BLOGS FOR AUGUST 2008

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Week ending August 31st, 2008
FUN, FUN, FUN WEEK!!!

Ok well this is a long holiday weekend, FINALLY, so I have been having a lot of fun, going out, hanging with friends, etc. The week was a little slow at work due to me having to wait on some vendors. On Friday we had our "team building" picnic. I went and hung out for a while and then we did our own team building exercise -- we played golf and had a great time. LOL

Friday I hung out with a friend and then Saturday I laid out at the pool and got a little sun. It was kind of overcast so I didn't get a lot but at least I knocked some of the pasty white off me, HAHAH. Later that night I went out for dinner and then a walk on the beach. Been doing that a lot lately. I guess I enjoy the beach at night :)

Today is Sunday and I will be watching some of the races, walking down to the beach (again) and then going out to dinner on a date so that will be fun. I have a lot of things in mind as far as options but anyone that knows me knows that I am rather spontaneous so I guess I'll figure it out when I get there. LOL.

This is actually "Harvest at the Ranch" weekend and though I volunteered to be a "roadie" for Cutless I guess they needed to do the load-in on Thursday and I couldn't get out of work and knowing how crowded it's going to be today I doubt I'll be able to make it, but I will watch it online. I know, I know -- it's not the same as being there but knowing that parking lot I won't find a place to park anywhere so it's just easier to watch it online. I'll be back next Saturday night so I don't think the Man upstairs will hold it against me.

Everything else is going great, actually. Better than expected. I am having so much fun just hanging out and relaxing with friends, new and old. And NAT!! My best buddy in Australia here is your cameo appearance. I hope things are going well for you in the "Land Down Under" and that you keep a bright outlook on life. Thanks for uploading that song for me on MySpace. That brings back a lot of good memories.

I know this is short but I'm uploading it a tad early as I have so much planned for today and then Monday I am going to play it by ear. Maybe get another game of Golf in if the guys are available.

I hope you had as good a week as I did and that you are doing well. I know my family right now has to worry about the Hurricanes that are coming through. Anyone who questions why I left Florida need not wonder anymore, lol. We had an earthquake a few weeks ago and they don't even bother me anymore. My worst nightmare as a kid was tornados. They are sneaky and you never know when they are coming. Earthquakes are the same way but to me at least they are not nearly as intimidating. I dunno why.

Well that is about it. No riding this weekend. Just sun and fun! Have a great rest of your holiday weekend and we'll talk to you next week!!!!

B.

Week ending August 24th, 2008
Did ya have a good week?? I did for sure!

Work wise as always, it was fun. I spent a lot of time in the lab working on the big project I mentioned last time. I had to build a couple servers, install the old software and now I am performing the upgrade to make sure everything goes as planned. After that, I need to rebuild the servers again and then do a clean install. Once that is done I can finish the documentation and send that one down for certification. So all in all, a good week and no issues really.

On Tuesday night we went out after work to celebrate one of our co-workers getting married. Good for him as he's a good guy and they've been together for a long time. I somehow ended up with the waitresses' phone number (and I was only there for about an hour) and hardly drank anything. How'd that happen?! LOL

On Saturday night I went out with a friend for sushi and then we hung out at the beach. If you have never hung out at the beach at night, it's pretty darn cool. It was warm and humid out so it made it comfortable. It started getting overcast and cloudy and we could watch the trains as they came by from a long ways off, piercing the clouds with it's big headlight and almost silently cruising by. The house where I parked at is for sale. It's really nice and right on the beach. I am guessing it's worth about 3 million, if not more -- and it's only a 3BDR! We got to chat for a while so that was fun.

Today, Sunday, was a pretty busy day. I headed off to cycle gear to pick up two gallons of Repsol oil (I'm a homer, what can I say?!) and a couple of filters for both the RR and Bandit. The Bandit, if you remember, had been down due to one of the clutch cover bolts coming out and spraying oil down the side of the bike. I am lucky I didn't lose it on the way to work over that sweeping right hander. I could be dead right now. I suppose God has other plans for me. I feel like a cat sometimes as I know I've cheated death more times that I should have.

I finished up the Bandit, re-installed the air filters, replaced the missing bolt, replaced the oil and filter and then cleaned it up real good. I am going to ride it work tomorrow which will be fun. It's been a few weeks since I've been able to ride it. I also changed the oil and filter on the RR and cleaned it as well. Not sure when I am going to do another track day but hopefully soon.

Funny thing today. On the way back from Cycle Gear I stopped off to get a soda at the 7-11 across the street from my house. Well anyway, when I get to the counter the lady that works there says "Hold on a moment" in broken English and then calls her counter-part to the front. She starts talking in Spanish to her friend and she begins translating. "She thinks you are very handsome" she tells me (as her friend starts blushing). She went on to pay me a lot of nice compliments. "I'm flattered..." I told her "...thank you very much". I mean, the lady is nice and all but right now I am not really interested in dating anyone (not even my gorgeous and single neighbor, lol). I'm enjoying my single-dom.

I thought it was a nice compliment and a great end to my week. When I told her how old I was she was very surprised. She thought I was in my late 20s. Credit that to taking care of myself at the gym and mom's good jeans! It's always nice to receive a compliment, no matter when or from whom.

Oh and speaking of the gym I'm doing an experiment right now with some new weight gainer. The guy that sold it to me was like "Ya wanna gain a lot of muscle in 3 months?! Here, take these!!!" Well I look at the bottle. Stone cold 'roids. I tell him "Uhh no thanks!!!" We all know what steroids do to men and I have no interest in that. Let's see what the legal, non physically-deforming protein/carb shakes do instead. Goal is 180 by December. Totally do-able.

Well that is it for now. Hope you all had as great a week as I did and we'll talk to you later! Always remember, shiny side up!

B.

Week ending August 17th, 2008
Overall, not a bad week, just one issue really....

There are a couple things I wanted to talk about. Number one is that things are starting to settle down a bit at work. We have a new employee so I've been taking some time to show him how to create LUNS and distribute storage to the servers in the lab. We're also working with the vendors on a pretty large project that should help the contract out immensely in the long run. I definitely hope we win this contract when it's up for bid. I really like what I do and where I work a lot. But you knew that already. Can't wait to start on the new project on Monday!!!

The other thing I wanted to talk about is trust. You know, I can forgive people for just about anything. Forgive, forget and move on, right? That is the "Godly" thing to do. Well to me there are only two things that I have a hard time coming to grips with. One is infidelity and the other is lying. I have never understood why someone I care about would lie to me. I suppose they are trying to maintain a sense of self-image either to themselves or to me. Either way, once you lie to me there is no basis of trust anymore and without trust, there is nothing to build on. The foundation is gone. It disappoints me, but it also means that person can no longer be a part of my life - I simply won't allow it. I said what I needed to say so I can let go and move on.

One thing I can not live with in life is regret. Regret for not saying the things that need to be said. Regret for not doing the things that need to be done. I think I even mention this on my ABOUT page. I try to live my life with no regrets and no matter what happens, I can and will handle it. When relationships with people end for me and I accept (and forgive), moving on won't be hard. And the best part is, each time something like this happens I become stronger...and wiser. Whatever happens, I am confident that God's plan will be done in my life. Maybe that's why I don't worry or stress anymore. Either way, the future looks bright and I'm happy - aren't I always?! :)

Church was awesome this week. We had a guest speaker and he was hilarious. He was a Senior Pastor in Milwaukee and is originally from the UK. I have heard many Pastors but none with such great wit and an excellent sense of timing as this one. I sure hope he comes back again soon. I never laughed so hard in my life. I'm definitely buying his daily devotional book for sure next weekend (I didn't have any cash left on me after offerings, lol).

Saturday I decided to show the Bandit some TLC since I may be selling it soon. I broke out the tools, cranked the radio up and tore into the top end to do a valve adjustment. I also pulled the filters and cleaned them too. I am going to do an oil/filter change and slap some new tires on it as well. Maybe new plugs too. Then I'll wash/wax it and ride it to work a little before I list it for sale. I've been toying with the new CBR1000RR or a new R1. I hear the new R1 is going to be pretty good, but we'll have to wait until next month to find out for sure.

It's actually Saturday that I am writing this so it's posted a day early. That's because I plan on getting a little sun tomorrow (Beach run, WOOT!) then watching the MotoGP race and after that, watching the Bucs preseason game against the dreaded (cheater) New England Patriots - LOL. And yeah, gotta get some chores in too before I hit the sack.

Hope you have an excellent rest of your week! I'll leave you with these little caveats to live by. It's just a few tid bits that I try to keep in mind when life throws you a curveball:

1. If it frightens you, do it.
2. Don't settle, every time you settle you get exactly what you settled for.
3. No matter what happens, you will handle it.
4. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.
5. You are the only "person" on this planet responsible for your needs, wants and happiness.
6. Don't tolerate the intolerable, ever.
7. Stop blaming. Victims never succeed.
8. Live with integrity. Decide what is right and do it!
9. Face difficult situations and conflict head on.
10. Be willing to let go of what you have so you can get what you want.
11. Most importantly!!! Have fun. If you are not having fun, something is wrong!

See you next week!

Week ending August 10th, 2008
What a great week :)

It's also been a very fun and long weekend. The week started off very well at work. The projects that I have coming back to engineering from certification are being reworked. We figured the problem out and sent one of them back for certification so I think we'll be OK there for now. I got some new software in that I have to certify for the SAN so that's going to be fun as well. It fixes some issues and vulnerabilities that we had with the original installation and, because I like what the software does, it makes that much more enjoyable.

On top of all this, Friday I received my "Performance Review" and I am pleased to say I made lots of improvement. My boss said they were impressed with the progress I have made and that I should be in line for a raise :) We'll see how that goes, haha. Extra cash in my pocket is always a good thing when house-hunting is on my mind.

This week I upped the weight again on my workouts and yes, I am feeling it really well. haha. I also realized that while my stomach is starting to form the kind of six pack that I wanted, the sides aren't coming along. Well no duh! I don't do enough oblique exercises. Well that all changed this week and let me tell you, my sides are reminding me "today" that I am working out hard. Pain is just the body telling you you're alive, so I welcome it. The best part of all this working out is I can physically see the results so it's keeping me motivated to work out even harder.

This weekend I had intended to go "patio/bbq grill" shopping but several of the places I went to either didn't have what I was looking for or what they did have was far too much. I spent a lot on groceries last week, including the New York strip steak and veggies I am munching on now (WOOT!) and wanted to grill today. Well since I couldn't find what I wanted I decided to go ahead and splurge on new clothes for work. And spend I did. Let's just say -- A LOT. But I did get what I wanted and since I don't spoil myself too often (hehe) this was overdue anyway.

Today is Sunday and I got to watch a little football then laid out at the pool and got some sun. As you have seen from some of the MotoGP photos, I really needed to get rid of the whiteness that is me. haha. I brought a few books and ended up reading one of the 200 page books while getting what I would call "more red" than tan ;)

I was supposed to play golf on Saturday but that changed and well -- Friday and Saturday -- let's just say I had a great time!!! (Thanks!!) Most of you know by now that the blog isn't about EVERY part of my life, just a sample of some of the things that go on. I did miss Church on Saturday night but I'll watch the service online tonight (I know I know, it's not the same!) and make sure I make it next Saturday :)

Well that is about it for the week. No motorcycle racing but at least football is here. Have a great rest of your week!!!!

Week ending August 3rd, 2008
Before I say anything: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO! I won't tell everyone reading the blog how old you are now -- old man, haha! I hope you have a fantastic birthday and that life is treating you well. My mom's will be on Thursday and I'll be thinking about her. It's been almost three years now...wow. Time sure does fly.

Now on the the nitty gritty. I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time. ...I had a BAD week at work (for once, haha). Yes I know, I've praised often how much I like my job and how interesting and fun the work is. That I'm always excited to go to work and that still holds true. If you saw the lab I get to play in, you'd understand. Anyway, I have two solutions that are software dependent and we didn't catch something in the lab that showed up on not the first certification, but the second. That means the first certification is bad too and both solutions need to come back and be reworked. I already have the fix, it's just going to delay the process for months. Not a good thing at all. Since I know what the problem is at least I can avoid it next time.

Other than that it's been relatively quiet here. I was supposed to go to OC this weekend but my bud doesn't have the parts yet for his motor so I guess we can always try again later. Friday night I hung out with friends and had a pretty good time. Don't worry, we were all well behaved :)

Saturday I cleaned up a bit as I was expecting a friend but she didn't finish work until late and it was kinda late for her to drive down here so we'll try again next weekend. (Won't we?! Dork!!! :)) At least a lot of old boxes and stuff that made the house look too much like a bachelors pad are gone. haha. Now it's starting to look like home sweet home. Comfy even! I may head to Home Depot when I get some time and grab a table, chairs and tiki torches to lounge out on the patio -- and a big grill to BBQ on! WOOT!

Saturday night was pretty awesome at Horizons. Sometimes you get a message that just speaks to the issues you are facing that day, week, month or, HEH, year. So it's always good to be fed with knowledge and understanding. I was thinking about some of the songs they played tonight and I got to wondering if I should cover any Jeremy Camp stuff. Love his voice, just not sure I could do his songs any justice.

Oh on that note, no cover band for me at the moment. After these last few practices I was quickly reminded why I stopped playing in bands in the first place. There are too many expectations and, dare I say, egos that get in the way of people just going out and jamming and having a great time. All I ever want to do is just jam, have fun and make people smile. I got to do that with both big bands, especially when we did the show in Wisconsin that drew like, 8,000 people to our area. Now THAT was fun! Summerfest, I think it was. 2004?! Yeah. That was it.

I'm still SORE from working out hard the past couple weeks but that was to make up for missing a weeks worth when I went to the races. At least I am still seeing weight gain (though not as much as I want) and things are "shaping" up nicely. I pushed a little heavier this week. 180lb dumbell presses! (2x90). It's easier to do them with my tweaked collar bone than the bench press.

Today I'm going to walk down to the beach and catch a few rays (never mind, I'm going to jog instead!), watch some AMA races, hit the store for a tad and catch a movie later with a friend. I was thinking about Batman since I've heard a lot of good things about it. Not sure. If you have a recommendation for a good movie, drop me a note.

Hey John, you're only going to be single for what, 3 more months? I haven't heard a thing about your Bachelor party. When is it? Where are we going?! HAHA. I have a few fun ideas so when you're ready to chat about it, let me know. I need a trip to OC soon anyway. I miss my old stomping grounds! Thanks again for the great time at Laguna ;) Oh and thanks to Ms. J for keeping me smiling!

Well that's about it for now other than updating the ABOUT ME page. Nothing special just needed updating. I hope your week has been as blessed and fun as mine (minus the bad solution at work and all - haha).