Gratitude Mission, Day 3: Thank someone who makes you laugh

I thought I would get on this gratitude party my cousin is doing over on her blog marissabracke.com

There are a lot of people that make me laugh, both people that I know and people that I don't know. Interestingly the guy I want to thank for making me laugh today I don't actually know, but after listening to him several times I'm pretty sure I know more about him than most comedians!

That guy is Mike Birbiglia. I first heard this comedian on one my favorite podcasts (This American Life). Every time he does a segment on This American Life I laugh my ass off. I was immediately drawn to his style because it was very conversational and simple, and he was an excellent story teller.

A couple weeks ago I was overjoyed when I noticed updating my podcasts that he was featured on NPR's Fresh Air. (interview link)

In the interview he talks a lot about his life, and his style of comedy and he really hits on this idea that comedy is supposed to be about talking about stuff that makes us uncomfortable, and that is exactly what he does. Whether its talking about his first makeout session, getting bullied, his parasomnia disorder, or even his bout with cancer, he puts a lot of his personal life on the line, and casts it in a comedic light.

I could go on for quite some time about why I like Mike Birbiglia. To keep it short; When I'm commuting and he comes on my Ipod, I don't want the drive to end.

Thank you for making me laugh Mike Birbiglia.

A ride into the past

Tonight I decided to take a bike ride.

My first bike ride in years, and yes I suppose it is true that "You can't forget to ride a bike"

I pedaled across the streets and sidewalks of my childhood, basking in the ghostly humid dusk of early August. It's interesting how quickly a pleasure like bike riding is lost in the glow of late adolescence when the efficiency and allure of a car overtakes the old reliable bicycle.

It amazed me how the old wreck of simplistic machinery was able to evoke such vivid images of my past...Particularly the years before middle school. Something about summer always seems to hold a window to the emotions of yesterday.

As I drifted up and down the roads my mind remembered what summer meant as a child.

Long summer days, when time went slow and the joy of being young never ended. The nights spent swinging in the tire swing and whacking hockey balls against the stairs, playing video games in the crisp air conditioning, and of course riding bikes.

Back then I wished August would never come, because that meant school was almost starting again. There is something so sacred about nights of late summer. August meant finality, that all good things must come to an end, and yet even in the waning moments of summer there was still hope that there was still some summer enjoyment left.

Summer is so unlike any other season.. The days and nights are long, and the days and weeks bleed together in one sticky hot bliss, and yet it all seems to come to an abrupt end quicker than we want it to-- particularly as kids.

Sometimes I feel it is the only real bittersweet season, It lasts long enough to build such awesome soul embedded memories and yet it has such a definitive end.

As I've grown up I've began to look forward to school starting much more than I ever did before, but for some reason as I rode tonight that stirring childhood thought of the end of summer reminded me so vividly what it felt like to cling to those final moments.




Sam

The tune has changed

Today I logged another couple miles with my Dad

It was a nice relatively cool evening and there were a number of other people out enjoying the Ossian park trail.

As usual my Dad said Hello to every single one of them, except it so happened that every person we saw had headphones in their ears.

After a non-response from the second person with headphones in my Dad said something disgruntled about ipods and how he doesn't like them.

"Well Dad you know I run with an iPod if I'm not running with you" I responded..
"I know you do" he said back in a defeated tone.

It's a conversation we've had before...

It's centered around the idea that the current generation of technology has caused park-goers to become incredibly disconnected from the friendly "Hello's, and "how are you's" that my Dad believes are part of the way people should act.

In fact he once suggested that people should yell to people in front of them on the trails if they are approaching so that one person doesn't run into another.

I of course thought this idea was laughable considering the sheer number of people with headphones, as well as the fact that if everyone on foot stays in the same side of the track there should be no issues.

My Dad of course refused to see it that way, instead he thought it was just people "generally not giving a shit like they used to".

Interestingly it also brings up another point that technology has become much different than it used to.

"You know Dad, if you had iPods when you were younger you would have loved them too" I suggested

"I know it....we just never had anything that portable" He said again sounding slightly defeated.

Right after I said that we passed another person with headphones, this guy looked like he was around my Dad's age.

"See Dad, even that guy has an iPod" I said

"I bet if we got you an iPod and put some of your favorite music on it you would love it....I bet your mile times would increase quite a bit" I joked.

Dad then talked about some music he would like to put on an ipod, and agreed he would probably end up running faster.

I can't help but wonder what it will be like for me when I'm my Dad's age. Maybe ill look at the technology of tomorrow and think people are "missing the point" somehow.

I guess I'll have to get back to you on that one





Sam

90 Miles in 90 Days: A Father Son Adventure

The rebirth started in the fall,


The sport of hockey crept back into my life. As a young kid I was obsessed with hockey and for some reason all the passion and love of the sport came rushing back to me as I began following the game again.

Of course anyone who really loves a sport, also loves to play it. Hockey was no different. So the early fall of last year I began forming a roller hockey club at IU with other diehard hockey fans. Eventually we were playing 2-3 times a week whether it rained, snowed, or was 20 degrees. It didn't matter, as long as our goalie showed up and there was a hockey ball we played.

Of course playing roller hockey requires a good amount of endurance. Now at the time I was going to the gym regularly and had lost a good chunk of weight but I was still lacking in endurance. Hockey made me want to push myself even harder. This included attempting to run.

Running had always seemed to me as the ultimate test of fitness, no cardio-machine or indoor workout could match the sheer primal and visceral experience of shoes on pavement. So I decided to start jogging, which of course was pretty bleak at the start. My 240lb body and unconditioned cardio-vascular system would defeat me
on the track/trail much quicker than I wanted it to. So I amped up my workouts at the gym and played as hard as I could on the hockey court so that soon I could enter the holy grail of fitness.

Here's where my Dad comes in.

I'm home from school visiting my folks one weekend and I ask my Dad if he would like to go for a jog with me. Now my Dad hadn't run in at least 15-20 years (I think?) but I thought I would ask anyway.. I honestly figured it was a longshot if he was to say 'yes'.

I remember the conversation because my Dad quickly shot me down. It was a sort of trained response almost as if he accepted that with his age and work schedule any sort of physical activity like that would be silly. I didn't think much of it at first, but it wasn't long after that as I was started to get ready for my jog that he came in to my room and said "You know... I would actually really like to do that"

So my Dad went into his room and found an old ratty pair of running shoes from his days of when he used to run all the time- sometimes over 6 miles a day! and we set out for the park trail.

I guess that day must have been my dad's version of fitness re-birth. He realized that even being 60 years of age he could could still run. He was a shell of his former self in terms of how far he could run, but could still do it! After all those years he still had that spark of passion for an activity he used to love. Ever since that day my Dad has been running. He usually runs around the Ossian park trail and hes actually worked himself back up to being able to do 4 miles without stopping, a feat that continues to impress me and take pride in him. He might not say it, but I think hes pretty damn proud too of how far hes come and how long hes kept it up.

Since I've been home for the summer I've had the pleasure of sharing his experience and building my own fitness greatly. In June my Dad told me about a work incentive at his factory that encouraged participating employees to walk 90 miles in 90 days. Dad brought it up in casual conversation, one of many seminar's he attends at his work to kill 15 minutes of time that isn't spent on the factory floor.

As we went around the track that day I got to thinking that this 90 miles in 90 days could be something that Dad and I could do together as a father son activity that would also help us accomplish our goals. My dad joked that the prize is probably nothing more than a pat on the back and a sticker with his factories logo, but still.. it seemed to me like a great opportunity.

So we started it, each keeping track of our own miles since we often log miles at different times. Still it remains very much a shared activity. Along the way I've increased my physical condition greatly-- reaching fitness goals I almost never dreamed of. In fact when I first started attempting to lose weight and get in shape 2 years ago I remember walking the park trail because I was too out of shape to do anything else, and I kept thinking I can't wait until the day that I'm no longer too encumbered and out of shape so that I can run around this whole track without stopping. Today I can very proudly say that I can successfully run that track in under 12 minutes. Along with shedding even more pounds I've also increased my endurance significantly which has very much aided my hockey playing abilities.

As for Dad, I'm pretty sure it's been somewhat a piece of cake. I'm honestly not sure exactly how he does it. He works 40+ hours a week laboring in a hot factory and he still finds time to log a sizable handful of miles each week (running most of them) When our schedules have allowed us to run together it has been a great experience. My dad makes me laugh every time with his quirks, such as the fact the he feels the need to say hello to every single person that we encounter on our course. If he sees someone walking a dog, he always says "watch out, it'll bite your leg off" whether the dog is a Poodle or a German Shepard, it gets some curious looks sometimes but my Dad doesn't care. He comes from an era where apparently everyone was always neighborly and friendly... perhaps society would be better if everyone were still like that.

I finally convinced my Dad to buy a new pair of running shoes, since his were old and worn and it didn't take a running expert to guess that they probably weren't good for his joints. It took some pestering on my part but he finally decided to do it and I'm extremely proud he did. Not just because he works so hard and doesn't see a ton of payoff, but simply because it was a full on acceptance that running had once again become a true hobby for him. He had regained something that he lost earlier in life and he didn't want it to slip away from him again.

I hope nothing changes, Together Dad and I have both decided collectively, but in different ways that some things in life are worth being passionate for. Even if it means starting over at 20+ or 60+ it is never too late to do what you love.

I hope I can share many more miles with him




Sam

A hockey love story; Why I love the game

There is something about Hockey, something fundamental about it, something that damn near runs in my blood it seems. It's like a true passion.. yet for many years it is a passion that I ignored.

When I was young... say between the ages of 6-11 I was in love with the sport of hockey. I still vividly remember sitting in my parents dining room (which was actually both a dining room and a fancy sitting room) watching NHL hockey on a small TV. I taped practically every game that was on TV and would re watch good matches over and over.

When my parents got ESPN2 the amount of hockey games I could watch almost doubled. I still remember my mom telling me about it and my excitement literally exploding. In the beginning there wasn't a certain team that I liked. I was torn between the Blackhawks or the Red Wings. The Blackhawks were the first obvious choice because most of my immediate family were from Chicago and die hard bulls. However it wasn't long before I fell in love with the Detroit Red Wings. I don't exactly know what it was.. but there was something almost magical in my young mind about the 90's Red Wings. So they became my team. I remembering reading the newspaper TV schedule every time it came out, eagerly hoping to see Detroit Vs ______.

At that age I lived and breathed hockey. I remembering begging me parents whenever possible to take me to our local pharmacy which rather ironically sold some of the coolest hockey trading cards so that I could persuade them to buy me a pack or two.

But of course as young kids do, you also play the sports you love with the unabashed enthusiasm that some day you too will be a star. I believed In my naive little mind that someday I would feel the lights of an NHL stadium beaming down at me while everyone cheered my name.

So I would practice everyday on the porch.. smacking a hockey ball into the brick wall so that it would come flying back at me and I could practice my "saves." Eventually I used the stairs as well but that resulted in a number of broken windows much to my parents intense displeasure.

Sadly though as time went on and I grew up, my interests changed and hockey was abandoned for the other pleasures and displeasure's of teenage life.

Last Spring though, everything I loved about the game came roaring back. The 09 NHL playoffs had began and had heard from a friend that it was going to be a wide open event, with several teams competing for a real chance at the cup.

One of those teams was the Chicago Blackhawks. They immediately drew my attention, because back when I followed hockey in my younger years the Hawks were never very good which as a little kid made them tough to root for. Yet now they had all the promise in the world. Their young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were incredibly fun to watch and it didn't take long before I had jumped the bangwagon and began rooting for them.



Of course, changing allegiance to a team in sports is a big no no, because then you're a "bandwagon" fan. Honestly though I didn't care. After all, I hadn't followed hockey in years and the Red Wings were only my team as a kid because they won all the time and I was able to follow them on television with regularity. Now it just seemed different. The game had changed quite a bit, new rules (including a salary cap) and the Red Wings just didn't seem like my team anymore. Most of the players I loved as a kid had retired or gone to other teams as well. Plus the big bonus of the hawks is that all their games are televised (Most on CSN-CH which is a basic channel for most providers)

So here I'm, just about as addicted to hockey now as I was when I was 7 years old. So in honor of my newly reborn love for the sport I will present a list of 5 things that I love about hockey. On a side note the idea for this is stolen from Puck Daddy. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy which often features a "5 Reasons so-and-so loves hockey.

5 Things I love about Hockey

1. Fighting- Hockey might just be the only sport that features fighting and Hitting (Checking)as a viable part of the game. Some people think that Hockey fights detract from the game itself but I tend to disagree. Fighting is often an important part of the game. Fighting is a way to protect players from dirty play as well as a possible way to swing momentum. And of course hockey fights are just fun to watch.

2. The Stanley Cup Playoffs- The quest for Lord Stanley's cup is one of the most epic sport battles. In my opinion the intensity of just about any Stanley Cup series is more interesting than any Superbowl. What I like the most about hockey playoffs is the fact that each series requires a team to win the best of 7 games. With that system the best team always wins because there is enough of a chance to prove it. Plus with each won series the intensity amps up.

3. Hockey Jerseys- Hockey Jerseys are simply the best sports uniform out there in my opinion. They all are brilliantly colored and feature bold and memorable logo's. Football, baseball, and basketball Jersey's all look plain compared to the old hockey sweater.

4. The Shootout- This was a recent addition to the game that (in my opinion) makes the regular season a lot more interesting. If the game reaches overtime they teams play 4v4 for 5mins, and if that fails to produce a goal the games goes to a shootout. Yeah it's kind of gimmicky but it's really fun to watch and gets rid of the problem of having "ties". Come on.. Nobody likes a tie.

5. Accessibility- I remember back when accessing scores and highlights meant tuning into sports center on ESPN hoping for a glimpse at a goal or a highlight. Now with the advent the internet, everything one could want to know is available at the click of a mouse. In fact fans can even watch live games online for the same price as a subscription to NHL Center Ice. (which is fantastic if you can afford it) Plus with twitter and facebook it's so easy to connect with other fans in real time. I love having a twitter stream going during a game. It's really fun to see everyone talking about a game in real time. Plus watching hockey is easier than ever as most cable or satellite packages feature at least one regional sports network such as "Comcast Sports Net" or "Fox Sports Net" that broadcasts a significant number of hockey games.

Unclarified Ramblings of the Past

It started with looking for chapstick before bed...

Tucked away in my nightstand was a treasure trove of paper relics opening a gateway to my past. As I looked through my collection of old notes, pictures, and cards I was overcome with the realization of the past, and I how I have changed so much in the course of a few years.

The first relic was a worn, and stained note from my cousin Alex. It was his final word to me after spending many hours and weeks one summer tutoring me for the ISTEP test. His words were sentimental and are actually more profound to me now then they were then. I always appreciated that he did that for me and the note meant a lot to me then.

I found out today that I passed my college algebra course, and I'm now officially set to take what will probably be my final math class. I remember thinking when I began math again it college that I would NEVER make it back to a college math level, but as it turns out I Did. In the end all it took was for me to stop resisting it. I had to stop telling myself, this is pointless, therefore I shouldn't do it. Instead I just focused on one problem and a time, and hacked through it. As I read Alex's note from several years ago, it said basically the same thing that I have now come to realize now-- I'm more capable at Math than I give myself credit for.

The second relic was a birthday card my Uncle Monty had given me for my 19th Birthday. The card featured a little boy, (with striking similarity to me as child) in a kitchen using a metal pot as a drum. The card proclaimed something about marching to my own beat. Monty wrote a short message inside which echoed the idea that I should follow my own beat even when that's hard to do. I remember holding the card very dear at the time I received it because I had found out that I didn't get into IPFW and made the decision to take a semester off. During those months after I felt incredibly abandoned by my family who were afraid if I didn't go to school right away I would be a failure. Yet I followed my own beat and now I'm in school and doing great.

The Third relic was a card written by my cousin Marissa which was given to me with a book about historical mysteries. I received this card out of the blue from her while she was away at law school and it basically explained that I should seriously consider history as an eventual major in school. At the time I received the card my mind was so far away from school that I imagine I took less time thinking about a path in history and more time reading the book she sent and moving on. Yet now as I'm officially a history major in school this letter holds all the more significance. It makes me even more sure I'm making the right choice.

The fourth relic was a pile of letters and cards that Kim had written me very early in our relationship. These were definitely a trip down memory lane. It took me back to when were still in High School, a new couple, completely infatuated with one another. Everything was new and fresh and just being apart for a few days was a big deal. One of the relics was a postcard from Palm Springs Florida. She took a vacation there in the spring of her Senior year with her mom and aunt. It was our first obstacle in our relationship--being apart for 4 days HAHA! Then there was a letter I got after her graduation that tackled the topic of that summer. She was going off to camp and I would only see her on weekends. We weren't sure how often we could talk on the phone and as it turned out we could only talk for maybe an hour a night. Then as soon as we got through that, she was off to college and it felt like my world was ending. I still vividly remember driving away from her house that August evening before she left for school, the sun setting over the cornfields that I drove by so many times that summer. I remember fearing that she would leave for school and never call me back. It's so irrational to think about it now, I was paranoid, of course she called me back as soon as she got in Bloomington practically and then after one phone call I finally got it through my head that it would work. Now here we are-- 2 1/2 years later and still going strong.

And finally there was the 5th relic. A wallet sized picture of Grandma and Grandpa. It was their 60th anniversary picture. Since Grandma just passed away this of course held a lot of significance seeing it amongst all the other relics. It just reminded me that so much of my life, I owe to their example. I miss Grandma very much.. I keep thinking every time I visit Grandpa that she will return from the bathroom and sit down in her chair and we would resume a great conversation. Yet while I feel sad that shes no longer physically here, I take much happiness in the fact that her peaceful exit to this world left so much great legacy. I truly feel that she is with me every single day. I know people say that about dead people a lot... but with Grandma I really truly believe it. Her personality is intertwined with mine, and I will always try to lead by her example. Grandpa of course is just as significant. He is the family rock, and I will always look to him as an example of the right way to be a "man." When I look at my Grandpa I see a man who will always work incredibly hard to provide for his family. I also see a man who truly kept his wedding vows, "Til death do us part." He never stopped loving my Grandma and I think that is the way it should be. When you meet the right person you should love them forever, and he did this.

Who knew looking for a salve to my dry lips could lead to such a soul opening trip down memory lane. I'm glad that I went through that drawer tonight. I really think I've grown a lot in just these last few years. I think these crazy ponderings might just prove that.

Monday Mash Up #1

I really liked the lists that my cousin has been doing over on her website www.marissabracke.com , so I decided I would give the same thing a shot to see if the creative idea would get me writing on here again.

Here are the following guidelines as taken from her website:

"The Monday Mashup is an experiment, designed to get my creative juices flowing. I get a random word and a random number, and I write a list based on that mashup. I’m not going to require myself to make the list perfect or expert–just requiring myself to do it consistently. At least for now."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday Mash Up #1

2 ways I can make myself more "reliable"




1. Reliability is something that everyone would like to believe of themselves but sometimes we fall short of the effort required to be reliable. This is the first major thing I could improve in myself. To think someone is reliable, one has to feel that said person would be willing to do something asked of them in a timely manner. Of course I get upset if I think of someone as reliable and then they don't come through for me, but if and when that happens, it probably occurs because of how I've been to them. In a nutshell I think in every day life I need to become "available" to people and show effort to do activities that aren't necessarily my priority. If I don't make myself reliable to others why would they do the same to me.

2. Another point of reliability I need to work on is my follow through. It is one thing to do something, another thing all together to do it well. This is a big one for me that I'm definitely in the process of working on. Back in High School I was the king of doing things very half assed. Now that I'm a little older and wiser I have come to understand that nobody gets anywhere in life by doing things the easy way. The exact same principle applies to reliability. I can't consider myself reliable if I don't complete things (both requested my others) and intrinsic things if I don't fully apply myself to them.

Now is the part where I ask anyone else if they want to take a stab at it! How can you make yourself more reliable?