Category Random Thoughts

Being a fan

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Being a fan of anything is an interesting process. It stems from the word fanatic and there are times when you realize that is very apropos.

For myself, I am a big fan of four things: Phoenix Suns, Indianapolis Colts, WWE, and Star Trek. These are the four things I would say I am the most into, but there are many other things I enjoy immensely as well including Star Wars, anything comic book related, collecting sports cards, and the list goes on…

Being a fan can be very rewarding in the pleasure it can bring you. Watching a great wrestling match, enjoying a Star Trek marathon, seeing the Colts and Suns win, etc…can bring an immense sense of joy. Collecting merchandise that ties into these things can be very fun as well.

Sometimes being a fan can provide some sad moments as well. Watching your favorite team lose is simply not fun. Even though it shouldn’t, it can slightly ruin your day when your team gets knocked out of the playoffs. With fiction it is quite different since it is essentially make-believe. WWE is story line driven and the outcomes of matches are pre-determined so even if your favorite did not win you know they will win again soon and are happy if the match they lost was at least highly entertaining. They may kill off your favorite character in Star Trek, but there will always be new characters to come along and become your new favorite.

There are downsides to this fandom though. I consider myself well balanced and knowledgeable enough to get over things quickly, but some people are the complete opposite. They become so obsessed they cannot function normally in life. They stalk their favorite athletes or actors. They do not have the ability to function normally in life without those things they enjoy. Sometimes these individuals just do not know what to do with their lives without these ‘things’.

I consider myself a very well functioning fan. When my teams lose it bums me out for a bit, but I get over it pretty quickly. I am able to find the most joy in my family and being able to share the things I love with them puts a huge smile on my face.

I do wonder what it would be like without my favorite things. I would have more room in my house and more money in my bank account, but I cannot help but think things would be a little more boring. I do not ‘need’ these things, but I do get a big smile on my face watching the next Star Trek movie or seeing the Phoenix Suns win a big game.

What is nice though is knowing that without this stuff I would still feel immensely satisfied and happy with my life since I have my wife and daughter by my side. Without them things would be much different and not for the better. Enjoying things is fine as long as you have bigger priorities in life.

Being a fan is okay, just don’t become a fan-atic!

Sidelined

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I am a big Indianapolis Colts fan. Even though I am not from the state and have never even visited Indiana, they are my favorite NFL team. I was introduced to them through my wife (nope, not from the state nor has she visited as well) and at some point I will probably explain our love for the team, but for now I wanted to talk a little about their current head coach’s memoir Sidelined: Overcoming Odds Through Unity, Passion, and Perseverance.

In 2012 Chuck Pagano was hired as the Colts new head coach after a tumultuous season of only 2 wins for the franchise and the loss of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Peyton Manning, to the Denver Broncos. There was optimism though since they received the top draft pick that year which turned into Andrew Luck. With a mostly new team coming off a poor season they needed a coach who could quickly turn things around and Pagano was the man for the job.

The season started slightly shaky, but looked promising until Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. It hit the franchise, the fans, and all of the NFL very hard. Despite losing their head coach for most of the season the team still finished 11-5 and made the wild card round of the NFL playoffs under interim head coach Bruce Arians (who also won Coach of the Year for his team’s success).

Pagano came back from his fight with leukemia with a major victory over the disease and has coached the team to the playoffs the past 2 years.

This book covers his hiring by the Colts and his battle with cancer. It is filled with tremendous inspiration and is a book that should be read not just by football fans, but by anyone who has battled cancer or has a loved one who has dealt with the disease as well. It is well told and will leave you in tears on a few occasions. It is a quick read, but well written.

I cannot recommend this book enough. For anyone who watched the story unfold that year this is a great in depth telling of what went on behind the scenes and is truly inspirational.

Disney Infinity

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Disney-Infinity

Ever since Disney Infinity came out in 2013 I found myself interested in the game since I am a big Disney fan as is my whole family. I am an avid gamer and a collector of many things, including toys, so the combo of the two with a property I enjoy seemed a no-brainer. I just never got around to buying the game.

This past Christmas I got a big surprise from my wife under the Christmas tree of the 2.0 Marvel Avengers starter set. Now I have a copy of the original game to go along with it and way too many figures, power discs, cases, etc…

To say I enjoy the game is an understatement. It has become quite the hobby for myself and my family. We all enjoy it immensely and wish we had gotten into it sooner.

The game itself includes two main modes…Adventure and Toy Box. Adventure contains your basic gameplay of beating up the bad guys, collecting things, achievements, etc…It is very basic and made for a general audience, but is still fun for a casual gaming session.

The best mode though is Toy Box. You build your own world through unlocking features in the game itself and the purchase of power disc booster packs ($4.99 for two randomly packed discs). The possibilities for customization seem endless. They have all the Disney themed stuff you can think of with the addition of the world of Marvel with Disney Infinity 2.0. Combining the two worlds can be quite fun. Captain America riding a surfboard with Stitch on the front through it’s a Small World is one of the truly simple pleasures in life. There are also tons of mini games to play and keep you interested for many hours.

I enjoy the multiplayer aspects of this game since it has proven to be fun for not just myself, but my wife and daughter as well. It is really a big thrill when my wife gets excited to buy a video game.

I hope in the future they will add the Star wars universe to Infinity since Disney owns that huge property as well. Chewbacca fighting with Thor against Captain Hook would be a blast.

This is a game/toy that is perfect if you have a family that likes to join in your gaming sessions and you are looking for something simple and just plain fun.

2015

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The New Year is finally here and with it comes promise, hope, and a ton of untold surprises for all of us.

I do not believe in making New Year’s resolutions since they seem to never be held to so I just promise to continue on my path to being a better, happier, and more successful person.

One of the most popular resolutions involves weight loss. Since I have been on that journey for 2 years now my goal has not changed.

In February of 2013 I weighed 267 lbs. and I am now down to 196.  I got back to slightly over 200 during the holidays, but made sure to get back on track and continue to get myself to my goal weight of 185. Only 11 lbs. to go and I have no doubt I will get there by next month.

My main health related goal this year is to get myself in the best shape possible. Even though I am very close to the appropriate weight for my age and height I still would not look good on the beach sans shirt. I did not work out the last 2 weeks of the year, but have gotten myself right back on track with DDP Yoga 3 days a week and weight lifting 2 days a week. My family and I always spend a few days in San Diego on the beach around July and I want to be comfortable doing the one thing I have never done at the beach and that is go swimming without a shirt. I am aiming for a Shawn Michaels type of physique, fit but not overly muscled:

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I used to be in fine shape when I was in high school, but never Shawn Michaels-fit so it will be interesting to see if I can get myself to that point at age 40. It has been hard work, but fun and worthwhile at the same time. My weight loss has improved my stamina, my athleticism, made it so I can fit comfortably on amusement park rides, and improved my overall self-confidence.

There is part of me that wishes I did this sooner, but I am glad I finally convinced myself to do so now since this has improved my life in so many ways.

My only bit of advice for anyone who wants to do the same…if even I can do it, then anyone can!

 

Merry Christmas!!!

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CTree

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!

I am going to be on vacation for the rest of the year and returning to active blogging on January 05 with plenty to say on a wide variety of topics.

This has been a crazy, yet somehow great year and I am looking forward to 2015!!!

Michael Jordan: The Life

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When I want to read about someone’s life and experiences I like to find one definitive book. Over the years plenty of books have come out about Michael Jordan, possibly the greatest basketball player of all time. It took a while, but this year we finally got the only book you need to read about Jordan, Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby.

This is a long, detailed book that covers nearly every aspect of his life from his Great Grandfather’s struggles, to Michael’s childhood, and through his entire college and professional career. Almost nothing is left uncovered.

Learning about his mother and father, who he was very close to, was very interesting since the author pulled no punches and displayed the negatives with the positives. These are people we saw a lot during Michael’s playing days and it is good to get a true aspect of what was going on behind the scenes.

Also, learning about what his teammates in high school, college, and the NBA really felt about him was refreshing. This is not a tabloid style book, it just tells the truth from all perspectives, good and bad, which is something I have been looking for when reading about a man who I watched in hundreds of basketball games when I was younger.

Michael Jordan is still one of the most well known athletes in history and it is nice to finally have a book that gives an accurate portrayal of a very gifted and complicated athlete.

This is by no means a quick read, but if you are a basketball fan or just interested to learn more about Jordan, this is the only book you will need.

I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax

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Scott Ian’s I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax is a book I cannot recommend enough.

Growing up a fan of heavy metal music, Anthrax was one of my favorite bands and still is. I can vividly remember seeing them in high school opening up for Iron Maiden. A metal fan’s dream show and one of the best I have ever been to.

They were unique in the sense that they were thrash metal with an amazing singer (Joey Belladonna) who did not growl the whole time and has a terrific singing voice.

Scott Ian was always the standout though with his look, his comic book fandom, and his energetic stage presence, even though he always seemed very mellow off stage.

As soon as I heard he was coming out with this book it was a must buy and was worth more than the cover price.

It is a very quick read so if you do not want to read anything too intensive this is the perfect choice.

He talks about living the rock and roll lifestyle, his limited time with drugs and alcohol, and his 3 marriages including his current wife, who is clearly the woman he was meant to be with, and the recent birth of his son.

Learning about his difficulties growing up, the struggles he experienced starting (and continuing) Anthrax, and his multiple life stories like getting drunk with Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead fame and somehow surviving, fill this book with a ton of tales to tell your friends after reading it.

If you are already an Anthrax fan you probably have already read the book and if you were on the fence then you need to read this book immediately. There are some touching stories regarding his life and a lot of humor throughout.

You will not be disappointed.

December is here!!!

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It is December 01 and I could not be more excited!

I love this time of the year! The cold weather, the Christmas decorations, getting to wear my geek-related hoodies and jackets, and the overall feel of the month. No matter what holiday you celebrate it is a great time to be with family and friends and celebrate another year gone by.

For my family this was one of the craziest years. It started poorly, got slightly better, and is finishing off in a very positive way. The biggest lesson I have learned this year is that only I control my happiness. No matter what comes my way I must learn to dust myself off and stay positive. Negative things may come my way, but it is up to me to cast them aside and remain positive and steer the ship back on track.

I cannot wait for Christmas/New Year’s Day and 2015 because I know things will continue to go well because I said so! 🙂

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Happy Holidays!!!

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HappyHolidays

I just wanted to say Happy Holidays to everyone!

My blog posts have been a bit infrequent, but I will get back on schedule after the holidays are over.

This is my favorite time of the year and it can get a little crazy so please remember to sit back, relax, enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate, and be grateful!

Sedona

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Sedona

This past Saturday we spent the day in Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is a perfect example of just how great the scenery can be in AZ. The weather is usually 10 degrees cooler than in Phoenix and the sights are incredible. The picture above is just one example.

It had been 15 years since I was last there and I was surprised by how much fun stuff there is to do including hiking and shopping. My family and I decided to focus on the shopping part 🙂

Sedona is known as being sort of a hippie/new age town. There is plenty of that to go around, but it was not overpowering. There are some nice Christmas stores, religious shops with most religions represented, typical souvenir stores, and plenty of solid eating options.

We got there around noon and left at 5 p.m. and caught the final moments of the big ASU Sun Devils win over Notre Dame…the perfect finish to the day.

If you plan to visit AZ or already live here, Sedona is a must see and I plan to make it a regular visit.

http://visitsedona.com/