My Random Thoughts

My thoughts on…

Posted on March 15, 2014

(originally written in Feb… just forgot to post… it’s still relevant. I would hate to have taken the time to write this and no-one gets to read it!!!! Noone will. Lol)
The start of 2014 has been an interesting one to say the least. There has been a lot of good so far but there has been some not so good. I’m not really sure what my generation is doing wrong when it comes to our kids. Listen, I am far from a perfect parent but I find it disturbing how many rotten kids are out there. I hear you, a tad harsh to describe a kid… but you know, today’s tween isn’t the tween of my generation. There’s no question that they are learning more sooner but at the same time I think having access to anything and everything has created a generation of self entitled brats who expect everything but don’t want to work hard for it. Its just about ‘want, want, want’. There is no denying that growing up we did not have what today’s kid has…(yup sounding like my parents right now). Our parents, as hard as they worked, didn’t make the kind of money we make nowadays. So it got me thinking ‘who’s at fault for these lazy ass self entitled kids?’ Could it be that this existed growing up and I just didn’t see it? Could it be that, you know, today’s technology and social networking environment allows one to see more of this then in ‘my day’? Possibly.
So, where am I going with all this? Well in the last few weeks i’ve had stuff happen to me and our soccer team that has me scratching my head. We all want our kids to be happy… but that doesn’t mean that they should not be taught to understand right from wrong or what commitment means or what loyalty means or what it means to be responsible… Yet a couple of parents, in my book, have failed in this department. Giving ‘your word’ means absolutely nothing. The word ‘loyalty’ has lost its meaning. In my book when you make a commitment to ‘a cause’ you stick to it… u follow thru on it. right? Doesn’t that make a hell of a lot of sense? We all agreed back in October to follow thru on the 2014 season.. we knew there were challenges yet every parent was on board… or atleast and as we know it now, seemingly. Now months later it’s about ‘it’s important my son is happy.’ really? Is that really it? I want my kids happy too but they sure as hell know what doing the right thing is. You said ‘yes’ to a commitment well u know what? Now you stick with it to the end. That’s the right thing to do. That’s the right way to teach your kid responsibility !
So here’s an idea…Teach your kid responsibility. Teach your kid what commitment means. Teach your kid that decisions have consequences. Teach your kid right from wrong. Don’t teach your kid to be a self entitled selfish person. One day someone else will make a decision that will have a huge impact on your kid, then what? Will you cry that life is unfair?

Save Bieber…

Posted on March 15, 2014

(originally written in Feb… just forgot to post… it’s still relevant. I would hate to have taken the time to write this and no-one gets to read it!!!! Noone will. Lol)
I recently read that scooter whatever his name is.. Mr manager to Bieber, scolded via twitter, people who are passing judgment on bieber’s parents… I don’t know about this Mr manager… is it passing judgment ? Parents have a responsibility towards their kids and yes, there is only so much that as parents we can do. At some point u need to let them learn and grow thru their experiences… good or bad… There is also the fact that no matter how well you teach your kids, through life, they will meet and spend a lot of time outside the home with other people who will have an influence on them. Justin is no different… except for the fact he has a shit load of money that most 19 year olds don’t have… clearly there are ‘friends’ that are there to take advantage… clearly he is surrounded by enablers… and so with that… his parents shouldn’t be part of that group. They need to be parents… this nonsense coming from the mom ‘to pray for Justin’… and the dumbass of his dad who tweets stupidity like ‘Proud’. Pray for what? Prayer alone won’t help this kid. It’s time to step in. Be a parent. Proud of what Mr. Dad Bieber? Exactly what are you proud of?
Here’s what I suggest..

Mom: be a mother to Justin… I won’t pretend to admit to have read your book but as I recall u grew up with hardship and challenges and dark times.. you struggled with drug abuse, yes? so it goes to reason that you know what your son is going through? You needed help, didn’t you? Do you think your son needs help? Step in, mom.

Dad: the outside world may not have all the facts but regardless.. stop with the stupid tweets and start being a dad.. are u by chance living vicariously through your son? Looks like you are a young man yourself… but grow up buddy.. Justin is the kid in this relationship and he needs a father who actually is a father figure to him. stop being an enabler and teach your son that there are still boundaries regardless of how much money he makes and who he thinks he is.

As I was writing up this post I happened to take a break and listen to a video with Candace Cameron Bure… justin’s parents should have a listen at what Candace has to say.. maybe they can learn something.

#prayforbieber #savebeiber #stopenablingstarthelping

My thoughts on the blackberry OS 10.2.1 update

Posted on February 16, 2014

Disclaimer : I always have to start with this as it’s important to note that I am in fact a blackberry fanboy… but I can be objective. yes. I. can.

The upgrade time took a little less than 1hr… including OTA downloading which made up only a fraction of the time.

Let’s start with what I like the most… i’ve always been a fan of the hub… having and being able to reply to everything from one place is amazing.. Now they’ve gone ahead and made it better with a new pinch ‘filter’ criteria feature. I have it set so that when I pinch… all my unread messages are grouped together so I can deal with them one at a time, one after the other. I’m also finding I don’t tend to quickly to go thru my emails now.. which is a good thing, I think.
Being able to organize my hub items in the order I want is always a big plus. Again, customization is key.
The introduction of an FM radio that doesn’t use up data… super!!! I am plugged in at work all the time now. It helps me avoid having to listen to my co-worker who at every opportunity likes to call out my name in this very annoying way.
I love the fact that the media volume display now is at the top of the screen instead of smack in the middle.
The new incoming call screen is a great change too… yup, it will be compared to android and so be it but it is much better.. I love that while the screen is up u can choose to send an sms/bbm message to caller if u can’t talk. And yes, it knows, somehow what option to offer if at all.. obviously if u are getting a call from a land line no option will be there.
The new customizable drop down menu is awesome.. I set it to have my most used ‘go to’ items
I am loving the device monitor… always good to know what app is soaking up memory or battery life among other things.
Getting to open a message from the lock screen preview is super!
The ability to create sms and email groups.. fantastic !
The picture password… selecting a picture and then a number strategically placed someone on the picture only u know, is a great feature.. admittedly I am not one to password lock my phone but my teenage son is and he’s loving this feature.
Last but not least being able to install android apps straight via the device is awesome. And just like that blackberry eliminated the so called app gap.. app gap? What app gap? 🙂 As great as this is for blackberry in general.. as I am sure this makes tons of people happy, for me there aren’t many apps I am interested in. I installed netflix, Tumblr and eventually will install yahoo fantasy football.

After having spent a few weeks with the new OS.. the only thing I am not happy with is that in the calendar app they removed the ‘go to today’ icon which I used extensively. It’s there in the menu though…
Oh well, u can’t win them all! Lol

Here’s Caramel relaxing in the basement

Posted on January 27, 2014

Once in a while I will post pictures of our cats… here’s Caramel 🙂

2013 A Look Back

Posted on January 2, 2014 Updated on January 2, 2014

I thought it would be great to take a look back at my 2013. Everyone else does it, right? So why not me? The thing is I can’t even remember what I did last week so the chances I remember everything that happened for an entire year; 0 to none.
So what do you do when your memory sucks? Well, you write about what you remember, duh! When I look back at 2013 there are two things that stick out; one good and one not so good. I will start with the not so good. We’re a family that has been involved in youth soccer for the longest time;10 years to be exact. We’ve been blessed with 2 kids who are excellent players.. Their track record thus far speaks for itself. Our experience was always great until 2013. Everyone knows that soccer IS the beautiful sport. Unfortunately this beautiful sport was not so beautiful for the Capparelli’s this past year.
I am a very laid back easy to get along with kind of guy but this past year, this was put to the test. We, as parents, and rightfully so will defend our children to the very end and sometimes that means crossing a line or two or three.
I found myself being an angry man practically all year long but especially during the summer months. We all want what’s best for our kids and it was so aggravating to watch my son, a hard working player, being mistreated not only by some of his teammates but worse his coach. There was a lot of injustices going on with this team.. and as good a man as he tried to be it all started with the coach. He mistreated the loyal, hard working, disciplined players and treated the bullies like royalty. In essence he in fact was a bully himself. When all was said and done, these bullies added no value to the team and in the end they abandoned the team (which quite frankly is the best thing to have happened).

I learned a lot this past year… I learned a lot about myself as a person and I also learned a lot about the people around me. I learned that sometimes it’s best not to have certain people around you.

So what did I learn about myself?
– I was in a dark place for basically the entire summer but I can say that even during that dark period I was always objective (enough) about everything that was happening. I wasn’t blinded by my anger. I saw what I saw. It was as clear as water.
(PS: it goes without saying that my son was in a dark place as well. This whole year was very difficult for him)
– I am pretty proud of the fact that I am as patient as they get but this summer that patience was put to a great test.. a test that I failed a few times.
– I will do whatever it takes to protect my kids and as mentioned, at times that meant crossing a line or two. Do I regret some of the things I said or did during this ‘dark’ period? Yes, I do. But only some. I have no regrets about most of what I said,tweeted or did. Reading the truth hurt some people. Tough.
-I learned that bullying a bully isn’t the answer. High road folks, high road.

What I learned about others…
– As parents, our kids must be priority one but far too many parents on this team had personal agendas that destroyed this team. It was a cancer… they were a cancer. It’s a shame what kids are being thought nowadays. They have no concept of right or wrong. There is too much self entitlement. Thankfully they are all gone now.
– Attention seekers: deep down inside these are people that are just plain and simply insecure.
– There are people who have what I call this ‘faux’ righteousness… they have rights to say and do things that others are not allowed to have.
– There are people who are very gutsy behind a keyboard (ie: facebook)… but will put their head down when they see you on the street or at a field.
– there are people that are plain weasels.. there isn’t a nicer way to put it.
– there are people that live in glass houses… god.. seriously. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror!
– there are people out there who truly can’t handle the truth so they deflect that insecurity onto others.
– there are people who need to really understand what the word ‘loyalty’ means.
– There are people who are quick to throw others under the bus.

Most if not all of these parents hid behind their kids.. “my kid wants..”, “my kid decided…”… when everyone knows that is not the case; puppet masters they are (yoda I am ;)).

we’re human… we’re flawed… I am far from perfect. I know that. I owe no explanation for my flaws… and yes, the same goes for others… but one thing’s for sure, I sleep well at night. I don’t know how some people do.
As I wrote, there were a lot of lessons learned.. things happen for a reason. I think that long term this past year will make my son (and myself) a stronger person. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Exactly. We learn but we must move forward. I can’t control others but I can certainly control who I am, what I do, how I treat others. When I decided to write this post, I asked myself, after all this time why open this can of worms again? Why? Well, i’m not trying to. If anything I want to close the books on this and what better way to do it then to put it down on ‘paper’ (cathartic) and do it day one of a new year, a new beginning. It’s day one of 2014, a blank canvas… time to heal and begin anew.

Enough of the bad, time to end this post on a good note…We hosted a teammate of our son for two months this past summer. It turned out to be the best part of our summer. We learned from him, he from us. Two different cultures. It was amazing. He was a good influence for our son…always trying to keep his spirits up. We, as a family, will always cherish that time. I’m doing that whole experience an injustice by not devoting more of this post to it. It’s just that I do have to end this post at some point ;)… and that point is now.

2014… Bring.It.On!! We are up for the challenge.

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