Problems With the United States

I love the United States.  There's so much here to see, to do, the creation of it, the "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality that this country has always stood for.  Until now.  Everybody wants a hand out.  And I'm not talking about welfare.  People think they're owed something, when in reality, you get what you deserve.

Now I'm going to talk about welfare.  I believe it's noble to help a person in need stay afloat until they can take care of themselves.  One of my favorite scenes in Cinderella Man is when James Braddock goes to the Welfare Office as a last resort so his children can come back home to live.  After he catches a break and wins a few fights, he goes back to the Welfare Office and pays everything back.  That's the ideal scenario for Welfare.  But times are much different now.  Most jobs require a drug test just to get hired.  A drug dealer can receive Welfare while making money selling drugs if they wanted.  Or someone could sit at home receiving it while getting high.  The same goes for women that don't do anything but have children so they can receive more government assistance.  It's horrible and it's wasting the hard working Americans money that should be used for more important things, like paying off the National Debt.

It's mind-boggling to me why there aren't provisions in place to end this.  So drug tests cost money to perform. What doesn't cost money these days?  If it's a deterrent to a quarter of the people on Welfare that abuse the system, that still helps!  The worst case scenario would be everyone passes the drug test and we wasted money paying for that, but I've seen government buildings on military bases get renovated to be torn down.  I've seen hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to clear an area, just for another to be unattended, causing the same amount of money to be used to clear that land when it's needed.  Which brings me to my next point.

Useless government spending needs to stop.  This isn't just a Conservative platform, it should be an American platform.  Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, but we've been doing a lot of spending, and spending, and more spending, and we're not making anything (China is).  The United States brought in $2.5 trillion in tax revenue last year, whereas we owe $16.7 trillion in debt.  Without spending a penny of what the U.S. government receives in taxes, it would take over seven years to pay that off.  We spend over 10% more a year than what we collect.  Russia spends exactly the same amount the bring in from taxes: 34.1%.  Germany? 3% more.  Norway spends less than they bring in!  Can you imagine us doing that?  In my State & Local Government class in college, one of the assignments was to create a budget for all the tax money.  It was the toughest assignment I had to do, seeing all the programs that I thought needed to be funded.  It's not easy to decide where to spend and where to cut, I know, but the money has to be saved somewhere.

Although this article does clear up one of the major issues I previously had with Congress after watching the news, something has to be done regarding Congress.  It's not run for the people anymore, it's run by the special interest groups.  The majority of the public doesn't participate in the democratic process.  When people don't take a stand and be heard, something still happens.  The people that will stand up and be heard are.  And unfortunately, those people are being paid by major corporations that are only interested in making as much profit as possible.  You don't think the NRA enjoys it when Congress talks about putting bans on guns?  What happens when the conversation even starts?  People go out and buy more guns and ammunition, putting money in the corporations' pockets.

The list of problems facing the country is long.  These are just a few that initially came to mind.  But don't just expect things to get better because you want them to.  Sometimes you have to do something about it.  It starts with getting angry.  If seeing the issues doesn't anger you, then you've already given in and have come to terms that this country is going down the wrong path and nothing can be done.  If you're angry, then there's still hope.  Something can be done still!  Get involved with the issues.  Talk about it.  Be respectful, but you will ruffle feathers.  People hate talking about politics.  Political talk brings about disagreement, which brings out arguments on policy which brings out the people that say stop talking about it all together.  The inaction of those people is exactly the problem that needs fixing if REAL change is going to take place.  You don't have to agree on everything, but at the very least, you should agree that there is a problem that needs fixing.  The process of coming up with a solution is the fun part.

Thanks for taking the time and reading,
Andy

Friday Night No Lights

I had a pretty uneventful Friday to my standards, or anybody's standards really.  I literally did nothing but get ready for the +New England Patriots preseason opener with the +Philadelphia Eagles.  I read articles and watched interviews so I had a better grasp of who all was playing and what to expect.  I'm a diehard Pats fan, so my excitement level was through the roof.  I had cereal, four corn dogs, and then went and got a double cheeseburger and fries combo for the game.  During the game I had a whole bag of popcorn.  Couple all that with a few sodas and I had racks on racks on racks of bad calories that day.

Because +NFL Network decided to put the +Dallas Cowboys and +Oakland Raiders game on before the Pats game was over, I made my move...to the high school track for a 11:30 pm run.  When I pulled up, I thought to myself "This is ridiculous and you're an idiot for running this late.  You're going to get at the very least robbed, but more than likely you're getting murdered."  So I honestly took all the valuable stuff in my car to the track with me and put it on a bench.  Hopefully the would be drug dealers and shady people would just bust my car up thinking I parked it there and went on a trip with someone else.

I usually wear headphones when I run, but I wanted to hear everything because of this article about how running without gadgets every now and again is great for you.  (They were right!  I ran my fastest 5k!)  But I didn't want to just hear my breathing and how my feet were sounding when landing, I also wanted to make sure a car wasn't pulling up or something was coming to attack me.  (I did hear something: bats.  Coming from an area of the track with the least amount of light.  I made sure to run that corner every single time as fast as possible.)  But thankfully, nothing ever attacked me from the woods or from the road.

After about a mile, I began to think that it was possible to set a personal record time for my 5k because I actually felt really good.  I was used to going to Gold's Gym that late after work and running on the treadmill while watching a movie in the studio.  After about 2.5 miles, I started to realize something was going on in my shoe.  I wasn't sure what it was, but it was making the orthotics in my right shoe feel like it was coming out of place.  3.1 miles in, I stopped and got some Gatorade.  It was right around midnight and I still felt pretty fresh, so I got back to running.  I thought my longest run ever was 5.21 miles, so I stopped at 5.25, only to realize after ending the run that it was actually 5.31, so I missed a personal best there.  I definitely could've gone another mile if I wanted to, but I was safe and pressed my luck enough.  So I stopped running, stretched for about 10 minutes and headed home to shower.

When I got home and took my shoes off in the bathroom, I looked at my sock and the whole top of it was covered in something red.  I thought there might've been something that busted in the shoe like a piece of fruit (I know, fruit? Really?!)  because I didn't feel any pain.  I took the sock off and my toes were covered in blood.  I took the shower, still not feeling any pain, cleaned off my feet really well with a rag, got out, dried off, etc. etc.  The sharpness of my toenails where I didn't round them off all the way had cut through the skin of two of my toes.  How this happens to me, I don't know.

But there are three morals to this story.  Number one: don't run in dark places in the middle of nowhere at night.  It's scary.  Not even a rape whistle would help you.  (I did run faster though, so it might be something to this approach).  Number two: If it's not raining and you feel something squishy in your shoe, it's probably blood.  Number three: Round off your toenails!  They are incredibly sharp and will tear through skin!

Once again, thanks for reading!
Andy

Running Socks

You know you're getting serious about running when the style of sock becomes important.  It feels like my socks are rubbing up against the bottom of my feet too much, making it burn a little.  Is that because my socks aren't snug enough?  Or is it because the socks aren't thick enough?  Or is it both?  I'm starting to notice that the socks I'm using while running make a pretty big difference in how my feet feel when I run.  I would love to hear some feedback on which ones are good and where I can find them!

Thanks in advance!
Andy

Daily Thoughts

One of the things I keep thinking when filling out job applications is this: Why is it "White Caucasian" and "African-American?"  What else would I be?  A White African-American?  And how many generations of African-Americans do there have to be for the African to be dropped?  If they're African-American then I'm Scottish/German-American.  First off, I don't think it should matter what race someone is anymore to get a job.  The best candidate should get it.  Period.  Lastly, I don't think the majority of black people in the United States relate still to their African ancestry.  The typical white person can name off like 5 different countries that they're mixed with.  Let's move past the race identifications, please?

Moving on...

I realized today that almost every time I go out to my parents I take food with me to cook or have my mom cook.  It's like a mini-Thanksgiving.  The other day I took pork chops with me and they supplied the vegetables, today it was chicken breast and they supplied the vegetables.  I'm not the type of child that goes to their parent's house to eat a free meal and leave.  I usually go, help out with something, and then eat something that I brought.  It's nothing more I love doing in my free time than spending it with them.

Lastly....

Why do people text you and then when you reply they don't text back?  Typical scenario:
Texter:  "Hey!  What are you doing?"
Me:  "Oh, nothing much.  What about you?"
..................
End of conversation.
What happened there?  Were they looking for something fun to do and texted me in hopes of joining me in a fun activity before getting disappointed that I was doing the same thing you were doing?  Orrrrrr, did they get attacked by an angry mother bear?  Oh, look.  A post on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram from them.  They're alive.  Shoot.  I was hoping I wasn't the boring one.  Maybe I should just lie next time and say I'm spelunking into a cave or about to wrestle a lion.

Social Media Pet Peeves

I don't get aggravated often, but there are certain things that really set it off for me.  I've written down my top 5 social media +Facebook+ Fan Page +Twitter Followers Deluxe +Instagram  pet peeves.  Here we go.

1.)  Grammar, spelling, punctuation:  How do you get a high school degree, and much worse, a COLLEGE DIPLOMA, and can't form sentences?  Is our educational system that bad?  The answer is simple: yes.  According to the Huffington Post, the U.S. ranks 17th in education out of the 40 developed countries they studied.  Teachers don't get paid enough, that's why the people that would be good teachers don't teach.  They do something else and get paid for it.

2.)  Fake happy birthday wishes:  Why even bother posting on a person's Facebook or whatever if all you're saying is a simple "happy birthday"?  Even worse would be "happy bday" or my biggest pet peeve "HBD".  HBD?  Really?  No thank you.  What are you accomplishing with that?  Don't waste your time typing the 3 letters and hitting enter or clicking post.

3.)  Selfies:  It's okay to post a selfie every once in a while when you're wearing something really nice or you just got a haircut.  But more than one a day is stretching it.  Are you that full of yourself that you need everyone to see a picture of you several times a day?  And what's with all the hash tags?

4.)  Asking for Retweets (RT) or Like My Status (LMS):  Why on Earth do you need someone to retweet you just because it's your birthday?  Or even worse, just for the hell of it?  "Hey @Celebrity!  Can I get a retweet?"  Or "Hey @Celebrity!  Can I get a follow back?"  Why should they follow you?  Because they're going to read what you say and y'all are going to become best friends?  No!  You just want to be popular.  If you have to beg someone to do something for you then that's not something a person that deserves popularity would do.  I really like when stories are asked to be retweeted to help people that are in need or when something needs to be brought to attention, but come on.  "RT me, bro!"  No.  You're blocked.  "LMS!" No.  Why? Unfollow.

5.)  Relationship statuses: "I love you baby! Can't wait for you to get home!"  ...........Wait...What?  You live together.  You're dating/married/friends with benefits....Why.  Can't.  You.  Text.  Call.  Email.  Fax.  Smoke Signal.  Them.  That?  This has "Look at my perfect relationship, World!" written all over it.  That's great you've found someone you love, if you even really love them, but you're just begging for attention.  Stop.

Let me know if I missed any or if you think something else should be above these 5!  I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm not even thinking about but these were all taken directly from looking over Facebook and Twitter from the past few hours.

Thanks for reading,
Andy

What I Miss About Baseball

Learning a sport, you don't appreciate the intricacies of the game.  In baseball, you start out learning how to throw, catch and hit.  That's it.  Everything else doesn't matter in the beginning stages of the game.  Runners on first and third with one out?  Who cares where the ball is SUPPOSED to go?  Priority number one is catch the ball; figuring out where to throw it is unimportant to a 7 year old.  But to a 26 year old that hasn't played the game in 8 years...I miss the intricacies.

I miss pitching and trying to outsmart or overpower the hitter.  He was late on the last fastball outside, maybe he's guessing inside fastball.  It's two strikes, maybe he's thinking I'll throw a curve ball in the dirt.  If I do throw a curve ball in the dirt, is my catcher going to block it?  Or is going to get to the backstop and he's going to be safe at first?  Once he gets on first, how long do I hold the ball before throwing it home?  Do I quick pitch home, holding the ball long enough not to get called a balk?  Or do I wait, and wait, and wait before going home just before the batter calls time?

I miss playing center field, watching where the catcher's going to set up before shifting to where I want to be before the batter swings.  I miss the varying chatter before every pitch to support the pitcher.  I miss runners challenging my arm, trying to take an extra base or score on a short fly ball to the outfield.  I miss do or die situations at the plate where you absolutely have to throw out the runner or the game is over.  Please try to score.  I DARE you.  Do I throw it all the way in the air or do I throw it short and let it take a bounce before getting there?

I miss being on third base with the game on the line and only one out.  Make a bad pitch and I'm coming home.  Go ahead and try throwing that curve ball in the dirt.  Or the fly ball to the outfield that may or may not be deep enough to score on.  I remember being on third base with my brother up in extra innings and him hitting a grounder to third base.  The third baseman looked at me then turned and threw to first.  As soon as he turned, I was breaking towards the plate.  The throw was arriving from first when I was coming home.  Do I run the catcher over, or do I slide around the tag?  The plate wasn't being blocked so I slide to the outside of home and swiped my hand across home in front of the tag, ending the game.

I miss the whole team gathering together at the plate or anywhere else on the field after a walk-off victory.  It's nothing better than the pressure of the game being on the line and not knowing what the outcome is going to be.  The exuberance and relief that's felt when it's your team that comes out on top, there's no happier moment in sports.  There are personal achievements that may make you happy looking back, but the instant gratification of winning and celebrating with the entire team?  It's irreplaceable.

But what I miss most about baseball is the time I spent with my dad learning the game.  Ever since I was 6, he was there to teach me how to play.  Before my mom hurt her back, her and Dad used to play in whiffle  ball games with us.  After her injury, it was just Dad.  The thousands of pitches he threw my brother and I over the years, the hundreds of hours he spent teaching us how to hit, how to pitch will never be forgotten.  He was my coach.  He knew how to press my buttons to make me mad enough to be better.

I remember when I hit my first home run, it was after a yelling match between the two of us.  Every pitch he would throw it harder, and when I yelled at him to slow it down, he told me to just hit the damn ball.  I did; over the fence.  My anger at him turned to jubilation.  My first home run.  I put down the bat and ran out the park to get the ball and save it.  There's a whole slew of balls I've collected over the years, but that old, mungy one that was completely brown from the dirt stains it had endured over the years is memorable.  "March 30, 1996: Andy's 1st Home Run" my mom wrote.  He asked if I wanted to hit again once my brother had hit, but I didn't need anymore swings that day.  My job was done, and so was his.

When I look back on playing baseball, I always think of a moment with my dad.  He was always there to coach me, to support me, and make suggestions.  It's a shame that not every kid growing up has that father figure in their life that takes all of their free time and devotes it to their children.  Dad set the bar high for us, as strangers would come up to my brother and I after games or at the grocery store and say how great of a ballplayer he was growing up.  He broke many pitching records, including the lowest ERA for a pitcher in Virginia as he was selected All-State.  That was my goal while playing; to be better than my dad.  But now that I'm older, my goal is to be half the father he was.

Thanks for reading my story,
Andy

Back At It!

Sorry for the delay in writing!  I really haven't had much motivation and ideas to write about since graduating from Longwood.  I've been focused on finding a good paying job to start a career.  There are a lot of applications done, resume tweaks, cover letters written, phone interviews, in person interviews, but only one job offer.  I'm sure I'll have something here before too long.

Not only at am I back at blogging again, I'm back to running.  I've had so much trouble with my feet and knees in the last couple of months.  Trying to power through it was a horrible decision.  I would wake up with my feet feeling like they had been on hot coals all night.  I have tried a few different shoe inserts in my shoes, I even tried new shoes from Lucky Feet off of Hull Street by Baby's R' Us.  The shoes helped a little, but I was still in a lot of pain.  That Dr. Scholl's foot pressure reader at Wal-Mart recommended the most expensive inserts and they didn't even work.  I have high arches.  The ones from Finish Line didn't work either.  After doing some reading, I found out that the Walking Company at Stony Point had a similar device like the Dr. Scholl's reader at Wal-Mart, but it was more sophisticated.  The inserts they recommended were made with cork to stabilize the arch.  It's been night and day how much better I feel even just standing up, much less walking/running.  If you're having any sort of foot pain, I would highly recommend going to the Walking Company and getting inserts for your shoes.  They're about $20 more expensive than most inserts, but it's a whole lot better of a product.  I bought a pair for running/exercising and a pair for casual wear.  Overall, it was about $130 I spent, but I've spent more on a pair of shoes that were supposed to be for my foot and running style anyways.  Ease into wearing the inserts though because it can be painful putting pressure on a spot that's not used to it.  After a week it'll feel better than ever.

One of the other things I did daily was ice my feet.  Icing is a pain in the butt on any part of the body, but icing the bottom of my feet is HORRIBLE!  The foot bath doesn't work filling that with ice and water because the top of the foot is more sensitive than the bottom.  The best thing to do to ice the bottom of your feet is to fill an empty two-liter bottle up with water and freeze it.  Roll it back and forth on your feet so it doesn't feel as cold; it's just as effective.  Calf stretches are critical to the arch, immediately easing most of the pain.

My knees felt somewhat better with the new inserts, but they still didn't feel great.  I incorporated in different leg exercises to strengthen my quads and hamstrings which stabilize the knees.  It's been a significant improvement in how they feel during the day, but more specifically when I run.  They don't pop like a knuckle nearly as much as they used to when I get up out of chairs or off the ground.  I'm encouraged that my knee troubles are going to be less of an issue with the lifting and stretching that I've been doing since the injuries.

I hope this helps you out if you've had any problems getting into a running routine or just pain in general from working on a hard surface.  I never realized how vital my feet were until they acted up on me.  I didn't even want to stand up, that's how bad it had gotten.

Well, I hope this gets me started on blogging again.  Once again, sorry for the lack of writing, but I'm back to blogging and back to running.