My Facebook Was Hacked

This afternoon I received a telephone call from my sister. She said she was nearby and wanted to stop by to visit, bringing the 2 year old (my niece) with her. I certainly didn’t mind that so I told her to come on by. She stopped and grabbed a bite to eat before she finally had arrived.

I happened to be going through Facebook around the time she showed up.

A few minutes later, I moved away from the computer. It allowed my sister to move in place and be in front of my computer. I certainly didn’t mind. But I would find out rather quickly that I probably should have.

What she did, caused about a half an hour of a laugh riot shared between her and I. Even though I ran the risk of pissing off a few people that could have led to them to the action of  “unfriending” me.

Instead of my sister moving on to do something else like, check her e-mail, look up something on the Internet, check her bank account, or even log me off and log into her own account, she began to wonder what she could do to sabotage me and see what the result would do.

Luckily for me, my sister was thinking far too hard to come up with something so outlandish to write on my Facebook profile and by the time I was finished doing what I was doing,  I was back inside and watching her.

She was attempting to make me sound either ignorant, offensive, or as a homosexual.

She tagged other people’s names in the posts that she was able to come up with. And for her, the reaction was not coming in fast enough. Up until the point where I had received a text message with the question of “What’s going on?”.

At first, I didn’t respond. I wanted to see just how far my sister would go with her practical joke. Deep down believing that NOBODY would believe that it was me behind the keyboard typing these silly Facebook statuses. Eventually, I would confess that my sister was behind the keyboard and just having a little fun.

Such as the following:

“Sled hockey is for wimps.”

“I like princesses and rainbows.”

“Majic Mike is the best porno ever!”

And so on. Then the others came when she tagged people whom she could remember that were mutual friends between her and I. And it just grew from there.

Some people saw it, and well… I honestly don’t know what they were thinking. My cell phone began to grow with activity from a flurry of text messages and then there were others who were writing messages in the inbox on Facebook, asking what in the heck was going on.

The reality of the situation, I was monitoring and supervising what she had written on my Facebook wall. She would come up with an idea, and then I would tell her that NOBODY would believe that it was me. She obviously was looking for that level of “assumed sincerity”, trying to sound like it was me. But it just didn’t work for her. Nothing she put on my Facebook wall was something that I did not approve of.

I left everything up for several hours. Some people even clicked “LIKE” on a few of them. Others offered comments. So when my sister finally left, I wrote that my sister had a little fun at my expense. I had began to delete some of the things she had written.

But ultimately everything she wrote, was all deleted. Including my admission that it was my sister having some fun.

Really, it wasn’t “hacked”. But it was monitored. And it provided a bit of entertainment for a while. Once people started to realize what was going on (that they had figured out on their own), the fun quickly died down.

At any rate, the things we do to entertain often must come at the expenses of ourselves rather than others.

Damning The Deaf

http://gawker.com/5938542/deaf-three+year+old-not-allowed-to-sign-his-name-because-it-violates-preschools-weapons-policy

Okay. Now you’ve done it society. You’ve REALLY done it!!

What kind of butt head in charge believes that a three year old child, who is deaf, is going to be a VIOLENT threat by using a name sign?

It is not like he’s tossing up gang signs that his parents taught him at an early age. He is not going around to other children, promising to bust a cap in their ass. He is simply attempting to communicate in the hearing world because he is deaf.

The child uses something called “Signed Exact English”. Or “SEE”.

SEE is an artificial system that was devised in 1972 that has been proven to function as the first language of children with hearing loss. It is based on the more well known system of ASL, or “American Sign Language”.

Based on the studies that I had years ago in Sign Language, everyone has their own “name sign”. It distinguishes an individual. For example: In a classroom setting, there may be more than one student with a common first name, such as “Michael” or “Jennifer”. Each individual name sign helps tell one from the other.

But because of the “Zero Tolerance” policy that this school system has in place, it is essentially taking away this child’s identity. This is complete garbage!

It really is sad to read about this story. It just feels like a shot to the nuts for me. And to those who have lifelong ADA issues. I have my hearing. And at one point, I had been studying to be a Sign Language interpreter. And so there is a part of me that is crushed to read that this innocent three year old child who is at a disadvantage in the world is being shut down and pushed back. All because of his own name sign might look like a friggin’ weapon?!?!?!?!???

C’mon!!

This child is there to learn and interact in a world that is very scary. He’s not there to be pushed aside, just because some pompous legislation.

I am all for safety in schools and for the safety of our children. But this “Zero Tolerance” stuff is seriously abused, outdated, and quite honestly… ridiculous.

I hope, I REALLY HOPE that the school system changes its tune. Because how much further back can you push those who are supposed to be protected by the ADA? Especially those who cannot defend themselves.

 

Mobbed By Doubt

“In case of doubt, do a little more than you have to.”~ Warren Mitchell

Last night I watched a television show called, “Mobbed”. I saw an episode just last night of a 37 year old man who had never met his father. And he begged the show to help find his father and help him meet him for the first time.

There are other episodes that I have yet to see. And I’m not 100% sure that I will ever see them. But one came to mind that I had seen back in January when it was premiered. Although I did catch it towards the end. So I admit that I had to go to YouTube and find the full episode to see what happened and how things led up to the ending. And that is the episode in which Steve meets Dana and asks her to “take their relationship to the next level” and start dating.

Steve is in a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His band did a show in California where Dana lives. Longer story short, they started communicating with one another by text messages and telephone conversations and had done so for five very long years. Steve wanted the show to help him send his message to Dana.

The host of the show, Howie Mandel, comes in and thinks that this is a long shot and that the experience lays in the hands of the underdog. But since Howie says that he’s a fan of the underdog and loves to see them victorious, he helped Steve on his mission to send his message to Dana.

Some of the people who run the show behind the scenes were very skeptical, including the host of the show. They kept throwing around the question “What if she says ‘no’?” over and over again. Knowing that it was a possibility and that they were taking a huge risk, they did it anyways.

So then, big production… big crowd of people with interpretive dance and singing surrounding Dana as she has NO CLUE as to what is going on. And in the end, Steve and Dana are being interviewed together and they’re holding hands.

Where in the world do I start on this?

First of all, I think that if it was that easy to just send in a video message to some television show to ensure that I would be able to surprise a few people and make my point with them, their mailbox would be so full. And to those of you that know me on a personal level but have never met, and have discussed the mutual desire to do so… prepare for “shock & awe”!!

But the episode is so forced. When the host believes that from the beginning that this could be a potential disaster, he appeared to be hell bent on making it work.

They set up a fake meeting with Dana saying that she was being cast for a dating show. They went and asked personal questions about what she felt her ideal mate would be. And her answers had nothing relatable with poor ole Steve.

This wildly attractive young woman when she walks in, mentions the ” bad boy” fascinates her. So when they set up the phony dating, they hired an actor (who would turn out to be one of the flash mob dancers) and made that “bad boy” persona look like the devil to her and ultimately not a good idea. Hoping to crush her dreams of the “bad boy” experience and let her re-think about her dream guy, and about what it could be like to be with a nice boy such as our hero Steve.

Everyone jumped on board to do whatever they literally could to sabotage the surroundings of Dana and lead her into Steve’s path. And it was obvious that people were coached into saying and doing certain things.

Even though Dana may not have had any certain “idea” what was going on, she was led by people to go where she needed to go in order to make the episode successful and tug at the heart strings of the viewing audience.

Most certainly, everyone involved had to sign some sort of waiver. Steve and Dana included. So there had to be SOME clue by everyone as to what was going on. 

The part where Steve tells her that he’s packed everything that he owns in a moving truck and if she said no, he’s going to turn around and go back home. But if she said yes, he’d want to start a new life in California with her.

Nice touch, Hollywood! Way to go for the flare!! (I still hate you!)

Ladies of the world, let me ask you a question and feel free to leave your responses in the comments below.

If a man went to the lengths of organizing a flash mob with hundreds of people and lights and music and cameras everywhere and then he professed his feelings for you… would YOU then in front of everyone and all of the cameras turn around and say no???

This show made it very clear to me that they did everything in their power to ensure that Dana would not deny Steve. And what kind of episode would that be HAD she said no?

It’s almost the same idea of when I watch episodes of Antiques Roadshow… do these people who sit there and appraise the worth of something, while they are handling it– do they ever drop something and break it into a thousand pieces? And if they just estimated a value on something that was worth $50,000 and then either accidentally damage or destroy it- do they pay them $50,000 for their loss?

Nobody ever sees that kind of thing on television. Nor is it shown “behind the scenes” on any blooper real or outtakes. So then why in the world would they air a program where in this situation, the girl says NO at the end?? This is why I believe its forced.

Of course, the viewers have no idea what kind of a relationship Steve and Dana has had in those five years that they say that they have been talking to one another. They both admitted on camera that they are one another’s best friend. But as a guy, I noticed that neither Steve or Dana said “I love her/him” or “I’m in love with her/him”. Still though, we don’t know how their relationship has been up to that point. Perhaps there was no need for it, and he just wanted to hang out with her a lot more and see where it goes.

And of course that leads to all kinds of people searching for answers about their relationship after the episode was originally aired.

Let’s remember something. Steve is in a band. And the band’s EP was soon to be released around the same time that the episode was to be aired. And it sold very, very well on iTunes. COINCIDENCE???

All I can say is that for myself, I HOPE that Steve and Dana are sincere with one another. Even though neither of them were sincere throughout the entire episode. During the phony speed dating that they put Dana through, she tells her date that she’s in the music business. Then she back peddles a lot and said that she works “at a venue”. At the beginning of the show, its told that she tends bar. That makes you part of the music business? If so, I’ve got something to tell to the beautiful Candace,  who works tending bar at BFE Rock Club in Houston. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled!

And whether or not Steve and Dana are still dating or got married or whatever the case may be, that’s honestly their private business and not the business of the world. But it still is a curious thought to find out whether or not their relationship thrived. A mystery that will probably go on unsolved forever. I do however, wish them well!

 

Lacking In Literary Genius

 

“Just because someone hands you a S’more, does not mean that they’ve made it out of chocolate.”

In the stillness of this night, it feels as if my brain had caught fire. Perhaps it is just the after burn of all of today’s activities, perhaps its a fever. Either way, until this burning sensation leaves my head I know that I will not be able to sleep.

But to be honest, I know what the problem is. Self-criticism. And they’ve always said since the Dawn of Man that you are your own worst critic.

Over the past three days, I went back to my most recent writing project and attempted to connect the dots so to speak of what I have written already. I had taken a different approach when I began writing and now all that I have, is collection of pieces that need to be connected to this giant puzzle I have created.

I think that it does work in my favor that when I get burned out with writing that I put it aside for a while and then pick it back up again. And that’s what I have been doing. Yet I put it away many hours ago, after writing down certain parts of the story that I had come up with in my head from the very beginning. Some of the pieces now are starting to fit but I have a very long way to go. I know that one day, it will be complete and I will have something to be proud of.

These kind of writing projects are not as scatterbrained as… let’s say… this blog. I’m well known by now to throw randomness all over the place here. But with these projects, I’m a little more uniformed.

Or so I thought.

Especially over today and yesterday, I had built up on one of my main characters. At some point I describe just how rotten and terrible the character is. I spent many hours on describing how devious and deplorable the character is and even wrote in a scene of him doing what he does best which is being evil, uncaring, and unfeeling.

I felt that this action from the character needed to be portrayed to the reader to show just how nasty the sonofabitch really is. And to me, it seemed like it took forever to write it all down. And it was only one specific way in which to explain to the reader just how bad of a person the character is. It was honestly the only contribution I made towards the project yesterday.

I felt fine with it. I knew that it was a bit long and that I would have to edit and tweak it a little so I don’t bore the reader but as it was, I was okay with it. Knowing that I would go back eventually to help clean it up.

I even went as far as to pause for a while and look up helpful writing tips on how to work these situations out. A lot of what I found was extremely helpful. So it was all good.

This morning and this afternoon I worked on the story’s biggest dilemma. The pinnacle point in which everything comes to light and the characters must deal with the sudden and abrupt change and somehow overcome it, one way or another.

I did not finish that particular part of the story. I was distracted by other things and I didn’t have the time (or energy) to fully commit to what I was doing. And so I put it aside.

Now I just wanna throw it all out.

The whole thing about writing what the character was doing to be evil and show the true side to the reader is long, and now just seems unnecessary.

I am aware that authors and other writers often go through many edits. But I wonder how they handle the frustrations from time to time when everything seems like a brilliant idea in their minds but once they get it written down suddenly turns into crap? 

What has often boggled me is that my muse usually strikes when I am not able to sit down and write. Commonly when I am away from home or laying in bed. It’s always something like that. I suppose that what I have been told is true. I need to keep a notebook with me at all times. I was even told once to keep a notebook next to my bed so that I could write these things down when they come to me in the middle of the night.

I actually tried that. But I found myself writing in the notebook all night long and never getting any sleep. And when I finally got to sleep, I would wake up and NOT want to transfer the notes into the project.

I’m notorious like that when it comes to poetry writing.

As much as I have the inner desire to go back and just delete pages upon pages of the stuff that I wrote- knowing that “my time has been wasted”- I know that deep down, I do not have the desire to give up on the writing project entirely. I’ve kinda opened my mouth about it with too many people to do that. I’ve received a lot of “I can’t wait to read it” kind of responses. So in a sense, I do have something of an audience who is patiently waiting for me to finish.

I won’t say how long that will be. I never do. I still have OTHER writing projects that I haven’t touched in many years. And those were ideas that I was certain that I wanted to work on getting published. So who can say when this current one that I am working on will reach that point that I can share it with people so that they can read it.

 

 

The Porn Industry Closes Its Legs

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57497344-10391704/syphilis-scare-halts-porn-industry-filming-in-la-as-health-officials-investigate/

It has been reported that the porn industry in Los Angeles, California has gone through a temporary shut down as at least five cases of syphilis has been reported, and that number goes up to ten depending on other reports.

But even though your next nookie video isn’t in the middle of of post-production right now, doesn’t mean that it won’t be coming at all to either a mailbox or an adult store near you.

Due to the fact that the alarming news of syphilis is being spread, all actors are going through the screening process and are getting heavily tested to make sure that they can safely return to work.

“Work”. If you want to call it that. Getting paid to have sexual intercourse with other people on film…. I digress.

Every time there is a medical scare like this, the industry always shuts down. And then someone comes out to the media and “explains the situation”. There has been in the past, where the HIV virus had been detected in porn actors and actresses. To which the entire industry always does the same thing….. shut down.  Eventually, they do so much testing and screening and re-vamp their ways to protect their people. And those who are found to be carrying any kind of sexually transmitted disease ultimately lose their job in the industry.

But it seems to me that these scares come up every so often. And they have been as of lately been more and more frequent. And that causes me to question what is going on in the industry that they are unable to detect these kinds of problems and take action before it becomes a “scare”?

I do not know much about the porn industry at all. I DO know that it is a very successful business as it brings in approximately $10-15 BILLION annually. This current situation will not be much of a factor in regards to how much money it will make this year. In fact, the difference will be so small that it will go unnoticed.

Syphilis on the other hand, is a very real and serious thing. I read from the Center of Disease Control that it is often painful, produces sores, and has the ability to shut down certain functions of the body and has the great potential of being fatal. And it is spread through sexual contact. Thus, a sexually transmitted disease.

When “OH BABY” turns into “NO BABY”!

Ladies and gentlemen: is what scary is all about!!

However, syphilis (if detected early) can be treated effectively. But I think that in the porn industry, it isn’t being detected early enough and then it spreads. Not to mention the possibility of it being spread or even contracted through sexual intercourse by porn actors with NON-porn actors. And that is very frightening to think about. It has the chance to either introduced into the common world, or be ushered in by the common world.

To say that one STD is greater and more serious than others would be a bold lie. They ALL are!

For now, the porn industry will not be working until they cleared this up and figure out who has what and when. A syphilis scare will not be enough to make the industry crumble and bring it down to its knees. After all, it already IS on its knees to begin with.

 

 

 

Radiation Burns

“You made me confess the fears that I have. But I will tell you also what I do not fear. I do not fear to be alone or to be spurned for another or to leave whatever I have to leave. And I am not afraid to make a mistake, even a great mistake, a lifelong mistake and perhaps as long as eternity too.”~ James Joyce

A few days ago, I was hanging out with a friend of mine who is female. I do not get to spend a lot of social time with her and so any opportunity that I am able to get my hands on, I go for it. To the best of my ability.

It was a pleasant visit with her and I really cannot complain all that much to be in her company.

All of a sudden, my cell phone began to ring. I ignored it because I was busy. But then a few minutes later, it rang again and for another time I did ignore it.

Moments later, another time it rang. So I excused myself from my friend and answered the call.

At the moment that I realized that it was not necessarily an emergency but rather a social call, I explained that I had company and was not able to sit down and socialize but I would return their call when I was at home.

I ended the phone conversation with, “Okay. I will call you later. I love you.” And then I hung up.

To which my female counterpart took that as an invitation for taunting and teasing and to play 50 questions.

No… to this day, I am not married, engaged, have a girlfriend, involved in a relationship, or gay. And these were the extent of the questions that I endured. As I said, I do not get a lot of time to hang out with this friend of mine. So it was understandable to me that she would not be aware of current events in my life. And that basically was the purpose for hanging out with her… to catch up with one another. But she could not understand why I had such an affectionate ending salutation to the conversation.

I explained that it is just who I am. That I say it to all my friends. And then things got heavy between her and I.

She said, “You do not say that to me whenever we hang up.”

My reply??

“That is because in the past when I have attempted to make such a ending salutation with you, you detonated a nuclear device to protect yourself in your own defense. And I got tired of having radiation burns.” 

As it may be very true that I do love and care for all of my friends, this still is something that I just do/say. Some accept it, some reject it. That’s just how things are with certain individuals that I choose to have in my social circles.

Some reciprocate the verbal displays of affection. Most do not.

And although I do not believe that there’s anything wrong with telling all of your friends that you love them. One must understand and respect the boundaries of other people’s feelings. You must acknowledge that some people just aren’t that expressive. To which that is not their fault. Nor is it yours.

If that is the case, just because it is not verbalized doesn’t mean that the you or the other person does not care about you. Or that you do not care about the other person. It boils down to every individual’s comfort zone. And if one person shows signs that they are not comfortable with such an exchange, you have to respect that and not push the issue.

We all have at some point gone and said the “L word” to someone and came back with such a major burn that we began to think that we wouldn’t be able to survive the night. But in reality, we all survive. Perhaps a little broken and hurt. But we learned that it is a boundary that should be noted not to cross again. In time our wounds did heal.

And I will repeat myself here: Just because its not said, doesn’t mean that its not felt.

As for my female counterpart, what I said to her would ultimately sting her. And I did make the effort to apologize for that because that was not the intention. But I made it clear that I was aware that she was not comfortable with hearing such sentiments from me as her friend, and therefore I simply stopped and respected that boundary. I also did mention that I totally enjoy the times that we spend together, as infrequent as they already are… in the hopes of mending things with her.  Going in for the kill was not the plan.

But she understood where I was coming from. And we were able to move forward with the rest of the day. And in the end when it came time to go, we hugged. So that was OUR way of sharing that particular moment of love, care, and of course– respect for one another as friends.

Pushing something on people whether its because you want them to do or say something is never the thing to do. It only causes a lot of friction in your social relationships and quite possibly, causes them harm. To which, you will end up having to switch gears and begin damage control. And that at times can become a hindering issue.

Always keep in mind: Once bitten, twice shy. If you strike and you are bitten then don’t fool with it again. How many times are you going to stick your hand inside of a fire before you say “Ouch! That burns!”

If you strike and its graciously accepted? Well, don’t abuse it either. Let things come as they may.

The greatest thing in the world is love. And love is defined in infinite ways. Don’t meddle with that. Its okay to love your friends as you love your family. Just don’t vomit your expressive feelings on them. Family is one thing, friends and social groups are totally another. Know the boundary lines.

Moments In Uncle History

 

Well, nothing can save me now.

As I was sitting in the passenger seat of my sister’s vehicle, my seven year old nephew and two and a half year old niece in the back seat, the adult conversation that was taking place in the front was not under exemption of being heard by the younger ones in the back.

I thought that I was having the common decency to lower my voice to a whisper, and only speaking loud enough to where my sister could hear and I didn’t have to repeat myself.

We were having a discussion about someone, and I ended my sentence with the commentary of “What a jackass!”.

To the horror of my own hearing, and most likely my sister, in the back seat came the emulation from the two year old.

The vocal response of “quack whas” that came from my niece’s mouth put my sister and I both in shock and in a fit of hysteria. But neither one of us could figure out which way to take it.

The seven year old knew better. I was anticipating his reply to be “Bad Word! Bad Word!”, but when he heard the adults in the front start to laugh a little bit, then he decided to chime in with his own rendition of “quack whas”. But his version sounds more of an impaired version of “cracked glass” instead of “jackass”.

For the remainder of the evening, the older sibling kept pushing his luck by trying to get the younger one to say it again and again and again. But THIS UNCLE was very fortunate that she never uttered the phrase again. At least not in my presence.

But to hear my two and a half year old niece try to talk is often funny at times. My sister and I often reflect on the time back in June when we were trying to teach her the word “pine cone”, and she kept saying “pine corn”.

Just a couple of months later, she does say it correctly. So now the amusement of “pine corn” is nothing but history.

Now she has a new phrase that she stumbles to say correctly. Perhaps its just a mouthful to her at this point.

“Stop! In la la la la la”. Or to us, “Stop! In the name of the law!”.

I have pondered such implications about the unfortunate English lesson that my niece jumped in on. Of all the things to teach a child, why did it have to be that she’s got the hearing of a bat? Does it show that I do not have any children?? I think it does.

One thing is for sure, as long as its not being repeated to her at home, and as long as I am not saying it again in front of her, she’ll forget all about it soon. I cannot really stop the seven year old nephew though. I’m not sure if he’s been trying to get her to say it again and again. The boy just knows that its “wrong to say” and she is “saying it wrong”.

I knew better though. And it could have been a lot worse. I could have censored myself, instead I chose full throttle language at a greatly diminished volume and she STILL caught on!!

 

Meet Brittany

Brittany

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”~ Norman Vincent Peale

I have actually been sitting on this story of inspiration for quite some time now. I don’t really know why. Tonight, I have decided to share it with you.

Through the magic of Facebook and mutual interests, I was introduced to Brittany. That was just over one year ago.

Her story is one of dreams that actually do come true.

As she was beginning her college education, this ravishing redhead who was studying in the southeastern United States began a very serious campaign of wanting to meet her most favorite person in the world, her idol.

Her efforts did pay off, as an e-mail was sent to Chicago, Illinois and the offices of none other than Oprah Winfrey. The news of Brittany wanting to meet her idol so badly actually spread to Oprah Winfrey. As Oprah said, “She is a fan, and probably the hottest redhead ever.”

And then in 2007, while she was in her college dormitory settling down for “Movie Night” a special surprise was played on a DVD recorded by her idol herself. That being Céline Dion.

Brittany was then flown to Chicago to be a part of the studio audience for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and that is where Brittany was able to meet her idol face to face, sitting on stage next in between Oprah and Céline Dion and in front of a nationwide television audience.

Shortly after that, Brittany would have the opportunity to duplicate her chances of meeting her idol, at LEAST three times in total (if I am not mistaken).

Her undying passion really paid off for her.

Earlier this evening, I traded messages with Brittany. I reminded her that she now has experiences that she will never forget for the rest of her life. I also mentioned to her that she is (in a way) an ambassador and her experiences are truly an inspiration for others. If this girl can do it, so can you!

Brittany also has a very nice start at a career or modeling/acting now. I am to understand that she can be seen in a few scenes of the film, “The Hunger Games”. I haven’t seen it, but others who have seen it have confirmed that they had seen her on the big screen. And that is now currently coming out on DVD/Blu-Ray. She also has her own profile on the IMDB website.

I cannot say that I personally or intimately know Brittany. I have traded correspondence with her via Facebook. And she’s always leaving smiles with each of her messages when she replies. That is always a shock for me because she has so many friends on Facebook that she takes the time to write me. And I wonder as to why she laughs when I’ve repeatedly requested an autograph??

And so there is a point to all of this:

No matter who or what your own passion is, no matter who your idol may be, there is always a viable and plausible opportunity for you. For some it is a political figure or a Hollywood actor or actress. For others it is musicians.

It is possible that with enough dedication and hard work, that your efforts in the end will cause your dreams to come totally true!!

Most importantly though, NEVER give up on your dreams! You may think that it is impossible because it will never happen. Or that it costs too much money. Whatever the excuse is– let it go. Do not let negativity overpower you.

In the case of Brittany, she set out to do something and she stuck with it and never gave up. Sufficed to say that she was greatly rewarded for her efforts.

If you have enough desire and will power, you will be rewarded too.

So did Brittany TRULY get to meet her idol? Well, you tell me… If you go to YouTube and do the right search, you will be able to witness all of these moments of Brittany’s dreams coming true.

 

 

 

 

Champion

“She’s just so talented, so beautiful, so kind, and has so much integrity. I’ve looked up to her and she’s taught me that you can overcome obstacles and work hard and become the person you want to be and achieve your dreams. Having her as  that example of what is possible has meant the world to me. She’s  the best singer in the world, I love her beautiful voice and her music speaks to me, but she’s far more than just a singer to me.” ~ L. Catalano

It has been a few days now since my last visit to Houston. The “high” from the excitement and happiness has begun to cool, but it has not completely diminished.

This blog post is about passion and the great things that can come from it. As is the passion in the quote, many of us are passionate about a lot of things or about people.

But as I reflect in my mind about the past weekend, my passion would lead me to a whole new understanding of what people have meant to me, and what I mean to others in return.

It is clear that I have a passion for the music of SIX MINUTE CENTURY. If you are a regular reader of this blog, and haven’t noticed that then you haven’t been paying that much attention!

I would have to say that I have become very fortunate to have met all of the people that I have met within the circles of the band. Both in their families and in their friends. And those relationships have definitely come a long way since my first show that I attended in April of 2011. I would not quite understand what that would mean until this past weekend.

I know that with each and every journey that I take in order to go see the band, I’m always feeling like the VIP. Of course, I naturally keep that opinion to myself as I would not want to come across as arrogant. Nor would I want anyone to think that I was selfish either. But honestly, it is how I made to feel.

I’ve gone through a lot of “behind the scenes” experiences with the band. And it was something that I didn’t beg or plead for. It simply was presented or given to me that I would have them. I cannot say as to what all I have been given, but sufficed to say that it blows me away as a simple “fan”.

And what I think has been incredible is that with each and every moment that I have gone through with the band and their families and what not, that I surprisingly found myself as “one of the family”…. the Centurion Family.

I was not aware of it until recently, but even the band members go out of their way to explain that whenever I come along to see them perform and the topic of conversation turns into “who I am” OR if I am being introduced by one of the band members or their wives, it is distinctly made clear about just how far I am coming to see the show. Or something to the effect of just how big of a fan I am of the band is almost always mentioned.

I had heard it a time or two, but I had not realized that it happens pretty much all of the time!! Even if I am not present at a show, the tale is told that I am one of their biggest fans and that I do so much for the band.

I have multiple copies of their CD. One of which is autographed. I made sure that I had photographs taken by the band. I have a nice collection of t-shirts, even if it is the same one. Again, one of them autographed. I talk about them at home to anyone that will listen. I even made a Facebook Fan Page for fans BY the fans.

I would absolutely believe that they are extremely appreciative of it all.

My favorite song, “Zero Hour”, has now been given to me in a sense. Each and every single time that SIX MINUTE CENTURY performs it live, they dedicate it to me as well as the members of the United States military as it deals with the war in the Middle East. Once the band started to realize how much I really love the song, from that point on… it has been dedicated to me. Even during live performances when I am unable to attend. Even lead guitarist, Don LaFon, wrote to me in a note “From now on, that is your song!”. (I wonder if one day he might allow me to hold his blue Ibanez guitar?)

Lead singer Chuck Williams said last Saturday night, “He comes a very long way every time to come see us and he loves the song a lot, so this goes to him and to the men and women in our military.”

But some where in the middle, I have made a transition from “fan of the band” to “friend of the band”. And it is a lot tighter than I had thought.

My first clue was when MRS. Froth had asked myself and her husband about how she looked prior to arriving to last Saturday’s show. I waited for Dr. Froth to speak first as he was the spouse. And I just piggy-backed his compliments as to not outshine his words. Because that would be bad juju.

Before I could concur with Dr. Froth, she turned around and claimed that he and I both were biased.

When I asked HOW I was biased, her response was “Because you are one of my best friends”, something that hit me that I never actually saw coming because I hadn’t really thought about it all that much. Nonetheless it touched my heart. I had to turn my face away just in case because I could feel the tears begin to build.

She and I have been friends prior to her getting married to Dr. Froth last November. She and I get along quite well. Except when I end up doing stupid shit and get myself grounded by her.

It is because of her, that I was introduced to SIX MINUTE CENTURY. And I think that she and I share the same passion for the band.

That coupled with how the band has treated me as far as introductions to newer people. New to me, that is. And the band and their families with their endless generosity, it becomes a perfect fit. And the key is reciprocity. With as much support as I have shown for the band and their music, they return in kind with their words and their actions of appreciation and generosity. And it just floors me because it wasn’t something that I had thought about or have been dwelling upon.

When I asked MRS. Froth why it was that she felt that way and how it has become that she has been so generous with me… a simple fan, her response was: “You have been a good friend to me, in spite of SMC, and that’s all I need.”

This is very true. I do not talk about the band 100% of the time with her. Between her and I, it has become a lasting friendship that no candle can be held against.

The same goes for Dr. Froth and lead singer, Chuck, and others within the band’s circles. I am able to talk to them any day of the week about anything… not just “When is the next show?”.

The new understand of what “I” mean to them, has come to the surface. The mutual love and respect for one another grows each time I see them. And you know, I could almost cry.

I feel like I AM the #1 fan in the world. I have been turned into the champion.

I am still the fan and yet I am the friend. I have traded in my “horns” for “hugs”. And to me that is AWESOME!!

I’m so much into the band, because I enjoy the music that much. Therefore, I definitely become a very loud mouthpiece and wave their banner.

The passion that burns inside all of us can definitely have its wonderful consequences. All of my experiences are living proof of it. Don’t be ashamed of being so supportive in what you believe in and what you are passionate about… whatever it is. Never let anyone stand in the way of what you enjoy. Life will have its moments of rewarding you in the end.

 

 

11 August 2012: Six Minute Century Presents Dr. Froth’s Birthday Extravaganza

“Come butter the sandal.”~ Dr. Froth

Gather around children. It is time for a Frothy tale.

I find it difficult to believe that I’ve been down to Houston and back again in such a short time.

Not only that but in the span of two short months, I have gone to see SIX MINUTE CENTURY play two shows.

This time, it was for Dr. Froth’s Birthday Extravaganza. The second one that I have been able to attend.

This was my THIRD show this year alone, my fifth in total. And it just gets better and better.

I had hoped that I would not have to write several blog posts concerning the weekend trip to Houston. Thankfully, I feel that there will be no need for it. The only foul up was the trip to Houston when I arrived and the bus that I was supposed to get on, was said to have no wheelchair lift.

That foul up actually turned around and totally worked in my favor.  It would cause me to get on a different bus and arrive just under an hour earlier than originally scheduled.  Perhaps the fault is within the bus line that I have been using all of this time. Perhaps I need to change since the buses that are here all go to the same place anyways.

But it took me on a different route. I would be able to see parts of this great state that I had never seen before. And a few things that I have. The most impressionable view that I had seen was the devastation that was left behind from the fires in Bastrop from last summer. The trees are standing but they are nothing but unified and uniformed pieces of sticks. It stuck in my mind because the night before, I was watching a show called “Day Tripper” and that show was in Bastrop. I would end up seeing the very same thing as was on television. But with my own eyes as we went down the road. So surreal!

However with this entirely different route, the ride wasn’t as “boring” as it has been in times past. Before I knew it, the bus was infiltrating Katy from the west and coming through right into downtown. I had to laugh and just wave as I saw Memorial City Mall where I have played sledge hockey before. And of course we remember the Mystery Woman who works there too!

As I got into town, I would have one more slip up. One that was more significant.

A man came up to me and was asking if I needed help with my bags. I declined.

But then he grabbed the strap and began to pull it. And that wasn’t cool. The strap was around my neck and the bag was on my lap. And had he actually pulled a lot harder, he probably would have strangled me.

So I popped him in the nuts with my elbow and down he went. Then he ran off. Probably scared and confused and totally apologetic as he ran the other direction.

Minutes later, Dr. Froth and his wife came and picked me up. I told him, “Get me outta here before I land in jail.” So we took off. I was so happy to see both of them, I probably could have dragged them into a group hug or something.

I checked into my hotel room and then I was all set. I was close enough for Dr. Froth and wife to grab me from the hotel and take me to the show on Saturday evening.

I’m so glad that I don’t have to waste my energy and time writing a negative blog about the hotel!! Last June was a complete nightmare. This time, it was wonderfully peaceful and accommodating.

Right before I settled in, Dr. Froth told me that if I needed anything to just let them know. Almost immediately I announced to him that I hadn’t eaten.

This was a very smart move as MRS. Froth had previously read my blog about the Super 8 hotel experience and when I mentioned I hadn’t eaten that day and never told her about it so that they could get me something…. well, I was grounded!!

I wasn’t going to go through that again, so I mentioned that I was a little hungry and whatever they decided to get me was just fine with me. My stomach was at their mercy. And needless to say, they pulled through with an excellent choice.

So I watched some television, turned up the air conditioning, and simply chilled. Ironically, I would find myself watching the movie, “Rock Star”. How fitting that was! I would find myself watching it again Saturday morning. It was a good thing to do to kill time.

Later on in the evening, I would settle in to watch some more television and then go to bed. But that would not happen as my cell phone rang while I was in the middle of a texting conversation with one of my friends.

I’m not going to go into detail about the telephone conversation, but I will say this: One should NEVER play with fire because you may get burned!

What was supposed to be a 10:30 PM bedtime, ending up being 2:15 AM the following morning.

And that would play into the fact that since I was awake at 8:15 AM that same morning? Yeah, six hours of sleep. And evidently, I slept totally wrong in that hotel bed as I woke up all contorted and twisted. It was weird.

It was time to get ready for the show. Watch “Rock Star” on television for a second time in 12 hours, and then the energy just came over me as I was told that I was going to be picked up in the afternoon to hang out with Dr. Froth and family as they got themselves ready for the show. And that included actually playing with their two month old Alaskan Malamute. Yep, Dambreaker was mixing it up with the puppy! And the dog won.

After that, we took off for BFE Rock Club. Fourth time there for a SIX MINUTE CENTURY show. I was not entirely enthusiastic about the restroom situation, but I made the best of it.

I was hoping that a particular person would be working there and tending bar. I’d get my wish. She was working outside on the back patio. The entry way though, has a very huge step down. It was very shaky because I had seen it before at night and never thought that I could navigate it. It would be like jumping off of a curb. But when there is a will, there is a way.

So I had a drink, talked to the waitress, got to know her a little bit better instead of relying on Facebook. And the gold medal action of it all, was that I got a photograph with her! And that was something that I had hoped could happen.

And due to some unfortunate circumstances there was a change of the venue. One band couldn’t make it. Another stepped in at the 9:00 PM slot.

ECHO TEMPLE. I had heard about them, but never any of their music. They blew me away!

After the first song, I had trouble finding my brain. All I could do was sit there and say, “WOW!”. And it was pretty loud when I said that. Many people admitting that they heard it, but were unsure where it was coming from. I’m sure the band heard it as well. I sat there wondering if I could get my hands on anything that they may have released. I totally enjoyed their set. It would be cool to see them play again.

The true test of the night would be the next band. WELL OF SOULS.

I know that Mrs. Froth has always waved the banner for them, just as much as she does for SIX MINUTE CENTURY. And keep in mind, it is she that is responsible for introducing me to SIX MINUTE CENTURY, and I love them! So most certainly, she can do no wrong… wouldn’t you think?

WELL OF SOULS is a different genre of music. Doom metal. It isn’t something that I could honestly say that I have gotten into. But I decided to jump on the fence and see where I landed at the end of their set.

Their front man has such showmanship, that I became nervous for him to look at me from the stage. Almost as if I was afraid that his eyes was going to consume my eternal soul and claim it. I was impressed by that. Again, this was a band that I knew of, but knew nothing of their music.

Dr. Froth

Dr. Froth, I should mention also plays bass guitar with WELL OF SOULS. So the poor guy was about to pull double duty for two bands, and play them back to back. I don’t know how these musicians do it but they do it because they love it!

After one particular song from WELL OF SOULS, I was up against the stage and I threw the Devil’s Horns into the air. The front man caught it, and he threw them right back. His eyes filled with dark passion for the music. It was totally incredible to see that vision with his fingers in the air. I wished I had taken the opportunity to take a photograph of it.

I was sold. And now the VoM has created a monster. Her response? “I told you!”.

Yes you did. You did indeed.

All I could think about at that point was I was totally impressed by the two bands and I want in on everything there is to have. Where’s the merchandise table????

Sadly, there was none. At least nothing there that I didn’t have already! But by the end of the night, I wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

As I turned away from the tables, I was accosted by another waitress who was selling off Jell-O shots. I at first declined, but then she started to shake her groove thing, and I couldn’t resist that.

As Larry Miller said: Women are the most powerful magnet in the universe. And men are cheap metal. And they all know where “north” is.

So what the hell, I bought one. She gave me change back and she wasn’t quite sure if she gave me the correct amount. I was to receive $4.00 back. So I counted off the singles and took the last bill and shook it in her face.

The waitress stepped closer to me and stuck her chest out.

She allowed me to stuff this dollar bill down her top across her left breast. With what she was wearing, there was no room for it in her cleavage.

I made nice and sure that it was tucked down in there. Ohhhhh yes I did. I made sure that it wasn’t going to fall out easily at all. Nice and cozy.

But the adult games would have to come to an abrupt end as I saw members of the gothic metal band SILENCED WITHIN heading for the door. I’ve made good friends with them, and I wasn’t going to let them leave without taking some more photographs with them. They’ve become so nice and adapting when it has come to that. What was so cool about it was that bands were coming out to support other bands. That’s gotta be one of the coolest feelings in the world for bands who are performing.

Bands, bands, everywhere.

After that, I had to take my place by the stage and prepare for the moment that I had been waiting two months for. I was going to send a text message out to a few select friends, but noticed that my battery was as dead as door nail. All because of the night before using the phone for so long just killed it. And I didn’t know what I was going to do because how was I to communicate? I simply forgot to bring the charger. Will NOT make that mistake again.

Since we were there to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Froth, it was particularly special for me to have been there. I mean… I HAD to go, right?!?

The set for SIX MINUTE CENTURY was a bit longer, but that was perfectly fine with me! The band actually debuted a few new songs that are off of their new album that they are working on. I felt extra honored and extra special that I was there to witness that.

“Baptized In Flames” was one of their new songs. The song moved me so much that I cried. Yes, I actually cried REAL tears. I freaked out the guy standing to the right of me.

But I stuck it out and I let loose. I knew that there were eyes on the back of my head, and I just didn’t care. I was there to rock and have a good time, and that is exactly what I did.

Especially after bugging VoM to death for the past seven weeks by my constant badgering of “Are we there yet?”. I actually asked her one more time. But it was up close and personal. I took one more shot at her and paid the consequences for it. I sat there and said aloud, “Yeah, I deserved that shit.”

After all, we WERE there. No clue as to why I should drag it out other than to tease her about it. Oh well. I’ll perhaps learn one day. For my OWN sake.

The three band just impressed me so much Saturday night. It was the greatest show ever. And I was there to be a part of it all.

I was able to bring my own custom made SIX MINUTE CENTURY t-shirt. I hope the guys in the band liked it.

After the show, I got to hang out at Denny’s (again for the third time in 24 hours) with WELL OF SOULS and have breakfast. When that was finished, the front man provided me with some of the band’s merchandise that he had in his vehicle. I was very appreciative of that. They too, have a new album coming soon. I’m gonna run like a child hyper from eating chocolate when I hear that the album has been released.

Saturday night was so short. Whenever we are leaving the late night breakfast, my brain goes into this mode of preparation for my departure which is always soon around the corner from that point.

I told VoM on more than on occasion that I never like getting to that point because I know that I have to go home. But I have also mentioned to her that I know deep down that it is not the last time.

And now I am home. It is kind of freaky to think that just several hours ago I was there hanging out with everyone and having the time of my life!