Settled in San Diego

Earthquakes, Waves & Mother Nature

2010-03-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Epic winter wave overtaking the OB pier looking north towards the pier! This awesome pic was taken the week my apartment flooded back in mid-January by a San Diego UT photographer documenting the storm that hit the OB area.
Tsunami evacuation route sign on the beach looking east from the street just south of Long Branch Avenue (my street). This pic was taken (by me) on Sunday, February 28th, two days after the Chile earthquake and one day after a mild tsunami hit the SoCal coastal areas on Saturday, the 27th.
Hi Everybody,

Wow, 2010 has gotten off to a shaky start, huh? Between the destructive earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, I can tell you, I'm sure most of SoCal is on edge as to whether their quakes will trigger some major activity here as well! Back in November 2009, the San Diego/Imperial County/Northern Baja section of Mexico areas experienced a series of moderate quakes. The two that hit the area in November were strong enough to literally sway the high rises here in downtown SD; as well as cause the office doors in our suite on the 15th floor to swing to and fro and create some serious squeaking and popping of the building during the shaking...very scary!

Just when I thought that earthquakes and winter storm flooding were all that we had to put up with here in coastal SD, we got our first tsunami advisory this past weekend (in decades as to what I've learned) as a result of the Chilean earthquake. Yes, the tsunami reached SoCal shores; thankfully, not nearly as powerful as the forecasters expected. La Jolla, here in SD, Huntington Beach in Orange County, Santa Monica in L.A., and some portions of Ventura County saw some surge in the sea level and minor flooding. Again, thankfully no significant damage, except for the OB pier, which had about 100 feet of railing damaged from the weekend storm/tsunami generated waves.

Just to give you an idea of the power of the wave action, I would say the distance from the bottom of the pier to the sea surface is about 20 feet--the swells this past weekend (and the week OB flooded) were about 10-15 feet, which resulted in 12-20 foot-high waves; some of which (as you can see by the first pic) were high enough to breach the top of the pier! Needless to say, I didn't see any surfers out the day after the quake/tsunami. The pier is currently closed for repairs, but I'm sure will be back in action well before the start of the summer/tourist season.

As a SoCal native and a witness to the '71 Sylmar quake (as a sleeping baby according to my mom), the '87 Whittier quake, the '94 Northridge quake (by far the most terrifying I've ever experienced), the '07 fires in SD County, and this latest incident--my respect for the power of the earth, at it's most violent and natural at the same time, grows tremendously!

One Love.

Happy 2010 Everyone!

2010-01-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

Part of our Department at the 2009 Christmas party (me and Darren, on the left, wore almost identical getups--not planned, of course)!
Post-flood picture of the bathroom.
Post-flood picture of the living room.
Flooded living room.

Flood behind my building looking east.

Flood behind my building looking west (we were able to glide the floating dumpster shown by just a shove away from hitting nearby cars).

Flood behind my building looking south (this is the view from my apartment window, and one of my landlords, Jeff, is the one dialing his cell phone).

I know, I know, I'm a little late with the NY greetings; but hey, the important thing is that I delivered, right? As you can see, the year started a little wet for me (the explanation's below). Here's another update from me:

November - December 2009
Unfortunately I missed Thanksgiving at the Cids' due to my car being out of service and my lost cell phone. I guess my absence at Thanksgiving dinner and calls to my cell phone and work numbers going unreturned as far as me attending raised some fear in everyone. So much so, Steve & Chuck drove all the way down from LA after dinner to check in on me. I was able to explain to them why I wasn't at dinner and why their calls went unanswered--sorry for the scare!

My car petered out on me after several major repairs on a desolate stretch of I-15 south while I was headed home after a visit to the Favero's. Rather than spend more money on another repair...I did it, bought another car, or truck that is--a 2008 Toyota Tacoma, Pre-Runner model with just over 14,000 miles on it. I love this truck!

Celebrated Ryan's b-day and Christmas at the Favero's. As always, they know how to throw a party and make sure everyone goes home with a few days worth of food. Thanks Steve, Deb and Ryan, I can always count on my grocery bill being lowered during the month of December!

Our department had it's annual Christmas luncheon at a local resort and it was nice to be able to hang out, drink some wine, beer, eat, and kick back away from the office for a day!

January 2010
Celebrated my 40th b-day on the 8th. I thought I was going to have a quiet weekend and reflect. But lo and behold, some good friends of mine came down from LA and VB and helped me celebrate. Their wives think they're safe with me because I was somewhat of a model citizen (polite, college student, kept them focused and out of trouble, etc.) when we all used to hang out; but the truth of the matter is, you would've thought my b-day party was a bachelor party and they were the one's that got me in trouble! Let's put it this way, what happens in SD, stays in SD!

During the week of the 18th, most of SoCal got drenched with some serious storms! Unfortunately, OB flooded...not once, but twice! The pics at the top of the post explain it all! They were taken in the alley directly behind my building and the trash cans you see in one of the pics were actually floating in the water! All of the downstairs units in my building flooded. As a result, before we were able to move back in to our apartments, the carpet in our units had to be removed and the units had to be dehumidified and air-dried before tile flooring was installed to replace the carpet. I actually like the tile (pics #2 and #3) better than the carpet and luckily me and the landlords were able to get all of my bachelor pad essentials: flat screen TV, stereo receiver, PS3 and major furniture out before the January 20th flood. The pics were taken on Monday, January 18th; and the second storm that hit the area on Wednesday, the 20th made Monday's flooding look like child's play!

Here's my TV debut: http://nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Rain-Trashed-Ocean-Beach-Alley-82051797.html. My apartment is the lighted one behind my neighbor Mercy, during her interview with NBC 7. I was able to help Matt & Eric help with clearing the drain for a short time; and by the time the news crew arrived, the water level in the alley and my place had dropped considerably!

I have no idea how Artie and his cameraman knew about what happened...must have been a slow day in the news! Despite what some of the bloggers think about the local rep of OB being a haven for pot-fueled hippies and surfers, yes I would have to agree with that assessment; however, there's plenty of us non-pot smoking citizens of the community who enjoy the laid-back attitude of 'hood. There's even a City Attorney who I ride to work with on the bus everyday who also enjoys the laid-back lifestyle of OB! Believe it or not, us suits have the ability to kick back too!

During the raining, flooding, dehumidifying, and air-drying last week, I spent time in hotel rooms and returned this past Monday nite (the 25th). I slept the first 3 nites in a Motel 6 and the last 3 nites in a $200/nite room (which was almost the entire size of my place, had a flat screen TV, an incredible bed and private balcony) at a Marriott that one of my co-workers and her firefighter husband got me for $39/nite! It pays to have connections, let me tell ya! Fortunately, I have great landlords who worked diligently to get us back into our places. My neighbors were awesome as well 'cause they texted and e-mailed the downstairs neighbors with updates on storm damage, repairs, etc. I tell you what, I'm glad to be home!

Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous 2010!

Technology is Amazing!

2009-10-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Remember me? I'm the dude that had the post about Lake Havasu back in July! How's everybody doing? I can't believe we're nearing the 2009 holiday season! I've been checking y'alls posts and I'm glad to hear everybody's still trucking, kids are growing, etc.

Nothing significant to report from me this time other than the fact that I treated myself and bought an LG 32" 1080p HDTV! The resolution on this thing is f*****g amazing! I decided to take advantage of a special Cox was running on an HD box and programming. So after literally 10 hours of online research on TVs this past weekend, I decided to make the plunge! I paid $449 for the TV at Costco and am going to pick up a Playstation 3 this weekend which has a built-in BluRay player, plays games and music, has internet surfing capability, and has 120G of memory all for only $299 at Best Buy. Not that I'm a gamer by any means, but why not get all this multimedia capability from something that was $399 last year? Did I use the word 'multimedia'? Oh boy, not good!

The weird thing is, I don't watch TV alot (except for sports and the show The First 48), but just wanted a form of entertainment available in case of company, a party, etc! But I do have to admit, the clarity and sharpness of the channels with HD broadcasting is unbelievable! I learned during my research that television shows are currently only broadcast with 720p resolution and the 1080p resolution is more for BluRay videos, video games (and clever marketing by TV manufacturers to get people to buy the more expensive 1080p sets). With the pics as clear as they are in 720p, I can only imagine what they'll look like when channels begin broadcasting in 1080p! For those of you in the market to make the plunge for an HDTV set too, don't spend too much money on a TV! The newest technology of LED screens and research and development for Super or Ultra HDTV (up to 8 times the resolution of 1080p) is currently underway and is expected to be commercially available around 2013-2014!

Life by the beach is good! The summer crowds have thinned out and there's much more room on the sand to watch sunsets and grab a drink at the bars! OB had it's annual Oktoberfest on the pier last weekend; although not as crowded as the Chili Fest a couple of months ago, there were lots of people, music, sausages, and beer. Aside from that, I got my eye on a used 8' epoxy surfboard and 4-session surf lesson for myself for X-mas!

To Vern, Norrie & the Norman's, I apologize for not being able to get up there this summer to check out the new pad and see what's happening in the Clovis/Fresno area...hope there's still an invitation to come!

To the Favero's, where's thxgiving going to be? And give Ryan a hearty DaDuhh from me...he'll know what that means!

To Shannyn, thank goodness you chose CSUSM, SDSU is waaay overcrowded and I read horror stories frequently in the SD Union Tribune about impacted programs and kids not being able to graduate in time because of cutbacks! Plus, I hear you guys are getting a dedicated frisbee golf course on the campus grounds! I don't think UCSD (which IMHO is one of the best amenitized university campuses in SoCal--ocean view dorms and all) has anything like that! Very cool!

Peace to all and I hope I'll be able to see everyone and catch up over the holidays!

love,

g

From Beach Bum to Desert Rat!

2009-08-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Wha's up folks? I'm about to tell you my 'What I Did Over the Summer' story. I took a short vaca from the grind to spend time at Lake Havasu with the peeps... Enjoy!

I tell you what, I'm sprung on the Lake! Wow, what can I say? Between the natural, untouched beauty of the Colorado River basin and the cool, laid-back vibe of the boaters in LH, I'm totally hooked and already looking forward to next year's trip! Yes, it was definitely hot...and the fact that it was 106 degrees on my first day out and around 116 degrees the next day (with nighttime lows in the low-90s), still didn't hamper the fun I had! Pretty significant, considering us San Diegans consider anything above 75 degrees hot!

According to the research I did about the area before we headed out, the Lake as well as the rest of the Colorado River basin system--which stretches north from Lake Mead, just south of Vegas, south to the Mexican border supplies a good deal of the drinking water and some electrical energy generation to SoCal, Arizona, and southern Nevada; so it serves a very practical purpose as well as a fun playground for the thirsty citizens of the desert southwest!

Day 1 - Friday, July 24th

Cindy, Dad and I arrived in LH after a 3+ hour drive from Beaumont at the home Steve, Deb and Ryan scored for the summer. Spent some time with Dave, Deena, Steve and Sam who had come earlier in the week from L.A. (Go Dodgers!) to hang out (they left early Saturday). Jeez, I can't believe how big, talkative and active Ryan has gotten! As always, it was good to see everybody and hang out. Just before dinner, Steve took the boys on a field trip to a boat showroom where we got to see some unreal and very expensive water toys!

Day 2 - Saturday, July 25th

Went out on the Favero's boat with the peeps, hung out on one of LH's many coves in the water, drank cold beer (Coors Lite seemed to be LH's choice of brew) and I was invited to and tried wakeboarding from the boat of a friend of one of Steve's buds--trust me, it's easier than it looks (although Steve 'the veterano boarder' got some serious air on his rides). Despite the hot weather, our high-speed cruising on the boat in the water and periodic stops in the Lake for a quick dips made it bearable. After cruising around for most of the afternoon and getting lunch from a floating fast-food vessel, we hung out at LH's channel area after the day on the lake--see Day 3 for details on the channel.

Day 3 - Sunday, July 26th

Boys' day out (Steve and Dad on the Favero's boat and me and one of Steve's buds on his boat). Very cool! I got some Boating 101 and LH geography tips from Steve's bud --also named Gary, jumped off a small cliff in the Copper Canyon section of the lake into the water, and after crusing around for a while, we had lunch, cruised the lake some more, and finally 'beached' our boats at the 'channel' section of the lake. Think of a water version of any city's main drag where instead of cars, people cruise their watercraft. There's music blaring from the parked boats along the river shore, people doing beer bongs, and participating in other raucous activity, etc.--which included a fight we witnessed between a few young women on one of the boats and their subsequent arrests by LHPD! The channel scene was unreal and very fun!

It really helped that the water was around 90 degrees and most spots along the channel water shore were shallow enough to just sit, stand, dunk, chat with other boat owners, chug Coors Lite, and stay cool while watching the boats go past (some of which according to Steve were valued at well in excess of $100K)! Just like the coastal surfing community, the LH boating scene has it's own set of rules, etiquette, flamboyancy, etc!

Day 4 - Monday, July 27th

Cindy, Dad and I split LH for our lives back in urban SoCal.

Day 5 - Tuesday, July 28th

Rested in OB and took advantage of the mid-week day off to get some errands done without the crowds.

Props to Steve, Deb and Ryan for having me in their summer stomping ground! This was by far one of the best 'What I Did Over the Summer' summers I've had in years!

P.S. The first pic was actually taken in Summer '08 when the Favero's, and Chuck and Cindy came down to San Diego (Solana Beach); and thanks to Chuck's photography skills for capturing our trip... Pardon the spacing problems again.

peace

HAPPY 233rd BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

2009-07-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

Hope everyone had a great and safe Independence Day 2009! We had a three-day weekend (Friday off), so I took the opportunity to sleep in and be lazy. It sure was crazy at the beaches--according to media reports 1.3 million people flocked to the coast here in San Diego over the weekend for the traditional 4th of July festivities. The weather was absolutely terrific, with highs in the low 70s and pure sunshine! Due to the number of people expected at the coast, I didn't dare driving out of OB so I stayed home.

Me and a couple of my neighbors went to check out OB's annual fireworks show and it was very entertaining to say the least! In my many years of observing fireworks shows, this was the first one where a couple of the exploded patterns were in the shape of happy faces! Only in OB (maybe in Venice Beach too, but VB doesn't have it's own fireworks show)! The fireworks from OB are shot from the pier and I got another unexpected surprise: the (simultaneous) fireworks shows from Sea World, La Jolla, and Coronado were also visible from the beach where we were. I also got introduced to the tradition of people hurling marshmallows at each other after the show. It was somewhat cheesy, but very cool and good-spirited in nature!

Afterwards, the celebrations continued. We were just walking down the nearby streets headed to the bars and there were house parties all over the place and people (old and young) had music blaring, grills grilling, and just generally enjoying the night. Last Saturday, the community hosted the annual OB Street Fair/Chili Cook Off--lots of bands, beer gardens, food and art vendors, and chili samples of course. Again, just a really cool vibe--even with 70,000 people hanging out!

Other than that, I'm just workin' for a living and gearing up for my first trip to Lake Havasu in a couple of weeks to hang out with Chuck, Cindy, Steve, Deb and Ryan.

Andy, Beth and Jennah, congrats on the new house! Thanks again for keeping us a part of your experience and I can't wait to see it...

Best Regards

Big Ups to Lucille's

2009-05-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

Given my slowness to maintain my blog on major life events, you know when I post a blog about a restaurant it obviously made an impression. Two words--Lucille's BBQ in Temecula. Last Sunday, we (Cindy, Steve, Deb, Ryan and me) took dad out to lunch for his b-day. I was impressed with Lucille's BBQ, a decent southern BBQ, good sweet iced tea and generous-sized portions. I had heard about Lucille's from a co-worker who's been to the flagship store in Long Beach as well as another location in Rancho Cucamonga and she raved about it. She was absolutely right on about this place! They even have a huge smoker inside the restaurant!

Of course the real estate side of me was impressed by its location in the new, open-air section just adjacent to the massive (enclosed) Temecula Promenade mall. The new section has an impressive lineup of stores including Williams-Sonoma--an upscale kitchen goods store, Pottery Barn, Sephora--a line of cosmetics, and a bunch of other nationally-known retail outlets which have definitly put Temecula on the map as far as retail store selection. I assume in the next few years once the economy picks up and the Temecula/Murrieta area grows, Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's could be next to be added to the tenant roster.

Anyway, it was good to hook up with my peeps after not seeing them for a few months. Steve has invited me to hang out with everybody in Lake Havasu this summer. I think I'll take him up on it. Anybody have any suggestions on how I can prepare to party in 115-degree heat?

Mission Accomplished!

2009-05-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Dudes & Dudettes,

How 'bout those Lakers! Can you believe they let Houston make them play all 7 games??? Now on to Denver and hopefully another championship! I could go on; but anyway...

I apologize...I know it's been a while since my last post. And I do periodically check on you guys to see how things are going; but I told myself that I would not place another post on my blog until I had a decent pic. Now that I do, here's what's been going on with me since my last blog:

January 2009

I started a new lunchtime habit turned on to me by two co-workers: the stairs. We climb a 25-story building three times, 3-4 days a week! These 50-something women lead the typical SD active lifestyle: one used to be a lifeguard, likes to kayak and play golf and the other does marathons every year across the country! They pestered me for months to join them 'cause I kept saying I wanted to get in shape--I figured this would be a great new year's resolution.

February 2009

Got a promotion and a nice raise to go along with it.

March - April 2009

Pretty much routine days of work, home, work, home, an occasional night out, etc.

May 2009

I found a permanent place and am in the process of moving. To the beach. Try 1.5 blocks from the beach! For only $25 a month more than what I pay now! Plus it's a good deal larger (although still a studio). The place is in Ocean Beach (or OB to the locals) and it's San Diego's version of Venice Beach IMHO. Here's a link: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=San+Diego&state=CA&address=5053+Long+Branch

Our unit takes a day off once a year and goes on a field trip. Last year (before I got there), they went to Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla. This year we went to the flower fields, picked strawberries, and had lunch up in Carlsbad. The weather was mostly overcast, but it was still good day to be out. I wasn't to keen on looking at a bunch of flowers, but once I got there, it was actually pretty cool. The way the flowers are patterned by color are a photographer's dream and the site has a head on ocean view!! I tell you what, you ain't had no strawberries until you had vine-ripened ones straight from the field--forget Henry's, TJs or Whole Foods. These babies were the sweetest, juiciest berries I've ever tasted!!!

Here's one pic that we took--I'll post more when I get batteries for my camera so that I can access the others.

So that's pretty much it for me. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see everyone sometime over the summer--I know I can't wait to see Andy, Beth, and Jennah's new crib once it's finished!

Oh, and yes...I'm still doing the stair routine! Until next time...

P.S. Can anyone offer advice on how to get this thing to stop the funky spacing? The preview page and post page look totally different!!!

I'M BAACK (I THINK)!

2009-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody,

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009!

Second of all, I'm still in shock (happily) that America has elected it first black president. I know a lot of people don't see the significance of it, but you have to remember that blacks couldn't even vote legally in the U.S. until 1964! Add that on top of the sanctioned racism and social exclusion that blacks faced during most of the 20th century...and the reasons for the record turnout in voting amongst blacks and optimism for future generations of minorities and women that the country's highest glass ceiling has finally been broken explain themselves!!

My only hope is that people don't write him off because of his relative youth and give him a chance to begin to straighten out our seriously wounded economy, mend our strained international relations, and find a way to safely bring our troops home from Iraq & Afganistan.

Other than that, things continue to chug along here in San Diego. Since I haven't posted in a while, here's a short synopsis of what's been going on since my last entry:

NOVEMBER 2008

Went to a great concert at the House of Blues and saw Matisyahu, an orthodox Jewish rapper whose lyrics flow with a reggae beat; and Flotbots, a great alternative rap group with two high-energy front men and a really cute girl who plays the violin.

Spent Thanksgiving at the Cids' place. They've really done some impressive work on their home and Steve and Samantha are full-fledged teenagers! Geez, it seemed just like yesterday they were about yea (3-feet) high.

DECEMBER 2008

Helped the Favero's celebrate Ryan's first birthday. Of course, Ryan's skills as a ham continue to sharpen and I believe that he will use said skills on Mom & Dad in the future for lots of toys and money. It was very nice meeting all of Ryan's friends and his beloved babysitter, Miss Arlene. It was very cool to see the Norman's--hadn't seen them in a while--and Jennah's growing like a sprout!!

Christmas was spent at the Favero's and they had a lavish buffet of the traditional holiday meal. Unfortunately, I had to work the day after Christmas, so I made an early exit shortly after dinner.

JANUARY 2009

I rang in 2009 in the Gaslamp. It's so nice being able to be close enough to bars to walk home!!

Celebrated my 39th b-day with co-workers where we once again hit up the Gaslamp. I can't believe this will be the last year I'll get to say I'm 30-something!!! I'll be officially 40-and-over next year. Wow! Cindy gave me a really cool handmade quilt for my birthday which I was finally able to use last night as it was kinda chilly.

Watched the Chargers get stomped by the Steelers and their chances of a Super Bowl taken away. Good thing there's more to do here than football, otherwise there'd be some very depressed folks in SD!

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2009

For Super Bowl Sunday, I'm headed to a co-worker's place up in Ramona for a Super Bowl party. The party is an annual tradition for her and her husband and they usually go all out: pools, prizes, food, etc. Go Cardinals!!

My six-month lease will be up in March, so I've begun the search for a larger apartment. I love living downtown, but still have a strong urge of "go west young man", so the search will probably include the beach areas where there are some pretty decent places that I can find for very close to what I pay right now. Besides, there's a nice gas grill from Lowe's with my name on it, and I need a place to park it!!

For those of you still awake, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to for the past few months. I'm looking forward to new adventures and meeting new people throughout the year and hope to be able to hang out with y'all soon. I'd really like to be able to post some pics soon--the ones I really wanted to post from the concert were underdeveloped.

Until next time...

Home Sweet Home!

2008-09-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

What's this? Gary has two new posts in one week? Yep, I'm afraid so!

First, I finally found a permanent place to live!! What a huge relief! I found this really small studio in the East Village district of downtown which is a 10 minute walk to work (at a leisurely pace) and just a block away from some really cool bars, bistros, restaurants, an Albertson's supermarket, and of course, a slew of coffee shops including the venerable Starbucks.

As far as the setting, think South of Market (SoMa) in San Francisco or SoHo in NYC. It's got a real urban vibe to it with lots of new high rise condos and apartment buildings, funky retail stores, a couple of high-end tattoo parlors, it's three blocks east of San Diego's tourist trap--the Gaslamp Quarter, and three blocks north of Petco Park--the home of this season's pathetic baseball team--the Padres.

Trust me, my heart's still at the beach (I'm only 3 miles from it), but staying here will give me a chance to save some dough and the opportunity to enjoy stability for a while!

Second, I decided to upgrade to a BlackBerry Curve PDA and let me tell ya, this thing does everything but the kitchen sink. (It probably does that too, I just haven't reached that part of the owner's manual yet)! My second two-year contract with Sprint ends in November so I decided to splurge with both the new phone and new carrier--Verizon.

Third, I guess now as a single guy in the city, I'm gonna have to start working on a love life, and maybe, a post with some pictures included...

Ciao!

WTF?

2008-09-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

OK y'all, it's my turn to vent...

...about the recent bailout of AIG and Lehman Bros! I'm not an economist, but my business education stressed the importance of captalism and allowing the free hand of the market to determine who gets what and when. I think the US government is sending a terrible message to responsible people by bailing out these Wall Street organizations. Thanks to the mismanagement of their boards of directors and greed, these companies (along with others) are reaping the benefits of writing off all of their bad business practices and their CEOs are being allowed to walk away with tens of millions of dollars in severance packages for poor executive decisions! It's common knowledge that the largest corporations like Ford, Exxon, BofA, etc. have a strong hand in the control of the US government--I guess now they're revealing their true power and influence in who gets what and when...

I'm a capitalist at heart, but there are millions of regular, hard-working folks and retirees who lost a significant (and unrecoverable) portion of their nest eggs in an instant last week! These are the people who did everything right--lived within their means, saved money, and paid their taxes--and are now getting screwed! And don't get me started on the young kids today who are going to be saddled with this bailout debt (on top of what we already owe) as well as a possible diminished standard of living in the future because of some acts of greed done by banking/insurance execs today. Trust me, cause the media won't tell ya, but the fallout from this is mess is going to be scary!!!

Deep in my heart, I know the bailouts were a necessary evil; but why just bail out the Wall Street clowns? How about a bailout of the the average American family that's suffering due to outsourcing of jobs, higher cost of living and stagnant incomes, etc.? The responsible people who work everyday, raise their kids, pay their mortgages, taxes, etc.?

If I had a picture for a smiley face with a frown...that'd be my mood right now!

I'M BAAACK!

2008-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hey All You Blogger Hipsters!

After a short hiatus, I'm finally back with an update... First of all, I'd like to congratulate all of the participants in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. I especially would like to give props to our (American) teams and individuals for their gold medal performances. And that fish out of water - Michael Phelps, who broke Mark Spitz' record for the most golds won by a single athlete!

One of my new heroes is Henry Cejudo, a fellow Angeleno who won a gold medal in wrestling. Henry was so overcome by his accomplishment, he proceeded to wrap himself in an American flag while tearfully accepting his medal. Henry's parents are illegal immigrants from Mexico and despite an impoverished background, he managed to find his passion and excel at it. His story is at... www.latimes.com/la-spw-olywrestling20-2008aug20,0,7484793.story - 56k -.

Other than that, I'm officially part of the working force again (since August 18th) and loving it! I work as an investigator for the city's Equal Employment Investigations Office and collaborate with three other investigators to investigate discrimination claims made by any one of the city's 11,000 employees. This is my first gig in management, so I'm apprehensive as well as excited by the challenge of becoming a civil servant in my newly adopted home city!

A few weeks ago, I got to spend time with the family (Dad, Cindy, Steve, Deb, and Ryan) up in Solana Beach. It was good to see everyone again and get a few minutes of bodysurfing in as well. I even worked up the nerve to hold little Ryan. Now that I live in San Diego, I'm anticipating becoming more of an outdoorsman...with the weather, beautiful beaches, Mission Bay, getting into shape, and a few people that I work with into the more extreme stuff like surfing, kayaking and rock climbing who eagerly want to recruit new partners. Don't be surprised if my next blog is about me getting into shape for a mini-ironman competition! Until next time...

Ciao!

Earthquakes, You Rock!

2008-07-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

SoCal got hit with quite a tremor yesterday morning. An earthquake measuring 5.2 with the epicenter in/or near Chino Hills shook most of SoCal region and was felt as far away as Las Vegas. I was actually in the library (in SD) killing time shortly before noon when the building began to sway just every so slightly, but enough for us seasoned earthquake veterans to know what was going on. Fortunately, no books flew off any shelves, no people were injured, nobody panicked and it was business as usual a few minutes later. Out of all the natural disasters the SoCal region is prone to at one time or another--earthquakes are the ones I fear the most (and have an incredible respect for).

The last big one to hit us was the 1994 Northridge quake: this 6.7 monster was by far the worst and most terrifying of all the ones (mostly minor) I've experienced. It hit just after 4:30 a.m.; I was living in Venice Beach at the time and fully remember the ground shaking so violently as I lay in bed that I clearly thought the second floor of my apartment building would collapse on top of me! Even though I'm a somewhat heavy sleeper, I was jolted awake at the time it hit, bolted upright in bed and immediately knew this was no dream: I could hear the low rumble of the earth, car alarms shrieking outside, the 'pssst pop' sounds of transformers shorting out, and the squeak of my apartment building's walls as they moved to and fro under the strain of the quake. Luckily, all of my roommates and our building neighbors escaped injuries and damage to our apartments!

I knew it was going to be bad. And when the sun rose, the amount of destruction in the quake's wake was surreal--I couldn't believe it: there were entire spans of freeway overpasses that had collapsed, twisted and bent train rails, glass and brick facades on high-rise buildings that had been shaken loose and crashed onto vehcles on the street crushing them like tin cans, lots of terrified people standing in front of their homes too afraid to go back in for fear of aftershocks, and building after building after building either completely destroyed or on the verge of collapse.

However, the images and video taken from near the epicenter in the San Fernando Valley were unreal: streets with gaping cracks and holes stretching for blocks spewing water and fire at the same time due to ruptured underground water mains and natural gas pipelines, homes ablaze from those fires, the collapse of a section of the Bullock's (now Macy's) department store at Northridge Fashion Center, and the collapse of a three-story apartment building in Northridge--the upper two floors 'pancaking' onto the first floor. In the end, around 70 people died and nearly $12.5 billion dollars in damage was caused as a result of the quake. The fact that this powerful earthquake struck literally right under an area of 7 million people with so few casualties still amazes me to this day and is something I never again hope to experience! The experts stated at the time that the region was lucky in that the quake struck on a holiday and that if it had come later during the day, the death toll and number of injuries would have been catastrophic.

An interesting aside is that many L.A. based TV shows like Judge Judy were taping at the time of the quake. Channel 4, the local NBC affiliate, was broadcasting its regular live late-morning newscast as the quake hit and to their credit, the anchors showed incredible restraint and professionalism while commenting on whether it was in fact an earthquake they were experiencing even as the studio stage shook and overhead lights swayed!

Earthquakes naturally do rock!

I've Waited and Can Exhale! For A Cubicle??

2008-07-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well, after 9 months of unemployment, sending out 100s of resumes and online applications, trying to get onto every city and county job eligibility list I qualified for (8 at last count), attending non-productive job fairs, registering with and calling temp agencies on a weekly basis for jobs, and going on roughly 20 nerve-wracking interviews, I can finally say that the effort has finally paid off because:

TODAY I GOT AN OFFER FOR THE JOB FROM THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO!

The timing of the offer was incredible! I was scheduled to begin work at my old job on Wednesday and I was actually preparing for the drive tomorrow night from SD back to LA when one of the deputy directors called me this afternoon to make the offer. I accepted the offer of course; but still have to submit my fingerprints for the background check (and clearance) before I officially begin. I'm soooo relieved to have been offered the position and look forward to really taking advantage of living in San Diego.

I should add that I'm very grateful that my old employer was gracious enough to have me back and I was just ready to get back to work. Although my old job would have met my needs on a short-term basis as far as financial stability; the city job (which I've held my breath for since the first interview six weeks ago) offers financial stability, the opportunity for long-term career growth and development, and an office in downtown SD--which is the hub for the city's public transportation system (a system I plan on using daily given the high gas prices) and some pretty cool bars and restaurants--which will be very useful after a stressful day at the office!

Aside from learning how to survive on a third of my former salary over the past 9 months, I've also learned alot about patience and how for some reason things seem to work out just when they need too...

I would also like to take this time to give a serious shout out to my mom, Dave, my dad, Cindy, Steve (the tie worked), and Deb (the blog wallpaper is definitely me) for their support, encouragement and hospitality during my exxxtended period of unemployment and anxiety. Once I get settled, dinner's on me! So WHEW!!!

When It Rains It Pours!

2008-07-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Fans,

Pardon me for the lack of updates since my last post; but I forgot my password... Anyway, I got that straightened out and am back in action. Let's get right to it--I managed to snag a SECOND interview with the City of San Diego which I had last week! I think it went pretty well and the panel I interviewed with seemed like a really cool bunch. I'm soooooo glad the interview process is over and I should know whether I was selected by next Wednesday, the 23rd.

While waiting for interviews and job offers, I had the opportunity to work a couple more events including a welcome reception for 3,500 people in town for a biotech conference. Talk about a spectacular venue; it was held on board the USS Midway, a decommissioned ship that now serves as a museum. The reception was on the top deck of the ship which had panoramic views of San Diego Bay and the entertainment was based on a 1940s-South Pacific theme with a jazz swing band, USO singers, and hula dancers. Add a fantastic sunset and fireworks show--I was just speechless. And don't get me started on the food...asian inspired goodies like grilled salmon, a beef stir-fry dish, and coconut-milk ice cream. MMMMM.

The following week I worked as a server at a new Sheraton hotel resort in Carlsbad. The luncheon was held on an outdoor patio which had sweeping views of the ocean and the resort grounds were absolutely incredible! While I was blown away, one of the hotel staff told me that I should see the grounds of the Four Seasons La Costa which is another hoity-toity resort/spa located a few hills south of the Sheraton...maybe I'll get an opportunity to do that soon.

Meanwhile, the same week of my scheduled second interview with the City, one of my past employers offered me my old job back with a very favorable salary. Wow, when it rains, it poors! Ciao.

My Week of Soccer, Food, and Questions

2008-06-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last week was very busy indeed! I finally began receiving interviews from the 15 or so restaurants I had applied to the week after Memorial Day! Two interviews were from one restaurant in the Gaslamp for a busser position. The other two interviews were for a server position at a restaurant in the San Diego Zoo! The tourist attractions are gearing up for the summer season and have been recruiting additional staff to help with what will hopefully be a busy season.

I don't think I got the busser position. The Zoo position 1st interview was last Friday at 1:00 pm. I got a call for the second interview at 4:45 pm the same day. The 2nd interview (on Saturday) went well I think; and the GM says he'll be calling the chosen candidates this Thursday.

I also managed to get a gig with an event planning company I registered with as well. Last Wednesday night, I worked as a hamburger/sausage and bun assembler for a small food stand at the soccer match between Mexico and Argentina at Qualcomm Stadium. It was VERY busy! I later learned that the stadium set an attendance record for the match; 68,500 fans watched Argentina win 4-1 over Mexico. We easily served a couple hundred orders of hamburgers, chicken tenders with fries, and bratwursts.

I was also notified last Friday that I was selected to be interviewed for a position with the City of San Diego. That interview is scheduled for Tuesday, the 17th and can't come sooner!

Until next time...

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

2008-05-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day and cities across the country (including SD) are taking time to honor the brave men and women who have served and/or given their lives in the armed forces to defend the freedom that we as Americans take for granted every day. It's my hope that the people who follow the insipid dance, song, and other worthless reality shows on TV devote the same amount of time to investigate the bigger issues, i.e. the recent rise in gas and food prices, the upcoming presidential election, and our progress in the Iraq war as they do in voting on who's the next American Idol...

Just got back to SD this afternoon and thanks to the cloudy weather and high gas prices, the city's attractions, particularly the beaches, were just about empty today according to the local news reports. The reality of folks scaling back their travel plans over the holiday weekend is not a myth... As a matter of fact, the lifeguards that patrol the Mission Beach area reported that they didn't write ONE ticket today for alcohol consumption on one of the most busiest weekends for them outside of July 4th and Labor Day! Seems that recent ban on drinking on the beach has been somewhat effective.

Anyway, this week I plan on hitting all of the restaurants who have posted job openings and try to get a job. I have a written examination appointment this Saturday at 8:00 am for a position with San Diego County. As of today, I am on the eligibility list for 6 San Diego City positions and 1 SD County job. Although being unemployed is a real drag, I can't imagine a better place to be in my situation--something about the seabreezes seem soooo relaxing in what's turning out to be a very stressful situation!

I'M BACK!

2008-05-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Got back to CA last Thursday after a 3-day bus ride across country! That's the last time I do that! Anyway, spending the weekend with Dad, Cindy, Steve, Deb, and Little Ryan and will return to San Diego either Sunday or Monday (Memorial Day). Gas has surpassed $4 per gallon in many parts of the country; and as a result, most people are planning Memorial Day trips close to home.

I've got some hustling to do this week and would like to find a job in a restaurant by next week. I have a written test with San Diego County for an Appraiser Trainee position next Saturday! We'll see how long it takes for the County to notify me of my pass or failure of the test.

Until next time...

These guys have guts!!

2008-04-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

I admire these guys for going forward with their projects in the midst of the economic slow-down!!

http://www.theshoppesatchinohills.com/ and http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/

Looking forward to being able to visit once I find work!

2008-04-29T08:40:00.001-07:00