DavezMental’s Blog

I remember it like it was yesterday. I think the day will go down as one of those, “where were you when you heard/found out about…” days. I remember where I was when the Spaceship Challenger blew up. I remember where I was when Tupac died. I remember where I was when Biggie died. I remember where I was when the Twin Towers got bombed in ‘93 and I remember where I was when I first heard about the plane attacks. I remember where I was when I heard Michael Jackson died. And well, I think I’ll always remember where I was when I heard that Michael Vick signed with my favorite sports team: The Philadelphia Eagles.

On the scale of things, Michael Vick’s signing with the Eagles is not even as close to being as important as the previously mentioned events…and I would never compare it to the horror of 9/11. But I do think I will remember where I was when Vick signed with the Birds. And to tell you the truth, the aftermath has a chance to be very positive, very negative, or have no big affect at all.

My first gut reaction when I saw Michael Vick on the cover of the Philadelphia Daily News, was why was this idiot on the cover, when the Phillies are playing some ridiculous baseball. They just finished a 3 game sweep of the Cubs in Chicago ( I was at 2 of those games, including Pedro Martinez’s first start). Well, after a day of running around, I was back in the airport, off to go visit my mom in AZ, when I saw the paper. I went to one of those Airport book stores and bought up just about every Michael Jackson tribute magazine when I saw the newspaper. I had no desire to buy a paper, because there are tons of newspapers laying around the airport and I learned to save my money and just pick up someone’s trash left behind….but then I saw the headlines…and I forked over an additional 75 cents to get one.

I never was a big fan of Michael Vick. It was nothing personal, but I am a die-hard, rabid Donovan McNabb fan. Just like I didn’t like Steve Young when he played because his running ability drew comparisons of him to my other favorite player’s (Randall Cunningham-who should be in the Hall of Fame by the way) running ability, I didn’t like Vick because he drew the same comparison’s to Donovan’s. Anyways, when he got caught for the dog fighting thing and sent to jail, I was happy. Why? Yes, dogfighting is terrible, but I was more happy to see him go, because him and his Falcons were getting scary….and I just wanted him to leave the league!

So, fast forward to that Friday in the Philly airport…I was confused why the Birds would sign Vick. I was a little worried because my first instinct was to think of how this would affect Donovan and give more ammo for his pathetic haters….then I looked at it as a waste of money and just figured it would draw alot of negative publicity to the franchise…..So, I didn’t know what to think and decided to nap on it. About halfway to AZ, I woke up and started reading the paper, when the army guy next to me and said, “Man, the Eagle’s Offense is going to be unstoppable, now…I’d hate to play them!” That’s when it hit me! YESSSSSSS!!!!!! Great freaking move! Not only do we have a quality number 2 QB, but we have an offensive weapon in Vick! I all of a sudden got really excited and have been ever since….flashes of a better Slash Stewart came to my head…

I was glued to the internet and the tv the next few days reading and watching everything Michael Vick…unfortunately I missed 60 Minutes (damn family vacation!). I started to become a Michael Vick fan ever since then…why?? Well, I am always inclined to route for the underdog…and the way this man is being treated is ridiculous….Do I agree with dog fighting? No! Do I think what he did was right? Absolutely not! But I do believe in America and the right to live your life. Learn from your mistakes and move on…

These Animal Rights activists are being flat out ridiculous….Their protesting and nasty words….the Philly media should also be ashamed of themselves as well. Here is the deal people….what Michael Vick did was very very wrong….but what all of these critics and Animal Rights people tend to forget is that the man paid for his mistakes. He did the crime and he did the time….20 months in jail….and if that isn’t enough, the guy lost a $130 million contract (not including endorsements) and filed for bankruptcy…..enough is enough….let the guy play…

Alot of people are giving the Eagles and their coaches/owners a lot of flack. Saying that Michael Vick deserves a second chance is a copp out and poor excuse for signing the man….Well, morons, they signed the man b/c of his athletic ability. But to please the idiots like yourselfs they had to say it was b/c of a second chance….I ask all these Animal Rights people this question…What about HUMAN RIGHTS??? Did we not forget about them?? This is America people….

What’s really scary though, is what could possibly go wrong. You see, Michael Vick would be a huge help to these Animal Rights organizations. He could be the face of these companies, but they don’t want him. Well, there is a culture thing here. Most animal lovers are white. And most dog-fighters are black. What if Peyton Manning was the head of this dog fighting ring? Would he be shunned the same way?? Would he be getting this much hate from these Animal Activists?? I don’t think so. Black people/Black Rights organizations know this. So, just as there will be white people protesting against Vick, there will be black people protesting for-Vick. I just hope this doesn’t get ugly. Michael Vick could reach dog-fighters that these white-Animal Rights people can’t…but they won’t let it be…I just hope in time they figure all this out.

Just to clarify though, in no way am I saying 100% of the people against Vick are white, and 100% of the people for Vick black. Nor am I saying that 100% of dog-fighters are black and 100% of Animal Rights people are white…I’m just saying majority rules. I just hope that things don’t get ugly….I’m proud to say most of my white family are pro-Vick….even the Giant Fan ones…Too bad my uncle sold his tickets to tonight’s game weeks ago, or else I’d be driving to PA to buy my Michael Vick jersey and then off to the game instead of writing this blog….I just hope things remain civil in Philly tonight….and as stadiums for rest of the year…This has the makings of a Black vs. White thing all over it….and I just hope it doesn’t turn into that….especially after the strides this country took by voting Obama as president last year….I hope people wake up and realize, yes what Michael Vick is disturbing, but he paid for his crime, now let the guy play ball….Maybe an animal lover on the field will crush him…let that be the only harm that comes his way…

Like I said, it could really get ugly….all this over a child’s game….Who let the dogs out??

Nine months…

I’ve had writer’s block for nine months….That’s a very long time…I’ve had so many opportunities to write, too. I would say laziness, a busy schedule, procrastination, and a much needed time to stay away helped add to the block of this writer….during the nine-month absence I felt a change in myself…people change all the time, but it’s rare that one recognizes the change, especially as it’s happening….so, here are the highlights from the last nine months…

Last time I wrote, I wrote about how I didn’t think Obama would win the election….well, I was wrong…and I’m glad for that…for the first time since 9/11 I was really proud to be American….I mean, i’ve always had that American pride…I’m not one of these Anti-American Americans, but for the first time in a while, I was really proud of America and how far the country has come with this election. What made it even more special was the fact that I work in a black school district…seeing the pride of these students and the community was such a great thing to witness…only a racist couldn’t appreciate it….That was definitely a special time….too bad most Americans forgot about that, as the Obama bashing has already begun…shoot, the Republicans are real assholes….everything Obama has done from his first day in office is criticized…do these idiots really think he’s not an American Citizen??? Anyways, that’s another topic for another day….

The next significant thing that happened to me was I realized I should stop being a baby. I’m definitely one to not sweat the small things, and I’ve been told I’m so easy-going, patient, and cool/calm/collected that it’s ridiculous, and all this is true, but I tend to dwell on things and let my self get thrown off once and a while off of things that are really no big deal…shoot, I am Dave, but I am human, too! lol….anyways, the first significant thing that happened was when the Friday before winter break at my school, we had a snow day, which as you know prolongs the school year….as someone who loves summer, that irritated the hell out of me….not the fact that the snow day came when we only had 1.5 days left of school before break, but because we had a snow day on a day in which it didn’t even snow…just the threat of snow shut down the district….

Well, as I started to feel sorry for myself because that one day was going to greatly affect my summer vacation (u know one day is huge) then I realized that I was headed to London in 4 days with one of my best friends from college during the winter break and before that I was gonna see my family for the holidays….well, it hit me that I let this non-snow-snow day get me in a bad mood, when I have kids in my class that don’t really celebrate Christmas….and I don’t mean this in a preachy Christian way…I mean this because they are either very poor, or don’t even live with their families. I am not from a rich family….we are far from wealthy, yet I’ve never had a bad Christmas…and usually got what I wanted from my Christmas list (except for those trips to Hawaii and Alaska I used to always ask for)…and I have kids that are Christians and acknowledge Christmas as a holiday, yet get absolutely nothing….and so many of my students are not raised by their parents….they live with aunts, uncles, grandparents, parent’s friends, or foster families….and it hit me, that I really had a lot to be thankful for….so, now whenever I start to get depressed over some b.s. I use what my students TAUGHT me and get over it real quickly….I really admire my kids for what they go through and how they still manage to smile and concentrate on school work…..yes, some misbehave at times…but a lot of times it’s not their fault…and I’ve noticed the ones that really misbehave are the ones from the good homes…imagine that…

Going to London was also significant…I mean England is the closest country to the US after Canada, yet there is something about going to another country that affects you and makes you look at life different….I’m not exactly sure why or how…but it did….even though the highlight of my trip was watching the E-A-G-L-E-S embarrass T.O. and the Cowbitches….actually that wasn’t the highlight, but it was a cool/unforgettable part of the trip…maybe it was the comradery felt with one of my best friends, maybe it was my first international soccer match, maybe it was just feeling like a foreigner, or maybe it was the tours of all the old-historical places…who knows..

After the trip there were a few things that went on that really helped me put life in perspective….I don’t feel totally comfortable writing about some of them just right now, but the next four months were very interesting….not that I did anything crazy…but I felt myself change for the better…I really felt like I was finding myself….but let’s fast forward to June…

June was the last month of school….and my job has been a real big part of my life….I live for my work…and I’m ok with that…my job is very rewarding…and I’m very proud of what I do and how I do it…but the job isn’t all “sunshine and rainbows” (a quick Rocky quote for you)…June is bittersweet….you are excited that the summer is coming (although I dreadfully taught summerschool this year)….but you are also sad that your kids are leaving you…especially as an 8th grade teacher, your kids are graduating….I guess it’s the same feeling (or as close to the same feeling one could get) as to what parents feel when their kids grow up and move out of home….there was one student though that I was so proud of….

This one girl in particular was one of the biggest-pain-in-the-you-know-what’s when the year first started….A child that didn’t care about anything…school was more for socializing….she didn’t do her work, was failing, disrespectful, rude, etc…I remember trying to talk to her everyday about her behavior and lack of ambition….her response was, “I don’t care” to so many things, oh so many times…there were so many conversations out in the hallway…I was called “aggravating” so many times…yet as I yanked her (not literally) into the hallways more and more, this child started to open up….and would you know it, she started to believe in herself…and her school work became important to her….the boys and the socializing became second….as the year went on, less and less did I have to yank her into the hallway for these talks…and less and less did she call me aggravating….this child went from in-danger of failing to almost making honor roll the last marking period….I remember her doing her work and the other kids clowning her for it, yet she ignored them and carried on with her new found ambition….it was such a beautiful thing…watching someone transform after just alittle belief in themself….before you know it, she went from being talked about in a negative context by her teachers to a positive one….I believe in 3 of her 4 major classes she won the class’s “most improved” award…watching her grow from an ignorant, self-absorbed, uncaring child into a respectful, hardworking, purpose-driven young lady was one of the most rewarding experiences in my short teaching career….

Life is funny though….the way things happen. Funny not necessarily meaning a good thing….funny meaning crazy….because that same child died the last week of school. What was supposed to be a joyous week for my kids, ended up being a clouded one…I taught this young lady and all of her friends, so my classes were the ones hit the hardest by this tragedy…I’ll never forget the phone call I got that Sunday afternoon from my principle…and how I just sat on my balcony for a good half-an-hour staring at nothing….it was hard….what was even harder was the following weekend at her wake…seeing the children react to their lost friend….again, i was TAUGHT another lesson from my kids…..life goes on..it must….

The next week….actually my last day of work for the school year, I layed down for a nap with the radio on like I always do…and well, I was awoken by the news of Michael Jackson dying….I thought I was dreaming but then my mom texted me and asked if he died….a whole another range of emotions swept through me….it was the weirdest feeling ever…I don’t know how or why, but a piece of me was numb because of this….maybe it’s because Michael was so big when I was a kid…I remember going to kindegarten and reacting the “Beat It” video with my buddies before class started….I remember saving all the magazine articles and newspaper articles from when his hair caught on fire….I remember being devasted sometime in 1988 when my dad’s soon-to-be-ex-wife tore down all of my MJ posters to get my dad pissed…..I remember having a life-sized Michael Jackson (from the BAD days) cut-out in my bedroom that used to scare my lil cousin…..I felt sorry for Michael…what he did to himself….his life is a true American tragedy….I’m not sure if it was the good times or bad times that affected me after his death, but either way, an American Legend passed away…and it messed me up for a while….I spent the whole weekend listening to KTU (New York’s 103.5)..the only station to play his music 24/7….putting Hot 97/Kiss 98/& WBLS to shame….

The last thing that happened in these 9 months that affected me was I turned 30…I was going to write a blog on my bday titled the “Roaring 20’s” and walk through my life as a 20-something, but didn’t….just like I didn’t write about the pride of Obama winning, or the Snowday with no Snow, or about Michael Jackson…I let myself fall off for a little bit, but it was much needed…I had to do me…and find me…and well, I did…..so, to sum up my 20’s, I learned that family or those you consider family should be the people who are priorities in life…and for me closure is the most important thing in my life….I could live without a lot of things, but one thing I need in my life is closure…one of the things that happened the year I turned 30 (also another idea for a blog that went unwritten) I realized that closure is such a big thing….my biggest weakness is dwelling on the past’s failures…but finding closure to a few of these big failures the past year (mainly failed relationships) was the best thing that could happen to me this year…that and growing up….I think one thing that really helped me through this was going to 3 different weddings of people very close to me this past year…that and seeing people I know have kids…A big goal of mine in my early-20’s was to be married and have kids by age 30…well, I’m very happy for my peoples that are doing those things right now, but I am so not ready for all that…and am glad they are not me! lol…life is about readjusting goals sometimes too….I think that comes with learning about closure…btw, I’m now shooting for marriage by age 35….just have a few more things I have to accomplish before then ; )

Anyways….I chose not to go into too much detail, although this blog is long enough, because 1. some things should be left private 2. I don’t wanna bore my reader too much, but I am going to end this blog with the finally piece of irony….I started working on getting my new t-shirts ready and my new website ready back in May…hoping it would be done by my 30th bday, which was on July 5th….well, it wasn’t done by then….everytime I started to get irritated about that I remembered what I learned and experienced the past 9 months and let it roll off my shoulders….then when the site was really done on August 5th, it really hit me….I was born exactly a month early….A month early isn’t considered premature…but it is obviliously early…so, with that being said….my site being done and this blog being written on August 5th means although I wasn’t on-schedule…I was right on-time…..hence the Rebirth of Slick…isn’t it just ironic that my last blog was exactly nine months ago??? BTW, I am recommitted to writing blogs weekly again…so, thanks for reading…come back next week!

Dave