I've Seen This Diamond Cut Through Harder Men...

... Than me myself, but still I pretend.

Please allow me to introduce myself to those of you who do not know me. Which, admittedly is very few as I suspect no one reads this thing. Not even friends. Oh well. Their loss. This brings us directly to the matter at hand. Me. I am exactly who I say I am. I don't deny that and I never once have or will apologize for it. I am blunt and most times emotionless and hard. I rarely wear my heart on my sleeve but when I do, I mean it. I carry this coat of arms around with me where ever I go. It is my protection against the world. It is hard to get to know me... even harder for me to trust you. However, I will lower my shield and let people in if I see them as worthy. Don't betray this show of trust: This invitation to my heart and soul. I think highly of myself. I question how highly others think of me, though. I am hard to read. If you know me and disagree with me being hard to read, consider yourself lucky. This means I have let you in. You want that. Trust me. Once you are in you get to see me for me. You get the real Anthony. The real me might be sappy and romantic. I will tell you how I feel about you. Sorry if this is a problem. Deal with it. The real me is fiercely protective of my heart, my friends, and my family. I will fight for what I want and I rarely give up on what I know to be right. If you motivate me, inspire me, or even put a smile on my face, you will be rewarded for being a good friend. Ten fold. This should be my eulogy when my body is resting in a casket. Tell them, "Anthony loved with his entire heart. He worked with all the strength in his back. He thought with every fold of his mind. He played with every ounce of the energy left over. Most of all... He refused to give up on what he wanted."