What Counts?

My father law has done it. He's gone to all 50 states. However, before I met him, my basketball travels brought me all over the United States. I had decided to see all 50 states before I spent time exploring the globe. So for me, I was fortunate to find someone (Kim) who knew someone else (father-in-law) who can appreciate my bucket list goal.

Just the other night I had a conversation with my father-in-law regarding what it would take to visit every state. I am under the belief that to say you've visited a state one has to do more than walk inside the state limits. The reason being, Colorado borders Kansas. But most of Colorado doesn't anything look like Kansas. Just the borders do. So traveling to the border to put your feet in doesn't really give an authentic feel for the state.

Is this Kansas?

So I've adopted the philosophy that one has to experience something within the state limits. Does an airport count? No. But it is within state limits and one usually spends more time in an airport than they'd like and it does fall within state limits. I view the airport like Vatican City within Rome or a consulate (enclaves or independent city-states). 

If you real think about it, when you think of your experience in an airport, do you think you've visited another state, or just another airport? Usually you think you've visited another airport.

That leads me to thinking, if your driving across a country or into a new state, stopping at the rest stop doesn't count either. If it is a break in driving to fill up on gas or empty your contents, isn't the state just like an airport? To me the experience sounds the same.

Dino, is this Kansas?

What do you think? If you drive to let's say Alabama from the pan handle in Florida just to put your toes on the other side of the border. Did you really VISIT Bama?

Edaville

A couple of weeks ago we took the family out to Edaville. Obviously Jackie had a blast, but it was a great excuse to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. They made the trip up from Connecticut so that they could spend sometime with Jackie and MJ. On brisk fall morning that turned into probably the best day of the fall, what more could someone expect?

Check out the video below to see the events of the day. And yes, there was a surprise in the form of a close friend and family member who also went to Edaville (Carver, Ma).

Hello

When I first found out that my wife was expecting our first child, I began writing a diary of the days leading up to my son being born. I thought at some point I'd give it to my child when they were older. It ended up turning into a great way for me to relay the thoughts I was having about the pregnancy, questions I puzzled over before becoming a father, and it also gave me time to think and look back on my life. 

Below is the first entry I put into the notebook.

February 5, 2013

Hey,

A week ago I found out your mother and I would be expecting you. I've got to say I am pumped. That means excited.

Yesterday your mother and I went to the doctor to get more information about you. I learned that you are the size of a grain of sand. With that being said, you still have a heartbeat. A pretty strong one too. That won't be the last doctor's visit. In fact, there will be lots of them.

Today I decided that I would write you a letter that you could read someday. I’ve got so many thoughts and ideas racing through my head about you. Eventually you will get to know me pretty well but here are some things about me that you should have already learned about me: I like to eat, I am from Bloomfield, CT, I’ve got an older brother, Josh (your uncle), a younger sister named Allison (your aunt), your mother's name is Kim and she is older than me. Mom has an older brother named Tommy and a younger brother named Mickey (both of them are your uncles) and Mickey is married to Amanda (your aunt) and Amanda is from Brazil. You've got 2 sets of grandparents. My parents are "off the boat" from Jamaica (Leroy and Hope). Kim's parents are life long residents of the United States (named Pat and Tom).

You are going to get to know me well. I can't wait until the day I get to meet you. Every night I kiss you "home" (mother's belly) goodnight. I love you so much already and I hope you always remember that.

Sincerely, 

Your Dad

SMASHbook Day 3 Challenge

What I'm Doing Now (wearing, weather, wanting, needing, thinking, listening)

Wearing: sweatpants and a white t-shirt

I've been told that I am not very sentimental and that is not true at all. Years ago my mother bought me a pair of sweat pants which I still own. I should stop pretending that I don't remember the year, what she said when I opened up the gift wrapping, and why she got the sweatpants for me. It was my sophomore year of college. The previous summer my mother had purchased a gym membership for me to Gold's Gym. Apparently she thought I was going to live in the weight room, being a college basketball player had something to do with her thinking. But I went maybe twice a week during the summer. There were lots of guys who, "Picked things up and put them down." I didn't fit in, I didn't want to be there, and frankly I couldn't afford the gas to drive to the gym across town because I didn't have a summer job.

Months later on Christmas morning, opening the gift I saw cozy grey sweatpants with Gold's Gym Training stitched into the left leg. A smirk crossed my face and my mother gave me one of those lines that makes her her, "I should have returned the sweatpants since they cost more money than days you went to the gym." If that doesn't make sense to you, literally what she meant was she had spent more whole dollars on the sweatpants than the amount of times I had gone into the gym. What she really meant figuratively was I'd only do something like that for you because I love you but I feel like I wasted money buying the sweatpants and the gym membership on you.

I love you too mother, I've still got the sweatpants, and they really are cozy.

Weather: cold and very fall like in New England

My favorite time of the year is fall. I feel like I say every season is my favorite when I am going through it. However, I truly think fall is my favorite. After all it is cool enough to wear long sleeves, brisk enough some days to wear a light jacket and honestly, the foliage can't be contained in words. A crisp autumn night puts me into the mood for Friday night football, apples straight out of the orchard, and training for the upcoming basketball season.


Wanting: to go to bed or 7 hours of sleep

Most days I wake up with the promise that I am going to do whatever I can to be in bed by 8:30pm. I make resolutions to drop all bad habits before bed, stick to a schedule, and get everything done so that I can get to sleep. And like a kid who realizes the characters on TV are actors pretending to be someone they aren't, I pretend that I am going to get to bed at reasonable time. I go through my day acting the part of a guy who isn't sleep deprived. Driving to and from work chewing gum to stay awake, sipping on water when the novelty of gum wears off, stopping to get pizza when I realize food always perks me up, and listening to books on Audible to keep my mind from drifting to sleep.

By the time I get home, there is more than enough to do that would keep me up past 2 am. I usually procrastinate and get none of the items on my ever growing to-do list accomplished. By the time 10:30pm rolls around, I finally put my mind through mental jumping jacks that are entirely unnecessary. Should I stay up another hour because it is already late or should I go to be now and still hit snooze a number of times?


Needing: a work out

After playing in a basketball game a couple of nights ago, I don't want to lose the "shape" or the wind I got from playing. Even though I really really need to rest my old bones, I know that I am planning to play again next week. The only thing that could be worse on my body next week is only working out once a week. The problem is that my mind will think I am improving week by week. Even if my game isn't getting any better.

I can see it now. After scoring 10 points in 2 minutes, I was on top of the world. Those were the only points I scored for the game. You only know that because I told you even though the score box would have you believing it was over the whole course of the game. Next week, after not working out since the last game, I'll try to go for 20 points in the whole game. I'll end up with a sprained ankle, busted knee or pulled muscle in my back. Just me biting off more than I can chew.


Thinking: I have no time to do all the things I want. I've always said, "If it really mattered to you, you'd do it." But that isn't always true. There are better times in the day to do somethings. So, that makes it hard to squeeze the wanted things into the day.


Listening: Planning Phase-My daughter cry over the monitor. Jackie is trying to make her happy but, she wants to come out of her crib. So the more he stands there trying to talk to her and play with her, the more she cries cause she wants to get out.
Editing Phase- Kanye West's the College Dropout courtesy of Amazon Prime Music. Kanye is always worked up about something or another. Especially back when no one gave him a handout and he was trying to become who he is today. When you are grinding, is there anyone else who can get you to think you can literally take the world over by yourself? Nope, Kanye is the man for the job.Look out world, Chris has been lyrically touched by Kanye!

SMASHbook Day 2 Challenge

Goals:

One of my goals that I'd like to achieve is to publish a book. And not put out a self-published book. There is nothing wrong with a self published book. One of my good friends and former teammates Tyson self-published a book, Hoop Dreams Fulfilled (for more info on his book Tyson's Website), and I couldn't be more proud of him. There is just something appealing in knowing that I went through the grind of getting my words, opinions and thoughts mass printed. Even if those words, opinions and thoughts are not successful, to know they could be widely read at anytime is awesome.

The narcissistic side of me says, "Chris, you want your name and your words to live on forever once you die." Although the narcissistic side appeals quite a bit to my goal setting, that isn't entirely how I think. The biggest reason why I want to publish a book is I've always enjoyed telling stories. Whether they were tall tales that landed me in trouble as a child, colorful retelling of my adventures through adolescence, and the underrepresented events of early adulthood of college athletics.


Another goal I have is to make a real difference to someone. Being a teacher helps. There are times I feel there are so many people out there doing good and what I am doing doesn't even compare. It's not a competition about who can be more holier than thou, it would just be nice to know that there are people out there who need something that I can offer.

SMASHbook Day 1 Challenge

Day 1: About Me

I've written About Me's so many times I could almost do it without putting too much thought into who I am. With writing About Me sections for my students, their parents, on a resumé, and on my website, I feel like an About Me professional.

To make this About Me standout, I've decided to go away from telling about my Jamaican parents and leave out who I was as a basketball player. Instead I am going to focus on what is most important to me, my children.

About Me:

Jackie and MJ are my world. I'd do anything I could for them. Growing up I had always wished to have a family. I thought I'd love my children but I never knew why though. To me, parents loved their children because they were around them for such a long time, and, they were supposed to. Now that I am a parent love has a new meaning.

Getting married I learned love meant bringing out the best in someone else. Having a children taught me love means being selfless. Their happiness means more than my own happiness. Their discoveries are my discoveries, too. The more I think about it, the more I love my children.

To know what's most important About Me and who I am today can be summed up in one word: father.