My 30-year Love-Affair with Professional Wrestling (Part 1)

The 1980s are known for wild neon, MTV, muscle bound action heroes and larger than life characters. The decade is synonymous with decadence and personified by the flashy stars of the second golden era of professional wrestling.  The 80s brought us Rock N' Wrestling, the grand spectacle that is Wrestlemania, and arguably the flashiest, biggest star in wrestling history — Hulk Hogan.

I was just 10 years old and every boy at school was a fan — except me. Something about the theatrics, the characters, the hard-hitting fighting, just didn't grab me at first like it had everyone else. But then, on July 12, 2016 — thirty years ago — something changed. This is the story of my 30-year love-affair with half-naked men getting paid to play fight.

Like any other kid in the 80s I got up every Saturday to watch cartoons. While I waited for Transformers and GI Joe I'd sit with my grandfather, Papun, You post less about it, I post less "hate" about it. Win-win.

And while he watched Dusty Rhodes wild ring antics and started to get drawn in by the cliffhanger endings of Championship Wrestling with Gordon Solie (right in my own state of Florida!). My uncle was also a wrestling fan and followed a family from Texas called the Von Erichs and it's where I saw my uncle's favorite Von Erich, Kevin, fly from the top rope with bare feet and crash down on the canvas below. Years later I learned that my late great-grandfather was a fan of the squared circle. My dad and his brother were also ardent followers of the WWF (that's the WWE before lawsuits forced a name change).

Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips in a wrestler vs. boxer with Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III. (https://youtu.be/wvmImH6LhY4)

Wrestling was all around me, even in my blood, yet, I was still in love with all things 80s except for wrestling. For me it was still all about Rocky, Mr. T, and the A-Team. So, you can imagine my pure excitement at the release of ROCKY III on VHS. Rocky AND Mr. T, two of my favorite 80s characters, were going to fight. I loved every second of the movie, yet came out with my imagination captured by someone else in the film — Thunderlips (played by a then Terry "Hulk" Hogan). This seven-foot beast of a man squares off against Rocky in a promotional wrestling match that Thunderlips takes a little too far. Rocky is tossed around the ring like a rag doll, while at the same time Thunderclaps was talking smack and playing to the crowd like I'd never seen before.

Thunderlips' theatrics in ROCKY III had me wondering who he was, where did he come from, and how could it be that I was suddenly into wrestling? I started making a point to pay attention to my grandfather's wrestling show. I was becoming less interested in my cartoons and more in catching a glimpse of that goliath I saw beating up Rocky. Yet, there was no sign of Thunderlips. Instead, I got a big, fat Dusty Rhodes (a wrestler I would absolutely grow to love and appreciate after I stopped being a little punk kid). I loved wrestling in Rocky III, but still, watching the real thing did nothing for me. I moved on.

Hulk Hogan plays himself across from Mr. T on the A-Team.

A few years later while watching the A-Team, Thunderlips reappeared as 6-foot-8 "Incredible" Hulk Hogan. What could be more perfect for me? This gargantuan man who beat up Rocky and B.A. Barracks fighting injustice around the land of the free and the home of the brave. On the A-Team, Hogan would battle against fellow 80s wrestling stars Big John Studd and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in wrestling matches. I enjoyed every second while also wondering why wasn't Hogan on Papun's 'rasslin' show?

As a kid my mom would drag me to Kmart in search of "blue light special" sales. I hated shopping and still detest it to this very day. My wife traces my hostility towards thermal back to this time in my life. Kmart wasn't the worst place in the world, it was better than a hot, crowded flea market and I could enjoy the air conditioning while hiding under clothing racks. As much as I protested and hated shopping, one day I saw something … beautiful. It a was a VHS tape with Mr. T and none other than "Thunderlips" Hulk Hogan on the cover. Above them, in big, broadway style marquee lettering was one simple word: WrestleMania.

In an instant I went from annoyed kid in a store who never asked for anything, to excited young kid desperately wanting this one thing. "Mom! Mom! Can I please have this?" I begged.
I didn't ask for much because I was being raised by a disabled, single mom living off of disability checks. I also didn't need much, but this time, it wasn't about need, it was pure want, so I asked. Mom's answer dealt a crushing blow "I don't want you watching that garbage."

WrestleMania on Coliseum Home Video

From then on, every time I went to Kmart, I would see the WreslteMania tapes and want them even more. During each every new trip to Kmart I would pass by the entertainment area and look at that tape until one day, there was WrestleMania 2 and I begged again "Mom, can I PLEASE have this? There's a part two!"

No luck. My mom wouldn't budge and I went home empty handed. Soon after, in 1986, The Wrestling Album was released and I urged again "Mom! Please! Hulk Hogan makes music!" But it was still a futile attempt as my mom kept browsing and I didn't get that album.

At this point I was a wrestling fan, but Florida Championship Wrestling wasn't doing it for me. I wanted those matches I saw in the A-Team. Florida wrestling was gloomy and slow. But A-Team featured matches that were fast, furious, and full of polished showmanship which was the hallmark of the WWF. Bodyslams in Florida Wrestling were careful, but in WWF they were wild and rocked the ring. Unfortuntely, back in the 80s, there was no internet, there was no way to find WWF unless you knew what channel it was on, and even then, it just might not be shown in the area. So, I wondered where could I see the show I now wanted more than any other — even A-Team.

As a student I wasn't the best in school (please don't let that reflect badly on the majority of wrestling fans), so one year I was required to summer school. It was a blessing in disguise because Michael Salcido, a friend I'd had since the second grade, was in the same class. One day, he and a few other kids started making their own championship belts out of paper. I asked what they were doing and Michael said "This is the World Wrestling Federation Championship Belt, and I'm World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan!"

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Michael knew who Hulk Hogan was and, more importantly, he knew where I could find the Huckster on TV. That night I tuned into local channel four for a 7 PM fight. The excitement leading up that moment was building faster and faster the closer the time came. I was finally going to watch the Incredible Hulk Hogan in action!


Back then the show was called Superstars of Wrestling and with good reason. Most Florida Championship wrestlers were not what you'd called superstars but journeymen who enjoyed what they did, but didn't take it to a new level. WWF had SUPERSTARTS in body and attitude. Each wrestler was a large personality with a fierce repertoire of moves they'd summon in the ring. The main event that night was a tag-team match between Rex and Spot, the Moondogs, against Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff and his best friend on the planet, Hulk Hogan! Finally, I had the Hulkster on TV, and despite the heavy roll of my mom's eyes, I witnessed one super match! Hulkster and Mr. Wonderful made quick work of the Moondogs with spectacular and thunderous moves. At least, that's how I remember it. The important part was that I was hooked on wrestling and next week's matches could not come fast enough.

Current WWE top star, John Cena, sporting a paper championship belt.

Now I was the kid making paper title belts in class, and in WWF showmanship fashion, I made the best damn belts in school, brother! With a belt around my waist I sat down to watch the next episode of Superstars. My main man Hogan was not in the episode, but I quickly experienced some other (now) legends of the sport: Randy "Macho Man" Savage, The Junkyard Dog, The British Bulldogs, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and Hogan's pal, Mr. Wonderful. During the episode, Mr. Wonderful was confronted by an unsavory bunch of characters lead by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. at the Brain's side were a big, scary, hairless gorilla known as King Kong Bundy and an ever bigger, meaner dude known as Big John Studd. Like any good story, WWF's characters were intuitively good or bad and these guys I didn't like. I knew they were bad people. The Brain challenged Mr. Wonderful and Hulk Hogan to a tag team match the following week. A call from Mr. Wonderful to Hogan went underswered, but I know one thing for sure —the next week couldn't come fast enough!

At the start of next week's episode, Mr. Wonderful and Hogan were at odds about the phone call and my naive mind dismissed the scene, unaware of the ruse that was being planted for the episode. When the match started, Hogan was running wild on Bundy and Studd. It was pure awesome to watch my main man make fools of these two bad guys, but then in the blink of an eye the tables turned. The two giants were pounding on Hogan and keeping him from tagging Mr. Wonderful into the ring. I was desperate for my hero to break free, get his friend, and put these two opponents to rest.

Hulk Hogan and tag team partner Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff talking through a disagreement before their big match versus the Heenan Family.

The crowd started chanting "HOGAN! HOGAN!" and I was right there with them in my living room. The Hulkster's 6-foot-8 frame started trembling as if drawing power from the masses, the legions of fans known as Hulkamaniacs. Like the Incredible Hulk from comics getting larger with rage, Hogan was standing taller with strength and perseverance. Hogan pummeled Big John Studd until he had regained control of the match. Hogan ran to the ropes, preparing to bounce off and perform something spectacular when he crashed into Mr. Wonderful, sending his partner off of ringside and crashing down below to the hard concrete floor. In classic wrestling fashion, the bumbling referee became overwhelmed by the chaos which allowed Bundy and Studd to double-team Hogan. The referee called for the bell, trying to stop the match, he even disqualified the rule-breakers, but the big brutes, uncaring of the rules, continued to pummel on Hogan.

That's when Mr. Wonderful got up and it seemed like the heroes would be right again very soon.  But Mr. Wonderful didn't know the match was over and so he stood in the corner, waiting for Hogan to tag him into the match so as to not violate the rules. It's not for a while that Mr. Wonderful realizes he's got to break the rules to save his friend and he does so, running Bundy and Studd out of the ring. Hogan was in bad shape but able to get to his feet thanks to his trusted friend when suddenly, Mr. Wonderful sent Hogan back to the mat with a vicious clothesline.
"No, wait, what's happening!?" I thought and likely yelled out loud.

The Brain then began making a hand gesture to Mr. Wonderful as if instructing the good guy on his next move. That's when Mr. Wonderful picks up Hogan, puts the weakened heroes head between his legs, wrapped his arms around Hogan's waist and lift him up for a second before jumping and slamming Hogan's head into the mat for a powerful move — a piledriver.

It was at this point that I became fully enraged by confusion and betrayal. How could this happen? Why would Mr. Wonderful do this? Was he friends with the bad guys now? I didn't know, but I did know that the Hulkster would not rest until he got his revenge. And I was going to be there, week after week, sitting in front of the TV, waiting for that to happen.

Thirty years of piledrivers, dropkicks, bodyslams, and more. I've been stunned by the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, I've smelled what the Rock cooked, and John Cena's "hustle, loyalty, respect" is a mantra I think all people should live by. Wrestling's blend of action, story, character, and spectacle may not have gripped me immediately, but once it did, I was hooked for life. It's a thirty-year bromance that even after college, a career, a beautiful wife, and amazing children, is as strong as ever. The next episode will never come fast enough for me.

Part 2 next Tuesday during the live #Smackdown draft.
More Wrestling Posts: http://maloned.tumblr.com/tagged/Wrestling

How a Doctor Inspired Me to Lose Weight, and Keep it Off

Pre-weight gain

The first time I got overweight after high-school. I was careless and regained the weight.

CBS 4 Great Weight Off click here to watch

I experience the same anxiety every year at my annual physical. This is when I’m going to get the bad news, I would tell myself. Being obese for more than a decade, I knew what my weight could possibly do to me. High blood pressure. Diabetes. High cholesterol. Heart attack. Stroke. (Gulp!) Early death. My wife, mother, friends, family and co-workers had all told me I needed to lose significant weight, but it wasn’t until a July 2013 visit to my doctor that pushed me into action.

Dr. Humberto Jimenez walked into the examination room and I braced myself for my results. To my relief, the doctor said all my labs came back fine. I exhaled. That's when it happened. The physician noticed my sudden comfort and asked why. I explained how I always expected the worse, considering my weight. My doctor then slowly turned his face to me, paused and looked me straight in the eyes.

“Oh, you WILL get diabetes,” Dr. Jimenez told me. “You WILL get diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure unless you do something about it now, David. You are about to turn 40. If you don’t lose weight now, you never will. Don’t you want to be around to see your daughters grow up?”

That last question was what really shook me. With two daughters under the age of 7, the sheer thought of not being there for my kids’ birthday parties, graduations, weddings and first day of college really scared me. I was going to be there for my kids. I was going to be there for my wife, Lucia. I was going to be there for my family. I needed to make some serious changes. And do it now.

Dr. Jimenez didn’t know it at the time, but he helped set in motion a life-changing, weight loss transformation that not only transformed my body but lifted my confidence and inspired my family.

THE HARDEST CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE
I weighed 260 pounds when I walked into Dr. Jimenez’s office on July 22, 2013. I was around that weight for more than a decade. My wedding day on February 10, 2001 seemed so long ago. I weighed 185 pounds when I walked down the aisle with Lucia.  

Dr. Jimenez told me I needed to eat less and exercise.  He told me that it would take 2,500 daily calories to maintain my current weight.  So dropping to 2,000 calories a day would cause me to lose a pound a week. I needed to work my way to 1,500 calories, which is what a sedentary male my height should be eating. Dr. Jimenez told me I should subscribe to MyFitnessPal, a smartphone app to log all my food.

FEELING TERRIFIED
Food and I have such a great relationship. I love to eat. So it was going to be difficult --- scratch that, incredibly challenging! --- to cut back on all my favorite foods. Bistec empanizado. Platanitos maduros. Flan. Cheeseburgers. I love them all.

Nevertheless, I launched this adventure. I logged everything I put into my mouth. I avoided the office candy jar and the vending machine. I didn’t bring home sodas or chips. I measured and ate only half a cup of rice (I’m not giving up rice!) and cut all my portions in half. I wasn’t going to try to change what I ate exactly. I didn’t want to hate life completely. I was afraid if I tried too much at first, I would get discouraged and quit. So I started with portion control.  

I HATE EXERCISE
I also began exercising. Well, walking. There had only been one period in my life that I consistently exercised outside of playing sports at the park with my friends. I would listen to tales people would tell about the euphoria from exercising. I never believed it. In college, I weightlifted for six months with my buddies Ruben, Patrick and Berman. I never experienced any enjoyment from weightlifting. I hated it. It hurt. I got sore. Tired. I never got it. Why would people exercise?

Still, I had to do it. I walked my dog a mile and a half two or three times a week late at night after my kids would go to sleep and would bicycle four to five miles on Saturdays and Sundays.  It wasn’t much. But it helped.  To my surprise, I lost four pounds in one week.  I couldn't believe it.  I don’t know if that was just a fluctuation in weight or if it was all water.  But that’s all I needed.  Those results motivated me. I can do this.

It was difficult, but there was no turning back now.  There were nights when I almost broke down.  “I’m so hungry,” I would cry out to Lucia.  I was also battling a Coke addiction at the same time.  But I couldn’t quit.  Scott Wilson, our former campus pastor,  once told us that boredom and loneliness was an enemy to good decision making.  So I began to get busy whenever my cravings would come around.  I would do anything necessary to avoid acting on them.  I would do yard work, help my mother paint, clean out the pantry, go for a walk, whatever.  One time, I spent a whole day cleaning the tile grout with a toothbrush.  I would practice delayed satisfaction.  If I wanted to eat a certain food, I would make a future date with it.  I could only have it if I had enough remaining calories and I had been ‘good’ otherwise.  

The lengths I went to avoid my cravings sounded insane, but it worked for me and I wasn’t alone.  J.K. Rowling was a good companion for a series of months.  I’ve been tolerating my 2½ hour daily commute with the assistance of leadership podcasts, sport radio replays, news reports, religious lectures and interviews.  I migrated the podcasts into my walks and bike rides, but I craved something more. At the time I started reading the Harry Potter children's novels. But like exercising, making time for reading is difficult with two kids, homework and long commutes.  So I combined the two and got the Sorcerer's Stone audiobook.  For the next few months, Harry, Ron and Hermione accompanied me everywhere I’d go.  I would listen to the books when I was active and read a few pages before going to bed. I built a long lasting relationship with those seven long books. Thank you, J.K. Rowling!

KEEPING IT A SECRET
I didn’t tell anyone about my diet for a few months.  I wanted a before and after comparison.  But as the months passed, people started noticing.  I lost 10 pounds in two months.  My clothes started feeling loose and my co-workers started asking.  I would just give a smile and say thank you, but wouldn’t let anyone in.  I was afraid of failing.  I would hit a plateau and it would frustrate me.  Then I cut down my calorie intake from 2,000 to 1,800.  Then from 1,800 to 1,600.  I would have periods of success and periods of stagnation.  But I never quit.  By the holidays, everybody was on to my weight loss transformation.  I had lost 30 pounds by Thanksgiving 2014. I needed help and motivation to get through Christmas.  I couldn’t have done it without the motivation of Lucia, my co-workers and friends.  By New Year’s Day 2015, I had lost 38½ pounds.  I couldn’t believe it.  This was really happening.  

Slow transformation

Corporate Run 5K

Weight loss in 365 days

The next year's annual check-up with Dr. Humberto Jimenez

Before and After

My goal was clear. I wanted to get below 200 pounds and I wanted to keep it off.  But 2015 would bring on greater goals and new accomplishments.  I found myself plateauing more often.  I was already close to the 1,500 calorie mark.  So something else had to change.  Lucia would try to motivate me to exercise, but I would just put it off. She even bought me a heart rate monitor to calculate my burned calories more accurately. Then two things happened.  First, Jorge Llovet, a colleague, challenged me to run the Miami 5K Corporate Run. Steeve Joseph, a church leader, invited me to join the church’s basketball group.  There’s nothing like a challenge to get a person’s competitive nature going.  The fear of embarrassment also had a strong tug.  

TIME TO RUN
I started slow and steady with running.  I ran years ago, but stopped after suffering shin splints.  I was afraid I would get them again.

So I started doing interval walking and jogging.  But these intervals were really exaggerated.  Again, I didn’t want to get discouraged.  So I would walk three minutes and do a light jog for 30 seconds.  Sounds lazy, right?  It took a long time, but little-by-little those intervals got closer. A two-minute walk and a minute jog soon became a one-minute walk and a minute jog. Soon enough, I ran my first mile since college.  I couldn’t believe it! It went from a mile around the neighborhood lake to a mile and a half, then two miles and a week before the Corporate Run, I completed three miles! I had never run that far. I had walked a 5K before, but not this. I was going to run a 5K and I wasn’t ever going to stop or walk.  

RACE DAY: OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION
The Corporate Run 5K in Downtown Miami, held on April 24, 2015 was a rainy and muddy day.  But nothing was going to get in my way.  

The rain cleared up by the start of the race and we were off.  As I turned that first corner, I crossed paths with Katy. A former colleague at CBS, Katy Nadeau-Meagher and I had been paralleling the same life change as we motivated each other on social media.  I became overwhelmed by emotion.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was running a race!  

I wasn’t out of breath.  I wasn’t tired.  I was going to do it.  I couldn’t have fathomed this.  It started pouring rain again, but nothing was going to stop me.  Block after block, mile after mile, I was doing it.  As I turned the final corner onto Biscayne Blvd., the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. A setting sun welcomed me as I sprinted the last straight away across the finish line.  I did it!  Life would never be the same.  I was now a runner!

TRYING TO MEET MY GOAL: 200 POUNDS
I weighed 210 pounds by April 2015. I was in a mad dash to lose those last 10 pounds before my 40th birthday on May 23. So I joined Steeve’s basketball group.  That was a lot of fun.  I hadn’t played basketball consistently since high school and it showed.  But at least I was fit.  I couldn’t step back and hit the 3-pointer, but I could hustle.  

I would scramble for rebounds, sprint for loose balls and pass the ball around the perimeter. I wasn’t winded.  I thought I was going to crash during games. I only had endurance problems on that first Saturday. After a swig of Gatorade, I never looked back. Week after week, I started finding my shot again.  I still don’t have good ball control or court vision, but I was having a good time.  Lucia even bought me a basketball hoop for Christmas, so I can be ready for next season.

A NEW YEAR
I never made my weight goal in 2015. New Year’s Day hit and I was still above 200 pounds.  But it’s not a sad story, because I reached other milestones I never could have imagined.  I got down to 203 pounds and have stayed consistently around the same weight since.  Exercise and portion control is now part of my lifestyle.

I still walk, jog, cycle and shoot hoops on a weekly basis.  As a symbolic gesture I got rid of all my big clothes in July, encouraged by my co-worker Eurecka Brown, and treated myself to a new wardrobe on my one-year anniversary. Lucia has been exercising longer than I, so now we’ve got our girls seeing the importance of healthy living.  

I pray to never fall back.  I lost 32 pounds in 2003 for the “CBS 4 Great Weight Off” (click here to watch) with the Atkins Diet.  My motivation was winning a game and not being embarrassed on local TV.  The motivation was bad, so I quickly gained the weight back and more.  But this time is different.  I’m so grateful for the people around me.  Many of my friends have also changed their lives with better eating and exercise. Monika, Leo, Tiana, Eddie, Julio, Ruben, Patty, Robert, Anibal and Jennifer started losing weight before me and have reached greater accomplishments.  We now motivate each other. Jorge, Natalia, Steeve and others have been great guides and supporters in my journey.

A LIFE-CHANGING CONVERSATION
The thought of being afflicted with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol never motivated me. It was a physician who changed everything for me. I thank God for Dr. Jimenez. If it wasn't for his direct, stern warning and advice during my annual check up in 2013, it might have been too late to take action.

I can now play with my daughters without getting tired.  I can jump on the trampoline with them and run in the park. God is good. I am so grateful for Him and the people He put in my life that in all honesty saved it.  Thank you, everyone. There’s no looking back. I have 2016 goals. I’m introducing healthier foods into my diet, expanding my palate and hoping to compete in a triathlon.

Cheers to a New Year, New Goals and New Resolutions.

New Japan Pro Wrestling: The 2015 Awakening of a Sleeping Giant

There's been an awakening. There had been whispers of a great foreign federation from the far east for a quarter of a century.  For 15 years the WWE has stood atop of the big league mountain in the world of sports entertainment. TNA was a contender for a few years, but fell into the same trap of being WWE lite, like WCW a decade before. There have been no major alternative since then.  But now a foreign giant has been aroused.


I became vaguely familiar with New Japan Pro Wrestling when the Great Muta, an uber talented japanese wrestler, invaded the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling in 1989.  His unique and innovative style of work was nothing like I had ever seen in an American wrestling ring. WCW took us deeper down the rabbit hole 2 years later presenting an annual Tokyo dome show on pay per view, from what I mistakenly thought was a wrestling organization called IWGP, the International Wrestling Grand Prix.  It was a peak through the looking glass at the world that spawned Muta.  It was incredible action, amazing acrobatics and hard hitting style.  The SuperShows looked bigger than any Wrestlemania.  The Tokyo Dome show sported a heavy metal style stage, lighting rigs and pyrotechnic half a decade before WWE ever attempted an elaborate entrance.  It was a true spectacle.

WCW stopped producing the PPV after 1993.  American wrestling fans were treated to some talent exchanges by WCW, WWF and ECW from time-to-time. But quietly I had forgotten about japanese wrestling and history became legend, legend became myth. Every once and awhile, I would hear names mentioned, stories of legendary matches and of a familiar giant show.

In May of 2013, the New York Times introduced me to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, another mythical figure, who's name I had always seen attached to some of the most legendary stories in wrestling. I subscribed to his newsletter and website and began to hear more and more about that eastern superpower. He would talk about the legends and masters of All Japan and New Japan Pro Wrestling and the tales of 5 star matches never witnessed in the west.  He'd tell us about the renaissance of the mat blowing up in the land of the rising sun. It seemed so far, it seemed so unattainable.  Here in the United States, wrestling had become very stale. It's had a few flashes of greatness with the rise and fall of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. But the lack of competition has kept WWE in neutral for a very long time.  Wouldn't it be great if another big league promotion could penetrate the west and usher in another golden age of professional wrestling?

Soon there were rumblings of iPPVs, internet pay per views, for some of NJPW's major shows, including Wrestle Kingdom, their traditional January 4th Tokyo Dome show. They were shady live streams of the Japanese broadcasts. I really wanted to get into the product, but the language barrier and lack of accessibility were still big issues for me. But then, out of nowhere, from a very odd source, it was announced that the 2015 Wrestle Kingdom supercard would be broadcast live on traditional pay per view with English commentary by world famous wrestling broadcaster Jim Ross.  Jeff Jarrett, a Tennessee wrestling legend and former owner of Impact Wrestling, was starting up his new Global Force Wrestling promotion and had entered into a working agreement with NJPW, which included an English PPV broadcast of their biggest show of the year.

New Japan Pro Wrestling, the second biggest wrestling promotion in the world was invading the United States! It's Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 4, 2015.  I was already sold.  I took the day off of work to stay up and watch the show live, over night, considering the 14 hour time difference between the U.S. Eastern Time Zone and Tokyo.  But I wasn't familiar with any of the performers, any of the matches, the rivalries or storylines.  Enter in Matt Striker.  Striker was tasked to be Jim Ross' color commentator during the show.  Global Force Wrestling and Matt Striker produced a number of preview specials introducing western audiences to the superstars, or Aces of Puroresu (Japanese Pro Wrestling).   Between Striker and Meltzer's Wrestling Observer website, I started to become familiar with names like Tanahashi, Okada, Nakamura and the dishonorable, villainous gaijin Bullet Club.  One familiar face that remained from the past was Jushin Thunder Liger, who took part in the opening New Japan Rumble contest. Gone were the stars from the days when the Great Muta, Masahiro Chono, Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami would make special appearances in WCW.

I felt uninvested when the show started that Saturday night, early Sunday morning, but no angles were necessary for this event. The matches in themselves and the familiar voice of Good ol' JR were enough to have me invested.  It was a great show.  A hybrid of many different wrestling styles, all in one night.  There was a fast pace, high spotfest; four-way tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Later followed by a sudo-shoot wrestling match between Minoru Suzuki and the Gracie killer Kazushi Sakuraba. A stiff Togi Makabe and Tomohiro Ishii left me sore after that fight. The Shinsuke Nakamura's semi-main and main event between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada were wrestling clinics.  What an amazing night.. and this wasn't the end.

Right before Wrestle Kingdom, it was announced that AXStv, formerly HDnet, was going to start airing NJPW with English commentary.  Mauro Ranallo, the man who calls Floyd Mayweather's fights and Josh Barnett, a UFC World Champion, would be dubbing commentary over some of the best matches and events from 2013, 2014 and bring us up to date by the end of 2015.  Now I could watch Puroresu every Friday night.  Mauro and Josh's pure sport, hold-by-hold style was the perfect soundtrack to the amazing action AXStv was bringing us every week, in contrast to what sports entertainment commentary had become.  Their knowledge of the product educated me on the intricacies of strong style, the history of puroresu, the young boys, japanese dojos, the arch of the Bullet Club's invasion, the split and betrayal of the new Toukon Sanjushi, the Three Musketeers and the larger than life rivalry between Tanahashi and Okada.

NJPW in an attempt to compete worldwide with the WWE Network, launched NJPW World, an online streaming service.  Even though the commentary would be in Japanese, I took advantage to subscribe in time to watch the last 3 nights of the G1 Climax, their highly rated round-robin tournament to decide who would headline the next year's Wrestle Kingdom show and challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.  I discovered Eonizzle, a fan lead streaming channel that broadcast English audio commentary to sync with NJPW World.  Now I was set.  Tanahashi defeated AJ Styles and delivered a ****¾ match on night 17, Nakamura beating Kazuchika Okada followed them up on night 18 with a ****½ match and concluded with a Tanahashi, Nakamura 5-star classic.

NJPW had made inroads with Global Force Wrestling's partnership and the AXStv show.  But now they were going it at their own.  NJPW announced that their next major show, King of Pro Wrestling, was going to be broadcast in English on NJPW World.  This time lead at the helm by WWE veteran and current Ring of Honor broadcaster, Kevin Kelly, sidekicked by the returning former WWE commentator and current Lucha Underground analyst Matt Striker. Tanahashi defended his Tokyo Dome IWGP Championship challenge-right-certificate against Tetsuya Naito and Okada defend his IWGP Championship against  A.J. Styles.

The main event was set for tonight's 2016 Wrestle Kingdom Tokyo Dome show.  The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada would have one last opportunity to defeat the One-in-a-100-Year Talent, Hiroshi Tanahashi.  This rematch might conclude the long rivalry between the two top Aces of NJPW who were featured on that first episode of World Pro-Wrestling on AXStv and main evented last year's Wrestle Kingdom.

I'm now reading the book; Lion's Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I hope in this coming year I could watch the big shows that do not have English Commentary, now that I'm familiar with the wrestlers and their storys.

I'm hoping 2016 will be the year NJPW grows into the number two promotion in the United States, as they are in the world. I think they have failed to use the AXStv show as an avenue to promote NJPW World and their big shows.  They should consider running some ads during Monday Night RAW, Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor.  But it's never too late.  While some long time Jananese fans might think that the NJPW product is becoming repetitive and stale, New Japan Pro Wrestling is a breath of fresh air to American fans like me who are tired of the uninspired U.S. wrestling scene.

Sources:

• 2015 G1-Climax with English Commentary by Eonizzle: https://youtu.be/qinJdPnLEjU?list=PLGYyu3OJTd_bXUDbIbb9oHXcrPjWwOwJr
• New Japan Pro Wrestling Roster: http://puroresucentral.com/NewJapan.html
• Wrestling Oberser: http://www.wrestlingobserver.com
• In World of Wrestling, Trying to Keep It Real
  Dave Meltzer NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/sports/wrestling-reporter-dave-meltzer-tries-to-keep-it-real.html

A call to rescue Thanksgiving. It’s been hijacked.

Berman’s been complaining about the hijacking of Thanksgiving for years. He’s a very passionate man.  So it’s easy for me to ignore his rants, just as much as he overlooks mine. But there was no denying it this year, and no one seems to care. Thanksgiving’s missing and it’s time to to mount a rescue.  Who can eat at a time like this? A major national celebratory feast is missing. You people are selfish. Thanksgiving is in someone’s trunk right now, with duck tape over it’s mouth. We need help. Let’s form a search party. No one gets to eat on the last Thursday of November till the holiday’s rescued.

I failed to see it for years.  I don’t know why I didn’t notice it.  Berman never failed to sound off every time we visited the mall in November and discovered hung Christmas decorations and jingling holiday music. His grievances escalated last year when retailers completely ignored Thanksgiving and started opening their store on the holiday.  My eyes were finally opened this year when I saw a neighbor, of Berman’s BTW, decorating his house with Christmas lights for Halloween.  For HALLOWEEN!!!!  It’s ridiculous.  The guy did have Halloween inflatables in the front yard, only to be replaced with Christmas inflatables on November 1st.  I bet the guy was waiting by the clock for midnight to replace those dumb air filled cartoon characters.

Even after my enlightenment to this miscarriage of justice, I was apathetic, until it hit home.  Isn’t that how it always works?  A couple of evenings ago, Olivia, my oldest daughter, my first born, my princess, came home, batted her beautiful eye lashes, going through her whole daddy-finger-wrapping routine and asked, “Daddy, can we put up our Christmas tree? Melanie (her little neighbor friend) already put up her tree.  Can we watch a Christmas movie?”  I was horrified.  This evil had entered my home.  I never believed it would happen to me.  I didn’t know what to do.  At first I was in denial.  I ignored her requests.  Then she circumvented my TV viewing authoritah and manipulated her mother to join her cause. Lucia even wanted to introduce the Elf on the Shelf weeks before the season’s greeting.  I had lost.  It seemed like Thanksgiving was lost for ever.  I had to let Berman know of my failure to preserve the Holiday.  But Berman’s a true friend.   “Say NO!” Berman yelled.  He grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me three times, slapped me on the cheek and told me to get a hold of myself.

The Bermaniser was right.  The war for Thanksgiving had to start at home. It’s time to synchronize our watches, split up and win back this feast on all fronts.

My first step in planning this rescue mission, was to think back to when I was a kid and Thanksgiving was celebrated all November long.  I remember Thanksgiving decorations in school classrooms, singing Thanksgiving songs in music class. That’s what I needed.  I need holiday inspiring weapons.  I scoured the land (Hulu Plus, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify and even Pinterest) looking for books, songs, cartoons, movies, TV specials, documentaries and themed episodes of my favorite TV shows and sitcoms.  There was a plethora of resources.  I pulled out the heavy artillery on the first night.  Shock and awe! We watched “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on Monday night.  What a way to start what I hope will be a daily Thanksgiving countdown and devotional. We’ll be reading, listening and watching something for the rest of the month, and not forgetting to take a moment to remember those we are grateful for.

Thanksgiving deserves the same anticipation and excitement that other holidays get.  While other holidays have been commercialized or used as an excuse for drunken frivolity, Thanksgiving still holds true to it’s original charter, a feast with family and friends, in remembrance of the blessings we have, whether they are many or few.

Photo posted by maloned (@maloned)

Sure, Thanksgiving has a few other elements, besides the dinner, but that’s icing on the cake.  I love waking up to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I enjoy going to the park to play what we hoped would be an injury-free Turkey Bowl football game by a bunch of middle-aged bruts trying to relive the days of their youth.  Then coming home to prep the house and food, with the couple of NFL games playing in the background, for the evening celebrations.

The evening would climax with a night of family and friends enjoying a fusion of an American Traditional Thanksgiving meal, comprised of Turkey, gravy, mash potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, pumpkin pie … and a traditional Cuban, salsa music playing, Noche Buena/Año Nuevo roasted pork, moros, yuca and turrones.

Sure, we all have a few annoying family members that get under our skin, but part of the Thanksgiving spirit is to learn tolerance, to love people unconditionally, loving them for who they are and not who we wish they were.  “To love real people, not ideal people.”

I hope to spread this.  I’ve started a playlist on YouTube and Spotify to keep us in the spirit the whole month through.  I hope Lucia joins me and posts links to kids books, yummy recipes and fun crafts.  I want to take advantage and teach my daughters simple things like table manners, life lessons about tolerance, consideration and gratitude.  I would love to model generosity for the girls by giving and volunteering at a church’s Thanksgiving meal for the less fortunate.

Berman’s going to make sure to complain about how I never listen to him after reading this.  I’m sorry Bro, but I’m sure this won’t be the last time. Thanks for being there and saving Thanksgiving at the Garcia residence.

Lets remember, “what keeps Christmas special is that it’s only one month out of the entire year.” Berman said in his infinite wisdom. Let’s not spoil it by starting the season way to early and let’s not miss out on all the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving. Then the Elf and the Shelf can start making appearances.

Edited by Lynda Fernandez

Farewell to WWE Magazine: A Heart-Felt Thank You From A Lifelong Fan

The last issue of WWE Magazine came out this week and though it may seem like an unlikely source to most, this monthly periodical taught me how to read. Growing up, my mother tried in vain to get me to read. No move on her part, from forcing me to check out books, to reading with me, and more seemed to work. Throughout elementary school I struggled with poor grades, but all that changed when I found a subject I would be passionate about for the rest of my life — professional wrestling. 

It seems like only yesterday that I discovered Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) and the Apter family of magazines. My mother was hesitant to let me read “lucha libre” publications, but when she saw my deep interest, and more importantly that I was reading each and every word printed in them, she supported it. I grabbed every wrestling magazine I could get my hands on and read and read and read. Quickly, and though still young, my fandom matured. Pro Wrestling Illustrated covered all wrestling, but I wanted something even more specific — @WWE (then WWF) Magazine.

   

I loved all things wrestling, but WWE was the undisputed champion of professional wrestling in my youth. I craved learning more about superhero-like superstars Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Iron Sheik, Ultimate Warrior, or Jake the Snake. I would see WWF Magazine advertised on Craig DeGeorge's (now Craig Minervini, a local Miami Marlins baseball announcer) weekly WWF Updates from the Event Center on WWF Wrestling Challenge and Superstars of Wrestling, the local syndicated programs. Trips to my neighborhood Circle K, Walgreens, or Woolworth’s (where I would buy PWI) turned up with no sign of WWE Magazine. Searching for WWE Magazine became a ritual anytime I’d visit any store with a magazine rack. For a long time, it seemed I would never find an issue at all. A year passed before I walked into an Eckerd’s Drug Store and saw Ted Dibiase flaunting the Million Dollar Belt. That day and that cover of the May 1989 issue of WWE Magazine are forever etched into my memory. 

After that, it seemed every store had caught on and WWE Magazine was just about everywhere. I was still young though, and had to secretly ride my bike to the Westchester Bookstore in order to buy up every issue I could. My clandestine adventures hidden from my mom lasted a few years until I got my first summer job as a telemarketer with the Police Athletic League. Now I was able to become a subscriber and get WWE Magazine delivered straight to my home. Yes, this was via what is now known as snail mail, but back then there was no Internet and the anticipation caused by waiting was part of the fun. From that point on, the steady flow of information about the WWE began in earnest. Month after month I was reading about my heroes and most importantly I was reading a lot. 

Today, the WWE holds an annual WestleMania Reading Challenge where WWE Superstars visit local schools as they tour the country to encourage young fans to read. Though they didn’t do the challenge when I was a kid, I like to think of myself as an unofficial success story. For 27 years I’ve read WWE magazine and since the very first one, I’ve been a devoted fan of wrestling — a lifer — one of those kids who never grew out of the orchestrated action of sports entertainment. Because of the influence of WWE Magazine, my grades rose, I won turnaround student of the year, and ultimately received a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. For that, I bid a fond farewell and loudly shout “THANK YOU” to the magazine that quite literally transformed my life. 

Edited by Ruben Diaz @RMartian.

Groundhog Day Alarm Clock Experiment

One year ago today, on #GroundhogDay 2012, I made this radio clip into my alarm clock ringtone to see how I would experience the movie after a year of waking up to it.  

Sure enough, today, on Groundhog day 2013, every time Bill Murray's alarm clock went off  I experience the same anxiety I do when it wakes me up in the morning. #GroundhogDayAlarmClockExperiment

2012 Year in Review

Check out my biggest moments from the past year. http://fb.me/2efGZFvkj

sorry @CMPunk.. @HulkHogan is the Best in the World, not you or Stone Cold @SteveAustinBSR

CM Punk's yearlong WWE title reign, the longest in 25 years, has sparked the debate about who the greatest WWE champion of all time is, and where do guys like CM Punk, John Cena, The Rock, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan stand on that list?
On title reign length alone, Bruno Samaritno is hands-down the greatest wrestling champion of all time, while on sheer number of title reigns, Ric Flair's 16 world championships tops everyone. But greatness, especially in the world of professional wrestling, goes well beyond numbers or stats.
By my estimation, two things matter more than any stat when it comes to greatness in sports entertainment: dollar signs and butts in seats. By those metrics, two names top the list of greatest superstar of all time—'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. Both men were at the center of the last two major booms in wrestling's popularity.


This time last year, at the beginning of CM Punks title reign, Punk said during an interview on the Soscia Network (@TheBrianSoscia) radio show on Mix 106 from Philadelphia, "Steve Austin, the biggest star in wrestling period. Bigger than Hulk Hogan by a landslide, I might add." (http://youtu.be/vitX9LX-d-k#t=8m0s) 16-time World Champion Ric Flair echoed the same sentiment at his WWE Hall of Fame induction. "Steve Austin is the biggest star in the history of the WWE. I'm so tired of saying Hogan's the biggest star of all time, it ends tonight." (http://youtu.be/6hQhO1sPbEI).

But is this true? While Steve Austin is arguably the top star of the WWE during the "Attitude Era", when WWE turned the tide against WCW during the Monday Night Wars, the swelled wrestling audience of the late 1990's wasn't drawn in by Austin, but by the heel turn of Hulk Hogan and his formation of the nWo. Austin, Goldberg and the Rock (the biggest crossover superstar of the Attitude Era) began their rise to fame because of the attention Hogan drew.
Simply put, Hulk Hogan was the catalyst for wrestling's popularity in both the 1980s AND 1990s.


Even if you wanted to credit Austin with the wrestling boom of the mid-to-late 1990s, it's hard to argue that it was a greater boom than that of the 1980s. Hardcore fans of the Attitude Era, because of it's edginess and popularity, argue that it was greater than the second Golden Age of the 1980's, but our numbers—dollar signs and butts in seats—don't lie. At the peak of the Monday Night Wars, RAW and Nitro averaged a combined 10 million viewers over a 6-year period, some of which were counted twice, since many fans switched back and forth and watched both. During the 1980s, Saturday Night's Main Event averaged 14 million viewers, also over a 6-year period.

More than Austin ever has, Hulk Hogan transcended wrestling. In 1979, his larger-than-life feud with Andre the Giant in the WWWF filled Shea Stadium. In 1980 he was crowned the first IWGP champion, beating Antonio Inoki, in New Japan wrestling, which would become the largest wrestling promotion worldwide. Hogan entered the mainstream with his small, but unforgettable role in Rocky III, which ignited a small boom for the AWA, and then the largest wrestling boom in history in the 1980s with the birth of Hulkamania and Rock & Wrestling. The golden age of the 1980s peaked with Wrestlemania III when the event packed the Pontiac Silverdome with more than 93,000 people. Still, that's only a third of Hogan's career at the top of the wrestling mountain. Rocky III was only the beginning for Hogan and Hollywood, as he would go on to star in more than 10 films.

Austin's anti-hero rebelliousness resounds with most of today's wrestling fans in the same way that Batman resonates more today than Superman. Older fans grew up with a good vs. evil simplicity, while new fans love a good guy with a bad attitude, who walks the line between good and evil. Many fans today are also enamored with Steve Austin's transparent love for the sport, fans, and the boys in the locker room, more so than Hogan's self-centered, self-promoting ways, and reputation for holding others back.

Whatever your feelings are along those lines, Hogan's effect on sports entertainment has been unequalled by any other wrestler to this day. Not only has he put more butts in seats and more money in the pockets of promoters and fellow wrestlers, he has done so for more than 30 years. That longevity alone puts him at the top of the wrestling mountain and may even qualify him as being one of the greatest entertainers ever—period. Just think for a moment of how many musicians, actors, writers, or painters have had careers of 30 or more years while maintaining a die-hard fan base like Hulk Hogan. The names are few and far between.
Some might argue that The Rock has transcended like Hogan and possibly even more so, or that John Cena makes a strong case for the title of The Greatest, but the truth is that Hulk Hogan, not Steve Austin, is the greatest wrestling superstar of all time, and Stone Cold, Cena, The Rock, CM Punk, and the popularity of wrestling over the past 30 years, have him to thank.
Jim Ross's perspective on Hogan's rub on Wrestling: http://youtu.be/415HU_y1rig

Writting and Editing Contributions by @RMartian Ruben Diaz

Thank you to everyone for making Chloe’s first birthday and baby dedication special.

We wanted to keep the tradition of having guests sign our baby's photo book on their first birthday. But it just happens to be that it was lost in the shipping process and is being re-sent. So.. we couldn't have our guest sign it. But this is the year 2012.. books are now digital and so should signings. Sign Chloe's first year photo book for her to see for many years to come. http://on.fb.me/NXPcez

Chloe's first birthday was planned and ready to be at Key Biscanye's Cardon Park..
but Issac decide that he was going to try and spoil those plans.

But even the threat of a Hurricane wasn't going to ruin this day for Chloe.  Everyone braved the weather and came to our house for a wonder celebration and the blessing of Chloe's dedication.

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Watch, view and sign:

Chloe's Birthday to Birthday! Birth and First Year 20 minute epic.   VIDEO: http://on.fb.me/QLP2G2

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Chloe's 1st Birthday Party and Baby Dedication – Picasa Photo Album   PHOTOS: http://on.fb.me/OnZELs , http://on.fb.me/PnH72N

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Chloe.. the Photo Book of the Year you were Born   PHOTO BOOK: http://on.fb.me/NXPcez

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Chloe's First Birthday Party and Baby Dedication   VIDEO: http://on.fb.me/PWFRGp

You can't expect people to take criticism well from above if you can't take it well from below.  Christ taught servant leadership. We serve those below us, not above.
Moses annoyance with Israel cause him to sin disobey God (Numbers 20:1-13). God didn't allow Moses to get rid of them. He made Moses have to suffer with them through the consequences of their sin (Numbers 14) and improve his leadership in dealing with them (Numbers 11:4-16).

I'm the first to complain about the over reach of government, but these two stories happen because we aren't active and educated consumers or citizens. Both the government and the healthcare industry will serve their own purposes if we don't demand transparency.


Study: Appendix surgery costs differ around U.S.
CBS This Morning
http://on.fb.me/JlO2sL 


GAO says Medicare bonuses are bogus
The Washington Times
http://t.co/RQlOSbbO

Pleasant Travel to the New Marlins Park

I have to rave about my experience going to the @Marlins game at the new @MarlinsPark. I really recommend going on a Miami-Dade Metrobus. What a pleasant experience. It took the #7 bus 20 minutes from Flagler and the Palmetto to drop us off footsteps from the stadium for only $2. We walked up to the Box Office and asked for their cheapest seats, $17. The seats were in right field and the view didn't disappoint. There isn't a bad seat in the park. The team played great, so after a few home runs, watching that monstrosity in center field light up and 'Take Me Out to the Ball-game' in the 7th.. the Marlins were up 7-1, so we decided to walk around the stadium and check out the amenities. What a beautiful stadium. Loved the walk way in the outfield and watching the game from the wall, with that enormous glass wall behind us with a beautiful view of the Miami downtown skyline. Then it only took us 5 minutes to walk out of the stadium and to the bus stop on 7th street. Surprisingly, only one other person was waiting to take the bus. We were back at my mother's house 20 minutes after jumping on the bus. I was really concerned about going to a ball-game on a weeknight and having to deal with traffic, finding, paying for parking and getting home late. Taking the bus was the best decision. I can't wait to go again.

View Photo Album: http://on.fb.me/I1lrGV

The Marino Curse Lives

I know I have been negative about the @MIamiDolphins. It's hard not to after so many years of disappointment. But I held out hope and once again.. the they broke my heart again.

Peyton Manning called the Dolphins and tells them they're out of running

Gary Nelson @CBSMiami story covering the hope for Manning and the disappointment of the last decade for #Dolphins fans. http://cbsloc.al/xA3hjm

Jesus would not have been a democrat. When people of the day complained about the government, he told them not to put their trust in the secular government but in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus was a monarch

Tumblr

My apologizes for not having any resent posts here. To check out my blog post for the last few months, visit http://maloned.tumblr.com. Future blog posts will also be posted here.

Ramblings: Friendship through Conflict / Communication

Good friendships don't go without problems. They overcome and thrive in-spite of them. Superficial relationship avoid confrontations.

The key is that it's done in a loving manner.

The delivery, the method and the intent is as important as the context of what's being communicated. Our approach many times can keep our intended audience from receiving our message.

Always put yourself within the shoes of your audience. Get to know the person, so you can know and understand the reason behind behavior.

Correction should be done with the purpose to lift the person up, not tear them down. What's important is that it's done within the confines of a significant relationship. You can not have the right intent to correct someone if you don't care enough to get to know them.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." - Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:9)
"Peace is not the absence of conflict" - Ed Young
"Build spiritually significant relationships: - Bill Hybels

Mark 7:7-8: They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.

1 Corinthians 2:14: The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Colossians 4:5-6: Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Christmas and Wilmer

I heard one of the most illuminating messages at a Christmas church service this year. It was by my friend Pastor Wilmer Urgelles. I asked him if I could post his message. Enjoy...:

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I was trying to bring a teaching on how to celebrate Christmas but I could not find anything in scripture about the celebration of Christmas. Yes, we have what we call the account of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke... But it doesn't tell us anything about how we should celebrate the season. But this year I've learn something about this season that will change the way I celebrate Christmas for ever...

For many years I have struggle with guilt during the Christmas season. Guilt because christmas goes by and I feel that I failed to make a deep spiritual connection with the season. After Christmas I often say: "Next year, I am going to make it more meaningful... But somehow, when Christmas comes, I get rapped up in the same mess, so I feel guilty...

Can you relate?

It seems that during the Christmas season we need to switch to a faster gear if not we stay behind...

For me it begins right around thanksgiving... My wife is a Christmas season fanatic... A well decorated Christmas tree is not enough... The entire house gets transformed into a christmas palace...

So for me the Christmas season starts early November with the reminder to put in my calendar a day to go into the attic and bring down approximately 8 plastic containers and some cardboard boxes... And that is not including the Christmas tree... That is where the christmas stress begins for me... Because For the next three weeks I am reminded at lease three times a week to take a day before thanksgiving to bring everything down from the attic...

And it's not just bringing the things down... My wife needs help with the decorations too... And after everything is out of the container, guess what I need to do? You guess it. I need to put all the empty containers back up in the attic.

I find it hard to make a deep spiritual connection with that...

Part of the stress of Christmas season is finances too... How much are we going to spend? Thank God for my wife that always puts a little bit of money aside so we can have something to spend on our kids... As our kids get older, it becomes harder to please them...

But is not just the kids... You have gift exchanges with co worker... Gift exchanges with your kid's class mates... Then is figuring out what to give... What is this gift going to say about me?

I find it hard to make a deep spiritual connection with that...

Then you have the actual shopping days... Have you ever been to Toy R Us during around this time? My wife and I were there last Sunday... You can smell the stress... And it stinks a little...

I find it hard to make a deep spiritual connection with that...

But then we get to Christmas week and we go to church that Sunday and we hear a message about the real reason of Christmas...

How ironic that we need to be reminded of the real reason of Christmas during the Christmas season... I thought the reason we created a Christmas season was to remember that our savior was born... And yet we need to be reminded during the christmas season? That doesn't make sense. Does it?

But at least we take one day to stop and think of Jesus. The truth be told, we take a few hours of one day, out of approximately thirty days, to remember Christ and make a deep spiritual connection with the season. I find it hard. I don't know... It feels like if we are trying to fit something in that doesn't belong.

Then we get to Christmas day and that is a wonderful day... You get to see your children happy, playing with their toys... Except those who just got cloths for Christmas... You get to open the your own gift, which in many cases you already know what it is, but you sound exited anyways...

Three hours later your kids are playing with the box the gift came in... And Christmas quickly is forgotten because we now focus on the new year...

But off course, the stress of Christmas is not over for me because my house stays decorated until the new year. So you know what that means? Another trip to the attic. Take down the plastic container... Take down all the decorations... Then, the last trip to the attic and Christmas is finally over... Till the next November...

Wilmer, you sound like the Scrooge. Well, that is not my intention...

Celebrating the birth of Christ has nothing to do with what happens during the Christmas season... It has nothing to do with gifts to make an impression, or spending a lot of money, or giving lots of gifts, or eating lots of food... Christ has nothing to do with stress or a hurried life...

Some how, the way we feel and the things we find ourselves doing during this Christmas season stands in complete opposition with how Christ makes us feel and the things he teaches us to do... So I wonder, does Christ really fits in this season? Does Christ fits in any season? you can't confine Christ to any season. Christ is not Christmas. Christ is so much more than Christmas...

If we learn anything about celebrating the birth of Christ from scripture is this: When Christ was born two things happened... The angels proclaimed to the shepherds that a savior was born. They came, they worshiped, and they told everybody they knew...

They worship Christ and they proclaimed Christ... And that cannot be limited to any season because we are call to worship and proclaim Christ every day of the year...

I know, some of you are just realizing: "Wilmer, you are the Scrooge". No... On the contrary.

I told you that I have learned something this season that will change the way I will celebrate the rest of my Christmas and that is that I can enjoy this season for what it is...

Let's enjoy this season for what it is.... Without the guilt of trying to make this season spiritual. It is not...

If you want to make a deep spiritual connection with the birth of Christ you need to worship Him and tell everyone you know about your savior! And that we could do every day!

with child Blog (more like rambling than blogging)

Hello everyone!

Well, just in case you haven't heard, Lucia and I are expecting another baby. Lucia and I have come to an agreement to have 3 kids. Well, number two is on it's way. We've been trying for a few months. If you ask Lucia, we haven't been trying to prevent it. I'm extremely happy! Olivia needs a little friends. Lucia took a pregnancy test on Mother's day and surprised me with the news during lunch at Masitas.

I was really happy to hear the news. Then it quickly hit me. Alot of things went thru my mind. Some of it was financial, since we recently lost the restaurant, but I know God will provide. But my biggest concern was whether or not I could love another child as much as I love Olivia.

I spoke to Wilmer, my good friend and old pastor. He and I have spoken about this topic before. Lucia and I love Olivia so much that it hurts. It's the kind of love that you don't think you could have for more than one person. But Wilmer is wise in his ways. As a matter of fact, Wilmer is so wise that one day he saw Mike cleaning up a deck and asked him... oh oh.. sorry.. went on a tangent there (inside joke).

Wilmer said that God gives us the capacity to love all our children. And just like the love we have for our spouse is different than the love we have for our child, the love for a second child will be different.

I've heard message about child idolatry. They teach that adoring our children is not right in the eyes of God. But I disagree. I think that God has shown us how to love our children the way he loves us. He loves us so much, that he was willing to give up his life for us. (John 3:16)

It concerns me because we've all seen families in which one child seems favored over the other child. That kind of stuff can mold a child to grow up in-secure about themselves. I know that fairness isn't a reality, but I want to make sure that all my children feel like their mom and dad love them with all their heart.

Lucia and I have spoken about adoption and that's been my biggest concern. What if we adopt a child and I unconsciously don't give that child the same amount of Love. Or what if I over compensate and don't give enough to my nature born children. Oh goodness!

At the end of the day, I have to trust God.

We have to seek Him and trust that He will give us the capacity to provide for these children and the capacity to love them. And to trust Him to guide us to raise them correctly.

It isn't news to anyone that Olivia is a very under-socialized and misbehaved little girl. It's mostly my fault. I spoil that little girl. She has me wrapped around her little finger.

But now, it's going to bite us in the butt. She's so used to being the center of attention, and here comes a new addition. Someone that's going to demand alot of attention, more than her for the first year for sure. It's scary stuff.

I went to visit my cousin Amy and Olga-Lidia the other day. I went to carry my cousin's new born, and Olivia went nuts with jealousy. Oh my goodness! It's going to be hard. So.. we're going to put Olivia in a summer camp / daycare to try to get her better socialized and get her a little more independent. God help us.

So.. that's the list of my concerns. Got to trust in God.

We didn't tell our family about the coming baby till my birthday on May 23rd (the day of the Lost finale). It was a great moment. Lucia had me make a wish before blowing our the candles and then we shared that our wish of having a little brother or sister for Olivia is coming true.

My mom went nuts. She was so happy. For one.. it was because she and my grandmother had been claiming that Lucia was pregnant since Mother's Day (the day Lucia actually found out). They said Lucia was glowing. She was happy that her suspicion was right. It was kinda scary that she asked on Mother's Day if Lucia was pregnant without us having had told anyone.

Poor Lucia's mom was confused because we announced it in English and she only understands Spanish. Our friends and family were very happy for us. Tiana, Argelio and Rosemarie expressed their happiness about being there when we first announced it.

Well that's the story till now. I'm going to try and take a page out of Natalie's book and blog about the pregnancy. I tried it with Olivia on BabyZone.com, but I never really got around to it. Well.. it also had alot to do that no one uses BabyZone.com. Lucia didn't even use it. She uses BabyCenter.com. Well, now BabyCenter.com has community area that's like a social network for parents and it has a journal area. The few things that I posted on BabyZone.com, I posted them on BabyCenter.com. This will be our first post there about the new baby. So.. from now on, we'll be blogging about the baby over there instead of here. So visit the link below

http://community.babycenter.com/profile/withchild

By the way... withchild won't end up being our user name. It will probably be LuciaGarcia. For some reason BabyCenter.com chose that for us.

Hope you don't have a headache from reading my blog.

God bless,

David

P.S. Please forgive my spelling and grammar. I am a product of the Miami-Dade Public School System.

Division Among Brothers and Bickering with the Lost

Division Among Brothers and Bickering with the Lost

As of late the topic of division within the body of Christ has been on my mind. My friend Danny Detres and I have been debating this topic for the last couple of weeks, especially concerning the controvery around Rob Bell. I read his book, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, there might be a thing or two that I disagree with, but I there is nothing heretical, divisive or un-biblical. I think that there is to much division within the church today. We are here to preach the gospel, make disciples of the world and lift our brothers and sisters up, not down(Matthew 28:19-20). Paul teaches us that we should not debate or get caught up on silly details that are not cosiquencial when it comes to salvation, which only cause division (1 Corinthians 1:10-31/Titus 3:9). Jesus himself was apposed to such bickering to the point in which he didn't choose he's own people(the Jews), but the gentles to be his church(Matthew 23:37-39/John 8:31-41/Romans 3:27–4:25). When confrunted by the Pharisees, he had more distain for their judgement attitudes then even the sin of adultary(John 8:3-11). The Pharisees at that time were so caught up with silly matters that they didn't pay attention to what's important, like loving and seeking God and loving our neighbor(Matthew 22:37-39/John 14:6/Matthew 6:33). Everything else are details.

I never advise getting into a Biblical debate with a non-believer. You should preach them Christ, through faith, not through proof. You will never CONVINCE a person to believe. The Holy Spirit is the one that softens the heart. We just need to plant the seed by sharing our personal testimony and speaking to them about Jesus, His love, sacrifice, and ask them to ask put their faith in Him and ask Him to give them understand through His Spirit. Before and after you have spoken to a person, pray for them, that God may take the veil off their eyes to see the truth. And last be there for them, be there friend, love them un-conditionally. Don't be there to point out all their sins and problem. Be and example and testimony of God's love, not God's judgment.

References:
Titus 3:9-11 "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless....
2 Timothy 2:23 "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels"
1 Corinthians 3 Division in the Church... Some are calvanist, some are armanians, but all are Christians.
1 Corinthians 12 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit - One body, many parts.
Mark 7:9-13 Man made traditions
Mark 9:38-49 - "...not one of us..."
Matthew 20:1-16 - Or are you envious because I am generous
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ...but have not love
John 13:34-35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples
1 Corinthians 8:9-13 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block

Disclaimer: Please forgive my spelling and grammer. I am a product of the Miami-Dade County Public School System.