It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged, nearly 11 months to be exact, but it’s something that I want to get back in the habit of doing since it hits a creative itch that needs to be scratched from time to time. So, I figured that now would be a good time to get back into it, especially since I’ve got some personal news to share.
On Monday morning Feb 28th I’m having surgery on my spine. I’m scared and anxious, but I desperately need this surgery to hopefully return to a pain-free life. I’ve never had surgery before, but I’ve completely run out of options and it’s now necessary to try to get back to the old me, both physically and mentally.
So, what happened? Well, I’m not quite sure exactly. I know what my diagnosis is (Herniated disc in the L4/L5 region causing spinal stenosis) but I really have no idea what caused it. What I do know is that I really began experiencing moderate pain that would eventually turn severe in my back/left leg sometime in May 2021. I just “dealt with it” until July of 2021 when upon walking to work on the Atlantic City boardwalk one morning I realized that my left foot was numb. This is when I finally decided, way too late I must add, I must seek medical attention for whatever was going on.
First, they made me try oral steroids and then physical therapy, which resulted in me ending up in urgent care unable to put any weight on either of my legs. At urgent care, I was given an X-ray, which would enable me to get an MRI quicker from my family doctor. After my MRI (the photo above), I could understand the results enough to know it wasn’t good. Friends and family I know who are doctors basically told me that it was just a matter of “when” not “if” I would eventually need surgery, but I still held out some hope that this wouldn’t be the case.
After following up with an orthopedic doctor, I was told that doing physical therapy alone wouldn’t solve my issue and that my next steps are to meet with a doctor who could give me a steroid epidural injection and a spine surgeon to get the ball rolling in case the injection didn’t work. I made an appointment for a steroid injection, and still held out hope that it would, at the very least, buy me more time (and give me some relief).
The injection was an interesting experience. They injected my spine in two different parts and while five minutes of the procedure was a breeze, there was one minute of pure hell. When they got close to my spine for the final part, it felt like someone was stabbing me with a burning hot iron from my brain all the way down to my left foot. It was absolutely excruciating and I told myself that if this injection didn’t give me relief for a good period of time, that one minute of hell was absolutely not worth going through again.
When I got home from my injection, I felt no pain for the first time since July, which had me on cloud nine. On day two, I slept 14 hours which felt great because up until this point, I’ve only been sleeping an hour or so at a time for the past 6 months due to pain. But then on day three, I started to feel the hitch in my step return, and then a few days later my pain was completely back to normal, if not worse. So then I knew it was time to make the call to get on the schedule for surgery.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve got a touch of hypochondria in me. So when you add that to the fact that my mom passed away from complications due to surgery, it makes me extremely nervous for Monday. However, I know just how much I, and everyone around me, need this surgery to happen.
I truly haven’t been myself the last many months, but chronic pain will do that to you. Imagine every single step that you take for 6 months feeling like someone is literally cutting the muscle off your leg. Now also imagine that by the end of a normal workday, you’re completely hunched over barely able to get into your car and make it home. Then when you finally make it home, you’re in so much pain that you can’t sleep through the night and spend many nights sleeping on the hardwood floor just to get any sort of relief.
It has been a trying time for me, but I absolutely would have never gotten this far if it wasn’t for the love and support of everyone around me. My wife deserves all the credit in the world for supporting me when I’m not even close to being my best self. It’s definitely not easy having chronic pain, but it’s just as hard living with someone with chronic pain, so I can not truly express just how much I appreciate all the love and support she’s given me when I needed it the most. My friends and family have also been great through all this as well, but I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special shout-out to my coworkers at Hard Rock Atlantic City for their support as well. From helping to pick up boxes, getting me Starbucks so I don’t have to walk there myself, covering events that require too much walking, or just being there to talk to, I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by so many caring, supportive individuals in the workplace.
I also apologize to anyone who I may have hurt or offended over the past few months because of being distant or just not being my best self. One example that sticks out to me is that every year in October I have so many wonderful people reach out and wish me Happy Birthday (be it on Facebook, text, phone calls, etc) and every year I make it a point to thank each person individually and check-in and see how they’re doing as well. This year, I just didn’t have the strength to do that, so I’m sorry!
While I’m still very anxious about surgery, I am excited to have finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. After a few weeks of rest and physical therapy, I look forward to slowly getting back to my old self. Thanks for listening and I’ll see you on the other side!
Almost exactly one year ago, I found out the job that I had accepted a mere four months earlier was being dissolved due to COVID-19 related budget cuts. It was a total gut-punch because I didn’t see it coming especially since it was a newly created role that was supposed to be important for the future of the company. The thing that I’ve now come to realize is that COVID or not, it clearly wasn’t the job/company for me, but that realization still hasn’t made this last year of unemployment any easier. And in regards to this past year, to quote the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it’s been!”.
Dealing with the loss of your job is one thing, but losing it during a pandemic is a totally different monster. I had absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of just how long I’d be out of work. For the first 4-5 months, there was really just so much uncertainty that very few public relations/communications jobs were actually being posted. It was during this time that I made a promise to myself when it came to my next job, and that promise was to not settle for something that I wouldn’t absolutely love, both professionally and personally. I knew that while this was an unexpected period of unemployment, it was also an unexpected chance to get back to loving what I do and who I work for.
When I first really started applying to jobs, I was using my long-form curriculum vitae (CV) and I quickly realized that it was something I needed to change. As a writer, I still love my long-form CV, but I knew that most hiring managers during COVID weren’t going to spend the time reading anyone’s four-page CV. So I turned my CV into a two-page PDF resume (purple of course!) and that’s when the floodgates really started to open in terms of phone calls and interviews.
During this time, I spoke with a lot of great people at a lot of different interesting companies, but there was always just something missing with each job. There were some great opportunities presented to me, but none of them was the perfect fit that I was searching for. For me, they just weren’t the kind of jobs that would spark a deeper sense of professional and personal satisfaction. They also didn’t feel like the place where I could finally plant my roots and grow, which was also really important to me. But then I got a phone call that would change everything.
Now while I was unemployed, I did get to take two incredible road trips (which I’ve written about in previous posts) that I would have never been able to do while I was working at my previous job. Those two trips, along with the support of my incredible wife, truly kept me going through this period of time. The second of those trips was to Prince’s Paisley Park, which was one of the most incredible experiences that I’ve ever had. I didn’t need a trip to Paisley Park to reassure me that music is a huge, meaningful part of my life, but it also didn’t hurt. I think subconsciously that I knew that live music (and fun events) once again had to play some part in my next professional journey…..So now back to that phone call.
I literally knew from my first phone call with the team at Hard Rock Atlantic City that it was exactly where I wanted and needed to be. When the position was offered to me, I was so happy that I was essentially speechless on the phone (which if you’ve ever met me in person, you’ll know is rarer than winning the lottery). So I’m beyond excited to announce that starting this May, I will officially be Hard Rock Atlantic City’s new Public Relations Manager!
I’ve been a fan of the Hard Rock brand and Hard Rock AC for years, so it’s truly incredible that I’m now the newest member of the band. I can’t wait to hit the ground running and play a role in all the incredible events that Hard Rock Atlantic City has to offer. I hope that you’ll all make a trip to Atlantic City and check them out soon as well!
Now that I’m no longer looking for work, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has helped me this past year. There are way too many people to name here, but I just want you all to know that every LinkedIn/Facebook/Text message or phone call was greatly appreciated. I was given some incredible professional advice and support over the past year, and I do hope that I’m able to pay that forward in the future. And for all of you who were affected by COVID and are still out of work, just know that your time is coming soon as well. I know at times that it is impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but trust me when I say that better days are ahead. I’ve been there, and I’m living proof of that, so just keep the faith.
Hard Rock Atlantic City also has some pretty incredible Prince memorabilia, so I obviously had to include some photos of it at the end of thisarticle. The photos in order are: Prince’s Lovesexy outfit from the 1988 Grammys, a red lace bib insert he wore during the Purple Rain tour, and one of his iconic custom cloud guitars. I’m also pretty excited that I get to walk by them every day at work!
Legendary rapper (and actor) Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, passed away Friday April 9th, 2021. He was a legend of his craft and at one point my favorite rapper, so I felt compeled to write a few words about him.
Thanks to two older brothers, I listened to hip-hop music at a very young age. While I listened to a lot of my brothers’ music, it was DMX who felt like MY first real hip-hop superstar. His debut album, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot came out right before the summer of 1998 and it quickly became 12-year-old Justin’s album of the summer. I played that album on my Discman almost my entire trip to Cape May that summer, so of course when I was on the Wildwood boardwalk and saw a shirt that simply read “DMX – It’s Dark & Hell is Hot” I just had to buy it. Little did I know that a few months later this shirt would have me sent home from school because of its explicit lyrics. I went to a very diverse public school in Allentown, PA and I found it absurd then and even more so now as an adult.
In March of 2000, DMX and his Ruff Ryders Entertainment labelmates’ tour with Cash Money Records (Juvenile, Lil Wayne, BG, Big Tymers) came to Philadelphia and I begged my mom to take me. None of my friends’ parents would let them go to such a “dangerous” concert, so as a 14-year old I went to this show alone while my mom and her boyfriend hung out in the city. It was an incredible experience, and 21 years later I still have the Ruff Ryders beanie that I bought at the show. I was so into DMX during this time that I bought his first 6 albums on the day that they came out and would wind up buying other artists like DJ Clue and Dragon’s albums just becuase DMX was on a song or two.
However, as I got older, I started to enjoy other hip-hop acts much more than DMX. I think that part of my maturity process meant that songs with super violent, aggressive, and even homophobic lyrics honestly just didn’t interest me as much anymore. DMX was an imperfect human and it really showed on his albums. You could have a song like “Where the hood at?” which features extremely homophobic lyrics like “How you gonna explain f*cking a man? Even if we squashed the beef I ain’t touching your hand.” followed by a heartfelt prayer to god a few songs later. Also, while DMX has taken a lot of heat in the past for his homophobic lyrics, he also has tons of lyrics that could be considered very homoerotic including a line a few verses later in “Where the hood at?” where he talks about one man holding his private parts while another man performs oral sex. DMX was a talented yet extremely complicated artist.
DMX’s lyrics across his career are full of contractions and imperfections. He was a self-proclaimed religious child of god who committed a bible’s worth of sins. He was a loving, fun human being filled with incredible anger stemming from terrible childhood trauma. He knew that addiction was a terrible thing but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t escape those demons which ultimately cost him his life. When it comes to celebrities, DMX was truly as “real” as they come and that’s what made him so popular. He was an honest man with just as many faults as you and I, and he wore his emotions on his sleeve. For a period of time, he was the top dog in hip-hop and he brought a level of intensity to the genre not seen before. Even though I still don’t listen to his music as much as I used to, when a song of his pops up on a playlist or in my car, I’m still taken back to a very specific period of time and filled with nostalgia. Rest in peace DMX
At the time of writing, there has been over 490,000 deaths in the United States and more than 2,400,000 across the world due to COVID-19. As I wrote about here on my blog previously, I know people who’ve lost their lives to this terrible virus. I also know many more folks who’ve either lost their businesses/jobs to COVID, including myself.
So it really was a no-brainer that as soon as I had the opportunity to get the vaccine that I would take it. Getting the vaccine will help end the pandemic sooner and with fewer lives lost. The vaccine will also help our economy rebound and help us all get back to the things we love like travel, concerts, sporting events, dining out, and even just being able to see and hang out with our loved ones!
Now that I’ve had both doses of the Moderna vaccine, I felt that it was necessary to write up a little post about my experiences, good and bad, with each shot. So here is my full experience with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Shot 1: I received my first shot on a Friday around 4:50 PM. The shot in my left arm was honestly painless, and I waited 15 minutes to make sure that I had no allergic reaction before I drove home. On my way home, I noticed that my arm was starting to hurt and by around 8pm that night it was really sore. Around 8:30 I was extremely fatigued and went to sleep. I jumped awake 2 or 3 times during the night which almost felt like a mini anxiety attack, but I now think that it might have just been caused by the pain in my arm.
On Saturday, I woke up feeling like I had a small head cold and was still just really tired. My left arm was completely killing me at this point (I couldn’t lay/sleep on it or touch the injection site) so I took some Motrin and just basically spent the day in bed watching TV.
On Sunday, I had a temperature of 99.9 and some chills and fatigue. I had another lazy day, but I was totally fine when I woke up on Monday.
Shot 2: I received my second Moderna shot exactly 28 days later this past Friday (Feb 12th) around 4pm. Once again the shot itself didn’t hurt at all but my arm almost started hurting immediately after this time. I waited the 15 minutes again and drove home.
This is where things started to become a different than the first shot. I felt pretty sick around dinner time, so I figured it was just best to go to bed early. I fell asleep from like 9PMish until around midnight but then it became way too uncomfortable to sleep. I spent most of the late night/early AM just trying to get warm as I was freezing cold and eventually I was able to get two more hours of sleep in the early morning hours.
Saturday was, no hyperbole, one of the worst sick days that I’ve ever had in my life. My fever peaked at 102.9 and all day long I had joint pains in what felt like every single joint in my entire body. I was also even colder than earlier, so I spent most of the day wrapped in many blankets and with all of the heating pads in our house. At one point, I even took a bath and turned the hot water to max and still could barely get warm. I alternated between Motrin & Tylenol throughout the day, which at times helped take the edge off slightly.
In addition to this, I also was pretty dizzy throughout the day on Saturday. The only time in my life that I can ever remember feeling this bad was when I had the flu a few years ago and had to go to the hospital with a 105 fever and dehydration. It wasn’t a great day, but it wasn’t COVID and I just kept reminding myself that it was for the greater good.
On Sunday, my fever stayed mostly around 100 during the day but it again rose beyond 101 at night. I still felt pretty sick (joint paints, dizziness, etc.), but the intensity of it all was definitely decreased from Saturday. If Saturday was a “very sick” day, then Sunday was just “normal sick” day.
My temperature was around 99.9 all day long on Monday, but my joint paint and dizziness had basically subsided. Stomach discomfort/issues popped up in their place, but it was still an improvement over the previous two days. I stopped taking my Motrin/Tylenol since my fever felt like it essentially was gone.
On Tuesday, I started feeling sick again just doing basic things around the house, so I checked my temperature and saw that it had spiked back up to over 100. The highest my temperature got to on Tuesday was 100.6, so I started my Motrin/Tylenol regiment again for the day. In addition to this, I still had the stomach discomfort from the day before.
Finally on Wednesday, I began to feel like myself again. My temperature was completely gone as were all the aches/pains/stomach discomfort/etc that had popped up the last few days. Wednesday I was just mostly really tired from having no full nights of sleep since Friday. I slept really good Wednesday night into Thursday!
In conclusion: I feel extremely lucky to have already received both vaccine doses, even if it did make me feel pretty awful for a few days. Out of everyone that I know who has gotten it so far, I had the most harsh reaction, though I did see some other people on Twitter having an experience similar to mine.
Most of the people that I know who’ve gotten their 2nd vaccine shot had a bad 12-24 hours and then were fine. It also looks like young adults are having harsher reactions to the 2nd shot than older adults because of their stronger immune systems, which makes sense. I’ve been told from people in the know that if this becomes a yearly thing (where you’d need a booster shot each year) that the booster wouldn’t be nearly as high of a dose as this 2nd vaccine, so the effects won’t be as harsh either. So that makes me feel better about getting it every year, if necessary.
While I had a bad few days, it’s absolutely nothing compared to being in the hospital fighting to breathe infected with COVID. If being sick at home for a day or two (or a few days in my case) means that we’re able to destroy COVID and get back to whatever our “new normal” looks like, I’m all for it. The vaccine, even at its absolute worse, is really nothing to be afraid of. I do hope that everyone who reads this gets it when they have the opportunity to do so. And if you have any questions about it/my experience, feel free to reach out!
On May 20th, our newest nephew Declan was born out in Las Vegas and due to COVID-19, we were unable to travel to fly out there and visit him. Instead, we started planning an end of summer road trip to safely drive to Vegas and back to meet Declan. What follows is a day-to-day summary and some thoughts on our 20 state/6,000+ miles Great American COVID Road Trip. Enjoy!
Day 1: We left Philly and made it to South Bend, Indiana in 10 hours. We have a friend who works for Notre Dame, so we thought this would be the perfect pit stop for our first day. She even gave us an awesome golf cart tour of the campus, which was absolutely beautiful. The ND campus was packed with students, many of whom to our disappointment where not practicing proper social distancing/mask wearing. This was easily the most people we’ve seen in one place since COVID started so it did feel a bit surreal in that aspect. Regardless, we wore our masks the entire time and enjoyed our little stay in South Bend.
Day 2: We had breakfast in South Bend before we departed for Des Moines, Iowa. Along the way we stopped at Iowa 80, the World’s Largest Truckstop. This Truckstop had everything including showers, a barber, dentist, and chiropractor. We then made it Des Moines, which was about 6 1/2 hours from South Bend. This time/distance was perfect because this short day was sandwiched between two of our longest days.
This is where we hit on our only major problem on our trip. I used Booking.com (Never again!) for this hotel and when we pulled there was a sign saying that it had been closed since March. Why Booking.com was allowing people to book a hotel that had been closed for so long is beyond me. After 2 phone calls and over an hour on hold, all Booking said they could do for us is “check if any places nearby had any availability”. We decided to cut our losses with their awful customer service and found a hotel in downtown Des Moines. Dowtown Des Moines was very clean and quiet with a nice little riverwalk that’s open until late at night.
Day 3: Our trip to South Dakota was easily the longest day of the trip, but it’s because we did so much. First we stopped at the infamous Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. The murals/designs covering the building and inside are made from various types of corn and other grains. It was neat to see and I would have loved to played a basketball game in that arena.
After the Corn Palace we stopped at Wall Drug. For hundreds of miles on the highways you will continue to see various hand painted signs that read “Kids love Wall Drug” or “Free Ice Water – Wall Drug” so by the time you make it to Wall Drug you feel like you have no choice but to stop and check it out. It’s a large tourist attraction that does have free ice water and 5 cent coffee, but in my opinion didn’t quite live up to the hype. Plus about 90% of the people were walking around inside without masks on, so we quickly got out of there.
After Wall Drug, we stopped at Badlands National Park and paid entrance to take a scenic loop through the park. There is some stunning scenery in the Badlands and I’m glad that we did the scenic loop before heading to Deadwood. You could spend a lot more time than we did there, so plan accordingly.
Being a fan of the HBO show, I of course had to stop and walk down main street in historic Deadwood, South Dakota. This was the final day of Sturgis, so Deadwood was pretty filled with motorcyclists. If you’re a fan of the show/western history it’s worth taking a walk down main street.
After leaving Deadwood, we took a very scenic drive through the Black Hills to Keystone, South Dakota where we planned to visit Mount Rushmore and spend the night. If you are ever driving through that area, I suggest taking the scenic route between Deadwood and Rushmore. We saw Rushmore at night, which looks great under the lights and then spent the night at a cozy little lodge called K Bar S Lodge.
Originally our trip was going to take us straight from Iowa to Colorado, but I figured that since we were on a road trip we should add a day and go north to South Dakota to see Rushmore. I’m glad we made that change and there is a lot to see in South Dakota!
Day 4: We left the Black Hills of South Dakota and traveled down to Cheyenne, Wyoming. This drive was only about four hours, so it gave us the afternoon off in Wyoming to explore. I have always heard that Wyoming is beautiful so I thought it would make for a great half-day off. If you’re ever traveling through Wyoming, make sure you look out for signs that direct you to Little America, because their 75 cent ice cream cones are worth the pit stop!
Cheyenne itself was pretty quite and in fact a lot of stores and restaurants were closed because it was a Monday. We decided to stop by the Terry Bison Ranch outside of the city and this was easily my favorite activity on our trip. The ranch itself is huge and has all types of animals (horses, goats, ostriches, and even a turkey who likes people to pet/massage its head) but the highlight was the bison train tour. It bills itself as the only bison train tour in America, and it takes you right to where the bison live on the ranch and they come right up to the train to be fed. To be this close to a herd of bison and actually feed them was an awesome experience which I highly recommend!
During this trip we committed ourselves to always wearing our masks in public and also not eating indoors to be as safe as possible. In Cheyenne, this meant grabbing Sonic takeout and eating it back in our hotel room since there were no real outdoor dining options that were open. Cheyenne was cool, but I would still like to see the other side of Wyoming (Cody, Yellowstone) because I hear it’s even more beautiful.
Day 5: We left Wyoming and headed to Salt Lake City which took about 7 hours. We stopped to see and take a walk on part of the great Salt Lake. We didn’t stay too long because it was SO hot (more on that later). We had dinner with a friend that I had met while previously touring the country working for the band Chester French back in 2009 on the Blink 182 reunion tour.
After dinner, we did our own little walking tour of the Utah State Capitol Building and the Mormon Temple Square. The Capitol Building looks a lot like the US Capitol Building, so much so that Legally Blonde 2 used it in place of the US Capitol. The Mormon Temple Square area looked really great at night as well and is worth checking out even if you’re not member of the faith/a religious person.
Day 6: We left Salt Lake and headed towards Las Vegas. We first stopped at Kolob Canyons which is the less popular side of Zion National Park. Zion is my favorite national park and the last time we were in Vegas we visited the more popular area. Kolob Canyons was still beautiful and was WAY less crowded than its counterpart. We also got in for free since it was the first day the park had re-opened since COVID. We decided to do one of the scenic 1-mile hikes which they said should take about 15-20 minutes but took us more like 40 minutes in the 100+ degree heat.
We completed the six hour or so trip to Vegas driving through a stretch of dessert that saw temperatures reach 118 degrees. My arms are probably the most tan that they’ve ever been now from driving in the sun during this road trip.
Days 7-11: Meet Declan, our new nephew! Declan was always the reason for this trip and it was a lot of fun hanging out with him and his parents! I don’t love holding babies (honestly due to fear of dropping them/hurting them) but I hung out with Declan quite a bit during our stay and he was a very easy baby to watch! We helped out by cooking dinners (and one of my famous scramble egg breakfast) for my brother in law and his wife while we visited.
We also did just a little sightseeing while in Vegas… Fallout: New Vegas is my favorite video game of all-time, so we did our own little tour of Goodsprings and Primm which are both major locations in the game. Primm is interesting because it has Bonnie & Clyde’s death car and is also located on the California border so you can technically say that you visited California as well. Goodsprings, the starting point in the Fallout, is an old ghost town of 200 people including a saloon that looks exactly like the game. I really enjoyed my little Fallout adventure, but not so sure that other’s unfamiliar with the game would as much. On the way back, we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains, which is a colored rock art installation out in the middle of the desert.
On my own, I spent an afternoon checking out all the Las Vegas comic book and action figure shops. These days, the majority of my collecting involves old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stuff and I found two comic books that I needed and a mint on card Ray Fillet action figure. So it was a good hunt!
Before we left Vegas we made sure to stop by and check out Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders new home. Already nicknamed “The Death Star” this stadium looks even more impressive in person. My brother, uncle, and I had plans to attend the first home game which obviously isn’t happening now, so it was nice to be able to go and check it out. I can’t wait to get to a game there in 2021!
Day 12: We said goodbye to baby Declan and headed back home via the southern route back to Philadelphia. This enabled us to stop at Mather Point, the most popular spot at the Grand Canyon. Mather Point is about 2 hours total “out of the way” but it’s worth the visit. We got in for free since it was the National Park system’s birthday, so that was an added bonus. I’ve always seen pictures of the Grand Canyon but no photos can truly do it any justice. The Grand Canyon and specifically Mather Point is just one of those places you have to see to believe and understand just how impressive it is.
After the Canyon, we stopped at the Meteor Crater in Winslow Arizona. The crater is 50,000 years old and is one mile wide and 500 feet deep. During the 60s and 70s NASA astronauts trained in the crater to prepare for Apollo Moon Missions. It costs $22 to enter, but it is pretty cool to see! We drove about 10 hours this day and stopped in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the night.
Day 13: Before we left Albuquerque, I put together a list of some of the places where they filmed Breaking Bad (one of my favorite TV shows ever) to do a little drive by tour. First we stopped at Twisters, better known on the show as Los Pollos Hermanos. It’s an actual chicken restaurant and while we were there we crossed paths with the breaking bad RV tour which takes guests to filming locations as well. We were greeted with “Welcome to Twisters” while the tour guests who came in a little after us were greeted with “Welcome to Los Pollos Hermanos”. If I’m ever back in ABQ, I’d love to do the full RV tour because it seems like a lot of fun!
After Twisters, we drove by Hank and Marie’s house which sits up in the hills in a really nice neighborhood. From there we went to the strip mall where Saul Goodman had his office (this is now a sports bar). After that we drove past Walter White’s house, which looks a bit different now and has a fence up to stop crazy fans from getting on the property. There have been apparently more than a few incidents with overzealous fans, so I get it, but I still feel that the owners are missing a huge opportunity by not turning this into a tourist attraction/Airbnb. After Walt’s, we stopped at Mister Car Wash (A-1 on the show).
Our final stop was the Candy Lady’s place in Old Town Albuquerque. We showed up around 1030am but the sign read that the store wasn’t open until Noon. As we turned to walk away, the owner pulled up in her car and told us to wait and that she’d open up for us! The Candy Lady made all of the fake meth that you saw on Breaking Bad, which you can now buy in little packets. She was super nice and even allowed us in the back of the store to take photos with a new batch of the candy meth she created. The Candy Lady is a must visit while in ABQ.
We left ABQ and drove about 8 hours to Mustang, Oklahoma to stay with family. ABQ was a really cool city which I’d love to visit again sometime probably during their annual Hot Air Balloon festival.
Day 14: We had the day off visiting family in Mustang, which is right outside of Oklahoma City. We visited the site of the Oklahoma City Bombing which is now a very peaceful, beautiful memorial. I was 10 in 1995 when the OKC Bombing happened, so I don’t remember it as clearly as say 9/11 but it was still an important sight to see. After the memorial, we walked along the canal in downtown OKC and had BBQ for dinner. In this area is also the OKC Dodgers stadium, so it’s a nice little spot downtown. We ended our night with s’mores by the fireplace and catching up with family we don’t get to see very often!
Day 15 & 16: Day 15 was mostly driving (about 12 hours) through Oklahoma, Arkansas and finally arriving in Nashville, TN. We were very lucky that we stayed mostly just behind the hurricane’s trail and only drove through a little bit of rain.
The first thing I did on Day 16 was stop by Jack White’s Third Man Records store. I’m a big Jack White fan and it was cool to see the store which was filled with records (obviously) and memorabilia including some of Jack’s Grammy Awards. Tours of the store aren’t running due to COVID, but it would have been neat to see the record label’s offices and where they make/record records as well.
In the afternoon we visited Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. We happened to be visiting while an exhibition of Chihuly’s glass sculptures were going on which made the visit even more worthwhile. The only downside was that we got caught in a downpour while visiting, so we really didn’t get to see everything. After Cheekwood, we had dinner with friends who live in the area at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken (delicious) and then drove to the Parthenon before calling it a night.
I was a bit disappointed with Nashville only because my whole life I have been told how awesome of a city it is. I’m sure that’s true pre-COVID, but during COVID there was not a lot going on including a 10PM curfew. As someone who loves live music, I’d love to go back to Nashville when “things return to normal” to really experience the city. I’d also like to make a stop in Memphis to see Graceland, even though I’m not an Elvis fan.
Day 17: This is where all the driving really started to catch up. We left Nashville and drove about another 10 hours to Richmond, Virginia. Along the way, we passed the Sunsphere, in Knoxville which is known by Simpsons fans across the world. Sadly, I didn’t see wig outlets.
Once we arrived in Richmond at our friend’s place, we were beat. We chatted with out friends and had some delicious Italian food for dinner but I was ready for bed and it was an early night.
Day 18: We slept in because our final leg from Richmond to Philadelphia (via Baltimore) was only going to be about a 4 1/2 hour drive. We then drove to Baltimore to have lunch with one of our game night friends who has since moved to Baltimore. After lunch, we drove back to Philly thus ending our 18 day road trip. It was a lot of fun and I highly suggest that everyone does at least one great American road trip in their life!
Random thoughts/comments: One of the best things that we did for this trip is rent a car from Hertz. Hertz has unlimited miles and we felt that it was more than worth it putting 6,000+ miles on a rental car instead of our own. We also had a cooler that we packed with ice packs/ice from the hotel daily. This in addition to three bags of non perishable food (and bread for PB&J sandwiches), saved us time and money on lunch most days.
Some people have asked why I planned the routes that I did and the answers is that I planned the routes based around friends or places that we wanted to see. I knew that the only way that I’d likely ever see Mount Rushmore or the Grand Canyon was via a road trip, so those were two spots I knew had to be on the list. I also knew that 10-12 hours was the max I could drive without being too tired, so our pit stops couldn’t be further than 10-12 hours.
While planning for this trip I only made one mistake and that was not calculating for time zones/time changes. In retrospect, it seems so simple, but it’s actually an easy thing to forget. On the way out west, it was a good thing since we would arrive at our destination an hour earlier planned. However, on the way back it kills you because you lose an hour, which means you have to wake up even earlier to make that hour back. A lot of the highways out west have 80 MPH speed limits, but even with that you can only make up so much time, so don’t forget to plan for time zone changes!
Out of all of our driving days, only one did we arrive to our destination past dark (our grand canyon day). If you’re ever thinking of a road trip I would suggest getting as much daylight in as possible. The scenery looks much nicer in the day AND this also gives you time to stop at some roadside attractions that you might not have planned for (and trust me they will pop up). I also just find it easier to drive during the day than at night, especially when I haven’t driven someplace before.
I’ve also been asked, “Would I ever do this long of a drive again?” and the answer is, MAYBE! I love to drive, but as I said I was getting really tired in the end. If your’e able to do a road trip like this and have a full day or at least a half day off in the city that you’re going to, it would make things a lot easier. It was a really awesome experience, and one that I could definitely see myself doing again when I have children who are of a certain age to enjoy/understand it. My family never took a giant road trip like this and even though I toured the country in a tour bus, it wasn’t close to being the same experience. On tour in the music industry you really only stop for gas/bathroom breaks and you basically just go from one city to another. The only days off you have to explore are the random days in random cities that just happen to pop up while on tour.
So in the end while it still absolutely sucks to have lost my job due to COVID, I’m glad that we were able to do such a long, amazing road trip. If I were still at my last job, I would have never been allowed to take this much time off for one trip, so I guess COVID unemployment isn’t completely terrible 🙂
I’ve likely spent more time on YouTube these past few months than I ever have before in my life, so I thought it would be a good idea to share my Top 10 favorite channels (plus one honorable mention).
Check this list out and I guarantee that you’ll find some great new content to watch!
Mark Rober: Mark is my favorite person on YouTube, and while you may not know him by name, you likely recognize some of his videos. He’s probably most famous for his two videos involving glitter bomb traps for porch package thieves. His videos range from the science behind carnival game scams to creating the world’s largest Super Soaker. Mark previously worked at NASA and his videos are both wildly fun and educational. Pre-Covid, it was announced that Mark would be hosting a show on Discovery called “Revenge of the Nerd”, but I’m not sure what the status of that show is now. Here’s hoping it’s still a go. But at least he’s still making videos on YouTube, his most recent being a squirrel ninja obstacle course. It’s a dream of mine to be in a future video somehow because they all look like an absolute blast.
BrewstewFilms: According to his bio, “I make crappy cartoons about my real-life experiences” and while BrewStew’s animation is pretty shoddy, the humor and stories told are fantastic. The crude animation actually has become part of the channel’s charm too. Tyler Rudolph is the creator/narrator and I really relate to his comedy and stories because he’s around the same age as me and we’ve had a lot of similar experiences as kids it seems. He’s done videos on the Pokemon Card phenomenon and trips to Blockbuster, two of my favorites! If you were an 80’s/90’s kid, I think that you’ll really enjoy his channel and the stories that he tells.
Steve1989MREInfo: Steve Thomas has been described as “The Bob Ross of Food Reviews” and it is a very fitting title. Steve eats and reviews military rations (MREs) from armed forces across the globe, including some VERY old meals. Recently, he ate a 1906 US Army ration . Previously, he’s also eaten rations left over from the Vietnam War and World War II. It may sound “disgusting”, but the videos are really anything but. The majority of these rations have actually held up pretty well over the years, and Steve’s videos are just a very calming, enjoyable watch. Like Bob Ross, Steve just seems like a genuinely nice human being who just really enjoys eating and reviewing MREs. His excitement for some of this food is contagious and he has me wanting to ordering MREs to try. (Just don’t watch this channel late at night or you may get hungry)
Defunctland: Defunctland is a fascinating channel on YouTube that started out documenting amusement parks and attractions from around the world that are no longer up and running. It has also expanded to include discontinued television shows. It’s easily one of the highest quality shows on YouTube in terms of production and research. It’s so good that when you’re watching it you’ll be surprised that it isn’t on the History or Travel channel. This channel is an absolute must for anyone who loves amusement parks like myself. My favorite videos are the histories of Disney’s old 20,000 leagues under the seas ride, Nickelodeon’s Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Universal Studios Earthquake ride.
The Vista Group: The Vista Group is the newest channel on this list as they only began uploading videos about a year ago. However, they have quickly become one of my strange favorites. Vista Group uploads forgotten and rare VHS and broadcast content, including some really odd videos. My favorites so far include a Jason Priestly Gun Safety video, Richard Simmons Sweating with the Oldies, and a Ringling Brothers Be A Clown instructional video. The channel really is just an archive of random old videos, but there’s some interesting content here for everyone. They’re another channel that I think 80s/90s kids will especially enjoy exploring.
OSW Review: OSW Review stands for Old School Wrestling Review and it’s a channel started by three lads from Ireland who chronologically critique old school pro wrestling pay per views (PPVs). They’ve since expanded and have some other reviews up, but pro wrestling is obviously their bread and butter. I grew up loving pro wrestling as a kid and this channel gives me a nice fix of nostalgia. It doesn’t hurt that Jay, V1, and Mr. OOC are pretty damn hilarious and have no problem making fun of some of these old wrestlers/storylines. This channel is perfect for anyone who used to enjoy pro wrestling but feels like today’s product just isn’t as good. And I mean who doesn’t want to revisit the good ol’ The Lex Express?
Inside The Magic: Everyone knows that I love Disney World, but allow me to tell you a little story from our last trip. My wife and I sat down for lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox in Toy Story Land and seats were at a premium so we let a grandmother and her severely autistic grandson share our table. We befriended them and stayed there for a bit just talking with them. The grandson couldn’t go on most of the rides since they were too stimulating, but he knew almost all of the rides inside & out and could tell you all about them. The reason is because he watched them on YouTube on Inside The Magic which allowed him to enjoy the rides even though he physically couldn’t ride them. This channel, and others like it, are great for anyone who wants to experience Disney rides without actually being there. Want to experience Norway’s Frozen Ride? You can! Did you miss the Yeti on Expedition Everest when you rode it? Here he is! ITM also has other great theme park content videos as well. My only suggestion would be to not use this for rides that you haven’t experienced in person yet, especially Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, unless you think that you’ll never actually get on them. Those rides are extra special and deserve to be ridden in person first!
Pat the NES Punk: Pat’s channel started out as all things related to the classic Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a great channel for all the gamers out there who grew up playing the original NES. He eventually branched out a bit and now also includes commentary on modern games as well, but Nintendo remains his bread and butter. He’s written two guide books on the NES and Super NES libraries, so the guy really knows his stuff. He’s often now joined on camera with Ian Ferguson, his podcast co-host. The channel has new gaming related videos up each day, and most have a real morning radio show vibe with Ian & Pat. He has been uploading videos for 12 years, so there’s a lot of content to go through, and his older videos remain my favorite. My two favorite Pat videos are his review of the very rare Flintstones Surprise at Dinosaur Peak game and his review of the old WWF NES games.
Tom Scott: My friend Zach put me on to British Youtuber Tom Scott only recently, but he’s already in my top channels. Tom’s channel is filled with fun, educational videos on topics such as history, science, tech, and more. One of my favorite videos of his is called “Why You Can’t Buy Dasani Water In Britain” which talks about the interesting flop of Coke’s bottled water product in the UK. I also love his “If Educational Videos Were Filmed Like Music Videos” post. He has series on his channel including “Things you might not know”, “Amazing Places” and “Built for science”. His videos aren’t too long either and you’ll likely learn tons of random knowledge from them. Tom also has a channel with his friend Matt called “Matt & Tom” which has some good content as well, but is updated less often than his main channel.
Major Wrestling Figure Podcast: Started and run by pro wrestlers Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) and Brian Myers (fka Curt Hawkins) this channel is for all the kids who grew up playing with/collecting wrestling action figures. Not only that, they’ve begun branching out to include non-wrestling figure videos such as a review of NECA’s TMNT line. This channel brings back all the feelings of walking into a Toys”R”Us, Kiddie City, or Kay-Bee and searching the aisles for the figs you needed for your collection. They’ve got some LONG videos that are absolutely filled with nostalgia and great information, like the history of the wwf hasboro figures and the history of wwf ljn figures. They also do some pretty entertaining fig hunt videos as well, where they take trips to toy stores in search of action figures.
Honorable Mention – I Am Skippy: While on tour working for the band Chester French back in 2009 my Blackberry Curve trackball broke right when we got to Orem, Utah for a show on the Blink 182 tour. Outside of the venue, I found a very nice, quirky Mormon fella who volunteered to give me a ride to the mall to get my phone fixed. I gave him a ticket to the show as a thank you, and we’ve remained in contact ever since. That guy is Scott “Skippy” Jessop better known as IamSkippy, Skippy the Virgin, or Sundance Skippy. Skippy is the real life 40+ year old virgin whose channel can best be described as “cringe” videos. Skippy posts cringey videos of his dates on his search for love, and let’s just say that he hasn’t had much success yet. People can be a bit harsh on Skippy for his dating interactions, but deep down he’s truly a nice guy who honestly just isn’t great with the ladies/dating. Skippy also has a hobby of meeting celebrities (which he sometimes films as well) and has also been featured on TLC, Chelsea Handler (Hosted by Dave Grohl), Jamari’s YouTube (I subscribe to Jamari, and he’s just outside my top 10), & more! I didn’t think it was fair to include him in my top 10 since I’m a bit biased and I have also played a role in helping out with some content ideas for his channel.
“Sometimes it snows in April Sometimes I feel so bad, so bad Sometimes I wish life was never ending And all good things, they say, never last” – Prince
Eight years ago at the end of April I lost my biggest cheerleader, my mom Cindy. This April was never going to be easy, they haven’t been since she passed away, but this month was made especially tough losing a dream job for a national cookie brand that I once loved. This is the toughest April that I’ve faced since she passed in 2012, but I still remain positive. I’d like to take the time here to just talk about what it’s like losing your biggest fan.
(Mom’s High School Fashion Show)
Who was my mother? Well that’s a bit of a complicated question. My mom was a nurse, a flower child, a skier, a gardener, a beach bum, a partier, a stubborn woman, a caring woman, and my biggest fan. My mom was 62 years old when she passed away, and one of my biggest regrets in life will always be not asking her more questions about her life while she was actually around. One of my greatest joys now is when one of her friends reaches out to me and tells me something that I never knew about my mom because there is a lot more in regards to who she was that I will never know.
I do know that I’m almost a perfect 50/50 mix of personality traits between my mom and my father. If you were on my mom’s good side, there was no one more loving and loyal to have in your corner. But, if you crossed her or did her wrong, watch out. Also, while I wouldn’t say my mom was reckless with money, she instead prioritized seeing the world and experiencing all that life has to offer over the amount in her savings account. This is something that in the end I’m happy for her because she was able to live A LOT of life in 62 years. In both of those two traits, I do see a lot of myself. One of my mom’s good friends called me on April 15th, my mom’s birthday, and told me a story of how she joined a vacation club because of my mom’s theory that it’s better to travel and see the world because you never know just how long you’ll be able to do so.
(My mom’s baby shower for me)
My parents each had a child from a previous marriage before they met each other, but I was their only child together which meant I would always be her baby boy. My parents divorced at the end of seventh grade, and this help put in motion a rebellious streak on my part that lasted until I graduated from high school.
There were some really rough times in high school in terms of my behavior, but that’s possibly a story for another day. However, through it all, my mother remained my biggest cheerleader and knew that I would emerge from that phase and do great something great with my life.
(Mom & I in front of the Tower of Terror)
While my mom was my biggest fan, that doesn’t mean other people in my life were/are not supportive. Far from it. My father has always been the realist in our family, which helped keep me grounded when I needed it. My father has also done an absolutely perfect job of providing the love of two parents since my mom passed away. My wife is the rock of our household and without her this month would be almost unbearable. My brother Morgan has always been there for me as my best friend, and my sister in law Katie became the defacto Burkhardt den mother since she joined our family. Throw in some really good friends to call upon whenever needed, and I’ve been truly blessed to have a great support system.
However, it’s just a different type of love that a mother has for her baby boy and when you lose that, things are never quite the same. While I think it’s important to have a parental figure that helps keep you grounded, I think it’s equally important to have one who helps you dream those impossible dreams.
I’m glad that my mother saw me graduate from college. I’m also very happy that my mom saw me fulfill one of my childhood dream jobs by touring the country with the indie-pop band Chester French when they were the opening act for Blink 182’s reunion tour in 2009. My mom was so proud of me that she embarrassingly e-mailed our lead singer D.A Wallach (sorry D.A!) to tell her how awesome they were. I will forever be in debt to D.A. for allowing me to live out this dream while my mother was still alive. Living in a tour bus with a rock band is everything you could ever imagine and more, but knowing what it meant for my mom, a Woodstock flower child, makes it indescribably special.
(My mother and I upon my return from the Chester French tour)
However, my mom did not see me live out my other dream of becoming a sports writer at the Morning Call. I can only imagine how many newspapers she would have bought every single time I had an article printed, especially one on the front page. My mom also did not live to see me get married, though I know she would have absolutely loved my wife and especially her commitment to public health since that was important to my mom as well. I can also only imagine the heartbreak my mom would have had recently seeing me become communications manager at a national brand that I truly loved, only to see it ripped away four months later due to COVID-19.
Losing your biggest cheerleader is both a blessing and a curse. I’m sure you’re now thinking “Wait, did you actually say a blessing?” and in terms of motivation I would say yes, absolutely. Since she passed away, I continue to reach for the stars in terms of what I want from my professional life. I continue to set and try to accomplish new dream goals, each time asking myself, “would my mom be proud of AND happy for me for doing this?”. I am motivated every day in my professional life to make sure the answer is 100% yes. While working for this national cookie brand for example, I know that my mom would have ordered hundreds of cookies for herself and others, just like friends and family actually did while I was there.
Here’s a little story that not many people know about….A few days before my mom passed away, she needed emergency heart surgery which she never came out of sedation from. At this time, I was scheduled to host an interactive webcast with Dr. James Peterson at Lehigh University. This webcast was called “The Real Swing Vote” and was a discussion of the ways that non-mainstream voters can user their influence as swing voters to shape the American political system ahead of the 2012 election.
While I was parking on Lehigh’s campus I got a call from the hospital saying that my mom had the surgery and they were concerned about her ever regaining consciousness. Now, I could have gotten in my car and rushed over to the hospital, but I know that’s not what she would have wanted. My mother was a very liberal woman who took pride in the fact that I was working for a non-profit focused on getting more people engaged in the political process. I know that she knew that there would be thousands of people watching this live stream and that I had to go through with it, and that’s exactly what I did. I hope she was proud of me doing so, and I hope she continues to be proud of me for all that I do in my professional life.
My mom spent a large period of her life working at Lehigh Valley Hospital as a nurse. After that, she bounced around at a lot of different companies. My mom was the type to never settle in terms of what she felt that she and especially her patients deserved. She did not compromise on what she knew was right, even if it meant having to move on from a position. This is something that I always admired about her and working in public relations I’ve found it’s something that I’ve brought into my life as well.
The Romans gave this month the name Aprills, which means “to open”. April will remain a time of sadness for me, but also a time of beautiful new things. My nephew Charlie was born in April 5 years ago, and he’s the most awesome, smartest, little star wars loving kid that you’ll ever meet. Also four days after the month of April ends, I get to celebrate my wedding anniversary with the most caring, patient, loving wife that a guy could ever ask for.
So while sometimes it does indeed snow in April, there is also a lot of of great weather too 🙂
Before the country came to a screeching halt due to COVID-19, I was lucky enough to take a trip to Disney World with the main purpose being a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at MGM/Hollywood Studios. (It will always be MGM studios to me!)
Star Wars has always been a big part of my life. As a very young child, I was lucky to have all of the original toys passed down to me from my older brother. While I’m too young to have experienced the original release in theaters, I had the movies on VHS and vividly remember being dropped off at Lehigh Valley Mall movie theater at 11 years old to watch the 1997 re-releases.
As an adult, I still love the Star Wars movies, TV series, and comic books. I was also married on May 4th 2019 and to my surprise, had some Star Wars themes in my ceremony. (My mother-in-law and our priest had some very special Star Wars surprises for me that day!) So when Galaxy’s Edge was announced, I knew that once it was fully completed I had to take a trip to Disney World for it.
When the world returns to “normal”, is it worth visiting Galaxy’s Edge? The answer is a emphatic YES!
Galaxy’s Edge is located just beyond where Muppets 3D is found. Upon approach, you find a tunnel that transports you to from that part of the park to Batuu, the planet setting of Galaxy’s Edge. Disney spared no expense when it came to creating a totally different world. From the shops, to the food it is truly the complete Star Wars experience.
First Order and Resistance characters are a constant presence throughout the park and you never know who you might come across. While waiting to make a lightsaber (more on that later), Kylo Ren and his First Order guards approached and confronted me. I was surrounded by Kylo and his guards as they “interrogated” me in front of about 30/40 people. They were concerned about the transmitter (cell phone) I was holding and thought I may be a Resistance sympathizer. Now I know that not everyone is likely to experience this type of interaction first hand like I did, but it’s these kind of personal touches that make this the most immersive Star Wars experience in the world.
I would say that there are four “main” experiences on Batuu, with loads of other smaller things. The big four are: Smugglers Run, Rise of the Resistance, Savi’s Lightsaber Workshop, and Droid Depot. I participated in three of these: Smugglers, Resistance, and Savi’s (I chose building a lightsaber over a droid).
Savi’s Workshop is by appointment only, and they do book up weeks/months in advance. You show up to a secret location about 15 minutes before your appointment and you’re then shown the possible options in terms of building your saber. The groups are small and the workshop is a little tight (you can bring in one guest to watch you build), but the experience of constructing your own saber is pretty damn awesome. Seeing your saber light up for the first time and then holding it to the sky with the rest of your group will bring chills to any Star Wars fan.
The cost is $199, but it is well worth it for the experience alone. The lightsaber itself is a hefty, movie replica which looks incredible and makes a great addition to any Star Wars household. I personally chose a purple, Sith lightsaber. I also bought a red Kyber crystal from Dok-Ondar’s antiques (gift shop located next to Savi’s) which will allow me to change my saber to red whenever I choose to do so.
Smugglers Run is up next and it’s one of the two rides in Batuu. If you’ve ever wanted fly in the Millennium Falcon, then this ride is for you! Before you enter the cockpit (which seats six) you enter a larger waiting are that has the iconic holochess table (remember to always let the wookie win!). Also before you enter the ride, you’re given a role of either pilot, engineer, and gunner. While each of them are “equally important to the success of the mission”, pilot is clearly the job you want. We were gunners, but I was jealous of the pilots who were able to actually jump into hyperspace and steer the Falcon.
Regardless of your role, Smugglers Run will put a smile on any Star Wars fan’s face.
The second ride in Batuu is Rise of the Resistance, but to simply call it a “ride” is doing great injustice to the experience that Disney has created. This is the type of experience that Star Wars fans have dreamed of their entire lives, and unless you’re an extra in a movie, you will never feel more a part of the universe than you do here.
I don’t want to give away too much of this experience because I really do think that the less you know, the better. However, I will say that the whole experience happens in a few parts, each one larger in scale and more awe-inspiring than the next. This ride is the literal definition of jaw-dropping. (I also think it’s now my dream retirement job to work on this ride/in Galaxy’s Edge)
Disney deserves all the credit in the world for creating this experience which is unlike anything that we’ve ever seen before. Rise of the Resistance made me feel like I was experiencing Star Wars for the first time again and this ride will create tears of joy for fans of all ages.
We ended our experience in Batuu with an ice cold blue milk in front of the Falcon. As I write this, I’m reliving my experience all over again in my mind and it’s brought a much needed smile to my face. I know things are tough for most of us right now, but the thought of returning to Galaxy’s Edge in the future to experience it again with my nephew and brother for their first time keeps me going.
I do hope that all of the Star Wars fans out there who haven’t been lucky enough to take a trip to Batuu yet are able to use the thought of a future visit to help get them through this pandemic. It should be on the bucket list of all Star Wars fans for when things are safe again….. And trust me, it is even better than what I’ve described here.
“Tell him yes. Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no.” – Gabriel Garcia Marquez , Love In The Time of Cholera
Four months ago, I was offered what seemed like an incredible job at a growing company that I had personally loved for a long time. This was a new position that didn’t exist before, so I was truly excited to say yes and put my stamp on a brand that was near and dear to my heart. Four months later I now find myself without that job wondering what the future holds for me.
As of this writing, roughly 16.8 million people have applied for unemployment in the last three weeks largely related to COVID-19 (corona virus), so I am far from alone. It can always be worse, and I am still much more fortunate than most people in my situation. I am also fortunate that so far (fingers crossed), I have not lost anyone personally to this nasty virus. Others close to me have not been as lucky.
On the day I lost my job, I also found out that my Facebook friend Eva-Marie Schulze lost her father Heinz-Dieter. I met them both during my time studying abroad in Germany/Austria in the summer of 2007. The photo above is of their village, Telfes Im Stubai, which is where we stayed while studying in Austria. Their family owned a hotel called Landhaus Birgit and we befriended them during our time there. Her father still remains one of the friendliest people that I’ve ever met in my entire life. He showered us with gifts like we were some sort of famous visiting dignitaries. I still have the hat, beer glasses, and engraved knife that he gave me. It was on my bucket list to return there someday and return the gratitude that he showed me. I will forever be disappointed that I did not get to do so. So while I may have only lost my job, the world and families are losing some truly great people.
So what’s next for me? Well, I’m not quite sure, and to be honest that’s the exciting part. I’m now an unrestricted free agent who can explore any great opportunities that come his way. In high school, my dream was to either work in the music industry or become a sports writer at the Morning Call. Through hard work, persistence, and a lot more luck than most people would admit, I was able to accomplish both of those dreams before I turned 30. After that however, I never felt at home at any of my other jobs. These past four months, I actually enjoyed being at work again and I now know whatever I do from here on out, it has to match or excede that feeling.
So yes, in the end I’m still glad I said yes four months ago. And hey, if you know any awesome brands/companies/causes who need an experienced public relations/communications guy, send them my way. In the meantime however, you can find me here sporadically writing articles about whatever I feel like including and not limited to: sports, music, movies, tv, travel, and stories about life.
And with that, I leave you with this message from Rocky to his son in the movie Rocky Balboa which I believe is perfect for a lot of us right now, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits.”
