Swingram’s NYE Bash
So I guess there is really no way to talk about the year 2008 unless we take a look back at the New Year’s Eve party that was…Swingram’s New Year’s Eve Bash 2K7.
Sam had informed us of his parents being gone for the weekend in Iowa, I believe. Naturally this meant he was going to host a party. A party full of anything but dead pigeons.
Those that were there could probably tell the stories better than I could, which means they’re lying or their inebriated points of view are just better.
Anyway, some highlights of that party for me…
• Sarah with some kind of cocktail or something (maybe just straight-up vodka) in her hands when I arrived. This was also the most sober I think I saw her that night.
• Seeing some friends that I don’t get to see much, like Matt Winkler, Ben Seckler, and Kyle Cunningham to name a few.
• Beau awkwardly benching all night on Sam’s weight bench. On a later trip to the mall we talked about this, and Beau asked something to the effect of, “So that’s what I was doing? I wondered why my body hurt the next day.”
• Chloe Daniels. Moving on…
• Searching for the Dirty Dave / Delayna makeout sesh I was sure was happening.
• Me and Jon riding Sam’s scooter down the road. It was so cold, and that thing was such a piece of crap, but I was laughing really hard the entire time while I was on it because of the experience.
• The weird kids from East Peoria that kept moving to different parts of the house in an effort to find whatever hogwash MTV was airing.
• Myself giving a toast to the late Fat Dan Nauman at midnight.
• Somebody (Swingram himself?) saying “First to find the champagne bottle gets the whole thing!!!” and Jon jumps off the top couple stairs, hits a wall, and literally tumbles down the stairs until he hit the floor. Assuming I’d need to drive him to the hospital, I rushed downstairs to see if he was okay. I don’t remember what exactly Jon said, but I’m guessing it was a burp followed by a few laughs.
• Carrying Sarah out in the snow on my shoulders to hand her over to her parents.
The party was hilarious and it was a great way to cap off a year in which we’d graduated from high school and most of us went to college. It also set the bar in terms of rage for the year ahead.
The Okinawan Blade
Let’s take a break from the ridiculousness of life. I had been thinking about getting a tattoo for close to a year. I’d wanted to get it soon after getting out of high school but timing didn’t work out. So I waited until January and got what I’ve used as the symbol of our program ever since I started the website.
I like it because it represents everything I’ve been involved with in the martial arts. From being a white belt to creating our website, earning a shodan, leading demos and seminars, and the lifelong relationships I’ve made in just over five years, I decided before getting inked that no matter how old I am, I’ll look at this blade with pride that I was able to do something special. I sat here for a bit thinking about putting it into words but, every time I look at that beast I’ve got a different story to tell.
I wear it with pride.
Adam Bockler – American Gladiator
It’s no secret I view myself as sitting on the top of the world, more often than not. I figured I was doing well in school, was in the best shape of my life (at that point), and wanted to try something different. So I heard American Gladiators was filming a new season and decided, “what the hell?” I filled out a giant application, and filmed some spots of me working out solo and throwing Tony and Mark around in the basement.
My favorite filming session came from doing an impression of one of my heroes, Hulk Hogan, host of the show. I dressed up in full Hogan garb and in front of about 20 people in Sarah’s basement, we filmed a pretty kickass promo. I felt bad for some of the dudes there, because they were some of Sarah’s friends most of the rest of us hadn’t ever met before. But the reaction they gave me was good, so that’s awesome.
Monster Jam
Another year of monster trucks, another year of hilarity. Thankfully I didn’t get a plug stuck in my ear this year, but Monster Jam was still awesome. I believe the gang was me, Pepper Water, Bob, Jon & Laura, and maybe Dirty Dave. Justin and Emily were supposed to come, but apparently couldn’t find their tickets, and ended up not coming back even after I spent forever at the box office trying to get them back into the show.
But whatever man, I still got to enjoy monster trucks, so all is good.
