Waiting for the Little One

Hey there.The waiting game continues.Our son is still not here and we feel like the whole world is getting impatient with us.Due date is Oct. 10. Almost there.

Giving Money to the Homeless

Hey there. This morning, I was in the mood for some french vanilla coffee stuffs from Winchell's Donuts. As I was about to walk in the place, a stranger, in torn and ragged clothing, asked me for some money so that he can go inside and get himself some coffee. I admitted that I didn't have any cash on me that I was planning on paying with my card. As I opened the door, I turned around and told him, "You know what, guy. I'll buy you a cup of coffee." So I did, handed it to him, wished him well, and I was on my way to work.

Now, I don't have a problem helping those that need help. If I, someday, we to find myself in the same situation, I would appreciate any help that someone would be able to give. My problem, though, is giving them cash. I'll admit, I've walked by more than a few homeless people asking for change and I've continued walking by even though I had some. My reasoning? I don't want them to blow their money on booze or drugs. I've seen it before. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, I've seen my fair share of people asking for change and then them going to the nearest liquor store only to come out with a brown paper bag. I have a problem with that. I want to help you, friend, but how I do know you want to help yourself? How do I know that you're not just going to buy a bottle of Vodka and sit on the corner and repeat the process when the bottle is finished? This is why I would rather help in getting something than giving cash.

I remember this one time, while out with my friends, we decided to go get us some Popeye's Chicken. It late at night when we pulled up at the drive thru. Before we had a chance to order, a homeless man came up the driver side and asked for change to buy a piece of chicken. My friend, the driver, told him that if he wanted chicken, he'll buy him a meal. The guy refused the meal and wanted the money. Eventually, he walked away with nothing. First hand encounters like this makes me reluctant to hand out a few bucks to those asking for it.

I sent out a Twitter message about the encounter this morning and see that some people agree with my logic while others believed that a few cents should have been handed out. The common conception that I received is that I was being put through a test by god. Now, I don't know about that. I believe that people learn through trials and tribulation and I strongly believe that this man is going through some trials. I go back to my post on Metallica's Low Man's Lyric, I don't know if he's there by choice, or forced there by his circumstances. I simply don't know. What I do know, is that I don't mind coughing up a dollar for a cup of coffee, if that really is what the man wanted. If the man is in need, he will accept my offer, especially when he can honestly say he has nothing.

Sometimes a good cup of coffee starts your day off right. Hopefully, I helped start your day off well, my friend. Later.

Slowly Recovering

Hey there. So we were at the hospital last night to visit my little cousin. The nurse gave us crap because we happened to get there when the nurses were changing shifts. She needed to speak with the nurse in charge of keeping an eye on my cousin before visitors were allowed to go and see her. I told her that my aunt was up there with her and you can call the room to see that it's ok. She refused to call. It got me upset that we had to wait, but we had to. Once the shift was changed, we were able to go up to see my little cousin. My wife stayed in the lobby with our kids while I went in to meet my aunt in the room.

My lil cuz still looks swollen. She was retaining water and had to get her kidneys drained. She has the breathing and feeding tubes going but after speaking to the doc, she is more than optimistic that the tubes can be removed as early as this morning. The breathing machine was giving very little if any support and her lungs had little to no secretion in them. My cousin is sedated to the point where she can't talk or move as much, but she shows some signs of reaction when you talk to her and hold her hand. She'll gently squeeze back or she'll try her best to nod her head. She's no longer strapped to her bed, which is good, but I do not know if that's the case because she is sedated. My aunt was telling me that when they first started to drug her, the nurses had extra doses of sedatives at the ready to bring her down.

I haven't received word of how she's doing this morning. Nevermind, there's an Email from my aunt that just came in. Hopefully, it's good news. I'll keep you guys updated. Later.

Heavy Metal Rankings NFL Week 4 2009

Hey there friends. Injuries is the name of the game for week 3 of the NFL. Key injuries to some teams may hinder their chances for playoff hopes or simply guide them to throw in the towel early. Chad Pennington, Frank Gore, Marion Barber to name a few of the key players who are out. Let's take a look at the rankings.

1. New Orleans Saints 3-0 (prev. #1)

QB Drew Brees continues to fire it up while taking care of the Buffalo Bills last week. He didn't do it alone though. RB Pierre Thomas came back and ran over the Bills to the tune of 120+ yards and 2 TDs. If the running game continues to be as explosive as the passing game, I don't see anyone in the league outscoring the Saints. Next: New York Jets

2. New York Giants 3-0 (prev. #3)

QB Eli Manning made it look easy against the pathetic Tampa Bay Bucs. A swarming defense and a smooth offense simply was too much for the Bucs to handle. They should continue to roll with another cake walk game against the Chiefs. Next: @Kansas City Chiefs

3. Minnesota Vikings 3-0 (prev. #4)

QB Brett Favre shows the world that his arm still has some of that magic left. After trailing the impressive looking 49ners, Brett Favre relied on his arm to lead his team to a victory with 2 seconds left in the clock. As cliche as it may sound, it never gets old to see a last second TD for the win. Will Brett need to rely on his magic against his old team? Next: Green Bay Packers

4. New England Patriots 2-1 (prev. #8)

The New England defense must have been tired of people calling them done because they showed up to play against an up and coming Atlanta offense. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan had no answers for the stout defense as they held Atlanta to a mere 10 points. If QB Tom Brady can take care of the Baltimore defense this week, then we can proclaim that Tom is back to top form. Next: Baltimore Ravens

5. Baltimore Ravens 3-0 (prev. #9)

Baltimore is looking like a team to beat in the NFL. The only reason they're not ranked higher is because they need to play a formidable offense (sorry KC and Cleveland, you guys don't count). The next coming weeks have them against New England and Cincy. We will be able to better gauge this team once we see how well the defense plays. Next. @New England Patriots.

6. New York Jets 3-0 (prev. #6)

QB Mark Sanchez continues to impress as he's avoiding the costly mistakes and leading the Jets into their third straight victory. The Titans were desperate for a win and the Titan defense definitely keep them at bay. If the jets can pull out a victory over the red hot Saints, heads will turn. Next: @New Orleans Saints

7. Indianapolis Colts 3-0 (prev. unranked)

The Colts had some shaky moments this season and the fact that they only had the ball for under a quarter 2 weeks ago was cause for concern for the defense. Indy QB Peyton Manning put the team on his back, now that DL Dwight Freeney is injured. He threw for 4 TDs as he dispelled the Cardinals. Next: Seattle Seahawks

8. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-2 (prev. #5)

The Steelers are beginning to worry me. Steeler QB Big Ben is good enough to win games on his own (week 1) yet the Steelers are staring at a 1-2 record. Without their star defensive player Troy, the Steeler defense is average, at best. It won't get any easier with the Chargers coming up next. Next: San Diego Chargers

9. Atlanta Falcons 2-1 (prev. #2)

Atlanta was humbled by the Patriots. What we learned from that game is that if QB Matt Ryan cannot connect with TE Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons are in trouble. Look for teams to follow suit and take away that weapon from Atlanta in the coming weeks. Next: Bye

My Oakland Raiders 1-2: The Raiders continue to disappoint. In a matchup against division rival, Denver, the Raiders put up little to no fight. Denver easily marched up and down the field with the Raider defense doing little to stop them. Raider QB JaMarcus Russell continues with his struggles with accuracy. Raider coach Tom Cable has stood by his QB and named him the starter in week 4 but if the bad play continues, we may see the young QB pulled in favor of the back up. WR Chaz Schilens is scheduled to return this week. Maybe he'll be the one to spark a fire to this lethargic offense. Next: @Houston Texans

On A Bad Wheel

Hey there. Earlier today, while on the freeway, we blew out a tire. It absolutely sucks, having to pull over on the freeway to change a tire. As we were driving, that unmistakable sound of a flat tire started getting louder. At first, I thought it was the road, since some stretches of freeway are pretty bumpy and it's very similar to that of a flat. After about 2 seconds or so of hearing the noise, my wife brought it to my attention. That's when I pulled over on the shoulder and put on the emergency lights to check it out. I go out there and see that one of the rear tires is flat. Oh man...

My wife can get pretty nervous when we're off to the side of the freeway. And who can blame her? Cars are zooming past you and if one is not paying attention, one can easily rear end your car. I have family and friends that have been injured or lost their lives because they were on the shoulder off the freeway. It's just not a place to be. My wife suggested that I get back in the car and drive off the freeway. I didn't want to risk us driving on pure rims. The tire was pretty flat and since we have performance tires, there really isn't much rubber between the rim and the road. I decided that it would be best to put in the back up tire and then get it replaced.

I hate driving on the back up tire. It's noticeably smaller than the others, but what really gets me is that I do not feel comfortable driving long distances with it. Tomorrow, we'll be getting on the freeway going to my mother in law's place and I don't want to drive with that tire longer than I need to. I stopped at Pep Boys after dropping my wife off at home. I wanted to make sure that the car was OK and that we're good to drive with that tire. Everything checked out OK but the guy tried to get me to buy 3 tires and get the 4th free. lol I was thinking of getting the tire that I needed and getting it replaced, but after hearing that the tire alone was $140, I second guessed it. Now, I'm looking for the tire online to see where I can get it for the best price. I don't want to wait long since I need to make sure that the car is in top shape since I do not want to have any set backs when I need to rush my wife to the hospital. Until then. Later.

Get That Job Looking Gillette Ready

Hey there friends. It's a tough job market our there for those of us looking for a job. The economy is moving up, but jobs are still not as abundant as they were before. Maybe you've been one of the lucky few to have an interview lined up. Don't blow the only chance you have to make a great first impression. Our good friends at Gillette commissioned a survey of over 500 HR professionals and 90% of those professionals indicated that they were more impressed with well groomed interviewees than those that were not. Also, 84% of those same professionals indicated that those that were well groomed moved up in the corporate later.

Imagine that, you go in for an interview and because you took the time to look your best, you are already ahead in the game. But for those of us that need a little help, Gillette has launched the Gillette Resource Center for job seekers who need a little help on looking their best. Here is the place to get information on Gillette products and advice for looking you best.

For those of us that are ready to tackle the job market, Gillette has launched Gillette Career Advantage for those of us that are looking to move one step ahead. Here, job seekers can get expert tips from GQ stylists or review the Hire Guide to get an idea of what HR professionals are looking for in potential employees.

You can't go wrong with looking your best and being knowledgeable about what HR professionals are looking for. If you are still looking for more information, check out the Gillette press release here. Good luck friends. Later.