Every few months or so I notice that I start to get to feel restless. There is usually no major cause for feeling this way but it creeps up through me and seeps in to pester me for a few weeks. Usually what it centers around is work and career related issues. I never wanted to be the person that sort of accidently settles into something and ends up doing that for the rest of their lives without really enjoying it. I am sure everyone feels this way but it is depressing to think of spending so much of your life doing something you don't really like doing. The problem is, I can never seem to figure out what exactly it is I want to do. Everytime I hear someone say to follow your dreams and don't let anything stand in your way blah blah blah it annoys me because what is it you do when you don't know what your dreams are? Knowing my passion would make things a whole lot easier.
What I do know is that I am awful at paperwork. I seriously suck at it. My attention to detail waivers at best and I get bored and zone out quite frequently. Even though that is the main part of what I am doing now, I have to learn all of the steps and procedures from the bottom up in order to advance into a management position. I don't know if this is really what I want to do, but I won't know that until I start doing it. Sometimes I really just want things figured out but I know as soon as that happens, give me a few months and I won't be satisfied with that either. I don't like being stuck in an office all day and what I like best about my job is when I get to leave and have to run bids or get plans and whatnot. Perhaps a career at UPS is in my future.
Ok enough of my moaning and groaning. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers.
Tuesday, March 27
Monday, March 26
Life lately
So it seems that lately I have had a lot of friends and family members have been taking leaps into adulthood. My sister and one of my best friends will soon be getting married, another good friend recently got engaged, my friend Annie just today found out she is pregnant, Kendall is going to be buying a house and everyone is getting a puppy. To me purchasing real estate, getting married and espcially having children is what older people and real adults do and it is weird that everyone around me is starting to get to that point in their lives.
I on the otherhand feel like I am moving in the opposite direction. I have always been a bit of a late bloomer in certain aspects of my life. In high school I focused on sports so I didn't do much socially, never even kissed a guy until after high school. In college I had a couple of very close friends that I spent most of my time with but I was never went out much or did the whole college party scene thing. So I am not sure if I am making up for lost time now, but I know I have been having a lot of fun lately that perhaps most 26 year olds have already gotten out of their systems (at least among many of my friends). Sometimes I think maybe I should be more mature and not stay up all hours of the night drinking and playing asshole, but then I think there is plenty of time to be adult and right now I need to just relax about it and have a good time.
It still nags at me though when a lot of my friends are moving on to the more adult stage in their lives because even though I love them, we have less in common than we once did. I don't have that strong desire to be married and have children yet though, the thought of that still freaks me out. Maybe like a lot of things in my life, that will come to me later than most people and I am content to take the slower road in life.
I on the otherhand feel like I am moving in the opposite direction. I have always been a bit of a late bloomer in certain aspects of my life. In high school I focused on sports so I didn't do much socially, never even kissed a guy until after high school. In college I had a couple of very close friends that I spent most of my time with but I was never went out much or did the whole college party scene thing. So I am not sure if I am making up for lost time now, but I know I have been having a lot of fun lately that perhaps most 26 year olds have already gotten out of their systems (at least among many of my friends). Sometimes I think maybe I should be more mature and not stay up all hours of the night drinking and playing asshole, but then I think there is plenty of time to be adult and right now I need to just relax about it and have a good time.
It still nags at me though when a lot of my friends are moving on to the more adult stage in their lives because even though I love them, we have less in common than we once did. I don't have that strong desire to be married and have children yet though, the thought of that still freaks me out. Maybe like a lot of things in my life, that will come to me later than most people and I am content to take the slower road in life.
Thursday, March 22
Sweet Sixteen
Play resumes tonight in the NCAA men's tournament so I thought I would update everyone on the current standings:
1 - Ed (39 wins)
2 - Tennesse (38 wins)
3 - Mark (36 wins)
Kendall (36 wins)
4 - Marty (34 wins)
5 - Mike (32 wins)
Kasey (32 wins)
6 - Vince (30 wins)
7 - Susan (27 wins)
Ed and Tennesse have very different picks from here on out so we will see who pulls ahead.
By the way for those of you who were out last night, I have updated my myspace to reflect my current "interests", enjoy.
1 - Ed (39 wins)
2 - Tennesse (38 wins)
3 - Mark (36 wins)
Kendall (36 wins)
4 - Marty (34 wins)
5 - Mike (32 wins)
Kasey (32 wins)
6 - Vince (30 wins)
7 - Susan (27 wins)
Ed and Tennesse have very different picks from here on out so we will see who pulls ahead.
By the way for those of you who were out last night, I have updated my myspace to reflect my current "interests", enjoy.
Wednesday, March 21
MWC
So after a lot of hard work by everyone Mark Wilson Construction have finally moved into our new office and warehouse. My dad has been in business for over 10 years now and I greatly admire all that he has accomplished during that period of time. He started out in the valley business incubator, then moved the office to the house, upgraded to renting an office in an office park and now he has purchased his own office with a warehouse and equipment yard. I have been able to witness him and his business at all stages and I am proud that I am now a part of the company. I am going to have to take some classes from Fresno State on plan reading and project management in the near future and continue on the job training and although I am not sure I am going to stay here for the duration, I am lucky to be able to learn business in a hands on enviornment. My first project was to oversee the rennovation of the new office and I think that went pretty well. I am also really happy to have my own office so I can rock out or listen to NPR at a loud volume and I can get online without having to be paranoid that someone is going to come up behind me while I look up pictures of merkins. All good things. Life is going ok!
Thursday, March 15
Aww Puppies!
Jack
Lucy
Lucy
My sister and my best friend both recently added new members to their families in the form of adorable 4 legged furry creatures. My sisters dog is the black and grey pup whose name is Jack (named after jack daniels naturally) and the little white one is probably going to be named Lucy and she is melissas little gal. Everyone saw awwww.
Tuesday, March 13
Shop Goodwill
As someone who likes to shop and find a bargain, I have really grown fond of the website Shopgoodwill. It is basically the same concept as Ebay but the money you spend goes to a better cause then someone's pocket. Makes shopping more guilt free, and you can find funky unique items for cheap!
Monday, March 12
March Madness
First rounds of play for the NCAA Mens Tournament start on March 15th. This in my opinion one of the best sporting events of the year. Anyone interested on making some wagers and getting a pool together? You can print out a bracket here.
Thursday, March 8
How to Enjoy a Boring Movie
Thursday mornings are usually a little rough for me so I thought I would post something light that could also be helpful to anyone who has had to suffer through a god awful boring movie (Ewok Adventure anyone?). Check out these suggestions.
See Adam, I am already doing better than Kendall.
See Adam, I am already doing better than Kendall.
Tuesday, March 6
LA Marathon
This past Sunday I ran my second full marathon in Los Angeles. I finished 4,810 out of 26,000 runners with a time of 4:43. Before the anemia came up my goal was 4:30 so I didn't quite make that, but in light of the circumstances I did ok. I can honestly say that I had absolutely nothing left in me at the end of the race and it was the best I could have done so I am relatively pleased. I will be running another one in the fall so hopefully by then I will be able to run the race healthier than I am now and improve my time.
As I am hobbling around these last few days more than a few people have asked me why I would want to do something like that to myself. Well maybe I am slightly nuts or perhaps a glutton for punishment or both but I sincerely enjoy both training for and running races. When I first decided I wanted to run this marathon I was living in Austin and was going through a hard time. I was really depressed for a few weeks and I knew I needed to pull myself out of it. I thought that if I had a goal to strive for it might help distract me and keep me from being so down on myself. I decided that running another marathon would be my best option and I threw myself into training. For the last month I was living in Austin I would wake up at 4:45 am and run in the morning and then after work I would run again. Slowly I started to feel better. All of the hours I spend on the road I fully enjoy because I am able to turn on my ipod and daydream or just completely zone out. For me running is equally good for me physically and mentally. If I am having a hard day, going for a run always improves my mood.
So why a marathon? Well it is a challenge and I like to be challenged. If you have never been to a marathon as either a participant or spectator I would reccomend you do so. Go to about mile 22 when people are really struggling, grimmacing in pain and wondering if they are going to be able to finish. At that point for a lot of runners it is no longer about physical conditioning but it is pure mental strength and willpower that keeps them going. See them again at the finish line and they may still be in a lot of pain but you also see their pride. At one point I was having a great deal of pain in my hips and I stopped to bend over because that was the only way I was able to get any relief. As soon as I had, two runners and spectator told me to keep going and encouraged me not to stop. Now dont't get me wrong I had no intentions of stopping, but the fact that they saw I was struggling and took the time to say a few words to support me meant a great deal.
Thats the other reason I love races, it reminds me that people are still nice and good in this world. You cover a lot of neighborhoods when you run 26.2 miles and there are spectators cheering you on the entire way. We didn't know them, they didn't know us but they clapped and cheered when we ran by. For a good portion of the race we ran through neighborhoods that were not considered the good parts of town. The houses were older and run down and the people who lived there didn't look like they had a great deal of money, but they were the best spectators throughout the entire race. Many of them were handing out orange slices to the runners they thenselves had provided. Some had their hoses on and were spraying the runners going by and the kids would line up with big grins and their hands out so you could give them a high five as you ran by. It sometimes suprises me how helpful and supportive people can be to a complete strangers, but having that support is priceless when you are the one running, especially when you struggle.
Don't get me wrong though, marathons are not all puppies and rainbows. There was the hour long line to use the porta potty at the start of the race because some genius decided that 5o porta poties would be enough for 26,000 runners. There was the poorly constructed finish line that was clogged with people because there wasn't enough room for everyone. And there was the walk to the family reunion area that was at least a football field in length, uphill. Oh yeah and then there is the pain. But aside from the minor annoyances, I am damn sure glad I did it and I am damn sure going to do it again.
As I am hobbling around these last few days more than a few people have asked me why I would want to do something like that to myself. Well maybe I am slightly nuts or perhaps a glutton for punishment or both but I sincerely enjoy both training for and running races. When I first decided I wanted to run this marathon I was living in Austin and was going through a hard time. I was really depressed for a few weeks and I knew I needed to pull myself out of it. I thought that if I had a goal to strive for it might help distract me and keep me from being so down on myself. I decided that running another marathon would be my best option and I threw myself into training. For the last month I was living in Austin I would wake up at 4:45 am and run in the morning and then after work I would run again. Slowly I started to feel better. All of the hours I spend on the road I fully enjoy because I am able to turn on my ipod and daydream or just completely zone out. For me running is equally good for me physically and mentally. If I am having a hard day, going for a run always improves my mood.
So why a marathon? Well it is a challenge and I like to be challenged. If you have never been to a marathon as either a participant or spectator I would reccomend you do so. Go to about mile 22 when people are really struggling, grimmacing in pain and wondering if they are going to be able to finish. At that point for a lot of runners it is no longer about physical conditioning but it is pure mental strength and willpower that keeps them going. See them again at the finish line and they may still be in a lot of pain but you also see their pride. At one point I was having a great deal of pain in my hips and I stopped to bend over because that was the only way I was able to get any relief. As soon as I had, two runners and spectator told me to keep going and encouraged me not to stop. Now dont't get me wrong I had no intentions of stopping, but the fact that they saw I was struggling and took the time to say a few words to support me meant a great deal.
Thats the other reason I love races, it reminds me that people are still nice and good in this world. You cover a lot of neighborhoods when you run 26.2 miles and there are spectators cheering you on the entire way. We didn't know them, they didn't know us but they clapped and cheered when we ran by. For a good portion of the race we ran through neighborhoods that were not considered the good parts of town. The houses were older and run down and the people who lived there didn't look like they had a great deal of money, but they were the best spectators throughout the entire race. Many of them were handing out orange slices to the runners they thenselves had provided. Some had their hoses on and were spraying the runners going by and the kids would line up with big grins and their hands out so you could give them a high five as you ran by. It sometimes suprises me how helpful and supportive people can be to a complete strangers, but having that support is priceless when you are the one running, especially when you struggle.
Don't get me wrong though, marathons are not all puppies and rainbows. There was the hour long line to use the porta potty at the start of the race because some genius decided that 5o porta poties would be enough for 26,000 runners. There was the poorly constructed finish line that was clogged with people because there wasn't enough room for everyone. And there was the walk to the family reunion area that was at least a football field in length, uphill. Oh yeah and then there is the pain. But aside from the minor annoyances, I am damn sure glad I did it and I am damn sure going to do it again.