2AM thoughts on Robin Williams, Ferguson....There's a lot, here is a snapshot

I find myself awake tonight for multiple reasons. I watched half of World's Greatest Dad (interrupted by a call on the duty phone, and not an uplifting movie especially considering recent events) and when I got back my wife was half asleep. Robin Williams was (and still is) an inspiration to me, and that has been said many times. As a child of divorce, Mrs. Doubtfire really hit home for me. Looking back, it still does....I wish my father cared abut me the way the father was portrayed in the movie. It was him (along with a few others) that made me want to be funny. Not necessarily stand-up or acting, but someone who can make people laugh and bring them joy. He made me want to be a genuinely good person, one someone can go to for help, or one that will help someone without being asked. There have been many celebrity deaths in my lifetime, but this one seems to have a bigger impact on me. It makes me want to be a better husband, friend, family member and student affairs professional. It makes me want to listen well and have good conversations. It makes me want to challenge and educate myself as well as others. It makes me want to be better.

With these thoughts in my head I couldn't sleep so I started just going link to link on my phone, the way we all know how to do. I went from Robin Williams, to John Belushi, to Chris Farley, to ALS and then to Twitter. Twitter is where it seemed everyone was talking about the events that are happening in Ferguson right now.  I find myself in kind of a dark place, the type of place where I am thinking about death, the issues in the world. Mind you I am happy with where I am not, I am happily married, I am 2.5 weeks into a great job, things are going well. However, I think sometimes, we can all get to a place where we are thinking about things like this.

In order to not disturb my wife, I moved out to the living room and started reading through the tweets about Ferguson to get a handle on what is going on. Mostly, for me anyways, what I am reading is very informative. From the protests to the arrests of journalists for just trying to cover the story. It is truly horrible  what is happening there. People are getting hurt and arrested. Officers are in full combat gear as if going into a war zone, and looking at the pictures that is exactly what it has turned into. Unfortunately some of the tweets have been....rather tasteless. Blaming what has happened on Obama being elected (and this being the sole reason mind you), that the people of this town are animals, and the cops have every right to do what they are doing.

I used to be that naive...I really did. I thought that the people in power could do no wrong and that no matter what it was always the fault of the people going against those in power. Let's get something straight here...there are great cops who do a great job, there are bad cops who are dirty. We have white people who are trying to make a change and understand the world and then there are those who are overtly racist. There are good people in this world and there are bad people in this world. Let's make one thing clear though....Racism is still a huge issue in this country. Anyone who denies it is either oblivious or just choose not to pay attention. Regardless of how this turns out in Ferguson, whomever is responsible, we still have a huge issue. I am trying to wait until all the details to come out before rushing to judgment, but eye witness accounts and other reports are hard to turn a blind eye to. Reporters being arrested for no clear reason is hard to ignore.

One thing is for sure, we are not equal. From what I have seen not only today but in my lifetime, we are still a while away. I am straight, white, male and I am privileged. It is safe to assume that if I don't get a job, it is because I wasn't qualified or not a right fit, not because of my gender or sexual orientation. If I get arrested or pulled over, it was because I was committing a crime, not because of my race. If I am ever unemployed, odds are that people won't think I am lazy or mooching of the government, people will think that I have fallen on hard times and will reach out to me for help.

What can I do? I am just a 25 year old student affairs professional. I know what I can do...I can talk. I can have conversations about this. And hope that I am educating others and building for a better tomorrow. Sit down, talk, listen and learn. That is how we will grow and become equal

A Week Late and a Dollar Short: The End of the Boston Bruins Playoff Run

The title of the blog is both about being late with this writing but also because the Bruins always started slow this series and only could dig themselves out of the holes twice. I am sorry that this blog is so late. It seems like everyone has forgotten the Bruins actually existed in the last week. However with being on duty the rest of last week, and my graduation, as well as clearing out the Seniors after graduation The week just got away from me. I wanted to evaluate the Bruins playoff series loss to the hated Montreal Canadiens. After taking reading what "fans" have said about who is responsible for the loss, and I'll evaluate each one I have seen so far.

Head Coach: Claude Julien

I always feel like there is always too much blame placed on the head coach for losses and not enough credit for wins. Fans seem to forget the Julien changed the Bruins Franchise and led them to a Stanley Cup in 2011, an appearance in 2013, as well playoff appearances every year since he first started coaching in 2008. Fans have blamed him for who he played on defense, mainly Mezaros or Bartkowski. Either way he had fans against him with either choice, but what else can he do with Seidenberg injured. I am personally a fan of Claude Julien and I think the whole "Fire Claude" fans aren't actual fans, but actually just ridiculous in general.

Defense

This I can understand, as it was an issue at points throughout the series. Chara was clearly hurt (at least in the last game), Mezaros and Bartkowski clearly didn't perform up to standards. However there is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the defense. Barkowski has a lot of potential, just some growing to do. Krug and Hamilton will become great defenseman for years and years to come for the Bruins. Seidenberg coming back next year, I don't expect any big changes next year in this department. Maybe adding some depth would be smart. After losing Seidenberg, that really hurt us, do depth will be something we go after next year. 

Players MIA

There were a couple players for the Bruins that were Missing in Action for this series. Marchand is the biggest name that comes to mind. He didn't do anything in the series except for take stupid penalties and hurt Bruins momentum. The entire first line just didn't seem to click at all on any consistent level throughout the 7 games series. It was like an entirely different line from the 1st round to the 2nd. I will agree that this had a lot to do with it. However, that is when the secondary players step up. The 3rd line (Fraser, Soderberg, Erikkson) were great but it has to be more than just those 3. The 4th line was not as good as it was in the 2011 or 2013 playoff runs. Depth is huge, the Bruins have it, but they just disappeared. 

Tuukka Rask

This one is the most ridiculous of them all. For most of the series, Rask's numbers were comparable to Carey Price's. I am a firm believer that if a shot hits the net, then the 5 people in front failed to do their job. Most of the goals that Rask allowed were no chance or absolutely cannons from PK Subban. Rask is here to stay, the goalie of the future, and the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner. Anyone who blames this series on Rask needs to re-evaluate whether or not they are a fan. 

Luck for the Canadiens

This one makes me laugh quite a bit. Yes there is a lot of luck that goes into a game of hockey..bounces of the puck, calls on the ice, etc. However the difference was that the Bruins were unable to finish on their luck and the bounces. The Habs seemed to have finished every single chance they had, capitalize on every lucky bounce. So yes, luck goes into the hockey game, but the team has to capitalize on that luck. Yes the Bruins did hit the post it seemed like 100 times and pucks hop over their stick at least the same amount of times. But that is no excuse...

At the end of the day, the Bruins did not play well enough to win this series. Canadiens won this series. They played better, capitalized on all of their opportunities and played with the lead most of the time. More importantly, they were not afraid of the Bruins. They took the physical game the Bruins had and gave it right back. Montreal was the only team I was really afraid of and for good reason. I have to give credit where credit is due. Montreal won this series and deserved to move forward. Their forward outskated, the defense played really well, and played a really smart series. However, I will say that even though Price played well, the Bruins had more than their fair share of opportunities to score and didn't finish. If they do, the Bruins win this series in 6. Again though, Montreal outplayed and did so when it mattered. 

These playoff series will be occurring more frequently and as a fan I am looking forward to it. The Bruins are going to be really good for years to come (think Cup Favorites for the next few years). It is a great time to be a Bruins fan, despite the loss. Too bad they don't receive more attention. They deserve it. 

NOTE: Leo, I will not be rooting for the Canadiens, that is like treason. To be fair I am not rooting for any team, I am just looking forward to more great hockey. It's the best playoffs in the 4 major sports

Time to Get Back to Writing: Tale of Two Graduations

When leaving my sisters house this evening, my brother Leo (that's just easier) told me I need to keep blogging. I would be neglectful if I didn't mention the fact that the Bruins came back from a 3-1 Deficit and scored 3 goals in 5:32 and an empty-netter to seal the game. Leo wants it to be clear that the Canadiens blew that game and Carey Price should've made that save on Reilly Smith goal, but hey a W is a W. That should be a very exciting series, maybe a blog in the future about it could appear on this blog. I keep saying I want to keep writing, but I never know the topics. I need to work on that to make this a regular thing.

As of this writing I am two weeks away from receiving my Master's Degree of Education in Psychology with a concentration in Student Personnel Administration (essentially I get to work with college students for the rest of my life) from Springfield College. Yesterday marked the 2nd year anniversary of my graduation from Undergrad at Northeastern University. I find myself comparing the two graduations in my head and there are some very different takes on these two monumental moments in my life.

Before my undergrad graduation, I would've done anything to delay the moment. I had built many different relationships with people I love dearly (from my wife, to my best man Max, Big Al, Z, Jake to my favorite ladies Caitlin, Alia, Jillian...the list goes on) and I knew that we were all going in different directions in our lives and who knows if those relationships would last. Distance makes everything more difficult. It was the best 5 years of my life. I was taking a step into what my life is going to be as being an RD and getting my master's degree. I spent the summer having as much fun as possible and try to have as much interaction with my friends as possible to make up for the lack of hanging out that I'd struggle with in Springfield.

The challenged I expected were there but the friendships made it through. Right now I have built a lot of very important relationships here at Springfield College, friends I will carry with me for a long time, but this graduation is one I am really looking forward to. These past two years have been very challenging in multiple ways with this year being particularly more difficult. There have also been great times as well....getting married is the best day of my life so far, grad nights at Theo's, and just the overall laughs I have enjoyed. However, I don't live with my wife and that is quite frankly terrible. I am looking forward to graduation so that I can get a job and work full time and finally live with my wife. I don't want to delay my graduation even a little bit as I am ready to move forward. I am going to miss my friends I've made here (the wrong crowd, Cora, the many RAs and Residents that I have built relationships with). I am excited to see where I end up, hopefully closer to Boston, and finally (for real) start my life with my wife and continue my career. I'm ready to be more of a presence with my family and friends again. I'm ready