What to do, what to do...

There are many reasons I'm moving to California: Better weather, bigger salaries (albeit higher expenses but the living situation is taken care of so it shouldn't be that bad), better night life, etc. While these are all very valid reasons to move, quitting my job and being picky about my next job will give me ample opportunity to do things I've wanted to do for a while but never had the time for. This is the list, of which I'll probably add to at times, in no particular order:

1. Learn to surf
2. Learn to scuba dive (Catalina Island anyone?)
3. Read (Current list includes: "The Complete Laws to the Universe", "How to Prove It", "How to Solve It", "CCNA Certification Exam Study Guide", "MCSE Certification Exam Study Guide", "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)", "The Know It All", and the list goes on)
4. Work on a single digit golf handicap (it's currently about 20)
   
5. Improve my wine palette
6. Watch all 100 movies on the "AFI Top 100 Greatest Movies of All Time" list, starting with 100, and write a complete review on each movie
7. Exercise and get stupidly healthy (maybe even shop at hippie stores like "Whole Foods" or "Trader Joes". Organic saltine crackers? Umm... what?)
   
8. Improve upon my creativity with cooking
9. Volunteer somewhere
10. Sit and do absolutely nothing

I only plan to be unemployed for a couple months at the max. From what I know, I have marketable job skills so finding a new job shouldn't be difficult. I am, however, going to be extremely picky with my next place of unemployment. I didn't go to school so I could settle. With that said, this list will obviously take much longer than 2 months but I will complete all of these sooner or later, mark my words. The best part is that you'll get to enjoy the journey with me. Ha, suckers!

Wanted

It's nice to feel wanted. For the most part, I think I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with. I mesh well with most personalities and can deal with just about anyone (my job requires that), but it's still nice to know that you've made an impact, however small it is, on the people you work with and the people around you.

My last day at work is in two days and I've had at least 25 people (out of roughly 70 people) at work come up and ask me if we're going out after work on my last day to party. I could be cynical and think, "What, you want to have a party because I'm leaving?" The reality, however, is that these people wouldn't waste their time and energy on hanging out with me if they didn't like me on some level.

I know at least one person reading this is probably thinking, "Why do you care what other people think?" That is a good question and one I think about often. Why do people care about what others think? Why do so many people try to impress those around them? I'm sure Freud or Maslow would have something to say about this. Maybe it's because we weren't given enough attention as a child, maybe our ego or superego is causing these feelings, or maybe its simply a need of love, affection, and belongingness. Regardless of the reason, I don't think its a bad thing to be wanted. We only have one chance to live on this Earth, why would you want to spend that time fighting with others? Why not leave this Earth better off than when you arrived? Choosing to get along with others doesn't mean you have to change who you are, it just means you choose to be passive when needed or bite your tongue if you have nothing nice to say. Regardless of your choice, I'd rather people remembered how I impacted them rather than how much of an a$$hole I was. The choice is yours.

I'll stop being all emotional and leave it at that.

Big Changes

After living in the Seattle area for roughly 18 years, I decided I needed a change of scenery. Don't get me wrong, I love the Seattle area (even the rain doesn't bother me most of the time). For someone who loves the outdoors and being physical, there aren't many places better than the Seattle area. However, the scenery isn't quite as beautiful if you see it every day and frankly, I need new scenery! My uncle has been trying to convince me to move to Huntington Beach for years. Seriously, every time I talked to him, I heard things like "the ocean is calling your name", or my personal favorite, "there is a plethora of goodness in the County of the Oranges." I'm not sure if it was his convincing that changed my mind or just the fact I'm burnt out from just finishing school and working full-time, but I decided to take him up on his offer and move to Huntington Beach. This is also part of the reason I decided to start a blog. I thought it would be fun rubbing the fact that it will be 65 degrees and sunny in December into the faces of all my friends. Hey, no one is forcing them to live in Seattle, they could move too.

So, last week I bravely marched into my boss's office, quietly placed my resignation letter on his desk and walked out. I also put a copy of the letter on the director's desk too, for political reasons. Later that day, my boss responds, "So, you have another job?" I could have lied and said "Yes, they're paying me a trillion dollars and will treat me like a human being", but I decided to be honest and give him the real answer: "No, I have no job lined up, I'm moving." "Oh, ok". His reaction was exactly what I expected and that was fine with me. The director was a little more touchy feely about it. "We're sorry to see you go, good luck in your future endeavors, etc, etc, etc." I don't mean to insinuate that I don't appreciate a little recognition, but a little more recognition and respect from the beginning might have kept me around longer.

So after quitting my job, calling my bank, insurance agent, power company, cable company, landlord, etc, I'm packing up my entire life and moving 1200 miles away to a place where I'll be unemployed and only know a few people. Sounds a bit psychotic when I write it down but I cannot wait to see what this phase of my journey will bring me. There will be plenty of time to work and have responsibilities later. You only get one chance to live, why not enjoy it? Surf's Up!

The Beginning...

I always seem to be the last one to try new things and blogging is no different, but I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Those of you who are reading this probably already know me, in one way or another, so I'm not going to try and bring you up to speed on "me". For those who don't, you'll just have to learn, eh? Not that I have to justify anything but before I decided to start blogging, I made a mental checklist of the pro's and con's of blogging to decide if I really wanted to do it. Here is the list:

Pro's
Why not do it?
Self-reflection is healthy and lets you sleep better at night
You don't have to repeat yourself as many times when trying to catch up with old friends (if they read your blog)
It gives you a reason to stay motivated (if you don't have any other reasons)
It's cool and everyone is doing it

Con's
It's time consuming
It's personal
It's cool and everyone is doing it

Obviously the Pro's won. Enjoy the Journey!