Just Let Go...

I realized that it has been quite a while since my last blog post.  And for my first blog post in such a long time, I had something really good planned, but halfway through writing it, I deleted all of it and decided to start over.  It is a topic that I have talked about numerous times, championed for, and held out hope for, and as much as I would like things to change, I finally had that moment where I felt like I had something that I needed to say, and after finally getting it off of my chest, I could truly just let go.  

So, instead of another long, lengthy post about something that no one cares about anymore, I am just gonna sum up briefly the point of the message that I was going to originally write.

June 17, 2011 marks a pretty great day.  It’s the anniversary of when the greatest group of nerds ever to assemble got together for the very first time, and created the Super Uber Kickass Nerd Squad, which then evolved into the Super Uber Kickass Nerdcast.  Man, I miss that show something fierce.  The one thing I miss more than that show are the guys that helped me do it.  

But, it doesn’t really matter if the show ever comes back or not.  Because honestly, it was never really about the show.  The only reason we ever started that show was because getting the five of us together at the same time was not always easy to do.  So the show gave us all a chance to hang out, even if it wasn’t always in person.  But somewhere down the line, it stopped being a chance to hang out, it stopped being about maintaining our friendship, and became something else entirely.  And that is where it all fell apart.  

Now, the show is long since gone, and I can’t tell you the last time that we all even talked to each other as a group.  And to be honest, it sucks.  Despite my several attempts to reassemble the group, it seems that it isn’t in the cards.  Finally, I think that now I can come to terms with it, and finally let it go and move on.

But  this day, June 17, will always be something that I remember.  With lots of happy feelings, and lots of sad ones as well.  And who knows, maybe someday, the planets will align, and just before the nerd-pocalypse is upon us, the nerds will re-assemble and take over the world once again.  #neverforget #RIPSUKNS

Cool Ideas that will Probably Never Happen...

Well, it looks like the post I wanted to do for May might actually get posted in May.  Granted it is the last day in May, but hey….better late than never.  

Looking through the folders in my Google Drive account, I have a folder called “Cool Ideas that will Probably Never Happen.”  

Now, most people would think, Cool Ideas that will Probably Never Happen, why would you do that to yourself?  That seems so negative.

And ya, one might perceive the name of this file of mine as a pretty negative thing, but I am looking at it as a positive thing.  Let me tell you why.

You see….lately...I have been feeling very scared to write anything new.  Maybe even very gun shy to produce any new content.  And, for the life of me, I can’t seem to figure out why.  Ever since my last blog post, where I put my personal writing out into the world, it has brought back the terrible, horrible, beast of a creature that I thought I had a pretty good handle on.  This creature that I am referring to is one that writers all over the world are all too familiar with, and that creature is known as The Inner Editor.

At first, I thought that it might be another well known enemy of the writer, commonly known as Writer’s Block, but it’s not that I have a lack of ideas, it’s just that for some reason, I can’t get any of them out.  I mean, I sit, staring at my screen for hours, just waiting for something to come out, but nothing ever comes.  And, on the very seldom occasion that something does come, I never manage to get very far due to the fact that nothing that makes it’s way out of my brain lasts very long, as I find the need to edit, edit, and edit some more, because “Reader A” or “Reader B” may not like my idea, may not think it’s as cool as I do, or any other number of excuses that I manage to come up with.

And I know, you just need to ignore your Inner Editor, or “you just need to get your story out and edit later,” or don’t write for others, write for yourself.  And usually, all of the above answers, or even a combination of these answers usually does the trick for me.  But lately, this has been easier said than done.  

Now, if you have made it through this much of my post, you may be asking yourself, “Hachi Machi...what does any of this have to do with the Cool Ideas that will Probably Never Happen folder that he talked about in the first part of this post?”  Well, let me tell you...

This is where all of the cool ideas that I have been coming up with are getting stored.  Story Ideas, Project Ideas, New Podcast Ideas, and a bunch of other stuff.  I guess in some sort of weird way, I am hoping that by seeing this folder every time I open up my Google Drive account, that I might finally get the courage that I have been lacking to put new content out into the world.  Hey, maybe I might even blog about some of my ideas.  Maybe that might help. Hey, a guy can hope, can’t he?

Sharing is Caring

So far, my New Year’s Resolutions are not going as well as I had hoped.  I have improved in some areas, and stayed the same in almost everything else.  One thing that I had hoped to keep up on better was my resolution of doing at least one blog entry a month.  And, if you keep up with my blog at all, you will notice that I have not done very well with that.  So this entry, essentially my post for April, will be my attempt at trying to play catch up.  And for this blog entry, I am gonna be kind of lazy, and since it’s my blog, I’m saying it’s ok.   

For those of you that don’t already know, I try to spend as much free time as I can being a writer.  And of the few that already knew, several of them have asked to read some of my writing.  Well, here is the thing about me.  For some reason, I am a very self conscious writer.  I feel that every time I write, no one other than myself could possibly ever want to read it.  So, I have a lot of finished stories, and even more partly finished ones, that I just tuck away, never again to see the light of day.  But, in order for me to be a better writer, I feel that I need to get out of my comfort zone, and let people read my writings.  So, my good friend Ken Stephens and I started our own professional wrestling league called ACW Wrestling.  We create wrestling characters, storylines, promos, and wrestling matches and post all of them online.  If you want, you can go to acw.boardhost.com and check out some of our amazing stuff.  

But, if that’s not your thing, what I am going to do is include a snippet of a story that I wrote for NaNoWriMo back in 2010.  It is super rough, un-organized, and the format is super messed up, but it’s one of the most solid pieces of this story.  

 

Jamison Collins sat alone in his room.  Even though the sun was shining high in the sky, the blinds were drawn behind him, the only light being provided by the small lamp on his bedside table.  He sat, dressed in his Sunday best, on the end of his bed, looking past his dangling feet to the floor below.  Most other eleven year olds would take advantage of a day like this, spending every waking moment running around chasing a ball or enjoying the fresh air sweeping past them.  But Jamison sat, deep in thought, trying to forget the whirlwind of events from the past couple of days.  As hard as he tries to forget, the wounds are still very deep and fresh.  Watching his parents sacrifice themselves, give their lives to save his, is still something that his developing brain has still had not had a chance to process.

        It was shaping up to be a wonderful evening.  Jamison was spending a wonderful night on the town with his two most favorite people in the world, his mother and father, Bruce and Barbara Collins.  They were out celebrating, rewarding young Jamison for his hard work in school.  The year had just finished, and he was able to maintain high marks and finish as one of the top students in his class.  They had enjoyed a wonderful meal at his favorite restaurant, Ground Blooms, a Chinese restaurant where they served some of the best egg drop soup in the city.  Jamison had loved Chinese food since as early as he could remember.  He loved it, which was strange, because his mom and dad were not entirely fond of it.  He could eat it for every single meal if he was allowed.  His dad told him that his sister, Jamison's aunt brenda, shared that same love, and said that they should meet someday, as they had a lot in common.

        After dinner, they headed for the car.  Next up on the agenda, a trip to the museum.  Now, at first thought, you might think, a museum?  What person in their right mind would want to visit a museum for fun, especially an eleven year old boy?  Well, this night was no ordinary night.  Tonight, they were featuring an exhibit on Pirates.  Now if there was one thing that Jamison loved more than his parents, it was pirates.  He was fascinated by them.  The freedom of sailing all over the world, discovering new lands, searching for buried treasure, and of course, the sword-fights!  Jamison could barely contain his excitement as he kept stretching up, trying to peer out the window, looking for signs of the large, circular building covered in windows.

        But, they would never make it to the museum to see the pirates that night.  While waiting at a stoplight, a drunk driver came barreling up behind the little family.  Unable to stop the car, or even control it at all for that matter, the drunk slammed into the back of the Collins car, turning their full size sedan into something the size of a small compact vehicle.

        The next thing little Jamison remembered was the sound of police sirens.  At first he thought he was dreaming, but when he began to wake, he felt sharp pains all through his body.  Then, all at once, the reality of what happened came swirling back to him.  As he slowly came to his senses, he tried to look to where his mother and father were seated.  He saw them both slumped over.  He called out to both of them, “Mom, Dad, are you ok?”  But no response.  He unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly tried to get closer to where his parents were.  Every movement shot pain through his body, so he chose every movement carefully.  When he got close enough, he reached out and nudged his mother and father, while calling out their names again.  “Mom, Dad, are you ok?”  Still they were both un-moving.  Not giving up hope, he reassured them, “don't worry mom and dad, help is on the way.  Everything is gonna be just fine.”

        The police had finally arrived, and went over towards the Collins car.  Seeing that Jamison was ok, they helped him out first.  “my mom and dad are still in there!  You gotta help them!”  He said.  As he said that firemen and an ambulance arrived on the scene, and they began work on getting out Bruce and Barbara, as well as the driver that had hit them.  After working for almost an hour, they were finally able to remove the bodies of Bruce and Barbara Collins from the wreckage.  Jamison ran over to them, but was stopped a few feet away from them by a cop.  He looked a bit different from the other cops on the scene, so Jamison had pegged him to be the guy in charge.  The cop had bent down and was holding back Jamison.  He said, “I'm sorry son.  We tried everything, but they are gone.”  “What do you mean they're gone?  I can see them right there!  Let me go!  I need to make sure they are alright!”  “No son, I mean that they have passed away.  Your parents have died.”  Tears now filled Jamison's eyes as he spoke,” no, they can’t be dead!  They just can't be!  Let me go and talk to them, you'll see!”  The police officer held onto Jamison as he thrashed about hysterically until he could feel his small body get tired and slow down.  Jamison then turned to the cop and buried his face into his shoulder and sobbed, the reality of the situation finally setting in.  The officer embraced the boy and held him for what seemed like hours.  He knew that he could never replace the boys parents, for the love of a parent is something that cannot be duplicated, but he was not going to let this boy grieve alone.

I cannot stress enough though that this is a very rough draft, so please try and overlook that, and let me know what you think, good or bad.  (Please be nice!)

Wrestling isn't Wrestling?

Well, here we are, once again.  My monthly blog post.  Unfortunately, I let time get away from me, and did not meet my goal of doing at least one post a month, so I guess this month gets a bonus entry to make up for it.  For this first post, I will be talking about one of my favorite subjects…wrestling.  

A fellow by the name of Max Landis (son of director John Landis) recently released a video entitled “Wrestling isn't Wrestling,” and it is the most amazing, accurate defense for people who love and enjoy wrestling that I have ever seen.  I am more proud now than I ever have been to be a fan. So...if you have ever wondered for yourself why people like me love wrestling so much, or if you just want to watch a hilarious video, you should take 25 minutes and check it out here.  Unless you are not fond of extremely colorful language.  If that is the case, I have summarized the video's message below.  

Now, when people that I know find out that I love pro wrestling, the first thing I always almost hear, once the other person stops laughing at me, is:

“Uh….you do know it’s fake….right?”

“You know it’s not real, don’t you?”

Of course I know it isn't real.  In fact, people who feel the need to tell you that wrestling isn't real clearly don’t watch wrestling or have never watched wrestling at all.  But to be honest, it’s more real than any other tv show out there.  This show does not in any way pretend to be an athletic competition.  It’s a tv show about a wrestling show.  Each week, live, death defying stunts are performed in front of millions of people.  In fact, pro wrestling has more in common with Game of Thrones than it does with the UFC.  

The show also features an array of eccentric, larger than life characters, including an undead wizard, a leprechaun, and an evil group of male cheerleaders.  And if you follow one of these characters all the way from when they debut until now, you can see that this format allows for the telling of interesting, diverse, and compelling stories.

Our imagination is our greatest gift, and also can be our greatest curse, because we are bored all of the time.  When you are sitting alone playing on your phone, it’s because you are bored.  We, as humans, are constantly craving melodrama and fiction.  That’s what Lord of the Rings is!  That’s what Phantom of the Opera is!  That’s what Goodfellas is!  The human capacity for empathy through imagination is why we have stories.  And that is what fiction does for us!  It gives us a sort of simulator for bigger stories and even bigger emotions!

A lot of wrestlers are great characters….in fiction.  And that is what we want.  That is what we need.  From Long John Silver, to Perseus, to Neo, to Walter White.  We love watching people grow, change, and struggle.  It doesn't matter if they are good people or bad people, we don’t really care.  We need entertainment and we need it now.  And when you watch wrestling, that’s exactly what you are getting.  An elaborate work of fiction.

There is a a lot of things in wrestling that sucks.  But when its good, its great!  Wrestling is melodrama, mythology, action, comic books, and so much more.  But the one thing that wrestling isn’t….is wrestling.

Hello sarcasm, my old friend....

You know, I don’t consider myself a man of many talents, but there is one talent in particular that I do feel incredibly proud of, and that is the ability to speak sarcasm rather fluently.  I consider sarcasm a close, personal friend, and one that has stuck by me for many years.  And in all my years of experience with sarcasm, I have come to find that it can be used in several different ways.  Some of those ways can be good, but more often than not, some of those ways can be bad.  

Recently, I have found myself experiencing the latter more often than anything else.  And you know something, I think I have finally reached my limit on the amount of negative sarcastic BS that I am able to handle without saying something about it, and changing things for what I think will end up being for the best.  Let me expound on that just a little bit.

Anytime you do something, say something, share something, there is always going to be at least one person that has some kind of issue with it.  Maybe they are offended by it, maybe they do not agree with it, or maybe they are seeing it so much from you and several of their other friends that they are being completely inundated with one topic, and they are tired of it.  And you know, to be completely honest, I totally understand that.  I am seeing the exact same type of thing from several different people, and most times it is something that I am not interested in any way whatsoever.

And I will be the absolute first person to admit that ya, I can get kind of obnoxious with the amount of things and the types of things that I choose to share or talk about.  There are certain things that I think are funny, or cool, or there are things that I think other friends of mine will like, so instead of taking the time to share those things with all of those individual people, I just share it with the masses, because even if I did take the time to share it with just a select few individuals, everyone is going to see it anyway.  

Now, to the people that I annoy, offend, bother, or just plain irritate, I just want to take a minute and thank you.  Thank you for either ignoring me, scrolling right by me, or by either telling me, or by just unfriending or blocking me.  To the people that choose instead to comment on things with a sarcastic tone with a hint of a deeper meaning, to the people that talk negatively behind my back (I have no idea if there is any, but I am sure there is at least one), why don’t you grow the hell up, grow a damn backbone, and come air your issues with me in person, or send me a message directly.  I am not a hard person to find.  Or better yet, just unfriend me.  Because honestly, I really feel that I no longer have time to deal with or associate with people who are going to be perpetually negative all the time.  It is really starting to rub off on me, and it's starting to affect me and the people that I do decide to surround myself with. 

I too was going to decide to play by that same, childish game, cause I am really good at that as well.  But after a discussion with my amazing wife, things kind of clicked in my head, and I then decided to grow up, and decided that life is much too short to waste my time trying to cater to the people that are choosing to live in a constant state of negativity.  If being that way suits your lifestyle, then that is what will work for you.  But I feel that no longer needs to be a part of my life.  And you know, if I end up losing a few friends over the fact that I am refusing to participate in their childish little games, then I guess we were never really that good of friends in the first place.  

A Fresh Start...

Well, it’s that time of year again.  The time for starting over, the time for new beginnings, and the time of year where people generally like to make proclamations on resolutions that they would like to accomplish throughout the upcoming year.  Well, for me, I want to try to get back into the habit of blogging a little more often, especially since my last blog post was back in April 2013, so I have come to the conclusion that what better time to start on this than now?

Now, since we are on the topic of resolutions, I think that will be the topic for today’s schpiel.  You see, I am just like everyone else when it comes to proclaiming New Year’s Resolutions.  I take days, sometimes even weeks, thinking of the things that I plan on doing different, or the things that I plan on changing about myself, and then I make sure to let everyone know about them, hoping that I can find someway to help keep myself accountable so I will be successful in completing my resolutions.  And, almost every single year, it does not take long before I fail in one or more of my resolutions, claim defeat, and totally throw that resolution out the window.  Now, you may be thinking, “That sounds crazy?  Why, after one failure, would he totally abandon ship on a resolution early on into the year?  There is still tons of time to redeem yourself?”  

Well, if you do find yourself saying that, or something similar to that, you would be correct.  That does not just sound crazy, it is, in fact, crazy.  But, here is my line of reasoning.  It’s not good reasoning, but hey, that is just how my brain works.  Every year, when I decide on resolutions for myself, they are usually time specific, or date specific, and if I miss a date, time, or something else very minor, it totally throws me all off.  Call it a slight touch of OCD, which I think might be the best way to describe it, but that is just how my brain operates.

So, this year I decided to do things a little bit differently.  Instead of giving myself a deadline, or making my resolutions super specific, I am going to go a little more generalized and broad, and see if I am more successful.  I have a feeling that I will be, and that is mostly because I want to be.  There are a lot of things that I want to start doing differently, and there are a lot of things that I want to start doing better.  I feel that, with me now being thirty years old, I need to finally have a come to Jesus meeting with myself, and accomplish these things that I want to do.  I need to start taking life a lot more seriously.  I have a lot of things left that I would like to accomplish, and if I don’t start doing them, they are never going to get done.  So, without any further adieu, here are a list of a few of the things that I want to accomplish not only in 2015, but possibly even beyond that.

1. Be a better husband and father (not that I am doing a bad job, but there is always room to get better)
2. Try and eliminate the negative from my life (life’s too short to spend it being negative and surrounding yourself with negativity)
3. Try and surround myself with more positivity (hey, you can never have too much of that)
4. Spend more time reading, either for my own enjoyment or reading to my daughter (I used to read a lot, but I have slipped the last few years.  I really need to get back into that habit)
5. Do something writing related every single day. (Whether it be writing, editing, or writing research, it doesn’t matter.  As long as something writing related gets done.  Besides, ACW is not going to write itself!!!)
6. Spend more time with friends.  (I have three people, other than my wife, that I consider my absolute best friends on this planet as of this writing, and we do not spend nearly as much time together as I think we should.  I need to look into fixing that.  One of them lives too far away, but I think I can still make that work)
7. Work on my health (Even though this is kind of far down the list, this one is really important.  I have recently hit rock bottom healthwise, and I really need to start getting serious and do something about that.  I usually am putting others before myself.  While this is something that I am not going to stop doing, I just need to make sure that I consider myself as equally important)
8. Strive to spend as much time doing as I do thinking (I am constantly brainstorming ideas for projects, and that is about where it stays, as a brainstorm.  I need to try and make more of these thoughts become realities. **cough cough** Nerdsweek **cough cough**)
9. Take time for myself (This will entail still making sure that I take the time to continue doing my favorite past time, consuming mass amounts of digital media.  I love listening to podcasts, getting caught up on old tv shows and movies, and of course, playing video games.  I need to remember that no matter how busy I get, I still take the time to do these things as well)

While I am sure that I could probably go on for days, I think that this is a good start.  There are a few of you that I already look to as a daily source of inspiration to get that shot of positivity that gets me through the day.  You don’t know it, but want to thank you for being there, and for maintaining your positive outlooks on life, because I know that it is definitely making a world of difference in changing my outlook, and I really truly do appreciate it.  Well, I think after two pages, that is enough of me being sappy and preachy for now.  But hey, this is my first post in almost two years, I can be a little wordy!  A lot of things have happened since the last time I posted….

The Life and Death of the Super Uber Kickass Nerdcast

Part One: The Life

Kids, let me tell you a story.  No, its not the story of How I Met Your Mother, but its the true story of the rise and fall of one of the coolest podcasts to ever grace your ear holes.  At one time, we thought that there was no power in the 'verse that could stop us.  Just like Kato and Nash, and even Tango and Cash, there was nothing that could break us up.  But, just like Joss Whedon's Firefly, our show came to a very abrupt end.  In our case, there were no Fox execs that pulled the plug on us, we pulled the plug on ourselves.  But how could such an awesome show that had a fairly steady following come crashing to pieces?  Well, here is my side of the story.

To understand how this whole thing came to be, I need to take you back a few months.  June 17, 2011 to be exact.  Now, what makes this date so significant?  Well, this day saw the release of the long awaited live action Green Lantern movie.  But more importantly, this day saw the formation of the coolest group ever to walk the face of the Earth, the Super Uber Kick Ass Nerd Squad.  Now, Pete and myself had gone way back, as we used to work together at Edwards Theater.  And then I had met Ryan through working together at Melaleuca.  And Adam and Ken had both been friends with Ryan for years.  

Now, all planets must have aligned or whatever, but we all met that day, and it was that day where the seeds were planted for the nerdcast.  After the movie, we stayed out in the front lobby for a few hours, chit chatting about every single nerdy thing under the sun.  Every time we were able to meet up, it usually ended up that way.  No matter what combination of us got together, it usually ended up the same way.  A bunch of nerds talking about a bunch of nerdy things...and it was great!  When you get a bunch of like minded individuals together, it is one of the greatest things ever.  We were not able to meet often, but when we were able to, we could have talked for hours.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get together as often as any of us would have liked to. 

Thus came the idea for the podcast.  Now, every so often when we got together, Pete would always bring up the idea of getting us together and doing a podcast.  Now, the first few times, we all sort of just agreed when the idea was presented, but then nothing ever seemed to come of it.  I mean, you don’t really hear a lot of demand for people wanting to sit and listen to a bunch of nerds giving their diverse opinions about all sorts of random nerdy topics.  But then, after bringing up the idea once again, you could see the gears turning in our brains, the smoke starting to pour out of our ears.  Finally, for some reason, it started to sink in that this whole podcast idea would actually be a really great idea.  The biggest perk of all of it?  The chance for us to get exactly what we were wanting...the chance for us to hang out a lot more often.  I mean, we were not going to be hanging out in person, but we would be getting to get together and talking, which was just as good.    

So, the decision had been made.  We were going to do a podcast.  But, with the majority of us unfamiliar for the most part what a podcast even was, we turned to Pete, who has listened to so many hours of audio entertainment, he eats, drinks, and sleeps podcasting.  We basically just decided to do whatever the heck we wanted to do.  What we wanted to do was capture the complete randomness of our conversations.  We wanted to try and find a nice way to keep our spontaneity but find a way to keep it short, sweet, and to the point.  So every week, we would put together a rough outline, where we would include a bunch of talking points, but for the most part, it would still be very natural.  

And in my opinion, the way to make this work, was for us to remember two very important things.  The first thing was to make sure that we tried to keep it as natural as possible, because if we scripted it too much, it would not be as good as if we kept it natural.  And the second thing, and I feel that it is the most important thing, that we needed to remember that this was going to be more than just a show.  In my opinion, it was never about the show.  I am really glad people liked and enjoyed listening to it week after week, but the most important thing I felt that we needed to remember was that this was never about the show, it was about a group of friends getting together, to talk about the newest, latest, and greatest things to hit the nerd community, to talk about the things in our own lives, and to enjoy each others company.

The Lights-nings and the Thunders

               Uh oh! Here they come again! Far off in the distance, there they are...dark, scary, storm clouds. You know what that means? That means it's going to rain again!

               Little Gracie Jo likes it when it rains sometimes. She thinks it's really fun to sit on the couch with her mommy and daddy, and listen to the rain hit on the top of her house, because it sounds like when you tap your fingers on the table really fast, and it sounds really cool!  Sometimes though, she really don't like when it rains outside! It usually gets super windy, it gets cold and chilly, and it gets really dark!

               And sometimes there are even really bright lights in the sky. Her daddy told her it was called “Lights-nings.” And she doesn't like when the lights-nings comes, cause that means that the sky is gonna make those loud booming noises too. Her mommy told her that those noises were called “Thunders.” When the lights-nings and the thunders come, she gets really super scared, and all she wants to do is run away, jump into her bed, and hide under her blankies.

               One time, when she was hiding under her blankies, waiting for the lights-nings and the thunders to go away, her daddy came into her room and snuck his head under the blankies with her. “Hey Strawberry Shortcake, what's the matter?” Her daddy asked her. She told him, “Daddy, I'm real scared! I don't like when there's all that noise outside when its raining! It makes me real scared! I like it better when it's just raining and there is no noises outside at all!”

               “Well,” her daddy said, “There is nothing for you to be scared of. It's not loud and scary like that all the time, it's only like that sometimes.” “How come its only like that sometimes daddy?” “Well honey, its only loud like that on special occasions.”

               “Now, let me ask you this little one. Do you know who makes it rain, who makes the sun shine, or even who makes the wind blow?” “There is a somebody that does all of that daddy?” “Of course there is honey! Those things don't just happen all by themselves.”

               “Then daddy, if it doesn't happen by itself, who does all of it? Is it my mommy?” “Oh honey, it's not your mommy, but it is a different kind of mommy. Her name is Mother Nature. She tells the Earth when to have the sun and moon come up, when the wind should blow, and even when it should rain and snow.” “Oh. Ok. So, is it like a big, giant mommy? That's so cool!”

               “But daddy, how come nature's mommy makes the lights-nings and the thunders? Someone should tell her that it's really super scary, and I can't hear it when it's raining on our house!”

               “Well sweetheart, the reason she is making those loud noises and bright lights is because she is taking pictures of the weather, of her friends, and other really neat things. You know the little toy camera that you have? Well, she has her very own camera too.”

               “Sometimes, when its really pretty outside, she sees one of her friends, or the weather outside is really cool looking, she takes pictures so she can remember it later. The loud 'Thunders' are her pushing the button on her camera to take the pictures, and the 'Lights-nings' is the light from her camera.”

               “Oh...so nature's mommy is just taking some pictures just like I do with my cambra? Oh that's so cool!” “Exactly! So see sweetie, there is nothing to be afraid of! And if you want, we can hurry and get outside, and see if we can be in one of Mother Nature's pictures? Do you want too???”

               “Sure daddy! I am gonna go get my mom and see if she wants to come too!” She flung the blankies off of her head, jumped out of her bed and raced to the other room to get her mommy.

               The three of them made it outside just in time to hear the last thunderclap echo through the sky, and the clouds started to clear up, revealing the most amazing rainbow they had ever seen.

               “Daddy, look at that rainbow! Do you think that nature's mommy got a picture of it?” “I'm not sure little one.” “Oh, well that's ok. Can I maybe go get my cambra and take a picture so I can show her next time she comes back?”

               “Of course you can honey!” She started to run into the house, but stopped after a couple of steps. She turned around, ran back to her daddy, and gave him a great big hug. “Daddy, thanks for helping me to not be scared of the lights-nings and the thunders! You're the best daddy ever! I love you!” And with that, she ran inside to grab her camera.  

5 X-Division Wrestlers Who Were Overlooked

               I want to share some of my opinions on the state of TNA's X-Division. I remember back in the days when TNA was first starting out, and the X-Division was at the forefront of the company. They were the main event, the main marketing tool to draw people into watch the show. It wasn't about weight limits, it was about no limits! Super exciting stuff...just like back in the early days of WCW's Cruiserweight Division, or even in ECW, the classic matches between Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psicosis were, arguably, legendary! But now, it’s as if the X-Division is almost an after-thought. So I think that the tournament that they have been having, bringing in X-Division stars old and new is a great idea! And also, who isn’t excited about the return of the six-sided ring, even if only for one night.

             With all of the things there are to be excited for, there are some things that I am kinda bummed about, mostly the choices of former X-Division roster members that they brought back. I mean, watching Austin Aries, Kid Kash, and Low-Ki come back and kick as much ass as ever before was awesome, but I think that there are a few superstars that they should have used. So here are my Top 5 choices of wrestlers I think were overlooked:

1. - Petey Williams: Former leader of Team Canada, he was a force to be reckoned with in the X-Division. He gained the extra edge he needed that helped keep him focused after getting taken under the wing of "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner, and with the awe-inspiring Canadian Destroyer finishing manuever, took opponents down for the count.

2. - Elix Skipper: The third essential part of the Triple X stable (along with "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels and Low-Ki) he was a part of one of the biggest Holy Sh!t moments of wrestling history when he performed his finisher The New School on Chris Harris off the top of the cage at Victory Road 2004. Bringing him back could possibly have us see the reuniting of Triple X, and start a bunch of new exciting feuds. (Triple X vs. Fortune is one I personally would love to see!)

3. - Jay Lethal: Mostly because, well, I think he should have never been let go. Plus, being a huge fan of the late Macho Man Randy Savage since I was a kid, I thought that Black Machismo was pretty damn awesome!

4. - Sonjay Dutt: The Original Playa from the Himalayas, Dutt was a very exciting individual to watch, and his feud with Lethal was always entertaining. I would love to see them go at it at least one more time.

5. - Johnny Devine: Another former Team Canada member, he spent most of his last run with TNA crusading against the X-Division with Team 3D, but with Chris Sabin out for the rest of 2011, I personally wouldn't mind seeing a reunion of Paparazzi Productions with Alex Shelly.

           

                        Well, there you have it. Five individuals from the TNA of yesterday that I think should have gotten a chance to show the world at least one more time what makes the X-Division so amazing, and what keeps us coming back to watch every Thursday night. I for one am excited to see the outcome of the series at Destination X, the rematch of AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, the rekindled fued between RVD and Jerry Lynn, and I think Samoa Joe and Kaz will make for a pretty exciting bout as well. I hope that they put on a great show and remind the world that it really isn't about weight limits, it’s about no limits!