The Football Fan I am.

I just want you all to know, for the record, that you are all going to learn about the football fan I am. What teams I can tolerate, What teams I can't.

My first exposure to football was when we were at someone else's house (I don't know who and I don't remember where they lived. I was 5 or 6) and my father was watching an L.A. Raiders game... I asked him: Who are you rooting for dad...? He said: the Raiders...

I said: oh... why doesn't our city have a football team...?

He let me know why...

I said: will we ever get a team back?

He said: I just don't know.

Then in 1995, ABC World News tonight ran a story about the Cleveland Browns moving to Baltimore and then the Cincinnati Bengals threatening to move as well. I remember these stories because it was like YESTERDAY.

You people need to learn about about the NFL fan I am. See, unlike the many others that had teams before the Ravens? I HAD TO WAIT TO SEE BALTIMORE FOOTBALL!!! We got screwed in 1993 when they expanded. Carolina's the only one of the two new franchises that has flourished due to excellent ownership... Jacksonville has not...

And about trash talking:
Trash talking is the most prevalent thing in professional sports and you cannot stop it!!! NFL fans are probably the most vicious die-hards but the most BRAND FRIENDLY next to NASCAR. NFL is a lot like NASCAR, everyone's got a team they love and a rival they love to hate.

In my opinion, people need to wise up on trash talking, it's commonplace. If you don't like it, guess what, it's going to come your way anyway from anyone around you, rivals and other friends alike. Forget trying to ignore it because it's not going to help. It's just not going to help.

God is a neutral fan, he likes everyone, he doesn't care who wins or loses.

It's time for you all to learn the football fan I am.

TOLERATION RATING OF TEAMS

Rating scale: 0-10

0-2 (CANNOT TOLERATE)

2-4 (UNFAVORABLE VIEW)

5 (NEUTRAL VIEW)

6-10 (FAVORABLE VIEW)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE TEAMS

NFC EAST

DALLAS - 5.6 / 10

PHILADELPHIA - 5.1 / 10

WASHINGTON - 1.7 / 10

NEW YORK - 2.6 / 10

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY - 6.1 / 10

DETROIT - 7.4 / 10

CHICAGO - 6.4 / 10

MINNESOTA - 3.2 / 10

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS - 8.6 / 10

CAROLINA - 9.3 / 10

ATLANTA - 3.1 / 10

TAMPA BAY - 4.0 / 10

NFC WEST

SEATTLE - 9.1 / 10

SAN FRANCISCO - 3.7 / 10

ARIZONA - 6.1 / 10

ST. LOUIS - 5.3 / 10

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE TEAMS

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND - 0.7 / 10

NEW YORK - 2.3 / 10

MIAMI - 4.3 / 10

BUFFALO - 5.5 / 10

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI - 1.3 / 10

CLEVELAND - 0.7 / 10

PITTSBURGH - 0.5 / 10

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS - 0.5 / 10

TENNESSEE - 3.2 / 10

HOUSTON - 3.7 / 10

JACKSONVILLE - 1.5 / 10

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY - 7.6 / 10

DENVER - 1.4 / 10

SAN DIEGO - 4.2 / 10

OAKLAND - 2.4 / 10

VIEWS ON PLAYERS

Favorite Current Stars:

Joe Flacco, Calvin Johnson, Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Reggie Bush, Matt Stafford, Tony Romo, Russell Wilson, Justin Tucker, Cam Newton, Captain Munnerlyn, Drew Brees

Who I can't stand:
Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, John Elway, Eli Manning, Terrell Owens

Favorite hall of famers:

Marcus Allen, Len Dawson, Steve Young, Joe Montana, Howie Long, Johnny Unitas, Bubba Smith, Terry Bradshaw, William Perry, Bart Starr, Ted Hendricks, Jerry Rice, Sonny Jurgensen, Otto Graham, Barry Sanders

Smartest Players in the League:

Joe Flacco, Matt Birk, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matthew Stafford, Michael Oher, Calvin Johnson, Nick Novak, Nick Foles, Ryan Succop

Players who need to be in the hall of fame:

Steve Tasker, Cookie Gilchrist, Ray Guy

Players that we need to SHUT UP ABOUT:

Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Tim Tebow, Robert Griffin III, A.J. Green

Players that we need to SHOW MORE RESPECT TO:

Joe Flacco, Justin Tucker, Matt Stafford, Torrey Smith, Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Alfred Morris, London Fletcher, any Div I-AA or II player that HAS MADE IT IN THIS LEAGUE.

Most Overrated Position:

Quarterback and Running Back

Most Underrated Position:

Wide Receiver, Guard, Punter, Kicker

Most Overrated Teams:

New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos

Most Underrated Teams:

Seattle Seahawks

Best Fans:

Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers

Too vicious:

Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns

Favorite historical teams:
1940 Chicago Bears, 1983 Oakland Raiders, 1987 Washington Redskins, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2012 Baltimore Ravens, 1996 Green Bay Packers, 1970 Baltimore Colts, 1994 San Francisco 49ers

Best Super Bowls ever:

Super Bowl V, Super Bowl XIII, Super Bowl XV, Super Bowl XXIX, Super Bowl XLII, Super Bowl XLVII

Biggest jokes in professional football:
Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf, Desmond Howard, Lawrence Phillips, Maurice Clarett, Charles Rogers

ESPN's love affair teams:

Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots

ESPN's love affair players:

Robert Griffin III, Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tim Tebow, Andrew Luck

Who is the face of the NFL?

To be perfectly honest, THERE IS NO FACE of the NFL, the fans of football are the true faces of football. We come to games and cheer on our favorite teams to wins. The players are not the faces of the NFL... it's the fans. There's millions upon millions of fans and we are what is keeping the NFL running today.

------

In closing,

Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, I am a FOOTBALL FAN. I enjoy watching FOOTBALL and the trash talking. Football may bring the fans together, but it makes us all vicious in the end...

That's football.

------

A Moment in History: The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

OCTOBER 17, 1989: 63 KILLED, 3500+ INJURED WHEN M7.1 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. WORLD SERIES GAME 3 CANCELLED.

On October 17th, 1989, the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants were preparing for their 5:35pm (8:35pm EDT) World Series match and during an ABC telecast, history was made.

During a highlight reel of game 2 with a live feed going on at the time, at about 5:04pm, while still in the process of going through that highlight reel, Al Michaels interrupted Tim McCarver saying: "I'll tell you what, I think we're having an earth...." The feed cuts to static... and then ABC puts up a green WORLD SERIES banner. During the 15 seconds, there was no picture or return audio.

By the time the transmission was restored, it sounded like they were back on the radio with all the cheering in the background, Al Michaels said on the air: "Well folks, that's the greatest open in the history of television, BAR NONE!"

Experts though credit the timing of the World Series as significant in the reduction of the loss of life because people were off the roads at viewing parties or at the game itself. Only half of the 62,500 who were expected to show up for the game were in their seats and the stadium suffered no exterior or interior damage

The earthquake made history as many live amateur videos were being done and sent to newsrooms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Newsrooms were overwhelmed with how much footage was captured during the 17-second earthquake. ABC who was covering the 1989 World Series went from sports to hard news, covering every last detail of what has happened.

Fay Vincent declared Game 3 of the World Series postponed (It would not be resumed until 10 days later) and had American League ballparks on standby.

ABC went to backup programming before they went straight to a special report. Over 79,000 photos were captured by photojournalists, many days worth of television coverage, and reports made this one of the most well-recognized natural disasters in the history of media.

The 17-second earthquake created extensive damage and $6 billion in damages ($11 billion today). Many highways including the Cypress Street Viaduct were destroyed. 1,400,000 customers in the area lost power. 7,200 homes were flattened.

----

This is a moment in history that is very much unforgettable in so many ways. It was a historic landmark in the way media and television is broadcasted. The pictures were astounding and the stories written about this storm made it one of the most famous earthquakes on record.

----

"Until the next post, I'm signing off.."

~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 16) - How did a 3-point shot save lives?

Note: I am not starting this blog with a "Hello Journal" but rather, a headline.

 

HOW DID A THREE POINT SHOT FROM ONE PERSON WITH JUST 2 SECONDS LEFT IN THE BALLGAME, SAVE 20,000 LIVES IN ATLANTA?

On March 14, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia... The city was going through a very wild weather pattern of severe weather.

At the time as well, the SEC basketball tournament was taking place at the time and the storm still hadn't yet unleashed it's fury on the Georgia Dome yet but it was on it's way... approaching EF-2.

Alabama was down 59-57 with 7 seconds left in the game. After Alabama and Mississippi State took their respective 30-second timeouts. The rest they say is a lifesaver... Mykal Riley of Alabama took a 3-point jump shot and made it to tie the ball game with 2 seconds left...

That one shot put the game into overtime, however Mykal Riley doesn't realize that the shot he made saved more than the 20,000+ attending the game at the Georgia Dome.

After a brief wait, OT was underway and the storm was making its way towards the Georgia dome...

Taken from the National Weather Service

With 2:11 left at overtime in the ball game, the game was stopped with Mississippi State leading 64-61. The winds were howling and the facade of the Georgia Dome was getting tore up in a few spots due to the high wind speed. Officials stopped the game to get everyone to safety and also the players out of danger during the storm. If you look, the tornado's path was not very far from the Georgia Dome.

Cited - Taken from Kentucky Media

 Damage to the Interior of the Georgia Dome

The feed from the game was cut off and TV stations had to rush to alternate programming or if you were in Atlanta at time, switch over to weather to keep abreast of the storm's intensity and path.

After a 63-minute wait, the game was resumed and Mississippi State went on to win the game in OT. However, one person doesn't understand what his 3-point shot did...

Mykal Riley doesn't realize it but he is a lifesaver. He saved countless amounts of lives by making that 3 point shot to tie the basketball game.

It's really quite stunning to say the least that people really don't recognize this accomplishment by this ONE person.

But what would have happened had Mykal Riley missed that shot? Would people already realized that the storm was bad enough to stay indoors? Would there have been many more fatalities than the 3 recorded? Those are some of the what if's that I'm glad we can say cannot be answered.

But... this shot from one person was a total miracle moment that saved a lot of lives and prevented the death toll from the storm from going even higher than it should because of people filtering out of the Georgia Dome.

----

The Atlanta tornado complex had 45 reported tornadoes:
14 confirmed as an EF-0
19 confirmed as an EF-1
9 confirmed as an EF-2
3 confirmed as an EF-3

Damages were just over $400 million with several buildings seeing shattered glass and severe damaged. The West Peachtree hotel saw 250 windows get shattered. Centennial Olympic Park was heavily damaged. The CNN Center had serious damage as well.

All in all, this storm could've seen a higher fatality mark had it not been for a 3-point shot that saved 20,000 lives inside the Georgia dome.

----

That's all it took... a 3-point shot... to save the lives of many from a howling wind that was right outside their door step.

----

Well everyone, guess what, Operation: Shutdown is over..

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 12) - A Mystery Adventure

Hello Journal,

I'm back home after driving a grand total of 216 miles between Joanna's house, King of Prussia mall, Christiana Mall, and back again.

I stayed over on Friday night, we watched golden girls, we looked at most expensive listings via Zillow.com, and then I tucked it in around 1130. I easily got to sleep and I gotta tell ya, I slept real good.

By about 8:00am, Joanna woke me up, and I was ready to take her on another adventure. However this one was a mystery, she had no clue where we were going... As we jumped on I-95 going towards Baltimore... she still had no idea where we were going.

We made it up to Exit 109B going towards Newark, DE and she still hadn't got a clue. We're still on another wonderful adventure.

So after a 2 hour car ride. We made it...

 

This is King of Prussia mall, one of the largest malls in the east coast and not only that, the first dual mall in the nation. This place is so huge, you really can't seem to get through every last store in one day. It's amazing. There's SO many great stores and flagships.

There's also no movie theatre. LOL. Which I found really funny.

As we walked into the store, I was warned by my gf Joanna that we weren't to seek out the Vera Bradley store. See, Vera Bradley seems to be any girl's dream store.

There's a lot of stores that girls love... You know, you got Coach, Vera Bradley, Michael Kors, Brookstone (I don't know what it is about Brookstone, but women love it!)

For the Senior Citizens... There's the Barnes and Noble, LL Bean...

For the Guys? Anything with electronics.

For the Kids? Any kind of toy store.

---

We had lunch. She had Sakura Japan, while I indulged in the famed Tony Luke's. Between them, Pat's, and Geno's steaks? They are all good. Their fries were pretty amazing too. Wit or Wit-out, remember that!!! LOL.

While we were in the neighborhood, we stopped at Smart Toys because I noticed they were having a halloween sale for costumes. She thought we were going in just to look at the toys, I said: Joanna, they're having a halloween sale.

We spent about 20 minutes looking at costumes. We made our decisions but we didn't buy anything. I'm still strongly considering the Green Ranger but I don't know about the height issue (6' 4") and my ever present weight issue.

We walked for a few hours around the place and even took her to the court where my favorite comic book shop was.

Yes, it is a tremendously huge place.

---

King of Prussia mall is great for the savvy mid-market or big money customer who wants to spend some money on clothing or needs some kind of new outfit for a big party or something. I like the place a lot. I know a lot of Pennsylvania's back roads and highways as I've been up there so many times in the past.

---

After we were done at King of Prussia mall, I decided to take her to Christiana mall in Delaware.

As I left the parking garage to get to the exit where 202 was. Some truck decides to pull out in front of me when I was making my way up because he was in the wrong lane. He had no blinker on and I almost had myself a new car. Yeah, people sometimes shouldn't drive.

It was a 45 minute drive down to Christiana Mall.

---

Christiana Mall is the biggest mall in Delaware, it does rival Annapolis and Arundel Mills in terms of size but it is a big mall.

There's plenty of stores and even... A WINDOWS STORE. I started to look around at the surface pads because I am thinking about investing into one.

We check the oakley store and then make our way to Barnes and Noble. I wanted a book by Marc Summers, but I guess it's out of print...

We had a nice long day together and it was more than fun, it was pretty amazing. Joanna said so herself.

---

We get home and I decide to watch the Maryland-Virginia game. She wanted to take a nice short nap before we headed out to dinner.

She fell asleep and I put the green blanket on her, put the volume down, and I kept myself quiet throughout the game. She got awaken by the sound of the phone ringing and that woke her up quickly.

I took her to Cheeseburger in Paradise in Pasadena. The ride was actually better than I anticipated. The roadways were still dry. She loved the place! I always liked the place too. :)

After we were done eating, Joanna and I went back to her place, so I could drop her off and I could head back home. My girlfriend Joanna is the greatest girl and human being ever. I love her and it's only showing more and more that I think this is going to go very far in the future ahead.

All in all, it was another wonderful adventure with MORE ADVENTURES to come. Lots more...

Since the Ravens don't play on Oct. 27 and we can take the day off from football? Maybe another mystery adventure will come then. Until then, gotta wait.

---

I personally can't wait for Dec. 21 (tentative date) for when we go to NYC.

---

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."

~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 11) - A letter to the NFL

Commissioner Goodell,

I am writing to you, not as a Redskins fan (for which I never was and will be), not as a Ravens fan (for which I always will be), but as a FOOTBALL fan, that we seriously need to end this hogwash about the Redskins name.

This has been going on far too long and it's time to face facts: the name of the franchise will never change and that's the bottom line.

While I respect the Native Americans and their reasoning behind the needing of the switch as the word "REDSKIN" is considered offensive to certain groups, you know as good as I do that owner Daniel Snyder is NOT going to change name of the team. A number of groups have already stated that the name of the team does not offend. So... let's just leave it at that OK?

Politics and sports do not mix. NFL Football is a $10,000,000,000 enterprise, this about a team's name is small and petty potatoes.

I feel as though that this needs to stop and that we need to worry about the bigger problems that are plaguing the NFL:

1) We need to worry about the concussion suit and the lies that the NFL has been slandering former players with saying that: Concussions are not serious.

2) We have way too much favoritism in this league. No team is above the rest.

3) There needs to be contingency plans in place when teams cannot play their respective home games due to weather or another sporting event is in place in that team's town.

4) While the NFL is becoming a world franchise and global entity, playing international games and having one or the other team lose a home game to me just doesn't seem very fair. Let's keep the games in the states.

5) One city scouting needs to stop. Open the scouting combine to other cities besides Indianapolis.

6) College football scouting needs to expand to other divisions as well. Open the scouting combine to Division II and III athletes as well. They can play the game just as well as FBS and FCS.

7) SUPER BOWL TEAMS DO NOT BELONG OPENING ON THE ROAD REGARDLESS OF THE LOGISTICS!!!!

That's just a few of my complaints, Mr. Commissioner.

Thank you,
~ Joshua

Becoming Yoshi

Hello Journal,

Time for one of those "Sophia Petrillo" moments... Picture it, Ferndale, 1993... My family and I decided to visit my mom mom and pop pop. We were at my mom mom's house because we found out that my Uncle Jeff had a Super NES and Super Mario World.

We go there and sure enough, I remember the exact Area and Level he's on. I see that he's in Chocolate Island... Area 6 - Level 2 and sure enough, he gets a Yoshi egg.

And sure enough that's where the Yoshi voice began. Yoshies typically don't talk but I'll tell you, I think if Nintendo needs a Yoshi that speaks english, they got the perfect person? Me.

I own two yoshies myself, a yellow one and black one I got from Yoshi's Story. I've always been a big fan of the Yoshi character in the Mario Universe and I just don't think the Yoshi voice will ever go away, it will always be a part of me because it does entertain people and a lot of people do get a kick of it.

That's my job... make the world laugh and a better place. I do my part constantly.

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 10) - Being part of the choir despite my inability to read music

Hello Journal,

I just got back from choir and nearly had to be a solo tenor for the night. As the rain came down in the car and I was awaiting 725pm to come around, I was playing a freestyle solo song on my magic piano and realizing that... I can't play piano at all.

As I just sat in my car and my empty tummy rumbled for food. I just sat there thinking about how I was a part of an important group of singers but in turn, I just didn't feel like my voice was fitting in. I was too much of an up and down choir member. I'm the "Mark Reynolds" of the group, I can hit a home run here and there, but too often, I strike out.

Sometimes I can sing myself to a great night and sometimes, I just fumble a lot. The truth is... I can't read music, I just can't. I basically have to hear someone to detect what notes I am singing.
 
I had sung in choirs at St. Paul in the past and in high school. My mom was apart of the choir at St. Paul along with most of her friends as well. When I moved over to CUMC, I decided to take a chance with their choir in the first half of the incoming 2011 choir season and there's where I first met choirmate Jan about the possibility of joining the choir.

Jan said they were always welcome of new members to the choir and so on and so forth. Jan is like the "quarterback" of the choir. So I took a chance the following week and sure enough, I got off to a really bad start, but time went by, I got a little better, but it always seemed like I needed a "safety net" just to get through these 2 hours I am at choir practice.

My choirmate, who is a tenor as well, I basically had to "copy" his singing for the use as a "safety net" since I have an total inability to read music.

Some of the songs we were singing were next to impossible for me to even read or follow. I always messed up or got frustrated at myself. My conscience was telling me: "Josh, you just can't sing, you got the volume, but you just can't sing, you can't even read music."

----

So why am I in choir?

I am in choir basically to sing praises to the good lord above. As long as I've got the breath, then I can sing or at least try to.

To be true, every member of the choir has never had an issue with me. I'm never in my element in choir, it's always attention to detail and getting mad at myself in silence because I screwed up someplace.

In fact, I'd say in the given time I've been at choir... I probably answered a total of 1 question or asked a total of 1 question. I never really say a thing. I just try.

----

Tonight, I couldn't focus due to the ongoing shutdown and also I was seriously in need of some food. But knowing I tried hopefully makes the difference on Sunday.

So what's my honest opinion about my singing? I'm not that good, but I can say that I try. It takes practice yes, but even practice doesn't seem to do wonders for me. I really don't feel like quitting at time like this as some of the most important services down the road are coming up.

I'd say my best outing was last year when we did the 3-part, 17-minute "Gloria" by John Rutter. I knew there that I was going to be incredibly important due to my explosive volume. That really put the wind back in my sails but since then, I feel like I've trailed off.

I hope some of my choirmates read this and understand where I am coming from. I'm very critical of myself because I just can't read music and I need a "safety net" when I sing.

----

A glimmer of hope in the shutdown... Hardly... I see this dragging on awhile longer...

----

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 9) - Interstate Zero

Hello Journal,

It was a wild morning with a major accident on 295 that pretty much shut the entire parkway down. That was one crazy accident and the way it came about was absolutely head scratching. A vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian on the southbound side about 4:54 a.m. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.

Well, things got back to normal about 8:30am. I had to take Arundel Mills Blvd. to get out of dodge.

Anyway, have you noticed that people on 295 and 695 don't necessarily do the 55mph speed limit? Don't you think it's time for our government to take a look at the AASHTO and CHART stats and say: Hey, maybe... 55mph is just not enough... Let's move it up to 60.

The average speed on 295 is 67.6mph according to AASHTO and CHART. 12.6mph over the 55mph mandated speed limit.

The average speed on 695 is 69.1mph according to AASHTO and CHART. 14.1mph over the 55mph mandated speed limit.

Shouldn't the government take a look at this? I mean come on. It seems to be the right thing to do. 2 cars beeped at me because I was doing 63 in a 55... It's like give me a break, I'm not trying to get a ticket here.

I think Maryland, Our fine Democratic People's Republic of Maryland, needs to see that people are not doing the speed limit or setting themselves at 1-9mph grace... No they have places to go...

So DPRM, do us a favor, raise the speed limit to 60 and make us all happy.

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 8) - I'm inflammatory and insensitive?

Hello Journal,

Yesterday, I wrote a well-meaning and completely understandable facebook post about cancer. The NFL does breast cancer awareness in order to reach out to the 42% of women who come to football games but only 28% will watch it on TV. I was very well meaning by saying: Hey, if they do something for women, why not also reach out for their key demographic, men.

Yes, breast cancer is a killer and personally, I find the NFL's version of breast cancer month a bit overblown. While it's very nice to see the pink and the awareness being raised for women, I made a pretty good assessment that the NFL seems to be ignoring their main demographic: Which is men. If we are going to have a breast cancer awareness month for Women, how about something for the men as well? That's your base demographic who watches (72%) and who comes to games (58%)

Prostate and Colon cancer are the biggest cancer killers of men and I think the NFL fails to recognize this. I was being extremely well meaning with my post stating that the NFL is forgetting a big demographic that pays the big bucks to come to games or sits home and watches it on television. Now all I am trying to do is say: Hey NFL, are you forgetting your main populace?

Doing breast cancer awareness while commendable seems like to be getting more and more like a "cash grab" for the NFL so they can try and get women to watch the sport. In fact, it's not really helping women watch football. In fact, since breast cancer awareness month for the NFL started, Nielsen stated that there has only been a fraction of a percent increase in women viewing football on television.

See the NFL and NBA have it ALL WRONG... The MLB, MLS, and NHL have done it correctly...

MLB - Will have a breast cancer awareness weekend for the mother's day weekend. Pink bats, pink armbands, pink eyeblack, and that's great. For the men, a father's day weekend for prostate and colon cancer. Blue bats, blue armbands, and blue eyeblack. Truly commendable and they don't make it a cash grab at all. In fact, sales of mother's day and father's day have been pretty much even. Women's viewership of baseball has risen more than 10% and more and more women are going to games because it's a longer season. They also do Stand Up 2 Cancer which is for a total fund for ALL CANCER RESEARCH! Over $19,000,000 has been raised for SU2C.

NHL - Hockey Fights Cancer has been undeniably the most successful with the NHLPA and fans contributing more than $25,000,000 towards ALL CANCER RESEARCH and not just one set cancer. They have it right. Game worn jerseys go up for auction, fans contribute what they have, everything.

NBA - Only seems to want to promote research for breast cancer, doesn't seem like they are hitting their key demographic either. Come on LeBron James! Kobe Bryant! Stand up for prostate and colon cancer awareness!!! Come on NBA Players Association! Where's that give back to your key demographic spirit!!!!!

MLS - Soccer kicks cancer has been wonderfully successful! Childhood cancer, Breast Cancer, Men's Cancers... $12,600,000 contributed and raised!

See, don't the NBA and NFL see that they do need to target their main paying audience a bit more?

My remarks on this post are not inflammatory and insensitive. I'm making people aware that ALL CANCERS are killers. Cancer sucks! And my friend Amanda? She's kicking cancer's fricken butt!!! My grandmother kicked cancer's butt!!!!

I'm raising awareness for every cancer and I believe every sports league needs to do so as well!

I need to thank Gina, Heather, and Joanna F. for defending me... along with Mark Morrison as well. Thanks guys.

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

A letter to the commissioner of the NFL

Roger Goodell,

My name is Joshua R. Leuschner, I'm from Baltimore, and been a Ravens fan ever since their induction into this league after the 1995 season was completed.

But my letter to you is about raising awareness for your key demographic in men who come to football games to have themselves a good time with their friends. The NFL has breast cancer awareness for women but why not a prostate and colon cancer awareness month for the men or just a Football Fights Back month! How about that?

The MLB, NHL, and MLS have wonderful charities set up and fans, players, management, and ownership alike in total have contributed tens of millions of dollars towards cancer research of all types... Shouldn't you do the same for not only men but the children as well.

42% of your NFL populace is women and the viewership numbers for women only sits at 28%. Since BCA started in the NFL, Nielsen has determined that it's only raised the viewership numbers by a fraction!

Mr. Commissioner, ever since you walked into this league, you done a methodically OK job with your zero tolerance policy, raising awareness for breast cancer, safety, something for the children with Play 60, but you haven't done anything that raises cancer awareness for men. Come on sir, you are better than this, along with your other cohorts as well. You should think about this.

My view is plain and simple. If you do something for women, then you better reach out to all of your demographics who come to football games or watch it on television.

Baseball, Hockey, and Soccer are fighting back. It's time for football to do the same

Thank you,
Joshua R. Leuschner

Operation: Shutdown (Day 7) - Rising up in defense of Joe Flacco

Hello Journal,

Week 5 is in the books with Baltimore winning 26-23 and sure enough, Joe Flacco has another game where he made the best of what he can do at crunch time. I mean, despite his 268 yards and 1 Interception, he still played a rather good game. I am a staunch supporter of Joe Flacco ever since he walked into into this league.

Everyone wants to talk about stats, how he's not elite, and how he didn't earn the $120 million he was signed for.

Ok, let's review:

1. The quarterback position is probably the most scrutinized position in professional football, also they are the controllers of the offense, so what they say goes unless the OC wants to jump in and handcuff you.

2. Joe Flacco's record in 98 games is 66-32 (57-28 in the Regular Season, 9-4 in the playoffs, which includes 7 road wins). But every win that Joe gets is luck. Critics are stating it's a team game. If it's such a team game then why the god's name do we continue to monitor quarterback records? The numbers speak for themselves. Sure he's not putting up the stats this year... 5 TD and 8 INT, but hey, he's very well known for starting slow in the first half but really throwing it into high gear in the 2nd half. His first two games, he threw for what a quarterback would throw in 1 game, 129 yards both games. But again, he's had a great start to his 6-year career. He made it all the way to the AFC Championship which... was VERY MUCH UNEXPECTED and the Steelers even gave Joe credit for getting THIS FAR as a ROOKIE. Joe's made it to the playoffs each of the 5 years he's been in this league! That 38-yard run in the first game, the 43-yard catch and run in the Oakland game, and making it to the AFC Championship in your first season. Yup Ravens fans WE GOT A QUARTERBACK!!!!! Finally!!!!!

3. Any bad game always seems to fall on Joe. Ok? The media wants to make him look like the bad guy because he's a FCS quarterback from Delaware. A no-name football school. His stats at Delaware don't necessarily jump out at you but they are rather good. He threw for 7,057 yards, 41 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and he was 16-10 as a starter. Let's also remember that he almost quit football until his coach said: "No way man, Joe, you are going to be picked in the NFL draft" and while all the other scouts walked away from a game in which he threw 4 interceptions, the Ravens stayed and they wrote an absolutely GLEAMING report on him. Yes, he's got the tangibles, good football intelligence, and not only that, he's a big guy (6' 6" 230lb at draft day). His football intelligence parallels that of Manning and Brady. He picked up pretty quickly.

4. Remember that game vs. Denver last year in Baltimore... Yeah, Flacco had a bad game and the disdain of the media was like: "This guy sucks... His QBR is terrible..." Fast forward to the playoffs, the Ravens are 10-6 heading to the Wild Card game and Ray Lewis announces his retirement after the season is over. Vs. Indianapolis, Joe had a monster game, 12/23, 282 yards, 3 TD. Denver was like: Oh that's nothing! We got Peyton Manning! We're going to win easily! And sure enough, the Ravens were given no chance. ESPN was chalking it as an easy win. Manning-Brady in the AFC Championship game. The Ravens weren't even supposed to show up and win! Ok, so basically this was USA vs. the Soviet Union...

5. That win vs. the Broncos in the AFC Divisional put Joe into the history books. That throw put him in the history books and if you think that's just luck that he got that completed throw... Then... you must be messed up! That play is FOREVER ETCHED in lore as the "MILE HIGH MIRACLE" or "THE F-BOMB", but again... the critics say: Ah, just luck... But some legends rushed to the defense of Flacco. Len Dawson of KMBC-TV said: "He couldn't believe what he just saw" and I remembered hearing Gerry Sandusky: "Jacoby Jones... HAS IT AT THE 20! (Qadry: WOAHHHHHHHHH!), 15! 10! 5! (Qadry: WOAHHHH!), TOUCHDOWNNNNNN RAVENS! NO FLAGS! AND THE MIRACLE! IS ANSWERED!!!" Miracle? Yep, you can put in NFL Lore!!!! One of the greatest games in playoff history. He ties Eli Manning for the most road wins at 5. He went 18/34, 334 yards, 3 TD, and again, NO INTERCEPTIONS.

Also, let's review this. The Ravens-Broncos AFC Divisional brought in 47,600,000 viewers nationally and 273,500,000 viewers worldly. Those broke records for AFC Divisional Match-up. Patriots and Texans? Didn't even come close.

6. He won the AFC Championship beating both Manning and Brady, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL in consecutive weeks. The Patriots were 9 1/2 point favorites... And with his arm, threw for 240 yards, 3 TD, and again, NO INTERCEPTIONS... 3 straight games of 3 TD in the postseason. CBS was seriously hoping for a Brady-Manning match-up because that's where the money was. Sean McManus, head of CBS, even apologized for what he called a "bad match-up." Again, winning on the STRENGTH of Joe's arm and Boldin's great plays and a fantastic D that held the Pats to just 5 first downs and 124 yards in the 2nd half, and BREAKING Brady's 67 game winning streak when leading after the half. Wait, I thought that quarterback records didn't matter! Obviously it did here.

That "BAD MATCHUP" brought in 41,200,000 viewers nationally and 350,000,000 viewers worldly according to Nielsen.

7. He's a Super Bowl MVP, even though Jones and Boldin could've been named but Jones even said: Flacco deserved it. Only one person picked us to win and I got to tell you, Bill Cowher made the best choice ever: He picked Baltimore to win when everyone else was taking San Francisco. Joe Flacco in that 2 week span was largely ignored by the media because they wanted to flock to Colin Kaepernick or talk about Ray Lewis' "Deer Antler Spray" Allegations. Everyone was talking big about how Kaepernick is better than Flacco. How Kaepernick is this and that.

Basically it was: Joe who?

Well guess what: Joe was crowned a champion after helping his team win Super Bowl XLVII as the quarterback. 22/33, 287 yards, 3 TD, and again, NO INTERCEPTIONS!!!!

The Super Bowl shattered records left and right, 165,000,000 national viewers and record-breaking 796,200,000 world viewers! Joe Flacco was on top of the world! He got some serious recognition nationally!

But what I found unbelievable was how a lot of tweets (I don't tweet, twit, or twat) were asking: "Where's Baltimore?"

Some of the tweets were great, Aaron Rodgers congratulated Baltimore, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James was disappointed, but hey, he thought it was a great game. I think Rodgers post was the best along with Nick Saban's.

Joe Flacco's 4 game stat-line for the playoffs:
73 completions, 1140 yards, 11 Touchdowns, 0 INTERCEPTIONS, and a 117.2 QB rating. His performance in those 4 games was historic! HE EARNED HIS $120.1 million. WIN!!!! Steve Young quoted Flacco's performance as the most "dominating" 4 games in history.

---

In defense everyone, He's earned his contract, he busted his butt for it, and if you guys don't like him, then you really don't like the Ravens (Sorry, but you take the good and the bad). This is our quarterback and he will possibly go on to be one of the best FCS division quarterbacks to ever play the NFL game.

I'm writing this to defend the quarterback of our team. He's done a great job and he's been an excellent contributor to the community. We got another super bowl under our belts because of him, it may be a team sport, but we got to have the arm that goes with team.

Joe Flacco, Number 5, you are the leader of this team, and you earned your fourth star as the Field Marshal of the Ravens with that Super Bowl win. Ray is gone now and you have earned the leader role.

---

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 6) - Renaissance Festival: Part II

Hello Journal,

The weekend has ended and it ended very well as a matter of fact. On Sunday, I had the privilege of meeting both Courtney and her boyfriend John.

I already made fast friends with Courtney because she found out me REALLY quickly right after Joanna and I became an item and believe me, it didn't take long for them to really warm up to me.

On Sunday, despite our weariness of adventuring to Hershey Park the previous day, we traveled a 2nd time to the Renaissance Festival where it was an Irish edition of the grandest show in Maryland. John and Courtney took a instant liking to me as I had them rolling in the car with my impressions, my one-liners, and my movie quotes.

It was a unseasonably hot day at 86 degrees and the fair was absolutely packed. The lines were long and there was fun around every corner (cue the Kelso jokes). We did the crossbow shooting, watched jousting, I didn't have any drinks (as per my "PDD rule"), and I kept tabs on the ravens game as the day continued forward.

There's not much I can really say about this Renaissance Festival except I'm glad I made some important strides to the next level of things. I mean, I was there the first time and it was just as much fun the second time around. Hey, what can I say?

Most importantly, I won Courtney and John's approval, and to be honest, with Courtney being Joanna's best friend, that was a very important person to win over.

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

From a Methodist's perspective: I'd like to meet the pope

Hello Journal,

The Pope... I've lived through 3 of them... First there was John Paul II (which I call JP2), then there was Benedict XVI (which I called Benny), and then there's Francis (whom I call Frank). This is not to be offending, but even my friend Susan calls them that.

I sit on two religions. I'm both Methodist and Lutheran. I just like to call myself a mixed denomination or simply a believer in the "BIG DUDE UPSTAIRS" and I've always had much respect for the pope. JP2, he was the pope of the people, he loved to travel, took care of himself, and was always active. Benedict XVI was merely a caretaker in the papal government, he never wanted the job, in fact, he wanted to leave the church to be an archivist but JP2 said: "Uh, I don't think so." When Benedict XVI retired this year on my 26th birthday, I thought: "Who's next?"

When Francis was elected as pope of the catholic church, I said that this was going to be simply different from JP2 and Benedict XVI. The Latin American pope, I read, was in very good health for 76 years of age and regularly took care of himself. He's incredibly smart and knows 8 different languages. I've always had an admiration for the pope as he is elected as one of the servants of the lord through his peers (the cardinals)... and he is the source of what's good in this world.

But what if I met the pope? I remember back in October of 1995 when JP2 hosted a crowd of 80,000+ at Camden Yards for a papal mass. Man he put on a speech that captivated the world! I remember this one part: "Oh, that today you would hear his voice: harden not your hearts."

Let's say Francis came here and Joanna (my girlfriend who is catholic) took me to the papal mass. I would dress appropriately and be respectful.

If Francis came down from his popemobile to give me a blessing, I'd be more than happy to accept it because Francis seems like a really genuine person and seems like a good person to talk to about the problems facing this world.

Yes, I may be Methodist, but you can have utmost and absolute respect for a man who's trying to spread the word of Jesus Christ to all the land. It's a hard project but someone has to do it.

My opinion of the pope is this:

1. The pope is the source and key to the good in this world. He reaches out to believers and non-believers.

2. Second, he makes some of the world's best speeches and really pounces on top-dollar subjects.

I have no problems with the pope and I doubt I ever will.

My common belief is that the world in general would never accept that of an American or Canadian pope even though a good majority of the catholic population lies within North America. Many media outlets were hoping for an "Obama" moment of having the first black pope in history, which I totally wouldn't have any problems with at all. The pope stays out of the political spectrum, which is great. Church and politics don't mix. Politics, 99% of the time will always win because of the constitution.

Would people accept an American or Canadian pope? Probably not. Will it happen? There's always that possibility. I'd certainly be welcoming to an American or Canadian pope. I could see it happening.

The pope is the source of the good in the world, he's the servant of Jesus Christ, and has the greatest charitable and caring nature amongst all people. I'd love to meet the pope one day, I know it might not ever happen, but until then, we'll never know. He's not telling people what to do or how to live their lives, he's being the head of the catholic church.

Francis so far has an A+ in my book. He's doing a lot of things right and putting the kibosh on the criticisms laid against him. He's taking it all in stride and doing the world a big favor.

Benedict XVI, for his service, I have to give him a B, he didn't want the job, little bit too old for the job (81 at election), and was ready for retire.

John Paul II, I give him an A, he was the world traveler, he went so many places and spread the love of Jesus Christ to all nations (EVEN CUBA...). He was also a no nonsense and humorous kind of pope. When the cost of installing a pool at his summer residence was queried by cardinals, he basically said: "Eh, it's cheaper than building another conclave."

My view of the pope is pretty simple, I will have great admiration and respect for a guy who wants to spread the word of Jesus Christ to others and that's what we need more of.

Thanks Pope Francis, come to America someday!

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 5) - Hersheypark II: The Return

Hello Journal,

I'm getting ready to head back to work after a full and wonderful weekend. I spent a great Saturday with both my girlfriend Joanna and her niece Emma. The weather was beautiful, yet hot, but enjoyable nonetheless.

We were on the road by 7:20am, going up I-695 towards I-83 and we were making our way towards the cracker barrel on Queen Street on Route 74. It was the first time I'd been to Cracker Barrel in about 5 years.

Let's see, Joanna and I both ordered gravy and biscuits. Emma? She got the pancakes and bacon. We all kept it light because we knew we were going to be riding rides all day and we didn't want to get sick on any rides.

After we finished eating, we hopped around the store because we knew we were going to be quite early. As I looked around, I found this magnum alien cowboy six-shooter... I found it hilarious. I mean, I definitely say they had the right idea about the future of weapons, but that? Uh? ok.

We hopped back into the car and made our way up to Hershey park. We were definitely motoring towards having one of the best days of our lives, we cruised on 322 and Joanna finally saw the house that was all roof and no bottom. It reminded me of that house in Dewey Beach that was all roof, no bottom, and I called it a barn and then sure enough... THERE IT WAS...

That magical route number that was Hershey Park drive... Route 39. We made it and the trip wasn't that bad. You see, Pennsylvania is like a second home to me.

We arrived about 9:45am. We didn't get charged for parking (which was great, saves me $10.00) and as soon as we got in, we made straight for the comet. The comet is typically one of the first rides people get into as it is a popular "thrill-starter"

Comet is a great ride and it usually gets people's blood pumping for more thrills. Emma sat with Joanna typically and me, I was on my own. The wooden coasters bring back that nostalgic feel and fun. It's really fun at night too because you are real UNSUSPECTING as to what happens next.

After we were done with Comet. Emma and I did skyrush while Joanna sat out on that one. It's a good thing we got there when we did because Skyrush filled and filled real fast. I was really stunned by how many people were actually there for the day (it was also the weather too).

Emma and I were definitely ready for this one, we got put 1 row from the front which made it even more fun and I gotta tell you, sitting on the wing side, that's even better than sitting in the middle. 63 seconds later? The ride's over. If there is one thing about skyrush that I can really criticize about it's the length. Skyrush is a pretty short ride, compared to the rest of the roller coasters there.

Skyrush done. We headed off to great bear, one of Joanna's favorite rides. We made it to row two again and I gotta tell ya, I was happy that we were so close to the front. To many, that's where the fun really is!

We did the Antique Cars and the kissing tower. Just those rides where ya take a break from the thrills of things.

The day wasn't even over yet. We headed to Wildcat which is notorious for a very rough ride. Yeah, it was definitely a rough ride... Totally a rough ride. Fun but really rough. Gave me somewhat of a headache afterwards.

We headed over to Lightning Racer where I put my undefeated 17-0 record on the line. The Lightning Racer is a very unique coaster as it is a dueling coaster and guess what... Chalk up another win, that's 18 straight wins on the lightning racer!!!!! WOO, I'm dominating.

Emma wanted to go on Fahrenheit but we said no to that, straight down at 97 degrees. That's a little more than my heart could take and Joanna even said no to that as well.

So Emma and I decided to do storm runner... We were the next people in line and sure enough... due to a mechanical fault, the ride broke down and that was it, it was out of service. That was going to be my first run at Storm Runner and I still have yet to ride it. Emma was going to ride with one of her friends which was fine with me but since the ride broke down. We didn't do it... So I guess I'll have to wait until next year...

We made it to lunch and I was still absolutely stunned by how bad the prices for food were... $14 just to get a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink? Oh come on, I can pay LESS at McDonalds. I'm a firm believer that if they would just allow people to bring stuff in provided they have a special permit... That'd be great, they'd make a lot of money. Shoot they even have catering areas. What the crap.

I had my subway after I had a fruit smoothie which was more fruit than smoothie... Then we went back out on the rides. I also forgot that Maryland was playing but it was 21-0 FSU, so I said, ah they still got a second half to play.

We went to the Sidewinder, where it is a boomerang coaster. Now we decided to sit in the way way back where I must confess, that's where the fun really is. Joanna and Emma though that sitting in the back was a bad idea and I said: "Hey you two, how do you think I feel?" Mainly because I had to experience the longest drop in the beginning, however, the shortest in the end.

In the end, after the ride was done, I told the next riders that the back is where it's at!

We made for the arcade to kind of take another break from things and came to the agreement that Great Bear at the front was going to be our last ride. Storm clouds were gathering and I didn't think it was supposed to rain at all. But sure enough, we were heading for the front row!

Sure enough, here comes the rain... But, that didn't deter the hersheypark operators from stopping the ride. The reason why it can withstand the rain: the rails ARE NOT SANDED, which gives it the "ROAR!" when you hear it.

As we got on the front row, I was excited, this really wasn't a first for me on any roller coaster as I have gone to the front countless times. But this time, it would be different, 58 mph in the rain... and I heard some riders say it hurts with the rain.

The front row is great, nothing in front of you, you can see everything. We zoomed as the rain hit us hard and it was great! We hit the brakes and the gunk from the top? Fell on Joanna. I said: Oops.

Joanna got a kick out of it and so did Emma. We made our way of the hollow and off to chocolate world for the chocolate tour. The chocolate tour was absolutely packed, mainly because the rain deterred most riders to the factory.

This was Emma's first turn "at the wheel" at the chocolate tour. Joanna and I have done it several times. Personally, I can't wait to see what the new chocolate tour is going to look like as they are making more updates next year.

As we left, we were spent, beat, and done for. And the first thing out of Emma's mouth not 15 minutes after we left the park: "Na, can I see your phone?"

Here we go again... I smiled as I drove down 83 to home...

Anyway journal, yes I know this was a long one, but certainly, I had a lot of fun writing this one...

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Dreams I've had: The old house

Hello Journal,

I know in my mind that dreams sometimes don't come true, sometimes they do... I had just come back from Hershey park, I was tired from all the walking, and powered down around 8:57pm.

That's where my dreams begin. I was out like a light.

Then I saw this white hole. I said: "Ok, where's this going to take me..." I hopped out of bed and guess where I was? My old house on 4343 Eldone Road.

I looked around the old basement, where my mom was taking care of the clothes, and my brother and I were watching Saturday Morning Cartoons. I said: "Ok, this is goofy, why am I here?"

I sit on the couch downstairs and sure enough, my younger self sees me and waves hello. My brother Matt looks back and says: "Josh, who were you waving at." Younger self says: "That man on the couch right there! He looks like me!" Matt says, "You're nuts, there's no one there."

Ok, now where was Kira and my dad?

I walk upstairs to the kitchen and before I go to the dining room. I look right outside at the playground that brought a whole lot of memories... The swings... The yellow tube with the holes... Mom wouldn't let me go over there because she was afraid I'd get hurt.

I went to the dining room and Kira's in there with her coloring book, humming, and smiling. I said: "This is really nuts."

The old living was the just the way I pictured it. You had the steps that led to the bathroom and the 2 bedrooms. There was the other couch with the trinitron TV (16 channels everyone...). I'm guessing dad was taking a nap or something. So I sat outside the doorstep when the door for a few trying to decode and decipher everything. But the door was beating up against me. Dad was right behind me trying to get it open. I moved and he got it open.

He says: "I guess this door needs to be replaced."

I said: "I guess it does."
 
I see our old gray Vista... Sure enough, there's the gold Oldsmobile... I'm still wondering why I am still here.

I go down the alleyway to the backyard and see some of our neighbors and their children around. We were hanging out with our friend Tiffany and having water balloon fights.

Sure enough, my old self comes up to me and says: "Hey Mister, who are you anyway, you look me, I don't know if you sound like me... Where are you from?"

I said: "I'm you in 2013, I'm 26 years old, I work a government job..."

He says: "Government job!? that's what my dad does!!!"

I said: "Yeah, dad still does. Mom's still as great as ever, cooking up those Macaroni and Cheese meals we love so much... But on special occasions. Kira got married to a guy named Brian, has a kid named Blake... Matt got married to a girl named Stephanie... No kids yet, but I hope they have a few sooner or later... and me, I can honestly tell you, I'm not married, but I got this really nifty girlfriend named Joanna. We've gone on a lot of adventures together and things are well between us."

He says: "Oh boy, wait until I tell the others!"

I said: "But you listen to me boy, you do good in this world... You'll break up with a few girls... You'll do this... you'll do that... It's a long story... And even though you are how old?"

He says: "4"

I said: "Geez, I am old... Anyway... Pay attention in school... You're smart like I am and that IQ of 130 I possess? You got it too. I'm not going to give you a book to the future or anything like so. But, just know, that you are going to be really knowledgeable at sports and want a sportscasting job."

He says: "What's that..."

I said: "You know how dad listens to Orioles games on the radio?"

He says: "Yeah, he wants a football team too. Our team got taken away before I was born."

I said: "Well, that's what you are going to want to be when you grow to be me. And don't worry, we have a football team here again."

He says: "REALLY!?"

I said: "Yep, the Baltimore Ravens. We've won two super bowls already. We just won it this past year too. We have some of the best fans around."

Matt walks up and says: "Josh, who are you talking with, why are you talking to yourself again?"

He says: "Matt Matt... I heard the future from my future self!!!"

Matt says: "Mom, I thought you were going to cut down on his citrus juice intake." Matt leads me back inside to the basement.

Then I remembered citrus juice... We all loved citrus juice. Dad loved making that for us. As I walked away. I heard Kira scream: "BRIAN!? WHO'S BRIAN!?" Did she really think she was going to marry one of the members of New Kids on The Block?

I said: "She'll know eventually but for now, she's too young."

That house brought a lot of memories back... but then I remembered my friend's house across the way from our house and his bedroom, the smell... Oh nevermind, I'm not going in there. He liked cows. I even remember his birthday party too.

---

Dreams to me are like home movies. You can pick and choose what you want to see in life. According to references, scientists say a dream only lasts but 6 seconds, but the truth is, they last a heck of a lot longer than that.

---

What can I remember?

- My brother not letting me read that inspector gadget book he always took out

- My sister liking that one book but I don't remember that title. Something about huggins and kissins. Anyway, who cares, good reading.

- The basement where all of our toys were and the nintendo.

- Citrus juice. Yep, I liked citrus juice.

- The christmases at our house after we got home from the late services at church.

- My favorite boxes of cereal

- The gray boots my brother had

Just so many memories.

---

Yes, I know my family will probably read this and get a little freaked out. But don't you see? You can go back to childhood and live it. Trouble is, you just can't go back in time and fix it.

---

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 4) - My Bucket of Change

Hello Journal,

The shutdown workweek is completed and the best news came when we learned that there was going to be a vote on giving all federal employees back pay for both essential and non-essential workers.

Essentials had to be paid anyhow for services tendered for this week. I luckily get to save 8 hours of leave because I am taking a furlough day on Saturday (However, I will have to be paid back for that day as part of the law) since I had tickets to go to Hershey Park already. I can't wait for that. I'm looking forward to going on skyrush again and hopefully get up front. I want to see what the view is like from the front. LOL.

Of course some runs on the Great Bear... a little of this... a little of that... can't wait. Going to be a great time with Joanna and her niece Emma. Emma's always been a big fan of Hershey Park.

---

Shutdown wise: Still no progress being made but a breakthrough was made on tendering all essential and non-essential workers for lost pay which is great news. I mean, you got to start somewhere and that's good. White House agreed to it and they'll debate it this weekend, WHICH MEANS unfortunately until we have payroll people again, we are not guaranteed pay stubs on Thursday or deposits on Friday.

---

But today's blog as you can see has to do with my bucket of change. Currently, my bucket weighs just over 28lb. Apparently from what I am reading from the coin exchange sites, I could walk away with a little extra when I trade in certain coins. Just gotta start searching.

The coin bucket started in Jan of 2013, I began with a black ZMA bucket which filled to capacity when I realized that I was definitely going to need something larger. Then I remembered my Muscle Milk container was empty and needed a SERIOUS cleaning because it did have quite the pungent smell. It'd offend Pepe Le Pew plenty...

So where is all that change going to? Well, we don't know, I'm still saving and saving every last coin. Joanna has one full pig, another pig being filled, and with a third to be filled when number 2 is full. Combined we have 85lb worth of change. That's impressive. That's a lot of weight too. I do plan on waiting it out a bit.

That change denotes my good saving method. What I do is, I put my loose change that I acquire from the vending machine, the drug store, or any thing I pay cash and get spare change with, goes into my car's front holder. When I feel that it's filled up enough, I grab the change, put both loads in my pockets, and take it to the bucket.

I'm projecting I have at least $500. My last batch of coins went for $262.40. :) I'm hoping to do even better this time around.

---

I'm worried about this shutdown, however I do think it won't last much longer because someone's going to finally say: We fought the good fight, but... I guess what have to accept the facts.

I think any senator or representative that accepts their pay should be immediately thrown out of office. So far two senators have declared they will hold on to their pay. Any others wish to be thrown out of office???

---

What's on tap this weekend?

Tomorrow is Hershey Park and I'm looking forward to the rides, the fun, but most importantly being with two wonderful girls. I'm also looking forward to having Cracker Barrel for the first time in years.

Then on Sunday, I'm definitely looking forward to the Irish version of the Renn fest. :). Went for my first time a month or two back and... believe me, it was incredible fun. This also marks my first meet of Courtney and John, whom are two of Joanna's friends.

I'm also looking forward to getting some extra sleep while I am away from the workplace. I seriously need some sleep. The shutdown has left for some pretty sleepless nights.

---

That's all for now

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Earning Badges of Honor

Hello Journal,

I've earned lots of badges of honor throughout my time. But none more so than these

Brittany Sparks: Josh I look at you like an older brother, I could never get rid of you. Please don't ever think I could.

Tommy: Hi Uncle Josh!

Gabe: How do you know so much about Power Rangers?

Me: Gabe, I grew up on Power Rangers. I remember "The Day of the Dumpster"

---

Let's begin with Gabe. Joanna's family decided to go to the chinese buffet on Route 122 right by Security Square Mall. This was my first time walking into this place so I really didn't know what to expect. I believe this was the first buffet I've gone to in probably 5 years.

So I sat down for my dinner, had my prayer (I always pray before meals... You got to thank the lord for the bounty for he has given you), and started to munch away. But then I realized, Gabe likes his power rangers... So, I decided to quiz and test him on his knowledge. He even got some of the most complicated questions right! Gabe was mightily impressed by my vast knowledge of the series.

First of all, it's amazing what an eidetic memory will do for you when you remember about 65% of the series and second of all, Wikipedia isn't a bad source either despite it's "no guarantee of validity" claim.

He was also quite disappointed when he found out that Super Megaforce was going to be possibly the final Power Ranger series in the entire MMPR universe. IMDB reported that they are going to start a 10-part story arc which focuses on "The Impending Apocalypse" and would also bring back many of the original rangers.

Now, I've always been fond of Tommy Oliver as the Green, White, Red Ranger. Tommy was arguably the most popular character of the series along with Jason. It was just a shame that Thuy Trang died in a car accident, she played the perfect Trini.

Yes, you can laugh at me but yes, I was 6 when Power Rangers began and I've always been caught of in the nostalgia of watching old episodes.

---

Let's move over to Brittany Sparks.

First time I met her, she was a very wild and rabid Packers and Orioles fans.

Now I met her from the Baltimore Orioles facebook group I'm in the process of departing from. One thing about Brittany, she always had something to talk about, and she was a rabid fan of sports just like me.

When she first met Joanna at the ball game on Aug. 16th, they immediately became fast friends and to me, that felt really good, because Joanna and I were still in the beginning stages of our now really strong relationship together.

I never expected her to say something like that at all and I know she's a good kid.

And I'm really happy she said that.

---

I never expected little 4-year old Tommy (whom is Joanna's nephew) to call me Uncle Josh so soon. He must think I am part of the family now.

Well yes, I seem to be slowly earning that position as a family member.

Again, I didn't expect that. But hopefully and definitely, I can become a true uncle to Joanna's nieces and nephews here soon.

---

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 3) - Life, Liberty, and my pursuit of happiness

Hello Journal,

Well here we are, we are still gnawing our way through this continuing shutdown and not getting paid for it. It just seems more and more like the days are getting slower and slower as the shutdown drags on.

I already know I'm not getting paid for Saturday, I'm taking a furlough day to take my girlfriend and her niece Emma to Hershey park after nearly deciding to cancel it on basis that we got paid last week and I'm still on that current check. Yes I'm still hanging on tight to my money and being cautious about things.

However, despite the faults and failures of our president and congress to restore funding to our nation's federal government. I'm still going to go out and live my life. I'm taking a furlough day on Saturday to have fun with my girlfriend and her niece. I had already bought the tickets and like everyone's been saying: Josh, just go, I mean, one day loss of pay won't kill you.

And of course it won't, we are getting IOUs as the shutdown continues to drag on. Many media outlets are projecting at least 2 to 3 weeks of this. The last shutdown in 1995-1996 lasted 21 days.

---

Today was a rather interesting day at work. It was 1:50pm and we were all watching the news because there's just been so much downtime as of late and sure as green apples, there was a shooting near the U.S. Capitol.

My initial reaction was: Someone from a union must've snapped.

But the truth was, it was a car chase.

Then I also remembered my choir mate Chris Wells, who works for Capitol police, is down there dealing with that. I hoped he was a-ok and luckily, his wife Jackie stated: Yep, he's just fine. Doing a-ok.

One thing about Chris, he's one tough nut to crack.

As I left the building. I kept wondering when this was going to end. I continue to come to work and see the desolation of cars in the parking lot as we continue down this road. I talked with an air force sergeant who was walking and she was hacked off that she thought that Obama was getting off free and clear. I said: "That's because he's the President, he's got a "I got what I want" attitude and he's going to keep doing that until America burns. It's really time for him to show up to the negotiating table."

She agreed with me wholeheartedly and said: "No doubt."

---

This shutdown is not going to forbid me from living my life. I'm still planning on going to Hershey Park with Joanna and her niece because I still live by constitution's words - "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

This shutdown is not going to forbid me from going out to the Irish Renaissance Festival and meet the two most important people of Joanna's life, Courtney and John.

Thanks to the constitution of this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, I can live my life freely. I just wish that the President and Congress start listening to the American people and say to themselves: They're right. We're wrong.

---

That's all for now journal, I'll keep you and you all posted on the continued developments of the ongoing shutdown.

---

Oh yes, and a very special happy birthday to one of my best friends in the world, Megan Reedy, who turns 26. Happy birthday! :)

"Until my next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Back Road Adventures: Charles Kuralt kind of gave me the idea

Hello Journal,

In continuation with the previous blog post about the back roads, I'd like to share why it's great to take the back roads to get to your destination.

I'm sure a lot of my friends and family remember CBS's segment called On the Road with Charles Kuralt during the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.

Charles Kuralt was well known for taking America's back roads in a motorhome (wearing out 6 motorhomes before he was done) to check out people and their doings and makings in life. He said these words: "Interstate highways let you drive coast to coast without seeing anything." Which is not ENTIRELY true because you can sure as green apples see things while on an interstate highway like big cities and what not. But in this post, I'm talking about getting to destinations via the back roads.

To begin, I wanted to be a little more adventurous during my philosophy changes in life. I wanted to check out the East Coast's back road. I learned that the back roads of our nation show the people and their doings, businesses you won't regularly see on the interstate highway, and not only that, hidden business gems that somehow get a lot of business despite their desolate location on a lonely road.

Joanna and I take adventures that basically consist of country music and our serious and "serious" chats. Country music is the best sort of music for America's back roads because that kind of music tells stories about long lost loves, traveling long distances, and America.

Take for example: US-40 in New Jersey. Joanna and I took to towns that I'd never heard of in my life, much less even seen before. Woodstowne, Mays Landing... never heard of those places before. But on that U.S. Route, there were small businesses flourishing and seemingly popular places to stop on the ways up to a gas station or when you just need to rest and stretch your legs. On the road up to Ocean City, New Jersey, I spotted a VW dealership that just really didn't seem to be getting much business with it being on such a desolate street. That's another thing about back roads, you see historic places that may have suffered during the recent economic recession or previous economic failures of the past.

Another great example of hidden treasures on back roads would be going up Maryland 194 on the Woodsboro Pike. Maryland 194 takes you straight up to Littlestown, Pennsylvania on PA 194 - PA 97. Here, it's mostly desolate roads of vast colors, a beautiful sunset, and also seeing Maryland's people and their doings. I'd love to see it during the fall and winter time. Littlestown, Pennsylvania is just the way it is: Little and charming. Lots of houses, plenty of good places to eat, and yes, people and their doings. Right there, we traveled nearly 119 miles.

Pennsylvania is full of hidden treasures, including Route 30 in Maryland to Pennsylvania 94 in Hanover. We drove all the way up there basically for the "fun of it." As we traveled a total of 108 miles up the road to basically just "pass through." We saw more of Maryland and Pennsylvania's peoples and their doings.

Doing something like this is not only fun but it can also being kind of relaxing as well after a hard day at the office. I drive because it keeps me out of trouble, I can be with my girlfriend, and I can see god's beauty and wonder that he created.

There's more adventures to come... Certainly a lot more adventures. We've only scratched the surface of god's wonders.

"Until the next post, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Operation: Shutdown (Day 2)

Hello Journal,

I'll begin by quoting Reba McEntire, one of my girlfriend's favorite country music artists, on the song, "I'm A Survivor"

"A single mom who works two jobs, Who loves her kids and never stops, With gentle hands and a heart of a fighter, I'm a survivor." - Reba McEntire.

---
That's not me. But there is a reason why I quoted that:

I work one job for the federal government, I don't have kids but I do feel like a surrogate uncle to my girlfriend's nephews and nieces already (possibly their uncle in the future). I have the heart of a lion and still fighting on through this shutdown. Yes, I consider myself a survivor and I'm still surviving in this federal government shutdown.

It was another unpaid day in the federal government as I trudged into work with a headache the size of Mexico and angry beyond belief at a CNN article I read that congress is still getting paid while the shutdown was continuing. What? They are still getting paid? While I am coming into work for the nation's security, I AM NOT GETTING PAID FOR MY VALIANT EFFORTS!?

Then I watch CNN's "New Day" as I see members of congress stating: "Oh, well, I'll just give my pay back to charity," and one said she's going to give it the US treasury. I said: "Are you really kidding me? You think that giving your pay to charity or giving it back to the US treasury is going to make people happy? You must be crazier than a person at a mental institution if you think that's going to help make America happy."

They are doing this to secure their vote for the future in 2014 because they know every last member of congress is in big trouble.

I felt the need to quote Reba for a reason... Yes... I am a survivor, I'm surviving on last week's paycheck and I may not get a paycheck for a little while because of congress and their bickering and finger pointing. I'm surviving on a paycheck that still has to pay TWO MORE BILLS (Cell phone and Credit Card). Doesn't congress understand WE NEED OUR PAYCHECKS TO PAY OUR BILLS!?

I was really grateful last night that my girlfriend Joanna paid for my sweet frog dessert last night, but still inside, I felt really bad because I feel like I am the one who should be paying but then again, inside, I know in my heart that I have a girlfriend who honestly and truly cares about me. I can't tell her how much that means to me. Jesus knows, he definitely knows how much Joanna means to me.

I am grateful and surviving. This weekend's festivities I hope will help cool the situation down a little bit but inside, I am burning angry that I have to survive on last week's paycheck.

Yeah, everyone's asking what's on tap for the weekend? I use "on tap" despite my views on liquor and drinking because the weekend is when everyone seems to go to the bar to celebrate the weekend and the beer is "on tap."

On tap this weekend is Hershey Park with my girlfriend and her niece (who lovingly calls her "Na") and then I finally get to meet the mysterious Courtney (Joanna's Ultra Best Friend) and her boyfriend John at the Irish Renaissance Festival. It should definitely be a fantastic weekend together and I'm totally looking forward to all the festivities that are coming up.

Yes Reba's right, you can be a survivor. Everyone has survived something in their life.

I'm already a survivor... I've survived a lot and I have the good lord to thank for everything.

Thanks Reba, you certainly made my day that much better and I appreciate that. Joanna and Jesus made the day great too s well.

"Until my next passage, I'm signing off..."
~ Joshua

Back Road Adventures (Part 1)

Hello Journal,

Well I'm back from taking Joanna on another star light adventure to... anywhere my car takes me. Tonight we went down 144 to 29/40 to 122 to 26 to 99 to... well, you get the picture.

I like driving, I have a 2007 Honda Civic EX (I paid it off in 4 1/2 years). I have over 133,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. Honda cars do last a long time if I do say so myself.

You know, these back road adventures are fun. Joanna will usually put on some music, I will usually just drive while the music's playing, and we just talk about life's great challenges and the relationship we have together.

The adventures began a long time ago... My goal is to keep my girlfriend happy and keep the conversation rolling as we drive down these roads. I mean, I don't want to take her somewhere and just take her back home. My friend Brian Depriest said: You make the best of things and spend as much time with someone as possible.

So what have I been doing, Journal? Easy, I've been taking her through our majestic back roads. Ever since I met her, it seems more and more I just want to explore the good back roads of Maryland while carrying on a conversation with the most wonderful girl in the world.

She knows good country hits. I didn't grow up much on country, but I've learned more and more that these artists are singing about stories and United States of America. The stuff we need nowadays. We need country stars singing big American events... Like at the Super Bowl.... Wink Wink NFL! These stars are telling stories about America, their lost loves, and its abundance of desolate, less-traveled roads of majestic wonders you may not find anywhere else in the world.

Joanna and I have been together for nearly 2 months and its been nothing but one great adventure after another and it's gotten to the point where I can truly say our relationship is getting stronger and stronger. We've haven't had one thing to even fuss about!

Well Journal, it's been real, but I better get to bed... Still no tag line..

~ Joshua ~