A Spontaneous Adventure

My feelinG of July 3-4, 2013 

Here it is folks. An account of a story not for the feint of heart. In the least. i'm just glad i can still function normally, for the most part. You see, i'm wild in some aspects and enjoy being spontaneous. Hence the title and this blog post which might stretch into infinity with the mindless details...but friends, it was just such a stinking Adventure of sorts, i would feel like i was cheating you of important, life changing, earth moving exclamations and discoveries of life itself! Well..let's be honest: i doubt you're looking for any of that here on this blog. Whew, let's hope you're not anyway!

i Better start by saying i've had this idea ever since i wanted a sleeping bag for Christmas in 2010..? My parents live near the beach so i've always had this fantasy of camping out under the stars. On the beach with just a sleeping bag. Listening to the waves crash and so on. But, there was a significant problem: the closest beach that allowed camping was a good hour and half drive away. i Never got around to doing it except a year ago when i got a tent for Christmas and tore out to Freeman Park with my dad. We had some problems: not being tired at going to sleep at about 8:30, choosing a night with a full moon to name just a few. The next day when we came back, there was so much sand in the tent it was a complete mess.

So on July 2nd, i didn't wake up and say, "i'm going to spend tomorrow night on the beach by myself. No doubt." It was about 2100hrs. on the 2nd that i tentatively made plans to follow through my "solid" plan the next day. The only troubles were having to go to the doctor's and picking up my mom at the airport...close to an hour away.  No problem, i thought. If only i knew my ProblemS had only just begun.

The mom had to pick up some vegetables on the way back so that took some extra time, when i got home i figured i could gather everything i needed quickly. i Had no qualms about this and thought it'd be simple enough. i Knew i needed some sort of sustenance for dinner that night and for breakfast the next day and possibly lunch..or just some extra cold hard cash. i Threw some cold cuts, chips, and cherry tomatoes in a plastic bag. i Closed it tightly with barely any air in the bag. i Thought. My dad was telling me i need to sleep on something other than the sleeping bag because the sand gets so dang damp at night. He suggested a trash bag and i thoroughly enjoyed that idea sense our tarp could have been wrapped around are roof with its size.. i Snagged a water bottle that keeps your liquid cold even when left in the sun and filled it with ice, water, and some Bolthouse Farms smoothie. i Kept thinking of one more item to pack and struggled with how to carry my sleeping bag as well as wear a backpack and try to keep some earphones in my head. A lot goin' on. i Would get it all situated and then remember something drastic (e.g. Gatorade/sunscreen) and have to remove every little package to pack it in. It got pretty tiring but finally at about 5:25ish i was peeling out of my driveway with my bike and dorky helmet..(do people still use that word? "Dorky?")

The one good part about leaving that late in the afternoon was that...i knew that the last ferry was to leave at 6. i Was about 7 miles away. With traffic and wind blowing at me almost the entire time. That was the "good" part, that i knew when the ferry was leaving..and i had to BOOK it. No matter the odds. Everything seemed to be okay until i decided to stop for my first water break after going about 2 miles. The struggle was that the bottle was in a side pocket and i have to take off everything but my clothes to put it back in (why didn't i just use a Camel-Back?!). i Kept struggling on the side of the road while cars whizzed by and i decided to check the time. i Was running out of it quick. Then, while my "Summer 2013" playlist jammed away, i started praying that i'd make it.

While i lit out for this ferry still a good ways away, it was mostly uneventful except when i started across a bridge at the wrong section and almost blew out my tires..at least it felt that way. But, as i neared the ferry i noticed car after car driving by.. Most likely they were all coming from the ferry that had arrived. i Wasn't close enough yet to see it and i started trying to fly. i Felt like any minute the boat would leave and i would be left trying to call a parent to pick me up..which of course would have been mortifying. When i got closer, i saw that most of the gate was closed and a red stop sign was over it. i Pedaled faster to see if i could slip behind the gate and still make it on the boat. Someway, (ahah, with God on my side) i sped up to the gate and there was a guy there saying, "Come on, they'll let you on! i'm only stopping the cars." Such a nice old man. So there was a lady who told me quite assuredly that i won't get a ticket but i can pay my fee of $2 and she'll let me on fine. As it turned out, i was almost the last of the last as there were some other bikers (some of whom i weren't sure why the were biking..of if the bike could handle....you know.) and a car that must have managed to talk its way onto the ship. It didn't make sense.

We arrived fine except that on this particular ferry people like to throw food for seagulls and so whether the boat has passengers that are doing this or not, a Flock often follow the boat all day. This is annoying because you know what seagulls can do on top of people as they hover and wait for food. Dreadful, distasteful wretches. But yes, i arrived fine with no "mistakes" to clean up and i took off down the road to the far end of the beaches-- the one i was headed to was North Carolina which was at least 7 or 8 miles. i Wasn't worried because i had made the ferry-- the hardest part, for now..

As i got closer to the town, more and more "marvelous traffic" hurtled around me. i Stopped at a gas station in the shade for a water break and refill my water bottle. That meant once again taking off everything but my shorts and shoes and gulping down my refreshing liquids. i Looked over to the nearby parking lot and there was an.. Interesting individual sitting, more like moping, on a moped. Definitely moping on his moped. He looked like his favorite activities included NOT attempting to brighten anybody's day and Heaven forbid looking "presentable." A worker from this filling station went up to him to try and make conversation as the employee must have been on a break, and...i'm afraid he failed. He asked what type of moped it was and the bony, stringy, greasy and certainly grimy man gave him a faraway, unconcerned look that must have not only confused me (who was just dropping eaves innocently and curiously), but maybe completely losing the poor guy that asked. In other words, even though the employee repeated his question, i'm pretty sure the thoughts in his head were saying, "Why am i asking this? What am i asking again? What's the question? i Think i'll give up now."

i Kept going on my way with only three or four near collisions with clueless tourists who were trying to find the next tourist trap for them to get lost in. It was only about 1940hrs. when i finally made it to the beach, but i had to immediately start walking my bike as the sand was so thick. i Didn't slog too long however before i found an "Emergency Vehicles Only"sign and followed that path closer to the water where i could hop back on and pedal down the beach to find a place to "set up camp." (Not much to set up without a tent, ahah..) i Noticed immediately there were already a good many people with their campers and tents set out and ready to party it up the next day...i thought. At one point there was an "adorable couple" having a picture taken and so i attempted my politeness and tried to go around them but misjudged when a wave was coming in and road through some water ankle deep. Naturally this threw ocean water everywhere drenching my shoes. So i carried on down the beach before i realized, there were just more and more people as i went further down. My saving grace was that there wasn't much activity set up on the other side of the "road" (where people drive in between sand dunes and the water). Let me draw a quick picture for you: sand dunes, maybe 50 or 40 yards of sand, tents, then water soon after that at high tide.  i Looked towards the dunes and there wasn't much except one tent...i thought.

Carefully trying to spread out my cut trash bag and towel took a little daylight time with the constant breeze ruffling and scrunching up my flimsy bag. But it worked at last and i settled into my zip-lock bag of goodies..until i realized that the chips had gotten all kinds of moisture in them and all the lettuce had wilted. Nevertheless, i was thankful for something to gnaw. As it got darker, i continued to notice how cars, trucks, (a little old punch bug with an unbearable motor) and the like traveled back forth in front of me on the "highway," as i began to call it. i Cracked open a few pages of the Good Book and played a few notes on the harmonica before i decided to pull out my sleeping bag and situate that. It worked, but with the bottom of it sticking in the sand being longer than my trash bag and towel. Of course my shoes and socks were already off and sandy so i knew i was going to have a Sandy Sleeping Bag by the time it was all over with. i Wasn't too worried about it until i realized that to get into the "helpful" "protective bag" i would have to slide my feet in scraping sand off my feet and coating the inside of the bag. Perfect,..if i wanted to catch some shuteye with a thin layer of clingy, moist (hate that word) sand all over me. The fun was beginning to start, can you tell?

At about 8:30 or 9, fireworks started up. A massive, long show was happening and i had pretty good seats! i Was so far away that i didn't hear the "crackle effect" ones but heard the boom pretty well...delayed, but still heard it. Then i ripped my attention to some similar closer noises about 300 or 500 feet away as people were doing the same activity! It was quite a little spectacle being in between all the action. It was a little unnerving knowing that these distinguished beach goers were drinking beer and were jovial in lighting fireworks. Genius. i've always thought alcohol and any type of explosive were a great combo and these people must have thought so too! Funny how that works out...(if it works out at all..*cough*)

While fireworks blasted all around me, the night sky was perfect. i Could watch some shooting stars as well as a show with all the loud entertainment. (This was a big plus to the evening so i thought i should set this apart...ahah.)

While bombs bursting in air continued with a jolly raucous, there was quite the rowdy behavior going on elsewhere. The vehicles. They never ceased!! It was unbelievable. Truck after truck after Trailblazer after SUV after truck after SUV after truck....after Trailblazer...aft-..you see my point. It was unreal. The amount of wheels running back and fo' and back and fo'! Of course, when the major firework show ended there were a number of cars coming back at the same time and i figured that out after marveling some more about it.. But... Then it started all over again! They just started Runnin' that highway, i mean beach strand.

At about 10:30 there was a group of maybe 2 guys come walking over with this cooler (was really scratching my head at what was in the cooler.....not.) and at first plunked down only about 30 feet away from me, not seeing me in the dark. One of them sounding very intelligent and far from Southern said, "This is us bro!" Then 3 obnoxiously loud girls walked over with more stuff and a flashlight and must have caught sight of me with it for one said, "Is ther' som'body sleepin' over ther'?" in quite the accent that fits so well....in the south. One of the possibly more bright ones got the rest of them to move a little further away so that worked, until a little later..

It only got worse when some silly boys and girls decided they were going to start pretending they were at Myrtle Beach. If you've never been to the Strip in Summer time, i..guess, it's worth it? Anyway, what happens on the Strip is that, starting at about midnight, people will drive up and down with their windows down and yelling or wooing out their windows. Blaring music and tearing back and forth. Sounds like a blast right? Big redneck trucks whistling at girls and comment-i mean yelling about their looks and just being so professional and gentlemanly. Well, that is what happened. Exactly. To the letter. One truck in particular kept driving by this tent that had the 3 clamorous girls (who smoked so attractively.......) and that went over real well with them of course. They only egged them on, flirting at the top of their lungs. One guy said something so classy to one of the girls, i thought he should have not completed his turn and instead, completed something much more helpful like driving into the ocean!

So you see, there was traffic all night long and plenty of "woo girls" to replace all the real ones in New York City bars. Two times. Of course the drunk fireworks were just an added bonus and it was a..mess. Naturally. Drunk fireworks are the best kind, naturally. As it turned out, people were coming a day early to "whoop it up" all night on the eve of the Fourth. And, they wanted to be claiming their spots. Well, as i strived and toiled about falling asleep with all this highway fun, i was lying my head on my hiking backpack which i thought would be enough padding. It was not. Once again the sand got wicked hard and i couldn't get comfortable. It didn't make sense with all the biking and walking through sand..to no avail, my eyes wouldn't stay shut. Oh wait, i remember why i struggled so much: what made it harder was that i kept waking up through the night to more people pulling in. i'm not exaggerating. You're doing the math right. The hour was LATE, yet people kept rolling in as if it was a bright sunny day and they were going to be setting up camp with all this daylight to aid them.. People just set up their camps in complete dark with some LED lights, always managing to get it right in my eyes. Their aim was impeccable. i Guess some good can be found in this too.. i Wasn't ever run over my some car backing up or waking up outside of someone's tent or right next to a car....until the morning. i Couldn't sleep in at all because some people had moved in pretty close to me and had kept a fire going all night and talked away. And the sun was up pretty fast. At about 7:40 two massive 4X4 trucks pulled in right next to me.. "Right," a word that here means a mere 10 feet from my head. i Knew right then that it was time to move on. They tried to be pleasant and greet me, but there wasn't much use in that as they were pretty much "The Invaders."

My July 4th was pretty eventful as well, but not with such colorful folks (except some retired heavy drinkers at a neighborhood picnic, one of which had brought some Vodka!). The ride home consisted of seeing a ton of traffic and feeling powerful being able to pass these forlorn cars waiting and waiting.

It wasn't a miserable experience really, it was just an Experience. One that i will be sure to plan for better next time..and expect Culture to be there on the beach as well! It saddened me that at some times i didn't feel like i had left the county where my parents live and i confess i attended school for a little bit. The whole point of the trip was to see tourists and people who were from "Wi'min'ton," not the place i liked to avoid. Ah well, i still went to that picnic and laughed with some Vets and got to thank them so, not a complete waste of a Fourth at all! Far from it.

If you serve for our Nation, i thank you and please know that i am proud to be an American. There isn't another place like it, on Earth.

Thoughts from Inside an Internship and Living Alone

It's been a "minute" since i last posted, so i thought i'd update this ol' dreary blog. To give context, i'm living in a cousin's house while they're out of town and dog sitting for them in the morning and night. During the day, i work in an office for a lawyer and his associates who include a Public Relations firm in a metropolis.

Here are some tidbits from a guy who's got some new views on life and its [sometimes] bleak surprises. The list is in no particular order and dull explanations are at the bottom for those..enthusiasts.

1. i Feel odd and forlorn looking through apparel designers websites and the strangely attractive models of the female kind.

2. If you're in an organization, or small business even, and you're trying to sell something, keep a website...please.

3. Stop tooling, fumbling, and fooling around in the kitchen and let your wife-....oh wait.

4. Find out when Mr. and Ms. are necessary..

5. When battling cantankerous bugs of the cockroach family, don't fight unarmed!

6. When in doubt, have an egg.

7. Don't let the wife know that when she's gone i can't make up my mind about which side of the bed to sleep-....oh wait.

8. So. Much. Internet. i Hope my browsing history doesn't break.

9. Unpaid work is going to teach me some valuable lessons..

10. Girlswhosmokeareattractive-girlswhosmokeareattractive-girlswhosmokeare....nope! Still no.

11. Find out when flirting is taking place and adjust accordingly. Stat.

12. Google can be completely worthless, or not.

13. Headphones can make it Real Fun.

14. If ignored, give up. A.S.A.P.

15. When i grow up, make sure to move to a spot with people, lots of.

16. And so, i join this Interesting world of people working a "9 to 5."

Descriptions:
1. One of my assignments at work is to try to build a contact list for clothing manufacturers of athletic apparel, but...i have to sift through a lot of the standard, pricey, strange clothes to find the right one. i May or may not catch myself daydreaming about buying strange clothes for this Future wife of mine and then stroll around NYC like we own it.
2. Getting extremely fed up with people who have a business, but don't keep a website or don't update the web that it's closed or anythang!!... Driving me crazy with how excited i might get and then only to find out i can't find any of their products or at least a website saying it still exists and it hasn't closed up shop.
3. "i'm so single, 12 year olds have more romantic relationships than i do.." -A.R.Y.  So good. But yess, i'm trying strange concoctions in the kitchen and it's not working too well. But it's interesting! i'm learning how far i can go!..getting rice to stick to the bowl and throwing flimsy noodles at wooden cupboards.
4. Now that i'm 21, i find it difficult to still not stick to my roots of addressing elders as, "Mr./Ms." but..there's a problem when she or he is my co-worker....?
5. Somehow there are these monsters that slip into the kitchen and like to terrorize me. For some reason they are thrilled to jump out at me when i'm least expecting it and most unprepared. Do they even?! i'm always trying to do battle with them when i have nothing but my feeble appendages. Still, i remember my manners and ask, "Please, put up your dukes." Normally they're more annoyed, and win with smug expressions on their faces when they scuttle off self-assured.
6. Returning to #3, i eat eggs. A lot. Mostly soft or hard boiled as this is, "healthy?" So, if i'm hungry...i'm learning to just, have another flipping egg.
7. "i'm [still] so single, i have to hang a photo of Ryan Gosling around my neck so girls will look at me." - A.R.Y. Genius. Where i sleep is a good tale though. It's in this Queen sized bed. i Can count how many times i've slept in one..with one or two hands. SO many choices of which side!! Options are endless.
8. For my job...i have to be on the internet. A lot. So, my browsing history has never been so stinkin' packed full! At least i feel like it's full..now i'm wondering if it can get too full? We'll see.
9. Yes. It's as if i'm supposed to be a Servant in this life, or something??....mostlikely.
10. Yep. Sorry but, no. Definitely..no. While a girl swearing is not as bad, it's mighty close to her smoking..for me..
11. Welll, i just need to know. i'm terrible at guessing...it's as bad as me attempting mathematics!! So, plain awful.
12. If you know how to use that incredible tool it can be...unbelievable. For example, narrowing your search to a specific date! Quite amazing.
13. i Sometimes forget these and....all of a sudden, the day creeps by impressingly slow. These little tykes can make your day fly at the office.
14. Somehow, i'm just exceedingly exceptional at catching sight of a tremendously attractive female creature and she completely ignoring me as soon as i do. It never fails. In fact, i'm so talented at this, i think i could go for the gold if i made it an Olympic sport.
15. i Like people. i Have to be sure there are plenty of them wherever God moves me after school.
16. "9 to 5." So..entertainingly filled of an Interesting life....this sort of statement is dripping in sarcasm if you didn't know. Wow, it's certainly a lifestyle!...i just hope i'm ready for it.
17. What in the world?! Stop reading. That's all i've got.. Close this superfluous blog!

Relavant But a Dodgy Subject

Summer 2013 has finally settled in. This past year has been..whew, Something Else!!! That's..an understatement. If you don't mind i'm going to just savor this moment for a minute longer. There, i feel better. Hearts broken/mended (almost), prayers answered/unanswered (Hah, they may seem unanswered but He's got a Plan like always so it's not my problem!), and some wild dreams have occurred...(several nights ago i had the most wild one of all: i was giving youth talks about Marriage. Can you imagine? Me, just me, giving talks, supposed meaningful talks at that, on Marriage of all subjects!? Made me almost mad when i woke up. What a waste of time. As if i know about That!?!!)

Well, i'm an intern at a PR firm in NC and own a car. It feels Real....-ly like a dream. It's like i'm an adult or something....whoahh let's not get carried away. i'm still a college student, no matter how hard i try to enter the grown-up world. i Better get used to it. At least another 2 years.....(hopefully 1.5! We'll see if i can take the strain..doubtful.)

Now for a subject i've thought about here and there as i've gotten older and it's hit me in the face more and more: Pride. Phew, guys/readers, i don't know about you but that is something i just can't quite.."get in to." i Don't mean to sound Lofty, but come on. How much is necessary? True, some arrogance may be allowed for oneself when one accomplishes something Significant...possibly winning an election for President or being able to give back large sums of money to something that helped you grow as an individual but..being proud about just about anythang seems..over the top. Some people are just so Proud. i'm thinking like this because i recently overheard a peer of mine explain how her skills in music and how long she has been singing and so on. i Was so horrified, i could barely focus on my work. This far from unique individual was standing there, mouthing away about her accomplishments and how she's come a long way and how she sounds so good now..

It only gets worse when someone is so proud they do not want to lower themselves and even exchange conversation with someone they deem to be beneath them. What in the world? i Fear, they're missing It.

A while back i was waiting for some associates at a fast food drive-through to get their food and you wouldn't believe what happened. The young lady gave us the food, there wasn't a single, "Thank you..!" and because of this, it was quite awkward. No, more than that. It was, out of place and weird. It didn't make any sense for that to happen and i was, confused. Completely. This may have nothing to do with them being too proud and everything with them just being tired..but it certainly got me thinking nonetheless.

You see, when someone says, "thank you," they aren't just expressing their thanks. They're actually doing something else as well simultaneously. They're bringing themselves down and putting themselves on that same level as they are valuing the other person as well. They want to honor the other person and show that they care enough about that person to say, "i Appreciate you for doing/helping with something i couldn't do by myself unless i were to swap roles with you!" Especially if one is selling some product.

Saying "thank you" is so crucial to me not only because i was raised that way, but because of its implications. Furthermore, it can be applied to the Gospel perfectly. Why do we need to show our appreciation to God? Ahah...(Hint: the Cross and everything else He has done).. This cycles right back to me being perturbed about people being haughty.

If one thinks that highly of his/her self that much, to give so much credit to their own, it is time they re-evaluated what is vital to their lives. 

In a Hurry

Why is everyone in a hurry? Hold on, let me slow down myself and rewind until it makes a little more sense why i've decided to write on this dying and dead website. Specifically, this URL ahah.
Well, apparently it took me an entire year to finish up that last post about pushing plugs on the green and that nearly killed me. i Actually enjoy smashing my head against a keyboard in hopes something magnificent can appear on "Blogger," but as this page shows, that hasn't happened once...well, maybe once. Or twice. Here's the problem, i no longer have time for banging away madly with keys which have letters and numbers. What has changed? Not a ton, but a bunch has.
"Blogger" is what Google decided to call it? Oh fine, "blogspot" just made too much sense (a spot to write a blog on this network of networks). Minor change, but a significant one because i can't figure out this new setup. Good news is that i'm taking an "online publication" course with this site. Perhaps i can learn somet'ang. Please check out my li'l review sites of sorts that takes a look at random but extremely talented musicians: haveyouheardofthem.com!!
i'm now a sophomore and Communications major at my school and headed towards an English minor. i Am still no better than a six year old at math and am concerned i might have to take the GRE if i want to go to grad-school. Problems brewing. i Have several jobs on campus but alas, am not as debonair as i wish and confidence is hard to find as i search daily.
Now that the catching up is all through, on to my rantings.

Why can't people learn to be alone? Well, if that's not a grand ol' Loaded question of sorts, i'm not sure what is. But think for a second. i'm not talking about living 'lonely,' i.e. feeling lonesome and not having a friend in the world. Not at all. This little trifling of a comment is going to be quite foolish yet entertaining i hope as i look for an answer (and fail outstandingly) to why people struggle with Relationships (including..yours truly). Capital "R" for i am speaking about those *cough*notatallunique, individuals who feel they must have a significant other and cannot be without a "bf" or "gf" for more than a few months (regretfully, you know as well as i do that this number of months can be significantly smaller. i.e. weeks for some witless ones). It's beyond me and has my mind often floundering for the answer.

What is it about people that they have to be in a Relationship? Is it because they just want so desperately for someone to share that close connection with? If that's the simple answer than there is a problem. One simply cannot find those connections with friends? If not, then another question springs to mind along with that. Why do people need that intimacy that they just "have to have?" This worries me because this is quite obviously a sinful world.. i Realize my thoughts have been rambling quite a while already, but i'm still concerned...fearful.

People have got to realize there is Something More. He created them. He died for them. What does it take for them to understand they do not have to look anymore? That they can find what will completely fill that hole? i Have to backtrack now and bring myself into this. i Struggle just as much as anybody. i Catch myself wanting that void filled a LOT too often. i Constantly need waking up and reminding that He's right here next to me wanting me to call out to Him. i Can't get away from this just like everybody else can't, and i am at fault for thinking this way just like many others.

So, where can we put our Hope? i Know the answer and i hope you can grasp it better than me. It's God. It's Always God. He's always the Answer we really need, and yet we continue to seek what's here on this condemned earth. Everything dies here or will die. The Bible says so (Matt. 6). i Pray that we can See and Know this Answer, daily.

If we could learn to be "alone" in a happy, non-melancholy way, i know for a fact great changes could be made for people. A certain musician i really look up to named Adam Young writes in a song, "My Captain on His snowy horse, He's coming back to take me Home, He'll find me fighting back a terrible force, 'cause i'm not afraid to die alone!"That's the epitome of the way i want to live. That kind of passion. That kind of fearlessness. All of which can only be gained by God's measureless Grace which He pours out to us every stinking day.

Switching gears just a bit, in pondering the word "hurry," i wonder how many of you not necessarily think of getting in and out of Relationships but just day-to-day. i Catch myself all the time rushing onto the next activity or duty and this even includes food (which i love dearly). As i get older i notice how quickly time is flying. i Can't grasp it. Well, of course, who can "grasp" time but God, but i was remarking on the fact that i don't understand why it has to fly. i Know it's my Duty to use my time well, but i find myself rushing around like wild. So much so that sometimes it slips into my answer of the kind question, "How are you?"

This will do no good. So, it gets me thinking about New Year's Resolutions and what mine should be..which further gets me depressed because we all know what happens with New Year's Resolutions. They die like myspace.com..most of the time.
Instead, i will say "Cheers!" and start this new semester at school and 2013 with hopefully, hopeful eyes that do not scream, "Run, dash, faster! Sleep is for the weak! You imbecile!!" but say nicely, "i'm Looking Up, for There lies my Hope, Life, and Everything."

Pushin' Them Plugs: Chapter Dos and Epilogue

So, after pounding down my snack i had so smartly packed, i was ready to leave for "Player's Club." They told me to take a golf cart over there with a "leveler" so i went to where they were hung up in the shop with the rest of the tools and there was one left. It had a broken handle, making it pretty short and small, but i didn't think anything of it at the time. The metal leveler part was pretty loose and shaky too. Little did i know..i should have thought A LOT about it.

i Tossed it happily into the back of the motorized golf cart, made sure i had enough gas, checked that my full lunch box was in the cart, and took off down the road. To be perfectly honest, i was quite nervous about the directions of where i was going. They didn't want me to take the main road all the way down to Player's Club, naturally. So, there i was tearing along at about 8mph(?maybe slower) on some back roads that had a speed limit of 25 because there were a lot of houses that were so close to the street. Even though the directions weren't clear i somehow found my way at the golf course and was told they had "started on the back" (if i'm remembering right) which meant i would have to find and follow this cart path i had never been on and try and find them soon so i could help... Why was i so eager and excited? i Wish i could tell you. If only i had known what i was getting myself into..
After passing the first few last holes, (i was going backwards from 18) i found them resting in some shade. Let me just reiterate once again about this job. It was one that tested, tried, wore out, tired, exhausted, taxed, strained, challenged, and stretched a full grown man to his breaking point. Of course, i had no idea about this. After a few minutes of sitting on our carts, we drove to the next green where i was told what to do. "It's pretty simple...we're just pushin' these plugs. See that?" The big oafish gentleman said to me pointing at the green. There on the green there were countless pieces of grass stuck together in sort of the shape of a slug and about that long too. Please feel free to read up and become learned in "picking up aeration plugs on golf greens" "Mhm yes sir," i said still happy. "Well, all you do is this," and he demonstrated for me by pushing down on the leveler and walking at a fairly strong stomp of a pace.
Starting in the middle as they all showed me, i pushed down and began strutting across the green. The first several seconds were a breeze. The plugs stayed in front of my tool and i pushed away. About halfway across from where i had started, making it about a fourth of the way to my destination on the "collar" of the green where we pushed the plugs, i suddenly felt an immense weight in front of me and i had to push down with significantly more force. Then, i began losing consciousness. i Thought to myself, "If i'm busy doing this for another hour or two, i think i'll be done. In all meanings of the word." However, i struggled on with this leveler and tried my hardest. After an hour or so of pushing plugs to the collar, i also had to help pick them up with a plastic, big, snow shovel. Very hard work as well as once you get the shovel full you must hoist it up about 4 feet to throw into the back of a truck.
This went on for a while before one of the guys who had joined us later said to me in broken english, "You work with a small one?" i Figured out he was talking about my leveler and how it was shorter than everybody's. It had been broken at the top but i still had no qualms about it. If only i knew this kind Hispanic would be changing my life. He gave me a bigger one and suddenly... i Could go to TOWN on these plugs. Basically, i could "PWN these n00bs." Essentially, i could "take them down to China Town." What i'm trying to say is, i owned it.
We stopped for lunch (2 hefty size hamburgers from a local place) for about 20 to 25 minutes and then tore into it again. By about 3:45 we had another break and i had a healthy portion of the leftovers, which i thoroughly enjoyed by the way. Superb.
All in all, i was eating, sweating, drinking, eating, and sweating so much my body didn't know what was going on. The day stretched on and i just kept pushin' them plugs until about 4:30 when i got to clock-out. On reaching home, i had never felt relief and just plain "dog-tiredness" as i did on walking through that back door.

Epilogue
Well reader, you have come to the end of this little/extremelylong story filled with much blood and tears, but i thank you for reading this adventure in my life. It was one i shall never forget. Whether it was the strange conversation i shared with some of these older guys, or how much difference it made to have a regular size leveler, i was thankful for the experience. If there was something i learned that day (in all honesty, i believe i learned a ton), it is to "never give up, even when you think you can't push any longer, push 'til the end for it will be the end sooner than later." And, "Eat lots of food."

Pushin' Them Plugs: Chapter Uno

As promised (well, fine i definitely didn't promise anything so just live with it anyway), i shall now recount my very first day "pushing plugs on the greens" for that striving serious sweaty slave struggle of a job i had over the summer of 2011 (a summer that was so hot and humid and unlike any partier out of high school has possibly ever had). Note to reader: This may turn out to be novel-like (meaning chapters of uselessness) and another perfect (and i mean flawless), supremely, the best way to..waste your ever precious time. Of course, if i really want to make you sad, i would say something like, "Well, you're already dying right now as you read and time passes, so, you could stop now and do something worthwhile like stare at the clock for five minutes, or, just continue."
Well the morning began, 4:45 (if i remember right, unless it was a rare morning where i got up later around..5:18..) just like every other day of the week (except Sunday naturally) where I removed myself from the gloriously old bedframe and clomped down stairs to stir up something in the kitchen. If i remember right (forgive me if i keep saying this but it's "trying" to say the least when trying to remember something that happened in July when one has experienced several x 8 blog-worthy escapades), all i created from the cupboards was a bowl of cereal, hand-pourn and eaten. Classic.
After yanking the refridgirator's doors wide open (being sure NOT to slam them into the corner of the wall that perfectly stands so a careless individual would easily blast the door against the wall leaving a hedious black mark on the white fridge) and searching for my prepared lunch (gathered the night before in the second to biggest tup-a-ware my family owns which held an amazing peanut sauce stir fry dish that my father NAILS), i stealthily closed the doors (blatant lie as everyone knows who has a fridge with that impossible rubber suction lining that has to make that tell-tale "sshhht!!!!" sound no matter how much you RULE in the kitchen and sneaking treats when it's not Treat Day!!!1) and proceeded to hurdle up the stairs, silently, and brush the teeth (all four) vigorously.
Granola bar, nuts, amazing rice and stir fry that was fit for a king, i believed i was set. Tearing out of the garage (with definitely not half as much as speed as that curazy fiend of a Pops i have) i drove to work. On arrival i learned how that it was going to be pretty normal (except of course for the fact that...i had no idea what the day had to share so willingly with me) for i had to do the SandPro. So you don't have to go look up a defition or Heaven forbid actually read and waste more time on this bleak blog, basically it's a machine that smoothes the sand in the bunkers and makes it look good for the grouchy old people; they can then madly stomp and sink to attempt at rescuing their ball. i Don't recall anything about this particular morning of SandPro that is worth mentioning, so just, thank your stars (however many you have, personally i'm trying to find my first one) and read about what happened next.
After washing the SandPro (with a hose that was powerful enough to wash down the USS Arizona ship and also send that hulking terrible boyfriend to the moon with one spurt of water), i plodded to the break room to get one of my snacks (mixed nuts?) and look on the white board for my second job for the day. It revealed these haunting words, "PLAYER'S CLUB" i Had no idea what it meant, naturally, but assumed that i was going to work there for the rest of the day (easily 4.5+ hours). i Went to see one of my supervisors about it and did not hear too much detail. They told me i was going to be "pushing plugs" over at the Player's Club (another golf course that was on the same land as the one i worked at) and working with a leveler.
Ah, there i was. About to transfer for the day to another course to help with a job that i knew nothing about. Classic. (No really, in all honesty this actually was classic as every stinking job i managed to grasp i knew nothing about. Yes.) After hearing briefly about what i was going to do, my supervisors were standing around taking a little break and sniggering about something. i Quickly figured out, it was indeed this job they were talking about and how i was going to help them out.
"Hahah, oh yeah, you might like that.." One said with a gleam and mysterious smile.

Swoop Attack Ops.

i Must begin with an apology. That last blog was so boring, after posting it and skimming it for errors i gave up after the first sentence. If you haven't read it, let me save you from certain death. Reading that one won't be necessary. Perhaps i can tell about "pushing plugs" on the greens one day and it will be a tad more entertaining as opposed to that pile of nonsensical garbage.

Onto much more dreadful Tales of Woe.

The other early evening we (two sisters of mine and myself) were enjoying ourselves at the beach. We had just returned from a Food Lion and we bore such bounty and booty, i felt invincible and couldn't wait for a good time with sandy towels and surprise crunches in the mouth.

i Began by emptying the few, small grocery bags (at least 5) and neatly placing the items onto the already sandy towels. There was excitement in the air to say the least. i Reached for the footlong, store bought, ham and turkey sub which was tightly and securely wrapped in plastic only to discover in dismay it wasn't cut. My intelligent sister had stole some plastic-ware packets however, and promptly ripped and "sliced" the sandwich in half. i Picked up some mustard and tabasco packets (yes, more packets holding useful tools) and proceeded to drizzle the sub.

It was perfect. i Was starving. The approximate 6 in. sub in my hands with wonderful flavorful sauces evenly distributed about. i Took a bite. i Took another chunk out of the sandwich. My sister poured some Bolthouse Farms (Passion Fruit and Guava infused) into some coffee cups and it was beautiful. The sandwich was almost a fourth done when i saw a few seagulls out of the corner of my eye, hovering and flapping in the wind. i Should have known, the plan was in motion already. i Didn't stand a chance.

As i reached for my cup with my left hand and held the sub with my right, i enjoyed that last fatal slurp of my juice with gusto. But it was too late.

i Heard a bone-chilling screech and flurry of wings and feather near my left ear. i Threw my eyes off the bottom of the cup and cast them upon my sandwich only to see a blur of white and feel an odd sensation scraping across my right thumb.

Talons. Large ones. They were the odd sensation i was feeling, but that was nothing compared to the thoughts of dread and despair that was welling up fast inside me. i Knew what was happening. i Knew what was about to happen.

Images of little tykes and portions of food that are obviously too big, and some mean creature rips it out of their grasp, flashed through my mind and i knew i fit into that category. i Watched in horror as my sandwich was carried just a few hundred feet before it fell and these vicious gulls made short work of it.

i Didn't know whether to scream, cry, shout obscenities, yell expletives, or get up and chase them foolishly. My sister took care of it for me by deciding to scream and accomplish the latter. It caused a weak smile, but i knew i was robbed.

i Had been robbed senselessly. There was nothing i could do and that just added to my hopeless situation.

i Kept looking back at those wretched seagulls who had devoured some po' boy's meal, and tried to shoot as many icy daggers with my eyes as possible. To no avail. They stared back and out to see, waiting and hoping for something else. This is what i couldn't stand. They had taken my sandwich but still, some hovered near by waiting to fly and swoop down in one finale fatality.

We watched what we were holding from then on. We ate in fear and always kept an eye to the sky.

i Was sure there were congratulations and grateful thank-yous passed around to that seagull who pulled that sneaky, hideous fast one. To that cursed bird, it must be weary in the future. i Have asked for fire from Heaven, or a chance to give it a serious talking to, at least.

It has to know, it's my worst foe.