Random Thoughts

I'm not sure what I want to write about, but I do want to write a post. So I will just throw down some random and meaningless thoughts I have. 

I hope I am ready for graduate school (should I be accepted). My wife and I have both applied to Arkansas State University's graduate programs. She will study teaching theory and I, Sports Administration. However, I'm also currently looking for a chance to move up in my professional career. If you or someone you know is need of a fairly bright worker with great marketing and public speaking skills, contact me. 

I'm thinking I'm going to take on two massive task in my coming posts. I want to do a list of the greatest kingdoms/countries in history, perhaps the greatest actors of all time, and the top franchises of each professional sports league in the United States.

Working for Minimum Wage

I know the news is all a buzz with the idea of raising minimum wage. I feel it is time for me to give a brief economics lesson on the dangers of raising minimum wage. It will actually not be a devastating disaster, but it will certainly not raise the quality of life for anyone. Let us begin.

Right now the national minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. If you work full time on this wage with no overtime, you will earn $15,080 annually. The cost of living comfortably I the US is much higher than this I know. Especially in certain areas such as California, New York, and Florida. But for arguments sake, let's say any normal person could reasonably get by (get by, not get ahead) on $35,000 annually. I could research a more accurate number but this rough estimate will serve the purpose of my argument. 

Now we raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour. Your annual salary goes up to $20,800. This brings you much closer to that average cost of living. Or so you think. What you do not realize is that the cost of living is now $45,000 annually. So you are not any closer to that cost of living, even though the government promised you would be. 

You are now asking yourself how this could be. How could the cost of living go up so much? A liberal would say it's because big businesses now see an opportunity to make more money because consumers are earning more money. This is not true. Cost of living rose simply because it now cost companies more to provide you with the services and products you desire. Before minimum wage was raised, companies were able to provide their goods and services at one set cost; this cost included the labor and supplies needed to perform the function. When minimum wage was raised, this cost to produce your goods rose with it. The cost I labor increased, along with the cost of supplies because a conpanies supplier's labor costs also went up. Companies still have to make a profit in order to make their owners (the people who's retirement is invested in their stocks) happy. The higher minimum wage goes, the higher the cost of living will go. This is why raising minimum wage will have no benefit or damage to the economy. It is simply a tool used by politicians to buy votes. 

I hope now you realize that minimum wage shoul not be considered when you are choosing who to vote for. I recommend looking at candidates that have real ideas to fix our economy. Vote for people who have real business experience, not lawyers. Lawyers belong in court rooms, not congress. 

New NBA Team

I haven't blogged in forever. My life has been one hectic race this past year. My wife and I are expecting a baby next month and we may both be starting graduate school this fall. However a recent major story has forced me back to the blog to complain.

I am not much of a basketball fan. I do enjoy watching some NBA and college hoops, but it's just not my favorite sport. However I try to have a favorite team in every sport. I chose my favorite team many years ago. When Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal won their NBA Championship together I became a Miami Heat fan. I didn't like Lebron James or Kobe Bryant. I could in fact say I hated Lebron James. All the media and almost everyone I came across kept pushing him as the greatest ever. I was and still am a firm believer that no one will ever dethrone the true king of the hardwood, Michael Jordan. But something happened that forced me to rethink my hatred of James. He signed with my team. No longer did everyone love him, nor did the media paint him as the savior of basketball. Of course the media's destain for James only lasted for one season, it was enough for me to at least like him as a player. He is still not my favorite (that was still Wade), but I did root for him. I cheered them on through their four finals appearances. But this last Finals against the San Antonio Spurs was a shocker to me. I saw these supposedly great players, one some consider will be the greatest of all time, give up. They didn't even try to win this series. Coach Spoelstra pulled his three superstars with five minutes remaining in an elimination game five, and they let him! I do not care how bad you are loosing, when you are in the finals and facing elimination, you fight to the final buzzer! When I saw this, I lost all respect for not only James but Wade as well (who had been my favorite player because he always fought so hard). As it stands I will never root for the Miami Heat again until both of those players are no longer on the roster.

So to all the other NBA teams out there, I am currently looking for a new team to root for in the NBA. If your interested, have players that show true character and the fight to win, and I will become your fan. I know the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a good choice but I'm afraid I do not like Kendrick Perkins.

Real Men Don't Get DRUNK!!

Before you read this post, look at the title very carefully. I did not say, Real Men do not drink; I like to drink a little alcohol now and then. The title says Real Men do not get drunk. I am writing this because I am tired of hearing guys talk about all the stupid, dangerous, and completely awful things they do while drunk. Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines drunk as, "having the faculties impaired by alcohol." To put it simply, this means not having full control of the part of your brain that makes decisions. I have always said, a Real Man is always accountable for their actions. I have seen to many men try to use alcohol and being drunk as an excuse for bad behavior. Have you ever said or heard someone say this,
"I didn't mean to call you fat baby, I was just a little drunk. You know I didn't mean it."

"Come on honey, you know I wasn't really checking your friend out, me and the guys were just drinking."

"I swear honey, I didn't mean to call you that. It was just the alcohol talking."

"You know I didn't mean to say those things about your parents, right? I just had a little too much to drink."

"I never meant to sleep with her, I swear. She didn't mean anything to me, I just drank to much that night."

"Baby, I didn't mean to hit you, you know that. I was just angry and had been drinking."

When you hear these scenarios, do you think certain ones are worse than others? If you do, why? What makes the first any different than the last? The man lost control of himself and did something hurtful (not just to another person, but to the most important person in his life). A man must always have control of his thoughts and decisions; when a man looses control, he is still responsible for his decisions. This is why a Real Man never gets drunk. A Real Man never looses control of his decisions because he is always thinking of the consequences of his decisions. So, the next time you go out drinking with the boys, remember that being drunk does not excuse your bad decisions.

MY LIFE!!!!

As I write this, I cannot stop the wave of emotions that flood my soul. My life is moving so fast now, everything is changing and it is so scary. But, rather than worry about it, I know I am prepared for the future. Many people may wonder how I can remain calm as I face the unknowns of life. It is simple, when I look back at where I have come from I know there is nothing I can't face. The Lord works in such amazing ways in the lives of his children; my life is no exception. In this post, I will reveal some deep secrets of my past and my family that I have shared with few people. I am doing this for my own personal reasons. If expect no pity, no special treatment, and no one will even really care about what I have to say. I write this for my own benefit, no one else's.

Let me begin with my past. I was born to a homeless, drug addict in the city of Birmingham, AL. My mother is not entirely sure who my biological father is and she and I have no desire to learn the truth. My birth itself is a miracle since it almost never happened. My mother tried to have me aborted; the only thing that stopped her was not having the $200 to pay for the procedure. Through a series of events, she and I moved to Louisville, KY. This is where the first major step in my growth occurred. My mother met the man I know call my dad. Though he and I wouldn't know it at the time, this relationship we were forming would become one of the most powerful influences on who I am today. Under this man's guidance I learned what it truly meant to be a man. I learned the value of an education and hard work. My dad moved us out of the city and to Arkansas. As I grew, I had ups and downs, but I never missed a lesson from my dad. To the world, he is the man that married my mother; to me, he is the greatest father anyone could ever ask for.

When I left home to join the military, I learned about the world outside of my small farm. I had friends, I had some knowledge of the world, but I knew very little about other cultures and other types of people. I also learned that very few people share my work ethic and sense of responsibility for their actions as I have. I am not perfect by any means, but I do not try to excuse my mistakes, I face the consequences for my actions. A lesson many people need to learn.

After the military came my first experience with college: also my first true experience with the opposite sex. I had no idea how to talk to women, just like I didn't know how to take my college classes seriously. I made huge mistakes with women and my studies. Though I would be forced to drop out of college, God would bless me with the one woman who could see the shy and confused little boy I was and turn him into a man. She taught me confidence and how a real man doesn't just wear blue jeans, t-shirts, and ball caps.

I failed to provide for my family without a college degree. My wife, dad, and family pushed me to return to college. My dad said I couldn't live his life, I had to become something more than a dirt poor farmer. I returned to classes with a new attitude, and an idea of how to be a student. I quickly found my true talent. I know I am natural leader, an amazing public speaker, and a pretty decent writer. I also easily understand marketing concepts and can work well with different cultures. I became a student leader in my school's Phi Beta Lambda chapter. My time in PBL will forever be the most memorable part of my college life. I have made so many good friends, learned so much from my professors. Though their are a certain few that mean more to me than others (they know who they are I hope), every single person I worked with in PBL has become a part of my life. Williams Baptist College and PBL have given me so much, I can't wait to repay them.

Now, I stand on the edge looking at the next journey God has in store for me. I have no clue what will happen, but I know I can overcome every obstacle. I can do this because I have an amazing wife that pushes and gives me a reason to be better than I am now, a father that has given me an example of what type of man I should be, a mentor that I know will always be there when I need guidance, and such amazing friends to help me run this race. Though I will always fail, I will never be a failure. When I fall , I will always get up stronger, having learned from my mistakes. My demons will always haunt me, but they will never control me again.

This is why I am a Real Man!

FEAR!

President Franklin D Roosevelt said "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." 

I disagree. Fear, like so many terms, is not used the way it is meant to be. Fear cannot be removed from our lives. To remove fear from your life would be like removing the oxygen from your lungs. Now, so many people will be confused by this, so I must explain. 

When you FEAR something, you respect it. I fear the unknown because I do not know what it holds, but I am not afraid of it. I fear the things I cannot control but I am not terrified of what may happen.  My fear gives me the caution I need to think before leaping. People who live without fear, without respect, make decisions that hurt themselves and hurt the ones they love. I fear what the consequences of each of my decisions will be, what they will do to my family. This fear makes me think about the proper course, the best decision that will benefit myself, my wife, my family, my friends, and everyone else. So you can try to hide from your fear, you can let it drive you insane with worry, you can completely ignore your fears, but you will always be weaker because of it. I will use my fear to drive my success. I do not fear failure, for I learn my short falls. So as you worry about the fear, as you "fear" fear, I will be climbing that ladder and leaving you in my dust. You chose.

Man of Steel Review

Man of Steel didn't disappoint. I had very high expectations because of producer Christopher Nolan's masterful work on The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film didn't disappoint! However, the camera movement was just to over done in some of the action scenes. I understand they wanted to show how fast Superman, Zod, and all the others could move, but they really distracted from the story at points. Russell Crowe was amazing, Henry Cavill was a perfect choice for Clark Kent/Superman/Kal-El, Michael Shannon really brought Zod into the 21st century and to reality, Kevin Costner gave a true human element to the film. I was a little disappointed in Amy Adams as Lois Lane, but she didn't hurt the film (she just didn't blow me away either). Director Zack Snyder did a very good job of grounding the story in reality. However, they did pay homage to the comic books, in the very first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1, Superman couldn't fly, he could only leap over tall buildings in a single bound. Superman cannot fly until he learns how to jump. The new suit is far better than the old suits, the explanation of the "S" on the chest is much better than it just meaning Superman. I highly recommend this movie, especially for families, very little cussing, sexual references, or gory violence. I would say my favorite part of the film was how they didn't make Superman the golden boy, or boy scout that he always was in the comics. Superman has learned to get his hands a little dirty. I hope you go see the film.