Stories from an unmarried guy navigating through dates, owning a couple of dogs, being a brother, son, and friend, and looking for adventures along the way.
In middle school, one of my teachers asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember timidly responding, “I want to be a baseball player.” Well, it wasn’t for a few more years that I would lose my love for the sport (and haven’t ever regained it :)) but up until then, I believed I could do it.
me in 5th grade sporting a Semper Paratus shirt.
Childish dreams, that’s what it was. I didn’t have the talent, and even if I had the drive and the willingness to work hard at it, I didn’t have the talent. Have I mentioned that I didn’t have the talent? But kids don’t think about what it actually takes to make it in professional sports. Or anything professional, really. It takes time, dedication, and oh yeah, talent.
The last year I played organized baseball was in 8th grade. Something flipped and I didn’t care to play anymore. When I went off to college (I say “went off” like my parents didn’t live right down the street), I played intramural softball for a winning team, albeit we were all students not playing for any school-sanctioned team of any sport whatsoever, but we were the best intramural team at FSU for 3 or 4 years running. #stillhavemyjersey #livinginthepast
As a grown man, yes I’m a grown man!, I love playing softball and even if most leagues I’ve been in fall into the “beer league” category, I’m still competitive and I’ll push a guy if it comes to that. Hmm, maybe I’m just living out the broken dreams of a middle school kid who just wants to come back to his hometown and ask his dad, “Are you prouda me, Pops?” like some dramatic New Jersey school dropout with a strong accent.
It’ll never happen, though, because my dad doesn’t go by “Pops”. Dang it!
I grew up as a die-hard Florida State fan. Most family members who went to college went to FSU. I went to FSU, too. In middle school, I had a Seminole Starter jacket. I heartily defended the Noles at high school in Miami, Florida. As a student at FSU, I painted my chest at multiple home games. In my 20s and 30s, I was a faithful fan cheering at any game I could watch even all the way up here in Tennessee.
When we won the championship a couple years back, I was on cloud 9. Then it all came tumbling down when FSU redesigned the Seminole head logo. It wasn’t the redesign that ticked me off as much as why they redesigned it. This article states:
Nike designers were involved uniform redesigns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and other NFL teams, as well as the University of Oregon. FSU’s new look won’t be so untraditional, according to reports.
“We tasked Nike for help in refining the logo so that consistency can be achieved without diminishing the identity of the iconic image,” the university said. “We arrived at a design that can take FSU Athletics into the future.”
The release date of the logo is officially April 11 as part of an “Ignition Tradition” campaign.
But let’s be honest. It’s about money. Nike wanted more of it. Florida State wanted more of it. Do you think it was a surprise that the brand new redesign came right after a championship season? There’s definitely some luck there (unless it’s all a big conspiracy?? 😉 ), but it also seemed quite premeditated. Right when FSU was at it’s height in popularity, fans had to then go out and buy all new gear with the new logo. Money. Money. Money.
I also remember thinking how ironic it was that the campaign they mention was “Ignition Tradition,” as they got rid of the traditional logo that’s been used for almost 50 years. Tradition meant nothing… c’mon man!
It was (and is) just another way to abuse fans and reap the financial reward. Plus, there was a level of secrecy in the entire process that stank of guilt and trickery. Why not announce that there’s a rebranding going on? The above article said it was a 2-year process, yet the majority of everyone found out about it through Walmart accidentally stocking shelves with apparel featuring the new logo. It was all so shady.
I know, I know, most people who read this will think it’s pretty trivial. Maybe they’re right. It’s just a logo. It’s not a huge change from how it looked before. Plus, a school valuing money over everything else isn’t a new thing. I get that. But when it all went down, I felt invisible. I felt useless. I felt used and that my opinion as a fan and member of the alumni counted for nothing. Like the wool had been pulled over my eyes. The almighty dollar had a stronger influence, and that still makes me sick.
It’s been a couple years since all this went down, and I haven’t given in by overlooking the university’s careless acts. I no longer cheer for the Noles. I can’t and I won’t. It still gets me fired up thinking about it, but there’s also a freedom in it, too.
College rankings, polls, losses… none of those affect my mood during the week, and that’s been a fantastic side effect of unassociating myself with Florida State. I’m still proud of graduating college, and thankful for the teaching they provided me. But that’s where my support ends. In history.
Now if I can just get my family to stop including me on the group texts during football games! Gee wiz!!!
It’s taken me weeks (ok, years) to accept the fact that I stink at fantasy football. Like, really stink! The problem usually starts on draft night. This year I had the 3rd overall pick which is a prime position for picking up a stud player, even in a keeper league. I went with Matt Ryan which, if you care, was a pretty good choice. Then in round 2 everything began to unravel. I picked Shonne Green which, if you care, was a pretty bad choice. The underlying problem is that I coach The Billy Oceans with my heart and not my head! It’s propelled me to a 1-7 record that my head knows is right, and my heart is aching for it. The silver lining this football season is that the Noles are ranked in the top 5 with a chance at a National Title! If only I was part of the group that helps come up with the BCS rankings because this time, my head and my heart agree… FSU is the best team in the country.
Oh, so the reason for the title of this post… law: every time I let my heart influence fantasy football picks, I end up with a terrible record. I tried to prove that wrong this season and, well, the law won.
It’s a rebuilding year I guess,
-Out of the Wilderness
I’ve been posting videos online for 4 years. To date, there are 153 videos under the Driftwood145 label. I’ve listed the 12 most-viewed videos below and descriptions of each. Which is your favorite?
Boney M: Hooray! Hooray!
views: 3,425,401
I discovered Boney M in 2006 when I was in Vietnam along with my sister and brother-in-law who were adopting a baby girl. We were in a taxi, the driver had a disc playing. The two songs I remember hearing were “Rasputin” (which is another great hit from Boney M) and “Hooray! Hooray!” Boney M has been popular internationally since the 1970s and were produced by the same guy who later produced Milli Vanilli. This video gets views from all over the world, especially outside the United States. Here’s the monster international hit, “Hooray! Hooray!”
Boney M: Mary’s Boy Child
views: 543,994
Probably my favorite Christmas song of all time. This also could be Boney M’s most well-known hit simply because it’s played on radio stations around the world during the Christmas season. The song, the video, both are great. I love this band from the 1970s. Here’s Boney M’s Christmas classic, “Mary’s Boy Child.”
Football Hit / Green Bay vs. Jacksonville
views: 194,403
This video was recorded in the 2007 NFL pre-season when the Green Bay Packers played against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Desmond Bishop (#55) laid a hit on Reggie Williams (#11) that popped his helmet off. Some say it was because of his dreads, others just admit it was a good hit. But also a good job holding onto the ball. This video proves pretty well that people like watching football hits.
Lost Error
views: 133,270
If you don’t watch Lost, this video will be lost on you. Here, Charlie is in the Looking Glass Station, held as a prisoner not long before he died. Charlie gets punched in the face. No blood on the face. Then he has blood on his face, then later, the blood is gone again. Small mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. Here is the Lost error…
Bike Wreck
views: 93,314
The title pretty much explains itself. Except the bicycle rider does a matrix style exit off the bike, thus avoiding a collision with the mailbox. The video has been picked up by America’s Funniest Home Videos and has aired on that show a few times. Check it out!
Taylor Swift Star-Spangled Banner
views: 72,781
Taylor performed the National Anthem on a Thanksgiving NFL game featuring the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions. It was November 23, 2006, quite early in Taylor’s career. Surprisingly, this is probably the most controversial video on my YouTube page. Comments range from calling the performance amazing to blasting Taylor as a terrible singer and ruining the song. What is your take?
Zac Brown Band perform “Free” on Late Night with David Letterman
views: 77,050
“Free” was released on April 12, 2010 on the album “The Foundation.”
Surprise Marriage Proposal views: 59,310
I was working at Kanakuk Kamps in Lampe, Missouri in 2000. One of the staff members was about to take a day off to spend it with his girlfriend. She came to the front office to meet him there. From there, they were going to walk to the car. Once they left the office, the guy faked an ankle injury. His girlfriend went to the office to get the first aid kit. Little did she know the ring he would offer her was in the first aid kit! So she brings it out to him. He talks about how much he loves her, etc etc etc. Then he switches knees, pulls out the ring, and shocks her by asking her to marry him. Once she says yes, you can hear the campers cheering in the background (some with bottle rockets). Very creative way to propose!
Play Beyonce Clown off, Keyboard Cat
views: 39,680
Not much can be said about this one. Two videos were already on YouTube. I combined them. Here it is:
The glory days at Florida State
views: 17,121
This team featured Chris Weinke, Anquan Boldin, and a few other star athletes. The NC State Wolfpack featured the quarterback, Phillip Rivers. He was a cheap player back then, as you can see in the video. Can you tell I’m not a fan of Phillip Rivers?
Marching Chiefs… Florida State Band
views: 14,781
This performance was from the night before the 2007 Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN. There is no band like the Marching Chiefs. Here’s their performance of “Seminole Uprising.”
Vietnam Karaoke
views: 11,221
I went to Vietnam in 2006 with my sister and her husband. They were adopting a little girl and I tagged along to videotape the process. More videos can be seen on my YouTube page about the whole adoption process, meanwhile, though, check out the experience I had singing karaoke one night in Vietnam. They do it different there, it’s not in front of a bunch of people you don’t know. We got our own private room with a television and a couple of couches. So then we sang songs in front of each other in the little room. And yes, the last song on this video is “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. Enjoy!
It wasn’t the redesign that ticked me off as much as why they redesigned it. 