Colorado

I find myself longing for Colorado from time to time. I guess it's mostly the open spaces I think about. And those incredible hikes I took. The satisfaction and joy from hiking up a mountain is awesome. I can't seem to replicate that in anything else. (maybe because I haven't tried?) I have no realistic notion of moving back there or anything but I would definitely like to visit again someday. Maybe climb up those stairs at Red Rocks one last time.

Things are going pretty good right now. Other than being a little sick at the present moment. I caught a virus recently and it beat me up for a few days. I should be 100% by tomorrow hopefully. It was so bad I actually went to the doctor to get some meds.

RTA has a Operations Supervisor position opening up. There's about 6-8 drivers applying for it. I'd say right now I have about a 30% chance of getting it. My friend Donna probably is the best fit in all honesty. But I think I'd do a good job too. Of course I would have loved to have had that accounting position but that shipped sailed months ago. I should know within 1-2 weeks if I get this one. No credit check on this one!

Bariatric surgery is still a "GO" for now. Don't know the timeline yet. But I'm hoping by the end of Summer. I'm worried about a couple things. If they (someone, HMO, dr, surgeon) are going to want me to lose some weight before hand. And then if/when I do get the surgery how I'll handle the dramatic change in my eating habits. This whole process is kinda screwy in my opinion.

Ona Lacher

My grandmother would be 115 if she were alive today. It's her birthday. March 7, 1899. I wish I had known her. Maybe she would have helped me be a better person? Who knows. Not that I'm a bad person. I happen to think I'm a decent guy. But there's always room for improvement. I would have loved to hear stories of her growing up at the turn of the 20th century. And how bad it really was during the depression. My mom always told me she was the kindest loving woman you could ever meet. She was so sweet to my mom when my dad came home with his new bride. I'll never forget in February 2010 when I took that trip to Iowa and I found her and my Grandpa's (Franklin Lacher) graves. The tears just started flowing. So many emotions. Wishing I could thank them for raising my dad. Wishing I could have met them (I did meet my Grandma when I was one). Just being so close to them physically, yet so far away. Wondering if they were looking down on me. And what they were thinking. And what advice they would give me. Would they be mad at me for not achieving to my potential? Or would they just love me because I'm their flesh and blood. I stood there crying for a good ten minutes on that cold winter afternoon in the middle of a small town in Iowa. It was wonderful.

Hope (St)

I moved into a new place almost two month ago. A little studio in the back of a house by Cal Poly. I like the privacy and it's plenty big for me. The problem is the landlords (the owners in the main house) kind of suck. I keep asking them to fix stuff and they don't. They're just very unprofessional. I really don't want to move again. Moving is a pain in the ass. And this location works really well for me. I'm almost resigned to just put up with it. I am a little concerned about how hot it's going to get in here in the summer. There's no AC. There is a fan at least. I guess we'll see.

So, we got a new union contract at work. I'm not a big fan of it. I get a whopping $.10 raise. I voted No but I guess I'll have to deal with it. Management really massaged the numbers to make it look good. Personally I think we're going to get screwed on the healthcare benefits in the coming years. But it seems my fellow drivers don't agree. Oh well.

Time to move on. I really need to start adjusting the eating and exercising more. Not to mention saving money. I could really change my life for the better this year. I'm NOT going to squander this opportunity.

Disappointment (part 2)

Well, what I was really going to write about the other day was my disappointment in not getting the Accounting Technician job at RTA. Last Thursday when I got the call from Tania that SLO County didn't deem my credit worthy enough I was shattered. I had put so much into getting this position. And then to be offered the job and have it essentially taken away from me really sucked. I even called the County and spoke with the HR lady. She didn't budge.

So, now it's time to move on. There could be other opportunities at RTA coming up. I just have to be ready for them if they arise. And there is so much other stuff for me to focus on right now anyway. Mainly my health. Yes, I know that is a "broken record" for me. But this is different in a significant way. If I do the right things and save enough money, then in 8-9 months I could be having gastric bypass surgery. That would change my life immensely.

Disappointment

First off, today was Super Bowl Sunday. Broncos vs Seahawks. I thought the Seahawks would win a close one. They won all right. They won 43-8. They scored on the first play of each half. It was a total blowout. If you were a Seattle fan it was probably wonderful. All those poor souls in Denver were crying I'm sure.

I did get to watch the game... Because I was sick. Still am, as I type this.

Flu

These last few days have been the first in a few years where I have been truly sick. And let me tell you, it SUCKS. I've missed 3 days of work and I'm about to miss a fourth today.

On Wednesday (yes, a day off from Domino's I missed) I met Charlotte the dietician. So the process of bariatric surgery is FINALLY under way. She was pretty cool. I'm tracking my food and have to "meet" with her over the phone once a week. And I need to try and lose around 40 pounds over the next 6 months. Not impossible but definitely a challenge.

SLO life

I'm moving to San Luis Obispo in a couple of days. Got my own studio in the back of a house. Hopefully this will be a place I stay at for a while. It's pretty big all things considered. $750 a month. Not too bad.

San Diego Sports

January 5, 2014 will go down as one of the most memorable days in San Diego sports history. At least for me it will.

Most importantly, I just found out that Jerry Coleman has passed. What a great man. I'm not sure my words can to justice to him. I just loved listening to him do Padre games on the radio. I'm old enough to remember having the game on as I went to sleep at night. As the years passed I came to appreciate him more and more. And knowing how he served our country made you love him even more. I've never heard anyone say a bad word about the man. He lived a long and interesting life. I always thought of him as the "Forest Gump" of San Diego. I will personally miss him. San Diego Padres baseball will never be the same. Rest In Peace Jerry.

The Chargers... They WON! What an incredible ride they've been on the past 5 weeks. I thought things were a little shaky in the first half but I was very impressed that they made some adjustments and let Rivers throw more. I have this strange feeling they are going to win in Denver next week but then lose to the Patriots. My "official" prediction is that it will be a Seattle-NewEngland SuperBowl.

And My AZTECS... WON! Are you kidding me? Going into Kansas and dominating. Yes, I know they only ended up winning by 4 but they were ahead the whole game. I'm so proud to be an Aztec right now. Hell I'm proud of my roots. I'm never ashamed to brag to folks that I grew up in San Diego. Yes, we haven't had the greatest luck in sports but it's a wonderful town. And I'll always be a San Diegan. And an Aztec4Life.