The Bucket List

The Bucket List

Recently me and Tonya experienced the greatest adventure and vacation of our lives; a three day 100 mile rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The idea for this journey had been boiling in my brain for a few years even amidst other great vacations that came to fruition in the meantime. I had the brochure and promo DVD mailed to me almost 3 years ago. It really takes a lot of planning to bring these "Bucket List" ideas from fantasy to reality. In this blog I will take the first step in bringing these ideas to life by identifying the places that we desire to travel to the most.

      When I think about "Bucket List" vacations and adventures it takes me back to a lecture I heard earlier this year at the Arkansas Governor's Conference on Tourism by celebrity turned travel writer Andrew Mccarthy. He said that he searches for the "Ah-Hah" moment in his travel. Its that feeling of amazement when we experience something for the first time. A child can have these moments on a daily basis. The first time they experience the beach, feeding a duck at a local park, seeing a snake or catching their first fish. As we grow older these "Ah-Hah" moments come fewer and farther between. The best way to recapture that feeling of amazement is to leave our comfort zones and routines and explore the beautiful world that God has made for us.

Macchu Picchu - Peru

I think there are certain elements that differentiate a "bucket list" adventure and a typical vacation. I wouldn't consider a cruise, a week on the beach, a all inclusive resort or somewhere you live a few hours away from as a "Bucket list" vacation. A "Bucket List" vacation is so grand that you are likely only to be able to experience it once. A bucket list trip is also usually more expensive than a typical vacation, but is also far more rewarding and memorable. 

Everyone has different agendas when it comes to their personal bucket list. Some people desire to experience different cultures, while others like to visit great historic landmarks. For me, those trips are on the bottom of my list. My list is more focused on a combination of adventure, wild life, and natural beauty. While seeing the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and the Eifel Tower would be really cool, they are a very low priority for me. I don't want to just see something, I want to experience it. This is why we didn't go to the rim of the Grand Canyon and look at it with millions of other people, we became a part of the canyon by living in it for three days.

#10. Cataract Canyon - Canyon Lands, Utah

Estimated cost for 2 people - $3,500

We experienced the biggest white water of our lives on our Grand Canyon trip, but now I want bigger and wilder. A few hundred miles up the Colorado from where we rafted is some of the largest rapids in the US during the spring. This is an adventure that starts in Moab, Utah where we will also be able to visit Arches National Park and Canyon Lands National Park. I would have never heard of this trip had it not been for our Grand Canyon expedition which is a great example of the knowledge you learn by going on one of these great trips.

#9. Costa Rica

Estimated cost for 2 people $5,000

Every time I ask Tonya what she wants to add to our bucket list she says Costa Rica. I'm not really sure why, but it has Volcanoes, water falls, and wild life, so count me in. I haven't done much research of Costa Rica but the pictures remind me of a Central American Hawaii. From my limited research Costa Rica is home to an active volcano and lots of sloth creatures.

 #8. Bora Bora - French Polynesia

estimated Cost for 2 people $5-7,000

Bora Bora is the only relaxing vacation to make it on the bucket list. This trip might not quench my thirst for adventure, but when it comes to scenic paradise this location seems to stand out when compared to the thousands of other clear water beach getaways. Staying in one of the huts over the water would be a must. I think if we stayed here for a week we would probably never have a desire to stay at any of the other typical honey moon resorts. I've been to Atlantis in the Bahamas and I think this would be much better. Not to say that we couldn't find adventure here. I think renting boats to explore the lagoons and biking on the island would be fun.

#7 Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah

Estimated Trip cost for 2 people $2-$3,000

"The Narrows" 14 mile hike

"Angel's Landing"

Conveniently located 2 hours from Las Vegas it is safe to say that Zion National Park may be one of the least talked about national parks in the United States. Most people that I have mentioned it to have never even heard of it. I found out about it from a guy that sat beside me on a plane ride back from Vegas to Shreveport. He told me that he had just hiked "Angel's Landing" I had no idea what he was talking about, but it peaked my interest. I kind of wish he would not have mentioned it because now I am destined to climb the dangerous 1,488 foot rock formation. This is a bucket list item that needs to happen relatively soon. You never know what kind of physical condition you will be in 10 years down the road. If we are not brave enough to climb up Angel's Landing, there are miles of other amazing trails in Zion that blow my mind just from looking at the pictures, including "The Narrows" which is ranked #5 in America's top 100 adventures by National Geographic. I have read a few publications that even rank Zion ahead of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon! I really hope to spend a few days in Zion sometime in the near future. Zion is also a couple of hours away from exceptional road trips like "Bryce Canyon National Park" "Red Rock" and "Valley of Fire State Park"

#6 Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming

 

Estimated cost for 2 people - 3-$4,000

No scenic/wild life trip list would be complete without Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was the first ever National Park created by the US government. I am scared to death of bears, but that strange fear spikes my curiosity. Yellowstone is jam packed with a plethora of geysers, waterfalls and miles of hiking trips that lead to astounding landscapes with abundant wild life. Getting to Yellowstone wont be cheap or convenient, but its a place I must go. This trip seems more geared towards naturists than adventurers so there is no hurry to get there. Its probably the type of vacation that can be enjoyed at any phase of life and that is another thing that makes it such a special place.

#5 Grand Canyon 7 Day Rafting

Estimated cost for 2 people - $7,500     (Havasu Canyon)

Red Wall Cavern

Three days and 100 miles down the Grand Canyon was just an appetizer for the big seven day journey that is offered by Western River Expeditions. The 7 day trip ends where our trip began so we can go on this adventure and see 7 days and 187 miles of the canyon that we have yet to experience including "Vasey’s Paradise", "Redwall Cavern", and "Havasu Canyon". The white water of the upper 200 miles is also more fierce. The three day trip was a great trial run, but the seven day seems to beat it in every single way (except that it is not accessible from Vegas)  Before our three day trip was even over Tonya and I vowed to return. This will be tough to make happen, but hopefully we will be fortunate enough to do it. With double the amazement comes double the price and no more convenience of being picked up in Las Vegas. we will have to make it to Arizona on our own. Either way, we have unfinished business with the Grand Canyon and we plan to conquer it.

4. Glacier National Park - Montana

Estimated cost for 2 people 3-$4,000

  
Glacier National Park is about half the size of Yellowstone, but many believe it is even more awesome. The park is still over 1 million square acres and sightings of grizzly bears are not only common but are expected. The park is a hikers paradise that leads many travelers to lakes filled with chunks of ice. Some people believe that the ice will be gone by the year 2020 due to rising temperatures. This park is often compared to Yellowstone and is located only about 5 hours away.

# 3 New Zealand

estimated cost for 2 people 8-$10,000

Who wouldn't want to go to middle earth? If you could pick up Glacier National Park and move it to a beach, then you would have New Zealand. The scenery would be astounding. This would probably be our most likely bucket list vacation to miss out on considering the cost of literally flying all the way across the world. Still never hurts to put it on the list even if it is more of a fantasy than a goal.

#2 Alaska

Estimated cost for 2 people 6-$8,000

Alaska has to be the Mecca of outdoor adventure. The entire state could be a national park. Just about every conversation I have had with hardcore travelers always ends with "but Alaska, you have got to go to Alaska" There is not many other places that you can go where you can hike a glacier, see a whale from a kayak and watch grizzly bears fish. With Alaska being so massive, I think the most economical way to actually experience it would be through a cruise line. To get the full experience you would need to book the high dollar excursions when you stop. An Alaskan cruise will not be like your typical Caribbean cruise and the steep price of activities will reflect that. Some excursions cost $500 a person or more!  Also take into consideration that you have to fly to Seattle, Washington just to get on the cruise, which is not a cheap flight. Alaska is sure to be packed with several "ah-ha" moment, but they will cost a lot of money to acquire.

#1 The Galapagos

There is no other place in the world that is comparable to the

Galapagos. If Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks are the most scenic trips, Galapagos is the greatest for wildlife. Galapagos is the only place in the world where the largest land animals are 500 pound turtles and the lizards cliff dive 50 feet into the water to catch their food. It is an astonishing place of natural phenomenon and I have never had a conversation with anyone that has actually been; which adds to the appeal. I don't imagine there will be crowds of tourists. This trip will also be pricey because it requires two different plane tickets. A flight to Ecuador and a flight to the island. Whatever the cost this is #1 our bucket list of travel and we must accomplish it someday.

People always look at me strange when I use the word "Bucket List." Some people think that exotic travel is for older retired people who have already raised all of their kids; but nobody is guaranteed to to get to enjoy their golden years. We aren't even guaranteed tomorrow. Vacation is supposed to be about breaking your routine; don't make your vacations a routine too. Make a list, write down the things you want to do even if its way out of your budget and do some minimal research.You never know, in 20 years you may have only accomplished half of your list it or less, but its better than going to the same beach or cruise 15 years in a row and by then you may be too old, tired or sick to do anything else. The time is now, life is fleeting.

One Year of Flight - an Unexpected Journey

One Year of Flight - An Unexpected Journey

      It was almost exactly a year ago that I began filling social media newsfeeds with pictures and video from a new perspective. I was literally above everyone else delivering aerial videos and photos in ways that had never been done before. I had become Texarkana's first dronetographer. If you would have told me 14 months ago that I would soon be known as "The guy with the drone" I would probably find that hard to believe. This what not something I had worked or planned to do, it was something that just kind of happened over night. This blog post is a picturesque tour of my first year's adventure with a flying camera. From Historic Downtown Texarkana to the Beaches of Florida and the amazing falls at Niagara I think I have made the most out of my first year with an eye in the sky.


How it started

Now that I am a member of an online drone/quad copter forum its pretty simple to understand where most of the people to this new hobby came from. It is a merging of  R/C hobbyists and photographers and videographers. I have never owned a remote control device, but videography is my profession and hobby. I stumbled upon the DJI Phantom by doing a google search for "GoPro accessories." I had been toying with the idea of buying a GoPro, but I was having a hard time convincing myself that I needed a sports camera. I never snowboard, surfed, or participated in any of the extreme sports that are shown in the GoPro commercials, but when my search led me to the DJI Phantom quadcopter It peaked my curiosity. When I first seen it, I laughed. I thought it was an overpriced cheap joke. When I checked the product out on youtube my judgement was quickly reversed. This was a ground breaking product. I studied for days and spent many sleepless nights thinking about the possibilities of exploration that this product could produce. I am a very conservative person when it comes to purchasing "stuff," but this was more than just an object of entertainment it was an educational tool that could inspire creativity. I was sold and the $1200 price tag was a mere formality in my quest. I purchased the newest version of the GoPro a few weeks before I got the quad copter and it blew me a way. The quality was equal to my $3,000 3 CCD camera that I used for just about everything. The drones would have not been as impressive without the GoPro being able to produce such great quality in a small camera.

The Early Flights

I was not going to lose my wings by getting too close to the sun like Icarus, I spent my first few months of flying very conservatively. Even though the Phantom was remarkably user friendly and easy to fly I dreaded the idea of crashing my $1200 investment before I could get my moneys worth and discover its full potential. I stuck mostly to open areas and fields and stayed a good distance away from public and water. Even though battery time was advertised to last about 14 minutes I would usually never stay in the air longer than 4 minutes out of fear and paranoia that something could go wrong. It was still a nerve racking adrenaline rush every time I took flight. I flew almost every day and any day without a flight almost felt like a failure. I would find my self looking at the wind speed on my weather app more than I would the temperature like most people. My first public flights would take place in city parks, but they would always bring curious on lookers that would ask me the typical questions while I was trying to concentrate. Carrying around the bulky quadcopter with remote and batteries was quite a hassle but thankfully my wife got me a case for my birthday to help me easily transport.


A Tool at Work

Almost immediately after building my flight confidence it became very evident early in my drone ownership that this was going to be a great tool in my job portion of promoting Texarkana, Arkansas. Whether it was capturing aerial views of some of our historical buildings downtown or getting a birds eye view of construction sites or city events it became obvious that this was going to take my work to another level. Work had suddenly become a lot more fun. I was even able to sell some of my footage to a local news station. Who wouldnt like to get paid to fly a remote control camera?




















Notable Flights that benefited me at work:

• Aerial RailFest footage
• Aerial Sparks in the Park photos
• Promo video for New Haven Golf Course
• Water Park Construction videos
• Aerial Post Office photos
• Razorback stadium photo used to promote Live United Bowl
• Race for the Cure aerial photos
• Run the Line video
• Numerous city park photos
• Main Street Paint What Matters Video

 Favorite Moments

       My favorite moment was undoubtedly when me and my bride to be went for a morning flight over Niagara Falls on the morning of our wedding. We had both been sick with a stomach virus and this was the first morning that we had felt good. Flying over the majestic American Falls in front of hundreds of spectating tourists gave me that same thrill I got in my early
flights when I was nervous of crashing. It was a beautiful morning that I spent with the woman I love most doing what I love to do. It felt like the beginning of a new life and it surely was. I did not get to spend nearly enough time flying over the falls as I wanted to due to sickness and a full schedule of activities, but I'm thankful that I was able to get a few photos. I remember one group of guys asking me about my drone and then being shocked to hear my southern accent. Many people up north hold strong stereotypes about people from the south. They were pretty shocked to see someone from Arkansas with cutting edge technology that was gaining so much attention from onlookers.

      My second favorite flight moment was flying around at Rosemary Beach. Those few flights of the beautiful Florida beach produced my favorite photos. I have always held the position that the content of your subject matter will always out weigh the technical perfection of your photography skills or the sophistication of the tools you are using. These photos of this excellnt beach are a perfect example of why. Even though I lost my GoPro in the ocean in a non-flying related incident, It was still a great time.








 Where we go from here - The Future of Drones

I jumped into this new cutting edge technology while it was on the show room floor. During the course of the past year consumer drones and the public awareness of them are growing exponentially thanks to average people like me that are going out and flying and posting their videos and photos. Three newer versions from this same company have been released in a little over a year. The technology is moving at a blazing speed. The battle for state forced regulations is already getting started in several states and its only a matter of time before the FAA or the Federal Government impose some kind of nation wide regulations. My hope is that they do not destroy this new art form. I think its the next multi-billion dollar industry (buy some AVAV stock if you want to invest) and hopefully they can find a very reasonable and moderate way to regulate. As for myself I plan on upgrading to the Phantom 2 with H3-3D gimbal and First Person View goggles or LCD screen. Up to this point I have been pretty limited to taking mostly photographs, but with the new system I will be able to focus on doing more video. We are just scratching the surface on this new technology and one thing is for sure, the sky is no longer the limit.

BURN: The Story of a Millennial Pirate

           It was the year 2000; the beginning of a new millennium. There were no smart phones, YouTube was still 5 years from creation and digital cameras had worse picture quality than a Polaroid from 1980. It was the dark ages of the Internet revolution that had just survived the Y2K scare and it was the time when the Ethridge household would finally get it's first computer. The timing of this event could have very well been responsible for setting me on my life path.

          The Ethridge household was always last to jump on any bandwagon when it came to technological advances. This came from the attitude of my dad who would never be guilty of buying into a technology fad that would flop. We were the last to get cable TV, last to get satellite, and last to get a computer with Internet. It was more than 10 years after I graduated high school that my parents finally got a television over 32 inches! I'm not trying to say that I didn't have much growing up, because that would be a ridiculously false statement; I'm just stating that when it came to technology, we were nowhere near cutting edge. Luckily my uncle David's residence next door was the polar opposite of my house hold. He was a true tech junkie who was quite often the first to have everything. He was one of the guys who had one of the original satellites in his back yard. You remember the ones that were so big it looked like your property could be a remote location for NORAD? This access to uncle Dave's cutting edge technology helped me stay up to date and not suffer from technological retardation that my mom still struggles with to this day. She's still working on getting her a "MyFace" page, as she says.


     
      In the year 2000 my dad had finally decided that computers and the Internet were here to stay and mainstream enough for us to invest in one. As I was entering into high school I think he realized how important computers were becoming in school. By this time most people already had a computer and were transitioning their usage from countless hours of Sim City, Microsoft Paint, and Oregon Trail to the first Internet social phenomenon known as America Online. I remember it like it was yesterday, My dad saying "I'm going to get my buddy at work to build us a computer, do you want a CD burner on it?" A CD burner? I didn't know what the hell it was, but it sounded awesome, so I said "sure." Little did I know that this simple addition would change everything. Being last to get a computer meant we were going to be first to get a CD burner.


         When we first got the computer, I completely ignored the CD burner. I felt that a failed attempt to use such alien technology could easily result in a complete destruction of our new computer that we had waited so long for. I treated it like the Ark of the Covenant and refused to lay a finger on it. I assumed it would take a computer genius to figure out how to burn Cd's.  I was just excited about having dial-up Internet. It wasn't until I visited my friend Joe Regan several months later that I would unlock the power of the CD burner. Looking back on that visit to the Regan household I was kind of like Neo visiting the Oracle. Joe was a computer genius in my eyes. Somehow I feel like he secretly helped invent the Internet. When I mentioned to him that I had a new computer with a CD burner he explained to me what Napster was and how I could download any song that I wanted. He even brought a hard drive to my house and copied all his downloaded music on to my computer. The madness was in full affect. Little did I know that what we were participating in would spread like wild fire across the country and forever change the music industry worldwide. I remember when I successfully burned my first CD, it was like I had discovered a cure for cancer. Instead of buying a $25 CD with a couple of good songs and a bunch of filler (Yes that's how much Cd's cost in the 90's) I was jamming out to a CD filled with Metallica, Rolling Stones, Queen and Guns n Roses.


        I think the first public appearance of my custom Cd's took place on long basketball road trips. Once my teammates heard of this black magic they begged me to make them a copy and some wanted their own favorite songs included. Most of them didn't understand how disk burning or downloading from Napster worked, but they didn't care. A custom burned CD was something that most people hadn't even heard of or knew existed. I remember fooling some people into believing that I actually burned the discs with a zippo lighter.  It took up to 25 minutes per song with dial-up Internet and at least 30 minutes to burn a CD. They began offering me money, $5 for a custom CD was a heck of a bargain. Five dollars for a product that only existed in their minds and I could bring it to life. Soon, the word of my new found power would spread all across the school. People would make me lists and lists of songs. They would beg me "Please make me a CD." I would open up my locker and folded up lists of songs that people had delivered would fall to the floor like an avalanche. I wasn't just a few months ahead of the game either. I was years ahead. It's easy to forget that when the digital revolution was in its infancy things progressed much slower than they do now. People forget that at this specific time period there was no Best Buy in Texarkna or an Office Depot. Sears was known as the best big store to get electronics. Sears! CD burners were still so rare that there wasn't even a store in Texarkana where you could buy blank disks for recording. The process of getting blank Cd's that I could deliver to the public was just like drug trafficking. I had to give money to my dad from my CD sales so that he could give it to the guy who built the computer to purchase them in Dallas.

          Everyone in high school is lumped together in stereotypical groups. You have your sports people, your computer people, band people, rednecks, druggies, Goths, etc. Just about everyone is known for something. I was the CD guy. I had created my own sub culture for myself.  I was a mix between Al Capone and Ferris Bueller.  I was the ultimate hookup when it came to music and there was no alternative. I was dealing to everybody; even to the faculty. I became very well educated on music due to the fact that I spent countless hours downloading it. Sometimes I would spend 20 minutes on a single song only to lose Internet connection with the song only 88%
complete (everyone remembers how flaky dial-up Internet was). It was just too bad for the person that requested that song. they would get their song cut off and they couldn't complain because if they did I wouldn't deal with them in the future. If there was a song I hated, I wouldn't include it on the CD. I was like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. "No Styx for you!" In 2001 I supplied the music for prom only to take it all away mid way through the event forcing everyone to listen to the radio. It basically ended the prom, nobody stayed much longer after that. That's what they deserve for kicking me out of prom. You don't kick Al Capone out of the prom and not expect consequences. I'll take my music to the after party.

        As the Napster phenomenon would spread across the country so would it also die. Spyware, lawsuits, viruses and Metallica would eventually end Napster's run and the war on file sharing had just begun. Other online sharing sites would pop up like Winmx, Kazaaa, and LimeWire, but the recording industry was always fighting them. Songs became harder to find and viruses became more vicious which deterred people from going through the hassle of downloading music. I think all computers sold after 2002 would come with CD burners straight out of the factory. Even though my reign as CD master would eventually end it was just the beginning of my role as a multimedia guru. People often mistake me as a person who is "good with computers" or "good at making websites" but the fact is I have almost zero knowledge in those categories. I am a content creator who uses the most recent consumer ready technology. Ever since the days of sailing the digital seas of music piracy I have tried to position myself near the cutting edge of certain technology advancements. It is a lot harder these days because of the rate of speed that things advance and you really have to pick and choose what you want to focus on. After CD burning I moved on to DVD recording and consumer video editing & authoring. Now I find myself at the front of what I believe to be the next multi-billion dollar industry, consumer drones.


        As the compact disc slowly becomes obsolete I find it very interesting to look back on its history in conjunction with file sharing sites like Napster. It revolutionized the music industry and was a real kick in the balls to corporate greed who thought they could get away with selling albums for $25. I'm glad to have been a small part of it and it played a crucial role in shaping my career path.

10 Things I'm glad that we didnt have growing up

      Nostalgia can be a hell of a drug and can sometimes lead to a delusional view of the "good ole days" While this kind of thinking can hinder growth and progress, its also important to realize the sociological impact that the things in our society have on us. I'm not saying I don't like some of these things, I'm just saying that I'm glad I got to experience part of my life without them. Here are a list of things i'm glad werent around when I was growing up.

  1. Reality TV

Some people think that entertainment and media is a reflection of a society's culture. Others believe that entertainment and media actually controls the direction of society's culture. Either way, the stuff that is mainstream will eventually define your generation. Whether it's Andy Griffith, The Brady Bunch or Seinfeld it is easy to distinguish the character traits of people that grew up watching these shows. With that being said I would much rather have my generation defined by Seinfeld, Friends, and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air than I would Honey Boo Boo, Dance Moms, and Jersey Shore. My generations' sitcoms may depict a very selfish individualistic society, but I will take that over the borderline retarded slobs that are stars on today's reality shows. I want my MTV and I want it with music videos, not reality shows.

2. Bounce Houses

For generations adults have been trying to figure out a way to create the ultimate hamster wheel for kids. First they tried the seesaw, then it was a carousel, but now they have found the most humane way to put kids in a cage in the form of a bounce house. This is the ultimate hamster wheel for kids. I have no problem with the bounce house per say, but more of a problem with how often they are used. Every event I go to I see kids in bounce houses. For the parents this is the great escape from kids that they don't know how to make behave in public. They throw kids into the bounce house like its some kind of miniature insane asylum. Is every memory your kid has going to be about jumping around in a bounce house? " remember that festival we took you to when you were 7 and you jumped in the bounce house for 2 hours" or "how about your 2nd grade birthday party where we invited your friends over and rented a bounce house?" You know what I remember about one of my birthday parties? punching each other in the face!

 

3. Online Gaming

 X-box live and other online gaming networks are awesomely addicting. It is so awesome that I'm glad they weren't available when I was growing up. I can't imagine what it would be like growing up with a network of friends that were all online playing these games. I may not have ever participated in sports at all. When you have this kind of entertainment at your finger tips it would really be hard to motivate yourself to spend hours in the sun playing pick-up basketball. This would have hurt my social skills so much that I probably wouldn't even know how to talk to a girl much less date one. What used to be a fun activity when it was dark or the weather was bad is now like a sport itself. The games are competitive and complex rather than fun. We had our own fun with video games when we were teens with split screen multiplayer and system link, but now the games are so much less personal. The youth of today will never know what its like to have a chair thrown at them for talking trash. sad world.

4. Flavored Vodka

If the machines of the future ever decide that I am the last hope for the human race they won't need to send a terminator back in time to eliminate me. They will only have to send a bottle of flavored vodka. As a responsible adult I can enjoy the pleasures of flavored vodka without becoming a drunkard. If I was in my prime drinking age I don't think I could accomplish this. Getting drunk as a youth was hard work. You had to drink the cheap stuff that was absolutely terrible. It wasn't nearly as hard to know when to stop because the dreadful burn of heaven hills vodka would limit your intake. If you wanted something that actually tasted good you had to drink Boon's Farm or Zima and those drinks weren't very strong and nobody wanted to live with that embarrassment. Today alcohol ambitious youth have the option to drink vodka that tastes like cotton candy. That's just dangerous. How this hasn't already killed an entire generation of teens and young adults is beyond my comprehension. Maybe they are still stuck in a bounce house or sitting in front of the TV playing X-box Live.

5. UFC

This may be a surprise to many considering I am one of the biggest mixed martial arts fans that I know, but I'm really glad it wasn't around when I was growing up. UFC was around in 1993, but it didn't explode into the mainstream until 2005. Mma is the pinnacle of mixing sports and violence and I would have hated to miss the other stuff that mma has replaced. If UFC would have been popular nobody would have cared about the great "Attitude" era of the WWF and the Monday Nitro vs Raw rating wars that brought out some amazing television entertainment. Nobody would have even noticed Roy Jones Jr's awesome boxing career. Nobody would go to the fairgrounds to watch the local tough man competition. Even my back yard boxing would have been lame in comparison to monthly cage fighting on pay per view. I'm glad UFC is here and mma is the fastest growing sport in the world, but I can appreciate the life before over saturated sports violence. And that's the bottom line cause somebody on a blog said so.

 

6. $3 gasoline

This is a no brainer. Nobody would trade $3 gasoline for $1 gasoline, but it would have been a lot harder when I was 16 than it is now. Do you remember how you found people before cell phones? you drove to all the places you think they might be. This was never much of a problem with $1.25 gasoline. My grandpa would give me $20 a week for gas and I would only use half! but triple that price and this would have become a major
problem.

7. The Duck Face

Remember that time people got so narcissistic taking cell phone selfies that they got tired of their own faces and started turning them inside out? Yea, that time is right about now. I remember a more simple time when girls smiled in pictures. I'm not really sure where we go from here, but don't just assume that the smile will return. The smile may have run it's course. If you look at those old black and white family photos nobody ever smiled. People may eventually start putting their entire fist in their mouths when they pose for pictures and with the way America's diet habits are they just might fit.

8. Facebook 

Many people wish this would go away right now, but Im pretty sure social networks are here to stay. I think the world is pretty fortunate that I didn't have access to such an arena of communication before I became an adult. I would really hate to look back and see what my courageously stupid younger self would have posted. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have many friends right now. Political correctness had not completely enslaved society yet so it would have been pretty uncensored. Not being constantly connected to a grid is also a good memory. When is the last time you met someone and then never heard from them again? Think about how crazy that is. We once lived in a world where people could be in relationships for years and then part from each other and never see or hear about that person ever again. That's almost impossible now. We are all connected and as long as you are on the network you will be connected for life. Glad I know what it was like before the control grid.

9. Portable DVD players for kids

"My kid can't stay focused or pay attention in school" Oh really? was it maybe because you threw their ass in front of a TV screen every time you got in a car? Kids do not need to be constantly entertained every second of the day. When kids cry, parents just put them in front of a TV to distract them instead teaching them them patience and self control. They need to learn to be still and be silent at appropriate times. This is lazy parenting and it's killing the ability of your kids to think and use their imagination. I'm not talking about a 2 hour road trip. I'm talking about a 15 minute drive to the grocery store. Give these kids a coloring book.  Even toys and gadgets are better than just mindlessly staring at a screen with no interaction. We are raising a generation of attention starved youth that have absolutely no creativity and this is part of the reason.

10. Twerking

 I really am at a loss for words on this particular subject. I'm not really sure where sexually provocative dance evolves from here. Twerking has come a long way from "I put my hand upon your I hip, when I dip you dip we dip" and I am a little scared to see what is around the corner.

 

7 Strange things about growing up in Fouke

             Somewhere between Middle Earth and Oz lies the mysterious realm of Fouke. A very misunderstood place of both fun and controversy. If the creators of South Park came out and publicly stated that Fouke was their inspiration, it wouldn't surprise anyone. I can recall many instances of strange happenings that I have encountered over the years growing up in Fouke and I could spend days dissecting some of the vast characters that inhabit the town, but for the sake of public consumption I will stick to some of the more known occurrences.

1. The Fouke Monster

 This is a given. The Fouke Monster or the "Legend of Boggy Creek" is without a doubt what Fouke is most known for. After the Southern Sasquatch made local headlines in the early 70's, Director Charles B. Pierce wasted no time in turning the story into a feature film that would take the legend all across the country. Big foot hunters from all from around the world  travel to Fouke in hopes of finding this elusive creature. Several books, reality tv shows and b-rated movies have also taken part in the legend. Fouke acknowledges this heritage with a local store called "Monster Mart" and an annual "Monster Day Festival". Despite these public displays I have always felt that the general public and surrounding areas like Texarkana really don't realize just how famous the monster is. I remember growing up it was not that big of a deal. The monster just seemed like a back-up mascot to the panther. We were the Fouke Panthers and I had never seen a panther in real life, so I felt pretty safe from a monster that had been talked about my entire life. It was only until I was older that I realized just how famous our 2nd mascot really was. When I tried to explain to people in New York City where I was from I would always start with Texarkana, but nobody knew about Texarkana. Every single person had heard about Fouke and the Legend of Boggy Creek.

 2. The Tony Alamo Cult: A new monster comes to town

If you were a notorious tax cheat who once made designer clothes for Michael Jackson, who also kept your wife's dead body for 6 months while trying to resurrect her and were the leader of a cult with followers world wide... where would you make your headquarters? Fouke of course! In the late 1990s after Tony Alamo was released from Federal prison he turned a once existing Fouke store into a compound where he and his followers would dwell. While the rest of the world was concerned about the Y2K bug, the Fouke Universe was worried about this new presence in the community. You would think a 15 acre anti-government cult compound with high tech security cameras and 24 hour security guards would seek a refuge in the depths of the mysterious Boggy Creek...but no...they set up shop right on highway 71 at the city line and stuck out like a sore thumb. They had without a doubt the most inviting store front and landscaping. Everyone has a story of driving down the dead end road that leads to the backside of the compound only to get followed by a security van with blacked out windows. It's also bizarre to note that the Superintendent's house was separated from the Alamo compound by a wooden fence. I remember several times getting on top of the Coach's/Superintendents house with friends (sorry Coach Smith) and looking in on the compound with binoculars only to see security cameras on the Alamo side looking back. There also seemed to be some kind of constant drama going on with the citizens and the Alamo group. Tony Alamo tried his best to fit in and gain acceptance. He built a park open to the city and even provided a portion of the city with generators during the dreaded ice storm of 2000. Despite his best efforts he was never able to shake his infamous reputation. Being featured on Oprah & Dr. Phil did not help his case. In 2008, close to 10 years since the the Alamo cult showed up, the compound was raided by the FBI and Alamo was charged with multiple charges of sexual abuse and child pornography. He was allegedly married to a 8 year old. I will never know if Tony Alamo was a cunning con man or if he was crazy enough to actually believe his own words, but considering his sexual convictions i'm leaning more towards the side of crazy. Either way "Remember the Alamo" will always have a completely different meaning in Fouke.

3. Fouke: The party Central

It is not rare for a under policed economically depressed small town to be home to a high percentage of alcoholics. This social condition can be found in many small towns all across America and the roots of such behavior can be traced back as far as prohibition or even further. In Fouke the major alcohol consumption was by underage drinkers. Fouke was more like a college town, without the college...and a lot more redneck. A keg party in Fouke was not a special occasion like most places, it was every single weekend. Fouke was a haven for underage drinking. Minors from other schools from all around the area would come to Fouke to party. Every small town where teens were starved for entertainment had their own drinking spots, but I  doubt they were as big and as consistent as Fouke. I documented and participated in the last few years of this partying era in the made for vcr movies known as "FoukeAholica" I rarely traveled to Texarkana on the weekends, because everyone knew the biggest parties were in Fouke. I think the roots of this trend were started when Louisiana became the only state that was able to sale alcohol to 18 year olds leaving Fouke teens 10 minutes away from legal alcohol possession. The Federal government passed a law forcing all states to make the minimum drinking age 21 in 1986, but there was a loophole in Louisiana that allowed for the sale to 18 year olds. This loophole was eventually closed in 1995, several years before my time, but the party culture in Fouke had already been entrenched in the community. I think today things have normalized and Fouke is just like every other school where teens just abuse prescription drugs instead.

4. The largest Flag Pole in Arkansas

Much like 9/11 everyone that was in Fouke school at the time remembers where they were when the State's largest flagpole fell down. For years Fouke School District was home to the largest flag pole in the state. Why? I'm not really sure, but I remember it being there for several years. Why this large display would not be somewhere more prominent I have no idea, but when it fell, it luckily missed several highly populated structures that could have caused irreparable damage and injury. The incident happened sometime around 1996 or1997. It was a very strange occurrence that would only happen in Fouke.

5. Fouke kids pick cotton on field trip

The school of Fouke took the "Field" trip a little bit too literal in the early elementary years. One of the first field trips I can remember was going to the Heigle farm and picking cotton. I'm not denying the educational value of the trip, I just think that it's really weird. We even took the unprocessed cotton back home with us in large trash bags. Maybe in a strange round about way this was a way of redeeming the fact that we were an all white school. "See we don't support slavery, our kids pick our cotton"

6.  6th Grade teacher brings bed of nails to school

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the cliche science experiment around the 6th and 7th grade is most schools is the dissection of a frog. At Fouke you lay on a bed of nails. Again, I fully understand the educational value of weight distribution, but the fact that one of the teachers has a bed of nails and brings it to school every year is quite odd. Most people wouldn't deny that Fouke may be a little behind the times, but I never really thought we were as far back as the medieval times.

7. Fouke principal flies around in a Hot Air Balloon

 What comparison to Oz would be justifiable without having a principal of your high school flying around in a hot air balloon. Anytime there was a hot air balloon in the sky, there was little doubt on who was flying it. Mr. Hickey is no longer a Fouke resident, but if you are ever in the Hot Springs area be sure and look to the sky and you might just witness the wizard of Fouke flying high again.

When Fouke natives see other Fouke natives at places like Wal-Mart there is nod of acknowledgement even if the two have never spoken to each other before. There is a mutual respect much like holocaust survivors that former Fouke citizens have with one another. It's because we all know that Fouke is not your typical backwards southern redneck town. It is much stranger and unique than that. Many people are ashamed of the Fouke heritage, but I fully embrace the madness. Everywhere else just seems lame to me and despite what some people may think my public education has never made me feel inferior in college (except for math, core plus was a bad idea) If I had the choice to go back in time and choose one of the elite Texarkana schools, i would stay in Fouke....if nothing else for the strange entertainment and memories.

My advice to singles in the dating world....

           As a newly happily married man I feel that I owe it to society to reveal what little knowledge I posses about dating before the memories of living the single life fade off into oblivion. I'll be the first to admit that I never really had "game" and was never much of a charming womanizer. Those two skills take way too much effort and would stand in direct contradiction with my personality. What I do know is how to survive in the single world. The single world is a flaky unreliable place and if you are not careful can lead you down many frustrating paths that end in a colossal waste of time. My strategy for avoiding the pitfalls can be summed up in 3 words: "The Lunch Date."  Never go out with a person for the first time unless you have been on a lunch date first. The Lunch Date prerequisite advantages are vast and I examine them in the paragraphs below.

note: This advice is meant for working adults that are probably age 25 and older, not for partying teens or college kids in their early 20's that have a lot of social opportunities.

 

Advantages to the Lunch Date

• Don't risk your nights & weekends on a date that may be a disaster

If you have never had a woman "change plans" on you chances are you haven't dated many. Let's face the facts, most attractive women have options and if something comes up that she thinks is more enjoyable than plans with you she may leave you high and dry. Then there is always the chance that your date sucks and is not fun at all; either way you have wasted a night or weekend that you could be doing something else. If you get stood up or waste a lunch break, who cares? It's just lunch!

• It's a lot easier to entertain/impress someone for 45 minutes rather than 3 hours

It will only take you a few minutes into a date to realize that the ambient lighting at the Electric Cowboy was very deceiving and the bubbly blonde you thought was so interesting was just drunk. And lets not forgot the most modern example of false advertising; the five year old profile pic that looks quite different from the specimen in front of you. You shouldn't be condemned to spending the entire night with this person. Chances are you know within 10 minutes or less if you have any desire to see this person again. On the bright side, if you happen to be in a situation with a person that you do like you only have to make a good impression. I know I personally can't go three hours without doing something dumb or repulsive. That's why advertisers show movie trailers instead of behind the scenes.

• A timed lunch date prevents an awkward ending

A lunch date has a preset beginning and end. There is no mystery or option as to where the date will lead because you have to get back to work; therefore there's no pressure to extend the date. You don't have to worry about hurting someone's feelings. No pressure on the guy to end the date with an awkward kiss and no pressure on the woman to hang around longer than she wants to because the guy just spent $80 on dinner.

• A lunch date saves money

Lunch dates are like job interviews. A fancy dinner date is more like part of the job description once you get the job. This issue goes much deeper than just saving money. The restaurant you choose to take a dinner date will immediately be picked apart and examined. Does money spent equal how much you like them? Is this girl just using me for a free dinner? These questions are never explored in a lunch date because lunch dates are casual, inexpensive and you can tell much more about a person during a casual encounter which is the entire purpose of the first date.

• You can go on more dates and meet more people

A few of those boring 3 hour $80 dates and you could easily become jaded and uncomfortable in the dating world. When you go on a lunch date, your not really investing much so you really don't have much to lose. It's like speed dating in slow motion. I can honestly say that I've been on enough lunch dates to have went out with people I never seen again, met people who became friends and even made a wife out of one!

• You don't have to wait on women to get ready

Since the lunch date takes place in the middle of the day this will drastically reduce the waiting time that us males endure to accommodate the slower species. This also eliminates the date pick-up that can be quite time consuming. As a wise women once said "Ain't nobody got time fah that"

• Find out if someone is interested without over committing

If someone doesn't have time to spend their lunch with you, they aren't interested. No need in investing any more time or effort. If someone doesn't text you or message you after a lunch date...they aren't interested. The conversations you have after the lunch date will let you know where you stand. Its that simple.

• Lunch dates are always sober (or should be)

Most people aren't drunk by lunch so it's a good time to make a good assessment, which may be completely different from when you originally met this person if it was in the confines of an adult social setting.

                                                                  Conclusion


In the flaky world of shady ladies and outlaw gentlemen the lunch date is a dating loophole that nobody can defend. It allows the man to pursue without chasing. It gives a person a venue to show interest without investment. But most of all it minimalizes the pitfalls that discourage someone from meeting new people. My friend Weird Alfred said it best:

 

"Don't ask 'em for dinner or breakfast or brunch 'Cause girls, they wanna have lunch"