Putting the "Wow" Back In SamWow, Part Two

Okay, so yesterday I rolled out "Putting the 'Wow' Back In SamWow, Part One" and well, quite frankly no one saw it, which is fine.  I'm writing it for me so I can get my thoughts together, and if I can touch someone with what I write that's even better.  However, I will say it is a bit different from my usual stuff like my posts about the mall, America's favorite Frenchman Herve Benoit, or my chilling expose on potty talk because those were built for speed and laughs. 

These on the other hand, are built for longevity.  I'm trying to devlop as a person and keep myself from doing something stupid, but enough random talking; let's get into it. 

A week ago, I had an idea for something I jokingly called "Hugs Without Borders" and it's my millionth crazy scheme. Hopefully this one sticks.

So what is "Hugs Without Borders"?  Well, it's not me flying all over the world like the great folks with Doctors Without Borders (Who you can donate to here.), even though I would totally do that if it was do-able.

It's driving out of your way to see a friend in need, even if they're too proud to admit it.  It's smiling at a stranger and wishing them a good day as you step off the elevator.  It's giving up your seat on a crowded bus so someone else can sit down.  It's holding the door open for a mother and her children.  It's calling your parents, or anyone really, to just chat.  It's paying the toll for the car behind you.  It's making that one dollar donation at the grocer's checkout to help find a cure for prostate cancer.  It's dropping a few dollars extra on a tip.  It's dancing like a fool to make a friend laugh.  It's story telling to get someone's mind out of a dark place.

But at it's simplest core, it's a gesture, no matter how small, where you put yourself aside and make someones day, change a frown into a smile, and maybe get that person to do the same for someone else.  Picture the movie "Pay It Forward", just without Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Jon Bon Jovi, and Jay Mohr (And I think Helen Hunt was in it, but it might have been Meg Ryan, they're the same person in my book).  That's what I'm going for here, it's not some earth shattering idea like the Chillow, it's something we all know  about but don't act upon enough.

Some of you might laugh, and dismiss this as some stupid little scheme and I understand.  I'm not going to argue with it, you can't please everyone and that's not why I'm here.  I just want to bring so good into the world and spread it like butter.

I want to follow in the steps of Kid President, Randy Pausch, Zach Sobiech, or any of the millions of other people who's stories, actions, and lives have inspired the world. 

That's all for now.  Until next time.


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Editor's Note // All those links at the bottom are things you really should watch if you want to get on board or just get inspired.  Just as a disclaimer the Randy Pausch video is over an hour long but it's amazing.  His bio is here if you want a quick hitter but nothing tops the video (Or the book, which made me cry like a baby and I would love to buy it for you if you want it...maybe.).

Putting the "Wow" Back In SamWow, Part One.

In the late spring of 2005, I was 15 and a rower on the crew team at DeMatha Catholic High School.  We had a dreadful year, finished what felt like a record of 0-100 (With one second place finish) but we had some laughs and a decent time.  Sorry, I'm getting off track so let's get back onnit.

It was the end of the season and we were all sitting in our "practice facility" which was really just an old Buick dealership/shop with all the equpiment laid out on top of the asbestos.  We were shooting the shit (Yes, I said shit) and waiting for our respective turns for the end of year reviews with the coaches.  We joked about what they would say, who might cry (Laputz was getting ragged on hard core), and what next year would be like when they called my name and I stood up to go into the garage.

In that short walk, everything I did wrong went through my head; the day I sat stroke, couldn't keep a steady pace and caught at least three crabs (rowing term, not the deliscous crustecean) and was probably my worst day on the water.  I thought about all the loses we had, mostly the race at Georgetown where we raced our hearts out for a 3rd place finish and heard Coach yelling from the shore "Head up DeMatha!" and I remember getting really emotional.  On our slow, painful row back to the dock, our "sister schools" rowed by us and congratulated us on the race but none of it helped. 

So it was a pretty scary feeling walking into that garage and sitting down in front of the coaches and I was sure I'd be cut or not asked back (The team was actually too small to afford to cut anyone).  I distinctly remember walking across to the seat they had for me and never looking up, I was staring daggers into my sweet New Balance 574s.

Well I sat down and we started the review, I don't remember all that was said, but it was probably a lot of "Well you did good here.  Improve here.  What can we do different here.  How'd this feel.  What about next year." and then they shook my hand and I stood to leave.  That's when my coach, Jim Case, said something to me that still hits me to this day (Pardon my French his French).

"There's just one problem, Carroll.  You always got that giant head down; keep your fucking head up.  You're a DeMatha Stag.  You're a big strong kid with a lot ahead of you.  If I see you with your head down I'm gonna call you out."

I walked out of there with my head up, but it probably sagged back down as soon as I got back into the main room.  Well hell, I promise you it did.  My head went down that day and has stayed down since that day for the most part, but that's all gonna change.

I've been beating (eating?) around the bush for too long on this whole thing and now that's done.  I'm going to write more about what's going on, what I'm trying to fix, and more as time goes on, just wanted to kick it off and remind everyone to keep ya chins up.

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Editors Note // The posts in this series might come off as somewhat of a bummer, but that's the nature of the beast.  I want to inspire and tell a story and to do that you need to make yourself and others feel.  I hope you enjoy -- Sam

SamWow versus the "Kid Gloves"

Hello there, old friends.  If anyone's still reading this site, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts up in here for the past few months, sometimes you just don't have anything to write.  Sometimes you have something to write but don't want to sound too serious or get too preachy, this is a kid's show after all.

Well, this one might be a wee bit preachy.  Maybe serious.  Maybe neither.  Maybe you'll stop reading after this, who would blame you?  Not me.

I enjoy meeting new people, almost as much as I enjoy people watching at baseball games (Hello, ladies), and I'm lucky enough to meet a lot of them through my friends, co-workers, family, and the daily "Freak Fest" I ride each day that some people call the WMATA Metro.

I dunno how to really create some witty, clever way to introduce this while still teaching you a valuable lesson, so I'll just say it and we'll go from there.  Here we go.

When you meet new people, don't sugarcoat yourself.  Be the guy or gal you are usually.  If you're an overly nice person, be nice.  If you like to crack jokes, crack jokes.  If you like to dance like a clown, dance like a clown.  Why put up some phony front that you'll have to keep up everytime you see that person?  It's a waste of time.  Be real man.

There's no need for the "kid gloves" with a new person.

That's really all, I just wanted to do a lil something to try and get me back into the blog-thing. 

Oh, there is one exception to this rule...if she's hot.  If she's hot, you always lie.

SamWow's Things: Year In Review 2012.

I'm baaaackkkkkkkk!

So I know I haven't posted in over a month and I have zippy excuses for you, the god's honest truth is I'm slothful, lazy, sluggish, indolent, idle, shiftless, and any other synonyms you can think of that go with that idea, and for that I truly apologize.  Even though I'll never speak to half of you or see your lovely faces (if you're a young lady with a lovely face, hit me up on Twitter/Facebook, information is below), I still feel as though I've let you all down, so this is how I'll make it up to you with The RealSamWow Year in Review 2012!

I was hoping that you read that the same way Oprah says "Oprah's favorite thinggggggggsss!" and all the middle aged women and their husbands go mad, jumping up and down and screaming.  This'll be just as good, maybe.  And if you look under your seat, you'll see the carpet/hardwood/tile or whatever else is under you.  Maybe there's some change in the couch, if so, you're welcome.  Let's start right about now.

The best thing I did in 2012 was (prepare for something on the opposite side of my usual craziness) find out that I have self esteem, confidence, and a bunch of those other qualities that makes someone a functioning adult.  I've learned to stay intact with my emotions and other stuff.  So that's all we'll talk about on that, cuz I don't wanna get all sappy and emotional.  Just know I'm kicking ass and feeling great, so chew on that, haters.

Probably the worst thing I did in 2012 let a lot of friendships fall to the wayside.  I was in a long term(ish) relationship and I put all my energy into that and blew off trips to Blacksburg, College Park, DC, and other places.  It's all my fault that it happened, and it's how I earned my nickname "Flakes", cuz I "always be flakin', Flakes".

Ok, so I just wanted to say the more serious things.  Now I'll dive into the silly, ridiculous, and amazing.

The most embarrassing thing I did in 2012 happened only a few months ago.  I was in Target trying on some new shirts and pants and stuff.  I wrapped up and walked out of the dressing rooms with my coat on and the clothes I was trying on in my hand.  And I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt, like, at all.  I was about twenty paces from the dressing rooms, clothes in hand, coat on, shirtless under.  A few people saw me and kinda gave me a "What da eff" look.

I just hope that somewhere, on a security camera,  your boy SamWow is wondering out of the rooms without a shirt, cuz I would love to see the sheer look of terror/embarassment/and (eventually) the smile and laugh that followed that moment.

I also took a few trips this year, so the prestigious award for best trip I took in 2012 comes down to my week in Bermuda, my couple of days in the Outer Banks, or my weekend in Virginia Tech.  I dunno which to choose, on one hand Bermuda was epic...but let's just say the memory is tainted....the OBX trip was good, but I was only there for a few days...and VT was amaz-balls except when that stuff happened that made it less than epic....and the winner is...the Outer Banks!

My few days in the OBX were packed with #shambles moments.

I spent two days drunk, driving, and hanging out with my lovely cousins.  I also shouldn't put "drunk" right next to "driving", I didn't do that.  I drove down there with my Bro (aka BroBeans) and smoked a cigar and sang "Whiter Shade of Pale", ate multiple burgers from multiple places, and drank multiple drinks full of drink, and smoked cigars with my best friends in the world.  There's also the annual "Cousin Bonding/Heart-to-Heart thing" that seems to come up yearly.  And for the record, I'm posing in the picture, that's not a natural moment.

I was going to do a "best movie of 2012" bit but I don't really remember all the movies I saw (Dark Knight, Hunger Games, uhhh...crap sandwich that's all I got) so instead I'll do a movie I watched a lot in 2012.  The movie was "I, Robot" for like the fourth straight year.  This was a terrible category.

Now I'll do some quick hitters and wrap this thing up...

Best sports moment of 2012 was Joel Ward's game winner against the Bruins.  Amazing night.

Best album purchase of 2012 was Naughty By Nature's Greatest Hits CD.

The thing I drank most of in 2012 that's not water or milk was whiskey, duh.  Beer a close second.

The thing I ate the most of in 2012 was buffalo wings, DUH.  Close second is salad, weird mix.

The drunkest I got in 2012 was probably in Blacksburg, or one of the nights on the Bermuda cruise, or something else all together.  Probably don't remember, I was drunk.

The thing I should have done way before 2012 is date a sportscaster.  Oh.  My.  God.  She was amazing.

The thing(s) I should have done more of in 2012; went to the gym more, eat more crab cakes, and quitting jobs.

That's all I got, this is mostly to get me back to blogging on a somewhat frequent basis so I avoid slipping down the path of crippling delusion, depression, and diarrhea 

See you soon, and Merry Christmas to you all!

I'm a Mistake. Well, in a Certain Way

Some of you will have heard this story from me before, but it's still worth telling and it's a fun story, at least I think it is.

This last Friday, I was at the "Summer Dress Party" at the Clarendon Ballroom in NoVa.  I went cuz I A) love parties, B) I was invited by a friend, and C) the party was hosted by my dream employers, also known as 106.7 The Fan.  Wait, there's a "D)" reason as well, I love sundresses.  If I remember correctly, I even wrote a blog post about how much I love sundresses, well, not the clothing item, it's more how a girl looks in it, so freaking amazing.

Moving on.  Sometimes when I write that I picture myself as Gene Wilder leaving that girl who got all blueberry in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  In case you're wondering, I also want to be Gene Wilder in every movie he was in with Richard Pryor.

So anyways...I'm walking around with my friend, talking, drinking (quite a bit), and overall being my goofy little self when I'm introduced to a guy so let's call him "Hipster" (As soon as I saw him I decided his name would not be worth remembering).  Now, I doubt "Hipster" was a fan of the station, he probably just wandered in with his super tight jeans, comically (in the bad way) large glasses, and just his air of "feel bad for me cuz my parents have my trust fund and timeshares locked up till I'm 27 and I can't get into whatever liberal arts college is popular right now to hackey sack, play guitar shirtless, and prevent the clubbing of minority baby seals with down syndrome that are below the poverty line".  After I introduced myself to him, he looked me dead in the face and asked "Sam.  What brought your parents to name you that?  It's kind of unique."

First off, it's not really that unique.  Dogs are named Sam.  So are people, roughly 32% of people according to my totally made up research.  Second off, what the hell type of question is that?  Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, why'd your parents name you that, baby?

So I told him "I'm named after a dog my Dad really liked." and kinda walked away.  I also could have said "I lied to him about it cuz I don't know why I'm named Sam really."  It's a good thing I walked away, cuz his next question was probably going to ask if I had the vinyl copy of "Plastic Crying Brontosaurus in a Corporate World" or if Britt's shoes were USDA Organic...

For the record I totally made that up, but if anyone wants for their band name it we can talk price.

So later on, I'm retelling the story when it hits me, there's another story behind my name.  I wasn't supposed to be Sam.  Let's tell that story now.  This is also the main reason for this post.

A few years back, my Pop revealed to me that when I was born, he wanted to name me "Tug", but my Mom said no.

That's really the whole story.  I was gonna be named Tug, they named me Sam.  And when they told me, I began to face a lifetime of disappointment.

Picture all the great things I could accomplish as a guy named Tug.  Major League Baseball player, NFL linebacker or fullback, truck driver, radio host, bartender, tugboat driver, garbage man, professional shot putter, back woods golfer, auto mechanic, porn star, largely unknown bass player in a band, or eight fingered high school wood shop teacher.  Endless possibilities for Tug Carroll.

Just close your eyes and think about it (Like I have thousands of times), "Now stepping up to the plate, 6'1", 240 pound Tug Carroll, batting 0.732 this season with 43 taters, 142 ribbies, and a staggering OBP.  A walking, talking Hall of Famer."

Or this, "Barreling down field, shedding defenders like rain on a windshield (...?) on his march towards the end zone, Tug Carroll's aggressive running style stabs fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators and players alike."  And then the glamour kind of leaves the name outside of those two prefessions.

Tug Carroll.  Awesome, I'm irrationally mad at you about this one, Ma.

SamWow Versus the Needle

One thing a lot of people don't know about me is that I have something my old dentist once called "White Coat Syndrome".  This basically means I'm terrified of doctors, I get nervous, jumpy, can't focus, and it's just a stupid thing that I need to get over.  I mean, I still go to doctors and stuff, but it's an ordeal.

I used to be afraid of needles, which is a very common thing apparently.  Why the hell would I have wanted some stranger stabbing around, looking for veins or something. How do you do it heroin addicts?

Seriously, tell me.  Hit me up on Twitter, @therealSamWow.  Moving right along.

So after that epic little build up, today I gave blood for the second time in my life.  The first time, I'll admit, I did it for two tickets to a Capitals game at the PhoneBooth (Also known as the Verizon Center) and a sweet Peter Bondra bobblehead.  I'm not totally proud, but it was my first Caps game, they won, and the bobblehead is pretty sweet.

So today, probably two years after I first gave blood, the Armed Services Blood Program (See the website here) came to my building for a blood drive.  I saw the big poster outside and figured this would be a great way to knock out my "Good Deed of the Day" (I also helped some tourists while I was waiting for a bus, so two good deeds) and help out some active military members across the world (Maybe, I dunno where the blood goes).  Plus, snacks, t-shirts, and other swag.

 So I walked in, signed up, went through all the preliminary stuff and then sat down for the interview and they asked me to repeat my name and date of birth.  With great, great, great confidence, I replied "Samuel David Carroll, March 14th, 1990."

The lady looked at me kinda puzzled and said "Are you sure?"  I laughed at her, cuz ya know, I've been fairly certain of that information for about twenty two years, unless my parents lied about my name and I'm really named Tug.  Sadly not true.

So anyways, she shows me the paper that the lady filled out for me and it shows that my name, according to what they read off my drivers license, my name is "David Samuel Carroll, born on March 14th, 1980".  Classic.

So after we got all that straightened out, I was good to go.  Walked into the room and started joking around with the people, talking, shooting the breeze, and telling everyone how nervous I am about needles, doctors, and all that other stuff.  Next thing I know, I look down and my own blood is running through the tubes and there's a needle in my arm.  Took it like a champion.

And seeing how all I do is talk, I talked the whole time to everyone.  Then it was all over, nothing to be scared of.  It's shockingly easy, and it's something I plan on doing a lot of in the future.  One pint of blood can save three lives, and I think that's pretty great.  Good deed done.

Oh yeah, at the end, they gave me cheesecake so I wouldn't faint or die or something.  I also got a sweet new coffee cup.  And the epic bandaging job you see below, pink wrap with a red bow.  Boom.

So that's all I have to say.  I donated blood today, I plan on doing it more, and I think everyone should do it at least once if they're medically cleared.  Links are below, and I'll be going back after September 20th if anyone wants to come with.

Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) and then there's always American Red Cross.  Do it to save a life, or lives, and feel really good doing it.  

SamWow versus the Gym, Round 2

Hey all, in May I talked all this game about going to the gym more, getting in shape, and since then...I haven't done jack shit.  Until this week.

This week, I've been on my grind.  I've went to the gym Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Ran on the treadmill, something I never do, lifted weights, stretched (Which I never do), and had one of the most awkward moments of my life.

I'm on the fly machine, wrapping up my Monday workout and I got my music playing and I'm just in the zone man.  A girl comes up and asks "Hey are you almost done on the machine?" to which I replied, like a dumbass "Sorry, I have a girlfriend."  Then got up, and walked away.  Yep.  That's all I have to say about that, my friends have laughed enough about it.  Embarrassing.

So yeah, these past two days I didn't go to the gym at all.  Went out with a friend Wednesday night and got home a little buzzed and just did some cardio at home and today I played tennis in that thousand degree heat so I probably lost like, thirty pounds.

Yeah, I'm working on it people, I know you don't really care, but I wanna put it out there.  It makes me think that people are reading it and they're gonna check up on my gym progress.  I'm using this to guilt me into going all the time.

Thanks.  I promise my next post will be better.

SamWow versus the Gym

That's right.  I go to the gym, Planet Fitness to be exact, (A reasonable one dollar sign up fee?  Then only ten dollars a month?  Sign me up for those amazingly low prices!  Shameless plug, hopefully someone will see it and PAY ME).

Why do I go to the gym you ask?  Well clearly it's to clean up with the ladies, or because I like hanging out in sweaty locker rooms, or because I'm fat.  Hint, it's the last one.

Now, I'm not fat fat, but I could stand to lose about twenty or so pounds and I've been working hard on it.  I'm eating better, drinking only sugar free soda (And trying really hard to cut out all soda), and trying to have under 25 grams of sugar a day.  I made a deal with myself at the start of the year and decided to try and lose 30ish pounds by January 2013.

So far, that goal isn't looking great.  It's really tough to lose weight when you sit around writing, talking, and working a desk job.  Like right now, I should be going to the gym but instead I'm watching "Taxi" (You know...with Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, and Giesle Bundchen) and flipping back and forth between the Western Conference Finals in the NHL and watching the Heat get beat by the Pacers (AGAIN!).

Why am I writing this post about how bad I am about going to the gym?  Cuz I'm hoping this will keep me honest in going, at the end of each post, I'm gonna list how many times I went to the gym and my weight after each trip.  So basically, this post is entirely for me.

So you're probably asking "They why the hell am I reading this?"  Cuz I have the t-shirt designs.  Check out the front and back and let me know the size you want, if you want a shirt that is, and I'll try to scrape an order together.