Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Beauty of Bromance



There is nothing quite like a good old-fashioned bromance. Guys often don't express their feelings to each other because it isn't masculine or accepted in society. Screw that. While romantic love with the opposite sex is full of ups and downs and usually ends up in heartbreak, your relationship with your "bro's" last a lifetime.

My best friend in the world Jim( Jimbutta) Gallant came into town last weekend from Medfa, MA. We had a blast playing beer pong, jamming out to 2pac, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel, and reminiscing about the college days. I miss him already. In college, we did everything together. Drinking beer, listening to Roxanne before a night out at Charlie's, talking about the girls or lack of girls in our life. It was bromance to the extreme.

I have the same thing with Pogo and Dan now (Milano is coming close into that category). I can shoot the shit with them and say anything. You don't worry about being late to something, or some petty BS fight you get into. You work things out as dudes.
Why don't guys express emotions to each other? Why can't we do the same things as girls (without the physical stuff because that would just be weird). Why can't we be that open? Who started this whole societal acceptance thing and why did it happen? I can tell you right now that if you get any guy drunk enough they will talk about how much they appreciate and love another person as their friend. They will do it because they mean it. Fortunately for me I was brought up with a family that encouraged me to be honest and open about everything.
My favorite bromance activity is kayaking on the Potomac. Pogo and I have had some of the best discussions ever out there on the water in the red canoe. Another favorite is watching Patriots games and eating Wings with Jimbo. We would sit for hours not saying a word and it would be perfectly awesome. Also, discussing girls and life with Dan. That's my boo! Milano(Tuna) and I have pretty much just met but I can tell there is a potential bromance down the road. At any rate the beautiful Filipino girl at Adams Corner will keep us coming back.

Bromance's last a lifetime. The best friendships are with people you don't see for years at a time but when you see them again it is like nothing changed. They are forever. On the other hand 50% or more romance's do not. I am a hopeless romantic. I believe in love more than anyone else I know probably. At the same time if I don't ever find that love at least I know I will have guy friends that will always be there for me. Wing men for life.



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Your Hero Should be Someone You Know



Who is your hero? Unfortunately for a great many of the people out there they would probably say a person they have never met. I always joke about Larry Bird, 2pac, or Indiana Jones being my heroes, but they are just people I'm in awe of. They haven't been there to listen to me on a bad day or help me with my homework.  I don't know know who they really are.

My hero has and always will be my dad. To me, he's the greatest person who ever lived.  He was there to help me with my homework in school. He's been on hundreds of kayak trips with me where we talk about stuff going on in the world and life in general.  He was there to cook dinner every night for the family after a hard day at work, and still find time to help me with my Spanish afterwards. I'm horrendous at Spanish by the way.  I remember the nights playing Parcheesi and listening to Oldies 100. I remember him driving me to Langley High School blasting "Hell 4 A Hustler" by 2pac. Ya, my dad even listens to 2pac, but only the hardcore songs. 

For all the great things my dad is, he's the most humble person I've ever met. He has a very successful career, yet you would never know it if you saw him on the weekend. In fact, I remember one day when he visited me at college he laid down under a tree and a cop came up and thought he was a homeless guy. He puts his family first, second, and third.  He's always there to talk to when I need him. He always supports me in all my endeavors. 

To me a hero is someone you know, someone you have spoken to, someone who has made an impact in you life. It doesn't have to be your parents or even someone in your family. Some people have crappy families. It could be a teacher, a coach, some random guy or girl you met at a party.  Everyone needs someone to look up to. Who is your hero?