Author: Justin Emerson

A simple person trying to make it through this large world

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Entertainment Movies Sports Television

Between The Rock and A Hard Place

Call it “fake”, call it whatever you’d like; I use to love to watch wrestling and have known Dwayne Johnson before he hit the silver screen as one of the all time greats, “The Rock”. From the start of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996 to the Attitude Era in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a wrestling superstar. Every time he’d enter and make his way to the ring the crowds would be cheering and going crazy. Throughout his Wrestling career he’d gain such nicknames as “The People’s Champion” , rack up 17 championship reigns, and win the 2000 Royal Rumble. Sadly though The Rock would take a prolonged hiatus from wrestling in 2004 to break onto the big screen.

Dwayne Johnson’s first major role

Dwayne Johnson’s first major role came as the Scorpion King in 2002; continuing on from his initial success from there he had a lead role in The Game Plan (2007), a part in Get Smart (2008),  the lead in The Tooth Fairy (2010), a part in The Race To Witch Mountain (2009), a role in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), Snitch (2013), and G.I Joe: Retaliation (2013). Probably Johnson’s most popular role has been his appearance in the famed Fast and Furious film series, as he appeared in Fast Five and has been confirmed for Fast and Furious 7. Off the silver screen, he has also had plenty of success on television judging by his numerous appearances on shows from Cory in the House to his newest reality/game show on TNT, The Hero. To say he’s been successful in pursing acting is a drastic understatement. Yet, Dwayne returned to where he started…wrestling.

“If ya smell…What The Rock, is cooking!”

The Rock made his long-awaited return to wrestling as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, appearing on the show Raw for the first time in seven years. From that one return The Rock would soon return to the ring and headline WrestleMaina XXVIII and the following one as well. Adding to his much hyped return from his long absence, The Rock won the WWE Championship and would reign for 70 days until he lost it again. This past April 7th, The Rock wrestled what may have been his last match, as he as yet to return to the ring citing an injury he suffered from WrestleMania. While I do love seeing him perform on the silver screen and on my TV, perhaps it is best now that The Rock retires for good from wrestling. There is no need to risk any further injury as he legacy has been engraved in stone.

I’d just like to say now though; Thank you Dwayne Johnson for entertaining me when I went to the movies. Lastly, Thank you The Rock for entertaining me and the wrestling world and for more importantly living up to your nickname, “The Most Eletrifiying Man in All of Entertainment.“

Categories
basketball Sports twitter

Nike “You Showed Us”

The day after Kobe Bryant went down with his torn Achilles Tendon, Nike launched an ad titled “You Showed Us” in a local LA newspaper

“You Showed Us That An 18-Year-Old Could Play With The Best.

You Showed Us That A ChampionShip, An Exhibition Game And A Charity Event Are All Must-Wins.

You Showed Us How To Play Chess While Others Played Checkers.

You Showed Us How To Hit Game-Winner After Game-Winner.

You Showed Us That An 81-Point Game Is A Real Thing.

You Showed Us That Gold Still Matters.

You Showed Us How To Take An Ice Bath.

You Showed Us How To Score 30 Points In a Quarter, Twice.

You Showed Us The Mamba Face.

You Showed Us How To Demand Perfection And Demand It From Everyone.

You Showed Us How To Put Big-Boy Pants On.
You Showed Us That You Were Never Out Of It. Ever.

You Showed Us How Inspirational A Pair Of Free Throws Could Be.

 

Now, Show Us Again.”

The ad surprised Bryant, he responded to Nike on his Twitter by saying:

“Thank you @nike for this surprise spread in the paper this am. It touched me beyond words. #showuIwill instagram.com/p/YX3oQxxNr8/

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 21, 2013“

The ad can also be seen here as a video. Overall, it’s a timely and well thought our tribute to a great superstar in basketball. Get well Kobe.

 

Categories
New York Sports

What Drafting Geno Smith Means

Mark Sanchez is owed $8.25 million next season after having a miserable 2012-13 season

Let me just say, I’m not sure if drafting Geno Smith was a wise move or just a move to create publicity. The Jets current roster has Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Geno Smith, David Garrard, Greg McElroy, and Matt Simms all for the position of quarterback; That list is just down right ridiculous. While guys like McElroy and Simms are not big names nor important right now, the questions still circulate around Sanchez and Smith. Will the Jet’s release Sanchez, taking a $12.35 million cap hit this year and $4.8 million hit in 2014, or will they keep him and let him compete for a job that was once easily his? Will Garrad be the back up to Smith or will Garrad have the starting job?

Welcome Geno Smith, to the Jets media circus

Once again I’m going to do a favor to a professional sports teams front office, free of charge; it would be wise to release Mark Sanchez. Granted his 2012-2013 season was horrific,  though it will be an immediate cap hit this season, it will push the Jets under cap for the 2014 season. Garrad is more than skilled enough to help Geno Smith grow, assuming he is the next franchise quarterback for the Jets. If they shall go on this releasing frenzy, also release Tebow and allow him to carve his own path in the NFL. Let Geno get comfortable playing for the Jets and let Rex Ryan reel in his defense again; perhaps one day soon we shall see the Jets again in an AFC championship game. Until that day comes, the Jets have quite a lot of work to do.

Categories
fan Mike Brown NBA Sports

Keep Dreaming Cleveland..

There is no secret behind the end of the 2014 NBA season and that years top free agent, Lebron James. There is also no secret behind top marquee teams, I’m looking at you L.A Lakers, freeing up cap space that year to land the current best player in the NBA. There is also no surprise behind the rumors of  “The King” returning to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for one last stint. To that I say: Keep dreaming Cleveland.

Lebron James left Cleveland in 2010

It’s sad to see how quickly the Cleveland Cavaliers fell after the departure of Lebron James back in 2010. They fired coach Mike Brown, who they just recently rehired, months before James left. Since then there’s very very little they’ve gotten right outside of their lottery pick up of up and coming All Star Kyrie Irving. Since 2010 they’ve gone 19-63, 21-45, and 24-58 under coach Byron Scott, who is now unemployed.

Cleveland fans would love a Mike Brown and Lebron James reunion

Entering the 2014 season the Cleveland Cavaliers will have an estimated $29 million in free cap space to sign a number of players or just give Lebron a max contract and a blank check. I can’t say I have much faith in the Cavaliers front office to work out a smart business decision, but players such as Luol Deng, Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, and Paul George are all free agents that year as well. Match any of them with Kyrie Irving and you will easily have an amazing duo to play and dominate in the immediate future.

Current Cavaliers Point Guard Kyrie Irving

Speaking of Kyrie, he is the only person the Cav’s front office should be concerned of keeping very happy. He is the only player on the roster who a team should be built around. Hey Cleveland! Kyrie Irving is going to be an All Star very soon, he’s going to be a top Point Guard in this league even sooner; Cleveland, this is your next star!

Here I can do it for you Cavaliers front office and best of all is that I won’t charge you a penny. Throw out your pipe dreams of landing Lebron in 2014 and start shopping the free agent market, use your incredibly valuable top draft picks wisely, and also keep Mike Brown around for his contract length, he is a good coach.

Lastly…if I was a Cavaliers fan I’d never want a star player who went out like this, back in my hometown’s uniform.

Categories
cop cops Express Yourself teenager

I Have The Most Interesting Nights..

I have to admit, I am not like every other teenager/college student who works some part-time job at a big chain supermarket or fast food restaurant. No, those are all too boring, they all lack thrill, and are so unoriginal that I’d just blend right in with the crowd. You see when I’m not here contributing to  Ezkool or playing video games, I’m out promoting for a club. There’s no polite way to say it so I just will be blunt…I promote for a “Gentlemen’s” Club. While it might not pay so well, perhaps $80-$100 a week, it has provided me with some of my most interesting nights out I’ve ever had. Take Sunday night for example as it was the oddest night I’ve had.

I’ve always loved being “different”

My night started by getting the same old flyers from my promoter, Gucci (yes like the brand), at the club I promote for. I walked into as usual looking around and once again looking completely out of my element but whatever. I asked the bouncer where my promoter is and he pointed right up the stairs and up I went. I took a seat at the bar right next to him as we just decided to chat about whatever for a little.

“Hey Gucci, Babe. You want a drink? How about you Jeremy Lin?” asked the bartender. We both passed and just went talking about business; I was supposed to hit a place called The Palace tonight and with that information I was out on my way with a bag of 300 plus flyers.

I can totally see how I look like Jeremy Lin

I got to The Palace around midnight and just went about putting flyers on cars and talking to whoever I saw walking right on by; I soon found myself in the parking lot right across from The Palace. A previous night handing out flyers taught me that promoting in front of another club is a big “no-no” and this night was no different. A police officer approached me asking what I was doing, though I’m sure he had a very good idea exactly what. Thankfully the rowdy crowd outside the door of the club got his attention as he told me to just buzz off and he quickly ran back. I can happily say that every car in that lot had a flyer from me on it by the end of the night.

I continued on just putting flyers on the cars in the area until I ran into a woman outside her house smoking.
“What are you handing out child?” She asked.

“Flyers” I responded noticing she was missing some teeth. “For a club I promote for. Did I put one on your car by accident?”

“Oh no my car’s out back. Hand me one and go about your way”. I gladly complied and just went on back to my car and on my way home.

Of course to top it all off, a visit from my town’s Police Department. Keep reading!

I was about ten minutes from home when I realized I still had a nice amount of flyers left to hand out. I’d hate to bring stuff like that home especially after I’ve busted my butt tonight so I decided to go to an apartment/condo complex near my home. It was around 1 am, I had parked my car and started walking around the area putting flyers in-car windows. A woman walking her dog approached me as I was near the end of my stroll; I gave her dog a good scratch on its head and looked at her. Oh..my..gosh the look she gave me was as if I had just committed a horrible crime in front of her and smiled. On that note I quickly finished placing the last flyers and got back into my car, next thing I know I’m greeted by two police cruisers.

“Hey there! Can you just hold up turning your car on for a second?” Asked one officer as he drove up right beside me. “I just have a few questions to ask you.”

I sunk in my chair and prayed I wasn’t in some sort of trouble. He calmly asked me as to what business I had out at that time of night to which I explained to him my job, his partner went to go check out the cars to see if my story checked out.

“Yep. It’s all legit” He told his partner. “So what club are you even promoting for?”

“Hi-Beams sir.” We had a friendly conversation about the club and even the officers past experiences there. Before they sent me on my way I asked them who had called them on me.

“Oh some woman said she saw you while she was walking her dog. She thought you were checking door handles or something.” I laughed the entire way home.

It was past 2am when I finally got to lie down in my bed from an odd but eventful night. I didn’t like having the police called on me, but it was a key part to a very interesting night.

Categories
NBA new york knicks Sports veteran

The Fallen Superstar

Tracy McGrady during his tenure with the Houston Rockets

Tracy McGrady, at one time he was probably the best player in the NBA and once the poster player on every kids wall. That’s saying something considering the league was full of superstars ranging from Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant during McGrady’s reign. T-Mac, as is his best known nickname, played 14 years in the  NBA playing with the: Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, the Chinese League Qingdao Eagles and now with the San Antonio Spurs. During his career McGrady has made the All Star Team 7 times, was a two-time NBA Scoring Leader, the Most Improved Player in 2001, and has made the All NBA First Team twice. The one thing missing from T-Mac’s career accomplishments is a NBA Championship.

“T-Mac to the rack!!”

Tracy McGrady was an awe to watch him play, as he was just so explosive in his drives to the basket. It became normal to hear “T-Mac to the rack!” followed by the loud cheer and applause from the crowd watching a true superstar perform on a level above anyone else.  His best known performance came from his time in Houston as he scored thirteen points in a mere thirty-three seconds. This man could score on a level well beyond any player during his prime, the game of basketball came too easy to T-Mac during his greatest years. It’s a shame then to have seen Tracy McGrady slowly decline in his later years due to injuries and just the miles of playing catching up to him. At the end of the 2012 season with his contract with the Atlanta Hawks done, it looked like Tracy McGrady had no where else to go in the NBA; McGrady signed overseas to the Qingdao Eagles in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association).

McGrady played in China for their leagues 2012-2013 season where his numbers were respectable to say the least

Two days ago on April 16th, T-Mac was signed to join the playoff bound San Antonio Spurs to help bolster their team. While Tracy McGrady is past his prime and his body is hampered by nagging injuries, he still has shown to still be able to play on a high level accompanied by flashbacks of his earlier dominance. While I doubt T-Mac will make that much of a difference to the Spurs overall playoff success or failure, I am happy enough to see T-Mac back in the NBA. Maybe..just maybe I will hear the words “T-Mac to the rack!” echo through my television one last time.

Categories
Carmelo Anthony NBA Sports

And The MVP Is..

Lebron is poised to win his 4th MVP Award

The Maurice Podoloff Trophy is given to the Most Valuable Player each year in the entire NBA. This year the clear favorite to win his fourth MVP award if Miami Heat Forward Lebron James. I will not sit here and say Lebron James is not an amazing basketball player, but I do not believe he deserves the award this year. Yes, he led the Miami Heat to a franchise record 27 win streak, yes he is the most dominant player right now, and yes he is a full-fledged superstar, but he is on a team built to achieve above and beyond the known limits. He is a very important corner-stone to the team, but not the most valuable player in the league.

2008 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant

No matter what arena you see him play, no matter what team he is playing against, Kobe Bryant will always hear “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants. Oddly enough Kobe has only won one NBA MVP award back in 2008. This year he easily deserves to be a front-runner in the MVP conversation. The horribly underachieving Lakers have been willed on by Kobe alone and even though he is now out with a season ending Achilles tear, he has gotten them into the 8th seed of the playoffs.

Clippers Guard Chris Paul

Chris Paul (a.k.a CP3) has made the Clippers the team in Los-Angeles now and for years to come. He will become the corner-stone of the new dominant west coast force that are the Clippers. Chris Paul is long due for a MVP award and after watching him this year lead the Clippers to their first division title in decades, hitting the 50 win mark for the first time since 1976, and taking the Clippers on a dominant and undefeated month of December.

New York Knick Forward Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony is poised to win his first NBA Scoring Title after this season just nudging out Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. Over the month of April Carmelo has averaged nearly 29 points per game and lead his Knicks on a 13 game win streak that ended in Chicago. Anthony has always been an elite scorer but this season in New York he is proving to be a real MVP candidate. Over this season the Knicks were written off as “too old” but they have secured a second placed seed in the Eastern Conference and will match up against Boston in the first round (a real good game by the way).  While Carmelo’s stats are no where as nice as James or other players, his Knicks are only 6-7 without him. I would easily give him the MVP Award this year since Melo is long overdue and has clearly proven his worth.

Spurs Guard Tony Parker

Ah, Tony Parker, he was once the “dark horse” MVP candidate throughout this season. In 65 games this season, Parked has averaged 20.4 points, 7.6 assists, while shooting 52.4%, and 35.3% from beyond the arc. He has once again lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 58-23 record while securing the second place seed in the Western Conference. Earlier this season some people would’ve penciled in Parker as the favorite to win the MVP as he was and the Spurs were just on a roll. Sadly in the month of April he has dropped off due to injuries and has only played four games. No matter what though, Tony Parker is still the dark horse candidate to win MVP.

Once again, I am not putting down Lebron James and his amazing talent and ability to play the game of basketball. He is the most dominant force in basketball right now and will be for a couple more years. James though, does not deserve another MVP award as he is clearly not the most valuable player for the team compared to others. Sadly though, a fourth trophy is inevitable.

Categories
paycheck Sports

Aaron Rodger’s Payday

 

2011 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers

There is no doubt in any NFL fan’s mind that Aaron Rodgers is the best Quarterback in the league right now and he is expecting a big huge check coming his way from the Green Bay Packers. I can’t sit here and argue that he isn’t deserving of that money; Rodgers is a three-time Pro Bowler, passed for 4,295 yards with 39 touchdowns last season while leading his Packers to their fourth straight playoff appearance. This man deserves his money and will no doubt be getting it soon.

Move over Joe, Aaron Rodgers is coming with his fat paycheck

Over the offseason Joe Flacco was signed to a $120.6 million dollar deal by the Baltimore Ravens where he is going to be making $20.6 million a year. That deal was historic in NFL history since it made Flacco the highest paid player ever. Ever. Now Rodgers gets to have that title and plans to smash Flaccos small deal into last year. Even though his current contract extends through 2014 and gives him $19.75 million through though last two years, the Packers plan to extend that contract and give him a contract (of unknown length) coupled with $21 million per year, if not more!

The Packers are still trying to hash out all the details of Rodger’s contract extension and hope to have him signed before the season starts. The latest news coming from the sides was that they were still $2 million apart. Once they finalize that contract details they will more than likely turn their attention to Linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive end B.J. Raji. Rumors are that those three contracts will total around a quarter of a billion dollars

Linebacker Clay Matthews will more than likely be given an extension through his 2013 contract

As a Packers fan you must rejoice over having the best Quarterback in the league locked down and what looks like being able to finish his career where it started. On the flip side though you must be wary of the fact these contracts will eat a huge chunk of an already small cap space which sits at $17,799,553 for the 2013 season. Only time will tell if Green Bay’s choice to empty their wallet for Rodgers will pay off. As for Rodgers, I don’t think he could be any happier.

Categories
Entertainment Technology

A Few Days Late, But I Still Pay My Respects

Ladies and gentlemen, may I please ask for a moment of silence to remember a once great gaming publisher, Lucas Arts.

 

Alas this once mighty game developer and publisher has been shuttered a few months after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company. While their more recent of games, I’m looking at your Kinect Star Wars, showed this companies complete and total disconnection from their gaming community; Lucas Arts was once at the forefront of the gaming world and continually pushing out great games for one of the best known franchises in the world.

The Knights of the Old Republic quickly became a favorite amongst gamers

Lucas Arts was created by George Lucas in 1982 to serve as the video game development arm of his original company, Lucas Film. At first Lucas Arts developed games outside of Star Wars such as the Monkey Island series and numerous military based simulators. Though Star Wars wasn’t licensed by Lucas Arts until the 1990’s, it soon became the cash cow for the developer. This became the case so much that during the late 90’s and very early 2000’s, there were so many Star Wars games being put onto shelves. Though soon the age-old rule of “quality over quantity” began to kick in and by 2002 Star Wars game started to get hit hard with poor reviews throughout the gaming community. This all started to change though when in 2003 Lucas Arts worked with video game developer Bioware to create the amazingly well review Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game was the launching point for not only a sequel but the new wave of modern 3D graphics combined with perfect story telling within a game and lastly a very intelligent role-playing game.

In 2004 Lucas Arts was given a new president, Jim Ward, who did a total reconstruction of the company’s infrastructure. Behind Jim Ward Lucas Arts produced some of it’s most well-known and best games to date. Leading this charge would be the great Star Wars Battlefront, which became the best-selling Star Wars game of all time at that point. Battlefront quickly spawned Star Wars Battlefront II in 2005 which was also met very positively by critics and gamers, such as myself, alike. From 2005 to 2008 the Lucas Arts continued to pump out successful games such as Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Empire at War, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Between these amazing years for the Star Wars franchise, Lucas Arts continually scaled down its in-house developing and started to rely heavily on 3rd party developers, their relation with such companies was…unprofessional to say the least.

One of their best known release, Republic Commando never spawned a sequel though the community demanded it

Jim Ward left Lucas Arts citing personal reasons in 2008 and this marked the increasing decline of the once powerhouse publisher. A month before Jim Ward stepped down, Lucas Arts released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II which was given mediocre reviews by most critics. Continuing this downward spiral, Star Wars: The Clone Wars-Republic Heroes was launched in late 2009 and once again was met with a barrage of negative reviews. In their darkest of years a small glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a big budget game and resurrection of a classic tag; In late 2008 Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced and in production at Bioware studios. This game was supposed to be a big boost to the failing Lucas Arts, sadly The Old Republic did not give the lift needed for them. On the day of it’s launched the game faced horrific installation problems on its first day out coupled with game crashing bugs and glitches; This was the final nail in the coffin for Lucas Arts. Between 2010 and 2012 numerous key people left and layoffs hammered the company to a shell of its former glory. On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucas Arts for a sum of $4.05 billion. At first rumors spread of current in-house and under development games, such as the eye brow raising Star Wars 1313, were put on hold and moved behind other more important projects. Sadly on April 3, 2013, Disney confirmed the shuttering and immediate closure of Lucas Arts and the cancellation or exporting of any current projects.

The beautiful Star Wars 1313 trailer was shown once and soon after the project was cancelled

I am saddened by the news of Lucas Arts and it’s closure to say the least. The games they produced during their glory days were some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Perhaps though they had it coming to them. Sadly they never did listen to the gaming community on what we wanted, as we never saw Star Wars: Republic Commando 2 and the much beloved Star Wars Battlefront III never did see the light of day. On top of that Lucas Arts continually bullied 3rd party developers into releasing poor games or making poor financial decisions. Maybe then, it’s best a company that’s last Star Wars game was entitled Kinect Star Wars is buried and laid to rest.

Categories
Television

The Return of Great Comedy

Great comedy is very hard to come by these days, especially on TV. I’m not talking about some daytime show where you’ll have your eventual laughs or movies such as “The Hangover”. No, I’m talking about unscripted comedy where it’s going to be different every time you either go to see it or change the channel. Comedy that will make your sides hurt from laughing so much and make you wanting more once the show is over. Thankfully I’ve got great news to people like me who just want to laugh and laugh at great performers.

“Whose Line Is It Anyway” is returning to television this summer!


“Whose Line Is It Anyway” was originally a British improv show that soon got an American version on ABC and ABC Family channels from 1998-2007. The show consisted of three primary performers, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie, who were joined by a fourth special guest every show. They were given scenes that they would have to act out on the spot.

My favorite of these scenes would have to be entitled Weird Newscasters. Each performer was given a special personality and would have to act out their personality while also trying to report the news section they were given.

One of the greatest comedic duos to ever perform, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie

The return of easily one of the best comedy shows to ever grace television is amazing news to me. It’s time for people to see what real comedy is. It doesn’t need to involve someone getting hurt doing some stupid stunt or a long movie about a bunch of friends getting so hammered they can’t remember what happened on their Vegas night (or their time in Thailand if you watched part 2). I will tell you now that if you have never seen it before, go watch it. You will not regret it one bit. And if you have seen it then you’ll be like me and jumping out of your seat over the news of its return.

“Whose Line Is It Anyway” will premiere on The CW starting July 16,2013.

Categories
Express Yourself

What Is A Teenager To Do?

From elementary school through high school kids, have the word “college” drilled into their heads as if their own future depends on it. Teachers and principals are pressured to make their students’ grades resemble those of a Harvard Graduates. Parents try to get their kids involved in sports, after school activities, volunteer work, and even jobs to just increase their value towards colleges. The thing people seem to miss is that college is not a walk in the park. It is not meant for everyone and everyone is not meant for college.

Back when my parents attended college you had the choice of working instead of attending school, both of my parents worked for a bit then attended school. The woman who cuts my hair has never attended college and I can honestly say she seems no less happy or successful than my parents or anyone else I have met. I’ve put my hands in both the school and work corners, and neither of them have panned out at all and it makes me wonder. What is a teenager to do?

The idea of four more years of school straight after high school just didn’t sit well with me at all. I knew I was already burnt out from high school and college would be me running out of gas, hence, why I was reluctant to apply. But I didn’t know where else I was going to go. With an unhappy look on my face I started filling out applications and soon enough I began getting responses.

The first letter I received back was from Rutgers New Brunswick, Not even an afterthought to go to for college, but I just wanted to test the waters. I opened the letter and read the first line… “sorry but we cannot accept your application into Rutgers New Brunswick”.

I knew I wasn’t this outstanding student, but wow. That initial rejection hurt a lot more than I’d expected, even from a college I had no intention to go to. The next few letters were much more positive and by late December I had a handful of choices where I could get into that “college life” that movies seem to make so perfect, fun, and amazing. I decided to become a pioneer and attend William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. I stayed there for four months till I became absolutely sick of college and decided to try the road less traveled and work for a couple of years.

 

When I started my job hunt, my greatest ally – at least told by everyone in this world – would be my résumé. My resume looked like a blank piece of paper with the name “Justin Emerson” on top and my contact information. Very impressive, I know. I cannot say I didn’t try to find a job in high school but I never seemed to think I’d be so desperate to find one.

When I left college, I knew I did not want to work some dead-end 9-5 that pays me mere change. I wanted something exotic and exciting. Bartender! It had this aura of excitement around it in my mind and was something where I could be social and enjoy my job at the same time. So off to a bartending school I went. I took the course, graduated, went to their job placement, and well…here I am writing about me trying to find a job.

A new approach was needed. While a minimum wage job totally cramps my style, it seemed more reasonable than an eighteen year old bartender. I went off filling out applications and searching Craigslist and the internet for jobs. This approach met little success coupled with mostly failure. Here is a short list of places I’ve worked at or applied to:

  • Toyota dealership
  • Tesla Motors
  • Apple
  • Gamestop
  • Nike
  • Converse
  • FootLocker
  • Kohl’s
  • CottonOn
  • H&M
  • PacSun
  • Olive Garden
  • Red Lobster

One word can sum up my job hunting: discouraging.

So, as you can see neither road has really worked for me. On that note I have applied and been accepted to Bergen County College where I plan to go and transfer to a four-year college soon after. I’m not happy or excited about going back to college, but like I asked in the first paragraph. What is a teenager to do?

 

Categories
basketball NBA Sports

The Black Mamba

There is always a sense of urgency on the Los Angeles Lakers team every year from first tip-off to the last game of the season. Every year the team is built, taught, and coached in a “win now” mode. This year is no different and that sense of “win now” is even more urgent than any other time I can remember. The driving force behind this Lakers team to win a championship is once again Kobe Bryant, but this year he has very good reason to be willing himself and his team to victory. You see, father time is catching up with Kobe Bryant and he is in the twilight of his storied career.

Kobe Bryant, aka the “Black Mamba” is playing his 17th season as a pro and he is guaranteed to be around for one last season. In those seventeen seasons he has played 1232 games as of today, racked up over 45,000 minutes, and is currently 5th on the All Time Leading Scorers list with 31,415 points, and this man is 34 years old. Let that all sink in for a minute. Oh wait let me also add he is shooting a near career high field goal percentage, leading shooting guards in assists per game, and is on par to become the 4th leading scorer within the next couple of games. Alright now I will give you another minute to let that all sink in. While I can be  treated to see the explosive play of Lebron James, the effortless scoring barrage from Kevin Durant, and other young NBA players every night, I am still amazed to see a man who has put so much wear and tear on his body still produce at these levels.

Many consider Kobe to be in the Top 5 greatest players to ever grace any professional basketball court, he is also considered the second greatest Shooting Guard (NBA icon Michael Jordan is of course number one here). Looking upon his earned accomplisments, records, and accolades it is easy to understand why his name comes up in such conversation. Bryant has earned numerous awards in his professional career, but let me just name the highlights. He is a 5 time NBA Champion, 2 time Finals MVP, 15 time NBA All Star, 4 time All Star MVP, and has two gold Olympic Gold Medals from Beijing and London.  On top of those NBA accomplisments, Kobe is considered one of, if not the greatest, to ever play for the Los Angeles Lakers organization. The Black Mamaba holds the Lakers records for: career points total, most points in a single season, most played games, and most points in a single game.

Kobe is pursuing in tying if not surpassing NBA icon Michael Jordan in rings at six; While many around the league, myself included, do not see this Lakers team even reaching the playoffs, doubters only seem to fuel the Mamba into playing at an all time high for his career. This amazing play has earned him his newest nickname, “Vino”, referring to him only getting better with age. While father time still continues to tick against Bryant’s favor, seeing one of the greatest play in basketball history play at such a level is an honor.

While Byant himself has not confirmed his retirement after his 18th season, there is a lot of doubt of him coming back for one last hurrah. The day Kobe Bean Bryant hangs up his purple and gold armor while be a day of days, as an icon and face of the NBA finally can go home and rest.

Kobe Bryant can be followed on Facebook and his recent Twitter account

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