So the second round of the NHL Playoffs start today so even though there are virtually no sports fans around here anymore, I decided to do a quick round up for all of you. The Penguins are out so who I want to win is up in the air right now.

Series: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
1. New York Rangers: They haven’t won since 1994, but if they were to win then New York City would be the home of both the Lombardi Trophy(NFL) and Stanley Cup(NHL). Pittsburgh was the first to do it and I kinda hope it stays that way. Plus, they are from the Atlantic Division so I hate them.

2. Washington Capitals: They have never won a Stanley Cup and were swept out of their only appearance in the finals in the mid to late 90′s. For a long time Alex Ovechkin(the Captain) was Sidney Crosby’s rival for best player in the league, so I hate them. But they’ve never won before so I’ll root for them in this series.

Prediction: Capitals in 7

Series: Philadelpha Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils
1. Philadelphia Flyers: They haven’t won a Stanley Cup since the mid-70′s. They knocked Pittsburgh out of they playoffs and so in a way I want them to win to validate the Penguins. BUT, they are from the Atlantic Division so I hate them.

2. New Jersey Devils: I’ve always liked Martin Brodeur(Goalie) and they’ve won, I think, 3 Stanley Cups with him in goal. But they are in the Atlantic Division so I hate them.

Prediction: Flyers in 6

Series: St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angelas Kings
1. St. Louis Blues: They have never won a Stanley Cup. Their coach Ken Hitchcock used to be the coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and took them to their only Playoff appearance. I feel like if he had stayed around a couple more years the Blue Jackets could have been the #2 seed in the West and not the Blues. But, that didn’t happen. They are from the same division as the Blue Jackets, the Central, so I hate them.

2. Los Angelas Kings: They have never won a Stanley Cup. This was the team that Wayne Gretzky was traded to back in the early 90′s. They have never really been a big-time team beyond his time there. It’s nice to see them in the playoffs and you know what? Those in Columbus who remember the game they played against the Blue Jackets where the clock stopped with 3 seconds left and it allowed the Kings to score the game winning goal might realize that they might not have been in the playoffs had it not been for that one incident. So I hate them.

Prediction: Blues in 5

Series: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators
1. Predators: They have never won a Stanley Cup. My Dad and Stepmom love Nashville because of the music(even though I think it sucks). Pekka Rinne OWNS the Blue Jackets. They just can’t beat that guy. He is a fantastic goalie just about primed for a deep playoff run. But they are from the Central division so I hate them.

2. Coyotes: They have never won a Stanley Cup. I was a huge fan of the Coyotes back when Jeremy Roenick was still on the team. I own two of their jerseys. Here is the deal I will make with you. If they Coyotes make it to the Stanley Cup Final, I will make a Vlog showing off the jerseys and I will talk about my being a fan of the team. I like them. They can win it all if Mike Smith stays true to form.

Prediction: Coyotes in 7.

Your Thoughts?

Today I received, in the mail, the final CD in my Armin Van Buuren – A State of Trance series. I already owned 2004-2005, and 2007-2012. Today 2006 arrived. Yes I still buy CD’s and I even make them out of downloaded songs. I downloaded a new song today called ‘Shadow World’ by an artist named Thomas Bronzwaer. I had never heard of him nor this song before today. I looked at the back of my new CD and on the track list for CD 2 was a song called ‘Shadow World’. As I ripped the CD onto my laptop I was like, “I HAVE to listen to this song.”

It was a great song, but barely 3 minutes long. I normally don’t run to download a new song if I like it on a CD, but in this case because it had ‘Shadow’ in the title I was like, “Yeah, I’m buying this.” So I went to Amazon.com and looked up the song and artist and found this: http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-World-Original-Mix/dp/B003Z6H9S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1335222860&sr=1-1

Much longer than the edited track on the CD I bought and completely worth the dollar. I don’t have anything like a personal anthem song or anything, but if I did I might choose this song to be it. That’s how much I like it.

So if you’d like to hear the original song that is available for download at the Amazon link provided, here it is fresh from youtube. Enjoy!

You may be familiar with this quote by Lord Acton, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

But I tend to like one of his lesser known quotes. “Learn as much by writing as by reading.”

I love that quote. I’ve talked before about keeping a journal so you all knew that. I’ve talked before about writing a book so you all knew that. But what I’ve discovered recently is that as I write in the two of them(meaning 80 page college bound notebooks), I learn more and more about life and human interaction with every entry. To write in my journal I have to expand my vision for who and what I want to be and how I want any possible future readers to see me. Can I be completely open about religion and politics? Can I be completely open about my family and how I feel about them? I write as if I write to an audience. Right now it’s an audience of one, but I do plan entries out sometimes just in case something happens to me and they are left to my brothers.

Now my notebook in which I write my chapters. The Prologue and Chapter 1 were easy. I flew through them and had fun with them. I’m currently working on chapter 6 and it is HARD work writing a book. Even in my case where a lot of the material is provided for me. I am learning so much about my characters that it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. I enjoy it, but it is overwhelming.

So what’s my point? Sure maybe you don’t keep a journal. Sure maybe you aren’t working on a book. But if you’re reading this my bet is that you have a blog and regularly update it. Do you learn about yourself with each new entry? And if you do, what is it? Do you ever reread old entries to try and gain some insight into who you really are deep down?

“Learn as much by writing as by reading.” This could be the motto of all of us bloggers.

Have a good one!

Dan

Dear Pittsburgh Penguins,

The Columbus Blue Jackets may hold my regular season heart, but since they have only made the NHL Playoffs once in their 12 years of existence, you hold my playoff heart. I remember well when I was younger and Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr led the Penguins to the Playoffs every year. I don’t remember their Stanley Cup winning teams, but I do remember those two lighting it up each night and putting up so many points. There was a stretch in the NHL during which the Art Ross Trophy for most points rotated between only three players for about 15 or so years. The Great One, Wayne Gretzky was one. But you, the Penguins had the other two in Lemieux and Jagr.

And now the team is led by a new dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby, when healthy, is the best player in the league by far. Malkin, when he is on top of his game like he was this year, can lead the NHL in points(unless said Crosby is healthy). Sid, over your last 62 overall games played you scored a whopping 101 points. Geno, you led the NHL in points this season and hit the 50 goal mark for the first time in your career. You should run away with the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.

Tonight you two, and the rest of the Penguins, play your first playoff game in a best of seven series against the Philadelphia Flyers. I truly believe that if this year is meant to be a Stanley Cup winning year, that this team will be the toughest test you face during the four potential series. The Flyers have owned you in your own building, winning five out of six games ever played there. You have the home-ice advantage, but that doesn’t really mean much if another team you’re playing owns you on your own ice.

But if you can get by the Flyers, as I think you will in six games, then I think you will be primed for a playoff run that can match what you did in 2009. If I remember right, Crosby led the league in points that year and won the Hart, and Malkin won the Conn Smyth trophy as Playoff MVP. This year it is Malkin’s turn to lead the NHL in points, probably win the Hart, and maybe see Crosby with Playoff MVP. As a matter of fact, 10 out of 16 experts on the NHL.com website have projected you, the Penguins, to be the Stanley Cup champion.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626836&navid=DL|NHL|home

So I wish you the best of luck on behalf of Penguins nation. At the very least, keep the Rangers away from winning the cup. In 2009, the Steelers won the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. That was the first and last time that one city has ever held those two trophies. Now the New York Giants have won the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the New York Rangers have the #1 spot in the Eastern Conference. Stop them from doing what your city did three years ago!

The best of luck to you with all my playoff heart!

Shadowrunner81

As most of you know, yesterday was Easter. As others have pointed out, this appears to be a site composed of 60% or more people of faith. So I figure that, like me, a lot of people went to a church yesterday for an Easter service. But the question I have right now is this: How many of you claim to be ‘Christian’ but only go to services, or mass, on Christmas and Easter? C & E. Ceyanese.
Let me tell you where I’m coming from before I go any further. I’m the son of a pastor. I’m also the grandson of a pastor (Maternal Grandfather). So I was raised in a Christian household and went to church every Sunday. I also attended a private Christian school for all 12 years of my education. I’ve said elsewhere that I wasn’t a Christian during most of this time, but I did go through the motions of just about everything related to the church and a Christian School. I suppose you could say I had perfect attendance for church.
Then my senior year of high school I began to become very jaded towards the faith and intentionally chose the polar opposite type of school for college. I went from a small Christian school to the largest public university in the United States. There was definitely some culture shock my freshman year, but the main thing I wanted to do was get away from my ‘Christian’ upbringing. I wanted to experience everything.
I began college in 2001, and moved out on my own March 28th, 2003. I would say that earlier that month would have been my last time going to church on a regular basis. From March 28th through about 2007 I only went to Christmas and Easter services with either my Mother or Father. I was Ceyanese. Church no longer held any meaning for me.
Then came the trials and tribulations of late 2007 and I sought refuge in the church. I prayed and I prayed hard about where I could find a church to go to and whether or not I should attend on a regular basis. I ended up going to the church my family (sans father) had attended when I still lived with them. And I decided that if I was going to be serious about my faith, that I would go every week and do my best to stay focused during the services. I was never a singer and despised being forced to sing to ‘prove you’re a Christian’ so I didn’t mind too much if I showed up a little late and get there in time for the offering and sermon. But the main point is, after years of being Ceyanese I was a part of a church again and the sermons always held meaning that went beyond mere words. What I never did before I became Ceyanese was let the words of the sermon sink in and have an impact on my daily life. This is the true value of church and going to a church on a regular basis.
So my message to those of you who went to a service yesterday, but have no intention of going back until Christmas is to think about your decision. Not every church may be a fit for you. That’s fine. It doesn’t have to be a giant stadium full of people, but if that’s your cup of tea, and you want to blend in so as not to be noticed by the pastor or other members of the congregation then, by all means, go to large church. Maybe you went to a smaller, more intimate church yesterday and it struck a chord with you. I would suggest that you keep going there and see if the sermons of the next few weeks resonate within your heart. Listen to the good news. And who knows, maybe the church you attended yesterday was like mine; the very same church you attended when you were little and you went with your folks or other family members. Go back next week.
Don’t settle for a Ceyanese relationship with your church. Let them get to know you. Let yourself get to know them. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a few friends there and, gasp, maybe even your next significant other! Not that those should be the only reasons to go to church, but if your reason for going is genuine, and so is theirs, their companionship may resonate with you just as much as the pastor’s sermon. In my experience with other Christians, it is what they do or say that has an impact on me far more than what the pastor says and does. The pastor, man or woman, is already an elected leader of the church. The man or woman sitting in the pew next to you who is putting in a few dollars of his earnings to the offering is not. Get to know them. Get to know the church again. Leave the Ceyanese faith.

Good luck to you.

Dan

No I’m not the person I thought I’d be at this age(30). 5 years ago I had a great job with lots of career potential for a large university and I thought I’d be retiring by age 49 and moving into a great big house sometime soon in Victorian Village. None of that has come to pass. But, I’m happier today than I was then, and the trials I’ve been through over the past five years have provided me with what I hope is a positive perspective on things. So yes, I may not be cut out for the corporate world, that’s okay. Instead I’m forging ahead on my own path and doing what I can to become a writer and activist.

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

If you have NBCSports(formerly known as Vs.) watch the Penguins v. Rangers game tonight at 7 eastern. My little brother and sister in law are there. Go Pens!

EDIT: Pens won 5-2. Gino scored his 49th goal. One more and he’ll have his first 50 goal season ever.

More: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011021204&navid=sb:recap

I posted a blog entry a couple weeks ago that I suppose was the first entry in the Schizable series. However this will, more or less, be the introductory post that I will refer to in future entries of Schizable blogs. So consider this a crash course in Schizophrenia.

Welcome to Schizophrenia 101. First I need to say that I am not a doctor of any kind. My familiarity with this illness comes via firsthand experience as a consumer. So the most likely question going through your mind is, “What exactly is Schizophrenia?” I will first tell you what it is not. It does not mean that I, and others on the Schizophrenia spectrum, have multiple personalities. Yes the word ‘Schizophrenia’ is Greek for ‘Split Mind’. That is an entirely different disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) that you can look up on Wikipedia.

What it means to have Schizophrenia is that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain. One of the more prominent theories is that it is related to an excessive amount of dopamine. I won’t get too technical since I’m not a doctor. But you can look up the technical stuff on your own at a library or Wikipedia. I will say that there is definitely some arguments in the medical community about what actually ‘causes’ the illness. Is it something in nature? Is it related to nurture? I have a feeling that it is something of both. Genetics and environment both contribute to bringing about the illness.

What I believe is that in my case an excessive amount of imagination helped to bring about my illness. I worked on spreadsheets for hours upon hours for days on end at one of my old jobs. While I enjoyed spreadsheets, I still ‘daydreamed’ I suppose for the most part during the day. I would daydream for eight hours a day, five days a week. Combine that imagination with the stress I felt 24/7 from various promotions, and I suppose these two factors, combined with a genetic predisposition, formed the perfect storm and I eventually lost my grip on reality.

How did this happen? I’m not entirely sure, but I know for a fact that one of the things I would daydream about was future conversations that I would have with co-workers, bosses, family, friends, girlfriends, potential girlfriends, etc. I’ve mentioned before that I have difficulty with real life conversations, and I tried to compensate by predicting what others would say and when, and prepare the appropriate reactions to these predictions. This would work on occasion and keep me a step ahead of the game. But over the years I think my predictions tended to stray away from what was really possible and into the realm of the delusional. I, of course, didn’t know the difference and just reacted to these new predictions the same as the old. So there I was, reacting to my fantasies as if they were really happening. I can only imagine how I came off to others. “Why in the world did he say/do that?” Sigh.

And eventually I did realize that something was off with me. I don’t know how it clicked in that something was wrong with me, but it did. I self-admitted to a local hospital and was put on medication. Over time I went to the hospital two more times before I was eventually diagnosed as having Schizophrenia, Paranoid type.

I say all this so that you can understand where I’m coming from when I talk about issues related to my illness in the future. One of the things I must absolutely stress to those who have a mental illness is to always stay on your medications. Preventing a relapse is the absolute key. Going off the meds is the primary reason why many people relapse and have to go back to the hospital. I’ve been lucky in that I recognize this need and have not relapsed since the day I was diagnosed. So stay on your medications! And keep your doctors well informed about what is going on in your life relative to your illness. This goes for any illness, not just one on the Schizophrenia spectrum. These are some of the basic tenets I keep and it may be the difference between having a place to live (home) and ending up homeless like a lot of people on the Schizophrenia spectrum do.

-Shadowrunner81

For More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

So I said aw screw it and decided to post all kinds of pictures of people in the nude just for the fun of it. So what if I get flagged. Annnnnnd that should be enough so that if this post happens to make the front page more people will be fooled.

April Fool’s!! Ha ha! Now that I know what gets your attention you may as well rec and comment so that you’re not the only one fooled. I will be checking my footprints so I will know who comes to see this!