What I have learned

I was almost going to pull my blog down but I decided to keep it up for a little while longer. Looking back at the last 19 months since I moved to the sprawling metropolis called Los Angeles, I can't help but think about all I have learned. I remember one of the speakers at my graduation telling us that we will learn more in the first year or two out of school than we learned in our last four. That person couldn't have been closer to the truth. I would like to take this opportunity to list some of the things that I have learned:

1. Be as nice of a person as you can possibly be. If people like you, they will have a hard time doing bad things to you.

2. If you don't want it to be known, don't tell anyone. Secrets are only secrets if you don't tell anyone.

3. Just because people are adults doesn't mean that they will act like one.

4. In repect to dating, being 23 is tough. Girls that age want guys who are 26. And girls who want 23 year olds are in college.

5. If you want something bad enough you can have it.

6. It's not work unless you would rather be doing something else.

7. If your friends aren't there for you when it counts then they really aren't your friends.

8. Morals and principles only mean something when you stand up for them when it is inconvenient.

9. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep and you won't get sick.

10. "At the end of the day all you have is your balls and your pride." (I heard this quote at some point in the past. Grotesque, I know. But true)

11. Don't be afraid to lay yourself on the line. If you don't you are only screwing yourself.

12. Don't drive southbound on the 405 before 7:30 pm during the week. (9pm right before the holidays)

13. Save your vacation days at work for the summer.

14. If between jobs, take a few weeks off to relax and regroup. If you don't, you will regret it.

15. Everything in moderation. Even too much of a good thing can have bad results.

16. Internet dating is now finally gone mainstream. It's now ok to publicly admit that you met that girl online.

17. Getting rejected hurts. But if you don't get rejected once in a while you will never truly appreciate being accepted.

18. Things that you say or do in the past, good or bad, will come back to you in the future.

19. Take a step back every once in a while and be glad that you are alive.

20. No matter how bad things seem to be for you, it is guaranteed that someone has it worse.

21. Some of the biggest egos in the world are in advertising. And in the beginning, if you don't pet those egos, you will move up the ladder much slower. (Sucks and quite unfair, but I am told thats how the game is played)

22. I don't know everything.

23. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits (Albert Einstien said that. I witness it everyday).

24. When you get stuck in a rut, do something new or do something you haven't done in a while.

25. I have learned that I someday want to work for myself.

26. Never..Never...Never under any circumstances, burn bridges.

27. Don't shit where you eat. (Translation: Intimate relationships and work don't mix. I didn't learn this first hand, but I have seen other people make this mistake.)

28. Nike Shox are worth the money.

This list will surely grow as I remember more things that I have learned.

LA traffic....:-(

What else can I say about it besides it sucks. I guess the worst part about it is that like the weather, I cannot control it. And it is just as random of a phenomenon as the weather too. One day it is tolerable, the next it's like everyone that has a car in this crazy town is out on the road. I think that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the worst. And believe it or not, the best day is Friday (cause no one works on Fridays in this town. Isn't that nuts??). I am talking about the morning commute here. I unfortunately, have a 20 mile drive each way everyday. I have a couple of different routes I take, but no matter which one I take, it still takes almost an hour. And much to my suprise, the 405 portion of the trip is not that bad. It's getting out of the freakin South Bay that sucks. The night commute....forget about it. I don't even deal with it. Fortunately, I belong to a gym right near my office. So thats where you can find me after work everyday. The best part is that now I have even more motivation to get to the gym. If I don't go, then I get to sit in a parking lot for 20 miles. I think I will take 40 min on the cardio machines and a grueling weightlifting session over that. I was lucky enough to only have a 20 min commute at my old job and I would forget about the traffic in LA. But now that I am in the thick of it everyday, its kinda hard to forget about.

My NLDS experience at Dodger Stadium

I had the opportunity to see game 3 at Dodger stadium on Saturday. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it done against the dominating Jose Lima. And the surrounding 52,000 Dodger fans did not let me forget it either. I fought the brutal LA traffic to make it to the stadium and managed to get there a few min after the game had started. I brought a friend of mine who is also from St. Louis. Wearing our Cardinal red, we emerged from the tunnel to our section where our seats were. We were met by 500+ Dodger fans booing us and telling us to go f**k ourselves and go back to St. Louis (and might I add that these "fans" were using foul language in front of little kids). We were constantly taunted and insulted throughout the entire game. We both said nothing and completely ignored the ignorant fans. This experience left a sour taste in my mouth about Dodger fans and made the Cardinals victory on Sunday mean even more. I sat there at Dodger stadium wishing I was at Busch Stadium among fans who understood the game of baseball and appreciate good baseball whether it came from the home team or not. The only saving grace for the Dodgers and their fans was the show of good sportsmanship at the end of the series. But I have to say that was the most unpleasant experience I have ever had at a baseball game and I certainly hope that Dodger "fans" enjoy the long off-season.

A cure for watching bad football

I have found a cure for watching a disappointing football team like the St. Louis Rams.....FANTASY FOOTBALL!!!! I mean what a better way to take your mind off a team that has found a way to lose two games in a row that they were favored to win. You get the possible chance of making a little money if your team does well by putting together a pool with some friends. You also get something to waste a little time on during your lunch hour at your job. And best of all, you can chear for the other team and have a reasonable excuse to do so. Thus avoiding the claim that you are a fair weather fan or something along those lines. As far as my team goes....I had a great Week One, taking a commanding 1st place lead. And in the 4 weeks since, I have expanded my lead each week. Even more interesting, some of the people (I won't name names :-) that are participating in this league accused me of making dumb draft selections and claimed that I had wasted my $20. Well at the current pace, I should have this thing wrapped up by week 10 (crossing my fingers as I write this and praying that Priest and Culpepper stay healthy). The fat lady shall not sing this season!!

Assault Weapons Ban

So I don't know if you have all heard, but the 10-year old assault weapons ban that was passed by congress during the Clinton administration expired recently. This law was meant to curb crime and reduce the amount of dangerous weapons on the streets of America. It banned the production and sale of types of weapons that are used by the military and police forces. It also made it illegal to produce or sell magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

How many times have you read stories in the newspaper about someone that got into an argument and pulled out a gun in haste and killed the other person? The way I see it, the only way to reduce violent crime is to make all guns illegal. That way, if someone wants to kill someone, they won't be able to get a hold of a gun so easily and it may give that person the time to think twice before acting.

Now it's time to bash on right-wing conservative America and everyone's favorite "C" student, George W. Bush. I bet you all want to know why Bush allowed the bill to expire. Well I will tell you. The reason is the NRA. It's an election year and the NRA is one interest group that you do not wanna piss off. The NRA, for some really odd reason, holds tremendous power in American Politics. One thing that you have got to remember is that a majority of Americans are very conservative and believe in the right to bear arms (I address this point below). So in order to avoid risking pissing off a group of people who in my opinion present very unreasonable and invalid arguments to support their organization, you must ignore what is best for society and allow a bill that has definitely had no negative impact on society expire.

Everyone needs to go hunting with an AK-47, cause you never know when that deer will shoot back. Also, I love the argument that anti-gun control people put up that mentions the US Constitution and the right to bear arms. Ask anyone in the NRA or anyone who collects guns and they will almost certainly mention the right to bear arms. Well, I got some news for all of those folks. If you read the Constitution closely, you will notice that it gives ORGANIZED MILITIAS the right to bear arms, not every citizen. And I do not think Charlten Heston and a bunch of right winged hicks counts as an organized militia.

So do you think that George "Dubbua" Bush is looking out for your safety and best interests?? The answer is no, and I don't think that someone that won't do what is good for America at the potential cost of a small percentage of campaign funds deserves another term.

Bienvenidos a la Jeff's Blog Spot

I don't think you understand how elated I am that I have found a place where I can write what is on my mind and have the ability to share it with whomever I want.

Anyway, last night I went to the Cardinals vs. Dodgers game in LA. I first want to say besides Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Dodger stadium is my favorite stadium. That is where the nice comments about LA and their sports stops. Now for the negative part......I HATE LA DODGER FANS!!!! I mean seriously, they are such bandwagon fans, it makes me want to throw up all over the fucking place. Unless it is their beloved Lakers playing, LA sports fans are some of the most unintelligent, awful, and roudy fans ever. All the people I was sitting around were yelling at Larry Walker, Albert Puljos, and Jim Edmonds and telling them that they suck and all this other bullshit. Let me first say that these three players have more Gold Gloves, All Star Appearances, MVP nominations, and more recent post season experience than the entire LA Dodgers. Not to mention that they are all hitting above .300 and thats not just against crap teams but against everyone. I had people yelling at me and my STL crew last night when the Cards would get a hit or put one over the fence. Not to mention I had the guy serving me beer jokingly tell me to go back to "Misery" (everyone in LA's little Missouri joke...not funny). That is just fucking rude. I didn't tip him. My favorite is when Adrian Beltre came up to bat and the whole stadium was chanting "MVP...MVP...MVP". I will say that Beltre has been a huge part of the Dodgers success and he definitely deserves props. But LA fans are chearing to merely rub it in the faces of the Cardinals who have 3 MVP candidates of their own. Where were these "supportive" fans last year when I was at the game and both the Cards and Dodgers were having below par seasons?? I can tell you that Busch stadium was still packed every weekend last year. I would like to bring back a little memory of last week when LA was in St. Louis and got swept. Including a game on Friday when they got shut out by one of the shakiest members of the Card's rotation (way to go Matty Mo!!). The Cardinals may have lost 2 of 3 in LA but the season series is 4-2 in the favor of my Cards (if it was the NLCS, the Dodgers would be playing golf right now). So I wanna say that I am gonna wear my Cardinal red and my STL hat and I am gonna wear it proud and watch my Cardinals cruise all the way to the NL Pennant. And to all of the Dodger "fans".....better start counting down to the start of the Laker's season cause baseball in LA is going to be very short lived this fall.