Updates

Some people have been getting on me about my lack of posting lately.

What I have to say to you is this:

Back off!

I have other blog commitments (and you can read them at xtra910.com), plus book deals, etc. In other words, I am kind of a big deal. People know me.

I was in Payson last weekend, the weather up there is amazing. Starting to cool off, breezy, etc. If you have the time, I highly reccomend it. Even though I was put to work.

Coming up in my world although I am not sure when is a bachelor party for my buddy Josh, congrats to him. I am super excited about the party. Ready to hit the streets of Vegas, Tahoe, San Diego or whever it takes us.

I started reading Harry Potter - Amy's obsession - and it's actually pretty good. Better than the movies I have seen. She is a very talented writer. Like myself. And modest.

Revelations

I woke up this morning and something strange happened. Amy was still sleeping and would continue sleeping for the next 3 hours (nothing new there). I went to Starbucks and read the newspaper (normal weekend routine). I checked my fantasy sports teams (a daily occurrence). And then I started reading Men's Health. There was an article about Gerrard Butler - the star of the bad ass movie 300 - in which he discusses quitting his job as a lawyer and deciding to become an actor. He had no acting experience, but that is what he wanted to do... so he did it.

It has motivated me to truly go after my dreams. In my case it is writing. Maybe for you it is photography, starting your own business or traveling. The point is - no matter what your dreams are, no matter what your passion is, you will not be truly happy until you work on achieving them. I have been discouraged and struggling lately with creativity - not anymore.

I know what I have to do. Go after my dreams. There are no excuses, there is only effort. So go get 'em and enjoy this day.

Weekends in Phx

There is something to be said for sitting around and enjoying your weekends. In Phoenix, you have no choice really. It is so FREAKING hot that it is literally all you can do. I have friends in San Francisco and DC... they are soaking up the rays, living it up in the 75 and breezy afternoons. Jealous. The good news is it gives me an excuse to sit around and watch football all Sunday. One more month... then October hits and this place starts to cool off! Thank god!

Plus, October means MLB playoffs, the Arizona Fall League and the NBA around the corner...

Speaking of the MLB playoffs, it seems more and more unlikely that the Arizona Diamondbacks will be a part of them...

Is anyone as excited about Halloween as me? I didn't think so. I've already got my decorations up. I even beat the grocery stores. Amy is trying to make me go as Harry Potter, but he is such a dork I am putting my foot down on this one....

Besides that, not a damn thing going on. I have not been feeling too creative lately, really slacking on the book writing... I think they call that writer's block.

Phoenix Cooks

Finally over! I can now relax and get back to business. I just got a massage today and released all that stress and tension from my neck and shoulders. You know the feeling.

The event went well... scored some free Hoegaarden (that's beer for those of you who did not know) and Stella Artois. Money. Took the Hoegaarden back to my condo where I was holding a Fantasy Football Draft party. My first pick? The man, the myth, the legend... Tom Brady. I would have paid an extra dollar if Giselle came with him. No such luck.

Finally got some of the pictures back from the photo shoot I mentioned earlier, some are good, some not so good. It's funny, the ones where I told the photographer (Amy) what to take - those suck! Then the ones where I just let her do her thing, well those are good. Strange how that works....

So I am getting back to writing, blogging and working on the website. More info to come.

Sunday bloody Sunday

Don't you just love Sundays? Being able to simply kick back and not worry about the work week that lies ahead... just relax...

Yeah, me neither.

I woke up nice and early this morning and did my usual routine, which consists of hitting up the local Starbucks. As I was sitting there, who walks in? Josh Byrnes. For those of you that do not know Josh, he is the thirty-something General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I have met him a few times before and even interviewed him for my book. He recognized me (always good when someone of power remembers you) and we chatted for a bit. Super nice guy.

Now I am preparing mentally for the week of hell. Next Saturday is my huge event at work, Phoenix Cooks. It is actually pretty cool (a huge food and wine tasting event) but a lot of stress. So if I am not posting much next week, you know why.

I saw a pretty good movie Friday night, Vicky Christina Barcelona. If you have been to Barcelona or like Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz (who doesn't) then you would love it. I have been to Barcelona and it is a bad ass city. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

Good talk. Let's do this again sometime.

Rain Drops

This Thursday morning has me a little fired up and it ain't from the coffee in my Starbucks cup. It's from my emotions following my web browsing experience. First off, dissapointment abounds as my girl J.Finch and her United States Softball Team lost to Japan. I know they play baseball in Japan, but softball? Come on. Unless Matsuzaka and Fukudome were on that team (they aren't) we had no business losing that game.

Then came anger as I discovered that last night none of my so-called friends (Casey) even gave me so much of a heads up on the "Wet T-Shirt Contest" that came as a result of the rain falling in Beijing at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Final matches . No texts. No phone calls. Not even an email. Nothing.

Finally came peace and then jealousy. Peace for the setting of this photo: US girls winnig Gold in the rain. Jealousy for... well, do I really need to tell you? No, I didn't think so.

Why not 2 gold medals?

Nastia Liukin was absolutely robbed by the judges of a gold medal on the uneven bars. Anyone know why they call them uneven? Insert punch line here....

Maybe it has to do with how unfair or uneven (pun intended) the judges scoring system is. Liukin tied with a Chinese gymnast (12 year old) and the final scoring came down to a tie breaker. In the tie breaking system, the highest and lowest scores are thrown out. Once this occured, the two gymnasts were still tied.

This is the part where it just seemed like the judges (none of whom have ever won a medal at the olympics) started making up rules. The result - well you already know it, was Liukin lost by a tenth of a point. Nevermind the fact that her routine was better than the cheater... err I mean Chinese gymnast.