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.

Love on Ice

I wish I could say I like the Washington Capitals, but I cannot.   I wish I could say I love them, but that just wouldn't be enough.  Hell, to be honest with you, I don't know if there is a word to describe how much I love the hockey team that resides here in our Nation's Capital.

My friends and family know it;  they describe it as "boner-age", "creepy", and my personal favorite "you care about them more than certain relatives".  I spend every game I watch at home glued to the couch fist pumping, pelvic-thrusting, yelling, cursing, pacing, and fetal position-ing.  The games I go to at the Big Barn I spend yelling, cheering (Huge difference), cursing, fist-pumping, high fiving, white knuckling, hugging, and honestly, if I leave there without my hands hurting and voice destroyed I didn't do my job and shouldn't be invited back.

But this love affair goes all the way back to 2005, when Alex Ovechkin was called up to the big league club.  The following eight years have held amazing highs like the game seven against Boston from last year, the Federov goal that sent the Rangers home in 2009, amazing brawls from Matt Bradley, Matt Hendricks, and John Erksine, hair raising goals from Ovie, flashy saves from Holtby, and the Winter Classic victory over Pittsburgh in 2011.  Sadly, there have also been lows like the 2010 playoff series against the Habs, anything done by Jeff Schultz, three game seven playoff loses (2008, 2010, 2012), and heartbreaking regular season losses.

What am I trying to say with this?  Well, the overall point is obvious; I'm kind of in the hole for the Washington Capitals hockey franchise.  We have another a big playoff series starting tonight against the New York Rangers so I'm nervous, excited, scared, and thrilled all at the same time.  I'm going to avoid predictions, guarantees, and hopes because if I give one and something happens, it will be my fault and all of Caps nation will hate me, and I can't have that.

I'll leave you all with a few things, Matty P dancing, an amazing video, and a simple saying...

LETS GO CAPS!

S*#@ That's Shaped Me, Part One

Hi.  I'll keep this short, I'm starting a new thing called "Shit That's Shaped Me" where I'll be presenting videos, music, and stories that's shaped the life I lead today.  Here's the first one.

That intro went well.

Here's some sports broadcast calls that made me fall in love with the vehicle from a few of my heroes in the business.  Enjoy (Pardon my DC bias).

Take it away, Boston

Boston.

I am not a political person, nor a person of religion, and quite honestly, I am not a person of great wisdom, knowledge, or stability.

What am I then?  I am a proud American citizen.  I am a man who is willing to speak from the heart and let my emotion by known, and I am a man who is both heartbroken and extremely proud of the effects from this Boston Marathon Bombing.

Like everyone else out there, I am heartbroken for the families of four victims, the three senselessly murdered from the Marathon and the MIT police officer who lost his life in the line of duty.  We can sit here and debate who we think is behind the bombings, but I would rather take this time and put the spotlight on us, the American people.

By this time, we have all seen the footage, photos, or other media from the Boston Marathon Bombing. We have also all seen the photographs and the video of "Suspect One" and "Suspect Two" walking along the path of the marathon.

As I write this, I am sitting in a crowded bar, surrounded by strangers and friends, all eyes glued to the televisions.  They have just announced that "Suspect Two" is in custody, and everyone in here is applauding, hugging, kissing, and "Sweet Caroline" is playing through the speakers.

I'll say just one last thing, it saddens me that it takes moments like this, the Sandy Hook massacre, the VT shootings, Beltway Sniper shootings, and the senseless attacks from 9/11 to fully unite this country, but the sense of pride I feel in my fellow countrymen and women to see us react like this, as One Nation.

It's time to celebrate.  We are One, we are United, we are Boston Strong.

"Me Book", Part Two

Here's Part Two of my "Me Book".  Enjoy.

Here's the dedication page.  Me hanging out with Jay-Breezy, who the epic book is dedicated too.  This one's pretty easy to read so I won't transcribe it.  It's also an epic picture.

I am a good student.
I am a good son.
I am a funny brother.
I am a good drawer.
I am a talented reader.
I am a kind grandson.
I am a calm fisher.
I am a fast "swimer".
I am a good biker.

Ok, so let me talk about this one real quick.  Most of those are lies (Drawer, "calm' fisher, and "swimer"), but the rest are true.  Actually, if you've seen me "swim" you already knew that was a lie.  I don't swim so much as a flail, splash, and move slowly through the water like an injured, leg-less alligator.  Cuz that's how I roll.

"I am Sam Carroll.  My birthday is March 14, 1990.  My favorite colors are blue, green, and red.  My hobbys are reading and baseball.  I am 9 years old.  I live in Bowie, Maryland.  There are 4 people in my family Dad, Mom, Me, and Brain."

 So I'll break this one down.  All sentences are 100% true (Whaaaaa!), and prepare to hear a lot about baseball coming up in the rest of these.  This also marks a huge moment in life that we hadn't noticed yet.  My brother's name is "Brian", but I wrote "Brain", his nickname since he was little.

You're welcome, Bro.

Here's my mirror.  You can see how accurate the drawing of me is in the middle.

All The Pieces, Pieces, Pieces Of Me...

Who remembers that Ashlee Simpson song?  And who wants to stop reading this post cuz I titled it after that abortion of a "hit"?  Everyone, even I don't want to write this anymore but I owe it to you all, and you all owe it to yourselves to keep reading, I have big news.

In 4th grade at St. Pius X in Bowie, MD (Represent!) all three clases started a assignment called a "Me Book".  These books were filled with little assignments and things to tell everyone what we were all about and how we saw the world.  Many of my classmate's editions probably got thrown in the trash or lost somewhere throughout the years, not mine.

Mine sits in my bedroom, next to a thesaurus, dictionary, books about Irish culture, and other "reference" books.  That's really where it belongs, it's a reference book to what I was as a kid.  Who I was as a kid.  It also kills with the ladies.  And I mean kills man.

So I'll stop talking about it, and post the beginning of the book.  More will come later, but I don't want to bomb you all with multiple pages of epic-icity.

Enjoy my "Me Book".

As you can all see, this pretty much sums me up.  I'm just your run of the mill nice fisherman how was God loving and quick.  I may have been a lot of things, but I've never been quick.  I was high clearly.  Also, I used to be blonde.  

And the back cover.  In the picture, you can see me driving like a champion, and my brother, Brian, crashing into the wall.  Also peep my sweet paper mache job with my initials, clearly I left "artist" off my sweet list of "SamWow BuzzWords".

That's all you get for now.  Stay tuned, part two is coming real soon.  Promise.