Before starting P90X, I dropped 24 pounds and was already able to do 50 consecutive push-ups and at least 8 consecutive pull-ups.  Still not even close to where I want to be, I decided to complete the intense 90 day program.  I wanted to bring my workout routine to a new level and get some serious results.  While doing P90X, I’m taking a multi-vitamin every morning and I’m drinking Jack3d before every strength training workout. 

Week 1 was as grueling as I expected.  I almost passed out half-way through day 1 (chest, back, and abs).  I did about 200 push-ups, in all different forms, and about 80 pull-ups, also in various forms.  Plyometrics (Day2) left me sore and aching.  Day 3 (Arms, shoulders, and abs) was a great workout.  I’ve always had strong arms, so to make it harder I used 40 lb. dumbbells and higher.  For some reason the ab ripper x really bothered me this day.  I pushed myself to the brink the first time, but I really brought it this second time around.  Yoga was a lot more intense than I thought it would be.  I stuck with it for the full 90 minutes and by the end I was drenched in sweat.  Legs and back was pretty intense.  I still feel sore in my quads from the wall squats and 9,000 lunges.  I was definitely able to do more pull-ups then I was in day 1.  Kenpo was the easiest of the 3 cardio days.  Despite it being the easiest it still left me covered in sweat.

At the end of only the first week, I was obviously not expecting crazy results.  I dropped 3 pounds and I can touch my toes easily.  I can make out the top of my abs…I’m excited to start another week now.  When I’m finished with this 90 days, I’m definitely going to look into getting another photo-shoot done.

Update on Truth:  My agents are still communicating with multiple publishers.  I really do appreciate those of you who are currently following me.  I appreciate the emails and all of your kind words.  As you all know, I have many book ideas.  I’m so eager to entertain you with them.  Having so many of you share in my journey to bookshelves is surreal…one day we’ll remember these days and laugh.  Until then I’ll savor every minute and keep mental notes of who you loyal, incredible fans are.

The man’s tears blended with his rain soaked jacket.  Panting, he raised one arm to indicate he was alright.

“Just a minute…That just struck a cord.”

The bystanders stared in confusion, unsure of what to do in the awkward position.  Two minutes before this, one of the bystanders jokingly made a comment in regards to the crying man’s wife.  It was very innocent but never the less, the man was now bawling in the middle of the bank’s lobby.

“I’m very sorry,” the “attacker” repeated.  He looked around and shrugged his shoulders but nobody blamed the guy.  He hadn’t intentionally done wrong.

“My wife died of lung cancer a year ago today,” the man said through tears.  “I’m a survivor of colon cancer… she died a year after I recovered.”

The bystanders erupted in their own sympathetic ways.  Some stayed quiet, unsure of how to appease this situation.  Others reached to touch the man.  Others shook their heads and sucked their teeth. 

“We were married for a year,” the man said.  He was still crying but he started to show some trace of a smile.  “She was the love of my whole life.”

Nobody dared question the man, although they all thought the same thing.  Before anymore words were spoken, a small boy appeared from behind his mother.  He put his game boy in his pocket and looked up at the man confused. 

“You got married a year ago, how do you know you love her?”  Every pair of eyes turned to the man immediately.  This was the exact thing they wanted to ask. 

“Well, son, everybody here wanted to ask me that question.  They didn’t want to come off as rude or intrusive so they stayed quiet.  I guess the older we get the more prone we are to over thinking.  I knew my wife for forty years.  For forty years I knew she was special, I knew she was more unique than any woman I had ever met.  I never approached her, though.”

“What’s that mean?” the boy asked. 

“Well, I guess it just means I was too afraid to ask her on a date.”

“But if you don’t ask her, how would you know if she’d want to go?  I asked Sarah to the school dance yesterday and she told me no.  I asked Rebecca and she told me yes.  Then Sarah changed her mind…girls are confusing…I guess I can see why you didn’t ask your wife sooner.”

The man, whose eyes were practically dried now, laughed out loud.

“Girls aren’t confusing.  If you asked her once, then you did your part…nothing else you can do but move on.  I was hurt when I was younger.  My girlfriend left me for my best friend.  I lost so much trust back then; I lost a lot of confidence.”  The man looked up from the boy and started at the teller behind the bulletproof glass.  “I wish I had never let myself get so low.  I wish I would have stayed strong and continued to take risks.  I still ended up with my wife but the time we spent together was so short and hectic.  Don’t hold back.  You only live once.”

The teller heard the words loud and clear.  Still, it was so hard to put the advice into action.  Sometimes you just have to figure things out the hard way.

We can’t rewind our lives…such a depressing truth but a truth regardless.  I take countless risks.  I see what I want, and trust me I go for it.  I fight with everything I have until I obtain what it is I’m fixated on.  The story above is partially true.  It’s most likely entirely true, I’m sure there is someone on Earth who can relate to this completely.  I only write this because I don’t like seeing people stalling.  Can you answer this for me?  Will you definitely wake up tomorrow? 

Do you want to play the guitar?  Then go take a hundred bucks and buy a starter kit.  What’s that?  It’s hard to learn?  Too bad, not everything is easy.  The only way I would excuse you is if you don’t have the money.  You really like Michelle?  You want to kiss her and think she wants to kiss you?  HELLO!?  Snap out of it and kiss her…it’s a kiss not a marriage proposal.  Unless, of course, Michelle is your brothers girlfriend or something similar…now you have a moral obligation to let the feelings fizzle out.  If you are capable of doing something right now then why set it off for tomorrow when it isn’t a sure thing tomorrow will be there?  Stop thinking of the possible bad in everything.  So maybe she’ll say no…so maybe he’ll tell you to get lost…so maybe you have no musical or athletic talent what so ever…you know what?  AT LEAST YOU TRIED and I applaud you for that.      

Take some risks people.  Get a little ballsy.  I’m not advocating illegal activity…whatever you’re going to do make sure it abides by the law.  I’m sure you don’t want to waste precious time in jail.

So life happens and quickly it’s forgotten.  Make yours memorable.

Described by some players as a “plague” in the locker room, Santonio Holmes has been one of the clearest signs that the Jets are out of control.  As a huge Jets fan since I was about six years old, I sat here and read all of this past week’s articles with great sadness.  What is happening to the New York Jets?  We get bashed by everyone for our boisterous, out spoken head coach and our shaky first rounder, Mark Sanchez’s skittish performances.  Come on Jets, wake up! 
I was the captain of my high school tennis team for two years.  Of course this is in no way, shape, or form the same as the NFL, but my high school team had some serious heart.  We didn’t care about our personal stats and we made it to the championship/playoffs all four years. There wasn’t a guy who walked off the court because he didn’t like a certain situation.  We weren’t selfish…we were mature enough to realize that this TEAM was more then just a single person.  It was 15 individuals who were acting as one powerful force.  Who pushed each other and cheered for each other.  Now these are teenagers I’m talking about.  Santonio Holmes is a grown man…A GROWN MAN!! 
I have no idea what goes on in that locker room, I’m not on payroll, but what I do know is this grown man was on camera pouting in the corner while his team struggled/failed to put a winning drive together.  TERRIBLE!  Cut him, good bye, see ya later, adios.  Listen Jets fans.  I love the team too, and honestly I have this weird soft spot for Mark Sanchez.  I like the guy, he’s a leader and he portrays himself as such.  Does he need to step up already?  Of course he does.  I’m just not ready to jump ship on the guy, which is obviously not the New York way.  As New Yorkers we demand victory and when we don’t get this, we want everyone canned.  As a Jets fan, how can we want Santonio back?  A guy who wears a C on his chest yet pouts selfishly when he doesn’t get his way.  Wouldn’t you rather have a positive energy that will pump the team up and lead them to victory? Doesn’t have to be the greatest talent of all time either…Cough Tebow Cough.  Call me crazy but I followed Tebow when he played for Florida, and I really wanted the guy on the Jets before they got Sanchez.  I’m this same way with my team that I coach; I like guys who take initiative and lead.  Well, I’m sitting here now and I’m hoping for a more unified New York Jets next season.

Dear New York Giants fans,

We have our differences all year.  It’s tough sharing a city and of course I do remember that there were many of you rooting against us these past two years.  Now you’re back in the playoffs and we aren’t.  I have one thing to say…  Good luck!  Seriously, good luck.  I’m a die hard Yankee and Jets fan but above all else I’m a die hard New York fan.  I love my city and therefore I want to see the Giants go the distance.  So, Giants, good luck Sunday.

Nick

HO! HO ! HO!  'Tis the season to be jolly!  'Tis the season for family to enjoy each other’s company!  'Tis the season to be glad you were not killed while applying for a passport!!!

Yes friends, today I applied for my passport and OF COURSE I have a story for you.  I recently booked a vacation…turns out I need a passport…TO THE POST OFFICE! 

I arrived at the place—I won’t say which one—and wanted to get the ball rolling (I was on my lunch break).  I walked in and saw there was a pretty lengthy line, no big deal being the line was clearly not for me.  I was positive I didn’t have to wait on that line…POSITIVE!  There was a giant sign hanging over it that indicated who should wait there…the words PASS and PORT were not there.  However, as I glanced around, I did see these words labeled clearly on a door off to the side of the room. 

“US Passports” 

AWESOME!  No line, I had the forms filled out already, I’ll be in and out in a second…wrong.  I opened the door…the unlocked…beautiful and friendly door that clearly said “US PASSPORTS.”  Seriously, it was like the door was chanting my name.  Inside looked like a normal mail room.  Some chairs were sitting around, I saw an office or two, and then I finally saw a woman sitting at her desk…I figured a receptionist. 

Let’s rewind for a second.  I called this post office earlier in the morning to find out if they accepted passport applications…they did.  The gentleman also made me schedule an appointment which led to me feeling like I was in the right place when I saw the chairs and the receptionist…

“Excuse me, I’m here…” I said before I was cut off.

“WHO ARE YOU!! WHY ARE YOU BACK HERE!! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BACK HERE!!!” exclaimed the employee who frantically rose from her chair.

“HOW DID YOU GET BACK HERE!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” said another woman who was seized by panic. 

“I’m applying for my passport…the door says…”

“SIR, YOU CAN’T BE BACK HERE!! YOU HAVE TO LEAVE, SIR!! PLEASE STEP OUT OF THE ROOM!!” screamed one of the workers from across the room.

At least he called me sir…  The two women started to laugh and shake their heads.  Obviously I’m the idiot here.  I mean…of course I am, right?  I was there for an “appointment” and I walked through the unlocked door that was clearly labeled US PASSPORTS!  No “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY” or “PLEASE WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE” or anything like that.  SILLY ME!

The door should have been locked according to them, but I know one thing for sure.  Anytime I ever take out my passport, I’ll always remember the time I walked right into the back of the mail room and was screamed at by a bunch of people. 

Talk to you soon,

Nick 

I thought about this earlier today… The NFL is the largest football league in the world.  They shell out fines left and right for misbehavior and rule violations.  My question is:  When do you draw the line?  How badly do you want money?  How much are you willing to put money ahead of pride and justice? 

Ndamukong Suh stomped on a guy’s arm with cleats on.  He recently lied to the police about a car accident.  He has been talked about around the league for his misbehavior and dirty play.  The guy hurt Matt Ryan and mocked him while Ryan withered on the floor in pain.  I understand you’re a big and bad, extremelly talented football player.  God endowed you with the gift of giant sized proportions.  If I were 307 lbs and 6’3’’, I would too be in the NFL.  So this erases your conscience? 

How does this give you the right to play this way and get away with it?  There are children who watch these games, who love certain players, and have to watch as their idol stomps ferociously on another defenseless man’s arm.  What message does this give to these aspiring all-stars?  So you give out a hefty fine to Wes Welker for making a snow angel after a touchdown, which in my opinion was harmless and funny (and I'm a Jets fan), but then you have to contemplate whether you should suspend Suh or not…what is the hesitation about?  

I don’t know any NFL player personally.  Maybe it’s different behind the scenes, who knows, all I’m saying is this is what I have observed.  Goodell, there are thousands of people who would love a chance to make 68 million dollars and, on top of this enormous pay-day, THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING!  Show a good example, be a mentor, make a difference!!!  Ok, we all have flaws, and I don’t expect everyone to be Tim Tebow, but at least make an attempt!

Side note:  Tim Tebow is incredible.

Anyway, if you agree with me...If you want 68 million bucks and think you can make decent to morally correct decisions.  GIVE ME AN OH YEAH!!!  If you can manage to speak to the press after a loss and not scream and cry like a 350 lb four year old, GIVE ME AN OH YEAH!!  Or just like the post, that works too.

Nick

I recently rented The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from a Redbox.  Unfortunately the game didn’t work.  I was really upset.

Nick


Just kidding.  I spent a few minutes holding my PlayStation at different angles and blowing in it until I finally called up Redbox customer service (which is incredibly helpful), got promo codes for 3 free movies, and then rented Skyrim again (hoping the new disc would work).  The woman from Redbox actually told me she watched her boyfriend play the game and totally recommended I try rerenting it.  I assumed this wasn’t a ploy to make Redbox money…I don’t think they need my 2 bucks that bad.  I inserted the disc and immediately regretted it…I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Skyrim is insane!  Remember when I said I wished I could ride around on a horse and fight with a sword???  Well I did last night!!  The graphics are awesome.  Waterfalls, castles, dragons, knights…it’s all there.  You can easily waste a whole day simply gallivanting through the land.  Forget the storyline--although it is good--the side quests are more than enough to keep you occupied for…I don’t know, about a week straight.

The beginning of the game offers you a group of races to choose from.  Make yourself an orc, a human, an elf…whatever you want.  I spent way too much time on this and in the end chose to be a boring human.  The game doesn’t make things too hard for you in terms of where to go, what to do, etc.  There is an easy list of objectives and a useful map on the top of the screen.  It basically slaps you in the face with the right directions, there’s no way you can get lost. 

I was a fan of Fallout 3.  If you enjoyed that game, I 100% recommend this one to you.  If you don’t like RPG games, then stay away.  If you have a busy schedule, low will power, important stuff going on, or a girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife then don’t buy this game.  You need to take your will power to new heights for this one. 

Skyrim is enjoyable, it’s fun and exciting, it provides you with a world so vast and remarkable you feel compelled to play for days straight.  If you have $60.00 and you’re a fan of the RPG system, I recommend picking it up.

Nick

I took time yesterday to sit back and listen.  I read facebook statuses, I listened to my family talk to each other, and I didn’t criticize or judge anybody.  This is partially due to fatigue resulting from a late Wednesday night, but I would have done this anyway!  Wednesday got me thinking about what the real definition of ‘best friend’ is.  Feel free to comment on this and let me know what you think/your own definition.  This is what I came up with.

As I watched and read, I realized that people do a whole lot of judging.  I’m not excluded from this category and in no way am I placing myself on a pedestal.  I do it too, unfortunately…most, if not all of us do it.  At first it didn’t faze me…I simply listened to the people talk, nothing really out of the norm there.  People got upset, they got happy, they fought, they yelled.

One guy, let’s call him Mike, got really upset about a “friend”, let’s call him Dale, who apparently has continuously abused him.  Mike had recently broken up with his girlfriend, let’s call her Mila Kunis, of two years and needed Dale, who agreed to grab a drink and talk/console Mike.  Dale apparently didn’t show up that night, he texted Mike to let him know he couldn’t pass up a chance with this girl he recently met.   

Now as I heard this story, I didn’t say a word.  I just listened.  Thoughts came to mind, but I did my best to dismiss them.

So Mike went on to tell me that for the two months that followed, Dale continued to agree to hang out, only to turn around and cancel last second.  Mike claimed there had been instances where he had ditched Mila Kunis to do stuff with Dale, yet here Dale was ditching Mike for someone he barely knew.   

Mike told me he did have the help of other friends.  He said they were great, that they consoled him/helped him.  He said he didn’t even need help, that he was fine, but he was just in shock that Dale had disappeared. 

I know Mike’s going to read this.  I asked him if I could blog about it and told him I’d post it Friday.  I didn’t go to school for psychology, philosophy, or counseling but here are my thoughts on this.  We all have flaws.  Mike’s not perfect, whether it’s that he never puts the toilet seat down, he can’t parallel park to save his life, or he’s a terrible listener…it doesn’t matter, nobody is perfect.  You can’t get overly sensitive and angry at someone because they didn’t act the way you would have.  Dale is not Mike.  Mike is not Dale.  They’re two separate people with different ideals and virtues.  Dale didn’t show up these two months, he dropped the ball, but does that automatically rule him out as a good friend?  Maybe Dale felt he knew Mike well and assumed he didn’t really have to be there for him.  Do I believe Dale sucked?  Yes I do.  But that’s just me; I realized one thing in particular these past few days. 

If you go around expecting everyone to do what you would do, then you’re going to end up very disappointed.  Life would be pretty boring if we were all the same.  Mike needs to realize that this is who Dale is.  He can’t change Dale…Dale sucked those two months but maybe he’ll be the man down the road.  Can you really write the guy off because he didn’t do what you would have done?  Because he didn’t do the right thing?  How many times do we all screw up? 

I’m not Socrates.  This is just my opinion.  Dale’s going to be Dale.  Mike can’t change this fact.  He has to accept his friend for who he is or move on without him.  Forgive and forget, Mike, forgive and forget.  And if you move forward expecting some apology from Dale or you even go out and apologize for being emotional, don’t do it expecting anything in return.  Do it because that’s who you are.  Because you are doing it for yourself. 

Thanksgiving is over.  I hope you all had an incredible one with the people you love. In conclusion let me answer the question from the beginning of the post. 

Best Friend:  Someone you love, support, and accept.  When they slap you in the face, crash your car, or lash out at you when they’re stressed out.  When they’ve done terribly wrong, when they’ve reached their lowest, when they’ve reached their highest.  Even when they slip for two months or they aren't there for a break-up.  No matter what the situation may be…disregarding any negativity…this person is someone you simply can’t live without.

I’ve put this off for a few days, but I’ve decided to delve into this dark, dangerous realm.  Twilight: Breaking Dawn MOVIE review…

I unfortunately have not read the Twilight books.  I’m a fan of romantic comedies.  I’m a fan of romances.  I feel no shame in admitting that—but Twilight really does go above and beyond the typical romance book/movie.  This should really have its own genre…super romance. 

I went into the movie with an open mind and an open heart.  I wanted to really see what it was all about, to really understand what all of the hullabaloo was.  I’ll say right off the bat; I greatly respect and admire JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer.  These two extraordinarily talented women created two unique worlds that swallowed millions.  Rowling sat on a train, Rowling, and dreamt, Meyer, about two life changing ideas.  I stood on line for Twilight and I looked around at the ecstatic teenage girls, the amped middle aged women, and, I swear, the “I’m just here for my girlfriend/wife…but look into my eyes and you can see I’m totally team Jacob” men.  Oh yes there were men there also, Meyer has attracted every single age group there is.  All hail Stephenie Meyer, Queen of Romantics. 

I’m not going to bash the movie.  Did I like it?  No, I did not.  Can I see why people like it?  Yes, I do.  This is just me; I’m not into deeply romantic settings such as this one.  More than half of the movie was a wedding…ten minutes was Bella walking down the aisle.  Yes, she had a beautiful dress on, but I noticed that after the first ten seconds, I didn’t need ten full minutes.  Truth has its romance; of course it does, but it's romance doesn't compare to the intensity of Twilight...it's primarily a mystery, thriller after all. 

I loved the fighting.  I straightened up every time a werewolf jumped on the screen.  I really think Taylor Lautner was…great.  I think he’s stepped up big time, and I’m sure he’s an avid reader of my blog so I would like to extend the role of Ethan Carey to him as soon as Truth hits the big screen.  I laughed at him ripping his shirt off a minute into the movie.  It was like Stephenie Meyer’s gift to all of the ticket holders.  Hey, if I had that body, I wouldn’t own a shirt. 

So bottom line is, Twilight hits everyone in a different way.  If you’re a fan, you’ll love it, if you aren’t, I’m sure something in there will tickle your pickle.

Nick       

Life is so precious.  Every second of it is just so treasurable, but do we all realize that?  I didn’t know Andy Feliz.  I went to Andy’s school, I know people who knew him, I see the messages, I see the Facebook tributes…He was loved.  People loved Andy; they’re all saying such beautiful things about him… 

I’m sorry, should my words offend anyone, but when I heard about the passing of Andy Feliz I felt compelled to write.  Just 17 years old, just a young man with the whole world ahead of him.  Ample possibilities to be anything he chose, but God decided this was his time.  I read the hundred messages written about Andy, and what I concluded is that God took an intelligent, funny, loyal, great person. 

Salesian High School may seem like an ordinary school to most but it’s not.  Students of Salesian High stick together.  We’re told, throughout our four years, that we are a family, but most of us don’t realize the truth in that statement.  Just another corny line…but it’s not.  Sometimes we fight, sometimes we “hate” each other, sometimes we may act immature, but the bottom line is we’re brothers.  At the end of the day, we know right from wrong, and we don’t wish evil upon each other.  As a family, I know we will all pray for the repose of the soul of Andy Feliz…those of us who didn’t know him and those of us who did…a 17 year old boy taken too soon.  Andy will graduate from Salesian High School, he will be carried in all of your hearts as you walk down that aisle. 

“Death, the last sleep?  No, it is the final awakening.” Sir Walter Scott  

RIP Andy Feliz.