BLOGS FOR NOVEMBER 2008

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Week ending November 30th 2008
I'm BAAAAAACK! Miss me? Muahaha!

I had an excellent vacation and Thanksgiving and hope you did as well. Now where do I start? Well, I flew out of San Diego on Thursday. I had a layover in Charlotte, NC. On the ride there I met a Frenchman who has been living in the US for about 20 years. It turns out that his wife is a Christian but he is not. He has been struggling for years to commit his life. We had a lengthy discussion but really this is a decision he has to make on his own. I can't convict him, only the Holy Spirit can do that. In the end we decided to stay in touch and that I would be willing to answer any questions he might have.

After the long flight I arrived in Orlando around midnight. After waiting for what seemed like forever to get my bags and rental car I hit the road. I arrived home at around 2:30 in the morning and got some shut eye. The next morning we got up, ate, chatted a bit and then I met Robert (my best bud from home) and we hit the golf course. We caught up a lot on each other's lives and then parted. We didn't get to hang out much as his wife was having a surgery and really they just needed some peace and quiet. After that we all went to dinner then hung out at my sister's place.

The next day I went with my nieces to one of their meets and that was fun. Later that night I met up with a friend at the Roadhouse and we did some Karaoke (told ya!). It was really, really good to meet up with her. We hadn't talked in 25 years! That really meant a lot to me and to her, I believe. On Sunday I went to Church with my nieces and nephew then we BBQ'd and I took them to the movies. Monday we didn't really do that much. On Tuesday my family arrived from Boston as did my niece from SLO. Wednesday I met up with Jennifer's mom then we all went out that night. I had a lot of fun catching up with so many people I have not seen in years. Everyone thinks I still look the same, just taller. They all look much different to me. Grown ups :)

Thursday was a very busy day being Thanksgiving. We cooked so much food it was really more than we all could eat. We had a couple of Turkeys and a ham as well. We also got together to take some family photos and I'll be adding them soon. Before I knew it, it was Saturday AM and time to go. We all said our goodbyes then I dropped by to see Jenn before I left. It was really, really good to catch up with her and see how her life has progressed. I'm really proud of her.

The flight home was a trip (literally!). The ride to Dallas was as bumpy as I could remember. In fact, we hit so much turbulence that there were several screams. I know a couple times I was gripping the seat pretty tightly! I've had some rough rides in my time but that one took the cake. The leg from Dallas to S.D. was relatively smooth. My bags even beat me to the airport (lol). I ended up getting home late and very, very tired!

Overall it was a great trip and a much needed vacation. I haven't been to the gym now in almost 2 weeks so it'll be good to get back tomorrow and into my regular routine. I'm even looking forward to getting back to work and into the grind. There were some excellent times and definitely some things to think about. We'll see what happens. :)

That's about it for now. Once again I hope you had a great Holiday and I'll check back in with you next week. Don't forget to come back later and check for pictures.

See you soon! :)

B.

Week ending November 16th 2008
Have a good week? I did :)

This week I am headed to Florida for vacation with my family. I'm really looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with them. I can't remember the last time we all got together for a Holiday so this is long overdue. We even have family coming from Boston and I think Alabama. My niece is also coming from SLO. She is a student at Cal Poly.

I'll be gone roughly 10 days so that means I will not be updating the blog next Sunday. In fact, I still have several things to take care of before I leave. I'm also going to miss the gym for two weeks. As much as love it, I really need the break. Besides I should be getting in a ton of golf while I am there and hopefully some fishing and swimming too! At some point we're going to head to Tampa and hit the Hard Rock. I'm sure we'll all be on our best behavior ;)

Work wise things are going OK. We had a lot of vendor demos this week so that threw my schedule off. We also had Tuesday off for Veteran's Day which was neat. It's really weird having a day off in the middle of the week like that, but I made good use of it.

My weekend overall was fairly busy and Church was great, as always. I forgot to mention, after last week's rant, that they called all the Veteran's to stand and about 15 of us did and they gave us all a round of applause for our service. I thought there would be more Military and prior Military at Horizons given that we do try and get them active. Maybe that's a Ministry opening I should be tapping? Big hint, huh?

I'm trying to think if there is anything I missed but I think that about covers it. I really, really appreciate all the kind words about what I posted last week. Trust me, I am fine. I just needed to vent and the totally off-kilter behavior that some people display never ceases to amaze me.

That's really about it. I'll have lots to post about when I get back from my trip. And if you're in Sebring and reading this, I'll see you on the 21st (traveling all day on the 20th). Let's get together because I know you guys are wanting to blow up the speakers doing karaoke. HAHA! :)

Lest I forget, rest in peace mom.....we still miss you.

See you all back here in two weeks!

Week ending November 9th 2008
This week's blog is going to be a rant. Haven't done one for a while and this is long overdue:

There are certain individuals that are no longer part of my life for whatever reason. Whether they chose it to be or I did doesn't really matter. I respect their choice, they should respect mine. There is one particular person whom I will not mention by name that is not in my life anymore and this rant is about them.

Now, at my age I should have known better and just avoided the whole situation. The lack of maturity on their part was a huge warning sign. What this person was telling me were things that aren't usually associated with conflicted feelings and more than anything, things you just don't say to someone unless you mean it. Their actions never followed their words and that was the biggest warning sign. Against my better judgment I decided to trust that God put this person in my life for a reason. Well in the end, it turns out He did...to teach me another lesson in life.

Listen to the warning signs and red flags!

Now this person, whom I don't wish any harm but also don't desire any interaction with anymore either, has been trying to re-establish a friendship -- even after being told time and time again that I do not want them in my life in any capacity. I'm sorry, but that is just not possible. I don't care if this person is insecure, needy or didn't believe me. My actions and my words NEVER conflict with each other. I say what I mean, I mean what I say. It's not my problem they didn't believe me. They made a conscious decision and did so at the cost of losing every good thing that comes with being very close to me. It's too late for regrets. They should have considered the consequences back then.

The sheer audacity of this person given all the crap they brought into my life -- to just expect me to welcome them back into my life with open arms -- there is just no way. It's never going to happen, ever! I've never been anyone's door mat and I will not accept being treated as if I am somehow "disposable." I was not put on this planet to meet anyone else's needs, especially at my own expense. On top of this, all this person ever says is "I want, I need..." with no regard to anyone but themselves. What they are saying is "I only want/need what you can provide me..." They are completely selfish and self-centered.

They define the word "succubus..."

Sometimes we make decisions in our lives we end up regretting. I've made a few myself. But instead of trying to fill whatever void this person left in my life by being insincere, by not apologizing and by trying to manipulate them back into my life, I JUST LET THEM GO. There is no need to stir up the past. What is done can not be undone. When you make a decision to walk away, there are no second chances with me. I hate to say it's karma, but that's really what it comes down to. You can't go through life taking advantage of people and not expect it to come back and bite you.

I've gone through some painstaking efforts to keep this person out of my life yet they still persist. I am upset more than anything that a clear boundary has been laid (more than once) and this person continues to push, poke and prod to try and find a loophole somewhere. I've respected this person's decision to move on with their life and I fully expect them to respect my decision to no longer include them in mine. To have a relationship, both people have to want it and if one doesn't then well -- there is no relationship.

God says we must forgive others and I have -- but He never said we had to forget or that we are to continue to allow people into our lives who are simply toxic for us. In that case Jesus said clearly "Wipe the dust of your sandals as you leave" and that us exactly what I have done. I walked away with no guilt, with my dignity, pride and confidence fully in tact. Can't say the same for them.

As I sit here and write this I am watching the "MetalliBash 2002" video that I found in my collection. I found a bunch of old tapes and didn't know what was on them. I had forgotten how good we were back then and that was a fantastic show -- and one of my last as I left the band a few months after that gig. I'll see if I can get it converted to digital format and place it the on site. That will be something I am sure you'll enjoy as much as I have :)

That's it for now. Writing the blog is often times cathartic for me. Over the past several years I've learned that keeping my feelings locked up inside and not sharing them often with others is a good thing. Sometimes it's better to keep them wondering. This was just a situation where I needed to vent. I hit a level where they've annoyed me to the point I needed to vent somewhere. It's a good thing I don't have the race bike anymore or I'd probably smash my lap times...

I'm not sure I should say "I hope you enjoyed this" or not. Perhaps instead I should just say "thank you for listening..." :)

Have a good week.

Cheers...

Week ending November 2nd 2008
How was your week? Mine was fantastic!

Most of this week was pretty darn busy at work. I've got so many projects going on at one time it sometimes gets difficult to keep them in order. I am sure the team leads would agree, lol. Otherwise though, things are good. I really enjoy the troubleshooting aspect of my job and that's what I get to do a lot of.

My friend John got married yesterday in San Clemente. It was really fantastic. My original date couldn't make it so at the last minute my friend Jennifer came with me. She's such cool peeps and it was really fun to hang out. We both had a really good time. They had a live band there that was good too. The ceremony was excellent, food great, etc. If I ever get married one day, that's the kind of wedding I'd like to have. It was outside at a Country Club and then inside for dinner and the rest of the festivities. The drive there and back was cool as Jen and I got to chat for a while. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as cool as her :)

Today I said goodbye to the CBR600RR. It's been a really good bike for me but since I am done racing I just didn't have room for it the garage anymore (really!). So I'll take the cash, pay off some bills and then look forward to sometime next year getting a CBR1000RR for the street and sell the Bandit.

Also! I bought my tickets to Sebring this week. I'll be leaving in the morning on the 20th (of this month) and staying for around 10 days. It should be fun! We plan on lots of golf, lots of hanging out and of course, lots of food! HAHA. I do want to try and get some fishing in while I am there. I was last home in June of 07 so it really hasn't been that long. I got a fantastic price on the tickets and the car rental (even got a full size car this time!) too.

I'm still hammering away at the gym. So far, I've gotten very close to my goal. Starting next week, in fact, I'll be working out with a trainer. I've been meaning to do that for a long time and the trainer I selected is one of the best. Certified Master Trainer, even! Hopefully he can help me get past the plateau that I am at now and hit the weight limit that I have set. Shouldn't be that hard. If anything I am determined and always stick to my goals until they are attained.

Well that is it for the week. Hope you had a great week as well and we'll chat with you next week.