Recovering From The Epic

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." -Michael Jordan

And oh I did this previous weekend.

During this weekend of the CAA tournament I enjoyed myself and then-some. For those that have no idea what this "tournament" is or what the CAA stands for...here's some quick information.

CAA stands for Colonial Athletic Association. This is a college basketball conference that is considered as a Mid-Major. What does that mean? You know those big names like UNC, Duke, Connecticut, Texas, Syracuse? Yeah...they are in Major conferences. Mid-Major is basically like the second division of collegiate basketball.

But anyway...it was a 4 day tournament at the Richmond Coliseum and I got myself and my significant other tickets for. We had a blast sitting down and just watching 12 schools play hoops while having the occasional adult beverages during the madness.

Now of course as most of you know I'm a VCU fan. So when it was our turn to play, I got super excited, loud, adrenaline pumping, and just flat out scary to others surrounding me in the stands. From the buzzer beater by my boy Jamie Skeen to beat Drexel, to the stomping of ranked opponent George Mason; I was really enjoying myself and happy to rep the Black and Gold of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Unfortunately, Old Dominion beat VCU in the final to win the tournament this year but I was still happy with my team and the tournament overall. We were ranked number 4 so we weren't even suppose to be in the final lol. So that was impressive.

Now the recovering part...I sweat up a storm during that weekend, ate a bunch of fast food from a variety of places, enjoyed my share of beer and screwdrivers and other consumptions of alcohol, lost my voice, lost a few pounds, and flat out just enjoyed my weekend.

I had fun in a losing effort. Of course, I would have been stoked if we won the entire thing and locked a spot in the NCAA tournament in March. But alas, we will just wait til Selection Sunday to see if VCU is going dancing.

But until then....I'll enjoy my time at the Coliseum with fans from VCU, ODU, JMU, William & Mary, Towson, Drexel, Northeastern, Georgia State, Hofstra, Delaware, UNCW, and Delaware. Thanks for the memories.

Hope you people enjoyed yourselves now and in the future...

Back to our regularly scheduled program of life. :P

Motivation From The Master #4

"Don't let one negative ruin a group of positives" -Kazie

What a busy day for me...

Here's a well-organized bullet list to explain the events that took place during the last 24 hours.

• Woke up, took a shower, got dressed
• Went to my Criminology class where we talked about Prostitution and Social Order crimes with our professor and police officer who was a special instructor.
• Talked to some music promoters at the radio station I worked at.
• Did my video game news show, 32-BiT, on the air with M.C.
• Worked on editing my Forensics Science class CSI Trailer Project for my group.
• Ate 2 slices of pizza
• Drank 3 cups of Sierra Mist
• Randomness at the station with co-workers and our business manager
• Help set up our soundboard for our Christmas Parade coverage coming up
• Met up with my girlfriend at 7-11 for a Slurpee run.
• Hung out with her while working on Forensics.
• Dropped her off at her evening class on campus
• Watched How I Met Your Mother
• Picked her back up, went to grab a bite, then back to her place.
• Finished my Project.
• Hugs and Kisses.
• Went home around midnight.
• Did a light workout.
• Crashed on the bed around 1.

Quite a lot huh? But there's one I didn't mention.

• I got my car towed

You would that this would set someone overboard? But it didn't actually since I had a very calm, fun, and productive day. Now I'm not gonna lie and say that I was happy that this happen...far from it. I was freaking out a tad since, well my car was gone. But once I figured it out and got a ride from my friend up to the tow lot and the reason why it happened...I just paid my dues and moved on.

I was not gonna let one bad thing ruin everything because it's not worth going through stress, anger, and other emotions that lead you to having a bad day even when things seemed to be going your way. Overall, I was happy that the tow guy was not a douche and was very professional about it. So that eased my tension down dramatically. Plus it was simple and quick.

Overall, the day was busy but at the end of the day it was a very great day. I felt like I accomplished something. Yeah, the 110 dollars I spent to get my car out hurt but at least I have a job and I can get that back where it belongs...in my savings. So I was blessed on this day to and hope that your day was great as well.

Don't let one negative ruin a variety of positives. It will make your day seem meaningless and dry instead of blooming and full of meaning. Keep striving and being productive.

Oh yeah, and don't park in a permit only spot when you don't have one for over an hour.

Motivation From The Master #3: Grindin'

"The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one." -Oscar Wilde

Hope you guys enjoyed your helpings of turkey and ham with your sides of gravy and good cheer this Thanksgiving. But back to the usual grind I guess...

Now for me, I actually worked for Thanksgiving this year which meant no family gatherings or late-night celebrations with friends to express what I'm really thankful. Meh...emotional it sucked working on the holiday but hey I got paid for doing it; that's always a good solution for anything right? Haha.

But in order to survive, you gotta keep your hustle on and do work. Yeah, work might not be the most enjoyable thing in the world since people can possible think of a list of things that are more entertaining than clocking in to start a new shift. However, it's something you gotta do in order to bring some form of income towards your front door.

I worked Thansgiving, the day after, and Thanksgiving weekend. 4 straight days in the hospital fighting the good fight. I kept a smile on my face though as I was thankful to have a job since I'm pretty sure I would be in a bigger struggle if I didn't have it. Plus, I was imagining the dollar signs in my head when the pay period ends and my facial expression when I saw my check.

Ahh money....heals all wounds lol.

Some people don't want to grind, most people definitely don't want a hustle. People on this rock has gotten so lazy over the past years waiting for someone to feed them and take care of them forever like they are wearing a diaper in their middle ages and they got a babysitter waiting on them hand and foot. Newsflash: In order to have success, you got to put in the time and effort first. Whether you flipping burgers, checking registers, filing paperwork, or even running a company...You need to get work done.

Of course people don't want to be around when they don't got no dough. That doesn't mean you get on the streets and start muggin folks in order to get some pocket loot. Doesn't really work like that...there's law enforcement for a reason. Blaming the economy is getting old, we're bouncing back and there are jobs out there waiting for people. Yeah, you might not get six figures but it's a start.

I've been working my job at the hospital for almost 3 years...it's not really an easy job since it involves working in the ED but I love it. Of course being a rookie I started off small and worked my way up to a decent salary for a part-time employee...never complained or looked back. Of course, I had financial trouble at times...seriously who doesn't have a financial hiccup once in awhile?...but I kept doing work. I like being around a hospital environment and helping people...glad my bosses noticed or else I probably wouldn't have gotten a raise. Now I'm still part-time but with a better cut of cheddar.

Get off your lazy asses and find work. Money isn't just gonna roll your way unless your living the lifestyles of the rich & famous on Hollywood Boulevard. And trust me, they do work just to keep up with the media.

It's a hustle for loot out here. You got a find some line of work in order to keep it in your pocket.

DO WORK PEOPLE!!!

Motivation From The Master #2

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." -Gail Devers

It's great to see your friends that struggle towards something they have an extreme desire for and to see that they are a few steps closer to grasping it. Here's my story.

My friend Shara aka Shahrrah is part of my motivation in this post. She is a young, fighting rebel here in VA and she is very passionate towards the art of music. Seen and met her around VCU during my undergrad days and thanks to Facebook, MySpace, and local venues down here I was able to see her grow musically as an artist.

I would say she's definitely into hard rock and metal, metal, METAL!!! But she does have a softer side when it comes to her acoustic sets. She can really make your heart melt and body warm up with every strum and solo she can do on an acoustic. Seriously, she is pretty damn good. But don't let that fool you, she can grab an electric and shock you up to 11.

But it has been a struggle for her with things going on in her life but it looks like things are starting to pay off for her and then-some. She recently performed with the band, O.C.D, at Norva and she was hyped!!! Now she's gearing up for a show down at Virginia Beach with the band next Sat at the Geared Up Rock Bar & Grill.

If your in the area...you should go to it. Here's a link to the bar. (Geared Up!)

Plus she is working on her album that should be coming out soon. She teased me with Safe In My Own Skin (S.I.M.O.S.) which was really well done both the studio version and her acoustic solo she made herself. Can't wait for it to come out!

Shahrrah is definitely working hard to make her musical fantasy a true reality. Why shouldn't you? I'm not forcing you to grab a guitar or a drum set but get out there and do something that you love and have a passion for. It's out there, you just gotta find your passion.

Don't doubt your dreams...Shahrrah isn't.
Turn your dreams into your passions.