I truly believe that the greatest gift that you can give to another person is to genuinely let them know that who they are and what they do matters. It has been my goal in 2014 to become a more thoughtful person. A string of deaths to some individuals who positively affected my life led me to conceive this series. As the words to my favorite song go, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” You are the words and pages to my story.
Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.
Dear Jerry, Pat, Brian, and Laura,
There is not a family in the world that provides a better example of godly living than the four of you. You have no idea how much of a blessing you have been to me.
Katie was one of the best friends I ever had. She was the best listener that I ever met. I remember one night when I was in junior high or high school that we talked for probably four hours, and I think I did the talking for at least three and a half of those hours! I don’t recall her ever judging me or anyone else. That was such a rare quality for someone that age to have. As an adolescent, you are always trying to do whatever you can to make yourself look or feel better. Katie didn’t do that. All she did was love people.
It broke my heart when she passed. Even now, nearly a decade later, I still get choked up every now and then when I think of her. I didn’t understand why it had to happen, and a couple times I got angry with God for that happening. But every time I got angry, I realized that I never saw any of you get angry. Not even once. That really helped me through the healing process.
What makes your family so special is not the fact that you have been able to overcome grief. Instead, it is the fact that even through your grief, you have used everything you have gone through to become a blessing to others. Even through the most challenging of times, you have each had a servant’s heart and looked to do everything you could to bless everyone you came into contact with. That hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Katie was one of the most thoughtful people I have ever known. She never forgot a birthday, and even our last conversation had to do with the fact that she was thinking of me because my beloved Seahawks were in the Super Bowl. The longer time has gone on, the more I realize that the thoughtfulness Katie had runs in her family. You have each been a blessing to me every birthday, and the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win was so much more special because of your thoughtfulness. The Pentecostal Evangel with Russell Wilson on the cover is something I will always keep.
You have had no obligation to keep me in your thoughts. Katie was no longer around. But even though I lost one friend in March 2006, I gained four more in the process.
Sometimes I think about how my friendship would be with Katie if she were around today. I’ve never really told anyone this, but one question that has helped guide some of my decisions is “Would Katie be proud of this decision?” I miss her, but I am so grateful that I still have four big pieces of her. Though our paths have not crossed in person for a few years, I am grateful for your friendship and the blessing you have been to me.
Love always,
Jakob
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
You are the Story I Tell: Staci
I truly believe that the greatest gift that you can give to another person is to genuinely let them know that who they are and what they do matters. It has been my goal in 2014 to become a more thoughtful person. A string of deaths to some individuals who positively affected my life led me to conceive this series. As the words to my favorite song go, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” You are the words and pages to my story.
Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.
Dear Staci,
If someone had asked me at the beginning of 2011 to pick the online friend that was going to most impact my year in a positive way, you would have been nowhere near the top of the list. If you would have asked me which of my friends would have made a great mother, I think I probably would have actually ranked some guys above you. But one of the truest signs of greatness is the ability to defy others’ expectations. You have gone above and beyond to do that, and there is no one in this world who could successfully argue that you haven’t become pretty great.
We didn’t really get off on the right foot, but that was due in large part to the fact that neither of us were in a particularly great place in our lives. You met me during my “Summer of Sorrow”, a time where everything was falling apart and I really couldn’t keep myself together any longer. Frustration had set in to the point that I was losing sight of who I was and what made me special. You weren’t in the best place either, and my overly persistent nature caused us to butt heads a bit. We had a bit of a falling out, and that was that.
When you showed up in Erika’s live in summer 2011, I was ready for a fight. I hadn’t forgotten the way you had treated me in the past, and a lot of the anger and resentment I had towards myself had the potential to manifest itself in ugly ways. Somehow, you immediately disarmed me. It took less than five minutes to see that the Staci that was before me was not the Staci I had known in the past. You were humble, responsible, and truly wanted to make things better.
Unfortunately, even when we do our best to make things better, things can still fall apart. I know the place where you were in August 2011. You just found out that you were pregnant, and you were about to move back to Texas. I am so happy that on a whim, I texted you to see if you wanted to do lunch that day. I had no idea you were moving the next day.
Meeting online friends is always a toss-up. I’ve had some great experiences, and I’ve had some awkward ones. When you met me in the parking lot of your hotel, it felt like we were long lost friends. It wasn’t awkward at all. That day was so much fun, and the opportunity to spend those two hours with you is something I’ll always cherish.
I didn’t really know it at the time, but that day changed my life. Here in front of me was someone who was dealt a whole heaping pile of adversity but stared it in the face and said “Is that all you’ve got?” If you could do it, I knew I could too. You made me want to try harder. You made me realize that the time for excuses were over. I lost 35 pounds that fall as a result. I started running, and I eventually ran a marathon. You obviously didn’t do that work; I did. But if you weren’t the catalyst, I don’t believe I would have become the man that I am today. I will always be in your debt.
There was a stretch where we talked every day for months. That time in my life was a time that will always be special to look back on. Though our conversations are more sporadic these days, my pride in you has not diminished one bit. When I see the work you have put in at your job, at parenting, and at life itself, I can’t help but be inspired. You even took the little time you have to have all sorts of free teaching materials sent to my job! I can only hope that I can someday inspire someone half as much as you have inspired me.
Love always,
Jakob
Monday, April 28, 2014
You are the Story I Tell: My Favorite Sister
I truly believe that the greatest gift that you can give to another person is to genuinely let them know that who they are and what they do matters. It has been my goal in 2014 to become a more thoughtful person. A string of deaths to some individuals who positively affected my life led me to conceive this series. As the words to my favorite song go, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” You are the words and pages to my story.
Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.
Dear Heidi,
I can’t believe you’re 25 today. That makes you old, and as your older sibling, that makes me old by default! I’m glad that Mom and Dad decided to stop at two kids, because I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t like any other sibling as much as you (especially not a brother!)
There were a couple times where I wasn’t sure if I’d see your 25th. When you got sick when we were kids, I was really afraid. I remember when Dad told me you were in the hospital, and I cried immediately. I was so worried about you, and I was so happy when you finally started to recover.
You know as well as I do that one of the greatest blessings and curses that comes with being a Duehr is that we refuse to take the easy route to anything. Instead, we prefer to carve our own path. In different ways, we’ve both done that. Some of our greatest successes have come as a result, but some of our greatest struggles have arisen from that mindset as well.
Your path to where you are today has been a winding one. We both know that. What you probably don’t know is how much of that I felt responsible for. As an older sibling, you feel like it’s on you to blaze the trail for your younger siblings, to make things as painless as possible for them. You want to struggle so they don’t have to. I didn’t do a great job of blazing that trail for you, and I’m sorry I didn’t do a great job of preparing you for life’s challenges. When you got to high school, you had to start from scratch just like I did. I didn’t have a stellar social reputation, and I’m sorry for that. I am sorry for the times people weren’t good to you because of me. I should have made things easier for you. You always had the practical intelligence, the athletic ability, and the looks. I was always just kind of awkward.
A lesser person would have tapped out to life’s struggles in 2005 and 2010. It would have been so easy to do so. But, again, Duehrs do not take the easy route. You have made yourself a better student and a better worker, and in the process, you became an even better person, whether you realized it or not. You have come so far in such a short time, and you should be so proud of that. I know I’m proud of you!
I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but I always thought that if we weren’t siblings, you’d have no reason to ever have anything to do with me. You have always been so much better of a people person than I am. Sure, I have my moments, but you’re pretty much “on” all the time. You’re way too cool to have a brother like me, and despite being the younger sibling, you’ve probably taught me more about life and how to be than I’ve ever taught you.
You’re moving away soon, and as always, I’m using my tried and true coping mechanism of refusing to think about it. But if there’s one piece of advice I can give you, it’s this. You have all the ability in the world. You always have. All you need to do is recognize that ability and believe in yourself. You have the tools, the drive, and the determination to ascend to whatever heights you aspire to reach. Just remember that, and don’t let anything anyone else says get you down. Most importantly, don’t get yourself down.
I am so proud to have known you for the past 25 years, and not only am I proud that you are part of my family, but I am oh so proud to consider you a friend. You’ve been a great sister, and you’re going to be a great wife and mother. Always believe.
Love always,
Jakob
Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.
Dear Heidi,
I can’t believe you’re 25 today. That makes you old, and as your older sibling, that makes me old by default! I’m glad that Mom and Dad decided to stop at two kids, because I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t like any other sibling as much as you (especially not a brother!)
There were a couple times where I wasn’t sure if I’d see your 25th. When you got sick when we were kids, I was really afraid. I remember when Dad told me you were in the hospital, and I cried immediately. I was so worried about you, and I was so happy when you finally started to recover.
You know as well as I do that one of the greatest blessings and curses that comes with being a Duehr is that we refuse to take the easy route to anything. Instead, we prefer to carve our own path. In different ways, we’ve both done that. Some of our greatest successes have come as a result, but some of our greatest struggles have arisen from that mindset as well.
Your path to where you are today has been a winding one. We both know that. What you probably don’t know is how much of that I felt responsible for. As an older sibling, you feel like it’s on you to blaze the trail for your younger siblings, to make things as painless as possible for them. You want to struggle so they don’t have to. I didn’t do a great job of blazing that trail for you, and I’m sorry I didn’t do a great job of preparing you for life’s challenges. When you got to high school, you had to start from scratch just like I did. I didn’t have a stellar social reputation, and I’m sorry for that. I am sorry for the times people weren’t good to you because of me. I should have made things easier for you. You always had the practical intelligence, the athletic ability, and the looks. I was always just kind of awkward.
A lesser person would have tapped out to life’s struggles in 2005 and 2010. It would have been so easy to do so. But, again, Duehrs do not take the easy route. You have made yourself a better student and a better worker, and in the process, you became an even better person, whether you realized it or not. You have come so far in such a short time, and you should be so proud of that. I know I’m proud of you!
I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but I always thought that if we weren’t siblings, you’d have no reason to ever have anything to do with me. You have always been so much better of a people person than I am. Sure, I have my moments, but you’re pretty much “on” all the time. You’re way too cool to have a brother like me, and despite being the younger sibling, you’ve probably taught me more about life and how to be than I’ve ever taught you.
You’re moving away soon, and as always, I’m using my tried and true coping mechanism of refusing to think about it. But if there’s one piece of advice I can give you, it’s this. You have all the ability in the world. You always have. All you need to do is recognize that ability and believe in yourself. You have the tools, the drive, and the determination to ascend to whatever heights you aspire to reach. Just remember that, and don’t let anything anyone else says get you down. Most importantly, don’t get yourself down.
I am so proud to have known you for the past 25 years, and not only am I proud that you are part of my family, but I am oh so proud to consider you a friend. You’ve been a great sister, and you’re going to be a great wife and mother. Always believe.
Love always,
Jakob
Sunday, April 27, 2014
You are the Story I Tell: Jessica
I truly believe that the greatest gift that you can give to another person is to genuinely let them know that who they are and what they do matters. It has been my goal in 2014 to become a more thoughtful person. A string of deaths to some individuals who positively affected my life led me to conceive this series. As the words to my favorite song go, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” You are the words and pages to my story.
Over the course of the next several months, I will be writing open letters to those who have positively impacted my story. I’m not going to lie. It is my goal to make you cry, not out of grief or pain but out of the realization that you do truly matter. I am not doing this in order of how important you are to me. For the most part (other than birthdays or other important events), the letters will be done in a random order. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you come away from this with the realization that you are extremely important to me.
Dear Jessica,
I often struggle with looking at my life and only viewing the tough breaks. I look at things that should have gone my way but didn’t, for one reason or another. I don’t spend enough time thinking about the blessings that I have in spite of myself. You, quite honestly, are one of those blessings.
When I think about how things started with us, even with me being the optimist that I am, I could never have expected us to be what we are nearly 12 years later. In a group of 800 kids, you stood out. You were the needle in the haystack. I saw you (and those gray sweatpants with “Angel” on them), and it was like nobody else was in the room. Unfortunately, I was pretty much THE shiest and most awkward kid on the planet, so instead of introducing myself to you like a normal person would, I got all weird.
I don’t know if you remember this or if I’ve ever told you this story, but the second night of camp during the year we first met, I saw you before service. I wanted to get your attention, and my bright idea was to gently nudge you as I walked past so you’d turn around and I’d turn around and our eyes would meet. However, I overestimated how much space I actually had to pull this off (and forgot how awkward I was), and accidentally wound up knocking you over. I felt like such an idiot!
You had no reason to treat me as well as you did. You were much better looking than me and certainly were a whole lot cooler than I was! You could have put me in my place, and I would have deserved it. At the least, you didn’t have to give me the time of day. Yet you treated me well. You gave my friend your number to give to me because I didn’t have the guts to ask for it myself. You humored me on AIM and the occasional phone conversation. You made me feel good about myself.
You know as well as anyone that I had the biggest crush in the world on you in high school. Back then, I don’t think you had the smallest inkling of interest in me that way, but you were careful with my feelings. Even when I would get frustrated about things and would say things that I had no right saying, you still had patience with me.
As the years went on and distance separated us both geographically and in the amount of time that had gone by since we last saw each other, a funny thing happened. My confidence somehow grew, and with that, our friendship grew as well. We talk more now than we talked twelve years ago. I know that you genuinely have an interest in my life and how things are going and that you’re proud of me when I succeed. I enjoy trash talking about sports even though you’re a Bears fan (ewww!).
I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of the woman you have become. Plenty people have children young and use it as an excuse to not move forward with their lives. They make a bunch of excuses for why they aren’t where they want to be. You, my dear, are not one of those people. You have come so far and worked so hard. You are a great mother, a great nurse, and most importantly, a great person. You are someone I am so proud of knowing.
My high school dreams never came true. We never wound up together. But what we have today is far greater than what my teenage self ever could have imagined. I cannot wait for the next time we see one another. Ten years is far too long. Thank you for being who you are, and thank you for giving a dorky awkward kid a chance.
Love always,
Jakob
Saturday, April 19, 2014
You Are the Story I Tell: An Introduction (and tribute to Tom Helmuth)
This week, a teacher who worked at one of the schools where I used to sub died unexpectedly. Having subbed for him and having worked with him, it hit me pretty hard. I have a hard time understanding why people die young, but I have an even tougher time when it’s someone I genuinely liked.
Being a sub is a tough job. It honestly is. You’re put in an unfavorable situation with kids who have no real incentive to cooperate. Teachers have no obligation to help you. Some of them won’t, and that’s alright. That’s their prerogative. But some of them do, and those are the ones you never forget.
As a sub, I wasn’t very good at my good at my job the first year. I still wasn’t all that great at it in my second year. I turned the corner midway through that year and by the time I entered my third year, I finally had it figured out. I might not have turned the corner were it not for Tom Helmuth.
I was substituting in a gym class. As I said, being a sub is tough. Subbing in a gym class is ten times tougher. The lesson plans that day dictated that the kids play hockey. Two games were to go on at once. The boys were supposed to play on one end of the gym while the girls played at the other. One of the boys in that class was noted for his anger management issues, so I had him play goalie so he wouldn’t be chasing kids around with a stick. I didn’t account for the idea that he’d be an absolutely miserable goalie. After he gave up a goal, I quickly turned to check on the girls’ game (I was the only adult in the gym, after all). Right as I did that, he slashed a kid in the leg with his wooden goalie stick. Of course, the kid he slashed was not known for his toughness, so he collapsed to the ground in anguish and the nurse eventually had to come in with a wheelchair. Needless to say, the principal was not pleased with me.
I went back into the gym office feeling like a total moron. Tom Helmuth could have piled on if he wanted to. At the very least, he could have ignored me. He had no obligation to say anything to me. But that wasn’t the man he was. He talked to me and told me how that could have happened to anyone, how hockey is something that they should get out of the P.E. curriculum, and how having me supervise two games was setting me up to fail. He told me to not let it get me down because it wasn’t my fault. I never forgot that.
I never had a chance to thank Tom Helmuth for what he said that day and how much those words meant to me. He died before I could. I hate that. He deserved to hear about the difference he made. Matt Gavin deserved to hear about the difference he made when I was student teaching. Doug Huntley deserved to hear how important he was to me and my family. Katie Prosapio deserved to know how close of a friend she was to me and how much I cherished her friendship. I hate that I didn’t say anything while they were still around.
One of my goals this year was to be more thoughtful. That doesn’t mean to open the door for everyone I see (though I do that anyway). It also doesn’t mean that I become a shameless panderer. It does, however, mean that I make a concerted effort to let people know what they have meant to me in my life. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for you, and it’s not guaranteed for me.
As the bridge to my favorite song goes, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” All of you are the stories I tell. You are the words and pages to my story. Over the course of the next year, I will be writing a series of open letters to a number of you to let you know what you have meant to me. Some will be more humorous in nature while others will hold a more serious tone. In general I will try to refrain from using last names to protect your privacy on the internet, but I will let you know that I have written to you. In a couple instance, I will be writing to multiple people in the same post. Your letter might be written to you and to someone you have never met. There’s a method to my madness. You’ll just have to read. I am very excited to get this going. You have no idea how much you mean to me.
Being a sub is a tough job. It honestly is. You’re put in an unfavorable situation with kids who have no real incentive to cooperate. Teachers have no obligation to help you. Some of them won’t, and that’s alright. That’s their prerogative. But some of them do, and those are the ones you never forget.
As a sub, I wasn’t very good at my good at my job the first year. I still wasn’t all that great at it in my second year. I turned the corner midway through that year and by the time I entered my third year, I finally had it figured out. I might not have turned the corner were it not for Tom Helmuth.
I was substituting in a gym class. As I said, being a sub is tough. Subbing in a gym class is ten times tougher. The lesson plans that day dictated that the kids play hockey. Two games were to go on at once. The boys were supposed to play on one end of the gym while the girls played at the other. One of the boys in that class was noted for his anger management issues, so I had him play goalie so he wouldn’t be chasing kids around with a stick. I didn’t account for the idea that he’d be an absolutely miserable goalie. After he gave up a goal, I quickly turned to check on the girls’ game (I was the only adult in the gym, after all). Right as I did that, he slashed a kid in the leg with his wooden goalie stick. Of course, the kid he slashed was not known for his toughness, so he collapsed to the ground in anguish and the nurse eventually had to come in with a wheelchair. Needless to say, the principal was not pleased with me.
I went back into the gym office feeling like a total moron. Tom Helmuth could have piled on if he wanted to. At the very least, he could have ignored me. He had no obligation to say anything to me. But that wasn’t the man he was. He talked to me and told me how that could have happened to anyone, how hockey is something that they should get out of the P.E. curriculum, and how having me supervise two games was setting me up to fail. He told me to not let it get me down because it wasn’t my fault. I never forgot that.
I never had a chance to thank Tom Helmuth for what he said that day and how much those words meant to me. He died before I could. I hate that. He deserved to hear about the difference he made. Matt Gavin deserved to hear about the difference he made when I was student teaching. Doug Huntley deserved to hear how important he was to me and my family. Katie Prosapio deserved to know how close of a friend she was to me and how much I cherished her friendship. I hate that I didn’t say anything while they were still around.
One of my goals this year was to be more thoughtful. That doesn’t mean to open the door for everyone I see (though I do that anyway). It also doesn’t mean that I become a shameless panderer. It does, however, mean that I make a concerted effort to let people know what they have meant to me in my life. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for you, and it’s not guaranteed for me.
As the bridge to my favorite song goes, “And for those who have stood by my side, you are the story I tell.” All of you are the stories I tell. You are the words and pages to my story. Over the course of the next year, I will be writing a series of open letters to a number of you to let you know what you have meant to me. Some will be more humorous in nature while others will hold a more serious tone. In general I will try to refrain from using last names to protect your privacy on the internet, but I will let you know that I have written to you. In a couple instance, I will be writing to multiple people in the same post. Your letter might be written to you and to someone you have never met. There’s a method to my madness. You’ll just have to read. I am very excited to get this going. You have no idea how much you mean to me.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
The Spirit of a Warrior
I am a man of several guilty pleasures, but perhaps my guiltiest of all these pleasures is my love for professional wrestling (or “sports entertainment” as Vince McMahon would prefer you to call it), specifically the WWE (or WWF as it was called when I was a kid). I actually got hooked on wrestling at a pretty early age.
Most people who know me know that I love the WWE, but most don’t know when or how that love started. My uncle and aunt got me three wrestling figures and a toy wrestling ring for Christmas in 1991. I was only four at the time. I received the action figures of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and the Ultimate Warrior. I was particularly drawn to the Ultimate Warrior figure. He instantly captivated four year old Jakob with his long hair, facepaint, tassels, and unique logo that was plastered all over his ring gear. He looked like a real-life superhero. I thought he was the coolest guy ever (or at least that his action figure was). Nonetheless, it piqued my curiosity about wrestling, and my parents allowed me to start watching wrestling shortly thereafter.
Even at that young of an age, I showed certain tendencies that I have become known for as I have aged. When I get interested in something, I completely immerse myself in that thing. That was the case with my love for wrestling. Watching Prime Time Wrestling on Monday nights (this was before the days of Raw, kids) wasn’t enough wrestling for me. Even though we didn’t live in the age of video on demand or the WWE Network, we were fortunate enough to live within walking distance of a video store. It not only fed my obsession but allowed me to catch up on events and characters that occurred before I started watching.
Though I started watching during one of the Warrior’s many hiatuses from the WWF, I didn’t miss a beat thanks to the videos. He was every bit the superhero his action figure present him as. Every other wrestler casually strolled to the ring as their music hit. If they were a good guy, they might come down enthusiastically. If they were a bad guy, they might mock the fans a bit. As soon as you heard the Ultimate Warrior’s music hit, he SPRINTED down the ramp to the ring. His matches usually didn’t last very long because 1) his character was meant to be an indestructible force and 2) he was probably gassed from sprinting to the ring. Either way, I thought he was absolutely awesome.
Warrior eventually left the WWF again in 1992 and didn’t return for 3 and a half years. During that time, my tastes in wrestling changed a bit. I no longer liked guys who merely looked cool. They had to have some substance to go with their style. It’s why Bret Hart became my favorite wrestler of all time. That said, I never forgot the Warrior though. He might not have been what I was looking for in a wrestler anymore, but that didn’t make him any less cool to me. When he came back in 1996, I was extremely excited. Unfortunately, that return did not last very long, and he was gone again.
The Ultimate Warrior character was billed as coming from “Parts Unknown”, and the man behind the character was covered with mystery and intrigue outside the ring as well. He always seemed to leave as soon as he came, and when he would return, his appearance would change enough that many surmised that someone other than Jim Hellwig was behind the facepaint.
In addition to his look and in-ring antics, Warrior was also known for his unique manner of speaking. Many times he would stare into his hands and launch into bizarre rhetoric at the top of his lungs that armchair philosophers probably spent far too much time trying to decipher. Warrior the man was also prone to launching into rants about many of his unique opinions. Warrior the man had every bit the power of will that Warrior the character had power of body. He was a passionate man, and you never had to wonder where he stood on anything; he would be sure to tell you.
It is not a surprise that this passion and strength of will could lead to poor relationships with others. Fallings out are an unfortunate side effect of an exceptional will. Warrior’s will was one of a kind. It was this strength of will that led him to fall out of favor with the WWE and created an icy relationship between Warrior and the Fed. This was no more apparent than in 2005 when the WWE decided to release a DVD entitled The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, a complete rip job on not only the character but also the man. It was unfortunate (and I personally believed it was hurtful), but it was not altogether surprising considering the reputation of the company. I did not hold out any hope of seeing the Warrior affiliated with anything WWE-related ever again.
Unthinkably, the WWE and Warrior patched things up, and they inducted him into their Hall of Fame last weekend. I made sure to tune in to see if he would launch into one of his legendary rants and reap revenge on the very people who disparaged him for so many years. Instead of a bitter man, I saw a loving father who had his two young daughters accompany him on the stage. I saw someone who was legitimately happy to be there, someone who was older, wiser, and more subdued. He wasn’t the granite stone of a man that I remembered, but I figured that age had a lot to do with that. After all, our heroes are not as indestructible as the characters they portray on television.
Two nights later, Warrior appeared on Raw for the first time in nearly twenty years. He didn’t sprint to the ring and scream into his hands. Instead, he gave the best speech of his life. He talked about the mortality of man and that it is the difference that a man makes that ultimately makes him legendary. It was both entertaining and inspiring. By the time he was done, Warrior once again was able to soak in the adulation of the approving masses.
The next day, the Ultimate Warrior died. In a strange twist of fate, that same uncle who bought me the Warrior figure 20+ years prior was the one who broke the news to me. He and I actually had a debate about the Warrior during WrestleMania. He thought the Warrior looked in poor health while I thought he was just overcome by the emotions of standing before such a large crowd. It honestly broke my heart, especially after seeing how much love his family had for him, and he for them. My thoughts and prayers go to his wife and two young daughters. You always want to think the heroes of your childhood are invincible. When they are not, it reminds you that you yourself are not invincible as well. It made me so happy to see how much he had grown as a person and how he truly wasn’t the bad guy that many made him out to be. He was just a guy who was proud of what he had done in his life but was even prouder of the family he had.
Were it not for the Ultimate Warrior, I might not have ever gotten into wrestling. While wrestling is by no means an obsession for me and I could walk away from it tomorrow, many good things in my life have come as a result. Some of my finest memories of my early adult years are the nights I spent at WWE events with Rob. My friendship with Zach was strengthened because of that common bond. Without wrestling, Kim might never have come into my life (and a life without Kim is not a life I want). It was my goal at some point to thank him for all that this year (on Twitter or the like), but sadly that never happened. Thank you, Warrior.
After his wrestling career ended, the Ultimate Warrior extended his brand. He became much more than a wrestler. As time went on, Warrior the man grew closer to the character he portrayed. He had a number of “interesting” life philosophies, and he became somewhat of a motivational speaker. No matter whether or not you agreed with all of the things he said, he truly wanted everyone to succeed, and he wanted to positively impact those with whom he came into contact. Ever the optimist, Warrior signed everything he wrote with “Always Believe.” It’s a short phrase, but a powerful one. I’ve always believed, and I always will.
In Warrior’s last speech he made this statement:
And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others, and makes them bleed deeper, and something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized. By the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever.
By that token, you, Warrior, will live forever. We always believed in you. Thank you for always believing in us, too.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
27 Things I Want to Accomplish as a 27 Year Old
Though the year itself was rather challenging, I was able to accomplish a significant amount while I was 26. I don’t like to rest on my laurels, so I have compiled a list of things that I wish to accomplish in the next 359 days. These items range from serious to sentimental to absurd, but that’s alright. I freely flow between all those qualities. And no, these items are not entirely listed in order of importance, though the top three items listed are my primary goals for the year. Read and enjoy the list, and if you can be of any assistance in helping me accomplish any of these items, please let me know!
1. Go to Pittsburgh and take Kim out for an unforgettably amazing dinner.
2. Finish my master’s degree with a 3.8 GPA or higher (ideally 4.0).
3. Move on from AAA Academy and enter the next step of my professional career.
4. Set foot in two states I have never been in before.
5. Attend a Seahawks game.
6. Attend Warped Tour.
7. Attend a WWE live event (preferably a PPV).
8. Run a sub-5 minute mile.
9. Run 3 miles in under 19 minutes.
10. Write 50(!) new blog posts. One down, 49 to go!
11. Come up with a creative way to show appreciation to those who have made my first 27+ years as good as they have been.
12. Buy more albums on vinyl.
13. Conceive another long-term blog series that brings me as much joy to write as the music series did.
14. Become the man the woman of my dreams deserves.
15. Learn how to channel my focus and intensity into multiple things at once.
16. Get the Seahawks tattoo.
17. Meet people in person that I have only seen digitally.
18. Let go of that which is over.
19. Observe Movember instead of No-Shave November (and grow a ridiculously awesome mustache).
20. Put up at least three videos on YouTube.
21. Make at least one person smile every day.
22. Live thoughtfully and purposefully.
23. Live each day with the goal of ending the day at least a little better of a person than when I started.
24. Complete my “On This Day…” project.
25. Take the long view at things. Exhibit more patience and find more joy in the journey.
26. Make room in my heart for new people and experiences.
27. Always believe and never give up.
1. Go to Pittsburgh and take Kim out for an unforgettably amazing dinner.
2. Finish my master’s degree with a 3.8 GPA or higher (ideally 4.0).
3. Move on from AAA Academy and enter the next step of my professional career.
4. Set foot in two states I have never been in before.
5. Attend a Seahawks game.
7. Attend a WWE live event (preferably a PPV).
8. Run a sub-5 minute mile.
10. Write 50(!) new blog posts. One down, 49 to go!
12. Buy more albums on vinyl.
13. Conceive another long-term blog series that brings me as much joy to write as the music series did.
14. Become the man the woman of my dreams deserves.
15. Learn how to channel my focus and intensity into multiple things at once.
16. Get the Seahawks tattoo.
18. Let go of that which is over.
19. Observe Movember instead of No-Shave November (and grow a ridiculously awesome mustache).
20. Put up at least three videos on YouTube.
21. Make at least one person smile every day.
22. Live thoughtfully and purposefully.
23. Live each day with the goal of ending the day at least a little better of a person than when I started.
24. Complete my “On This Day…” project.
25. Take the long view at things. Exhibit more patience and find more joy in the journey.
26. Make room in my heart for new people and experiences.
27. Always believe and never give up.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Very Brief WrestleMania Rankings and Reviews (2014 Update)
NOTE FROM JAKOB: This post was originally written in 2010. I updated it this weekend with some ranking changes and the inclusion of the last three WrestleMania events.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a wrestling buff. If you’re reading this, you likely know that about me already. I’m not ashamed of it. I know it’s fake, and I don’t watch it like it’s real. I watch it like I watch NCIS or any other television show; that being, there is a plot, and I like to see what route they take to get from Point A to Point B. For us wrestling fans, it’s about time for our Super Bowl, WrestleMania. Though I hoped that I would have attended one of these events live by this point, that will have to wait. What will not have to wait, however, is my brief rankings and explanations for the rankings of the previous WrestleMania events.
29. WrestleMania XI (1995, Hartford, CT): There were absolutely no redeeming qualities to this event. From sound difficulties to a main event that featured an agile midcard big man in Bam Bam Bigelow jobbing to an NFL athlete, the event was miserable. Every match dragged unnecessarily, and each good athlete seemed to be paired with someone who was awful.
28. WrestleMania XXVII (2011, Atlanta, GA): This event was absolutely baffling. From the Royal Rumble winner (Alberto Del Rio) facing the World Heavyweight Champion (Edge, in the last match of his career) in the curtain-jerker to Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler getting 15 minutes?!? and STILL having a screwy ending, this event featured one misstep after the other. Not even The Rock's attendance at the show could save it from being completely abysmal. The only redeeming qualities of the show are the vastly underrated CM Punk vs. Randy Orton match and Cody Rhodes' phenomenal performance in his masked gimmick.
27. WrestleMania 2 (1986, NYC, LA, Chicago): Whoever thought that it was a good idea to host the event from three locations probably lost their job shortly thereafter. Not only did it mean that the attending fans paid a fair amount of money for a partial card, but it also meant that the announcing teams were cluttered by B-List celebrities who knew absolutely nothing of the product. The only reason this event beats out the above events is because it was simply less offensive.
26. WrestleMania 29 (2013, East Rutherford, NJ): Rock/Cena I worked. Rock/Cena II did not. If you have ever played a WWE video game and set it to "infinite finishers", then you too could probably recreate this match. What makes this show ranked so low is how utterly predictable it was. Sure, Undertaker matches are predictable. That's what happens when you book a guy to win 21 times in a row. But the rest of the show did not need to be that predictable. Most matches were decent, but there were no true standouts outside of the Undertaker match.
25. WrestleMania 22 (2006, Chicago, IL): I don’t know what it is, but when WrestleMania comes to Chicago, it leaves much to be desired. From a Money in the Bank match that featured two guys a bit too old to be in ladder matches to a handicap squash match won by The Boogeyman to a far too predictable win for the Undertaker against Mark Henry, this event suffered from miss after miss. Don’t even get me started on the Rey Mysterio win and title reign or the Pillow Fight.
24. WrestleMania 12 (1996, Anaheim, CA): The WWF’s talent pool by Spring 1996 was so depleted that they called upon their two top draws, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, to go at it for over an hour in the first Iron Man match. While that match was for the most part a masterpiece, it was unfortunate that the two of them did not go at it for the entire show. The rest of the event was, for all intents and purposes, a waste, especially the recycled street footage of the “car chase” of Rowdy Roddy Piper and Goldust.
23. WrestleMania 25 (2009, Houston, TX): Some shows get judged by the quality of their matches, while others get judged by the sensibility of the results. This show had a truckload of nonsense, starting with the fact that they hailed it as the "25th Anniversary of WrestleMania" despite it actually being the 24th anniversary. There was absolutely no reason this event should have been as awful as it was. From wasting time with a Kid Rock concert to a clustered Battle Royal (which both made the card over a far more interesting Tag Title unification bout), the show was one comedy of errors after another. Honestly It singlehandedly killed the momentum of the Triple H/Randy Orton feud. The Shawn Michaels/Undertaker bout was a classic, but its placement before the two title matches sapped the crowd of emotion for those following matches, which in turn made the matches seem worse than they were.
22. WrestleMania 13 (1997, Chicago, IL): The highest-ranking of the Chicago events. Michaels missed the event due to “injury”, and the card was only saved by the classic submission match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin, the match which really cemented Austin’s place among the industry’s elite. While the Undertaker/Sid main event was not miserable, this was more or less a one match card.
21. WrestleMania IX (1993, Las Vegas, NV): I’ll be honest… I probably should rank this event lower than #19, but it was so bad it was amusing. The first outdoor WrestleMania, the event was full of non-finishes (Michaels/Tatanka, Beefcake and Hogan/Money Incorporated, Undertaker/Giant Gonzales). However, the non-finishes made a whole lot more sense than the rest of the booking. Doink the Clown beat Crush thanks to help from a second Doink, and Hulk Hogan ended the show as WWF Champion by winning a match he wasn’t even scheduled to compete in! If anything, this WrestleMania is ranked where it is as an example of how not to book a WrestleMania.
20. WrestleMania I (1985, New York, NY): This one has its spot primarily for its legacy as the first event of its kind, but let’s be honest. Though the event was full of celebrities, it was also full of subpar in-ring action and horrible production value. The backstage interview segments are laughable. Thankfully the WWF cleaned this up, and there was already a marked difference by 1987.
19. WrestleMania IV (1988, Atlantic City, NJ): Critics have panned this event for being the WWF’s equivalent of a Jerry Lewis Telethon. This event was marked by a ridiculously long title tournament that eliminated the top two contenders (Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant) in one fell swoop. Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase put on good performances in the finals of the tournament, but they would have been better served had the tournament included 8 participants instead of fourteen.
18. WrestleMania XV (1999, Philadelphia, PA): I had a hard time getting into the event when I watched it, but the action was solid and the winners made sense. What did not make sense, however, were the abundance of heel and face turns that happened over the course of this show. I understand that the Attitude Era was more gray than black and white, but as an unattached fan, it was difficult to follow along. Austin getting the upper hand over The Rock and Vince McMahon was by far the highlight of the event.
17. WrestleMania 2000 (2000, Anaheim, CA): This was such a weird event. Featuring no mano a mano bouts other than the waste of time between The Kat and Terri Runnels, it lacked the big event feel of other WrestleManias. The two out of three falls match for the European and Intercontinental titles was entertaining, but the rest of the event did not deliver. The absence of the Undertaker did not help.
16. WrestleMania V (1989, Atlantic City, NJ): I originally had this event ranked higher, but it really wasn’t all that good. I enjoyed Demolition’s win over the Powers of Pain and Rick Rude’s surprising victory over the Ultimate Warrior, but the rest of the event was lackluster, and that doesn’t include the Piper/Morton Downey Jr./Brother Love segment. Perhaps the best aspect of the show was its showcasing of the very strong tag team division, though it still boggles my mind that they put the Bushwhackers over the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.
15. WrestleMania VII (1991, Los Angeles, CA): Quite honestly most of the in-ring action was subpar. When the best match features the Ultimate Warrior as a participant, it says something about the whole event. That said, it featured a few feel-good moments which helped to distract from the event’s substandard action.
14. WrestleMania XXVIII (2012, Miami, FL): I probably like this WrestleMania more than most. Sure, the "match" between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan was frustrating, but the show moved on after that. The top three matches on the card went well. Cena/Rock worked, if only because it was so nice to see The Rock in a WWE ring once again. It was an average WrestleMania that deserves its spot right in the middle of this list.
13. WrestleMania XIV (1998, Boston, MA): The event did not have a lot of matches on the card, but I think it helped the quality of the event by eliminating filler. The showdown between Kane and The Undertaker (to me at least) put the undefeated streak at its most vulnerable. The Intercontinental bout booked Ken Shamrock perfectly as the intense beast, and the main event between Austin and Michaels (and involvement of Mike Tyson), while not technically as good a match as the two could have had thanks to Michaels’ back, was a great moment for the figurative passing of the torch.
12. WrestleMania 23 (2007, Detroit, MI): The event was largely unmemorable, but inoffensive. The company relied on old pros The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels to hold their own in the main events against more recent stars in John Cena and Batista. Sure, there was a lot of filler, but aside from Kane vs. The Great Khali, the filler worked.
11. WrestleMania III (1987, Pontiac, MI): This event happened days before I was born, and yet it is still often referenced or shown in highlight packages twenty three years later. The Hogan/Andre bout, though not a technical masterpiece like a Dean Malenko/Chris Benoit match, was a huge moment for the WWF and gave the company even more momentum going forward. This event did have its technical masterpiece in the form of the Ricky Steamboat/Randy Savage bout, which was so good that the two were allegedly lectured backstage for overshadowing the rest of the show.
10. WrestleMania XXVI (2010, Glendale, AZ): An excellent event from top to bottom, it featured the retirement of Shawn Michaels and the WrestleMania return of Bret Hart after a 13 year absence. While I liked the event very much (especially the undercard), it started to drag midway through the event. I wish I could've been there to see it as originally planned.
9. WrestleMania XXIV (2008, Orlando, FL): A vastly underrated event, the event was good because it seemed like everyone was where they should have been on the card. It featured Ric Flair’s best match in years (which, coincidentally, was his final WWE match to date) and a very solid main event of the Undertaker vs. Edge. Randy Orton’s surprising victory over Triple H and John Cena was an excellent twist, and Floyd Mayweather did his part to entertain in his match against the Big Show.
8. WrestleMania VI (1990, Toronto, ON, Canada): I like this event for a variety of reasons. One, it was the first face vs. face main event in WrestleMania history, and Hogan actually put someone over. It was the first time since Hogan’s match against Andre that there was a match with that big time atmosphere. Also, it was the site of Demolition’s last great moment of glory as well as Andre the Giant’s last hurrah and farewell from active competition.
7. WrestleMania 21 (2005, Los Angeles, CA): The culmination of some great storylines. It featured the completion of Batista’s rise to the top in perhaps the greatest face turn of the decade as well as the end of JBL’s reign of terror as WWE champion at the hands of John Cena. The first Money in the Bank ladder match delivered, as did Angle/Michaels and Orton/Undertaker. My greatest hang-ups with the event were the dreadful Trish Stratus/Christy Hemme match and the sumo competition between the Big Show and Akebono. Don’t get me started on trying to have real sports competitions in the scripted atmosphere of the WWE.
6. WrestleMania VIII (1992, Indianapolis, IN): I love WrestleMania VIII because you could feel a changing of the guard in place. From Hogan’s “last match” to great performances by Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, the card really seemed fun. Randy Savage’s return to the top and the Undertaker’s first WrestleMania as a fan favorite added to the pleasure.
5. WrestleMania X-8 (2002, Toronto, ON, Canada): The first event that featured main event superstars acquired after the WCW purchase, this event showcased greatness at virtually every step. Rock/Hogan really explains it. That said, the main event of Chris Jericho against Triple H was horribly built up, as it took the champion (Jericho) and pushed him to the backburner of Triple H’s feud with Stephanie McMahon. A classic that could’ve gone #1 had the main event delivered.
4. WrestleMania X (1994, New York, NY): I have fond memories of watching this event as a seven year old rooting for my hero Bret Hart to regain the WWF championship. Back then I did not realize how great his match at the beginning of the show was with his brother Owen, but I did realize how ahead of its time the Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon Ladder Match was. Throw in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere match between Randy Savage and Crush as well as the long-awaited moment of Hart regaining his title after Yokozuna slipped off the ropes, and this event goes from solid to a classic.
3. WrestleMania X-7 (2001, Houston, TX): The culmination of the Attitude Era. The company seemed to outdo itself at every turn from the Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit technical spectacle to the TLC match to the all-out war between the Undertaker and Triple H. Austin/Rock II did not disappoint and provided the fans with a major swerve, but I felt the ending was overdone. All in all, still a classic.
2. WrestleMania XX (2004, New York, NY): My personal favorite, as it occurred during the time period where I first started to watch again. It was a star-studded card that featured nearly every big name the company had to offer. The buildup was great, and the matches (for the most part) delivered. The company made a concerted effort to involve nearly all its contracted talent. The reason this event fell to #2 is because I felt that Undertaker vs. Kane II was all too predictable and that Goldberg/Lesnar was a huge letdown, especially since both men left the company shortly thereafter.
1. WrestleMania XIX (2003, Seattle, WA): This one is ranked at the top because nearly every match had an important “feel” to it. It featured old favorites such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock and new blood like Brock Lesnar. Shawn Michaels’ return to the grandest stage of them all against Chris Jericho was another excellent match. While I disagree with how the Booker T/Triple H match played out, I felt the rest of the show was full of hits.
I'm honestly more excited for WrestleMania XXX than I have been for any WrestleMania since WM 25. As has been the tradition since WM 26, I will be watching the event at my uncle and aunt's house. While I still hope to make it to a WrestleMania live one year, it has become one of my favorite traditions. This event could turn out to be one of the best. I guess we shall see.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a wrestling buff. If you’re reading this, you likely know that about me already. I’m not ashamed of it. I know it’s fake, and I don’t watch it like it’s real. I watch it like I watch NCIS or any other television show; that being, there is a plot, and I like to see what route they take to get from Point A to Point B. For us wrestling fans, it’s about time for our Super Bowl, WrestleMania. Though I hoped that I would have attended one of these events live by this point, that will have to wait. What will not have to wait, however, is my brief rankings and explanations for the rankings of the previous WrestleMania events.
29. WrestleMania XI (1995, Hartford, CT): There were absolutely no redeeming qualities to this event. From sound difficulties to a main event that featured an agile midcard big man in Bam Bam Bigelow jobbing to an NFL athlete, the event was miserable. Every match dragged unnecessarily, and each good athlete seemed to be paired with someone who was awful.
28. WrestleMania XXVII (2011, Atlanta, GA): This event was absolutely baffling. From the Royal Rumble winner (Alberto Del Rio) facing the World Heavyweight Champion (Edge, in the last match of his career) in the curtain-jerker to Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler getting 15 minutes?!? and STILL having a screwy ending, this event featured one misstep after the other. Not even The Rock's attendance at the show could save it from being completely abysmal. The only redeeming qualities of the show are the vastly underrated CM Punk vs. Randy Orton match and Cody Rhodes' phenomenal performance in his masked gimmick.
27. WrestleMania 2 (1986, NYC, LA, Chicago): Whoever thought that it was a good idea to host the event from three locations probably lost their job shortly thereafter. Not only did it mean that the attending fans paid a fair amount of money for a partial card, but it also meant that the announcing teams were cluttered by B-List celebrities who knew absolutely nothing of the product. The only reason this event beats out the above events is because it was simply less offensive.
26. WrestleMania 29 (2013, East Rutherford, NJ): Rock/Cena I worked. Rock/Cena II did not. If you have ever played a WWE video game and set it to "infinite finishers", then you too could probably recreate this match. What makes this show ranked so low is how utterly predictable it was. Sure, Undertaker matches are predictable. That's what happens when you book a guy to win 21 times in a row. But the rest of the show did not need to be that predictable. Most matches were decent, but there were no true standouts outside of the Undertaker match.
25. WrestleMania 22 (2006, Chicago, IL): I don’t know what it is, but when WrestleMania comes to Chicago, it leaves much to be desired. From a Money in the Bank match that featured two guys a bit too old to be in ladder matches to a handicap squash match won by The Boogeyman to a far too predictable win for the Undertaker against Mark Henry, this event suffered from miss after miss. Don’t even get me started on the Rey Mysterio win and title reign or the Pillow Fight.
24. WrestleMania 12 (1996, Anaheim, CA): The WWF’s talent pool by Spring 1996 was so depleted that they called upon their two top draws, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, to go at it for over an hour in the first Iron Man match. While that match was for the most part a masterpiece, it was unfortunate that the two of them did not go at it for the entire show. The rest of the event was, for all intents and purposes, a waste, especially the recycled street footage of the “car chase” of Rowdy Roddy Piper and Goldust.
23. WrestleMania 25 (2009, Houston, TX): Some shows get judged by the quality of their matches, while others get judged by the sensibility of the results. This show had a truckload of nonsense, starting with the fact that they hailed it as the "25th Anniversary of WrestleMania" despite it actually being the 24th anniversary. There was absolutely no reason this event should have been as awful as it was. From wasting time with a Kid Rock concert to a clustered Battle Royal (which both made the card over a far more interesting Tag Title unification bout), the show was one comedy of errors after another. Honestly It singlehandedly killed the momentum of the Triple H/Randy Orton feud. The Shawn Michaels/Undertaker bout was a classic, but its placement before the two title matches sapped the crowd of emotion for those following matches, which in turn made the matches seem worse than they were.
22. WrestleMania 13 (1997, Chicago, IL): The highest-ranking of the Chicago events. Michaels missed the event due to “injury”, and the card was only saved by the classic submission match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin, the match which really cemented Austin’s place among the industry’s elite. While the Undertaker/Sid main event was not miserable, this was more or less a one match card.
21. WrestleMania IX (1993, Las Vegas, NV): I’ll be honest… I probably should rank this event lower than #19, but it was so bad it was amusing. The first outdoor WrestleMania, the event was full of non-finishes (Michaels/Tatanka, Beefcake and Hogan/Money Incorporated, Undertaker/Giant Gonzales). However, the non-finishes made a whole lot more sense than the rest of the booking. Doink the Clown beat Crush thanks to help from a second Doink, and Hulk Hogan ended the show as WWF Champion by winning a match he wasn’t even scheduled to compete in! If anything, this WrestleMania is ranked where it is as an example of how not to book a WrestleMania.
20. WrestleMania I (1985, New York, NY): This one has its spot primarily for its legacy as the first event of its kind, but let’s be honest. Though the event was full of celebrities, it was also full of subpar in-ring action and horrible production value. The backstage interview segments are laughable. Thankfully the WWF cleaned this up, and there was already a marked difference by 1987.
19. WrestleMania IV (1988, Atlantic City, NJ): Critics have panned this event for being the WWF’s equivalent of a Jerry Lewis Telethon. This event was marked by a ridiculously long title tournament that eliminated the top two contenders (Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant) in one fell swoop. Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase put on good performances in the finals of the tournament, but they would have been better served had the tournament included 8 participants instead of fourteen.
18. WrestleMania XV (1999, Philadelphia, PA): I had a hard time getting into the event when I watched it, but the action was solid and the winners made sense. What did not make sense, however, were the abundance of heel and face turns that happened over the course of this show. I understand that the Attitude Era was more gray than black and white, but as an unattached fan, it was difficult to follow along. Austin getting the upper hand over The Rock and Vince McMahon was by far the highlight of the event.
17. WrestleMania 2000 (2000, Anaheim, CA): This was such a weird event. Featuring no mano a mano bouts other than the waste of time between The Kat and Terri Runnels, it lacked the big event feel of other WrestleManias. The two out of three falls match for the European and Intercontinental titles was entertaining, but the rest of the event did not deliver. The absence of the Undertaker did not help.
16. WrestleMania V (1989, Atlantic City, NJ): I originally had this event ranked higher, but it really wasn’t all that good. I enjoyed Demolition’s win over the Powers of Pain and Rick Rude’s surprising victory over the Ultimate Warrior, but the rest of the event was lackluster, and that doesn’t include the Piper/Morton Downey Jr./Brother Love segment. Perhaps the best aspect of the show was its showcasing of the very strong tag team division, though it still boggles my mind that they put the Bushwhackers over the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.
15. WrestleMania VII (1991, Los Angeles, CA): Quite honestly most of the in-ring action was subpar. When the best match features the Ultimate Warrior as a participant, it says something about the whole event. That said, it featured a few feel-good moments which helped to distract from the event’s substandard action.
14. WrestleMania XXVIII (2012, Miami, FL): I probably like this WrestleMania more than most. Sure, the "match" between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan was frustrating, but the show moved on after that. The top three matches on the card went well. Cena/Rock worked, if only because it was so nice to see The Rock in a WWE ring once again. It was an average WrestleMania that deserves its spot right in the middle of this list.
13. WrestleMania XIV (1998, Boston, MA): The event did not have a lot of matches on the card, but I think it helped the quality of the event by eliminating filler. The showdown between Kane and The Undertaker (to me at least) put the undefeated streak at its most vulnerable. The Intercontinental bout booked Ken Shamrock perfectly as the intense beast, and the main event between Austin and Michaels (and involvement of Mike Tyson), while not technically as good a match as the two could have had thanks to Michaels’ back, was a great moment for the figurative passing of the torch.
12. WrestleMania 23 (2007, Detroit, MI): The event was largely unmemorable, but inoffensive. The company relied on old pros The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels to hold their own in the main events against more recent stars in John Cena and Batista. Sure, there was a lot of filler, but aside from Kane vs. The Great Khali, the filler worked.
11. WrestleMania III (1987, Pontiac, MI): This event happened days before I was born, and yet it is still often referenced or shown in highlight packages twenty three years later. The Hogan/Andre bout, though not a technical masterpiece like a Dean Malenko/Chris Benoit match, was a huge moment for the WWF and gave the company even more momentum going forward. This event did have its technical masterpiece in the form of the Ricky Steamboat/Randy Savage bout, which was so good that the two were allegedly lectured backstage for overshadowing the rest of the show.
10. WrestleMania XXVI (2010, Glendale, AZ): An excellent event from top to bottom, it featured the retirement of Shawn Michaels and the WrestleMania return of Bret Hart after a 13 year absence. While I liked the event very much (especially the undercard), it started to drag midway through the event. I wish I could've been there to see it as originally planned.
9. WrestleMania XXIV (2008, Orlando, FL): A vastly underrated event, the event was good because it seemed like everyone was where they should have been on the card. It featured Ric Flair’s best match in years (which, coincidentally, was his final WWE match to date) and a very solid main event of the Undertaker vs. Edge. Randy Orton’s surprising victory over Triple H and John Cena was an excellent twist, and Floyd Mayweather did his part to entertain in his match against the Big Show.
8. WrestleMania VI (1990, Toronto, ON, Canada): I like this event for a variety of reasons. One, it was the first face vs. face main event in WrestleMania history, and Hogan actually put someone over. It was the first time since Hogan’s match against Andre that there was a match with that big time atmosphere. Also, it was the site of Demolition’s last great moment of glory as well as Andre the Giant’s last hurrah and farewell from active competition.
7. WrestleMania 21 (2005, Los Angeles, CA): The culmination of some great storylines. It featured the completion of Batista’s rise to the top in perhaps the greatest face turn of the decade as well as the end of JBL’s reign of terror as WWE champion at the hands of John Cena. The first Money in the Bank ladder match delivered, as did Angle/Michaels and Orton/Undertaker. My greatest hang-ups with the event were the dreadful Trish Stratus/Christy Hemme match and the sumo competition between the Big Show and Akebono. Don’t get me started on trying to have real sports competitions in the scripted atmosphere of the WWE.
6. WrestleMania VIII (1992, Indianapolis, IN): I love WrestleMania VIII because you could feel a changing of the guard in place. From Hogan’s “last match” to great performances by Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, the card really seemed fun. Randy Savage’s return to the top and the Undertaker’s first WrestleMania as a fan favorite added to the pleasure.
5. WrestleMania X-8 (2002, Toronto, ON, Canada): The first event that featured main event superstars acquired after the WCW purchase, this event showcased greatness at virtually every step. Rock/Hogan really explains it. That said, the main event of Chris Jericho against Triple H was horribly built up, as it took the champion (Jericho) and pushed him to the backburner of Triple H’s feud with Stephanie McMahon. A classic that could’ve gone #1 had the main event delivered.
4. WrestleMania X (1994, New York, NY): I have fond memories of watching this event as a seven year old rooting for my hero Bret Hart to regain the WWF championship. Back then I did not realize how great his match at the beginning of the show was with his brother Owen, but I did realize how ahead of its time the Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon Ladder Match was. Throw in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere match between Randy Savage and Crush as well as the long-awaited moment of Hart regaining his title after Yokozuna slipped off the ropes, and this event goes from solid to a classic.
3. WrestleMania X-7 (2001, Houston, TX): The culmination of the Attitude Era. The company seemed to outdo itself at every turn from the Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit technical spectacle to the TLC match to the all-out war between the Undertaker and Triple H. Austin/Rock II did not disappoint and provided the fans with a major swerve, but I felt the ending was overdone. All in all, still a classic.
2. WrestleMania XX (2004, New York, NY): My personal favorite, as it occurred during the time period where I first started to watch again. It was a star-studded card that featured nearly every big name the company had to offer. The buildup was great, and the matches (for the most part) delivered. The company made a concerted effort to involve nearly all its contracted talent. The reason this event fell to #2 is because I felt that Undertaker vs. Kane II was all too predictable and that Goldberg/Lesnar was a huge letdown, especially since both men left the company shortly thereafter.
1. WrestleMania XIX (2003, Seattle, WA): This one is ranked at the top because nearly every match had an important “feel” to it. It featured old favorites such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock and new blood like Brock Lesnar. Shawn Michaels’ return to the grandest stage of them all against Chris Jericho was another excellent match. While I disagree with how the Booker T/Triple H match played out, I felt the rest of the show was full of hits.
I'm honestly more excited for WrestleMania XXX than I have been for any WrestleMania since WM 25. As has been the tradition since WM 26, I will be watching the event at my uncle and aunt's house. While I still hope to make it to a WrestleMania live one year, it has become one of my favorite traditions. This event could turn out to be one of the best. I guess we shall see.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
26 Lessons I Learned as a 26 Year Old
This week I took a look at the list of the 26 things I wanted to accomplish as a 26 Year Old. Aside from a couple small things, the list was virtually complete. Most goals were completely met, and out of the ones that were not, they were at least partially met. For the most part, I did everything that I set out to do. On paper, I should feel like a conquering hero. However, the reality is that I feel more like a boxer who got his butt kicked for 12 rounds who won the fight simply due to the refusal to go down. It was an interesting year for sure.
I was going to go into this long-winded recap of my life the past year, but given the fact that I do something similar every December 31, that would be an exercise in redundancy. Instead, here are some of the lessons that I learned over the course of the year, lessons that I hope will buoy me to sustained success as a 27 year old.
The Lessons Learned
• Appreciate each victory, especially the challenging ones. Sure, being a 26 year old was rough, but I made it, and I made it through the year while accomplishing the majority of my goals.
• Do not ignore the challenges that face you, but do not dwell on them as well. That’s no way to live.
• Familiar is not synonymous with best.
• When it’s time to let go of something, don’t fight it. It becomes more painful that way.
• Believe things will get better while recognizing that they can get worse.
• Be gracious and appreciative at all times. Let people know you appreciate them.
• The better you treat others, the more they will remember you. It doesn’t mean that they’ll treat you as well as you treat them, but they certainly won’t forget you.
• Don’t do things out of sadness or out of spite. Do them out of joy and/or waiting. I used to grow beards because I was said. Now I grow them to signify patience and optimism.
• Smirk more, yell less.
• Sometimes you will find the people you need the most during your darkest hours.
• If she likes WWE too, she’s a keeper.
• Don’t post anything to any social network until you have been awake for at least 30 minutes.
• If you think what you want to say might have the smallest chance of hurting someone you love, don’t say it. It’s not worth it.
• If you make it through the day with just enough to get to the next day, then that day was a success.
• Don’t let your displeasure with life take you away from the things you love to do. Those things will help you fight that displeasure.
• Realize that your perspective is not the only one. Subsequently, realize that your perspective may not be the best one, either.
• Make it a point to look in the mirror each morning, smile, and tell yourself that it’s all going to be okay.
• Sometimes life will throw us a touchdown pass. Other times, we have to pick up someone else’s fumble and run in for the score.
• Not hearing from someone very often doesn’t mean that they’ve forgotten you or don’t care about you anymore.
• Hold everyone to high standards. Hold yourself to even higher standards than you hold everyone else.
• Don’t get upset when your friends give you advice that you don’t want to hear. They’re trying to help.
• Just because something hurts, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing. Sometimes we have to lose good things to make room for great things.
• Give your all at all times. Nobody should be able to know how well or how badly things are going simply by looking at the effort you are putting in.
• You’re always stronger than you think. Don’t be afraid to test that strength.
• Developing good relationships with kids doesn’t automatically assure their cooperation 100% of the time. It does, however, mean that they’ll think twice about wanting to disappoint you.
• Ride it out. You’re going to get tired of hearing that phrase from me by the end of 2014, but it’s my philosophy for the year. Bad is going to come. Adversity is inevitable, but knee-jerk reactions are counterproductive. Assess the situation, be patient, and ride it out. If you truly believe in something, stay the course.
Thank you for coming along for the ride. Some of you have been really important to me the last year, and I want you to understand that everything good you do for me does not go unnoticed. I am very thankful for the people who I met as a 26 year old, especially someone that I met in October. Without all of you, it would have been very difficult to make it through the year. But I survived 26, and I’ve got a lot in the tank. I’m excited for what is to come in my life as a 27 year old.
I was going to go into this long-winded recap of my life the past year, but given the fact that I do something similar every December 31, that would be an exercise in redundancy. Instead, here are some of the lessons that I learned over the course of the year, lessons that I hope will buoy me to sustained success as a 27 year old.
The Lessons Learned
• Appreciate each victory, especially the challenging ones. Sure, being a 26 year old was rough, but I made it, and I made it through the year while accomplishing the majority of my goals.
• Do not ignore the challenges that face you, but do not dwell on them as well. That’s no way to live.
• Familiar is not synonymous with best.
• When it’s time to let go of something, don’t fight it. It becomes more painful that way.
• Believe things will get better while recognizing that they can get worse.
• Be gracious and appreciative at all times. Let people know you appreciate them.
• The better you treat others, the more they will remember you. It doesn’t mean that they’ll treat you as well as you treat them, but they certainly won’t forget you.
• Don’t do things out of sadness or out of spite. Do them out of joy and/or waiting. I used to grow beards because I was said. Now I grow them to signify patience and optimism.
• Smirk more, yell less.
• Sometimes you will find the people you need the most during your darkest hours.
• If she likes WWE too, she’s a keeper.
• Don’t post anything to any social network until you have been awake for at least 30 minutes.
• If you think what you want to say might have the smallest chance of hurting someone you love, don’t say it. It’s not worth it.
• If you make it through the day with just enough to get to the next day, then that day was a success.
• Don’t let your displeasure with life take you away from the things you love to do. Those things will help you fight that displeasure.
• Realize that your perspective is not the only one. Subsequently, realize that your perspective may not be the best one, either.
• Make it a point to look in the mirror each morning, smile, and tell yourself that it’s all going to be okay.
• Sometimes life will throw us a touchdown pass. Other times, we have to pick up someone else’s fumble and run in for the score.
• Not hearing from someone very often doesn’t mean that they’ve forgotten you or don’t care about you anymore.
• Hold everyone to high standards. Hold yourself to even higher standards than you hold everyone else.
• Don’t get upset when your friends give you advice that you don’t want to hear. They’re trying to help.
• Just because something hurts, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing. Sometimes we have to lose good things to make room for great things.
• Give your all at all times. Nobody should be able to know how well or how badly things are going simply by looking at the effort you are putting in.
• You’re always stronger than you think. Don’t be afraid to test that strength.
• Developing good relationships with kids doesn’t automatically assure their cooperation 100% of the time. It does, however, mean that they’ll think twice about wanting to disappoint you.
• Ride it out. You’re going to get tired of hearing that phrase from me by the end of 2014, but it’s my philosophy for the year. Bad is going to come. Adversity is inevitable, but knee-jerk reactions are counterproductive. Assess the situation, be patient, and ride it out. If you truly believe in something, stay the course.
Thank you for coming along for the ride. Some of you have been really important to me the last year, and I want you to understand that everything good you do for me does not go unnoticed. I am very thankful for the people who I met as a 26 year old, especially someone that I met in October. Without all of you, it would have been very difficult to make it through the year. But I survived 26, and I’ve got a lot in the tank. I’m excited for what is to come in my life as a 27 year old.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
27 Albums that Shaped the First 27 Years of My Life, #1: The Graduate - Only Every Time
As I quickly approach my 27th birthday (an age, coincidentally, that many musicians met their own mortality), I have been thinking about the role that music has played in my life. I have not played an instrument for nearly sixteen years and have never been in a band, but I would still consider myself an audiophile. The 26000 songs on my hard drive would agree with me as well.
Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.
Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.
#1: The Graduate – Only Every Time
Release Date: August 31, 2010
When I first heard the album: September 2010
Why I loved it then: As soon as I conceived the idea for this series, I knew that no other album could possibly top the list. If you’ve gotten to know me at all over the past 3 and a half years, you know how much The Graduate has meant to me. While Anhedonia was an excellent album and already made this list, THIS is the album that most defines me and who I have become.
To best understand the relationship between this album and me, it is necessary to rewind to September 2010. I was in the midst of the aforementioned “Summer of Sorrow”. I hated where I was in my life. My friends started to move out and move on. The woman who I loved more than anything else chose someone else over me. Even family was out of the picture. My sister had moved out of state and my cousin was in Japan. Despite doing everything in college and student teaching to the best of my ability (and experiencing success along the way), I had absolutely nothing to show for it. I was pretty much miserable.
It was during this time that I came across a band named The Graduate. I was amazed at all the similarities that existed between the band and me. We were all around the same age and had roots in Illinois. Like me, The Graduate worked very hard and was met with a great deal of initial success. Many within the music industry prognosticated that these guys were THE next big thing for the entire industry. They were making their way around the world with some pretty big names.
I hit a wall and had my reality check in early 2009. These guys had theirs a little before that. Their record label fell apart. They were in a bad situation that was no fault of their own, and that bad situation sapped them of a significant amount of momentum. But they didn’t give up. They plugged away and persevered, and by the end of August 2010, they finally released the follow-up to Anhedonia.
I heard the album for the first time at the very moment my life felt as if it hit rock bottom. I was extremely depressed about the fact that I still had not procured a full time teaching job, but that paled in comparison to the fact that I had to immediately drive to North Carolina to deal with a family emergency. I decided to put in Only Every Time. It served as the soundtrack to the entire trip (and was the only album I listened do during that entire drive from Chicago to North Carolina). That trip and the album changed my life. I had read a little bit about the guys up to that point. I knew how they hadn’t gotten what they deserved. But they sucked it up and kept going, and the end result was the greatest album that I had ever heard. If these guys could keep going and turn their challenges into greatness, so could I. Every song hit me. Here are these guys who I had never met (to that point, at least), and they get what’s going on in my life. Even though my friends were pretty absent and my family was burdened with a lot, I no longer felt alone. There were five other guys out there who understood how difficult life could be but realized the importance of persistence. It pays to ride it out.
I’ve written nearly 600 words and I haven’t even gotten to the album itself. There is not a weak track on the album. It is the only album I have ever owned that I have never been tempted to skip any tracks while listening. The Graduate may have consisted of five guys, but they shared a unity in mind and vision. I have listened to this album hundreds of times over the past three and a half years, and they absolutely nail it when it comes to the big three: lyrics, vocals, and musicianship. If you just listen to the album for the lyrics, you will walk away feeling empowered and inspired. If you listen to the album for the vocals, Corey Warning will blow you away. The lyrics and vocals are so good that it can almost distract you from how skilled these guys really are at their craft. From Tim’s drums to Max’s guitar to Jared’s bass to Matt’s otherworldly talents, these guys deserved a whole lot better than what they got.
Why I still love it now: Without any measure of hyperbole, I fully believe that this is the greatest album that has ever been made. For years I have tried to pick my favorite track from this album, and I have never been able to narrow down the possibilities to less than seven tracks. There is no weak link in this album.
Before the band entered their indefinite hiatus, I had the privilege of seeing them live three times, including their farewell performance in Chicago. They never took any shortcuts live, and the memories I have of those concerts are among the finest memories I have made during my adult years. I’ve gotten a chance to meet the guys, and I even keep in touch with them via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While they never got the credit they deserved, I will always be grateful to them for the impact they made on my life (and keep my fingers crossed that the hiatus doesn’t last eternally!)
I am fairly certain that there will never be another album that I will love as much as Only Every Time. Without a doubt, this album did more than any other album to shape me into the man I am today. It let me know that yes, life is hard. Yes, it’s not going to be fair, but that is not and will not ever be an excuse to give up. The lessons I learned from Only Every Time inspired and empowered me towards my greatest successes. Without it, I would have never been able to lose the weight I had regained during my period of sorrow. Without it, I would have never run two marathons. Without it, I would not have stayed the course and finally obtained a full time teaching position. Without it, I would not be able to look in the mirror and know that despite everything that frustrates me, I am going to be okay.
Lingering Lyric: “Cause hope has never been enough/ To be sure is asking for too much/ Everything I try seems so impossible/ Everything I have would be enough for someone else but I want more”
Top Tracks: Don’t Die Digging, Siren, Stuck (Inside My Head), Pull Me In, Halfway There, Permanent Tourists, All at Once, End of the World Delight, For the Missing
Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
16. Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness
15. We the Kings - We the Kings
14. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
13. New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
12. The Graduate - Anhedonia
11. Hawk Nelson - Letter to the President
10. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
9. A Day to Remember - Common Courtesy
8. Anberlin - New Surrender
7. New Found Glory - Coming Home
6. FM Static - What Are You Waiting For?
5. Yellowcard - Paper Walls
4. Relient K - Mmhmm
3. Rise Against - Appeal to Reason
2. Day at the Fair - The Rocking Chair Years
Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.
Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.
#1: The Graduate – Only Every Time
Release Date: August 31, 2010
When I first heard the album: September 2010
Why I loved it then: As soon as I conceived the idea for this series, I knew that no other album could possibly top the list. If you’ve gotten to know me at all over the past 3 and a half years, you know how much The Graduate has meant to me. While Anhedonia was an excellent album and already made this list, THIS is the album that most defines me and who I have become.
To best understand the relationship between this album and me, it is necessary to rewind to September 2010. I was in the midst of the aforementioned “Summer of Sorrow”. I hated where I was in my life. My friends started to move out and move on. The woman who I loved more than anything else chose someone else over me. Even family was out of the picture. My sister had moved out of state and my cousin was in Japan. Despite doing everything in college and student teaching to the best of my ability (and experiencing success along the way), I had absolutely nothing to show for it. I was pretty much miserable.
It was during this time that I came across a band named The Graduate. I was amazed at all the similarities that existed between the band and me. We were all around the same age and had roots in Illinois. Like me, The Graduate worked very hard and was met with a great deal of initial success. Many within the music industry prognosticated that these guys were THE next big thing for the entire industry. They were making their way around the world with some pretty big names.
I hit a wall and had my reality check in early 2009. These guys had theirs a little before that. Their record label fell apart. They were in a bad situation that was no fault of their own, and that bad situation sapped them of a significant amount of momentum. But they didn’t give up. They plugged away and persevered, and by the end of August 2010, they finally released the follow-up to Anhedonia.
I heard the album for the first time at the very moment my life felt as if it hit rock bottom. I was extremely depressed about the fact that I still had not procured a full time teaching job, but that paled in comparison to the fact that I had to immediately drive to North Carolina to deal with a family emergency. I decided to put in Only Every Time. It served as the soundtrack to the entire trip (and was the only album I listened do during that entire drive from Chicago to North Carolina). That trip and the album changed my life. I had read a little bit about the guys up to that point. I knew how they hadn’t gotten what they deserved. But they sucked it up and kept going, and the end result was the greatest album that I had ever heard. If these guys could keep going and turn their challenges into greatness, so could I. Every song hit me. Here are these guys who I had never met (to that point, at least), and they get what’s going on in my life. Even though my friends were pretty absent and my family was burdened with a lot, I no longer felt alone. There were five other guys out there who understood how difficult life could be but realized the importance of persistence. It pays to ride it out.
I’ve written nearly 600 words and I haven’t even gotten to the album itself. There is not a weak track on the album. It is the only album I have ever owned that I have never been tempted to skip any tracks while listening. The Graduate may have consisted of five guys, but they shared a unity in mind and vision. I have listened to this album hundreds of times over the past three and a half years, and they absolutely nail it when it comes to the big three: lyrics, vocals, and musicianship. If you just listen to the album for the lyrics, you will walk away feeling empowered and inspired. If you listen to the album for the vocals, Corey Warning will blow you away. The lyrics and vocals are so good that it can almost distract you from how skilled these guys really are at their craft. From Tim’s drums to Max’s guitar to Jared’s bass to Matt’s otherworldly talents, these guys deserved a whole lot better than what they got.
Why I still love it now: Without any measure of hyperbole, I fully believe that this is the greatest album that has ever been made. For years I have tried to pick my favorite track from this album, and I have never been able to narrow down the possibilities to less than seven tracks. There is no weak link in this album.
Before the band entered their indefinite hiatus, I had the privilege of seeing them live three times, including their farewell performance in Chicago. They never took any shortcuts live, and the memories I have of those concerts are among the finest memories I have made during my adult years. I’ve gotten a chance to meet the guys, and I even keep in touch with them via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While they never got the credit they deserved, I will always be grateful to them for the impact they made on my life (and keep my fingers crossed that the hiatus doesn’t last eternally!)
I am fairly certain that there will never be another album that I will love as much as Only Every Time. Without a doubt, this album did more than any other album to shape me into the man I am today. It let me know that yes, life is hard. Yes, it’s not going to be fair, but that is not and will not ever be an excuse to give up. The lessons I learned from Only Every Time inspired and empowered me towards my greatest successes. Without it, I would have never been able to lose the weight I had regained during my period of sorrow. Without it, I would have never run two marathons. Without it, I would not have stayed the course and finally obtained a full time teaching position. Without it, I would not be able to look in the mirror and know that despite everything that frustrates me, I am going to be okay.
Lingering Lyric: “Cause hope has never been enough/ To be sure is asking for too much/ Everything I try seems so impossible/ Everything I have would be enough for someone else but I want more”
Top Tracks: Don’t Die Digging, Siren, Stuck (Inside My Head), Pull Me In, Halfway There, Permanent Tourists, All at Once, End of the World Delight, For the Missing
Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
16. Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness
15. We the Kings - We the Kings
14. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
13. New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
12. The Graduate - Anhedonia
11. Hawk Nelson - Letter to the President
10. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
9. A Day to Remember - Common Courtesy
8. Anberlin - New Surrender
7. New Found Glory - Coming Home
6. FM Static - What Are You Waiting For?
5. Yellowcard - Paper Walls
4. Relient K - Mmhmm
3. Rise Against - Appeal to Reason
2. Day at the Fair - The Rocking Chair Years
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Four Strategies for Facing Adversity
Very rarely in life do things go our way from start to finish. Adversity is inevitable. For every 43-8 Seahawks Super Bowl win, there are hundreds of situations where we suddenly find ourselves playing from behind. When we find ourselves in such a situation, we only have a few possible courses of action. Let’s take a closer look at these options.
Option #1: The White Flag
Brief Overview of Strategy: When faced with adversity, an individual utilizing the White Flag strategy will fold immediately without putting up a fight. They concede complete and immediate defeat and move on from that battle.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Honestly, this strategy is only applicable to you if you are one of two types of people. Either you are so worn out from the battles of life and have completely lost your ability to fight on, or you’re nothing but a quitter who can’t take it when things get tough.
Truth Time: Don’t use this strategy. Ever. Fight until the last buzzer sounds. Even if victory has definitively eluded your grasp, give it your best effort to the very end.
Option #2: Fight or Flight
Brief Overview of Strategy: When we realize that we are falling behind, there are natural chemical reactions that occur within ourselves, especially if the thing we are falling behind is something that we care deeply about. We begin to press and try that much harder to reach our goal. In the Fight or Flight strategy, every second counts. Time is a more valuable currency than thought within this strategy. We want to catch up to and defeat our adversity, so we put everything we have into it as quickly as possible.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Of the three choices that this post will detail, this strategy is the greatest risk or reward proposition. It really only works when there is no time left on the clock and you HAVE to do something. Because you are worried about reacting quickly and making up a lot of ground in a short amount of time, there is a smaller margin for error.
Truth Time: Think about the Hail Mary in football. Teams only utilize the play when there is no time left on the clock. If offenses ran that play every play after they were losing, they would dig a deeper hole for themselves. Certainly the reward is high if the play works, but it is not a high-percentage proposition. The fight or flight strategy only works in small bursts. Adrenaline is not a limitless resource. It can only be used in small bursts. Likewise, pressing hard for something can only be done within a short period of time. Otherwise, you burn yourself out, fall further behind, and risk further alienating yourself if your adversity is person or relationship-oriented.
Option #3: The U-Turn
Brief Overview of Strategy: So you’re trying something new. Maybe it’s a new job. Maybe it’s a new haircut. Maybe you’re trying the single life after a long relationship (or even trying the dating life after years of being single). Something happens to make you question things. At this point, you decide not to stay the course. In sports, this might mean taking a younger player out and putting a veteran in his place. This strategy dictates that you turn around and take the quickest path back to where you were.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: People almost always prefer the devil they know to the devil they don’t know. People crave the familiar. The familiar is safe. It is a known commodity.
Truth Time: You’re never going to move forward while moving backward. Sure, there are times when you realize that you made a truly bad decision and you need circle back to the start. But you must remember that in life, the endgame is progress. The devil you don’t know might actually be an angel all along, but you don’t know because of your fear of the unknown. Don’t let that fear of the unknown preclude you from bigger and better. As Relient K once said “And to go back to where I was would just be wrong… I’m pressing on!”
Option #4: Ride It Out
Brief Overview of Strategy: When adversity strikes, an individual who “rides it out” does not overreact one way or another. This person understands that life has its ebbs and flows and that the quickest path to defeat occurs when you divert from your initial focus. This individual “trusts their training”, so to speak. They take life as it comes. They react when necessary, but they also are well aware of the virtue that comes with patience and waiting. They are cognizant of the notion that their overreactions can be even more destructive than the adversity that faces them.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Riding it out might seem like a too relaxed and indifferent of an approach for some. However, this approach allows for patience and a measured approach. It is easier to win the game by letting the game come to you instead of trying to force a victory. When Michael Jordan returned from his first retirement, he had a magnificent game versus the Knicks in his fifth game back. The game was close until the very end. Even though Michael Jordan was the best basketball player ever, he did not try to force a shot at the end of the game. Instead, he found an open teammate and the Bulls won.
Truth Time: We have a better opportunity for success when we adapt to our situations instead of attempting to control them. Let’s look at two examples. In Exhibit A, I bring to you the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. This team could have lost a number of games that they ultimately won. They got off to bad starts and allowed themselves to fall into a hole. However, the team did nothing but trust their training. They believed in their abilities and waited for opportunities to present themselves to get back into the game. They never once strayed from their game plan. Instead, they worked to do their best at the things they could control and worked to adapt to that which they could not control. Because of that, they won a Super Bowl. In Exhibit B, I bring to you a well-natured but often clueless 26 year old male. The young lady he set his eyes on posted something on social media that upset him. His path got a little bumpier. He should have understood the fluid nature of life and adapted accordingly. Instead, he went on a mini-rant in response and created a bigger mess. He chose Option #2 when he should have chosen Option #4. He is very fortunate that she ever spoke to him again after that.
These are some of the choices you have when facing adversity. I can’t promise that any of these strategies provide definitive victories, but I can tell you that some of these strategies will never get you to where you want to be. The next time you find yourself faced in one of these situations, give some thought to the next steps you take. Victory might be right around the corner. Sometimes you just have to ride it out.
Option #1: The White Flag
Brief Overview of Strategy: When faced with adversity, an individual utilizing the White Flag strategy will fold immediately without putting up a fight. They concede complete and immediate defeat and move on from that battle.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Honestly, this strategy is only applicable to you if you are one of two types of people. Either you are so worn out from the battles of life and have completely lost your ability to fight on, or you’re nothing but a quitter who can’t take it when things get tough.
Truth Time: Don’t use this strategy. Ever. Fight until the last buzzer sounds. Even if victory has definitively eluded your grasp, give it your best effort to the very end.
Option #2: Fight or Flight
Brief Overview of Strategy: When we realize that we are falling behind, there are natural chemical reactions that occur within ourselves, especially if the thing we are falling behind is something that we care deeply about. We begin to press and try that much harder to reach our goal. In the Fight or Flight strategy, every second counts. Time is a more valuable currency than thought within this strategy. We want to catch up to and defeat our adversity, so we put everything we have into it as quickly as possible.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Of the three choices that this post will detail, this strategy is the greatest risk or reward proposition. It really only works when there is no time left on the clock and you HAVE to do something. Because you are worried about reacting quickly and making up a lot of ground in a short amount of time, there is a smaller margin for error.
Truth Time: Think about the Hail Mary in football. Teams only utilize the play when there is no time left on the clock. If offenses ran that play every play after they were losing, they would dig a deeper hole for themselves. Certainly the reward is high if the play works, but it is not a high-percentage proposition. The fight or flight strategy only works in small bursts. Adrenaline is not a limitless resource. It can only be used in small bursts. Likewise, pressing hard for something can only be done within a short period of time. Otherwise, you burn yourself out, fall further behind, and risk further alienating yourself if your adversity is person or relationship-oriented.
Option #3: The U-Turn
Brief Overview of Strategy: So you’re trying something new. Maybe it’s a new job. Maybe it’s a new haircut. Maybe you’re trying the single life after a long relationship (or even trying the dating life after years of being single). Something happens to make you question things. At this point, you decide not to stay the course. In sports, this might mean taking a younger player out and putting a veteran in his place. This strategy dictates that you turn around and take the quickest path back to where you were.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: People almost always prefer the devil they know to the devil they don’t know. People crave the familiar. The familiar is safe. It is a known commodity.
Truth Time: You’re never going to move forward while moving backward. Sure, there are times when you realize that you made a truly bad decision and you need circle back to the start. But you must remember that in life, the endgame is progress. The devil you don’t know might actually be an angel all along, but you don’t know because of your fear of the unknown. Don’t let that fear of the unknown preclude you from bigger and better. As Relient K once said “And to go back to where I was would just be wrong… I’m pressing on!”
Option #4: Ride It Out
Brief Overview of Strategy: When adversity strikes, an individual who “rides it out” does not overreact one way or another. This person understands that life has its ebbs and flows and that the quickest path to defeat occurs when you divert from your initial focus. This individual “trusts their training”, so to speak. They take life as it comes. They react when necessary, but they also are well aware of the virtue that comes with patience and waiting. They are cognizant of the notion that their overreactions can be even more destructive than the adversity that faces them.
Why This Strategy Might Seem Appealing: Riding it out might seem like a too relaxed and indifferent of an approach for some. However, this approach allows for patience and a measured approach. It is easier to win the game by letting the game come to you instead of trying to force a victory. When Michael Jordan returned from his first retirement, he had a magnificent game versus the Knicks in his fifth game back. The game was close until the very end. Even though Michael Jordan was the best basketball player ever, he did not try to force a shot at the end of the game. Instead, he found an open teammate and the Bulls won.
Truth Time: We have a better opportunity for success when we adapt to our situations instead of attempting to control them. Let’s look at two examples. In Exhibit A, I bring to you the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. This team could have lost a number of games that they ultimately won. They got off to bad starts and allowed themselves to fall into a hole. However, the team did nothing but trust their training. They believed in their abilities and waited for opportunities to present themselves to get back into the game. They never once strayed from their game plan. Instead, they worked to do their best at the things they could control and worked to adapt to that which they could not control. Because of that, they won a Super Bowl. In Exhibit B, I bring to you a well-natured but often clueless 26 year old male. The young lady he set his eyes on posted something on social media that upset him. His path got a little bumpier. He should have understood the fluid nature of life and adapted accordingly. Instead, he went on a mini-rant in response and created a bigger mess. He chose Option #2 when he should have chosen Option #4. He is very fortunate that she ever spoke to him again after that.
These are some of the choices you have when facing adversity. I can’t promise that any of these strategies provide definitive victories, but I can tell you that some of these strategies will never get you to where you want to be. The next time you find yourself faced in one of these situations, give some thought to the next steps you take. Victory might be right around the corner. Sometimes you just have to ride it out.
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