Social Media Isn't For Venting

Let me show you a hypothetical conversation that never happens:

"Hey you have a Twitter? You should follow me! I complain all day about how hard it is being a middle class American and how much I hate the opposite sex!"

"Awesome! I've been looking for a way to read negative crap all day! I'll follow you right now!"

"Sometimes I rant about how much I hate my friends and family! If you're lucky, I'll give out awkward personal information about them that changes your opinion of them forever!"

"YES I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THESE TWEETS!"

Yeah, that doesn't happen. We all have bad days. Yes, some people suck. Yes, we all need a release from the stress of life, but we all have too much crap in our own lives to deal with all of your negative crap, too. Instead of being super depressing and spreading negativity, why not try:

1. Hitting a Punching Bag

Just wail on this sucker until you're too tired to cry or tweet sad emo stuff.

2. Going for a Run
Jogging, or yogging (it might be a soft "j"), is a great release. Instead of crying like a 5 year old, just put one foot in front of the other at a brisk pace. You'll work up a good sweat, relieve some stress, and I won't unfollow you! AWESOME!

3. Cry in the Mirror
Crying actually releases hormones which, in turn, makes you less sad. That's science. So why do it in front of a mirror? This way, you can clearly see that you are an adult, acting like a baby. Hopefully this only lasts a few seconds until you feel dumb and stop being so freakin' emo.

4. Watch this
If you can watch this video and still be sad, you have no soul. I LOVE YOU, BOO!!!!

I get that we look to our friends for comfort and support when times get hard, but a public forum like Facebook or Twitter is not the place to do it. It's annoying, and no one wants to have negative crap forced on them all day. Life is tough enough without it. This is a genuine challenge: for one week, only tweet or share positive things that build people up instead of bringing people down. Not only will you be helping friends who are having a hard time, but you'll probably improve your own mood as well....and I won't hate you :) LOOK AT THIS CUTE FREAKIN' PUPPY!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!

My Brother Beats Me

Ok, ok, this may be hard to believe due to my childish sense of humor and love for anything cute and adorable, but I LOVE FIGHTING. MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, is my #1 sport of choice. My family, father and mother included, orders every UFC Pay Per View  event and we all watch it with my friends. My brother has been training MMA for probably 3 or 4 years now, and I actually trained with him for a little while before I moved down to Virginia. He also runs a website http://www.ctmmanews.com/ where he writes about local MMA events in New England as well as for the New Haven Register. I recently went home to see my brother's first amateur fight, but sadly his opponent pulled out a few days before. (He heard the last name Purificato and got scared. Obviously. We're kinda scary.)

Even though this sucked, I now had the "privilege" of training with my brother. I have maybe trained 5 times in the past 2 years, where as my brother had just come off an 8 week training regiment of kickboxing, jiu jitsu, strength and conditioning, and dieting. He was about my weight, and probably twice as strong, and his technique was sharper than ever. IT WAS AWFUL. He choked me out at will. At one point, our good friend Cam yelled to my brother "Peruvian Neck Tie!", which is a somewhat elaborate choke hold. (watch below.)

In my mind I thought "I know he can't hit that move from this position." I felt him adjust and thought "Oh no...". To make matters worse, my brother yelled out "Hey Cam! Watch." Boom. Peruvian Neck Tie, and I'm forced to tap out. If I had an ego before then, I no longer have one.

Here's a breakdown of what happened when training with my brother:

He shoots in to take me down, I sprawl and stop it.

...2 seconds later...

Weirdly enough, even though my brother tapped me out about 15 times and I tapped him out about...hmmm...let me think...NONE. NONE TIMES... it was still a blast. Jiu Jitsu is a fun Martial Art because you can train at 100% intensity with little risk of injury. If you're about to pass out from a choke or break a limb from an arm lock, you tap out. Your opponent lets go, and you get up and do it again. (Unless he found out you were secretly flirting with his girl. Then he probably won't be too quick to let go. And you'll die.)

 I think guys, and maybe even some girls, need a release like that. We've got all this pent up aggression and sometimes you just need to go off and try to choke someone. I'm a hopelessly happy guy and I don't wish harm on anyone, even people who deserve it, but I love fighting more than any other sport on the planet. The techniques are addictively effective, and the more you learn, the more you want to learn. So yes, even though I laugh and make jokes the whole time, I still love scrapping with a fellow fighter, no matter how many times I have to tap. I don't care who you are, fighting is cool, and I love it. GO NINJA CAT!!!

HHHIIIIYAAAAAA!!!!

Unacceptable Rain Footwear

"It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. Bumped his head and he went to bed and he couldn't get up in the morning". HOW FREAKIN' MESSED UP IS THAT SONG?! Who decided that's ok to teach kids? Here's my literal translation for 2011:

"It's raining hard and this old guy bumped his head and got a concussion, and against the advice of his Doctor and his aging wife Helga, he went to bed anyway AND DIED. TO DEATH."

Yeah, try selling THAT to kids. Stupid.

But yes, it's raining pretty hard today and there is unacceptable footwear all over my dismal college campus.

Time to BREAK IT DOWN:  *insert brutal dubstep drop*

1. Rain boots

Yeah, these are really dumb. I get that you're trying to keep your feet dry, but why the buckles and the ribbons and the "Hello Kitty" graphics?? These are cute...WHEN YOU'RE 9 YEARS OLD. If you're in high school or older, just give them up. Please. As if being wet isn't bad enough, now I feel like I'm in the play scape at McDonalds, minus the boogers...I hope.

2. Flip Flops

I'm not a big fan of flip flops no matter what the weather is like, especially on guys. I don't like my own dude feet, let alone YOUR dude feet, but I understand I'm in the minority on that so I can deal. BUT if it's raining, there is no reason to be wearing these!!! You know what's worse then dude feet? WET DUDE FEET! It makes no sense. Put shoes on, ya free spirited hippie!! 

3. Crocs

If you ever wake up and think "How can I make sure no one takes me seriously as an adult today?", here's your answer! Put these suckers on and I promise to dismiss you as an idiot and not pay attention to a word you say. You can be be explaining the Theory of Relativity and all I'll see is a little toddler with his Osh Kosh Bgosh overalls on backwards saying "I did a poopie." I don't care if they're water proof. You look like a baby. Even if a baby is wearing these I think "Look at that dumb baby" and then I punch the baby's mother in the femur for being a horrible parent. CROCS ARE DUMB.

We're all adults here. Let's wear shoes, like adults. Today I'm wearing my Converse All Stars, and although my feet my be a little damp, I'm not uncomfortable and I don't look like an idiot...well my feet don't look like an idiot's feet at least. In conclusion:

NOT CUTE

SO CUTE!

I Hate Crazy Christians

I rarely write a serious blog, let alone a blog about something that upsets me. There aren't many things in this world that bother me enough to cause me to react. Usually I just accept what happened and Google pictures of cute animals and go on living my life in blissful ignorance and pretending bad things don't happen. BUT, there is one thing I take seriously enough to defend at all costs, and that's my faith in Jesus.

For some reason there are modern Christians who have forgotten that they, too, aren't perfect and struggle with their own sins. How they ignore that, I have no idea, but they do. Not only do they ignore their own faults, but they use this self-righteous entitlement to attack everyone who doesn't agree with their points. Sadly I've thought many times that I wish there was a different term to use about my faith besides "Christian" because these psychopaths have ruined what that name means. "Christian" literally means "Christ like", and these people couldn't be farther from that.

While Jesus was on earth, there were homosexuals and people having abortions, but Jesus didn't waste His limited time here trying to protest those acts. He spent his time here LOVING PEOPLE and teaching His followers how to love. The point of the "Prodigal Son" parable was to lay aside your hate and stereotypes for people and love them sacrificially. When people asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, He  said  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" -Matthew 22:37-39. I don't know how people look over this, but Jesus came here to SAVE people and show them how much better life is following Him. He didn't come here trying to "battle" sinners, He came to show them an unconditional love unlike anything they've ever seen.

Let's be clear, the Bible NEVER says that God hates gay people. (The Bible actually says "God hates divorce", and the divorce rate is higher in the church than outside of it, but again people would rather ignore that because it's more fun to cast judgment then actually try to fix ourselves.) Yes, the Bible does condemn the act of homosexuality, but it also condemns lying, cheating, lusting, and a ton of other sins that I do far more than I should. God also doesn't hate you if you have an abortion. He would not stand on the side of the road with pictures of aborted fetuses trying to prevent you from having an abortion. He would invite you to His house, love you like you've never been loved before, care for you like you've never been cared for, and as you became closer to Him, his power and presence in your life would start to change your bad habits, not stupid signs, posters, and commercials.

Let me be clear to any Christians who think I'm being some kind of universalist and saying everyone's ok. I am not. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. No one is ok. We all suck. Bad. I sin every day and I claim to follow God, so how on earth can I judge people who don't claim to follow Him? It boggles my mind. I don't get how people can do it.

For the record, I am a Christian (again, for lack of a better term) and I love Jesus with all my heart. My faith in Him is the number one priority in my life. I'm trying every day to better myself as a man and as a Christian and with that comes changing my environment, my habits, and where I spend my time. But with that being said, I'm humbled daily by how far from perfection I am, and the closer I get to God, the more I realize how far from Him I really am.

I don't care where you're at in your faith, what bad habits you have, or what sins you struggle with, I promise to be here to love you and support you and be there for you as a fellow person struggling with his spiritual journey. I refuse to judge people who do things that I struggled with not long ago because I know what it's like to be there and I understand why people do what they do. I want to be the man who showed Christ-like love to people that other "Christians" wanted nothing to do with.

Love is louder than hate will ever be, I promise you that.