Just Another Day…

I have been waiting for this for quite some time now and now it’s hear: WWE superstart Chris Jericho is finally getting his own DVD and without question he’s a tremendous talent and he’s unselfish in the ring which is a rare commodity these days in the squared circle. I have a lot of memories of Jericho’s feuds one of which is his feud with Shawn Michaels as it is a good example of the way that wrestling should be booked. The simple guy hates guy feud is overused these days but the way they told the story in the process of the feud seemed real because Jericho was the one that got the upper hand at the beginning of the feud, which included Jericho detaching his retina in a match and also doing further damage later on. But, Michaels further made Jericho look strong simply because they played up the retirement angle with Jericho forcing him into early retirement. However, those angles don’t ever work but what made this one work was that seemed so real and Michaels eventually came back and won a street fight which is always used as a revenge factor. I knew after this feud was done that Jericho could make a broomstick look good as he has worked in every level of the card from being curtain jerker, main eventer, mid carder, and even being used in a comedy role as a bad guy which makes it even better because that makes his role more dimensional. I can say that Jericho has also had long durability because the guy has never been hurt which looking at the world of pro wrestling almost every guy gets hurt but Jericho has found a way to be on top for almost twenty years. I also became a huge mark for the guy after reading his first book “A Lion’s Tale”, which in my opinion is a great read even for folks that are not wrestling fans because he dwells deep into his own personal journey and he also has a lot of great stories about the trouble he got into in other countries. Jericho is one of the guys in wrestling that did things the right way and so far at this point in his career he tries his best to make other guys look good, which is something that is hard to find these days. Well, congrats to Jericho because I know that I and many other wrestling fans are looking towards this dvd:

I thought about the idea of taking a lengthy bike ride today simply for the fact that the gym can become old sometimes and it is always good to get some fresh air and that’s what I did today. I used to take long bike rides before I started working but somehow the bike’s chains and brakes stopped working around this time and I just disregarded the bike for three years almost. Almost every night, I would take a bike ride and this afternoon at 12 I got that thrill again of riding a bike. Not only did I realize that I could go to places and get there with getting exercise, I also realized that people that ride bikes are probably happier. They don’t have to worry about what people may say to them because they are just cruising along with nobody bothering them on the road. That’s how I felt today while riding the bike today and as we head into the dog days of summer, I will definitely try to ride the bike more often and it also let’s me be me without people having to say anything negative towards you. I think with riding a bike you also get to hear songs on your Ipod that have many different variety to them such as hearing my favorite band, Cuisillos, some old school rap, and even some modern day music that has a catchy tone to it. It is also very peaceful because not that many things in life bring a thrill such as taking lengthy bike rides or taking long walks on a trail. I even passed by my friend Adrian’s house which made me wonder if he will ever be able to come out and tell me what’s really on his mind. The best part is getting lost in these streets and finding ways in which to curve my way through streets and what not. The funnest part had to be going across lawrence expressway, which heads towards santa clara and the other side going towards sunnyvale because you see so many people driving in their cars and you just wonder, they drive really nice cars. The bike ride at that seemed really exhausting but it was also fulfilling and it also felt good to come and see an A’s victory even though they seem really bad on paper. The A’s surprised me today with a lot of heart in the way played and it also gave me inspiration to try harder in life because people may doubt them but they still win, have a good sunday everybody!

What a 28 hours it’s been, starting at about 4:00 yesterday which was the beginning of something that would take me through a range of emotions which were happy, awe, joy, surprise, and sometimes even disgust. Every week me and one of closest buddies, Richard, try to hang out and we started this almost about a year ago. First, our hanging out, started as simple conversations about the big red machine and how he had felt about the job. We talked about everything that went on there, from the  drama, politics, alliances, trust between everyone we had relationships with, and eventually that didn’t matter because we found common ground with other areas that interested us. We talked about basic topics such as girls, history, philosophy, psychology, trust, TV, lying, capitalism, movies, problems we had that happened in our lives, music, and the list is just endless. But yesterday I got a different vibe from Richard, I felt that at this point in our friendship I can let him know anything without him having to turn a cold shoulder. Our conversations always seem to shift to baseball right off the bat because it’s something we both enjoy talking about whether it is about the pennant races in the AL/NL West and in the East and Central. We both have this habit of bashing the Oakland A’s even though we both are fans of the team which in hindsight is just unintentional comedy because we just share memories of when a batter struck out, when this player played for this team, or when this player was around. It’s all in good fun because baseball is a sport that may seem boring but if a person really analyzes it, it has this effect to be really interesting because you find things which were undiscovered before hand such as seeing where a ball may land in the catcher’s mitt, pitch location, batting approach, defensive approaches, hitting counts, and then there’s homeruns and strikeouts which are look really difficult to accomplish. After we finished all that fun stuff, the attention was shifted to serious stuff such as my buddy JC, who I consider my best friend but there are times I’m worried about him. We talked about JCs exaggeration’s when it comes to stuff that he wants to do but it all seems to involve the ultimate prize, dollar bills. JC talks to me about places he wants to go, things he wants to show me to “make me look good”, and also the price usually involves me spending money. The funny thing is, this usually involves me driving to far away places. Yes I understand if JC wants to shed that memory away of breaking up with his fiancee but there are times when I feel burned out from doing so much for the guy. I was in awe when Richard thought that JC wasn’t entirely over his breakup and he tries to get away from that from taking action on these dreams. JC has done a lot ever since he broke up with his girlfriend and I feel that some of the things that he’s done such as getting back to being acquainted with God, opening a community center with his dad, and even losing weight have been great for him. He is a changed man but then there’s this idea of him being able to find a girlfriend. He’s been trying to search for another mate for quite some time now and every time he thinks he’s stumbled upon the right girl, he comes to a realization: He finds out who they really are and it’s sad that has to happened for him but it could be that some people just really don’t seem who they say they are. The conversation between myself and Ricardo was mostly centered on other topics such as moody road, going bowling on last saturday night, and even the very touchy subject of Toy Story 3. That was at Mcdonalds till about 6:45 or so and then we headed out to Pet Club Express in Mountain view to buy my dog dog food. We went and did that which was nice and then we decided to head to Round Table Pizza over in santa clara to catch the A’s game which turned from joy, surprise, and then disgust. I was feeling joy because we sat down and talked more baseball but it really surprised me when Ricardo suggested we talk more about something that is a sensitive subject with me, the idea of missing somebody. I never thought I’d be saying this to him but I ended up telling him that I missed working with a co-worker of mine and someone I did consider a good friend, who for the time being we’ll just call her Madusa. Madusa, how can I ever forget her, she had beautiful european eyes and a special vibe about her which I still miss to this day. I told Richard that I missed working with her because I had good conversations with her which were serious but steady but also friendly. We talked about everything from what I remember from family, to politics, movies, music, and philosophy. I told Richard how much I missed her and I regretted how much she missed out on the fun me and him had during the days of our “secret meetings” at Golden Mushroom. I did what I could with her and I felt that at the end of her run, she still had a lot of growing up to do. Usually, I hate talking about the Big Red Machine to Ricardo but we talked about how much I have contributed to that place as well as what I could be doing in the future. The conversation shifted to two particular ETL’s there, referring to the former HR and the current STL. I don’t hate our STL, he just disgusts me sometimes because it seems all her cares about is himself which Ricardo agreed with because he noticed that too with how he treated people. His attention was focused on the fact that our former HR was evil which I never saw but he felt that she had this evil laugh as well as this higher up “I’m better than you” mentality. He felt this was evident when a former employee was let go because she showed up late three times in one month which was surprising due to the fact that I’m sure everyone has been late once or twice. I didn’t notice that but it was pretty evident the method in which she handled her business. That was one of the best conversations I’ve had with him because we shared stuff about family and even things we feel should be done at work in order to improve it. After that was over, I went home and spent time with my brother which was nice because we sat down and while I played some MLB 10: The Show, my brother played some music which goes along well with any video game. This morning I had to wake up at 9 to go with my dad to fill out an application for Ace Cleaning maintenance which was nice because he helped me find my first job. After I filled out a simple questionnaire, we headed to a garbage company to see the status on his other application but nothing was said about it. Then once again, at 11:17 me and Richard had one of those good ole fashioned conversations which was awesome. We started off talking about the A’s and today A-Rod finally hit his 600th HR which was thrilling because all the talk in the media is finally over with. Then we went into a subject matter which I feel is not emphasized enough which is idealism vs. realism, which is better? Idealism eventually won due to the fact that it is looking at things from a positive point of view instead of looking at things from a negative aspect. I liked the fact that realism is one of the aspects of life which is looked down on because it is not really a way to look at a positive lifestyle. The conversation eventually ended with us talking about survival of the fittest which somehow got connected to immigration and it was really sad how much of it rings true. Then Richard told me something that shocked me, he was thinking about moving out of the country in 2 years which would sadden me because I would never really have someone to talk to about issues that we care about. I say all the power to him because he can only grow as a person in another country and I hope one day I too to can move to another country. Then the day moved to me putting a headlight on my car and getting a license plate light as well which was nice to finally be able to have everything clicking in that car. There were also a few cameo appearances from my aunt and my cousins and also my uncle which was nice and comforting. What a 28 hours it has truly been and good night everybody!

Nothing is more exciting than seeing old friends and that’s what happened Saturday afternoon at my friend’s house, Adrian. He texted me that morning that my old buddies, Freddy and Alexis were in town visiting from Austin, Texas and if I could possibly come see them. I thought, ah what the heck, the only problem was that I felt bad about having to leave in a matter of two hours from his place because I had to go to work at 4’o clock that day at the Big Red Machine. I took my dad with me because Adrian’s dad and my dad are really good friends and have known each other for almost 20 years now. So, I get there and I realize that my buddies aren’t there yet so I anxiously await their arrival. Thoughts go rushing in my head, “what am I gonna say?” “what are they gonna think of me?” but the truth was I felt comfortable right from the moment I saw both of them and they both looked so different than they had the last time I had seen them which was almost three years ago. Now, just like the good ole days we proceeded to discuss everything that was happenening in our lives and I was surprised to hear that one of my best friends Freddy, was really married which I thought was just some false bravado from Adrian but it was true. The truth is, I never thought Freddy would get married that early but he always seemed to be the type that wanted to do his own thing instead of actually comforming like the rest of the world does and getting married with a big ceremony. I had heard that Freddy had gotten married just by civil union and hadn’t really explored the idea of getting married with a big ceremony. I am happy for Freddy because he explained to me that even though he doesn’t get to be as free as he was before, he is more mature now, financially and physically wise. For example, he talked about him being able to do laundry, paying for his own bills, cooking, and also going to the gym more often. He seems like a different person but things never changed between he and I because we were always tight no matter how tough things got. Alexis also seemed to be in better shape because he too had matured to the point that he seemed wiser and more financially responsible. Then the conversation turned to our friend, Adrian who we all agreed, seemed different. The problem with Adrian is that he has been with this girl for two years and the two times that I’ve seen her, she never seems to talk. I find it very difficult for guys that are in a relationship and their girlfriends don’t seem to be very sociable because that gives the guy a wall that usually isn’t there when he’s with the guys. For some odd reason, he got her pregnant two years ago and no baby ever came but she’s looked the same ever since which is kind of a mystery to me just by looking at her. Freddy seems to understand that being in a relationship is about commitment, and he has a very good mind because he told me about endometriosis which is a condition his wife has. He is there for his wife from what he has told me and I can tell that he and his wife have a very strong bond from how much he talks about her. We talked about everything, from wrestling in the 90’s, to the adventures we’ve had over the past several years, and also how much fun we had as kids in those long summer days. Sometimes I miss those days when we didn’t have to worry about anything, but the truth is some of us grow up and realize that we have to continue to build our lives towards careers, families, education, and even our legacies. It was good seeing Alexis and Freddy again because I never really got the opportunity to just talk to those two alone at this stage in our lives and hopefully we see each other again in december when the holidays roll around, have a good week everybody.

One of the strangest places I’ve ever been to and the place that I vow to go once a year is in the hills of Los Altos, CA and the name of this place is moody road. Now, I remember the subsequent times that I’ve been there and every time I go there, I just sit back and my brother and I chill with some of our buddies. I remember one of the first times we went I was only 15 and I still remember feeling a little freaked out by being so high up in the hills. I have also been up there with my cousins from L.A. and it is one of the most beautiful sights that you can look upon just from sitting in your car. Whether it is in the day time or night time, it sparks a feeling like you have never had before because you feel the need to be one with mother Earth and nature. I have three memorable trips there, one being in June 2004, another being in July of 2009, and one last one being in June of 2006. In june 2004, it was memorable because it was my brother’s birthday that day and I also discovered that my brother was my best friend at that time because we were close but we were also inseparable to the point that people could tell that we were very good friends. My brother, Jesus, that day brought along his friend Enrique that day and before that day I hadn’t known much about him except that he orked with my brother at safeway and he was into Oakland sports teams. But that day, I discovered all three of us had something in common because we all liked discussing movies, politics, sports, music, and (even though this didn’t come till later) we all engaged in discussion about work and how much it sucked, (although I just asked questions along the way). The cool thing was that night I discovered that some best friends are meant to be and even though I consider Jesus one of my best friends, him and Enrique deserve that title because they will do anything for one another so that the other can make it. I have a vague memory of that because it was so long ago but I remember that being the road to a great summer full of baseball, vacations, and fun. June 2006 was also the end of something great because my birthday was the day we decided to hit moody road up which for whatever reason was around the time I was graduating from high school. I felt a bit disappointed that day because I had done something the day before that I will go into detail later on down the line on this blog(stay tuned)! But anyways, to comfort me, that day my mom had bought me West Wing Season 6 from the Big Red Machine and I was so happy to have it because I had already owned 4 of the seasons and I was waiting for this one to come out. However, later on in the evening my brother invited me to come with his friends to moody road once again and this time I was more comfortable speaking with his friends than I was before. This time, it was funner because we decided to buy meat and chicken and even though it seemed awkard at the time to grill at night in the middle of nowehere the food was still pretty damn good. The discussion was centered on work, movies, and life. I remember one of the girls, Lily, asking me what we as a family felt proudest of and my brother answered that I was about to graduate from high school and I felt great for him saying that about me. The last time I went, July 2009, had to be something I will put into a time capsule forever. For one, it was not planned, two, I feared for my life that night, and third, you couldn’t write this into a TV show if you could because it was that damn real. The night started off pretty simple with my brother suggesting that his friends Enrique and Aldo were coming over to drink a few beers or whatever it is people do these days to stay enertained. After all the anticipation, they came over and of course we had the plan to just stay home and talk like men. But we end up going to safeway on Wolfe Road, and Enrique comes up with the brilliant idea of heading up to Moody Road and we had no idea what was about to hit us. The drive up there is pretty fun because of all the turns that you make as a driver and even as a passenger. Everytime I go up there, I get a little lightheaded but after a while it settles down. I remember as we were going up there, we were discussing Enrique’s potential departure from being free among the guys to settling down with his eventual wife, Yvette. I thought about the impact that it may have with my brother because him and Enrique had been so close for so long that it became impossible to imagine. After that discussion had begun, we eventually settled down and talked guy stuff, like sports, movies, music, and work. But then the fun began. The fog was thick and the summer was in full swing, what could possibly go wrong? Well, this night we met Ryan, one of the strangest encounters I’ve ever had for the reason that he was a  schizophrenic. Right away he told us that he thought that Enrique’s Jeep Cherokee was nice and it had a nice structure. He introduced himself as Ryan and he asked for our names as well and we told him our names as Jesus, Aldo, Enrique, and I told him my name was Manuel. This is when he told us that he was a scizophrenic and I knew right away that this guy had some crazy thoughts as well as some realistic thoughts. He started talking about he sometimes hears people insulting him and he thought that people should always be helping each other and he thought that people that talked shit just “needed to die”. I knew from my reading about sciziophrenics, that this guy was not to be messed with cause he had such an out there personbality that only real people with degrees could handle. Ryan proceeded to call us good people because he had let us accept himn for who he was but I started to get a little scared when he started talking about how his own parents were trying to help him out but he refused their help. Ryan got the closest to Aldo, because Aldo is one of those guys that really can care less who has the personality of being able to talk to anybody because he such a cool guy like that. My respect for Aldo grew that night because he handled him well enough to ask him questions like “why are you up here tonight?” “When you hear voices what do they tell you to do?” and things like “what do other people say about you?”. Aldo thought it would be a great idea if we could document this guy and make a video about him but I just thought that would be nuts. I knew this guy had problems when he said that some people had just insulted him over on the other side of where we were parked. Then I just about lost it when he mentioned that he loved fire and he liked to draw dragons that breath fire but here’s the kicker: He talked about the use of the prositute service on Craigslist and how nice it was but he couldn’t talk about it. He said that people had laughed at him when he was younger because he had fallen down in church. Ryan went away to talk to more people by his motorcycle and we conversed in spanish about what we were going to do and Enrique told Aldo not to get too close to the guy which me and my brother were trying to do. I just listened at the aw of the moment that was before me. Eventualy we fed him food because he hadn’t eaten in three days and after I don’t remember much because he just started talking nonsense about stuff that didn’t make sense. That night showed how much being at the right place at the right time really means something because decisions you make can impact you for the rest of your life, have a happy sunday everybody!

What a difference four years makes, I was entering my final year of high school and I was looking forward to graduating to high school but something amazing happened. I just happened to be in a Gov./ Econ. class that was taught by Mr. Eldridge who made the Economic side of it seem really hard at first but later on I caught on and it seemed simple enough after a while. Even though the Economic side wasn’t really my style of learning, I was caught off guard when he introduced one of the best TV shows I have ever stumbled upon and that is “The West Wing.” The truth is, this show seems boring just from reading the premise of it which is, what goes on in the everyday lives in a white house with a president, a group of senior staff, and maybe some boring storylines to go along with it? But after I saw the first four episodes I was hooked just from the fact that it was funny, new, and I was impressed by the amount of talent that the actors on the show were showing when they were walking and talking but the most amazing thing was I had never heard of any these actors except for Rob Lowe of SNL fame and Martin Sheen because he is Charlie Sheen’s dad. The other actors such as Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Dule Hill, John Spencer, and Richard Schiff all seemed like nobodies to me who could barely hold a candle to Al Pacino or Tom Hanks but they proved me wrong. But the fact was, and it still stands true today, the show is and was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. After watching the show, I greatly to appreciate what a true government should be like because what I saw with the way procedures were handled and the way problems were handled, it all seemed real because stuff like that happens in everyday government that we as people are not aware about. For example, in one of the best and funniest episodes, Lowe’s character, Sam, and Schiff’s character, Toby, both have to bail their appointed supreme court judge, Roberto Mendoza out of jail, who is brilliantly played by Edward James Olmos. We never know when this stuff may happen and it is funny how the episode ended with all the trials and tribulations that everyone had to go through. Once I saw the first four episodes in class, which were “Pilot”, “Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc”, “A Proportional Response”, and “Five votes down” I was hooked because it all seemed like the actors on the show were treating it as if it were real. The characters also had characteristics about them that made them human but at the same time we as the audience could connect with what they were feeling. Rob Lowe’s character, Sam, was an ultimate idealist and usually people that are idealist try to reach far out and stand up for what they believed in and he had this certain dork factor that had me rooting for him every episode where he had a problem or he had to overcome a government regulation that needed to be handled. Schiff’s character, Toby, has to be one of the funniest but also one of the darkest characters on the show because he has little sense of humor and he also likes to be the one that likes to be the hardass of the show because he protrays himself that way. Whitford’s character, Josh, is simply someone who is smart and the government type when it comes to handling bills, regulations, and also being the one who relays the president’s message. John Spencer, who plays Leo, is one of my favorite characters on the show because he has a tendency to help out those who are in need and he also serves as a father figure to everyone of his staff on the show as is evidenced with Sam, when he has problems during the course of the show, Toby when he runs into a roadblock, Josh when simply has a nervous breakdown. One of the remaining characters that serves as the primary female characters on the show, C.J., is someone who is a feminist mind but also can go toe to toe with the best of them as is evidenced when she has to deal with the press as she handles the press. Simply stated, C.J. plays the press secretary, Sam plays deputy communications director, Toby plays communications director, Josh plays the deputy white house chief of staff, and Leo plays the chief of staff which after watching it a while are roles that have to be prominent during an presidency. Then there are two aides on the show which are played by Janel Moloney and Dule Hill. Moloney plays Josh’s aide, Donna, and it is obvious from the course set that she and Josh had chemistry on the show which led her role becoming bigger later on as the show continued. She is one of the characters on the show that has a tendency to show out of control behavior but she is able to control her emotions when it is crunch time. Dule Hill, who plays Charlie, is someone who is serious about his job and he also is someone who serves at the serves at the pleasure of the president as he is his aide and he also protects him in every which way he can as he serves to relay his messages and come to him if he has any questions. Finally there is the president, played by Martin Sheen, who portrays Jed Bartlet who is a graduate of Notre Dame and a devout catholic. The thing makes me like this president is that he has a straight answer for everyone that comes to him and he doesn’t second guess himself and likes to draw out anything that he feels is worth doing so. Later on as the show went on, new characters were added such as Alan Alda playing Arnold Vinick, Jimmy Smits playing Matthew Santos, and Stockard Channing playing Abigail Bartlet as the president’s wife. Alda and Smits raised the bar of the show after a sub-par season the year before as they played two presidential candidates heading into the second to last season where Vinick was portrayed as someone who resembled John McCain and Santos was portrayed as someone who resembled Obama which is evidenced if you pay close attention to the final two seasons. Both played their parts well and the show is great simply for the fact that it dealt with legislative issues, midterm elections, crimes that are committed in the face of government, terroroism, an inside look at what running a presidential campaign is like, state of the unions, foreign issues, poverty, immigration, transportation, the environment, stem cells, morality, and the list goes on which makes the show so diverisfied because there is something for everybody in this show. There is humor, drama, ethic issues, stress, loyalty,  camaraderie, a fictional war, murders, conversations that are meaningful, and backstabbing (if you’re into that sort of thing). Check this show out, you will feel ten times smarter after you have watched it here are some recommendations for episodes that can hook you into the show(Not really top ten but for me it would be):

1. Celestial Navigation:

Josh Recounts to a full auditorium tales of the past week while Sam and Toby rush to the scene when the supreme court seat candidate is jailed on a charge of drunk driving.

2. Somebody’s going to Emergency, Somebody’s going to Jail:

It’s big block of Cheese Day, the day the administration hears petitions from groups who ordinarily don’t have access to the White House.

3. 17 people:

Toby follows up his suspicions and becomes the 16th person to know of the President’s secret affliction. He also knows there’s a 17th person, someone whose prior knowledge and actions could mean the downfall of the administration.

4. 20 hours in America (1 and 2):

Which way to the White House? Josh, Toby and Donna, must find transportation through American heartland after the president’s motorcade mistankely leaves Unionville, In, without them. Meanhwile the Qumari coverup may be unraveling, and an act of domestic terrorism takes a deadly toll.

5. In God we trust:

Church and state. Senator Vinick wraps up the Republican nomination. Then the revelation that he hasn’t attended church for years erupts controversy and leads to a heart to heart with Bartlet.

6. Noel: The West Wing is aglow with holiday decor and a band plays Christmas music in the foyer, but the season holds little joy for Josh. His health and career may be in meltdown because of PTSD.

7. Duck and Cover:

Bartlet makes agonizing choices when a California nuclear reactor malfunctions, endangering the lives of thousands, if not millions. Vinick, a nuclear power supporter who suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the issue.

8. Bartlet for America:

Who knew what and when? Leo’s testimony before a House investigative committee provides a window into the earliest days of Bartlet’s run for office.

9. The Supremes:

The death of a conservative Supreme Court justice triggers a scramble to nominate a moderate the Republicans will accept. Then Josh hatches an ingenious scheme that may also place a brilliant liberal on the bench.

10. Life on Mars:

Twenty four hours that shook the nation: on his first day on the job, assistant counsel Joe Quincy tracks a news leak and discovers a scandal that shatters the administration.

Runner Ups: (Just as good)

1. Game On:

After extensive groundwork(and the right choice of a necktie), Bartlet is prepared to meet Gov. Ritchie in a national debate. A congressman’s victory who is no longer alive intrigues Sam Seaborn to contemplate his future at the White House.

2. In Excelsis Deo:

On Christmas Eve, a coat Toby gave to Goodwill leads him to take personal responsibility for the funeral of a homeless vet, while Sam and Josh sink to their enemies’ level to protect Leo.

3. Here Today:

Seismic shifts: A stunned White House deals with the revelation in the leak investigation. Santos, mired in the polls, shakes up his campaign staff. And Ellie Bartlet has big news for her parents.

4. In the Shadow of Two Gunmen(Part I)

In the chaotic moments after the assassination attempt, there are lives to save… and challenges of governing that remain. For the staff, there are also moments of reflection about how they joined Bartlet’s campaign.

5. 2162 votes:

Deals and principles collide as each Democratic election team jockeys to put its can candidate over the top at the convention. The FBI looks further into the leaked military secret and looks at Bartlet’s staff as to who could have done it.

Here’s a small clip for those unfamiliar with the show:

Sunday night, July 25th, I thought okay do I really wanna go to work after the previous two nights were filled with hilarious antics that had me laughing to the bank. And the truth was, I wanted to see more comedy being at the seems at the machine. Anyway, I walk in and I wonder okay what’s gonna happen today, an angry guest?, a satisfied ETL?, moody team members?, or a mix of all the above, and the truth of it all nothing  like that happened. Instead LT. Dan Bailey won my respect that night because at first I didn’t think he had it in him to stick it to master. The night started off atypical with Bailey telling me about all the usual antics that went on before I got to work and while list me being the one to work on milk push. Time flies by and eventually Bailey comes up to me and he tells me that master has the ability to override any lunch time or break time that team leads may give him and I just thought wow, that’s how much power he thinks he may have. So, eventually Bailey goes on lunch and I start pushing milk which I finish when Bailey gets back from lunch but we eventually start zoning the freezers and coolers which turns out to be a piece of cake because JC ended up visiting since he got back from vacation and he starts asking me about the power trip that master is on. I tell him what happens and he just laughs about it too. Eventually, we finish the coolers and Bailey and I go on break at the same time. Bailey tells me that he had gone up to Team Leader Wu earlier and told him what master had told him and he got pretty upset about that. I told Bailey to go ahead and help out the team on the second floor as Wu encouraged him to help out and I felt good about that because I had his back if master had any questions. At first, I thought Bailey was a jerk but I warmed up to him because he’s shown the ability to stand up for what he believes in which is something very hard to find in people these days. Anyway, I continue doing my job until master asked me where Bailey was at and I simply stated that I didn’t know. He kept calling for him until Bailey finally answered that he was in sporting goods and master wondered why he was up there which upset him to the point that he called for Wu on the walkie and he asked him why he was up there. The truth was that it seemed as if Yi was pissed that master was abusing his power and instead had Bailey help him out to show that he was in charge. Eventually, master went and whined to our leader that night, Amy Poehler. Poehler told Yi that he had to send Bailey down to the first floor to help me out in the market area. Bailey and I start talking about what happened and we just laughed because what happened next might have been icing on the cake. Master grabs Bailey and he tells him to come with him to straighten out out what just happened. Apparently what happened was that master went up to Wu and snapped his fingers at him which, in my book, is a sign of hey I’m trying to get your attention so listen to me. Master ends up bitching about what just happened and I believe that Master told Bailey that when Rex Ryan and Mcdaniels weren’t in the building he was his supervisor. Bailey defied his authority and what eventually happened was that Wu ended up walking away and telling master he had to zone toys. Eventually, master called down Poehler to bitch even more about how Bailey was on his team and Wu had to communicate through him, this and that and Bailey eventually said he’s not my supervisor right and Poehler said it would either be Mcdaniels or Ryan. I put Bailey over so much after that happened in the closing minutes that we were working and he said it all has to do with how you look at criminals and you have to be able to reference so much. All I told Bailey afterwards was that he was da man! Anyway here’s to the great sport of baseball:

Why is it that stables in wrestling reflect the real world? I’ve noticed that stables in wrestling always want to make an impact in the company they are working in. The Four Horseman, The Dangerous Alliance, The Heenan Family, The Hart Foundation, The Triple Threat, The Main Event Mafia, The NWO, and D-Generation X are just a few of my favorite stables because they all worked as “bad” guys or as heels. In the big dog company, WWE, a new faction has emerged by the name of “Nexus”. They seem as true legit badasses on TV but the truth is, this is how the real world operates sometimes because you get these new hotshot young guys who think they can run rough shot over anyone that crosses their path. I find it funny how the Nexus works according to what their leader says as Wade Barrett positions himself as being the true leader of this group because you always have the guy with most potential as being the one who voices his opinion. Barrett does have a point when he says that the WWE positioned them on the show NXT as doing these dumb challenges such as obstacle courses, “promos” on flowers and rainbows, and yes even the sell programs challenge. But the truth is, guys like these have to realize nothing is ever given to you on a silver platter but rather the saying in wrestling does ring true, “paying your dues” is something that is somewhat of a rite of passage as it is in real life. I do agree, before I saw the faction emerge I saw little life being inserted into WWE programming as I questioned why I even watched it at times. But when the faction burst onto the scene it was almost like they were shooting for that hot shot angle that has been done four or five times in wrestling history. The four or five times that I’ve seen it done it either got watered down or the concept got completely buried by what seemed to be like political reasons. First there was the Japanese angle where it originated which was a war between one organization taking over another and that seemed to work. However the NWO angle was the cool thing that got people back into wrestling where to the point it became water cooler talk and people were buzzing with did you see Nash bump Mysterio onto the trailer which was one of the most memorable times I remember being a wrestling fan because it seemed so real. Anyway, after a while the concept became watered down due to the angle not having enough steam behind it because of political reasons. The Nexus angle is a relection of real life because I know all to well the guys that think that they are better than everybody but the truth is these guys only know so little. What matters is how they learn about their craft and if they do it the right way. I know I’ve seen it at work at the big red machine and it’s probably in play in places throughout America. All I have to say is that people are always going to have conflict as to who is better and who can do what the best as the veterans in WWE at least stand up to the threat that has been presented to them. The amazing thing is, it will always be about the love of the business that these guys do it and in real life people like to defend their values and their morals.

It’s been almost two years since I heard the song “Rule” by Nas which at first I thought was brilliant and I still continue to play it to this day on my Ipod touch as it has a political message as well as inspirational touch to it. Nas is a brilliant rapper with a very smooth technique as to how he delivers his rhymes and a lot of his music is real and not fake like a lot of music these days. However, I recently found out he sampled that song from a Rock British band by the name of Tears for Fears in the song “Everybody wants to rule the world.” When I first heard the original song, I began to think that I’d heard somewhere before as I was watching a documentary on ESPN about the now defunct USFL. I found out the name of the song and it is a song that I can hear time after time and never get bored of it as it sends a very deep message. A band like this sounds one hit wonders but looking at their music catalog they were pretty popular back then. The song sends a good message about people wanting power and the downfall that can be involved with it as I get inspired to look out for those that want nothing but power in the world. I see people with money and I just see them and I wonder if their using that power to at least do some good. If they don’t that is all bad in any kind of way but hey who am I to tell people what to do? The song is a timeless classic and we definitely need more songs like these today: