Alone

Friday, I was invited to go out for a drink by one of the Yelpers (www.yelp.com)for her anniversary on the website. I said what the hell and clicked in that I would attend the event. There were about 30 others that did just the same. It gave me something to look forward to.

So Friday rolls around and I drove to the Citidel after work to kill time before the event and shop. I bought some Corelle bowls that are a great size for rice, a ginger grater, 3 new bras, a top from Van Heusen because they sent me a $10 certificate for being a frequent shopper. All right, they have cute dresses and tops for women there, not just menswear. In between, I bought a pretzel and lemonade from Auntie Annie's. It was about 8:30PM and I decide to drive to the bar.

I went to the Good Luck Bar in Los Angeles located right off of Hollywood Blvd on the edge of he neighborhoods of Silverlake and Echo Park. The event was supposed to start at 9:00PM, but no matter. The bar was chill and I bought a cape codder and settled into a red upholstered booth. I fooled around with my cellphone until 10:00PM until my drink was gone. I looked around the bar's two rooms for the people that were supposed to attend, but all were no shows. Was the joke on me?

No. From a young age, I was taught that it was OK to be alone. It's true that people who need people are the luckiest people in the world, to quote a Barbra Streisand song, because they have love in their lives and someone to lean on, but they can also suffer the aggravations from their interpersonal interactions just as much as I do. People doing evil things against other people is why the legal system exists today. It's why divorce and the Bible are as popular as they are is.

Integrity is key for me. The Golden Rule. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Is that so very hard to do? For some, I guess it is. Living in their self indulgent, delusional lives. For me? I'm happy I can function just fine being alone.

Another moment on my "Moment"

I just found out that I can blog from my new Samsung Moment. How cool is that?

I left the house at 6:10AM this morning, drove to work up the 22 & 405, found the traffic backing up a couple of exits before mine and decided to get off of the freeway. On Hawthorne, I ended up driving through parts of Manhattan Beach, Lawndale and Inglewood. After I saw the name "House of Donuts", I just had to stop by and check it out. $1.80 later, my curiosity was squelched and my tummy was full of one sugar twist and a can of strawberry Kerns.

Buzz buzz buzz

The buzz words today at work are:
National
Outsourcing servicing
Master servicer
Six months
FHA

My very own personal one is MERS. And I get the feeling someone is trying to steal my thunder. My petite wrath.
Atleast I made the cut so far. I wish my boss was here today. I feeling kinda lost. Like one feels walking on the beach when a wave washes away the sand beneath your feet. That kind of instability. And I don't like it.

What Color Means

CEO's and Color from USA Today.

My Results:

The Dewey Color System® is now the world's most accurate career testing instrument. This report based on your personality traits indicates your two most enjoyable day-day-day occupation skills. It’s a summary of the full report, the Color Leadership Evaluation 5.0.

“Studies indicate workplace enjoyment is the key to success. So as you read, consider only “Was I mostly having fun at work?” Disregard your present and past employer’s environment.

Best Occupational Category
You're a CREATOR

Keywords:
Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.


2nd Best Occupational Category
You're a PERSUADER

Keywords:
Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive

These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.

* Section I: You and Your Team
This personality overview section highlights your natural workplace talents—the tasks you pursue with passion. You'll learn how your natural strengths complement those of your coworkers and how, joining forces, you can resolve on-the-job dilemmas.

* Section II: Your Key To Success
Here you discover your capacity for dispelling disruption and maximizing profitability. Use this proven, beyond-self-perception advice to create a more positive career path free of detours.

* Section III: Managing Strengths and Weaknesses
Your evaluation's highest and lowest scores result in this section's recommendations for staying on-track in your career and reversing wrong turns. In focusing on your talents and missteps, you'll re-stoke your energy and enthusiasm for managing costly mistakes.

* Section IV: Leadership Power Moves
This final section identifies your "street sense," those power moves that turn obstacles into insignificant details. Here suggestions based on your color-ranked evaluations will guide you towards making the most of an interview or harnessing your fast-paced workday.

...now tell me something I don't know.

The Awesoneness Has Arrived

Over the weekend, I got my car's engine light on my dashboard checked out. To kill time, I went shopping at Target, Broadway Shoe Warehouse and Radio Shack. I finally replaced the brick of a ppc cell phone I've had for so many years and bought a Samsung Moment.

So far, it's been awesome. I'm blogging from my phone on the train on my way home from work. The only bitch has been getting all my old info into my new phone, but that's typical.

From rain to train

January 21st was rainy and a three hour trip to get home. As I live 35 miles way, I found the time it took sitting... crawling on the freeway to my destination unacceptable. At the suggestion of my boss to take the train (which is actually light rail) to work, I checked it out online and then began to take the train on Thursday.

This past Saturday, I even took the step of hunting down where I could buy a tap pass (which is a debit card specifically for mass transit in Los Angeles County). I was able to buy one at a check cashing store in Norwalk where I catch the train.

http://www.metro.net/index.asp

http://www.taptogo.net/

This is not like me

I normally don't have strange things to write about. My life is pretty much oh-hum and mundane by all accounts. So what happened to me this morning I found to be funny and not like me. It left me in pain and with a mess to clean up.

I was on my laptop checking whatever I check on a Sunday morning and I realized I heard my stomach grinding so I decided to make myself breakfast. I fried two eggs in oil and made toast, cut two slices of tomato. I created my open faced eggs and tomato on toast, positioning the eggs on top of the slices of tomato instead of the other way around like I normally do, placed it on a napkin and moved back into the bedroom where the TV was on and I was intending on doing my taxes. I sat down and had maybe two bites of my sandwich when the hot eggs slid off of the top of the toast and on top my left foot. The eggs were still pretty hot and my foot at the insole began to burn. A few choice interjections later and I'm scooping up the broken egg off of my foot, my bedspread and then I move all the mess back into the kitchen while hobbling on my one burnt foot. I wipes off the oil and egg from my foot, ate the toast with the tomatoes and threw away the eggs knowing it had too much cat fur upon it. I drank a glass of orange juice and then went back into the bedroom.

Now, as I'm gathering my information to prepare my tax return, my foot is in pain and atleast I'm not as hungry as I was before.

Some Saturday Nights I Won't Give Up

Elton John once wrote a song about Saturday night. It was set in a bar and he was blowing off steam, I guess. I had that same opportunity this past Saturday night, but I decided to pass. There was a big ole karaoke happening at Alex's Bar in Long Beach and I could of gone, but I wasn't feeling it. I stayed home and made meatloaf and green beans with bacon for dinner instead. I also decided to pass up the opportunity to date a man freshly retired from the Marines. He decided I wasn't even good enough the way I was for him and immediately began to talk about changing me. And that turned me off about him. Just because your life changed 100% doesn't mean mine needs to. Glad you made it to Long Beach and have a nice life.

Happy New Year!

It's 6:30AM and I'm up watching KTLA channel 5 in Los Angeles in HD in my warm bed waiting for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade to start. I already watched the rerun of the 2009 parade this morning and now the preview of this year's parade is on.

The nice part about working for a financial institution is having the day off.

Later this evening, I'll be going to a bbq joint in Corona to watch a friend's band.

2009 Die Die Die!

Thank goodness it's only a few more days away from this year being history. A decade in review:

2000 - major surgery 6/23/00 #2
2001 - bought my first new car (2001 Chevy Cavalier, blue)
2001 - drove cross country for the first time
2003 - quit my job of 10 years
2003 - took a management role at the mortgage company
2003 - car accident, wrecked and repaired
2003 - I got braces
2004 - bought a new car (2005 Chevy Equinox, blue)
2004 - refinanced my home into a 5 year fixed/6 month Libor loan.
2005 - I took home two kittens
2005 - my dad died
2005 - took an analyst's role at the same mortgage company
2005 - the braces came off my teeth
2006 - son graduated high school
2006 - home burglarized
2007 - the mortgage company I worked at went BK
2007 - laid off from work
2008 - mortgage company folded
2008 - became a contractor/business consultant
2008 - car accident that totaled my vehicle
2008 - bought a used car (2007 Chevy Equinox, gray)
2008 - ended a 5 year affair
2009 - my Libor mortgage note adjusted... downward! HAHA
2009 - laid off from work
2009 - mom had heart surgery for the umteenth time
2009 - took an role at a credit union