Lots to say

A lot has gone on since my last blog post.

I am currently sitting at my apartment outside Tampa debating whether or not I’ll be sticking around for this crazy storm that seems to be coming right for me. I’ve looked into going to Atlanta for a few days and will be making a decision later tonight or tomorrow. Apparently, you can’t buy flood insurance when a storm is already on its’ way. Oops. Hopefully things blow over (no pun intended) and the damage will be very minimal.

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been putting together three (3) film shoots with various talents, especially lots of new faces. Waiting to finalize 2 of the shoot dates, but I have confirmed 1 and expect the other two to be confirmed next week.

September 28th, I will be filming in Southern California. So far I have the following committed to coming: Jobe Zander, Chace LaChance, Lance Hart, Trenton Ducati, an Instagam stud and a couple others.

I shall post more about the other two shoots shortly.

Did a little back-packing around Europe with a couple friends this past month. Well, back packed for about half the trip until I got to Barcelona and had my back pack stolen from the hotel office. Everything inside was taken, too. Passport, wallet (credit cards, debit cards, license, social security card, etc.), laptop, watch and a few other random items. I reported it to the police and got a new passport at the Consulate, so at least I was able to travel back home.

I thought that was going to be the worst part of the trip, but I was wrong. The very next day I was wondering around the Ramblas and Gotic area of Barcelona with my friend. We were looking for something, but realized we were walking in the wrong direction and turned around. Only a couple minutes later did we see crowds of people running from the street we were just on. We thought they were late for something. Boy, were we wrong.

We didn’t realize it until nearly 15 minutes later, after receiving several text messages checking to see if we were okay. At first, I thought people were just checking on me because I had my bag stolen and was without several important items. Apparently, we dodged potential harm but less than a handful of minutes. The next few hours were very edgy and confusing. We spent another 36 hours in Barcelona before heading out to the South of France.

On the train ride to France, I was kicked off the train. I don’t speak any languages more than a few words other than my native English. It was early in the morning and I had sprawled out to relax on the 3+ hour ride to Montpellier (France). The conductor (is that what they are called?) said something to me in Spanish, to which I responded that I do not understand what he said. He made an angry gesture, which amused me, so I smiled and took my feet off the seat. Apparently, smiling makes people even more upset and he continued to say things in obvious anger in Spanish. I told him I only speak English, so I cannot understand what he is trying to tell me. He aggressively asked for my passport and ticket. He laughed when he found out I was American and even made a remark while chuckling to his assistant about it. There was no need for any frustration on his part.

Well, to make a long story short, that was my first time being pulled off the train by police. They threatened me with jail time, even leading me to the police cruiser and opening the door. Luckily, I recorded this interaction, so I had that for my protection. Which is why they threatened me with being arrested. The police claimed it was illegal to record them. I asked to speak to the supervisor but was told “I am the boss” by the officer. Definitely not my favorite travel experience.

Before that and after that I had a good time though. Landed in London early on a Thursday and explored the city a bit before heading up to Birmingham to wrestle on a live pro event with some friends of mine. The show was small and intimate. Definitely great being back in action. Looking forward to more matches this fall.

From England, we went to Segovia (Spain) and Madrid. Segovia is a gorgeous town that’d I’d definitely recommend checking out. Madrid was alright. Not as much to see there as I expected. Saw my first (and last) bull fight. Not what I expected at all. And I’m not sure, but the event staff didn’t seem to allow us to leave. Again, language barrier, but we were chauffeured back to our seats to finish the show. A few American girls behind else watched the bull fights from behind the hands.

We hopped in the car and drove to Barcelona through Zaragoza. Decent lunch stop. I was asked by the local police to put my shirt back on. I didn’t question it. Anyone know why this is?

France was great. Just what I needed up in the French Alps. Gorgeous area. Probably my favorite spot on the trip and I’ll likely find an excuse to go back.  I wish I had my phone linked to my computer, but that laptop was stolen so I’d have to email the photos to myself in order to post them, so hopefully my words are enough to get you to google the area. Caught a great sunset in Andre The Giant’s fictional hometown. Would you believe not one monument of the legend in the area?

Hopped on a plane to Rome and met up with another friend there. Rome was packed and sweaty. Great to see some of the all-time great sights like the Coliseum and Vatican. I snuck a couple photos in the Sistine Chapel. Got some great footage of the Coliseum at sunrise. I’m not sure I saw everything I should’ve while I was there. It looked smaller than I expected and it seemed every piece of architecture was incredible.

We sat waiting for a little movie scene to be shot near one of the monuments, but we got bored, so decided to finish our drinks and head to bed.

Also, saw Florence & Venice. Two beautiful places. I saw many early sunrises to catch some video and photos of these beautiful places. I’ll definitely go back to Venice, but not during August. Too sticky, even with me being from Florida.

In Florence, I saw the famed Statue of Cameron (fka Statue of David) and another statue of me and one of my opponents (see above)

I enjoy getting into other countries and exploring places outside what I am used to. Plenty of the world left to see, so looking for any excuse to go. Let me know if you have a good one for me.

It’s just about 8pm on Friday. This hurricane looks like it’s coming right for me, so I’m going to put the important stuff up on high shelves and get some clothes together in case I decide to leave. I’ve had a few friends invite me to their place, but I feel like this is a good excuse to go on a mini trip. Maybe Atlanta. Maybe Charlotte. Anyone got a place to crash or wrestle? Would like an excuse to get out of dodge before the waters flow in and I have to doggy paddle my way inland.

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