Trying to Find the Balance
Me & The Kids. Me & God. House work & Fun. Exercise & Relax. Eat & Weight. Saving money & Spending money.

You'd think by now I'd have this stuff figured out. Whenever I think I've found that point of equilibrium*plink* a straw gets added to one side and things shift. I don't expect everything to be smooth and hunky dory all the time, but It seems to take more effort to adjust and find that point of balance. I'm assuming age has something to do with it.

Lately my biggest struggle has been with living my life how I want versus how I think god wants me to live. The last few days I've begun realizing that it's not god putting this expectation on me, it's me. I often feel like I should be more involved with the church and helping those that are struggling to make it through each day. I try to get involved with a variety of fund raising but I feel I should be more hands on. Whenever an opportunity comes up, I always find an excuse (work, other commitments). So I've set a goal to be a part of some charity event by the end of the year. I'll keep you posted on my progress....

Ready for Routine

This Week
Well I spent this week in SoCal supporting the implementation of our new market software at work and it went very well, better than anyone expected. A long week with long days. I'm headed home at the end of my shift this morning, can't wait to get some sleep in my own bed...

Weekend Plans
Tickets to the Folsom Symphony tonight after dinner at a great Frech resturaunt (Bidwell Street Bistro) with friends. A nice end to a long week.

Bbq dinner and catching up with a close friend Sunday.

Should be recharged and ready for another long week - 84 hours in 8 days.

Looking Forward
Now that the long march to launch the software is over, I'm ready for a year or two of monotony, routine, boredom. I hope things stay calm enough that we get to actually have days off again. Catch our breaths. See friends and family. Enjoy life.

I bought a "mini season" package (12 games) to the Sacramento Rivercats this year, and I'm looking forward to nine innings with a good dog and a beer. First game is April 9th. I really enjoy baseball at a stadium, have a harder time watching a whole game on tv. And since baseball is played during the warmer months, the scenery at the games is better ;)

Ready to take the kayak out again. Hoping I can start a routine of going out 1-2 times a week. It's so peaceful you can't help but let go of the daily stress.

Now that we're back to the sane way to set our clocks, I'm looking forward to evening bbq's and watching the sun set with a glass of wine. Or two.

Taking the kids to see Journey on May 23rd. They both like Journey and are as excited as I am to see them. Not sure if they realize how many old fogies will be there....

Until next time.

Life & Work Balance

So I have a good job that pays well and I actually like the people I work with (except for one certain Wizard of Oz freak), and I really like living in the Sac area. So life is grand. Or at least it should be. I get a large amount of satisfaction from the work I do (Electrical utility control room type stuff - big video walls, lots of computers, athough no windows ((the glass kind)))  but lately I'm not as happy with the company itself. Since this is a pretty specialized field, there is quite a bit of opportunity to move to other utilities. Depending on how picky you are with where you live, you can usually get a job offer with just a few phone calls.

There have been job postings lately in the Pacific North-West that are tempting because I love the coast and the cooler weather, plus they're smaller organizations. More than once I have started updating my resume but never submit it.  A big reason is the area I live in. I'm only 5 - 7 minutes from work, there is a lot of water and trees around and plenty of outdoor activities. The community is very clean with a very low crime rate and a short drive to Tahoe, Napa, SF, and dozens of local wineries in the surrounding foothills. Often times I will get in the car and go for a drive just to take in all the scenery. Ahhh........

Another BIG reason are these 16 and 21 year olds, running around here using my last name. I guess that's actually two reasons. They are getting to the age where they are busy with their own lives, but we still see each other a lot. Sometimes we even talk to each other. Occasionally hugging occurs. It almost makes all the practices, games, swim meets, homework, field trips, and allowances seem worth it.

When we moved from SoCal to NorCal almost 9 years ago they where willing and somewhat eager to move (not that they had any choice mind you) but If I head North, I'll be going alone this time. I'm not opposed to striking out on my own, but my Daughter just turned 16 and I want to hang around for a few more years. She's just getting to the age where I can really enjoy making her roll her eyes from the things I say or do - especially when there are boys around ;)

Basically I was spoiled when I first took my current job. The company was young with lots of challenges in getting everything working halfway smoothly. Lots of opportunities (read things not working) to jump in and contribute. A nice change from my previous workplace was that the management listened to our opinions and was very receptive to new ways of doing things. And they were pretty open about how we were doing as a company. Not so much anymore. We all know how the company is doing (not so well actually) but now when management communicates it's obvious they're selling rose colored glasses. And don't you dare suggest the emperor is not wearing any clothes. He's quite proud of his new wardrobe.

There were, and still are, things that needed to improve but I don't feel as though they value or respect us for our contribution at the end of each day like they used to. It used to seem much more like a family. Most of the original management that stood next to us as we struggled to move the company forward has left, so of course the current management doesn't have the same relationship with us or the company.

And I'm rambling. And not making much sense. But it does feel good to vent. I'll probably delete this post in a few days when I've gotten more sleep, reread this and remember how lucky I am to have such a good job. So enjoy it while it lasts.

Tune in next time when I see how many pictures I can upload before the server chokes.

Miss me much??

Well it's been suggested by a certain someone ~ Cheri~ that I'm not posting often enough to my blog.  I don't know, I guess it depends on your measuring stick. The way I look at it I've posted 300%, actually 400% with this post, more than in 2007. I wish I could say that about my 401k.....

But Cheri's right, I've been remiss in my posting so I'm making a goal to post a minimum of once a week for the rest of the year.  After all I browse dozens of blogs on a weekly basis, it's only fair I pay a little back. So thank you Cheri for the swift kick to my rear. Thank goodness you weren't wearing the ruby reds....

I'll post a new entry tonight (with pictures even!) on the dilemma of work and living locale

Summer Time Weather

I love this time of year in Northern California, warm days and cool nights. I can leave the windows open all day & night, the Spring allergies are gone, my dog has shed her Winter coat, the trees are offering up their shade, and the flowers are in full bloom. Life is good. As long as I leave the TV off and don't pick-up a newspaper. Politics, wars, earthquakes, floods.... . I try to keep it all in perspective, give thanks and make sure I appreciate what I have and where I am.

I'm headed up to Vancouver and Seattle this week for business and pleasure, and am excited to get back to the Pacific North-West. I really enjoy the cooler weather, the water and all the vegetation. When my Daughter graduates from High school I plan on doing some job hunting up there. Of course in the ensuing 2 years much can happen, so we'll have to see where this adventure takes me. I still love living in the Sacramento area, still so much to explore and we have a fair amount of water here also. I need to be near water, over the last few years I've gotten in to kayaking, but even more than that bodies of water are essential for my inner peace. If I could I would love to have a small place on or near the coast, I love the sound of the surf and the cool misty air. Problem is I would never get any work done. I get very relaxed and tend to sit around reading or go for long walks on the beach, and not doing much else. I'll just have to get a small condo or apartment with no yard to take care of, just a small patio for a BBQ and some chairs. Now if I could just win the lottery........ but I've heard you have to play to win, so I better start buying some tickets.

Well it's a beautiful Saturday waiting to be enjoyed, so until next time,

John

Wow, what a demanding bunch.....

Jeez, and here I thought this was MY blog, someplace to vent frustrations, share news with friends and family, kind of like a journal. But NOOO, now I have one more responsibility to add to my list. I didn't know anyone besides a few friends would even read this thing (how did so many people find it?? I didn't send anything out... :-/ ). Anyways I've been busy with the kids and finishing up projects around the house while the weather been cooler. Since I sit in front of a computer so much at work, I tend to avoid them when I'm off. Now that I know so many of you are waiting with bated (yes it's spelled right) breath, I'll make an effort to make at least 1 posting a week....

Recent Going Ons

My Daughter got her permit recently, so now I have a chauffeur whenever she's over. We had been practicing at the local college and business park before she got her permit, so she's actually doing pretty well. Only a few butt-puckering incidents so far, but we were able to walk away without any damage (except for Dad's nerves), so all's well. She has the calendar marked for the day she's eligible to get her license, and has let her Mom and Dad know she intends to be at the DMV waiting for the doors to open. Then it's - See Ya. I don't know what she thinks she's going to drive. She keeps "finding" cars that we could buy for her. Poor thing, she's so delusional. It's really kind of sad. Her Brother was in no hurry to get his license, he had a go-ped so he could get around on his own, and he didn't want the responsibility of a car. Of course that changed once dating got more serious than meeting at Carl's Jr. . And of course being a good caring Father, I took this opportunity to point out this was only the first of many changes a female would cause in his life ;-)

My last Photoshop class was last Tuesday (5/20), so no more late nights trying to finish the assignments. I learned quite a bit and am able to use many of the tools in the program, but damn she gave us a lot of work. I think the problem was mostly my attitude (gee, where I have i heard that before??) since I didn't really care about a grade, I just wanted to learn how to use the program. Next time I'll take the pass/fail option, so there will be less pressure to complete all the assignments on time. But it was fun to finally know what all those tools can do, and to let my creative side come out. At work it's so intense and timeline driven, it's a nice change.

I've enjoyed photography since I was about 9 years old. I took photo class all through High School, and even in college. Once we started a family I didn't have or make as much time to continue shooting pictures, besides family activities. I've rediscovered the pleasure of just going out and wandering around taking pictures. Digital camera's definitely make it easier and even more fun. I'll post a few pictures in the future.

Well it's back to work tomorrow, so I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my day off.

Adios,

John

My First Blog...

Well after enjoying reading other blog's (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ & http://cheripryor.blogspot.com) I became inspired to try my hand at it. I know I don't have as interesting a life as the PW or Cheri (Thank God..) but it should be fun. At least for me. I figure it'll be a good escape and excuse to play on the computer since I have so much free time ;)

Now let's see how long it takes for me to make a second post.....