Final day in Texas and coming home!

Well, the day has come. After about 6 years here in Texas, I am about to move back with family to the Florida Keys and start life anew again. I have been looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Don't get me wrong; Florida is and always will be my home and I am just wondering after the tragic events of last year's Hurricane Irma if home can still work out for me in the long run.

As for my life here in Texas, it has been a great run. About a week ago, I had my last day at my job at Adventure Landing and had to say farewell to all the friends and work buddies I made during my employment there. I am going to miss all those friends I made there and hope for the current staff that they carry on and make Adventure Landing a good place to work in my place.

For life outside of work, it was good. I got to own my first car ever, got to travel to some unique places around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and enjoyed some of the good events that happened during my time here.

Now, that I am about to leave back to a place I am familiar with, I will look forward to building a better life for myself back home and hope to find better opportunities for myself down there. Once again, I am excited for new life down there in the Keys, but just hoping for the best whatever comes next in my life.

For those friends I made in Texas, thank you for your kind ways and helping me adjust to Texas in a big way. I appreciate everything that you guys have done for me since my time here and you all will have a special place in my heart.

For those friends that I have in the Keys, I just want to say I am coming home and hope to catch up with everyone down there. Florida Keys, here I come!

Tony

Man, it feels great to be a Raider fan again!

Today feels like the return of old times as my favorite team since 2001, the Oakland Raiders, won their 10th game of the season against the Buffalo Bills. In a season that was defined by returning the culture to a winning organization, it didn't come without a bit of drama (and a scare) as it was another close knit victory again.

I am just so proud that the team is back to their winning ways-a lost technique that they used to hold dearly about 14 years ago. The last time my team was in the playoffs was when I was back in high school as a sophomore. They went all the way to the Super Bowl that season (but lost horribly to Tampa Bay) and were regarded as one of the best teams during the early 2000s.

After that season, it was losing season after losing season after losing season that involved changes at head coach, horrible drafting (*cough* Jamarcus Russell), and refusal to find that formula to help us become a winning organization once again. At the time, I was considering changing favorite teams as some of my friends and family suggested, but I stuck with the team in spite of the continued failure.

All of that changed when the culture around the Raiders was in unknown territory after the death of the late, fabled owner, Al Davis (R.I.P.) in 2011. It was a time when the team started to come together in the face of organizational tragedy.

We now have a trusted GM making wise decisions, a head coach who has been to the promised land before, and young and promising talent capable of taking us to places where we haven't been in the past 14 seasons.

At 10 wins and 2 losses, it looks like our long playoff drought will be a distant memory. Now, I don't expect this Raiders team to be in the Super Bowl this year-I just wanted them to make the playoffs and gain respect from all of our opponents.

However far we go this season, I remember all the losing we have done in the past and the struggles to get back to that winning formula, and believe it was all worth it to get back to the promised land. All I can say is that it feels great to be a Raider fan once again and I am loving every moment of it!

At a Crossroad in Life

We all seem to reach a point in our lives to find a crossroad. There are several paths many of us take in life-the one we seem to continue on because we get used to it and are unable to change, and then there is another in which something completely different can happen in your life for the better or for the worse.

At this point in my life, I feel I have come to the same crossroad over and over again, but I choose to take the path for the lifestyle I am used to. Now, I feel like I want to take a different path to change my current lifestyle for the better (and hopefully not for the worse).

What I am contemplating about is my current situation in which I would like a better job, a place that I would like to call mine, and possibly a better lifestyle that comes with it. With all the complications such as paying for bills and being by myself for the most time, I would certainly life to call for a change in life.

Why I continue to take the path I usually take is such a mystery, but the only reasons that I can find is that I am used to the lifestyle that comes with it and the minimum benefits that are rewarded. Now, I feel at this time to take a different path that will hopefully come with benefits that are more suitable for myself.

I know it is not just me that goes through the same situation, but mostly everyone else would go through the same stuff that I am going through. We all would like to gain the most in life and would like to live life to the fullest, and not be cheapened by what we should be worth in life.

More opportunities grow by the day for everyone and it should not be wasted at any point in life. So I hope to take a different path to enjoy life, and hopefully everyone should do the same as well.

How a 10 Year Reunion can change your outlook on life

This past weekend, I just celebrated my 10 year high school reunion with the KWHS Class of 2005. It was a lot of feelings of deja vu as you see that despite all the life changes that each of my classmates have experienced, they are still the vibrant, funny, and exuberant people that they are since back in our high school days.

Of course, the first event that I met each of them (our first event was a meet and greet at Rick's Bar downtown), the usual questions come from everyone who approach me. "How are you doing?" "What are you doing in life right now?" "Where are you living?" When I answer to everyone, it's clear to everyone that I haven't realized my full potential in life just yet.

That's ok though, some others haven't either, but it's a great thing to get some helpful advice from those who actually care and take some time to listen to my story. I always feel that any advice that I get from friends, family, and any other influential people makes a huge difference into what I do in the future moving forward.

After seeing all of the changes that my fellow classmates have been through in their lives, I feel like this should be the perfect opportunity to try and change my life for the better. Although it will take some time to process how I should assert myself in life, I feel this should be the perfect time in life to start at this moment.

Hopefully at the next reunion that we have, I'll feel like I'll be better prepared to tell all of my classmates how my life has changed for the better. For now though, it was a pleasure to see people that I graduated with make their way through the struggle known as life. It was great to see you guys from the Class of 2005!

Love is difficult to find

A lot of people at this point of the year would like to seek that special someone to be with. For me, it's always been tough...it's like a glass ceiling that is actually made of metal and you can't even break through.

For many, it is easy and still easy to get a significant other for themselves while others like myself are still wanting that special someone to have to care for. I can admit myself that I feel a bit of jealousy looking at some of my friends who are already married, or are having a boyfriend/girlfriend that I myself would like to know what it feels like.

Being single for my entire life, I start to learn why I have been single up to this point. When I have been shy for most of my life not wondering what to say to others how I think, how I feel, or how I live, you think what others may think about you.

Having a relationship with someone is the most happiest feeling that anyone would be blessed to have. To have that feeling of love, company, and trust with one another is what anyone would enjoy no matter how old or young you are.

I do not think that any one person should continue to live single as long as I have...those people should have a significant other to care for. They deserve to have that one moment in their lives that make them feel that happiness with another person.

However, it is quite difficult to find these days when you try to be as nice and courteous as you can like I have and not get that happy moment with someone else as much as you would have envisioned it.

I would hope that this would not continue for myself and I would like to have a relationship with someone as should any other single person out there. They should enjoy life with any other person as much as they like to be happy.

Happiness...What is it?

Everyone seems to have their own view of happiness...whether it is being with friends, being in a relationship, starting a family, enjoying a job that they love, and accomplishing a goal that seemed damn-near impossible to reach. As I see it, it seems kind of impossible to know if I am content with happiness or if I am still looking for more to make me happy.

As it stands, I've done a lot up to this point that makes me a great person...being friendly among everyone who is around me, earned a college degree, and just improved on being a very social person. So I keep asking myself, "why am I still not happy?"

It just seems like the more I miss out on the fun things in life, the more the happiness seems to slowly but surely fade away. I'd like more fun things to happen in life like travel to places I've never been to before, meet with more people (and possibly start a relationship with someone), and just discover more possibilities that would make my life better.

Until then, right now I am content with life as it is right now...being with a family that enjoys life as it goes by, being at a job that brings joy to children (as hard as it is to work with them), and having friends that are willing and able to help you enjoy life as it comes. I'd still be asking what can I do to make myself even happier as life goes by. I'm sure everyone asks themselves this question as well, and does enough of an effort to earn the pursuit of happiness.

Hope everyone enjoys life as it comes!

My 2013 so far...

Already past the half way point of 2013 and it has been a mix of highs and lows so far. It is almost the one-year anniversary of me leaving Orlando for Texas and it has been quite an adjustment for me to make. I still have been at my job at Adventure Landing for almost a year and have seen a lot of changes there including the friends that don't work there no more and new people that do...I swear, it is as if I do not even recognize the place anymore. Can't tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but it affects me more to either keep working there and hope something good happens or leave and find better work elsewhere.

As for life at home, it seems to be settling more despite my little dog, Ollie, getting sick over the past weekend. The poor little thing had to be put in the vet hospital for 3 days and so far has seen a lot of improvement. My little brother, Andrew, unfortunately had to put his culinary dreams on hold and is currently working at a craft store called Hobby Lobby. His friend, Brine, is currently looking for work as well. My mom still does a lot of arts and crafts hobbies at home while her husband, Charly, continues to do more work for the movie theater, Cinemark, and I must say he does a lot more travelling for his work than all of us.

A lot of things coming up in the future such as my little brother, Stephen's wedding to his high school sweetheart, Deanna and I am currently looking forward to returning to my home town of Key West, Florida...a place that I have not been to since moving away from there in 2009, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what has changed since then. I'm also looking forward to seeing the rest of my family and wondering what they have been doing for the past year.

Not a lot of great things to look forward to for my sports teams though as most of my favorite pro teams are in last place or close to it...pretty much sucks to be a fair weather fan, but I can live for it as long as the future remains bright for those teams. Definitely can't wait for football season though...there's no better time in sports than that!

I can only hope for the best that 2013 will end on a very high note personally and mentally too. I hope everyone else out there has a great rest of 2013 as well!

Peace and love to everyone out there!

First couple months of being a Texan

They say as one story ends, another begins...

After I left Orlando, I left to live with my Mom, Stepdad, Brother, and Stepbrother in Grapevine, Texas (which is a province around the Dallas Metroplex Area). My first thing to do when I got here was to find work at some place that was able to get me financially back on track.

After putting in application after application to many places, I found success in a job at a Arcade/Mini-Golf/Go Kart place called Adventure Landing and for the first time since 2010, I was working. It was a hassle trying to get used to all the requirements and skills necessary to keep this place ship-shape.

I even got to make friends with some of the employees there and there are some interesting characters there if I do say so myself. Some have been working there long enough to know how much like prison it is to work there, but to me, it's all about satisfying the families (especially the children, ugh).

Meanwhile, at home, it's the same chill family but dealing with some occurrences like Mom and her recently injured neck (please God, hope she will be better soon), and Drew recently starting his time at Le Cordon Bleu in hopes of becoming a chef. However, the more things change, the more they feel like staying the same.

As for how I feel, I do miss a lot of my friends in Orlando, Key West, and the rest of the crew in Florida because it is hard to get used to living in another state when you have lived in the same state for almost 10+ years.

This is only the start of my time as a Texan now, but soon, I will make some opportunities become possible so I can explore the rest of the world as I intend to. For now, it's making the crawl toward those opportunities happen. Hope my friends, my family, and my recent new friends enjoy life as it comes to them as I will in the next few months ahead.

A Melancholy Farewell to Orlando (and to Florida)

As I pack the last of my things here, I am getting ready for the next part of my life in Texas. I leave this Wednesday and I am dreading leaving every friend I have made in the past few years in Key West and here in Orlando as well. I do like to return back here to Florida one day and possibly live here again if I could, but I guess that is life and you have to move forward.

Making new friends is sometimes hard to do and I will never replace anyone who has respected me and I did nothing short of giving respect back in return, but it is something that I will have to get used to. I hope to find work in Texas that will get me somewhere in life worth living for. I will however enjoy getting to see my mom, her little dog Ollie, Charley, and Drew (who will begin college at Le Cordon Bleu).

I've accomplished a lot of things up to this point such as graduate from UCF, broke out of my shy habits, and even made a lot of friends here. It has been a long time since I cried about going somewhere else (haven't since my high school graduation), but I feel like I will as soon as I board my plane out of here because I am going to miss this place and as well as this state so damn much. I must do whatever it takes to get my life in order for the real world and make either an attempt to return to Florida or to go any place else. That is what is facing me.

If any friends are reading this, I just want to say thank you so much for being a part of my life, I love you and will miss each and every one of you!

End of Fall 2011 and in Texas for the 1st time since mid-2010

wow, it is sure weird that time has moved so fast and that the Fall 2011 semester has ended. as for how i did, i passed all of my classes this semester (an A- in one class, 2 B's, and a B-) and i am damn well satisfied going into the Spring on how i should finish my time at UCF.

i am now at my Mom's new house in Grapevine, Texas and i gotta say it is a BIG improvement from their last house in Bedford. first off there is more room, there is more atmosphere outside, and that there is a lot of good channels to watch on TV here (compared to my basic cable in Orlando). to make matters a bit better, the weather is a lot cooler here (i am looking at my computer thermometer and it is 47 degrees outside, brrr!) and i am hoping that one of these days that it would snow here (wishful thinking, but it could happen).

my family looks a lot different in which my mom has a new hairstyle and my brother, Drew, looks tall as ever. i sure do miss my dad and my little bro, Stephen. guess i will be able to see them at either my or Drew's graduation.

in closing, i hope that all of my friends and family are having a great holiday season so far and enjoy this great time while it lasts. hope everyone is doing well!

another Thanksgiving in Orlando

well once again, i will not be seeing some of my family and friends for Thanksgiving...instead it will just be another day of eating and business as usual. it is times like these that i do miss many of my friends and family for these times. on the schedule for tomorrow is watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, finding a place to eat, watching NFL football, and probably going to talk with my family by phone...joy.

however it is not all bad for me. if there was one thing to be thankful for, it would be for all of my friends and family members because without them, i would not be able to get to the point of my life of where i'm at right now.

with the Fall Semester close to an end, i am very excited that i will go get to see my mom, my step dad, and my brother (who will be graduating in May like me). there is however still an empty space that has not been filled and it's the support by my family that makes it worthwhile. anyways, i hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and would like to tell you to be happy for the life that you have right now and hope that it does get better!

Reflecting upon 25 years of TJ...

I look at the number 25...and I think, WOW! I sure have grown up so fast! I went to a multitude of places during all of my time including Key West (twice), Homestead, so many cities in Iowa, Tacoma (Washington), Idaho, Ft. Walton Beach, and even where I am now in Orlando.

All the things I have done in life up to this point can drive me to several places including playing in one sport for three straight years (4th grade-Basketball, 5th grade-Football, 6th grade-Soccer), being in the band for my middle and high school years, being in the choir for my elementary and high school years, getting my high school diploma, my associates in arts degree, and (soon enough) my bachelors in arts degree...whew, that's a lot of talk.

Today, I celebrate a quarter of a century of my life in which I did it my way with the help of family, friends, and other people who have helped along the way as well. I am thankful for the life I am living so far and I hope it will only get better. What the future holds for me? No one knows, but I know it will be getting better as it shapes up...and who knows? maybe in the next 25 years, i'll be blogging with a career, a wife, and successes (wishful thinking, right?) For now, I celebrate my birthday with the fact that I lived through my early years as successful and hope to gain more in the next coming years!

September went fast!

Boy, what a September it was...and it went by so quickly I didn't even think it went by so much. It was the fresh beginning of my final year at UCF and I began in a new major track in Broadcast Generalist. Now, a couple weeks later, I feel much more accomplished and hopefully had good grades to start the year with. I also have a couple of my friends that I used to have in previous classes to help me out.

As the end of September has reached, I feel great to have accomplished so much early on, but I've gotta stay on task and keep on the ball here...there's always a habit of the work getting harder and it's up to me to get through ok.

Next month is my birthmonth as my birthday is on October 17...on a Monday no less, ugh! There is also some more things going on campus as well as I try to look into possible internships to have before I graduate next year. The responsibilities keep getting harder, but I will look to get through it all right.

That is my life up to date so far...hope everyone else is doing great and hope to see you soon if I either see you or get a chance to talk to you guys!

Oh, the changes my friends have had

It may sound crazy but I still feel like my high school graduation was like only 1 year ago (when really it has been 6 years since I graduated from Key West High School). Since then, I've witnessed a lot of changes happening to all of my friends whether it is getting married, having a baby, and working in some place great after college graduation (or just right out of high school).

Soon, I'll be joining them, but probably will have to make a rain check on marriage and babies being born until I have a girl to spend my life with, lol! It still does feel strange that the same people I've made friends with over the years in high school, college, and anywhere else have changed for the better.

I hear all the time the same status quo message from my friends to "live life to the fullest", but my friends have really lived life and they are getting better with each passing day. I use this as motivation to improve as well so my life can be just as enjoyable or maybe even better than my friends are. So, to all of my friends near and far from where I'm living now, keep living life to the fullest...I will soon be joining you!

How much I miss home...

I go around here in Orlando looking at all the places to have fun at...but it is no secret that I do miss Key West. I've made so many friends, made a reputation of myself, and gone through all of the good and the bad times down there when I lived in Key West.

Back then, there were so many fun things to do around there such as the Magic Carpet Miniature Golf, two Laser Tag places and a fair once in a while. Now there is not much fun around except for the beaches, the downtown bars, and the attractions telling the history of Key West.

Despite that, it was a place of joy for me because I made friends and was able to come out of my shell thanks to them. If I did not have many friends, I would probably not be the fun loving TJ that you would see me as today. I always remember all the fun times in Key West including Fantasy Fest, New Year's, and the parties that I loved going to.

For many who have not experienced Key West, I tell you it is pure paradise and once in a while you should go here and for many who have lived and went to Key West, you would enjoy going back and seeing all the changes that have happened...I know I would. It has been 2 years since my family has moved from paradise (except my brother Stephen who is living with his girlfriend, Deanna) but I really would like to go back someday and enjoy a drink at a bar, a relaxing day at the beach, and socialize with others here and there.

For 10+ years, I loved being in Key West and even though I am not there, the fact that I lived there made me who I am today!

10 Year Reflection of September 11th

It's been strange to know that today is the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. A lot of people have been apprehensive of this day while others believe since that day we have become stronger.

Ten years ago, I was a freshman at Key West High School and I was sitting in the middle of my environmental science class only to see the tragic events happen right on the television. The cities of New York and Washington DC were left to ponder in sheer terror of the events that have just occurred and the events that would have happened for the last plane had it made its quest to destroy whatever it was aiming at. Many people were devastated at this time including my family.

At this time, my dad was just coming back from a year leave to Korea during his time in the air force and was preparing to leave for his next assignment at Ft. Walton Beach and my mom was working at AIDS Help Inc. in Key West. My brothers and I were very devastated that this would happen and each day, week, and year since, we have seen the advances on how we would make our country stronger than it has ever been.

Since that tragic day, we have compromised two lethal leaders in Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, have tightened a grip on airport security, and minimized terrorism to the point that it should not happen anymore. If you would ask me if we are a safer country, I would say we are but not to the point of being invincible, but close to it. I am thankful for every person that has sacrificed their lives to help us gain our freedom and for all the former people in the service, including my dad, for their dedication to making our nation stronger than ever. To all the men and women serving overseas, we love you, we thank you, and come home safely!

Everything is settling in so far

One week right after everything was so meek and desperate, finally things are settling in here. I finally have my money for the semester, I finally have the front door key to my apartment after waiting for so long, and my classes seem to be more understanding than I have anticipated. It would seem that my life is back on track, but if I kept saying that to myself, I'd only be fooling myself in believing in something that was not real.

Still some things are not in place yet such as finding a part-time job here in Orlando (I have already applied to at least 20 jobs and for some damn reason they don't have the gall to ask me for an interview at least) and I am most recently going to apply for an internship for next semester since I've only got one more class to complete for that semester. I keep telling myself to never give up and keep trying because there are a lot of negative people in this world that keep telling me that I will never get into this or that and I just pretend I'm watching a screwed-up TV show and just press the mute button on the remote and don't listen to them. In this time, we have a screwed up economy, but I know it's not screwed up enough to get a part-time job--I know this already, but come on...money's tough enough to keep as it is; at least call me for a damn interview at least.

However, for the most part, life in Orlando is getting back in place and I'm know I'm going to finally finish next semester. For now, it's just about making it reality. In other events, football season is fully back with the NFL season just starting last night and the college season in full flux. For the most part, most of my teams in college and in the NFL should do decently especially for the Knights, Noles, and Hawkeyes. My Oakland Raiders begin Monday Night against the Broncos and I should expect some improvement to at least make the playoffs and not have another dull season of 5-11 or 4-12 for that matter.

School life is looking to get very interesting so far...I am taking 4 classes. My military history since 1900 class is getting interesting and since I have a family member who was in the military for some time, this may be appealing to me. Another class is Regulations of Broadcasting is a class in which there are some opinions on how broadcasting has originated and how it should look today...may not have very many opinions on it, but since I'm watching NBC in the morning for the Today Show or Local News in the morning, I may become more informed on it. Another class is Public Relations in which we learn how the public is well informed on influence and since we have our class in an auditorium, material should not be that hard to learn. My last class, but fun class, is RTV Advertising in which we learn about sales but the fun part about this class is we earn points to gain in case we don't do well on exams and any other assignments. A very interesting load for this semester but I'm hopeful to gain at least a few A's for this semester (since I came into UCF, A's have been rare to get in my case).

Anyways, that is my life so far and everything seems to be settling in better. To all my friends, family, and any other people interested, I hope that your lives seem to be settling in better as well and do not be afraid to try something new because you never know if it will benefit you for the better!

On the eve of another football season

Finally, football season has arrived and I'm back into the mix of looking forward to it...after all I most likely will be going into sports whether it will be announcing, advertising, etc. My school's team, the UCF Knights, just came off of their best season in school history including winning their first bowl game ever and they look to build upon it. For my other teams, the Florida State Seminoles are looking great at #6 and hope to get back to national prominence, the Iowa Hawkeyes took a step back and look to get back into it this year, and my NFL team the Oakland Raiders finally improved after 7 years of disappointment and try to get back into the playoffs. Yeah, I have a strange set of favorite teams, but who the hell cares, they're my choices damn it!

Anyways, it's great to see that fall is soon about to kick in and I have fully settled in my apartment...my duties are still kept as the same-find a part-time job during the year, try to improve in school, and enjoy my last year while I can...a lot to do on my plate, but nobody said it would be easy. Almost went through a little crisis yesterday with my family on paying the first rent of the month, but got through it ok...i pray that my financial aid comes next week!

But other than that, life is going swimmingly as I try to improve myself as a person, as a friend, and in life as well. To all my friends, family, and anyone else who cares to read this, hope you guys are doing great in life as well!

Final Year at UCF Begins

I finally have a new blog available and now I share my story of how my final year starts at UCF. I still live in Orlando, FL at Pegasus Pointe Apts. or what they now call "The Pointe at Central"...crazy they would change their name to that. I have now officially become an RTV Generalist which I would refer to as the advertising/sponsoring part of Radio and Television...guess it would be great to learn about a new thing...and just with only a few classes to graduate too!

It's strange to not have many of the friends that I know around except some of my Key West friends around Orlando and even some of the friends I made in the past few years whether they are school friends or past roommates. As if anyone needs to know, I hate being alone all the time so I look for anyway to have fun around here on my spare time. That would be an understatement being that I am enrolled in the 2nd most populated school in the country and that Orlando has so many fun spots around that it would be hard to not have a good time.

As for my future endeavors, I do not know what I would like to do after my time at UCF is over, but I do have a couple of interests such as sports, music, and even video games. I do have some time to ponder that over as I continue to search what I want to do later in life. For now, it's just trying to finish school on a high note, trying to find a part time job around here for the time being, and having fun while I can. My final year begins and I cannot wait for what lies ahead!