Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

Since I'm sure you were wondering what I had been up to the past few months, I'll backtrack a little bit and tell you some stories.

California Roadtrip 2009 *Part 1*

Earlier this summer, my favorite companion, KC, and I found ourselves discussing theme park adventures of our youth. He recalled a time back in Colorado when he and friends would get wasted then hang out at the nearby amusement park, taking on ride after ride until the park closed. My most recent memory was several years ago when my party friends and I would leave the club around 4am, decide on the way home to hit LA for a few days, and often found ourselves on the road - sleepless and drunk - by 5am en route to Magic Mountain. It was then that I learned that KC had never been to Magic Mountain, despite being in Vegas for several years. We immediately decided that a trip to Valencia for some roller coaster excitement was in order. Little did we know this getaway would turn into an extended roadtrip!

A few weeks later, we hit the road on a Sunday afternoon in July. By this time the desert heat was blazing, so it was doubly pleasant to watch the temperature drop the further west we drove. When we reached Glendale, CA just a few hours later, we were relieved to be able to spend the evening in the 70-something degree weather.

On a sidenote, there are two things that I absolutely do not miss about California: First, the traffic; Secondly, the fact that many businesses close early in the evening puts limitations on how much fun you can have on a Sunday night. Living in Las Vegas has spoiled us with its 24-hour nature. When we arrived in Cali that Sunday, we found that most restaurants were closed, and we had to settle on eating at some chain restaurant we were less than thrilled about. Despite the lackluster meal, KC brought the fun to dinner by turning on his redneck alter-ego (later to be named "Gilbert") by talking to our waitress in his best backwoods accent, then later turning off the drawl in hopes of catching her confusion. She didn't seem to catch on from what we witnessed, but she might have been puzzled about the experience after we left.

On Monday, we got up and headed out toward Magic Mountain about 30 minutes north of where we were staying. The temperature was an uncomfortable 95 degrees when we reached the park, but we knew the heat would dissipate as the day wore on. Determined to satisfy the adrenaline junkie in us both, we mapped out the day to ensure that we hit all of the big thrill rides, with our first stop being the X2 near the entrance of the park. Sadly, the ride was shut down indefinitely, and subsequently was one of only two rides we didn't get to experience. One of the best new additions to Six Flags was Tatsu, coined as the tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster on Earth. We literally flew on this ride - after boarding the ride in a seated position and buckling in, the platform disappeared beneath us and the seats were repositioned so that we were parallel to the ground. It was an incredible sensation flying like Superman, zooming high above. My personal favorite was Déjà Vu, a coaster that pulls you back in a ski-lift like chair at a 90 degree vertical angle then, without warning, drops you. You seem to be free-falling straight for the ground until you speed into a loop then through a butterfly. You climb into another 90 degree vertical tower, and dangle for several seconds staring up at the sky. Just when you think you've completely caught your breath, you're once again free-falling backwards into the butterfly and loop all over again. I described this coaster as the ride of my nightmares, and cursed, "Holy muther fuckin' shit, that was awesome!" as I disembarked. "Gilbert" shouted out, "Hot damn! That was hotter than a bull in the summertime!"

The fact that there were practically no lines was an advantage of touring the park on a Monday. The longest wait was for Superman The Escape, which cost us maybe 45 minutes in line. The worst part was that the ride itself is a total of 15 seconds, which came with a risk of serious whiplash if you didn't know what to expect. As we exited the ride, people laughed as "Gilbert" exclaimed, "That's it?!? I can go faster than that in mah corvette!"

One of the craziest things about KC playing this character Gilbert most of the time we were at the park is how odd of a social experiment it became. During and between rides he would throw out some of the most inappropriate remarks just to see if he could get a rise out of certain people. Surprisingly, people just laughed or were completely oblivious. There was something either very comical or retarded about a redneck who makes ignorant comments. We were really just glad that we didn't offend or get in trouble with anyone out there.

Anyway, with just a couple of breaks, we rode everything with the exception of the aforementioned X2 and Goliath - like X2, Goliath was closed indefinitely for "testing." For our last thrill, we rode Scream 4 or 5 times in a row until the dizziness took hold of me, and I had to finally had to call it quits. By then, the park was about to shut down for the night, and we were tired. It turned out to be an awesome day at Magic Mountain, and we decided that we would return for more action someday soon.

For our last scheduled day in California, I had planned to take KC around LA to check out some of the major attractions nearby before heading back to Vegas. In addition to never having been to Magic Mountain, he had only been to Los Angeles twice in the past few years - and both times he worked gigs downtown that kept him from seeing anything with the exception of Santa Monica pier. I thought that Venice Beach might be a good spot for people watching, but I completely neglected the fact that we were there on a Tuesday. It turned out to be ok anyway, since there were still a few crazy people there, and we got to walk the length of the shore through uncrowded beach. The weather was fantastic, too.

Prior to reaching Venice Beach, while stuck in traffic, I had made a quick comment how one day I would love to just drive the length of Highway 1, The Pacific Coast Highway, up the coast from Southern California all the way to San Francisco. KC turned to me and said, "Let's do it. I don't have to be at work until Friday afternoon..." I hesitated for a moment as I thought about the clothes I packed for the weekend, concerned that I wouldn't have anything appropriate for the chilliness of Northern Cali weather. After a minute, I replied, "Oh, why not! How often do we get a chance to do something like that?" Fortunately, KC overpacked a bit for this trip too, and we agreed that we could easily pick up anything else we would need on the way north.

Our last stop in the Los Angeles area was the Los Feliz neighborhood for the best carnitas tacos in SoCal, then up into Griffith Park to check out the Griffith Observatory. The observatory itself is familiar to many for its appearance in films, those of which I cannot name. It is a great place to visit for learning scientific tidbits and enjoying some interactive fun. It also provides an amazing panoramic view of Los Angeles, from the downtown area to the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood sign. As the evening began to settle in over Hollywood, we left Griffith Park with a course set for the PCH, specifically Malibu. I thought a great way to close out our time in SoCal would be to drive through Malibu on PCH at sunset. It was indeed beautiful, and it was an awesome sight to peer out into the Pacific Ocean for hours from the edge of the west coast and watch the colors of the sky fade into the darkness. We made a dinner stop in Santa Barbara late in the evening, and decided to call it a night when we reached Morro Bay, a tiny coastal town approximately 120 miles south of Monterey. I distinctly remember the smell of the sea air when we reached the hotel, and the sound of sea lions in the distance just before I laid my head down to sleep at 1am in the morning.

Don't worry, there's more! Give me a couple of days, will ya?!?

Unemployment Blues: My Own Blogging Therapy

I know. You don't have to say it: You missed me. Don't worry...I'm back on the blogging train for now!

Since my last blog post, some significant things have occurred amidst all the fun little things I've partaken in. I had mentioned some organizational changes at work that took place late April/early May, which eventually demanded much of my time as pressure mounted to juggle the evolving workload. This transition involved a leadership change and ultimately an executive decision to drastically alter the direction of our company, which then led to my lay-off in July.

Surprisingly, I was not at all sad about this event, nor was I as worried as I thought I would be in such a predicament. In fact, I felt that losing my job was a blessing in disguise. In the final months I remained there, I was growing increasingly anxious to leave that position. Despite the progressive spiral of the economy and, more significantly, the decline of the Las Vegas job market, I was beginning to feel the pressure of my own ambition. The role that I held with my former employer had become one with compounding duties incongruent to my existing staff, and drastic cuts to my budget and recruitment allowances. In retrospect, my salary was inconsistent with the amount of work I was tasked with, and yet I found myself confined to a position that was unrecognized for growth potential. For the first time in years, I was feeling stifled, professionally.

With that new found freedom came a lesson. I learned that I spent too many years allowing my work in corporate America to define who I was and left an open, gaping end to who I am ultimately to become. I am a business professional...I was an analyst...I was a manager. Who effin' cares?!? When people who really know me describe who I am, they will say I am an adventure-seeker, a traveler, or even just a plain old fun person. Who ever said that analytical work was fun (because it's not)? And sure, being a boss had its perks, but I can't say that I went home every day feeling satisfied about the projects I oversaw or the politics I had to regularly deal with. Jobs blow. I hate to admit that I allowed way too many work hours to overflow into my personal time, weekends, vacations, etc, because that pay sure didn't overflow into my time in need - my period of joblessness! Granted, those jobs did pay for the nice things I have and the exotic places I have seen, and yet the work was a burden. It's sad to say, but busting our asses is the uncompromising sacrifice us average joes and janes have to make in order to survive and even enjoy some of the nicer things in life.

So now, 3 months later, it's become a constant struggle to fend off the feelings of insecurity that have mounted in what seems like an endless search to rejoin the working community. To date, several dozen cover letters, applications, and several versions of my resume have reached countless employers, only to yield one decent interview that did not result in my favor. Looking for work is exhausting, and it's a full time job in itself. Lately it has become far more discouraging, as the end of the year is fast approaching and many of those I consider prospects are on a hiring freeze for Q4. I personally know that I don't suck as an individual, nor am I a bad worker. My education, work experience, track record, and professional recommendations speak to the type of professional I am. It's only a bit reassuring that I am not in the unemployment boat alone, but I don't like to justify my joblessness with a collective generalization about the nation's unemployment rate.

The one thing that has really gotten to me lately is how much I've cut back on being social. It's a nice thing to receive unemployment benefits, but it doesn't support my party and travel habits. Watching my savings dwindle and having to turn down social invitations is a hardening reality for me. Everything must now be carefully planned and budgeted for, which is somewhat painful but I'm getting used to it. My inability to freely go out to have fun defies my happiness; I am no longer as spontaneous as I once was. I think those closest to me have noticed a change. For a while I liked to joke that I am becoming a different person, but I promise that if I seem a little out of sorts, it won't be for long. I refuse to be redefined by this situation, nor will I allow any hardship to shake who I am!

With all that being said, I'd like to take this opportunity to say, "Yo, Universe! This extended "vacation" has gone on long enough. I'm ready to get out and earn my money again. I'm ready for that cool, new job you've been waiting to send my way! Thanks in advance!"

And thanks, Readers, you have saved me several hundred dollars in therapy by allowing me to get this all off my chest. Much appreciation goes out to my loved ones too! Even if I never work again, I know I'll have the wealth of love, family, and friendship from the people in my life.

One more favor for you all: think happy, positive thoughts that I get a job soon! Thanks!