it's really not that difficult to locate. But for those of you who are motivatedly-inclined...I'll give you a quick run down. Basically he's really loud and inconsiderate and has an annoying dog that barks all the time and pees on the floor which drips down into my apartment. I mean come on...just because it's the next night and you come home and turn your freaking awful music up to 11, doesn't mean it won't wake me up and cause me to angrily yell at you and bang on the ceiling with my zombie-pocalypse weapon. What a douche. Also downtown Shreveport isn't that cool or convenient and it's far away from everything.
The answer to the second is that I was lying...plain and simple. But I did sign a few t-shirts and even a pair of jeans once back when I was in a band. I asked the girl if her mom would be mad that I had written on her jeans and she assured me that she wouldn't care. She was probably lying too but that's another story.
Anyways this house was built in the early 40's which equals old. It's big and creaky and mildly terrifying. The room I sleep next too has an old-school chain lock on the door, which I keep bolted because there are close to 30 bitter deer head hanging on the wall just waiting to get their bodies back so they can go on a deadly rampage and get revenge on the entire human race. But seriously it's just one of those houses where you keep expecting to see a creepy shape flash past the edges of your vision or have an undead murderer be staring at you when you close the medicine cabinet mirror thing. In this situation it's so easy to start sentences with "wouldn't it be creepy if..." and then go into some hair-raising account of scary things that could happen to you. And when you live by yourself there's just no coming back from one of those...much less a bunch of them.
Since I'm not feeling very creative today I'm going to end with moving sucks and anyone who needs some inspiration for a horror film or book, feel free to come stay with me. I could use the company, just don't start any sentences with "wouldn't it be scary if...
The answer to the first can be found earlier on my blog but I'm not sure how to do one of those neat little links things in the paragraph so if you feel up to it it's really not that difficult to locate. But for those of you who are motivatedly-inclined...I'll give you a quick run down. Basically he's really loud and inconsiderate and has an annoying dog that barks all the time and pees on the floor which drips down into my apartment. I mean come on...just because it's the next night and you come home and turn your freaking awful music up to 11, doesn't mean it won't wake me up and cause me to angrily yell at you and bang on the ceiling with my zombie-pocalypse weapon. What a douche. Also downtown Shreveport isn't that cool or convenient and it's far away from everything.
The answer to the second is that I was lying...plain and simple. But I did sign a few t-shirts and even a pair of jeans once back when I was in a band. I asked the girl if her mom would be mad that I had written on her jeans and she assured me that she wouldn't care. She was probably lying too but that's another story.
Anyways this house was built in the early 40's which equals old. It's big and creaky and mildly terrifying. The room I sleep next too has an old-school chain lock on the door, which I keep bolted because there are close to 30 bitter deer head hanging on the wall just waiting to get their bodies back so they can go on a deadly rampage and get revenge on the entire human race. But seriously it's just one of those houses where you keep expecting to see a creepy shape flash past the edges of your vision or have an undead murderer be staring at you when you close the medicine cabinet mirror thing. In this situation it's so easy to start sentences with "wouldn't it be creepy if..." and then go into some hair-raising account of scary things that could happen to you. And when you live by yourself there's just no coming back from one of those...much less a bunch of them.
Since I'm not feeling very creative today I'm going to end with moving sucks and anyone who needs some inspiration for a horror film or book, feel free to come stay with me. I could use the company, just don't start any sentences with "wouldn't it be scary if...
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The American Dream
So I just got a cubicle at work...my very own cubicle. Now I know what you all must be thinking..."Bro, that's pretty thick!"
Really guys? Thick? No thank you...let's stay with awesome.
So back to the cubicle...bottom line is it's pretty awesome. I mean I finally have my own space and can bring stuff from home and hang all sorts of sweet posters and things on every inch of space. I could even bring speakers and a lamp or something cool to set the mood when I have girls over. That was a joke right...see what I did there?
Of course you did.
Anyways the obtainment of a cubicle was something I never dreamed I'd be excited about. If I was being honest with myself I'd probably have known that what you all were thinking earlier was less along the lines of how awesome or "thick" it was, and more along the lines of B.F.D, or maybe just B.D. if you don't like to use profanity. I think that my new found excitement over all things cubicle says a lot about the person I've become in this climate. But to really understand my excitement I have to take you back to the beginning of the journey into the world of all things career. Here we go...
So I graduated from college with a Bachelor's of Arts in Journalism...I know right? Awesome. Then I decided I would prolong everything and go to grad school. It took approximately 6 minutes into my first quarter of grad school to realize I didn't want to go to grad school. Then I figured I would stick around Ruston and just bide my time until something better cam along...so I naturally went to the local newspaper and got a foot-in-the-door job as a paper...wait-for-it...delivery person. Yeeaup...I had a paper route and it sucked. So after deciding I needed to move to Austin and blow all of my savings reaching for the success, I turned down the job in the newsroom the paper offered me and dove headfirst into Texas. Next I couldn't get a real job so I settled at Radioshack, or the shack, and immediately hated it. Then I quit that job and decided to move back home because I was broke and I think somewhere there was a girl involved. What did I do next you ask? Well I went after the broadcasting route...my second journalistic dream...and got a job as a graphics technician, which was incredibly dull. Soon I moved into a producer position and began writing the news. It sounds pretty impressive right? I thought so too but then I started hating it for a plethora of reasons and I knew I needed something else. It took me a while to find something else but eventually I landed at Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana as a Data/Lab specialist. But before I really started I became just a Lab Specialist and that is my title to this day. Whew...I barely got through that.
See why I'm excited about my cubicle now? No? Well allow me to clarify further.
Every job I have had I have disliked. EVERY JOB except this one I have now. And at none of them have I had my own space where I can bring a little of my personality into my area to help inspire my creative juices. Even at the news station I bounced around between cubicles even though there were plenty of open ones, I hated them for that btws, so this not only provides me with a sense of appreciation and accomplishment, but provides me with a space to make utterly DAve-like, a synonym for DAve-like is awesome btws. Not only do I feel appreciated at this job but I truly believe in what we're doing and I don't dread going to work everyday. That dread is something I have never wanted to deal with again.
So feel free to stop by sometime if you ever find yourself at 8100 Jump Run...I'll be partying it up in the back at my cube...
Before I go I'm going to give you 1 thing I hate and some trends that I'm starting.
First the thing I hate...the URL for my blog is currently itsallaroundus.blogspot.com and not myownworld.blogspot.com. If you've ever wondered why that is it's because that URL is taken by some no-talent ass-clown who doesn't even update. What a jerk. I hate that person for having the URL I want and I'm openly coveting it from them. If anyone knows how to steal it contact me and we'll talk.
Now for the trends...feel free to hop on the ole trend wagon if you feel so inclined.
First...whenever I insult someone I immediately yell out "boom roasted" and begin clacking my index finger against my other fingers, like you would if you were packing a dip can.
Next...I'm starting to abbreviate awesome actors names and it's awesome. For example...P-swaze is Patric Swazey(sp?) and B-dubbs is Bruce Willis.
Next...I have begun using the term lol as a verb...for example, "Dang I just read this awesome blog post and loled at work.
And finally on a similar note...I also use the abbreviation BTW in regular everyday dialogue. Except to make it cool I say B-T-Dubbs...like B-dubbs but with a t in the middle.
I know what you're thinking..." Bro that's pretty thick."
You're right.
Really guys? Thick? No thank you...let's stay with awesome.
So back to the cubicle...bottom line is it's pretty awesome. I mean I finally have my own space and can bring stuff from home and hang all sorts of sweet posters and things on every inch of space. I could even bring speakers and a lamp or something cool to set the mood when I have girls over. That was a joke right...see what I did there?
Of course you did.
Anyways the obtainment of a cubicle was something I never dreamed I'd be excited about. If I was being honest with myself I'd probably have known that what you all were thinking earlier was less along the lines of how awesome or "thick" it was, and more along the lines of B.F.D, or maybe just B.D. if you don't like to use profanity. I think that my new found excitement over all things cubicle says a lot about the person I've become in this climate. But to really understand my excitement I have to take you back to the beginning of the journey into the world of all things career. Here we go...
So I graduated from college with a Bachelor's of Arts in Journalism...I know right? Awesome. Then I decided I would prolong everything and go to grad school. It took approximately 6 minutes into my first quarter of grad school to realize I didn't want to go to grad school. Then I figured I would stick around Ruston and just bide my time until something better cam along...so I naturally went to the local newspaper and got a foot-in-the-door job as a paper...wait-for-it...delivery person. Yeeaup...I had a paper route and it sucked. So after deciding I needed to move to Austin and blow all of my savings reaching for the success, I turned down the job in the newsroom the paper offered me and dove headfirst into Texas. Next I couldn't get a real job so I settled at Radioshack, or the shack, and immediately hated it. Then I quit that job and decided to move back home because I was broke and I think somewhere there was a girl involved. What did I do next you ask? Well I went after the broadcasting route...my second journalistic dream...and got a job as a graphics technician, which was incredibly dull. Soon I moved into a producer position and began writing the news. It sounds pretty impressive right? I thought so too but then I started hating it for a plethora of reasons and I knew I needed something else. It took me a while to find something else but eventually I landed at Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana as a Data/Lab specialist. But before I really started I became just a Lab Specialist and that is my title to this day. Whew...I barely got through that.
See why I'm excited about my cubicle now? No? Well allow me to clarify further.
Every job I have had I have disliked. EVERY JOB except this one I have now. And at none of them have I had my own space where I can bring a little of my personality into my area to help inspire my creative juices. Even at the news station I bounced around between cubicles even though there were plenty of open ones, I hated them for that btws, so this not only provides me with a sense of appreciation and accomplishment, but provides me with a space to make utterly DAve-like, a synonym for DAve-like is awesome btws. Not only do I feel appreciated at this job but I truly believe in what we're doing and I don't dread going to work everyday. That dread is something I have never wanted to deal with again.
So feel free to stop by sometime if you ever find yourself at 8100 Jump Run...I'll be partying it up in the back at my cube...
Before I go I'm going to give you 1 thing I hate and some trends that I'm starting.
First the thing I hate...the URL for my blog is currently itsallaroundus.blogspot.com and not myownworld.blogspot.com. If you've ever wondered why that is it's because that URL is taken by some no-talent ass-clown who doesn't even update. What a jerk. I hate that person for having the URL I want and I'm openly coveting it from them. If anyone knows how to steal it contact me and we'll talk.
Now for the trends...feel free to hop on the ole trend wagon if you feel so inclined.
First...whenever I insult someone I immediately yell out "boom roasted" and begin clacking my index finger against my other fingers, like you would if you were packing a dip can.
Next...I'm starting to abbreviate awesome actors names and it's awesome. For example...P-swaze is Patric Swazey(sp?) and B-dubbs is Bruce Willis.
Next...I have begun using the term lol as a verb...for example, "Dang I just read this awesome blog post and loled at work.
And finally on a similar note...I also use the abbreviation BTW in regular everyday dialogue. Except to make it cool I say B-T-Dubbs...like B-dubbs but with a t in the middle.
I know what you're thinking..." Bro that's pretty thick."
You're right.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Greatest Game Ever Played
As promised here is an account of a game my buddy Eric and I invented back in the glory days when we lived down the street from each other. But first here's a little back-story about Eric and my relationship. He and his family moved two houses down from me to live with his grandparents...his dad was stationed at Barksdale. We soon became fast friends and spent pretty much every afternoon and weekend playing together. I was in the 3rd grade, which would put me around 8, and he was in the second grade but was also 8. I was young for my grade. Anyways we played all over the neighborhood and had a hell of a time.
There are many memories that stand out in my mind from those days, the day Eric tried to marry a pair of bumblebees and they ended up chasing him...the day Eric dove into a trashcan to catch a baseball(you can read about that account earlier in my blog)...the day he kicked a basketball into my mother's rear-view mirror...but the particular memory we're looking for is the one about DZ.
Now I have no idea what DZ stood for. We had a play center back in the day called Discovery Zone, which was often abbreviated D.Z., but I don't think it meant discovery zone. Quick question...how awesome were play centers?
Pretty stinking awesome is the answer I was looking for.
Back the the point...I don't even remember how to play DZ. Now I'm going to stop you here because I know what you're thinking. You're thinking Dave, you're pretty awesome but how can you claim the greatest game ever played was a game whose name you don't fully know...and more importantly you couldn't teach me to play for a small fee, unless it's Friday in which case you should probably do it for free.
To which I say you're both right and wrong at the same time.
Yes I am awesome, that has been pretty well established. But you're wrong to assume just because I can't remember the full name of the game or how to play it that it wasn't the greatest game ever invented. I have a theory that had it been properly marketed and word had been given an appropriate amount of time to spread, it would have caught on like Justin Beiber and ousted ever sport in America. I would have been really rich and would have been hooked on cocaine and died of promiscuity...whew! Bullet Dodged!
But I digress...All I can remember of how the game was played was it involved a small little-bit-larger-than-a-softball-sized ball, the driveway of Eric's grandparents and a crack that split said driveway. In reality it was probably some mix of Volleyball and Soccer with maybe a little four-square thrown in...but there's always the chance it was much cooler than all of those things combined. But alas no one will ever know the rules of this mysterious game.
What I do specifically remember however is the genius, get-rick-quick-scheme that corrupted our innocent little creative minds. It sucked up our creative juices like a huge mosquito and used them for its own selfish ambitions. We hurriedly traversed the one yard between our houses, which always turned into a foot race of which I was usually the victor, and rounded ourselves up some poster making supplies. Then we got our business model together and went to work. We decided we needed to share the game with the world, and while we were doing this, why not make a little pocket change? We decided we would charge $5...that's right 5 whole hard earned dollars to teach people how to play DZ and then you would be able to play 1 game for free. I think any other games would cost you a whopping $1 or something. But the kicker is we decided it would be free on Fridays, remember how you were thinking that earlier? Nice! Anyways we would impart our knowledge to people for no charge just because it was friday. Oh the genius! We were little marketing masters. The potential there! Fridays would become Freedays and people would flock to the 200 block of Justin avenue to play the funnest game in the world. We would be the richest 8-year-olds ever!
Unfortunately our brilliant little minds were about to receive a rough tap on the shoulder from Mr. Real World...that douche. We hung our poster up on a tree in my front yard, I think the poster was obnoxious orange which was sure to attract all sorts of attention. All this happened on a Thursday. Our thought process...get a few players today...make a little money and let them tell their friends and colleagues about the fun they had and we would be swamped Friday with eager learners and potential DZers. Then next week would hit and let the money making begin! The main thing we didn't foresee was that no one would drive down the street in the 20 minutes our attention spans could afford to spend on waiting for customers. So we got bored and tried to play DZ on my driveway but it wasn't as fun for some reason. So instead we played at his grandparent's driveway again and kept a vigil watch out for any potential players.
None came and it eventually got dark. I'm sure we ate dinner and played video games or something the rest of the night while silently dreaming of the hoards of people we would have tomorrow. Unfortunately upon waking up the next day neither one of us could really remember how to play DZ. Like I said earlier...government agents must have come in our rooms and zapped our brains MIB style. I didn't say that earlier? Oh well that's what must have happened. So there you have it...I have played the greatest game ever invented...forgotten how to play it...and had my mind zapped from special government agents, which probably means Will Smith has been in my bedroom.
So if anyone is free this Friday let's try and get a game of DZ going.
I know I'm free and fortunately so is DZ.
There are many memories that stand out in my mind from those days, the day Eric tried to marry a pair of bumblebees and they ended up chasing him...the day Eric dove into a trashcan to catch a baseball(you can read about that account earlier in my blog)...the day he kicked a basketball into my mother's rear-view mirror...but the particular memory we're looking for is the one about DZ.
Now I have no idea what DZ stood for. We had a play center back in the day called Discovery Zone, which was often abbreviated D.Z., but I don't think it meant discovery zone. Quick question...how awesome were play centers?
Pretty stinking awesome is the answer I was looking for.
Back the the point...I don't even remember how to play DZ. Now I'm going to stop you here because I know what you're thinking. You're thinking Dave, you're pretty awesome but how can you claim the greatest game ever played was a game whose name you don't fully know...and more importantly you couldn't teach me to play for a small fee, unless it's Friday in which case you should probably do it for free.
To which I say you're both right and wrong at the same time.
Yes I am awesome, that has been pretty well established. But you're wrong to assume just because I can't remember the full name of the game or how to play it that it wasn't the greatest game ever invented. I have a theory that had it been properly marketed and word had been given an appropriate amount of time to spread, it would have caught on like Justin Beiber and ousted ever sport in America. I would have been really rich and would have been hooked on cocaine and died of promiscuity...whew! Bullet Dodged!
But I digress...All I can remember of how the game was played was it involved a small little-bit-larger-than-a-softball-sized ball, the driveway of Eric's grandparents and a crack that split said driveway. In reality it was probably some mix of Volleyball and Soccer with maybe a little four-square thrown in...but there's always the chance it was much cooler than all of those things combined. But alas no one will ever know the rules of this mysterious game.
What I do specifically remember however is the genius, get-rick-quick-scheme that corrupted our innocent little creative minds. It sucked up our creative juices like a huge mosquito and used them for its own selfish ambitions. We hurriedly traversed the one yard between our houses, which always turned into a foot race of which I was usually the victor, and rounded ourselves up some poster making supplies. Then we got our business model together and went to work. We decided we needed to share the game with the world, and while we were doing this, why not make a little pocket change? We decided we would charge $5...that's right 5 whole hard earned dollars to teach people how to play DZ and then you would be able to play 1 game for free. I think any other games would cost you a whopping $1 or something. But the kicker is we decided it would be free on Fridays, remember how you were thinking that earlier? Nice! Anyways we would impart our knowledge to people for no charge just because it was friday. Oh the genius! We were little marketing masters. The potential there! Fridays would become Freedays and people would flock to the 200 block of Justin avenue to play the funnest game in the world. We would be the richest 8-year-olds ever!
Unfortunately our brilliant little minds were about to receive a rough tap on the shoulder from Mr. Real World...that douche. We hung our poster up on a tree in my front yard, I think the poster was obnoxious orange which was sure to attract all sorts of attention. All this happened on a Thursday. Our thought process...get a few players today...make a little money and let them tell their friends and colleagues about the fun they had and we would be swamped Friday with eager learners and potential DZers. Then next week would hit and let the money making begin! The main thing we didn't foresee was that no one would drive down the street in the 20 minutes our attention spans could afford to spend on waiting for customers. So we got bored and tried to play DZ on my driveway but it wasn't as fun for some reason. So instead we played at his grandparent's driveway again and kept a vigil watch out for any potential players.
None came and it eventually got dark. I'm sure we ate dinner and played video games or something the rest of the night while silently dreaming of the hoards of people we would have tomorrow. Unfortunately upon waking up the next day neither one of us could really remember how to play DZ. Like I said earlier...government agents must have come in our rooms and zapped our brains MIB style. I didn't say that earlier? Oh well that's what must have happened. So there you have it...I have played the greatest game ever invented...forgotten how to play it...and had my mind zapped from special government agents, which probably means Will Smith has been in my bedroom.
So if anyone is free this Friday let's try and get a game of DZ going.
I know I'm free and fortunately so is DZ.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Life is Good
So I decided it would be a good idea to read over everything I had ever written on this blog, which I did. Now the first thing I thought was...why am I not famous yet? Then I calmed down and decided that things are a lot better now for me than they used to be. I mean I haven't actually had a job I've enjoyed going to in...ever, and I haven't even expressed my gratitude in writing for the job I currently have. For the uninformed I work at Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana in the workforce development side as everyone's favorite lab specialist. This basically means that I help people write their resumes and will eventually teach classes about computers and make sure our virtual stuff is working properly.
I truly love it.
I mean I get to talk with people and help them better their lives by empowering them to find jobs. Plus I work the 10AM - 7PM shift so I don't even have to wake up early. Or course every workplace has faults and drama but I don't think I should discuss those because that teacher recently got suspended or something for writing bad things about her students on her twitter so I'm going to not go into all that...if you haven't heard yet I like my job.
My current satisfaction with my job directly contrasts to my absolute loathing of my last job. It was miserable and if you don't believe me ask someone who knew me at that time or just read my postings from that era of my life.
Since coming to this discovery there are a lot of factors that have increased my level of contentedness with life. For instance being able to sleep properly and being around decent people who aren't focused on face-time on the camera as well as not feeling like I was prostituting my talents. Also I have been able to begin going to church again and have started hanging out with some guys again. It was a lonely road I traveled before this but now I'm finally where I want to be.
It's been weird getting to this point though. Being responsible with money and trying to save for a future. For instance I really want an iPad and could probably afford one if I wasn't trying to save so much dad-gum money. And by afford one I mean I have a Best Buy credit card because I have decent credit. One of the greatest changes I've noticed is in the conversations I now have with my friends, which used to be about video games and music and what kind of adventure we were going to have that evening. Now it's all of those things but with money stuff thrown along with it. I was excited about getting health insurance for Pete's sake. It's the little things that bring us the greatest joy.
Tomorrow I'm going to post something about a game my best friend and I once invented...I for one can't wait to read it.
I truly love it.
I mean I get to talk with people and help them better their lives by empowering them to find jobs. Plus I work the 10AM - 7PM shift so I don't even have to wake up early. Or course every workplace has faults and drama but I don't think I should discuss those because that teacher recently got suspended or something for writing bad things about her students on her twitter so I'm going to not go into all that...if you haven't heard yet I like my job.
My current satisfaction with my job directly contrasts to my absolute loathing of my last job. It was miserable and if you don't believe me ask someone who knew me at that time or just read my postings from that era of my life.
Since coming to this discovery there are a lot of factors that have increased my level of contentedness with life. For instance being able to sleep properly and being around decent people who aren't focused on face-time on the camera as well as not feeling like I was prostituting my talents. Also I have been able to begin going to church again and have started hanging out with some guys again. It was a lonely road I traveled before this but now I'm finally where I want to be.
It's been weird getting to this point though. Being responsible with money and trying to save for a future. For instance I really want an iPad and could probably afford one if I wasn't trying to save so much dad-gum money. And by afford one I mean I have a Best Buy credit card because I have decent credit. One of the greatest changes I've noticed is in the conversations I now have with my friends, which used to be about video games and music and what kind of adventure we were going to have that evening. Now it's all of those things but with money stuff thrown along with it. I was excited about getting health insurance for Pete's sake. It's the little things that bring us the greatest joy.
Tomorrow I'm going to post something about a game my best friend and I once invented...I for one can't wait to read it.
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