I started watching a new show on MTV called, “The Buried Life”.  It is about four twenty-somethings that break away from normal life to complete 100 items on their bucket list.  The first episode was when they tried to sneak into the Playboy mansion to attend a party.  They did this by smuggling in using a large cake as a prop.  At the end of every episode, they do a good deed for someone else that is on their list.  There were able to raise money for a needy 5th grade class to buy them a new iMac computer.

Last night’s episode was number #41 on the list.  They wanted to make a toast a stranger’s wedding. After one unsuccessful attempt, they were able to sneak into a Dallas wedding and make a sweet toast without getting caught.  The amazing deed at the end was helping a local black artist named, Sam Fuller.  Sam said if he could do one thing before he died it would be to talk to his son after 17 years.  He signs all of his artwork Sam and Laban Fuller.  The guys called several people and were able to hook up with Laban Fuller.  He is a college student at a Baton Rouge college in Lousiana.  They explained that they found a man named Sam Fuller in Dallas, and one thing he wanted to do before he died was to talk to his son.  Laban agreed to speak with his father.  At the end of the show Sam was given the cell phone number of Laban and made the call.  I immediately burst into tears because how much it touched me. 

Watch here: http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:471692

There are men out there they make mistakes and find themselves regretting their mistakes especially when it comes to their children.  My son was lying next to me in bed and rolled over and said, “What’s wrong Daddy?”  I looked him in the eyes and told him that he would never have the problem with me.  I gave him a  kiss and told him how much I loved him.  He laid on my chest until he fell asleep, and I found myself at peace.

The good deed inspired me to do the same for someone else.  So please let me know what you would like to do before you die.  You can post it as a comment on this blog or email me privately at jasonm@crestviewbulletin.com.  I will choose one and pay it forward because everyone needs a break in life.  Please respond from your heart!

One of my favorite shows to watch is American Idol.  I tend to like the auditions more than the main show.  You get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.  So far we are into week 3 and there are a few stand out performances.

My favorite performance to date is “Pants on the Ground” by General Larry Platt

This guys is 62 years old preaching about pulling your pants up, lookin like a fool!  I love the splits too.  Don’t try this at home.

Then you have, “Tip Toe to the window” from Tiny Tim

He’s been tiptoeing since grade school.  I am disturbed Mr. Jackson!

This year the first person was arrested and taken out in handcuffs.

That was the worst amazing grace ever!

The last one I wanted to share with everyone is the girl from Tennessee.  She has a nice country voice but she is so excited and thankful for a chance.  I hope she goes far.

Who is your favorite so far?

A topic that has been bothering me lately is kids and cell phones.  What is the proper age for children to carry a cell phone?  My two older kids both have one.  James is 13 and Amanda is 11.  I personally think that James should have one because he is responsible and he doesn’t abuse the privilege.  Amanda on the other hand calls people in the middle of the night, while she is at school, and doesn’t understand that it is a tool rather than a toy.  I’ve found out that there are kids that are 7 years old that have cell phones?  For what?  Do parents leave them somewhere where they will need to reach them?  There was an 8 year old girl the other day with an iPhone.  We are talking about a $500 cell phone people!  Would you give your 8 year old five hundred dollars to be responsible for?  No!  We need to use cell phones what they were intended for:  Safety, security, and a communication device.  Plus kids are texting freaks of nature!  I caught my 13 year old texting while eat, texting while using the restroom, and texting while sleeping (ok, he was supposed to be sleeping).  My opinion is that kids should have cell phones either when they are 12 years old or older or when they are responsible enough to use it in case of emergency.

The next thing you will see is kids with bluetooths in their ears!

I love each year when people decide to get a gym membership the first week of January.  The gym is flooded with newbies who have no clue how to workout and they always seem to keep me laughing.  Today I saw a middle aged women bend over and noticed that she was wrapped in saran wrap.  I guess she is making sure she doesn’t spoil.  Then a young lady did about 45 minutes of cardio and dashed outside.  When she walked back in she smelled strong of cigarettes.  She was probably just getting some air in between the treadmill and the elliptical.  Finally, I love when people create new exercises that were never seen or done before.  I like to name these as I see them.  So I have three new exercises to share for 2010.  You have the bent over butt crunch cable supreme.  This works your spinal cord so that you will be paralyzed from the waist down in two years.  Then you have the lay the dumbell on your chest raise.  This tends to work your funny bone real good so that you don’t bump it on a table.  The last new exercise of 2010 is the cable cross over into a side split.  I promise you that I am not making this up!  I will take camera phone pictures next time.

If you are new to a gym, please come and see me first.  I will save you the intial embarassment and would be glad to help!

Good luck in 2010!

Well last night was rather interesting for the MTV VMAs. I thought that Madonna did an excellent job in her tribute speech to Michael Jackson. I actually had chill bumps for a minute. Then there was Lady Gaga and her crazy outfits. I wasn’t sure if she was going to a Mardi Gras ball or the VMAs. And what is with her performance and the blood scene? It reminded me of a scene from the 80’s Carrie thriller.

I was rather disappointed at Kanye for taking Taylor Swift’s spotlight. That wasn’t necessary and was outright rude. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys topped of the night with the Empire State of Mind song.

The VMAs were more about the wackiness than the actual winners this year.

We recently launched our new community message board named the “Crestview Chatter”.

You can find it: http://forums.crestviewbulletin.com

You are encourage to share your comments on local news, politics, sports, and general topics.

Check out my latest post:

http://forums.crestviewbulletin.com/showthread.php?t=32

I was once told that you cannot make someone happy.  But you can make yourself happy and share your happiness with someone that wants to share there’s with you. 

I’ve been reflecting on happiness a lot lately.  I know that too many people go through life complacent and bored.  It is our life-long right to ensure our own happiness.  Why wake up one day and realize that you’ve wasted your life being unhappy.  Make sure each day that you remove barriers to happiness.  Increase your focus on things that make you happy as this will increase your drive and belief in yourself. 

Happiness can manifest itself in many arenas.  Your family, job, hobbies, volunteer work, or your love life can all increase your happiness.  Music can help your mood and demeanor which in turns can drive the happy meter upward.

If you are not happy please do something about it.  Because if you don’t you will wake up with your life as a distant memory and then you die.

You control your own destiny and your own happiness.

God is love…

G.A.M.

This has been a very sad week.  We have ran many stories about the police shootings in every paper every day.  I came home last night after the memorial at the Crestview Community Center and hugged my son.  I know that Officer Lopez and Officer York were both family men and they leave their beautiful families behind.  These men gave up their lives to protect our county.  They were retired military men who served to protect our country. 

These men are heroes in my book.

I was driving back to work today after lunch and I saw all the police vehicles surrounding Central Baptist Church for Officers Lopez’ funeral.  There were cops form Louisiana, Texas, and various other cities and counties.

Make sure that every single cop you see that you take the time out and shake their hands and tell them, “THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!”

Officer Lopez and Officer York: Rest in Peace gentlemen.

I have been contemplating lately on when to put my son in organized sports.  He is four years old and he turns five in November.  He has amazing left arm and his kicking ability is superb.  I noticed this when he was three when he picked up a tennis ball and sent a line drive buzzing at my head.  Keep in mind that I don’t want to be one of those parents that forces their kids to play sports.  I grew up down the street from a boy that his dad made him pitch in his backyard at 12 years old instead of riding bikes and climbing trees like every other boy.  I think that I will wait until he is 5 or 6.  I want him to understand the flow of the game.  The main goal is for him to exercise and have fun.  I was thinking tee ball and soccer. 

What are your thoughts?

We start life roaming aimlessly without any direction or purpose.  Our parents tend to push us in certain directions.  If we look back on our childhood we can find many factors that have shaped us into who we are today.

I grew up as an only child.  I’ve heard several times that that explains it all.  I didn’t have any siblings to deal with and or learn to share.  I was the center of attention.  I played four sports in high school and graduated third in my class with a 4.24 GPA.  I have never made a B.  I guess you would have considered me a nerd.  I was into taking computers apart and fixing them.  I ran my first Bulletin Board Service or BBS when I was 14 years old.  I never dated until I was 17 years old.  I graduated at 150 lbs. soaking wet.  I looked like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite.  My mom still has a picture of me at her house that all my friends laugh out when they come over.  But it reminds me of who I used to be.

My first year of college I because engaged to my high school sweetheart.  After a year of being engaged I caught her cheating on me and it broke my heart.  Sometimes in life we need to get knocked down to rock bottom before we can choose to pick ourselves back up and make a change.

I joined a Fraternity and gained a ton of friends but I also stopped playing sports and tended to drink beer 7 nights a week.  Although my grades never suffered I gained 45 lbs my first year of college.  I guess it was from depression, alcohol and downright laziness.  I looked in the mirror one day and didn’t like the person that I saw.  I didn’t like me.

My best friend, Tim Bennett was a manager at Gold’s Gym on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola, FL.  He would also tell me to come and workout.  I would always make an excuse.  I said, “I really don’t know what to do.”  He said, “I will show you.” After a while of making excuses I agreed to come to the gym and try it out.  Tim pushed me and I liked it.  I took all my negative energy out on the weights.  I lost all the beer fat and Taco bell weight that I had put on in three months.  Then met a nutritionalist and started learning how to eat healthy.  Over the past 10 years I have been pushing myself and building muscle.  I now weight 230 lbs.  I have been a competitive bodybuilder for the past 8 years.

I found that bodybuilding was my therapy.  It helped heal me too.  I transformed into a new person.  I was motivated not only in the gym but at work and in life.  I became a confident individual who learned to take care of myself first.  In 2000, I shaved me head bald.  Not because I was balding but because I knew that I would be bald one day and I was curious to see what it would look like.  Not all heads are created equal.  I was afraid that I had a huge Frankenstein type scar under all that hair from my childhood days.  But to my dismay I had a rather round head.  So I vowed to myself that I would never grow my hair back.  It was another factor that created me.

While I was in college I got a job as a computer salesman at Tech Advanced Computers in Pensacola, FL.  When I graduated I was promoted to the store manager of the Tech Advanced Computers in Fort Walton Beach in Uptown station.  I actually was given the opportunity to open my own store.  I work there for 3 years while community back to Pensacola.  I got tired of the retail environment and was looking at working back in Pensacola.  The Daily News was one of my clients and was in need of a Network Engineer. 

After three years I moved up to the Systems Manager.  Two years later I was named the Panhandle IT Director for the Daily News, Destin Log, and Walton Sun.  At 27, I was the youngest department head in the entire Freedom Communications.

When I was 28 I had my first child.  I named him Jaxson Bryce Mobley.  His name is like Jason with an X.  Someone once told me that children will change your whole life.  And it did.  Once I saw his face a warmth came over me that I can’t explain.  But every parent here knows what I am talking about.  A love for a child is stronger than any love that I have ever had.  It is completely different than the love that I have for my wife.  I looked my son in the eyes when he was a little baby and made him a promise that I would be the best damn dad that he will ever see.  My son is my world.  He taught me how to love unconditionally.

In February, I was promoted to the General Manager of the Crestview News Bulletin.  I have always been in management and wanted to run a newspaper.  I have learned a lot about Crestview and what it has to offer. 

We are now the largest city in Okaloosa County.  It is not only our privilege but also our obligation to make sure that we continue to work together to make Crestview grow and prosper. 

I want to close with a few words of wisdom that I’ve learned along the way.

1.  Having Time:  You make time for the things that you want to do.

2.  Happiness: A wise man once said, “You cannot make someone happy.”  But you can make yourself happy and share your happiness with someone else that wants to share theirs with you.

3.  Change: Pee or get off of the pot.  If there are things about yourself that you don’t like.  Then do something about it.  Or if they are truly beyond your control then let them go.

4.  Find your own motivation.  Motivation cannot be taught it has to be found from within.

5.  Be the best parent you can be.  Put your children before yourself.  Ant take time to actually list to them.

6.  Live each day as it was your last.

7.  If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

8.  If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.

9.  Hold you head up because you have every right to.  Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself.  It you don’t believe in yourself, no one will believe in your either.  You can make of your life anything you wish.

Good luck and much success in 2009.