So, here I am, on blogger. Nobody gets on MySpace anymore and I just don't like blogging on Facebook, so I started this up. It's a good time to start a new blog too, because I write to you at a crossroads in my life. This weekend has been a crazy experience. In fact, I'd say that atleast the last three to four months have been one crazy experience after another. I hadn't really sat back and taken stock of it until tonight at dinner, I was talking with my parents and the topic of Jason's wedding came up, and my dad said something that I think we all know, but have yet to really say...
"Well, that's gonna be, like, the end of an era."
Everyone went on eating, but after that I was somewhere else. It's true, I'm nearly twenty years old and I am starting to realize that growing up involves a whole lot of change. Not nessicarily for the better or worse, but change. I'll admit, I'm scarred as hell too.
Jason, as mentioned, is getting married. I'm so happy for him. I was the guy who he talked to at 3 am in the morning on AIM when life wasn't going quiet the way he wanted. Now, I look at him, and he has a job that closely resembles what he would talk about wanting. He has a girlfriend (notice I didn't use the dreaded "f" word, Jason, hahaha) that, from what I've seen, is better than any or all of his previous ones. I believe that he's happier now than at any other point I've known him. Yes, that's going to change a lot in our little group we like to call the [cult], but I think that any friend who doesn't understand and support that would be selfish, and so I won't be that way. I'll admit, the prospect of no more Wrestlemania, road trips, or Xbox Live Wars is really sad, but where there's a will, there's a way, and I know we won't go TOO long without working some sort of gather in. And for that matter, even if it ends up being the next time we hang out, I can't wait to stand up with one of my best friends when he gets married. If that will mark the end of an era, then we will send that shit out in style.
Just because that is the catalyst for this writing, it's not the only major change going on. Nathan, who has become like a brother to me, is going to be moving away. I'm not out to air all of his personal business on the internet, but basically between the lack of a job market here and no places wanting to rent to people his age, he's opted to move in with his girlfriend Sam in North Dakota. I'll admit, when I first heard of the idea, I refused to let it happen, hahaha. But as I was constructing plans on how to kidnap Nathan before he could leave, I sat back and looked at his situation here. And again, without airing any of his personal business, I began to understand and accept it. I realized that, while it's not exactly my favorite of his options for personal reasons, it's the only one that makes sense for him and again, it would be selfish for me to not want him to do what's best for him.
Still it's pretty hard on me, especially considering all the other change going on around me. Nathan had to do some real hard work to break through my Anti-New-Friend force field I put up, but he did and we became good friends. We've seen each other through some really screwed up times and in between had some of the best times I could ask for, and so even if it might only be for a short time, it's going to be really hard to see him go. That's not to take anything away from any of my other friends, you guys all know I love each and everyone of y'all the same, but I haven't had someone in my group of best friends that was my own age since my friend Austin in the fifth grade. On top of that, this will only be the second friend I've ever had move away. So it all just combines to be a pretty scary prospect.
Not all is this scary change is coming from outside sources, I've taken some pretty big steps myself. I changed my major from computer science to teaching. I'm still not sure what age I want to teach, but I do think that's the career that I want. It took a lot of thought, because it's something my mom wanted me to do, and I didn't want to make the decision for the wrong reasons. With all the career's out there though, it just seems to most right for me. I like to do a lot of things, graphic design, web design, and those sorts of thing, but I don't know if I like them enough to go to school for four years to do them. I don't want to sit behind a desk all day, making web sites I don't care about or logos for things I don't care about. I can always design on the side for fun, but teaching seems like a solid career for me, but we'll see.
Even bigger than that, Friday night I accomplished a dream I've had since I was four or five years old, I participated in a pro wrestling show. I am the new ring announcer for NWA: Dynamo Pro. Three months of the hardest work I've ever done in my life finally paid off. All I could think about when I was told about the opportunity, was all the years I sat on my floor with wrestling action figures. I'd draw up cards, , I did play by play, and ironically enough I announced each plastic and rubber athlete's walk to the ring like it was Wrestlemania. I never thought when I was doing that on my floor were only my parents could hear me that I would somebody go out in front of a crowd and do it for real. Just thinking about it has boggled my mind more and more every time I think about it. There's a lot of people I can thank. My dad for buying me an Ultimate Warrior foam chair and designating Sunday wrestling as our male bonding experience. The guys from the company for giving a punk kid like me a shot. Most of all though, I think I owe it all to another little kid who accomplished his dream Friday night, my friend Matt Fitchett.
Fitch and I met each other in the sixth grade. I was really scared because all my friends from elementry school went to Grigsby Middle School, while I went to Coolidge. As previously mentioned, I used to be really stand off-ish with people, and it took awhile to break through my walls and become my friend. Fitch, myself, and another guy (Nick Rozell) sat at a table in homeroom that year, so we were pretty much forced to talk, which was cool, because they were both good dudes. I'll never forget, me and Nick used to playfully poke fun at Fitch for different stuff, and about half way through the year, Nick said, "You know we're just messing with you, right man?" and Fitch was like, "No...I thought you guys really hated me." The three of us remained friends for the rest of middle school. The whole time, I would have Fitch over for Pay-Per-Views or Raw or to play with my much famed wrestling toy collection, and we would talk about how Matt was going to be a wrestler and I would be his manager. Even later into high school, when we really only saw each other at school, we would still talk about it.
Fitch debuted Friday night for Dynamo too, and is in many ways the reason I did. I was in my suit, trying to nail down the voice I was going to slip into for the evening. Fitch was hopping up and down in his tights and hoodie, when he suddenly stopped for a second. He turned to me, and much like the earlier quote, said something that we probably were both thinking all day, but he choose to actually say it.
"Man...did you ever think we would actually do this?"
The answer was "Never." We talked about it for ever. We both have loved the sport of pro wrestling our whole lives. We both worked our asses off to get what we wanted, and yet, it still felt like a dream. Like I was going to wake up any moment. It was real though. We are the poster children for the phrase you can do anything that you set your mind to. I had the privilege to stand in the center of the ring and watch Fitchett step through the curtain and I will admit right here in front of God and everyone that I had tears in my eyes. I don't want to forget a single moment of Friday, September 19th, 2009, but that one was specifically awesome.
If this was all too touchy feely for readers, I apologize. Not really though, this is all pretty heavy stuff to me so there is no real way for me to lighten it up. Although, I promise to try and make any future blogs a little more entertaining.
To bring this to a close though, if the end of an era is indeed fast approaching; An era that was filled with internet friendships, role playing, and message board fights. First meetings and the formations of new, but unbreakable bonds. Bryan Danielson hatred, cartwheels, hostile lines and attending an event many of us never thought we would. Waring factions and cries of "Let's do this!" Mitch Fuckin' Franklin (and his famed fuckin' hotdogs), Jesus freaks, birth of new religious figures, and another grand daddy of 'em all. Machine Guns from the Motor City, program girls, and Expresses with large Egos. Buried again matches, the birth of a new American pastime, and the "WHY" MCA. Chi-nanagains and birthday parties.
Births of New Years traditions, lack of secrets, and some horrible choices in females. Seeing America (FUCK YEAH!), fucked up faces, town homes, jai-alai, Bushwhacker rape, guys feeling the power and outdoor Wrestlemanias. Proms, Whirly Ball, The Baron and Awesome Aries. 4th dimensions, graduations, cheeseburgers in paradise, and a little bit of sign alterting. Poorly planned double shots, closed feuds with Austin Aries, pimped rides, and un-pimped deer. Continuing traditions, Happy Drinks, jello (strawberry AND cherry!) and silly string fights. Man vans, Jim Ross, Michael Cole, tickets (even though we couldn't get up there), fucked trucks, Jamie Noble, possible last Wrestlemanias that are possibly the best ever, and football games. Oh God, the football games. A most motley crew watching Motley Crue, and what's that, you want to top it off with even more Godsmack?!
If all that is about be over, then all I can say is we had one hell of a run. We had more fun in the span of a few years than most people have in a life time. And all the end of an era means, is that we are about to usser in a new one. One filled with new families, new adventures, dreams come true, and knowing the [cult], I'd lay money on a few surprises. I think, even with the heavy heart I currently write this with, that's an era that I can most certainly welcome.
Well, it means all that, and one way or another, somewhere, somehow...
We're going end THIS era with a fucking bang.
- "Custom Made"
Gregory R. Jovi
