Speak Easy

Hawaii and Duke

2007-06-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

I think it's fitting that the last post I made was also due to a Richie inspired trip. This trip was to Hawaii! I went June 1-9 with Richie and I's buddy Ramsen. It was total blast as you would expect and we had a great time see some pics below:

Things are a bit different in HI

Me Surfing!!

Me at 8000 ft on top of a dormant volcano

And now the news about Duke. Most already know but some do not. I applied for a sports PT fellowship at Duke University and was accepted in May. I officially accepted and put my notice in at work. I start working at Duke in Aug and am stoked about all the potentials to come from this opportunity.

Holla!

J

Avalanche Skiing... Colorado!

2007-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of ending my first week at my new job by traveling to CO to meet up with Richie and going skiing. Myself and Richie's other cousin Denny(who also lives here in Dallas) flew up to Denver were Richie is currently working. Great idea by the way.

So here is how it all started... Denny and I were scheduled to leave on the same flight on Frontier Airlines. Unfortunately that didnt happen. Denny was unable to print a boarding pass and check in the night before and arrived only 30 minutes early thanks to typical Dallas traffic. Upon arrival he was notified that he had the 8 pm ticket not the 6:30 ticket... the fight that I was on. He was told "just go to the counter and they will deal with it." They dealt with it by letting Denny leave at 8 pm. It didnt matter much as my flight was 1 hour late... So I left at 7:30pm. And this is how it begun.

I must say that this airline wasnt that bad thou. The seats, ergonomically speaking, sucked. As I could feel my head forward posture expand and rhomboids (muscle in upper middle back between shoulder blades) stretch by every passing second. But there were TV's with direct tv and movies on the back of every seat. And my flight got this option free since our flight was late, awesome! I got to see even more Anna Nicole news! That is joke I am so tired of seeing that.

So we finall met up with "The Rick" made it thru the maze that is the interstate surrounding the Denver airport and found the hotel. We just chilled drinking a few of CO's own beer (one had avalanche in the title i think) and called it a night about 1 AM... by the way my day had started at 5:30 AM. We awoke early and headed out for Breckenridge at about 7AM... for what should have been a 2 hr drive.

There we were excited about our empending ski trip when, 5 miles out of Denver, we hit traffic. Not just some traffic, rerouted traffic. People with skis and snowboards on their cars were just camping out we had no clue what was going on. We quickly called Ramsen as we knew our CPA buddy would be at work infont of a computer on this early Sat morning. Ramsen gave us an alternate route and off we went.

Later down the FIRST alternate route, we found out what had happened. As we stopped at a local gas station for a pee break and refuel on junk food, Richie asks the lady behind the counter if we were going the right way. Her reply "... yes but that highway is blocked by snow too up the road, here is an alternate route." So now we have the alternate of and alternate route. We were so pissed, but did get some great pics. By the time we got to Breckenridge it was 1:15PM, all that time spent in the car. So we got 2 hrs of skiing in since the lifts closed at 4 and we had other plans that night. It was fun but a whole day woulda been much better. My muscle memory held up and didnt fall once, almost several times but never hit.

That night we met up with a buddy from H.S., Michael "Bones" Charitano. It was real cool to see him. We went out that night till 2 or 3. Can you say tired. We slept till we were forced to check out the next day. Overall great trip especially hanging out with the buds and old friend but man I woulda loved to ski some more. Here are some more pics of the beautiful Rockies. I think I want to live there someday.

well i will post them later this site is having problems... BTW Sunday morning when we got home (remember 2 -3 AM) we picked up our morning paper from outside the room. The next morning we found out about the road block... There was a staged Avalanche! Evidently some wild skier on Fri ended up out of bounds and set off a chain reaction. Not much snow actually made it down but scared officials enough to create a staged avalanche Sat morning... just our luck. The paper said this was one of the biggest skiing weekends (that being Presidents Day weekend) and the lodges would lose 800,000$ an hour because of this. WOW! So the mystery was solved. And in the same paper we found out good old LA native Britney Spears shaved her head, what a freak!--- Great weekend for me thou.

Nawlins!

2007-02-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

A group of friends and I took a trip last weekend for the SuperBowl to New Orleans. It was a great trip! The cast of characters included (the trip planners) Matt Wolfe and Richie Karam, woth a supporting cast of myself, David Karam, and Ramsen Sayad. The theory behind our trip was not only a get togther of old friends (who all live in seperate cities) but also to attend the SuperBowl in N.O. Yes, we knew the SB wasnt going to be played there. However the planners made their reservations the weekend of the Saints -Bears game hoping that the Saints would win. That would have made for the second best place in the world to watch the game... but as we know that didnt happen. It was still an awesome trip and good reunion thou!

Wolfe and Richie stayed for the entire trip, Fri night - Tue morning; David was there Fri night - Sun morning; and Ramsen and I Sat night - Mon morning. As you can see in the pic we had some great times on Burbon St. That is Richie and Ramsen, with an appearance of a Pat O's hurricane. You cant have just one but if you do they will hurt you in the morning.

While Burbon St. was fun as usual, we also had a tour of the hurricane ravaged areas in mind. So Sunday morning/early afternoon we headed out for what we called Devastation Tour 2007. Matt is originally from the area and still has family living there, so he was the guide. Ramsen had been a couple of times, and Richie and I had not seen anything but what is shown on TV.

It was definitely the eye opener that you would expect. Both Ramsen and Matt said that despite the torn up and empty buildings, and ghost town like atmosphere, it looked much better than they had seen last. Before I go any further I should mention that The French Quarter and typical tourist N.O. looked as usual, but you could tell that something had happened in some areas (like boarded up windows). But if you are witness to what has been going on in South Shreveport, some of the abandoned buildings didnt look much different. However the 9th Ward and subsequent areas were as described above... a ghost town. Dont get me wrong it was pretty bad but as Matt and Ramsen said, the debris had been cleaned up quite a bit since they had last been there.It kinda reminded me of some parts of Honduras. Especially the fact that some of the houses were painted in wild colors (like hot pink, purple, etc...) These were colors that we painted the houses in Honduras, I assume because it was donated and cheap.Take a look at these pics:

Total abandoned areas and a Hum-V, obviously for protection.

That structure that is collapsed is the roofing over a gas station pump. And boards ripped from a bright blue house in the 9th Ward.

I cant believe that these areas arent farther along. Once back from the trip NBC nightly news did a piece in N.O. They stated that the reason that only portions of the hundreds of millions that are due to N.O. from FEMA is due a policy by the Fed government to restrict State corruption. No not only in LA but everywhere. It calls for the State to pay for 10% of all repairs before they get any Fed dollars. Gotta say I probably agree with this knowing some of the past corruption in LA's past. But I really feel for those that not only lost their homes but still have to pay on houses that have been destoyed. Eventhough I have described this area as a "ghost town", there were several people living in trailers outside their demolished homes. The area in general and lack of normal movement made the area seem desserted.

After Devastation Tour 2007 we had to find a place to watch the SuperBowl! Just down the street from our hotel was a huge Sheraton with a monster Big projection screen in the bar. (See pics of Peyton below.) The only catch was that we had to have a few drinks since we were in the bar... no problem there right. We also met up with a friend of a friend we met in Shreveport, Christine. She is living there while going to Seminary. She's a cool and fun chic. check out the pics:

Christine infront of the monster screen. And the SuperBowl Group!

Ramsen and Wolfe clowning. Ramsen was in an office pool as you can see from the paper they are looking at... you guessed it, he didnt win!

Check back for some posts on my new job, which I start Monday in Dallas. And my ski trip in Denver next weekend with Richie!

WHO DAT!

2007-01-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

Who Dat! -- Unfortunately it was the Bears that won the NFC Championship Game. However, as any true Saints fan would think, I am looking forward to next year and the bright future the NO Saints have. How about that Reggie Bush run and score, too bad he ruined it with the taunting at the end. I hope he learns from that, no more Joe Horn cell phone celebrations.

And as for the Super Bowl and my pick-

Go Colts! and Peyton Manning

1/19/07

2007-01-19T19:40:00.001-08:00

Lets see, where to begin. Well Today was my last official work day in Lawrenceburg TN, not only here but for the travel company as well. It started and ended great.

First I didnt have to be at the clinic until 10am this morning since I busted it all week. But no I didnt sleep in. I had to run some errands and pack some last minute stuff. And lucky for me I did. After walking out to my truck from taking my digital cable box and cable modem back to the cable company, I ran into my friend Dinah from school. Evidently the clinic she works at was just around the corner. We briefly caught up and decided to meet for lunch. I felt some divine intervention there as I have been here this entire 13 weeks and havent met up with her for lunch, and there on my last day I randomly run into her! Cool!

The rest of the day went as plannedand I got out about 6pm as usual. I scored so many random baked goods and cards from patients and co-workers this week. I didnt count but I would say 2/3 of my patients gave me something. Gotta say that felt good.

However, its almost 10pm, the truck is 90% packed up, and I'll be looking at this place in my rearview at about 6-630am tomorrow. What a feeling! Like I said before, I enjoyed my time here and met some cool people, but its time to move on. I'll update you all soon on my next job.

2 more weeks!!!

2007-01-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

The 2 week countdown has begun! I only have 10 more measly work days here in Lawrenceburg, TN. I enjoy this feeling greatly. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed it here and have definitely learned a ton from my co-workers and patients. But ... it's definitely time for me to move on.

As is sit here typing this, I am sick with "the crud" and pondering my next position and what will come of my career over the next few months and years. Nothing is final yet but I think my travel days may come to an end here in Lawrenceburg. I plan on heading back to Dallas to live and work for a while. Who knows how long? But for at least the next little bit. I have a couple of interviews waiting, hopefully.

As I look forward to the quick passing of the next two weeks, I also like to look back on the last 2 weeks. They were filled with quick and tiring work weeks, with the ability to travel home on the long weekends. I enjoyed this more than words (or I) can express. It is just so hard to visit with everyone and make everyone happy, as time was short. I look forward to this next transition and will hopefully enjoy my next work environment.

On a side note, during the holidays one of my co-workers (Rita) enjoyed playing Christmas music during the entire month of December. We came to an agreement that she could listen to Christmas music for 1 entire day a week and for a couple of hours every other day of the week. Don't get me wrong I like Christmas music, however I felt it necessary since the same songs repeated like clock work. For instance Alvin and the Chipmunks played daily between 10-11 am. I was not aware until a patient pointed out..."Its those chipmunks again!" Any who, One of the songs that I would hear almost daily, usually around 3-4 pm I think, was "Dominick the Donkey!" It immediately brought memories of PT school and Anna, Judy, Dinah, and Kristen D. I will leave a link in case your curious... it has to be the best song ever, especially the donkey sound effects!

http://members.shaw.ca/cybernana/funpage/dominick/dominick.htm

Noteable Deaths

2006-12-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

These are in no particular and are only the ones that I recognized. I had forgotten about some of them:
Gerald Ford - 38th US President

Red Auerbach - Boston Celtics

Paul Gleason - Principle from The Breakfast Club

Kirby Puckett

James Brown

Ed Bradley- I enjoyed finding out he was buds with Jimmy Buffet

The Immortal Don Knotts

Craig "IronHead" Heyward - ex Saint football player

Jack Palance - of City Slicker fame

Wilson Pickett - if you dont know him, look up his music

Peter Tomarken - Press Your Luck, no wammys, no wammys

Aaron Spelling - come on he made 90210

Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion - he's Canadian, and he invinted the slap shot

Buck O'Niell - Former Negro Leagues player

Bruno Kirby - also of City Slickers fame

And finally the Crocodile Hunter

Love thy Neighbor

2006-12-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here is just a quick post. First Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of those I havent been able to keep in touch with.

Now for the message. Recently death has been unexpectedly familiar the last few weeks. My mom's best friend from college, a friend from high school, and My Aunt (Dad's sister) have all passed, within a few weeks of each other and all without warning. Therefore I say live life the "right" way and love all of those around you!

Walk the Line

2006-12-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching Walk the Line. It is one of my new favorite flims. I have seen it, probably 10 times, and I still feel like I have to watch it everytime I see it coming on HBO. For those of you that really know me, its kinda like when you see Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, or Shawshank on TNT - you just have to watch it, or at least part of it. Any how I love the music in that movie... hint hint for anyone looking for a Xmas idea, that soundtrack is probably a good pick.

So what else have I been up to since my last post a month ago? Work. Which doesnt seem to be as busy as the rest of my classmates. I have the privalage of seeing about 1 patient per hour. Which is an extreme luxury! However it makes for a longer day when patients cancel or no show, which is common. Eventhough I am not excited with this small town, this was definitely a good first stop to get into the PT thing slowly.

Last week Mom closed on and bought a house! Pics to come. So last weekend I met her in Dallas and helped move some of her odds and ends into the new house. It was a very quick and tiresome weekend. It is really a beautiful house. I am going back to help her unpack in a couple of weeks, so as I said pics to come.

This weekend: As usual, heading to Nashville. Hanging out with T-rung for one last weekend, as Belmont is done with finals. It feels so weird that the class below is now done with their last final. Soon enough they will be graduating and I will have been working a year. Oh well, As you can imagine we are gonna have some fun this weekend.

Soon I will also post my College Football Pics. As you all know I am a huge sports fan. And for the past 3 years at Belmont, I have been the BowlPickem Organizer. Unfortunately those days are over, however I am still submitting my yearly entry into Ramsen's pool, maybe Rich Kulaski's as well - gotta get in touch with "The Cannon." If anyone is interested in joining Ramsen's pool, I'm sure he doesnt care if you pay the fee, let me know. Hope all is well with everyone.

Speak Easy & Nov. 10th

2006-11-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

I thought I would start this blog with an explaination of the title of my blog. It came from two things:
1. At the time that I created this blog, for no real reason, I was really into a song by the band 311 named "Speak Easy." I even think I had it playing as I created it.
2. By nature, I am a quiet, somewhat reserved person. I speak so softly at times that I often find myself having to repeat almost everything I say. Whether this is because as an only child I didnt have to talk very loudly to hear myself while playing or whether its just me.
So therefore I thought it would be a fitting title... for whoever cares

Now the important stuff, My Birthday! It was on Nov 10th, a Fri. I had a good 27th. Pretty uneventful for most of the day however I did go into Nashville for the weekend. I hung out with Trung and Josh Fri night and even got to see Jen Watters, as she was in Nashville. The rest of the weekend I just just chilled and watched football. Thanks to everyone who either called with a shoutout, emailed a happy birthday, or sent a card. They were all very much appreciated.

More pics

2006-11-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics for the LSU/UT game

Justin,Anna, Amanda, and myself

A pic of the stadium during the game, Wow!

A sweet LSU bike we saw while trying to park

Pics

2006-11-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

Ok the order got messed up but below is Justin, Dennis and I

Halloween 06: Darrell, Tyrone, and me

Halloween 06: Josh, Trung, and me

Thats me, on the Bull after the wedding. Yeah I did it!

Cara, Amanda, and the bride Kerry Smith

Justin carrying his bride to the get-a-way car

The get-a -way car. It took awhile to start. Its a model A come on.

The night before after the rehearsal

The "new" job and what I've been up to.

2006-11-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

So I promised some posts a while back and am just now getting to it. I was quickly reminded by Anna and Amanda this past weekend, but I will get to that in a bit.

Justin's Wedding: 1 word description for those that missed it, Awesome!
Beautiful outdoor wedding on Sept 30th. that I was privilaged to be a groomsman in. And got to see Cara, Amanda, and Dennis too since graduating. I really miss amy PT friends so it was great to see them. Also I got to stay in East TN and work at PT Services (The Smith's PT clinic) and make some serious cash while Justin was on honeymoon.

The "new" Job: Well the "new" is in quotes because it is a new company.I dont feel new to PT eventhough I just finished PT school and got a license. I have had plenty of pt care experience, the real newness comes with the paperwork, documentation, and sole responsibilty as being "the therapist." So as you all probably know I signed on as a travel therapist with CompHealth and am currently in Lawrenceburg TN. It has gone well so far, however it isnt quite my cup of tea. I'm sure my opinion will change some before it is over, but I find myself missing family and friends. Which of course is expected, being alone in a strange small town (which has an amish population, I saw one today in horse and buggy.)

We will see how long I stay as a "traveler", at this point I feel compeled to go back closer to home because of the declining health of some family members. Eventhough I have always said and felt I didnt want to go back, I cant shake the feeling of wishing I was back. I'll keep you updated (whoever you is that is reading this)

Other stuff I have been up to: I have been in LBurg for about 3 weeks now. I work, go home, go to sleep, and repeat until the weekend. Luckily for me I havent had to work too terribly hard as the clinic is alot slower than I am used to, but thats cool with me, I just cant stand down time and searching for something to do.

Anyways the weekends have been the best part of my experience. 2 weeks ago was Halloween and I made a trip to Nashville to hangout with my boy Trung and some of the younger PT students. It was a fun weekend consisting of 2 parties and going out downtown. I'll try to post some pics if I can figure it out. I gotta give props to Trung, He has been a great friend to me especially while I have been down here out of my comfort zone with no friends.

And last weekend was great. Justin invited me to go to the LSU vs UT football game in Knoxville. Not only did I get to hangout, tailgate, and go to the game with "Juicy J" we also surprisingly met up with Anna and Amanda. Again I love hanging out with PT school friends and it was great to see them all again. Not to mention my team won the game. Again pics to come if I can figure it out. If you guys read this soon, we should hang out again soon, I am always down for a road trip!

Taking it serious... now.

2006-09-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

So I have now decided to loosely keep a blog of my adventures. I think that at first this is going to test my patience but we will see how it goes. Look for some new posts soon (and by soon I mean within roughly 2 weeks) that deal with my final experience in PT school, getting a job, and attending Justin's wedding.

2006-03-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

Jerome