CTFxC Army: We Are All Winners!

GREAT NEWS!

Actually, those are not the news I'm speaking of. Thank you, Jalopnik and Memebase o_O

I wanted to wait awhile before receiving the news straight from the source, but it is really GREAT NEWS!

Charles Trippy reported on his Facebook fan page that the doctors and surgeons, who removed his benign tumor from his brain, said he has a clean bill of health and is all clear to get back to doing what he does best: Daily video blogging, and playing bass with his fellow bandmates of We The Kings! ^_^ Praise the LORD for restoration and quick healing. With that being said, there are loads of families and friends in the world who are not as fortunate and must struggle with cancer and various diseases every day, in some cases for years. If you know of some people struggling with cancer or similar diseases, please remember to think and pray about them as often as you can.

God bless & all the best to Charles and Alli Trippy ^_^

An Apology to The Nearly Deads T_T

The Nearly Deads are in town. Yes, the band I was fireselling for the past year on this blog, is in town! I earmarked the month they would arrive, and even broke the news the band would appear tonight at the Hideout in Toronto (Well, I didn't know the venue, but I knew they were coming)!

We follow each other on Twitter, we are friends on Facebook, I write about them all the time, I listen to their EP almost all the time between Todd Rundgren and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, and I even made a shocking revelation about the identity of Movie Star Glasses Girl, only to discover in another in-depth investigation I was mistaken (Movie Star Glasses Girl is elusive o_O)

They are here, I'm excited, and I discover right at the death that I made a promise to be somewhere else that night >_< Wait, what? o_O

I wanna eat a giant pizza with TND T_T

There is a teens event at my church, however unlike previous events another group is coming so tonight's event will be MASSIVE. I promised to help out, and I anticipated having a good time as we plan on cooking lots of food ^_^, and if there is time left we will try to accidentally blow up something in the kitchen. When I realized too late that the concert and the giant cook-off would be on the same day, I was a little disappointed (You cried all night), and maybe even a little miffed (You sounded one of those ugly walruses with those giant schnozes).

This is a sad day in professional sports, I MEAN, professional...music o_O

In all honesty, I should go to the cook-off. Rumour has it "mac and cheese" or possibly even "Raisin Bran" will be involved ^_^ More importantly, if you give your word and you go back on it, then you can't really be a fan of anything. It's like saying you are fan of Manchester United, but you leave for Real Madrid the moment someone offers you more money (Like that will ever happen...shifty eyes, shifty eyes). I can still support The Nearly Deads, and I'm sure they will be back in Toronto, or maybe play at another venus close-by like in Buffalo, Cleveland, Montreal, or Ushuaia, Argentina (That's close?) Of course, Ushuaia is close, google it (Don't!). I know everyone at the Hideout tonight will have a great time, and they will listen to great music played by a great band with great musicians, who happen to be great people. I wish TND loads of success tonight, and they will be super awesome on the leg of their current tour ^_^ I'm just sorry I will have to miss it T_T

"NO, I'M NOT FRUSTRATED!" - Brian Billick, NFL Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens (1999-2007)

For My New Followers: Forgiveness

I wrote this a couple of years ago on my old webpage. Every now and then, or at least when the baseball season starts up again, I like to fix it up and re-post it. It is my favourite post, and even though I wrote about better things since then, I like reading it over every year just because the message is so true ^_^ This is not only for my new followers, but also to those who follow my blog and the "I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY" series may not be their cup of tea. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Remember your greatest mistake, your most embarrassing moment, or a moment in time you wish to erase or redo. Picture it happening in your mind again, and then again. Now, picture your family, friends, indifferent strangers, enemies, and millions of other people all over the world watching that same mistake you made.

Now picture this...

At the moment, there is anger because Armando Galarraga did not get what he "earned" through 8 2/3 innings of solid pitching. He "deserved" or "earned" the rewards that come from hard work, second effort, and loyalty to a cause. However, as is in life, most people on this planet do not get those things as rewards for their hard work or loyalty. Should baseball be the exception?

There are facebook groups dedicated to the ridicule of the man, who accidentally and apologetically, took the rewards away from Galarraga. The insults and the photos are an unfair smearing of a man that devoted his life and his energy to the game; some, if not all of what is said on Facebook and other websites by 'bloggers' and 'pundits', is too embarrassing and shameful for words.

I remember when my Dad umpired games here in Canada; he umpired a host of baseball and softball games in his community throughout the 80s and 90s, and he still has the gear and rulebooks in the garage of his house in Mississauga. He told me of a textbook tag at second base he ruled safe, when the world and everyone in it knew the runner was out. He lost his passion to umpire afterward, because the memory of that one moment took the fun away from umpiring. When I remember that story, I think of how I would act in that position. How would I react? What would I do?

Galarraga reacted like any of us would at that moment, but unlike any of us he accepted it with the grace and calm that only he could. After all, name another pitcher on the verge of perfection who had the rug snatched from underneath his feet? Neither could I. Perhaps there is a lesson all of us could learn from this experience. Not about instant replay, coach's challenges, base sensors, or electronic strike zones, because those regulate, not terminate, our frustrations with life.

Baseball hinges on the foul lines of fairness and controversy, the wrong call, the irate managers, and the umpteen million dollar a year third baseman from the Yankees my friend Ana hates so much. However, we still love the game, and we go for the unfairness, controversy, irate managers, and overpaid all-stars on THAT team. What is more, life is about unfairness, too, and yet we still wake up everyday and live each day for different reasons. Do we "deserve" perfection, the right call, sneakers, public transportation, and televisions preloaded with five hundred channels? Do we "deserve" a roof over our heads, food, water, or life? If so, for whom, over whom, or by whose authority?
Now picture this...

What Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce taught us is even when our intentions were good, we will fail. If each of us lives with the desire to see the best for everyone, then what would our planet, our cities, our neighbourhoods, and our lives resemble? What if we spent less time thinking about what we "deserve" and more time figuring out how to "bless" each other with what we have? If we had the capacity to forgive or be forgiven, what would our lives look like?

Probably, we would all be safe at home.

I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY: BLONDES...How Do I Write This? o_O

It seems like a staple on this site: Taylor Swift head shots o_O

I never understood what the fuss was about, or why people chose that BLONDES should be put down. The jokes and insults almost ruin BLONDE, and the BLONDES I came across over the years in real life, not in 'popular' culture, never acted or behaved that way.

I only knew of one girl in university with PLATINUM hair, and although I never said any of those things or subscribed to those beliefs just because one's hair colour was lighter than all the others, I also never bothered asking her how those jokes made her feel. Even bookstore chains would fill their shelves with joke book after joke book of BLONDE jokes, where one can read about or use them sparingly or as a means of showing disrespect. I knew that my friend, who has PLATINUM hair, is bright, intelligent, warm, and a graduate from the school of dry humour ^_^ I did have a friend in high school who was really cheerful and sometimes perky. I was really nervous around her for some reason, because I did not know what to say to her at times, nor did I tell her how much I appreciated her attempts at trying to make me feel better when life wasn't so cool for me...? She follow her on Twitter though; I should send her a tweet. Be right back...Alright, done! ^_^

I should apologize though, because halfway through writing and thinking about my experience with BLONDES I remember from an earlier blog about how Taylor Swift "redeemed" BLONDE hair, which doesn't need redemption. BLONDE like all other hair shades is neutral, and to preface being BLONDE as something negative that needs people like Taylor Swift to bring it back is wrong, so I'm sorry I wrote that. Too much of pop culture's perceptions of being BLONDE in music, movies, television, media are based on this false idea about BLONDES being slower or not as intelligent, and I realize now that it can take the indirect route into what I think and say. I should do more thinking o_O (I better call the hospital).

I'm sure if you ask a girl, who has BLONDE hair, if those things bother her she would probably say yes. Then again, there a lot of things said and done to women of different hair colours that even I am upset with, and I'm a dude! Super Bowl commercials and magazine covers are guilty, but those are the tip of a Greenland-sized iceberg. Where do you start the change in the culture? Where do you begin? Well, for me, it should begin with what I'm taught: To treat ALL women with the love and respect they are due "in all purity". That little quotation is from the Bible: It comes from a verse found in the first letter the apostle Paul wrote to his understudy, Timothy. You never know when something false will creep into your thinking about a class, gender, or community of people; some of the best movements start small, so take the time out to be polite, not just to BLONDES, but to ALL gals out there...Substitute guys with gals, if you are a girl (Hi, thanks for reading).

Dear BLONDES, Thanks for helping me out when I didn't know where I was going or doing o_O Stay awesome ^_^, Phil

Well, that's all of them: BRUNETTES, REDHEADS, NOIRES (!), and BLONDES! For the last couple weeks I wrote in bunches o_O, and didn't get a lot of sleep =_=. I'll go back to my regular schedule of blogging once a week, because I have quite a lot of work to do. I'm going to close with a video from my favourite PLATINUM singer and the alternative rock band she is in. You might know them ^_^ See you soon (The Nearly Deads ^_^ Aren't you a good guesser.) Oh yeah, Happy St. Patrick's Day...don't drink and drive!

I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY: The Mystery of BLACK HAIR

I am forever mystified by this mystery: What is the name given for having BLACK HAIR? I have BLACK HAIR o_O, and I don't know if there is a name for having BLACK HAIR. There are brunettes and redheads, but there isn't a title for having BLACK HAIR.

I heard different things over the years, but nothing ever stuck: Goth, Shadows, Obsidians, Obsidianas, Obsidianes, Noires (Phil Wood likes this), Blue Blacks, and so on. However, like those I ran into with BLACK HAIR there wasn't a title that stuck for all time. This confuses me, even now, but there is something attractive and mysterious about BLACK HAIR.

As I learned from years of toil and trouble at the paint store, the eye picks out darker colours faster than lighter ones. I know this because, as a kid, I would scribble stuff on the recently cleaned walls of my house, Momzo would rip up a tree from the backyard, and chase me with it...! o_O

There was an "unfortunate" incident with a Goth girl in my high school days. You may recall this story from an earlier post on my blog, but I did have a part to play in the dismantling of the Goth rage at my high school. More than a few students were into Gothic art, and one of them knew that I was a Christian. In an effort to get a rise out of me, she walked right up to me in the hallway and asked what I thought of her allegiance to Goth? o_O Reluctant and nervous about answering her query, I told her I liked it, and even found it attractive on some levels (I like lots of things as a teen, that's nothing new o_O). She gave me a look like I turned seven different colours in front of her, and left scratching her head. The Goth period fizzled out after that encounter, yet in hindsight it didn't have any legs to stand on compared to today's "emo" rage o_O.



Vanessa Hudgens keeping it real, er, BLACK o_O

As I remember those days, it says a lot about how my eyes were all about externals, and the assumptions I would make based on what I saw. Then again, this whole series is about how one goofy dude would behave or act out based on the external qualities of those around him, when in fact it should be about the mysterious, and attractive inner qualities that we should promote in our lives, homes, neighbourhoods, and communities. I went to a gross amount of places in this world, and I saw BLACK HAIR most of the time ^_^ Instead of assuming things based on the colour of hair a person has, if you take the time to ask and find out about one person you will find an entire world's worth of complex things that set that person apart from everyone else. If you are a believer like me, then you know that if you consistently ask questions, seek good counsel, and open the door to whom that motivates you or someone to act a certain way or believe a certain thing, in the end you will find things you didn't expect to find. BLACK HAIR doesn't need to be a mystery or have a name; just open your eyes and ask questions about the world you are in.

Dear those with BLACK HAIR, we rock #poundit. Stay awesome, Phil ^_^

I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY: REDHEADS - A History

BUCKET LIST: Karaoke with Hayley Williams ^_^

If you asked the HUGE version of me what my ideal bumper sticker for my car would be, he would stop eating his Delissio Pizza long enough to say "I STOP FOR REDHEADS", and then go back to eating again -_-

I would go crazy for REDHEADS, and freckles would drive the craziness to record highs never visited before. It took a long time before I could say that all girls and hair colours are tied for first, but in my younger days REDHEADS were the rage for dudes like me, and there were hardly any dudes like me, so that is saying a lot! I knew a few things about REDHEADS years ago.

1. There are only a few of them here.
2. There is one over there.
3. Phil, how did you get over there so fast?

I was terrible in high school -_- Whenever someone appeared at school after dying their hair to look like a REDHEAD, I would immediately find ways of being around them all day o_O The song "Creep" by Radiohead is for me, by the way. Perhaps it was knowing red hair colour was the most difficult to dye your hair to, or that natural red hair was the strongest and you could change it to any colour and maintain it longer than others? Maybe my crush on REDHEADS came from watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special too many times as a kid, and the television somehow etched the picture of Freda and her "Naturally Curly Hair" into the memory sinews of my brain? Why did I consider going to Ireland a "childhood dream come true"? What about that REDHEAD from the comic books I crushed on as a kid? o_O (My brain hurts...move on, Phil!)

Of course, I always knew a few REDHEADS growing up, and they are really nice, but for whatever reason I was too much of an idiot to do anything right by them. Sure, I was a friend, and I enjoyed being friends with them, but if I wanted something more I would always blow it up somehow -_- Right now, I'm thinking of one instance where I was a complete and utter jerk, and spent the last ten years trying to make amends for what happened. In the back of my mind, whenever I came across another REDHEAD, I would think back to that moment, and be extra nice to her to make up for it somehow o_O Of course, there are those instances where occupations or life would just get in the way of really good friendships. I'm thinking of one such friendship that recently came to an end because our lives were heading in different directions: I am reluctant to call her because it would look like I'm only calling her to get something, and I didn't have a valid reason. I think about her sometimes, and not just because she's a REDHEAD, but she is a HIP person to know.

Not all my stories with REDHEADS are doom and gloom, because there is one that went really well ^_^ (She's probably reading this right now ^_^ No doubt, she'll probably kill me o_O). I went through almost five years of high school, and I only saw her in my last year in Poetry class. I never saw her before, but she sat in the back while I sat in the front pretending I was a smartypants. Studies say a guy will glance at a girl 13 times before going over to talk to her; well, those studies were wrong. I grabbed my poetry textbook, hold it in front of my face, slowly peer over the book, and glance at her before scurrying back behind the book hoping she didn't see me. Every second time I tried that, she would stare right at me! O_O By the end of the class, I was under my desk looking for safety LOL

As time progressed, I did get the courage to talk to her and we are friends ever since then. I'm glad now that the friendships I have with REDHEADS are not as checkered as they were in the past, and I appreciate all of them ^_^ Hmm, you want proof? Okay!

1. You won't hear REDHEAD jokes from me. Partly because I don't know any, and mostly because the ones I heard don't make sense, and sound more than a tad offensive.
2. I would lose a singing contest to Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams any day of the week, so long as we would go out for karaoke and Pho afterward (Whatever I type on the internet isn't legally binding, right? Good ^_^) 
3. Excuse me for a moment: Hi Jessica! I miss you ^_^ #BIGHUGS. Please give a shout out to me on your next #AskWinchie show? Thanks!
4. Thanks for following me on Twitter and reading my blog, Lissette! (Phil waving) "This was super awkward!" LOL ^_^

I know I'm missing some of the other REDHEADS, but know that I do appreciate you, and while I can't speak for your other friends, I'm sure they do as well ^_^ I slowly getting better at being genuine around REDHEADS and not going bananas, which is good, because being genuine with people and going bananas for important things like the Wizard Card Game or Jolly Rancher "Awesome Twosome" candies.

Dear REDHEADS, I'm sorry for everything. Thanks for putting up with me. Stay awesome, Phil ^_^

P.S. If you guessed that I had a crush on Black Widow (Marvel), you are so wrong!

I AM NOT GIRL CRAZY: Something About BRUNETTES ^_^

Taylor Swift sporting BRUNETTE hair ^_^

I tried writing this to Van Halen; I realized fifteen minutes later that will never work >_< PANAMA! (cue EPIC air guitar solo) PANAMA!

I lived for almost thirty years now, and the most common hair colour I noticed, since I was fourteen, is BRUNETTE. There are many different shades of BRUNETTE: Chocolate BRUNETTE, BRUNETTE with highlights, BRUNETTE with one or a pair of silver swooshes coming down with one on each side of the face... ^_^ What? Oh yeah o_O However, various shades of BRUNETTE are not what this blog is about, at least not today...!

I started this week talking about BRUNETTES because, for over half of my life, most of the significant friendships and relationships I had growing up were with BRUNETTES (Not all at once, mind you, or a big time amount). For example, I go back to a story about how I met one of the first good BRUNETTE friends I had in high school. Now, I was shy and since it was my first year of high school, I didn't know enough about food to know that if I ate too much I would become HUGE. On one particular September lunch period, this one girl walked up to this loner goofball kid (PHIL), who was sitting alone at a desk facing the wall by the garbage cans, and she asked him if he wanted to sit with her and her friends at an actual table in the cafeteria. I was reluctant at first, but after a day or so I eventually became a regular at the big table. Sure enough, the shy kid also began making more friends, most of which are still around today; whether he is still a goofball is up for debate o_O Nevertheless, I still appreciate what that girl did for me in high school. Plus, that was when I started thinking and praying about finding someone like her to build a super-meaningful, no-cut contract life with ^_^ (For another story about a BRUNETTE who helped change Phil's life, click on "Dear JULIA"! Do it after you finish reading this, though.)


No, I did not and still don't go out and check out only BRUNETTES, because that would be stupid and narrow-minded. There is a whole rainbow of super awesome girls out there: You must want to treat each of them with respect, and then there is a strong possibility one will call you her "Mr. Right". In addition, I was only fourteen at that time, so I had a lot to learn about being a dude, what ladies look for, and why it's important not to burp in public. Not quite a tangent: When you read or write about burping, do you feel the need to burp, guys? Social burping, which is not unlike social yawning. Alright, moving on...

In hindsight, I notice that in specific and well-timed moments in life, some of those really good friendships I had were with BRUNETTES! I also noticed, even when I was a goofball or I did idiot-level things in life, they were patient, really good listeners, hospitable, and had lots of friends. STEREOTYPE BUSTER: With that said, I know lots of girls of various hair colours who are also patient and hospitable, and I thank them for putting up with some goofball characters, and for people as ridiculous and wacky as me. However, there are some BRUNETTES that aren't so good at being virtuous, and we need to pray for them, too.

It was possible, in that high school story, to stay or leave that desk by the garbage cans, and sit at another table with a different bunch of folks, or maybe the same group. However, all of the misconceptions I had sitting at that desk would go with me, and I wouldn't know as much about people as I do know. When you do something 'uncommon', take that extra step, and do something kind for someone, you never know what's going to happen, but both you and that other person will not be the same again.

So, the perfect woman for Phil may or may not be a BRUNETTE, but over the years I learned the perfect woman for Phil is patient, a really good listener, hospitable, and someone I should honour and respect at all cost.

Dear BRUNETTES, Stay awesome...and tied for first. Thanks, Phil ^_^