It has been a long time.

2008 is gone.  2009 is here.  A new hope.  Another chance to "get it right" or even more right.  This is usually a time when I reflect and look forward.  Last year was great for me on many levels.  I finally took the vacation I needed/deserved.  My week in P-town was truly amazing.  It was great to get away for a week.  To enjoy life.  I was also able to move closer to the city after living so far away from work and my social scene and while it surely has been some adjusting (like dropping $1400/month on rent), it has truly been worth it for peace of mind.  Now, I am relaxed after work... partly because it is only 15 minutes each way to work.  Also, I now have my own space... my own life right here in my 650 square feet of living space, to have it exactly how I want it.

It is always around this time when I sit back and reflect on all of the wonderful concerts I have attended over the past year.  This year, I found myself attending less live shows than in the past.  It has been that nothing has really grabbed me and said "this is something you must see, no matter what" and I'm really OK with that.  I did get to see Blind Melon, the B-52's, MGMT, George Michael, Celine Dion (yeah, who knew?), the DC101 Chili Cookoff (with Staind, Live, Seether, etc.) and my favorite show of the year was Radiohead.  That was truly a moment to remember--to be standing in a torrential downpour listening to the cathartic words and music of one of my most favorite bands...

I tried to date this past year.  That did not go so well.  I wonder if I have to learn to accept that things won't always go my way in that regard... or maybe I just haven't found the right person yet.  I really don't know to be honest but it has been hard and at times a real blow to the self-confidence.  I know that I will keep on keeping on though... or something like that.

2009 has already been quite an amazing year and we are only three weeks into the whole thing.  We have been promised "change"... and it is something I can and do believe in, but you cannot just sit and wait for it to happen.  You have to do your part as well.  I know that I have looked inside to see where I can make change for the better in my life.  With that, I have these goals:

1.  I need to find a new job.  This isn't as much an indictment on my current job as much as it is the reality that I am not going to advance at the pace that I believe is necessary for my personal growth and happiness.  I am working on this now.  I feel as though it is time...

2.  I do want to travel this year.  I have many ideas of what I want to do.  The key is to put those plans in motion to ensure that I have a few breaks in the year where I can get out of town and "relax".

3.  I do need to do more non-bar fun stuff with friends.  This includes things like hockey games to museums to just wandering around this wonderful city enjoying all that it has to offer.  I live five miles from the epicenter of the free world and there is still so much of it that I need to see.

4.  I am vowing to take better care of my body.  I know that the reality of this really hit me when I was saddled with a cold/sore throat for three weeks and could not shake it.  I am not getting any younger and my body needs to be taken better care of. 

5.  I am always enjoying the new friends that I meet... and hopefully, I can meet someone who wants to take it to that next level.  I am hopeful. 

And with that, I should get some sleep... today was a monumentous day.  It was great to witness history.  Tomorrow, it is back to work and hoping that I can make some more progress to the goals that I have set out for myself. 

I've not been a good blogger the past few weeks. I'm not sure I have any real reasons why I haven't posted much. It could be that not much is really going on to be honest. Work has been pretty crazy... but at least I'm not there today. Gotta love the four day weekend built in around the holiday, that is for sure.

Christmas was good yesterday. Sleeping in was great for sure... it's nice to not have anyone around to wake you up. I made it down to my sister's house by about 2pm or so... they gave me a nice set of dinnerware. That was great and it was like they knew that my kitchen was the last room that has really been furnished. Now, I really need a table and chairs for the dining area and that will be done other than a few little things here and there but I will get those as I hit Target over the coming months.

Christmas Eve was fun at the party in Baltimore. I was a bit apprehensive as I didn't know what to expect and was under the assumption that I wouldn't know anyone there. Well, other than David and John (who I went with), I really didn't know anyone but that didn't take away from the fact that it was really a decent time. I tried out the present that Santa brought me in my new digital camera. It was time for an upgrade and all that...

Now, I have the next three or so days before I have to go back to work. Lots of relax time, lots of reading (hopefully... I'm getting back-logged in my books). I have two loads of laundry that need to get washed... and then I have two days of work next week. Not too bad... but I will have to be busy and disciplined for sure to make sure I get a lot of work done so that once the New Year starts and "insanity 2009" starts with year end stuff... I won't be swimming in a sea of financial reports.

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and has a great New Years... I really have no idea what my plans are for New Years to be honest... I guess I'll figure that out in the next few days.

It is 4:43am and I am not tired, at least not the "ohmigod I could sleep for like twelve hours" tired. More of the "if I lay down in bed right now, I'm sure I would just lay there for the next two hours" sorta tired before actually falling asleep for a good three or four hours. I blame the post-turkey nap. It surely felt good at the time. I guess it could be worse... I could have been out shopping with my sister for Black Friday sales I could never afford. The outlet mall opened at midnight. My thought... just because you give someone more shopping hours, does that mean that they instantly have more money to spend on the holidays? I seriously doubt it. So there are no midnight shopping excursions for me. There are no Black Friday stampedes in hopes of getting cheaply made, off brand electronics and other gadgets with thousands of other "economic" shoppers. Nope. I'm here on my couch. Warm. Sane. Content. Well, at least I am warm. And I'm watching VH1 Classic "Rock Fest". You gotta love some Bon Jovi at the late hour... even when "she's a little runaway". Love the song. Love the 80s. Love the layered shirt phenomenon.

In the grand tradition of Thanksgiving... I have found that I am thankful for many things. I am thankful that I have a stable career. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head (even though I am paying through the nose for it) with reliable clean, running water and electricity and heat, a neat little cable that plugs into my computer and allows me to communicate with just about anyone I want to and so on... These are the things that I have worked hard for in my life to obtain, without the help or handout of others. Everything I have is mine, complete with a drop or two of sweat from the hard work I have put in over the past six years so that I can be where I am. Once upon a time, about six years ago, I was not in the happy place that I can say that I am in now. My life had hit rock bottom, so to speak. I was out of money. I had no job and no place to live. After what I saw as a temporary move here to "get my life back in order", I was able to do just that. I now have an awesome career and money in the bank. I think about this a lot in our times of economic downturn and wonder how I ever made it and how others who are going through such hard times can pull together for happiness in this holiday season. It has to be hard.

I am thankful for the multitude of friends that I have kept over the past year as well as the new ones that I have made along the way. Each one of them has brought something to my life that is probably beyond the description of words. You have listened to my good times, my not so good times and were always there ready with a shoulder or great words of wisdom. I am super appreciative of all that you do and hope that I am always there whenever I am needed to return the great gift that you have given.

(I just got to thinking... wow, this is going down that super sappy road... but fuck it.)

I am even thankful for the folks that I dated over the past twelve months. While it ultimately did not work out between us, you have taught me a lot about myself and the sort of person I need to be in life. It is OK that it did not work out but I know that we can still at least be civil to each other, maybe even cordial or friends. It is just one of those growth things to be honest. You learn from the past and the mistakes and pitfalls along the way and make sure that they are not repeated, no matter how fun they may have seemed at the time. There will always be hurt and disappointment in life. That is a fact of life. The other reality is that you can make your life anything you want it to be with hard work. Nothing ever comes easily and when you realize that you have worked hard to achieve all that you have, the spoils of success will taste that much sweeter. Trust me. I have been to the bottom and have tasted both the bitter of not fulfilling dreams and aspirations and the wonderful nectar that is creating a life for yourself that is one to be proud of.

And with this, I bid you all a wonderful start to your holiday season. Let your turkey and all of its wonderful trimmings digest well. May you tell those that are nearest and dearest to you how much you appreciate all they do for you. Mend your fences with those who may have fallen out of favor with you .... and live life like you have always wanted to on your own terms. If this doesn't work, then go stand in line with the crazies for cheap electronics at discounted prices. Me... I'll wait until mid December when the retailers are facing bleak economic numbers and make even deeper cuts on the items on my own Christmas list.

If you were wondering what is on that list... well, I'd like a new digital camera, a Blu-ray DVD player, an entertainment center for my living room, bar stools, new dishes and glasses, bookshelves, Rockband 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour. Don't you all get out there shopping at once. You still have 26 shopping days to get it all taken care of.

It was six years ago today that I moved to the DC Metro area. It really doesn't feel like it was that long ago. There has been so much change in my life and how I live my life in those past six years. It is truly hard to expand on all of it all... but like a good writer, here goes...

When I moved here in 2002, I was a broken down individual. I had no job, no real prospect of a job, and pretty much zero cash. Life was pretty bleak to be honest. I was moving to a completely new and foreign place where the only people I really knew were my sister and her husband. I had figured that I would just hang out here for six months or maybe a year tops and then get my ass back to Michigan where my life was, where my friends were, where my social life and comfort zone was. I have been back to Michigan exactly one time since my move here, last fall for about a total of 15 hours in the state. Long enough to have that realization that Michigan was not for me and probably was never going to be for me. I realized that long before my road trip home, but by and large, it was one of those "wow" moments, when you realize that you can go home again... but do you really want to? I learned that the answer was no and probably always will be no. I'm pretty certain at this point that any trips I make back home (and the next one will be to the Yoop, I'm sure), will be for purely business purposes, as in to attend a twenty year high school reunion in three plus years, to attend a wedding of a friend... that probably is about it.

So in the past six years of living in the DC area, I have learned a lot about myself and life. I have managed to have three different jobs and one that has ultimately turned into a career of sorts. I never imagined myself working in commercial real estate but we are quickly coming up on three years in that very field. Wow! I have attained my goal of living inside the Capitol Beltway, close to the city. And let's be honest, there is so much wonderful things to do in this city. There is a truly great night life to experience. I have met some good friends and some truly wonderful life-changing relationships that I will always carry with me, even in this transient town of change.

I have dated. Well, let me correct that... I have dated not so successfully. I have truly found my footing in life, no longer ashamed to be the person that I am, for better or worse. I do enjoy where I am. It's pretty fucking amazing to be honest, to always be exposed to something new and fun.

Changes are always coming along... are you ready for the ride? I do believe that I am.

I don't have much to say... at least I never think I do until I start typing and then the words just come flowing out, sentence after sentence.

Here goes...

I'm very happy that Obama won the election. You should have seen the pandemonium in downtown Washington DC. I really had no desire to go downtown to watch the returns even though I did have a few invites to do just that, knowing full well that it was going to be just crazy and then some. I stayed in and watched the returns here at home. It is safe here. I know it is history and all... but you know, that is OK. I witnessed history right on my couch. I had goosebumps when CNN first announced that Obama was the presumed winner and then all over again when the acceptance speech was given.

I spent a lot of time and effort into this election and I am very happy that I could have made a difference. I made phone calls. I went door to door. I handed out Obama literature at the polling station. I donated money to a campaign for the first time in my life. And, I feel that WE did it.

Work is work. Nothing really changes there. My only major frustration right now is with how hard it is to take just one day off. I took Election Day off so that I could do what I have a true passion for (politicking) so I had to bust my ass both the day before and the day after. Essentially, I worked an eleven hour day on Monday and a ten hour day on Wednesday. That pretty much equates to having "about three hours" off. Pathetic. And what really angers me is this... our annual leave is "use or lose" every year so I have to take it... but wow, it is so fucking hard to do that.

I'm getting ready to dive into the third and fourth "Twilight" books this weekend.

I'm still single. And I am hating it a bit more everyday. I mean, come on... I would like to think that I am a good catch. Sigh.... it seems to be more and more frustrating. I think I've pretty much given up on dating for the rest of the year. I think it is time to break out the CPA prep books I own and brush up on being a good accountant. Passing the CPA exam is step one in the "new and improved" masterplan I have come up with.

I'm going to get up on my soapbox here for a moment...

How could the voters of California vote to discriminate against homosexuals getting married and yet pass a proposition that protect the well-being of livestock? You get the right wing fuckwads of the world spreading these wonderful stories about how we are just disease carrying cattle thinking that we are simply out to recruit everyone to our supposed sinful ways. Here is a reality. We are everyday people. We live and breathe the same air, we contribute to the economy and are some of the brightest people on the planet and you are going to treat us with less rights than a fucking farm chicken... just because we are physically and emotionally attracted towards members of the same sex. I just don't get it. All we want is the same legal recognition as everyone else. To share our lives without being shit upon. Obviously, this is far too much to ask even as we elect the first African-American President. I read through the exit polls and it is the very same African-American people who feel so stepped on as the white folk try to get to the top that voted overwhelmingly against this "right". I don't know what to make of it... I guess, maybe it's because we have only been fighting for this for the past fifty years compared to three hundred or so...

I've now stepped off my soapbox for the night...

I do have hope. I have hope that one day we can all walk with our heads held high, knowing that no compromises were made in life. And that life is a good thing.

Random side note... next weekend marks the six year anniversary of my relocation to northern Virginia to start anew. Of course, I will tell you time and again that this was going to be just a temporary move. Well, here I am. Six years later and I have more than enough roots planted in here that I am not going anywhere and to be honest, I think that is OK. I love the opportunity here. Life is good. (Well, other than the "single" and the working too hard stuff... LOL.)

Yes, it is far too late for me to still be up. But, this is the reality of the situation... and the situation is as such...

This morning, I woke up ready to start off my day by getting in the shower only to turn on the water and have nothing but Lake Superior ice cold water pouring out of the faucet. Sonofamotherfuckingbitch. What the hell? I truly thought I was "that asleep" still so I turn off the water, turn on just the "hot" (and I use that term loosely) knob. Yeah, cold water. Fuckin' A. So then I decide it is "all in" and I take the nastiest three minute ice cold shower. Do you ever even feel clean and refreshed when you are dancing around like its not even cool? I figure I'll just get out of the shower, crank up the heat and warm up that way for a bit before I trudge to work.

Oh silly silly me. Turn up the thermostat to 75 and it does nothing but blow cold air. Where the fuck did I move to? The fucking ice castle? Come on...

So on my way out the door, I figure I will stop by the management office and let them know about the water issue (they tell me it's a building wide thing and they are working on it) and my heat issue and how I have none. The woman writes down my apartment number and says she will send someone to look at it. I figure that I will get out of work early enough to get back home to test everything to make sure things have been tended to.

SILLY SILLY ME!!!!! Yeah, hot water is fine. No heat. My apartment is already down to 64 degrees at 5:10pm with a low temperature forecast of 35 tonight. So I go back down and am like "did anyone look at the HVAC unit in my apartment because there still is no heat?" And the woman tells me "NO!" Are you fucking kidding me? They had approximately eight hours to take care of this issue and not a damned fucking thing is done about it. So, she calls the on-call maintenance person... and tells me that someone will be here to look at it.

So by the time 7:30 pm rolls around and my plans for the evening have been canceled because I am not a fan of maintenance keying into my apartment... the guy finally shows up. He is trying to diagnose the problem. I'm trying to stay warm. After about twenty minutes of him trying everything to get it working, he comes to the conclusion that the apartment was never wired for heat in the first place, just air conditioning and that he will have to have a contractor come in tomorrow to repair it.

For the love of all things...

I think explain to him that I made the request at 9am this morning on my way out the door when he tells me that the request was never entered in. Seriously? I had to do everything in my power to not flip out right there but I knew it wasn't the maintenance guy's fault. He assured me that he already spoke to his supervisor about it. Well... that really doesn't do much for me to be honest. I'm sitting in an apartment that has a room temperature of just around 60 degrees because of some fucking dipshit's inability to call in a fucking work order. Needless to say, I will be making a call to the management company for reasonable compensation for my troubles. That is beyond the realm of professionalism to be honest. I work in the industry (at least on the commercial side of things and if a tenant makes a request, you better believe that it is taken care of ASAP.) The maintenance guy was nice enough though to give me his number and if I ever have any issues to call him directly. At least I know that not all things good customer service are gone in today's world.

So, in the meantime, I am going to have to take tomorrow morning off (at least) so I can be here while the repair takes place. Good thing I have a truckload of use or lose leave to burn through between now and the end of December. Of course this also caused me to miss the 17th St High Heel Race tonight... not amused by that.

And with that, I'm going to go shiver myself into sleep... or something like that.

It's been awhile. I know that. I'm not sure that anything exciting has been going on that qualifies as being blog worthy so I will just type away on all the pretty thoughts in my head. They are bound to be extremely random in nature and are sure to cover music, living, and the general well-being of all things in my little universe.

Life is still good in the apartment. I have to admit though that I really haven't finished all of the decorating or whatever the hell a person does after they are moved in and settled. I actually took a Sunday and alphabetized all of my DVD's though. I guess the next project is going to be figuring out where to put the CDs. Right now, they are all in large plastic containers sitting in the corner of my living room behind the couch. I still need a TV stand which means I really really need to get to IKEA this coming weekend. I'll have to check the bank account balance for an idea of what I can spend. I really need to get that done. I also need to hook up the wireless internet. I've been really slow on getting that done to be honest and since it is just me... I can use a cord from the modem to my laptop and to be honest, I don't need to lay in bed on the laptop and it is now reaching the cool fall season for being out on the balcony for any aimless surfing. Of course, I don't have any chairs on my balcony either and I'm not about to sit on the ground of it. I'm guessing at this point in the season, I will just wait until spring now to buy chairs and a table for out there.

I've almost 100% decided to finally have a housewarming get together. I'm going to bundle it around a "holiday party" as well. I figure I'll just have some people over, drink alcohol, have food out and play Guitar Hero or whatever. I figure by then, the place should be in presentable mode.

I'm pretty certain that my whole dating and then not dating episode from two weekends ago might be the most strange thing I've ever encountered. (This could also be its very own blog entry to be honest.) Long story condensed... the guy was like my fucking shadow at the club on Saturday. I offered him a ride home when I was ready to leave and after practically begging him to accept it, the conversation goes something along the line of "I'm too jealous of you (huh?) and I just can't control you and I have to be in control. (WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!!)" Seriously? Control? Now mind you, this guy was the same age as me. But you know... what the fuck ever. This is just another reason why I'm so reluctant to want to commit to much of anything in the relationship department these days. Are all the men in this town that insecure and fucked up in the head? (This IS a rhetorical question... ) I guess I'll just keep enduring the punishment until I get it right one of these years.

Work has been kicking my ass lately. Of course, this is really nothing new to be honest. I remember back in the day when I first started working there, I would have at least a week of breathing time where I could get caught up on the little things, the filing, the organizing and prepping for the next cycle of closings. Now, with how busy I am, it seems that as soon as the 20th hits, if I am lucky I have everything done (so not the case this month, but whatever) so that I can then crank through everything I put aside over the course of the month and hope that I can get everything done by the time the 25th hits and my cycle from hell starts all over again. There are times where I can feel very stressed out by the whole process but I also know that it really wouldn't be much different in any other setting... which makes me think that if/when I decide to jump ship, it is going to be out of the commercial real estate business completely. Yes, I do know that this is what I know for now... but I do have the accounting education background to fall back upon...

I have signed up to volunteer for the Obama 08 campaign. I'm going to do some canvassing this coming weekend throughout Arlington County. I've also said that, if I have the time, I would stop by the campaign headquarters after work to donate a few hours of my time during the week over the next few weeks. It has been since forever that I have been involved in politics but I really do believe in this and feel that I need to do my part to enact the change that is so desperately needed for the next four years.

So... over the past few months ever since I bought my laptop, I have been in the process of ripping all of my music to iTunes. Well now iTunes has this neat little function in it called "Genius". What you do is play a song and click the "Genius" button and it immediately creates a playlist of your library for songs that are similar to the one you are listening to. So I'm having myself a little 80s "hair metal" evening... I chose "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" by Poison... and now I'm listening to fifty similar songs... I just heard "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zepplin... now it's "Far Behind" by Candlebox... it's an awesome feature, especially when you have as much music as I do in your library and it makes a great mix.

I'm ready for a big ass, city shutting down, two foot snow storm. If it is going to be cool and all fall-like, then dammit, I want snow and a truckload of it.

Everyone should go out and get an iPhone... this past week, I've downloaded an application for it called iBowl that is bowling just like the Wii... and last night, I found an air hockey game. Obviously, in 2008, your cellphone is no longer just a phone... it's the whole entertainment package... I can play games, take pictures, log into Myspace, AIM, Facebook, play solitare or Sudoku, Breakout, manage my calendar, check my email, listen to music... oh the list goes on...

One more thought... I can't believe it has been almost six years now since I moved to the DC Metro area. Where the hell has the time gone? Seriously. And in thinking back, what the heck happened to me in these past six years? The changes have been pretty remarkable to be honest and I'm truly feeling great with my life and where it is heading and that is a great feeling.

OK, it has been forever and a day since I've updated anything here. That is very bad of me, I know... but in all reality, there has been a ton of stuff going on.

Work update--

I was put on a software conversion team at work. More work. More responsibility. The responsibility thing is good because well, it just shows that I'm willing to take on more. Our client has taken on a very aggressive approach to this as well. We are less than one month to "going live" on the new version of the software. I fear the nightmares that are gong to come when things don't convert correctly, that is for sure. I'm always in a "worst case scenario" mode from my days in working tech support. (Side note: I can't believe that it has been over eight years since I started working there and more than six since I made my "negotiated break" from said place... oh how the times change.) Work is always crazy this time of the month as well. But like a good soldier, I do just keep going and going...

Apartment update--

It's almost done. Today, when I decide to pull my lazy ass off the couch and get motivated, I need to go through my bedroom and go through the last of the boxes in there and decide what I want to keep and what I want to discard. I need to set up the surround sound and search for an entertainment center and then I'm good to go... Then I just need to find a good happy place for all of my music and DVDs and it's on. (For those of you who don't know my entertainment addiction, this will not be an easy task. I dread putting everything in alphabetical order and all that.... but it must be done.)

The other stuff--

In case I haven't mentioned it... yeah, I'm not single anymore. Maybe this is something that I would have lead off a blog with... but yeah, that is what it is... I met the most wonderful guy and we are quite happy and we are gonna see where things go. He's 34, works in politics. It's great for me. :-)

It is a great autumn day here in the DC Metro... and I'm going to be inside organizing my stuff.... oh the fun never stops.

Saturdays are so wonderful. There is nothing to do. Just me and the TV. And the laptop. No extraneous, outside influences. If the phone rings, it can go to voice mail. Just me and my thoughts. OK, that might be a bad thing. Seriously, I'm on the couch enjoying some very peaceful "me time". And I am loving every bit of it. Football on TV. The comfy clothes are on and I have absolutely nothing to do today.

OK, that last sentence is a lie. There is a lot I want to get done this weekend. I'm just pretty certain that after another long week (they all seem to be that way these days), I just want to decompress without any major stresses. I will maybe do some laundry this afternoon. I really want to go through a couple of boxes that have been neglected since I moved. Just the little stuff. But I know what is going to happen... the best laid plan will indeed go to waste. I need to get to Target sometime today as well. I want to pick up the DVD of "Sex And The City"... yeah, I know. SO GAY! But ummm, hello?

This week has been relatively quiet. Work keeps me busy. The social life is lacking. It's the perfect mix of living by yourself. Seriously, it was just me and the couch and the TV, watching all new fall season lineups of television. OK, so I need to finish getting caught up on some of the stuff I recorded this weekend as well. Watched the debate last night. I know that none of them are ever going to change my mind as to who I am voting for, but I do feel compelled to watch them just so I know what is going on and what sort of rhetoric each of the candidate spews. I will say that I was very disappointed that neither of them could come right out and say "this is how we are going to fix the economy" because it does need some serious fixing. I am very happy that I have a very well paying job. But not everyone has that same situation. It's definitely a good thing that I can live comfortably on my salary and be able to save here and there to do fun things. I should save "for the future" but honestly, I have always had a problem looking out so far in advance. I've always been the person who sets one and five year plans out. Of course, right now, I have no clue what a five year plan is for me and most of the time, the one year plan ends up taking five years to happen.

So yes... I'm voting for Obama. I have no issues in saying that.

No concerting coming up right now. Well, there is a potential one on the horizon... but I shall not speak of it for fear of jinxing it or something... but it would be an awesome show for sure.

One other thought... I'm sick and tired of the lack of romance in my life. I thought autumn was the time when everyone put away their fun summer times and settled down for the winter. Oh silly me, I'm single for the duration. Sigh.

OK, time to forage for food in my kitchen. I'm thinking I'll make a pizza.

I figured it was time to give everyone a quick update on all that is going on in the world of me... yeah, usually when I don't write, it means I'm either balls to the wall busy or just have nothing to really write about. Well, I think this past week has been a lot of both. But here goes:

--I turned down a job this week. There would have been good (and no so good) reasons for taking this job. I really weighed them over last weekend and came to the conclusion that while my job can frustrate me at times, I am comfortable there. In a lot of ways, I can call my own shots, so to speak. We have a flex schedule. That is huge. So I figured that I should stay for the foreseeable future. Things have been promised to me. I would like to see them happen.

--Speaking of changing jobs, I really believe that if/when I next change jobs, it will probably be out of real estate. In the 2 1/2 years I have been at my current job (WOW!), I have learned tons about accounting. But I'm not sure I can just live with the monthly cycle like this. I do need variety at times. I really do believe that my next personal step is to take (and hopefully pass) the CPA exam and then work from that. A CPA certification is not something that is necessary in my current job, but it sure would look nice on my list of life's accomplishments. I am hoping that once summer winds down (more on that a bit later), I am going to start doing some self-study with ambitions of taking the first part of the exam after the 1st of the year. You can do it in parts now, which is much easier than it used to be.

--Recruiters can be so frustrating. And the problem with them, it seems, is that almost every single employer here uses them. I understand why they use them because it is a "first wave" weeding out of "not quite qualified" candidates. But it seems that they are looking out for their interests much more than the interests of their candidates.

--I got to wondering... if I can get a job offer without even trying, what is going to happen when I go full-on force of looking? Just wondering...

--Monday, I went to see Celine Dion in concert. Yeah, I know, totally not what you would expect of me and what I normally listen to, music wise. But you know what? It was really a lot of fun. It was very Vegas-like. And, whether or not you like the music, that bitch can sing although she made some really awful facial expressions that made me think of the SNL parodies of years past. And anyone who has recently been jilted by an ex-lover... yeah, not the place to go to heal. Those be some fucking depressing songs about love gone wrong. But once again, I was sitting with the good folks in the super nice suite at Verizon Center. (Oh and yeah, it was free too.) After the show, my friend David's friend brought us up to the high roller suite. Someday...

--Work has been crazy. This is the time of the month. From the 10th to the 20th, it always seems to be a bit out of hand. But a productive Friday last week really has me in a pretty good place to be honest. Out of the eleven properties I do each month, seven of them are due in this ten day period. Some of them, I only have a few days of turnaround time but I am a seasoned pro at this game now. I know my abilities and my ability is to always meet a deadline.

--HOLY SHIT... My A/C just kicked off for the first time in like 14 hours. It has been blazing hot here today. I checked the calendar... and it said mid-September... but the heat index at one point said like 102. I'm sorry, but that is something I can expect in like late July or early August but not in mid-September. It's supposed to be football season with the leaves beginning to change color... oh wait, I forget, I'm not in the wasteland that is the UP anymore... my bad.

--I finally got myself on a monthly budget that I can live with. I feel good about it and have even been able to put cash away into savings that I raped and pillaged when I moved out. Hopefully, for December, I can buy some more furniture. As in, the rest of my furniture. I need a new bedroom set... and against my wishes, I will probably buy a small (like 30") flatscreen TV for the bedroom.

--Dating update... yeah, I guess there are a few people of interest. But I also think that interests wane. I was in "stalk the hot guy" mode at the bar last night but I've learned two things: 1. The guys that I think that are into me, I'm usually not as enthused as they are. 2. If there is a guy that I think is hot and want to talk to, yeah, I'm still way to introverted to make the first move. So, I stand by in silence thinking "how can I get the balls to walk up to that person?" It's a fine line... I just don't want to be crushed by anything all over again. I'm still trying to get fully past the last dating episode I had... and while it has been over two months, there are still some stinging moments... you know, how you get fucked over (quite literally) and have it happen right in front of you... yeah, not the best way to be healing. But I'm trying.

--The Packers are 2-0. I'm happy.

--The new Metallica CD rocks. Very happy about that. It will go into the car tomorrow and be on rotation amongst the six CDs in the player right now (I think the other five are the new Staind, 3 Doors Down, Weezer, Radiohead and something else... I forget. LOL.) I need to really reshuffle everything in there again. Time for some new stuff.

--Blowoff is this Saturday after a summer off. (Well, I did get to go to the one for "Bear Week" in Provincetown... ) I'm ready to dance my ass off and look good.

--Hopefully, by Tuesday, the temps will be back to normal so I can go running again... I also need to start taking advantage of the cardio equipment in my building. It's time to build a better me... and I have to start doing that soon.

OK, the bed calls... and you are updated.