Sink or Swim

i'm back from my vacation in the caribbean and i loved every moment of it. the white, sandy beaches. the blue, serene water. i remember arriving at those waters for the first time and i stood there, spellbound, by the sea. i just wanted to jump in there... but wait. hold it. this fish can't swim. if you can picture a fish out of water, that's what i usually am when i'm IN the water. legs flailing, arms waving, i'm pretty much the definition of the word "relaxed" when i'm in the water. i attribute this phobia to something that happened in my childhood. regardless, i cannot swim.

until now.

i enrolled myself into swim classes (shoutout to groupon: keep sending me coupons on things 99% of the time i won't use). now, the groupon claimed that the class was for adults only. however, i had this idea in the back of my head that it would be me with a bunch of kids and that i would be the WORST student there and they would all laugh at me. this is not the case. there are about 9-10 adults in the class with me and we are all learning together. but literally right next to where we are learning, there are tons of kids who are training that make it look so easy. it's very discouraging for some people.

i'm getting there, slowly but surely. my freestyle doesn't have much style right now nor does my backstroke have any stroke. regardless, i got my feet wet... and then my legs, then my body, and then my head. i plunged headfirst into this and can only hope to stay afloat. hope's all i need, right? since hope floats? alright, i think i've reached my limit for horrible swimming jokes.

thanks for reading.

-jdv

For someone Special

i usually don't write about my personal life in these blogs, but i figured i would break the rules for this special someone. i mean, when you're in love, real love, don't you just want to shout it out from the mountaintops? isn't this my very own mountaintop? www.blogger.com? the internet is a vast land and i would definitely put up blogger.com as a major mountain range next to google and yahoo. so i put together a little something for you, yes you. you know who you are:

it all started with a roommate situation,
that led to a ride "home." innocent flirtation.
your laugh broke my concentration,
and your beauty led to my adoration.

we began hanging out, catching one of our favorite shows, dexter.
who would have known that you would become my favorite texter.
to you, i am "mr. sarcastic",
but to me, you are "funnier than me"... fantastic.

i still remember our first date, catching alegria by cirque du soleil,
i hoped i wouldn't get shot down, screaming mayday, mayday!
but everything was alright, everything was okay.
you had me at hello, not to sound cliché.

what we have is the beginning of a saga,
anything else would be considered gaga.
truly, you are a woman. my one and only lady.
the rachel to ross, the beyonce to jay-z.

looking deep into your eyes, the perfect shades of blue,
i have fallen, fast. and that, you can not undo.
against them, i am a hopeless case. i surrender.
you accept my love which will never have to be returned to sender.

from the times that we drove places,
to the day that we rove ranges,
it's you and me against the world.
there's no one else i would rather have by my side than my girl.

thanks for reading.

-jdv

Going into Rapture

well, it's NOT the end of the world as we know it. rapture has come and gone and humanity has prevailed. looks like there will be a day after tomorrow the day after tomorrow. move aside evangelical christians, the mayans are on the clock with their 2012 prediction. anyways, the apocalypse got me to thinking about what i would do if i somehow stepped into a bomb shelter or dove under water for when the so-called rapture happened and i was the last human being on earth. here's my to-do list in no particular order:

- go to the nearest lexus dealership and commandeer an LFA. go to the indy 500 motor speedway and drive as fast as i wanted.

- hook up an xbox 360 to the big screen in the dallas cowboys stadium and play call of duty.

- walk on the grass.

- feed the animals at the san diego zoo (yes, animals have survived because i say so) and touch the glass

- run the bases at either fenway park or wrigley field. naked.

- go to the supermarket and load up on chips and salsa and twizzlers making sure not to touch the groceries on that magnetic pad after scanning them.

- finding a sniper rifle (barrett .50 cal if i had a choice) and trying to headshot all the mannequins at the mall of america.

- get a dog.

- watch "i am legend" and laugh at the irony of the situation. then barricade myself from vampires knowing they don't exist.

- become the next american idol.

- go to the energysolutions arena (where the utah jazz play) and recreate michael jordan's "final shot" (at the time) from the 1998 NBA finals. the shot must go in.

what would you do?

thanks for reading.

-jdv

Who let the dog Out

i've always been a dog person. always have and always will be. don't get me wrong. cats are... unique. i just never got along with them and they have never got along with me. the litter box, the ball of yarn, the scratching post, furballs. no. not for me. i'd much rather take fetch, shaking hands, sitting, barking, and tail-wagging, thank you very much. to me, there's no competition. and to put the matter to rest, i have some evidence:

THE definition of "puppy dog eyes"

meet cooper. he is a puppy cavapoo and my best friend. quite literally, he is man's best friend. however, we're not best friends when he poops and pees inside... but at ALL other times, we are best friends. you can't tell me you can look at the above picture and not say outloud "aww." you can't. if you can, then you don't have a heart. ok, that was mean. if you can, then i hope you never own a dog. ok, nevermind. just look at the above picture and think whatever you want. i know your heart will melt a little bit... like the tiny runoff of an ice cube out of water.

having a dog is no walk in the park. even when you are walking one in the park... it is still no walk in the park. as the title of post indicates, someone let the dog out, and that would be me. i have to let cooper out at least 30 times a day at his age. his bladder is probably the size of a grape and his metabolism is the complete opposite of a professional sumo wrestler's. however, those eyes... those puppy dog eyes... i think i have a weakness for eyes.

anyways, here's to potty training and treat giving. take care.

thanks for reading.

-jdv

Just Dance

well well well... looks who's come crawling back. yes, i'm back. i have come out of my dental school shell not fully a dentist yet, but a quarter of a way there. we'll save the dental blog for another day since this one is titled just dance which has nothing to do with dentistry.

this blog struck me the other day when i was watching america's best dance crew... more affectionately referred to as ABDC. (it comes on at 9:00 CT on MTV if you were just wondering and if you didn't have anything else better to do and since there is nothing better to do at that time, you should just watch it). i have been a fan of the show ever since the first season when the original champions, Jabbawockeez, who obviously inspired the name of my blog, came full force to the show. the moves, the comedy, the music, and for lack of a better word, the *nsyncness that they all show is amazing. yes, i realized that it's in sync, but one of the judges on the show is jc chasez. if you don't know who that is... then, that pun was totally totally horrible. the show has challenges that each crew has to do during the performance and the way that they incorporate it is sometimes jaw-dropping. this season has been amazing so far (minus a crew that has way too many members cough cough street kingdom cough). i'm rooting for the hometown crew, I Am Me to take it all, so vote for them!

in other dance news, dance central for the xbox 360 kinect is an awesome game. you feel like a fool doing it but once you see the highlights of yourself dancing, you fully realize that yes indeed, you look like a fool. a fool who's learning how to jerk, crankin' that soulja boy, or plainly just dancin', lady gaga style.

thanks for reading.

-jdv

No rest for the Weary

greetings and salutations! i hope that life finds you well. as you can tell from the date of my last blog, i've had all the time in the world to write and write and write. that little thing known as dental school has occupied some of my time. it's going well though, thanks for asking! i've met lots of cooL and hiLarious peopLe. but anyways, this blog won't be about the vicious cycle known as dental school, so let's move on, shall we?

so, Christmas just passed (belated Merry Christmas to you and yours) and what's Christmas without a little gift-giving? this year was a little different however since we all went shopping as a family and bought everyone's gifts for each other in front of the respective recipient. that's right, there were no hidden doors or smoke and mirrors at this Christmas. what you saw is what you got... literally. and what you got was in fact, what you got a couple days later when we formally had to open presents on Christmas day. let's recap the day of december 23, 2010:

7:07 AM: i get awakened by the bright light of my ceiling fan. my dad turns it on as he tells me that my brother is on his way to the house. after going to bed probably 6 hours earlier, i willfully shut my eyes again in hopes that they could somehow filter out the brightness. i was wrong.

7:15 AM: i hit the shower. lights are all off and i'm depending on the light coming in through the window. at this time of the day, i'm not sure if it's because of the moon or the sun. i'm still in sort of a sleepy daze when i realized i was using the body wash as shampoo and the shampoo as body wash. today will be a great day.

7:26 AM: darryll has arrived and we are eating breakfast. my dad made ham/egg/cheese mcmuffins. i reach into my pocket and find a lactose pill. this day is definitely looking up.

7:45 AM: we leave for the san marcos shopping outlet. i tell myself that i will be a good navigator and help darryll get there. my eyes and body do not follow my instructions and i end up falling asleep.

9:23 AM: i wake up and put my headphones on to start my day off right... with some music. i figure that the past two hours have just been some sort of dream and that NOW my day has actually started... in the passenger seat of my own car... in the middle of nowhere.

10:50 AM: we arrive at the outlet and the first store we go to is the Nike store. apparently, i need new shoes as everyone is telling me. i look at my reliable, gray Nikes and realize one of my toes has a little sunroof because of a hole in the shoe. i blink hard and realize i'm just seeing things. maybe i DO need new shoes.

11:00 AM: nothing. no shoe in there caught my eye. disappointed? sure, but i think my gray Nikes were a little happy. they get to live another day.

11:10-12:40 PM: we go to the armani outlet followed by the polo outlet stores. i think my wallet started to cry when we walked into the armani store. i looked at my credit card and it started to laugh at me. now when we went into the polo store, i felt right at home. it's as if i was goldilocks and picked the right porridge, chair, and bed all on the first try. it just felt right being in there.

12:50 PM: lunch time. i get the stereotypical chinese food... fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and mixed vegetables. i wash it all down with some sprite. who obeys his thirst? this guy does.

1:07-6:00 PM: go to a wide range of stores. apparently, one of the store owners said that if you were to spend just 5 minutes in all of the stores at the outlet, you would be here for 3 days. i try to do the math in my head and realize that that's a ridiculous amount of stores. i end up getting some sunglasses for my brother... in the middle of winter. i realize that i may not have the best timing. i counteract this by telling myself i will buy him a scarf at the beginning of summer.

6:46 PM-1:14 AM: we leave san marcos and decide to drive to lauberge to do some gambling (hopefully to get some money back from what we had just spent on Christmas gifts). naturally, we take about 2 or 3 wrong turns and end up in San Antonio. so, what was supposed to be about a 4 drive turns into a 6 hour drive. nevertheless, my parents are excited to go to lauberge. i wonder if i'm the only tired one in the group. i wrestle with this thought as i take another nap. i figure that i would probably be the worst 18-wheeler driver in the history of 18-wheelers.

1:21 AM-4:44 AM: flashing lights, the sound of slot machines, and the smell of smoke surround me. a second wind surges within me and the blood gets pumping. my brother and i spend the first hour or so helping my parents try to understand the slot machines and that penny slots are in fact 50 cent or dollar slots depending on how much you want to gamble. i was getting tired again and realized i needed a pick-me-up. in the words of forrest gump, "i must've drank me fifteen dr. peppers." my bladder would not be so happy with me later.

4:49 AM-7:00 AM: i am awake throughout the entire ride home. i was able to catch the sun rising on the ride home and wonder why vampires are so afraid of such an awesome sight of nature. their loss is my gain.

7:07 AM: i finally get back into my bed and realized i hadn't been in it for an entire day. i try to reflect on the entire day when once again, my eyes shut and i fall asleep. i fell AUHSLEEP after staying up for 18 hours, DAY and NIGHT! for you tv-challenged people, that was an allusion to a friends episode.

so there you go. a day in the life with my family. ridiculous, right? i have to say so myself, but all in all, i love them and thank them for all that they've given me: laughter and love.

thanks for reading.

-jdv

There will be Blood

blood brother.

hello. my name is james. and i am an addict. it's not meth. not cocaine. not any drug.

i am addicted to the show dexter. it seems that my sitcom days are behind me. i've replaced the light, friendly shows with a dark, macabre drama.

the show centers around dexter morgan: forensic scientist cop by day, serial killer by night. i had always heard good things about the show, but i didn't decide to start until a few days ago. let me say, when dexter first plunged a knife into one of his "victims," i plunged headfirst into his world, his lifestyle, his struggle. why does he do it? what forces push a man to take the life of another human being? the show is definitely not for the faint of heart, however, it does get the blood pumping. just be sure to hide all the knives and plastic wrap from eyesight.

i see some of myself in dexter. no, not the blood-thirsty killer aspect. rather, the meticulous, attention-to-detail aspects. i am a perfectionist and dexter can not afford to be anything less than that. a fingerprint, a drop of blood, a loose hair. all of these can be traced back to him if he's not careful. in addition, his dry, witty remarks are on par with mine. maybe his are better. i'm afraid if he reads this, he may kill me... what am i saying, "may"? he will kill me.

he's a killer, but yet somehow, you empathize and sympathize with him. there has to be a rhyme and reason for what he does. you have to find out for yourself. if you have not seen the show, i highly recommend it. like watch it. right now. exit this ridiculous blog. purchase netflix. find dexter season 1 episode 1 and queue that mother up. you won't be disappointed.

thanks for reading.

-jdv