Rebirth!

Guess who's back?

After a long hiatus?

After closing on a home, moving, relocating, moving some more, and relocating more?

After getting all the finances straight and transferred and accounts setup for the new home?

After leaving one part of the Containment Area.... to live in another part of the Containment Area?

You guessed it! I AM BACK PEOPLES!!!

So I just finished the moving in process and getting things switched over to the new address. I had no idea how much work that really was. Obviously some things had to be sacrificed temporarily... And after a long and lengthy debate, it was decided that blogging was the sacrifice I should make to accomplish everything I need to get done.

Right decision!

There were so many nights during the move that I was so tired, I just laid my head down and that did me in! Plus I moved all by myself, packing the car and making multiple trips when I could during work weeks. Got a little help from work colleagues when it came to getting rid of my couch. I did not stop exercising (thank God) during that whole time... Yea, I be up in the gym just workin on my fitness... I heard that in a song somewhere, hehe.

But no worries. I am BACK! These are exciting times and so much has happened despite the move -- in religious development, social development, and of course, my physical AND mental development.

Right now I am up bright and early because my nieces are graduating from school today. So I need to hit the gym early, and then go to their graduation. Great times to be an uncle I guess, hehe.

Dating season is around the corner and I am going to see what the pool is looking like this time around. Last year sucked but the grass is always greener (smirks... I mean smiles).

This is going to be one helluva summer! One HELLUVA dating season!

Slippin Big Time!

Whew!

I need to catch up on my blog postings. But to make a long story short: adding relocation and painting to my list of already busy activities has taken a toll on me! OMG! Well, to update, I have a home now, and this weekend I started painting my living room. I picked a steel gray color (with blue tints) because I am going for a very modern/contemporary look. It is going to look REAL NICE when the whole main area is decorated. I might hire a professional to do the kitchen - there is no WAY I can reach the part of the wall where the cabinets are (without messing those up). But the dining room, and the bedrooms, are definitely within my domain!

Draft Day!

Today was a great day for both my schools, Ohio St and USC. Sanchez, Nets. Cushing, Texans. Matthews, Packers. Beanie, Cardinals. Laurinaitas, Rams. Robiskie, Browns. Maualuga, the Nati. Moala, Colts. USC is leading Ohio St in draft picks so far. Hopefully everything will even out for both my schools. I even met more of my neighbors. No one has completely moved in... yet, lol. everyone is still painting, lol. even me! But I did start moving a lot of non-critical living items to my new home. Like boxes I never even opened up from my first move here, to kitchen items I have not used since God knows when, hehe. I even showed my nieces my new home. They absolutely loved it, and they already have their rooms picked out! Guess it is time to get some furniture.

Let the relocation begin!

Starting tomorrow, I will begin phase 1 of many of my relocation to my new home! I will start with all nonessential items... stuff I still have boxed up from my move here from Buckeye-land. I need to call the utility companies to get everything transferred into my name, and the cable guy to transfer my internet access.

Still thinking of how I am going to decorate my home. I know I want the main areas decorated and furnished by mid June to early July, as well as have beds for the bedrooms. Since I will be hosting family for the summer. Painting the bedroom areas do not concern me at this point... The living, dining, and kitchen on the other hand...

I heard so much about this "Highpoint" place from friends and colleagues, but my eyes are still focused on that Ikea store in Charlotte. Hopefully, my tax credit will come in the next few weeks so I can use it for decoration and furniture.

1 Year Anniversary

Today marks the 1 year anniversary since I started my full time employment at my present employer. So I brought in Bagels from Panera Bread to celebrate. They sure went by FAST! I am just glad that I was able to get my 1 chocolate chip bagel, hehe! Nonetheless, it was a typical work day, followed by 2 workout sessions, and choir practice. I accomplished a lot in my first year here.

I truly feel that my career is off to a great start! I had a one-on-one with my manager and just basically gave him a presentation of my career from my point of view. I let him know of all the skills that I have that the department is and is not taking advantage of, and what I have been doing to keep my skills not being used, well, fresh. Also, I reiterated my desire for international travel. I made it clear that at some point I want a 1 year international assignment somewhere outside the known 50 states and US territories. And that my engineering career goals still include becoming a licensed professional engineer, because it will take me far if I do decide to go into consulting, or project management, even general management. You have no idea how many clients will not consider you if you can not prove that you have at least ONE licensed professional engineer. Trust me, it is a lot! Which increases my desire to get it.

I also told him that with or without the company's 'blessing' I will be a full time MBA student in August 2014, and that nothing will make me happier than to resume my career with the company I am with now to apply my new education in the post MBA timeframe. Basically, with a career plan mapped out, we both have direction on how to shape my tasks, assignments, and opportunities.

I also made a lot of strides outside of work. Since before coming here, I made it my point to make several stands. And I made several personal declarations. Among those include finding a church home before the first Sunday after my arrival, being active in church, trying new things, and losing all the weight I gained during undergrad and grad school. All goals, I feel were accomplished beyond anything I could possibly imagine.

On the religious front, I am active in the young adult ministry and the gospel choir. I participated in prayer sessions, and during lent, the caterpillar challenge. Through prayer, being with the right people, my spiritual life has taken on new meaning. God has done great things for me. With the grace of God, and the mercies of a certain choir director, I went from never singing in a choir, to singing the Exsultet solo for Easter Vigil. I feel a stronger presence of God in my life now, and the church I attend DEFINITELY has a lot to do with it.

On the physical front, I paid a terrible price for my education by letting myself go. Eating and sleeping, and not exercising. Even in the post-USC timeframe, I was exercising but it was not enough. When I arrived in the Containment Area, I made a promise to myself to intensify all workout cycles. I still ate what I wanted, but I started doing 2-a-days in the gym... At first it was 30 minute cardio twice a day, but that later evolved to two 1 hr cardio sessions everyday. I did not start my weight training until the first week of January of this year, and I have been keeping track of my progress. When I started my weight training, I made sure all my meals were as balanced as possible to make sure I was eating the right amounts of carbs, proteins, fats, calories. When I went vegan for lent, I had to substitute all animal products, including meat with synthetic proteins, but now I am back to eating meats and eggs etc, but just more aware of alternatives. I take advantage of the alternatives as much as possible now.

As a result of my newfound drive and resolve, I am 50+ pounds lighter and I went from wearing XL/2XL clothes to wearing Mediums. None of my clothes fit me anymore and I ended up buying new outfits. I look a lot healthier than I did one year ago. I have way more energy now, and I am very stress free at work. It is amazing how exercising does not cause any more headaches for me or make me feel all fidgety or whatnot when I am in the lab.

Socially, I am meeting new people and making new connections, but it has been very slow. I get out every once in awhile for salsa, but even that (and dating) has stalled mostly because of what I am about to write below but I still have a desire to be a more social person. This is something I need to work out in year 2.

The highlight of my 1st year accomplishments rests with the fact that I was able to become a homeowner before my 1 year anniversary of employment. To me that was a very hard and ambitious task -- To save enough money to put down on a home. I even had to stop taking Golf and Salsa lessons to accomplish this. I knew one thing for certain: I was not going to be renting for a second year. That was my motivation to put down on a home. It is the financially responsible thing to do, especially since I will be here for awhile.

I do not know what year 2 in the Containment Area for Relocate Yankees will bring, but year one, with all the ups and downs, ins and outs, highs and lows, was a great year.

And the best is yet to come!

HERES TO YEAR TWO!!! EL YAY!!!!!!!

Home Decorating Books

So today I went to Barnes and Noble to look at some home decorating books. I already have help on the way from some friends, but it is always good to have some knowledge on the subject. I feel that their decorating skills are far superior to my own, so I will still go by their input and suggestions. Nonetheless, it is good NOT to be absolutely clueless when it comes to this enormous feat!

So when it comes to decorating, the main priorities are the living room, dining room, and the master bedroom in terms of painting, furniture, and accents (i am learning new terminology!!!). There is very little to do in the kitchen (just basically change the paint color). After those three, I will focus on the guest room followed by the 3rd floor bedroom.

As for the garage... I have no clue, but it needs to be a 'mans' garage! I need to give this some serious thought.

Anyways, exciting times! What will happen next!?!

Homeowner Status!

Let it be known that on THIS day, April 20, 2009, at 1330 hrs (thats 1:30 PM for all you non-military time people), I closed on my 3 bedroom 3.5 bath townhome in the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. I am officially a homeowner!

El Yay!!!

El Yay!!!

El Yay!!!

Talk about pure joy and excitement. Do you know what this means!

- House parties
- Buckeye and Trojan football gatherings
- Another possible location for prayer group meetings
- Barbecues!!!
- And a bunch of other stuff that I can not think of since it is late at night and I need to be asleep.

The evacuation has begun from my apartment to my HOME!

OMG I HAVE A HOME! Do you know how GREAT that feels to say that!?!

Now all I gotta do is decorate it. I already know how I want the main area to look, thanks to a couple of home showings. I just do not know where to start. I know a couple of things are for certain

- MY Bedroom will have a king sized bed
- The kitchen will soon be populated with the Kitchenaid appliances I already have.
- I need new furniture for the main areas
- I need a gas grill, no man's home is complete without a propane gas grill. DO NOT TRY TO TALK ME OUT OF THIS ONE

and I am pretty sure there is more stuff, but it is very late, and I am sleepy, and I need to go to work tomorrow!

I keep forgetting that the nightlife

Is NOTHING like Los Angeles... OR Columbus! Everything closing down around 2 in the morning. What is that!?! LOL. Anyways, nothing really eye-popping happened during the night out on the town... Maybe I need to find some new spots. This area social-scene wise is still unexplored territory to me. There may be some more exciting places elsewhere. Church was church... just another typical Sunday. But I have been preparing for something major tomorrow. Something so grand I can not wait to say it on here, and announce it to the world. But I have to wait! Hehe. All will be revealed soon!

Night out on the town

Out with the homies checkin out the nightlife. It has been awhile since I checked out the scene. Let's see what crazy things I see tonight!

Friday Night

This was such a long day... The end.

The Susan

Ever since Susan Boyle got on Youtube, I have been playing that song over and over and over again during work to get me through my day. She has such a lovely voice. She is the quintessential example of how not to judge someone by their looks, because she made all those people who doubted her look real stupid! I really do not have much to write about tonight. It was a long work day, 2 workout sessions, and choir practice. I need some sleep. Good night!

SUSHI!!!

Today, I went to the Sushi place near the Southpoint area... and THAT SUSHI was ON POINT! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! I am definitely going back again! The Sushi was pretty much the highlight of my day. I dont know why I went there, I just did. I asked a fellow from Church to join me, and so we went. It is good to socialize. I have not been doing too much of that as of lately with anyone. I am trying to change that, but I am just so caught up in other things, good things that I need to have focus on.

Great things lie ahead. My future has not been written. Would you like to know more? Turn the page!

Another Busy Day

Nothing much here. worked out twice, went to work twice, tutored once, and went salsa dancing. Yea, I have not danced in quite a while, but it is nice to know that I still have some of the technique down. Once some other issues clear up, I will be able to return to salsa full time. good night

Intermediate Workout Blues

So this week begins my first full week in my intermediate weight training series. Most of my exercises in general are the same for each body group, with the substitution of some with 'new' exercises. With Lent and Holy Week over, I can finally go back to not only my 2-a-day workout routine, but eating several (healthy) meals a day. On Mondays, I work my shoulders, triceps, biceps, and forearms. What is different from the beginner series is the fact that now, I have to do 3 sets instead of 1. Even when I was doing one set, I was seeing quite a bit of gain, and as I kept track of my workouts, I was noticing that I was increasing the weight every workout. But when I started doing three sets of my new list of exercises for this particular week, it was a nightmare. the workout plan I am following suggests doing 3 sets of 6 reps per exercise at a weight you feel comfortable with. I (barely) made my 6 reps/set quota on all of my exercises. So this means I am at the right weight to build off of. The worst exercise was the wrist roller. That thing will work your forearms to death and I felt friggin murdered after doing 3 reps on my WARM UP set. Wrist roller is no joke!

I can only imagine what Wednesday (legs) will bring in terms of the extended set weight training. I wonder if I will be able to walk.

Going to bed now, gotta get up early!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

So today, I donned the mint-green Nautica, the striped tie, and the Kenneth Cole slacks! Facial hair gone, contacts on, GQing it up! LOLOL. Anyways, in terms of the message, there was no real assertive difference between the homily I heard from the vigil mass and today's mass. Basically because if people can not make the Sunday service, they go to the Saturday one, to get the same message. But it is good for me to hear the same thing twice. Most of the time I have to hear things twice to 'get it' once. I know, I am slow, but I am getting much better, and I am farther along than where I used to be years ago. I think the most hilarious thing was the fact that at the Vigil mass, the church was at near capacity and the gospel choir did its thing! Everyone was on point, especially, for once in my choir career, me! Today, the church was jam-packed with people, but the traditional choir sang (the one that normally sings on Saturday). Something told me then, that they were expecting the gospel choir. But when they saw some of us in the pews, especially me, well... So yea, I thought that-that was interesting. The traditional choir sang beautifully. Trust me on this one, I know! I am glad that the Lenten season is over, and that Holy Week is finally behind me.

It was a time of focused self-discovery and soul searching. And even now, I continue my soul-searching and my self-discovery. Where the road of my life takes me only the Lord knows. But I do look forward to returning to my two-a-day exercise routine, eating several meals a day, and going to work early and leaving early. So much to do in the coming days, and so little time. Right now, I rest. See you tomorrow morning!

Easter Vigil

So tonight I attended the Easter Vigil mass at my church. I had a solo, called the Exsultet. It is a (very) long proclamation about the Lord ascension into heaven and it is sung A-Capella. I was very humbled by the many positive responses I received from the choir and the congregation. I heard that it is not an easy piece of music to sing, and with the choir director silent on the ivories, it made it all the more challenging. I feel that I prepared for it well... Ever since I was told that I was going to do the Exsultet, before Ash Wednesday, I practiced ever since. Practiced during Lent, and every day of Holy Week. I did not want to disappoint the director, the choir, and the members of the church... But especially the director and the choir. Even though I sing with them I feel so moved by the others, especially those called to do solos. It is not easy for any of them, they sing so beautifully. The Exsultet was the least I could do to show them and everyone I have met in church, from the elders to the young adults my appreciation and thanks.

When I sung it, I felt like everyone sung it with me. The pastor, the choir, the people in the pews. God was definitely with me tonight, as God always is... But tonight he made sure I knew that God was with me... I did not miss a single note!

I do plan on finishing off this Holy Week by going to church tomorrow to celebrate Easter. But after Easter, the daily masses cease, I return to my normal pre-Ash Wednesday daily regimen, which definitely includes an earlier work time.

Also, and folks knew that this was a LONG TIME COMING........... The facial hair is gone. And people will start seeing me without my glasses more often. Get used to it, because the new me is here to stay for awhile!

Good Friday

So today was Good Friday, and there were not a lot of people at work. I was surprised to see a meeting on this day. I was like "OF ALL THE FRIDAYS!?!?!" Of course I could not make it, because I was going through a home inspection. It is not often that work and life clash on a work day, but this was one of them, and life won. But there were many other clashes where work won, so this is a victory for the life aspect of me, hehe. I also went to church and sung with the choir. Tomorrow is the Easter Vigil, and I will be doing the Exultet, the Easter Proclamation, an A-Capella solo. I have been practicing all Lent for this, and I am going to nail it. I wish my mom was here to hear me sing this.

Not going home anytime soon

So yessm, I am still at work, but I did get a little bit of a reprieve earlier this evening. I went to church, and I enjoyed dinner with great people. It sucks I have to come back to work, but I have to get a lot of stuff done. I have no idea when I will be going home tonight, or if I can even come in at 6 in the morning. I am going to have to play this one close. I have so much going on outside of work tomorrow (Good Friday).

Pray for me.

Apr 8, 2009

Yea, I do not have an original title for today's entry. Maybe because I can not really think. I feel pulled in a lot of directions. I wish I could be in several places at once, or a day's length to be longer than 24 hours. I will be going into work tomorrow very early. I need to go to bed now.

NCAA BBall Championship Tonight!

Tonight is the NCAA Mens BBall Championship. My bracket is utterly shattered with Pitt losing to Villanova. And it seems like UNC is on the march for yet another NCAA title. Can MSU stop them? I do not see how they can, but I will still root for them, for the Big 10. I just hope that they keep it manageable. If UNC gets a lead, it is over.