Welcome Home...The Unpublished Post

I wrote this installment of From Freehold to Flagstaff shortly after my first week home from Arizona, where I spent 4 months attending a National Park Service Park Ranger Academy.  It was never posted because I got to the point where I was adding pictures/videos…and I just lost steam and put it on the back burner.  It’s weird going from writing about what I did every day for 4 months to writing a single entry in the 4 months that I’ve been home. Here’s how my return shaped up, UNEDITED, and I will be posting 1 or 2 more entries summarizing how my summer of adjustment has been ever since my return. 

Thanks for reading, enjoy.

First and foremost, the rumors are true…after nearly 7 years, Laura & I are no longer together. I wish her nothing but the best and hope that she finds whatever it is she’s looking for.

That’s basically all I’m going to say about it.

Jerzinois' Last Picture Together :(

Leaving Day - All By Myself

I got about 3 hours of sleep before heading out to the Phoenix Airport, Nick was my savior once again; he chauffeured me there just like he did when he picked me up the first day we met.   We posed for one final picture in front of our house, I nearly got choked up saying goodbye to Fiona Coyote, and we were on our way.  It took us over 2.5 hours to get there with our stop at the ghetto rest stop. I was taking back by the fact that he didn’t just drop me off at the terminal and said “see ya later”. Instead, he lugged my heaviest bag to check-in with me and he & Carter sat in a waiting area with me up until about 15 minutes before I boarded the plane.  I didn’t want to say goodbye to them, I even sang “All By Myself” as they headed to the exit and I headed to security.

 

Ghetto Rest Stop

Not a bad view for a ghetto rest stop.

There were all kinds of people dilly dallying in the different security lines so I maneuvered to the one that looked the quickest…even though it had more people in it.  I chose wisely like Dr. Jones with that haggard looking chalice in the Last Crusade; I breezed through the line and was surprised that my belt didn’t set off the metal detector.  The nice TSA agent said have a safe flight sir and I was off.  Those other lines? Yeah just about everybody was getting strip searched.  WINNING! I only had to wait by the gate for about 10 minutes before boarding…or least until they started boarding.  I always look for people I know when waiting for a plane…no luck today. 

There’s not much I can say about the flight other than the fact that the pilot was FLYING…literally.  It was supposed to be a 5 hour flight but we made it in 4…I’m not complaining.  I had a window seat and, just like the plane ride out to Arizona and a TV in front of me so I could watch DirecTv during the flight.  I figured since I just graduated from a park ranger training academy that I should watch Yogi Bear…MAN that movie is AWFUL!!  Too much of Dan Akroyd’s annoying voice, whenever the old lady next to me would adjust herself she’d hit the volume control on my arm rest and blare his nauseating vocals.  That part was funny, yet I wouldn’t say anything to her as she accidentally broke my eardrums. 

Pretty cool they got the NPS uniform

My flight left at 10am AZ time and I landed at 6pm NJ time. I turned on my phone and told my family, Laura, & Rath that I landed.  I also saw that I received a message from one of the Triple F readers that I’ve never met, Nick’s friend Crystal.  It was a very nice letter and I just want to say Hi Crystal!!  Thanks for reading, sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you!!  My dad was picking me up and he must’ve been very eager to see me because he called me and texted me a bunch to see where I was.  I called him when I got to the baggage claim to tell him I saw his car.  He informed me that one of my buddies was coming to help me. I turned around and saw my best friend for nearly half of my life, Chris Rath!  I was pumped to see him but very tired and hungry…I hadn’t eaten since like 8o’clock last night and they forgot to include a free meal during the flight…so my boy bought me a pretzel.

It took quite awhile for my bags to make their way out to the claim area but we booked it as soon as they were up.  My dad helped us throw the stuff in his trunk, gave me a hug, a “welcome home”, and we were out.  It started raining just as we pulled away from the terminal…that must be why the pilot was cooking.  I was so happy to see the rain…never thought I’d say that.  I talked about some of my favorite parts of Flagstaff, talked about Rath’s wedding (Kev nearly slipped up about the bachelor party and I almost ninja kicked him because of it), and I got to hear some stories about Kev’s (my dad) new job as a GOLF RANGER!  Two rangers…awesome!

My sister Maureen called me just as we were pulling up to the house, at which point she “unleashed the hounds!”  All of my fears of my dogs forgetting me were instantly wiped away.  Keaira and Casey came charging toward me when I got out of the car and Keaira wouldn’t leave me alone…Casey tried jumping in the car because she loves car rides.  Even baby Deja was there and she actually didn’t bark or go crazy, she just came to me and looked for some petting action.  My entire family and 3 of “The Others” were waiting to hug me hello as well.  We eventually made our way inside and I was surprised by the improvements made in the house while I was gone; lots of paint jobs, pictures hanging, and some curtains put in place. 

We sat around the table and I wanted to hear about what had been going on in NJ but I wasn’t getting much from anybody.  I showed them all of my certificates, shared some stories that were “too hot” for the Triple F, and found the most eggs in the Easter egg hunt.  Laura called and said she was on her way.  When she showed up, I gave everybody their souvenirs…except my dad because I mailed his ahead of time and they hadn’t arrived yet.  Maureen & Katie, my sisters, made a bit of a feast and it was DELICIOUS…and filling.  It was a lot like Thanksgiving, after I ate it I was beyond exhausted.  Everybody made their ways home and I headed to my room.  I opened the door and forgot what a bunch of the stuff in my room was.  I had pictures hanging up that I didn’t remember ever seeing before.  I hugged my awesome LED TV and then laid down and observed how much crap I have in here.   I watched TV for a little bit and played half a game of Madden on Xbox before crashing for the night.

Monday-Thursday: Shaking the Alien

Monday through Thursday all seem to blur together.  I woke up abnormally early for a non-work day in New Jersey every day.  The trip to the Chinese buffet that Ché & I planned over a month ago was set for today.  I watched more TV (man I missed having a TV) in the morning then Maureen brought me over for lunch because, surprise surprise, my car that was supposed to be here Saturday still hadn’t arrived either!  We drove through the shopping center and I saw signs up in the Blockbuster windows that they were having a sale and everything must go. I wanted to pull over and see what they had; that was until we pulled around the corner & saw that they had already closed and EVERYTHING DID GO…even the sign on top of the building was gone!  Before I went out to Flagstaff I wondered how this store was staying alive, since so many were going under.  I intended to drop the DVD plan on my Netflix and starting back up with Blockbuster Online because they get the new releases to you the day they come out whereas it takes forever for Netflix & Redbox to do the same.  I could still get Blockbuster Online but I liked them best because you can exchange the discs at the store.  Bummer! That was just the beginning of my feeling like an alien.  I think I put it best in my FB status when I said I felt like Austin Powers when he got thawed out; I was still living in the past but now everything seemed new to me…hell even my bedroom.

We were the first to arrive at the buffet then Ché, Brittany, & Nic met up with us…some of my favorite people in this world.  Any doubts I had about looking better when I got home were immediately dismissed when they kept complimenting about how skinny I look…such ego boosters.  I could hardly eat because I was talking so much but the food was soooo good; better than it’s been in the past. Nobody wanted to go to the movies or the mall so we all left. When we were exiting onto Rt9, I pointed out to Maureen the differences in highways between Freehold & Flagstaff…there would be no median between the northbound & southbound lanes if we were in Flagstaff.  Like I did most of the week, I got right into bed when we got home and I didn’t leave it until Rath showed up to bring me back to his place.  A couple months ago, around the same time Ché & I made plans to meet up at the buffet, Rath made plans to take off of work the following day so we could hang that night and do stuff the next day.  I called to see where my car was during the day, “problem with truck, in Philly. You’ll have tomorrow.” Déjà vu.

We got back to his place, picked up Lindsay, and the 3 of us headed to Sports Zone aka my “Granny’s Closet” in NJ. I got to tell more stories to Lindsay and Rath so again I was a slow eater.  They had one of those free tavern poker tournaments going on and at one point I looked over and saw a dude leaning on the wall that looked familiar so I tried stalking his FB status to see if it was him but just as the page loaded, he walked over and talked to me...yup it was him, my buddy Roger from security.  I was still pretty tired so when we got back to Rath’s I just crashed. 

Tuesday & Wednesday had everything but good news. I woke up ridiculously early because I couldn’t sleep and Rath drove me around to a couple places.  We went to the police station to report my missing license plate then went over to the DMV to order a new one…the line was actually out the door!  I said screw that junk, I’ll come back.  Rath’s obsessed with golf, I hate it, but we needed something to do locally in the event my car showed up, so we went and played ourselves 9-holes of pitch & putt.  It’s basically the middle ground between mini golf & real golf and it still sucks.  We didn’t even keep score and we soon just started screwing around with it…it was such a beautiful day so it wasn’t too bad.  When we got home I saw that 2 of my boxes of clothes and stuff had arrived; we brought them inside then sat around my house for a little bit and then I finally got my wish…to walk around a real mall!

I’ve missed the Freehold Raceway Mall but there were tons changes going on around there.  For one, we walked into JC Penny and half of the store was gone!  Everything that was left was on sale!  Rath got some shirts, which was cool because at times it seems like he’s anti-mall, and when he checked out the cashier said something about a coupon for the next time he shops there.  Does that mean they aren’t closing?  There were plenty of other changes actually inside the mall as well.  Foot Locker, which used to be one the biggest and best stores in the place, was downsized and moved to the location where the DVD store used to be. The place where Foot Locker used to be had been under construction before I left, now that entire wing of the mall is a giant Forever 21 store; there’s an escalator in the store!  I wanted to check out FYE, GONE!  That whole wing was turned into a furniture store.  Who the hell buys furniture from a mall?  There was only 1 Gamestop now, who needs two especially right on top of each other, but the place where the upstairs Gamestop used to be was combined with where Sbarro used to be and transformed into a T-Mobile store right in the food court.  That’s crap because that’s where the rumored 5 Guys Burgers & Fries was supposed to go!  The Lady Foot Locker is completely gone and Champs, my favorite store, got a facelift but is now smaller than it was.  Aye Carumba!

My car still hasn’t arrived so I called the transport company again to figure out what was going on, the dispatcher told me to call the driver.  I did and he told me I wouldn’t see my car until tomorrow evening.  What is with this industry!?!?!  When Maureen got home she made dinner and her, Matt, & I ate then she let me take her truck over to see my baby, Indy. Although she changed her greeting a little bit, she was flipping ecstatic to see me!  She ran out the front door and ran circles around me.  I got her inside and she ran back & forth between the front door & her “toy box” with a toy in her mouth up until I got inside and sat in my “greet Indy chair” at which point she stood up and hugged  me by putting her paws on the back of the couch and sniffing & licking me a bunch.  It was great.  She normally stands up and puts her nose to my face so I kiss her when I walk in, but I’ll take this greeting. I was still very tired so I only visited with Mr. & Mrs. Stone for about an hour and then headed back home.  On the way home I had the dreaded phone conversation that changed my life the way I knew it and eventually got myself to sleep.

This was taken at a later date...she's wearing her NAU collar :')

I woke up Wednesday morning to a text from Laura that her grandma passed away this morning, one day after her birthday.  I spent some of the morning figuring out what happened, learning details about the services, and checking up on Laura & her family.  I spent most of the rest of the day applying to and searching for jobs.  I got a phone call at 1130 that the transport truck was here, not bad only 5 days late.  There were a bunch of cars in front of my house for some reason so I had to walk to the end of the block while they took it off the top tier.  I was so nervous they were going to drive it off the side of the trailer but they didn’t…obviously…I’m not in jail (bc I wudda killed him people).  I didn’t give them a tip this time and they did NOT look happy…screw them. My car smelled horrible but everything was intact and in place.  I headed to McDonald’s for a Big Mac, drove around for a little bit, and then came back home to finish up some job stuff.  I applied to the permanent ranger job in Philly and to the TSA.  I found some other interesting things that I’ve been dragging my feet to take care of but one thing I searched was the word “blogger”. I mean I get some great feedback with this blog, and a lot of people have said that I should try a career in writing, maybe it’d be good for me…after a few writing classes of course. 

I didn’t do much else Wednesday, or Thursday for that matter…including not unpacking.  It’s pretty easy not to go out and spend money when you’re not bringing any in I guess. I did splurge on a haircut, I love when this dude cuts my hair.  He’s a 55year old jacked black dude and he always does the best job out of everybody there.  The first buzzer pass dropped a good clump of hair on my apron…more gray hair than black.  I picked it up and shook my head.  He laughed, “Yeah it’s there…but it don’t make you look old.  You’re facial features still make you look like a young dude.” I went on to tell him that I’ve had gray hair since I was 11…he told me what they call that in hair school but I forget what it is.  Laura & I were supposed to go the Yankees game as part of birthday gifts I got her last month but due to the circumstances, we opted not to go.  She still wanted to hang out and I wanted to pay my respects so I headed over to her house.  I thought she’d have a bunch of family there but it ended up being a low key evening with her & her parents.  I headed out and got home to watch the NFL draft from the 6^th pick on…I still didn’t unpack and I passed out sometime around the 25^th pick.

Biggest Loser – End of the Road

I visited my old stomping grounds in two ways today. I had to meet up with the security van pool at PNC Bank Arts Center, which you gain access to via back roads by Holmdel Park…you know…where I used to work.  On my way to PNC I stopped at NAPA auto parts to pick up some crowd surfer catching gloves and then headed to the park but I temporarily forgot how to get there.  In all seriousness, I had to pull to the side of the road and think about where I was going…after 2.5 years of working there. The crew had a pizza party planned for me so that was cool.  I walked in and Augun, one of my good buddies who used to always call me fat, greeted me with “Where’s your gut? I don’t think you went to a ranger academy, I think you were on the Biggest Loser.”  That was incredible to hear him say…especially since he used to ride the crap out of me because of my weight.  The two new rangers that replaced me, who I’ve met before, were there and were as cool as the rest of the crew was. My boy Simpson was in and we jumped right back into ripping on each other.  One of my supervisors talked to me about coming back as a seasonal with an accelerated pay rate and said he’d keep the position open for me…so that’s good.  He then gave me a tour of the new & improved shelter building before sending me on my way.  I got lost looking for the 7-11 I used to go when I worked at the park so it may have been a good thing that I was jumping in a carpool instead of driving.  I stopped at “Sevs” and got some energy drinks, water, & ice for the cooler that I picked up for the shooting range…I knew it’d come in handy. 

I got into the PNC parking lot via the back roads…which some say is illegal but I don’t know.  I saw some guys dressed in all black…black pants & black tank tops or t-shirts…standing outside of their cars.  I didn’t recognize any of them but I figured that’s where I needed to be.  As I got to the lane where they were all parked I recognized Turtle…so I was set.  I took a second to try & compose myself, I was feeling loopy & nearly got lost 3 times today, and then I got out and joined the group.  Turtle was also impressed with how much weight I lost as we caught up for a little bit.  A few familiar faces showed up but a lot of the people there were new hires, others were regulars from different venues that I’ve never worked with.  I remained the strong silent type most of the time at the meeting place; that was until my van had to wait to leave because one of our passengers was running super late.  I recognized the name but it was a different person…so I felt bad that I yelled in the background when he was holding us up. 

Today was the first day that the NFL players were supposed to be allowed to work-out and stuff at their team facilities. This event is held in the parking lot at Giants/New Meadowlands Stadium.  When we arrive every year we drive pass all of the Giants practicing outside, I stop and watch for a little bit, then get to work; that all changed this season because there was no team activity & we came into the parking lot a different way. I kept my Bamboozle streak going of being the best (as I’m told by my guys) damn stage supervisor there is…running the headliner main stage all three days.  There’s a lot that goes into that, most of which is behind the scenes.  

It was outside here, in the parking lot

My supervisor told me he’d give me a list of who he wanted at my stage, which was a first but welcomed change since I didn’t know most of the company and people usually beg to get with me since I have the bigger named bands.  Well that list was never generated and the other main stage supervisor & I conducted a little kickball style draft.  He unfortunately got a head start and the only person that I knew at my stage for Day 1 was my usual right hand man Josh, my sister’s boyfriend James, and my brother’s girlfriend Elena.  I loved my crew though. They were basically all new which meant I had no bad habits to break.  Whenever we do big festivals like this, I give them a pre-shift rundown of our rules and show them a bunch of techniques for dealing with crowd surfers, injuries, etc..  Usually, this little speech goes in one ear and out the other…not this time.  I couldn’t have been happier with my guys.  They listened, followed directions, and we all had a great time doing it.  I found out later that I played basketball in high school with one of my guys’ brother and the driver of our van was only a few years behind me at the same high school, played basketball for the same coach, and was a park ranger at the NJ park that sparked my interest in the entire park ranger training program.

When I supervise stages at smaller venues I’m usually just responsible for the barricade (fence with steps that keeps crowd from the stage) but when we’re here I’m responsible for the barricade, the far ends of the barricade, the front of house where the soundboard is, 2 VIP platforms out in the crowd, and multiple spots backstage & onstage..checking on each of them after each set.  YIKES!  I utilized my resources flawlessly and once again…my crew was amazing.  People even volunteered for the “garbage spots” all 3 days…made my life much easier.  It makes me wonder why I didn’t work that much back when I was fulltime at Holmdel Park because I fell in love with the job all over again this weekend.  I love BS’n with the fans and getting them on our “team”.  I know most of the stage guys and photographers, and it’s probably the closest to being a celebrity that I’ll ever be. 

Friday was a short day band wise, there were only 4 bands on my stage and we started almost in the evening.  It was too cold for the shorts I was wearing, the famous Meadowlands Winds were whipping across the parking lot, but I am veteran and at least was smart enough to bring my Under Armour type shirt thing.  I’d never heard of most of the performers this weekend and the first day was geared more toward the hiphop scene.  The first act, Sam Adams, was a “white hardcore rapper”, as one of the girls in the front row put it.  He got the place going that’s for sure but I couldn’t help but think it was Steve-O from Jackass up there.  He was awesome with the crowd, constantly jumping to the ground and climbing on the barricade so they could all grope him.  Like most rappers, he just took songs other people did and puts his own words on them or spoofs them…like his song “I Hate College.” 

See my Face? I think I'm trying to figure out if that's Sam Adams or Steve-O

The crowd was very tame, as far as our standards go, for both his set and the following set…The Ready Set. I was summoned to escort Boyz II Men while Josh & James held down the fort.  I wanted to check out a song or two but the crowd was surprisingly very into them, considering the show type and the age grouping, so I had to stay around & keep an eye on backstage and then escort their golf cart through the concourse of the stadium as they made their way to the dressing rooms.  They “sang” Motown Philly, On Bended Knee (which I called would be the next song), I’ll Make Love to You (where they give out roses and we had to nab a stage crasher trying to get a rose or who knows what), and ended with End of the Road.  The crowd was singing, I was singing, it was great.  When I helped escort them to their dressing room, the cart stopped to figure out a course of travel, and Shawn made eye contact with me and then shook my hand.  I blurted out that I was a big fan of theirs and he thanked us for all that we do.  You couldn’t chip the smile off of my face the rest of the night.

Shawn Stockman - He Talked to Me hahaha

I think LMFAO was next on my stage and they soaked everybody with all types of alcohol.  At one point they all jumped down into the barricade and I had to boost two of them back up on the stage.  Then 30 Seconds to Mars headlined and sounded great…but the crowd still wasn’t how it normally is for Bamboozle…until Jared made them that way.  We were given a heads up that he would pull people up onto the stage but one of his people would pick them out 1 by 1…that didn’t exactly happen. Jared was the “one of his people” and he got them on stage by saying “who wants to come on stage?”  Uhhh….duh.  Everybody does!  Again, the crowd was very cool…they waited for him to point out 2 people, they surfed over and walked around and got on stage…there was no chaos like I’ve seen in the past.  He did the same thing a few songs later…only like 4 people were picked.  Once again later.  Then for the last song…he basically dropped a Thanksgiving Feast out in the middle of a tent city in the Bronx by inviting everybody up on stage…that’s when things got interesting but again…controlled chaos.  Before I knew it, I was the last line of defense between these kids and the stage…which was about head level to me.  The crowd all came into the barricade and hung out, trying to get on stage. The plan was to have them walk around and use the steps but some of these kids tried climbing up right in front of me…nearly impossible the way everything was set up.  I give them credit…they actually listened to me when I told them to go around.  I was very shocked.  Eventually my brother and some of the other guards made a human wall that eventually moved and cleared out the barricade of everybody not wearing a security shirt…which also brings to mind another funny story.  Jared (Leto), lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars and is a bunch of TV shows & movies, didn’t want photographers close to the stage…they had to shoot from front of house.  That was his request…so that made me laugh when he indirectly called me out for getting the photographers out at what I thought was the normal “get outta here” time…after 3 songs.  Little did I know that he took a break during the 3^rd song to talk.  I hear no more music, I think it’s over, you guys go bye bye.  He accredited it to a miscommunication over the microphone but I still found it comical that he didn’t want them close enough in the first place then he didn’t want them to leave.

30 Seconds to Mars...they in there somewhere

Okay shows over, gotta do it again tomorrow, little bit of a longer day…goodnight.

Tell All Your Friends

The vanpool met a little earlier today but it was pretty much the same routine.  When it got to staff sign-in time, there was one person that was in my barricade the day before working today…so I grabbed him right away. Two of my old work horses, Dotts & “Voice” came to play so I snagged them too…other than that it was even more fresh meat. One of my guys was wearing suit pants and dress shoes…I called him Jimmy Suits.  Once again, I gave my pre-shift barricade meeting and this crew, although half of them may not understand a word I said, due to a language barrier,  they all seemed like they wanted to learn and do a good job for me and again….I couldn’t have been happier.  Yesterday was more of a hip-hop themed day, today was more of a scream-o rock type music day. 

The crowd was pretty tame for the first couple of bands, and then Anberlin (sp?) took the stage.  I’ve heard of them before but couldn’t tell you anything about them.  The crowd went nuts, surfing and dancing their heads off.  That was going on while Paramore dropped by for a signing session…they weren’t even playing this weekend…so I sent my two work horses with Brian for crowd control while I kept an eye on all of the rookies.  Circa Survive came on and flat out made me a fan…at least of their live performance.  I don’t care about bands as much as I do about the crowd that comes to see them and the fact that the lead singer sang 4 songs in the barricade with me tailing him for the event that he jumps into the crowd was AWESOME…and he did just that.  He stood on the fence and sang with me spotting him.  He surfed on the crowd with the microphone…looking and reaching for me whenever he was done playing.  At 1 point he dropped a battery pack for the wireless microphone that he wasn’t using and talked to me about it over the wired microphone that he was using.  When he was done playing on the ground he used me to get back up on the stage to close out his set.  I love it. 

During that particular set we had my stage’s first real incident that involved an impaired female getting violent with several of my guys, including my brother.  In my opinion, this chick was on something much stronger than alcohol.  She had to be if she was trying to beat up the biggest guy in the place.  It was ugly.  She was punching, slapping, and kicking any and everybody that came around her.  Eventually she went down to the ground and we backed away from her because she was still trying to kick everybody…then I remembered my ranger training as I approached her and pinned her legs on the ground.  She was turned over to venue employees and we went back to our posts. 

A minute later, one of our regular photographers told me that my brother was “fighting again”…I don’t think my feet hit the ground with how fast I ran out to where he was.  He wasn’t fighting, thank goodness for whoever his opponent would’ve been, but there was a debate on whether or not the girl should be thrown out…this is the point where I interjected and used my “Verbal Judo” to back down the other employees who were opposing my brother’s requests.  I went legal on them, threatening to press charges if she wasn’t removed from the venue.  She was removed from my sight and the day went on. 

No other bands really stick out in my head but I was really looking forward to the last 3 of the evening.  I had Dashboard Confessional coming up…who I haven’t seen in years and I rather enjoy, E-Town Concrete was at another stage, and Taking Back Sunday would be headlining the day back on my stage.  Dashboard was great as he calmed the crowd down before TBS blew the roof off…if there had been a roof over an outdoor parking lot concert venue that is.  I sang along with them and a bunch of people near the stage in the crowd were loving it…taking pictures of me as I sang to Jimmy Suits, and “pounding the potato” with me song after song.  Brian held down my stage while he sent me to back up the “hardcore” stage for E-Town Concrete…which back in the day meant if they were playing in a club then there’d be plenty of fights in the crowd.  I got there just as they were playing one of my favorite songs, Mandibles.  I don’t know much of their old stuff…and it was hard to hear with the bass drowning everybody out through what sounded like a broken speaker…but they wrapped up with “So Many Nights” & “Baptism”…it was glorious.  During the set I saw a girl I used to work at Chili’s with and caught up with her real quick backstage after the set.  She was managing another one of the bands I wanted to see, who was having their reunion tonight.  I talked to Anthony, the lead singer of ETC, real quick…we go way back…and he kept asking me how they sounded lol…awesome!  I sprinted back toward my stage…checking on my VIP platform people, then my backstage people before getting back into the barricade.

ETC - Mandibles

Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down

Taking Back Sunday is one of my favorite bands…it’s probably the only band that my brother Brian & I have in common…so I love when we get to work them together. It’s even cooler, depending on how you look at it, that they dig us too.  Brian is good friends with just about every member of the band; Eddie’s the only one that remembers my name lol.  Adam’s family is super cool.  His dad was asking me a bunch of questions about the ranger program and was very encouraging about the whole job situation.  I swear when they come around it’s not even like work.  It was one of the first shows they’ve played since reuniting with the original lineup.  They treated the crowd by performing their entire first CD, Tell All Your Friends, in its entirety before playing the newer stuff.  Incredible.  Adam , the lead singer, is another crowd pleaser…so he played around the barricade with us for awhile.  At one point he walked by me and put his hand on my stomach as he sang and smiled while walking past me.  He walked to the side of the stage where Brian helped him back up and he looked right in Brian’s face and said “I fucking love you.”  The front row was loving it.  We had all kinds of numbers in the barricade now and the crowd wasn’t as intense as it normally is for a TBS show…so I made sure to check on my crew and sing along with the crowd back near the soundboard…again…they loved it.  Back by the front…while they were performing…Eddie looked down to Brian & I and asked how they sounded…that’s just funny.  In typical Adam fashion, he closed out the set by climbing the truss on the side of the stage…all the way to the top of the stage, stuck his leg through one of the ladder-esque rungs, hung himself upside down, and finished the last song in that position.  He’s a nut.  

Old Pic of Adam professing his love for Brian

After their set, I walked Adam’s dad back behind the stage and he kept right on building my ego up with his supportiveness of me to find a job.  I said bye to Eddie & Adam and closed up my stage for the night.  I had no voice left and didn’t wanna talk to anybody.  Tomorrow was our earliest day and I just wanted to get home…so you can imagine how aggravated I was when we stopped for gas on the Parkway.  Even more aggravated when the attendant (that’s right non Jerseyians …it’s illegal to pump your own gas in our state) tried waving us down a narrow alley of cars to get to his pump instead of the one we were already at. AARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH

A Day to Remember

Sooooo yeah, I think I got 4 hours of sleep last night. We were meeting the vanpool at like 9 or something, and I didn’t know any of the bands on my stage today.  I only mention that last part because people have been begging me all weekend to bring them over to my stage for today and I had no idea why…minus the fact that Lil Wayne was headlining.  When the headliners are on, most of the other stages are closed up and we usually need the backup from those stages so most of the crew comes over and helps out.  That ended up being the reason.  If I had the choice, I’d want the other main stage today since Senses Fail was on it and I miss them every year at both Bamboozle & Warped Tour hahaha.

The day as a whole was the calmest of the three.  I even had time to bust some underage drinkers from my barricade.  No all of you in the know…I didn’t leave the barricade to confront them; I left to get the proper confronters to do so.  And did they do it? NOPE! Man it’s tough being part of the most elite security force ever created sometimes.  I had a mixed bag of my prodigy guards & the old work horses in my barricade today.  I actually filled my entire roster before the other barricade supervisor even showed up.  You snooze, you lose Big Show!  One of the dudes that I had yesterday is just an awesome guy.  He’s a bit of a special needs person but he has a talent somewhat like Rain Man; if you tell him your date of birth he can tell you what day of the week it was within 3 seconds.  He’s a great dude.  Being in the barricade to him is like….you know what…I don’t even think I can describe how much it means to him in terms that we understand.  He was very excited and he & I were going crazy psyching him up for today’s action during our entire walk to our stage.  I don’t know why but something threw me into a funk almost the instant we got to our stage. 

I’d pass my crew in the barricade and they’d say things like “uh oh, he’s in a zone.”  I don’t know what it was but there was definitely a switch flipped on me.  I went from “haha” to straight up business mode.  The good thing about today was I didn’t have to do a pre-shift meeting because everybody has worked with me before.  The bad thing was they may have been too comfortable with that already and I had to whip some of them into shape real quick, but then it was back to being a dominant crew again.  Even guys who I view as equals to me were asking my permission to do stuff…very strange. 

The only performer that was on my stage today that I’d ever heard of was Lil Wayne and I think he sucks.  Oh yeah Chiddy Bang too. We had a mix of reggae & jam bands, to hip-hop, to hardcore, to scream-o, to dudes that dressed like chicks and played metal music.  That’s what Bamboozle has come down to.  The first band to give it to us was Attack! Attack!  Again I’ve heard of them, probably have worked them before, but I don’t remember them.  The crowd loved them and I think I counted as many as 8 moshpits at one point…..and everyone was behaving in them! There was a band called Black Cards that came out to a roar from the crowd, but the crowd just watched them instead of dancing and surfing and what not.  Early in the set my buddy Craig comes up to me and asks if the bassist is Pete Wents (sp?) (from Fallout Boy & Ashley Simpson fame)?  I thought he was way too small him and I couldn’t see the tip of his tattoo in his V-neck shirt so I didn’t think it was him.  Then he started giving away clues, I heard a girl in the crowd say it, and then he took off one of his shirts and I could see his chest tattoo…yup it was him.  This dude’s famous and he’s taking like the back seat to the band’s female lead singer, who sounded a lot like Gwen Stefani.  Once their set was done, I went to check on my backstage crew and the lead singer had just come off the stage.  Somebody with an “I’m an Important Person” pass asked her for a picture.  Her manager said not right now but she stopped him, asked him “why not”, and posed for a bunch of pictures with different people backstage.  I thought that was super humble and incredibly awesome. 

Later, the manager of A Day to Remember pulled Brian & I aside to tell us about some of the theatrics involved with their set.  Yet another band that I’ve heard of but don’t remember.  Near the end of the set, the lead singer was going to get inside a “water walker” (air filled ball big enough for a person to get inside of and walk around in…like a big hamster ball) and we were to crowd surf him from the stage, across the barricade, and into the crowd & eventually bring him back onto the stage. The crowd loved this band and they very easily could’ve been the headlining act.  The ball trick worked out well after a few complications with inflating it, the singer stepped right on my hand and bent my wrist awkwardly when we got him back on stage, and life was good.  Then it was time to wrap up the show, Weezey Style.

His water walker, pretty damn cool.

 This song made me a fan, A Day to Remember - The Downfall of us All

Somehow, everybody & their brother had a press pass for this set so I did multiple pass check sweeps prior to him taking the stage…then I posted up with my back to the stage.  My barricade looked like it did on Friday for 30 Seconds to Mars except it was photographers trying to get the perfect shot instead of kids trying get their 30 seconds of fame.  It was a mad house and as soon as Lil Wayne took the stage, I could tell his bodyguard, who reminded me of the Candyman when joined me in the barricade, didn’t like it one bit.  He gave the order to cut their photo time short by 1 song, and even though they were upset about it, most of the photographers listened to me, shook my hand & thanked me for the weekend as they left.  I was surprised how many people were into this guy but he had an insane sing-a-long.  I love a bridged gap like the one between music/lifestyles that Bamboozle puts on; nothing like seeing a dude with facial piercings and a pink Mohawk rapping to Lil Wayne.  Again, the crowd was tame for a headlining act…until there were 2 songs left in the set.  It never fails to have a fight near the end of the last day and this year was no exception.

Candyman - Lil Wayne's Bodyguard

My prodigies paid attention in class on Friday, they saw a fight break out and they summoned me.  We’re not technically supposed to go over the barricade & into the crowd for anything but if we have to I told them I’m the one to do it because I’m experienced & I have the radio.  When I came over & stood up, these 3 beasts were going at it 2-on-1…each of them my size or bigger.  I was wondering what they were doing in a Lil Wayne crowd & not a hardcore crowd but whatever…I had to go.  The crowd was hanging over the top of the barricade so I couldn’t step up onto it to get into the crowd and the steps were so awkwardly placed that I couldn’t climb my up and over…so I got as high as I could and Craig launched me over the first 3 rows…where I landed inside the little opening that the fight cleared out.  As soon as I got there the fight stopped and the finger pointing started…I felt like a soccer referee.  I took the 1 out of the 2-on1, grabbed the back of his shirt & told him to walk.  He started resisting so I started pushing him.  At one point he was challenged why the other guys weren’t being thrown out…I told him he wasn’t leaving he was just leaving that spot and he was lucky that wasn’t being arrested because the State Troopers on scene saw me go in after him and were waiting at the edge of the crowd, not entirely true but whatever it took to gain compliance hahahaha.  As far as they knew he could’ve just been injured, not in a fight.  When I was talking to him I could see he had some blood on his tongue, so I positioned myself to his 2 o’clock and covered my face the way we were taught to at the academy when conducting searches.  Phantom of the Opera fans – “keep your hand at the level of your eye”.  Yes I went in by myself but I trusted my crew to be fast enough to get there had he been stupid enough to do anything.  I had the “I’m okay” signal up the entire time I walked him until there was no more crowd around us.  I even joked with him once we got there that he can’t be fighting in front of Lil Wayne & his people…he laughed.  I showed him where to get cleaned up, two different groups of different security teams watched me get him out of the crowd almost in awe of what happened, and the Troopers were ready to pounce on him.  All of that was playing back in my mind as I got back behind the barricade, chuckling to myself.  Wayne’s bodyguard checked on me and the rest of the night went smoothly. 

One of my happiest moment of the entire weekend was probably when this group of kids came back toward the stage at the end of the night as the crowd had already left, looking for their set of keys.  I had them describe the keys and I remembered seeing a similar set of keys earlier In the day.  I found wherever they had gone off hiding to and asked the kid for a further description.  He nailed it, I pulled the keys out from behind my back, and the kid tackled me, hugged me, and thanked me to death…weaving his way past all of my “backup” that was surrounding me.  I was happy to give them to him because I couldn’t imagine being one of these kids who lose their wallets, keys, etc.. and then gotta figure out a way home at the end of the night.  This group of kids was from Connecticut, I wonder what they would’ve done had we not found them.

We headed back, signed out, and I didn’t have to wait for a vanpool today, Katie drove me!  Unfortunately, we still had to stop at PNC to get my car.  I’d gotten home at 2am the first 2 nights; 1am was like a gift from the time gods.  I was sooooooooooo tired and I had to be up early for Laura’s Grandma’s funeral services…it’ll be a miracle if I’m on time. I set aside my suit and everything I’d need to get out the door as fast as I could…and it was a good thing I did…….

There you have it, my return week.  Hardly a job, no more g/f, and a bunch of changes to my usual spots…I knew there’d be a period of adjustment but I didn’t think things would start off sooo poorly.  Little did I know…things would slowly begin to get better……..

Last Days in Flagstaff - Part 2: The Grand Finale!

Jake made this...he's good.  I think somebody's getting it as a tattoo.

Taken on Orientation Day

Thursday – Testing, Testing, 1, 2

There were many great days in this final week in Flagstaff but today was the worst one.  It started off with back to back phone calls at 6am from my old park.  There was no way in hell that I was going to answer them.  My boss left a voicemail saying he had some information to pass along and I immediately knew that was no good.  I tried going back to sleep but I was too curious as to what he could’ve meant by that.  When I called him back he acknowledged the e-mail that I sent to personnel about coming back and informed me that it was passed on to the higher ups…and then he informed me that there were no full-time ranger positions available at this time.  He went on to tell me that they would bring me on as a seasonal until a full-time position opened up and could possibly pay me more than the average seasonal, which is $7.25 an hour, because I’m a full-time caliber employee.  Ya think?  I was one of the most educated non-supervisory rangers (you don’t need a college degree to get in there and most of the staff doesn’t have one, I have 2) in the whole Park System and now I have 4 months of Federal ranger training under my belt so yeah…thanks for stating the obvious John Madden.  I later received an e-mail from personnel stating I’d have to apply to both the full-time & seasonal position but made no mention of the accelerated pay rate.  Do I really want to go back to this?

It could be cool wearing that uniform again...especially if I could bring her to work with me everyday.

I eventually went back to sleep but woke up to receive some more bad news.  I’ve been referred to 2 of the 24 or so parks I’ve applied to; Delaware Water Gap hasn’t returned any calls and Kings Mountain hasn’t responded in 3 weeks to my reply e-mail expressing my continued interest in the ranger position…so I reached out to them; a lot of my classmates have been told that parks are still working on their budgets so that may have been why nothing’s been said. There was no contact number in their e-mail asking if I’d be interested to work there so I sent another e-mail asking if the position was still open and if I was still being considered then I would to talk with them about the park and the position.  Five minutes later I get a response.  “The position has been filled. Thanks for your interest.  Sorry for the delay in notification.”  Wow really?  I guess I can appreciate him getting right to the point but what I don’t understand is the fact that the job announcement stated there were few positions open.  When he sent me the initial e-mail asking if I was still interested there was only one other recipient…so who filled these few vacancies?  If it was just the other e-mail recipient, how do they get the job without ever talking to me? Seriously…screw this hiring system!

Everything that transpired really put me in foul mood. I thought I was going to have to make a choice between going back to my park or moving down to South Carolina to take this job and now neither of them is available to me. That sucks! I will get to make a triumphant return to the security realm but that’s only a few hours here & there.  I got my eye on a few things so we’ll see what pans out. 

The class decided to get cards for our three main instructors, Kathy (director), Doug (assistant director), & Mike (PT) and gifts for the directors. We ordered a sweet crystal looking arrowhead plague thing for Kathy, honoring all her years serving the program, for a farewell gift, and we’re giving a Doug a photo album of us during graduation and a bottle of Jameson (his favorite) after graduation because he wouldn’t accept gifts from students.  Since I was the unofficial photographer of the class I said I’d get the pictures for the photo album that Turiya picked up taken care of.  I picked all my pictures out and had them in a sweet folder but when I tried loading them onto Walgreens.com, the site would keep crashing.  All of this was going on while I looked over my study guide for 2-3 minutes and then we had to rush out the door to make it to campus for our tests.

I walked into the building and still had no idea exactly what the tests were on, either of them.  I got an 86 & a 78...I’ll take it.  Once again, grades don’t matter for me because I’m not a credit student.  I already had the necessary grade to pass the course so I could’ve gotten 10s on the tests & still passed the program.  That’s not how I roll though.  I thought I did better on the test that I actually did worse on…but there were things covered on that test that I have no recollection of even hearing about before soooo go me.  It took me about 15 minutes to finish both tests and then we had to meet up in the classroom for our course evaluation at 2pm.  I took that time to cross something off of my Flagstaff Bucket List…take a picture wearing Nic & Dennis’ Martyr shirt next to a NAU sign…representing the spread of their brand.  Pat was my photographer.  When we were walking back in, the outrageous wind that has found its way to Flagstaff ripped some stapled papers he had in his back pocket and blew them across a field and then into a parking lot.  The papers stopped at a tire of a stopped SUV whose occupants were watching Pat chase them down…laughing as hard as I was in the process.  When Pat got up to the SUV, the wind picked up and sent the papers on their way again.  He eventually got them but the pursuit looked something like that old gag were somebody puts a dollar tied to a string and then pulls it away from their victims as they reach for it. It was hysterical. 

I know what it looks like...no I'm not peeing on the sign

Back in the classroom, the class turned into a mini circus.  Everybody was ecstatic to finally be done with everything.  We had a list on the board of who was bringing what to the pot luck dinner at Jake’s tonight for a few days now…well today Jake drew a little map of the area around his house…which prompted other people to start drawing on the board.  At one point somebody suggested drawing a mural and Brad & Eric constructed a fairly accurate depiction of every store, gas station, bank, restaurant, etc. along the main road that you’d take to Jake’s.  It was impressive.  We were so loud I thought for sure that somebody would come in and tell us to shut up.  We took some more pictures, signed our class picture for the classroom wall (with Unstoppables at the bottom of it), Doug sang us his version of the FBI fight song (he retired from there & it was hysterical) and we basically just hung out until 2. 

hahaha...there will be other ones on my FB page shortly

Back row...my home away from home away from home

Poulos, Brice, Pat, & PING

Some of the circus

Our finalized/ signed class pic

When Kathy came in the room, we handed in our books and then filled out an evaluation packet about the program outlining our likes and our dislikes about various things and then the class came together and talked about it.  I think I was the most articulate I’d ever been in the classroom during that conversation.  We provided some good feedback; most of us felt there should be more scenarios and a better PT program.  To help remedy the PT aspect of the program, I talked to Mark, who will be taking over the program once Kathy leaves, and gave him as much information as possible about the Aquaplex.  Then we kicked the instructors out of the room, finished collecting their gift money, and signed all three of their cards.  We are done!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark - the future, Kathy - the leaver, Doug - hates hugs

Leaving behind a Legacy

Classroom...fade to black

The only thing we really had left to do was party and show up to get our certificates and take some pictures.  Nick & I got home and each found a present on our beds.  Mama Jane left us bags with our names on them and inside, beautifully framed pictures of Arizona scenery.  Thanks Mama Jane!  I tried uploading the photo album pictures again, it didn’t work again so I saved them on a flashdrive and we went to Walgreen’s.  Naturally, one of the machines was broken and there was a slow old lady on the one that worked.  She didn’t take long, set up the pictures and headed to Safeway so I could get my contribution to the pot luck, potato salad.  Safeway is home to my new favorite bbq side dish, deviled egg potato salad.  I picked up a pound & a half of that and a pound of loaded baked potato salad, Nick grabbed his charcoal and we were on our way. 

We were on our way back home when we saw Mama Jane coming from the other direction.  She turned around and pulled up next to us just as our traffic light changed and we both shouted out the window, “I love you. I’ll miss you.” and waved emphatically.  That was our good-bye.  We didn’t want to say it the night before but we missed our opportunities ever since.  Apparently she stopped by the house while we were out and we missed each other.  So sad; she’s a great woman and has been more like a friend than anything else…even before I got out here. I’ll miss her dearly.

I picked up T-Rav’s and Hamstring’s flashdrives so I can give them copies off all the pictures I had, we got Carter and then Travis and then headed over to Jake’s.  I soon realized that it was quite chilly for an outdoor; this wind just won’t go away.  It was awesome that Kathy came out, and Jake’s mom & brother were in town for graduation.  We had a decent turnout. We played some cornhole…which had some rules that I didn’t approve of but whatever. We had a TON of food.  I brought a monster container of cheeseballs since everybody liked them at Arkansas’ bonfire party thing, Carter made her famous chocolate chip mint cookies, Travis made his famous egg macaroni salad, Sean had a bunch of chips & dips, CJ brought a gallon of ice cream and Kathy brought the burger meat.  We stuffed our faces and then watched various cop shows inside.  Kopplin’s dad came and after about 15 minutes of watching the shows with us he exclaimed, “you know watching these shows with you folks is a lot different than watching them with other folks.” Hahahaha.  We were critiquing every action the cops & bad guys were making…naturally…we just spent 14 weeks learning about this stuff.

NPS Mint Cookies...amazing

Yay! We're Done!  And I have bunny ears!

It was like Christmas Eve when I got home; I couldn’t sleep out of anticipation for tomorrow’s events.  I put together part one of this post and browsed a bunch of stuff on my computer to pass the time.  I ended up falling asleep at like 4:30 in the morning.  Woof! 

Friday – Mission Accomplished

I woke up at 9 o’clock…extremely tired…to learn of some good news on this already very good day; Mr. Stone, Laura’s dad, was discharged from the hospital and was finally allowed to go home. I didn’t go get a haircut because it’s at the length where you’d get left at if you walked into a barber shop but it was too short to try to do anything to it…so I just showered and hoped it wouldn’t look like a complete fuzz ball. I shaved and then took a while to get dressed so Nick went out and picked up the pictures for the slide show while I scraped some dirt off of my shoes.  We finished getting ready and realized that we looked like twins…to some people.  We had the same color blue shirt & tie on but he wore dark khakis with brown shoes and I wore that white/cement color with black shoes.

Get yer programs here. My camera took really crappy pictures throughout the entire graduation

The ceremony was at this place called the Kilted Cat and it was located in the rich part of Flagstaff…the houses looked like those in Colts Neck, Rumson, & Holmdel back in New Jersey. I think it was a type of a country club but instead of golf courses they had a horse riding club.  We were in a small reception hall with round tables condensed throughout it.  When I walked in Nick $ and Owen were setting up the slide show with the projector.  We got it up & running and I stood there forever just watching it.  I’ve seen the pictures dozens of times but I was actually getting emotional…both happy & sad…watching it.  I made my way to my table and sat with Curtis, Nick, Nick $ & his family, Jake & his family, and Carter.  We took the window table…oh yeah!  Kathy gave a brief introduction and then called us by table to hit up the buffet line.  On Election Day, I was mad that the class voted this meal to be our lunch today…but it was actually fantastic!  Bread, salad, steamed vegetables, some sort of awesome potatoes, bbq marinated chicken, something else I skipped & some sort of steak…I voted for the Italian meal and we lost by 2 votes.  

Massive plate...one of the few that didn't need seconds lol

We winded down with lunch around 1 and then our ceremony began.  Kathy gave another brief introduction in which she said that she was thankful to have a class like ours as her last at NAU. She basically said we were the best. We didn’t break off into cliques and showed a real desire to learn and not just jump through hoops to get a piece of paper. I could tell that just by being a part of this class that we were special and knew that there was never one like us before…we were too unique. When she was done, NAU’s Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences spoke followed by a professor in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation.  Once they were done speaking Kathy called Travis up for his Class President’s Speech.  He’s done a great job all semester as Class President.  His speech was well thought out and he put an interesting twist on it…he wanted to include a memory or a known fact about each student in the class so he sought my advice.  I was happy to see that he used it. He went through the class alphabetically and presented everything really well.  When he got to me, he told everybody that I was like a human radio because I knew so many songs by heart.  He also told everybody that I’m the Rapping Ranger which he followed up by saying “I’m no rapper but I did right a little poem for him.”  Here’s his poem:

               

                                            He knows almost every song,

                                A rapper who tries to do no wrong.

                                But what do you expect,

                                He deserves quite the respect,

                                Even if he’s from a lot in Jersey,

                                            He’s still as sweet as chocolate from Hershey.

He got a resounding round of applause for it.  The “lot in Jersey” line refers to something one of our more lighthearted instructors said in class.  When he picked on somebody for an answer, he’d read their name tag and say something about their state or name...I got “Mr. Ward, what parking lot in New Jersey are you from.”  I heard it a bunch the rest of the semester haha.  I will say this now and probably again later…I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten one Jersey Shore reference from an instructor since I got out here. 

When Travis was done called the class up so we could present our gifts to the instructors.  I think we just got Mike a card…which he appeared very emotional about; he may have even teared up.  Next it was Doug’s turn.  Doug made it abundantly clear on the first day of class that he hates being touched and he absolutely loathes being hugged.  We found that out when he told us the story of a kid in last semester’s class that hugged him at graduation…so he knew it was coming at some point.  He walked to the front of the room very cautiously and we had a bit of a standoff when I went to present his photo album to him. We eventually shook hands and I thanked him for everything.  Finally we got to Kathy.  Travis spoke and thanked her as he presented our class picture to her and then Turiya spoke as she gave her the sweet crystal looking plague.  She got a round of applause and then we took our seats for the student award presentation.

The following are the awards that were presented along with the recipient:

Top PEB Award: Turiya

Top Gun Award: John “The Marine” Meharg, final average – 29.1 out of 30

Driving Award (Most Cones Hit): Lauren Kopplin – the award was a cone signed by the driving instructors.

Top Academic Award: Lauren Kopplin…she must be studying while she’s driving

Director’s Award to the Instructors: NAU PD

We had a large number of faculty members in attendance so Kathy had them stand up and be recognized; my three favorites (lead firearms instructor & 2 DUI guys) were at the same table and they were sitting right next to our table.  They’re awesome!  Before we could get our certificates we had a keynote speaking, the Chief Ranger from Grand Canyon…another very cool fellow.  Okay now it’s the class’s time to shine…certification time.  Kathy called out our names, Doug handed us our envelopes, and then we shook the hands of the first two speakers and the keynote speaker.  In the envelopes were our certificates, final grade sheets, our final PEB sheets, and a copy of our syllabus for purposes of listing any training when applying to jobs. 

Once again we went alphabetically. When Lauren Hamstring went up she snuck a hug from Doug.  WHAT IS THAT!?!?! I exclaimed.  Jake followed right behind her and also tried to hug Doug...only to be pushed away.  When Jacob Lewis received his envelope he somehow managed a one-armed man hug. “That’s it! You’re going down!” I once again bellowed across the room.  Nick went up and stood in front of Doug and tried to give him a pound (fist bump, people)…he eventually figured it out and pounded Nick back.  When Nick came back to his seat I unveiled my plan to him. 

Doug was going to be expecting to me attack on the first pass, after he gives out the envelopes and shakes your hand he turns toward Kathy for the next envelope.  I told Nick that I was going to go down the line and on my way back I was going sneak attack Doug with a hug.  When I got called up he an untrusting look on his face, I shot him a look back.  I walked up to Kathy for her to pound the potato, then Doug and I laughed and I thanked him as I shook his hand and I made my way down the line.  On my way back to my seat I was just about back to Doug and he that’s when he turned to Kathy for the envelope and that’s when I struck!  I wrapped him up in the biggest bear hug ever.  All I could hear was him laughing in one ear and my audience clapping and laughing the other.  I held on to him for a long time and almost slow danced with him for a few steps across the floor…partially for dramatic effect but also because I feared getting hit.  He was a good sport about it and when I let him go I almost bumped into Josh who was patiently waiting for his certificate hahaha. I looked inside the envelope to check my grades and I was a little disappointed.  The instructor that we had for a week was way harsh on our group project/paper.  We got like an 85 on both.  That’s crap.  If our park visit presentation got graded we would’ve gotten a 100%.  I still finished with a 90 for the year…which doesn’t mean anything but still. An 85?!?!?

We wrapped up the certificate portion and then the entire class stood up at their seats for a round of applause, then the parents, family, and friends stood up for their time to shine as we expressed our appreciation.  The ceremony ended and goodbyes began.  I hate goodbyes.  Seven of my classmates were leaving Flagstaff tonight and I was not happy about it.  We got some pictures together and said our goodbyes.  It was most likely the last time I’d ever see Brice, Brad, Jake, John, Turiya, Matt, and my partner in crime, EKV. Sad. That’s all I have to say about that.  Travis, Curtis, & Sean were trying to figure out tonight’s plans in the parking lot when we walked to Nick’s car.  I suggest Brews &Cues since A.) That’s where we had our meet & greet the day before the academy started so it’d be a nice full circle deal. B.) That’s where we usually go whenever we go out and C.) Because they usually have good drink specials and people can play pool, the TV trivia game, or board games, watch TV, and BS at the bar and all be happy. We had the place picked out now we just needed a time.  Some people wanted to go right afterwards but if it was going to be a late night there was no way I was making that. We decided to take some time to chill for a little bit and then we’d meet up around 5-6 and we were staying dressed up because some of us bought clothes specifically for today and we were going to put them to good use.

Jerzinois Certs

Doug Wearing a Kilt at the Kilted Cat

Kathy & I...cheeeese

We headed home and I called my dad and Laura to let him know I made it through then I needed to recharge all sorts of batteries.  My camera died right after the ceremony and my phone was racing to meet it in the afterlife. I needed to recharge my personal batteries but there was no time for that.  We were quickly out the door and heading to the post office to ship my last box home.  The post office OWNS the UPS Store; I shipped this box for $30 less than the last box I shipped that was the same size from the UPS Store.  Nick suggested that UPS charges you to ship with them and then turns around and uses the post office to actually ship the box for them.  Interesting theory. We then stopped by Kohl’s real quick for Carter to get some shorts and we were on our way to Brews & Cues where a group of us were already waiting…eager beavers!

When we showed up Kopplin, Josh, Pat, & Travis were already at the bar drinking beer and Bloody Maries. Bloody Maries were one of the drink specials along with LITs.  Just as I ordered an LIT the group said they were hungry & wanted to hit Fratelli’s.  That place sucks but fine we’ll go.  I drank my LIT like it was water and I just ran the PEB….that’s fast…then we were on our way.  The world famous Question Queen was the counter girl and she took care of us…she gave us all a 10% discount since it was our graduation.  She kept checking on us throughout the meal and I told those who knew her from WFR…I like her a lot better outside of class hahaha.  She had a teammate that was on the prowl for some dudes…I could just tell.  As we’re wrapping up she asked what we were doing tonight…I KNEW IT!  We invited them to Brews & Cues but they didn’t answer.  As we were leaving, the co-pilot stopped one of us…who shall remain nameless and no it wasn’t me…and invited him to some techno dance party.  Damn I’m Good!

I called Laura on the way back to Brews & Cues totally not knowing that she had to work the midnight shift and was sleeping.  Whoops. As I walked in, Forrest sent out an e-mail telling everybody to come out to Brews & Cues for one last hurrah. We had such a great turnout…19 of us took over half of the place…that’s not including family members & loved ones.  I had a blast, I didn’t drink as much as anticipated so don’t worry everybody…Franklin basically hibernated.  At one point EJP played Regulate on the jukebox and we had a little improvised karaoke (there were no mics, we just tore it up). A small group of our crew surrounded us and stood there in awe of my rap along to the music skills.  They looked like cavemen looked the first time they saw fire, I’d imagine, they’re all hopped up on bluegrass, classic rock, and county music.  I told them that this song was practically the theme song to my life and I name all of my sports teams after it.  I chose the next song that came on…LIT – My Own Worst Enemy.  By the time the chorus kicked in, half the place was singing at the top of their lungs.  It reminded me of the time my band bought me Rock Band 2 for my birthday and we played this song that night.  I think there were a dozen people in my den hanging out and when that song came on…everybody sang along.  It was awesome and was also the reason I picked this song tonight.  Mission Accomplished.  Transitioning from Flagstaff to Freehold, somebody not in our group selected Taking Back Sunday’s Cute Without the E and that me excited for my return home. 

East Coast Connection Once Again: PA, NY, NJ, NY, NC, VA

I did not pick this

Clowns until the very end...I'll miss these guys

Before I knew it, it was getting to be that time. I was standing by the bar with EJP & Nick $ and we started talking about it sucking that we won’t all be seeing each other anymore after tonight.  We made a pact that we take the time once a week to call somebody from the class to see how they’re doing…let’s see how that works out.  Not soon after, people started leaving. Forrest & Alex were heading somewhere else and not coming back, so I had to force a goodbye out of them. Then ChrisPING, Owen, & Hamstring were getting ready to go and I could feel my face sink when they came to say goodbye.  Hamilton will be working at Zion this summer so I had a moment of seriousness with telling her to be safe and wished Owen the best of luck.   I think Nick & I were next to leave so I had to make my rounds.  It was even hard saying goodbye to family members and girlfriends of my classmates and I didn’t even know them.  There was surprisingly no crying involved but if I had to stay any longer I’m sure I would’ve lost it.  A few of my classmates had some great things to say about me & my personality and they came in for 4^th and 5^th helpings of Jeff Hugs…”a hug from a DuB is like a Hallmark Card.”  I had a hard time saying goodbye to Travis but something tells me he won’t even remember it hahaha. When we were leaving I was getting even sadder and I happened to run into Curtis in the parking lot.  He hugged me and told me he loved me. A bunch of these guys swore they’d take a trip to NJ to come see me…I know my crew would love these guys so I hope they do come up. 

I was totally bumming after we left. I was quiet and kept to myself.  Nick had to stop at the grocery store; I stayed in the car with my hand over my face.  My FB status said I hate goodbyes and EJP & I had a whole conversation back and forth through my status about how much this sucks. When I got home I all but finished packing and put some pictures on my computer. Remember that digital camera that I left in my D-Tac pants when I washed them and had to buy a replacement camera?  Well I never threw the camera out and as I was packing I decided to give it one last try…wholly crap it works perfectly!  Now I have two awesome digital cameras! I got so excited about the news that I crashed for the night not too much later.  

Can you tell it's over?

Saturday – Leaving Day Eve

Happy Birthday, E-Dogg

There hasn’t been much going on today.  I woke up at 7:30 for some reason and I’ve been up ever since.  I wake up earlier on my days off than I do for school days.  I started writing this here Part 2 of Final Days in Flagstaff and then I drove with Nick & Carter for their hike up Mt. Elden, then Nick let me use his car the rest of the day.  I wanted to print some more pictures out so I went to Walgreen’s…low & behold…there was another old lady taking up the only working photo machine.  I waited awhile for this lady to get done but she took forever so I left, put gas in Nick’s car since he’ll be running me to the airport tomorrow, and headed to Walmart. Their picture station went much smoother.  I ordered the 1 hour prints and then did some souvenir shopping.  I did some souvenir shopping about 2 months ago, have no idea what I bought, so I got some more things just to be safe. I walked around Walmart for a little bit, got my ass kicked in some PS3 tennis game, and walked around some more.  I picked up my pictures and was out the door.

I ran around the house most of the rest of the day, washing sheets, cleaning out my food cabinet, trying to make some food while still writing bits & pieces of this post as I go.  I picked up Nick & Carter and my sister Maureen called me on the way to get them.  When we got home Carter got very lucky…at least that’s a common belief if this happens to you; she got pooped on by a bird that was perched in the tree just overhead. I passed some more time by working on the blog, cleaning up & packing, and working on this here post some more…that was until I looked out the front window and saw my boy Travis pull up.  It was pretty funny because he pulled up right after I typed the sentence that I said goodbye to him but he won’t remember it…haha. I knew last night wouldn’t have been the way we said goodbye. He wanted to see if Nick & I wanted to go out to dinner one last time before us 3 amigos disbanded.  

See....poop

We hung out for a little bit and then Nick, Carter, Travis, & I headed over to the Lumberyard.  Travis said dinner and I belted this place out before he could even finish his sentence.  This was the one restaurant I needed to cross off my hypothetical Flagstaff Bucket List and I really didn’t think I was going to get a chance to make it; it did not disappoint.  The place, like many restaurants & bars out here, had its own brewery in it which was seen through large picture windows in the dining room.  We had some awesome fried macaroni & cheese balls that our waiter suggested a different dipping sauce for.  I agreed to try his little change up and I warned him that if it sucked then we’d beat him up.  It was amazing!  That guy should get a raise.  Looking to try something new, we ordered these things called Irish Eggrolls.  They were like little reubens in an eggroll served with thousand island dressing and a spicy honey mustard dipping sauces.  AMAZING!  I can’t believe we didn’t come to this place sooner!  For dinner I had a burger that came highly recommended by some locals but I was too stuffed to finish it.  I would put this place right up there with Granny’s as my favorite restaurant in Flagstaff.  Granny’s has commonly known foods and they are all delicious.  Lumberyard has a bit more of a variety and everything we ate tonight was fantastic.  If you’re ever in town I suggest trying both of these places. 

Travis brought me home and that meant that one of the hardest goodbyes was coming up.  I knew this was going to be a tough one because this guy was like a brother to me…and he felt the same way.  He reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger; an excellent leader, competitive, someone you’d trust with your life, and a great person to everyone he meets.  He’ll be working as a backcountry protection ranger at Yellowstone this summer so I gave him the same “be safe” talk while we hugged it out and we swore we’d meet up once he’s done with the season.  He’s a great dude and I wish him nothing but the best.  I spent the rest of the night packing and cleaning everything out and now here I am…about to say goodnight from Flagstaff for the last time…

Looking Back

The seed to partake in a program like this was planted a long time ago.  When I was in college I took a career aptitude test (or something) and the #2 occupation that matched my answers was a park ranger.  I guess I was so fixated on that response that I don’t even remember what #1 was.  Nothing panned out for me after college for over 3 years.  Interviews came and went, promising leads fell apart, the only things that I was being offered was telemarketing and working from home scans.  I still had the Chili’s and security thing going but I was dumb with the little amount of money I was making and ended up in a rut…commonly known as “Jeff Hating.”

One weekend, Laura and I visited our friends Dana and Eric (& Riggs) in Arizona.  Eric, who I was meeting for the first time, was a NPS ranger at Lake Meade and he showed me all kinds of the cool things that they do at work and briefly introduced me to a lot of their procedures.  He also mentioned that went to a park ranger training program in Santa Rosa, California…but I didn’t really pay too much attention to the details. Something must’ve clicked somewhere because not too soon after we left Arizona I saw a Park Ranger position was open for my county’s park system and I jumped at the opportunity.  I scored like a 96 on the test…I even remember going to my brother’s to watch The Shield after I took the test and thinking that that could be me one day.  It took awhile to get the test results back but I was the 4^th ranked person on their hiring list so I landed an interview.  I have never been more confident when entering or leaving a job interview in my life.  Within weeks I was hired.  Within months I released that I wouldn’t make enough money to survive in New Jersey and the Jeff Hating crept back into my life.

A year or so later, Dana, Eric, & Riggs moved to Virginia…Eric took a job there.  We visited them once again, this time with our baby Indy.  Obviously frustrated that life hadn’t improved for me, I paid more attention this time when Eric talked about his seasonal academy and Laura & I stayed up that night talking about the options.  I was still way over my head in debt and knew that there was no way I could drive to California and take 3-4 months off of work.  Slowly but surely my financial situation remedied itself.  I worked an insane amount of OT at the park, a shift or two a month at Chili’s, and concert security whenever I could.  The totality of the circumstances (thank you NAU PRTP) of where I was, the lifestyle I was living (all work & no play, still living at home, hardly seeing Laura, my friends or my family) had to change.  I applied to a couple of Federal Park Ranger positions that were semi-local and hoped for the best.  I received two reply e-mails that said to read over the qualifications again.  I looked it over and saw that I needed to have a certificate like the one I just received on Friday.  For some reason I was under the impression that my 2 years of park ranger experience would carry over and I could just transfer into the Federal system…WHOOPS! I began scouring the internet for SLETPs (seasonal law enforcement training programs) and the only two ones that were feasible (financially & time wise) were the programs in Santa Rosa and the one here at NAU.  I’ve always wanted to live in Arizona, NAU’s course was shorter & cheaper, you didn’t have to buy your own duty gear for it good because I wouldn’t have a job afterwards), and it was slightly closer to home…figuring I’d be driving.  I looked over all of my bills, saw that I’d have my car & 2 credit cards paid off by the time the fall semester rolled around but I’d be damn near broke if I got in.  I applied to the fall semester anyway…it was 3 weeks shorter than the spring semester but it was more condensed.  It didn’t take too long to hear from Kathy that I was 14^th on the wait list for the fall semester and if I held out for the spring semester then I’d be 6^th on the list.  I asked her to keep my name on both lists and she interviewed me over the phone right then and there.

About a week and a half later, Kathy called and left a voicemail while I was at work.  She informed me that a spot opened in the spring class and asked if I was still interested.  I couldn’t get to a parking spot fast enough to call her back.  With the Kathy sense of humor that I now know and love, as soon as I told her who was calling she responded “sooooooo do you want the spot?”  “ABSOLUTELY!” was all I had to say to her.  As soon as we hung I called Laura at work; I could hear the mixed reactions in her voice but she backed me up.  I was too nervous to talk to anybody else so I texted my family & Rath.  When I got back to our office I gave a resounding high five to Anti-Touching Augun, they all knew I was waiting to hear back from this place for awhile. I got home and told my dad right away, he also had mixed emotions as well as that fatherly “think this through” tone about him.  I almost had to draw a business plan to explain everything to him…several times.  He had his reasons for being hesitant in jumping on my float in this parade, but he too backed me up. 

That was back in June, I had 6 months get in shape and get my act together.  That meant trying to balance doing more overtime at work, going to the gym, and seeing my family and friends that I’d be leaving for 4 months as much as possible.  Working overtime ended up winning 95% of the time.  The months passed and more information became available as far as what to bring and what would be expected.  I had to find a place to live.  The rent I the apartments in Flagstaff is far cheaper than any of the ones in New Jersey…and Kathy said this was the expensive part of Arizona.  I couldn’t believe how low the prices were.  I played e-mail tag with a couple of different complexes but when they were it for too long and stopped tagging me. Thank goodness for smart phones.  Kathy began sending out e-mails for rooms to rent at people’s houses, most of them were more expensive than the apartments I was looking into.  Then one day Kathy forwarded an e-mail from Jane MacDonald.   I read the description and didn’t hesitate an instant…I replied to who I now refer to as Mama Jane and locked up a spot right then and there.  We would share e-mails about ourselves and the house as time went on…usually when I was shopping for stuff to bring with me.  I’d be shopping at the mall with Laura and suddenly realize that I needed a brown belt to match my nearly impossible to find size 15 brown boots, so we’d pick one up.  Then she’d ask me a question about the availability of something in the house and I’d Google Talk Jane on my Android about it.  Just as I finished shopping for the ranger program, I received an itinerary for the WFR course just about 2 weeks before I’d be boarding a plane to take the course.  I couldn’t afford to buy the stuff with Christmas coming up so I made an Amazon Wishlist and I got HOOOKED UP!  The next day it snowed, I got really sick, missed my second to last day of work only to have to suck it up to meet the car shipper guy and then work a half day the following day…without getting a chance to say goodbye to my co-workers…..but that’s all covered in my very first post…check it out if you haven’t already.

Bring It Home

It’s been a bumpy 4 months.  I needed to get out here for a bunch of reasons, I was dealing with a lot of personal issues and was really looking for this place to serve as an escape for me to better myself as a person as well as taking a breather from a lot of the things that were bogging me down.  I do feel like I’ve improved a lot about myself and I’ve had some once in a lifetime experiences out here, I just hope I continue to grow when I get home.  As you all know, I’m not leaving here with a job lined up.  As many of my backers back home stated on my Facebook the past two days, I know it took a lot of guts to throw caution into the wind and come out here…leaving behind every comfort I’ve ever known in hopes of bettering the situations that have flat out depressed me the past few years. A la Babe Ruth, I called my shot and followed through but I can’t help feeling like it was a strike out.  My plan involved getting a job at Gateway National Recreation Area (NJ) for a season and then jumping into a permanent ranger job at Independence Hall (PA).  The NJ thing didn’t pan out and PA is still on the table…now that I have a copy of my certificate so that I can apply to it, but it’s just a crappy time in the world to try and get a job with the Federal Government right now.  I am by no means giving up, I would just be happier about returning home if I knew I had a job in place instead of having to search for one.  I’m Unstoppable, I know it’ll be alright. 

I may not feel like a winner but I’ve had a lot of fun playing the game these past 4 months.  I finally got to go camping, I shot a near perfect score on qualification day, I injected somebody with a syringe in WFR class, I finally had a normal “college” experience/social life, I tried my first Thai food, I accomplished one of my lifetime goals of  living in AZ, I drove like a movie stuntman, I had people I haven’t talked to in ages help lift me up through this rollercoaster of a time, I’ve had parents of friends from grammar school and even earlier show an interest in what I’m doing out here (Hi Mrs. Kane & Mrs. Connelly! J ), I served as a liaison between my classmates and their parents in the form of writing, I lived without television but not without a TV, I showed a few people that messing with me or my friends isn’t the best idea they’ve ever had in their lives, I proved many doubters wrong, I persevered through illness and severe back pain I spread my “contagious” personality through 25 other individuals, I made friends wherever I went, I drove to Las Vegas, I slept in 2 different states and 4 different cities, more people fell in love with my songs, I learned how to blog…sorta, I learned that Bluegrass isn’t just what Boise State plays on, I went to a country bar...twice, I got stuff for free, I applied what I learned in a real life situation when I witnessed a car accident, I made people laugh, I dropped below my 2+ year plateau weight, I swam in a pool outside in March, I rode an indoor water slide, I made some unforgettable friends and I was part of a new family, and most importantly…I faced my fears in hopes of living my dreams.

I can’t thank all of you enough for reading about EVERY single day that I’ve spent out here, even those of you that I’ve never met or have any idea who you are.  If you’ve missed a day, feel free to go back and catch up on what you missed.  Be on the lookout for my DVD with all new bonus features including an alternate ending as well as the soundtrack featuring all original songs by J~DuB including…Mandi, Be Unstoppable, Let’s Go Rangers, The Stan Seals Rap, Leaving Day, the NAU PRTP Class #21 theme song…and many more.  Okay I’m just kidding about that…but that’d be great wouldn’t it? 

I don’t know if I’ll have any other posts after this so please feel free to leave me any kind of feedback…in fact I encourage and am almost begging you to. 

I have to be on the road heading toward the airport in about 5 hours…so it’s time for me to go. 

Thank you all again.

Good Night.

MOUNT UP!!!

Flagstaff Observation

I’ve been compiling the following lists for about a week now…I think this is all the observation I need. Enjoy.

What I’ll Miss

·         The Unstoppables – we came in as strangers...judging by your Facebook pics I figured most of you would be complete buttholes and I was perfectly fine if I didn’t make any friends through all of this. You all know my personality so you know that would never be the case and it’s been an honor sharing the past 4 months of my life with you.  I’m leaving town with new found brothers & sisters. No matter what happens, make sure you go home at the end of the day and BE UNSTOPPABLE!

·         Mama Jane. It’s been almost 11 years since my mom passed.  I see so many of her qualities in you and I couldn’t ask for a better landlady, motherly advice figure, or friend.  Thank you for everything.

·         Mama Jane recap sessions – especially because she talks like Butt-Head and Quagmire…alright

·         Fiona Coyote – the most talkative, hairy, and best mannered cat I’ve ever met.  She’s my cuddle buddy

She's Crying Because I'm Leaving

·         Mama Jane’s motivational chalkboard messages

·         My roomie Nick. Jerzinois. With maybe one or 3 exceptions I’ve been very fortunate to have some great roommates.  Nick is a great guy, very squared away.  He reminds me a lot of myself so he must be good.  He’s the kind of guy that if you ever needed anything he’d be right there to help you with it.  He also must be a good dude because I didn’t kill after he touched my face over & over or when he bumped into the back of my car in the driveway.  I’m not sure what he’s got his sights on next but I know whatever he does, he’ll be great at it. 

·         Seeing mountains everywhere whenever I walk out of a building

·         Pumping my own gas

·         Shooting guns, evasive driving maneuvers, courtroom testimony, scenarios, defensive tactics

·         Being an hour & a half from the Grand Canyon

·         The Aquaplex…where else will I find a gym with an indoor waterpark?

·         The waterslide at The Plex

·         The hot tub at The Plex that always seemed to cure what ailed me.

·         “Dr. Hottie” – also always seemed to cure what ailed me.

·         PT morning basketball, basketball at the Plex…both on the court & in the pool

·         Highways without medians

·         Brews & Cues

·         Deviled Egg Potato Salad

·         Jasper…the neighbor’s (almost…damn cat on the roof) never barking dog that always runs to the fence for some petting and back & side scratching whenever we pull into the driveway

He was by the door when I pulled up, this is how he was when I opened the car door...

It's almost a daily routine.  He's so sweet. I hope they take good care of him

·         The snow melting almost as fast as it falls

·         How extremely nice just about everybody out here is like the people at the grocery store who smile and ask if they can help you find anything….they do it at every one! 

·         The first question being asked after being greeted at a restaurant is something along the lines of “would you like for me to split the check?” So convenient!

·         No more Hoop or Aunt Pam packages

·         Guns being legal and walking around with your friends that are carrying them

·         Our bird clock. It plays different bird noises every hour…the damn owl sounds like a frikk’n train running through the house

·         My Mandi song. Oooohhhhh Mandi. You came now the driveway’s all taken, cuz u did your laundry oooohhhhh Mandi.

·         Walking outside to do laundry

·         Our adopted family friends from the pool in Phoenix

·         The nice dancing Liberty Tax guys

What I Won’t Miss

·         Annoying transition trips from PT to class

·         The obsession with bluegrass & country music out here

·         12 days on, 2 days off

·         31 days on, 1 day off

·         Not working

·         Crappy Chinese food

·         How slowly this entire town operates

·         Being stuck behind the slow check payer, sale arguer, or receipt discrepancy-ier on line at the various checkouts across town
 

·         The random homeless people begging for money, especially the ones who put their dogs & babies on display to gain your sympathy

·         All the stray dogs…I’ve seen at least two a month roaming the neighborhood and I don’t get out much

·         The various rule differences to games that I play back in the Jerz like with pickup basketball and cornhole/baggo/whatever

·         Having to be clean shaven every day

What I’m Looking Forward To

·         Seeing all of my dogs…I have all of their greetings down pat…I just hope they remember me

·         Seeing my family & friends…their support as I’ve gone through this has been remarkable

·         Katie Spaghetti

·         My sweet ass LED TV “The Kid”

·         WaWa hoagies & Sorrento’s subs

·         Real Chinese food & pizza

·         Putting my life back together…starting with finding a job

·         Seeing Laura’s new room

·         M~DuB recap sessions

·         Stepping back into the security ring…Bamboozle Baby! – Boyz II Men, E-Town Concrete, TBS!!

·         Seeing my first Yankee game at the new Stadium on 4/28

·         Pursuing some more licenses and certifications – EMT, SCUBA (since I’ve never actually received my card), Firearms permit & purchasing ID, motorcycle (???), Gaming employee

·         Returning to “the felt” in AC

·         Grass

·         Rain

·         Bugs

·         VIDEO GAMES!!!  I think I’ve played a total of 10 hour of console video games, that doesn’t include Angry Birds or Words With Friends (sucks) on my phone. 10 hours used to be a Rock Band jam session with the Stir Fry Commas…or a rainy day/night playing Oblivion. I’m looking forward to the next Oblivion sage, the new SOCOM, getting my hands back on Madden, and playing more than 5 minutes of the COD: Black Ops.

·         Hitting the gym hard! I didn’t reach my fitness goals for the program or my goal sustainable weight…I’m coming for you Work Out World.

·         The Beach!!! I haven’t been on the beach in 3 years…I’m due but first gotta drop some more weight…even though I now need to buy a smaller bathing suit. 

·         Spring/Summer Movies – Scream 4, Pirates 4, Thor, Transformers, Captain America…I’m sure I’m missing a bunch

·         Getting a real haircut

·         Buying a tent and a sleeping pad so I can go camping again. 

Thanks Again