My blog is my "Ben"

My blog is like my "Ben" .. Don't know what I mean?? Google that and Michael Jackson.

I'm gonna try and keep this short and simple. Key word: Try. One phrase or word that continues to appear in everyday discussion is HATER or HATING. Last I remembered leaning more towards something over the other didn't mean a person was hating or being a hater. I think the word "hate" is disgusting which is why I'm trying hard to not use it anymore, for example: I HATE THE YANKEES, etc. It's too exhausting to dislike anything that much. Promoting another team or disliking the excessiveness of another person's boasts does not mean I'm hating. It's called an opinion. They are like assholes. Everyone has one. So let's all try and stop using that word, try to be better citizens.

Another thing is this whole excuse well it's okay because you wrote it in a social media environment. I'm sorry but when was it ever cool to be disrespectful towards your peers. For the most part, I will try and convey my thoughts in a clear manner as I would face-to-face. My intention is never to judge another person's views or situation, but, simply presenting mine. I'm not being ignorant either because I have a differing opinion. If you want to discuss the background to my statements well then let's talk. Unfortunately, many want to read with a chip on their shoulder and immediately form an opinion, then bash. Believe me, I am no saint but really, do you need to be disrespectful when you disagree. Ask yourself would you say that to someone's face, probably not - or you would, and get smacked and lose many "friends". In recent months, I find my patience for this behavior running low. I want to spread positivity. Is that too much to ask ? We all make mistakes, we all say stupid shit. I am included. Just lighten up and remember Galatians 5:22.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

You got a friend in "Ben"..

My Beloved USA

If you know me at all, you know that I've always been very patriotic. I enjoy American history, the good and the bad. I enjoy USA-centered events like Memorial Day parades, fireworks, and love seeing the American flag waving high and mighty.. Today was one of those days were I felt many of my peers felt as I've always felt. So proud to represent the red, white and blue! I was in a meeting during the United States vs. Algeria world cup soccer match... I had been out of the meeting for about 2 minutes and walking to the car. I refresh my Twitter timeline and there I see it: "goallllll" I got chills and they continued as I read more and more tweets about the goal. I could rest. I was extremely nervous when I realized we reached the end of the 90th minute. That changed with the reading of that tweet. I was no longer anxious. Overcome with pride, I was excited to see other fans of the game honking their horns, waving their American flags, and screaming wooooo!

No matter what happens for the remainder of the world cup .. I will be proud of my beloved USA and remember where I was when Donovan scored to help us win our group! Donovan is king!! Let's go USA!

Los Cabos

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when none of my buddies could accompany me on my vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico. I knew that spending time with my parents would undoubtedly be a good time being that I hadn't seen them for 6 months. When I arrived at the Los Cabos airport, I soon forgot about that disappointment and set out on one of the most relaxing and rewarding vacations ever. Most of the time when I vacation I have these to-do lists or to-see lists, but, my plan for Cabo was to get a tan! I wanted to come back to New York, looking like I had been visiting the tanning beds for months on end. Well, my mission was accomplished so much so that a co-worker even though I was in the tanning beds when he mentioned my tan as we were leaving in the same elevator. Um, no, I don't do the Jersey Shore thing. This is a REAL tan!

So my Los Cabos time was spent at a resort closer to San Jose Del Cabo, about a 20-25 minute ride to the Cabo San Lucas you see on TV. This was okay with me because I had a nice room, a nice view, a pool and a swim up bar for my enjoyment. Days 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 were spent by the pool from at least 10:30am until 4, sometimes 5pm. I couldn't lay out in the sun because I felt my skin burning. I used SPF70 after the first day in the sun because I got pretty red. Re-applying sunscreen in between a Tequila Sunrise or a Pacifico, I met a lot of people by the pool. Young women from NorCal, an older always-complaining-couple from Texas, newlyweds from Tennessee, etc - a good relaxing time was had by all. On the 4th day, we headed in to town to get some fish tacos and some things tourists usually get while in San Jose Del Cabo. You think the USA has an issue with public restrooms, well try looking for a bathroom to use in SJD. That wasn't as bad as I figured it would be. Either way, didn't want to be too tourist-y and it was heating up down en el centro. We spent the last hour or so of sunlight in the pool but it was toooooo windy for my taste. I was only warm when I was underwater.

Either way, you get the picture with me, the vacation and the pool. Another highlight of the vacation was waking up and not really having an agenda. It was more like, ok. let's go hang by the pool. The staff at the Regina were so laid back and enjoyable, good people I hope to see next time I go back. For the remainder of the week, we took an ATV tour on the Pacific side of Los Cabos. It was really chilly and thankfully I brought my sweater jacket. The excessive sun exposure would not have made my already red skin for that 4-hour trip. We were with a group of rookie ATV riders, made the trip slower than I would have liked. Our time was spent roaming the hills along the Pacific Ocean and making my way up the dunes along the beach. We made our way back to the hotel and decided to head out to CSL for some dinner and drinks. Dinner on the marina proved to be a good price for the 3 of us. Lobster tails, crab cakes, grilled shrimp, etc... Then, drinks were had by myself and the young women I met at the pool. We enjoyed beer pong at Happy Ending and dancing at El Squid Roe. Crazy Mexicans! Some Regina staff showed up after midnight and wished me a Feliz Cumpleanos! Never thought that the first people to wish me a happy birthday for my 30th would be a couple of strangers but it was fun. I spoke with Mike after I got back to the hotel, it was nice to hear him on my birthday, then woke up to a gift from my brother and sis-in-law along with 2 cards! Next on the agenda: Breakfast then the pool. The staff had a plan, to get me stumbling on my birthday. We had bartending lessons and I helped Oscar make drinks, $2 for 2 drinks. Oscar and Daniel proceeded to give me two shots of something. I was pretty buzzed by this point. The young ladies and I took a few more shots of tequila and that would be it for me for a while. Haha! It was only 1pm but, I decided to play some pool volleyball and just lounge. To my surprise, Daniel brought me a little dessert plate that said Happy Birthday on it and it helped sober me up. (Thankfully) After a couple of rounds of volleyball and some more fun in the sun, we headed to Zipper's. Zipper's is known to locals and this was the 2nd time we came here. The moon was coming up over the Sea of Cortez, it was a sight to see.

Overall, my trip was a great, relaxing time. I didn't really have much to think about in Cabo except, get sun, get drunk and get in the pool! Here are just a few of the shots that I took with my CanonSD - fotos