Tag: Travel

Chicago and San Diego Trip…

Posted on by anele25

For the past week and a half, I have been out of work and the cities I ended up visiting were Chicago and San Diego. It was also my birthday month and I decided with two events coinciding with each other, I would take advantage of the time off. The two events were a Baseball game and a Wrestling event. It all started Wednesday night as me and my best friend Adrian left SFO on the way to Chicago. We landed Thursday morning and ended up taking public transit to our hotel. The first thing I noticed was how accessible everything in Chicago was. As we rode through the neighborhoods and through the suburbs, we started getting closer and closer to our destination. One thing that we did not account for however, was that we would get lost. We ended up on the wrong street and the bus driver was nice enough to redirect us. Adrian decided it would be best to take a Lyft to our hotel as we went to go drop off our luggage, we ended up leaving our luggage at the hotel and walked over to a breakfast spot that was pretty good for what it was. After this, we walked again to a bus stop and saw what was around town. For the better part of the afternoon, we ended up going to where Wrigley Field was and took a small tour of the ballpark itself. As I sat there, I was in awe of the different pieces of history that were in front of me from the Ivy and the bleachers that were there. Baseball, I love it because to the casual viewer it may be boring but to me I get so much more out of it because you’re thinking as the pitcher is up there, what kind of pitch is he going to throw, what is the hitter looking for, what defensive position are the infielders and outfielders playing, and most importantly what is the hitter going to do once the pitch is there.

 

The tour guide explained most of the history behind Wrigley field and how much meaning it really had. The players, the events, the people, and also the employees that would make Wrigley run smoothly. My favorite story was hearing how the fences near the bleachers got built because of the fans that would be going on top of them. Once the tour was over, I quickly realized how much I needed to visit other city’s ballparks to get a feel for the city and also for the team. I bought my Chicago Cubs shirt and off we were. Soon after, we took an Uber back to our hotel to check in and took a very long nap to reenergize for the night. We ended up taking an Uber to downtown to check out the Skydeck and what a sight it was. On the way there, I did get a bit of anxiety because of the elevator that started shaking a bit. If you haven’t been to the Skydeck, I would recommend it for the sheer beauty of what it is you’ll see up there. You can end up seeing 4 states (these four states being Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana) on a clear day but since there is something about the night sky that intrigues me, I enjoyed it. There were quite few tourists taking their pictures, and once you step onto the glass you get this thrill because you are 109 floors up and you can feel the whole city in front of you. I took some pictures with my friend Adrian and that first night was capped off by some bar hopping as I just rested there and enjoyed the company of my friend Adrian. The most fun we had at that moment was when we played some pool at this bar called the ‘Game Room’. At that moment, we had some real talk as we started talking about what it is we wanted out of life and what we would hope to get out of it. It was the first time in a long time that I realized that my friend also had this pent-up emotion that he wanted to let out about some issues he had gone through with his previous relationship and I won’t share them out of respect and love to him. All I could do for him was to be a supportive and caring friend. I couldn’t give advice because I myself have not gone through that nor do I wish to ever go through that.

 

As we rode home, I started getting the conversation and the itch to talk to some of these lyft and uber drivers who are probably just regular people like we are. Out of the ones we met on our trip (I’ll sum the majority of them here), I would say the one who I enjoyed talking to the most was this one who was a fan of wrestling and he had told us about some of his experiences as a wrestling fan. I can remember the first question he asked me which period of wrestling was the best and I straight up told him that the 80’s were my favorite period. We started getting into the promos, the matches, the angles, and the general booking of the territory. One thing we noted was that wrestling was seen as special because there were no superheroes or social media to hold some of these guys back from what they could be. Nowadays, it’s a little harder to stay in character and to know how to draw in an audience. Overall, each driver was pretty nice and had a unique background to them from schoolteachers, to retired city managers, students, regular everyday people, and there was even one who just gave us a city tour on how much each neighborhood is different. The next two days were filled with fun and excitement as we ended up splitting up that morning as we visited Millennium Park and split a bit after as we each did our own duties. I went to the zoo to get a fresh take on the wildlife that was near Chicago. I saw an assortment of animals that day from Zebras, Cows, Roosters, Gorillas, Birds, Bears, Rhinos, and other assortments of animals. I even saw a cool trick on some buckets where he started juggling some plungers and afterwards came down. The time at the zoo winded down and I headed over to downtown to catch some dinner with Adrian. We had some deep-dish pizza, which truth be told, was not as good as the one I had in Berkley a few weeks ago. Once we were done, we headed down on the subway to the Chicago White Sox game to catch another baseball game. I enjoyed the game for what it was but when the team is not as good as they were before, the game can be a bit tedious to follow but, in this case, you can find creative ways to engage yourself by talking to others and talking to friends as well. I ended up taking three or four walks around the stadium getting my steps in. I headed towards to the deck to check out the night sky. I ended up taking a picture by there and a Chicago sign to remind me of all the good times that were ahead. The game ended in a 4-3 victory for the rival Detroit Tigers and I continued my streak of ballparks on this trip. The drive home was pretty long and this time I saw how much traffic was really backing up in Chicago and talking to our driver I saw how much the weather there can impact the city they live in. Once we got home, we slept in and had a long day ahead of us the next day. The next day was some of the hottest I had felt in a long time as it was humid and it was muggy. We ended up taking each a solo split once again as I wanted to do my own activities and head to North Avenue Beach and do some sight-seeing on the beach. I rented a bike for 3 hours and just biked as I saw the majority of the beach and afterwards sat down in between to do some reading on a book called Flow which describes those experiences where you essentially focused and are fully immersed in what it is you are doing. The feelings of just being on the beach and having that time to just reflect on what is there in the present are some of the best feelings in the world. That is what I realized as I sat on the grass getting through a good chunk of the book.

 

I headed back and did some more biking around 1PM. We ended making a trek to the famous Pro Wrestling tees store where I ended up buying a Golden Elite shirt (Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Kota Ibushi shout out!). From there, we ate (again) and after we saw our first ever Takeover show by WWE NXT. This show was great as it consisted of five matches. Each of the matches from Undisputed Era vs Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch to Shayna Bazler vs Nikki Cross impressed me because the guys and gals all showed something different in the matches. Some were hard hitting and others felt like actual fights where each guy or gal wanted to outdo their competitor. The show itself was fun because I also got to experience getting the Chicago vibe of a wrestling town along the way. Afterwards, I got to check out one last show before I left Chicago as I went to see Bruce Prichard of Something to Wrestle with Fame. The jokes, the laughs, the stories, and the banter between Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard is something I get a joy out of personally every week. The show was definitely worth the price as each guy that was present in the show presented something different and unique to the fan that was there. For example, one of the guys that was there, Armando Alejandro Estrada gave a great recount of what it was like to work under the tutelage Once that was finished, I ended up going back home to get a few hours rest before our flight took off. I ended up getting just over three hours of sleep that morning and I got on my flight ready to head back to the bay area. Once I landed I just let everything sink in for a minute before I realized where I had gone and the people I had seen. That night I had a great time seeing some music drum and bass with a friend of mine and we headed home soon after that. The next day I prepared for my trip to San Diego which by and large felt like it went by really quick as me and brother had some bonding time ahead of us and we had driven there this time. The first stop was at an Oakland A’s (Let’s go Oakland) vs. San Diego Padres game which had some drama towards the end as one of my friends kept saying that it is difficult to go 0-5 and one of our hitters, Stephen Piscoitty, ended up hitting a homerun to tie it up in the 9th inning. Then in the 10th inning Jed Lowrie (thanks to an error ended up hitting a 2-run homer. Afterwards, we headed out to our friend’s house to talk some war stories and discuss other things that were going on in our lives currently at that time. I also talked to our friend about his living situation and how different everything was out there in San Diego as opposed to the Bay Area. Here it can be expensive and over there it seemed like everything was a bit cheaper. The next day we went through some interesting areas as we headed over to Camino de la Plaza to see the border from the other side and also saw the Border Field State Park. Before we went there though, we stopped by Sunset Cliffs to see some of the cliffs that I had seen on some videos through Youtube and some of the views were breathtaking. I got a few good pictures which hopefully down the line some of my friends can go and visit for themselves.

 

Walking through that muggy San Diego weather, I can see some of the struggles that the people of my background have gone through. Me and my brother ended up picking up some photos of a little girl. The girl, who we had no idea who she was, was probably someone’s relative and we put the photos up to represent some sort of hope that maybe someone will see them or that it won’t happen to someone else. The border itself by the Border Field State Park also gave me some interesting vibes because we were essentially walking through sand to get to see the other side of the border but once we got there we were told that we were to not get anywhere near the fence. We walked back to our car which seemed longer considering the distance we had traveled. Once we got back to our friend’s house, we had a last pow wow to close out the night where we talked about life, dreams, our times that we have had together, and just everything in between. I had an epiphany that life is meant to be full of memories, laughter, sadness, and great people. That night as we drove back, I stopped by Anza Borrego State Park and saw some stars that were marvelous in my opinion and I just stopped for a few minutes to gaze at everything that was in front of me. That to me was the best way to end my time in San Diego. There were some mannequins that I had seen on some YouTube channels but I did not get a chance to take a look at them. However, after that I said there will always be a next time. I walked away from the vacation reenergized and knowing that I fulfilled my need of getting out there to see what else the world has. I didn’t care if I got lost or if I knew where I was as long as I knew where I was heading to in the long run. To anyone and everyone who reads this, the best gift that life gives us is purpose and to each of us we have our own destiny’s crafted out. Yes, life may not be perfect and that’s okay. In this life, you have to want to get out to see just how wonderful and beautiful the world really is and this is just here domestically. I can’t wait to see what else is out there in the world because I have a little bit of everything right now and I couldn’t ask for anything more. (Author’s note: Here are some pictures representing the trip).

What happened when… Jose went to Tampa Bay Florida

Posted on by anele25

About two weeks, I wrote that I wanted to cover my trip to Tampa Bay in long form. The story as to why I went is simple. I had two weeks off from work and I’m also a huge fan of the hockey team the Tampa Bay Lightning. The goal was to catch two games from the Lightning on a Tuesday and Thursday. Last year around this time, I started planning out the trip and lo and behold, this is what happened when I went to Tampa Bay Florida.

 

The day of the trip is usually the most anticipated because you have to everything in order. First, you have that damn itinerary ready just in case you forget which airline you’re flying and which terminal you’re going to. Second, you have to have all your necessary items that you’re going to carry with you. The day of the trip I had everything ready. The night of December 19th 2016 I left wheels up for Tampa. I remember the majority of the flight I slept because it was a red eye and I was listening to the now highly acclaimed Something to Wrestle with… Bruce Prichard. We landed early that morning and I also had a connecting flight from Atlanta. The connecting flight, (known little to my knowledge) was on final boarding and I now rushed over. I just missed the flight and I felt rather devastated. I had never been in this situation and I was lost as to what I should do. I asked around and someone pointed me to services from Delta. I was gladly handed a new boarding pass and there I was on my way to Tampa Bay. I landed about 1 hour later than my original time. Once again, when I’m in a new city I try to look for new things to do and see. I’ve found that planning out a trip detail by detail beforehand can end up backfiring on you. Built on spontaneity, a trip can have so much more adventures and elusive stories.

 

Nevertheless, I went over to my rental counter for my car and asked which kind of car I had reserved. Knowing me, I said yes to upgrade a sports car. I ended up driving a Ford Mustang and that thing at first was hard to navigate. I grabbed my car and eventually went exploring around the city. The first thing I did was grab some food and I went shopping for some groceries as well to have for the next few days. I did that and also explored a little around the city. The city had some nice harbors and the beaches were wonderful to look at from afar (more about this in a bit). I ended up checking in later that day to my hotel. Whenever, I go to hotels I make sure that they are a Days Inn because usually they are pretty reliable. After some relaxation, I ended up making my way towards my first game of the trip. The first game was against the Detroit Red Wings and the atmosphere from Amalie Arena was quite interesting. I had heard that perhaps Tampa wasn’t a hockey town but it was quite a fun experience. I saw the passion in the fans and the amazing amount of support for the team was awesome. I went by myself on this trip and I was practically up on the top of the rafters. I was able to observe the game more closely and able to appreciate how shifts are happening and how the defensemen are able to guide the game for their team.  I had some Red Wings fans seated next to me and even there I said that hockey has the ability to bring fans from anywhere. This makes Hockey one of the premier sports for me because of the excitement, competiveness, and grit in the players. I had fun at my first hockey game in Tampa and we ended up winning 4-1 after some crazy plays happened involving the goalies going down for both teams. Afterwards, I came with the idea in my to head down to Miami. The Miami idea came about from the fact that I wouldn’t know when I would come back. I woke up the next day at 7AM ready to head out by 8AM. Once I headed out, I had little idea about the famous tolls in Florida.

 

As I went about on I-75, I had no cash and I saw the signs for the tolls. The drive itself was rather relaxing because I saw the swamps, could feel the humidity in the air, and was surprised that it was not raining as much as I thought. As I was going along paying my tolls, I wondered about what I would do on the way to Miami. I told myself I would probably catch a movie because the drive was quite long (about 4 hours to be exact). I ended up seeing Assassins Creed and the movie was great because I was curious as to how they would adapt a video game into a movie. The movies (if you have not seen it) had to do with Michael Fassbender’s retrieving the Apple of Eden which is being researched by a scientist because he wants to see wars and what not continue into the 21st century. It was panned by critics but I rather enjoyed it because it took the idea that revolutionaries can be created by going up against the system. After that was over, I decided to sit in traffic for a bit to head to Miami beach. Previously, I had been in South Miami but the trip to Miami Beach was worth it. I stopped by Miami Beach for a few hours and just sat on the beach taking in the time and effort I had put into making the trip happen. Everything that happened and everything that was to happen in the next few months had not come into my head. I think that’s what we forget sometimes is that we have to breath everything in. The ocean air and the sound of the ocean are enough to send me into a frenzy because that’s where I become one with the Earth. I sat on the beach for close to 20 minutes and afterwards headed back to where I was parked. Little did I know, it started raining and I said what the heck I’ll walk around in the rain. I just stopped by and saw all the little shops that were around. These shops give me the idea that someone will shill out enough money for a Miami Beach towel or a Miami Beach surfboard. The destination cities do a remarkable job at marketing these products and you can say they do well deserve it.

 

Afterwards, I headed back to Tampa around 6:30 in the evening. I found this drive to be much more adventurous than the first one. When I was driving back, I drove with the top down for a part of the drive. I just let the breeze blow through what hair I had left. I remember from some of the drive I had a semi-truck in front of me and I could feel the breeze getting colder. I wanted to drive with the top up again but the breeze was just too tempting to resist. I also remember when I was driving earlier in the drive that I was just zooming in and out of the lanes just trying to stay awake from all the driving that was happening. Once I got close to Tampa, I got a little bit more relaxed because I had done my driving and was ready for the next day’s adventure. The next day, I asked myself what else I could do? On this day, I decided to head up to St. Pete beach. Of course, the drive once again was wonderful and once I arrived I just laid on the beach for a few hours reading a book called ‘The Arm’. The book deals with Tommy John Surgery and what pitchers go through during the process. One pitcher in particular I remember they talked about in the book was Jon Lester. Lester himself talked about the mechanics of having to recover from Tommy John and what kinds of recovery that pitchers have to go through. I also found Todd Coffey’s comeback from Tommy John to be one of the most compelling pieces because of how he tried to come back and got hurt right away when he threw and he felt pain up his elbow. The author himself details how much money and how much stock into how these pitchers are developed from a young age into sensations at 19-20 and it all depends whether or not they can throw a 90 mile per hour fastball. I also found it fascinating while reading this that pitchers go out there every 5th day and are depended on for a 1 win or one quality start. It kind of reminds me of when a horse may just be gearing up for some races but he comes back on that day to run and he wins the big one.  If you’re not familiar with a quality start it’s usually 6 innings pitched, 3 earned runs, and maybe 5 or 6 strikeouts. I remember in particular on how kids in high school or in high school are scouted at a young age and eventually they are drafted into an organization. The development from these pitchers is worth looking into and I would be interested to see if another book such as this one dealing with maybe infielders or outfielders. The position players I feel can have just as a compelling story with pitchers because they understand what it takes to succeed. What I mean by this is that they have to have a good arm to throw out a runner or maybe even be willing to hit for power.

 

Anyway back to Florida. After I finished reading a good chunk of this book, I headed to look for some pizza and chicken. I settled on something and headed once more over to the hotel. I waited for a bit until the next game was to start. I headed out a bit early to check out the awesome downtown and see the arena and see a bit more. Once I was finished with that, I headed to the game ready for another showdown. This time we were playing the St. Louis Blues. This game I felt was a bigger challenge than the first one. The team of the Blues was much more talented and I was ready to see this one go down. After going down two goals, I said to myself ok we gotta find a way to come back. I also said once again I did not come all this way to see my boys lose. I had also that night bought a Lightning jacket which I really enjoy wearing these days as well.  After that, we never looked back and ended scoring up 5 unanswered goals (something about me and 5 unanswered goals really goes a long way). After the game was over, there is no doubt I felt there was definitely a sense that I would be back. I was planning to go back this year for my Christmas break but at this juncture it doesn’t look like it is going to happen because I have some surgery going on. I’m telling myself at this point that life is extensive and I do want to go back soon enough. I got back on the plan one day later and I sat there watching Jason Bourne and Dogs of War. I told myself there, ‘Life is Good’. I landed just in time for Christmas Day and had a very nice and relaxing rest of my break.

 

Now that I’ve written about my experience about traveling, I want to go back to something I haven’t written about in a while and that is wrestling. Recently, I listened to the Bret Hart 96/97 podcast with Bruce Prichard of Something to wrestle with fame. I am going to go ahead and write down some of my thoughts on one of my heroes and what he meant to me during that time almost 20 years ago. I’ll also take some snippets from the podcast and what I remember during that time. Hasta luego! (A little thing to remember this trip down below). IMG_2793

A life altering experience…

Posted on by anele25

This past Friday I probably had one of the hardest events I had to take in. As I have written in the past, I have medical issues with my kidneys. Some of this is because of poor diet, lack of exercise, and not drinking enough fluids. The other part is mainly just genetics. Recently, I had the displeasure of having a kidney stone once again hit me. I missed a week of work because of it and the pain I went through was excruciating. I even ended up going to the emergency room because of it. I would not wish this upon any other human being and the only thing I would advise is to cut back on certain foods. I would also advise to get plenty of activity into your everyday life. I passed the stone eventually and everything was back to normal. However, when something like this occurs not everything is going to be bloom and roses. I had gotten a CT scan done when I went to the emergency room. The CT scan is done to see where the stone is and how big it is. The CT scan I had gotten done showed that something on my left side was not as it should be and this is where my life altering experience comes in.

 

The day was like any other. I had gotten up and made some food to start off the day. I went to the gym after and listened to my favorite Friday getaway show Figure 4 Daily. This show is generally great and makes me laugh anytime I listen to it. If you’re not familiar with wrestling, it is with former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor and MMA/wrestling journalist Bryan Alvarez. Both men break down the news in wrestling for the week and occasionally talk about the happenings of a  wrestling/MMA show that has passed. I eventually finished the show (and my workout) and headed out to the library to handle some miscellaneous business of looking at some books and printing out something I needed for a later date. Once I was done there, I headed to the doctor and over to the Urology department. I headed to the room thinking this was either going to be really good or really bad. I waited for 5-10 minutes and the doctor broke the news of what is considered surgery for my kidney stones. He first showed me the stones and described in detail the size of them. I have 2 stones in my left side (one about 4 centimeters in length and the other about 1 centimeter). The surgery goes by the name Percutaneous Nephrolothotomy. It is described as the removal of large stones. The procedure requires a sheath to be inserted into the back and a nephroscope is placed near the sheath to remove the kidney stone. This should do the job in terms of removing the stones and to me if this fixes it, I would be all for it. After the procedure a tube or a stent is placed inside the kidney to collect urine to make sure the blood flow goes as planned. As I write this, it is as if I am going through some shock but it also feels therapeutic to write about an experience which will make me feel better. Some of the side effects after the surgery could be blood in the urine, pain in the back, nausea and pain in the abdomen and kidneys. The information I just described is what the doctor told me except this was more of a cliff notes version. I also was told that the appointment would most likely be a month out because my doctor’s scheduler would not be available. I know once again that having to go through this is for the best and I have a great support system. I left the appointment feeling as if this was something that was meant to happen to me and it would test me. It also showed me the importance of cherishing those around me. I talked to a friend of mine after and this person made me feel at ease for the surgery that was to come. I was assured that they would be there for me for anything I needed and for me that was the greatest thing I could ask for out of them. I also talked to my mom and dad not too long after to talk about what was to come. I also got the assurance from them they too would be there to help out in this difficult time.

 

After that was over, I decided to start planning out some adventures the next month. I wanted to head back to Florida (I will cover this in long form in my next post), but if this is going to happen in the next month there is a possibility I won’t be able to afford it. My mom suggested that we head out to LA to Universal Studios which is somewhere I have not been. I also want to head over to the Wrestling Guy Store in LA (something else I would love to cover in long form down the line). I have also been planning to head to a wrestling show for a local wrestling promotion called APW. There are so many events that I would love to get done before this surgery and all I want for this to succeed is good discipline and careful planning. I can only hope that all goes well for this surgery and I know my family will be there to help out when it is all said and done.

 

One event I want to touch on is the recent death of a close family friend’s brother. He was someone I had a few conversations with when I was younger and I can say he taught me quite a bit in those conversations we had. He also helped our family out here at our house. I can remember him as being a kind and gentle soul. I remember the day of his funeral the people that knew him best remembered him as being passionate, hardworking, and someone who would be willing to teach anyone anything. My brother told me after the passing of this friend of ours that he loved me and I told him the same thing. Those little things like that make me know that no matter where you are, your siblings will never let you down as long as you keep them close.

 

As you can see, it has been quite the past few weeks and there is a saying that at the end of the tunnel there’s always that light. I am keeping this in the back of my mind every day I wake up from now on until I have my surgery and even beyond that when situations get tough. Till next time, I will be covering my trip to Florida from this past winter on the next post.

Hockey

Posted on by anele25

Hello again, this is me writing again into this lovely blog. I left off two weeks ago wondering what I would write about next. I’ve decided this time to jot a few notes down about hockey and the impact it has had on me. About 3 years ago, I had a friend of mine try and convince me to get into hockey. I told him that wasn’t the sport for me. Slowly but surely, I started watching the sport more and more. I got into the sport however because I feel I needed something new to watch. The excitement and thrill of the goal horn sounding is to much to turn down folks! I may not understand all the rules still but I do know what an icing call does (this will result in a team getting a face-off in their own zone). My friend told me to pick a team and I went with the Tampa Bay Lightning. What drew me to the team was their style of play and their players looking like stars. I also enjoyed the idea of rooting for a team outside of my local roots. No offense to the San Jose Sharks, just never been a big fan of their logo (if you’ve never seen it, it’s a shark chewing on a hockey stick). Hence, I was drawn to players like Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Tyler Johnson, and my personal favorite Victor Hedman. My first season was truly an incredible one. I saw the team I had chosen go to the playoffs my first season as a fan. I was thankful about the idea that this team had made it so far. That first round was a stressful one against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Lightning were about to go down 3-1 in the series. I knew that something was about to change because I wasn’t used to winning in sports. I had gotten used to my local teams, the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland A’s lose time after time. The fun part about being a sports fan is the sheer joy of winning and losing. You stick with them when they lose and you stick with them when you win. That game 4 changed everything as the Lightning pulled off a overtime win. They went on to win the series and the next two as well as they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. We eventually lost (yes I said we) to the Chicago Blackhawks in the final 4-2 and this did make me think, the incredible joy of seeing a team win and lose all in the same season make me a fan because of the emotions it brings. It can either make or break your day depending on how much you are invested. I can say after that I said no matter how good or bad my teams may be you always have to support them. They work their asses off to stay competitive and to me hockey is that one sport where you can feel the energy of the fans. The next year, I caught as many games as I could on my NHL package and once again the Lightning played some competitive games. I had the joy of once again seeing my team play until the Conference final against the eventual champions Pittsburgh Penguins. However, these playoffs were truly incredible. They were missing their top player in Steven Stamkos and lost goalie Ben Bishop in the 1st game of the conference final. In theory, this team of players should have won the Stanley cup with those two players in the lineup. I once again told myself, you are now committed to a team that you have invested time and money in. Last season, I had the honor and privilege to see this team up close at home in Tampa. I had seen them two previous times play here in my hometown of San Jose. Both times, we had been successful in winning 5-2, and 4-3 respectively. These two games in December of last year were truly incredible. I told myself I did not come to Tampa just to see these group of players lose. Low and behold, I was greeted with two excellent games against the Red Wings and the Blues. The 2nd game was my favorite I have been to so far in my short time as a hockey fan. The final score of that game was 5-2 as we had gone down 2 goals early on. Eventually we came back and won the game 5-2.

Ever since then, I have been telling myself man if it weren’t for this I’d probably lose my mind. The nature and idea that there is a small puck that players battle for is incredible. I also enjoy the idea that players are on the ice anywhere from 90-120 seconds at a time. The shifts that players go between seems rather stressful and having to remember where to be in your zone or when to create a crease so that your teammate can make a shot is also something to ponder. I also enjoy that the defensemen (along withe the goalie) play a much bigger role on how a team performs. If your defenseman on one side is unable to penetrate against the opposition in your zone, you can pretty much say that you are at a disadvantage. As for the Lightning, we were not as successful last season. There were too many injuries and unavoidable games where we collapsed. This season, I’d be curious on how we match up against the rest of NHL. We have our captain, Steven Stamkos back and a couple of upgrades on defense as well. Gone are Jonathan Drouin and Ben Bishop. This season, to me will really depend on depth and how we respond to injuries. The team has young defensemen in Slater Koekkoek and Jake Dotchin. The other young forwards on the teams such as Vladislav Namestnikov and Brayden Point will also be there playing with a chance to reach the playoffs with a team that is rolling with experience at this point. The team is still relatively young and practically made it to the playoffs with half of it’s roster hurt or playing with pains and aches. I can for one say I am excited for the season and don’t be surprised if we are contending once again for a Stanley cup. Let’s go Lightning! Below I added a little link to the season preview 🙂

Going Mobile…

Posted on by anele25

The fun filled year of 2014  brought me some pain, joy, happiness, and sometimes frustration but I’ve began to discover new things about myself. I finally understand what I want out of life. Not that I have the meaning to life , but I have found some sense of purpose in my life moving forward. It wasn’t long ago that I was content just sitting at home and not doing much other than going back and forth doing the same thing 5-7 times a week. In the past month, I’ve transferred from my old work location and moved to a new store. The store isn’t as well staffed but the opportunity to work with new, younger talent is enticing. My schooling is going great and even though it may not be perfect (why should it be?), I’ve made new friends and have kept some of the same ones from previous years and semesters. I’ve said that being on your own can be kind of scary but when you’re moving from location to location and you know how to navigate yourself, what’s there to be afraid of? Not too long ago, I wrote a paper describing my mom’s struggles and her ability to move to a new country when she was 24. I can’t imagine the fear and the pain that goes through someone’s head when they are going through that phase of their life. I know that my mom was happy enough that she decided to stick it out and settle down here in the United States. Even speaking Spanish, and not any English must have been somewhat of a scary thought because you are thinking in the back of your head that what if I don’t make it here in the United States? My point here being that I’m no longer that afraid to approach new situations and new locations in life. Just in the past year, I’ve gone to places I wouldn’t have imagined I would go to. For example, in June my brother, mom, and niece went to Disneyland for my birthday which seemed out there but we did it anyway. I’ve also been to Seattle which at first sounded like a sedentary place to go on a trip but my friend and I said what the heck let’s give it a shot. The trip as you can see here was awesome:

DSCN7200[1]

DSCN7240[1]

DSCN7231[1]

I found myself in this different type of mode because instead of being in my normal mood, I found it soothing that we were in a different city with different kinds of people. Case in point, instead of being quiet and not really talking to anybody, I was talking with anyone that seemed interested in having a conversation. I would talk to them about wrestling, football, and even baseball. Not taking anything away from the Bay Area, but having the opportunity to talk to people from another part of the country felt right. I told my friend Ricky that doing this was worth it because we got a different perspective from the northwest where I wouldn’t have even dreamed of going in my lifetime.

I also happened to go to Hawaii recently and here are some pictures that prove that our adventurous and raunchy style of living doesn’t hurt anybody in the end:

DSC00082[1] DSC00037[1] DSC00055[1] DSC00089[1] DSC00073[1]

In a way the trip that took place two weeks ago opened my eyes to a world that I’ve never known. I met people that were funny, witty, and smart. There were those I appreciated for their candid open spirit. I would want to go back and expand upon my social settings because I feel I haven’t scratched the surface yet when it comes to holding a conversation and bantering with people. One day I will go back and I can feel that growth is a part of life that never ends. I started this blog almost 5 years ago and though it has slowed down, I will continue to update with any crazy adventures I may have in the future. I am almost done with school and I feel that I have to focus on finding a real job once I am done. It is exciting yet wonderful because I can begin a career or continue my schooling with a master’s degree. With this, I see that my life has meaning because I have been given opportunities to do anything I want. I sometimes see others that have less than I and I truly am blessed that I am where I am because when something is given to you, you must take it and run with it as fast as possible but at some point you may slow down. Happy new year everyone and keep striving!