Late Night Cravings

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to the late night food industries. Jack in the Box, Filibertos, Taco Bell, and even Circle K...I love you guys!

One of the worst feelings a guy can get is to get those late night hunger cravings...you know the kind, you don't want cereal from the pantry, you don't wanna make anything, you don't want just a bunch of candy...you want something greasy, and preferably cheesy! I would also like to commend the genius behind stuffed jalapenos...they are definitely hitting the spot right now as they are not only greasy and cheesy...but also spicy! It's a threefer! Of course, this shout out would not be complete if I didn't mention the always mandatory, and always delicious, Dr. Pepper.

With my shout out complete, lets talk about something a little more important. Sports. Ok fine, WAY more important :) Tomorrow is Super Bowl XLIII (43 for all you who didn't learn roman numerals in school) , and as excited as I am to see the Cardinals in the championship, never thought I'd ever say those words, I can't help but once again realize how much I hate Arizona sports fans. The last time I felt like this was 2001...yep you guessed it, when the Diamondbacks went to the World Series. There will always be people who jump on the bandwagon, yet it seems Arizona has more than most. Maybe its because I was raised a Cubs fan, in my opinion the loyalist fans in any sports (you can't go 100 years without a championship and still have one of the largest fan bases without loyalty). Being a Cubs fan is more than just taking an interest in a team, or cheering them on when they play. Being a Cubs fan is part of my identity. My name is Chad, I am 23 years old, I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, I love sports, I love my family, and I love my Cubbies. Across the country, no matter where you go, you'll find Cubs fans just like me. It is that experience perhaps that drags fingernails down a chalk board in regards to Arizona fans. Pre-2001, the D-Backs had a very average fan base. However, the minute we get to the World Series, the entire state turned D-Back purple! Everyone everywhere was a DIE HARD D-BACKS FAN!! I can understand being excited, I was too. My favorite player of all time, Mark Grace, was among the veterans of the team, and I may add started the rally in the 9th to win it in game 7. However, where are all those fans now? We have a couple down years, and all of a sudden we're back to 2000. People on a hole could care less about the team, and only when September rolls around do they even notice the team might make the playoffs again...at which point they get all their memorabilia out and parade around town proclaiming their avid love of the team.

This football season has shown that it isn't just Arizona's baseball fans that are so fickle...but football fans as well. In the last few weeks, I have seen the amount of Cardinals fan multiply more than I can even explain. Everyone is excited that "THEIR" Cardinals are in the super bowl, but most can only name a couple players on the team. You're not fans...you're spectators. I hope that these "fans" prove me wrong, and win or lose tomorrow, show up the next couple years with the same enthusiasm as I've seen the last few weeks. Signing off. Goodnight.

Why Are Guys Treated Differently Than Girls?

In an era where equal rights are as much of our everyday living as brushing our teeth in the morning, why is it that guys are treated differently, and not given the same privileges as women? Now before anyone gets ahead of themselves here, let me point out that this injustice isn't done by just women, but by men as well. To tell you the truth, I am kinda sick of it. I am sick of being judged by the world because my best friend and I (who is a guy), are closer than most "guy friends". Why is it that girls can hang all over each other, they can hold hands, they can share beds, and in some cases, even kiss, yet the world doesn't judge them...and in the case of the latter, the world even praises them. No one says anything about a girl that does those things, you don't here rumors of, "I think they're lesbians", you don't have people telling them that they're weird, you don't have people advising them not to have certain pictures because of how "gay" they look. I am not gay, and neither is my best friend. No siree!!! But I do love him, and I know that he loves me. I know that he will always be here for me, I know that he'll always be there to pick me up when I fall, and I know that I'll always be there for him. We have a great relationship and it's time the rest of the world gets on board! Just because you don't have the kind of friendship we have, just because you're not as close with your best friend as we are, just because you don't see every guy friends acting like Turk and JD from Scrubs, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. My buddy and I will always be like this, so if you want to be a part of my life, you'd better get used to it! As my very wise and mature friend likes to say, "Don't knock it till you try it" - while I don't really know how that would apply in this situation, I think it is a piece of wisdom that needs shared. :-)

I think the problem is the image that is set forth for "men". We're expected to be these big, strong handymen who don't show emotions (cause emotions are for women and gays), and who know lots of stuff about sports and cars. Well, if that's what you want in a man, than go for it...but I'm gonna let you know right now, that's not me. If that's what you expect out of me then you'd best not stick around me too long haha. I don't know squat about cars, I might be able to fix a couple things around the house, but am by no means a handyman, I do love sports, and consider myself pretty strong, but as far as sports go, I am not very big. As far as emotions go, well just the fact that I am writing this should be proof enough lol - I am about as emotional as you can get. I cry more than anyone in my family, whether it's from movies, music, or just life. So while I may not be the "American Man", I am still a man. Each person is different, and I am who I am. (No I am not God). I am anxious for the day when God brings me the girl I will spend my life with. I don't know when or who, but I do know it will be perfect. So to you, girl of my dreams, I write this for you: I will laugh with you, I will talk with you, I will listen to you, I will cry with you. I may not bring countless excitment or adventure into your life, but I will treat you how you deserve to be treated. My mother used to tell me, "Treat girls like princesses, because that's what they are." - I have followed that statement to the best of my abilities. I won't yell at you, I won't hit you. I won't make you feel bad, I won't lose your trust. I will love you, I will take care of you, I will respect you. Until the day we meet...signing off now. Goodnight.

Fox Mondays --- feeding my addiction!

I realized today that I am addicted to entertainment. Whether it be tv, movies, video games, internet, or music. What I am going to do about it I don't know yet. However, I write this as I am watching House. I will then proceed to watch 24. After that I will probably go into my room to play Gears of War 2 with my brother, and then fall asleep to whichever movie I choose to sleep too, all the while having the computer next to me, talking on facebook, surfer espn.com, and checking teams on whatifsports.com. I didn't used to be like this. I used to spent most of my time outside, I used to go running, work out, do pitching exercises, anything I could to get out of the house and take advantage of the wonderful weather we're blessed with in Arizona. Even up to a couple months ago I had a nice balance or indoor/outdoor activities, I was determined to go back to college, to play baseball again at G.C.U., to get my life where I want it to be. Yet this holiday season I came upon some roadblocks that basically knocked the wind out of me. I realized how hard it is going to be to go back to school because of poor financial decisions of the past. I realized that you can't put your happiness in any person, because it will be broken. One good thing I learned these last few months is that God is always faithful. No matter how many people leave you and let you down, God will always be there. He is always taking care of us. I love Jesus with all of my heart, and I long to have a closer personal relationship with Him. I know that He is working in me, I know that He has something huge planned for me, even if I may not see it now, or even if I may not see it in this lifetime, I know that my God will use me for His purposes. That is why no matter how hopeless this life feels, no matter how hopeless my life seems, I am hopeful. Because I know I have hope in Jesus Christ.

While writing this I decided I need to try to cut down a little bit on my "entertainment" addiction. Hopefully I will be picking up a lot of hours at work, and I am also going to get back into my baseball training...I've kinda been slacking ever since the holidays. I kinda lost focus and need to get it back. I only have 7 months before the fall semester starts, and I need to make sure I am in great condition before going back to play for Grand Canyon.

I guess this is good enough for my first post. Signing off now. Goodnight.