I Need To Make A Few Slight Changes In My Life - Leaving Atlanta After Self Reflective Weekend
Thoughts After Dragon Con
Transcript
0:03
Today's adventure begins as the
0:03
recording of this Monday, September 1st,
0:07
2025. I am looking at my current hotel
0:10
room in Atlanta, Georgia, downtown near
0:12
Peach Tree Center.
0:14
It's a new day and a new month. August
0:19
has come and gone and September is here.
0:22
Checking out of this hotel, taking the
0:25
MARTA train system to the airport and
0:28
flying cross country.
0:30
Let's get going. Welcome everyone. Adam
0:32
the Woo here as you can see in my face.
0:35
Could use some caffeine. Going to go
0:37
over here to the Weston, which is the
0:38
hotel right across the way. Hopefully
0:40
the line's not too long. Grab a piping
0:42
hot caffeinated beverage. Beverage. See,
0:44
I'm not speaking clearly yet. Head to
0:46
the Martyr station and then over to the
0:49
Atlanta airport. And I'm off to the west
0:52
coast. I'm inviting you to join me.
0:53
Also, today is Labor Day. And these are
0:56
the accommodations
0:59
I was staying at the last few days.
1:01
Pretty decent. Very overpriced because
1:02
of the, you know, the crowds that are
1:03
down here. In fact, I think there's
1:05
places that are a block away that way
1:07
that are maybe even a tad nicer than
1:09
this that I've stayed at before that
1:11
were even less of a price point. But
1:14
this was nice, too. All right, let's get
1:16
going. Inviting you to join me, shall
1:19
you? A lot of people checking out all
1:20
the hotels around here. Also, the
1:22
convention still happens today, but a
1:24
lot of people do leave on the Monday.
1:28
Went by Starbucks. The line was insanely
1:31
long. So, I might just make my way to
1:32
the airport first where won't be as many
1:35
people in line for coffee to the trains
1:40
onto one of the largest escalators that
1:43
I've ever seen in the US anyway.
1:47
I mean, this thing is massive. Close
1:49
comparison would be the escalators that
1:51
go from the top of the mountain.
1:53
Universal Studios Hollywood
1:59
two or three. Well, I think it's three.
1:59
Three or four that go to the bottom of
2:02
the mountain, the top of the mountain
2:03
and up and down. But this one rivals
2:05
that. I mean, it's it's
2:12
massive.
2:12
I can't think of any other two at least
2:14
in the continental US or even all 50
2:17
states of the US that would be these
2:19
this tall going into the underground
2:21
tunnels the Marta system subway.
2:25
Interesting thing is I'm going from one
2:26
tall escalator to an area where there's
2:28
going to be another tall escalator cuz
2:30
I'm going near Hollywood and that other
2:32
escalator. So anyway, there's weird
2:35
thoughts. I purchased my Breeze card
2:36
here, one way, 350. When I went from the
2:39
airport down to Peach Tree Center near
2:42
downtown, I paid 350 one way and now got
2:44
another card. 350 back the other way.
2:47
They also have daily and weekly passes,
2:49
but this is the only place I went to and
2:51
from Peach Tree Center. So, that's what
2:55
I got. There's the bottom section of
2:57
that really tall escalator right there.
3:01
All right, airport bound.
3:05
some caffeine in my morning life here.
3:10
>> Let's see. That's two all trains. Here
3:13
we got
3:47
Breeze pulling to
3:47
the underground mart station.
3:56
Mind the gap.
3:56
>> I don't say that here though.
4:04
It's
4:04
>> a little gap. Looking easy. Maybe 20
4:07
minutes on the train.
4:11
The end of the line. Then it goes back
4:13
the other way. This is the last stop and
4:16
it turns around and goes back towards
4:17
downtown and other places.
4:20
That's what MARTA stands for, by the
4:22
way.
4:24
Metropolitan
4:26
Atlanta
4:28
Rapid Transit Authority, Florida.
4:46
>> Back at the airport. Flight day. Just
4:46
check my Delta app. I'm flying out of
4:48
B14.
4:51
these little displays here. These model
4:52
planes,
4:55
this glass case. I got plenty of time.
4:59
Plenty of time before I take off.
5:10
Look at this random post office or
5:10
mailbox, I should say. Full of stickers.
5:12
There's stickers all over this thing.
5:15
Just I don't know if it's active or not.
5:19
It's got stickers all over it.
5:28
No explanation.
5:28
Does it open?
5:30
It does.
5:35
I don't know if you put a piece of mail
5:35
on there or not if it will be get mailed
5:37
out of the airport, but
5:39
looks cool. It's an Atlanta skyport
5:41
summer
5:43
photo op over here.
5:46
Atlanta sky point summer vibes.
5:51
>> Walking through here, it's like you're
5:52
walking through a shopping mall. And
5:54
look at this like atrium
5:57
over in this area. Big
6:00
clock right there. Looks like it's 15
6:02
minutes till noon. My flight doesn't
6:04
take off, I believe, till around 2:30.
6:08
Well, the checkpoints don't look too
6:09
bad. They don't they're not stretching
6:10
all the way out here, so might be pretty
6:12
smooth. I got through TSA in about 3
6:15
minutes.
6:17
That's it. Three minutes.
6:19
Evidently, Atlanta, unlike MCO,
6:23
has a sky priority lane through my Delta
6:25
points and all that. They have a bypass
6:29
line with Sky Priority, unlike MCO,
6:32
which does not. So, fun fact, if you if
6:34
you're in Atlanta and you got Sky
6:36
Priority, you're good to go.
6:39
I still got to get TSAO and Global Entry
6:41
or not TSA but Global Entry and all that
6:45
and then skip the line. I just I just
6:46
been putting it off knowing me I'll
6:48
finally get around to doing it when I'm
6:50
not traveling as much.
6:53
Anything that has to do with paperwork,
6:56
replying to emails, I'm not the I'm not
6:59
the best at doing that kind of stuff.
7:02
I'm good at certain things, but that's
7:04
not that's those aren't one of them.
7:05
Next international trip is going to be
7:07
in November. Maybe I could just make a
7:09
personal pack to myself mentally to try
7:12
to get Global Entry, which also has I
7:15
keep saying front of the line, but it's
7:17
called something else like the no bag,
7:18
the skipping the the skipping taking
7:21
your bag and having your bag search and
7:22
all that
7:24
before my next international trip in
7:26
November.
7:27
And I'm also going to be home most of
7:29
October. From the end of September, like
7:31
the last week of September and most of
7:33
October, I'm going to be home. So, I'm
7:35
gonna be home for like a good five
7:37
weeks, which might be the longest amount
7:40
of time I'll be home in 2025. I've been
7:43
going going pretty consistently in 2025,
7:46
but next international trip will be in
7:48
November. November.
7:51
November and December.
7:53
Back to international. All right.
7:54
There's two options. I can wait for the
7:56
train or I could just walk it. I think I
7:59
might just walk an enhanced walking
8:08
cuz I'm on the moving platform. Also,
8:08
I got to go to the B gates.
8:32
I like this little area here where you
8:32
have the illuminated leaves on the
8:34
ceiling.
8:36
It's kind of neat looking. Provides a
8:39
nice little peaceful ambiance.
8:41
You're going from
8:44
gate to gate. You can take the train,
8:47
but I again I have plenty of time. So,
8:49
just stretching the legs, get a little
8:51
walk in.
8:52
Four plus hour flight from here direct
8:56
to LAX.
8:58
No connection today.
9:01
I think it's 4 and a half. But that's
9:04
tarmac to tarmac.
9:17
I'm no professional, but I think that's
9:17
the lingo.
9:20
Another
9:26
successful Dragon Con in the books. My
9:26
11th one. Ended that yesterday. Did none
9:29
of the convention today. Today's just a
9:31
travel day.
9:36
Don't know if I'll go back next year,
9:36
but I'm sure I'll go back again at some
9:38
point. I broke my streak after 10 years
9:40
and I skipped last year with the purpose
9:43
of not being tied to the tied to the
9:45
mental state of not ever breaking a
9:47
year. So, broke that streak. So now I
9:49
can just go when I feel like it.
11:10
The cellular network start flying and
11:10
use the Wi-Fi to make noise or video
11:12
calls not allowed. Information on
11:15
approved electronic devices can be found
11:17
on that safety information card. fast
11:20
complimentary Wi-Fi is going to be
11:21
available for those of you who are Sky
11:23
Miles members. If you're not already a
11:25
Sky Miles member, they're also handy to
11:27
sign up.
12:38
I'm going to approach 10,000 ft larger
12:38
electronic devices and laptop.
12:42
present to be sto
12:45
in just a little bit. Feel free to pass
12:48
along any items you'd like to discard.
13:42
We're going to ask you to go ahead and
13:42
stow those now at this time as well. As
13:44
a reminder, exits on this particular
13:47
aircraft are identified by little green
13:48
exit symbols. Apples indicate the
13:51
direction toward the exit.
16:13
Still displeasure to welcome you all to
16:13
the Los Angeles International Airport.
16:16
Local time is approximately 410. Uh
16:18
please know we've
16:21
>> landed. All right.
16:39
and I learned last time I was here
16:39
there's there's a shuttle bus that'll
16:42
pick you up here and will take you
16:43
around the horseshoe
16:46
that direction. goes all the way around
16:49
and then around the other side of the
16:50
parking structures that are over there.
16:54
And I call it the horseshoe because if
16:55
you look at it from an aerial image, it
16:57
is like a big horseshoe.
17:00
That bus that takes you through the taxi
17:02
and or ride share area
17:05
takes longer than if you were to just
17:07
walk it. So, I tested that out last time
17:10
I was here.
17:12
Well, it's probably about the same time
17:14
frame,
17:17
but you know, I'm sitting on a plane for
17:19
5 hours.
17:20
Feel like walking, so I'm just going to
17:22
walk it
17:24
over from the two the number two
17:26
terminal gates.
17:28
I'll just walk over to the right share
17:30
area. There's that iconic landmark there
17:33
for LAX.
17:40
I kind of just walked across this little
17:40
pathway just to get an angle of that cuz
17:42
when you're over here where I was
17:43
walking, you can't really see it as
17:45
well. So, I was mentioning earlier about
17:47
how I'm glad it's September and August
17:49
is over. August was good. It was my
17:51
birthday month. It's nice to have a
17:53
fresh start. It's not as fresh of a
17:56
start as like New Year's Day would be,
17:58
but it is kind of nice to take one month
18:00
and
18:02
translate into the other one. So, it
18:03
just so happens that I'm leaving one
18:05
state and going to another one on the
18:07
first of the month today, which is
18:09
September 1st as I'm recording this.
18:18
It's been a good day. I'm feeling good
18:18
today.
18:21
It's been an interesting It was an
18:22
interesting weekend. It's an interesting
18:25
Dragon Con.
18:26
All in all, a success. Yeah, this
18:29
weekend I was reminded
18:32
pretty blatantly when I look back on
18:36
certain situations that I lack tact and
18:41
let's just say the word sometimes I do
18:43
not know know how to handle certain
18:46
social situations or talking to people
18:48
as well as I think I'm going to and then
18:51
when I go back on that and look at it I
18:54
think man what was what happened there?
18:58
So, I've really kind of been considering
19:00
this the last couple days. I really need
19:02
to slow down my brain a little bit when
19:04
it comes to trying to just make things
19:06
happen
19:08
and really develop a little bit more
19:13
decency tact
19:16
and when I am trying to communicate with
19:18
someone or if someone approaches me and
19:20
they're talking to me or if I approach
19:22
someone talk to them to let them speak
19:24
and not not over not over talk in those
19:29
situations. It's definitely a huge
19:31
problem and chalk it up to whatever
19:33
reason it is. I mean, I don't know the
19:34
reasoning behind it. Maybe it's just,
19:36
you know, social awkwardness. Maybe it's
19:38
me not really knowing what to say. So,
19:40
me not knowing what to say. I just say
19:41
more than I should.
19:44
Me almost asking a question and then not
19:48
even letting someone answer it and then
19:51
asking something else.
19:53
And I've seen this a lot
19:56
in the course of myself recently in the
19:59
last year or so. So, I'm really going to
20:01
work on that dramatically.
20:04
Really going to try to just and not just
20:05
that aspect of it, but I really myself
20:08
as a whole, I want to try to bring it
20:10
down a notch. Just just bring it down
20:13
just a little bit. Tone it tone it down
20:16
just a little bit. I've also noticed
20:17
something about myself. Let's just be
20:21
transparent here, but I don't know what
20:23
it is, but in the last couple of years,
20:27
I have gotten more aggravated by things
20:30
and stressed out about things than I
20:34
used to. And I've always kind of been
20:35
that way. But I've noticed a pattern
20:39
of me complaining more to myself and
20:42
others that are around me. You know,
20:44
anyone that's around me will probably
20:46
notice that as well.
20:48
than I should be. And I really want to
20:50
work on that as well. I really want to
20:52
maybe limit myself to less complaining
20:58
during the day. Maybe give myself three
21:00
or four good complaints a day instead of
21:02
every little thing that I see internally
21:06
or vocally seeing that and go, "Oh man,
21:08
why is it that that way?"
21:11
So, I'm going to work on that. I'm going
21:12
to work on a lot of things, but those
21:15
are the two things that I really kind of
21:16
want to say. If I when I meet people,
21:19
people approach me or I approach them.
21:22
Would really like to kind of slow the
21:25
pace down a little bit. As a whole, I
21:28
think just me in general might seem like
21:31
I'm just kind of cruising. And in, you
21:33
know, a lot of the content and what I do
21:35
every day, I am. I'm kind of winging a
21:37
lot of it. But as soon as other people
21:40
are involved, my brain just kind of
21:42
goes.
21:44
And I think that's my own fault. I think
21:47
that's my own fault. I need to I need to
21:49
pace myself and stop being so
21:52
so anxious to stress myself out for
21:56
absolutely no reason and to kind of
21:59
drive drive the conversation where it
22:02
doesn't need to be and just like, you
22:04
know, don't overthink things. So, I'm
22:06
going to those two things. I'm going to
22:07
try to I'm going to try to be a little
22:08
bit more mellow starting starting now.
22:11
I'm going to fail, but at least at least
22:14
it has resonated. So, just wanted to put
22:16
that out to the speaking out loud.
22:20
See how I've been trying it today and
22:23
it's been been trying it today. been
22:25
working pretty good with those who have
22:27
come up and said hi or people that I've
22:29
interacted with, you know, getting the
22:31
coffee, getting on the plane, things
22:34
like that where usually I would have
22:35
that tunnel vision go go. Just trying to
22:37
be a little bit more
22:45
social normal when it comes to the
22:45
social realm. We'll see how that goes.
22:47
Guess different ways to describe it is I
22:49
think I just need to mellow out
22:50
sometimes and not make such a big deal
22:52
of things.
22:55
Don't have a cow man. Bart Simpson.
22:58
Take a chill pill. That's another one. I
23:00
think everything I'm saying is like 30-y
23:01
old statements. I'm not hip and up to
23:04
date on new new terminology. I'm an old
23:06
man.
23:08
I got taxis here, but I could also grab
23:10
a new probably just grab an Uber. Yeah,
23:12
it's just something I've really noticed
23:13
in the last couple years. Probably in
23:16
the last
23:19
year and a half more than previous. I
23:21
mean, always been this way. But I don't
23:23
know, just something in my brain has
23:25
been
23:30
always looking at the positive side, but
23:30
sometimes it doesn't come out
23:33
all the time.
23:37
I don't know what what I'm really trying
23:38
to say, but
23:49
I think I guess the best way really to
23:50
describe it is it's just a habit.
23:51
Sometimes you get in a habit and when
23:54
you do something enough like let's say
23:56
you'll see something like, "Oh man, why
23:58
the heck is this cone here? Why isn't
23:59
the cone over there?"
24:05
And if you say that to yourself and then
24:05
you walk up here
24:10
and then the trash can's full, you'll be
24:10
like, "How come they empty how come they
24:12
haven't emptied the trash can?" When
24:13
really none of this makes any sense,
24:15
makes any point in my life. But if you
24:18
start doing it enough, then it just
24:20
flows out of your mouth and it just gets
24:23
in your brain.
24:25
It just resonates in your day.
24:34
Don't sweat the small stuff
24:34
cuz none of it in the grand scheme of
24:35
things really makes that big of a deal
24:38
to your day-to-day life. I don't know.
24:40
It's weird. Again, food for thought.
24:43
Things I've been thinking about.
24:46
I just slow just need to slow my pace
24:49
down.
24:51
Always just like always on a mission.
25:03
I mean, you would never think it, but
25:03
I'm always I'm always on a mission of
25:05
some sorts just to make things happen
25:07
and go, go, go and in a rush. Just need
25:10
to slow it down. All right, I ordered
25:12
the Uber. It says to meet over here at
25:13
zone 22A.
25:16
And it's showing less than 40 minutes
25:19
from here to my hotel, which is at the
25:23
Universal Hilton.
25:25
Usually that would be an hour, maybe an
25:28
hour and 15 minutes. On a bad day, an
25:30
hour and a half, but because it's a
25:32
holiday today.
25:35
As I'm standing here, it's Labor Day.
25:38
5:03. It should be an It should probably
25:40
be complete rush hour. Hour and a half.
25:55
talk to someone. I really admire the
25:56
other day
25:57
at Dragon Con and I kind of boxed the
26:00
whole thing.
26:05
Handled it. Handled it not in the best
26:11
Should have simply just asked a
26:11
question,
26:14
let him answer it. But just again, my my
26:17
weirdness. I was just talking over
26:19
myself, talking over them,
26:23
and then watching that back. It's just,
26:25
yeah, wasn't my finest hour. They, you
26:27
know, they say they all can't be home
26:28
runs. Well, this one wasn't even a base
26:30
hit. It was a strike out,
26:35
but you can only live and learn. So, you
26:38
know, since that since that occurrence,
26:49
really trying to see some things in
26:49
myself that I could change a little bit.
26:50
I'm always but I'm always going to be a
26:52
rule breaker. I mean, I'm always
26:54
notoriously a rebellious in a lot of
26:57
ways. I'm not saying that aspect is
26:59
going to change, but yeah. So, my goal
27:01
again, just thinking out loud, I'm
27:02
probably going to fail miserably,
27:05
but really going to slow the brain down
27:07
and try to handle certain situations
27:10
a little more
27:12
with a little more tact, a little more
27:14
thought process. and not let not try to
27:18
take over the whole situation and when I
27:20
am, you know, when I'm in those kind of
27:23
those situations to to not be like that
27:25
again. So,
27:28
I feel good today. I feel really good
27:32
again.
27:34
I'm never going to be a saint. I mean,
27:36
if my way my way my body and everything
27:38
in body and brain are worked is I I'm
27:40
definitely rebellious by nature. But I
27:43
got to find a better balance of
27:46
rebellion and bending, breaking rules as
27:49
opposed to being so blatant and
27:54
uncommunitive, uncommunicative
28:04
Could have handled the situation a
28:04
little bit. a little bit differently and
28:05
I did it and it's kind of opened my eyes
28:08
a little bit. So, if you see me or if
28:11
you're a friend of mine or an
28:13
acquaintance or just a casual person and
28:16
you see a little bit of a difference
28:17
maybe in the way I handle things or the
28:20
way I present myself or the way I meet
28:21
people or the way I, you know, carry
28:24
myself or less things that I
28:29
complain about.
28:35
Maybe a little maybe uh hey, we're
28:35
noticing we're noticing you're trying to
28:36
make some changes. That'd be kind of
28:37
nice. And if I fail at that, then be
28:39
like, "Dude, what the heck? Another
28:41
another broken promise." But that's
28:42
what's on my mind right now. So, heading
28:45
to my hotel.
28:47
Good to be back in LA. I've also decided
28:50
I'm not going to get bent out of shape
28:51
over
28:53
filming rules. This happened to me at
28:56
the D23 Expo last year. It's been a year
28:58
since D23. They've already announced
28:59
next year, which is the first or second
29:03
week of August. But last year, they
29:05
wouldn't let me bring my camera into the
29:07
parks panel, even though people had
29:09
their phones. And then of course, I was
29:10
like, what's the difference between a
29:11
phone and you know, my cam, my regular
29:14
camera? People are bringing their phones
29:15
in. Why can't I bring my camera? I had
29:17
to run back to the car. It's like a
29:18
whole stink about it. And then
29:20
afterwards, I thought, why am I getting
29:22
so been out of shape about it?
29:24
And that's happens quite a few times
29:26
since then when people have rules that
29:29
are obviously set in place.
29:36
So I think like from now on I'm just
29:36
going to go with the flow. I'm just
29:39
going to go with the flow.
29:41
Not going to try to get been out of
29:43
shape as often. Maybe I'll get bent out
29:45
of shape.
29:47
Even if I got been out of shape 65% of
29:50
the time, less than I get been out of
29:53
shape before today, that's a success.
30:07
Even 80 for even if I only get been out
30:07
of shape four out of five times compared
30:09
to what I get been out of shape about,
30:12
that would be a success.
30:14
Again, I'm not going to be 100 100%
30:17
successful on this at all, but I'm going
30:19
to try give a little shout out to my
30:21
buddy Exploring Ryan also. He was at
30:25
Dragon Con with me. We were all eating
30:27
dinner yesterday before or lunch before
30:31
I headed out and he headed out. I had to
30:32
go back to my hotel, but he ended up
30:34
heading home. We were all sitting around
30:35
talking and there's a big group of us
30:38
and a couple of us were chiming in with
30:39
some complaints. you know, when friends
30:41
get together, they they're whining and
30:43
complaining and gossiping, etc. And he
30:47
just casually said something that kind
30:49
of resonated with me a little bit, too.
30:50
That kind of since I've been having
30:52
these thoughts
30:54
that kind of was the cherry on top, cuz
30:56
I've been having these thoughts for a
30:57
little while now, not just this weekend,
30:59
but over the past year or so,
31:04
but really has culminated in the last
31:05
few days.
31:07
and he finally just chimed in and said,
31:10
"You know, I'm just kind of tired of
31:11
complaining. I'm not I don't think I'm
31:13
going to complain anymore today."
31:20
And I like I like that. And you know
31:20
what?
31:21
I haven't complained once today. Wow.
31:23
That was like a 35 minute Wow. climbing
31:26
closer to 40. Between 35 and 40 minutes
31:29
to get from LAX
31:31
to the Universal City Hilton. Never.
31:35
Well, probably since 2020
31:39
I've been able to move along that
31:42
quickly. I would imagine other holidays
31:44
too are probably that way, too. But wow,
31:45
that was just like smooth sailing. Not
31:47
one moment where it was bumper to bumper
31:49
or gridlock or anything. So, pretty
31:51
happy. That was just uh that was great.
31:53
That was great. Go check in now. All
31:55
right. Smooth sailing. Also, on the
31:56
check-in, there's like really no one at
32:00
the front check-in desk. Granted, it's
32:02
6:00 p.m. and I have a non Universal
32:06
theme park view room. I have the
32:10
Hollywood Hill side, but I got a nice
32:11
decent sized bed here to slumber in.
32:15
It's been a great day.
32:23
Good flight,
32:23
good thought process,
32:26
nice view of the room.
32:40
Thanks for watching. I really appreciate
32:40
it. I'll see you the next video. The
32:42
vlog is I've given these room I've given
32:46
these room tours more than enough time
32:48
so you get the idea. But yeah, I'm
32:50
staying here for a little while.
32:53
The vlog
32:56
is over.