Tag: No sleep

Sports during the Pandemic, an overview from my Point of View

Posted on by anele25

 

Today is August 9th 2020 and it has almost been 5 months since the Pandemic known as COVID-19 started around the world. It’s also been a few weeks since sports started back up with professional sports in 3 of the big 4 starting back up again. I wanted to cover just how different and even unique sports has been since it returned. At first, I was unsure on how to feel on sports making a return with families, players, owners, coaches, umpires, referees, and even announcers effected in each way. I was impressed at first by each sports’ respective response to players if they contacted COVID and how they handled those manners. I saw how different each league’s bubbles were and some have had some immediate impact. For example, in the NHL they have decided to go about in playing in hub cities which give or take has improved the quantity of players infected (to date no positive cases since the round robin and play-in rounds have started). In the NBA, they decided to move the rest of their season to Orlando where teams would play for seeding and even though some players there ended up contacting COVID early on, have done an excellent job in keeping the cases low and have gone 3 weeks without a reported case.

 

MLB on the other hand has had some bad luck with a number of cases affecting teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins. If MLB wants to do a better job of keeping this virus under control, I think what would be best would be monitor certain protocols and if players are truly following them. I think this can be done with the help of a quality officer who deals in the public health field and keeps track of who is following these rules and who is not. This would security and safety to players and their families and would ensure a smoother transition to the playing field itself. This would be an added plus and would a better integrity on how the game is played. In my opinion, I hope this doesn’t lead to a major outbreak throughout the entire league and thus gives the green light for the season to be suspended. But what about the other factors for these teams and players?

 

During these times, I have seen first the effect of no fans in the stands. This is surprisingly added some intrigue in all sports where we can hear the coaches, players, and the announcers discussing things that come up during a sporting event. During hockey, we can hear when a team is making a shift from one line to the next and we may see a scuffle for the puck in the neutral zone or offensive zone and try to back it out their way to get one in the net. In baseball and basketball, we may hear when a player gets frustrated and curses up and down on how he should have gotten the ball out of his hands on time or perhaps a player in baseball misses a ball down and in when that was clearly ball 4. Another unique thing that I have noticed is how much may players adjust to not seeing their families as much being in a hub city or if a player is on during baseball season how do they adjust to not seeing their families for an extended period of time when they are on the road. The families and friends that are within a sports team may also be used to each other’s company and may miss that connection of checking up on each other and enjoying that camaraderie. The other thing that I was thinking about is how much are the equipment that players play with and is it sanitized properly before and after. I would think that there is some protocol where the basketballs, the pucks, and the baseballs get sanitized or dehumidified after play so they can be ready for use for the next day. I’m also curious to see how the NFL and college football handles this issue of using different balls throughout the course of a game but we’ll cross that bridge once we get there (more on that in a future blog hopefully). I had something that has popped in my mind the last few days, and that has been how much testing has been throughout the leagues in play. I myself have been tested 3 times in the past few months for COVID-19 and thankfully have been negative each time.

 

The one factor that comes into play is something as simple as catering or delivering food to a team. The person bringing the food has been in contact with so many people or someone who has a preexisting condition may come in contact and get even sicker so that in itself adds some fear. That person can be sick and in turn get a whole team sick. I also think sports though have brought some good for all of us who are fans. This also adds to the uniqueness of all these sports returning. For example, in the NHL four teams ended up making the playoffs themselves based on the play-in rounds and these teams were dead in the water at season’s end (although one can argue that the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Chicago Blackhawks still had a shot at a wildcard at least). The teams that ended up floundering were the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. I think this gives the image that nothing is guaranteed in the playoffs and you better be on your best game whenever a best of 5 or 7 comes up. The major stars have been struck aside such as John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Conor McDavid, Roman Josi, and Matt Murray all sit home and watch some other team take their glory.

 

I also have seen how the NBA has handled their seeding with some play in games as well and their scoring has been up like nobody’s business and I would imagine this would add some intrigue as well. MLB recently announced a few weeks ago that they would be expanding the playoffs to 8 teams per league and this gives the chance to below .500 teams to make the playoffs. I do enjoy this idea because it adds more viewership per market and gives the MLB a chance to expand to the casual fan. I have also seen that some players in baseball may have to get their bodies adjusted to a 60 game season. Some major names such as Mike Soroka, Corey Kluber, Giancarlo Stanton, and Tim Anderson have already gone down with injuries. This goes to show you that maybe having a 60 game season will not result in complete success. Players have to also adjust to staying firm and consistent with their approach at the plate as evidenced by some players getting off to slower than usual starts at the plate. These names include Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon, Khris Davis, Jose Altuve, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso. My friends and I have an increased awareness of how tickets, merchandise, and hardworking people have also been affected. I remember I usually attend anywhere between 7-10 sporting events per year but now that is all gone. The vendors that were there and the men and women at the merchandise stand working, it pains me to think that they too have had to go through hardships during the pandemic. We as people do end up missing the men and women there because to us, they may be complete strangers but they almost become a part of the team. I remember every time I go to a food stand how friendly and welcoming the people behind the register are. The identity of what the team is and their makeup. When I think of an Oakland A’s game, a Tampa Bay Lightning game, or a Las Vegas Raider game you think of all the merchandise stands and the food stands. You can also say that at sporting events you can end up tailgating with friends and family. The last tailgate I had was with my girlfriend’s family and little did I know it would be the last for a while. I remember also having a nacho helmet at an A’s game and some chicken tenders with fries at the Lightning game and this gives that resonance of being at a game and cheering on your team.

 

I didn’t touch on the Raiders because their case is unique in that the city of Las Vegas has embraced them but unfortunately, they won’t have a chance to have that same experience. I can only imagine that once sports with fans return we’ll have a chance to see that again. I want to end this blog by touching on one last thing. With sports back, I think this has brought me to appreciate these players more because yes they do this for a living but they are putting more than just their bodies on the line. I learned an important lesson from a friend this past February when I went to Fanfest for the Oakland Athletics. These players are human and they have families too that they feed. Now, add COVID-19 on top of that and they give us more than they should. I’m thankful that they are also doing their part by not giving high fives and instead elbow bumping. We see these men and women as superhuman but they are doing this for our entertainment and so far so good with some teams playing well and some teams playing not so well.

 

Either way, it’s fantastic to have sports back and it is going to be exciting to see how the rest of these seasons will be in every sport. I hope to come back and write a mini piece on football is when and if it returns. For now, I’m intrigued to see how my boys from the Tampa Bay Lightning do against the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2nd year in a row and looking to avenge last year’s playoff upset. As for the Oakland A’s, it’s great to see that we have now won 9 in a row and maybe just maybe that speaks hope for what is ahead for not just the A’s but for everyone around the world that has been affected by COVID-19.

Adventures and the company of two great friends:

Posted on by anele25

The day is short and the months fly by fast. The thrill of adventure along with some great friends is something that comes once in a lifetime. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do some adventure seeking out to Monterey bay with two of my friends Isela and Iveth. They started out as co-workers but they are two people whom I consider to be friends now. We started the day by myself driving to Isela’s apartment and we grabbed some blankets just in case it got cold near Monterey. As we packed everything away, we drove to go pick up Iveth who does not live too far away. We rode off into the sunset where we first got into a discussion about the famous show Game of Thrones. Myself and Iveth rambled on for a few minutes about the implications of the show as well as some of the intricacies of the show that can go on debate for years. I had a few theories about the show as did she and in all honesty, there are some things about GOT that frankly I can live knowing that may or may not be true (this will be discussed perhaps in a future blog). As we started getting closer, we talked about what we were going to eat and I have a thing where as I get closer I have a game where we look for a place to eat instead of having to be obliged to Yelp or not. We ended up settling on a Crepe place which actually was not half bad. We talked about life and a little bit of everything in between. At this point, we headed over to the paddleboats where we stuck around for an hour where we played some music and also had some other funny discussions about the direction where we were going in life. Isela, I would describe as someone who is sarcastic and witty and for that she makes me realize how lightly some things should be in life rather than all serious all the time and she know how to have a good life. Iveth, is a care free person who just wants to have fun and enjoys a good laugh.

I realized as we were paddling that another opportunity had arose in my life recently about a job and I saw how many great friends I had made and how much I would still like to see them to talk. The time passed and before I knew it we were back on land just off the boat and after it stumbled a bit but we were able to land safely as we got off. We originally said we were going to get on the wharf but then we saw how packed the parking was. Next we decided to head off to Lover’s Point which is famous for having places where you can take pictures for any special occasion that includes a wedding or a sweet sixteen. We did some walking on some rocks which by and large look intimidating at first but once you get passed the initial ones you get this beautiful view of everything that is front of you. We stayed there for a few minutes just enjoying the view and marveling at this sea otter that was down there. After, we decided instead to settle on driving to 17 mile but that also ended up being a bit more full due to it being the weekend. The 17 mile drive itself included a short pass by to Asiolmar beach where you could just see that beautiful trail that led to the end of the trail. As I passed by these locations, I thought how cool it would be to see some of these locations everyday and how peaceful it must be for people to live by the ocean. I also thought about living in the ocean and how you might be able to connect with the different aspects of nature. You have air, wind, fire, and water all practically in one. Air because as you sail away that is something that you breathe and then wind because a little wind can keep the current going. The fire is intriguing because you see a little bit of it around you as you sail away. The water is the ocean working its magic and taking you away.

Anyway, I suggested instead we go to Point Lobos which was not too far ahead. We parked a bit farther away and saw some of the insides of some of the animals where they would stay. Particularly, myself and Isela ended up exploring the beach a little more. I ended up seeing some crabs and also some small fishes. We walked a bit farther but we ended up seeing a beautiful view from the top and just took it all in at the end of the day. We walked back to the car and headed off to the next stop which was Carmel by the Sea which was an adventure unto itself as it had some pretty cool shops which included some body soap stores as well as some interesting watch shops which by and large were out of our price range. We walked for a bit before we reached our destination which was the beach itself. We dwelled a little deeper into each other lives as we heard a little more background information on what Isela’s living situation was like back in her time during college. I must say hearing her story made me see just how much living with someone can make a difference in how you perceive your current situation. The rest of the conversations that time of the beach felt relaxing just in general and I wondered about the times that were ahead for me and my friends. We headed off to the car and we had quite a climb back to the car and we got some good steps in at this location of Carmel by the sea as well as at Point lobos. Once we got in the car we headed back to the Wharf where we had a little easier time finding parking. We saw off to the side that there was a car auction that was going on. I started laughing a bit because of how fast the guy started talking and how fast these cars were driving. Once we got inside the wharf we saw how relatively small it was and there were some crab specialty restaurants that were giving out samples. We also got some coasters that serve as a little motivation to whoever buys them. I ended getting a dog one, a mountain one, and a campfire one. I think out of the ones I collected, I enjoy the campfire one the most because of the message it carries. If anyone is curious, I will post a picture of that coaster here as well as some other pictures.

We saw all the clam chowder that was being sold and we stopped at this little shop for some chowder. I ended up settling instead on some prawns and fries but funny enough the gentleman who served our food ended up bringing three chowders instead of two. He gave out the two that were for Isela and Iveth quickly and came back right away and asked me if I wanted the third so I said “sure why the hell not”. I had the quick reaction that it was some of the best food I had had in some time especially considering it was next to the ocean. Another delightful dinner as we walked along the wharf and saw everyone and the lights that were along the area. I left with the impression that this world is big and there are so many little treasures that are to be found inside it. I also saw just how cool and wonderful people can be when given the chance to go out and explore. Too many times we are concerned with the daily grind and leaving our houses on time that we forget how wonderful this world can be. We hopped in back into the car and had some fun times along the way as we sang our hearts out to some Los Tucanes de Tijuana as well as some other fun baile songs as well. Myself and Isela did a majority of the singing as we were having some good laughs along the way. After we got back to our destination, I went home thinking about all the special memories that had been made on 8/25/18. I also reflected back on the times that are ahead and special they are going to be as well. I may not be the richest person in the world but I have just enough to say that I can do anything in this world without too much hassle. I always say, if I can do something and I can find a way to do it, I will make it happen without too much complication. As promised, here are some pictures as well. Till next time adventures.

300 Writing Prompts: What was the first thing you ever saved up your money to purchase?

Posted on by anele25
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My TA Challenger (aka Dino)!

Per my last blog, I want to write about topic number 2 from 300 writing prompts. This time the topic is something that has been on my mind the past few days which is “what is the first thing you ever saved up your money for”? People save up for little things such as books, toy cars, toys, and crafting materials. In my case, I want to talk about my first ever big purchase that I have made. I have never had the inkling to say “I’m going to save my money to buy X item…” and I think still to this day that I am not that type of person. I do however have the inkling to say that I would save up money to buy two things: a car and a house. A car is needed for going to and from a location and I said to myself this is my dream car. The house is something I would love to own one day and like I tell myself sometimes it is a process. I also said to myself it would be really nice to have something I would be proud to call my own. I saved up my money almost a year ago and purchased (almost a year ago actually) a new Dodge Challenger.

A few months before the actual purchase, I started going over in my head what I needed to do to purchase my car. I said I needed to get rid of certain expenses such as cutting out eating out so much and only focus on saving up money for that final end goal. I also said in order to do this I needed to look at what I was spending my money on. Like any young adult, I usually pay for internet, rent, streaming services, gas, and food. I decided the two most important were gas and food. The gas was simple because of how much gas my car would guzzle throughout the week. I also figured that not eating out as much saved me so much money. As I went along in my process, I started thinking I really want this car because of how cool and niche the product was. As the months started progressing, I started seeing that I was getting close to my original goal of putting down a 7,000 dollar down payment. However, as I was getting close to my goal I realized that something was off. I had a weird feeling the weekend of March 5th as my brother asked me if he could borrow my older Toyota Corolla. I remember him, his wife, and his 3 kids were hauling off in my car as he needed it the next morning to go to work. I clearly remember walking towards Lowe’s as my brother called me and said he was sorry. I started thinking in my head what could have happened? He said he had crashed the car and he wasn’t sure what had happened. The first thing I asked him if he was ok and that’s all I cared about. Once again, he apologized and I said well time to get a new car. I saw what my account looked like and it was enough to cover the down payment (at least for what I wanted). As I started looking through the cars on the Dodge website from Fremont, I said I really wanted a car that will stand out. I remember driving a Yellow Mustang, in Florida and I said let’s go for Yellow. I also enjoy Yellow because it is the color of my favorite Baseball team the Oakland A’s and the color of some of the coolest things is Yellow (bees, leaves, zucchini, flowers, etc.). I saw it and headed down two weeks after to check it out with my family because I knew I wanted them there for that experiences .

I was determined to pick out this car and there were several other options. I also enjoyed this basic model they had of the challenger which was green and SXT but the one I wanted was a Challenger TA which was one of those special edition Challengers. After taking a few test drives, I realized this was the car that I wanted to settle on. Besides the usual paperwork and the talk between all the payments, I started thinking in my head about how much cooler and nicer this car would add to my everyday life. I always wanted to roll around in a sports car and now my life would be this. After a while of thinking about this, I also pictured what my life would be like if I didn’t have this car. I guess in a way I wondered about how the more expensive luxuries in my life would be exempt for a few years. I remember the conclusion to this argument in my head was that this is something I wanted and I worked hard to get the car. I also thought about the times I heard about parents buying their kids cars and how my parents had never sacrificed that kind of money on cars that were given to me. I always find a way to tie this back to my parents but in a sort of humbling way I’m glad I didn’t grow up with a car in the family. We would ask our neighbors or family for rides. If we didn’t have this luxury, we would take the bus to local places. Those experiences of never having to be indebted to a car was something I was very thankful as I grew up and I’ll never forget all those times we rode the bus.

Anyway, the two cars that were given to me as hand me downs were so great that I never forget the moments, memories, and the times I had in those cars. I also won’t forget that those kind of cars made me humble and thankful for what I had in my life. The last thought in my head during the whole purchasing process was that sometimes it’s ok to give yourself a little treat for the blood, sweat, and tears that you had sacrificed. Once I drove off the lot, I said this is new and exciting for you and enjoy this opportunity now. For the last year, that car and myself have taken quite the journey. We have been to Salinas, Watsonville, San Jose, Fresno, and Oakland. I’ve also noted how nice it is not to have to worry about my car breaking down in the middle of the road. The lesson here for me is that saving your money is not the easiest thing to do in the world but if it means that much to you to save up and buy that nice thing you’ve been itching for I feel you should go for it and be patient. I know that now with myself this car (appropriately named Dino), that we will continue to wreck the mean streets of the Bay Area and we still have many more adventures to take throughout the bay area. Till next time to see what I write about on ‘300 writing prompts’.

Something to wrestle with and my memories of Bret Hart’s 1996-1997

Posted on by anele25

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The land of wrestling podcasts has recently taken over my life. The craze started not too long ago and needless to say, they help when you are washing the dishes, washing the car, or doing laundry. This is beside the point however; I want to cover today a recent podcast done by Bruce Prichard of something to wrestle with fame. The topic for this recent podcast was Bret Hart. If you don’t worry who that is, do not be alarmed you will by the end of this post. My memories of that time are quite extraordinary and full of joy. First, I’ll go through some major points that Bruce Prichard covered and then I’ll give some of my perspective.

 

The podcast does a very good job of painting Bret at this time as someone who could have an excellent match with anyone during that era. He worked with a who’s who of wrestlers. His matches included excellent storytelling, great selling, good flow, and a way of sucking you in so you could believe it. One of those matches was Bret Hart vs Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13. The match did a good job of telling the classic story of the cocky upstart who is being a rebel vs the proud hero who stands by his morals. Hart of course, was the hero who stood by his morals. The fans at the time were clamoring for a change and wanted something new. In storyline, the idea was to do a double turn and have one guy go ‘good’ and another go ‘bad’. Bret at this time was portrayed as being good and Austin as bad. The fans saw how much Austin clawed and scratched to try and win but to no avail. The fans by the end of the match knew that Austin had given it his all in the match and Bret was just being a bully by beating down on a limp body. That is why that match is (by those days), considered a classic. It works because it was believable and it gives credit to the performers that were out there. The match was bloody, full of hard hitting action, and kept you on the edge of your seat. More on these excellent feuds later on. One of my favorite pieces of the podcast included the insights into how the Montreal Screw job came about. The incident famously known as the Montreal Screw job was orchestrated in 1997 as a way to get the belt off Bret Hart so he wouldn’t walk away from the company with the belt.

 

The scenario was in place so that Shawn Michaels (the incumbent champion) and Bret Hart could have a finish even though one person was not clued in. Essentially, the original plan was for the match to end in a disqualification and there would be members of the Hart Foundation (Bret’s group and faction) that would run in and have the match end in controversial fashion. However, at the end of the match Shawn put Bret Hart in his own hold (the sharpshooter, which is where Bret would put his left leg in between his opponents’ two legs and turn the person around and sit on the person’s back until they gave up). The finish of the match saw Bret not give up and the referee rang for the bell. Needless to say, Bret was very upset at the end of this and realized he had been double crossed. After this, he left upset and even had the guts to punch his former boss, Vince McMahon. There has been quite a bit said as to the different scenarios that would have come into place if this situation would not have happened. I also really enjoyed the 1996 portion of this podcast because you also got an insight into Bret taking a leave of absence for his TV shows and to take a break. I also heard the first time that he got a call to come back in 1996 and he flat out said no. It was almost as if Bret needed time to recharge his batteries at time to be with his families. I also learned from this portion of this podcast that Bret was a very smart man when it came to negotiating for his contract and for what he felt was right. At this time, it was rumored that Bret would jump to the rival company, WCW.

 

He would have been one of the members of the newly formed New World Order. The spot that was originally meant for Hart went to one Hulk Hogan. It’s funny because if that would have happened he would not have as a successful run as he did.  Bret however, knew that he still had an opportunity to work with one of the new stars in the WWF in Steve Austin. I remember at this time also that the podcast mentioned on how Bret was always keen on making his opponents look good and how he worked hard to make sure that everything made sense. One of these times where this was true was where Bret did a USA vs Canada angle and he was very successful at having the USA fans hate him. I have gone off the rails a bit and I am going to just cover what I remember from this time period of 1996-1997. It may be bit scattered but for me it is how I remember it. Anyway, getting back to the USA vs Canada angle. I had a sense at the time that what Bret was doing was fairly interesting because he had fans on one side of the border hating his guts. In another country, he had fans still cheering him as their hero. I still vividly remember Bret saying ‘we don’t shoot each other on the streets and we still care for our sick’. Ironically enough, this was done in Canada. Meanwhile, in the USA the fans still hated his guts for being pompous about pimping his home country. It would be as if I went around from country to country and I would be liked or respected only in one or a few. I also remember the summer of 1997 was awesome because this was where Bret Hart famed one of my favorite wrestling stables in the Hart Foundation. Bret Hart essentially went ahead and gathered his family members to start this group. It was composed of four great wrestlers (actually three) in Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman. The other member was Jim Neidhart. All five men ran roughshod over the federation. The pinnacle of the group came when they ran up against Steve Austin’s team of himself, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and the Legion of Doom. I still remember this match as being emotional for me because my hero had come back from injury in 1997 after having that great run with Steve Austin. Just to backtrack a bit, Bret Hart had finished his series of matches with Steve Austin (including the classic at WrestleMania 13) and he had run an angle on TV where he was out injured due to some complications with his knee.

 

As he was coming back, I remember this promo Hart was cutting with Shawn Michaels in May of 1997 where Hart was calling Shawn all kinds of names and questioning his manhood. At the time, I was not smart to what was happening and realized that the TV time was running out. As the show was going off the air, I realized that the show did not officially end. Little did I know (according to the podcast with Prichard), Bret forgot the cue and he kept talking. All these later, I still felt that was how the show was supposed to end. Anyway, back to the match where they went up against Steve Austin’s team. The event took place in Canada in Calgary. The crowd that night was electric for the show known as Canadian Stampede. As the match was starting, I was in awe that all these people jammed into one arena to see their fellow countrymen do battle. The Foundation ended up winning after about 20-25 minutes of some hard hitting action. The time during my life at that time was also when my family and I would go to Mexico on vacation. As the time was rapidly approaching for us to leave, Summer slam 1997 was also happening. I remember watching Bret Hart’s championship match against the Undertaker at my mom’s work. Some of these times are priceless as I remember being a little kid and being excited for what was to come next. I think that was one of the magical things about Bret Hart’s 1996-1997 run. I remember after each Bret match, promo, or appearance I would ask myself what was next for the Hitman. One of those that I could remember was when before he left for his hiatus in 1996, he had a one-hour match with Shawn Michaels. The match was famous for going one hour without pinfalls or submissions. I also remember that the match went sudden death and about a minute in, Shawn Michaels was able to get the win with his superkick. After the match, Bret took his time getting back and the cameras followed him back to get his reaction and needless to say he was visibly upset. I know from this incident, I knew from there he was someone who could hook my interest from the beginning of a match or from the end of the match because he made you believe it was real. One of those times where I first got a peak behind the curtain was when the film “Wrestling with Shadows” was released.

 

The film showed us the intricacies of wrestling and how deep his belief went into wrestling. You also saw how much he cared about his family. His immediate family he cared about because you saw that what he grew up was almost like a sport that you had to take into account. If you not have seen the movie, I would highly recommend the film because you see the ins and outs of what it is like to be a wrestler and how one of the best wrestlers ever got to where he was. I’ll leave everything with this as one of my favorite memories of that run in 1996-1997. I remember when Bret had come back in 1996 and Bret came back and said how loyal he was to the WWF and how he wasn’t going anywhere. I was so happy at that time because for one he said he was staying and he also for the first time accepted Steve Austin’s challenge for a match at Survivor Series 1996. The idea for me at that time was that Bret would always be a WWF guy. In 2002, after Bret had officially retired full time from wrestling I wrote a paper about his time in wrestling. I remember I got a decent grade on the paper actually. I also was so happy when Bret Hart returned in 2010 to the now known WWE. He had a memorable run in 1996-97 but I believe here it warmed my heart that he let old wounds heal after the Montreal Screwjob and he was able to show the new generation of fans his skills.

 

Well, there you have it. I just wrote some great memories and some of my favorite times of my favorite wrestler, Bret Hart. Over the next two weeks I will be traveling on some weekends to Los Angeles and then after that I will be having some surgery to heal up some kidney stones. What I want to do for my next blog is include some little journal entries on what these trips were like and I’ll probably write them in my tiny moleskin that I was recently given as a gift. Till next time, everybody be on the lookout!