MOVING ON-TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS

Wow, been a while since blogging about anything lately. I've been devoting a little time to my youtube life and I'm trying to build my fan base via social media. Twitter so far has not gotten me much views, so I'm going to look into google plus. I'm building circles as I type this and I'm trying to promote my post like that. I blog about real things affecting me and I try to be totally honest w/ myself and really think about how I'm feeling at the moment.

Anyway, I've finally been offered a job, and I'm very excited about that. Now I'm really thinking about saving up for about six months and trying to get my own place. I've looked a couple of new rental house developments built but the rent is quite high, as well as the one apartment complex that I looked at today. It seems that the nicer ones are quite pricey even if they aren't in necessarily safe parts of town. The cheaper ones tend to be in need of desperate repair. I may have to see how much money I can save w/ the job and then try to find a second job to make my ideal place come true. The real moment came with realizing that I am 25, I've been in college for seven years, I feel like my parents kind of micromanage everything or take over many things like I'm five years old! Most of my friends have gone on with their lives while I'm stuck living w/ my folks, I realize that the only way to get some real experience is via getting my own place. Think about it, I've never had a fulltime job, never had a steady date mate, I'm a virgin (though I don't make a big deal about it). I mean there are guys and girls 7 years or more younger than I do that I have the tools needed to survive on their own. I have to get my own place. I need to learn some self-reliance. I mean I can wash dishes, wash clothes, iron to some extent, but I need to make it out on my own. I need to start a new chapter in my life. It's that simple. I'm getting too old for this. Many of my friends are married off with children and even if they aren't, they are working and they've got income of their own.

I wouldn't call myself ungrateful but damn man, I need to do some things on my own. It's one thing to get help from somebody, I mean everybody wants help to some extent, but it's completely different to TAKE OVER the whole assignment or task at hand.  It's just been three long years since getting my bachelor's degree and I've finally landed a job and I feel that it's time to just move on. Get a fresh start. Get some real freedom and some real independence. I love my parents as most who had good parents do but enough is enough! I feel like I always have to check in or check out. It's as if I'm incapable of doing anything w/o anyone's opinion. Just time to move on. Not going away, but it's time to get a place of my own and really learn the skill of paying bills, budgeting, etc, etc, et..al.

Anyone else feel like this at times? Sound off!

RHOA changes made and soon to come

Greetings housewives fans. The southern belles are back on and we are two episodes into season five with the departure of one housewife and the addition of two new housewives. Sheree Whitfield does not return, however Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams-Stewart have joined the cast. Kenya is a former fashion model who holds the title of miss USA 1993. She's also an actress, author, and producer and Porsha  is the granddaughter of civil rights activist Hosea Williams.  Porsha willl  introduced in episode three which will air later tonight! There is also news that this will be Kim's final season. While she appears in the promos, you will notice that she's not in any of the new pictures [though it is said  that she was in the hospital when those photos were taken]. She will appear in the first few episodes and then she will exit the series much like Lisa did with season three. Word is that she had a falling out with production and as a result her storyline is diminished. Once this happens, Nene will be the only original housewife of Atlanta left on the show. Back to that statement I made about Nene. Think about it, DeShawn did not return after season 1, Lisa did seasons 1-2 and the first few episodes of season 3, and now Sheree did not return for the fifth season. This also means that the RHOA cast will be entirely chocolate. I just hope that Kim is not replaced with Marlo. We've got Kenya and Nene and that's all the drama that we need. What do you guys think of Kim's exit on the show? I personally wish she could have left w/ a little more dignity b/c it seems like she got hammered on the season four reunion. I wish her well, and I really hope now that she's got a husband that she will settle down.

Up and Coming Developments in Lake Charles

OAK CROSSING

Oak crossing is a retail park that currently under construction w/ the first phase just being completed. I emailed the company when the sign was placed on the tract of land that would eventually become the site of this development and ask what kind of businesses we could expect to see. The response I got was they were talking with several medical offices, restaurants, and retail stores. So far the park has four buildings which have been constructed, though the insides are not quite ready yet. The only thing open right now that I know of is the leasing office for the park. However, checking the Facebook page recently, I see that there is plans for expansion to include ten additional buildings. The development is located at the corner of Nelson Road and Ham Reid Road, across from a future charter academy. I hope to see some good mom and pop shops, I'd like to see a coffee and beinget shop open up in there. I digress, but this looks like a nice development. The buildings are actually set up sort of like living quarters minus much windows.

MORGANFIELD

Morganfield is a TND planned for the southeast part of the city. From what I know, Morganfield is going to be constructed along McNeese Street and Corbina Road once the extension of these two roads is completed. Once the extension is completed, McNeese and Corbina will intersect. The community will be approximately 2000 acres and from the data that I've found out, the first 350-500 acres will be mixed use w/ retail, apartments, live work units and the link, while the remaining acres will be residential. I'm dying to know what kind of architecture we can expect. McNeese Street is complete and the Corbina Road extension is under construction right now. The two streets will intersect at the new roundabout once both are completed.

The three pictures below give us a better view of what to expect in this TND

IMPERIAL POINTE

This medical complex will be built at Nelson Road and Imperial Pointe Boulevard. It's going to be in the same area that the hospital on Imperial Pointe Boulevard is. There will be two new hospitals, medical offices, a bank, a hotel, a cafe, two restaurants, town homes, shops, and retail. IP blvd will ultimately be extended to a town center which will include a nice water feature, leading to some assisted living housing. The company behind this develop is Derek Development based in Lafayette, LA.

http://www.louisianamedicalnews.com/imperial-pointe-merging-medical-retail-and-residential-cms-1898

http://tonycornner.com/pdf/imperialpointe.pdf

http://www.derekdevelopmentcorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Imperial-Pointe-Development.pdf

http://www.derekdevelopmentcorp.com/pdf/Lake-Charles-Imperial-Pointe-Development.pdf

http://derekdevelopmentcorp.com/pdf/Imperial-Pointe-Development-Site-Plan.pdf

http://derekdevelopmentcorp.com/pdf/Imperial-Pointe-Development-Brochure.pdf

North Lake Charles Getting Life Again

I never thought we would see it, but it looks like North Lake Charles may finally be getting some life back into it. I'm a follower of city planning and I try to keep up with that market and when I began looking at the revitalization plans of downtown Lake Charles, I came across a PDF drawing of the plans for the North Lake Charles Riverwalk and Riverfront Parkway. Later on, it was removed from the Lake Charles website, but Idid find it archived so I downloaded the PDF and saved on google docs (gotta love web 2.0). Currently that portion of Enterprise Blvd is under construction where they are trying to develop the parkway which will be extended to Fitzenreiter Road and then to Highway 171, providing an alternate evacuation route as well as a road for business. The road will include bike paths, parks, and drinking fountains. . There are also plans to replace some of the decaying homes with newer ones as well as open up the neighborhood adjacent to the Calcasieu River. Once all is said and done, city officials hope to see real estate and retail along the river front and new road. The plans look great, and years later, I imagine that it would be a great improvement to this city, plus it takes away some of the negative stigma that North Lake Charles currently has. What do lake area residents think about this plan?


https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bz0t_caOq0NNb0d0MWpjYS00SHc

http://www.jfds.com/portPlanning06.htm

http://www.kplctv.com/story/5142319/north-lake-charles-a-diamond-in-the-rough

http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/egov/apps/document/center.egov?rand=1oldpage=5&oldfDD=7-0&oldaction=&oldid=1&oldpath=browse&oldfCS=&path=detail&id2=189

Stop Mixing Politics and Faith!

This morning, I was awoken out of a sleep so I decided to grab my phone and check out my twitter timeline. I noticed a tweet from an individual who stated that he tried but could not separate his political choice from his faith. Once I clicked on it, I noticed several retweets and a few responses, one in particular [from a woman] stuck out to me b/c the woman stated that this was one of those campaigns that we would have to pray about.

Me being the guy that I am, I decided to respond to him by saying that just because the political candidate that you vote for believes in something against your religion does not mean you are suddenly supporting the belief that they do. If we only voted for someone who supported our faith 100%, nobody would ever vote. That's why I really hate it when ministers, priests, and those who oversee the religious practices of a place of worship try to connect politics and religion. I can understand a christian not voting for an atheist, but to tell someone, "Read the Bible and see who lines up closest to the Bible and vote for that one" is basically telling them who to vote for. They are essentially saying vote for the Republican candidate, even if you are not republican. I voted for Obama this past campaign but I don't have a problem with ppl who voted for McCain, that's their choice. But don't try to make me feel guilty or make me feel like less of a Christian because I did not vote for McCain. I would also like the same respect and rights to vote for who I wish during this campaign.

Recently Obama stated that he supported gay marriage, and now many are saying that they are not sure that they can vote for him. Prior to that it was abortion that he was supporting and ppl did not like that. Now before I get any further let me say something: I do NOT support abortion, but I realize that if it were made illegal, ppl would just be performing them themselves. I say if you absolutely MUST have one, make sure it's a life or death situation. Don't use it as a contraception. I don't buy into the idea that it's "not a life" b/c IMO, once the fetus has a heartbeat and a sense of touch, it is a life! With that being said, I am 100% in support of birth control medications when used correctly (which is why I was offended at the accusation towards Sandra Fluke, that she just wanted to get paid to have sex).

Just because one votes for someone that supports abortion does not mean that suddenly that every individual is going to suddenly support abortion. Likewise with same-sex marriage, just b/c the president supports it does not mean that every state is going to jump on the bandwagon and support it. Obama never once stated that he would demand each state, legalize same sex marriage, so if that's what people are worried about, I say get a grip!

What do you think about Presidential votes? Do you base it on your religion?

POMS

Okay, you know about PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) that women deal with? Well damn it, I'm dealing with something that I would like to call POMS:Pissed-Off Male Syndrome (or symptoms b/c sometimes there may be more than one sign). Basically, it's those moments when you don't want to talk to anyone, you snap at any given moment, even at your loved ones and you don't give a shit who is offended. You just mad as hell.  That's it in a nutshell. Right now It's the job hunt. I feel like It's three years down the road and I'm doing the same shit that I was doing then. I feel like I'm working a full time job w/ no pay. Professional Job hunting sucks, there is no pay, no rewards, just tiresome bullshit and frustrations when no one responds or when your application is rejected. It's like everyone in my circle is passing me up but I'm expected to cover up my resentment for the sake of being humble. It's not that I don't want anyone to be happy, but fuck man! What about me? It feels like I've busted my ass for seven  years (undergrad and grad school) and all I have to show for it is some student loans and credit debt. It's like my younger brother, cousins, and everyone else (it seems) have passed me up and they are working full time, and yet I cannot pay someone to hire me. Through all of this, would you believe that people still have the audacity to ask me if I want to get my doctorate or go back to school??? Oh also I'm dealing w/ anxiety attacks and intrusive thoughts. I feel like God has abandoned me in many moments and it's to the point that I'm contemplating a spiritual hiatus. Fellas, are you dealing with POMS? Alternative name, POMGD (Pissed-Off Male Gender Disorder).

POMS symptoms include but are not limited to:

1. Constant anger, regardless of the situation

2. Upset about 80%-95% of the time, and it seems that not even doing the things that you love can make you happy or bring you joy

3. You find yourself happier when you are thinking dark thoughts than you do thinking positively.

4. Nobody, not even your best friend can cheer you up.

5. You've reached a point that even prayer does not mean anything to you, in fact just the thought of it makes you want to throw up!

6. When you snap at others and you don't care if they are hurt (for the moment), though you might regret it later

7. You've relied on ranting on Facebook and twitter about the situation

8. You use sites such as Justrage.com to vent and say the shit that you cannot say on general social media networks.

9.You get the thought to throw things across the room regardless of who or what is in the way, even glass!

10.Nothing inspirational helps you, it just makes you angrier and more enraged!

11. You just want to be left alone.

RHONJ Hot Tub Disaster!

Whew! Tonight's episode was quite intense. The majority of this episode is devoted to Teresa's last attempt to reconcile with Caroline Manzo and it seems that Caroline just was not having it. She would not look at her, she barely said a word while Teresa is practically begging and repeating the same thing over and over. It began with Tre having a conversation with Kathy while Caroline was listening from inside. Tre then got up to make the attempt, which did not go so well. Kathy tried to come to the rescue and see where Caroline was coming from, but still tried to stick by her cousin so that she would not feel attacked. Jacqueline, pretty much tuned them out, she said she was done (read her tweets). Melissa sat back, while narrating that Caroline needs to just move on. It was said, you've been mad long enough move on! Joe Guidice admits to the fact that they were paid for those tabloids. The "1/16 Italian" comment was perhaps was perhaps inappropriate, but Teresa could have said and done much worse. She could have committed adultery with Caroline's husband (not gonna happen Im just making a point), she could have made a false rape claim, she could have done so much more. I mean, I understand Caroline's disappointment, but I don't think that comment in a cookbook is a reason to cut someone out of your life. I do find it funny that she had no problem with Teresa when Teresa was flipping tables and calling Danielle a prostitution whore and a stupid bitch, but when it's not cosigning w/ her (Caroline) the deal's off. Anyway, Bravo fans, what do you think? Should Caroline move on or is Teresa still in denial here?

RHONJ Teresa Drama & Amendment Attempts

Okay, this is how you know I'm not like most guys. Most guys I know are not watching Bravo, let alone drama shows that center around women. Thursday I was feverish and had a sore throat all day so I spend much of my time on our recliner in the den watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Yea, it was a Marathon that lead up to the final day of the vacation that the housewives took to California.

So far this season, we've seen Teresa go from hot to cold off and on. She's been a bitch for much of first half of the season, thus we can see where all this tension was coming from during the last reunion because around the time of that reunion (the one that Jacqueline was apparently too distraught to attend) they were filming the current season. Many felt that Teresa was being ganged up on even by Andy, but I did not feel bad for here in the reunion b/c I felt like it was karma coming back to get her (do we need to go into how she treated Danielle during the season 2 reunion?). It seemed at the beginning of this season Teresa and Melissa bumped heads because Teresa's obsession with Joe Gorga (her brother). Tre misses when her brother was at her house daily and had dinner with her more often, but she needs to understand that he is married with children now.  I did not like how she suggested that Melissa would cheat if a guy with more money came by. She seems sincere in her love for Teresa's brother, but I do wish she would put the microphone done. Caroline is still upset about what was said in the book.

Fast forward, a few episodes, we see her trying to make [family] amends all while her and Jacqueline have a falling out. Teresa and her brother ultimately agree to therapy, however Teresa being the delusional woman that she is, she goes into the office stating that there was nothing wrong with her and that it was all her brother's problems, however the brother states that he is trying, but at the same time, Teresa is not his only family anymore. At Teresa's book signing, Kathy made some comments about her mom's deserts in the Teresa took offense too. NEWSFLASH: Teresa, they may be your mom's recipes, but that does not mean that your mom and Kathy did not share the recipe and often make the same baked goods, give it a rest!

Going on to the vacation now, Teresa is still trying to make amends, however she keeps bringing the damn cookbook event up with Kathy and all the while Caroline who I think is just as bitter as they come narrates the entire marathon like it's a Godfather movie. I've always had this problem w/ her, she's so dramatic, as if she's in a Mafia movie of some sort. Hun, nobody cares that you hold on to your words and draw them out longer than they need to be, it's not that impressive! Much of her narrations have to do with Teresa, making accusations that the conversations are taking to long, and she's worried that Jacqueline is going to be hurt, even when Kathy was doing Caroline's hair, it was just another way for her to talk about Teresa. For someone whom she's supposedly gotten out of her life, she sure does talk about her quite a bit. Speaking of that, I do find it odd that you want to get her out of your life now, but you were siding with her when she was treating Danielle like a dog. Now that Danielle is not on the show anymore, she just needs someone else she can bash or cut lose. She needs to focus more on making amends with her sister than she does bashing Teresa so much. It seems that no matter what Teresa is doing, Caroline criticizes it.

With that being said, Teresa does need to own up to her wrong as well. It's like she can't stand to see anyone else happy. She throws accusations out but when it comes back to haunt her she runs away. She talks about everyone but yet she can't take it back. She is a deluded individual, she lies to herself until she believes her lies. I don't doubt her sincerity is wanting to make amends with her brother, sister-in-law and her cousin, but I do question her mindset. Why does she think she's totally innocent in this? She does seem to want nobody to succeed but her. Even with that, I could not help but feel terrible for where when her husband called her a bitch and a cunt and rejects her advances later on. He treats her like crap (we get to see this throughout the season). One thing I can agree with Caroline about is the divorce coming between Teresa and Joe Guidice soon. And a well needed on at that.  Anyway I'm waiting on the final fall out between her and Caroline on Sunday's episode. What do you think about Teresa? Do you believe there is some underlying motive for this family reconciliation? What do you think about Caroline? Should she let to book comment go? I've love your input, feel free to comment.

My Primerica Perspective.

Today I went to a coffee shop after running some errands and I came across somebody who is kind of in the same boat that I am. Or better yet, I should say about two years ago. She got her bachelors degree in Public Relations in the fall of 2011 and right now she cannot find a job. She's currently working at the coffeeshop and me and her got to talking and she was telling me how hard it is for her. I just finished graduate school and I'm kind of  back where I was. I hope and pray that it goes better this time, however, I was reflecting on my apst and just how sucky it was for me and now she's there. She got her degree in three years and she's debating whether she wants to go to grad school in Louisiana or not. Since she still has a semester for TOPS she can use, I suggested that she try one semester here and then see if she can transfer to an out of state university. Later in the conversation I went back to a job fair that I attended shortly after I got my bachelors degree, where I was told that I could take an unpaid internship for as long as I wanted. I recall telling her that PRIMERICA has been at pretty much every job fair that I have been too since the April of 2010. Lets just say, she had some words, she got a call from a representative who refused to even tell her what the hell he was selling and what kind of business he was running. He told her how she'd be able to set her own schedule, yadiyada

Yeah, okay, my experience was somewhat different, however, in the since that I was expecting the call as I had a friend of mine refer me to a representative, and I was warned by my friend prior to it. I met the representative at a local diner and the presenatation on how money works seems interesting. And I had heard about them in the past, they used to be owned by citi financial services but in April of 2010 they broke off and became their own company. Anyway, back to my experience. Prior to the actual Primerica meeting, there were several reschedules. I ultimately met my same representative at his home. 45 minutes later than the scheduled time might I add? Oh yeah, I felt like I was being held hostage, b/c I was held in there forever. Also, I was not told about selling insurance the first time that I met my repersentative. I ultimately opted out of the program b/c at the time I just had a lot going on and I really could not afford it. I already did the $99 just to start out. Plus $25/month to maintain my own Primerica website? Yeah, okay. I don't doubt that there are some who make good money doing this, but in this economy I just don't see many people buying this kind of insurance at the moment.

Orlando Lopez 311 year prison sentence.

Well folks, we have another murder case, this time it was at a neighborhood barbeque. This even took place in northern California and apparently there had been a feud going on between two families for some time. So rather than talking it out, putting aside differences, signing a peace treaty, 24 year old Orlando Lopez and another guy, 22 year old Paul Braden fire shotguns at the family which kills a four year (Skyler Rapp) old boy and wounds five other individuals including the boy's mother. A mom loses her child, is injured, however, I bet the injury is no where near the pain of losing her child at such a young age. Lopez was handed a 311 year sentence (why not just say life w/o parole?). I don't believe he intentionally killed that child, but I do believe that the motives behind the shooting rampage were probably ridiculous. Now I know some may say the justice system is kind of screwed b/c there are people who kill much more and get a lighter sentence. That's true, and 311 years does seem a bit much when you first hear it. However, I think it's nice that not all judges operate the same and this judge handed a well justified sentence. So why argue about that, the point is a child died, a mom lost her child all because of a feud between two families. What do you think? Was the sentence a bit harsh? Do you think it was justified? Why?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/orlando-lopez-sentenced_n_1761067.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Chick Fil A Controversy

Okay so today, I was asked if I was going to eat at Chick-Fil-A for the appreciation day. Call me naive, however, I was not aware that such a day existed. I know about the controversy surrounding the fast food chain at the moment because one of the executives expressed [after he was asked] his opinion on marriage and announced that he supported the biblical viewpoint of marriage. Once he said that, all hell broke lose, in fact the mayor is suggesting that the chain not even open a restaurant in the city. I've been following this on my twitter timeline since I saw one tweet posted by one of my celebs that I follow. I did a little search afterwards, and lets just say it was a wrap from there. Anyway....moving back to the appreciation day, I thought, hmmmm they giving away food? Giving a discount on meals? If so then hell yeah I would have gone, however, shortly afterwards, I forgot that it was the appreciation day.

Now, that that's out of the way, I want to state how I feel about this whole thing! I think it's B.S. I mean, for one, I have to ask, why the hell do people INSIST on asking others their opinion on gay marriage when they already know the answer that they want. They asked that man that question knowing damn well the answer they wanted, and when they did not get that answer, they were pissed. The same with MISS USA a few years back when Perez Hilton popped that question. (Shame on me for even giving him more attention). It's like they just look for something to get pissed about and look for something to screw someone over for. I did not know that Chick-Fil-A was run by a devout christian family until I did the searching around myself. But again, I still this is nonsense because I'm sure that these gay individuals have family members who may not approve of gay marriage, however they can still show RESPECT for that them (i.e. the family members can still, hopefully show respect and love for their gay family member). To me boycotting this chain for their lack of support of same sex marriage is just as ridiculous as boycotting the Oreo for their supporting of gay marriage. Again, I go to Chick-Fil-A a because it's a good fast food meal. Not once have I ever gone and wondered "hmmm.....I wonder what their religious beliefs or their politics are". If we avoided every restaurant or business that did not agree with our personal viewpoints, we would not get very far in life. I mean, you don't see me avoiding professors who happen not to be christian because I'm a christian do you? Or avoiding/boycotting Disney World because much of the people behind the scenes are gay?

That's all I have to say is I think that it's nonsense and if I want a sandwich from Chick-Fil-A and I'm near one, I will get one, regardless of their stance. Just because one individual disagrees with it does not mean that person is not worth associating with. It's not like they are actively going out of their way to make it illegal or picketing gay weddings. I say grow up!  What do you think? How do you feel about same-sex marriage? What do you think about this boycotting of Chick-Fil-A? I've love your input! Goodnight. Deuces!

An ode to Orlando, FL

Orlando!!!! Okay, where to begin? This is my first trip to the orlando area in four years and I have to say that I am in  love! It's a hot spot for a vacation, and if you stay at a resort such as Orange Lake or a Disney resort, you are pretty much set. The shopping opportunities are infinite as well as the dining and swimming, and theme parks. My first experience with the orlando area and vacationing in florida was 2001, I had just finished the eight grade and we went to the orlando area just about every year until about 2006. Not that this necessarily matters, but just something I'd throw. I'd say about 2003 is when we purchased the timeshare home at the Orange Lake Resort and Country Club, and I had my first experience of staying at the resort in the summer of 2005. The pool opportunities are superb though I personally like the west and north village pools best. River Island was fun and all but it can get a bit crowded after a while. Outside of the resort was a grocery store, target and several restaurants and shopping areas that I had been built since our last stay. This trip, we did not do any of the theme parks, it was just a seven day leave the house kind of trip. Though I do wish we would have gone to downtown Disney or Epcot to watch some fireworks. On the plus side though, from our resort, we were able to see the fire works from our room.

What to do in the Orlando area.

Disney World-Epcot, Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom(we never actually did this one). While we did not do any theme parks this time around, I have some fond memories of getting on the Tower of Terror, 
The Rockin Roller Coaster, going see Cirque De Solei, watching the fireworks at Epcot, taking a journey, Visiting Typhoon Lagoon (man, that wave pool has some strong waves!), Riding Spaceship Earth and the Test Track, also visiting the set where Pear Harbor was filmed.

Universal Studios-Wanna see where Nickelodeon shoots much of their shows or just ride a few rides on the other end?

Celebration-is a TND in the orlando area that literally looks like something from a storybook. No lie, the place does not look real, it looks like something that could have been drawn in one of those interactive storybooks, except it has actually come to life. To be honest with you, some parts, of the area, remind me of a garden district here in Louisiana. There is also a hotel within the development. The lifestyle really reminds you of the stefford wives or beaver days with kids riding their bikes down the sidewalk or stopping at the local ice cream shop for dessert or an afternoon snack.

Water parks-Okay, I don't care how old you are, if you can walk w/o a cane you are still young enough to enjoy a water park. IMHO there is no such thing as "too old" to enjoy a water park. Water parks have rides that cater to people from every age group. Though for most rides you do have to be at least 4 feet tall. Just the thrill of going down a slide where the water pressure is so strong that you can barely hold on to the rails before the lifeguard gives you the okay to slide down is an exciting thing for me. So far I've been to Wet N' Wild and Typhoon Lagoon (which is a Disney water park). Have yet to go to Blizzard Beach, and unforturnately I never got to experience the now closed, River Country.

Chill at the resort-If you are looking to go on a trip where you don't have to do anything, you can just sit at the resort and enjoy a day at the pool w/ a margarita.

Play Golf-Any golfers out there? Orlando is loaded w/ the opportunities for you. In fact some resorts may have several golf courses for you to choose from. Wanna do it as a family, there are several miniature golf courses to select from as well.

Dine Out-Whether you want to dine at a resort or grab some seafood the options are there. We went to this grill where I got a meal that I would not have thought to get. The restaurant was right outside of the resort, next to a longhorn steakhouse. It was this meal with two friend chicken breast with this layer of vegetables, spinach and melted cheese. Actually quite good, and that is probably the only way that I would eat spinach (w/ the exception of getting it at subway on a sandwich or a pizza).

House Look-This would be what my mom likes to do, when we were younger, we would take one day out of the trip to ride around the area looking at model homes. We would find neighboorhoods and if there was a home available to view we most likely were there.

Enjoy the diversity-Being from a town w/ not much diversity, I love the diversity of the tourists and the residence of the area. It's a beautiful thing to see so many ethnic backgrounds enjoying each other's company.

If you really want to relax-just take a ride to the city itself away from all the chaos. Orlando is one of those cities who's suburbs are more chaotic than the city itself.  The actual city of  Orlando is rather quiet. If you choose not to do this, go sit at a Barnes and Noble bookstore or an outdoor cafe w/ a beverage.

What I realized this year that I did not realize in the past:

Okay, I knew about the gay pride event at Disney World, but I had no idea that the Orlando area had such a large metrosexual scene. Out here you see alot of guys rocking the tank tops, shorts, and sandals. Now don't get me wrong, I like sandals as much as the next person, but I usually keep mine a conservative colour. I stay w/ the browns, tans, blacks, and maybe navy blue. Out here the guys are rocking the whites, light blues, yellows, and to top it all off, those damn murses (man purses) lol. Did I mention that I say a COACH men's store in one of the outlet malls. You see those really tight shorts on guys that almost look like capris. You see heavy dudes wearing that damn spandex. I try to be a somewhat progressive individual, and to  some extent maybe my wardrobe is somewhat metro, but I still try to keep it conservative. Just sayin. Anyway, love Orlando, I personally would not live there, though I would vacation there, and perhaps being away from Orlando for such a long period is just what I needed to appreciate it again.

http://www.celebration.fl.us/

http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme_Parks/Universal_Studios_Orlando/universal_studios_florida.aspx

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/blizzard-beach/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/typhoon-lagoon/

http://www.smartdestinations.com/orlando-attractions-and-tours/wet-n-wild-orlando/_attr_Orl_Att_Wet_n_Wild_Orlando.html?GCID=GOOGLE-ORLANDO-WETNWILD&gclid=CM_GjcXcv7ECFSZeTAodxQUAGg

http://www.wetnwildorlando.com/

What should have been a nice outing, turns into a deadly disaster!

Hey blogger, I thought I would take this time to rant on the school shooting that took place at the midnight opening of Batman in Aurora, CO. This won't really include any new light on the topic, though I must say that I saw a tweet about this on twitter this morning while on the road (gotta love the apps that androids have), and I did not know just what was going on. Mom then talks to my brother and she said he had been watching CNN, so me being curious, I asked what was going on, she said something about the batman opening at midnight and how this lunatic went on a shooting rampage.  Anyways........moving on, this kid James Holmes was only 24 years old, hails from San Diego, and was a ph.D candidate that has now thrown his life away because of a very sick deed. According to one article this is the worst mass shooting in over five years.  James Holmes (the gunman) purchased 4 guns at local gun shops and then over 6000 rounds of ammunition int he past two months. How the hell he got that much money, I have not the slightest idea, I mean I don't have that kind of money, and right now there are not too many jobs that someone that young can work that would afford them that much explosives, so I'm curious as to where the hell he got that much money? Not that it matters, regardless of how money source, it was a vile, sick, cruel, sadistic act of violence and he fucked his life up as a result. There were 12 people killed, according to what I'm reading, and there is a total of 70 injured. I'm even reading post on twitter on from CNN on victims who were attempting to shield their children. Looking at this picture and a few select videos, this guy appears to come from a middle-class family, with parents who appeared to do their best, but yet he does this shit. I really would not care if he gets the death penalty, in fact I'd be happy to watch, and executions are nothing that I desire to see. Anyway, whatever happens to him, he fucked his life up. I mean, damn yall, working on your doctorate at 24 and you throw it all away with this! And for what? What pleasure could you have gotten out of it? Then he set's traps at his home for when the police come. Okay, I'm out, I realize this was not the best written blog, but damn it, I'm at a loss for words at this moment.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aurora-colorado-dark-night-shooting-suspect-james-holmes-16820789

http://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-colo-batman-shooting-71-victims-largest-mass/story?id=16817842#.UAoQ_aOnffU

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-colorado-shooting-update-batman-20120720,0,5201212.story

A realization that I may not have children

Lately, I've really been rethinking my desire for parenthood. In one blog, I wrote about the recession frustrations, and to be honest with you, with the way the economy is right now, I just don't see myself bringing a child into the world. For one reason, I've busted my ass for seven years and have not landed a full-time gig, so when I do finally get that, I don't think I want to blow it off on the expenses of parenthood (I've got enough burdens w/o parenthood). Also people are losing jobs left and right and that includes individuals with a mortgage and a family relying on them. When I look at that, I think to myself "is this really what I want to bring a child into?" Now about five or six years ago I would not have said this. In fact, five or six years ago, I had no doubt that I would have been a dad, but these past two years has really made me rethink that. With the lack of jobs, the ever so increasing prices of things despite the sucky job market, I think "why the hell would I want to screw a child up like that?".  I was talking with a colleague of mine whom I met in college, he was telling me how he remembers the days that he could walk into McDonalds and have a job on the spot, but now he can't even do that! Why don't you take a look at the Job Blues..... series of videos that I have posted up, and you might hear a bit more of where I'm coming from.  I go a bit more into detail [about what I've posted in my "Recession Frustrations" blog] and talk about specific situations. Leave me some input!

JS

Fitzeinreiter Riverside Park-Lake Charles, LA

This blog is going to be more pictures and video than anything else. I will only write a short paragraph discussing Fitzenreiter Riverside park here in Lake Charles, LA. The park is on the north side of the city along the Calcasieu River and the English Bayou and in the past it was just a boat launch, however recently some of the woods have been dredged out and a sidewalk has been added leading to a gazebo area and mediocre playground area. The sketches of the park look fantastic, however, the park is not quite there yet. Most of my family is rather disappointed with the park, however, I see that the park does have the potential to be a nice park. I love the fact that the park is still heavily wooded, thus retaining its status as a nature park, but at the same time, I would like to see more furniture out there for people to sit down b/c the sidewalk does go on for about ten minutes before getting to the actual park area. I would like to see a fountain for children to get wet in installed in the park somewhere in the area along with some shaded pavilions. Sure the park is wooded, but this is still southwest Louisiana and we are not too far from the Gulf of Mexico which is a rather hot body of water. In other words, while the woods provide us with much shade, it does not shield us from the humidity. At least I can say that there is a golf cart that takes individuals from one end to the other. The sketches show much decorated steps for fisherman, however I don't see any of that yet. The park supposedly has two phases in it's stage, and I'm hoping that when all is said and done that the park becomes a nice spot to enjoy the river, get some photo's and reflect. Why not sit back and enjoy these few videos and photos that I've put together? There is some beauty here that just cannot be denied, and I'm anxious to see it bought to it's fullest potential.

Music Snobs

I despise music snobs. Yes, this is random, however, I was reflecting on the music that I grew up on and how I became more exposed to my genres growing up as an adolescent. When I think about it, I have my share of rap, R&B, gospel, and pop that I enjoy. I'm a 90s kid, and I do believe that when it comes to urban music, that we were the last generation of kids that got to experience the best. We got the left overs of all of the decades before us, plus new jack swing and hip-hop soul. It was also sort of the beginning of the more dance-oriented music. The hip/hop of that time was edgy yet mature enough to appeal to older crowds. I don't know if it's subject matter or what, but there was something about it that anybody could enjoy. It was creative, it was carefree, it was fun. Sure it got graphic at sometimes, however, at least there was some sort of message or point being made. My first two loves are of course R&B and gospel, however, it was about middle school before I began to integrate it into my routine. As a kid I remember sneaking my mom's gospel casette tapes and playing those for my own entertainment. Now what does this have to do w/ the subject at hand? Nothing, so far, but hear me out! It's only recently that I began trying to explore rap again. I mean I grew up with tupac, juvenille, biggie and I listed to much rap through middle school and high school, however, I always had a love for R&B and gospel. Towards the end of my senior of high school, I kind of got away from listening to rap, because much of it just sucked. I'm not saint when it comes to music, and I don't mind an explicit song here and there, but goodness gracious, when one's entire album is devoted to that, I'd what  to say! Anyway, outside of these genres, I have my share of rock (usually the alternative, I don't mind metal, just don't give me the screamo crap) and dance music that I enjoy.

The problem is if you listen to a music snobs opinon, the only music worth listening to is bands that nobody has every heard of or old music.  Rockers in particular, are stuck on a certain kind of rock, and once the artist reaches mainstream success or becomes popular, they toss them to the side. If you mention rap to most music snobs (or at least those that like rock) you'll get the "you listen to rap, your music taste suck man, wtf is wrong with you, all it's about is sex and degrading women and rap and murder".  If not that you will hear "they don't play instrumetns, it's just a beat put together with a machine". Now, I respect that you don't like rap, as most people wont, but to say that none of it is music is relatively close minded becuase if you listen to some of the less mainstream artists or underground artists, you would see that alot of them have much to say and many of them actually do play instruments (the Roots for example). I can accept profanity, given that there is a point being made. Even if gang life and murder are referenced, there are some individuals who do have an actual point to get across. These are issues that some people do face and it's going to be expressed in their art, whatever that is. True, much rap and todays urban music is electronically produced, electronics is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, they can enhance a song in a fun way. Some genres are expected to be bland or watered down, like pop. I don't like all pop singers, but I do have my share that I listen to and it's especially fun to listen to this kind of music when I'm working out. When I'm on the treadmill or eliptical, I like a fast paced playlist. During strength training I like a mix of stuff including christian, pop, soul, and easy listening.

Rockers are not the only music snobs that I have an issue with. I have an issue with the music snobs in my most listened to genres of music as well. It seems that no matter how good an album is or how hard an artists tries, you have those older folks who cannot appreciate their art. "They don't hold a candle to Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, etc". Ummm.....they are not exactly supposed to. God forbid a rap or hip hop artist even be in the song, it's like the end of the world for these individuals. Nevermind the fact that the song had a message and that the rap was fairly minimum. These individuals (urban music snobs) tend to toss it to the side. Don't get me wrong,  I love it when a yonger artist does an ode to the old, be it through similar music style or sampling (which is not new, it's been done since the 40s maybe even earlier). It helps keep the old alive. One can even use the example of Jennifer Hudson. Let's talk about her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" in "Dreamgirls". "Ugh, she can't top Jennifer Holiday", the comments I read on youtube were rather pretentious. I'm just like "what makes you think she was trying to outdo ANYBODY???"  Why can't a good performance just be a good performance. I have my share of singers who have redone old songs that I grew up on, but I try my best not to cut them down and degrade them. There are some renditons that do suck, but there are some that are quite good and I try to appreciate those when I come across them.  Perhaps I have been guilty of this in my past, I'll do some reflection on that and try to analyze that, but when one just shuts out a genre like that, I believe they are missing out on some good gems. That's the problem with the music snob, they are stuck in their ways, and no amount of discusson will convince them otherwise.

Caiden Cowger rant

This rant has been out since early June as far as I know, and I've just listed to it. This guy is from West Virginia, and he has a conservative talk show as far as I know where he discusses his conservative veiw points. In this rant he is talking about how people are becoming gay because of celebrity influence and because of President Obama. His focus was on Lady Gaga and Barach Obama. He then points out some hypocrisy about that he cannot share his opinions or beliefts [on christianity] w/o being called a bully, but yet there is a gay agenda out there that those who don't follow a liberal viewpoint have to either accept or what.


I feel that, this guy is entitled to his opinion, and I am not at all per say offended because I have heard much worse from Christian extremist groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church. I don't entirely agree with the rant, but I do feel he is entitled to his opinion and I do feel that they are being somewhat hard on the guy. I'm not homophobic, however, I don't expect a guy who is not gay to agree with homosexual sex. Now, many straight guys, don't have a problem w/ lesbian sex, but when two guys want to have sex, they see it as the most disgusting thing ever. Again, these guys are entitled to their opinions. With that being said, I do find it to be hypocritical for them to cheer lesbians on but condemn gay men. Caiden was not doing this, he spoke against it as a whole, but I do think that going as far as to accuse Lady Gaga and the president of making kids gay or encouraging them to be gay is a bit ridiculous. Sure they may be encouraging them to embrace their gayness, but I don't think they turning these youth gay. I agree w/ him on his disagreement on the idea that one is born gay. I don't believe that one chooses to be gay (as far as having the feelings and urges), but at the same time I don't believe it's caused by anything genetic or biological, nor do I believe that ones orientation is immediately "placed" in them at birth. This is not an attack on anyone who believes otherwise, but to me it's just highly unlikely. No teen is just going to go from liking the opposite sex to the same sex, if they do, they were at least bisexual to begin with IMO. That individual either did not know it or they were in denial about it. With all that being said, though, if someone is not in agreement w/ with two individuals of the same sex having sex, that's fine. I'm sure that gay individuals are grossed out by sex between those of the opposite sex but no-one scream "heterophobia" at them. Still though, the gay teen "epidemic" cannot be blamed on Lady Gaga or Barack.


Moving on to Barack, many are disappointed with him for jumping on the gay marriage wagon. The truth is, I saw this coming a long time ago. I am not at all surprised that he supports it. If he supports abortion, then why are individuals so surprised that he is not opposed to same sex marriage?  My opinion on that is, hey let him support it, as long as he does not try to force the churches to perform it. That right there, would go against separation of church and state.


Back to the main topic at hand, I'm all about treating individuals with dignity. If you are nice to me, I will be nice to you, however, just because one does not agree with every aspect of your lifestyle (and yes to some extent ones sex life is a lifestyle), does not make that individual a homophobe or a bigot. Still, nobody can be made "gay", one's feelings will either develop towards that direction or they wont. Anyway, here is the link below. Leave a comment on this blog and tell me what you think about the rant.

To Give or Not to Give

Okay, this post is actually going to be a response to a post written by Broke Grad Student "Why I Never Give Money To Homeless People". According to his post he did not always have this policy, however a few experiences of his have left him resentful. For example, one situation where one gave spare, and the person got mad because they could not give a little more. He's also seen some flat out refuse food b/c they prefer money. He also gives reasons like the risk of not knowing what they are going to do with it, it's easy for them to say that they are hungry but it may easily go towards drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.

I believe that it easily could, and I would wonder why if that individual is hungry they would spend it all on those things, however, if I were homeless, not knowing when my next meal was going to be I'd probably buy me some alcohol (with a meal of course) too. I've had my past encounters with the individual holding up the sign stating that "I'm hungry, and I need (x amount) of money to eat" and if I have the spare on me, I usually give it to them. Even if they do spend it all on alcohol, at least I know where my heart was when I gave them that money. I say that b/c I'm highly unlikely to ever encounter them again. There was even a situation where a fella asked me for $0.50 at a convenience store b/c he was short of some change to get a beer. He seemed like a pretty sober guy, I had a bit on me, so I gave him the two quarters and continued pumping my gas. I'm a kind person by nature , I've even taken the risk and given stranded individuals a ride home or ride to the grocery store [dangerous I know b/c you don't know who the hell you might be dealing with, but again, I would only pray that if I were in the same situations, that someone would do the same for me]. There was a situation with an older man being stranded at a park, he asked me for some change, I had to run to the bank, but my account was in insufficient funds (I think this was like 08-09), there was no way I could face him again, I felt just awful about it. Prayerfully he got what he needed, I bet he thinks I'm a total douche, but that's not the case.

Okay, now that I've rambled a bit more about my homeless/stranded encounters let me say this. While I do not demand an itemized list of what you are going to do w/ the money that I lend for you, I would still like an idea of what you are going to do with it. If you like to smoke, drink, or do drugs, that's okay, but I want you to buy a meal with it as well. Or if you are short some change for a beer or something, let me know upfront. Don't lie to me, saying that you are hungry, but then you blow it all on drugs. I had one case that I encountered while attending an event downtown, he was a homeless individual that I initially met at the bookstore, I ran into again months later. At the time I met this guy (June-July of 2010), I did not know he was from place to place like he was, however this time the same year, the end of September, I met him, he was telling me his situation, I was literally heart broken by it, he has family near by but they had just about given up on him. He's pretty estranged from them, but as time was going by I got to see just how unappreciative he really was. There were a million excuses for every suggestion that I gave him, he was a con artist. He never kept his story straight, it always changed.He was the kind of individual that would ask you to buy him food, drinks, etc, haul him everywhere in town, and THEN ask you for money. He would get jobs (so he claims), and would find any reason under the sun to quit them (and I mean decent jobs for someone who didn't even finish high school). He hung out with a similar crowd of people like that as well. Users. This fool could not get himself to the food stamp office, but yet he could take his ass on a bus with his girlfriend on a field trip two hours away.  I cut the contact off for a while, until two months later he ran into me again at the same initial spot that he saw me at. Oh that's another thing, he was supposedly banned from this bookstore, but they let him back in, and now the bullshit started all over again. The final straw (there was many straws this following year, 2011), was this crap he pulled asking me to bail him out of some mess from when he was in a gang in the past. Being the dumbass that I was, I did it. I gave him half the money, and then he got the rest from another individual (so he said). I did not deal w/ him for about three weeks, tried it again. He asked to get something to eat, I stated I did not have the money. He asked if I had enough to just get a soda. I said sure. So I pull to the convenience store, I got a V8, he picks up a soda, some chips and some chicken. "Oh I'll pay you back", no you won't fool. Would you still believed that he asked me to borrow some money later on?

Okay, so you see that I had a case where I had to stop giving to an individual, but I still don't let that hinder me from giving to people in  need, b/c homeless shelters only hold so much individuals, and food shelters cannot feed every homeless individual in America to just say "fuck it" and not give to anyone, is not the answer b/c it takes a community to make a difference. I mean, folks we are in a recession, people are losing their jobs left and right, we have people using section 8 and public assistance who have never had to do so in their lives. You don't know where you could end up, so please don't cut everyone off, sometimes you do have to take the risk and help even if you don't know who the person is. Some are simply looking for conversation, some are hungry, cold, thirsty, damn! But w/ that being said, you can still be wise, you can't just give to everyone who asks, b/c some of them are clearly scammers. You can still be responsible, but don't be so selfish. Don't assume that all homeless people are there by their own choice or by bad decisions. Even if they made bad decisions, what could they have done to deserve to be kicked out of a home that they worked for w/ no food to eat? Think about that people, count your blessings, and grow a little more empathy. What about you? Do you give to homeless or stranded individuals? Why or why not?

To read the original blog click here

Click to read my comments under the name "Joel"

Walnut Grove Development-Lake Charles, LA

Okay, if anybody knows me, they know I'm a sucker for urban planning and mixed use developments. With that being said, I never thought that I would see the day one would be constructed in my hometown. We were supposed to get one a while back called SOUTHRIDGE; However, the developer ended up selling the land. I'm still hoping that they end up trying it again somewhere else in the Lake Area. Anyway, moving on to the topic, WALNUT GROVE is the TND (Traditional Neighborhood Development) that I  am talking about. It's actually named after an old picnic spot in Lake Charles that was cleared out long before I was even a thought (actually before either of my parents were a thought, WG was cleared out in 1926). From what I've read, it was the most serene, stunning park in Lake Charles. The road leading to this spot was probably the most breathtaking road in the area. Couples often courted in the area down the Lovers Lane bridge. Unfortunately, this place is no more, now being occupied by the Lake Charles port. With that being said, the TND is actually adjacent to the old location of Walnut Grove and the developers are hoping to bring back the warmth and sense of community of the old picnic destination.

The neighborhood will be along Sallier Road in Lake Charles and will be along the contraband bayou. There will be a depot, an alley, and a great lawn for gatherings (much like the old picnic area). Word is that there will be events for the general public as well as resident only affairs.  This neighborhood will include retail, townhomes, and apartments. I'd like to see a beinget spot open up! If all goes well, Lake Charles could be on the map after all. What do you think about this development? Are you from Lake Charles? If not are you from Louisiana? If not where are you from? How do you feel about TND's in general?

http://walnutgrovetnd.com/history/streets-area-history/

http://walnutgrovetnd.com/community/categories/photo-gallery

http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial/commercial-map/

http://walnutgrovetnd.com/commercial