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ODUwildman
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Name: Jason
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Gender: Male
Interests:
Writing, broadcasting, travel, bad 80's movies, cartoons, cartoons, cartoons, Virginia Beach, The Outer Banks, small towns, mass transit, socializing, music, concerts, movies, disc golf, golf, wrestling, baseball, amish rakefighting, degs, darts, Busch Gardens, sports movies, Hunter S. Thompson, local musician David Carter, Sandbar, County Grille, Brendee's, Brickyard, Marker 20, Chicho's, Fog, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Robot Chicken, Seinfeld, good tacos, hot wings, Yuengling, fresh contact lenses, Old Dominion University ... and a lot of other randomly amusing things
Expertise: Amish Rakefighting.
Occupation: Operations
Industry: Media
AIM:  ODUwildman
Yahoo:  oduwildman
Member Since:
10/7/2003
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| I'm cold, I'm covered in snow and now, I will soon be parting from my owner for the last time. I've had a good run, I've had some interesting company. I was born in 2000 and don't really remember much about my first owner.
Apparently they didn't feel I was good enough, so I sat in Hampton, until one day, some guy named Twinkie came in and rescued me and took me for a whirlwind tour and it was one helluva ride.
It was October of 2003 and a distant cousin, a Ford Bronco II, had been put to pasture. I was newer, more in tune with society, I even had an airbag or two. I was more comfortable and kicked serious ass.
I got pissed at times. I've been puked on, puked in, pissed on, sneezed on, spit on, smoked in, spilled on, spilled in, hit by trees, sideswiped by taxis and seen the country.
I started out living in Virginia, hitting potholes in ghetto neighborhoods and driving up on curbs. I was not the Bronco, so Twinkie treated me with more respect. I wasn't beaten up, I was in great shape, in the prime of my life.
I'm a Southern being, I don't like snow, I don't like the cold. I've had better days, been sick, broke down here and there, but I'm powered by Vortec, and I know how to get from point A to point B.
I've come home for Christmas, moves across country, been jammed with a 46-inch flat screen TV as the only other passenger. I've been crammed with seven people heading down to a concert, where I was sadly left outside.
I've been pulled over, towed, and I've had three different coworkers with my sound system.
I've been covered in dog hair, old CD's, dirt. I've had better days, I'd have worse days.
I've been to Philadelphia, New York City, Virginia Beach ... I went over 100,000 miles at the base of the Washington Monument in D.C. I've been lost in Baltimore, turned around in Harrisburg, and seemingly, at home, in some place called Fargo, N.D.
I'd never been to Fargo, yet I seemed to know everything about it. Why did I know what the Bison Turf was? I'd never been there. Who were these people piling into me? They seemed familiar, like friends, but I hadn't met them.
Oh wait, I remember you Ben, you puked in me two weeks after I was purchased.
It was a happy day when I learned I was no longer the property of a bank, but some guy who couldn't drive a lick and ran me to the bone ... October, five years after I drove off a Pomoco lot in the shadows of the Hampton Coliseum on Mercury Boulevard, I was now fully paid off.
Here it is, January of 2009 ... and I won't see February. My wheels don't grip ice well, I got punched in the face by a concrete wall. I'm done, I'm not going to ever get back on the road. I'm worm food, well, at least I'm due for a slow demise in a crusher or salvage yard. I've got some good things left, but I'm no longer of any use to anyone who wants to drive me.
I haven't been on as many roads as Johnny Cash, but I've been to Fargo, I can probably sing half the lines, because I've heard it so many times.
I'll never hear any more 2 Skinnee J's, I'll never hear any more Atmosphere. I'll never be stuck in a parking garage again. I'll never have to deal with needing new wipers. I'll never know what it's like to see the Pacific.
I know these inherent facts:
I've had many co-pilots from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Minnesota.
I've seen people spin out and crash in front of me just days before Christmas.
I know that disc golf isn't just an activity.
I've toted Olympians, NCAA Wrestling Champions and the sport's finest.
I've toted scumbags and complete jackasses as well.
I've hauled PA equipment.
I've attended Roller Derby.
I've reeked of beer and smoke.
I've been unlocked by locksmiths.
I've been unlocked by a very large Katana blade.
I know what the drive thru attendant at the Lancaster McDonalds sounds like and she knows the rattle of my muffler.
I know people see me and know I spent time at Old Dominion University.
I know people have used me to sleep in ... and pass out ... and again, puke.
I know I once cost 80 bucks to fill up.
I know I've been worked on, fixed, broken and repaired.
I've been to New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and North Dakota.
I know what the outside of Pat's and Geno's look like.
Very few people have ever been behind my wheel.
I know what a "WU-FONG" is and have mastered it.
I know I had a good run.
I had a great life and in 136,000 miles ... I don't regret it all.
I knew my time was coming, but didn't think it would be this abrupt.
I will say this ... when I see you in hell, Mr. Concrete, I'm going to EFF you up something good.
This is my swan song ...
Blazer - OUT.
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| As some of you might know from my posts on TheWrestlingTalk and on Wrestling411, I was in a one-car accident this weekend in Waterloo, Iowa. So here’s the deal … I posted this on TWT yesterday. 
I’m more freaked out than anything else. There’s just a helpless feeling when you’re sliding and have no control, and just have to roll with it. Basically, I was getting on to Highway 218, not three blocks from the hotel, and as I merged into the two main lanes, hit a patch of ice, ended up sliding a ways before the wheels hit “dry” pavement. When it did, it was like those cars you wound up and put on the floor. I shot head first into the concrete barrier. I braced myself for the impact, totally unaware I even had airbags. The smell of that airbag explosion is burned into my nostrils. I’ve been a zombie all day, I’ve really had no idea what’s been going on. My vitals checked out ok. I’m not dizzy, not lightheaded or have a headache, I hit a bunch of aleve, so I don’t have any pain just yet, but it’s just scary because I think it could have been a lot worse. The good thing is I didn’t “get” a ticket, even though I could have been cited for improper driving. Grabbed my cameras, passport, disc golf discs, iPod and anything else worth taking out of the truck. I JUUUUST paid it off in October, and spent $400 getting it started (Fuel regulator or something) and now I turn around and slam it into a jersey barrier. I’ll probably post something about this on the Bryant Blog later tonight, I’m still shaken up, but I got to the tournament by the end of the first round. Once I got “on the air” i felt better, but I’m still a bit of a mess. | | |
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| I guess this is the point in the year where I do the obligatory “Out with 08 and in with 09″ type of post. Well, all things considered … I guess probably should, because 2008 was one of the most diverse. Eight months in, I packed up and moved to Minnesota after taking a job with Minnesota coach J Robinson’s new wrestling promotions company, Media Sports Productions. Under it, I’m serving as the Production Manager for Wrestling411, the multi-faceted outfit which will be providing television, internet radio and internet updates to the wrestling fans on a variety of topics. It’s been slow but steady for Wrestling411. I like where we are at, but still have that inkling that the wrestling community needs to support itself, rather than sit back and wait for someone else to put up the money to fund something like this. We never ask too much from anyone, A LITTLE FROM A LOT is the pitch. But as it relates to my life. I find myself sitting at the bar area of my basement in Arden Hills, a suburb of St. Paul. I’m watching a web cast of my alma mater at a quad after spending the weekend in Rochester, MN and Wabasha, MN watching high school wrestling and starting the year off with a calm weekend. This was a big life change. I want people to know that I really enjoyed my job at InterMat, but there are things I miss and there are things I don’t miss. I love how I have a bit of my life back. When I was living in Pennsylvania, I was single and working a lot of hours, they were non-traditional hours, as my former supervisor Pat can attest to. I spent a lot of time at Brendee’s, shooting darts and goofing off when I had time to goof off. I liked the quaintness of that smoky dive. I also started to get to like living in Lancaster. I bought my first house and of course, thought it was a step in the right direction. I didn’t think I’d be moving 1,300 miles away just eight months after. I thought I was doing the right things, growing up, building a solid network of friends, whether it be co-workers or friends from nearby Franklin & Marshall. I liked going down to Marion Court after work and kicking back, or drinking a martini at Rosa Rosa or just having a pint of Guinness at Brendees. We watched wrestling on the Big Ten Network at The Brickyard. I lived 100 yards from an independent baseball team — the Lancaster Barnstormers. I kept alive my streak of seeing an opening day baseball game every year since 1992 or 1993, I can’t remember, but it’s been non-stop. This year, it will be my first MLB opening day … I will be going to the Twins opener come April, or whenever it is. I miss my family a lot. I’ve always been close enough to drive home and get away. And by getting away, I mean going home for some R&R. Right now, I’m watching the ODU quad online … it’s weird watching them wrestle in the arena and at the school where I announced the sport for eight years, dating back to when I was in college. The camera pans to George Mason vs. Purdue. Denny Herndon is wrestling for Mason, I watched him win the Middle School State championship at a 6th grader at the ODU fieldhouse. Wow. My how time flies. I’m generally happy with things, but there’s things I don’t have which always tend to wear on me. I don’t know exactly why I’ve continued to be single for so long. I guess it’s been work, moving, whatever. I had a few dates, but nothing I’d call anything serious. Maybe I was too picky, found reasons not to like people, or just was bored overall. Minnesota has been a nice change, because there have been dates and good times, but nothing just seems to click. I don’t think I’m married to work by any means. I love the fact I’m involved in a facet of life for work that I enjoy in my spare time. But I’ve had a great couple of years personally and professionally. I’ve won some national awards, have risen up the ranks of my sport and I’m college educated, no baggage to speak of, but still I find myself alone. Friends are great where I have them, but either they’re too far away or just don’t want to hear me talk all the time. Sometimes I wish I could have that person who would be there to share in my experiences and care not about the whole dynamic behind it, but just generally enjoy time. I guess that’s where I’ve missed opportunities or been too picky. It happens I guess. You can’t force it. I’ve even gone to the way of (ack) eHarmony. Had a few dates as a result, nice people, but I guess there was no click there. Same with some non-online acquaintances. Some interest is there other places, but the distance is a huge factor. And we’re talking serious distance. Maybe it’s karma or something. Just annoying to be by myself so much. Can’t force it. Who knows. In wrestling, it’s kind of a tough place to meet that type of person I’m looking for, you know? I turn 30 in 2009 … quite the milestone. I’ve been able to travel the country, live in great places, meet some great friends and get to see some old friends more frequently. I can do nothing but smile on a lot of things in 2008. I’ve also lost 25 pounds since moving here … it’s not a New Year’s Resolution, but I’ve continued to try to maintain the 250-255 range and it’s doing well. I don’t hit the bars much anymore, and generally, it’s been a money saver and been a lot better for my health. I’m in a good place right now, doing good thing and feeling good about myself. Just that one thing missing. Who knows where it will be. Happy 2009 everyone. | | |
| Yeah, I live in Minnesota now. Been here three weeks. All's going well so far.
JB
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