Wednesday, September 28, 2011

You said BFF...WTF

You've had a friend in the past. They were a pretty good friend. They liked you and you liked them. You felt that you could tell them important personal information about you and the feeling was mutual. Over time you started to grow apart and started to not talk to each other as much. You're not sure if it's your fault or theirs but you just know it happened.

There are a couple things I'd like to talk about for just long enough for you to read them all. The first one is friendship; what it means to me, what it should mean, and why most people suck at it. The second is loyalty; to your friends, and their loyalty to you.

The friends I've made in the past I care about...a lot.  Like a song I loved in middle school. I still love the song but it's in a different way. I don't listen to Five Hundred Miles on repeat anymore but I still love the song. Without my friends I'd be miserable and probably dead.

I have lots of friends. I have older friends, younger friends, liberal friends, Christian friends. Friends that act like retards and ones that act smart. One great thing about friendship is that you're not married to the person...you can quit the friendship at any time. Sometimes it's necessary but rarely do I feel this.

The main reason I believe that most people suck at friendship is because first...they are selfish. You want a friend if it is good and convenient for you. As soon as it's not good for you you don't care about the person anymore.  The second is that they feel that the other person doesn't want to be friends with them...doesn't care...and has moved on.  If you're the friend that has moved on, shame on you. If you're the other friend I'm sorry that people suck.

My father tells me that no matter how close you are with your friends, how many blood brothers you've initiated, and how many times you've cried in front of each other, that you'll grow apart. I can see this in many an adults life. How many older people do you know don't have any friends? Is that a joke...

Chances are that you've had friends in the past that you really care about and now you don't talk to them anymore. This is LAME. What every happened to loyalty. People grow apart it's true...and it's okay...what's not okay is leaving someone in the dust. You know if you've done it. It's time to correct it. Having loyalty is doing what it takes to ensure the person your friends with knows you've got their back. Ride or Die. Pick a side and be committed.

Take some time and catch up with an old friend. Not having enough time is not an excuse. Do some soul searching and get deep with them.

Spending time with your significant other is important but second to spending time with God.

The third relationship, in ranking order, is a close race between your enemies and your friends. Love is the key. Stop being selfish and reach out to someone you used to love. Chances are they'll reach back...if they don't direct them to this blog...or you can give me a call...I'll do my best to give you some advice.

Lastly, stop being afraid of being hurt. Take some chances and get your heart broke. At least you were being a good friend. Isn't being a good friend more important than self preservation?


Clark: Yeah, but I will have a degree, and you'll be serving my kids fries at a drive-thru on our way to a skiing trip.
Will[smiles] Yeah, maybe. But at least I won't be unoriginal.



 love. war.


Things to think about:
-We spend too much time debating. Howard Roark for president
-People say there's no reason to ever hit a woman. Is that true?
-Checking your credit.
-Getting out of debt sucks.
-Crossing the line

Things to watch:
Grinding the Crack
The music video
Wilfred

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Best Clothing Company in the World...and Not a Slight Bit Slutty


When I was thirteen years old I started a clothing company. It was your average clothing company started by a thirteen year old. But the company really started when I was nine and in the 4th grade. I started to doodle the name of my future company on my binders and notebooks. My friend Kyle was big into drawing so I had him design me a pair of Yonks shoes that I was going to make someday. The extent of my clothing company knowledge was a little less than what the average person knows about supply-side economics.

My dad knew a guy who printed on some tees so I made a design, took it to him, pulled together $200 from my KFC work money, and launched the greatest clothing company in the world. My goal...to be on the backs of 1 in every three people...in the world. I know I know I should of set my goals higher. The first design was nothing amazing but yet people started to buy the stupid white shirts with red letters. The front said Yonks clothing co with my logo and the back had my logo even bigger and underneath said Sknoy...which if you haven't figured it out by now is Yonks backwards. I was pretty creative when I was thirteen. I instantly became, "that tee-shirt guy."

After I sold all those I came out with another shirt. This time geared more towards ladies, the real clothing shoppers, and then another and another and another. By the time I was a senior in high school I had two investors, one salesman, a handful of articles in the school newspaper written about me, a legit website, and girls from every grade rocking my tees...and, of course, a crap load of people who knew me as "that tee-shirt guy."

Into college I continued running my company taking off a semester of college every year to run Yonks full-time. My friend Bryan started helping me design the clothes and by this time I was only making woman's clothing and I had some real awesome crap. As you can see from the intro pic. Black sleeveless hoody with two-tone lime green lines.  I lived, breathed, and ate Yonks Clothing. I had a photographer, a model, a web designer, a graphic designer, a salesman, and brought my brother on to handle the money side of the business...all working for me for free. (all of whom I owe a great debt of gratitude) I eventually was in five stores in three different states, girls everywhere rocking my gear. "This is my friend Page, he owns Yonks clothing." "Oh you're that tee-shirt guy. I've heard of you." I'd look at them and say...I do make tee-shirts.

Nine years had passed...and I gave it all up...never to be "that tee-shirt guy again."

For nine years of my life people knew me as a tee-shirt guy. I never saw myself as that.  I saw myself as Page: the fun loving, spontaneous, good friend, let's find ways to break the rules, kid. I always wondered if a tee-shirt guy really encapsulated me. As if to say oh John you're that retard. I'm not a retard, I'm just a person who happens to be retarded. But that doesn't define me. "Oh you're that orphan Sam." "Oh you're that crazy girl Sarah" "Oh you're that slut Jenny." I know all about you.

As if the one thing we've done defines everything that we are. 

Having been out of the tee-shirt game for three years now I look back at Yonks as a very interesting time in my life. It was with me the majority of my adulthood. Even though that's true Yonks isn't who I am. This is who I am...
A man looking to spread the love of Jesus to the four corners of the Earth.

and if you don't understand that maybe you have some soul searching to do. love. war.

Things to think about:
-Who is a wedding reception for: the guests, or the married?
-Should a woman break up with a man over video game playage?
-What can't you live without?
-Bryan Costello is an awesome graphic designer.
-Contra dancing.

Things to watch: