Public restrooms and common courtesy

WTF people?!?
I work in a high traffic area.
In 2009, the tenth busiest airport in the world - over 50 million passengers traveled through Denver International Airport.
"DIA was voted Best Airport in North America by readers of Business Traveler Magazine five years in a row (2005–2009) and was named "America's Best Run Airport" by Time in 2002." (wikipedia)

I go to work with the knowledge that thousands and thousands of people are going to walk past me at some point during the course of the day.
Many of these people have to go to the bathroom. Makes sense. Passengers are told to arrive at the airport two hours prior to their departure. Sometimes there are delays. The airport is littered with restaurants and bars. It is inevitable that at some point or another, every single person will have to use the bathroom.
I am generally at the airport for a minimum of nine hours per day. Some days I tap out at eighteen hours. I probably use the restroom four to six times per day, at a minimum.
90% of the time I enter the bathroom stall, there is urine on the seat.
Every time I walk in, I know I will have to wipe the seat before I pull the wrapper (hanging silently, yet politely above the toilet) out and place it on the toilet seat. Do people not know what the paper wrap is for? Are people too lazy to pull one out and lay it atop the seat before they piss all over it? Do some people think their aim is so amazing, they do not need the toilet cover? Because whatever the reason - IT'S WRONG.
You people who don't have the courtesy to put a FREE toilet cover on the seat you sit on, or sit over, or squat atop - whatever the hell you are doing in there, are pissing off the rest of the population who has to clean up after you, or God forbid, accidentally sit in your piss drops.
And explain this to me - when you stand up and see the piss droplets on the seat, why don't you wipe them off? Are you so selfish and trifling that you think, "no one knows I splattered and I don't give a F*ck".
I know.
I go in the bathroom stall behind you and YOU SUCK!

And the only thought that gives me any satisfaction as I squat above the toilet on my break, (wishing I was home comfortably sitting on my clean seat), after smiling at you and wishing you the best (and safest) flight ever, is the knowledge that karma's a bitch. One day, while you are grimacing because you accidentally sat in someone else's piss; as you reach to find a scrap of toilet paper to wipe your wet cheek...and there's none there, you will possibly think to yourself, "This is my piss. I did this to someone else and the world has finally revolved in their favor".

Battle for the Boot

Remember kickball?
Being in elementary school and playing kickball on recess was the best shit ever. Fast forward twenty years... add beer, hot girls and make it a Sunday Funday activity. Wanna play?
All the cool kids are doing it.
Kickball has become the new hotness - the sport of choice for adult recreation. With groups such as WAKA (World Adult Kickball Association), with kickball teams all over the nation; WASA and DKBC, right here in Colorado represent a national trend for this comeback sport.
The Denver Kickball Coalition seems to be the recreational group of choice for all the local hipsters. Sponsored by the Hi-Dive and Sputnik, well known, Denver hipster bars, DKBC's reputation as a league to be reckoned with was hard earned and their respect well deserved.

The documentary, Battle for the Boot, tells the five year history of DKBC, driven by interviews with those responsible for the foundation of the league, and the players themselves. The film itself showcases actual game footage highlighted by character driven interviews. The game itself is only topped by the players' love of beer and music. This is probably one of the easiest documentaries to watch since the THS documentary on Hugh Hefner and the Playboy empire. In fact, there was some comparability to the interview(s) with DKBC Founder, Joe Phillips, and Hugh Hefner in their likeablity factor, ease in front of the camera and story telling capabilities (among other things).
As a film major myself, I have so much respect for Indie films and those that make the time to pursue their passion. Huge hi-five for Ryan Demers, Paul Pendell and everyone responsible for the making of this local documentary.
If you get a chance to see the film - do!
Support local artists...and play kickball!

Battle for the Boot from Ryan Demers on Vimeo.

Check out the websites for more information on the film and DKBC.
Battle for the Boot

DKBC

Train of thought...bear with me

"When we live and speak the truth, we free ourselves to to love well and create the space for someone else to love us." Gary Chapman, Love as a way of life

The above statement is the best summation for the frustration I haven't been able to shake in regards to receiving love from friends and family.
I have worked to create this space, yet find all these rules and barriers in place in regards to others expectations of who I should be.
The challenge of living with integrity is the knowledge that being who I am 100% leaves a lot of people feeling out of the loop. I am blessed to see my circle of friends is becming more aligned with who I am and who I trust, moreso than "do as I say, not as I do'ers".

One of the reasons we are witnessing the downfall of society in this generation is the actions have finally caught up with all the liars of the last decades. The continuum of living outside the realm of fact, or money, or realness - the reality of "credit". Because whether the credit of non-existent funds, or the credit of bullshit relationships, eventually it all catches up to you.
When you have a heart attack, who is there to take you to the hospital?
When you get caught pilfering from your company, and not one friend stood up to tell you "maybe you shouldn't do that - I thought you loved this job", yet all shake their heads when you lose your job and possible get arrested; who built that?
When you feel like not one person you have built relationships in the last 2 years show up, where does the concept of, "what's real" come into play?

You live where you build.

I am trying to build a "cash only" lifestyle.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Stand up for your beliefs.
Share yourself.
And with this ideal, I put down my expectations. The innate human need to believe that what you put out there will come back to you. The need for genuine, unadulterated, unconditional, flat-out-balls-to-the-wall, honest love.
...and that sucks, because I was raised in a fairy tale generation, and have spent my entire life trying to retrain myself.

Top 10 Things Your Man Can Say To You To Let You Know He Really Loves You~

10) "I Love You"
9) "I picked up your dry cleaning today"
8) "My cousin/ brother/ mom is moving out"
7) "I will hire someone to fix the..."
6) "I am going to rub you from head to toe tonight"
5) "I am going to 'Return the Favor' "
4) "I will make dinner tonight"
3) "I am taking you out to dinner tonight"
2) "We are going to Maui for your birthday"
and the Number one thing your man can say to you to let you know he really loves you:
1) "You look skinny"

The issue with taking chances

I am a risk taker. Under most circumstances, I look for the edge , think about the odds, and take the risk. If I win, it's a big win. Even if I lose, it's life changing...and, still a win.
Challenge ignites my spirit, and I like to win.
Here's the thing: people tell you to "take a chance", put yourself out there, go for the gold, but they don't follow up, and they don't support the results when you lose. No one wants to take on the responsibility of a loss. Especially in matters of the heart.
I got an email from a friend which really leveled the roller coaster I've been on.
It doesn't matter how old you get, how smart, how mature...when emotion is involved, it's like being a teenager all over again; the insecurities, the angst, erghhh!

So, how many chances do you take? Is it like sitting at the roulette table of life waiting for the big win...knowing that the majority will lose because that's how casino's make money? Or is it like climbing the side of your first Fourteener, know when you reach the top it will be an accomplishment- desperately wanting to quit numerous times along the way, but trekking along until finally you stand at the top...accomplished?

Taking chances involves stepping outside your comfort zone to do something against your better judgment (what you know based on history and probability), with the knowledge that if you lose you may feel stupid because, in all reality, you know better. And Man! I hate listening to, "I told you so's". But, if you win...everyone loves you because true winners take chances.
The thought process that takes a hold of you mid trek though...this is the challenge. The insecurities and the voices of doubt which lead you to quit, to give up 500 yards from the top, to in fact, push your dream aside because "no one else could do it".
I have also seen a man airlifted off of a Fourteener because he wasn't prepared for the journey. I have made it to the top of every Fourteener I have climbed.

I also win at Roulette.

Sometimes taking chances means losing...but what is losing really? A step on the path of life? A realization of a missed action? A need to slow down and reevaluate?
Losing is a concept to maintain strength while winning. Losing is, in fact, the catalyst for winning.
The only issue with taking a chance is not fully appreciating the opportunity to grow, questioning ones' self on the path of opportunity.
The path IS the point.


"When I loved my self enough...I lost my fear of speaking the truth for I have come to see how good it is" ~ Kim McMillen