Wow, the things you find over the internet!

Well, today it was rainy and cold, so I decided to stay inside and mess around on the web. Kind of take some time to prepare myself mentally for tomorrows session of mat work at class. I have been working on my blog a lot behind the scenes, trying to figure out how the heck you put a hit counter on and things like that (FINALLY figured it out)when, to my surprise, I typed my name in to pull my blog up and it appears I am not the only one with my last name on here! My cousin Dylan has a blog here at Blogspot (his being devoted to more worthwhile causes then mine is), and in short order I followed some links from his page that sent me to my Uncle "Wonny's" and Aunt Wandas pages respectfully. They are quite a group and I am proud of all of them in each of their endeavors, so I thought I would share a personal insight into my family. And Dylan, if it chaps your arse that I am bringing you down a level or two in class by including you in my blog then so be it. I am trying to ride your coattails to greatness!

This portrait is of Dylan when he was about twelve years old or so. I am a couple of years older then he is, but when we were kids we hung out quite a bit. I would go spend weekends at his house and longer stretches over summer vacations. There always was a definite difference between us, I was the jock and liked to rough house, he was more reserved and the artistic kind. But I think we melded together so well because we both brought subtle differences to the table. We always had a blast when we were together and it is those memories that are some of the happiest from my youth. When Dylan graduated high school he went on to Western Michigan University and earned a degree in creative writing. And while that would have sufficed for most people, he took it a step further. Well, a mile and a half further actually. He went to graduate school and I think a little beyond. His writing work has seen him to Europe, where he studied under some literary greats, (don't ask me who, I couldn't name them just like he couldn't name who headlined at last years Wrestlemania) and currently, last I heard anyway, he is trying to write the proverbial great American novel. I have read some of the things he has written, and believe me, the kids got skills. Except for his vendetta against Jesus (it pops up quite frequently in his writings, I HOPE just for shock value), I feel that greatness is truly in his future. You can check out his blog at "The Velvet Goldmine". It is a true haven of an artist community.

The portrait to the right is of my Uncle Ron. He's Dylans dad, and the only uncle I have on my Dads side. If I was to make a comparison between him and my own dad it would be like night and day, kind of like the differences between Dylan and myself. Where my father was, oh, shall we say, a bit on the moody side, Uncle Ron was more laid back. Both my Dad and Uncle Ron were(Well, in Uncle Ron's Case is) musicians,my Uncle really excelled in the field. My Dad had to provide for a rather large family (seven of us kids),my Uncle was fortunate with having one child,so he was in a way better position to chase his dream. I could go on forever here regaling you with his accolades, but just suffice it to say he has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, John Mellencamp, Iggy Pop, REO Speedwagon just to name a few. He currently plays with a band out of Michigan called The Bashers, where he writes and performs his original music. I guess it is officially of Rock and Pop extraction, but if I had to describe it I would parallel him closely with the likes of Paul McCartney. He has a webpage that tells you all about his music, and I highly recommend it as it is really good. There is a link to a site where you can hear seven or eight of his songs, I am especially fond of the one "Tip a Few", it has gotten a lot of airplay on the radio back home in Muskegon. You can check it out HERE. If you don't want to check out the page, but want to hear some really cool music you can d/l some of his music HERE. Just click on search at the top, and in the artist box type in Ronnie Hock. His songs will come up, I recommend you listen to "Tip a Few" first. I haven't seen him in about three years or so, but I talk to him occasionally and I miss him very much. I am so proud that he is my Uncle.

The above portraits were courtesy of Wanda Cline, and as you probably guessed by now, she is an artist and my Aunt. If I had to describe Wanda it would be as Bambi, for all the years I have known her I have never, ever heard her raise her voice. I have never seen her angry and I have never seen her anything but happy. She makes a loud impression just by her quiet ways and she is the most gentle person I have ever met. As far as her artwork is concerned, it speaks for itself. I look at her work and am just awed by how good it is. I am not an art critic, but her paintings are as good as anything I have seen anywhere. As unqualified an opinion as mine may be, if I never met her before and I was in the market for a portrait, she would be the one getting the job. She has a website where you can see her work, and if you are interested, information on how to commission her services. It can be found HERE.

Wow, what a long entry. I guess that I was just excited to share with my faithful fans (all three or four of them) a little bit of what has made me a part of who I am. I hope you enjoyed it, and please, check out the links I put out, you won't be sorry, believe me. I think it's time for me to get some shut eye, as tomorrow, bright and early, I hit the mats,and I can't wait to come back and give you an update on my progress.