Anymore, news about violence or a shooting in Wyandotte County/ Kansas City, Kan. (KCK) is as common as an Alex Smith check down/dump pass. They happen so often that I have become jaded when either happens.

I was born and raised in the heart of KCK and my family has been a part of the community for generations. I am extremely proud to be from Wyandotte County. I am proud of my Slovenian roots that run deep in the historic "Strawberry Hill" neighborhood. However, I am disgusted and embarrassed by the violence that has infested my hometown. Aside from a few relatively minor incidents, the KCK violence we hear about daily on various local news had never really impacted me.

That all changed the morning of November 26, 2016.

For nearly a year, the Kansas City Royals – from players and coaches to front office and fans – have been haunted by the distance of 90 feet. Each time a run crossed the plate during the 2015 season, in the back of everyone associated with the ‘Boys in Blue’ minds, it was impossible to NOT think about the gap from third to home.

It is my humble opinion that the all-time greatest action film and the manliest man movie EVER – without a doubt – is the classic 1987 Sci-Fi/Action/Horror flick, “Predator.” This was the first R-Rated movie I was allowed to see (although I am not sure if my Mom was aware or gave approval to my Dad) and like supermodel Cindy Crawford, it just seems to get better with age.

We all have “go to” websites. Sites we frequent in order to get the latest information on topics ranging from sports, entertainment or news. For me, Deadspin, Zergnet, MSN, SI and Grantland are a few of my most-trusted bookmarked sites. In addition to the actual content or information the site provides, at the end of the day, what makes a website great? 

In late April, Deadspin.com – a website that describes itself as “sports news without access, favor, or discretion” – posted a story on ESPN sportswriter and television personality Jason Whitlock entitled, “How Jason Whitlock is Poisoning ESPN’s ‘Black Grantland.’” The subject referenced Whitlock’s latest venture, ‘The Undefeated,’ a website launching in the summer 2015. The site aspires to be about the intersection of race and sports which was tentatively titled “black Grantland” by Whitlock during a 2013 interview with Bill Simmons of Grantland – a sports and pop-culture blog owned by ESPN. However, since that interview, nearly a year and a half passed before The Undefeated landing page went live. Rumors about creative differences, issues acquiring talented staff and overall poor management by Whitlock circulated and were the focus of the Deadspin story.

On March 9, Apple announced the latest details of its much anticipated Apple Watch, which was another big step in the advancements of wearable technology. Today it seems wearable technology is everywhere you look. From FuelBands and Fitbits to Google Glass  and now the Apple Watch, investors are sinking millions into a market that is predicted to increase to more than $50 billion over the next three to five years.

In his book, ‘What’s the Future of Business,’ Brian Solis, globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders in new media and Principal of Altimeter Group, states “the reality is that social media is the new normal. A myriad of social networks, whether you use them or not, are now part of the day-to-day digital lifestyle with Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and YouTube, among others, becoming the places where your consumers connect, communicate, and engage around experiences. They take to these social networks and more because they can. The question is: What are you doing about it?”

“Turn this mutha out.”

“You can’t touch this.”

“We got to pray just to make it today.”

“Too legit to quit.”

In the early ’90s, I did everything I could to include the above slogans in my everyday vocabulary. 

Among his many famous quotes, Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.” As I enter the final semester/class in the Integrated Marketing Communication graduate program at the University of Kansas, I find myself agreeing more and more with those words from arguably the most intelligent person to ever exist.

Some words, when overused, tend to lose meaning. In my opinion, this is especially true the stronger the word. For instance take “love,” arguably one of the more overused and watered down words in our language.