Back in the Saddle

I am pretty sure that the wear and tear wrestling has put on my head over the past 5 years has caused my brain function to deteriorate. In an effort to derail this regression, I have decided to pick up the pen (or in this case, the keyboard) again and start trying to write again on a semi-regular basis. Hopefully some people read this blog, start to enjoy it, tell others about it, and then we can all have an extra distraction in our lives, and I can retrieve some of my lost mental capacity.

-Starting with the arts, my girlfriend and I see new movies nearly every Tuesday of the year. Thanks to a theater near my home continuing "bargain" Tuesdays at only $6 a movie all day long, this has reflected minimally in my pocketbook. Last week I saw Date Night, starring two of my favorites: Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The movie was hampered by a PG-13 rating, but overall it was a good way to spend 90 minutes and I would recommend it to any couple, especially those who live together or have been together for a long enough time to know the ins and outs of the Mars vs. Venus debate. On a side note, paying for movie snacks is outrageous. I sneak diet soda and beef jerky into that shit every single time. Bargain Tuesdays are the only time I think oversized purses are useful.

-Other movies I've seen lately, complete with quick ratings (out of 4 stars): Precious- 3 1/2 stars, Zombieland- 2 1/2 stars, Hot Tub Time Machine- 2 1/2 stars, Alice in Wonderland- 1 star, Avatar (in IMAX 3D) 4 stars, She's Out of My League- 2 stars, Crazy Heart- 4 stars. That about covers the last month of my movie viewing.

-I have been blasting Four Year Strong's (pictured below) new album "Enemy of the World" for about a month straight now. I saw them in concert about 3 weeks ago at a small show headlined by Everytime I Die. One thing I noticed while at this show was that I am getting old. I'm 23, nearly 24, and I feel like I'm too old for my own music! I remember the days when I was but a mere 16 and moshing and dancing and crowd surfing like there was no tomorrow. Now, I'm just that old dude who goes to shows by himself and bobs his head while looking menacing with his arms crossed. The girls are all too young and instead of watching their sweaty bodies writhe, I find myself wondering if they are even old enough to be in the establishment to begin with. F me.

-I know it's a little late, but here are some albums from 2009 you NEED to listen to:
1)"Homesick" by A Day to Remember
2)"This Will Be the Death of Us" by Set Your Goals
3)"Retribution" by Shadows Fall
4)"The Blueprint 3" by Jay Z
5)"A Shipwreck in the Sand" by Silverstein

-ROH has some new belts and I think they are pretty cool. I posted a picture of my new World Title on my Twitter this week and it got a mixed response. Let me clarify a few things. A) The new belt is much larger than the old one. The faceplate nearly covers my nipples. B) The belt is actually gold, which is great because now I can refer to it as such in promos without looking like a dummy. And C) I will always be partial to the old belt because that's the one Samoa Joe made famous and it's the only ROH title I've ever known. I was super honored to have had the opportunity to wear it for a couple of months, but I am even more taken aback by being the man lucky enough to usher in a new piece of ROH history.

-Recently in some interviews I've done the question has come up, "Tyler, you've accomplished a lot in your career thus far, but what is your ultimate goal? Is it with ROH, or TNA, or WWE, or what?" I found it difficult to answer at first, but once I got into the process of mulling it over I discovered that my goal in this industry really hasn't changed that much; not nearly as much as my perception of said industry has changed anyway. And to answer the question, my ultimate goal really is just to reach as many people as I can with wrestling as my channel. I want kids to brush their teeth with my cute little catch phrases in their heads. I want to give massive crowds of people goosebumps with climactic moments in my career. I want to tell stories and create honest portraits that keep kids out of bad situations and inspire people to follow their dreams. I want to retire and have a future set up for my own children. I want to provide for myself and for a family I plan to have in the future. Whether or not I can accomplish these goals is to be determined, as is where and how I go about completing them. Currently, ROH is my home and I love it there. I hope that the company can grow with me leading the charge, and if it's to be that I move on to something else...well, only time will tell. It would be preemptive and a tad asinine of me to assume what lies ahead. All I can promise is that I'll never stop working hard. The journey to the end is not to be overlooked, and looking back is just as vital as looking ahead.

Alright, I've ranted enough. Gotta save something for next time. I ain't no hollaback girl.

TB