Emerging Into Light

Visit SSS


Well if what you see above is not enough of a hint on what the big part of this blog is going to be about I don't know what is. So Thanksgiving has come and gone, the semester is almost over, Christmas is nearly here, but here I find myself engrossed in work. I don't mean work as in schoolwork, work work, or anything like that. No I mean work as in volunteer work with Sea Shepherd Support. SSS is simply a group of the most dedicated Sea Shepherd supporters. Unlike many conservation support groups, we actively take part and make our own campaigns. Example: Lauren and I have gone to a few GNC stores to try to disuade the sale of shark products such as cartilage. Currently we're working on Operation Trident that targets NOW Foods, Canine Caviar, and GNC to try and get them to stop selling shark products. Prior to me joining up SSS along with a few other groups convinced Nutrition House to stop selling the products. More on that stuff later though as this blog will now double as a personal blog and a blog of my active activity in SSS. I'm very happy to be working with the people there as we all have the same goal. To save sharks and other marine life from certain doom. What's more though is the fact that we all believe that a small group of individuals can really change the world. Speaking of Sea Shepherd. Good luck to the crews of the Ady Gil and Steve Irwin as they head to Antartica for Operation Waltzing Matilda.

In other news, my semester is nearly over. I have just 1 final to go and I'm pretty confident that it will not be much of a problem. Overall I'm pretty confident in my grades this semester, but of course I won't get too excited about it until I actually have the grades in my hand. Over winter break I'll hopefully be working more and certainly get even more involved with SSS as I will have ample time over the course of the next month to be a real thorn in the side of places like GNC.

So lets recap on the semester real quick. What have I learned? Let's see.... I've learned that card games are overrated. I've learned that the majority of people at OCC are still really in highschool. I've learned that there's more to life than videogames, school, and work. I've learned how to cope with tons of stress being piled on at one time. I've learned that I'm a Hell of a lot stronger mentally than I once thought. I've reconfirmed the reasons I don't smoke or drink. I've gained some friends (completed goal of the semester). I've learned just how much Lauren loves me moreso than ever before. I've learned to write a term paper rather effectivly and time efficantly. I've delt with massive problems at home, but got through them, learned from them, and have gotten stronger from them. I've learned that the world is so much larger than New Jersey and that it is going to be up to myself and the people I'm growing up with are going to be the ones to shape it. Will we save the creatures of the Earth and learn to live in peace with eachother? Or will we drive everything to extinction and ultimatly kill ourselves off as well? Time will tell I suppose, but one thing is certain. My final semester at OCC was more of an experience than anything prior.

A scattered memory like a far-off dream. A far-off dream like a scattered memory. I want to line the pieces up, yours and mine.

Here we are yet again. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and for the first time in my life I will not be sharing it with my family. Instead I will be with Lauren and her family. Am I sad about it? I guess a little yeah, I mean it's always been tradition and I love it, but ya know what things have to change sometime. I love Lauren and my heart tells me that I should go with her. Therefore I am going with her and I'm looking forward to it as her family is fun too. Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow that means that tonight was the Point Boro Spirit Parade where the alumni from the highschool are allowed to join the band for the parade/pep rally. Well... The parade got rained out, but the pep rally was fun. We didn't get to play much which was a bummer, but I was able to reconnect with some people from my class as well as classes that graduated before and after me. It's crazy how people do and do not change. Not going to go into much details on who I talked to as I'm lazy and tired, but I think I'll be trying to keep in touch with a few people this time around. It was a shame that the parade was rained out though. I was actually looking forward to marching...

With the holiday season quickly coming and the end of the semester drawing near I'm starting to have to crack down on my two term papers as well as my group projects. I'm not worried about any of my classes, but the sooner I get this stuff done the better, the less stress, and the more relaxation I'll have as the semester closes out. I've met some decent people this semester, but we'll see if I keep in touch with them after it's over.

I have stopped playing Yugioh to try to get my life back in order. I was addicted to it and I see that now. Mabey someday I'll be able to play without being an addict, but until I'm comfortable enough with that I will not be playing. Instead I have retaken up on gaming as I've seen myself use my Super Nintendo more than any other system over the past week. I do love them older games. The point though is that I need to realize, and am, that there is more to life than a card game. There should be more going through my head that what my next deck will be or how much money will I spend out of my paycheck on cards weekley. Times are hard and I need to manage cash better, this is a step I would think in the right direction. Since I stopped I feel a bit better too. My anxiety has been lower, but that could have to do with my increased medication. I've been able to think of more things to do around Lauren, and am working fevershly hard to try and fix whatever may be broken.

Last little bit here... Memories of highschool, middleschool, and elementary school are nightmares. Many of them I wish I could forget, but I really just cannot. It's a part of my past that will probably wind up haunting me for the rest of my life, but after returning to the place that caused me soooo many problems tonight I realized something. I've been out of that situation for 3 years now and I have been fearful of my past and insecure about it, but you know what... I really have to start looking at it in a different way. Instead of looking back and trying to figure out why I didn't fit in, I need to look at the result of not fitting in. If I fit in with the crowd back in school chances are I'd be smoking or drinking or both. Odds are I'd have been in a lot more trouble than I was. Chances are also great that I would have been involved in a lot more school activities, but in the end me being an individual was really a blast. I look back now and say "Ya I was different. Ya I wanted nothing to do with the norm. Ya I like things that most people don't." Most importantly I say "If I wasn't the way I was in highschool, an individual, I wouldn't be the person I am today which is something I am proud of." The fact that I have lived my life the way I have through all the pressures I've faced is I think impressive. I'm not trying to sound high on myself by any means, but this is how I feel after all these years.

The Left Isn't Better, It's Just More of The Same...

Before moving into the main point of this blog I have a small message to everyone.


As you may have guessed Sea Shepherd is getting ready to depart for the Southern Ocean for their next anti whaling campaign entitled Operation: Waltzing Matilda on December 7th. This time is quickly approaching and the two Sea Shepherd vessels, the Steve Irwin and Ady Gil are waiting to go in Australia. This year Japan is seeking to slaughter around 935 Minke Whales as well as an unannounced number of endangered Fin Whales. Japan had considered adding Humpback Whales to their quota, but severe pressure from nearly every other country in the world has dissuaded them. During the campaign the Sea Shepherds hope to continue to hamper whaling at all costs including new tactis such as positioning the Ady Gil between the harpoon vessels (Yushin Maru 1,2,3) and whales. The Ady Gil's speed will be more than enough to outmaneuver the whaling vessels. More to come on Waltzing Matilda soon.
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I'd like there to be a clear break in this blog between that message and the rest of the blog. This blog is just basically an apology and well yah that's about it. It's no secret that Lauren and I have been having some problems lately, and the problems I put on myself. I have made wrong and stupid choices. I have tried to run away from my problems. I have not shown near enough care. I have not by any means done all I can do for this relationship. I have had my priorities backwards. I have been creul and nasty. I have done many things yet..... I have another chance. Lauren, I don't know why you would give me this chance. Perhaps it's because you do love me, but even then I still don't know how you can try to stay with me. I have failed in all aspects of this relationship, yet here you are still with me. You are an amazing person and yet you settle for me. I don't know why and I know I have a lot of work to do. I'm going to make changes in myself because you know what? Your my everything, my inspiration, my best friend, and I love you dearly. With that being said. You are far more important than any card game, video game, board game, shark, reptile, whale, you name it. For you I would give up anything. For you I would take a bullet. For you I would spend every last penny I own. For you I will treat you with a lot more respect. For you I will stop being such a jerk. For you I will do the little things whatever they may be at the time. For you I'll watch whatever movies you want. I don't care what I have to do to make things right, but believe this. I WILL. I love you Lauren and I am so sorry for everything.

Write It On The Walls And Read It. Blood Red So You Can See It.

It's only been a few days since my last installment here, but there has been enough happening that I can muster together another now rather than later. It seems that I have finally begun to succumb to my yearly bout with the common cold. I've been trying hard to fight it with vitamin C and tylenol, but it seems that it's gotten the best of me for now. Oh well a stuffed nose and a lot of sneezing isn't going to stop me from doing anything. I still plan on doing everything I would normally do including possibly going to see the Devils play my favorite Western Conference team, the Ducks. That would be exciting and I hope I get to go. Some bad news from this week. My laptop computer is out of commission for a little while. It's either a fried motherboard or a broken LCD screen. Either way that's about another $400 down the tubes. Could be worse though right I mean I could need a whole new computer. Otherwise not a whole lot. I'm bored so I figured I'd tell the world about my computer problems as well as my contraction of the deadly disease known as the common cold.

They Do Whatever They Want

So this blog is going to be a little bit different. If your looking for a conservation message about sharks or whales or anything like that don't look here today cause I just simply don't have any right now. This blog is just going to be a little bit of venting about people and my personal life. If you decide to read it do me one favor and that would be please do not judge me based on the contents of this blog. Thanks in advance for that. Now on with the reason I'm sitting here and not in bed.

I feel like I've done all I can do. Just with everything really. I feel that at work I have accomplished all I can, which is less than I'd hoped. With relationships both friends and closer I feel that I've hit a brick wall in which things are stagnent and nothing is improving. When it comes to school I look at finished works and just think that I know I can do better, but I just can't. At the same time though I don't know if it's all in my head as I'm doing better this semester so far than any one prior. I guess I just feel like time is going by, but I'm not moving and I'm frozen in one spot in time where I just want to move on and continue to improve on things. I guess it could be worse and things could go backwards, but it is frustrating none the less to watch time fly by and be able to do nothing new.

Other than that life is going fine I guess. Nothing really exciting has happened since the Manatee rescue. In fact since the rescue life has been well....quiet... very very quiet with a lot of nothing happening. It's my fault though cause I don't go out and do things. Wait I never have so why is it that now I want to. I used to be so content with just sitting around and playing videogames. Granted I still enjoy it, but I don't get the thrill from it that I used to with the exception of the Kingdom Hearts series. That's about the only thing that gets me going game wise nowadays.

I dunno I guess I just wish now that I was a little more outgoing back in the day, but there's nothing I can do about that now. In the beginning of the semester I was contemplating trying to start some new friendships, but seemingly everyone I've met this year I would not dare to talk to outside of school. I mean the amount of group work that I was dreading is going fine, I'm very active in the work, but I just don't feel any kind of connection with myself and the other members of the group... Mainly cause I don't drink and in all of the groups I'm a part of... They all do and have their own drunken stories. I guess not drinking is a choice that will continue to alienate me from people on campus, but I won't be changing that decision any time soon. It's still my choice if I drink or smoke and I just choose not to and it kind of does suck cause in this day and age almost everyone does. Oh well all I can do is continue to hope that I can find some people who don't right?

On a closing note though....... All of my reptiles are healthy, happy, and not so small anymore......

To Defend, Conserve, and Protect

The above seal is that of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center located in Brigantine, N.J. This group is dedicated to saving stranded or endangered marine mammals as well as sea turtles. On the morning of October 27th, the stranding center would embark on a very different mission. It is pretty well known that a Manatee named Ilya had wandered into the waters of New Jersey and had been in the warm waters of an oil refinery for several weeks. The manatee was loosing weight and needed to get back to the warm waters of Florida. With winter quickly coming the odds of him making it home on his own were impossible. For this mission the Marine Stranding Center would be joined by the Point Pleasant Beach Dive Team, a vet from Florida, a manatee rescue expert from Florida, many refinery staff members, and myself. Why I was invited to the rescue is still a little bit of a mystery. I'm told that my relations with the Dive Team, Sea Shepherd, and other conservation organizations are the reasons I was invited. Needless to say I jumped on the oppertunity. All in all there was easily over 30 people trying to rescue the manatee. The rest of this blog is how I viewed the rescue, all opinions are my own and I have every right to express them.

I'm woken up by my father around 5:00am and get ready to head out to the first aid building. My adreniline was pumping from the moment I woke up. It's my first chance to really make a difference and help a marine animal. This was my chance to actually do something instead of spreading information. By 5:45am we were on the road. Myself, my father, and two other members of the Dive Team were in an ambulance following the Dive Truck that held two other members of the team. We met up with two more members of the Dive Team along the way bringing us to a team of 8. Upon arrival to the refinery we went through the security check and met up with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. When I say if you dropped a lit match the enitre place would explode I mean it. This place was huge and the water far from pleasant. Certainly no place for a manatee, but the steam coming off the water hinted to just how warm the water was. Once we got our gear on it was time for a breifing from the refineray saftey crew as well as the manatee capture expert. We had our jobs and we took to it. Myself and the Dive Chief were the first two of our team to see the manatee. All we could see was his nose. He looked like a big Gray Seal until I saw his massive body.

We kept an eye on the manatee while other members of the team and the stranding center readied the boats with a massive net. The plan was to get the manatee into the net, get him onshore, then transport him to the stranding center. Easier said than done of course. The refineray employees worked on baiting Ilya with some lettuce which he ate very happily. Once it became clear that Ilya was not going to leave the bridge from where he was being fed, a couple divers swam closer to him. Sure enough Ilya moved into the range of the net. Four times Ilya managed to escape the net. The bottom of the river was riddled with things that the net could get snagged on slowing our progress of pulling Ilya in was only part of the problem. An incoming tide and a massive hole at the bottom of the river allowed Ilya to escape from under the net every time. It was discouraging with the repeated failure, but every time we failed we were relieved to see Ilya pop back up under the bridge for more lettuce. Ilya fooled us all once and popped up behind one of the boats. At that point we thought we were going to loose him as he seemed to be leaving the area, but sure enough about five minutes later he was eating again. With the time coming in quickly we breaked for lunch. By now the constant cold rain had me feeling pretty cold, so to get out of the water for a little bit was nice. The refinery workers had set up a big tent for us all to hang out under, which was great. They also ordered about 30 pizzas and bottles of soda for our lunch. They seemed really grateful that we were there.

After lunch the tide was just about all the way in, so it was back to work on trying to catch Ilya. The third time we tried to catch Ilya was the biggest failure. We managed to catch one of the divers in the net. He freed himself, but Ilya was nowhere to be seen. Some of the refinery workers kept saying they saw him in the net so we prepared to drag him in. When the net came up it was empty and sure enough Ilya was back at the bridge eating as usual. Clearly our plan was not working, so the manatee expert went to another part of the river and discovered that the bottom there was not riddled with debries and seemed to be generally flat. That was where we needed to get Ilya if we wanted to have any hope of getting him out of there. The one problem with this area was that it was much further away from where Ilya was eating and the only way he would be able to run would be out to sea should he avoid the net again. The Dive Team took their positions and swam slowely behind Ilya as he made his way down river. I was on the net team as myself and two vets waited for Ilya to get in the net. When Ilya started testing the net we quickly trapped him with the boat circling the net around him. So far so good and Ilya showed no signs of panic at all. We slowley brought Ilya into the shallow water. By this time some of the Dive Team joined in with myself and the Stranding Center people to help bring him in. As Ilya came up out of the water there were three things to notice. 1.) Ilya was huge weighing in at easily over 1000 pounds. He was extremely tough to pull up onto shore 2.) Ilya did not like the idea of leaving the water. 3.) Ilya was not alone in the net. He was with a nice sized Stripped Bass as well as a big Blue Claw Crab.

Once we got Ilya on shore he freaked out throwing his massive body 3-5 feet in the air several times then slamming on the ground. I could feel the ground shake when he hit it. He nearly landed on the bass, but fortunatly the fish flopped away just in time. The crab let go of the net and got back into the water as Ilya was dragged onshore. Once Ilya settled down roughly 15 men, including myself jumped on him to try to restrain him. He gave in rather quickly and settled down. The vets the sedated him, during the sedation he tried again to throw himself, and it literally took everyone to prevent him from doing it. Manatees are said to be 1000 pounds of muscle. I believe it now. Once the drugs took hold we had to lift him out of the net and onto a massive stretcher that had to be lifted by crane over to the tent. It took about 15 of us to lift Ilya onto mat for the crane. Once at the tent we wrapped Ilya in a weird foil to keep him warm and splashed water on him so he would breathe. I had the privlidge of feeding Ilya some vet prepared stuff.....through his nose.... Manatees are mammals, but need water so we had to get him down to the stranding center ASAP.

We left the refinary and made our way all the way down to the Stranding Center. By now it was around 7:00pm and we were all basically exhausted. We had one more task to accomplish and that was to life Ilya out of the truck and into the pool at the stranding center. Again it took about 15 people to hoist Ilya and get him to where he needed to be. Once in the water we all watched and waited. At first Ilya just laid there, probably from the meds, but then came up for a breath. The founder of the stranding center threw a head of lettuce into the pool which sure enough Ilya began to eat. The mission was a sucess. We made our way back to Point Pleasant exhausted, but very happy with the job we did. Ilya is now back in Florida at Miamiday Aquarium where he will enjoy 100 pounds of lettuce a day until he gains his weight back and is ready to return to the wild.

For me this was an experience of a lifetime and would not trade it for anything. I never even thought I'd see a manatee let alone assist in the rescuing of one of natures most amazing creatures.

What Is Lost Can Never Be Saved

So I was kind of worried in the beginning of the semester due to the fact that all of my courses this semester are writing intensive. Well as it turns out, they are all writing intensive, but they are all pretty simple in their writing. So with that being said I've semi focused my efforts on sharks. Right now I'm working on copying information the the Shark Safe Network has given me and am going to distribute them at work, school, and just about everywhere else where I can try to educate people in the area on sharks and the real danger that they are in. I actually purchased the first season of Whale Wars today and Paul Watson said it best. If we destroy life in the ocean, we destroy ourselves. It's so true due to the fact that if we loose sharks, then life in the ocean will collapse, and the human race will soon follow. Don't believe me? Then by all means ask my why I feel this way and I'll explain it as best as I can. There is plenty of evidence that it will happen, so it's up to us and we control our own destiny as well as the worlds. When there are no sharks we will be lost and unable to be saved. It's rather upsetting, but it's the truth. If anyone has any questions about sharks or shark conservation please email me at a7xoff@gmail.com or visit websites such as seashepherd.org or www.sharksafenetwork.com and educate yourselves on these magnificant yet misunderstood creatures. Remember tigers, lions, and elephants all kill more people per year than sharks do, but at the same time they are all protected.... Sharks are for the most part....NOT...

Lets see what else has been going on as of late? Outside of working, going to school, and trying my hardest to maintain a relationship with Lauren, not a whole heck of a lot. The only game I seem to have time for now is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days and the only reason I have time for that is cause it's on DS. If I'm not at the Aquarium or OCC I'm probably with Lauren, which by all means is not a bad thing, I just wish I could think of some more things to do while I'm with her. I mean I love Mario Kart and TV as much as the next loser at age 20, but I would still love to do something else that would prove entertaining for the both of us. I'm open to suggestions mainly since winter is coming and uh well... The boardwalk is basically a waste of time outside of pinball machines and aquarium. Bowling is an option, as is ice skating, but in general we just cant do that on a daily basis.

And Nothing Else Matters

Jeez it's been almost a month since my last blog. I guess I have been pretty busy. This semester so far has been the busiest start that I have ever experienced. I've been boggled down with lots of homework. Much of which seems rather monotonous and common sense related, but eh its nice to actually know what's going on in class before getting there. My calender is already filling up with things to do throughout the semester and beyond. I'm still managing to work around 24 hours a week or more which is great cause I need the money. It gets pretty stressful though when I have work and a crap load of homework. I'm managing it all so far though. Now for some negative energy to be released in the form of typing oh boy oh boy.

So the other day this guy who will remain nameless tried to get Lauren to cheat on me and sexually harassed her. Needless to say I'm as angry as a hornet over the whole situation, but I do realize this thanks to some support from some acquaintances at OCC. This guy is a real piece of trash and Lauren held her ground during the situation and did not betray me at all. Everyone who I talked to that was in the room or even know the guy all told me the same thing that he is garbage and always tries to get with any girl he can. It's a shame that he tried Lauren as she is by far the most loyal girlfriend I have ever had and I love her very much. I'll do what I can to protect her, but it's nice to know that she won't crack to pressure and cheat on me. She's too good for that and for anyone who says she's with me cause she doesn't know better....... We've been together for nearly a year and by now I think we both know better and what we're involved in. I love her and she loves me. I would never cheat on her and she would never cheat on me. Speaking of almost 1 year.... Saturday night Lauren and myself along with a few friends from the Aquarium will be going to the New Jersey Devils home opener this Saturday to open up hockey season. I'm bringging Lauren along as part of her 1 year present. It should be loads of fun!!!!

What is the above logo you may ask. Well it's just one of the things that I am now starting to get involved with.I will be working with the Shark Safe Network in an effort to change Manasquan's Mako Mania Shark Kill Tournament. We are trying to change it to a catch and release tourny. Any support is greatly appreciated and I'll blog more information as I learn it for now though I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be working with these guys in an effort to save the lives of not only Mako Sharks, but all species of shark around the world.


I also have some Sea Shepherd news I'd like to throw out there. Sea Shepherd will be launching it's next attempt to stop illegal Japanese Whaling in Antarctica on December 7th. Along with the flagship Steve Irwin, the Sea Shepherds will be accompanied by Earthrace, a boat that will change the the tide of the war in the south Pacific. This boat is going to be chasing and intercepting the speedy Japanese Harpoon Vessels and protect the whales they hunt. That all of course kicks off in December. For something more immediate. A couple weeks ago I emailed the SSCS and got a responce yesterday about volunteering onshore. They basically told me to fill out an application and once it's processed I will be able to help them out. This is a HUGE oppertunity for me and I plan to take full advantage of it even if it means having to cut back my hours at work for a little while. This organization has really helped to open my eyes to the trouble that a lot of aquatic life is in and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect them!

Semester Number 5/New Outlook

So I am almost done with the first week of my fifth and hopefully final semester at OCC. Here we go for this semester I have....

Sociology: This course I originally thought was going to be a really boring class that I would have no interest in. Well from what I gather from watching the first chapter, this class could actually be pretty interesting. It's like looking deeper than what we see. There's a lady walking down the street wearing skimpy clothing, carrying a child, and smoking a cigarette. By looks she may look like a scourge of society, but on the inside who knows what could have happened to her. She could be a poor lady who got raped and depressed into smoking. There's more than meets the eye and that's why this class actually interests me.

History of Civil Society: I don't know what to think of this class yet. It's the first time that OCC is offering this class. The professor plans to have several group projects in this internet heavy course. Again. I don't know what to think of this hybrid History and Politics class.

US History I: I have the same professor as I did for Western Civ II. If this class runs similar, which it sounds like it's going to, then I should be in fine shape to work this class.

New Jersey History: This writing intensive course sparks my interest due to it's projects. I have a feeling that my passion for sharks could come into play at some point during this semester. Lots of group work here as well.

All of the group work between NJ History, Sociology, and Civil Society, is more or less forcing me to have a new outlook on things. This week I have been more social than I think I've ever been in college. It's not really a bad thing as I mentioned in my first blog that I was thinking about trying to find new friends.... Well looks like I don't have much of an option now due to all this group work that I'll be doing.

Taking A Dive/Something Worth Fighting For

So this morning I went diving for the first time in a few years. It was so awesome to get back into the water and really enter a different world. This world is ruled by sharks whom have helped shaped nearly all life in the ocean. While I was diving I saw a bunch of both local and tropical fish. When I first started diving a couple years ago, I had a real problem in the fact that I could not get my ears to clear therefore I had a lot of pressure in them and to prevent them from bursting I could not get down more than 10-20 feet. I was down around the same depth today, but I had no problems getting the pressure in my ears to relieve itself. Some of the more interesting things that I saw down there today included a female Horseshoe Crab that was literally the size of a well... really big Crab. She was massive and had an entire ecosystem growing on her back from algae to mussels to sea stars. She didn't like it when i touched her and she bolted across the mussel bed leaving a trail of knocked over sea stars in her wake. Next I came across a little debris where there was this little fish. I have no idea what kind it was, but it was very, very upset that I was close to it's home and proceeded to latch onto my finger for a while. I didn't even notice him until I saw him attacking me. Then I saw a little Pufferfish. I grabbed and broke open a mussel. The little guy came rushing over and ate right from my hand. Then another one came and another. Soon there was 5-7 puffers around me. I had no idea where they came from, but it was funny to see them all staring at me and trying to nibble my finger once I stopped feeding them. I also saw a few tropical fish including Butterflyfish and possibly some little parrotfish.

My desire and want to protect sharks continues to grow and every day it seems that I learn more and more about these animals and learn more and more about just how not dangerous these animals are. I mean take this into consideration next time you go to the beach. More people have died in the last 10 years from stepping in sand sinkholes than from shark attacks. Next time you get a soda out of a vending machine think about this... More people die each year from a vending machine tipping over than by shark attacks. To me it's outrageous that sharks are not protected as well as they should be. Yes Shark Finning and Long Lining is illegal in about 16 countries, but that's nowhere near enough. Those bans are very rarely even enforced and Shark populations are continuing to be decimated. About 5 sharks were spotted off the coast of Massachusets this past weekend. If I hear anything about people killing these animals.... I might go a little crazy and really make my voice heard one way or another. Those sharks, believed to be Great Whites have every right to be off that coast. Two of the sharks I think, have been tagged by scientists to see where the sharks are going. The Great White Shark, considered to be one of the most vicious animal on the planet is quickly nearing extinction. Great Whites typically only have one pup. Granted most of the time those pups reach adulthood without threat from animals (not many things want to eat a 4 foot baby), they still take many years to mature and may only reproduce a couple times in their lives. However there is a glimmer of hope. Sea Shepherd as well as other enviormental groups are continuing to fight for sharks. Sea Shepherd is still activley doing a lot to help sharks despite not being able to go to Costa Rica or the Galapagos due to the Shark Fin industry's control of the areas. On Saturday August 22nd a U.S. Shark Fin Trader was sentenced. The following is from seashepherd.org

"Harrison was sentenced to 5 years probation, a $5000 fine, and a $75 special assessment. Harrison will have to spend 120 days in home confinement and pay the cost of his monitoring. He is forbidden to having anything to do with the shark fin trade, has to perform 150 hours of community service, and take out an advertisement in a major fishing trade publication regarding his criminal acts. Harrison International, LLC was sentenced to 5 years probation, a $125 special assessment, and a $5000 fine. His attorney represented in court that Harrison is now in financial ruin and that his only income is from a lawn care business he runs from his home. Harrison International, LLC is defunct and has no assets or income. Judge Vineyard still imposed the fines on both Mark Harrison and Harrison International and allowed Harrison to pay both over the five years of probation.

These fines and the 120 days of home confinement are a slap on the wrist in the continuum of criminal penalties available to the government; however, and sadly, even this minor sentence is more than what is commonly handed down in US wildlife cases. While this reality must be changed (the laws strengthened, penalties increased, and judges and prosecutors informed) the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society salutes the judge, prosecutor, and investigators in this case for the outcome. Harrison International is defunct and Mark Harrison is in financial ruin. If only we could see all aspects of the shark fin trade criminalized in the United States and throughout the world and all those involved in the horrific trade be brought to ruin. Contact your elected officials and encourage them to outlaw the shark fin trade." To read the rest of this article head over to http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-090822-1.html

Shark Finning is threatening the world's oceans, sharks, and even ourselves. If we loose sharks we'll soon loose ourselves as the oceans will quickly fall apart. Life began in the seas and if life ends in the seas, life on land will soon follow.

So Ends Another Chapter

Today was my final double shift between the Aquarium and Sea View. Basically all summer long on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would work from 9-2 at the Aquarium then head on over to Sea View to make ice cream from 2 till as late as 9:30pm. It was a lot of work between the two, but I have once again fought through it and came out just fine. Perhaps a little less sain, but otherwise I'm fine. I have one more day at Sea View and that will be on Thursday, then work through Labor Day weekend and then well...... Life goes back to normal. I'll be going to OCC for what is probably my last semester there. By there I mean as an OCC student. Chances are I'll be going to Kean College at OCC once I'm actually done with OCC. So with that being said summer is ending and fall is starting.

This summer as a whole was pretty crappy. Given some of the stuff that happened such as my accident and that stuff... I should be a lot worse off then I am right now. Had this been a year ago I'd be a depressed mess right now, but I'm not. I know the big reason too. I have a girlfriend who has stood by me through thick and thin. Lauren was there when I got in an accident. She sat next to me as I slipped in and out of sleep the day after the accident. Lauren and her sister got me beautiful flowers that helped to cheer me up. She carted me around when I didn't have a car and even put up with my mood swings from the medication. I really feel that this relationship could last for a very long time as it continues to get better and more serious with every meeting. No relationship goes without it's share of problems which actually says a lot. I'm not going to go into it here, but a few months ago I ran into some real problems that nearly cost me everything, but Lauren found it in her heart to forgive me and give us another try. We have not had a real fight or argument since.

Last October I got my newest pet, a baby Ball Python. I named him Maru and he was so tiny that he could wrap around my thumb. Now he's so big that he can wrap himself around my neck. He's grown so much in the past year that he's got himself a nice big tank with plenty of area to climb around. My little Bearded Dragon that I still say may be a runt or may have some sort of growing problem is still kind of small, but he has grown a lot over this summer. He still is a very aggressive eater as he nearly leaps clear out of the tank to get his food, but when he's not in feeding mode he has started to settle down. He's not as defensive and is much more calm while I'm holding him. The biting is also slowing down. Snake, my Corn Snake is also doing really well. This summer he's moved from being on newspaper to being on woodchips. Since putting it in he has been out and wandering much more. He's been a little weird eating lately though. He's eating fine, but in order for him to eat I basically have to put the mouse in his mouth as he is really not all into striking it anymore.

One thing did come out of this summer that has made me very happy outside of Lauren and that would be the fact that I have found myself in the center of a new passion. That passion is towards some of the world's oldest animals, the shark. It all really started with working on Shark Week at the Aquarium. I basically fell in love with these animals and I really think I'm going to be spreading the word about these misunderstood creatures. Sharks are not mindless killer, but perfect preadators who target the weak and injured. Humans are not they're prey which a lot of people do not believe. That belife has aided in the decimation of shark populations worldwide and now these animals are nearing extinction. I want to be able to bring my kids to Jenkinson's Aquarium, Adventure Aquarium, or any other Aquarium and show them a shark. I don't want to have to tell them the stories about how sharks used to rule the world's oceans, but man felt the need to kill them all off. I want them to be able to see them and have a chance to learn about these magnificant creatures. I will continue to talk about sharks as well as shark finning and conservation long after my term at the Aquarium is over. I may not be going to school for Marine Science anymore, but that does not mean I cannot continue to do what I can to help protect these animals by simply educating people about these animals.

Shark Fins Are Being Sold In NEW JERSEY

To anyone who reads this please take note. Shark Fin Soup, an Asian delicacy, is being sold right here in New Jersey. This is not a good thing. Shark Finning and Shark Fin Soup are the number one reason for decimated Shark populations worldwide. Tao's Wok & Restaurant located in East Rutherford NJ is currently selling Shark Fin Soup at $9.95 a bowl. I urge you to make your voice heard and call them at

(201) 460-8988

I have already called and managed to get few words in before I was rather rudely hung up on. I couldn't even get a response to what type of Shark Fin was in the soup. To make matters worse I don't think they understood what I was saying. Either way though I feel a little better knowing that I've said something. If I am ever in that area of NJ and am craving some Asian food, I will not be going to this Tao's and I hope that you all do the same. The less of the soup that they sell, the greater the chances of them pulling it off the menu are.

The sad truth of Shark Fin Soup in the United States is that New York alone has over 50 restaurants that sells Shark Fin Soup.

Time for sharks is running out some populations have been decimated by about 99% and many are now threatened with extinction. For the addresses and phone numbers of numerous places that sell Shark Fin Soup check out http://www.awionline.org/ht/d/ContentDetails/i/1475

Videogames That Died

Okay so this blog is a little different. I'm going to be addressing some series of videogames that I think has really just died and become a laughing stock of the gaming world. What does this have to do with my life? Not much really besides the facts that I play videogames and am very bitter towards most of the new games that have been released say oh I don't know.... The release of the Gamecube for Nintendo. I never was a fan of Microsoft's X-Box or 360 so I'm not going to get into that. Playstation has it's series faults in two big names and I'll hit those too.

The first series that I'm going to burn is one of my old time favorites, Donkey Kong. From humble beginnings as an arcade character DK was one of my favorites. Whether it was jumping over barrels, hammering barrels, or saving a princess from a monkey the game was great. Then came the greatest in DK history. The SNES Donkey Kong Country series. These games I still think are three of the best adventure side scrollers that were ever made. My favorite one and one of my first SNES games was Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. I've played through that game at least 30 times and it still does not get old. Donkey Kong Country 1 and 3 are also excellent games. With the coming of Nintendo 64 sidescrolling console games began to die out as games such as Mario 64 and Zelda opened up a new style of gaming. So Donkey Kong changed as well, went 3d and released one fial decent game. DK 64 though had nowhere near the magic of DK Country. Then came the Gamecube and it was all over for the big ape. Games such as DK's Jungle Beat have turned DK into more of a kiddie rip off of Guitar Hero mixed with a little bit of adventure on the Wii. Since DK64 I have not seen a good DK game outside of the GBA remakes of the DK Country series and I really don't expect to see any. DK was great, but there was no reason for that ape to pick up a pair of bongos and go ape on them.


The next series that I'm going to pick apart a little is another one of my favs. That would be the Starfox series. Not much really to say other than the first two games were nothing short of amazing. Soon after the release of Nintendo 64 Starfox 64 hit the shelves and basically became an instant classic. The story, graphics, music, and just about everything else with the game is awesome. Then came the Gamecube again. Starfox Adventure was the death of the Starfox series. Fox should never have been taken out of his Arwing or Landmaster cause disaster struck when it happend. Adventure was basically a cheap Zelda game, but instead of wielding a sword... You wield a little blaster pistol and pal arund with a dinosaur named Tricky (Diddy Kong Racing anyone?) to save some plaent that has well..... Dinosaurs... The only positive thing that came out of Adventure was the addition of the character Krystal. Then came another Gamecube title Starfox Assault. Assault was an effort to bring back the classic Starfox feel, but add in the 3rd person shooting of Adventure. The game was allright, but the magic of the series had certainly gone to the wayside. Lots of glitches and a generally senseless story really hurt Assault. It's multiplayer also suffered due to various issues that I'm not going to mention here cause I'm lazy. Finally for the DS came a glimmer of hope in Starfox Command. Did I say hope? Well it was hope, but now it's dissapointment. The game has many storylines which is great, but who wants to fly an Arwing by using a plastic pen? Not me I'd rather stick with my happy litte Dpad.

Sonic has completley died and everybody knows it. I mean on Sega Sonic was the best. Better than a few of the Mario games even, but as soon as Sonic went 3-D the end had begun. I mean really Sonic is now a Hedgehog that can go Super Sayin, turn into a wearhog, and is King Arthur? That's more than enough to just end a series I think. Sonic's prime was his start and since then nothing but terrible things have happened.

Now for Sony's blunder...... What in the world happened to Crash Bandicoot? The first three games of that series were awesome, then I don't know what happened, but somehow he wound up with Nintendo's GBA switching worlds with Spyro the Dragon and then has seemingly faded out of existence. I don't understand how or why that happened as Crash 2 was my favortie PS1 game.

Oh well I guess we'll never know why certain series fall from grace and others that have fallen continue to sell. (cough Sonic) All I can do right now is keep my fingers crossed for Nintendo to realize that SNES side scrolling was the best thing they ever did and decide to turn the DS into something like that.... Oh wait that was the original intent for the GBA.... My bad.......

Children Children Children

So they say that working 9-5 is a great way to make a living. That may be true for some, but not for me. I'm not complaining about pay, hours, or anything like that, but I would like to further my argument that the people at the boardwalk are going downhill seemingly every day. When I have to watch a kid in a stroller who's mother left to go to the top floor, it's a little out of my job description. I have no problem talking to the public about well whatever, but I'm not there to babysit your infant. Nor am I there to support them in climbing on random objects. I'm there to make sure that people stay safe and answer questions. It's annoying when people just seem to not care about what they're children are doing. These kids are going to be the future of the world? I can say without a doubt that I am glad I'll be near death by the time they are in charge of the world. I mean there are kids running around like out of control monkeys and their parents are just wandering around as if the kids are right next to them quietly watching. I understand that kids are kids, but the issue with me is the parents. Parents that just watch their kids do things wrong and are happy with it. Parents that encourage their kids to be the best and even when they fail... They admire them and tell them their the best. Basically I can't stand parents who feel that their kids are the best and everything they do is perfect. Like really people? Get over yourselves.........

It's A Blog

So this is my first blog thing on here. I used to use myspace as those of you who are reading this may already know, but since the majority of people have gone to facebook I figured that even if nobody reads this that I can get some feelings out. So anyway... Life has been going pretty well for me as of late barring a couple of instances and thoughts. Lauren was on vacation last week so I was unable to really see her. That did get me kind of down, but fortuantly I was very busy with work so my brain was for the most part occupied. Now she's home though and I have been happy since. In general though I've thought of a few new reasons to do a blog..... 1.) My friends are limited.... More on that later... 2.) I like to look back on myself and by that I mean in a year's time or so if I'm still doing this I'd like to see how much I've changed. 3.) I want to try my best to spread the word on Shark Finning and other serious issues that are happening out in the world's oceans. Since I'm still in school and could not survive on a several month voyage to basically anywhere in the world due to homesickness and lack of money. I figured that I can try to do what I can on the net.

More on reason number 1....... At this point I'm pretty much uncaring for what people have to say to me about this as far as I'm overreacting and what not, but here it is. As far as real friends (Outside of co-workers whom for the most part have become like a second family) are concerned.... I feel that I currently have 3 and that's it. I have just 3 people I feel that I can talk to with no problem at all. I'm not going to go into names, but if my contact with you has suddenly stopped....... Assume your not one of the three. Only those three people seemed to care when I got in my accident. Some of my "friends" joked about it by saying stuff like I enjoyed the pain. If I was still 16 and wanted to kill myself, yah then I would have enjoyed it, but now Im 20. I'm a lot more mature, I have a great relationship, I have two awesome jobs, and overall I have a pretty decent life. Some of my other "friends" have also lied to my face just one too many times, and all of those people have been cut out of my life. Those of you who have told me that they're straightedge yet drink and smoke, those of you who claim to say one thing yet do another as far as handeling situations is concerned, please don't try to get in contact with me because I simply will not respond. I'm done wasting my life on people who just try to take advantage of me or claim to be friends and just trash me left and right. Also..... True friends wouldn't try to get me to smoke and drink they could see me messed up... So again... Those of you in these categories I will no longer be communicating with you.

Summer is almost over which is not a bad thing at all. I hate the cold weather with a passion, but I cannot wait for the "offseason" to start. I'll be happy to sit at a little desk with my textbooks and pen and just relax and learn a little. I can't stand tourists and it seems that the quality of people has really gone downhill. This summer I have seen some of the trashiest people on the boardwalk that I have ever seen. The general attitude of people up there is now that they are the best and drinking is the reason to be up there. The amount of trash that these people leave on the beach is just another disgusting fact. I'll hold my breath for the next two weeks till Labor Day and then it'll all be nearing an end. Once the Seafood Fest passes life in Point Pleasant will begin to return to normal.

I have now been with Lauren for well over 10 months now and things have gotten better and better as time goes by. I love her a lot and hope that we can stay together for a very long time! I still have to thank her family too for putting up with my craziness...


Now for a little bit about the above logo. That is the logo of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which is one of the most controversial environmental groups in the world. They are responsible for sinking several pirate ships and disabling many whaling ships. They have done some things that I do not really agree with, but they are basically the only organization that goes out and takes direct action against people going out and killing some real valuable animals in the world such as the whales and sharks. Any and all of the messages that I put out on this blog involving marine life will have to do with those animals. As well as what Sea Shepherd is doing to help these animals. Personally I am not a part of Sea Shepherd, but I support them is what they do and will be doing my part here to show that support towards them and the animals they are trying to protect.