We Don't Walk Slow

11 Jul, 2013

America is Wrong With Aaron Hernandez

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-11T22:51:08-04:00July 11th, 2013|Sports|3 Comments

Yahoo – Revelation after revelation about the shooting death of Odin Lloyd has appeared to tighten the net around former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez. However, defense attorneys with experience in both high-profile criminal cases and murder investigations caution against passing swift public judgment on Hernandez’s fate.

Why? Because of a simple phrase we’ve all heard so many times it’s become rote: innocent until proven guilty.

This case is absurd. Carlos Ortiz, who prosecutors say was with Hernandez when Odin Lloyd was killed, told cops he was informed by the second alleged accomplice that “Mr. Hernandez admitted to shooting Mr. Lloyd.”

I have no idea why this case is taking so long. If Hernandez was anyone else who didn’t just sign a contract for 40 million dollars, he’d be locked away for life. I’ve been following this case somewhat closely and all evidence points to Hernandez. The murder took place near his house, the car at the scene was the car he rented, he had problems with the victim, he destroyed his surveillance, he’s had a history of violence in the past, and he did it. The guy who was with him said he did it. Is it possible this guy Carlos Ortiz did it? He’d have to be a mastermind and I have a feeling he’s not. I see where there could be reasonable doubt that someone else in the car pulled the trigger but SOMEONE IN THAT SUV PULLED THE TRIGGER. It was most likely Aaron Hernandez who was shutting up someone who knew something about a double murder that AARON HERNANDEZ WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN. This guy fucking did it. Put him away for life. If he gets a Ray Lewis, this system is flawed.

Not many things bother me but this particular case does. He can’t get off here for being famous and having money. Normal people wouldn’t be able to work the system like this. Aaron Hernandez is a thug who needs to be taught a lifetime lesson. I’m not a detective but from what I’ve read, it doesn’t take much to put the pieces together. Reasonable doubt my ass. The fact they can’t find the murder weapon is even more proof he did. The fact that he hid the proof IS THE PROOF. He fucking did it. Stick it to him.

11 Jul, 2013

Philadelphia Walk To Remember

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-11T11:25:23-04:00July 11th, 2013|My Life|0 Comments

Philadelphia view from the Camden side.

At around 11pm the high stakes gin rummy game at 22nd and St Albans finished up. The outcome was surprising. I didn’t drive there so I needed to taxi home. It was a relatively nice night and I decided to walk a bit of the way just because. I knew that Philadelphia had a lot of characters at this time of night but I heard one of the best lines of my life tonight. I couldn’t make this stuff up. As I pass a trio of two females and a male, I overhear “People lose their cool over money, Rita almost threw Ramone out a window over 50 cents.” Is our economy this bad? Is this what it’s like on the city level? I seriously hope they don’t live on the 5th story. My brain couldn’t produce a thought this original. This could be the premise of an entire comedy act. After that line I kept walking but didn’t see any other possibilities for material so I decided to catch a cab and then it hits me square in the face.

The cab driver was a 65 year old, born and raised, Philadelphian. He starts off with the leading line, “are you coming or going?” I pondered it a moment, unsure what to say, “I guess you’d say I’m going.” He replied, “Going out for the night.” I said, “Going home, that question isn’t very clear.” We got to some small chat and he updated me on the building collapse at 21nd and Market. First he noted “Ronald Wagenhoffer, the city inspector who previously examined the four-story Center City property that collapsed onto a Salvation Army thrift shop June 5, killing six people and injuring 13, committed suicide in a secluded stretch of Roxborough Wednesday night, authorities said.” Then he told me, and this I can’t find any record of so I can’t verify it properly, “they locked up a poor kid who makes 11 bucks an hour because he knocked down the building and no one stopped him.” The man noted above was in charge of the operation and had the power to prevent this kid from knocking down the building. I can’t vouch for any of this other than that is what I noted from putting the pieces together from what the cab driver told me. After that story he told me how the Gov’t holds all the power and the people have none. He started getting a little heated telling me about some Wegman’s alcohol department in NJ asking for his ID (he’s 65). Next he moved into what it’s like in Panama and how some woman rammed her shopping cart into his back for no apparent reason. It was fairly bizarre and normal at the same time.

I digress back to earlier in the night. I went for a run after work and showered quickly in hopes of making it to the bar as quick as possible. This proved to be a mistake as I wasn’t finished sweating after my run. To make matters worse, I started walking and couldn’t get a cab. This had me walk 14+ blocks in the heat and as I arrived I was completely drenched in sweat. It was completely embarrassing as no one else in a crowd of 300 was sporting a disgustingly sweaty look. I cooled off in the Comcast building and eventually was suitable for socializing for a few hours. I will never make this mistake again in heat like this. Ample time is needed after working out and taking a shower. Shower sweats deserve their own entry. Nevertheless, this was a more entertaining Wednesday than most. I’ve been making an effort to do something every night of the week so I’ve been more active as of late. Hope this entry was as fun reading as it was living.

I noted in the intro that the gin rummy outcome was surprising. I was down 140 points to Evan in the final round when he needed 15 to win. Adam was hooking me up with cards because he didn’t want Evan to go out and I made a storming comeback. On the final hand I was down a few points to Evan with 3 cards, 778, in my hand. The board read 88 and Adam had to drop. He knew I had the 77 and elected to drop the K because it would be over points wise if he dropped his 7. He dropped a K, I scooped the 88 and dropped the K for the win. Except I stupidly dropped the 7, Evan went out, and ended beating me by 5 points. How I could misplay that last hand makes me question my brain. It’s one of those situations where technically Evan can say he wins, but it’s not a win you’d be proud of.

10 Jul, 2013

The Best Part of Waking Up

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-10T11:12:11-04:00July 10th, 2013|My Brain|1 Comment

…is going back to sleep. Last night I turned in around 11:30 which is about the normal time I go to sleep. I had drank about 5 beers previously and had only urinated once. At 2 am I awoke with a boner and a major urge to take a piss. I staggered (the only word to describe walking around with wood at 2 am) to the bathroom and couldn’t wait to get fully flaccid so I just sat on the toilet and pointed down. This worked like a charm and I took about a 2 minute piss. It was at that point of time that I realized that I was incredibly happy. 2 main reasons factored in to this:

1) A stiffy is mostly joyous
2) I knew I still had 6 hours of sleep in front of me. The immediate moment after hitting the bed was the happiest moment of my life.

There is something about the amazing feeling of waking up from sleeping knowing that you can still do more sleeping. I’m considering setting my alarm for wee hours of the morning just so I can enjoy this feeling. Anyone agree with this or think of better feelings that don’t involve your genitals?

9 Jul, 2013

Breaking Down Bit by Bit

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-09T19:32:44-04:00July 9th, 2013|My Brain|2 Comments

Lately as I look at objects I see them in a different light. When I see a building, it’s not a building. It’s a foundation, then floors, then framing, then walls, a roof, and everything else in between. I looked at a book the same way. It wasn’t just pages with words on it. It was hours upon hours of dedicated work by the author. I’ve started to think more and understand the process that goes into creating instead of accepting that it’s here. As I observe new ideas I’m asking how is that done or why was it made that way? This concept may sound obvious but my feeling is that it’s often overlooked as I have for many years.

The comic to start this post is what helps me conceptualize many situations. As I contemplate situations I take a step back, think of Earth, think of the Universe, think of my part in the world, then go back to whatever it was I was thinking about. You have your body and your thoughts and they are the most important keys to life. My brain continues to get filled with more information as I get older. I start to see younger people (something you can’t see when you’re young) and realize what I didn’t know when I was that age. I’m getting brighter as life progresses by reading new information, by trying new things, and by making my mind a sponge.

I still haven’t figured out what all of this leads to, if anything. It’s basically the process of evolution. I’m certainly not saying I have anything to do with revolutionizing the world but I have a feeling that people in the 1850’s had bigger things to worry about than how they fit in the universe. In the USA we get so much free time to do whatever it is we want that I almost feel I’ve wasted most of this time with mindless activities. If you can keep your mind on something that you want to do and not Honey Boo Boo, it seems like this world offers plenty of opportunity. It’s amazing though how I’ve never felt this magnetic feeling towards any one thing. I’ve dabbled in many things, but never perfected any. Perfection is what takes you to the next level in this world. What moves you from a speck of dust to a grain of salt. I understand how it happens, now I have to figure out how to make it happen.

8 Jul, 2013

Improving a Website

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-08T18:49:40-04:00July 8th, 2013|My Life|1 Comment

This blog sucked. When Sam posted that screenshot of my past blog, I went back 3 years ago and started reading dated entries and became mentally distraught. All I wrote about was going out in Manayunk, gambling, and basketball. The grammar and spelling were atrocious. It read like the writing of a problem drinker/gambler with no education. That’s probably being a tad severe but I believe this website has grown leaps and bounds. The format, the writing, the ideas, and everything else that goes along with this website has shown progress. To give you an idea of the actual growth, throughout the month of June in 2013, I had 6,532 unique visitors. Back in 2010, I had 227. That achievement is something that I think can be attributed towards hard work and determination.

There was something engaging about my older entries though, they were me being me. I played poker for hours on end, gambled on sports, got black out drunk, essentially me in my glory. I could see how people would actually prefer to read about that then what I’ve been posting as of late. It’s like a summation of what you don’t want to do in life. So to the people who knew me, they could live vicariously through my dopey self. To everyone else though, there was no real content within the blog. That’s why as you read my recent posts, you’ll see that they are more about ideas or thoughts that anyone could relate to instead of a play by play of my daily activities. I find it funny that I never grasped that concept back in 2010. Fortunately, I get older, get wiser, and continue to improve my website.

I still have no goal for this site which is a vague, uncertain outlook. I’ve already wrote how comments could help but it also comes down to my interaction with other people. For example, commenting on other blogs, re-tweeting, being involved in other people’s sites to expand my network. I tend to keep things close to the vest though and don’t actively seek out other people. This would be something that I’ll add to my list of self weaknesses. I’ve always rather done things by myself than with other people. The reason is because I don’t like complicating my life or as a therapist (I’ve never seen one) would put it “leaving my comfort zone.” My issue is that I try to be as real, and as nice as possible, and that combo doesn’t jive with most people. Mainly because if I have to be real, I can’t be nice (this obviously depends on the person). But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to work and expand. I’m well aware that connecting with people is a key to life. In the same fashion of how my blog improved since 2010 in content, you’ll see the same expansion in the connections I intend to make. If anyone reads this blog frequently and wants to help out on this matter, I’m here to work with you.

7 Jul, 2013

What Am I Saying Behind Your Back?

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-07T16:48:30-04:00July 7th, 2013|My Brain|0 Comments

The most interesting thing that I can blog about are reality and people. Posts that go into what people think about other people is where thought provoking details lie. This was made especially evident to me while watching the Change Up with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. The two characters switch roles ala Parent Trap and live the others life. It’s not a particularly great movie, but the parts that I thought were the best were when other characters were speaking the truth to the switched up Bateman and Reynolds without realizing it. Bateman and Reynolds always left those conversations with a clearer perspective of who they were that they couldn’t have gotten by being themselves. It showed how people talk truthfully about other people behind their backs and how one might feel if they heard these types of discussions forthrightly. It was almost like a light bulb for me and what types of information excites people.

I didn’t touch on the reality point above but I will show how that aligns with people. People crave reality. It’s why I’d rather watch a live game of croquet instead of a baseball game which I already know the results of. The idea of bringing reality to people sounds simple but it’s much more challenging than you think. I read the fictional book The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman and he understands the reality aspect far better than myself. The Visible Man is about a scientist who created a cloaking suit and would spy on people without their knowledge. The essence of the suit is so he could watch people without them acting any differently than they would if they knew they were being watched. It’s obvious that reality TV isn’t reality TV once people know they are being filmed. This book yearned for that realness of people. This understanding that people act differently than who they are is what I think is the significance of this post.

Does everybody act inconsistently? Are you molded by what people say? Are you really you or someone who you conceived? I was working out at the Art Museum steps the other day and an overly strong Asian man rode up on his Yamaha bike, parked it in front of the steps, and sat down with his head phones on. I must note that the Art Museum steps are rarely empty and there are hundreds of people walking up and down on an hourly basis. He didn’t move for the duration of my work out and two thoughts entered my mind: 1) Is he being himself and parking his bike there hoping people notice him because he’s an insecure person looking for attention or 2) Does he not give a fuck. Then I asked myself why did I feel the need to work out in front of tourists? Did I need the attention? After some deliberation I honestly believed that I was there strictly for the workout. My life philosophy is to be me.

If you are shaped by trying to impress other people or acting under a false persona, you won’t know yourself. Is that one of the most important meaningful keys to life? I do think it’s up there. People need reality. They want to know the truth. You can’t trust people who aren’t truthful to themselves. The truth is what sells. I’ve even started to find history books fun to read. Understanding reality separates good ideas from bad ones. The next part of this discussion is action.

6 Jul, 2013

Sabine Lisicki is Everything Wrong With Woman’s Sports

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-06T13:38:17-04:00July 6th, 2013|Sports|1 Comment

Sabine Lisicki crying like a baby while getting her ass whoooped

Sabine Lisicki crying like a baby while getting her ass whooped

TheSunUK – MARION BARTOLI became the 18th different woman to win Wimbledon after she crushed tearful Sabine Lisicki.

If I were a Sabine Lisicki fan, I would pick a new player to root for. I watched a few sets this morning and was appalled to see a woman crying DURING the match. She’s getting her ass kicked and then starts weeping while she’s serving. It’s like she couldn’t possibly fathom that she could play this bad that she had a complete meltdown. This is the reason why women earn less than men. She plays a fantastic tournament, beats the best tennis player in the world earlier, and then instead of finishing with dignity, she gives me a reason to wonder what the fuck she’s thinking. A League of Their Own said it best. There’s no crying in sports, ever. The last time I cried during a sport was in Tecmo Super Bowl when Bud would use the front center DL and sack my Q instantly. You get ridiculed for crying. You look weak, unstable, emotionally beat. Why would you let your opponent see you crying? This is never a good look.

The only time it’s ever acceptable to cry is after winning a championship. If MJ is allowed to cry after winning, anyone can cry. However, no one, ever, is allowed to cry when they are losing while playing. People will respect you less. No one forgets Oliver McCall crying against Lennox. Big Baby was a big baby when KG yelled at him. You have a screw loose if a sport makes you cry. I know tensions can rise during sports but if I were a coach, I wouldn’t want a player who was mentally weak. Leave the tears at the door.

6 Jul, 2013

Feeling Inflated

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-06T11:41:48-04:00July 6th, 2013|My Life|3 Comments

Is anyone else noticing money disappearing from their wallet at an extraordinary rate? I’ve gone to the ATM 6 times in 6 days. I’ll usually hit the ATM up for 50 bucks and my lifestyle turns that to 0 within a few hours notice. 30 bucks for lunch, 30 for a case, 10 for a taxi, 30 for dinner, 50 for golf, you get the idea. I’m aware that this is a holiday weekend but this feels ridiculous. I can’t remember where I read it but the premise was that money doesn’t make you happy. I know one thing for certain, not having it doesn’t help.

I think the economy and inflation may have to do with this feeling. Inflation is more likely an effect that can be felt rather than seen. Obviously prices in Philadelphia are going to be higher than the suburbs but it’s more than that. It’s the idea that doing anything requires money. It’s an extremely challenging task to enjoy what this world has to offer without spending any cash. You can walk and run anywhere you want but doing activities will run you dry. This has always been a secondary concern of mine because I’ve never been in a situation where my back is against the wall financially. With my life plan of purchasing a house, all of this will change and I’m proving to myself that saving money, or even not spending as much money, isn’t happening.

The obvious solution to this quandary is to make more money. If I give up my free time and either work harder at my current job or find another job, then I can relieve some of this pressure. Another one of life’s paradoxes, give up your freedom to live by working for a “better” life style. The amazing this about this is that I’m complaining IN MY POSITION! There are millions of people on this Earth who have it way worse than me. What gives me the right to whine like a baby? I’m born into the best country, sitting in my air conditioned room, blogging on my dual monitors. When I put that in perspective, I just take a deep breath and let it happen.

5 Jul, 2013

Lovin the Elevator

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-05T21:57:32-04:00July 5th, 2013|My Life|0 Comments

Terrible elevator experience today. I walk into the building noticing that someone is 20 ft behind me. I felt like this was too far to hold the door open so I decided to rush inside and pick up the pace on the way to the elevator to avoid any interaction. Everything was going fine as I hit the button and an elevator was promptly opened. Inside I decide to rapidly start pushing the close door button. The door closes and I thought I was completely home free until I realized that I didn’t press my floor. The hipster female who I didn’t hold the door for had hit the up button while I was waiting inside and now the door was opening up. I’m standing there with an expression on my face like “fucking great.” I’m sure she didn’t know I was hitting the close door button but she obviously knew I didn’t hold the door for her. We rode in silence, avoiding eye contact, and I eagerly awaited the end of the two story ride. If I just would have held the door, this would have never happened.

Is there anything to gain from this anecdote? No. There isn’t. You hold doors if it is natural timing, not because it’s required. Also, don’t forget to hit your floor number.

This wasn’t a good post but I have to post something. I thought Sam and I were making some decent headway and this clunker is a step back. I have some time over the next few days though that hopefully I can come up with some good content.

3 Jul, 2013

Let’s Go Polling

By Tom Stortz|2013-07-03T10:08:05-04:00July 3rd, 2013|My Brain|7 Comments

I’m going to pose some hypothetical situations that can be answered by a yes/no. As much as I’m going to try to make these questions as fun as possible, what I think would be even better is the participation aspect. It would be an indicator that LIVE people are reading this blog and even if they usually don’t comment, they can if I beg. Last night Alex said that he considers commenting sometimes and than doesn’t because he expects ridicule. I’m not sure if this is a common fear but ridicule from viewers is what makes blogs tick. All answers to questions come in as guest unless you are logged in so anonymity is guaranteed (even though I’m not sure what you’d be scared to admit with these questions.

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