Rants... Rants... Rants...

Pardon me, but I need to vent. There are so many things annoying me today, and I figured I should write them down.

1. If you want to cheer for Lebron James in his Miami Heat jersey, fine, but show some intelligence: don’t go to a Cleveland Indians home game wearing the jersey, especially when the Indians are playing James’ favorite team, the Yankees. You're asking for trouble. This reminds me of the time that I, as a stupid teenager, wore my Magic Johnson Lakers jersey and New York Yankees cap walking through Quincy Market in Boston. I got some dirty looks, but I am so glad I didn’t pull that crap at Fenway. Drunk Red Sox fans would likely have maimed me, even if I was only a kid.. You’re asking for trouble.

2. If you say you are a Christian, you need to act like it. You are never going to be perfect and you will make mistakes, but don’t be on your high-horse talking about God one moment and the next minute cussing people out and mistreating them. That’s disrespectful to other Christians who are doing their best to live in Christ and love people, and it throws mud on the face of Christ.

3. Okay. Middle-aged, balding white males should never - and I mean never - have dreadlocks, especially dreadlocks down to your butt.

4. Priorities, Priorities. This is not meant towards all parents, but just a choice ignorant few out there. Here’s an example: Let’s say I’m single and have two kids, with some money put away. We live in a small place which is definitely in need of an upgrade. The kids are old enough to get involved in sports, or maybe need tutors to help them with school. The kids haven’t been to a dentist in years, and one of them needs braces by the looks of their teeth. School is drawing near and they need new clothes. Which of these should I do with some extra money I’ve saved, and in what order?
A. Get the kid braces.
B. Get the kids in soccer, baseball, swimming, etc.
C. Get new clothes for the kids for the school year.
D. Get a tutor for the kid that struggles in school.
E. Get a bigger place that suits the family better.
F. Get myself Botox.

Anyone here think Botox is the first choice? I may not be a parent yet, but I still know that your kids and their needs always - let me say this again, ALWAYS - come first. You are their provider and you are the one that should be meeting their needs. No one else should be responsible for making sure your kids’ needs are met. God gave these kids to you, and to you alone, to raise them up and take care of them. So do it. There is no “I got botox because I deserve it” when your kids’ needs are not met.

5. There are numerous people out there who live their lives with illness and they still find a way not to mistreat other people. Just because you are sick, that does not mean that you have license to disrespect other people, even if you believe they’ve disrespected you. The Golden Rule still applies.

6. It might not be a good idea for a woman to go to a job interview dressed in a rather short pink party dress. I’m thinking that that won’t be seen as proper.

These are all instances I’ve seen in the past few days. I don’t mean to embarrass anyone or call anyone out specifically. I just need to vent. Some of it is just funny to me, and some of it is pretty serious. All of us are human and we all make mistakes. I am no judge, that’s for sure, I just needed to vent a little.

Thoughts

I have nothing to really focus on today, but I have a few thoughts to share.

A. I’m going back to school. I waffled on what I’ve really wanted to do with my life for about two years now. I believe God has a plan for my life, so I’ve made on-and-off again plans to go to seminary, but the truth became clear to me recently that it’s just not where I feel God is leading me. I’ve long wanted to be a teacher and I keep letting myself give up on that little dream. I just believe that God will use me best in the classroom, so that’s what I’m choosing to work towards. So I’m applying for the Masters of Education focusing on Secondary Education program at the University of Cincinnati. On Monday night, I scheduled myself to take the GRE on July 1st. (If any of my friends who read this blog and know me well would like to write a recommendation for me, I would appreciate it. I need a total of three to turn in to UC.)

B. If you are doing anything that has the potential to physically and/or mentally hurt you, and there are methods of safety available to you, please use those methods. Seriously, like if you are riding a bike then wear a helmet. If you are welding something, wear your helmet and gloves. Stay safe.

C. I was listening to Mike and Mike in the Morning yesterday and they were debating whether or not Pittsburgh Steelers’ Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should be even more active in charity work than he already was in order to rebuild his image. Why do people always assume it’s charity work that rebuilds a person’s image? They had Michael Vick doing the same thing after his dog fighting ring conviction, but it’s not the charity work that has quieted talk about him. He’s just focusing on life and staying away from the things that got him all the negative attention. Before Roethlisberger got himself in trouble, he had already formed a poor reputation for himself. I’ve come across quite a few fans that have noted his conduct in restaurants and other public places. Yahoo Sports Blogger Matthew Darnell recently noted that Roethlisberger has this type of rep with teammates and fans in Pittsburgh. So if Roethlisberger really wants to rebuild his reputation among fans, teammates, and the general public, he doesn’t need to be involved in more charities or even any charity. He just needs to behave like a respectful human being and stay out of the situations that he’s put himself in. If he were to start getting involved in all these charities now, it would seem forced and inauthentic. He needs to be real and make changes in his life.

D. A recent AP story reported the story of a homeless man who, while defending a woman in an altercation, was stabbed and left for dead in New York City. Numerous people walked past this man without helping him. Some stopped to look at him, while another person actually turned him over and saw him lying in a pool of his own blood. This reminds me of the biblical parable “The Good Samaritan,” that Jesus spoke of (this is also mentioned in the above article). I don’t understand how people could do this. I just don’t. Have we grown so cold in our society as to not help a person in need? It reminds me of how much our country and the world is in of a Savior.

Random Thoughts

There isn’t a major theme to write about tonight. I have a few random thoughts worth mentioning.

- God has seemed a little distant from me over the past week or so. Since He’s always available thought would generally mean I have not been. I better get on that. I love talking with my Jesus.

- I have begun to think about my vows. We are writing our own for the wedding and not going the traditional route. Believe it or not, when talking in public, I am better at just winging it and expressing myself on the spot. I do not have the luxury of doing that this time. We need copies of the vows for our scrap book.

- Speaking of scrapbooks, I went to visit Jenn this past weekend in Princeton, New Jersey. We stopped at the Princeton University Store and I picked out a post card for our scrap book. I wanted Jenn to be able to have something to look back on with our engagement and we have had a great time out in New Jersey. The post card has a tiger drawing on it for the Princeton Tigers. We took pictures afterwards to have something to go with the post card.

- The past two years took their toll on me. My body is starting to show the effects of what I went through and I’m choosing to fight back.

- I caught parts of the Rams preseason opener against the Jets last weekend. The defense failed to impress in their series against Mark Sanchez, but overall I was impressed at how hard the Rams played. They have injury and depth issues already, and they are not as talented as the other teams in the NFC West, but I do believe they have turned a corner. I expect them to go 4-12 this season, but I am excited for their future. I hope to try and work it out to see them play next week in Cincinnati.

- The Angels pitching staff is horrible. They are fun to watch at 70-45, and Kendry Morales has been a pleasant surprise at first base, but they will not out-pitch teams in the playoffs. They have the Yankees’ number so they might take a series against them, but should they play Texas (its hard to believe Texas actually has pitching this year) or make it to the World Series and play a National League team, I just do not see them hanging.

- BJ Penn fought a great fight against Kenny Florian at UFC 101 and Anderson Silva was awesome in his destruction of Forrest Griffin. The rest of the card bored me. I missed the Cyborg-Carano fight, but it appears to have been a great one. I hope they get a rematch.

- I really miss Jenn. I want her home soon. I miss her so much and I am not ashamed or embarrassed to say so.