Since when did inline skates dictate your sexual preference?

I've been riding on inline skates since I was about 11 years old. I love it! It took me several years to get as good as I am on them and I absolutely love riding on them. And I can tell you I don't do it for exercise. If I had known about Aggressive Inline when I was in High School I would have been ALL over it. Next to driving with the windows down on the expressway going 65MPH, it is the best way I know to get a nice adrenaline rush. Especially at the speeds I'm capable of. Now when I say I can get high speeds I'm not just talking under my own power. I'm talking about finding a very VERY steep hill and just tucking my legs under me and flying. You think downhill skiing is a rush? You haven't tried inline skating on a steep hill traveling over 30 MPH and the only thing between you and a nasty fall on concrete is your legs and luck.

  Now that I have gone to great lengths to inform you on my love of inline skating...can someone tell me why that makes me a faggot?

Seriously, I don't understand where the hatred and disgust comes from when I roll down the street and I have grown men in SUV's (in upper class neighborhoods) stopping in front of a park full of kids and in his loudest voice calling out, "NICE SKATES FAGGOT!"

  Can someone please explain it to me? I don't see where it comes from. I'm not yelling at people or making rude comments at people or knocking people off the street or trying to force my views on others. I'm simply enjoying a ride and I even go out of my way to avoid people so they don't think I'm hogging the road/sidewalk. I'm not even dressed inappropriately. I'm wearing a plain t-shirt, cargo shorts and a helmet. How is that offensive??

I'm not asking for much am I? A simple explanation to why people hate inline skaters.

Ryan Dunn's death and Roger Ebert

Just heard about fight between Facebook and ROGER EBERT. Dude, seriously?! Are we back in High School now? Ever hear of the First Amendment? He can give his view, even if it's in bad taste and he shouldn't be treated like that. He's a Entertainment Columnists for crying-out-loud!

This has been a most interesting day.

I woke up this morning with a pretty fair idea of what I needed to do. I have a shift at work and then my afternoon was open. My girlfriend drove home after I left and arrived safely. So one good thing.  I went into work with a pretty good feeling.
  Now just for the record to clarify my good feeling, let me cover this past week. Last weekend (June 4-5) I had the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer. This is my fifth time walking in the event and the 3rd time I walked the entire distance of 39 miles (26 miles on Saturday, 15 miles on Sunday).  Now, in the past I have trained for this event over a 3 month period. Unfortunately I wasn't able to train as hard as usually do because of complications with work and free-time. So as a result my lack of training for the walk caused me to get a very painful case of Shin Splints. After the walk I had one day of rest (Monday) before I had to start back to work. Since my primary income came from my job at the Studios, I have had to find alternative income to fill the gap left by the lack of shifts because the Studio is no longer able to employ me. I currently am a seasonal Bartender at 2 locations both of which work me about 3-4 times a week, usually ranging in 5hrs to 8hrs each shift. Usually I get a day of rest between to two but unfortunately this wasn't the case. My calender had me working Tuesday thru Saturday going back and forth between the two places and to add to it my Shin Splints continued to affect my ability to work efficiently.
   Personally, I find the manager of one of my seasonal jobs to be inadequate for managing the events held there. This facility is a member based club and the manager makes a greater effort to please the members rather then his employees well-being. Just this past Friday we had a large event that I was asked to work. Originally I was just supposed to have a evening shift which I'm happy to do, but because the manger got a special request from the members and he's unwilling to hire enough people to work the events without double booking employees. I had to work a 12 hr shift.  Ordinarily I wouldn't have a problem working this because it's good money. But I was working injured and what made the situation worse is that I started at 11AM and didn't stop till 11PM and I only ate when I had breakfast at my house before I left.  I was given no break for a meal and rest during the day as well as two other employees. Several times during the last few hrs of the event I almost passed out. The only food I was able to have was some maraschino cherries from the bar.
  So based on this info, I'm walking into the club on Monday expecting the manager to be running whatever event is going on, which to say the least made me nervous.
   So I get inside and start setting up the bar for the event. The servers and other bartender arrive and we all set up the banquet room for the event. From what I got from the other servers and the chef was that it was a charity/scholarship event run by the local town, but what was problematic is that the manager was no where to be found. He was supposed to be running the party but rather then briefing us and instructing us on how to run the party as well as informing the servers what tables they would be responsible for, he never showed up until right before the event and then still gave us no instructions.  It fell to one of the bartenders to contact him BY CELL PHONE, which employees aren't supposed to use while on duty, in order to get the details.
  I was shocked and couldn't figure out how he was justifying having this event at the club and then not even taking the responsibility to be at the event making sure everything went the way it should.
   Thankfully we were able to have everything run smoothly but I just couldn't believe what he was doing.  IF something had gone wrong it could have been disastrous and worst of all we knew we would get the blame instead of him.
  So after I left, I headed home and decided to relax and rest my leg because it was twitching pain about an hour after I started working, meaning that it still wasn't healed. I changed out of my uniform, sat on the couch and turned on the TV. But the TV didn't turn on. It made the sound of turning on but then would turn off again. I tried again and again and it still wouldn't turn on. I checked the manual for this kind of problem in the troubleshooting and sure enough it means that the TV needs servicing.  Well I have had this TV for 5 years and no warranty is on it. What is ironic is that just yesterday my GF and I planned on getting me a new 37" LCD TV to replace this one but we put it off because of my leg. GOOD GRIEF! What a way to start the week.
 But when you think about it, this isn't really that bad. There are people around the world with really bigger problems then this.  So yes the world isn't perfect and everyone has bad days, but really if you look at how your day is going and you think it's bad.......stop and think about this;  IT COULD BE A WHOLE FUCKING LOT WORSE!

BREAKING NEWS: The Pity Train has just derailed at the intersection of "SUCK IT UP" and "MOVE ON" and crashed into "WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS" before coming to a complete stop at "GET THE HELL OVER IT!!!!

Observations today

You know what makes me smile and reminds me that I am smart. Seeing people walking around on a stormy rainy day wearing sandal's. If they only knew that it's not water squishing between their toes, its a ton of disgusting things. It's Dog poop, garbage, rotten food, oil, gas, vomit, human excrement and everything else that someone had dropped on the ground, someone else stepped on then it rolled around in the rest of the garbage, dried up and then was caught up in the rain and washed into your feet.  Enjoy that image. And what makes me feel even better is that most of these people will get home tonight and just get right into bed without washing their feet. YUCK! But I was smart and wore shoes. Because I like my feet. :)

Driving in to work today I realized something listening to the commercials, Chevy has been advertising for their Cruze car, Malibu, Equinox and Camero. Yet I haven't seen or heard a single commercial for the Chevrolet Volt.  In fact, when was the last time you saw any GM company advertise a Green or electric/hybrid car on TV or radio.  GM supports the green effort......Yeah right, like hell they are. :( And people wonder why "Who Killed the Electric Car" is a popular movie.

Why I read Marvel Digital Comics

Originally posted : By Tj Shields · Saturday, September 19, 2009
http://marvel.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=4022144&highlight#4022144 - no longer exists because removed by Marvel Comics

Why I read marvel digital comics…….

In August 2009 I went to the Wizard World Comic book Convention in Rosemont IL, just outside of Chicago.

   I go to this event every year. Usually to pick up the comics I have wanted to get and to see all the cool people, costumes, figures, movies, etc. that are always at this event.   This particular year I was looking forward to the Marvel panel that was being held and the subject is on the ULTIMATE Marvel universe. 

  Now I had not finished reading ULTIMATIUM at this time, but I still love the series.  Which comes to my main point, I have primarily read almost all of the Ultimate Marvel Comics series through Marvel Digital Comics or digital media of one type or the other.

   This started when the Ultimate X-men series had come out on CD-ROM in stores.  Now I had been introduced to Ultimate X-men by a friend through his collection of trade paperbacks, but now I had a way of reading the whole series up to a point, so I purchased it and started reading.  Because of my busy schedule, it took me 3 months to read the whole thing. That’s 70 comic issues and I LOVED IT!!  By then I had gone out and purchased the Ultimate War trade paperback so I could fill in the blanks and thought about collecting the comic from then on.

    A week later, before I had a chance to start buying comics I got a notice from my Marvel Comics newsletter in my email.  Marvel is starting a Digital Comics Library.  My jaw hit the floor. I instantly looked at the site and was struck with awe.  This was the answer I was looking for. I now had a way to look at my favorite comics without having to go down to my storage area and pull out the comics from their storage bags and read them, and in the process get my greasy hands all over them and demean their value. Not to mention the chance of getting them dirty or catching a page on the scotch tape on the bag, which isn’t a big deal for some but for me it is a huge deal. Insert your “Mallrats”/“Jason Lee” joke here….

    Now I didn’t care about the subscription fee because of the possibilities that this library offered, so I signed up and have been happily paying my fee ever since.  Now because of this subscription, I had free access to all of the comics on the site and all the comics that I; already owned, had always wanted to read or didn’t even know existed.  Such comics were the Ultimate series.  As I read I found that I loved every single one of them but the collections were incomplete and I had to wait for months before the next issues came out.  Being the patient man that I am, I was able to push it aside, create my “Must Reads” list and wait.

   Now back to the convention and the Panel:  I walked in excited to learn what was going to happen and what I would learn about all the characters that I loved and hoped to hear about.  The panel starts and I listened intently and enjoyed all the jokes and comments that came from Mark Paniccia, Mark Millar and a very young and attractive woman, whom I’m sad to say I forgot to write her name down (please post if you know) as well as the rest of the panel. Then came the moment I had been waiting for, the open forum. I waited for a few people to get their questions out of the way before I stood up, walked over the microphone and nervously started to ask my question. “Hello, um…First off I would like to say I love the Ultimate comics series and I have read almost all of them on the Marvel Digital Comics site.  And…” Before I could get out my next word a Scottish/British voice comes up and says…. “CHEAP!” 

   I actually froze.  I felt myself freeze and from around me there was a chorus of laughter. I thought I was either going to burst into tears or pass-out from embarrassment.  But I sucked it back and continued on with “…I’ll let that go for now. But I wanted to know if there would be any exclusive Ultimate Comics releases on the Digital Comics Website?”  The panel then went into an answer which I can’t recall word for word but the gist was of no plans at this time but please purchase the comics from the stores.

   The rest of the questions sort of slipped past my ears as I sat cold and hurt in the room. I left at the end of the panel with the rest of the room but in a state of shock.

   It’s only now that I can truly say what I wish I had said at that moment when I had been called “CHEAP.” Talk about waiting till after the fact that the comeback comes to mind eh?

   I have my reasons for reading the comics through the Digital Comics and they are good ones. They are truthful, real and honest reasons.  It honestly has nothing to do with the money.  I’m not strapped for cash to the point that I can’t pay for my comics. I have several hundred comics that I have collected since I was 11 years old (34 now). My collection ranges from Alpha Flight to Transformers and Amazing Spider-man to X-Men and not just Marvel Comics.  This collection has grown to considerable size and I have had to let go of many because I just don’t have the room to collect all that I want.  Many great stories I have had to purchase through trade paperbacks because I can’t find all the issues to the series.  My collecting now is down to the comics that stand out as truly unique and special. Which is very small compared to the size it was 10 years ago. 

   The digital comics gave me a way to purchase my comics and read them over and over and over again without fear of damaging them or losing them or missing out on issues I couldn’t find.  It’s a wonderful dream come true for a fan of comics like me.  To have a way to not only read all my comics whenever I want, but I can now access them from wherever I am!  All I need do is open my laptop, open a my Android or iPod-Touch app, and there they are!

    But I’m “CHEAP” because of it.  I go months without reading my comics because my schedule is so crazy I don't have time to pick them up from the store.   I not only pay for my Subscription to Digital Comics but all the series I collect from the same comic book store that I have been getting my comics since I was small. (Comic Collector - Harlem Ave. Riverside, IL. Deadpool and Ghost Rider to name a few.)

    I would pay the cover prices online if they would give me the comics.  I’ve emailed into Marvel asking to make individual subscription plans for people who want to get specific series. I’ve called in pleading for the comics to be made available for whatever price I need to pay to get them. Yet nothing has changed, and I’m called “CHEAP”.

    Because of this I have had to start purchasing the new Ultimate Comics series to keep up.  Unfortunately I can’t read them yet, because I haven’t finished reading the series behind them. I love my comics stories they fill me up with creativity and life that is beaten down so many times by the world.  The art work, the characters, the stories, so masterfully written and drawn and I love them all. I love reading them, collecting them and hopefully one day they will return the favor.

   I’m not writing this to start a fight or cause a ruckus. I just want to say what I have been thinking and plead for peace of mind.  Let me pay for my comics and read them digitally.  I’m still going to buy other comics because I just want to read them in hand, but let me get the others online so I can collect ones and enjoy the others.

   I know I’m not the only one who enjoys this convenient and fun way of reading comics. I’m not trying to steal money from the artists and writers, I just want an easier way to store and read my comics. 

   Oh and just for the record…..On average I pay between $40-$50 dollars a month on Comics add in my subscription to Digital comics and that goes up to around $60 a month and $720 a year. 

   And I’m “CHEAP”!?

  As my favorite Merc-with-a-Mouth would say:  “YEAH RIGHT! And Bea Arthur was just another Pretty Face you irishsprings'mellin, whiskey'swillin', leprechaunkissing, cornedbeefandhashmicrowaving', mutantscum --taunt me, will you?! I'll show you taunting! I'll taunt you till you bleed out of your ears and run home to mama!” - (Deadpool - Wade Wilson, The Crimson Comedian, The Regeneratin' Degenerate,The Merc With A Mouth. Marvel's Ultimate Slapstick Killing Machine and My Favorite Marvel Anti-Hero!) 

  

    

A DREAM

From Facebook Notes by Tj Shields on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 9:16pm

A DREAM

I dreamed a dream 
a beautiful may flower glowing in the dawn sunlight
dew glistened on its pedals
she sways in the gentle breeze
Surrounded by soft green grass, the ground swells just to be near.
The trees bow to her magnificence, allowing the sun to feed her.
I see her and long to be near.
Wanting to touch her softness.
Needing to smell her sweetness.
I dreamed a dream 
but now that dream is gone from my mind.
I search now for you and can't find you.
the trees have withered.
the grass is gone and the ground is spoiled.
The sun doesn't shine and all is darkness.
I dreamed of you my Beautiful May Flower of Love.
Why Can't I find you now?


I'm a hunter of peace and love. On a quest for the elusive mayfly known as Love. we are searching for a place where we can live our lives in peaceful days. With no wars, no killing and no stealing, a place  that isn't run by fear. A place where people can live and actually trust other human beings. - Vash the Stampede

The Funniest Chilli Contest Ever

From Facebook Notes by Tj Shields on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 5:35pm

The Funniest Chilli Contest Ever

I didn't write it but I was laughing at it :)


If you can read this whole story without laughing, then there's no hope for you. I was crying by the end. This is an actual account as relayed to paramedics at a chili cook-off in New Mexico.


Note: Take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better.
For those of you who have lived in New Mexico, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Santa Fe Plaza.
Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chile taster named Frank, who was visiting from Springfield, IL. Frank: 'Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table, asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native New Mexicans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy; and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted and became Judge #3. 




Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy crap, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These New Mexicans are crazy.




CHILI # 2 - EL RANCHO'S AFTERBURNER CHILI
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw he look on my face.


CHILI # 3 - ALFREDO'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.
Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting sh*t-faced from all of the beer.


CHILI #4 BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. This 300 lb. woman is starting to look HOT ... just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?


CHILI # 5 - LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Jalapeno peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the jalapeno peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted, and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really ticks me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them.


CHILI # 6 - VARGA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I crapped on myself when I farted, and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snow cone.

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge #3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing. It's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor fella, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?
Judge # 3 -- No report