Staff Blogs

I came across this poem and it suck in my head and made me think, hard. I am concerned about the literacy of our young. What is, or has become, acceptable in our verbal form of communication? It's about education; it's always been about education, which starts in the home. I know as a Parent, the buck stop here, and the finger is pointed at me, or at least it should be, for the responsibility of educating of my children. . Enjoy the poem.

Totally like whatever, you know?
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

I was a partner in a bar in Media some years back. We had Karaoke every Sunday(JohnnyFamous). Marvis and Joe Frazier would show up from time to time. Joe would sing his version of "My Way" every time.  Marvis got everyone at the bar together and said, "When my Father starts singing, we need everyone to run out of the Bar" This was a take off of the TV commercial that Joe was in a few years earlier. He had a Vegas act at one time YEARS ago but Joe just flat out couldn't sing. So, Joe started to sing, we all ran out of the bar, and Joe kept singing. He said, "I knew everyone would be back because you all left your drinks here, Marvis is to cheap to leave a drink unfinished". Marvis, you have my deepest sympathies. Rest in Peace, Joe.

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.

I like his last name so I followed his career. He was the next generation geek who gets himself in with the hot girl, makes her angry, and then in Hollywood fashion, he gets the girl. Then geeks around the world rejoice because they think that "art" imitates life. But in this case, kids are cruel and it doesn't.  Years go by, in my mind in Hollywood fashion yet again, Patrick Dempsey is now a stud whom every woman in the world thinks is a handsome man and he never has to work hard on getting chicks ever again. The movie progression doesn't change at all except for, the next generation stud who gets himself in with the hot girl, makes her angry, and then in Hollywood fashion, he gets the girl and studs around the world unite! I asked myself the question, When did this happen and why did I care?

The last name being Dempsey is one of the reasons but it wasn't until I started to write this piece that I realized, I was the wimpy kid trying to be cool and get the girl. I felt all those things that Patrick Dempsey and every other wimpy kid or geeky nerd felt when you watched this movie progression, I have a chance! I wasn't a nerd or a geek but I felt unsure of myself, and when you look at the pictures you'll see why. I needed to do something for myself to make me feel better about myself and give me more confidence. I needed to do this.  But I felt as thou it had to be something I loved or I would be doing it for all the wrong reasons.

I loved sports, but I particularly loved weightlifting. I was a young graduate starting my senior year at 16 years old, and a little immature in the self image  area and had some fears to overcome. Weightlifting was known as a meathead sport, steroid junkies, and guys who couldn't get out of the mirror. I was not that kind of guy, I tried bodybuilding but it was not a fit for my type of personality. I really enjoyed powerlifting and It came natural to me plus you could push yourself on a daily basis. I loved it because I competed against myself. Every workout I pushed to be better than the last. I was achieving little goals all the time, sometimes everyday. My confidence soared and even thou weightlifting was and is a huge part of the core of who I am, it doesn't define me. It was just a tool I used to arrive at a destination. I am and always have been much, much more than I had the confidence to show. The difference is I'm not afraid of what people think and I am motivated by personal beliefs. What was that thing that that guy wrote years ago? "To thine own self be true"................. It feels pretty good to actually live that way.

    I was Fourteen on the beach in Wildwood

Thinking I was cool about 19 years old

19 Years old at the Teenage Mr. America Contest in Boston 1976

Baltimore Inner Harbor 1993

There are many people who have had an impact on West Chester. Along these people comes countless stories that are factual and then there are some "Big Fish" tales. This is a true story about a man who was bigger than the "Big Fish" stories that preceded him.

A giant once roamed the streets of West Chester. The Howard Stern Radio Show dubbed him “Bigfoot”. The world was introduced to him when he starred in the movie, Big Fish, as the gentle giant in Ewan McGregor’s imagination. Most recall him as, “the really tall guy who was a doorman at that bar in town”. I had the great fortune to simply call him a friend.

Matt McGrory was born and raised in West Chester, PA. He graduated from Bishop Shanahan when it was located in the Borough. His Father, Bill Sr., owned Rosie O’Grady’s which you now know as Barnaby’s. Matt has a brother and two sisters. His mother, Maureen, is alive and well living in Florida with her husband George. Matt’s father passed away in 1995.
There are a few stories that I tell about Matt, but the story I’m about to tell is my favorite for many reasons. It tells of Matt’s emotional struggle and his triumph over society’s fear and abuse of anyone who is different. Matt may have set records for his size, but it was Matt’s heart that that set the record for compassion and strength in the face of cruelty.

It's been a weeks since the tragic accident that took the lives of Ryan & Zach. I have found some clarity in my thoughts, finally, to write an amusing anecdote and about my personal friendship. I don't want to mention, just yet, anything about drinking and driving. That's another post unto itself. Two people dies because of the enjoyment of speed and the involvement of alcohol. Like I said, another post. This is about remembering my friend......... 

Ryan Dunn, let me say that again, Ryan Dunn. I could write a novel about this young man but I only have so much space, time, and limited attention span from my audience. I met Ryan in 1998 and we became pretty friendly, not the hang-out all the time friendly but I considered Ryan a friend more than a customer. In early 2000-2001 15 North was in its hay day and we were busy as hell. The CKY guys, that’s what the staff called them, were in all the time, 2-3 nights a week. Then jackass came on TV and with us nothing changed except the staff called them the jackass guys now. I tried to talk Ryan and Bam into a gag which would have Ryan catch bowling Balls rolled off the roof from the alley side of 15N which was 3 stories high. They didn’t go for that but the did go for jumping off the balcony into the crowd on a Thursday Night. The had cameras all over the place then the next thing you know zing! Over the rail they went.