Searching for the California Sun

So as I was checking this blog over the past week I noticed a comment by a good friend of mine from days gone by. She referred to a trip we took 4 years ago. We were going to school in Colorado and a group of 4 of us decided to road trip to California for spring break. This was your standard type of road trip where everyone puts $100 into an envelope to cover the cost of gas and then we try and find as many floors and couches we can sleep on for the next few days. (ahhhh youth!)

Of course there were many great memories… and some I would like to forget, but the item my friend mentioned was a delightful late afternoon visit to Applebees. To my recollection we woke up in Palm Springs and hit the road for San Diego. We spent mid-day and early afternoon at Mission Beach. At this point we were kinda hungry but nobody wanted to force his or her own choices upon the group so we started driving. We drove to the San Diego Zoo but decided against that, and we drove some more. Finally, around 3 pm we happened upon an Applebees outside of a mall (just like every other Applebees in the world). What really got us going though was the fact that it was HAPPY HOUR! An hour or 2 later… and many margaritas… we found our way out of Applebees and had to walk around the mall to sober up for our drive to our motel. (ahhhh youth!)

Heading lyrics – End of the Line by Epic Hero

Fifty Nifty

Based on this title I just wanted to let you know that this is my 50th Blog entry. YEAH! So I really don’t have too much more to say. So instead of mentioning every instance of the number 50 I can think of I thought I would give people a glimpse into my life. Here is a picture of myself with Jessica. (Pay attention to the liberal use of Photoshop to place a person in that photograph.)



(Heading lyrics – Fifty Nifty United States by Ray Charles. Editors note, my sister sang this song in grade school and I had no idea this was one of Ray Charles hits.)

Working for the Man Every Night and Day

A recent conversation I had with a friend of mine really got me thinking about a job verses a career. Since not many people know her situation however, I will catch you up to speed.

One of my coworkers is really frustrated at work. She is looking for a new job and on top of all that she has been having perpetual relationship problems for going on 9 months now. I have spoken and listened to her during MANY (too numerous to count) lunch breaks, and I am quite certain that I found a solution that would best help her out. I suggested that she dump the guy she is seeing, quit her job and find a job in the career field of Event Planning. You see she is very good at juggling various tasks and I really feel that she would enjoy seeing a conference, party or event come together.

As great as this line of work would be for her, she has one major stumbling block. For some reason she believes that her personal life is so important to her that her work life need to fit a cookie cutter 9 to 5. Now, I will be the first to admit that my personal life and family are VERY important to me. However, I have to spend at least 40 hours a week at work every week for the next 30 years so I don’t want to hate my job so much that it ruins my life. So there is the problem:

She doesn’t want her job to define her life. I have news for you sister… it already does. Whether you are a Pastor, a Computer Programmer, a Teacher, a Graphic Designer, a Fire Fighter or even a stay at home mom… YOU ARE BEING LABLED! If you hate your job and are unable to get up in the morning at the thought of going to work, then you are in the wrong line of work.

So, why did I find a career path I enjoy? Because my parents did the same, my father has been an auctioneer for 27 years now and I know it is something he truly loves. My mom was a teacher at a private school (not exactly a high income field) and now teaches parenting. I grew up working for them and helping my family, but the most important lesson they passed to me was to enjoy my career. Your job effects EVERY area of your life, make it count.

So, as you consider whether or not to include a cover sheet on your TPS report, take time to consider what your really want to do with the next 30 or so odd years of your working life.

(Headng lyrics – Proud Mary by CCR - sorry for the mistake the first time around.)

I Wanna Drive a Zamboni

I know this post will not be of interest to most people, which is all but proven by last years lack luster NHL strike. However, I have been a fan of hockey for quite some time so I am going to share with you one of my recent experiences.

On Tuesday night I went to my first Minnesota Wild hockey game! On top of going to the game I was treated to a seat in an executive suite. I with a couple of co-workers had the privilege to attend Tuesday night’s game because one of our vendors had a couple of extra spots available. It was great to sit back and enjoy the free food and the comfortable seats right behind the goalie. To top it all off the regulation time ended in a tie followed by 5 minutes of great overtime action. However after all that, we were able to see one of the greatest additions to the game of professional hockey… the shootout. It is so exciting to watch a 1 on 1 contest and was truly a great way to see my very first game.

So, I really have no exciting insight or groundbreaking news, but I thought I would share a great experience I had this week. (Besides how often can you quote the “Gear Daddies” in your blog title?)

(Heading lyrics – Zamboni by the Gear Daddies)