20111106

Things I have learned

There are a ton of things that have happened and still happening but I'm going to tackle each topic separately and in order.  Today's is "Things I have learned from May 2010 to August 2011":

1.  Do not drive cross-country in an old RV by yourself.

2.  Sometimes, a good ol' boy network can be a good thing.
3.  Do NOT share with that same good ol' boy network that you are traveling alone because they will lecture you on why women should not travel alone.
4.  RV'ers are in their own special club and most of them are really good people.
5.  There's absolutely NOTHING in New Mexico.
6.  Utah is friggin' HOT!

7.  You should follow your gut even if it is taking you from your planned path.
8.  If you put your mind to it, you can get rid of stuff and it won't be the end of the world.
9.  No matter how tough and independent I am, I do need people.
10.  There are people out there who are crazier than me that are negatively impacting people's lives in a major way.
1.  Best Friends Animal Society is awesome!
12.  I REALLY miss my babies and don't know that I will ever be the same.

13.  Fat people have libidos too.
14.  Sometimes you meet people because you are supposed to meet their friends, with whom you will get along much better.
15.  Vegas has more to offer than just the strip.

16.  Friends
a.  I have more than I thought.
b.  You know it's a true friend when you haven't spoken in years but they still care.
c.  Some family members make really good friends and make up for the shitty part of the family.
d.  I need my friends more than I will ever be able to admit.
e.  I am fiercely loyal and if needed, will demolish anyone who hurts my friends or family.

17.  California will always be my home even  if I am not physically there.
18.  Someone who loves you will always forgive you even if it isn't right away.
19.  I'm hug deficient.
20.  Even though I don't like children, I am good with them and I enjoy working with them.  I would do absolutely ANYTHING for my nephew.
21.  Life can be cut short.  Even knowing this doesn't always make people live their lives.

22.  Everyone has something to contribute.
23.  Everything is better with a Chipotle and Starbucks nearby.
24.  I have the capacity to love and can finally admit to it.  Just don't tell anyone.  :)
25.  Going to the beach makes everything better.

26.  Girls can play full contact football just as well as the boys.

27.  There are places where I fit in.
28.  Craigslist is wonderful.
29.  I have a lot left to learn.

20110324

It's been a while


Sorry for the delay in an update.  Things got crazy for a little while and I didn’t want to spread negativity.  Since my last submission, I was fired from my job at Kanab, got stuck in Vegas, and have moved to San Diego.

Unfortunately, I had to get rid of Verlene.  She gradually developed more and more problems and I didn’t have the money to put into fixing her.  I was working at Abundant Life Academy, a boarding school for troubled teens.  I was living with my supervisor and friends, Dave and Rachel, with the intention of moving into their casita.  To those on the east coast, a casita is very similar to the mother-in-law suite.   I really enjoyed my job at ALA and was told that I was very good at it.  Even though those that fired me denied it, I’m pretty sure that I was fired because of the owner of the school.  While I made a mistake, it was my first.  I was fired very shortly after the owner spent more than five minutes in the same vicinity as me.  I have a feeling that we differed on our views of women and their place in this world.  Luckily, since I was living with Dave and Rachel, I was able to get another perspective on my termination.  Dave and I have similar issues and how we deal/dealt with them.  Remember at the beginning of my journey when I said that I needed to work on myself?  I had sort of strayed from that in my job at ALA.  Dave and Rachel pointed this out and suggested I take this time to work on myself and then come back to the industry.  I was so lucky to have friends like Dave and Rachel.  I’m not sure how things would have turned out if I didn’t have them.  They helped me realize that I’m on the cusp of something grand.  Since then, I have been lucky enough to see that it was definitely a blessing that I was fired.  I’ll leave it at that.

After getting fired, I heard from a friend about a job in Long Beach.  I decided I had nothing to lose other than having to leave Best Friends.  I figured I would stop in Vegas on the way to Long Beach to visit with Lia.  While at Lia’s, the job lead in Long Beach fell through.  I panicked.  So, I stayed in Vegas; I at least knew Lia.  Lia was very gracious to let me stay with her for a couple of weeks.  I didn’t know until then that Vegas has the highest unemployment rate in the US.  It took me three months to find a job.  During that time, I felt emasculated and useless.  When I get down like that, I tend to disappear from my friends.  While looking for a job, I rented a room from a woman and her two kids.  That turned out to be a disaster.  I rented another place the last month I was in Vegas.

I finally found a job at The Home Depot.  Not my first choice but it will do.  I don’t have to think too much and I can’t overwork or take work home.  This allows me to work on myself which I have also been doing.  I started out at a store in Vegas and things were going well.  I found out that I could get better care from the VA in San Diego than in Vegas.  Also, I had a friend in San Diego that needed a roommate.  So, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask to transfer even though I hadn’t been with the company for very long.  They said yes!  So, now I’m in San Diego.  I live with a friend that I met in 1996 in Monterey.  She was in the Navy for five years.  So far, it’s going really well and I’m excited to see what is down the road.  I’m still pulling out of this depression and can’t quite see the light at the end of the tunnel but I’m in a better place.

Sorry this post is so dismal and boring.  Hopefully, I’ll start to have better things to write about so stay tuned.  J