Multiple identities - memory lanes

Those of us in front of a computer all day with internet access most likely have at least one instant messenger client open at all times - in my case I often have at least 3 open - since I have needed IM to communicate with team members in meetings and located remotely and have never worked anywhere that there has been an enforced standard. Of course I also use it to chat with friends and family on occasion too. Typically, as soon as I start a new job I create IM accounts specific to that job, across mutiple applications - so I can stay focused on current work and keep the side chatting to a minimum.

Since I will be starting my new job soon, I began the process of creating new IM accounts and while doing so, realized that I already have an account that would be perfect for this role - I just had to remember the login info. I couldn't remember my password, or when I had used this account last, but once I got logged in, wow. It was created in 1999, for a job I had for barely 6 months during the dotbomb era and it still had all of my "contacts" from that time and account listed - (mostly old co-workers) some of them, because they are only "screen names" I can 't even remember...so many thoughts of things that haven't crossed my mind for years.

One screen name was a bit of a surprise though, I didn't realize it was still being used but it allowed me to say hello to an old friend, who was probably pretty surprised as well! :O)

My futures so bright...I have to wear shades

I received an incredible job offer yesterday and I have accepted. Although I will be working for a company in the bay area, I will be able to work from home 95% of the time, the work is good, the people are nice, the hours are reasonable, the money is fabulous and I am so excited. Now I just have to tender my resignation at my current job, something that feels a little scary to do...Hopefully they will recognize that this is a dream job offer, too good for anyone to pass up and wish me well. It has been a really challenging few years, I am extremely grateful for the good things that seem to be flowing my way. Wishing all of you, dreams come true! :O)

Addition to: my new baby

I forgot a few details:

The "new baby" has a black exterior with charcoal leather interior and it does look pretty damn good on me :O)

I am particularly excited about the fact that the seats that warm up because I am so often cold in the mornings and evenings here.

Giving up the little honda is a bit hard to do, although I was really ready for a new car, I did get attached to the old one, it is so full of memories, some of them very special and precious to me, but luckily I will have those always in my heart, so I can let the little honda go...I think :O)

priceless

brand new car - $27,000.00
replacing already lost brand new car key - $125.00
laughing at yourself with friends - priceless

meet my new baby

ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my new baby, I am sooooo in love:



Cute, huh!?


the car I am replacing was a snap decision used car purchase, bought soley for practicality and was only ever supposed to be an 8 month commuter car just to help me save gas until I could move closer to the job I had at the time - that was 1998. The "little ghetto civic" as it is affectionately known, now has over 160,000 miles, has been broken into 3 times, was almost totalled in an accident, is full of memories, needs more work than I want to pay for at this point, and has an identity crisis trying to decide if it is a race car or a truck. It has been good to me but it is time to let it go. I already have a buyer for it, and I really love the new black beauty, but I still feel a little sad thinking about giving it up, but hey it is going to a really nice kid who will take good care of it.

The brand new car, although practical, is also somewhat of a luxury. I have never even really considered buying a brand new car, the whole losing value as soon as you drive off the car lot thing...but this is both form and function. I decided as long as I was going big, I might as well go huge, so I got the special edition with the extras, and since its new and interest rates are decent, it will end up costing about the same as a used one, so bonus for me.

Sunshine!

The drenching we have been getting is finally beginning to disappate, the proof is that I actually have a slight sunburn on my face! We have had something like 30 days straight with either little or no sun and plenty of rain, so I am just more than ready for a warm spring and hot summer. Bring it on!

Today is supposed to be 75 degrees and clear and it is doing wonders for my general disposition! I love the sunshine. I can see why people once worshipped the sun with all its golden glorious blazing. If I could, I would be playing on a beach somewhere sipping mimosa's and watching the waves, the surfers and the tourists and thinking how truly blessed I am to live here.

Wishing you bright sunny days ahead! :O)

smile!

I went to see an orthodontist today, because ever since my car accident a few years ago I have noticed that one of my front teeth has been slowly moving out of place. My regular dentist suggested I have it checked out to make sure there isn't something more serious going on. It turns out that it was very good advice, because it could eventually lead to nerve damage if untreated.

But, in order to correct the problem, I am going to have to get braces, as soon as possible. Braces...I am getting close to 40 years old and I am going to have braces like a freakin' teenager - As it is, I get carded now almost every time I go out, somehow I think this is going make it worse.

My brother is going to be so amused, he had to wear full braces for a few years as a teenager, and was quite irritated that I never needed them too. The funny thing is that when I was younger, I really wanted braces, because in my total stupidity, I actually thought it might make me cuter, since it seemed like the most pretty and popular girls had braces. But I got over it, and seeing what my poor brother had to go through, I was pretty glad that I hadn't needed them afterall. It never occurred to me that I would "get my chance" as an adult!

What is not yet known is if the ceramic braces will suffice or if I have to go full metal bracket...I suspect there may be a lot less smiling for a year or so if ceramic won't do the trick. Ultimately it is the difference between Braceface and Metalmouth, because I am pretty sure that I am not getting through this one without some serious teasing.

Smile!

Rain, Sleet & SNOW!

I knew there was a big strom brewing, so I decided to rent an SUV for safety to drive up to attend the funeral. I left about 7 am, and was literally taken aback at how cold it was when I walked outside. I live barely a block from the beach and was only about a mile away when I realized it wasn't rain or hail sticking to the car, but freakin snow flakes! I started looking around to notice layers of snow on the ground between the orange trees. Slush started building up on the road in front of me and I just couldn't quite believe it!

I pulled over and got a shot of the snow falling and beginning to fill up a field. The temp gauge on the rearview mirror read 32 degrees!

Then, it mostly cleared up for a while but about 30 minutes later I came across several inches of snow everywhere I looked. I got some shots of that too (and will post all pics when I can) I had to get pictures, no one would believe that it was fully snowing in the coastal valleys of California, I barely believe it and I was right in the middle.

It was very lovely and peaceful. probably only because its so rare, but it sure was a beautiful view and a nice little surprise for a long and kind of sad drive. I used to go to the snow with my grandparents a lot, and I had them on my mind with the passing of my uncle, and it just seemed sort of appropriate, if completely out of the ordinary!
:O)

R.I.P. Uncle Otis

My Uncle Otis passed away this week and I am heading up to the funeral services tommorrow. Otis was just a great guy, I loved to listen to him talk with the heavy Boston accent he never lost despite living most of his adult life in California. He made me feel so special, so loved and seemed to delight in becoming my substitute grandfather when mine passed away when I was 3. I sadly realize today that I don't know nearly enough about him, and still had about 8 million questions to ask him about my grandparents. Yet, one thing that I keep thinking about is how full and happy and long his life seemed to be. I suspect that he is a larger influence than I realize and may become one of many fabulous people I aspire to emulate. So, if you are so inclined, please take a moment to wish a good thought to his friends and family - and remember to ask and tell your loved ones the important things, while you can.

peace and love! - me

my brother is just the best

I have been meaning to post these for way too long now - my sweet brother sent me these gorgeous flowers for my birthday and these are the pictures I took of them

Thank you Brother Bear, they were a wonderful, unbelievably thoughful, unexpected surprise!!!

big bad ugly

One of the greatest joys of an office stiff is to find that we have been granted the almost holy three day weekend. With all of our advancements in technology, why we haven't all moved to the four day work week, I cannot comprehend! But I digress.

Day 1 - big bad ugly, target, tour:

I was asked if I would be willing to video tape a surf contest on saturday that is called "the big bad ugly" it is called this because the weather usually really sucks this time of year, and the waves at this one spot do get pretty tall.

So I got my ass up at like 6am - which really is a crime on a weekend morning and dragged myself to get hot drinks before heading over to meet my friends and get to work filming. Although rediculously cold, it was a surprisingly clear and sunny sky, especially considering that the weather guesser said it would rain all day.

After filming for a few hours, the storm began blowing in around us, the clear sky gave way to thick dark clouds crowding in and we could actually see the rain falling out on the ocean horizon. When BAM, insane gusts of wind that were almost too much to stand safely in, huge raindrops that we realized were actually hail upon closer inspection, and just all manor of chaos seemed to just explode out of the sky.

Scrambling to get the electronic equipment out of the water and into a dry place while remaining upright, wrestling with my umbrella against the wind and trying not to fall into a puddle was probably quite a sight, however, it was when the wind brutally ripped the umbrella out of my hand, lifted it high over the spectating crowd and then into the ocean right where the surf competition was happening, that everyone is STILL talking about...

So, fully drenched, wind whipping my wet hair into my face, I made the executive decision to get the hell out of there and told my friend to meet me at my house. We tracked heavy, sandy mud everywhere while trying to get into the house, out of the weather, out of the wet clothes and into dry clothing!

It was at this point that we realized it was only 10:30 in the morning! So, we decided it was a good day for a shopping day at "tarjjjaaay" (Target) but on the way, it began to hail again and we noticed there was actual snow in our hills and we decided to stop at the local restaurant to get something to eat, take pictures of the rare snowy hillside and let the storm pass. It was there that we ran into one of the owners, who is also a friend, and is in the process of building a new business very near to the Target store (about 30 minutes away). We mentioned we were planning a trip out there as soon as we finsihed lunch and invited us to stop by the new place and take a tour of the progress they have made.

They are opening the new place on St. Patrick's Day - appropriate since it is an Irish Pub & Grill. After several hours in Target, a few hundred dollars lighter, and many cabinets heavier, we stuffed everything into the trunk and went to get some dinner. The restaurant we chose is right next to the new place, so we stopped in as soon as we finished eating.

The new place is very cool, it has an antique bar, sidewalk seating, a huge covered outdoor dancefloor and stage, a patio with fire pits and there is just a generally good vibe to place. Add that the owners have been good friends to me, good customers of my side business and have been working night and day to open on time, and it was hard not to be terribly excited for them.

Truthfully, I feel honored that they have shared so much of their dream with me. It was about a year ago that they told me how they have always wanted to own an Irish Pub and then in mid December that they told me that had purchased a new place and that they wanted me to help them. I did a walk through of the building when they closed escrow and here we are less than a month away from the grand opening.

That was day one of the three day weekend!

Day 2 - putter, build, build, build, organize

So, I spent Sautrday building the new shelves I had purchased the day before. My house is very old and the rooms are fairly small, my kitchen us an odd very narrow room with a tiny ancient stove, horribly dark and poorly designed cabinets, faded wood paneling walls, saved only barely by a beautiful bay window that has shelves built in for growing plants indoors at the end closest to the front of the house.

The shelves will serve multiple puposes, storage, decoration, hiding the hideous walls and lightening the room up a bit. It took me all day to put them all together and to get everything I had taken out of the kitchen back in, but I did manage to get it all done. I am quite pleased with the results so far, and very much looking forward to having more time to continue my early spring cleaning.

Day 3 - nada - tea, read a book - fabulous!

It is very rare that I allow myself to just "do nothing," it seems there is a never ending list of things I am always behind on at any given moment. But I decided to think of Monday as a "free" day. It was still pretty cold, but very clear and sunny. I drove into town and got a hot tea and then took out a new book and parked myself on the breaker wall on the beach and read for about 3 hours. It was just so lazy and lovely, and seemed so decadent. As always in a town so small, I ran into several firends and aquaintences along the way and ended up going in to our little bar to have an adult beverage and an appetizer with a couple of friends.

I was home by 5:30pm and decided to make a big batch of chicken tortellini soup, since it seemed like the perfect end to a slightly chilly day. When finished, I ate a big bowl and watched Sunday night TV and promptly fell asleep on the couch!

It was definately one of the nicest, most relaxing weekends I have had in a long time. Again, why can't we go to the four day workweek?

Ciao!

Things in my pocket

Recently, I have unconsciously started the habit of folding things up and placing them into one of my pockets, most often my jeans. By itself, this isn't so bad, especially when its money, it's like your washing machine becomes the magical ATM, but moments ago I made a grim discovery. I was placing my hands into my back pockets as I began a chat with a co-worker and my fingers encountered a papery substance that I then pulled out. I discovered a condensed wad of been through the machine pressed and dried pulp. At first, I chuckled and thought, "oh look, I have accidentally washed something!" and then the realization hit, "oh shit, what did I wash!?"

I conduct a fair amount of my side business networking in my non office hours, and often get potential client phone numbers and email addresses via small pieces of paper that are easily found to scribble quickly on. I do this so often, that I literally have absolutely no idea what or who may have been on this little mashed up wad. Just the deduction alone of trying to figure out, when I last wore these particular jeans prior to washing them will take many more minutes than I have in any given day.

A few times, when this has occasionally happened on the past, I have been fortunate enough to have been able to ever so carefully seperate the pressed sheets and if the implement was a ballpoint pen, recover what was written. The item I found today, sadly, is unrecoverable. The overwhelming feeling that I have lost something important is drving me a little crazy but the idea that I may let a client down or have lost precious business is just making me ill. Argh!! Yet another bad habit I must conquer! :O)

What really floors me about this is that I can't seem to get the most basic cleansing of the most superficial spots on my clothing in my washing machine, yet a carefully folded piece of paper trapped inside of two pieces of clothing comes out pristine.

Unfreakingbelievable!

I wish you love

Happy Valentines Day!

the extra large football game

At first, it was a little hard for me to get excited about a superbowl that did not include the Raiders, but I found reasons to support the teams that were going.

Seattle is near and dear to my heart, my Aunt and her family live there and I have visited many times. In fact, I was there visiting a few years ago when they demolished the old superdome, making way for the new one, which seems to have inspired the team.

And Pittsburg is a neighbor to the town where my Stepdad grew up, and he is passionate about the Steelers. My stepdad is a really cool guy, and there isn't much that he really gets excited about, so I was just excited for him.

So, I went into the game feeling like it would be nice if either team won, and it would be a little sad for the losing team. It was a decent game, and I was correct, it was good that the Steelers won and a little sad that Seattle didn't. But the real bummer, is how much controversy has been flying around since. I have seen many stories about how the rules need to change, that Seattle got robbed, that Pittsburg should feel a hollow victory, etc. Since I would have been happy either way, I feel impartial - yes there were some questionable calls, but I am not a referee and I don't have access to the video footage they do, so I have to trust them to do their best. It isn't good for anybody, to Monday morning referee. Instead, why not focus on how to make improvements going forward.

Like making sure the Raiders are at the Super Bowl next year - heh heh :)

When I grow up, I want to be him

The Dali Lama seems to me to be the most peaseful and truly joyful man. Just looking at the happiness radiating in his face makes me smile. I would love to have that serenity and that kind of pure joy.