Just an average guy, screaming into the void, hoping for an echo in return.

It's that time again, the New Years Resolutions blog post, JV style. This year I decided my long diatribe about setting goals would look far too similar to last year's diatribe. So instead, I'm getting right to the point. Here are some practical tips to help you reach a few of the more common goals we tend to make as our resolutions. 1. "I want to workout and lose weight."  Go see a doctor and get a full check-up first. Talk to him or her about your desire to lose weight and get their approval before beginning any significant workout program, especially if you haven't exercised in a long time. Discuss attainable goals and a practical timeline. If it took you 20 years to gain the weight, you are not going to look like a fitness model in the first month of your weightloss and fitness experience. Sorry, there's no magic pill and any infomercial that promises you 6 minute abs is lying. Buy one of those month-by-month calendars and plan your workouts ahead o

1988 proved to be a beautiful summer in New England. I had just turned 18, graduated high school and the world was my oyster. I felt young and free and full of potential. My cousin was visiting from Puerto Rico as many of my family members did during summer. I wanted to impress him so we drove from the small city I grew up in to Boston. You gotta take family to Boston when they visit. So we spent the day taking in the sites. On our way home I was driving across a well-known bridge called the Tobin Bridge when I saw police lights behind me. My heart sunk. I was anxious. I had grown up terrified of the police. Where I lived, the police only came into my neighborhood when they were looking for someone to arrest. There were never any conversations, no small talk, no recognition. It was always like a military assault when they showed up. If you were a kid you were taught to stay out of their way in hopes of not being arrested or worse. So on this particular day, I put on a brave face for