2.218: The Follow Up

The following is a continuation from my previous post.

Tuesday:  I travelled alone on Tuesday.  I had lunch at Natalie-Jane's Restaurant's "new" location in town and had the Natalie-Jane Burger (smaller than I remembered but delicious nonetheless even though the burger was cooked beyond my medium preference) coupled with a pasta salad (also delicious and a surprisingly good compliment to a burger).  During lunch, I decided on whether or not to go to the Academy Sports & Outdoors in Anderson, SC or Gainesville; I choose Gainesville.  But, why Anderson?  Anderson was an option because I was in the market for some new Carolina Panthers merchandise and I had serious doubts about whether or not a sports store located in the same county as the Atlanta Falcons training facility would carry apparel from a division rival; my doubts were correct.  While I was unable to locate any Panthers apparel, I did manage to find some new shoes: the Nike Downshifter 6 (for $39.99 + tax).  After I finished at Academy Sports, I checked out the Hobby Lobby because I had nothing better to do and it was located in the same shopping centre. When I was finished at Hobby Lobby, I stopped by Ross Dress for Less, Hibbett Sports, and Marshalls (in that order).  Surprisingly, the tripped kept me occupied for much longer than I thought it would.

Wednesday:  It was another solo day of travelling.  For Wednesday, I drove to the Tanger Outlets in Banks Crossing where I browsed the Lids, VF, and Nike stores as well as a discount book store. At Lids, I saw a couple of Atlanta Hawks knit caps that were advertised 2 for $20 though each knit cap sold individually for $29.99 so it may have been a mistake.  After I finished at the outlet mall, I stopped by the faux Krispy Kreme Doughnut store for an original glazed doughnut and a raspberry filled doughnut.  I call it a faux Krispy Kreme because the store does not make its doughnuts on-site. Doughnuts are shipped in from either another store or from a centralised facility and simply reheated on-site, which makes for an odd tasting doughnut because it sits in the cooking oil twice.

Thursday:  It was an early and long day that started with a 7 AM alarm.  At 8 AM, I arrived at my grandfather's house to accompany him and my aunt to a 9 AM medical appointment in Gainesville. While I waited for my grandfather and aunt to conclude their appointment, I visited Lakeshore Mall and Target.  The appointments were done at about 10:30 AM and we headed home though our original plans included lunch at Niko Niko Sushi in Buford, but my grandfather had vomited while waiting for the physician and he was feeling poorly at the time.  As we were heading home, my aunt decided that she would take me out for lunch if we could convince my mother to watch my grandfather while we ate; we did and we picked her up at the house.  When we returned to my grandfather's house, I napped while my aunt drained fluids from my grandfather.  By the time all of the fluids were drained, my grandfather was feeling better and was up for some lunch.  So we convinced my mother to join us and we had lunch in Niko Niko.  We eat a lot whenever we go and this day was no exception.  We had tempura calamari, shrimp and vegetable tempura, pork gyoza, tofu and vegetable soup, two Flying Dragon rolls, a Rainbow roll, and a Fiesta roll--all of which was delicious!  Following lunch, my aunt and mother wanted to do some shopping since we will be celebrating my grandfather's birthday this weekend (his birthday is on February 1) so I took them to Assi Plaza in Suwanee (according to the sisters, it was smaller and more expensive than the Pleasant Hill location) and the Great Wall Supermarket in Duluth.  It was a long day that ran from 8 AM until about 6 PM.  But, I was not done because while we were heading down to Buford for lunch, my other aunt called asking if I would accompany her to have her taxes prepared at a (shady) tax preparation office.  Instead of taking her to see the shady tax preparer, I tried my hand at preparing her taxes via TurboTax; I was successful and I saved my aunt $200.  I was so proud of my success that when I finally returned home, I prepared my mother's taxes.

Friday:  I spent much more time at home than I would have liked, but a 2:55 PM Manchester United FA Cup fixture will cause such an issue.  By the way, Manchester United won!  After the match, I had dinner at Burger King and headed to Gwinnett for another Atlanta Gladiators game; they lost.  On the way home, I stopped by Krystal in Oakwood for my second meal of the day.

Anyways, this concludes this portion of the week.

2.216: Keeping Busy

Note:  There is a difference between being "busy" and being "productive".

On Sunday, I travelled to Gwinnett County where I ate lunch at a "hole-in-the-wall" Cantonese barbeque restaurant located in the food court of the Great Wall Supermarket.  I was craving dim sum but ended up eating soy sauce chicken over rice (on the recommendation of a Yelp! review and because I was not sure about how to order dim sum).  The chicken was mediocre and I left disappointed with the joint despite its strong Yelp! reviews.  Afterwards, I made my way over to Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe in search of a Nutella Danish that I tried during a prior visit; it was sold out.  I settled for a curry chicken bun (sweeter than I prefer for a savoury item), a Nutella chocolate bun (solid with just a tad too much chocolate filling), a hazelnut Nutella doughnut (I have a thing for Nutella and this did not satisfy my craving with its dried-out dough), and a Sweet Hut milk tea "topped" with honey boba pearls (delicious though I wish I had ordered either the strawberry or taro milk tea instead of the Sweet Hut specialty).  Following my solo escapades into Cantonese dining and Nutella-based sweets, I met up with my friend Louis at Taco Mac in Duluth to watch the conclusion of the AFC Conference Championship game and most of the NFC Conference Championship game; I had an enjoyable time though my food was not-so-delicious.  I was still filled with my soy sauce chicken from earlier so I only ate sweet potato fries (a disappointment for the second time--I forgot I had tried the fries before) and an order of the "oven-baked" mac and cheese (a terrible idea--the mac and cheese came out cold and bland).  After Taco Mac and the triumph of the Carolina Panthers, Louis and I stopped by Steak 'n' Shake for milkshakes and I had the Nutella milkshake because why would I not?

On Monday, I was called into duty by one of my aunts early in the morning.  Initially, I was to watch my grandfather and wait for the delivery of his kidney dialysis fluids while my aunt went to rotate her tires and have one of the tires patched (nail).  Instead, I went to the tire repair shop while she remained with my grandfather.  The shop was quick and I was in-and-out in under an hour, which afforded me the time to stop by Chick-fil-A for breakfast.  As I was returning to the house, I received a phone call from another aunt asking if I would accompany her to her workplace to complete her application for temporary unemployment benefits.  Afterwards, she, my little cousin, and I had dinner at a local Chinese buffet--the selection is small, but the fried chicken wings are delicious--where I was reminded of how I loathe eating out with small children.  Following lunch, I swung by the house to pick up my mother and I returned to my grandfather's house to continue waiting for the medical supply shipment while he, my mother, and my aunt travelled to Gainesville for a medical appointment.  To kill the time, I read some comics, eat the treats I purchased from Sweet Hut the day before, and rubbed one out to a video of this incredibly attractive Thai woman being pounded by some sleazy white dude; I have very little shame and I am feeling bold this evening.  Anyways, the shipment never arrived, but I did complete an application for a position in Marietta.

I could go on, but I will not because I am tired and the vision of me beating off seems like a good spot to stop.

2.215: The Body Politick

I removed myself from politics following the historic campaign season of 2008.  I say that I moved away from politics because I became wary of the competitive and cut-throat political environment, but that is not the whole truth.  The main reason I left politics is because I was an immature idiot that lost his virginity to the wife of a county committee chair who, at the time, I considered a friend.  That is right--I was a party to an extramarital affair with a woman over a decade my senior and I could no longer face the man I once considered a friend.

There are times when I reflect upon what I missed out on because I could not overcome my desperateness to lose my virginity and I wonder:  "Was it worth it?"  Sadly, I would answer that it was worth it because (1) I was no longer a virgin and (2) I wanted her.  Yet, at the same time, I regret my decision and all of the consequences that came from it.  If I had been able to resist the urge to engage her in escapades, who knows what may have happened in my life?

Anyways, I wanted to get this off my chest (somewhat).  As for politics, I suppose it is not too late to reenter the fray, but the question I must answer is whether or not I actually want to return to that world.  As of now, I do not have an answer.

2.213: #KeepPounding

I was going to write about the latest Atlanta United news:

- Atlanta United's affiliate partnership with USL side Charleston Battery

- Construction of the Mercedez Benz Stadium delayed three months

- Atlanta United signs its first player in club history

I was going to write about all of these topics, but I did not want to have to put my own foot in my mouth if I made an incorrect (or ill-informed) statement.

Instead, I will talk about another sports-related topic:  Super Bowl 50.  Primarily, I want to discuss the Carolina Panthers and their remarkable run to the Super Bowl.  As a long time Panthers supporter (who did stray off the path along the way, but eventually found his way back home), I cannot express just how proud I am of this team.  From the 15-1 regular season record to its remarkable performances during the NFC Playoffs (minus the second half of the Seattle Seahawks game), the Panthers have proven themselves worth of their own success despite the naysayers and the haters.  When the Panthers were still undefeated, the pundits called the Panthers "the worst 14-0 team in NFL history" while singing the praises of the Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals, and the New England Patriots.  In fact, it was not until the Patriots lost its second-straight game that the Panthers claimed the top spot in the ESPN NFL Power Rankings and then after the Panthers fell to the Atlanta Falcons; the Panthers fell behind the Cardinals despite having lost only one game.

And now, even after securing their position in the Super Bowl in dominating fashion, a 49-15 win over the Cardinals, the headlines coming out of Conference Championship weekend are about Peyton Manning and whether or not the Super Bowl will be his last professional game and whether or not he can go out a champion.  But, that is okay because the Panthers and members of the Panthers Nation know what we have and we know that we have the ability and the talent to cap off an incredible season with a Super Bowl win.  Actually, before I progress, I do want to step back from the notion that the media is ignoring the Panthers completely.  I am wrong in making such an assertion because there is one Panthers-related topic that the media relishes in discussing:  Cam Newton.

Source: nojillnolife.tumblr.com

From Newton's on-field celebratory dances to the off-field birth of his first child with his longtime girlfriend, the media loves to criticize Newton in a manner that one would never see towards Manning or Tom Brady.  Now, I am not going to defend Newton because it is unnecessary; Newton has defended himself time and time again in a more impactful and tactful manner than I can even imagine.  What I will say is this:  if an individual can easily seat at his keyboard and attempt to tear down a man with such an incredible zeal for the game and love for his community such as Newton, then there is no convincing that person otherwise because his heart is filled with such vitriol that it is beyond redemption.

Source:  USA Today Sports Images (?)

In conclusion, I am looking forward to the Super Bowl this year and I look forward to seeing Cam and the Panthers lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy *knocks on wood*.  Until next time, DFTBA!

2.202: Stacks of Cash

I have no clue what I am going to write about this evening because my initial topic, the demise of the Atlanta Silverbacks, is old news.  I considered a personal piece discussing my opinions and thoughts on the Atlanta Silverbacks organization, but I realized that I no connection to the club.  Yes, I had been to a handful of matches during their most recent stint, but I had not been to a match since Soccer Bowl 2013 (now called “The Championship”).  So, I decided against writing about another topic of which I held little familiarity.  Instead, I will say this in regards to the situation:

It is always terrible to lose a professional sports organization because it creates a feeling amongst supporters that we did not do enough to save our club.  But, the reality of the matter is that professional sports organizations are businesses and businesses with poor management (or no management in the case of the Silverbacks) will fail.  As followers of professional sports, the best course of action is to lament briefly and move on to another club.

On another note, Major League Soccer (MLS) held its Super Draft today and Sporting Kansas City (SKC) selected with the eleventh overall pick of the Super Draft:

😎 #SuperDraft pic.twitter.com/EaV00MYpUZ

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) January 14, 2016

Actually, SKC traded the pick to DC United in exchange for an undisclosed amount of Targeted Allocation Money (TAM—a financial mechanism devised by MLS to lessen the actual impact of a high-waged, non-Designated Player’s salary on the club’s salary cap figure).  Of course, saying your club has selected a table full of stacked cash is much more entertaining.

Anyways, I have been having a good day despite my Friday evening plans being canceled (Get well soon BH’s granny!). So, good evening and DFTBA!

2.201: Panic!

Today, I will be discussing sports.  Specifically, I will be discussing soccer (or football).  Let's begin:

Yesterday, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and West Ham United had Premier League fixtures.  The first two United clubs, Manchester and Newcastle, faced each other at St. James' Park while West Ham traveled to Bournemouth. I mention this because of a humorous tweet I read that said:

What we're going to learn from the upcoming scoreless draw between @NUFC & @ManUtd is that West Ham is the best United in the @premierleague

— Jimmy Conrad (@JimmyConrad) January 12, 2016

Well, the Manchester United match against Newcastle United did not end in a scoreless draw rather it was 3:3 draw, but West Ham did defeat their opponents, Bournemouth, 1:3. So, Jimmy Conrad was (sort of) correct, at least, on this day. But, the Manchester United draw at St. James' Park is part of what I wanted to discuss because while a six-goal draw away from home is nothing to feel entirely bad about; it is the manner in which the draw occurred that is disappointing.

For starters, Manchester was ahead of Newcastle on two different occasions.  First, Manchester went ahead by two goals (Wayne Rooney and Jesse Lingard) before conceding two goals to Newcastle. Then, Manchester went ahead with eleven minutes remaining in regular time courtesy of a beautiful strike from Rooney before conceding the equalizer in extra time.  To pile on the misery, Manchester had more than their fair share of chances to seal the match and earn the full three points, but Lingard soared an open shot over the crossbar from within the goalkeeper's box and Marouane Fellaini drove a free header directly into the arms of Newcastle's goalkeeper.  Also, did I mention that Newcastle is currently in next to last place (nineteenth) in the Premier League?

Yesterday's result is only the tip of an ever-growing iceberg that threatens to sink Manchester United's chances for a Premier League title or a Champions League position. In Manchester United's last six league matches, Manchester has won one match while drawing two and losing three!  During this stretch, there has been ongoing speculation about the job security of manager Louis Van Gaal. Initially, I was in the "Keep LVG" camp unless Manchester United could secure Pep Guardiola as their new manager, but I am having second thoughts about my position and it is because I see little, if any, improvement.

I will say this about the position of Manchester United manager (because I have not really said much of anything so far); Manchester United should not hire Jose Mourinho.  I do not care about his desire to manage Manchester United, I do not care about his overall track record of success, and I am saying this as an admirer of the man.  Jose Mourinho is notorious for wrecking team chemistry, employing boring tactics, and neglecting youth development (i.e. the "Special One" comes with serious baggage).

Now, having made this statement, I am aware of the reports strongly linking Guardiola to rivals Manchester City.  So, what happens if Manchester United are unable to get Pep?  First, you terminate LVG's contract at the end of the campaign because Manchester United cannot sit idle while their city rivals continue to make progress.  Then, Manchester United need to make a decision concerning Ryan Giggs.  Will Manchester United's board throw Giggs straight into the fire with incredibly limited managerial experience?  Personally, I would prefer Giggs to take a position at a lower-tier club, but I will admit that it would be strange to see a Giggs-less sideline at Old Trafford.  If not Pep or Giggs, then who?  Frankly, only one name comes to mind:  Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid. Simeone has the proven himself a more than capable manager--challenging the two pillars of Spanish football on a consistent basis, winning La Liga, winning the Copa del Rey, winning the Euro League, and reaching the finals of the Champions League.  While I would still prefer Pep, I would have no qualms with Simeone receiving the nod.

Anyways, I have "discussed" Manchester United for longer than I had planned and I actually had some other topics I wanted to discuss (e.g. the end of the Atlanta Silverbacks), but I think I will hold off on any further discussion because this post has gone on for too long.  SEE YA AND DFTBA!

2.199: Sleeping Struggle

Another early post--this could turn into a habit, but I doubt it.

First, RIP David Bowie. I'm unfamiliar with his works beyond his major hit tracks, but those tracks were incredible and I have only the utmost respect for the individuals that choose to create their own path rather than follow the crowd.

Second (and more to the point of this post), a thought: "Some people never learn while others will never make the effort." Or a more familiar:

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice (and then a third time and a fourth time and for good measure a fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth time), shame on me for deliberately choosing to remain fucking ignorant!

So, my mother did it (like I and everyone else I knew she would), she bailed out the good-for-nothing, remorseless piece-of-shit. She did it yesterday and my only consolation is that I had no involvement--I wasn't even present--when she made yet another mistake clouded behind the precept of motherly love and obligation. I knew the moment she came into contact with him, it was over. Over in the sense that my lonely struggle to protect her from not only him but herself was done and over in the sense that I have lost a great deal of respect for her in that she would foolishly place others in this family at harm. Honestly, the piece-of-shit is a lowly drug pusher with a chip on his shoulder and the intelligence of a middle schooler. That sort of combination is terrifying in the sense that this piece-of-shit is incredibly likely to act out in a way that'll lead to pissing off the wrong people--the sort of people that can be just as remorseless but also incredibly ruthless. 

It is with a great deal of remorse that I must say that I have lost so much respect for my mother and that damage she willingly inflicted upon myself and potentially others may be untenable. I truly loathe this feeling, but I cannot with good conscious believe in her anymore. I made a promise to myself to try and be more positive and avoid the negative, but this situation makes it clear that I'm only making more difficult on myself if I choose to continue on this path.

2.198: A Party of Two

So, that holiday party I mentioned in my last post...not quite what I had planned. For starters, I'm not a social creature so to enter a social environment alone is terrifying to me. So because I was going to meet up with Mark, I made the choice to arrive late thinking that a 6.5 hour get together would not really pop off until a couple hours after the announced start time...WRONG! By the time Mark and I arrived, dinner had been served and the tables cleared. My primary consolation was the free Starbucks Pike Roast coffee that I had three cups to drink. I mean it was nice to get away from the house and it's always nice to hang out with a good friend, but he and I could have done that and I could have avoided the nearly 1.5 hour drive in wet conditions. I know that it is our own faults but would it have hurt them to splurge on a few snacks? Well, I cannot blame the organizers for our tardiness. It was nice to see a few familiar faces even if we only chatted for a few minutes and it is always a pleasure being around people with similar interests even if I am behind the times in regards to anime. Also, I did stop by a Taco Mac on the way back and their wings are still delicious though their ranch dipping sauce is kind of bleh--I prefer bleu cheese and that is what I got but the waitress gave me a cup of ranch too. Anyways, I've no plans for the next few days, which means I am stuck at the house with no Internet until tomorrow when I finally force my ISP to finally give me a new modem and my thoughts (which is always a dangerous situation). Also, I'm late on my student loan bill because I couldn't fax my request for forebearance to the loan company (issues with their lines not mine since I was using an online fax service). But, I will continue to try and better myself despite the feeling that everything is out to prevent that from occurring. GOOD BYE!

2.197: Party Rocking

I'm posting earlier than usual (still Internet at the house) because I may or may not be around to post at my usual time because Mark, my friend from yesterday, and I are planning to attend a "holiday" party that's being hosted by the anime convention that we volunteer at. I'm not much for "partying" or socializing with people I'm unfamiliar with, but I could definitely use a getaway from all of the bad stuff that's been happening recently. Anyways, that's what I'm hopefully doing and why I'm posting now. Also, I spoke with my ISP and they said our new modem should arrive today, but they also said it would be 2-3 days from Monday. At least, they're giving us a $10 credit for not having access to service for the past week. SEE YA!

2.196: Roadtripping

When I get bored, I drive...alone. But, from time to time, I have company and that's nice. Today, my companion was my former coworker, Billy. Basically, I took him comic shopping and we grabbed lunch at Sugarloaf Mills--my lunch was not very good but I expected that to be the case. We only ate there because we were meeting another friend, Mark. Anyways, I am tired and going on about four hours of sleep. Good night!

2.195: Not in 2016

My past few posts (mainly, my last post) are not what 2016 is about for me. 2016 is about positivity, being better and leaving all of that negativity behind me. If you're about that lifestyle, then I'm not about you and you see yourself out the door--SEE YA! Now, getting back on track--I'm still without proper a Internet connection, but I'm making it work. As for today, I got a haircut, ate at Five Guys with my dad, and I dropped by my grandpa's house. As for narrowing the focus of this site, I'm still working on it. Anyways, I'm looking for to more good stuff and less bad stuff in the year ahead. GOOD NIGHT!

2.193: Avoiding Trouble

I am avoiding a problem.

I made references to this problem in my last post and despite saying I would let this problem go; it is eating at me and I need to say something.

First, my mother's other son is currently in jail. He was arrested on January 1 on possession charges.

On January 2, I took my mother to get her car (which he had taken for his own use over two months ago) from the impound lot (cost: $125).

On Sunday evening, he attempted to contact my mother via a collect call; he failed because my mother's English is limited and she did not know how to accept his call (which would have cost her more money). At this point, I used I blocked the 800-number of the collect call as well as the county jail's number on her phone--so no more calls from him (at least, not to her phone).

Yesterday (January 4), he called my phone and left a message to tell my mother (and father) to come get him out of jail. I deleted the voice mail and blocked the number on my phone. Later,I received a text message from an unknown number telling me that he had asked me to tell my mother that his bond had been set at $10,000 (yes, you read that right). I have not told her or my father yet, but I did speak with my aunt and uncle about it and I'm sure if I do not say something to her soon; she will hear it from them. I have chosen not to tell her about the bond (or bail) yet because I know that despite her initial protests and statements saying she would leave him in jail; she does not have it in her to remain stern. And I have not unblocked the phone numbers I have blocked on her phone yet because I know that once she speaks to him, he will (1) make it known that I have been withholding information (though I have a certain degree of deniability) and (2) manipulate my mother into doing something she (nor anyone in our family) cannot afford to do; bail him out.

If you cannot tell, my mother's other son is the cause of my current misery and unbeknownst to my mother; he is the cause of our family's troubles. If it were up to me, he would remain in jail until his court date at which time he should be sentence to the maximum sentence and, perhaps, rehabilitation. This is first drug offense though he has been involved in the business for years, but this is not his first run in with the law.

His initial incident was disturbing the peace related violation as well as a few other misdemeanor traffic violations though law enforcement could have easily popped him for possession of an unregistered firearm. My father at the insistence of my mother bailed him out.  He had his driver's license suspended for a year though he still chose to drive.

The second time came the very weekend after receiving his driver's license back from suspension. He was popped for DUI and underage consumption. I believe his father bailed him out this round though it could have easily been my mother again. I believe they suspended his license again and placed him on probation.

These are the incidents that I'm aware of though I'm actually pretty certain that there was another incident. Oh and let's not forget the most recent incident with the 14 or so dogs in which city code enforcement very nearly had him arrested when he decided to aggressively protest the citations handed to him. This particular incident cost my mother $600 in fees for removing the dogs from our property and it could have been much worse if they had decided to arrest the property owner, my father. Also, the citations he received totaled $1000, which he would have had no means of paying because he refuses to find work. So that would've been another $1000 out of my mother's hands.

I do not have to say it because the evidence speaks for itself: he is a remorseless menace that will intentionally harm my mother because of her misguided beliefs about her role as a mother.  There is one thing to lend a helping hand to a child that has gone astray, but it is an entirely different thing to simply enable the problem child. At some point, she has to stop to herself and realize that he has to take some responsibility and learn the hard way.

Anyways, I have this out there to give some insight into the issues in find myself dealing with and why I have to work so hard to do what's right for me. To do what makes me happy and seeing my mother get used does not make me happy, especially, when it is a family member abusing her kindness and generosity.

2.192: No Net, No Problems?

Okay, I'm lying. There are a few problems but I'm still posting (via the Blogger's horrid iOS app) and I can go to my local library and knock out my Code Academy lesson for the day. Anyways, DSL will be down for a few days while I wait for a new modem to arrive. For now, I'm going to keep this short and just say that people need to know just how serious I am about cutting out the negative elements in my life. In the short-term, it is going to cause me a ton of grief because I am going to feel guilt-ridden about cutting someone or something out of my life, but I cannot be beholden to the sort of torment that is brought about by its or their presence. I am trying to do better in 2016 and in order to be better, I have to surround myself with positivity. That's all for tonight--have a good one!

2.191: Today's Silver Lining

Today has not been easy.  The growing unrest caused by the arrest of my mother's other son is creating tension between my parents and me.  I wrote about this on a more personal medium and I will leave it there because that does not help me become better and it allows the negativity I am trying to weed out of my life to further seep in.  Instead, I am going to focus on the positives of today and I will start by sending a shout out to the Carolina Panthers!

The Carolina Panthers finished the regular season with a 15-1 record following a 38-10 thumping of divisional rivals, Tampa Bay.  The win clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the Panthers, which is always a nice perk to have during the postseason when all of the games are "win or go home".

Aside from the Panthers, I want to shout out the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills for playing an excellent game in which the Jets lost not only the game but their chance at clinching a playoff berth. The Jets' loss coupled with a win by the Pittsburgh Steelers against the hapless (and now, coachless and GM-less) Cleveland Browns meant the Steelers secured the final spot in the AFC playoffs.

And one more shout out to the New Orleans Saints for beating the Atlanta Falcons.  You can call it schadenfreude if you want, but I love seeing the Falcons lose and this loss is, even more, satisfying because it came a week after the Falcons shattered the Panthers' hopes of making history and becoming only the third team in NFL history (and the first in NFC history) to finish the NFL regular season undefeated.  Of course, the Falcons loss at the hands of the Saints serves as a stinging reminder of just how poorly the Panthers played last week that they would lose to such a poor team.

In a non-American football note, my beloved Manchester United finally (finally) ended their eight-match winless skid on Saturday when they defeated Swansea City, 2-1, courtesy of a beautiful back heel from captain Wayne Rooney, who also ended a goalless skid as well as put himself into second place for all-time goals scored in Premier League history and for Manchester United.  Congratulations Wayne!

2.190: Limitless Optimism

For 2016, I am going to try and focus my writing more.  In the past, I have typically written about nothing in particular.  In one post, I may vent and express personal outrage about something that has happened in my life while in another post; I would review (or try to review) a book, film, or television series.  In other words, I was all over the place in my writing and yet nowhere at all or to put it bluntly; I was clueless (or without purpose).

Over the next few weeks, I intend on expanding upon the Finding My Passion series of posts, but I am hellbent on identifying one to three topics in which I will focus most of my writing on in 2016 (or until I turn 33).  But, for now, I will continue expressing personal observations and writing about the technical aspects of this journal because this site is a personal archive of opinions and thoughts.  And who knows? This could be a good thing!

By the way, if you were wondering about some of the topics I am considering focusing on, here is an abridged list:  books, comics, films, music, sports, television, politics, gaming, anime, social issues, searching for employment, food, social media, and much more.  It is unnecessary to say it, but I have a lot of things to consider and not much time to consider it.  Wish me luck!

2.189: 2016

Hooray!  Happy 2016!

In 2016, I resolve to be more positive, to be less negative, and to do better every single day. 

I know that these goals sound vague and that is the point.  For 2016, I have made the decision to focus more on my mental and emotional health and it starts with embracing goodness and extracting darkness.

Of course, I will still set tangible goals, but my overarching resolutions for the new year is to take care of my mind because a sound mind leads to a sound body (and vice versa).

So, in the final few minutes of the first day of 2016, I wish you a Happy New Year!