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When in doubt, gas it ...
Oct. 27th, 2008
12:31 pm - Weekly ... Monthly ... Make that quarterly update
Forgive me friends for I have sinned … it has been three months since my last confession, errr, post.
Yep, it’s been far too long, but here’s an update. I’ve moved (again). I am now in the lovely foothills town of La Verne, which means I am once again a resident of LA County. I’m about as far east as you can get in LA – in fact, the next town is Claremont, which is the eastern border of the county. Still, I’m out of OC and closer to friends and family.
The new place is nice. It’s a 2 BR/1 BA townhouse (two story) on a tree-lined street just south of Foothill. The move was definitely not as nice, as Linds could tell you. When you schedule movers to arrive between noon and 2pm and they show up at 5:15 it makes for a long, tough day. But all that is done now and I am absolutely liking both the new space and locale. La Verne is just east of San Dimas (excellent!) and Glendora (hi Shayne!) and north of Pomona (LA County Fair anyone?).
OK, my news is not as big as Shayne becoming a homeowner – big congrats girl! But now I’m again sorta neighbors (a bit distant) with Julz, Maxx and Linda. Thanks to D & J for coming out the other night for a quick visit. Next time we’ll have to make it in the daytime so Kayla can enjoy the park that’s a block away. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that after D is finished with her current school torture.
So consider this an open invite to come by for a visit. I know there are some great motorcycling roads in the area and I’ll be searching for more bicycle destinations as soon as I can. Enjoy!
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chipperJul. 4th, 2008
10:52 am - Moving again … likely
So, the good news is that I got a new job that pays a lot better and has a great deal more security than my current position. This is the third time in a row that I’ve been hired by someone I know calling me to come to work. Luckily, as opposed to the previous two occasions, this company is NOT a startup.
That’s all very good and I’m happy about it. Problem is I finally found a town I really like and the new job would be well over an hour commute each way – and include toll roads to boot. With the price of gas, the expense of tolls and my general dislike for travelling more than about 30 minutes to or from work, that means I’ll be looking to move again. My lease in San Clemente runs out Aug. 31, so optimal would be to be in a new place by Sept. 1.
Based on the location of the new gig (Fontucky – OK, stop laughing) and my desire to reside in LA County rather than San Berdoo County, my target area will be from Sierra Madre to Claremont. I’d like to be as far north – and into the foothills – as possible.
Oh well, at least I know the general area having lived in San Gabriel/Arcadia for five-plus years.
The job looks like it will be challenging and offer good opportunities to grow and advance with the company. I start on Monday, and I already went and got a FasTrak for the tolls. So I guess I’ll be apartment/house hunting in a few weeks …
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anxiousJun. 15th, 2008
10:59 pm - Hitting the road(s)
The past couple of weekends I've gotten to do some really good motorcycle rides.
relaxedDec. 10th, 2007
09:21 pm - La la la ...
I did something I swore I would never do -- spent money to go to Disneyland. In fact, I ended up buying an annual pass (which makes sense if you plan on going at least 3 times in a year). But it was fun going there and enjoying the day with Linds. Just wish her stomach had been more cooperative so she didn't feel badly later that night.
Anyway, the new place is working out and I'm really liking being able to walk to stores and restaurants in downtown SC. When the weather gets warm again being so close to the pier will be great.
I have some good pics of what it looks like from my front door, but my stupid basic account won't let me post them :(
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but only a littleNov. 25th, 2007
07:38 pm - "I'm movin' out"
... to quote Billy Joel. Actually, I've already moved, but I still "have" the old place until Friday officially.
This is my first post from my new apartment! It's a bit smaller than my SJC place (and no loft), but I think it will be good once I feel more like I belong. What will be a lot nicer is being about 1/4 mile from the pier and roughly the same distance to downtown San Clemente, with its shops and restaurants and the farmers' market on Sundays.
I'm going to start biking to work and around town as soon as I can -- I mean pedal-bike (I already ride the motorcycle more than I use the truck).
Anyway, that's the news for now. I look forward to folks coming down to visit when they can. I'm out ...
hopefulNov. 20th, 2007
05:50 pm - Weekend update (not featuring Chevy Chase)
What a great weekend!
Started off with a last-minute visit from the oh-so-hot babe from Santa Maria on Friday night -- OK, actually early Saturday morning. A most welcome and fantastic surprise it was. Got to go out to breakfast and show her some of the town where I work and will soon live.
That evening I rode up to NH2 and got to spend some time with the ever-lovely redhead from Minnesota (don'tcha know). It was wonderful catching up with her. We hung out and talked while we waited for the always-sexy Linds to come home.
Sunday morning Linds and I went shopping before the-totally-glowing MizD's baby shower. Fantastic time was had by all, with great food and so many good friends all together for the day. I was sad to have to leave and the dense fog (so thick I couldn't see more than a few car-lengths) almost convinced me to stay. But as I hopped onto the 405 S it cleared and I buzzed back to south OC.
I'll be moving this coming weekend so I know it won't be anywhere near as fabulous ...
optimisticNov. 8th, 2007
10:22 am - Quick-y ... update
I'm sorry that I haven't been responsive to posts. There have been a bunch of changes afoot and I've been concentrating on those.
I started a new job in mid-September. It's with another small/start-up type company so, not surprisingly my actual "job" has been evolving and changing almost weekly. In fact, it is likely to be altered significantly again within the next week or two.
In order to accommodate the tighter budget one has to expect with a startup I pretty much had to move somewhere with lower rent. So I've been apartment hunting for a couple of weeks. While it can be fun to look at places, finding them and then having to deal with a decision such as WHERE TO LIVE is not really my idea of a good time. But I have pretty much decided on a place and now I just have to see if I get it. Then things will calm down ...
OK, not really as then I'll have to go through the 10 quote e-mails I got from moving companies and figure out a schedule to move since Dec. 1 is a Saturday and it would suck to have to pay pro-rated rent for a week just to be able to move in the weekend after Thanksgiving.
But those are all really not huge problems and I'll deal with them (I'll have too) in the next few weeks. In general things have been very good: Linds and I are doing great and it's been a lot of fun spending time at the new NH (and riding bikes). Now that the smoke and ash is gone the waether has been wonderful. I'm trying to get a certain Santa Maria resident to come down and visit. Once I've relocated I'll be even closer to the beach and pier, so I hope lots of folks will want to come and spend some time down here.
So anyway ...
optimisticSep. 22nd, 2007
09:20 am - What's this wet stuff ... in Sept?
So I was going to write about the first week at the new job and how I think I may already hate it (but the people are cool). However, I have instead decided to regale you with the tale of last evening's drive north to the newly relocated NH.
Started off from San Juan Crapistrano on the motorcycle, despite the 50% chance of rain. Rain? Hell, it's September in SoCal. Not sure what demon of stupidity made me choose to take the 405, but I hope there's a pill to quiet his ramblings in the future.
All was proceeding fairly well once I'd finished wasting time getting off on three different exits in a near-fruitless effort to get gas and air. Then it started to drizzle. No biggie, my leather jacket is fairly waterproof and I was wearing my cordura overpants. As the rain worsened, the main problem was visibility -- helmets don't have windshield wipers and oncoming headlights glare wonderfully off raindrops. Probably wasn't helping matters that I have a smoked shield on my helmet; not that dark, but it was nighttime ... in the rain.
OK, not great, but I actually kind of enjoy riding in the rain ... but not in the rain at night, in HEAVY traffic. Yep, about five miles south of LAX everything slowed to a crawl and I started lane-sharing, which was a treat with a smaoked, rain-soaked shield, on slick roads that hadn't seen much rain in months and with people driving in the usual style for SoCal in a rainstorm -- which is to say like complete idiots!
The cars were inching along at a breakneck 5mph or so as I did my best to maintain about 20mph and not get clipped by the drifting metal boxes that inattentively -- and a few purposely -- attempted to make me the meat in a fender sandwich. I was still lane-sharing when I got near the Getty Ctr and saw the only other bike I'd seen since leaving home. He was in the left lane and looked very hesitant to slide by cars ahead of him; he was kind of riding like he was really nervous. Then I saw it was a cop on an old police Kawasaki. Great, these guys get really pissed if you lane-share past them so I was stuck just behind him at a reduced pace. And then the rain intensified, becoming hard enough that wiping my shield every minute or so barely mattered.
Luckily the cop drifted off behind me once we got to the 405/101 split -- and the traffic fell off too, so I could get back to a decent speed. Only thing was the rain stayed heavy. The final few miles on the 405 and all the way on surface streets to NH it was a downpour. I was laughing at the absurdity of the situation -- what else could you do?
Happy ending, I arrived safe and while my overpants, jacket and gloves were soaked, my clothes underneath only had a few wet spots. It was a 'mini-adventure' and reminded me of my first winter in LA when El Nino caused it to rain for like nearly 45 days straight and the only vehicle I had was a motorcycle to commute to work. Some of those rides would have been been more suitable for a jetski, so I guess this one wasn't too bad ;)
enjoy!
Sep. 16th, 2007
11:05 am - Still alive
Haven't posted in, well ... forever. Still breathing. In fact, things have been pretty good and look to be getting even better in the near future.
I hope to have more to report soon and while I'm not going to say I'll be a daily poster, I will try not to be absent for so damn long again.
Hasta la pasta.
contentNov. 13th, 2006
02:31 pm - Leavin' on a jet plane ...
So, I'm not sure what's up with my luck regarding return flights to Orange County. Not that I've had horrendous or catastrophic situations, just two experiences in a row that were odd and frustrating.
( Read jet plane )
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productiveOct. 3rd, 2006
03:06 pm - Ramblin' man
It's been a while, so time for a quickie ... update that is (get your mind out of the gutter, or else at least wait for me to join you there).
Spent a good deal of last week driving -- work sent on a road trip. I left Orange County at 6am on Tuesday and picked up a colleague at the airport ... in Las Vegas (four hours later). From there we went to see a dealer of ours and I loaded up one of our custom bikes that needed some warranty repairs. Headed out for our manufacturing facility in Scottsdale, AZ. The trip from Vegas to Scottsdale is only about 20 miles further than OC to Vegas, but Yahoo! Maps said it would take 2 1/2 hours longer. Maybe they knew about the two giant cranes that blew over in high winds at Hoover Dam three weeks ago. It took an hour just to go the 5-6 miles across Hoover Dam!
The rest of the drive down was uneventful if not quick. I tried to enjoy the scenery and get a feel for what the trip would be like if we visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon sometime. Lake Mead looked really nice.
The repairs were supposed to be done on Wednesday so I could leave early Thursday for the return trip. As with most things mechanical, it didn't go as planned. Everything was finally done and I got on the road by 11:20am Thursday. Based on the trip down, that would have put me in Vegas at just after 6pm, but I managed to make up some time on the road (read, I went as fast as I thought I could get away with) and I arrived at the dealer at 5. Got unloaded and went over everything before heading out to return to SoCal around 5:30. Missed my estimated arrival time of 9:30 in Woodland Hills by 15 minutes.
Even though it wasn't a fun drive, I'm always awed by the sights you're privileged to see in the Southwest. It is truly spectacular and anytime I began to feel tired or worn out I reminded myself that I should enjoy the beauty that surrounded me.
Thursday night and Friday were much more enjoyable as I got to spend quality time with L. Then on Saturday morning, I picked up my mom at my sister's house in Hollyweird Hills. Mom's out from NY and wanted to see my place in SJC. We drove down the coast, wandered around and then had dinner at one of my favorite burger joints in San Clemente. Sunday morning, mom and I checked out Mission San Juan and some other sights before my sis and bro-in-law came down for lunch and took mom back.
Just when I thought things were back to "normal," I just found out they're flying me to Phoenix tomorrow -- but just for the day. Hey, at least I don't have to drive ;)
enjoy!!
busySep. 10th, 2006
08:27 am - Tell me 20 things about you ...
Following the lead of some of my favorite folks--
I want to know 20 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked, never liked each other, or if we already know everything about each other. I really don't. You are obviously on my list, so let me know with whom I am friends! JUST HIT REPLY."
1.Your Full Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. tacos or taquitos
HERE COMES THE FUN ... ... ...
1. Do we know each other outside of myspace?
2. Whats your philosophy on life?
3. Would you have my back in a fight?
4. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
5. What is your favorite memory of us?
6. Would you give me a kidney?
7. Tell me one odd/intresting fact about you:
8. Would you take care of me when I'm sick?
9. Can we get together and make a cake?
10. Have you heard any rumors of me lately?
11. Do you/have you talk(ed) crap about me?
12. Do you think I'm a good person?
13. Would you drive across country with me?
14. Do you think I'm attractive?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. What do you wear to sleep?
17. Would you come over for no reason just to hang out?
18. Would you go on a date with me if i asked you?
19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
20.Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?
happySep. 6th, 2006
10:08 am - The Hole-y Pilgrimage
Over the long Labor Day weekend we went on our much-anticipated trip to the Grand Canyon. Since we also encompassed other great voids in the Earth, we ended up christening the outing the "Hole-y Pilgrimage." It ended up being a wonderful trip, with one notable exception (as well as an example of how stupidity mixed with small-town mindset can result in frustration and near-violent confrontation).
( long version of hole-y pilgrimage )
It was a wonderful holiday weekend (the majority, anyway) and I very much look forward to many such future roadtrips with those (select) great travel companions. As soon as I have some pix or links to photos, I'll update this post. Enjoy!
rejuvenatedAug. 29th, 2006
01:37 pm
It's been an interesting and entertaining past few days.
Began on Friday after work. There had been tentative plans for me to venture up north on Saturday to meet a friend of D and T's, then hop over to Hollyweird and spend some good times with the shiny NH bunch. But a series of phone calls revamped all and I threw some stuff in my tankbag and rode up Friday night instead. We picked up L and then all went to an almost-midnight showing of The Descent -- totally over-the-top suspense, horror/slasher flick.
Saturday saw us enjoying brunch then assisting in the creation of a MySpace page for Alice Tonka (http://www.myspace.com/scionistxb)
Sunday was somewhat more "regular," starting with an early dropoff of L in Woodland Hills followed by an enjoyable ride down the coast before cutting east for a quick run into the local south OC hills. I had to get to sleep early anyway, so being tired from the ride and some home chores worked out fine.
Monday saw me up and out by 6:20am for the drive up to Irwindale Speedway. They were filming the opening episode of the new season of my company's motorsports TV show, Steel Dreams. It was a hardship, but we HAD to participate by driving NASCAR Late Model racecars around the 1/2 mile oval for about 20 laps each. Sometimes it's a burden to have to go to work ;) It was a ton of fun and I got to see our VP Dick Simon run a stock car on a racetrack for the first time in more than 30 years (Dick was an Indy car racer and ran the Indy 500 more than 18 times). We also got to meet and get to know a bunch of other cool folks, including a Speedway motorcycle racing couple and a woman, Candace Murzy, running NASCAR Late Models for Jesse James (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?f
After all that, coming to work this morning was kind of tough. But there's a roadtrip weekend on the horizon and I'm certainly looking forward to that.
Enjoy!
chipperAug. 21st, 2006
08:27 pm
Well, I pretty much got totally tired of that stupid hard splint after about two weeks. So, even though the Doc said three, I am not wearing the damned thing anymore. My elbow feels pretty good anyway. Time to start working on range of motion and strength -- should be all back to normal (whatever that means) in a week or two.
That meant I got to ride to and from work today and it was great being back on a motorcycle instead of driving the big pickup truck. Hey, it's better for the environment, that's why I wanted to stop hauling around that gas guzzler (TMSAISTI) ;)
Never mind that I can actually have some fun on the bike even during my short commute :)
Funny how simple things can make a difference ...
Enjoy!
Aug. 4th, 2006
06:38 pm
OK, at least I now know WHY my elbow still hurts ...
Once upon a time, about 5 weeks ago, I launched myself off an ATV I was testing, jamming my wrist and causing some pain in my elbow. Went to the Dr. a few days later and he prescribed anti-inflammatories. A couple of weeks passed and it still hurt, so I went back. They asked if it hurt and I said, 'Kinda, but not that much,' and they said to keep taking stuff, so we switched to Ibuprofen.
Today, I went back again and this time the Dr. sent me for x-rays and ... I fractured the neck of the L Radius (just below the elbow itself). They were thinking of casting it, but I convinced them that since it was so long after the injury and as it was a non-displaced fracture that a splint and sling should be fine.
So, I'm sitting here typing with one hand -- and not enjoying it as much as one usually does when doing that. Shoutout to that sexy MN redhead who shares my diagnosis!
Next time I guess I'll have to explain what my personal scale is in reference to pain. That way I won't walk around with a fractured arm for weeks wondering why it's still annoying me ;)
01:30 pm
Ever wonder if you keep just missing thing(s) in life -- no matter what you do, it's a bit 'off' and doesn't seem to go as you'd hoped? And then you're anxious that you've offended, hurt or confused people, especially ones you care about.
OK, maybe it's just me ...
- - - - - - -
Anyway, had a great weekend! The lovely Donna along with hubby J and luminous gf T came down to visit me here in San Juan Capistrano and brought recently healed super puppy Holly to add to the enthusiasm. We checked out Dana Point Harbor Marina one day and drove up Ortega Hwy to Lake Elsinore the next. I always try and show folks sights they may not have seen and might otherwise miss as I've been lucky to have had the best tour guides around since moving out to SoCal. I hope there will be repeat visits down here before I move -- which I'm aiming for sometime between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1.
I've got today off as a "comp" day of sorts since I worked Monday even though I'd taken it as a vacation day. So far, I've spent it getting a new tire on the truck and trying to find out why my left elbow still hurts from a minor ATV getoff about 5 weeks ago. They finally sent me for X-rays, which they should see in the next few hours. It's getting annoying not being able to fully use my left arm. But it's really not anything I should bitch about too much as it's more a PITA than anything serious so far. But I do miss riding my motorcycle ...
Just a quick update.
Enjoy!
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quixoticJul. 17th, 2006
10:50 am - Meme ...
Haven't posted much, so here's this:
(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)
| ✓ I miss somebody right now. | × I don't watch much TV these days. | ✓ I own lots of books. |
| ✓ I wear glasses or contact lenses. | × I love to play video games. | ✓ I've tried marijuana. |
| ✓ I've watched porn movies. | × I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship. | ✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy. |
| ✓ I curse sometimes. | ✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year. | × I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me. |
Jul. 5th, 2006
02:36 pm
Had a very nice Quattro de Julio weekend -- and it was a long one as we were released from servitude (read: work) just after noon on Friday and I took Monday as a vacation day.
The highlight for me was going out to Dungeon on Sunday night. A bunch of shiny, wonderful friends invited me to come out dancing with them at the 'new' Dungeon (having never been, the old one would have been new to me). Had a great time! The music was thumping, the place wasn't so packed you couldn't move -- we even could find seats when we wanted. There was mucho eye candy and some pretty good scenes taking place as well. Best part may have been the semi-private upstairs with plenty of a/c where even I felt comfortable enough to dance. NOTE: Must shop for good "club clothes".
After a late-night munch followed by a doggie-retrieval trip, I got a few hours sleep. Not long after I awoke I was graced by gorgeous morning visitor T who snuggled with me for a bit before getting herself ready for work (boo, evil capitalists taking away cute girl). A bit later, when the rest of NH rose and got themselves together, we went out for a terrific brunch before heading back with some dreamy desserts.
Spent a fairly sedate 4th just getting things done and then watching the local fireworks from Dana Point Harbor.
I'm seriously considering taking some more Mondays off so I can do Dungeon again (that is, if I'm lucky enough to be invited to utilize crash space again). Thanks folks for all the fun!
happyJun. 26th, 2006
05:14 pm
Spotted this news item today:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported on Friday.
Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members, the researchers said.
"This is a big social change, and it indicates something that's not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith-Lovin, lead author on the study to be published in the American Sociological Review.
(Complete text here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060626/od_
That definitely reflects the trend in my life as I feel more socially isolated now than I had in past iterations of my reality. Possibly my recent entry into the LJ community is an attempt at addressing that and I hope to continue that 'outreach program.' Of course, one major source of my isolation is being domiciled in BFE (south Orange Curtain). But that's a necessary evil at this point.
Even with the somber tone of the article it brought a chuckle to mind when I saw the "close friends" remark. It reminded me of the old saying, "Friends help you move, good friends help you move bodies."
On a totally unrelated note, it was ridiculously muggy today so will this weather please relocate itself back to Florida.
I'm outta here ...
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