Memoirs of a Soon-to-Be Former Fat Guy

Long time, no post.

First of all, allow me to apologize for not posting anything new for a few days. There’s been a lot going on around here that’s required some attention and, well, I didn’t want to give you a substandard post. Let’s review the past few days, shall we?

Thursday was a beautiful day. Hardly a cloud in the sky, slightly warm, very sunny. We got an early start and went to Schell’s. Schell’s is a local tradition in Berks County, PA. Founded in 1952, Schell’s offers fast food type items (burgers, dogs, fried chicken, and the best hamburger BBQ on the planet). (author’s note: don’t call it a sloppy joe. This is what all sloppy joes aspire to be. This stuff is the Cristal of hamburger BBQ. It is the food of the gods. If this stuff would’ve been around in the 1930’s and 40’s, we could have airdropped it into Berlin and WWII would have never happened. It is that good. To call Schell’s BBQ a sloppy joe would be like referring to the Great Wall of China as a fence. And now, back to your regularly scheduled ramblings.) In addition, they have an ice cream building and 27 holes of mini golf. Laura and I took a friend of ours along who had never had the pleasure of hitting the ball over the lake, and the deal was that the loser had to buy the ice cream.

Everyone stayed under 100 on the course. I actually did well, shooting a 76 on a par 72. Laura had to forfeit, though, as her dodgy hip started to act up. So, she wound up buying the ice cream. As for lunch, our friend, who practices a vegetarian lifestyle, raved about the freshness of the salad and the wonders that are fried cheddar cheese cubes. Ahh, breaded, deep-fried bliss.

Later Thursday night, there was alcohol involved. We had to go out and celebrate Laura’s last night as Lancaster Newspapers’ sports agate wench. Most of the sports staff turned out and a good time was had by all.

Yesterday brought a haircut and the delayed trip to the Jerz. We went up through Kutztown, Allentown and Easton, crossed into Phillipsburg (seemed to be a happening place) and went on to Morris County. There was a place which had rooms to rent that we were looking at. We pulled up outside and well, it was scary. I could just picture this place as the location for a horror movie. We turned the car around and fled. Quickly.

Started checking out several hotels and we think we found one that will work in the short term until we can check out some rooms. I also got to see where Laura will be working. It’s an impressive structure. Must be a lot of printing going on there. One of the highlight was that I got to have White Castle for the first time. It’s pretty tasty, but I’ll still take Chick-Fil-A first.

Getting on with it, let’s look at the meat of the day’s post. The topic is doing what’s right. Now, before anyone jumps in and says, “How do you know what’s right?” let me say that I’m not talking what is morally or legally right, but what is right for each and every one of us in regards to the choices we make throughout our lives. We all make wrong decisions at least once or twice or hundreds of times, and how we react to the right and wrong decisions we make is what defines us as individuals. So many variables can be factored into the decision-making process. Opinions of friends, peer pressure (it still exists in adulthood), financial, etc. can all be a part of the process. I will say this, though. If you have a dream, don’t ever give it up. It might take months or years, but it’s worth holding on to. I’m going to include a video clip from one of the more inspiring movies I’ve ever seen. This is from Rudy, starring Sean Astin and Charles S. Dutton.

Basically, the point I’m trying to make is that whatever you do, don’t just do it because someone else thinks it’s the best choice of action for you. Value their opinion, but temper it with other opinions. We’ve all told our parents at one point or another, “But _______ is doing it!” Our parents would invariably reply, “And if _______ jumped off a cliff, would you do that, too?” I’m not saying don’t jump off a cliff, I’m saying go ahead and jump off that cliff… if it’s the right choice for you to make. Getting married to the stripper at your cousin Bubba’s bachelor party is a choice, but you might want to think about that one after you’ve sobered up because it might not be the best choice for you. Being able to make mistakes is perhaps one of the few freedoms still left to us. Don’t squander that freedom.

Tomorrow I’m going to take a look at cruising. Until then, enjoy the weekend!