UrbanGroop

Happy Halloween! 

I'm going to brave the crazy mother fuckers out there and going to party. I feel like I have to because my costume was specifically chosen to get as drunk as possible. 

I went as an exterminator last weekend and will go as that again tonight. I bought a weed sprayer (new, and I cleaned it) and filled it with booze. All night I went around spraying alcohol into people's mouths. It's the easiest way to sneak booze into a bar. No one questions it. You are everyone's favorite person in this costume.

I just bought a Nutribullet. 

In an effort to get healthy, I bought one of these at the urging of a friend. 

I've only had it for a few days, but it's great. It's fast, easy to clean, and delicious. All I have to do is put in a base of greens (kale/spinach), add in fruit (I prefer frozen berries) and add water. Then all you do is twist and blend. 

The Nutribullet costs $99 but so far it seems like it's worth it. I'm getting more servings of vegetables everyday and it's not an awful experience...like salad. 

Craziest fucking thing happened to me the other night! 

I was sitting at stoplight on my bike, head down just chilling. Then I hear someone say, "What are you looking at?" I look up to see a cracked out looking guy start punching me in the face! I'm straddling my bike, so I have to get off to get myself in any kind of position to defend myself. When my bike falls to the ground, he picks it up and rides off with my bike.

I stood there dumbfounded, not sure what to do. For a split second I was strongly considering letting the guy have my bike. Why would I go after a crazy man for a bike?

Then two strangers in a car frantically tell me to get in.  They followed the guy as he rode my bike away and I was on the phone with 911. 

We follow the guy through side streets of LA until he comes to the intersection of Fountain and Vine. I remember this because I was describing the man's clothing to the 911 dispatcher (navy blue jacket, gray shirt, jeans that were rolled up 2 inches, and white Nike shoes).

We take a right hand turn and the guy starts to slow down. Another guy who saw the assault followed us in a truck and was in the left lane. He sticks his head out of the window and points to the guy asking if that's the guy. "Yes."

This guy gets out of his car in traffic and tackles the son of a bitch! I am supremely confused. I get out and he has the suspect in a chokehold, on the sidewalk, yelling at me to call the cops. I said I was on the phone with 911.  

I am tired. 

I haven't forgotten about this blog. I just got side tracked for a few days. 

Here are things that have been causing me to lose sleep:

- Catching up on work from my Montana trip

- Drinking copious amounts of alcohol

- Netflix (Can you just watch one episode of anything on there?)

We all have those weeks where we get side tracked. I'm sure I will have more of these weeks in the future as well. Just don't make it a habit. 

Sorry for another short post. My flight got in at midnight and I had to get up early to go meet my accountant (#firstworldproblems). I'm dead tired. 

I am a dreamer. I always have been and I always will. I will never apologize for this. If you're a dreamer, you think big and you think waay outside the box. 

To others, you might seem a bit crazy. That's because people can't see what you see. They just can't fathom the impossible. 

Don't let these people cramp your style. Keep on dreaming. Think big. Think so big you don't know how to accomplish the goal. The world needs dreamers, it's how we progress.

Dreamers push our limits. Dreamers are why we have landed on the moon, why we have computers in our pockets, and why we have eradicated many deadly diseases. 

I'm on planes all day since there doesn't seem to be a direct flight from LA to Missoula. So I'll leave you with this gif, with a great message. 

Happy Monday everyone. I hope your week is off to a great start. I’m still in my mini-vacation mode, so no long post today.

I'm soooo excited! I'm getting out of LA for a few days! 

Ugh, life is Los Angeles is tiring. A third of the people hate you, a third of the people annoy you, and you can't sync your schedule to even see the third you do like. 

I need a break. I know I went to Arizona a few weeks ago, but I was still connected and in a city. This time I'm going to Montana for a four days and it's going to be fabulous. 

This is how I feel today. 

But tonight everything will be all better. Why? Alcohol. Hooray for Tuesdays! 

3 Movies Every 20-Something Should Watch

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Sure, this movie chronicles the life of an 18 year old as he plays hooky from high school, but it's a classic '80s movie by John Hughes. Highly entertaining. You won't go wrong with this one. 

Reality Bites

I'll be honest, I don't think of this movie when I try to recall my favorite movies. But, I think it's a great movie for anyone in their twenties. It definitely speaks to the troubles of someone just out of college. Plus, you might recognize some of the young actors as A-listers today. 

The Big Lebowski 

There are two kinds of people in this world. Ones that loves the Big Lebowski and everyone else. Don't be everyone else.

Job hunting. It sucks. What a terrible fucking experience. But unless you're Mark Zuckerberg, chances are you'll have to interview for a job. 

Hunting for a job is a really depressing endeavor. You start with an abundance of optimism and confidence. You look for jobs and the job descriptions seem perfect for you. So you start applying, expecting to get an interview in a few days. 

After a few days, the phone doesn't ring. Your inbox fills up with useless updates from e-commerce stores and forwarded emails from your friends. No response from hiring managers. 

After a few more days you start to worry. Waiting to hear back from the recruiter is the worst. You're anxious and you drive yourself crazy. Soon all the jobs you think you're qualified for, you've applied to. Either you start to apply for random jobs you're over or under qualified for, or you stop and wait for someone to call. 

It's a terrible and unpleasant experience. Your self-esteem will drop and soon you won't think you're qualified for anything. You look at job boards and just think, "I'm done." 

So how can you avoid this awful job hunting dance? While it's never going to be easy, these are THREE easy ways to get ahead with your job hunt. 

1. Tap Into Your Network

Ask people you know if they know of any jobs. Companies ask their employees if they know people for open positions before publicly posting the jobs. Plus, a warm introduction will help you get the first interview. 

2. Ask For Advice

Use Linkedin and find people at organizations who work in positions and departments you want to work in. Ask them for advice. Interview them. Start building a relationship. People are more willing to give advice rather than being solicited for a job. When a job opens up, they'll think of you. 

3. Add Value

This might be more useful at smaller companies, but adding value to a company is a huge asset. You're proving to the company that you are good at what you do and that you're an ambitious person. 

Value is subjective. It depends on each company. Value to some might be an introduction (potential sale) to others it might be feedback on their product. Whatever it is, the company will appreciate it and remember you. 

The bottom line is, get in front of the people in charge of hiring. You don't want to be a faceless resume. Get yourself noticed! Because when you do, you'll get the call you've been waiting for. 

"You're hired." 

Working out. Ugh. What a pain. Unfortunately, you’ll hit a point in your twenties where the Big Mac you ate late night will stay on your ass the next morning. You have no choice but to start working out or start wearing sweatpants all day. 

If you’re like me, your physical activity has dwindled since your svelte high school days, turning you into a rounder version of your former self. 

There are two things that usually derail exercise as an adult. First is time. We always seem to run out of time. When you come home from a shitty day at the office, the last thing you want to do is slap on some shorts and go for a run. So we end up not working out. One day turns into two and all of a sudden it’s been 2 months since you went to the gym. 

The second reason we’re less active as adults is because working out sucks. It’s boring. Treadmills, elliptical machines, weights, it’s all so boring. It’s not like high school where you had soccer practice five days a week, which was super fun. No, you have to motivate yourself to go run in place for 30 minutes. You can’t help but feel like a hamster on a treadmill. 

So how do you get past the time constraint and banality of working out? Three things I’ve found helpful. 

I’ve learned that consistency trumps all. You don’t have to run 60 minutes four times a week to be in shape. In fact, if that’s what you’re trying to do, you’re going to get discouraged when you can only run 10 minutes. Focus on working out everyday but only for short periods of time. You will get more value from 7 days of 15 minute runs than three 30 minute workouts.*

Because you’re focusing on consistency, your workouts are going to be shorter. Shorter workouts mean it’s less of a pain to get a workout in. Getting to a gym, doing a workout, and coming home can end up being a two hour ordeal. Who has time for that? 

Lastly, mix it up. Join a soccer league or take spin classes once a week. Take a hike on a trail. All your workouts don’t have to be in a stuffy gym or running the same route around your neighborhood. Find a few activities that can get you active that are more fun than a treadmill. Who knows, you might find a good looking date? 

One last parting note. If you don’t want to work out as much, stop eating fast food. You can work out all day, but if you eat a pizza like a taco, you’re never going to be healthy. 

Your body may be changing in your twenties, but you’re still young. You might as well enjoy being active while you can. One day you’ll be old, hunched over, and too decrepit to do anything. So get off your ass and do something! 

Love like you've never been hurt. 

Ok, I know I'm starting to beat a dead horse with the love related posts. So this one will be my last one for a while. 

Even though I'm hurting right now; because I put myself out there and was rejected, I'm ok. I'm ok because I don't have regret in my heart.

When someone doesn't share romantic feelings back, it stings. But I'd rather feel this sting than the dull, chronic pain of, "What if?" 

To everyone out there who is feeling heartache or has felt it, just remember to keep on loving. Don't be afraid to love someone because you've been hurt in the past. Love is the greatest feeling in the world when it's right and everyone should know how that feels. 

* I used the Ross and Rachel GIF because they are my favorite TV couple. Even though they're fictional, they give me hope. The hope that two people are meant to be together and can get through anything and end up together. Lame I know, but I still love it. 

Emotional pain. It's a part of life. It sucks, but it's true. 

But pain is something we learn from. The sharper the pain, the harder the lesson. 

Don't believe me? Let's use physical pain as an elementary example. When you experience physical pain, doesn't that teach you a lesson? If you place your hand on an hot burner and burn yourself you get hurt. This pain teaches you not to place your hand on a hot burner. 

Now let's apply this same concept to emotional pain. Emotional pain can actually be more painful than physical pain sometimes. Did you try to force a relationship with someone who wasn't ready for a relationship? Did that person tell you this but you tried anyway? It didn't work did it? It hurts a lot doesn't it?

In the future, are you going to try that again or did you learn from the experience? Learn from your emotional pain is a part of life. Sadly, we often don't learn as quickly from our emotional pain as we do with our physical pain.

That's because we have faith (hope) that the situation will turn out differently than before. Even though we know touching the hot burner will burn us, we try it anyway. It happens to everyone. So you might not learn the first time, but at some point, you need to learn. 

This is a lesson we all need to remember. No matter how someone looks and acts on the outside, we never know how they are feeling on the inside. 

Can men and women be platonic friends?

It’s a question that I have debated over for years. I am a male that has had many platonic girlfriends throughout his life. Probably too many. It dates back all the way to elementary school.

As someone who has had about 12 serious platonic girlfriends during his life (serious meaning we talk on a regular basis and they are the go-to person in a crisis), I DON’T think men and women can be platonic friends on a long-term basis.

How can this be? I just stated that I have had a lot of platonic girlfriends. Am I full of shit? Well, based on my extensive experience, I believe that there are two ways men and women can be platonic friends and it ends with a caveat.

1. No Sexual Chemistry or Desire

Sex changes everything. Once you have sex with someone, you can’t go back. Even if you were friends, it’s going to be different. So no sexual chemistry is the most important component of a platonic, co-ed relationship.

You can’t think about your friend in a sexual manner. In order to be friends, you can’t secretly undress your friend every time you see him/her. Somewhere down the line, you’ll resent them, because face it, you’re the person that’s going to hear all the good and bad dating stories. If you have the slightest attraction to that person, at some point, you’re going to blurt out something like, ‘Why don’t we just do it? We know we’re good together.” Poof. End of friendship.

2. Respect for a New Relationship

When you and your friend are both single, life is great. You fill the void of companionship for one another. You hang out on weekends, you text each other during the week. There is no loneliness because you have your buddy. But when one person finds love, that throws off the whole dynamic.

You can’t keep communicating at the same pre-relationship volume as you once had. Attention must now be shifted from friend to lover. If not, the relationship won’t work. You can’t be pushy and demand the same amount of attention as you once had.

Don’t be surprised if your friend falls off the face of the Earth either. That happens during new relationships. But make sure you send enough occasional text messages and coffee dates to keep the friendship alive. You’re going to need that person if (when) that relationship ends.

It’s these same two rules that make me think men and women cannot be platonic friends forever. I think these friendships are fleeting moments that will always be remembered, but can never be long-lasting. The only reason why I have some great friendships with women is because they’re far away. There is a reason why I’ve had so many platonic friendships. They come and go.

Ultimately, the reason why I think opposite sex, platonic relationships won’t work is because at some point, there is always one person who would be willing to give it a shot (I say this with no scientific data, but am 98% sure I’m correct).

You can’t hang out with someone for such an extended period of time and not think about taking it to the next level. Either one person is secretly harboring sexual feelings for the other, or your emotional bond has become so strong, that you think, “Why aren’t we together?” Then the platonic, friendship paradigm is changed forever.

Maybe I’m cynical now because I’m in love with a girl who only wants to be my friend, but I just don’t think it will work. Either you go off and find someone to love and leave your friend behind or you are left wondering and dreaming what might have been.