BLOGS FOR JUL 2009

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Week ending July 26th, 2009
Fantastic week :)

So things have been great this week. I'm feeling loads better and was able to do a full workout at the gym. I didn't skip anything including my cardio. Skipping workouts really bugs me because I've worked so hard to get into the best shape of my life (and I am!) over the past 3-4 years. I honestly mean this, I am in better shape now than I was when I was a Marine. I probably don't have the same energy or stamina that I had but physically I look and feel great. Even the Doctor last week commented that physically I looked like I was in my 20s. Haha, thanks, Doc!!!

Work is going better too as we got some things sorted out. I have a project that is currently being deployed and of course there are going to be a lot of snares and finger pointing but for the most part it's moving along. This is my first deployment with the contract so it will be interesting to see how things work out. I also got the good news that one of my physical storage devices was approved for deployment so that's really going to help things out in the long run. I have a LOT of exciting things to look forward to.

Comic Con is going on here in San Diego this week and some of my OC friends are down here for the event. Of course I did not buy a ticket and figured I'd just meet them there are grab one. Nope! All sold out. Who knew there were so many geeks like me around?!! Maybe it's due to the all the celebrities who are attending the event. I know Johnny Depp was there. Since I can't make it in we're all going to meet later tonight for dinner. That suits me fine as the MotoGP race in England is going on today and I can watch that. Nicky had what I think is his worst qualifying of the season. 15th place! Stupid Ducati, lol. Only Stoner can ride that beast!

Services were excellent this weekend. Even though Pastor Bob is out we had one of the Associate Pastors give this weekends message and he did a great job in my opinion. I definitely learn something new each week so I'm still growing. That's always a good thing. Ol' Fred Durst had a great line in one of his songs: "Life is a lesson, you learn it when you're through." Well said.

So on the band thing, since I am not racing I have more funds and time to pursue that interest. I've found a guitarist I like and he has a drummer so all we need now is a bassist. Craigslist, I know a lot of people knock it, but it's free and that's how I found band members for my other bands and it worked out great. So let's see where this takes us. I am not going to lose site of things nor am I going to let this distract me from His plans for me. It's just an outlet of fun and something I love to do.

Speaking of my hobbies, I updated the look of the site a little bit. The graphic up top has been altered. Can you find all the changes? Haha, my version of "Where's Waldo!" (Cracking myself up here!). One of my friends noted: "Hey you haven't updated your About page." I guess I should get on that and probably will when I have more time. Right now I am trying to finish this up so I can grab some lunch, head out to the pool for more rays (I'm getting pretty dark!) and then finish a few things here before I head out tonight.

That's it for this week. Hope you are doing well and see you in August. For some reason I've been looking forward to that month :) Must mean something good is going to happen. We'll see! Chat with you next week!!!

B.

Week ending July 19th, 2009
How was your week?

Well mine started off pretty good until Thursday. There's some work drama going on involving me but not started by me. I don't understand why people have to put their nose in my personal business. I do not talk about anything deeply personal at work so it baffles me why other people have to start rumors. It's my personal opinion that people who gossip, especially about co-workers, are insecure and do so only to feel good about themselves. Whatever the case, whoever started the problem is going to have to answer up.

Other than that, the week was pretty good. I was still feeling under the weather most of the week. On Tuesday afternoon I finally muscled up the strength to see the Doctor. I have a follow up this Tuesday but I think I'm going to be ok. I had started feeling much, much better Friday morning so I hope that by tomorrow afternoon I'll have enough energy to hit the gym. I've missed the past few weeks so I am jonesing to get back to action. I've lost around 7lbs since I started feeling ill so I've got work to do to put that back on. I haven't had a big mean in over a week, haha. At least I am able to stomach regular food now.

Church was ummm, interesting yesterday. Our Pastor was out so we had a guest speak who was anything but traditional as far as the word goes. Some of things he said just, well, it wasn't very Christian even though the message was good, it's more or less how he delivered it. I agreed with a lot of what he had to say just not the way he said it. There's certain things you just don't say in front of a congregation -- and I am sure our Pastor is going to be inundated with letters.

Not sure if I've kept you up to date but I am almost through the Old Testament again! Even though the NLT is easier to read I find the NKJV much more to my taste as it tends to translate more closely (IMHO) to the original text. I've been reading more than usual before I go to bed so it's normally the last thing on my mind as I drift off to sleep.

The weather has been so good here that the past couple weeks I have been killing two birds with one stone. Rest AND getting a tan. And I must say I am getting pretty dark. I don't stay out too long, just enough to be a little darker than I was the week before. I know that a lot of time in the sun can age you quickly. Most people who know me know that I look much younger than my age and that's from not roasting myself in the blazing sun every summer. Even when I play golf I make sure not to get too much sun.

I still haven't given up the goal of singing in a band. That is still on my mind as it would be a good way to eat up some of my free time but I also want to serve in some way. I've volunteered for a few things at my Church so we'll see how that pans out. I can definitely make better use of my time and since I am not a party-drinker guy! I can think of a million things I'd rather be doing than drinking and partying. Not going to criticize others for doing so, it's just not my cup of tea.

Oh, I got word this week about the Town Home. No deal. Looks like it's going to foreclosure. C'est la vie! I've got another offer to send out on a house in Santee but I don't know that I want to live out there. House is beautiful and in a quiet neighborhood (South, close to the 52), but it's really hot out there. At least if this one happens I won't be that far from where our work is moving to.

Well that is about it. MotoGP racing from Germany is coming on soon and I am excited to watch since I already know Nicky Hayden qualified 4th on the grid (best spot of the year for him!). I've got my fingers crossed he does well. Hope you have a great rest of your week!

B.

Week ending July 12th, 2009
So am I'm feeling the effects of a long weekend at Vegas?

I was not feeling good all week. In fact I missed the gym on Weds and Fri. I hope to get back to it tomorrow (Monday) but we'll see. I don't remember being around anyone who was sick but then again it doesn't take much to get sick now-a-days. Definitely not the swine flu but that had me thinking. LOL. I hardly ever get sick so maybe it's finally caught up to me? Who knows?!

As for the week in general it's been nice and low key, allowing me to get a lot projects done at work. I am still hopeful that my Town Home is going to come through. It's been in limbo now for about two and a half months. The second lender is pushing back hard and I have a feeling the whole deal is going to end up falling through the floor. No biggie. If it's in God's plans for me to have a house or what not, He'll make it happen.

Right now I am trying to figure out what to do with my time. I haven't been very productive lately. Mostly lounging around. Maybe that has more or less to do with not feeling 100% lately. I'm not entirely sure but whatever the case, I'm starting to get cabin fever. I hate not having a direction or plan, though that does make it easy to be spontaneous.

I have been hanging out at the pool and getting some rays. At least I am not pasty white anymore. I've actually got a decent tan and the pools been nice and cool. Having it all to myself has also been an added bonus. I guess everyone else is going to the beach. I prefer to keep it low key if you know what I mean. I'm a private person (yes I know I am saying that in the face of writing a very public blog, but who reads this anyway?! *wink*).

I'm trying to think if there have been any significant developments lately. Nothing to write about here I suppose. Often times when I sit in front of my computer to write I try to give my friends and family a good idea of what's been going on in my life without spilling all the beans. I do know the people who take the time to check up weekly (and there are many of you out there) care enough to wonder how I'd doing. I'm really thankful for the kind words and support you all send out. Even though I don't really have any family out here, this blog is one way of keeping in touch.

Since I haven't been feeling well I didn't go hang out with friends or do much this week so I guess I'll just close with a few things to note. One of them being that we should all be thankful for the trials in our lives. I know for a fact that I've experienced quite a few over the past 4-5 years or so. But in many ways I have been extremely, extremely blessed -- many times over. I can safely say the good has far outweighed the bad.

I had a friend ask me why I am not married. "Are you gay or something? How can someone like you not be married?!" After laughing out loud the reply is very simple: "If it's in God's plans, it will happen. You can not force it and in fact, the more you try and wrest control of your life from Him, the more control you lose." This doesn't make sense to a lot of people for a multitude of reasons. To me it simply says that I have someone much higher than me in control of things. I'd rather He be in control than myself. The best plans for my life pale in comparison to His.

Well that's about it. Hope you had a fantastic week and enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday in Sunny San Diego (or wherever you are!).

Week ending July 5th, 2009
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

What a flat out AWESOME Holiday weekend! I left work early on Thursday to hit the road to Vegas. I was excited to get away for a little while and cut loose (I behaved, mostly! LOL). I needed to blow off some steam I guess. Traffic was fine on the 15 until I got near Temecula where it was bumper to bumper. Come to find out there was a pretty big fire right off the freeway so that's why things were backed up. After that it was smooth sailing and I managed to make it to Vegas in about 5 hours. What was even more surprising is my truck got 20.3 MPG on the way there. (Only 17.3 on the way back. WEIRD!).

Once I got there I checked into the hotel, took a shower and had a brief nap. Well I guess I slept a little too long because I decided to go to the Hard Rock (my favorite place to hang out). As I waledk up I heard what sounded just like "Stone Temple Pilots" live. I was thinking "Whatever band that is, they're pretty good!". Come to find out -- IT WAS Stone Temple Pilots. They were playing "The Joint" and I guess the concert had started about 45 minutes before I got there. Bummer as I would have really liked to see them.

As it turns out I went to the other venue and checked out the cover band. They were pretty good even had some notable famous musicians come jam with them. As I was watching the band I noticed two girls that I recognized. IT turns out they had attended a Pyromania show back in 2006 in HOUSTON! How weird to bump into someone from another town. They said they had moved to Vegas not long after our show.

Friday I caught some rays at the pool, had a nice dinner and then went back to the Hard Rock and danced. I made a few new friends and had a great time. Saturday I left to head home and managed to get back just in time to make it to Church -- and I am glad I did. The guest speaker was someone who was a well versed U.S. Historian and we learned a lot about the founding fathers and their faith. Only Jefferson and Franklin were atheist. The rest of them were all God-fearing Christians (as proven by their writings).

Pics from VEGAS are here.

So here on Sunday I have to catch up with Laundry, clean up a few things, etc. I just finished watching the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. I had predicted that Nicky would finish 5th and he did! Not a bad guess on my part, I suppose! LOL.

After a week of contemplation I do have one thing to add about Michael Jackson. While I fully recognize that he had a very peculiar lifestyle, I will add that he never had a childhood as most of us have experienced. From a very young age he was treated as an adult and expected to act like one. Neverland and his odd behavior were, at least in my view, his attempts to recapture his childhood. And like him or not, I can say that there has never been an entertainer with such pure talent as he. All due respects to Elvis, the Rat Pack, Sinatra, etc. MJ was hands down the best there has ever been. Rest in Peace.

Well I a little toasty from catching more rays today. Time to grab something to eat and relax a tad. Tomorrow will be a busy day at work and I am energized and refreshed. Have a great rest of your Sunday!!