First time for everything..

I wanted to post this for you guys. It was more for fun than something serious I would continue to do unless you guys like it. So without further delay, the first video of me on my blog. Enjoy, I hope you like it.

First College Degree

(My little boy and me)

After a long journey, my goal was finally reached. On December 15^th 2012, I obtained my first college degree. During this process I had some really great instructors and some really bad ones as well. I was even told by the college staff to give up and just go find a job.  Sadly that wasn't the first time I have heard that so I brushed it off.  The path for me was littered with road blocks, but I never stop fighting.

 (My mother and father)

 (My wife, son, and me)

(My 2nd mom and wife step-father)

Before I began my last semester, I had to meet with the dean of the English department.  She told me because of a grade I made almost ten years ago I would fail the English class I needed to graduate. I pleaded with her and told her if she gave me a chance and let me take the class I would make an "A" and come back and show her.  After a lot of hard work and long papers I obtained that "A" and went to her office to show her. Three trips later I finally met with her and showed her what she thought was impossible, wasn't!

I did learn some things about myself. I found I hated science classes and don't like or dislike math classes. I love English classes, or any class that requires me to write. I think its because every class I have had to do a lot of writing I have made straight A's!

I have a few more classes to take before I transfer to another college to finish my college education. I have finally obtained my lifelong dream!

This degree isn't just for me, it’s for my family. It’s for all the people that supported me, and all the people that have Dyslexia or learning differences that did not think they could do it. 

I can honestly stand before all of you, proud and say it was hard, and a battle but it was NOT impossible! 

The Start of a Dyslexic Gunsmith

Yesterday my wife and I had to give our husky Bella back to the rescue. It was very hard, painful, but we both knew it was the right choice. I've had a hard time not thinking about her and wanted to stay busy. This is what I did.


DISCLAIMER: NEVER WORK ON LOADED FIREARMS. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. PLEASE FOLLOW FIREARM SAFETY AND NRA RULES.

This is what I started out with, a stock target version Ruger 10/22 Rifle. This version comes with a bull barrel (.920 barrel)

The barrel alone is very heavy which puts all the weight in the front making it tiresome. I wanted to go with the British "Bullpup" type stock to center the weight making it easy to use. The brand I picked was "MazzelLite" which turned out to be really nice.

Here what I got.

The new design caused issues with the factory designed parts. There were two parts I upgraded to make the rifle easier to use.

Left: Charging Handle (Extended Model)

Right: Magazine Release (Extended Model)

Up close photo of the Magazine Release

Up close photo of the Charging Handle 

So now that I have everything I need. I will start on the conversion. First I will remove the old magazine release but first here is a photo of the factory action.

Factory Action

The red circle you see is the only pin holding the magazine release in the trigger housing. I took a metal punch and tapped that pin out and the factory magazine release dropped out.

This is what the factory magazine looks like. It's a very small part, size of a quarter maybe a little bigger.

As you can see the new magazine release has a huge pedal on it for speed reloads. I dropped this part in the trigger house and lined up the holes and tapped the pin back in the housing. 

Next you have to remove the bolt/action from the trigger housing. There are only two pins holding this in place. The same process occurs, just tap the pins out of the housing with the metal punch. 

This is the inside of the action, the silver part is the bolt. The charging handle is under that. You can see the spring on the left of the bolt. I pulled back on the handle moving the bolt to the rear until it stopped. I then held the spring back with one hand and pulled the bolt out with the other. The bolt pulls out from right to left. The spring/handle falls out after the bolt is removed. 

Now I put the new charging handle in. I put the new one it the same position the old one was. I pulled the handle all the way back and dropped in the bolt left to the right this time until it locked. 

You can see the huge size difference between the factory and the performance parts. Now that is done, just had to put those two pins back in.

This is what the upgraded action looks like, after I was done. Now I started on the stock which is a bigger job. The manual stated that if you have the bigger "bull barrel" you would have to make small modifications. THEY LIED!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is one of my issues with the barrel not fitting in the stock. The factory  Ruger 10/22 regular barrel works without modification. The piece doesn't allow the bull barrel. 

This is after 30 minutes of trimming with a razor blade. Needless to say, it did not work. It was not enough material removed. 

The red circle is the factory hole where the barrel comes out of the stock. The white paper to the right of that is the actual size of the barrel.... HUGE difference. This is another entire issue to fix.

I had to use a grinder to remove a lot of material from the stock so the bull barrel would float inside this housing. This was several hours later. Here is what the stock looked like after I was done re-fitting it.

The action and barrel now, finally drop in the stock without any issues. There is a bar that connects the two triggers to make it fire. 

There are several bolts that connect the two piece stock together. The final product looks like this.

All my hard work paid off. The gun works flawlessly and looks great!

The bumps in the road

The Girls

On the journey of life everyone has times when they have to make hard decisions as an adult. The tough decisions have started for my wife and I. We currently have three dogs, all are rescues, in addition,  they are all girls! The last addition was our purebred husky, Bella. 

(Bella is sooo pretty!)

Bella was rescued by a fireman after her first owner left her for dead. She stayed at a rescue until we found her. She was so sweet and pretty. Sadly we tried our friends and family but no one can take her. We are going to most likely have to give her back to the husky rescue. Its going to be really difficult to let her go but three dogs and a baby is to much right now for our family. 

Next is Autumn which is my wife's dog. 

(Autumn has a lot of Lab in her but is still a mix.)

She was scheduled to be killed when a lady saved the whole litter. Lauren picked her out and Autumn become Lauren's first dog as an adult. I will never forget the ride home. I was holding her (she was a puppy) and she peed on my chest and all over me. Autumn also has the most nicknames out of all our dogs. I call her "fatty more that any other name" mainly because she eats literally everything... this would include TV remotes, window seals, and anything in her reach. The fun thing is Autumn looks like at twin of our oldest dog Krisie. 

Krisie is the sweetest dog and oldest dog we have. 

(We don't know what she is mixed with but she looks a lot like "Fatty")

Krisie was owned by a guy in the military. I didn't know it till after we had her for awhile that he would hit her with is military boots. My friend one day came over wearing military boots and she freaked out and ran away. My wife calls Krissie "Peanut" and the mother of all the girls. She really is a sweet heart. 

We plan to keep Krisie and Autumn. They literally do everything together. They are sisters from another mother. We just hope we will be able to rent a home that will allow them. 

Dogs aren't just man's best-friend, they are so much more! They give you so much love and joy, life wouldn't be to same without them.  

Dyslexia in the workplace

How hard is it having Dyslexia at work?

How do people you work with treat you after they know your Dyslexic?

Does your bosses make a big deal about you having a learning difference?
Do you catch people talking behind your back?

Those are just a few questions that come to mind. There are tons more that impact Dyslexic people in the work place. Its hard enough dealing with our differences, to then have to deal with dumb-ass people making jokes or name calling us. I personally have been impacted by this in the work place. In my career before I went back to college, I was required to write huge investigative reports with no way to proof-read my writing. One of the biggest issues with writing with the way Dyslexia effects me, is I can not proof-read my writing. I see exactly what my mind wanted to write instead of what is actually on paper. Weird, and I'm not sure if other Dyslexic people have that same issue?! Never asked other Dyslexics about that, It would be interesting to find out.

I remember people I worked with saying I heard the boss laughing at what you wrote, he said a 3rd grader could have done better. I even remember being written up for me not being able to write the way they wanted me to write. So here is what I have to say about all those people in my life that laughed and made fun of me. Kiss my ass! 

Friendless

Let me start out by saying that not all dyslexic people are like me, so in no way am I saying all dyslexics are friendless.

Some of my early memories were quite depressing. I remember having birthday parties and my mom inviting her teacher friends kids. Mainly so I would have people to play with. I notice I had trouble making friends and once people found out I was dyslexic, I was labeled short bus. I became really bitter. The friends I had growing up, were one at a time. What I mean by that is, I would have a best-friend for several years and then all of sudden something would happen and back to friendless. I know I am really guarded and even as an adult that hasn't changed. I have one really good friend even now, no one really else. The only other person I am kind of close with is my wife's male cousin. After awhile I started worrying what is wrong with me. I know I'm introverted which I received that trait from my mother. I have always had a hard time being myself and finding people that really liked me for me. I had an even harder time liking me, why would anyone else.

So this is my post about my on-going battle with relational issues and myself. I am grateful that I have a wonderful wife, son, and family.

The Dyslexic Parent

The hardest but most rewarding job there is, being a parent. In the scheme of things I'm really new to being a  parent/father. My son is still a baby, and he is our only child at this point. We plan on a few more, God willing. As a parent I find myself worrying about everything and learning to filter out what are irrational thoughts or stress. It is no secret to anyone that knows me that I have always wanted to be a father, and my love for kids started at a young age. I always found myself a role-model even if I didn't choose to be.

Being a Dyslexic dad I found myself stressing about if my son will be Dyslexic or not. I think about if the rest of my kids will have Dyslexia, since my wife and I plan on having three or four. The odds start to increase, obviously. I found through research that Dyslexia can run in your family. My first cousin has it, my father I believe has it, even though he was never formally tested.

I watch my son's development, which is amazing; how quickly he learns new things is awesome. Sadly, I will not really know for sure until he is four or five years old. I know I want to have all my kids tested since I wasn't really until sixteen years old. I don't want them to have to endure that kind of hardship if they don't have too. Like any other parent out there, you want better for your kids than what you had. I hope the increasing technological developments and new findings in brain research will help them if they do have a learning difference.

I hope my children don't have Dyslexia, mainly because it would make things easier for them. Every parent wants their children to be completely healthy and perfect. It rarely turns out that way, but my wife and I are thankful for having a healthy son.

I know also parenting a Dyslexic son wasn't easy. Not knowing what was going on with me, growing up and into my adult hood. The helpless feeling my parents must have had. I'm sorry for them.

Chasing a Dream

I said this before so I guess its worth repeating. You can't obtain all your dreams but if you focus on a few then you can obtain those dreams. When I was in martial arts my dream was to compete in the World Olympics. That dream died on an ice filled stormy day when I totaled my Jeep Wrangler. My left knee crashed into the dash after losing control of my vehicle and hitting a tree head on. Doctors say my knee needs to completely be rebuilt and currently is out of alignment, facing outwards.

 Even with the injury I painfully made it through and graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training. My dream while working in law enforcement was to be a gunsmith and work on all the guns in the department. I found out that this type of work was possible and enjoyable after talking to a commanding officer that trained me during my basic training. He was ex Special Forces and learned in the military how to do it. I looked up to him a lot and found a passion to want to learn how to do what he was doing. I also had a dream to teach S.C.A.T. which was the department's hand to hand combat classes. I shortly figured out that I would have to go back to college full time if I wanted to obtain my dream of working as a gunsmith.  After being back in college for a few years, two shows launched on TV that sparked my passion again. "American Guns" and "Sons of Guns" are the two shows completely about gunsmithing and doing it for a career. They take a block of metal and wood and make a gun, or a piece of art in my opinion.

(Disclaimer:I'm not claiming any rights through images or talking about either TV show in the blog.)

So let me back track a moment. I had a life long goal of getting a college education. I hit tons of road blocks and at times, it seemed almost impossible. After several years of extremely hard work, I will have earned my first degree in December of this year. I will finally be able to obtain a life long goal in my life regardless of having Dyslexia.

I think this is why I know I can obtain my gunsmithing dream job.  There are only five major colleges in the country that teach the program. One of the five is in my home state where I live. It is roughly two hours away from our current home. That alone causes some issues. For example, my wife which works in the medical field would have to leave a job she loves and relocate. That bugs me to have to ask her to do something like that. I know she loves me and she would move and change jobs. A huge part of me feels guilty about my request of my family, to stop everything and help me chase my dream and support me. There is a town near the college that is a really nice area to live and we'd be able to rent a home there. We currently have three large dogs and own a home. We would have to sell our current home and possibly have to give our dogs away to good homes. Hopefully we will not have to. It's going to be hard for my wife and I to leave our parents behind on our journey but there is a part of both of us that is excited to live somewhere new. The other huge downside is the jobs for gunsmiths are all over the country so after I graduate I might have to move a few states away from our family.

My wife and I have some huge choices ahead. I'm lucky that she completely supports me in this and she's ready to take the journey with me. Obtaining dreams is never done alone, there are always people behind the scenes. 

Declaring Official Dyslexia Awareness Day

I'm not completely shocked that the UK is ahead of the US in declaring a National Day for Dyslexic people. There is nothing that I could find in the US regarding a National Day. I want to take the time to ask for all my US readers and even the other readers to declare an official day in their country for Dyslexia. Its important to  get the word out there about Dyslexia and share the knowledge. There is a large percentage of people that have no clue what Dyslexia is and what its like to live with Dyslexia. Lets honor our other Dyslexic hero's like Albert Einstein.

Please Help me in my goal to help others and help Dyslexics.

E Mail your congressman, Click Here!

More Information: United Kingdom Official Day for Dyslexia
http://www.national-awareness-days.com/dyslexia-awareness-week.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dyslexia-Information-Day/34927975473

The Contest

CONGRATS!!!! THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST IS : "Ross"

This young man is 13 years old and from the UK. Ross is a very good artist as you can see below. He likes Minecraft on PC and drawing for hours on end.

I was randomly looking at different Dyslexic websites or pages when I noticed that a good 90% of them were very creative and original. I'm thinking about having a contest of all Dyslexic people to create, make, or design something really awesome and take a picture of it. The winner will get a gift-card. Entries will be judge by how many "likes" they have on their picture if their item; in combination with overall judging  on creativity and over all design or function. 

Idea's for the contest:

t-shirt designs, logo, art piece, comic book, cooking recipes w/ pic, crafts, furniture, music related, decorating, jewelry, clothing design, etc....   



Terms of the contest:

 Must click the like bottom on the "the Signs of Dyslexia" Facebook page to enter into the contest.

Here is the link:The Signs of Dyslexia Facebook Page

This way I have your name and I can go back and look it up. The work must be their work and no one else.  The photo needs to be posted on the Facebook wall. The item itself can be anything!  There is no age limit of who can enter. If the winner is outside of the US then I can do an E-Gift Card through PayPal.  All entries must be turned in by Aug 31^st 2012. Judging will take a few days depending on the number of entries. 

Any Questions post them on the Facebook page.

Best Video to date on Dyslexia

                                                                                                                                                                             

This is by far the best video on Dyslexia. I became very emotional watching it because I could completely relate to the film. I do not claim any Copyrights to the film and the video were posted by another you-tube member named "Jason Athen". I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

There is nothing SPECIAL about it!

If you have a learning difference then you most likely have been put in one of these classes. Let me tell you there is nothing special about it. As soon as other kids find out your in one of those programs you get labeled as a "retard" or "stupid". People can be really hurtful. I have been through enough life to know I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through that. It is no picnic.  In America they have these "Special Education" classes in elementary, middle, and high school. They program is design and written by someone that isn't learning "disabled" themselves. I hate that word or wording. Needless to say the programs are out of date and more or less rubbish.

My parents had to threaten the school system with legal action to get me help with Dyslexia in my final years of high school. For me it was a little late but not too late. Even college is 98% designed for the normal kid. The college I attended has a program for people with learning differences. It helps but their system doesn't work all the time.

So as you can see there is nothing special about the school system or their special classes. They are rubbish and useless. What is special or different in a good way is the brain behind the person with the learning difference. Roughly 80% of Dyslexic people are hands on learners and end up in a hands on career. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm really good with my hands myself. If I could blog for a living I would but instead I have to work on my college education to get the skills and further education to do something that is needed.  Not to sound like a parent even though I am, don't give up on your dreams. You will not be able to obtain all of them but find a few and just do it!

People with Dyslexia

The world is a large place, but with the ability of internet its quite small. There are several well known people with Dyslexia. This is motivation for all us unknown Dyslexics. We can also make a dent in the world doing something that really matters. Check this out!

Actors & Entertainers:

    Harry Anderson

    Orlando Bloom

    Harry Belafonte

    Charley Boorman

    Tom Cruise

    Danny Glover

    Whoopi Goldberg

    Susan Hampshire

    Jay Leno

    Christopher Lowell

    Keanu Reeves.

    Kiera Knightley

    Oliver Reed.

    Billy Bob Thornton.

    Tom Smothers

    Vince Vaughn

    Henry Winkler

    Loretta Young

Inventors & Scientists:

    Ann Bancroft, Arctic Explorer.

    Alexander Graham Bell.

    John Britten, Inventor.

    Pierre Curie, Physicist (1903 Nobel Prize).

    Thomas Edison.

    Albert Einstein.

    Michael Faraday.

    Carol Greider, Molecular Biologist, awarded 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

    Jack Horner, Paleontologist.

    Dr. Peter Lovatt, psychologist and dancer.

    Dr. James Lovelock.

    Paul MacCready "Engineer of the Century."

    Archer Martin, Chemist (1952 Nobel Laureate)

    Matthew H. Schneps, Astrophysicist

    John R. Skoyles, Brain Researcher.

Law & Justice:

    David Boies, Attorney.

    Erin Brockovich, Investigator.

    Jeffrey H. Gallet, Judge.

Military Heroes:

    Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson.

    George Patton.

Musicians & Vocalists:

    Cher.

    Brad Little.

    John Lennon.

    Nigel Kennedy, Violinist.

    Bob Weir, Grateful Dead Guit

Athletes:

    Muhammad Ali, World Heavyweight Champion Boxer

    Duncan Goodhew, Olympic Swimmer

    Bruce Jenner, Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist

    Magic Johnson

    Greg Louganis

    Bob May, golfer.

    Diamond Dallas Page, World Wrestling Champion.

    Steve Redgrave, Olympic Gold Medalist (rowing).

    Nolan Ryan, Baseball Pitcher.

    Rex Ryan, Coach.

    Jackie Stewart, race c

Physicians & Surgeons

    Harvey Cushing, Surgeon.

    Fred Epstein, Neurosurgeon.

Political Leaders:

    Winston Churchill.

    King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

    Michael Heseltine.

    Andrew Jackson.

    Thomas Jefferson.

    John F. Kennedy.

    Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco.

    Nelson Rockefeller.

    Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator.

    Woodrow Wilson.

    George Washington.

Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders:

    Richard Branson,Founder of Virgin Enterprises.

    John T Chambers,CEO of Cisco Systems.

    Henry Ford.

    William Hewlett, Co-Founder, Hewlett-Packard.

    Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA.

    Sir Peter Leitch, New Zealand businessman

    Craig McCaw, Telecommunications Visionary.

    O.D. McKee, founder of McKee Foods.

    David Neeleman, CEO of jetBlue Airways.

    Paul J. Orfalea, founder of Kinko's.

    Charles Schwab, Investor.

    Ted Turner, President, Turner Broadcasting Systems.

    Robert Woodruff, President of Coca-Cola, 1923-1954.

    Frank W. Woolworth.

Filmmakers:

    Robert Benton.

    Nicole Betancourt, Emmy-winning filmmaker.

    Walt Disney.

    Søren KraghJacobsen (Danish film director).

Writers & Journalists:

    Scott Adams, Cartoonist (Dilbert)

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Avi

    Jeanne Betancourt, (Author of "My Name is Brain Brian").

    Stephen Cannell, television writer & novelist.

    John Corrigan, novelist.

    Larry Chambers.

    Agatha Christie.

    John Edmund Delezen, author of Eye of the Tiger and Red Plateau.

    Andrew Dornenburg, award-winning author and chef.

    Fannie Flagg (Author of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe").

    F. Scott Fitzgerald.

    Gustave Flaubert.

    Terry Goodkind fantasy writer, author of The Sword of Truth series.

    Byron Pitts, CBS News Correspondent.

    Patricia Polacco, Children's Author and Illustrator.

    Eileen Simpson (Author of "Reversals").

    Natasha Solomons, contemporary novelist.

    Philip Schultz, winner of 2008 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

    Elizabeth Daniels Squire(author of mystery novels).

    Bernie Taylor, author of Biological Time.

    Victor Villaseñor, author of bestselling novel, Rain of Gold

    William Butler Yeats, poet.

Read more: http://www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm#ixzz22WTpMzuA

Some days are better than others

BAD DAY

So speaking about myself, and a few other Dyslexic friends, some days are better than others. This is a question I really do not know the answer too. Sorry! Why is Dyslexia worst or better on different days.  Maybe that is why the medical community call Dyslexia a disability or disorder because the severity changes on a day to day basis. Some days I can write and it feels almost flawless. Days like today it seems nothing comes out quite right or its typo city. Sometimes my brain just goes blank or I will have a harder time than usual trying to remember things (short term memory).  What I mean by that is, "Did I eat lunch; What did I eat?".

I never noticed Dyslexia effecting my speech before but the older I get the more I notice it. It is not all the time, just some days I notice it more than others. For example I will be talking to a friend or even a random person for that matter and find myself unable to pronounce a word. Sometimes I'm thinking of a word when I am talking that I want to use and forget completely what it was. Its a pain in the butt. I really hate when it happens when I'm talking to someone that doesn't know I have Dyslexia then it just looks like I have brain trauma or something. That is odd right?

Dyslexia is a weird thing, it effects other completely differently for one person to the next. I love hearing from other Dyslexic people and how they deal/work around it. Its always nice to know your not alone. So for my readers that have Dyslexia you are welcome to comment or even email me questions or stories.

Standardized Testing & Dyslexia

If you have ever thrown gasoline on an open flame to see the effect, then you understand how the two elements don't mix unless controlled. (Please Do Not try that, this is my disclaimer)  So if Standardized testing is (Gasoline) and the (Open Flame) is Dyslexia then you understand my odd analogy.

The reason a Dyslexic person like myself doesn't typically score well on a standardized test is they are designed and formulated for the normal student ( one without learning differences).  I went to school in North Carolina, United States (for my Global readers) so testing here is 100% standardized.  The State formulated test are the worst, moving on to middle school or Jr. High more test. These test are better known as "end of the year" test. So for 13 years the student has standardized testing, so if you are Dyslexic or have other learning differences it is going to be a long road ahead.

I say that because there is no way to circumvent the test. I always did poorly on my test. It didn't help that no one knew I was Dyslexic. I'm going to go on a small tangent. When I was in school, teachers and staff had little to no training on how to spot Dyslexia . I would say roughly 90% of the teachers and staff couldn't tell you what Dyslexia was because they didn't know. They would say things like,  "You flip letters and are a poor reader". A.D.H.D. was the number one mislabeled learning difference out there. That isn't just including the school systems but even some of the medical professionals are throwing the parents of the children pills for a learning difference they might not even have. A scary percentage of the children after advanced testing were in fact NOT  A.D.H.D. at all. I was also one of those children mislabeled.

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. Back to the standardized testing. The final note I want to address about is the PSAT's and SAT's. These test are claimed to not be standardized test, but they are just as bad as the state formulated test I took in grade school.  I remember having the scan-tron sheets, an having to color in the bubble. As soon as I was shown the sheet I was already having a lot of anxiety. For me it was hard enough not to color in the wrong circle or block than it was to get the answer right.

So in closing I wished the education system would address the issues with standardized testing and Dyslexia. Until its fixed Dyslexic people like myself fall victims to the system.

I'm Dyslexic so what!?

Just because I'm dyslexic, didn't mean I couldn't be good at other things in my life. In fact I was naturally good  at sports. I played as a child baseball and made it all the way up to the All-Star Team.

After that I started martial arts. The reason I started martial arts was when I was 11 years old I got attacked by neighbor and his friends which were much older. I was hurt really bad, I remember my parents making me take an icy bath to reduce the swelling. Needless to say within a month I was enrolled into Tae Kwon Do. I took Tae Kwon Do for several years and changed schools a few times landed at the best one in the state. I trained for endless hours a week, sorry to my poor mother having to sit in the car or drive me there. I ended up with a  first degree Black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a few other Deputy Black belts in other style hand to hand combat martial arts. I sparred in the states and even the US Championships coming home with not just one Gold medal but two. I shortly after was asked to be the Captain of the teen tiger demo team and also partnered with the Korean Tiger Demo team to conduct a few demo's in our state. Sadly my martial art career ended after a snowy day and a car crash. My left knee is completely messed up and needs surgery even today.

During my martial art career I landed myself in male modeling and acting school. Which I graduated from and applied and landed a starring role in a mini- series on HBO. My parents decided that wasn't good for me so I never got to do it.... the what if's drive me crazy even today.

After that I taught myself how to play drums and played in several bands but found I enjoyed singing more than drumming. Nothing ever came of it, but I still enjoy it. I have used my martial art background to get jobs and also teach class. I taught a mixed martial arts class for students at Duke University.

Don't give up on yourself, if you want to do something just learn how, and go do it. You are the only person holding you back.