Tonypedia

the road to

2010-11-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

So a couple of friends of mine decided to quit their job, sell their house and journey across the country on their bikes. This is something I've always wanted to do, but havent been able to: this makes me angry. They are super cute together: this also makes me angry. They seem genuinely happy: This infuriates me. I was having a week where school and work and the daily bullshit had really starting melting together into a soul crushing mix of terror. like I do semi-regularly, I checked their blog, and all of this bubbled to the surface, so I decided to donate some money to them (ya know, the next best thing to being there).The following is the email exchange between me and my friend April. I feel kinda bad, because it was meant to be funny, but I worry I came across as a dick.

fromapril totony nunn
dateMon, Oct 18, 2010 at 12:54 PMsubjectthank you!mailed-bygmail.comsigned-bygmail.com
hide details Oct 18

tony,
hey - thanks so much for the $20!! sorry it's taken me a while to write you a 'thank you' for it, but we really appreciate your support :-)

that's really cool of you to help us out like that. i hope things are going well for you. how's school?
o, and what's your address? we'll send you a postcard :-)

have a great day!april (and nathan)

-- Truth came through Jesus Christ. john 1:17

fromTony Nunn toapril
dateMon, Oct 18, 2010 at 1:12 PMsubjectRe: thank you!mailed-bygmail.com
hide details Oct 18

Eh, things are things, school and work are boring and tedious and starting to blend together. I Noticed you guys were out there living the dream and having an awesome time, and it filled me with a jealous rage. Alas I decided the best way to deal with it was to support you on your voyage. So treat yourself to some food or whatever, and just know that you have inspired me in the sort of way that fills me with a soul crushing depression and urges me to run away from my life on my bike, not unlike that one time when I was 8 years old.

Im at ********, berea Oh, 44017. I would totally love a postcard.

-Tony

They are both really great people, and I completely support them for chasing their dream. Go check out their site www.theroadto.org

Car V bike P2

2009-08-17T13:26:00.001-07:00

The insurance company of the guy who it me sends me another letter... telling me that my claim is being transferred to their "bodily injury unit."

So I decided i was going to put these guys in their place once and for all... not only does this asshole hit me, but he has his cronies calling me, and sending me letters in the mail... like 3 times!!!!11 I am going to put these guy in there place... I decide to call them up

I finally get connected to the agent in charge of my case... I give her the case number and she pulls it up. I explain to her that I am fine, I could have died but I didn't, so I feel an obligation not to dwell on this. She explains that my claim is no longer in her hands, but has been transferred to a different specialist to whom she can transfer me. This makes me inexplicably angrier, I am so irrationally frustrated the following conversation took place.

Me: NO, I am fine. I do not need a bodily injury specialist. My body is not injured

Her: well sir, in your file it says you suffered scrapes and bruises, and you never know when injury might flare up again. Its 'so and so's' job to evaluate if you are eligible for compensation.

Me: I am absolutely fine. I do not want to have to deal with you guys anymore, unless you are going to apologize for your customer being an asshole to me, and threatening to sue me after he smashed his car into me. Otherwise, I am completely fine, I just had a $30 bike repair bill, and I am pissed off at your customer.

Her: Do you have a recpit for the repair?

Me: Now you're just being silly... Are you serious? I could have not walked away from this, but I did. I am thankful for this and don't want to dwell on it. I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY!!! I'm busy and I just want you guys to leave me alone.

(she seemed very thrown off by this, especially the part where I said I insisted I was fine and said that I don't want their money... and yes I understand why that's shocking)

Her: um... okay. I am going to close out your file saying you are happy with the outcome, and leave a note for the Bodily Injury Unit to not bother contacting you. Is this alright?

me: Yes please!

Her: okay bye

As soon as I hung up the phone I realized 'I think they wanted to give me free money for darting out in front of this guy on my bike.' I am immediately filled with regret. I am confident that words alone cannot describe how I initially felt, nor can comparison to other events--there have been no events on scale with this.

Ultimately though, I really didn't feel entitled to money just for getting hit by a car, infact if anything I feel as though someone somewhere should have kicked my ass for allowing myself to get hit by a car. I truly didn't want any money either. It's part of my socio-political philosophy on whats wrong with society. After all I do complain quite a bit about assholes who feel that they are entitled to free money just because someone is giving it out.

Did I make a mistake? Maybe, I can damn sure use the money right now, tuition, food, books, car etc etc. I'd like to think that there's not enough good people out there, and here's to hoping that I am one of them.
What say you commenter? Good idea? Stupid idea?

Car v Bike.... I lose!

2009-07-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

I was riding my bike down Pearl road in Strongsville, going downhill doing slightly over 20 mph. I was passing near the "Communications Center" aka the old library. So I'm cruising on the sidewalk and I see this guy trying to pull out of the parking lot, he is stopped looking for a break in traffic to pull out. His minivan is partially in the sidewalk. So I'm flying down the sidewalk, headed towards the metroparks with my Headphones on, blasting some Streetlight Manifesto, I look at this guy, and we lock eyes... I assume this means that he sees me, and acknowledges that I have the right of way.

I hop my bike infront of him passing in the apron of the driveway, and he guns it to try to beat me through the intersection, the side of my bike collides with the front of his car. I had this instant where everything stopped and became very clear... the moment his car touched my bike. It's safe to say things happened very fast after that... I was thrown from my bike and landed in the street (thankfully there was no traffic) I instinctively tucked and rolled and avoided landing on my head (I never wear a helmet) My leg that got hit by the car, and my shoulder took the brunt of the force. I do remember feeling my body completely destroy the bug shield on the front of this guys car...which really pissed him off.

I pick myself up and this short middle aged Asian man wearing super thick glasses gets out of the minivan and starts hollering at me, as I am getting out of the road. he was bitching, I was pretty angry... The exchange went something like this ...

"What you do you idiot.. You need to pay for my car... look at this damage"

"I'm on a bike you idiot, you hit me.... I'm not paying for shit"

"Your fault, you pulled infront of me, you have to pay"

"I'm fairly certian I don't. I can call the cops and have them come out here and see what they say"

At this point the back door slides open to reveal his entire family, and they all pile out in Chinese fire drill fashion.... I am exhausted from riding, disoriented from getting hit, full of adrenaline, and now a bunch of small stereotypes are running around...
A woman who I can only assume is his mother starts yelling at me in Chinese. At this point it only serves to make me very angry, I don't speak Chinese, and I try to explain this to her. Eventually she starts just hollering "no police, no police, no police." Meanwhile the guy who hit me takes this initiative to call the cops himself... promising to sue me for damage to his car... he made this promise numerous times.

So the cops show up and take picture of his car, and my bike and take statements from me. I explained exactly how it happened to the cops, exactly what went down, rather than a dressed up lie to make me seem completely innocent. It turns out, they did NOT write this guy a ticket for smashing his car into me.

So after explaining this to the cops, writing statements, and refusing an ambulance I finally get on my way back home with a promise from this guy to see me in court for the "damage to his car" and a reassurance from the cops that this guy doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. Except when I get home and sit down to blog about this, only then does it start feeling like I bit the ground at 20+mph, only now does it start hurting and road rash appears, and scrapes that I didnt notice before start to bleed. The adrenaline wears off.

My father urges me to go straight to the ER for a full workup, and my mother explains that my sister got rear-ended last year, took it to court, and got her full medical bills paid and $1650 for "pain and suffering." Now I'm thinking... "This jerk hit me with his car, poor little old me just riding my bike... do you know how much money I can get from him. Man some tuition money sure would be nice, especially since I am looking to move out soon. A 4 digit settlement would sure go a long way, and definitely get me a nicer bike, or at least some performance rims."

But alas, I decided that I am the bigger person, while yes I basically have a ticket to get some free money from the guy, thats not what I'm all about. I'm no expert on the law, but I am an expert biker, he did hit me, but I could have avoided it.

I really hope this guy cools down and decides not to sue me, but alas I will keep you all updated on anything that happens.

Problem Solving

2009-06-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about my problem solving methodology, and how it has changed and modified over the years. I have compiled below the ideal steps I take to solve a problem. Hopefully they work for you too.

How to solve Problems

-Don't Panic
Stay cool and don't loose your shit. Be sure to take in your surroundings, and stay alert, everything counts for something, don't waste time

-Process information
before acting, gather as much information as possible. Process this information, let it run through your head a few times. Familiarize yourself with it.

-State the problem, then the facts, then assumptions
Order your information, this helps clarify things. Write it down if necessary. Use this to analyze your problem, giving the most weight to the facts, less weight to assumptions, and even less weight to hunches.

-possible plans of action
Weigh the probability, outcome, and merit of any and all possibilities. Consider them carefully against each other, and all other solutions. Think carefully before acting.

-Throw it all out the window
If you've come this far and the solution to your problem isnt completely clear, your left brain needs to give up and give it to the right. The left is clearly out of its league here.

STOP thinking and ACT.
I repeat, do not think, let something other than logic guide you. Do something driven purely by your emotions, artistic side, sense of awesome, instinct or impulsive whim. Just do it, At this point it usually works out well.

Top 10 Uses for your school's newspaper

2007-12-18T12:44:00.002-08:00

10. Fire Starter: No I'm not referring to a political debate, or some brave new ideas running wild, I'm referring to crumpling it up under some dry wood and starting it on fire.

9. Potty Training a dog: Put this on the floor to minimize your cleanup. Also works in birdcages.

8. Paper dolls: You know, those little ones holding hands. If the paper can't bring the student body together, at least it can produce a happy little chain of paper dolls.

7. A Nifty and Stylish Paper Hat: While I have neglected to include instructions the paper can easily be made into a rocking paper hat, which will not only make you the fashion king of your school, but it can also double as a boat for your paper dolls.

6. Make Furniture out of it: While this requires quite a few papers, it should be no problem. The paper is free, and usually readily available. For some clever ideas on what to do, just search google.

5. Gift Wrap: Chances are that if you have access to a college newspaper that you are a college student, which means you are poor. Be sure to grab a bunch of papers to use for gift wrap. If the gift is for your parents, they might even see it as endearing.

4. Napkin/Placemat: I went ahead and made the executive decision to combine the two of these, mostly because they are interchangeable. Great to keep a stack laying around the dorm room, or in the car (if you go to a commuter school.) Also great for cleaning up spills!.

3. Hiding place: Need to hide something? You know damn sure no one would ever look in the school's newspaper. Great place to hide your drunk roommate's keys, underwear, or hide your stash from your parents.

2. Rolling papers: College is all about the pursuit of higher education right? Why not enjoy the perks. School newspapers make great rolling paper, and you can't get in trouble for getting caught with the newspaper!

1. Umbrella: Its free, and its in a rack by the door... you know you can't resist. What better way to say thanks to an unpaid staff of your peers who put in countless hours of hard work, and all nighters to produce one of the last forms of truly objective news. Be sure to grab 7 or 8 though , because newsprint is thin.

Inspired by my own experience as a staff writer on my University's Newspaper.

Man Emotions

2007-12-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been noticing far less men upholding the rules of man emotions. Yes, men have emotions too, no, you're not ever supposed to know about them, see them, or interact with them. I'm tired of guys acting like pussies and telling me how they feel about me, things I did or said or whatever. First we'll touch on conflict

Heres a conversation

Friend: Hey Tony, it really hurts my feelings when you make fun of me for this bla bla bla... ...I really feel like you owe me an appology
Tony: Well I don't think I do, I was just joking
Friend: I don't think you consider my feelings when you say things like that
Tony: You say stuff like that to me all the time, its just innocent teasing
Friend: I know, but you really hit a soft spot with me because of bla bla bla....

I end up having to apologize. This is not how men should have to act, we should not talk about our problems like we are dating... God gave aggression and superior physical strength for a reason, you don't want to insult god do you?

Heres how to handle man emotions... If I some shit goes down between me and you, we shouldn't talk about it, we should get angry and fight, straight up fight with our hands. If things aren't that intense, which they usually aren't we should ignore each other for a length of time. This length of time can be 3 hours, or it can be 5 years, when its finally over, there should be an unwritten truce to never mention it and just go back to the way things were.... Yes this happens and it should happen. You piss me off, I swing at you... we are both pissed off, 3 weeks later we meet back up and completely forget it ever happened.

Another thing that bugs me is the individual emotions, emotions that don't have to do with guy friend conflicts. Its important not to let your emotions show in the traditional sense, infact once you reach a certain level, its common to not even waste time distinguishing emotions from each other. They should all just be one feeling, emotion, which with a little work can easily be turned into simple everyday stress, It'll stew and work its self out if one of the following ways.

First way:When you are angry, frustrated, mad, or whatever you shouldn't write poetry about it, you shouldn't cry, you shouldn't call another guy friend and talk about it. Guys are built of better stuff, they are tough, for a number of reasons, one of those is to physically absorb stress. Yes ladies its true, we can manifest stress (a number of emotions) as muscle aches, physical ailments, exhaustion, and general unhealthiness. Some would say that this is bad, unhealthy and shortens your lifespan. To which I say "Fuck Yes" thats what its supposed to do. For a man, a certain amount of pent up rage/stress/emotion is necessary. I guess in a way it keeps you honest.

Second way: Another possibility is letting it out. This can be done more ways than I can cover here, but its relatively easy to determine if you're letting it out in a manly way. here are a few manly examples of letting out anger/aggression/stress/emotion (I say this because 99% of emotions ferment into anger/aggression/stress)

Random act of violence towards intimate objects
Fishing
Hunting
Video Games
Making Idiots cry (vegetarians, emo kids, valley girls)
Play any sport

Some things not to do to deal with emotions

Call up someone and complain
Bitch/moan/whine
Write poetry
Cry it out
Talk it out
Crochet

Third way: Theres one more important way to deal with man emotions, Ignore them. Depending on the situation, it could take you right back to dealing with them again, but there is also a very real chance they will go away. This doesn't always work, but when its understood why it works, it can be very effective. It works in 2 ways
1.You simply ignore something till the problem goes away. This is either someone realizing that they aren't getting you mad/upset, its a girlfriend/relative giving up, or whatever situation caused the problem in the first place just going away.
2. If its a severe hurt, just ignore it and in time you will forget. Its true. I personally remember a messy breakup I had, but I have since put so much effort into ignoring everything, that I no longer can even remember the detail, much less why I was upset, or for what.

Fourth and final way: Perhaps the above 3 do not work for you, does that make you a pussy? No. It just means that you need a girlfriend. She is the only person its ok to talk to your problems to and complain at, etc. However, there are a few limiting factors here...

No one else can know about it
You cannot do it in excess, if you're not sure if its in excess, it usually is.
Don't let yourself become a pussy

In today's world we live in, there are all sorts of bullshit telling you everything gives you cancer, jogging 2 miles is good for you, but 3 is bad for you, drink water but not too much, the sun will kill you, just about anything in your house is poison, etc etc. The truth is, that we survived thousands of years without worrying about all that. For those thousands of years we did non have therapists, counselors, and meddling idiots telling you how to behave and act. You did what you had to then, not what you had to do at work, or what you had to do to make the wife and kids happy, but what you had to do to survive. Heres and example...
Man today wakes up and thinks "I have to check the newspaper" he goes outside, gets the newspaper and reads it, then relaxes.
Our Mancestors would wake up and think "Oh fuck, this Pterodactyl is trying to eat me," Mancestor would then kill it and eat it, sharing only with the wife and kids if he thought they deserved it.
I guess the bigger point I am trying to get at here is that I am tired of people being pussies in lieu of society saying its ok. Certain think are timeless, and being a strong individual, of honor, power, and status, a true man: thats timeless.

Don't tell me your angry at me... punch me instead