Hello and welcome to another set of Random Thoughts from yours truly. I've got some stuff to get out there and some other things on my mind, so with that in mind, let's get to it. Enjoy.
- This year the month of April looks to be an eventful one for me and around me. As a result, there will likely be a higher frequency of Random Thoughts blogs in the foreseeable future. I don't want anybody to blink and miss one by mistake (like it's all that vital to anyone, but I digress), so I wanted to note it beforehand.
- I named this blog the "best-laid plans" edition because of some things related to my birthday plans. There is a saying from literature that goes "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" (the actual quote says "schemes" but I'm using "plans" here for my own purposes). A couple of things have come up that have put the screws to many of the ideas I had for my birthday, one of 'em good and the other not so much. The good thing is that I am starting a new short-term full-time job later this week. It's good that I'm finally working again and it's a small yet important step in this "new beginning" I've been working on, but that also means that for a significant chunk of the day on Friday I'll be at work so I won't be able to do as much as I wanted to on my actual birthday. The second, not-so-good thing is the weather predicted for this Friday...it's supposed to be miserable with showers and temperatures in the 40's. I was hoping for sun and 70's like we've had, but it doesn't look like that's in the cards. Even with these two things, I'm not gonna let this stuff stop my birthday celebration which I'll describe in this next blurb.
- Because of the changes, I'm spreading my birthday celebration thoughout this upcoming weekend. Like I said earlier I do have to work on my birthday. However, the one thing I am definitely planning on for my actual birthday is that I will be going to Martini Park at Easton later that night. I don't care if it's going to be crowded or not, I'm going there on Friday night. I hope that many of you who want to celebrate with me will come up there that night...if the place isn't busy we may be able to do more of what we want to on the dance floor. My friend Tommy D is the deejay there (Chris Davis from WNCI will helping him out), the band playing there early is X-Ray Roger Jimmy (I've never heard them, but I've heard good things), there is no cover charge AFAIK, and it is "Ladies Night" so there will be drink specials for the ladies. A note for anybody else wanting to come up there...no sneakers or tennis shoes allowed on the weekends. The other thing I've definitely planned is dinner at Pizza Hut, a personal birthday tradition for me...it used to be Gionino's in NE Ohio but since there isn't one here in Columbus I switched it to the Hut. I don't know if I'll actually be doing it on my birthday or if it will happen on Saturday or Sunday...all I know is that it will happen sometime this weekend. I was thinking that since there is supposedly going to be improvement in the weather the two days after my b-day and I'll be off, I thought about doing stuff those days instead. I thought about checking out the new Ohio Union at Ohio State (my alma mater) or going out again on Saturday night, but I am open to other ideas. Nothing is set in stone for Saturday or Sunday specifically so if anybody has ideas let me know so that I can plan accordingly. I'm not expecting anything big or major for my 38th b-day, but I do want to celebrate another year being alive on God's green earth.
- While I was typing the last blurb up my keyboard stopped responding, so I went to change the batteries (it's a wireless). I open it up and one of the batteries was turned backwards. I must not have been paying attention when I put it in last, but I'm surprised my keyboard worked as long as it did with a battery put in wrong. I fixed it and it's working right again. It amazes me how sometimes something so small can have such an impact, even on insignificant matters.
- My church home: Crossroads World Christian Center ministered by Pastor Cory Pariseau. On a related tip, I hope everybody had a happy Easter holiday.
- I got to watch both Destination X (TNA) and WrestleMania (WWE) this year. This year's Destination X may not have been a favorite of the Internet dirt sheets and wrestling newsies, but I really enjoyed it. It was a fast-paced and exciting show to watch. This year's Wrestlemania, however, was the complete opposite of that. It was essentially a one-match show. The HBK/Undertaker bout would have blown the roof off the place if it weren't already open...this was a match worthy of Wrestlemania. The rest of the card...I hate to say it but it seems like it was mailed in three months ago and everybody just went through the motions. It was rather predictable, plodding at times (justified in a couple of cases), the entrances were really pedestrian for a WrestleMania and I was actually underwhelmed by the MITB match. There were some WTF moments in the show but nothing really all that memorable. This is supposed to be Wrestlemania...larger than life, the grandest stage of them all, the most spectacular wrestling show of the year...but it seemed like everybody except Taker, HBK, and Justin Roberts (the announcer) didn't get that memo. Except for the one match I don't think this show holds up or will hold up all that well comparatively to the other WMs. WrestleMania was also disserviced by the buildup to the big show. Outside of a couple of excellent Batista promos, both Raw and Smackdown turned into two-hour infomercials full of promotional videos and devoid of action. With that in mind, I can see why TNA thinks they have a shot with Impact on Monday nights against Raw, especially if WWE keeps up with the informercial-like motif for its programming.
- I have caught some of the NCAA tournament this year. I don't think I watched any of the regular season this year, but I did watch some conference tourneys. Some things I noted from the NCAA tourney itself: The Kansas State/Xavier game was probably one of the best matchups I've seen in years...too bad Xavier lost that one, but they put up a great effort. Even with the vaunted and award-winning Evan Turner, Ohio State just didn't have the depth to get past the Sweet 16...they needed more players in the rotation and they just didn't have them, so I knew they probably wouldn't go far this year. I think all of the West Coast teams were eliminated after the Sweet 16, making this mostly an Eastern U.S. tournament. It was also a mid-major tournament, with several "mid-major" teams upsetting major schools like Kansas and Syracuse and one, Butler, in the title game this evening against Duke. It's probably the most interesting tournament in years. I actually hope they don't expand it, because it would dilute the exclusivity of the tourney itself and the NIT would be eliminated if there was an expansion. Having 96 teams in it just seems way too much.
- I now have a new phone and it's a beauty. I got a Samsung Solstice, which is a touchscreen akin to the iPhone and the Droid. I am now able to send and receive text messages and do internet stuff on my cell like check Facebook and my e-mail. It is also a 2-megapixel camera, so on top of a phone I also got a decent digital camera that takes good pics to boot. I really upgraded this time out.
- On a somewhat down note for some (not me especially), GameWorks at Easton has shut down. Apparently, Sega, the company that owned the franchise, shut several of them around the country and the one at Easton was one of those. I used to go there when the Westerville Browns Backers went there for the 2008 season (WBB's now-permanent home is Jimmy V's in uptown Westerville). It was a pretty busy place but I guess Sega didn't see it as part of it's future, so I guess it's RIP GameWorks at Easton. I think an ideal use of the space now would be to keep sports bar upstairs, turn the rest of the upper floor area into a restaurant, and turn the downstairs into a nightclub/bar...is anybody with me on that?
- I went up to Martini Park last Friday night and had a decent time there. I don't usually go out on Friday nights but I made an exception to check MP out ahead of my birthday. It wasn't as busy as it had been on Saturday nights but I attest that to the Easter weekend. There were some good looking women up there early on and I actually danced with one (she said she was 45 but she looked no older than 35..good genes on her part). I and several friends hung out and talked for a long time after the bar closed. That was something I haven't done in ages, so I really appreciated the time I had with my friends. It didn't hurt that it was a warm and comfortable night, probably the best one since last summer.
- This is something that doesn't necessarily benefit me but it might for those of you who live in other states or plan to travel or looking for something to do. As part of National Park Week, the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees to the parks where it usually charges people to get into starting April 17th and running for about a week, until April 25th. In other words, places like Yosemite National Park in California, Valley Forge State Park in Pennsylvania, and the Fort Sumter National Monument in South Carolina as well as other national parks and monuments that normally charge fees for entering will be free from April 17-25. For more information, you can go to the National Park Service Fee Entrance Days website for more details on this and other deals related to that week.
- Song on repeat: "I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw. The theme song from the TV series "One Tree Hill," it's words are sometimes eerily descriptive of what and how I feel sometimes, especially those who have wanted me to be someone other than me. It's one of those songs that hints at exactly where I'm coming from sometimes...freaky.
- SLP to the following: Dave, Ernest, Daryl, Holly, Diane, Derrick (happy b-day), Bob, Lynn, Pastor Cory, Dani (happy b-day), Xavier, Chad, James (happy b-day), and Aunt Susie.
When I get more specific information about what's going on with my birthday aside from what I've already talked about in the blog today, I'll post it on Facebook or contact you directly for those of you not on FB. If anybody wants to join me in the birthday activities or has ideas for the weekend itself, give me a heads up. I am reachable by text messaging now as well as internet and phone, so let me know what's up. Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
