Chasing Waterfalls

"This is the beginning of a story...and what that story is, or how it will end. I and only I alone know that. ~ Gregisms"

Chasing a waterfall.

After my thirtieth birthday, I made a pledge. A pledge to go out and see the world. To see with my own eyes lies beyond "at world's end." And even though I did not make it to some exotic locale like Australia, the Arctic or somewhere in Europe. Puerto Rico served as a great stepping stone if there ever was one. 

I will not bore about the details of my five day vacation in Puerto Rico and Culebra. I'll save that for another day and time. 

What I took away from my trip to Puerto Rico was that I have not lived the life I was suppose to not yet. That there is more to the world than what's at the end of my block. Being immersed into another culture and language is at first a bit of a shock.  For example, take something as simple as going to the grocery store. Now take away the ability to communicate with the cashier in trying to describe a fruit you are looking for. But I could not help having a smile on my face at my frustration.

I see my goal of going around the world and seeing everything that I can possible see as "Chasing a waterfall"

Being Thirty...

Looks like as of tomorrow it will be my birthday and fortunately/unfortunately I will be the ripe old age of thirty.  Ahh the dreaded thirty. Now most people would be off in a corner somewhere, cowering, crying about how the days of old have passed them by and that what lies ahead is nothing but misery, aching bones and eating jell-o in a nursing home. (though the whole jell-o thing does not sound as bad as they make it out to be).

But what I plan to do on my thirty is start re-living life on my terms.  By actually going out and finding and creating adventures. This year I'll be spending my birthday traveling to Key West. I thought to myself, "Hey Greg, you don't know how to swim...so let's place you in a place that is literally surrounded by water."[Side note: I will have a life jacket on, I have been trying to psych myself up that all I will do is just jump in the water and instinctively start swimming. If not, well luckily I will have someone there to grab me if I should fail.]

Even though I might want to groan and gripe about being thirty, I really don't have anything to gripe about. Physically I'm thinner and in better shape than when I was in high school. I'm active and focused. I have a great small circle of friends and feel that things can only get better. And have a list of goals and things I want to accomplish as fast as I can.

Just because a birthday signifies another year passing, doesn't mean we have to sit there and stare at the sand in the hourglass waiting for that last grain to drop. Birthday are like mile makers on a jogging route. They are there to remind us how far we've made it and to know there's more to come.

So I raise a glass to my thirtieth...and hope to experience many more.

Moment of Random Thought: Roadtrips

"Sometimes I wonder what adventures I could be on, what I could be experiencing if I kept driving on the road I'm on."

Some times I find myself wondering (more like daydreaming) scenarios where I am on the road somewhere and I just keep on driving. Never stopping, seeing and experiencing this country through my car's windows.

Going on a roadtrip give oneself the ultimate sense of freedom. Not having to be tied down to one place. Being able to control your destiny by one's own hand.

Those around you might say that you are running away from your problems. That you seek the road as an escape.

But I don't. I don't seek to run away from my problems, I embrace them. I go on the roadtrip to find answers. To understand what IT means. To understand why I see the world the way I do, and perhaps look for that one special thing that could change the way my eyes focuses on the horizons.

Roadtrips...is man's earliest pilgrimage to finding answers to the questions that burns inside me.

I think it's time to take a roadtrip.

A bike ride is a good way to see what life is all about.

It a starts one quiet Sunday morning...

Today I decided to take my new purchased and newly fixed mountain bike for a second test ride.side note: the first attempted test ride ended with my seat falling off as I was stranded about a mile and a half away from my apartment.) And I couldn't have asked for a better day to go out for a ride. Beside noticing that everyone, young and old, was out on the bike trail. I was taken back to how nice people were as I chugged and sweated my way to end of the trail. (

But how does a bike ride, teach one about life?

Well at first when you start your journey, there are going to be difficulties. This occurred when I tried to leave my apartment complex through the front gate as if I was a car. After sitting at the gate for a few seconds and realizing it was not going to open, I went ahead and used the smaller access gate to the side.

You are going to run into some tense situations. No more than a few minutes after exiting through the side gate and getting out on the main street, a coyote comes out of nowhere and runs across the street. Nearly hitting another set of bikers coming in the opposite directions. I thought to myself if I was out of the property a few seconds earlier my bike could have literally smack that coyote in the face.

You will notice wonderful things along the trail. Beside seeing the normal stuff (squirrels and birds), while biking. It was the things that you don't normally run into that made my eyes wide with wonder. It first started with the horses. I don't know why, but every time I see a horse I love to watch them as they run around or even as they stay still. The second awesome thing I saw were two deers running a few yards in front of me and then disappearing into the woods. I wish I could have gotten closer and wish I had my camera with me. 

Sooner or later the trail will end. After biking three miles or so, I came to a point where the bike trail simply ended. And oddly enough I meet an old man in bike shorts waiting for me at the end of this trail. As I took sips of my now warm water, we talked about the trail that I just rode on. He lets me know about the alternate paths I could have taken. Tells me of a path that is longer and more difficult but equally rewarding. As we said our good-byes I jump on my bike and head on home.

And then a few minutes later, out of no where old man bike shorts comes zipping past me and disappears into bike trail like he's Bagger Vance. Other than being schooled on a bike by a older man, in bike shorts. I enjoyed my Sunday bike run and look to have many more of those quiet moment to myself.

I'm just a sterotype when it comes to swimming.

"Black people don't swim!"

I don't think there is a single person out there who hasn't heard a black comedian say this when talking about an African-American person in their comedian routine.

But is it true?

Well in my case it is. In my twenty-nine years of existence I have never learned how to swim. I am the type of person when growing up would freak out in six feet of water (writer side note: I'm 6'1"). Growing up in New Jersey and later on in Florida, my parents couldn't afford a pool or even had the time to take my sister and I to the public pool or beach. So all of our watery fun was spent running through the sprinklers and making homemade slip n' slides. Apparently neither prepares a man on the proper etiquette on swimming in a basin full of water. Just recently I tried to swim in three feet of water and found myself sinking to the bottom of the pool every time I flailed my arms like a man possessed. To make matters worse, I must have been in the kiddie pool as there were a few two to three year old kids swam effortlessly around me.

So on the request of my swimming partner, I am taking swimming lessons. I am very curious to see if these instructors can quell my fear of water and have me swimming like Michael Phelps.

I think I'm going to try and change this stereotype, well at least try to.

My Life: I am the Driver and Passanger. Never the Passerby.

No matter how hard I run, it's coming!

It's around the corner. It lurks in the shadows like the boogeyman. It's that music you hear when Jaws or Jason Voorhees is about to come out for an attack. What threat to my safety do I fear when I go to sleep at night....the dreaded passage of time. Well more specifically the day that I turn 30 years old, which by my calculation is about four months away.

You never realize how much you lived and how much life you have until you hit 30. In everyone eyes, hitting that magic combination of numbers means a lot of things. You look at the younger generation with hate and pity. I know there has to people who watch reality shows out there and wonder, "Is this the best of society we have?" I mean I consider myself a Jersey kid, but damn if the "Jersey Shore" makes me want to reconsider that at times.

But the main thing about turning 30 that I've noticed, is that I want to experience life to the fullest! Instead of a Bucket List, of things to do before I die. I've created, well...just a "list"...(you thought I was going to have a fancy name for this list didn't you?)...of things to do make me feel even more alive and to appreciate what I have.

I don't see turning 30 as the beginning of the end. I see it as intermission during a really long boring movie. And I'm going to enjoy this bathroom break for as long as I can before I am dragged back to the second half of this movie.

Moment of Random Thought: Darth Vader

"All it takes is one random thought to get the ball rolling."

A two-hour road trip to Gainesville, by myself with nothing but my imagination and my ipod (listening to music from Jay-Z to Incredibad) to keep my mind occupied...well...kind of sucks. But it is during these road trips where I find my imagination running wild and amuck.

I think about things that are rather serious and require deep thought. Other times my thoughts turn out to be comically and complete nonsense.

Case in point, this road trip to Gainsville. Lately I have been on a Star Wars kick, I don't know why but I've been thinking and watching all things Star Wars-related. And I found myself thinking about Darth Vader and started wondering to myself, would he be considered a black guy in today's time. I thought what if Darth Vader became a rapper...then I find a video of Darth Vader basically rapping to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"

But the similarities do not end there. He works for "The Man", who is always going on about his "plans" being complete. He rolls up to people homes with a posse. Hangs with a guy name "Boba". He's always strapped. His ride is a bit different than everyone else. Cannot deny...he has swagga.


Just a thought! Darth Vader would make one impressive black dude.

Fear is just a barrier, which motivation breaks through.

Hontoon Island State Park

Conquering fear is not an easy thing to do. I always equate feeling "fear" to standing at the edge of cliff looking down at the dark abyss below and it is this "fear" that I have.

I have a huge fear of the water and swimming. Just the thought that I can possible drown and flop in the water terrifies me. Even in about four feet of water you will see a grown man breakdown as if he was being buried in quicksand. Also, you can throw in interacting with nature for good measure. Nature seems, how do I put this...naturey!

I consider myself a city kid, not use to primitive, simple living. I believe the closest I have some to living off the grid would be when my power, phone and cable was shut down for non-pay.

So to battle this fear, to conquer this fear I have decided to go on a kayaking and hiking trip this month. And to prepare myself, I need to dress the part.

So I visit a store in the mall and buy my first pair of swim trunk since I was in middle school. However, I apparently bought some version that comes with a hairnet inside of it, or some type of netting used to catch wandering fish. I don't know why I did not notice it when I purchased the trunks. (Which is my fault for just grabbing and telling the cashier to ring it up).  So now I am stuck with some netting trunks which makes me feel...not so manly. Friends of mine tell me this netting is used to keep my "boys" snugs (aka twigs and berries), but I do not feel manly wearing this. It feels like my mom should be holding my hand as she accompanies me to the public swimming pool. So now I find myself having to return to another store and request "boardshorts". As always another adventure for the man they call Greg.

I have no idea what will happen, during this outdoor escapade. of mine My first thought is that I'm about to get into some Man vs. Wild sh*t and am going to be lost in the woods, crying as I try to figure out how to get out of the woods and make sure my DVR is recording the latest episode of LOST. I'm also  wondering if I get lost in the woods would I be on TV and have search teams looking for me...or would they go, "Ehhhh he'll find his way out!"

My hiking/kayaking partner has made sure to inform me that nowadays the intercoastals are filled with spiders, alligators and man-eating dolphins. 

Damn! Now I have to be afraid of man-eating dolphins.

What are Gregisms

What are Gregisms?
Gregisms are a many of things while at the sametime nothing at all. Like those infomercials for new drugs I could list all the things that Gregism cause and do not cause, but in the end you will skip the warnings and somehow enjoy yourself:

• Not a cool breeze on a summer day.
• Not a religion or your personal savior. However always available for Bar Mitzvah.
• Does not last 4 hours or cause erections, but does last for a few years and causes arousals.
• Does not causes sadness, but does cause eyes to be rolled
• General feel good medicine without having to deal with childproof locks.
• Did I mention arousal and the ability to shred on a guitar (bass of course).
• Will not help you land a plane
• Dancing ability and street cred will increase by 30%

Thought I would start a Gregisms blog as a way to do more than what I have been doing for what seems like months now on facebook. For those who do not know what Gregisms truly are, they amount to ridicoulous sayings. It was my answers to people who post serious philosophical sayings on their facebook status (which I am guilty of as well).

Why be serious, when you can interject a bit of humor into someone's day.

I can honestly say that this will not be a daily blog thing (maybe a few a week or something like that). If I feel something is funny and worth posting, than that is what I will do. The facebook Gregisms will continue, since those are easy to enter by phone when I'm just chilling at a red light or barreling down the road at 80mph (just kidding, I don't need the cops questioning me about texting and driving).

Well here's to the Gregism blog. May it prosper and bring in lots of money, fame and women. If not...I will consider this blog a failure and "Old Yeller" it quickly.