“There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man.” –Polybius

Not many people will know the name Curtis Whitley. After seeing his name in the paper recently, I barely recognized it as well. But, the story about this man’s death was about a football player of which I was familiar. Curtis, in his prime, played for both of my favorite football teams - the Clemson Tigers, and the Carolina Panthers.

As the Charlotte Observer reported on his passing this past week, I couldn’t help but be drawn to his story. It’s a story that those with family members battling demons and drug and/or alcoholic addictions fear the most. After years riddled with extreme highs and frustrating lows, Curtis finally lost everything, moved to the desert in near isolation away from friends and family, and then ultimately died alone.

The story is really heartbreaking.

I wish I could accurately articulate all of my thoughts, and say something worthwhile. But, in the end, I believe the news story published today by the Observer says it all. It’s amazing the grip that addictions and emotions have on people. Personally, I don’t think anybody really knows the pains that the addict is going thru and must overcome. I’m sure it’s deep, it’s personal, and I’m convinced that it’s only something that the love of God can cure.

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121:1-2

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope.
– Romans 5:3-4

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“Don’t you see that you are dying for nothing, rather than living for something?!? You are just self destructing…” - Gemineye

I went to see the band Angels & Airwaves play last week at a local club. If you don’t know anything about them, it’s a band led by the former front man of Blink 182, Tom Delong. I’m not saying Angels & Airwaves (AVA, for short) is a christian band by any means. But, if you know anything about the roots of Blink or Tom Delong, you know he has a Christian background and is clearly trying to let this good influence rub off in his AVA music.

In fact, Tom says this specifically in a few of his interviews.

“I was born and raised Christian. My mom was an extremely conservative Christian and I very much have those roots in my life. “I’m extremely spiritual and I have my own ideas of what happens when you die and how we’re all connected. “I think that will play some part in what this band’s about.”

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(This is a photo of me showing off my karate skills when I was about 10 years old. Wesley, the stunt man, was about 7. And Noah, the screamer, was probably about 5 years old here.)

As part of a Christmas present for Matt I compiled a list of famous quotes that had to do with being a kid, growing up, and big thinkers. I found some realy good ones. And if you feel like life is taking a toll on you, and you just keep getting older and older every year, then have a quick read below…

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This year’s Pubcon came with a few perks. Just a few days prior to the event, Joe Morin leaked that in partnership with a few venues in Las Vegas, a few shows were leveraging the power of bloggers to promote their shows and host venues. So, basically the casinos gave a few select Pubcon attendees free tickets to their show in the hopes that we would say a few nice things about them online. I was one of the lucky ones!

So, let it be know. Free tickets, or not, Mystere was an incredible show. Pure entertainment from the get go, and you left with a big, wide grin on your face. If you are lucky to attend a show in Vegas, you can’t go wrong with Mystere.

To be totally honest with you, all I knew about Cirque du Soleil perfomances is from what I’ve seen on TV and heard by word of mouth. I figured there would be some acrobatics involved and that was about it. Due to my getting settled into town a little late, I wasn’t able to get to Treasure Island early enough to check out the hotel’s shops or casino. But, from the little I did see, there was a lot to do, plenty of nicely dressed people, and the decor was impressive. Nonetheless, acknowledging my lack of preparation and tardiness, I was ready to be entertained.

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“Do you believe a man can change his destiny?”
“I believe a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.”
–The Last Samurai (movie, 2003)

There couldn’t be a society of people who didn’t dream. They’d be dead in two weeks.
–Author: William S. Burroughs 1914-1997, American Writer–

A while back, I did a post on “real men“. I stumbled across a few spoken word poem’s spoken by Gemineye and Shihan (via HBO’s Def Poetry), and was really taken back by them. These men were speaking words rarely heard on the stage they were performing. After watching the video, you can tell by the audience’s response on how well their poems were received. I really feel the world, not only respects these types of thoughts, but needs them brought to the forefront more often. These are the kind of thoughts that should be celebrated.

A while back Youtube deleted some of Shihan’s videos for some reason or another. But, they are now back. Here’s a series of videos from Shihan I created. Enjoy.

I stumbled upon a great article on the Castello brothers, Michael and David. You probably don’t know who these guys are, but they co-own some of the major domain names on the internet today including PalmSprings.com, Golfclubs.com, and more. Head over to Domain Journal and read the article here. It’s a great interview filled with bits of tales about visionairies, wars, and successes.

Here’s my favorite part.

He added, “the internet has allowed us many things which I feel truly blessed for. There was a point in my life where I was broke and was told I was dying. I made some of the best decisions in my life then. Sometimes when you have too much time on your hands you can also get clarity. Patience was the best lesson I ever learned, but I always ran from stagnation. I try to give where I can, learn from what approaches me and live life as a gift. My motto: Live – Love – Learn.”