Things I will never outgrow

I am taking this Monday off to go to Disneyland with a few friends in celebration of a birthday. And as I thought about all the things we might partake in over the course of the day I couldn't help but get excited. Not just because of the fact I am taking a day off(shhh don't tell Ken) but also in remembering all the wonderful times I have had at Disneyland throughout my childhood. Made me realize I will never outgrown that place, no matter how old I am. This got me to thinking of other things in my life I will never outgrow no matter how old I get.  Here is the list:

Hoarding Pizza

When I was a kid(skinny mind you). We ordered a lot of pizza, mainly at Rubino's down Ridgeline. With two brothers and friends always over at the house I developed a habit of assuming I was never going to get enough pizza. I was so worried I wouldn't get enough that I would just force pizza down my throat. Not even taste it. Grab Grab Grab. And this hasn't changed in my later years. I could order two pizzas with the guys and scarf down more pizza than I ever wanted just because I immediately worry I won't get enough, which of course is never the case. Usually I have too much and feel like a fat ass.

Being an athlete

Now this one is very subjective. Are you and athlete automatically because you play sports? Or do you have to be good at said sports to be considered an athlete? I love playing sports. My weeks are currently filled with hockey and soccer. I miss softball. I miss ultimate Frisbee. I wish I could just run around playing this sports all day. Granted I am awful at all of them. But I fully believe as long as my body will hold up I will continue to play these sports. Loved them as a kid and appreciate them even more so now that I realize I have no natural talent at any of them.

Hatred of Clowns

This one is blamed on Mom and Pops. When I was a boy growing up on the streets of El Toro I was forced to sleep in a room with the largest, ugliest, scariest,"happy" clown painted on one of my walls. I swear that damn thing would move at night, moving those damn balloons as I am trying to sleep. The fear of clowns grew and grew until I cried my way into convincing the parents to paint over that evil figure. To this day if a clown is in the room or walking towards me I will briskly walk the other way. 

Video Games

I don't play video games nearly as much as I did when I was a kid. But I love them, it is my hour or two a week escape. And with the now inclusion of the Wii and RockBand/Guitar Hero its something that I will truly continue to take part in for a long long time.

Laser Tag

I love this game. I was talking with Garrett about this last night. We use to play at night, in the bushes for hours and hours. Coming home long past curfew, getting grounded and thinking how worth it that was.  If I can convince my friends to go play laser tag anywhere I will. 

Tron

It is a movie that blew my mind when I was a kid. Ohhhh the graphics. Ohhhh the special affects. I have never really understood why I love this movie so much. But I do with child like wonder and awe. There is something about Jeff Bridges all dressed up in a cool blue suit, rolling through this computer like fantasy land in rectangular flying robots and cool colored cars that leave deadly lines of destruction.  The whole idea of this world has always appealed to me and always will. It is a movie I will always own, but one I know I will be forced to watch in seclusion for the rest of my life. 

Things that are great, but also soul sucking and very boring

I was watching the New Jersey Devils on the ol' rear projection a few night ago and really it should be said I was half watching and half doing paperwork. The New Jersey Devils are a playoff team, win more often than not, and boor you to tears in the process. So it made me think of others things in life that are deemed as great. But also crush your soul and bore you to no end. Now if I want to have any semblance of a following here on the old blog I need to stop talking hockey immediately and try to relate to all 4 of you that read this thing. So in the hopes that New Jersey Devils talk hasn't lost you already, here is my list of things that are great and also horribly horribly boring.

Momento
I am going to assume most have seen this movie. If you haven't it is a wonderful movie, while also being the worst movie ever(If you haven't seen it warning spoilers will follow). This is a highly intelligent movie that will keep you guessing. Except of course for the fact that you already know what happens! The story tries to pull you in by explaining piece by piece and in a very unique way how you get to the ending, which is actually the beginning! Once I watched it I knew I had seen a great movie. A movie that will be unlike any movie I will probably see again. Yet as the movie came to an end I just wanted it to end. I knew how things finished and I could pretty much piece together how Leonard Shelby got to that point in the move. Amazing and awful all at the same time.
-Honorable mention: No Country for Old Men, There Will be Blood

Balancing Funds/Banking
It is something everyone values. Something everyone who is responsible pays attention to. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you balance the books or realize you've got a bit more money in the old savings than originally thought. Yet you put off this task as much as you can. You hate paying bills and you curse the day adulthood ever set in. It's something that is great because it is important to everyone to know what you can and can't buy next month. But it is still the worst thing ever. I hate adding up what I am paying in bills each month.

Celery
It's green, it's healthy. The calories you burn while eating the celery are more than the celery actually holds. But that stringy watery vegetable has no taste. Sure you can try and add peanut butter or hummus or cheeeeeeeessseeeee, but it doesn't hide the awfulness of celery. It is great, it is healthy, but also boring and tasteless.

Greg Maddux
A true hall of famer. A man who won a world championship. Eight all-star appearances, 18 gold gloves and four Cy Youngs. Arguable the best pitcher of his era. And all the while being boring as hell as he achieved this. Dinkers off the end of the bat, 80 mph jam shots. Movement movement movement. Crushing opposing batters with his speed changes from 82 to 76 mph. It was always boring as hell to watch his methodical way of going about his business on the mound. Which makes him amazing and awful all at the same time.
-Honorable Mention: Tim Duncan

The Grand Canyon
A majestic place. A place everyone should travel to at least once. There are trails and an endless amount of exploring that can be done. The views, the pictures, the ambiance is unlike anything you will see. And after those 14 minutes are up you are left standing there saying "well what do we do now?" There is nothing else to do once the beauty wears off. It becomes boring and you really are left wondering, how far is the drive to Vegas? Or at least that is what I would wonder.

Superman
He is a superhero, he is a man, with thick rimmed glasses. He can do amazing things like spin the earth to go back in time. He has sweet powers like super breath and eye beams of death. He can't be killed......except for a rock(cue the crickets). Nothing can kill him but a freaking rock? Really? And on top of that his biggest rival in all the universe is a bald businessman with questionable ethics. Wow how exciting......

Jack Daniels
It has been around 130 years. Founded in Tennessee. Clearly a popular choice. It is so freaking boring. Yet ohhh all the club and sorority girls always have that Jack n Coke in their hand. All those frat boys run around the frat house with a handle in their hand. And most people who consider themselves drinkers and who have more than 3 bottles of booze in their home have a bottle of Jack on call. Popular/great and horribly horribly boring.

Rose Bowl(For USC Fans)
USC vs. ___________ every damn year. USC wins by 20. Great(for USC fans) and boring.
Honorable Mention - UCLA bowl games. Great(also for USC fans) and boring

2009: An excuse to change

What is it about the new year that makes people want to change something? Anyway here are my resolutions for the year. I hope to realistically stick to 50% of the things I am listing now since I know hitting them all is a certain impossibility. 

Weight Loss

I don't consider myself fat(screw you Ethan), but I am a bit soft and flabby. I want that to change in 09. More hockey, soccer, softball(hopefully). I have also started yoga and pilates. You know how I know I'm gay?? I hurt a lot after sports. I am hoping stretching helps negate a bit of that.  Biggest hurdle is going to be what I eat. I like fatty foods. I like soda. I like booze. I like fast food. Of all the things I am going to do this will be the hardest for me. But I am serious this time around. 160-165lbs. by the big 3-0. Shit I am gonna be 30!

Reading

The people I respect most in life all read and read a lot. Something I have often found to be a nuisance throughout my life. But the only way you learn in life is to experience and read about experience. So that is what I am going to do. At least one book a month. Switching between something to teach and something for fun. First up One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch. Second up The Road by Cormic McCarthy.

Buy More Clothes

I hate buying clothes. I hate buying anything really for myself. Yet I will blow cash in Vegas like there is no tomorrow and not flinch. Go figure. I need/want to dress better. I am sure I am going to come up with some awful wardrobes but it is a process. I think I will hold off on this one until that weight I am losing is all the way off. Suggestions welcome.

Forgive

Us Kazarians aren't known for forgiving easily. We are loyal to a fault until you lie/betray/cross us in some way. The thing is, it takes a lot of energy to be pissed at someone all the time. It's exhausting! Sometimes I forget why I am even mad or hate someone. I have to rack my brain to remember why I hate the person I am having a conversation with or talking about. Screw it. I forgive you Alex for all your shady business at my expense. I forgive you Justin for "meeting the girl of your dreams" and leaving me. I forgive you Ethan for taking the rein of best fantasy sports person from me. I forgive you Leslie for getting knocked up and ruining boys club at Taylor's. I forgive you Taylor for forgetting the purpose of a condom. I forgive you Hope for making us sit at the worst blackjack table in the world. 

Take more pictures

I don't take pictures. I talk about taking them. But rarely do I bring a camera or set up people for a picture. It always seems like such a hassle. Funny thing is I love looking at pictures other people take. Pictures make me smile and I know although I don't care now. When I am 40 and 50 I will want to look back at random times in my life and remember. So first step is done. I got a camera for xmas. Now I just have to make myself take my camera everywhere we go. This is probably the least likely resolution for me to follow through on.

Travel

I have found myself becoming more like my dad. Ken Jr. as my brother like to call me. He doesn't like to travel. Vegas and Golf related trips. That's it. I try to find ways why I shouldn't go somewhere or do something rather than the other way around. Strange thing is I always enjoy the trips I do take. I want to travel more. I want to visit friends, take random vacations. In this economy(thank you for this Justin) if you don't get away from things you will drive yourself nuts.

No Regrets/Take chances

I think at times in my life I haven't felt like I knew what the hell I was doing. Often looking back and regretting choices I made. I know people always say everything happens for a reason, but I always thought that was just something said to make people feel better about things not going their way. I am mentioning this last one because I feel like this is the one I truly will stick to the most. I have done a few things in the past few months that have just completely blown up in my face. Like atomic bomb type of explosion. I feel really good about things though, I regret things haven't worked out as I thought they would, but not that I took essentially the biggest leap of faith of my life. It felt good to feel if that makes sense. It's something I am going to continue to do and hope something that sticks with me for the rest of my life. 

I am Darren Dreifort

Now don't jump to conclusions here. I am not claiming I am him in the sense I have athletic abilities or in the sense I have millions of dollars. More in the sense that no matter the physical shape I am currently in(good or bad) I always seem to be injured. 

I had to take a bath today. A bath! Why? Because I messed up my rotator cuff and have been compensating thus essentially messing with the whole right side of my body. I can't lift my shoulder to arms length without pain. The doctor yelled at me because since our last appointment(played soccer, hockey, ultimate Frisbee) my arm has gotten much worse. He told me I was the worst kind of "weekend warrior" because I had a high pain threshold and a stubborn personality.  I always thought "weekend warrior" was a term used for 9 to 5 guys who partied hard on the weekends. He claimed it meant jackasses who are still trying to live the dream but who should have quit a long time ago.  Not until i sat in pool of my own filth did I contemplate slowing down. 

Case and point really should have come after an indoor soccer game a few years ago. Myself and a goalie went for the ball. Smashed into one another. My foot was killing me but I just played on until the game ended. That's when it really began to hurt. A day later my entire foot was swollen and purple. I figured I just sprained it really bad. 6 weeks later I felt good enough to at least mess around again and so I did.  Turns out I broke my foot, which directly contributed to the blood clot issues I've had. Eventually I am going to need to have surgery to correct something that could have been handled fine if I just took some time to go to the doctor.

Why the hell do I do all this? I don't get paid to do it. In fact I pay others to allow me to humiliate myself weekly and on top of that sacrifice my body in the process. I'm not Dreifort.  I some douche who can't unlive the dream. And now I take baths.......

I'm coming out of the closet

I don't like beer. Ohhhhhh that feels so good to finally get out. Years and years of pretending to be someone I am not.Pretending to enjoy beer after beer with my friends, meanwhile being dead inside. Knowing I was a fraud, just to go along with the mainstream. You know how that tore me up inside?

Follow Up to I Was Awesome Last Night

Apparently my awesomeness only goes so far. 

Problem with meeting girls in cool situations like the Del Taco story is you don't get to converse with them before you decide to pass along the phone number.

I made this mistake. I should have know any girl who spells here name Bell instead of Belle would have been a headcase. 

In worse news, my Ducks are 1-5 to start the NHL season and in last place.

I was awesome last night

So I am bored and in Dallas, Texas. It's actually quite nice out right now. About 70 degrees. I could live here. I could live anywhere really. I don't feel as much of a unrelenting loyalty to California as the rest of you do. I am learning my lack of commitment doesn't rest with woman. But that is another issue for another time.

I found this funny. I know woman who are after money are present in society. I just can't say I have seen it really with my own eyes. I see fame chasers when I go out with Garrett. Although fame and money run hand in hand. Unless you are Vincent Chase form Entourage who apparently is famous but broke. I love that show...... I love more that it is based off Mark Walberg.

But on to my awesomeness. So I don't pretend in any way to be awesome. In fact I am quite average at pretty much everything I do. It's one of two facts I came to terms with probably about 4 years ago. I am average at everything, and I crack under pressure.

Sidenote: Do you become those things because you label yourself that way? Or do you just come to terms with your limitations? Does coming to terms limit your ability to change yourself? Can you change yourself? Can I make myself rise to occasions rather than falter when pressure situations occur?

Anyways, so maybe the beauty of not being awesome is sometimes you have these moments that stick out as amazing. Do awesome people have moments like this? Are their moments all awesome? Or just more awesome than mine because they are awesome all the time.

Ok my awesome moment. No more side notes. So it was late last night and I was starving so I hit up my local Del Taco for good ol #6 with soft tacos and a coke. But no supersize! I must reiterate this point. Small size only. So I am waiting in the drive-thru line and check out the girl that rolls up behind me. Of course she is amazingly beautiful because all woman in San Diego are amazingly beautiful. So naturally I am checking her out from my driver side mirror like the creepster I am. She notices and gives me a little smile. I order, she orders and life will seemingly go on as usual. I roll up to the window collect my food and pay. Then for whatever reason I stop and decide to pay for this girls meal. I give Rosie(yes I remember her name) my debit card again and tell her I want to pay for her(as I point to the girl behind me from my carside window). More creepiness I know. Lucky for me she only got about 2.50 worth of food. I paid and drove off.

Now I thought it was a pretty cool thing I just did. But as I drove to the light I realized it isn't that awesome because you just drove off, you jackass. No message for the girl, no number, nothing. Just some douchebag in a champagne colored Toyota Hylander with a bunch of carpet in his car. As I am smiling to myself at what a complete ass I am. She rolls up next to me. I don't notice, to oblivious to my surroundings because I am laughing inside at what an ass I am. Light turns green and off I go to the next light. Still not noticing her. So she honks and gives me the roll down my window signal. Startled I roll down my window with what was probably as shocked of a face as I have ever had. Says what I did was hilarious and throws a crumpled piece of paper into my car and drives off.

Paper Reads: I am Bell 619-696-****. You should call me.

I am awesome.....