Lost Sock...

I set numerous goals for myself this past year and have accomplished most of them. I got married, graduated from college, got back into running routinely, worked on restoring our beloved VW Vanagon, did a cross-country road trip, I played music regularly, and continued challenge myself creatively. I am a very lucky individual and do not take what I have for granted. I have appreciated 2018, even when things looked grim, and boy, did some grim things happen this year.

One of the last projects I wanted to accomplish before closing out the year was releasing a short (very short) film. Attached here is a footage from a day off I had with our dogs, Piper and Penelope, when we lived in Nashville. When I finish errands early, exercise, and run out of laundry to do,I find myself getting antsy. Jamie hates it, but I am not really a ‘sit on the couch and relax’ kind of guy. So I decided to take my trusty iPhone, a tripod, and my actors (Piper and Penelope) and come up with something creative for us to do. This short is the end result.

The whole video is less than 2 minutes to watch, but took me way longer to find the footage and edit all the goofy sounds in.

Things can always get worse, count your blessings (or whatever you believe in), and let’s leave this place better than we found it in 2019 (and forever)...and always remember to have fun!

Thank you for taking time for us today.

Please feel free to leave feedback, thoughts, and comments! -

-YourFriendMatt

The Graduate...

“Well, that’s done. I graduated from college. What’s for dinner?” - Me.

It took me a while, but I finally did it. I graduated from college. It was awful. I have no idea how I did it. I have no idea where I found the time, or how I found the energy, but it is done. I feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment knowing I finished something I started over a decade ago. If I would have stayed in school all those years I would be a doctor by now, but whatever.

I am a walking billboard for adult learners. I am that commercial of a person sitting up in bed while everyone else sleeps typing away on an essay, finishing homework on the bus ride into work, or taking my lunch break to complete a math problem while trying not to get sandwich crumbs on my MacBook Pro. I did all these things, and although I thought it was terrible at the time, I look back and am proud of the determination I had to get this damn diploma. I have no idea if it will impact or improve my quality of life, but this was a personal goal to get my degree, so I got it.

Over the last two years, while I was in school, I also worked my but off at work and was offered a promotion. During this time I had been dancing the line of work-life balance for 20+ direct reports. Not an easy task when you have a final due every few weeks. We bought a home in Nashville, TN. We moved across the country twice, and we got engaged. And somehow during all of that, I still found time to accomplish my academics. If I can do this, anyone can. I know, I may sound like I am patting myself on the back, but I don’t care, this is my story. I know a million other people have done this, and good for them. Going back to school was rough, but at the same time, it was rewarding. I am proud, let me have my moment.

On a recent call with my soon to be mother-in-law, I vented to her about how I just wanted to drop out. She listened to my complaints and then told me, “You are in your last class, it’s almost over, and when it’s done you’ll be glad you started this two years ago instead of today.” These words stood out to me because every accomplishment starts today. While I was in school, I did not tell anyone; this was a personal quest to prove to myself I could do it. In two years, whatever you start today could be accomplished. Are you going to get started right now? Or, are you going to wait another two years and say to yourself “Next year I will get to that” or “This Saturday I’ll start.” We all know we are full of shit when we say that, so get started on whatever goal you have now, you’ll be glad you did.

What will you get started today?

-YourFriendMatt

Pops...

Dad,

Thanks. I can not thank you enough for your constant support and for making me feel like I can accomplish anything. Thanks for allowing us always to play music as loud as we wanted. The continuous noise would have driven me insane, but you told us to keep playing. You have taught me that I should not take all things too seriously, to live in the moment. Thanks for providing the tools and knowledge that have allowed me to make things happen. Thanks for showing me that I needed to work hard for anything in life. This drive is something that has shaped who I am and has helped me get around the world. You are not perfect, but I know you always gave it your best shot, even when you had no idea what you were doing. Thanks for showing me compassion, peace, and love.

I love you, man.

-Matt

Six months out...

“Holy fuck. There is still so much left to do.” - Jamie - 4/5/18

We are less than six months away from our wedding and starting to feel the pressure. We got a ton of the big stuff out of the way (huge thanks to our parents!). We got the venue, food, Jamie’s got a dress, we sent out the save the dates, we got the DJ squared away, but somehow there are still things to do. Who knew a table card could double as a take-home gift? I didn’t even know you needed to provide a take-home gift. Also, HOW much to flowers cost? 

Obviously, we are going to need booze. I more than likely need a suit of some kind. . I have been told a tuxedo tee shirt won’t cut it. It’s incredible how many small details go into planning a wedding. I have to imagine it is only harder when you are planning from across the country. We are located in Los Angeles and will be getting married in Philadelphia.

There is a piece of us that wants to go through this process and have a huge celebration of our love. I love our love, so I want to celebrate it in front of as many people I care about. I am sure we will be glad we did it once all is said and done. Someone told me this might be the last time everyone is gathered to celebrate such a huge moment in your life that is just for you; it stood out to me. At the same time there is a piece of us that wishes we just went to the Grand Canyon, eloped, and then just flew back to Delco (southern suburb of Philadelphia, google it. Trust me, it’s worth it.), married and through a big ass party. 

Although we are overwhelmed now I know, we will get this done. We have our checklists, spreadsheets and day planners synced through iCloud. It’s all about breaking it down to bite size chunks and setting measurable goals; just like anything else in life. Besides plenty of people have done this before with even smaller time frames. We are feeling the pressure now, but I know it will be worth it; especially since we are currently planning our honeymoon! Regardless of how we are feeling now we always end up happy together at the end of the day, its a marriage, not a one day party.

-YourFriendMatt

Hogwarts Dropout...

“Yes, I am a 31-year-old man. And no, I will not take off my Harry Potter robe.” - Me.

For my birthday this year, my family surprised me with tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood. Jamie and I are huge theme park people. I never knew I was until we moved to Southern California and we became Passholders at Disneyland. If you are at all interested to see how addicted we are to Disneyland, please see my personal Instagram account, we basically live there. I jumped for joy and threw on the robes that they presented me with along with the tickets to the park. They even got me a wand and glasses to match. 

Jamie and I got to the park as the staff opened the gates for the day. It was a gorgeous and sunny Saturday morning. When the gates open, we ran like eight-year-olds to the entrance of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We turned a corner and there it was; a snow-capped English town in the middle of Hollywood, CA. We just stood there speechless gazing upon Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks, and Hogwarts. We couldn’t be stopped. We darted towards the parks main attraction, Harry Potter, and the Forbidden Journey. We heard the lines for it get out of hand later in the day, and we are not line people, so we figured we should hit this ride first before it got bonkers, and it did not disappoint.

Jamie and I know Disneyland like the back of our hands, but this was new territory. After we checked the ride with the longest wait time off our list, we were unsure of what to do next. We have never been here before and wanted to ensure we would get the full experience. Luckily, Universal Studios has an app, so we loaded it and started to plan it out. Universal’s layout is essentially two parks, an upper level, and a lower level. We figured we’d start at the lower level and make our way back up. 

The plan seemed to work because we checked off Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Transformers in under 30 minutes. These rides also get packed as the day goes on, so we were pumped to have a lot of the major stuff out of the way early. Getting to and from the upper and lower level took us about 5-10 minutes, without crowds. I can’t imagine what that experience would be in peak season. Side-note - Transformers is incredible.

We decided to save the Studio Tour for last and figured it was time for lunch and a beer; Duff Beer! The Simpson’s side of the park is another major highlight for me. I grew up loving everything The Simpson’s offered and being able to go to Moe’s as an adult and have a beer is a dream come true. As it turns out, Fox brought in a brewmaster to Trademark them a Duff Beer recipe. For real, I swear. Google it.

The rest of the afternoon we hung out at the Duff Beer Brewery for a while, jumped on The Simpson virtual roller coaster, meandered around stopping by Mulligan’s Irish Pub for another brew. From there we grabbed some dinner at Three Broomsticks, and of course, Butterbeer! I tend to stay away from sugary drinks, but holy hell. Butterbeer. Butterbeer is incredible. I had at least two of them. It’s just that incredible.

From there we just hung around Hogsmeade, shopped and had a few beers while people-watching. All in all, it was an incredible way to spend my 31st birthday. As I am not reading back through this, it sounds like an eight-year-olds birthday, but I am totally cool with that.

Expecto Patronum!

-YourFriendMatt

Friday 6-Pack...

Another Friday and another fast-paced six song power pack! I feel like 2018 is doing a great job of turning out some tremendous pop-rock jams! I have fallen in love with Spanish Love Songs; they have a very Menzinger type sound. We have some new Woes and Senses Fail, as well as some driving new tracks from Graywater, Homebound, and Letdown! This list is ready to take on the weekend and party.

Music saves.

Listen, share, and enjoy!

-YourFriendMatt