Ah, New Jersey

Now I wasn't expecting anyone to roll out the red carpet for my return to New Jersey, but I did get a pleasant surprise from these guys:

Throughout the past four years, when I cruised the mean streets of Searcy, Arkansas, I can only recall one circumstance when I was flipped off. Even then, all they did was give me the bird, no big deal. No one ever rolled their window down, barked obscenities through their mirrors at me while they attempted to cut me off, no one ever threw something out their window at my car etc. While driving around town today, I was greeted not once, no not twice, but three times by separate groups of guys who cursed me out because of my driving habits. I went to buy a baseball glove and came home. We're talking three separate incidents in just 15 minutes on the pavement. Bah, this place is one of a kind.

Ah, the Garden State. All the dirty rumors you've heard about it are absolutely, 100% true.

My flight leaves Newark at 6:25 tomorrow morning. Nos vemos amigos!

आईटी इस टाइम

I spent one of my last days in the US with my Ma and brother. My Ma and I trudged up the Jersey Turnpike en route to West Point, NY to see my brother Ethan one more time before I head out on my year long excursions across the globe. It had been December since we last got to see each other, but it always picks up like it ended. My brother is an amazing man and I have the utmost respect and love for him. He makes me proud. Anyways, to make a long story short, it was bittersweet to see him and then, just a few hours later, to again say goodbye.

My travels begin 6:00 A.M Wednesday morning in Newark, NJ. I fly to Miami, Fl and then to Puerto Plata, DR. It should be a long day of traveling, but all worth it in the end. I am supposed to meet up with the rest of the MannaDR team in Miami. I am excited about getting to know some of the people before we totally ship out. Time to pack and get things organized.

"my"

I'm going to take this platform, which nobody reads and I plan to keep it this way, to vent on an issue that bothers me to no end. I cannot express my absolute hatred when people refer to their parents, grandparents, or aunts/uncles as plain "mom" or "dad." Here is an example:

Girl of no relation to me: "So I talked to MOM and she said that GRANDMA, MOM, I are going to go shopping for a present for DAD. MOM wants to suprise him with something for his birthday."

Me: "Are we related?"

Girl of no relation to me: "Umm...no. What are you talking about?"



Am I crazy or does this bother the piss out of anybody else? They are not my parents. Do not make any inference that they might be. I have my own set of parents and I would not trade, barder, or sell them for yours, nor would I consider giving any person the satisfaction of referring to my parents as yours. Call me selfish, but I'm throwing the "my" in front of "mom" or "dad." Take a hint people, we do not want your parents.

On one occassion, I was semi-dating a girl when she referred to her parents as "Mom" and "Dad," leaving out the essential "my." That is a big no no. What I read from the dropped "my" was this girl was wanting me to refer to her parents as mine as well, virtually hinting that I was, inevitably, going to be related to them. This improper word usage got this girl dropped. When she asked what happened, I pulled the George Costanza's "It's not you, it's me." But seriously, it bothers me and I felt like she was trying to force her parents on me. That is not cool. I don't like people enough to have cheesy parents forced in my life.

Let's all be proud of our parents. From the bottom of my heart, use the "my."