Papa Soltero

Since Saturday morning, I have been taking care of my kids all by myself. This has been a nice change up for me. I usually only see them on the weekends so it's been nice spending time with them. I get to wake them, make them laugh and put them to bed. On Sunday we ate breakfast and then went to my son's baseball game where he went 1-2 and scored a run.

I love my kids with everything I got. I have really enjoyed these last couple of days. But..... My goodness am I tired. And not just normal tired someone gets after working and running errands. It's a different kind of tired. Like Jesse Pinkman being held captive and forced to make meth in the final episodes of Breaking Bad tired. Everything revolves around their schedule. From school to after school activities. It never ends. Pooping comfortably is out of the question. The door always props open and they ask what I'm doing. What the hell does it look like I'm doing? Close the damn door.

What's been tough for me is disciplining them. Usually on the weekends I take them to the store or I show up with gifts. I don't like having to be the one that disciplines them after not seeing them all week. On Monday, I picked up my kids from school and I was told they behaved badly. We went home and I made them lunch before heading to my son's gymnastics practice. After practice I asked what they wanted to eat and John said he wanted a hamburger and Isabella wanted some nuggets. I repeat, John wanted a hamburger and Isabella some nuggets. We head to Carl's Jr. and I tell them we're taking the drive thru and eating at home because they behaved badly in school. They ask me a good 15 times if we can eat inside but I say no. But then I think to myself, "If they play for a good hour and get tired, putting them to bed will be much easier. But they didn't earn it. They misbehaved in school. Hmmmm....F it we're getting down and eating here." I ask them again what they wanted. John wants a hamburger. "Do you want cheese, John?" "Yes." "Isabella do you want nuggets?" "Yes." We order and make our way to the play area. They go in that jungle gym that always smells like feet and are having a good time. The food arrives and I call them over. "John here is your hamburger and Isabella your nuggets." Isabella then says "But I want a hamburger." "No the F you didn't" is what went through my head but I tell her "Isabella, you said you wanted nuggets. Now eat your nuggets." Then John tells me "But I don't want cheese." "I don't want nuggets!" "I don't want cheese!" Both are close to tears. I then give Isabella the burger and John the nuggets. Calm has been restored just like that. All I'm thinking is "These fools are going to make me go crazy inside a Carl's Jr. in hot-ass Mexicali."

They play for an hour and we head home. I shower them and put them to bed. No problems at all. Was I wrong for taking them to Carl's Jr. after they misbehaved in school? Probably. But I was tired and wanted an hour to relax after putting them to bed. Taking care of kids all day is tough. I don't know how my Gordis does it. I am fortunate to have a wife that is a great mother. She comes back tonight from Vancouver and I honestly don't know who will be more happy to see her, me or the kids. I've been surviving off cold pizza and cup o noodles and I can't take it anymore.

Junto A Ti Creo Que Aumente Mas de 3 Kilos....maybe 10

This was not supposed to happen to me. I do not know where I went wrong. People told me it was inevitable but I never believed it. Yet here I am. Fallen victim to this disease. I look at myself in the mirror everyday and all I see is disappointment. My parents say my son is exactly how I used to be as a kid. Very active, full of energy. He is involved in gymnastics and baseball. He loves to run and can spend hours at the park. Before having him and settling down, I, too, stayed busy with activities and sports. Soccer, wrestling, boxing, weight lifting, running, the gym. However, everything changes once you become responsible for another life. Free time is harder to come by and naps are always desired. Being a part-time dad (hopefully that changes soon) is exhausting. Being a full-time dad (more on this in my next blog) should only make me spiral down deeper into this horrible disease. Unless I do something about it. I hope to look in the mirror one day and no longer see disappointment. What is disappointment? Love handles and big cheeks (both kind). In case you have not caught on, I suffer from what many men have been suffering from since the dawn of time. I have a DAD BOD. John from six years ago would look at present-day John and be devastated knowing that one day he would be shaped like George Lopez during the early years of his TV show. I have never been one to toot my own horn, but pre-kids John was not bad on the eyes. I managed to sweep my Gordis off her feet almost immediately. I softened her up with my looks and reeled her in with my charm. But now, all I have left is my charm. But what good is having great customer service if your store is a chubby 31 year old with as many chins as he has kids. Don't believe everything you see on television. WRONG! I should have seen this coming. TV prepared me for this yet I ignored the signs. I always felt sitcoms were unrealistic the way they usually had a good-looking wife with an average, sometimes overweight husband. King of Queens. The Simpsons. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Family Guy. Now here I am. Another Peter Griffin. That really grinds my gears. I'm a big believer in personal responsibility. But not with this. I blame the Motherland for its delicious food. The wife for her delicious food. And my kids for being so damn expensive and needing to eat everyday. But I am making this promise: I will shake this off and get back to a weight where I look and feel great. Maybe I am being a bit too dramatic. Maybe I should relax. Once I start rocking the mom jeans then I'll start panicking. Until then, I will begin my body transformation. If all goes well I will probably become a famous Instagram model and travel the world and leave it all behind.

Don't Call It a Comeback!

The wait is finally over! After years of silence and baby-making, I have been inspired to once again write a new blog post. Many would compare this to Tupac resurrecting and rocking the mic, but I would disagree. This is more like LeBron going back to Cleveland and winning an NBA title. Quick recap of important events that have impacted my life: I had a son. I got married. I had a daughter. I lost my abs. I lived in the Motherland for a few years. I live in the Motherland on the weekends now. My sister had a baby girl. I am a field producer for PPR during football season. San Diego legend David Wells said hi to me. I was vegan for 48 hours. I was a vegetarian for 72 hours. But lets move on. I am sure I will touch on the above subjects and other stuff in future posts. So what inspired me to start blogging again? Or better yet, who? The wife, of course. MY better half. Mi vieja. Mi Gordis. My quesadilla maker. We are sitting in our driveway in Mexicali. We are planning our trip to Cancun and this is how our conversation goes: WIFE: "How much is too much to spend on a hotel?" ME: "I don't know." WIFE: "Well is $1000 a night too much?" (FYI that's in pesos. I'm not balling yet. Kids are expensive! They eat a lot! Multiple times are day. But lets get back to the subject at hand.) ME: "That's fine." WIFE: "What about $800?" ME: "I don't know." WIFE: "Well I'm asking for your opinion. And you never tell me anything. We're a team." ME: jokingly say "We're a team? You're in charge. We're not a team." She then proceeds to close the laptop and looks bothered. ME: "What's wrong?" WIFE: "I don't understand why you would say that. You act like I'm always deciding things for us all the time without your opinion." After charming my way out of an argument, I became inspired. I had to document this exchange. Those that know me know I can be sarcastic at times. I'm very nonchalant when it comes to things. However, none of that was part of my initial response. I was asked a question and clearly gave an answer. She then asked me if a lower price was OK. Why would a lower price not be OK? What was the purpose of that follow up question? I have been with the wife for almost six years. Even during the honeymoon phase, I have always been this way. Why get bothered? We are going to Cancun in a couple months! Plus we both know I am really in charge. I will definitely try to document my life as a dad and husband on here more often. it's already been a unique and awesome adventure and I have many years to go.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

My time with the Mount Miguel Matadors has come to an end. Since making the decision of leaving for Ohio, I knew I was going to give up a lot of things I enjoy. Coaching at Mt. Miguel probably tops the list.
For those who have seen me these last couple of days, especially Saturday night after Masters, know how bummed out I am about this.
We hoped to possibly qualify four kids to the state meet but came up short. Our 126 kid really took 5th but was DQed on a bad call which resulted in a 6th place finish. Our 220 kid just missed the medal rounds. Our HW took 4th, just missing out on 3rd and state.
What stood out to me this weekend was our 138 wrestler, a senior and the coach's son. He underachieved all season. It didn't help that he didn't wrestle last year but everyone had high hopes for him. In my opinion, he loves the sport of wrestling, but he lacked that fire for it. However, he always worked hard in the room and was a great team captain. He did it right all year long. And when people see him wrestle they are always in awe of his ability.
While wrestling to stay alive in Masters (had he been on the other side of the bracket he would have more than likely made it to the finals), he was dominating a kid and made one mistake that lead to him getting pinned - which happened to him all season - thus ending his wrestling career. He laid on the mat for a few seconds realizing it was over for him, got up, shook the kids hands, shook the opposing coach's hand and made his way toward Vic and I. Vic told him to keep his head up and that we were going to go outside to the back. On the way there, a ref in charge of keeping the middle of the mats clear walked up beside him and gave him a hug, letting him know he had a great season. Once outside, his emotions got the better of him as he sat in a corner letting it all out.
I could tell Vic was upset and disappointed, but especially sad that his son had to lose the way he did and that he wouldn't get to see him wrestle anymore. I was very sad for him. I hate hate hate seeing our kids lose.
I love sports. But individual sports like wrestling, boxing or MMA have a different feel to them, whether you're in it, coaching or a spectator. There is nothing like it. For anyone who's witnessed any live know the emotions are unlike any other. The highs are great but the lows hurt....a lot.
When he lost, despite still having other guys in the tourney, it hit me that my time with the Matadors was coming to an end. The emotion he showed let me know that his time as a Matador wrestler was over, and I definitely related to it.
My friends told me I should look into coaching out in Ohio. I plan on that but the attachment I have to this program is going to be tough to match. I highly doubt I'll ever have a wrestling lineup of Mexicans, Blacks, Samoans and one and a half white guys out in Ohio (yay for diversity!). I was fortunate enough to help Vic start this program from scratch and see our kids take tremendous steps in just two seasons.
I'm going to miss my team, my fellow coaching staff, refs (not all of them.....some don't have a clue what they're doing out there), coaches and wrestlers from other schools, the whole routine of wrestling season.
It had me exhausted every weekend but it was worth it.

We Could All Learn from ManMeat

I am currently in position to witness what not many ever get the chance to: a fairytale. Not just any fairytale, but one of the blossoming love between ManMeat and Uncertain.
Who are these individuals? One is a free-spirited soul who enjoys wearing sunglasses at night while driving, and the other is someone who doesn't know what they want, or in other words, a typical female.
Just recently, ManMeat confessed his love to Uncertain with a little help from his good friend liquor. But, like every fairytale, there is a twist to this love story. ManMeat is planning to move out of state in the coming weeks. Only one thing will keep him here and that's Undecided.
Unfortunately for ManMeat, two things are keeping him from making babies with his dream girl - she's not a fan of his past and her doubts and possible guilt she'll have if it doesn't work out. You can't blame her for thinking this way. She does have a Y chromosome that makes her and many like her think nonsense.
My advice to Uncertain would be to take a chance. Everyone has a past. You can't hold that against him. And if he thinks you're worth staying for, that should show you how he feels about you.
I'm trying to find the negatives that would come out of this and I can't come up with one. Reason being is because life is about taking chances. Where would this world be without Steve Jobs, Nicy D or the McRib (I hear it's good but I don't know)? Both would be taking a chance at being happy. As the great Ali once said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." If it doesn't work out, at least they can walk away knowing they went for it.
I want it to work out because I already called dibs on Godfather. It doesn't matter if it's for baby ManBo or baby BoMeat. I'll be honored with either one.
I should warn them about possibly choosing Cochina as Godmother. I don't think they realize she likes to dress up like a pirate while making love in the club. I digress....
Anyway, the clock is ticking. ManMeat leaves in a few weeks and the status of this relationship remains unclear. Will something come to fruition? Will Uncertain realize she can't live without ManMeat and chase him down at the airport, stopping him right when he's about to board his flight and kiss him to a standing ovation from all the travellers at the terminal? Or will this fairytale not have an ending any time soon?
It all remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, ManMeat is living his life the right way.
Move over McRib, there is some new Meat in town....for a few more weeks at least.

Looking Back Before Looking Forward

Finally, a new blog. My apologies for the lag.

I guess you can say a lot has happened since my last entry. I'm still an adult unfortunately.

Despite being a month into 2010, I figured I'll look back at the year that was 2009.

2009 was very interesting for me. This time last year, I was chilling in New York (on a couch because my genius top-5 law school sister poked a hole in the air mattress) preparing to go back to Ohio State with the hopes of getting a Resident Adviser position. I was lucky enough to get it.

Summer time was good. Aside from bumming it out, I tried to make the most of it. Made new friends, had a few too many last hurrahs, not enough pow-wows, and got a baby...Bonifacio of course. He's mi bebe.

Started my final year at OSU. Being an RA is a great experience. Winter break was great. Spent time with those most important. Unfortunately had to work more than I would have wanted but that's life, right?

2010

It's February and I am about seven months away from having a college degree in journalism. Seems crazy to even think that, especially since I wasn't even in school last year.

I'm really enjoying winter quarter. I'm enrolled in a news editing/writing class and magazine writing course. It is not an easy transition to go from regular writing to these two different styles. I'm still having a hard time. However, I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Writing a story is great, but the journey you have to go through in order to put them together is what I love most about journalism. Everyone has a story. And every now and then, you'll stumble onto a good one. I was fortunate enough to do a story on a fellow Spring Valley native and learn about his life and goals. It's been a great experience and I look forward to having more of these for years to come.

Goals for this year? Same as usual - do well in school, maximize my time because time waits for no one, and find a job after graduation. I'm also hoping to continue to surround myself with good people.

I don't think I'm hoping for too much. If anything, this last year has taught me that time is moving and I need to be right there with it. I'm already 23....entering the big boy stages of life. I need to do what I can now before it's too late.

As Kids We Used to Laugh, Who Knew that LIfe Would Move this Fast?

Question for anyone: When did you grow up?
I'm not talking about the decade you grew up in or the first time you got paid from your first job. I'm talking about when you first realized you had left behind your days as a youth and were now considered an adult in everyone's eyes.

I have come to learn that life is a non-stop process of learning filled with perseverance. From the day we're born, responsibilities are placed on us in order to allow us to keep up in this world. We begin growing the first day of our lives and never stop. However, realizing you've entered that area of "responsible adult" is a surprising and unexpected realization.

I remember feeling all grown up whenever I was working during my year off from school a few years back. I remembering feeling like a responsible young adult when I left for Ohio State....I mean THE Ohio State. But did I feel like an adult? Not at all.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to go bowl with a friend where I would also help her watch over her baby brother and his friends. It was supposed to be a total of four or five of us, but much to our unfortunate surprise, we had to watch over a total of five or six 12 year olds for about two hours. It was our duty to make sure these kids didn't leave our sight and to answer either yes or no when asked if they were allowed to use the restroom or grab snacks.

After bowling, while eating, I realized what I was. Was I? Already? After going back and forth with this thinking, I hesitantly accepted the reality of what I was......an adult.

Was it really that long ago that my friends and I looked forward to going to that same bowling alley with the hopes of breaking 100, play lazer tag, and hit up the arcade? Was it really that long ago? I found myself not caring about breaking 100 (I like to aim at a 140), nor about playing in the arcade. All I was worried about is making sure the kids were ok.

I brought this up to a group of friends a few days later, and sure enough, one of them had a recent panic about growing up. He explained to me how this upcoming decade will be the 10 years that will determine our lives. Most of us are going to graduate from college, have a career, find our significant other, and have kids by the time the year 2020 arrives. That got me thinking of what the future holds for myself, my family, friends, and the world in general. How will our lives be like 10 years from now? Now that I'm an adult, what steps do I have to take in order to make sure I'll be ok by the time 2020 comes around.

So, I stand/type before you as an adult. Someone who is responsible enough to look over kids, as someone who is expected to make the right choices, and as someone on the brink of attaining that "old man strength." This should be interesting.