fyi my fellow cincinnatians

for anyone who is from cincinnati and understands how great the city is, i found this blog i think you should check out and pass on to others for them to enjoy. in the few minutes that i was searching around, i came across many insights to my wonderful city, all accompanied by a photo of the day. its called cincinnati daily photo and worth taking a look at and seeing for yourself.

it also sends a shout out to milford, who knew others have heard of it as well

christmas, does it really exist here?

i have come to find from living in southwest florida that christmas does not exist in this part of the world. it is all fake down here, no real christmas decorations, no merry singing, no overcast skies with blistering winds, and no snow. how the hell can a parent live with themselves while providing a child a "christmas" without the winter wonderland? being from ohio, having a white christmas may not have been a guarantee, but at least it was always a great possibility. i remember being young and running down to stairs to see what santa brought me only to be momentarily side tracked by the fresh powder, marked only by what i thought were reindeer tracks, that could be seen through the front door windows. not only that, i was in pajamas-meaning flannel pants and soon to be a sweatshirt because it was winter in

one of my favorites

right now i am doing one of my favorite things, something that i credit to my study abroad trip to vienna and my professor morton who taught my class music and culture in vienna: classicism to romanticism. i am listening to classical music, antonin dvořák from prague to be exact. i joined the class after i had met morton at the welcome dinner aha puts on when the new students arrive in vienna to begin the program. midway through the first lecture i thought

a comparison of the two

i wanted to take a minute to give me readers an idea of the differences in the attention to detail that europe has compared to what i witnessed in santo domingo. it seems like every country has some sort of national monument to pay homage to their heroes of the past. the picture to the left was taken at the altar de la patria/ altar of the nation also known as tumba de los padres de la patria/ tomb of the patriarchs of the country or more simply the national mausoleum. built in 1976 and made of

back in the states

before i begin with anything, i would like to inform my mother that this is her warning to stop reading, turn away, and never ask of this. actually its not that bad and mom will find out anyway after i tell her. on saturday night, i arrived back at the ft lauderdale/hollywood international airport about 30 minutes late only to find out that my ride was also delayed and could not pick me up. i was left with only a few options.

1) take a taxi-over $150-200

2) phone a friend-it was about 12:30/1 in the morning

just a quick heads up

i wanted to let you know that i added some pictures to the blog that i could not do while i was in the dr. it isnt much but i hope that will will be able to get at least a small look into what i was able to see...enjoy

final thoughts on the dr

this is one that i have been meaning to write about since the first day, and i am glad that i waited. where i am getting to is the driving habits of this country. i want everyone to read what i am about to write then close their eyes and really imagine the words i just typed. think about how much we complain about the drivers in the states, i know i do about the traffic patterns in fort myers due to the many different driving cultures that converge in this area every winter; midwestern, new england, city, country, all forged into one creative chaos. lets take it a bit further, try to think of what it would

santo domingo, a hidden gem

today i grabbed my camera and just went for a walk. while living in vienna during my study abroad trip last spring, this was one of my favorite ways to spend my weekends and down time. i not only felt that it was a great way to get out and moving, but also a way to discover the inner beauty of a city. every walk led me to new appreciations and findings that i had not yet noticed. you can sometimes walk by a building a hundred times and notice nothing, and that

finding some street grub

after training today i went out in search of some street grub. by this time at night i was tired and hungry and in no mood to cook. the grocery stores were closing this was was my last resort. i have been reluctant to eat much off the streets or even the smaller local diners for fear of the food quality, but tonight i swallowed the pride and set out to subdue my craving.

training day 4-revenge of the pitch

after monday nights training, i found new confidence in the facilities here in the dr. that however was to be short lived. for starters, those who know me realize it takes a lot to get me upset to the point where i am mad. usually i take things for what they are and i do realize that i am in a country where wealth is not common and the facilities suffer because of it. but i made a lot of changes to come down here to play, ditched my family on thanksgiving, missed out of opportunities to see my best friends, all of which i have not seen since august. the last thing i want to feel is that i have been cheated on a chance to perform well.

dominican republic, the good, the bad, and the ugly

i have realized that i have not mentioned too much about the dr itself, for starters, it is a far cry from the comforts of the states. the city is very lively, the people are extremely friendly and helpful, the the history is second to none in the americas, and i am staying in the heart of the zona colonial, in other words, i am sitting on a historical bedrock. outside of my hotel is a 3 minute walk from where christopher columbus lived after he discovered the new world and another 2-3

a far cry from the states

after three days of sight seeing, walking up and down as many streets that i can, and this view from my hotel window... i have officially began my playing experience. to say an "experience," is to undermine the true meaning of the word. in the states, i have been spoiled with grass fields and a playing career that minimizes dirt and gravel pitches. at wilmington, and even high school to dig deeper into the memory banks, the fields were plush midwestern grounds