BWNSanity

Hai, Tumblr. It’s been a while. Just hangin with Vincent.

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:53:17 -0400

Hai, Tumblr. It’s been a while. Just hangin with Vincent.

Late.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:17:30 -0400

It’s late, on a long Monday.

I’m about to go for a workout, because Tumblr inspired me. Y’all are awesome.

I got a new camera! Here’s where we stand with a little...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:47:21 -0400

I got a new camera! Here’s where we stand with a little over 3 months to go.

I'm not a photographer (yet)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:57:00 -0400

Long ago, when I worked for the student newspaper, I had the opportunity to take photos for a few of my stories. I had no actual clue what I was doing. Mostly, I’d just throw the camera on Auto, and shot my subject until I got a passable photo.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of taking it up as a hobby since about December. So, when my very good friend and roommate asked me to take photos of his proposal, I decided it was time to make the jump. I picked up a Nikon D3200 (which I’m learning how to use via YouTube tutorials!) and headed out to Chapel Hill.

A popular legend is that if a couple kisses on the bench under the Davie Poplar, they’ll marry and live happily ever after. So, the plan was for them to go on a walk around campus, and to conveniently find their way to the bench.

Meanwhile, I was dressed in a Carolina blue hoodie, took photos, and tried to fit in. The weather was perfect, and there were plenty of people wandering around.

I’m happy with how things turned out for my first attempt, and excited to get better. Here’s how it went down:

After wandering around for a bit, I finally spotted them walking up.

I nearly blew it right before this while they were sitting on the bench. She looked directly at me, and I quickly pulled the camera up and took a picture of a tree.

And finally, he went for it!

After struggling to get the entire question out, she said yes!

She was in total shock, and didn’t even recognize me at first when she looked over my way.

And then for the round of calling the parents.

I was a fan of this one, and now that I’ve figured out how to properly work with the F-stop and aperture, I’ll be able to make this view even better in the future.

This is possibly the best representation of 2013.

Also a fan of this one.

Hi, long lost friends!

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:43:00 -0400

My writing has become a little spotty lately, because I’ve been somewhat busy with real life, in the best possible way. Work is good, workouts are good, and the weather is good. A banner few weeks!

I’ve stepped up my workouts to interval runs and lifting 4 or 5 times a week, and I’m seeing great results on both sides.

I’ve also been completely free of alcohol for 20 days now, which feels wonderful. I will break that streak tomorrow, as we’re competing in the Charlotte Amazing Race for the fourth year in a row. It’s a wonderful cause, and most of all, it’s time to win this thing again. We were able to take it the first year, but have finished in second place the past two outings. That changes tomorrow.

I’ve had a wonderful time every year, but I’m even more excited about it this year, since I’m actually in decent shape. In the previous three years, even though we did well, I felt like I was somewhat of a hindrance. Whether that’s true or not, that’s the kind of thing you feel when you know your’e out of shape. Being the competitor that I am, it feels great not to worry that I’m the weak link.

On the subject of being alcohol-free, it’s been an interesting experience. You don’t realize how large of a role that alcohol plays in socialization, until you’re the only one not drinking. Not that it’s uncomfortable, but it’s just ‘what you do.’

I didn’t make a specific effort to tell anyone that I wasn’t boozing when meeting up with friends a few times lately, but I was asked why not, and definitely caught the vibe that what I was doing was ‘weird.’

So, for that reason, it’s fairly obvious why a lot of people with serious substance abuse problems have relapses.

I might not have touched on this in my previous post, but I have a few reasons for doing this. My most typical consumption was one night ‘out’ on Friday or Saturday, and maybe a few quiet drinks the other night. One heavy night, one minor night. Either way, I was putting a lot into my body that didn’t need to be there.

First, the health benefits are great. I’m interested to see exactly how much bad weight I can drop, and see how much higher my overall energy level is. Secondly, I wasn’t really having all that much fun when boozing lately. It seemed that most every time I had a few drinks on a Friday or Saturday, my evenings were becoming a familiar replay, and alcohol wasn’t adding much to the experience. Third, I was wondering if some of the anxiety that I was experiencing was alcohol related. It was, for various reasons.

I was having a conversation about such today, and I mentioned that I’ve been almost three weeks. He’s in his mid-30s, and said he hasn’t gone 20 days without since he started in college. I’m finding this is a common thing, which is shocking.

I’m never giving up alcohol completely, because I love beer far too much, but this has been a good learning experience. It isn’t nearly as necessary as I thought.

Hai.

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:24:59 -0400

Hai.

Started sticking to the plan with much more focus, and what do...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:01:56 -0400

Started sticking to the plan with much more focus, and what do you know? We’re progressing.

The push.

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:16:22 -0400

I haven’t been writing because things have been going too well, I guess.

Anyway, we’re under a quarter of a year until my fitness goal in July. It’s time to get serious and finish this thing off the right way. My diet has been excellent, and I’m seeing lots of progress in the gym.

Yet, I still follow up a strong workout by pouring alcohol calories and bad decisions directly into my body.

With that said, I’m giving up booze (minus the annual charity race, that requires drinking, that I’ve already signed up for on April 6) until Memorial Day Weekend. 67 days from now, minus one.

Can I do it? I’d like to think that I’ve finally built up the level of self-discipline necessary.

If not, my Facebook friends who like the status that I’ve posted this to are entitled to collect a $10 Amazon gift certificate, emailed directly to you, by me.

26 in review

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:02:00 -0400

I find birthdays to be a strange event. Essentially, you’re being congratulated for not dying. Given my decision making in year 26, I significantly increased my chances of making it to this wonderful day.

As I am like to do, this is a good chance to reflect on the year that was, in photos.

It’s easy to forget just how much fun you had without taking the time to write it out. Going down this list — there are a lot of verbs. Maybe I did too much. Either way, 26 was a blast and a wonderful year of growth. I don’t know where I’d be without you all as accomplice to my shenanigans.

We’re looking to have a less verb-filled 27, because dammit, I’m tired.

STARTED with a day of beer and wings for the ACC Tournament, though the games didn’t quite go as planned.

DROVE to Philadelphia for St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. The drive home was far less positive.

FINISHED in second, for the second year in a row at the Amazing Race. 2013 is our year!

WORE sweet highlighter yellow shirts to the Raleigh beer festival.

DECIDED it was time to be less fat, and started Insanity, and this blog!

WAS IN a wedding for the first time. Many tales for the ages.

CELEBRATED national fried chicken day at Popeyes. The right way.

REUNITED with a friend who was finishing his second trip up the Appalachian Trail. One of the most impressive feats that I know of.

LICKED by a drag queen. This one speaks for itself.

MADE IT THROUGH the first annual Dude Bros weekend in Wilmington. Assessing the value of this idea, moving forward.

BARED MY BREASTS to the internet, to show my fitness progress.

HAD a most excellent time at Brewgrass 2013 in Asheville.

RUSHED the field, after 20 years of frustration.

WATCHED Cam Newton vs. RG III. Not bad.

WAS IN another wedding.

DRESSED like a complete jackass for the Christmas party.

SURPRISED a friend in DC.

VACATIONED in Fort Lauderdale, with my first ever mimosa(s)

MADE some fitness progress.

DIDN’T get fired. Boom.

Been a while since the last progress pic, but starting to feel...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:13:16 -0500

Been a while since the last progress pic, but starting to feel and see some good results over the past month. Doing more lifting and added more protein to the diet.

Eponymous

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:28:05 -0500

shitmystudentswrite:

Hamlet is the story of a man named Hamlet.

True fact.

My work, from earlier.

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:39:51 -0500

I’ve written a few times this week for other outlets. Here are my thoughts on Colin Kaepernick and ESPN’s strange obsession with his birth-mother (clicks are appreciated!)

Here’s the text:

Very few people on this planet can say they share San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s athletic ability.

On the opposite end of the spectrum – there are more people than you’ll ever know that can say they share a similar family situation.

I’m one of those people.

People have asked me if I was joking. I’ve been questioned as to why there’s not more ‘wrong’ with me. Someone once told me I’m ‘the most well-adjusted adopted kid’ they’ve ever met — whatever the hell that means.

You’re adopted – you have to be screwed up, right?

Legally, I was adopted by my aunt and uncle at age 16, after moving in with them for good when I was six. At one point, I maintained decent contact with my biological dad, but over the past 10 years, I’ve had to largely cut it off. I last saw my birth mother about eight years ago, which was one of a handful of times we’ve had contact since I moved.

When I saw ESPN’s on-camera interview with Kaepernick’s birth mother, as well as Rick Reilly’s article A Call Kaepernick Should Make (link)cross my Twitter timeline, I nearly had a rage blackout. Apparently when not begging for credit on NFL injury reports, Reilly moonlights as a psychologist.

In a desperate attempt for page views and internet buzz, Reilly used one of the most traumatizing experiences that can happen to a human as an opportunity to hop on a soapbox, and scold a young man for his choice to not speak with his birth mother.

Why?

Because Reilly’s adopted daughter made the decision to meet with her birth mother, and things went well. Totally cool, and it’s actually a very nice story – for Reilly and his family.

He then speculates that ‘a lot of adopted kids’ avoid contact with birth parents because they feel it is disrespectful to their adoptive parents. I can’t speak to the truth of that, but personally, that thought never entered my head – until Reilly’s self-righteous rant.

When Kaepernick told him that he wasn’t curious about his birth family, Reilly calls it ‘odd.’ He then goes on to say of Kaepernick building a relationship ‘It’s healthy. It’s healing. It’s natural.’

What exactly does he need to be healed of?

With 100 percent certainty, I can say there isn’t anything I need to be healed of. Not one damn thing.

I couldn’t have asked for a better environment to grow up in. I can say with certainty, as many can, that my parents are two of the most loving, and amazing people on the planet. They were there for every basketball practice, every spelling test and every excruciating prom photo.

I’m not angry with my biological parents. In fact, I appreciate the decision they made to put me in position to lead a happy and successful life. But in the end, they’re almost like strangers. We share DNA, but we haven’t shared much else, in a very long time.

My life is what it is, and theirs is what it is, and right now, my life doesn’t include them. One day it might. It might not.

And that’s totally fine.

It’s fine that Rae Reilly made that decision. It’s fine for Kaepernick if he changes his mind – or if he doesn’t.

But it’s definitely not fine for Rick Reilly to chime in.

Follow on Twitter: @TheBWN

This was a great idea. Circa 2006.

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:00:30 -0500

This was a great idea. Circa 2006.

A little Wednesday inspiration

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:17:50 -0500

“The world is, of course, nothing but our conception of it.”

Hump day happies

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:05:14 -0500

It’s been a while, but things are going reasonably well. Here’s why:

Impromptu Wilmington trip on Saturday ended with landmines, party hats, an awful duck face, playing with a snake and other tomfoolery
Our kids won a basketball game since I last posted one of these! We might get another win on Saturday in our last game. At the very least, we all got better this year.
Been on a pretty good streak at the gym lately. Mixing in some things I learned at Orangetheory, which we tried in Florida. Hopefully they open one here soon!
We’re only a few weeks away from the NCAA Tournament, which is my most religious holiday
Heading to Brewvival in Charleston this week for the second time!
About to close the single largest thing I’ve ever closed since I started doing this. Free Jäger for all.
It’s #WhiteGirlWednesday

How you doin’?

A lot happened on Saturday.

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:27:00 -0500

A lot happened on Saturday.

connieanony: Life perspective. Not to pish-posh what happened...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:08:19 -0500

connieanony:

Life perspective. Not to pish-posh what happened on the Triumph, because I know it was an ordeal, but what about the billions of people who don’t have a voice in the media? Who live in similar conditions every day with no thought of escape?

I think we can pish-posh it. Clowns.

It's allegedly Valentine's Day!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:06:00 -0500

Before I get into my Valentine’s spiel, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Generally, Valentine’s has been a pretty unmemorable holiday for me.

2003: Bought a teddy bear/flowers for a girl I really liked, and her friends helped me put it in her locker! She later began dating some dude long term. The fruits of my labor paid off circa 2006, when she came to visit me in Wilmington. I prematurely ejaculated, and curled up in the fetal position. (YOU TRY WAITING 3 YEARS, BUDDY.)

2004: Brought flowers for girl I was dating, and her mom. BALLIN. She told me she loved me shortly thereafter, which was approximately week four of relationship. I dumped her on the spot. She and her friends sent me hateful messages on AIM.

2005: First year at UNCW. Assuredly drunk, alone. ‘I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR A GIRLFRIEND.’ (Maintains 2.1 GPA, weeps in 3-sizes too-small shirt while drinking 40 of Icehouse.)

2006: My first college girlfriend and I were being nice to each other, I think. There was a nice dinner before we both went out, drank entirely too much. I faintly recall passing out on her bathroom floor naked, confessing my love, between dry heaves. Our love was built to last…for a week or two at at a time.

2007-08: Third and fourth years at UNCW. Assuredly doing work to make up for first two years. Possibly a beer pong match with 18-year olds. Being the creepy old dude.

2011: This most likely ended with uninspired cuddles and me reading Twitter on my phone.

2012: Very necessarily single. You can’t love anyone when you don’t love yourself. I’d venture to say that I was undate’able for a couple of years there

2013: For the first time in a long time, my Valentine is me. And what a beautiful and humble son of a bitch you are.

This is around the time last year is when things started becoming clear to me that I needed to make some physical and mental changes to get myself back to who I wanted to be. There are so many people who have helped along the way — most of you don’t even know it, but I really do appreciate it. The comments, the encouragement, and the reminders to stop acting like a jackass — I hear all of that stuff. So thank you.

There’s still work to do, but I’m almost there.

For now, I’m going to enjoy myself.

upnorthtrips: Happy 66th, Coach K.

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:51:19 -0500

upnorthtrips:

Happy 66th, Coach K.

It's 2013. Get your shit together.

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:41:00 -0500

You know what the internet has? EVERYTHING. You can find literally anything on the internet. I mean, I bet you could search for (Anything) being inserted into (orifice) and you would find it.

This blog has been clicked from keyword searches for ‘tumblr boobs by roadsigns’, ‘furniture humping tumblr’, ‘got fat’, ‘insanity week 3.’

I know that I did not meet the requirements of the first two searches, but I am very proud of those brave men (and they HAD to be men) for attempting to find what they’re looking for.

Attempting is half the battle.

Here are a few dumbasses from Twitter who are very mad about things, who did not attempt to learn about things that they are very mad about.

“BYE BYE PRES OBAMA, AMERICA NOW KNOWS HOW & WHY U LIED TO THE ENTIRE WORLD ABOUT LIBYA & BENGAZZI!”

“Barack Hussein O. doesn’t try to hide his radical Muslim beliefs or his racism anymore. “

No one believes you. You cannot spell Benghazi. You think Obama is a Muslim.

Here’s the story on the photo of Game that was widely circulated as a photo of Trayvon Martin.

And the debunking of the urban legend regarding Lincoln/Kennedy similarities.

Another, debunking the myth of George W. Bush’s low IQ.

No matter what side of the political fence you’re on, GOOGLE DOT MOTHERFUCKING COM is not hard to operate. If you chose to forward ridiculous emails on this magical internet without checking their accuracy, you are co-signing for being an idiot.

It’s 2013. Within 5 seconds, you can read all about the Boll weevil, or get an entire biography of the 9/11 hijackers. If you’re uninformed on something at this point, it’s only because you choose to be.

Get your shit together and stop spreading half-truths and flat-out lies.