So I’ve been staffed onto a project in St. Louis for a couple months, and I get to manage a team of about 8-10 folks.  The minute I walked out of the jet bridge,  I forgot how much Midwest humidity sucks.  Add to that when I got out into the baggage area, I’m greeted by a group of fobs who obviously seemed excited to see one of their own only to mistake me for someone else.  I haven’t been around the area that much other than the airport area but the city doesn’t seem too bad.  I’ve been to worse.  If anyone has any tips on places to go other than the arch and all let me know.

Reading the news about the people in Texas that refused to evacuate from Hurricane Ike gives me mixed feelings.  I feel bad that they may have lost everything but am pissed to see that my taxpayer dollars have to pay for them not listening to evacuation orders.  Then they have to get rescued off of rooftops or they got stuck in some flashflood, I don’t understand why I have to pay for these people’s ignorance.  But then again, my taxpayer dollars are paying for a couple of shitty wars as well.

Hello.  It’s me.  Remember me? 
Everyone’s favorite traveling consultant exploring strange new worlds
and seeking out new life and new civilizations?? Haha, I kid, well not really
cause I’m a trekkie at heart.  It’s been
a while since I’ve written anything only because well, there’s hasn’t been much
that’s been going on lately.  I’m not jet
setting every week like I used to and my travels are limited to less-than-exotic
places like Bristol, TN, Dallas, TX, and Raleigh, NC.  I think the most exciting thing was BBQ in
these places but boy did they have some damn good barbeque.  It’s strange how they’ve sent me to all the
BBQ places.  I think there might be a
secret plot to become a renowned BBQ food critic.  Actually, I would love to be a food critic if
I could.  If it’s one vice that I have
it’s good eats. 

So to recap my hiatus, I’ve been up to a lot of nothing and
a whole lot of work.  Well, that’s not
true.  I’ve managed to find some time to
pick up some rock climbing again here and there and visit old friends and make
some pretty good new ones.  Life always
throws you the unexpected but you always have to take each day as if it’s your
very last one and make the best of it. 
So that’s why I’ve made a promise to myself to seize the moment.  Carpe diem!

I remember it wasn’t too long ago that I went through this
period in my life where I was unhappy with my career and needed change.  I was living the NYC life and traveling every
single week for 3 years.  I loved
it.  I liked the hustle and bustle,
seeing all the people running around, the convenience, the ambiance of the
city.  Everything about the city I loved,
but my job was getting tiresome and I was starting to really hate how I was
just another cog in the whole corporate ladder (not that it’s really all that
much different at where I’m at right now except it’s a smaller corporate
ladder).  I did a lot of life planning
and didn’t really get very far with it, but I knew I wanted something new and
different.  I definitely wanted change.  Don’t you ever have that lingering feeling
that something is missing but can’t put your finger on it?
 
So now I have change. 
I found something I was looking for. 
Was it the change I was looking for? 
I’m not too sure exactly, but it’s working out so far except for a
few kinks that need to be ironed out (some kinks have been ironed out hehe). 
I’m in a grey area, a state that I’ve never been in and somewhat unsure
of where to go from here.  I don’t know
where that puts me, but I do know that it’s been a great ride that I don’t know
when it will end, when I’ll need to hop off or if I even want to hop off.

I’ve been traveling all over for the past few weeks.  This time back to the good ole South and the land of vinegar BBQ….NC!  I miss the South.  The Southern hospitality, the laid-back nature of the people, the clean air.  I managed to get a free trip back home to VA too, since I was only a 3-hour drive away.  I drove up to Richmond last weekend to visit my folks and their new dog.  It’s been too long since I’ve been at home.  It felt really nice to be at home again.  I’ll always consider my parents’ place my home.

I was driving in the car with my mom as we were returning from my aunt’s place talking about my some of my uncle’s kids cause they were visiting for the weekend.  My mom remarked how my uncle was one of the wildest kids growing up while my dad was the most noble in the family.  She was saying how odd it was that my uncle’s kids were so noble while my brother and I were quite the opposite growing up.  It was ironic she said how this could happen to her and my dad because they did everything by the book and were straight as an arrow.  This brought back some pretty vivid memories.

I’ll admit.  My brother in his teenage years was not the easiest to deal with and as I’ve said in entries in the past, I really did hate him for quite some time.  He made it hard growing up in our household and especially made it taxing on my parents.  That’s what I hated him for.  The way that I could see how he hurt my parents.  He’s grown up now.  Older and wiser and not the person that he used to be, and I’m glad that we all get along now. 

I became him in college. I became what I truly hated the most and really hurt my parents.  Hearing this from my mom I remember all the times growing up that I did things to spite my parents.  We all rebel against our parents growing up, trying to explore things that are prohibited by them and in the process, sometimes scar them for life.  I wish I could take all those times back that I hurt them, but the fact is that it made me become the person that I am today.  I just wish it didn’t take hurting my parents to really know how much I value them. 

On another note, it was quite an eventful weekend, getting to see my dog Sunny (Maltese) for the first time since my parents got her and then having my aunt get into a pretty crazy accident.  Thankfully nothing serious happened to her.

Sunny
 

Aunt’s Car

With all that happened over the weekend, you realize how much you should value life, you learn to appreciate all the things that you’ve been blessed with, you truly learn what you cherish the most.

I’m still here….work had been grueling but now I have a day rest haha.  One day….

I’ll be traveling for the next few weeks.  I’ll update with my travels.  Good ole East coast here I come.

Finally on a mini-vacation!  Be back in a week

When I’m flying out to TN, I have to go to this little itty bitty city in eastern TN.  Funny enough, I’ve actually been down that area, since it borders SW Virginia.  The only thing sucky about this flight is that I have 2 layovers which means a whole day wasted of traveling.  My weekend is shot if I decide to fly out Sunday, which most of the time I do since we need to get their to the client first thing Monday morning.  The even suckier thing is that I fly from LA -> Nashville, TN -> Charlotte, NC -> Bristol, TN.  This means I fly into TN on the west side of it, fly out, then fly back into the east side.  Tell me why there is no direct flight from Nashville to Bristol. WHY?!?!!?

Ok time to hit up my next flight to Charlotte.  1 more layover.  This whole Xanga thing on your cell phone is great.  I can go to the bathroom and post at the same time.  I hope no one mistakes my foot tapping in the bathroom for trying to illicit anything.

Hi Xanga world!  It’s been a while.  Working out in Tennessee for a few weeks and finally got a few minutes to update on what’s been going on (actually I can update cause I am taking a bathroom break and updating from my cell phone haha). 

Tennessee ain’t too bad, it’s definitely a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of SoCal.  Air is actually clean here and absolutely no traffic.  I’ll be out here for a few weeks, so I might enjoy the fresh air while it lasts.  I actually miss the southern hospitality, you don’t really see a lot of that in California.  BUT, all they have out here is southern cooking which I love so the past couple days it’s been fried catfish, chicken fried chicken and gravy, fried okra, buttermilk biscuits, cornbread…everything is fried haha.  I defintely need to exercise out here.  Some really nice people out here though, always greeting you and smiling.  The weather has been great, sunny and in the 70s.  It’s like LA but without the smog and traffic haha.  I could never live here though.  Absolutely nothing to do other than Target and Walmart, but it’s not as if I have any time outside of working all day and then hitting up the gym.  It’s good being on a small team too, but I’m nervous about heading up the project since I don’t think they’ve realized I know absolutely nothing haha.  Which reminds me, no promo this year but I should get it next year but happy with the bonus and raise.  Always good having some more money. 

I was burnt out with work and most likely because I was on the same project for the past year, so this is definitely a nice change.  Expectations are high here, and I feel as if I need to be on my A game all the time.  They definitely make you earn your keep here.

Done with poo pooing and now back to work.  Good thing the client can’t see me type poo pooing on their network…did we hire an idiot from California to consult for us?!?

As much fun as business travel can be, the glamor, the hotels, the jet-setting and company-paid meals and trips, I forgot how lonely it can really be when it’s just you. 

I just got into the gym after a hiatus of being out of the country and then a short vacation back East.  I’m all set to lift and pump some iron, turn on my iPod, and then “Take My Breath Away” comes on.  Shit.  I forgot to switch up music.  So ended up working out to some “Lady in Red”, old school Timmy T, and Christopher Cross amongst other things….not a good workout at all though I do feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

I read a study on MSNBC about the number of men who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom on the rise.  1 in 3 men don’t wash their hands after the bathroom now.  I’m not neat-freak but seriously, there are some things that are just plain common sense hygiene.  I’ve seen some people at work take a shit and then leave.  I make sure I wash my hands and use a napkin to open that bathroom door.  I hesitate to shake a lot of people’s hands cause I just wonder where they’ve been.  I keep a bottle of Purrell hand sanitizer at my desk at all times.  People might think I’m crazy, but I don’t want no dingleberries on my hands.  Honestly, how many of you actually wash their hands after going to the bathroom all the time?

Watching the Eagles game tonight…..GO EAGLES!