Category: me

Late

After my last post, I realized I forgot to post about the trip to Phoenix. Oops. hehe

It was hot! Ok, all done.  j/k

Yeah, it was hot but at least they have A/C. You basically go from a/c to a/c to pool to a/c. Tangent/ We had thought of taking Cooper with us but it was so hot I know we’d had to leave him in the empty condo most of the time anyway. I don’t think he would have done well at all. /tangent  The nights weren’t that bad actually. Oh, it was still hot but it was easier to handle and there was usually a light breeze blowing. I was totally bummed I missed the big haboob that hit right after we left. Well it was a thunderstorm that caused a haboob. Either way, I was not amused to have missed it. I love me some violent thunderstorms.

Pool parties are the big thing in PHX apparently. It sure as hell isn’t the bars. For such a large city, the gay bars are reminiscent of a small town. I’ve been down with Shawn several times now and each time we’ve checked out different bars. Most were a disappointment. Several seemed to have potential but it just seems like not as many folks go out. No the pool parties on the other hand are the shit. We squeezed in several and they range from intimate gatherings of 6-10 people to mega shindigs in the 100s.  If you have a pool, you tend to be popular.

Anway, the trip was part work, part fun.  We were actually worried we’d be bored alot. We managed to fill a lot of the time with things to do and only got on each others nerves a couple times. Shawn’s dad came down to help us do work on the condo. Shawn has decided to sell it and it needs a little work to tidy it up for sale. No single major project but lots of little ones. Shawn’s dad was such a trooper and helped us quite a bit. I’m always envious of their relationship. It was something I never had with my dad. Seeing his dad miss and help him so much was very heart-warming. Sadly, we only got about 1/3 of the projects done. hehehe.

We spent a lot of time in the car, which was my only real complaint. Part of my love for SF is you rarely need a car. In Phoenix a car is a must. Everything pretty much requires a trip in the car. Breakfast? Car. Starbucks? Car. Dinner? Car. Pool party? Car. You get the drift. I think a lot of places are still like that so I’m not picking on poor Phoenix. It was jus very noticeable since we spent a whole week this time.

Everyone kept saying we picked the worst time to visit and that the weather is so much nicer in the fall/winter months. We are going back over the Xmas/NYE break so I’ll get a chance to verify said ‘better weather’. heehee

Of course, the last couple weeks here have been on and off heat waves. Nineties in the city several days in a row!

Work

There has been some major drama at work lately. While I was gone on the PHX trip, 3 of our union chapter officers resigned. There are only 5 positions. (I leave for a week and all hell breaks loose apparently. Oy!)

Frankly, the whole mess was completely counter-productive to our goals. It has already set us back on several ongoing critical negotiations w/management. While I won’t be fleshing out the details, the point is I got drafted to be the acting chief steward again. If you read with any frequency, you’ll remember I chose not to run in the last election. After 12 years, I needed a break. And the break has been nice. I show up to work with no cares. [1]I realize the irony in thinking just handling life/death calls is less stressful than my Union duties. I only have to be responsible for myself and I’ve loved it. But, we have to have a functioning chapter. If we don’t, we give up a lot. It is my hope that more folks will step up for the interim elections for the 3 positions vacated.

One of my continuing frustrations from within is the lack of support. Many employees think because they pay dues that absolves them from any involvement. WRONG! A union is only as strong as it’s members. Members that work together toward common goals are capable of changing just about anything. Sadly, it just isn’t that case in my department. There is a lot of infighting and conspiracies. It borders on high-school to be honest.

I think part of the problem is the chapter doesn’t communicate well to its members. We put out meeting notes from one of our monthly meetings from management but that is just a snapshot. There is so much more going on behind the scenes. The antics aside, it is human nature to fill in details with guesswork when we don’t understand. I get it. People need to know what is going on.

I’m left with the choice of stepping down again after the interim election in a couple months or stepping up for a bigger position. I have time to think it over. Part of me wants to go back to being just a member. No worries, no cares, just work and go home. I did my time and then some. It is somebody else’s turn. Then the other part of me sees the big picture and really wants to step up to see if I can really make a difference. I have no idea what I’m going to do. Maybe someone else strong will run and I won’t have to. Yeah yeah, that’s it. I’m totally sure that will happen.

References

References
↑1 I realize the irony in thinking just handling life/death calls is less stressful than my Union duties.

Question

I’m playing catchup on some of my emails. I got asked why I only use one-word titles for my posts.

Answer: I think I’ve mentioned it here before but it is mainly because it helps deter the naughty bots and junk comments. Such a minor change made a huge dent in the number of fake comments I have to moderate. Who knew, right? Yes, I know I don’t get the best optimization for my posts that way. That is what categories and tags are supposed to do. Yet, I so often forget to add tags too. Ooops! Oh well, I never set out to be the most popular kid on the block so I don’t mind. Besides, I find my comments elsewhere on the net that link back to my blog often bring in more quality readers than SEO crap ever did. [1]That sentence sounds awful when I read it. I wonder how many grammar rules I broke there Another reason is I get soooo annoyed when I get baited into clicking an article based on a bogus headline. I routinely won’t even read articles from the worst offending sites. One word titles avoids that completely.

Question: What happened to the private part of your blog?

Answer: I stopped updating it mostly. All the old stuff is still there, I just haven’t added anything new lately.

Question: Do you ever plan on doing more videos like you used to?

Answer: Wow, you must be a glutton for punishment. It has been a while since I did a vlog update. I used to use my laptop cam and now that I’m rarely on my laptop, it just hasn’t occurred to me. You’d think having a phone that does top-notch video I’d be all over it. I guess I’m behind the curve on that one. I rarely take out my phone to "film stuff" like I see a lot of people randomly doing. If I’m being honest, I get really annoyed when I see people taking pictures or videos of an emergency instead of calling for help or you know actually helping! Maybe that has prevented me from embracing the video everything movement. I’ll try to do a vlog soon though. Thanks for the reminder.

Ok, I’m all caught up now. *whew*

References

References
↑1 That sentence sounds awful when I read it. I wonder how many grammar rules I broke there

Mundane

I’ve gotten more than a few requests lately about how well the personal life is going. I’ve also gotten a couple alarmed messages asking if I had quit blogging. And I got one very sweet email from a long time friend. (Brian, I’m getting to your email I promise!)

On the home front, things are good. Actually, things are awesome. My life is on a good streak right now! Things with Shawn and I are excellent. Of course, life is pretty simple most days. We work, we come home, play video games, eat, sleep, repeat. It’s mundane bliss. hehehe. In other news, Shawn recently went permanent with his job and got a fat raise with stock options. He is very happy to finally have the weight of being a contract employee off his mind. And they’ve let him know recently how much they appreciate him as well. He has begun to settle into the company and be a part of it vs just going to work at a job.

As I mentioned previously, I’m finally debt free. I’m working to keep it that way too. I caught up on 6 years worth of back taxes and I’m getting money back. The checks have started to roll in. Apparently, they send you a check for every year instead of one check. I owed California for a couple years and sure enough, I got 3 checks and a bill. hehehe But the stress and worry over that is gone. Yay!

Cooper is still sassy as ever. His daily worries revolve around food, treats, and how often he can sneak up on the coach. His ever present skin issue has him back on antibiotics for awhile. Beyond that, Daddy is trying to stay on top of keeping his nose, ears, and tail clean and stink-free.

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No, I haven’t quit blogging. I’ve just been super busy this last month. I’m still here. I don’t always blather about insignificant topics like I used to as they usually end up on social media. I save the blog for lengthy rants. My long time friend Brian recently sent me a very heart-warming email about his experience w/my blog over the years. Almost made me cry. I’m glad that people enjoy coming here for my nonsense. Lawd knows I’ve come a loooooong way in the last 11 years of doing this. As always, I write first for me but I also write knowing others read what I share. This has never been a popularity contest and hopefully never will be. I seem to be one of only a few left from the old blog crew though. I miss some of the other blogs.

So there you have it. A down and dirty update. More to come.

Free

Are you sitting down? Are you sure?!

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For the first time in over 15 years, yours truly is 100% debt free! Yes, you read it right, debt free!

I can’t even tell you have good it feels to be out from under my debt load. I came close once about 10 years ago but this time I made it all the way. I had to sell the land my dad left me to do it, [1]I sold it to my nephew but I finally did it. Back when I got close last time, I said I wouldn’t get into debt again. Well, easier said than done. I got way behind for a variety of very valid reasons. I say valid to clarify I wasn’t going on shopping sprees.

I mentioned a while back I got a consolidation loan from my credit union. That helped on the interest a lot, but I still wanted out of it. My brother reached out to me at just the right time to inquire if I’d be willing to sell my share of the land to his son. Fast forward, a few months and the paperwork is complete, money transferred, and my bills are all paid off.

But wait! There’s more! I also recently caught up on 6 years of back income taxes. And, I’m getting money back! I know, I know, your saying "Moby, how the hell did you get behind 6 years of IRS taxes?" Well, it is a long story and we can save that nut and crack it open on a rainy day. I also procrastinated the last couple years more than anything. I was afraid I’d get hammered and so kept putting it off. I didn’t want Shawn to be tied to anything like that in the future so I finally bit the bullet and booked an appointment to get the bad news. I went to a local H&R Block office prepared for the worst. I just knew I was gonna walk out owing thousands of dollars. It didn’t help that a series of errors had already delayed the appointment several times. [2]Including the original guy I booked with died! I was beginning to worry even more as if the universe was sending me a signal.

Let me just tell you Jim from H&R Block really saved my bacon! He wasn’t judgy or rude. He was actually an absolute dream to deal with and put me at ease almost immediately. He said it happens a lot and I shouldn’t beat myself up over it. He then spent the next 3 1/2 hours helping me find deductions I didn’t realize I could deduct. They really do try to get you a refund. lol We had a lot of time to chit chat and I discovered he’d been doing taxes for H&R Block for just over 30 years. (Actually, all 3 of the tax preparers were all easily in their 60’s). He went thru each return methodically and never once made me feel like I was wasting his time.

Even after forking over a hefty payment, I’m getting a nice fat check back! (Six years, state and federal, 12 returns) I walked out emotionally exhausted. lol Needless to say, I’ll be booking with Jim for my 2015 taxes. The down side is I’ll get hit hard for cash I got from the land sale. Luckily, I work in a job where I can just crank out some overtime practically whenever I want. (We are always short staffed)

Annyyyyyway, I can’t express the absolute joy in being debt free. Now maybe I cant start putting money toward my future. (And hopefully a home)

References

References
↑1 I sold it to my nephew
↑2 Including the original guy I booked with died!

Back

The desire to get my butt into the gym regularly seems to finally be overcoming my desire to sit on my ass and be lazy. I’ve been slowly getting back into the gym on a more consistent basis.

OY, my muscles ache! Even doing super light weights, I almost couldn’t walk the next day after my chest workout. [1]If you wan’t to maximize the release of growth hormones for that lovely buff chest, you better be doing at least 1 squat exercise on chest day. The posterior chain is the largest muscle group … Continue reading I’ve even been getting up in the mornings to go before work! If that doesn’t signal how my motivation is returning, nothing will. haha Joking aside, I really have missed it. I walk into the gym and I instantly feel better. I look around and see others working out and I’m inspired. Plus, I miss the tightness my muscles used to have. Nothing is sagging or dragging but everything has clearly ‘settled’ and I hate it.

I wouldn’t say I’m back on a completely consistent schedule yet, but I’m on my way. Speaking of, I knew I’d be weak but boy was I ever. Doing a full 3 sets of a measly 135 lbs left me weak. (That is one 45 on each side of a 45 lb bar.)

You should expect more posts about my progress, and a few pics too. I tend to post quick pics to Instagram these days. So if you follow me there, you’ll see more pics.

Wish me fat-ass luck!

References

References
↑1 If you wan’t to maximize the release of growth hormones for that lovely buff chest, you better be doing at least 1 squat exercise on chest day. The posterior chain is the largest muscle group on the body.

Crave

Ever get in one of those moods where you just crave a certain food for days?PotPie

Last week I had a craving for a potpie. It hounded me to the point where I finally gave in. I grew up with the little Swanson ones that used to come in the metal tins. They were crust meat, veggies, and sauce. You threw’em in the oven for about 30-40 mins and presto! Delicious gooey and never good for you. haha  Fast forward to today and potpies are disgusting globs of over overly processed dough, very little filler, and a tiny bit of veggies and meat in an effort to accommodate the microwave. You can get larger ones that taste better, but those are so high in sodium and fat you’re doomed either way.

To offset my desire for such heart-killing food, I threw in fresh cut tomatoes, roasted chicken, extra mixed veggies, and spinach. The new unholy concoction was so tasty and no where near as bad for me. hehe  You can’t even really see the potpie at all. Well, if you look close, you can see some crust mixed in there. I had said feast three days straight until I sated the beast!

Thankfully, the craving was calmed and I moved on. It was odd though because it reminded me of growing up and making them. There were a few years between when my foster mom passed away and my dad remarried. Being a bachelor with kids, he tended to focus on food that was easy to make. Potpies fit that bill nicely. There were plenty of nights where I would beg him to have potpies and he was all too ready to agree as it meant no cooking for him. I’d start the oven, grab the pies and shove’em in the oven as soon as it dinged.  I never once failed to not burn my fingers. lol

It sort of hit me that it been a comfort food for me. So while I won’t be bringing back as a staple in my diet, it was a nice walk down memory lane.

Trifecta

You may have noticed some changes to the theme. You might have also Triquetranoticed there are new links to my other domains.

Each has it’s purpose and I’m working on integrating them together so they look and feel the same. My goal is one seamless look that blends all three sites together. Eventually, I hope to have floating or scrolling tabs instead of links. However, said tabs require some tinkering and testing of the theme and/or CSS. I’m not quite advanced enough to write it from scratch so I’ll have to find an example that I like and incorporate it here. [1]The image above is actually referred to as a Celtic Triquerta but it is often referenced incorrectly as a trifecta

Sfmoby.us
Of course, this will continue to be the blog. The only changes here are a new background image and links to the other domains.

Sfmoby.com
I’ve already started this one and it will continue to be a repository for photos and social media stuff. Basically, if I post it anywhere on social media, regardless of platform, I want it to show here. It is trickier than it sounds. Not all platforms export directly to WordPress. I think the exception will be twitter. I’ve pulled away from twitter a lot. I’m just tired of the idea of micro-blogging. Of course, I say that now. I may change my mind. There are plenty of widgets that drag in twitter feeds.

Sfmoby.net
Is new and will be a repository for some of my stories. Did you know I used to write short stories? I did. I was told often that I was pretty good at it. Even in high school, I got high marks for creative fiction. I might also try to fold in a dream journal. I’m not sure how dedicated I am to the idea though. haha  I’m still tinkering w/ideas on this domain but I definitely want it to be a more creative outlet than a journal.

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I remember saying once back when I was still new to blogging that I wanted my blog to be a central hub for my online life. I even built a few website templates for it. Then came along social networking and I got sort of side-tracked. The idea of a central hub has stayed with me an I find I’m coming full circle again. I got a little down on myself for awhile because I tried to force too much into my regular blogging. As the need to tackle personal growth waned, I felt pressured to fill the void.  I think on some level I even rebelled a bit.

Anyway, feel free to check’em out.

References

References
↑1 The image above is actually referred to as a Celtic Triquerta but it is often referenced incorrectly as a trifecta

Random

One of those random thought posts today.

I’m developing a real skill at putting in my contacts. You have to keep your hands clean, have a dry cloth that doesn’t shed, and look straight at the finger while inserting. haha  It sounds corny but when I look away, I almost always screw up getting into my eye. It ends up folded over my finger. I’ve also learned that if your eyes feel cruddy or irritated in anyway, it is best to skip putting in contacts till they feel more normal.

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I broke my Z3 while I was down in L.A. I was 2 days past my jump date when it happened too. [1]I’m on the Tmobile Jump! plan, which lets me upgrade every 6 months  I really loved the battery life on the Z3. The not being able to root it as easily as other devices didn’t bother me as much because the battery was so good.  Since all the signs are pointing that Tmo may not actually bring Lollipop to the Z3f, I opted to go back to Samsung and get the S6. I’ve always liked the S-series with Sammy, the S6 is no different. Sadly, it has a much poorer battery life than the Z3. It’s even a tiny bit worse than the S5. I guess I got spoiled on the Z3 because my expectations are very high now.‘

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In a bit of scandalous news, I’m inching closer to being debt-free again! I decided to sell the land my dad left me to one of my nephews. This way it will stay in the family and go to good use. I’ll never live there again and I got a pretty decent price for it. I’m working on a few loos ends but if everything goes well, I’ll be debt-free in a matter of months. Ironically, a big chunk of my debt came from getting some of the legal problems surrounding my dad’s will sorted out. If you’ve ever crawled out from under a large amount of debt, you’ll know how awesome it is! More to come later on this little tidbit of news.

References

References
↑1 I’m on the Tmobile Jump! plan, which lets me upgrade every 6 months