Sore Loser

So as one gets older, he/she must come to grips with the fact that some of your physical capabilities will decline. Oedipus answered the Sphinx’s riddle; “what has 4 legs in the morning, 2 at noon, and 3 at night?” The answer is human beings and the 3 legs refer to us at an older age walking with a cane. I am not to far from that now it seems.

I am out of shape. It is not too bad, but bad enough were I know I am losing some of my physical attributes before their time. As I sit and watch sporting events I see guys I played against in college at the top of the physical capabilities. I have always wondered what it would be like to switch places with them. Every time I watch a former Kansas Jayhawk in the NBA I know that I could be better off physically than I am now. In the Oedipus clock, I am way to close to sundown than I should be at my age!!

I played flag football yesterday. It was just a pick up game with some friends. It had been a couple years since I had played football competitively against guys my own age so I was ready for the challenge. I even broke out my old drum major cleats, which are pro style footwear for grass. I was ready to play. Unfortunately, my body was not. I found out very quickly that if you do not use it, you will truly lose it, and then embarrass yourself over and over again trying to regain it!! I caught the first couple of passes thrown my way and sprinted into the end zone for a score. That would be the only highlight of the day for me. As I was continuing to play, my body was not responding in the way I was used to, this caused me to not only get burnt on plays, but on others were I thought I could make the catch, I just looked foolish!! Oh how the mighty have fallen. My confident swagger walking onto the playing field was quickly replaced gimpy hobble off. I was defeated both physically and game wise. My two dropped passes and other blunders became the recurring joke for the remainder of the night and on to today.

As I sit in bed today, extremely sore in places I did not know I have, I realize that complaining about it is not going to make the hands of time go back to noon. I must be a man of action and create a time machine for my body. I refuse to one, be embarrassed again, and two, let the hands time take away the best years of my life. AS my body slowly recovers this week, I will begin my metamorphosis back to the O King of old, before I get to old!!

I need your help

I hate to do this, but here goes!

I am going on a mission trip to Waveland, MS in March. For those of you who don’t know Waveland is considered ground zero for Hurricane Katrina disaster. It is located 90 miles east of New Orleans. Although New Orleans suffered great losses due to the high number of people in that city, Waveland suffered the more dramatic losses as 35-foot storm surge pushed 10 feet of water, 5 miles inland. The town was completely flattened. As we all witnessed, the rescue efforts through out the gulf were minimal, and although the government has done a tremendous job of helping out cities like Mobile and New Orleans, the citizens of towns like Waveland have relied on the generosity of private donors. FEMA has picked up the slack recently, but can only provide temporary solutions as to a long-term problem.

Enter Pine Ridge Fellowship (PRF). PRF is a church that I attend here in Deltona. A month ago it was mentioned that they were looking for volunteers to go a mission trip to help out Katrina victims. My first reaction was, “they still need help”? As the slideshow began, the pictures looked like they came straight from a war zone, yet they were snapped the week earlier, almost a year and five months after the hurricane. The town was in shambles. I looked at my calendar and made plans to attend. In the process I canceled a trip I had for that weekend in order to help out.

I have been blessed many times to survive storms that have ripped through Florida. I was living in California when Central Florida was devastated by 3 hurricanes in a 5 week span. My family was fortunate to survive these storms unscathed, but my heart was in my throat each day watching news reports from the region. I was so thankful to all the volunteers who helped my mom remove debris from our house and also who helped replace our roof. The strength of our society is the ability to answer the bell whenever it is rung. I now have an opportunity to help others who have been less fortunate to survive such a powerful storm. I am overwhelmed with joy just thinking about this opportunity to service others, even if it is only for a week.

So, how can I help you Oliver??? Very good question, here’s how. I am asking for donations for this trip. The cost per person is $400, plus personal sacrifices from work or school. Right now our congregation has 40 people signed up to go. These people vary in age and economic status and represent a true melting pot of volunteers who share one passion of helping others. The cost for each person is a larger burden for some even though their hearts are there. So we have decided to pool our money and raise enough for those who have a desire to go but maybe not the means. Our goal is to raise enough money to not only send our volunteers, but also present the city of Waveland a love offering with anything surplus collected. I am not asking anyone to break their banks, but if you think you would be interested in helping to sponsor this trip please drop me a line with your address so I can send you out an official letter explaining the trip in a little more detail.

More than anything, the biggest support you can offer the people of Waveland are your continued prayers and warm wishes. The road to recovery will be long and continuous, but our shared compassion for those in need will once again prove why we are a great nation. I ask that you remember us volunteers in the coming weeks as we prepare for this trip and especially during the week of March 17th – 24th as we embark on this mission.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and God Bless,

Oliver

Ps – here is a link for the city of Waveland, you can see the effects of the storm first had.
http://www.wavelandcity.com/

Naked!!

Naked

I got kicked two times in the buttocks the other night. Those of you who have seen the movie “Waiting” know exactly why this happened. The night before I had come to see my nephews running around the house in their birthdays suits. It was comical at best as they had no shame to their bodies. What a contrast this drew for me.

At what age do we lose that innocence? I remember as a child sprinting around the house naked, and my dad ushering me upstairs. As I have gotten older, our personal bodies become more and more an issue. I am extremely modest when it comes to my body. Rarely would I shower in public facilities in high school or college. As a boy scout, I would wake up at 2 am just to shower while no one else was around. Yet I am not ashamed of my body in any way, I just choose not to show it everyone. I tend to keep a lot of things more private these days, not just my body.

In many of my past relationships some of the most intimate moments came as I would be naked with a woman. One of my girlfriends would hide under the covers if I turned the lights on, and she was one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met. As the case with many ladies, they have much more of an image issue then men, so I think it was even more intimate for them than me. Nevertheless, the ability to lay naked with another person that you care about is the ultimate sign of trust. In some more casual relationships, the clothes would return after the nighttime acrobatics, but the relationships that meant the most were the ones with nothing to hide.

A couple of my guy friends have no problem being naked. As much as I would like them to keep there clothes on, somehow after a few drinks, they always find a way to get their private parts exposed for the whole world to see. Ironically these two individuals, who do not know each other, have a very similar way about them. Their lives are open books for all to see, and I truly admire their ability to honest about themselves at all times.

I wonder what would have happened if Adam never ate the apple? Ralph Lauren shirts or Levi’s Jeans cannot hide the shame that many of us carry around, so we find other ways to dress up our shortcomings in hopes that others will accept us. The be told if we were all just naked, maybe it would be a little easier to talk about things, maybe we would all get along a little better?

I want to get naked. Not in a physical sense, but in a way were I am free to express my thoughts without fear of judgment or chastisements. I want to be able to speak my mind freely without fear of exposing my inner thoughts. My friend’s get on me for always bringing up deep issue’s…well, sorry, but that is who I am, and that is how I think. I find fascinating how many people hide their ideas on certain issues like a birthmark’s they try to cover up with long sleeves? We are who we are, and we should never be ashamed of any part of that!! So lets all just get naked and talk it out!!
Maybe I should join a Nudist colony?

Waiting

Let’s not wait anymore!!
Tonight I watched the State of the Union Address by President Bush. I must say that I was impressed for the first time in a long time. As much as I am against him politically, tonight I was moved by his determination to see America succeed. We have lost ground on the rest of the world. It is not that I want to hold others back from progress, but the ideals of America strikes a thick chord in heart. Both of my parents came to this country seeking a better life for their children, I believe that in America, you can be anything you want to be. The sacrifices made by my parents so I could have a better life is my motivation for my children to one day grow up in a country where opportunities are abundant. Ensuring this abundance is and should remain the primary focus of our government. Bush tonight made many remarks that I hope he carries through on, in the shadows of the Iraqi conflict lye some serious social issues that must be addressed. I urge everyone to look into the social issues affecting your position in life and voice your opinion. The great thing about this country is that change can start with just one person, and one idea. We recently celebrated Martin Luther King Day. One man impacted the entire country and world in changing the way we view each other. As we proceed forward into a new year, lets us all make an effort to make America a better place for us and the next generations to come. A John Mayer song sings about “waiting for the world to change” I say, we should wait no more. With advancements in communication and information, we all have the ability to make change in our world today. What are we waiting for??

Random Stuff...

It's been a while, but i'm back!!

TV Addict Returns…

I am at it again, a new season to TV shows are coming and I am counting down the days until I get Tivo in my new apartment!! American Idol, 24, Lost, The Office, Family Guy, ah the list goes on and on… I find myself planning my weekly schedule around these shows and am asking friends to record episodes that I have to miss for various reasons. This is sad, but I have not been this excited about TV since the days of the A Team, Thundercats, and Transformers!!

Movies…

Speaking of Transformers, the live action movie will be coming on July Fourth of this year. Their will be a transformer party at my place followed by a roof top fireworks show courtesy of Lake Eola!!

Been quite the movie buff lately, but the best movie I have seen recently is hands down the Departed still followed by Blood Diamond. So that makes Leonardo my new favorite actor!!..hmmm maybe he could be in Transformers the movie!!!

Music…

Some pretty good concerts are coming to the Orlando Arena (yes it will for ever be the o Arena) and other venues. Let me know if you want to see folks like John Mayer, the Roots, Chili Peppers w/ Gnarls Barkley, and my personal fav….Los Lonely Boys

Other stuff…

2007 has started off amazing for me and I must say that I am in a completely different state of mind than I was last year at this time. I still miss California with a passion, but slowly but surely Florida is starting to grow on me and I am enjoying it more and more each day!!