I feel like I should entertain the Shee while he opens this up at 8:30 am at his office desk. Shee, my time is 4:37 and I just came back from a trip to the casino by myself. I think there are multiple things wrong with that statement but lets just focus on what happened. After my bro Sam raped me in Ping Pong 12-2 (maybe more) I decided to head to Harrah’s Chester for a poker sesh. It was about midnight when I sat down and pretty much lingered around my buy in. I ended up cashing out 391 after being in 400. I then took my 400 bucks to blackjack where I was joined with 2 gentlemen. I proceeded to turn the 400 into 1500 and then walked out with 1200 (after a double went bad) which I’m proud to say. It’s not easy to walk away and I did so. I drove home after about 12 beers on the day (i’m not bragging just saying) and stopped at WaWa for a meatball sub. I tipped the guy making my sandwich 20 bucks and not to mention giving the dealer 25. What can I say, I’m a nice guy. I don’t deserve the money I won.

I don’t really understand the fascination with deals on Black Friday in comparison to Cyber Monday. Why would people want to stand in line for hours to take advantage of pricing when they could just order it online a few days later? I suppose it’s the thrill of shopping but the rude people, the pushy lines and the fact that the store can run out of your item makes me lean towards sitting in my chair and shopping.

I think another strange thing about this holiday is how, and I’m assuming, people will start buying everything with their credit cards even if they don’t have the money. I’ve really never understood how people can purchase things while they are already debt laden. Giving people the opportunity to purchase things with plastic is how greedy corporations rule the masses. Credit card companies get so rich because people are so stupid and this holiday weekend promotes it.

I know there are people who have to work on Friday but that must really suck. Aside from people who don’t partake in the holiday, this has to be a day where the majority of the population is off from work. You have to be dragging your feet with every step knowing that you are just a slave to the company you work for. I’m being a little harsh here because obviously some companies are international companies and the world doesn’t stop for the day after Thanksgiving so there are going to have to be people to work but it just feels like it should be an off day.

The Turkey Tourney will be going off on Saturday at 11am at my parents house. Buy in will be between 30-50 dollars. I’m not sure what type of turn out we expect but if you have any interest in playing either email me or comment on the blog. You can also find me on facebook with that giant link in the upper right hand corner that no one has ever clicked.

It’s a real sad day when I am complaining about my life. There are hundreds of million people out there who are worse off than me and I have the audacity to express boredom. My plethora of entertainment devices like HBOGo, movies, cable and books are leaving me high and dry. I don’t think it’s that so much as I just need to start doing something else. It’s like a routine that just becomes your life. Geller on Dexter describing the everyman’s life as a “mundane existence” sort of sprung this. Basically he’s asking “Do you want to do something with your life?” I always seem to fall back to the Office Space message that people aren’t meant to spend their lives in cubes working. Yet millions of people do this and these people are considered fortunate because they have jobs. I will be with my job for the rest of my life if things work out and there is no escape. Believe me I’m not complaining either because I know people who would kill to do what I do but still the future will still be me here in Philadelphia working this job. I guess I find it discouraging that I am set up to do whatever I want to do with my life and I never take the initiative and actually do something. WHAT DO YOU DO THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE? It’s just eat, work, sleep. I’m not sure what it is I’m supposed to do but entertaining myself electronically can’t be the answer. I’m sure a lot of people who read this are in similar boats but your life is just structured to you. Some people probably live every day like it’s their last. I feel like I’m waiting to die (slowly of course). I also want to point out that I’ve been watching 6 Feet Under and there is a lot of concepts revolving around death which probably has me thinking a bit. I promise there is no need for concern as I’m perfectly healthy and only borderline depressed. Trying to get people to smile on a death post is usually pretty hard.

Just a quick update on what I’ve been doing. Thursday night CK4 and I went to Mad River to see GoGo Gadget which was pretty entertaining. I probably drank about 10 beers and a mind eraser but was still able to make it to work at normal time. I did run into the Shee at Dunkin Donuts which he thought was hilarious. After work I went to Nikkii’s house with Ck4, the Shee and Bake and we went out in Doylestown. The first bar we went to was fairly small but packed with people. In hindsight I think we should have stayed there longer but we decided to go to the Freight House where “cougars” prowl. I started talking to this one girl from Latvia who said she has lived in NJ for 20 years. I kept treating her like a foreign person and she started getting annoyed. Then she said I was only talking about myself (if you know me you know this probably wasn’t the case) and I asked her what she liked to do and she said painting and art. That pretty much bored me to death so that was the end of that. On a funny side note, the Shee was talking to Zora from Joe Millionaire and was invited to her spinning class.

I woke up on Saturday early to get a haircut and was half bombed sitting in the barber chair. It was weird conversation with Joe who at one point asked me what the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen on the internet. I copped out and didn’t give an answer even though I’ve seen some things. After that I went to BestBuy and bought a Led Zeppelin CD called MotherShip (it’s like a greatest hits) and drove to see Sam’s race at DeSalles. The drive was an hour and I was basically blasting Zeppelin’s hits on the way there and back. It was honestly awesome. Trampled Under Foot is awesome loud. You can read about Sam’s performance here. After the race Primetime had a football game. Our team name should probably change but it is what it is for now. There’s not a whole lot to say. Their QB threw 5 ints throughout the game (Bake 3, Me 2) and we were trying different QB’s. We were up 20-0 at halftime and then got lazy in the 2nd half. The other team was actually driving to tie the game at the end but couldn’t get there. Some highlights from the game were Big Steve’ sweet one handed catch, Shee’s wounded duck long bomb on his first pass attempt, Jess Baker’s multitude of catches, and CK4’s 0-4 passing series. And how can I got an entry without mentioning JKash not dropping passes except for that one that was severely underthrown…

After football I decided to not do anything. I didn’t go out last night and I feel pretty good about that decision now. I was hurting during the day and was happy for some much needed rest. It gives me the ability to write this post at 10am and I’m also going to hit the gym and buy some things I need before football starts. My shopping list includes jeans, t-shirts, cheese (I keep vulturing Steve’s), XTC or OMD CD (hard to find) and milk. No sports bets were made this weekend either as I cashed out the majority of my money. I’ll look at the games and make an edit before 1. Big week in fantasy as playoffs near.

Where to begin. I’ve been working a fair amount. More than ever I’d guess. Business has been better than it has been in sometime and more business generally creates more work. However, lucky for you, I’m not going to bore you with those details. I’ll write about some of the extracurricular activities I’ve been working on.

I blew up my sports betting account in the good way. I’ve won 6 of my last 8 bets and the 2 I didn’t win were pushes. It’s running hot more than anything but if it continues you can be certain I’ll be throwing money around because striking while the iron is hot is the best advice to a sports bettor. Putting down hundreds of dollars on games sort of clouds real life money. When you consider you can lose 200 dollars on a game, you sort of aren’t worried about over spending on a meal. I’ve considered writing my picks in the blog but I don’t think I’m proven enough for that. One thing I will say though is that I haven’t been listening to anyone or anything which I think helps in not clouding decisions.

Our Ambler BBall team won rather easily against a terrible team. Kevin has stepped in for Chad and has provided some offense with some sharp shooting. I still can’t make a lay up and it was embarrassing to the point that I actually feel like I have to practice. Bud also can’t hit a shot and together we make a good tandem. It’s a weird league because some teams are good and others are just out of shape and not worth playing. This was one of the latter.

I’m 200 pages in a Game of Thrones “A Dance with Dragons” and it’s moving along. The Tyrion and Jon Snow chapters are very entertaining and I’m just going to be pissed when this book is over. Fortunately I still have about 600 pages left but they’ll come and go quickly. I might have to start hunting for new material soon. I’ve also been listening to Bob Dylan while reading and even though I’ve purposely stayed away from listening to him, I’m glad I’ve exposed myself to his music. It has a different sound and it’s not so much music as he sings for a purpose. Interesting stuff and I’m continue listening to who the Rolling Stones consider has the greatest song of all time, Like a Rolling Stone.

I made 1600 bucks in 3 days playing the stock market. I purchased 100 shares of the exchange traded note TVIX. It’s a volatility play that goes up when the market moves down. I’ve been following for months now and after the big day last week when the dow was up 250 or so I jumped in. After yesterday and today the TVIX went up about 40% and I sold my shares at 57 dollars a share. As a short term gain you still have to pay 40% in taxes but it’s still a nice hit and a well timed move which I can’t always say happens. The other move I’m looking at it buying put option in LNKD because they lock out period ends sometime near the end of November. Essentially, any investors who bought stock before it IPO’d get in this “Lock In” period where they can’t sell their shares for 6 months. I think the stock is overvalued as it is and I wouldn’t be surprised to see investors take their profits. I’ll write again, I like NFLX at 80 a share.

We had some people over on Saturday for a Halloween party and I’d say it went off without a hitch. I went as Pee Wee again but lost the bow tie the previous night so Steve made one out of paper which looked pretty tacky. We got a keg of Natty Light much to the dismay of Chad. The night was a variety of drinking games ranging from quarters to civil war to flip cup. Just to toot my own horn, I was victorious in both games of survivor flip cup. Just a tip to all the amateurs, when you go to down-up-down, you barely want your cup to leave the table. Bake and I went to the bar after that and it was just crowded. I had some money on USC which was a pretty wild ending but I don’t really have anything incredibly noteworthy about the evening. I also bet on the Jags which pushed and then Pittsburgh today. I’m writing this before the Eagles game starts but I took the Birds -3.5 for 187 dollars. I’ve sort of juiced the account up so it’s playing with profit and it makes handling losses easier. Other than that though I have nothing exciting to write about, just wanted to make an entry.

I’ll give some credit to CK4 for this picture and title. The beer in hand is a Double Simcoe IPA made by Wayerbacher. I bought the variety pack case for 55 dollars and each beer is 8+%. I like this picture though because it describes what I do. beer, remote, slouched look eating cookies. The goofy costume is just the reason for the picture but you are getting an inner look into my life. Yesterday I got home from work and watched the League and Beavis and Butthead and then Steve, Ck4 and myself went to Lauren’s place for a little then we went to a friend of Steve’s. After that we went out to Lucky Strike in the city where we considered bowling but instead ended up leaving. It’s a weird feeling when you live in Manayunk and you are out in the city because you know you are going to need to take a cab back which tends to end the evening early. It was a nice change of pace though dressing up like a goon. I did see some pretty good costumes which reminds that Halloween doesn’t quit at any age. I remember when I was little and the different types of costumes I would be, Dracula was my personal favorite. Bud’s mom used to make his costumes and I won’t ever forget the lobster or the chicken. Get those pictures and find some way to email them to me because your mom should get a pat on the back for dressing you up like that. Halloween is a fun time though and just another good reason to party. We are getting a keg tonight even though the weather isn’t cooperating. Any one who reads the blog is welcome.

I know the blog has been pretty bland lately so I’m going to write a good, meaningful entry that comes along every 6 months or so. This idea has been in my pipeline and the way I look at it you all can be the therapist and I’m the patient. Except I don’t really need you to be the therapist, just the audience, but that setting works well for what this entry will bring. Instead of writing about which girls I think are hot, what shows I like, or what words I think are funny, I’m going to bring you into what it’s like to be me and what goes through my head. I have a medium in this blog to share my life experiences with you and you can use how I view things in your own life.

The picture above is my face after getting hit with an elbow in last night’s basketball game. It actually looks worse than it was because the blood above my lip is really just dry blood that washed right off. In the middle of my lip is a cut that is just a fat lip. On the right part of my lip is a weird flesh that is the aftermath of putting my tooth literally through my lip. Now this is a year and a half after the incident so that is what the healing looks like. This particular injury is something that I’d guess 99% of the population doesn’t have to deal with. To say it hasn’t made me self conscious would be a complete lie. Walking into every single conversation for the past 18 months of my life, it is constantly in the back of my mind what impression this scar looks like to other people. Is it an std? Is it some disease? What’s wrong with this guy? Possible circumstances are no ever notices it, everyone always notices, or most likely somewhere in between. I would refer to it as a deformity except I think that is taking away from people who actually have a serious deformity. Every single time I look in the mirror I just want this to heal up so I can feel like nothing is wrong.

I’m in a situation for my job that I’m the face of the company. When I go to the tradeshow, I’m the person who is talking with presidents of companies, owners, important decision makers and the last thing I need on my mind is how they perceive my appearance. But I have no choice but to deal with it. I know that most people have something about them that makes them insecure but try having that something on your face that everyone sees when they are talking to you. I have complete empathy for all sorts of human issues that people have in similar scenarios. I can’t have normal conversations without thinking about this.

That scar represents more than just a messed up part of my lip. It’s a reminder of stupid things in my past that got me where I am today. My life stupidity has earned me way more than that. A quick run through for people who don’t really know me that well: frostbite on my foot, chipped teeth twice, broken ankle, bruises on my knees and elbows that would make me the poster child for the colors black and blue, underages, public drunkenness, rides in paddy wagons, and I’m still probably leaving out numerous incidents. I have issues with alcohol and I am an alcoholic but not the kind that gets a bad rap. I don’t come home and need to have a drink. I probably drink 2-3 times a week and when I have one beer it turns into 5 which turns into 10 and there is no off switch. It’s difficult because I don’t find life incredibly entertaining sober. Some say it’s better but I say it ain’t, it’s better to laugh with the sinners than die with the saints, the sinners are much more fun. I’ve accepted the fact that I choose some sort of lifestyle that involves those various incidents. They define my character.

I think at this point people probably ask why would I share this with anyone who reads my blog? I’m not looking for pity, support, encouragement, it’s not anything like that. I think people like to read about other peoples lives. They want to understand how other people think, feel, what they’ve been through, and everything else that makes them question their own identity. I want people to read this and know that I’m ok the way I am. I’ve overcome all that bs and have still, still, made out fantastic. I was lucky and born into a fantastic family, I have a great job, I work hard at staying in shape and being healthy (to some degree), and I’m legitimately happy. I’m not your average guy who graduates college, gets a job, gets a wife and then gets a family. It’s not who I am. I’m almost 28, no girlfriend, no real plans for the future and I don’t care if society urges the traditional approach. I’m not the norm and won’t cater to people telling me what I should want. I know this post took a radical turn from me telling you how stupid I can be but I’m also telling you that you can be happy even if you are stupid. I really am not sure what the point of this post was other than for you to read it. The next time you talk to me, I’m not looking for you to bring up this post. It’s more like, I’ve said it, you know it, let’s move on. Hope you enjoyed it.

I’m finally back in the Philly area and will be posting with normal frequency again. After reading Nicole’s post and the in depth detail of their adventure in a foreign country, I’ll bring you my adventure in less thrilling, but more degenerate style. I briefly went over where I was but that was 2 beers deep, on the couch at 10am on Friday, and I can do a better job.

On Thursday, I attended the show again and went to the airport for a flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Atlanta’s airport was congested and a real shithole. All I wanted to do was sit at a bar and have a beer and it was a nightmare of annoying people. The flight was smooth and I met the Rock at the airport. We went to the Blue Martini and had a couple beers before going to the Beer supermarket where I bought a 12 pack of this really good Coney Island Craft beer. We also purchased 2 cigars which I’ll explain what happened to. Rock and I went to Duffy’s to kill some time while we waited for CK4 from the airport. I probably had another 2 34oz beers there during their “2 for 1 happy hour.” Tons of places have happy hours. When CK4 arrived we bought an 18 pack of Coors Light from the Publix and had killed some more time before heading to the Blue Martini again. The Rock had to work on Friday so we left a little early and I decided to smoke one of the cigars on the balcony. Ck4 and I drank 12 beers total to raise my solo count to 14+ beers for the day.

Ck4 and I had the day to kill by ourselves on Friday while the Rock worked. I woke up and drank a beer or two before we went down to the beach and had a 26 dollar breakfast. After that we went to Hooters where I bought a 23oz cup for 11 bucks that also came with a Hooters calender. I had 3 23 oz beers there and was only charged for 2. Next we killed some time playing pool and decided to go to the Blue Martini. You’ll notice me mention this bar fairly often and it’s because they have a 2-8 happy hour and bartenders with the right assets. I started with a Corona and quickly moved to 3 various martinis. By 4 (I guess) I was pretty drunk and we went back to the Rock’s place. I smoked the cigar that the Rock bought and went to the pool. I passed out after that and woke back up at 8. I had a craft beer or two and than we went to McSorley’s which had an unlimited happy hour from 8-10. You pay 20 bucks and you can drink top shelf which suited us fine. I was drinking Red Bull and Grey Goose and had 4-5. Things start getting a little hazy at this point. Rock and I (no CK4) somehow ended up at Solid Gold. My recollection there isn’t great but after some money being spent, we found ourselves back at the Blue Martini buying Ashton cigars. After drinking some scotch, smoking the cigars, and discussing important life matters, I had to call it quits at 2am.

Saturday is college football day so I woke up at 9:30, had a beer or two, and started making some bets. I put 200 bucks on whatever team Wisconsin was giving 40 points to and I bet on Purdue against PSU. This netted a 100 dollar loss. We were watching the game at Duffy’s where I had 2 more 34 oz beers and a New York Strip Steak. CK4 got driven back to the airport where the Rock got caught in a malicious speed trap. After that I fell a sleep for an hour and two and the Rock and I went to a restaurant called Yardhouse or something. They had some seedy casino where I won 40 bucks at a electronic table. I placed some money on Oklahoma, which lost, and we watched the game at a place called the Lulu’s Bait Shack or something. We split a bucket of 5 beers, I had a shot of Rumplemintz, and called it a night.

On Sunday, I packed up my shit and we headed down to the Quarterdeck to watch the NFL games. I still had plenty of money in my account but couldn’t muster up a bet after losing 3 big ones in a row. I had 3 Coors Lights and he drove me to the airport. Ft Lauderdale is a smaller airport and it was a breeze getting through. I arrived back yesterday feeling pretty tired and out of it but I’m finally starting to fully recover and feeling like my normal self. Aside from the one night, I was pretty coherent the entire time and enjoyed the nice landscape of Florida. We didn’t really do anything extraordinary but it was a nice change from PA. I probably had near 50 drinks in this time frame which would certainly classify myself as an alcoholic but technically this was vacation.

I’m typing this at a place that’s better than you. I’m in FT Lauderdale overlooking the ocean on a dock that has multi-million dollar yachts. I’m coming from a place that is one of the worst places on Earth. I was not a fan of Atlanta. I was wandering around downtown and stumbled into the “underground”. Needless to say I was the only white person in the area and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I had multiple people ask me “if I was good?” I was ready to sprint on a moments notice. Atlanta just isn’t a nice place. I walked Centennial Park, saw the Aquarium and World of Coca Cola but I wouldn’t want to vacation there. Currently I’m in a place I would like to vacation. This is Ft. Lauderdale. The weather is great, the girls are skinny with big breasts, and I would really like to live here. If I had enough money I would buy a place in FL. This is a vacation of sorts, so I’m going to enjoy it and not feel guilty about not being at work. This is what its all about. No more sitting at a desk pushing papers.