By the way, in case you missed it, I made my final video update and it can be seen by checking out the homepage. I’m sure I’ll be repeating much of what I said in that video in this post, but I’ll do my best to keep you entertained! haha

If you’ve been following my blog, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I stopped doing P90X workouts about a month or so ago. By no means does that mean I stopped working out – in fact I’ve been working out a lot the past 30 days, but I stopped doing P90X (with AbRipperX as an exception) about a month ago. During my last trip to California, I felt it was almost impossible to squeeze 60-90 minutes of P90X into my daily routine. It was a lot easier to put on running shoes and to go running outside. Among other things, P90X requires weights and equipment, and I didn’t have those things when I traveled. I hate to make excuses because that’s really all this is, but that’s what happened. That being said, I’m still happy with what I’ve accomplished. Here’s why:

When I started P90X three months ago, I weighed 160lbs – today I weigh 152lbs. To put that in perspective, when I got back from California last August, I weighed 188lbs. It was then that I started working out and eating better. Since then, I’ve lost 36 lbs, 8 of which were during P90X. It’s hard to imagine carrying an extra 36lbs with me everywhere I go, but that’s what life was like for me 9 months ago. I also wore size 34/35″ pants – today I can comfortably wear size 30″ pants. Six months ago, I had a bag full of clothes that were too small for me. Today, many of those clothes are now too big for me.

Three months ago, I could do 1 pullup – today I can do 8. Same goes for pushups. When I started P90X, I could do 25 – now I can do 50+. Besides a Root Beer I had on my brother’s birthday, I haven’t had any soda since January 1st. And I used to drink a lot of diet soda! When I go to Subway (which is probably my favorite “restaurant” of all time), I get a 6″ sandwich – never a foot long, and instead of cookies or chips, I get yogurt and a bottle of water. I don’t put mayonaise on my sandwich, either. I started eating lots of yogurt, and I’ve really come to enjoy yogurt parfaits. Six months ago, I never would have purchased yogurt with fruit – and today I love it.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy junk every now and again, so I’m not trying to make it seem like I’m perfect when it comes to eating healthy. In fact I’m far from it, but I’m a lot better than I was 6 months ago. No more beefy 5-layer burritoes at Taco Bell, and no more double cheeseburgers at McDonald’s. I’ve said this a lot (and it’s pretty obvious), but as long as I do everything in moderation, I’ll be fine. A few more highlights from the past 90 days:

- I can now run a 6 minute mile.
- I recently ran the big lake in Winona for the first time ever.
- I ran 6 miles on a single run – a record for me.

Ultimately, this is what I’ve learned: if you have the will to push yourself, P90X is a formula for success. As for the future, I will continue to exercise on a daily basis. I want to incorporate some of the P90X exercises into my regular routine – including the chest/back workout, bicep/tricep workout, AbRipperX, and plyometrics. That – on top of the cardio exercise I already do – will continue to provide me with great results. I also want to start running 5K’s, and maybe even some triathlons and half marathons. Working out with a goal makes working out that much easier, and events like that would be a great goal for me. I also plan on joining a summer soccer league. I’ve really enjoyed playing soccer these past few months (well, for the most part), and living in the cities provides me with an opportunity to join any number of teams. So I hope to do that, too.

I have a few trips planned this year. I’m leaving for California this Friday, and then I’ll leave for California again at the end of June. This September, my good friend is getting married in Mexico, so I plan on attending his wedding, too. I’m sure there will be more trips throughout the year, but I’d actually like to take a break from traveling and enjoy my new life, apartment, etc. in the cities. My sister’s family will be in the twin cities this summer, too, so I look forward to spending more time with them.

Well, that’s it. I just want to say thank you – whoever you are, wherever you are – for taking an interest in my life the past 90 days! This blog really did motivate me to continue pushing forward, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my posts as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

All the best.

I played golf today and man oh man, I have lost my ability to hit a golf ball straight. I’m hooking my iron shots really bad, so I think it’s time to take some professional golf lessons. Anyone know Tiger Woods’ phone number? I lost another $42 playing golf today. Brad might be saving up for his future kids’ college education with the $$ I’ve been giving him lately. At this rate, I might need to get a line of credit at the bank.

I probably sound like a broken record, but I have another trip to California scheduled at the end of June. This time it’s with my sister Hallie. We’ll be flying to Fresno for a week so we can help my grandparents move into their new place. I have so many memories of their current home it’ll be a sad day saying goodbye to it, but at this point it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen. My grandparents had an awesome backyard, too, and I’ll always remember the summers we spent out back by the pool, and of course our epic croquet and card game matches. We played this fun game called PIT, too. I remember I sort of cheated at that game but I needed all the help I could get!

Story 15 of 15

I’ll save my last story for tomorrow – day 90.

I decided to pay off my Porsche today, so that was very exciting. I still had roughly 4 years worth of payments on that thing, so I figured it’d be nice to get rid of that monthly payment – so I did. And I actually paid off my Lincoln earlier this year, too, so now I am free of car payments each month. It’s a good feeling to get rid of debt, especially that kind of debt. The next thing I’ll pay off is my Lasik eye surgery, but that’s pretty minimal and I’m not even paying any interest on it so there’s no big hurry. But how great would it be to eliminate monthly payments? That philosophy doesn’t change my wanting to buy a boat, though.

I actually went to two banks today to look into different financing options for boats. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to start looking into financing options (even though I don’t plan on buying a boat until next year).

Yesterday was the big season finale for Survivor, but I wasn’t able to watch it until this afternoon. Man I love that show. This season wasn’t quite as good as past seasons, but it was still really good. As usual, my fantasy survivor team didn’t quite deliver. My brother won it this season. So good job, Abe. I did get 2nd place, though (out of 4 teams).

I’ll be going to Prairie Moon again tomorrow afternoon, but only for 2 hours. Then Brad and I are playing golf, and hopefully I play well again. It’s supposed to be a beautiful day, so I’m looking forward to it. Then I’ll have a busy night of work!

Story 14 of 15

I never really liked middle school, but 6th grade was especially hard. It was my first year in Winona, my first year in middle school, and it was the year of my infamous 2-day relationships (yes, I had multiple 2-day relationships). That being said, a lot of good things happened that year, some of which helped shape me into the person I am today. For Christmas that year, my parents gave us Ebonee (our dog). It’s funny – I remember one of our presents told us to check the bathroom, so I went to look, and there she was – the best dog ever. It’s crazy to think Ebonee is still alive – granted, her days are numbered, but man, 6th grade was a looooong time ago! I wonder if she remembers the first time she saw me the way I remember the first time I saw her. I know, I know … of course she does! haha

When I was in sixth grade, the year was 1995,  and the internet was just starting to take off. I remember I was 1 of 2 students involved in an after school “website club”. I know, kinda nerdy, but it was that group that first introduced me to website design, and it was where I made my first website. The topic: food astronauts eat in space. My health marketing business is heavily reliant upon my website design skills, so I credit that club for much of what got me to where I am today.

Those were some of the positives. Here are some of the negatives:

In 6th grade, I “hacked” into both the principal and assistant principal’s email accounts from the school library. I only did it once, though, because I was too scared to try it again.  The principal’s name was Scott Hannon and his password was “scott”. The Assistant Principal was Ben Johnson and his password was – you guessed it – “ben”. Original, huh?

I also hacked the school administration password, which provided me with complete access to any computer in the school. One day the school librarian caught me off guard and discovered that I was logged in as an administrator. She told me to leave the library immediately, but not before telling me how disappointed she was in me and that I was one of the few people she had trusted. I’ll never forget the guilt I felt, but to this day, I still use the school administration password as my own personal password.

One morning, I was slow in getting ready for school, so I threw on some previously worn jeans to save time. During the day, while walking in between classes, I looked down at my feet and saw that I had a pair of tighty whities resting comfortably on top of my left shoe. Apparently I had forgotten to remove my previously worn underwear from my previously worn jeans, and they had made their way down my pant leg to my shoe. Fortunately nobody saw them, but it was around that time that I switched to boxers.

I also decided to play football in 6th grade. After the first day of school, I went to the “after school bus” for the 6th grade football team, got in line, then got out of line after realizing I knew no one and decided to quit. When I told my dad about not going to practice, I could tell he was disappointed in me, and that made me cry.

And then of course there was the paper route. Check out story #13.

—–

This blog is winding down quickly. Two more days to go!

My Pre-Interview Game Face

It’s weird to think my blog will be ending soon. There’s only a few days left to this whole thing. Crazy! I know it doesn’t have to end if I don’t want it to end, but I created this site with the intention of detailing a certain period of my life, and that’s where it’s going to end. That being said, I can honestly say I’ll miss a lot about this whole experience. It’s been a lot of fun reflecting on my life – it’s helped teach me about myself, and more importantly, it’s helped shape me into the person I want to be. Anyways, I’ll touch more on this stuff on day 90.

I didn’t go to the cities this afternoon, and that means I missed my flag football game. It just doesn’t make sense to leave as there are still things in the Winona area I need to figure out. My car being one of them. At this point, I think I’ll drive back to Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, and spend Wednesday and Thursday nights in the cities before heading to California on Friday. That gives me time to figure out some things both in Winona as well as home in the cities.

Totally unrelated, but I’ve decided I’m going to buy a sailboat. I’ve always wanted a sailboat, and it’s time to make that dream come true. It’s not something I’m going to rush, but I guarantee you it’s going to happen by next summer. The first step in the process will start this summer. I’ve decided to take sailing lessons in Bayfield, WI. Information about that can be found here (you know, in case you want to join me)! haha

In all seriousness, I love the idea of owning my own sailboat, and it’s been something I’ve thought about for many years. I love the idea of sleeping on a boat. At night, if I’m ever having trouble falling asleep, I sometimes picture myself sleeping in the cabin of a boat during a heavy rain storm, warm with plenty of blankets, anchored out somewhere on the lake. Of course having family and friend outings on the water would be great, and spending an entire weekend sailing around the Apostle Islands sounds pretty awesome, too. I finally have the financial resources to make it happen, so I’m going to start embarking down that road. Once I learn how to sail, I’ll start researching the different options available in sail boats, and the costs associated with docking a boat in a marina and winterizing the boat during the winter. The plan will be to learn to sail this summer, and then to buy a used boat big enough to sleep 5-6 people next spring. I’d like a boat like this.

Story 13 of 15

When I was in 6th grade, my sister, brother, and I all decided to get a paper route together. We figured it was the easiest way for us to make a quick buck at that age and, who knows, maybe have fun doing it in the process.

We were right about it being the easiest way to make $$ at that age, but we were wrong about it being fun. It was miserable from the get-go. First of all, we had to have the papers delivered by 6:30AM, which means we had to wake up no later than 5:30AM to get them delivered on time. For those of you who know me, yea, waking up at 5:30AM is like kicking me in the shins over and over again. 5:30AM is primetime dreamin’ time! Secondly, in order to get paid, we had to “collect” money from a lot of our customers, meaning we literally had to go door to door in our free time to ask for money from a bunch of deadbeats. Finally, when you have a paper route, you don’t get days off. You can’t call in sick, and you can’t not show up for work. Yes, that was a double negative, but that’s my best way to describe a paper route – a bunch of negatives.

Our first day delivering newspapers happened to be on a Sunday, and Sundays were the worst because the newspapers were at least double the normal size. That particular Sunday, it was Hallie and I doing the route. That’s how it worked – each person had 2 days on, 1 day off. So on any given day, there’d be 2 out of the 3 of us doing the route.

Our first day on the job it was raining buckets. Normally I like the rain, but not when I’m delivering heavy newspapers at 6 in the morning. So Hallie and I woke up at 5:30AM, rolled the big ass Sunday papers – then stuffed them in our yellow newspaper bags, and out the door we went.

It was miserable from beginning to end. We were soaking wet and we were trying to deliver the newspapers to the right houses and we hadn’t yet identified which houses got the papers and which ones didn’t. At one point, I remember my sister handed me a paper and told me the address where the paper needed to be delivered. So I went and looked for that house, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find it. I don’t know if it was because it was too dark and I couldn’t see the address, or if it was raining too hard, or if I simply forgot the address, but I couldn’t find the house.

So I threw the paper in some random bushes and said “screw it.”

Between the 3 of us, I recall we each made about $30/month. I remember one day – after getting paid – my brother and I went to a baseball card store in downtown Winona and spent all of our money on a box of unopened packs of baseball cards. We literally spent our entire months worth of income on a box of baseball cards. Our parents weren’t happy about that.

To make a long story short, we got a lot of complaints, and ended up getting fired after 6 months. The district manager came to our house, sat us down at our dining room table, and fired us. That was the greatest day of my life.

I chose this song because – 1: I like it, and 2: the day I got fired, I considered myself the luckiest man in the world. No, not really, but I had to draw a parallel somewhere, and that was the best I could come up with.

My brother and I went golfing today. That was in the rain, too, but it was still a good time. It was a little cold, though. I didn’t shoot all that great, either, but I had a couple good holes (I ended up shooting a 90).  Ashley Furniture didn’t have any bar stools so that was a little disappointing. I’ll just pick some up when I get to the cities. Probably easier that way anyhow.

Speaking of disappointment… the mechanic got back to me about my Porsche, and apparently I have a blown head gasket, which is about as bad as it gets for cars. All said and done, I’m looking at a total repair bill of at least three to five thousand dollars. And we’re not talking Zimbabwe dollars. You know – where everyone in that country has at least ten billion zimbabwe dollars. Yea, not those kind of dollars – I’m talking real US dollars.  UnFrickinBelievable. When the guy said the words “blown head gasket”, I almost started laughing because I knew that was major, and anything major on a Porsche is REALLY major. It’s one of those things where if it’s going to be bad, it might as well be really bad! haha At least someday I’ll have a good story to tell. In the end, it’s only money, and while I have the money to fix it, I’m in no hurry to have it fixed. Sometime this week, I’ll have it towed to LaCrosse for a second opinion and maybe to schedule repairs. We’ll see…

That being said, I think I’m going to keep my Jeep after all. That is also a convertible – and it seats 4-5 people vs. the 2 you can fit in a Porsche (unless of course someone crawls into the trunk, but that’d have to be a really small person who can also hold his or her breath for a very long time).

I’m heading back to the cities tomorrow morning. I have a flag football game tomorrow afternoon, and then I have a lot of work that I need to get done this week – and maybe even another interview. I think I’m leaving for  California on Friday (well, the 20th – whenever that is), so I want to get back soon so I can get started on my work.

Story 12 of 15

When I was in 6th grade, there was this girl named Lindsay Erickson – she was funny, smart, and crazy beautiful… the whole package, really. And I very much wanted to be her boyfriend. And one day, it actually happened. I don’t know how I did it, but I did it, and she was all mine. She had just broken up with some guy, and it was now my turn to give it a go.

The only thing was that I didn’t really know how to date back then. (Not that I really do now, either! haha)

Anyways, back to the story: so Lindsay and I started “going out.” I remember our lockers were right near one another, so everyday I would anxiously wait for the end of our school day so I could see her. And there she was! I remember she’d rush to her locker with her cute little Nike trapper keeper. She had a fancy one, too – it had a wrap around zipper and everything. She’d grab her coat, backpack, and then walk past me for the bus – and I could never muster up the courage to say anything to her, not even when she was my girlfriend. This routine went on for two days before she dumped me. We dated for 2 days and I didn’t say one word to her. And she didn’t actually dump me – a few of her friends came up to me at lunch and informed me that Lindsay and I were no longer together. In front of my friends, too.

The worst thing about it was that I was devastated. Crying on the way home from school devastated. I was so devastated I actually wrote her a goodbye note, but instead of giving it to her, I walked to the Mississippi River and buried it as part of a goodbye ritual. I can still vividly remember the day I buried my note to Lindsay. It was a cold, gloomy October day. She dumped me on a Thursday, and the next night, at the middle school Fun Night, I saw her dancing with one of my friends. It wasn’t a fun night for me! That was the first time I ever experienced a broken heart, and I’ll never forget it.

So Lindsay, this song’s for you.

Sad Day ...

The song I uploaded today makes me happy. Not really a workout song, but a good one nonetheless.

I had my Porsche towed to a local mechanic this afternoon – I hope whatever is wrong with it is nothing serious, but I should find out tomorrow. I have a hunch it’s nothing too serious, but until I hear that from someone who knows a thing or two about cars, I’m going to be cautiously optimistic. In reality, I knew what I was getting myself into when I bought that car, so I’m ready for anything. I also washed my Jeep this afternoon and took a bunch of pictures of it so I can list it for sale. I still haven’t officially decided to sell it, but I’m leaning in that direction.

Ashley Furniture (Arcadia, WI) had their big Tent Sale event start today, so tomorrow I’m hoping to pick up some bar stools for my apartment in the cities. I’d like some wooden bar stools with leather cushions. If I can find 3 or 4 of those, I’ll be a happy camper.

Story 11 of 15

When I was in high school, my friends and I used to pull pranks on unsuspecting drunk college kids. We wouldn’t do this every weekend – but whenever we got bored, we knew we had some good pranks that would always deliver some great laughs.

Our best prank involved a pay phone. Basically, there was a pay phone in the heart of downtown Winona. The best part about this particular pay phone was that we knew the number to make it ring. The phone was directly in between two of the busiest bars in Winona, too, so our prank was pretty simple: we’d cover the ear piece with a bunch of tooth paste, and whenever a group of drunk college kids would get close to the pay phone, we’d call it from a parked car halfway down the street. The kids would literally race each other to answer it, and whoever won the race would get an ear full of toothpaste. TONS of people fell for this prank. Most people thought it was pretty funny, but some kids – especially guys – got pretty angry. But it was great and worked almost every time.

Another good prank involved purses and dog poop. We’d go to the local thrift store, buy a bunch of old purses, and then fill them up with fresh dog poop. We’d then place them in busy, well-lit areas and watch people dig inside them thinking it was their lucky day, but instead of finding cash, they’d find warm, stinky dog poop. I remember one guy actually picked up one of our purses, went into a dark alley to dig through it in private, and after rummaging through it, he threw the purse down and wiped his poopy fingers all over some building. That one really made us laugh because we had a perfect view of the whole thing!

Man, sometimes I wish I wasn’t an adult, because I know that stuff would still make me laugh.

I had my job interview today, and it went well. The interview was actually with a HR company, so I haven’t actually interviewed with the company I’d be working for yet, but I found out who the company is. You can check them out here. The pay would be pretty good, too – anywhere from $25 to $40/hr (based on experience). I would think that should put me closer to the $40/hr mark, but I won’t get ahead of myself! Anyways, it was the first step towards having an employer again. I still haven’t decided if it’s what I want, so I’ll just take things in stride and see how things transpire.

I had dinner the other night with Jessica. We ate at this Korean place in some suburb north of Minneapolis. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was pretty good, at least most of what I had to eat was good. Let’s just say my entree was delicious, but some of the side dishes were pretty horrendous. haha It was fun to experience some different foods, though – and with good company, as usual.

My Porsche had its first “major” issue the other day, and I’m not really sure what I’m going to do about it. Basically, I was driving around town and as soon as I pulled into my garage, this green liquid (antifreeze) started pouring out from underneath the car. And I don’t mean dripping – it was literally guzzling out and the whole thing was over in 5 seconds. It’s like my car had diarrhea – I know, I know … that wasn’t what you wanted to hear, and it might give you some crazy nightmares tonight, but my baby is sick!! I called a towing company to see how much it would cost to have it towed to the nearest dealership (which is in the twin cities) and I was quoted $675 United States Dollars. Plus tax. I can tell you one thing – that’s not gonna happen. I’ll push that thing in the shoulder all the way to Minneapolis before I spend $675 for a tow.

I’m also planning on selling my Jeep. It’ll be a sad day to see it go, especially since it’ll be the second time I sold a Jeep Wrangler. Yea, I actually sold it once before, and then bought another one a few years later out of regret (same color and year, too!), but I just don’t drive it enough to justify keeping it. It’s pretty inexpensive to own, too, but I just don’t need 3 cars. I’m trying to “unclutter” my life, and getting rid of a car will help accomplish that. I’m also going to clean out my closet and give away a bunch of stuff I don’t wear anymore, either to family or Goodwill. It’s like a little spring cleaning!

I bought my first digital camera today. I’m not really much of a “picture taker”, but now I can be if I want to be! haha It’s funny – I’ve bought numerous digital cameras over the years as gifts, but never one for myself. It’s a silver, Canon Powershot 14.1 Megapixels. Got it on clearance for like $130. It seems to take pretty good pictures, too, so I think it was a good purchase.

For those who are interested, here are some pictures of my apartment: Kitchen, Bedroom, Living Room, Living Room #2, Bathroom

Since I didn’t have time to post yesterday, I’ll give you two stories today to keep everything on schedule.

Story 9 of 15

When my brother and I were growing up in Milwaukee, we had to take the bus to get to our elementary school. We had to walk about 4 blocks to get to our bus stop, and I remember there was another bus stop across the street from ours that picked up kids from a different school. That bus often picked up its students a few minutes before our bus picked up my brother and I.

One morning, the other bus was picking up its students when one of the kids already on the bus rolled down the window and started yelling at Abe and I, so I yelled back: “YO MAMA!!” (this was back in the day when Yo Mama jokes were popular) In return, he gave me the finger, and that was the end of that.

Or so I thought.

About a minute later, the bus came back. I’m not even kidding. The bus driver literally circled the block, stopped the bus in front of where I was standing, opened the big yellow bus doors, and out popped the kid whose mother I had just insulted. I just about pooped myself. I didn’t know what to do. Do I run? Scream?

Nope – I just stood there in shock. The kid walked towards me, got in my face and said: “What’d you call my mama?”

I said: “Uhhhhhhhh… I didn’t say anything about your mama.” He pushed me, got back on the bus, and the bus drove off.

That’s the end of the story. But what kind of bus driver circles the block and lets his kids get off the bus? I’d like to think I learned my lesson that day, but I also called that BIG goalie a fat ass years later, so I don’t think I did.

Story 10 of 15

This story takes place in Milwaukee, too. I was probably 10 years old at the time, which means my brother would have been 8. One afternoon, my brother and I were playing in the yard with some friends of ours when my neighbor’s dog escaped from its yard and started running down the street. Like Superman, we all instinctively jumped on our bikes to chase after the dog. I ended up catching the dog about 3 blocks away, but because I couldn’t walk the dog and ride my bike at the same time, I had one of my friends push my bike home for me.

As I was walking the dog home, a thuggish looking black kid with a humongous afro crossed paths with me. No harm, no foul. About a minute later, though – right as I was returning the dog to its yard – I looked back and saw the black kid talking to my friend. He then grabbed MY bike and started riding it fast as he could down the street in the opposite direction.

I immediately yelled: “MY BIKE! MY BIKE! SOMEONE STOLE MY BIKE!” Another one of my neighbor’s heard me scream, ran outside, and had me jump in his car so we could chase after him. Unfortunately he was long gone.

Meanwhile, my brother was riding his bike around the neighborhood searching for my bike, too. At one point, as he was returning home, a car rolled out in front of him and caused him to collide with the side of the car. My brother wasn’t hurt, but the impact caused a significant dent in the car. Apparently, seeing the dent on the car made my brother so scared that he peed his pants. I’m not even kidding – he literally peed his pants because he was so scared the woman was going to yell at him.

Anyways, later that day, we ended up finding the bike on some corner. But the damage had already been done – my bike had a flat tire, Abe peed his pants, and it just wasn’t a good day for the Pattee boys.

Before I played golf, I got a good run in at Saint Mary’s. It was a little too muggy to run outside, so I ran around the track. I went a shorter distance today but I really pushed it. I’m guessing I ran my mile in about 6:15.

I also had my first day back at Prairie Moon today, and that went well. For the next few months, our arrangement is for me to work 2 hours every Tuesday. Some weeks I’ll be in the office, and the other weeks we’ll chat on skype. But so far so good. I mentioned the other day that I was going to start looking for a new job, too. At least one that I’d consider. Anyways, I found a job that looked like a good fit for me and applied. They called back today and we alraedy have an interview scheduled on Thursday, so I’m excited for that. We’ll see what happens.

I’ll be heading back to the cities tomorrow afternoon. I have some things I need to take care of, and I have some dinner plans with Jessica tomorrow evening. She’s a cool girl and we have a good time together, so it’ll be interesting to see how things progress. I miss my apartment, too … it’s very cozy up there and I’ve made it my own. I’ll have to post a few pictures on here before I check out in a week.

My parents have decided to give Ebonee another week of life, but her time really is running out. Last night, at about 3:30AM, I heard her wimpering, so I went downstairs and slept on the couch so I could be next to her. I think she feels better when someone is nearby, and I think humans feel the same way when they’re in pain. Anyways, at this point, it’s the least I could do to make her feel better.

Story 8 of 15

When I was about 8 years old, my family took a road trip to California one summer. It was a great, inexpensive way to see the country while visiting relatives – all at the same time. At one stop along the way, we visited some family in southern California. For some odd reason, at that point in my life, I was going through a weird phase where I thought it was fun to call 911 but hang-up before anyone answered. So I did that – a lot, actually.

Anyways, on this particular night, my relatives decided to take my family and I out to get ice cream at some famous ice cream shop not far from the house. But before we left, I thought, “What the heck. It’s time to give 911 a call.” So when no one was watching, I went into the living room and both secretly and quickly dialed 911.

“911 – what is your emergency?”

Oh God! I immediately panicked and hung up – that had never happened before! Normally I was able to hang up before anyone answered, but not this time. Oh no, this time the woman beat me. And then it happened – my worst nightmare came true. The phone rang.

My aunt answered the phone in the kitchen and had a brief conversation with someone. She hung up the phone, then yelled very loudly: “Who in the world just called 911?!?!” I just about pooped my pants I was so scared. The blame game started immediately, and it was quickly determined that it was either me or my younger brother who had done the deed. Of course I denied it was me, so everyone blamed my 6 year old brother. But then he started crying for getting blamed for something he didn’t do, and the blame shifted back to me – and it stuck there. Needless to say, the trip to the ice cream shop was canceled, and everyone went to bed that night upset with me.

It was kind of funny – while running the lake, I caught up to this guy running in front of me. He was about my age, and as I passed him, he literally sprinted about 30 yards ahead of me. I had never seen a stranger do that to another stranger before. About a minute later, I caught up to him and passed him again – this time for good. As it turned out, his run was being timed by an Army Recruiter, so after the run, I talked to the kid and the recruiter for about 5 minutes. It was fun learning about the physical requirements one is expected to pass in order to join the Army.

Well, word on the street is that my ex girlfriend has a new boyfriend. I knew they were dating, but apparently they’ve decided to take things to the next level. That being said, I just hope she’s happy. I really do. The whole thing is a little weird, but you spend enough time with someone and you eventually come to realize that at the end of the day, you just want that person to be happy – no matter what. So hopefully she’s found what she’s looking for, and hopefully he makes her happy.

About a month ago, I went to Chicago for some business, and on my drive home, I made an unannounced, totally random visit to my ex’s parents house. It was a spur of the moment  type thing, and it definitely got my blood pumping because I didn’t really know what I was going to say when I got there. I just knew there were words that needed to be said, and I trusted the words would come to me when I needed them to, which they did. Her dad was really cool about the whole thing – he accepted my apology, we shook hands, and just like that, I was gone.

Ending a relationship with someone you dedicated years of your life to is a crazy thing. All you can do is take the relationship for what it was and move forward with an appreciation for the time you shared together. In the end, I can say she made me want to be a better person; I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.

Story 7 of 15

When I was a freshman at SMU, I was one of the few freshman allowed to live off campus. I shared an apartment with two friends of mine from Winona, and for the most part, we all had a blast living together. We threw a lot of parties and had people coming over all the time. We also became pretty good friends with the people who lived above us – a couple from Arizona, and on a few occasions, we would go up to their apartment and “smoke” with them.

Anyways, for New Year’s Eve, we decided to have a big party at our apartment. The only issue was that a few days before the party, our upstairs neighbors asked us to do them a special favor. They were leaving for the holidays, and they needed someone to take care of the 3 foot tall marijuana plant they had growing in their apartment.

“Sure, why not.” We agreed to take care of it while they were gone.

To make a long story short, during the party, we ended up hiding the plant behind our big tv in the corner of our living room. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid for us to do what we did. We had a TON of people over for New Year’s, and if the cops had been called for a Loud Party or something, we could have easily been busted for growing a healthy, sexy looking pot plant. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and to this day, I’m proud to say I’m not a convicted drug harvester.

PS – There’s no hope with dope. Those days are over for me. By a long shot.

Anyways, before I ruin my computer with tears, it’s time to talk about other stuff. By the way, if you haven’t already, now’s the time to play the depressing song I uploaded. It’s a great song to play when you’re sad and you’re not trying to cheer yourself up.

I had a couple nice workouts today. I ran 2 miles on two seperate occasions, and I spent a little time on the stairmaster as well. It was nice being able to run twice. I don’t normally workout multiple times in one day, but it’d be great if I found the time to do that more often.

I’m going back to California at the end of the month with my brother, but only for a long weekend (May 27 – 30). This will be my third trip to California in the past few months. That place is turning into my 2nd home. It’ll be a really quick trip, too – we’re mainly going to look for places where Abe and Rachel can live once they move, and I figured I’d tag along. I won’t even bring a suitcase for this trip.

Story 6 of 15

A few months ago, I went on a “first date” with this girl I knew very little about. Since it was freezing outside, I took her to the Mall of America so we could play the indoor mini golf course. I told her the date plans a few days in advance so she could dress appropriately. Anyways, I don’t know why she did this because I’ve never, ever seen this done before, but she decided to bring her own putter to the mini golf course. She literally carried her putter from home throughout the entire Mall of America. I’ve never even thought of using my own putter, and I’m a golfer, and she carried hers throughout the biggest mall in the U-S of A.

Needless to say, our first date was also our last date. Also, if you’re wondering, I beat her. haha