You should see the other guy...

Well I was really not in a fight, thank goodness, but I did have to have emergency dental surgery yesterday. I will not gross you all out with the details, but it hurt quite a bit, and now while I look like this at least my tooth and face does not hurt. I swear I am going to pull all my teeth out and then just have dentures which have got to be less trouble.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow, can I be doing more things at once?? I feel like the magician in frosty the snowman, "busy, busy, busy!!". I am looking for a job, a place to live as well as trying to deal with a very sore tooth. I am going to have the tooth taken care of on Wednesday, which is not nearly soon enough!! As for the job/house search - I am talking to anyone and everyone... Yikes!

Hooping in Santa Cruz

I went to Santa Cruz to see friends and play some basketball. I have not played much (as I was in Michigan for 2 weeks), and so am a bit rusty. I played ok and it was good to get a run in with the guys. It was nice and sunny there and I spent some time just sitting on the coast and breathing in the nice salt air. Santa Cruz is so nice this time of year!


I found this great picture of the lighthouses and figured I would share it.

Looking for work

I have been looking for my next position and am strongly considering returning to my previous role as a Financial Consultant. I miss assisting people achieve their financial goals and objectives and am excited that the changes in the business model and compensation allow Consultants to make a very good living in that capacity. I am looking in multiple locations as there seems to be opportunities in a multitude of areas.

Back to Cali...

Well I flew back to California today, and it seemed to go fast and yet take forever.

I got a chance to fly on different size aircrafts and actually the plane I was on from Las Vegas to Oakland was the size of a private jet. You could barely stand up in the middle of the plane, and there were only 4 seats in and all. I had expected to feel much more turbulence (as I figured the smaller the plane the more it would bounce around) but actually it was the smoothest of the 3 flights I had today - So clearly I was wrong in my assumption (and I am happy about that).

Fun @ Big House

I could not go to Michigan without seeing the Big House in Ann Arbor. When we arrived, the gates were closed and no one was there. I had not come all this way not to try and see into the stadium, and so I snuck through a construction gate and found my way into the stadium to take these pictures. Luckily there was no security around so I got in and out without insidence. I can only imagine what it would be like to be there to see a U of M came and hopefully I will get a chance in the future to do that.

Observations in the mitten...

As I get ready to leave the mitten (aka Michigan), I would like to share a few of the differences between California and Michigan I have observed during my stay.

In Michigan:
Tail-gating is encouraged (three lane shifts are expected)
Smoking is allowed everywhere (and you have to go outside to breath)
Traffic lights are the old hanging style
Left-hand turn signals blink red (and you turn at your own risk)
Freeway drivers move into left hand lane to allow faster traffic to go bye
Sidewalks are optional
Everything is green
Orange cones are the state mascot

In California:
Tail-gating is frowned upon (three lane shifts are impossible due to traffic)
Smokers are banned from the state (or at least put outside)
Traffic lights are new LED pole lights (with lighted street name signs)
Left-hand turn can only be made on GREEN lights (so you are safe)
Freeway drivers refuse to move into left hand lane for any reason
Sidewalks are everywhere
Everything is paved and green is luxury
Californian's can't agree on a mascot

Each state has its' plusses and minuses, but I found it interesting how things were so different.

A chocolate milkshake is your friend!

Pal's makes a great chocolate milkshake! I ate lunch here this afternoon and hope to able to sneak back here again before I take off for home. Milkshakes are my friend!

Practice makes...

Well it reinforced the need for more practice!! I am still not hitting the ball the way I would like and can only blame my visit to Arizona and watching my father's "dark side" swing up close. Heehee - sorry had to go there. No, I just can't seem to find my swing, as I clearly left in California. I seem to hit two good shots and then one terrible one (which is not such a good percentage). The driving range is nice in that it gives you the option of hitting off grass (as not many ranges in California do that still). It was nice to get out and hit the ball a bit, even badly.

Seriously, What were they thinking?

The hotel I am staying at while in Michigan has been laying down new carpet since I arrived. Now that it is in, I really have to ask the question, "What were they thinking?". I mean, look at the pictures below, and you tell me!!


This is what the colors look like up close - not pretty!

Vacation from your problems

As in the movie "What about Bob?" I decided to take a vacation from my problems, or more correctly a vacation from my hotel room! I drove up to the town of Traverse City, which is a few hours away Grand Rapids. It is on the shore of Lake Michigan and reminded me of Santa Cruz or Carmel as it had plenty of local shops and seems a vacation destination for people here.

The hotel rooms were a little more expensive than I thought, but it was nice to see the lake and the sailboats above. I ate dinner at the Mackinaw Brewing Co. and stayed at the Traverse Victorian Inn (as it was one of the only places that had a vacancy.

Friendly reminders

Even though I am away from home, I keep spotting family reminders...


There is an entire avenue named after our family (see above) near downtown Grand Rapids. While I am not sure what all is on it, I feel compelled to claim ownership of all the things that reside on the avenue - is that wrong?


There is also a restaurant that could be a future business venture for my brother in case the garage door business doesn't work out. Apparently Russ has "Home made goodness" and that fruit is a meal! Heehee

Mitten Accommodations

I did not spend much time doing anything today, which was just as well as I had a lot on my mind. Being as though I spent a lot of time in my hotel room, I thought I would share the view out my window (including the old fashioned traffic signals) and the layout of my accommodations.

The room is actually pretty nice, for the price and so I have no complaints. I am hoping to do a few more exciting things tomorrow - but I'll have to wait and see what they are. I do like how green everything is here and how there are so many trees. It is nice to see that not all the trees in this country have been cut down yet.

Visiting Lake Michigan

I went to Grand Haven today to visited Lake Michigan, and while it was nice it is NOT a true "beach" (as a "beach" is at the ocean and a lake is not the ocean). There is no salt water and very few waves - although the bad fashions worn near the water were the same! Heehee

There were some great old houses and the weather was a little muggy. I almost got a hot dog on a stick, but instead went to the Kirby Grill and had an excellent dinner.

Arrived in the mitten

So I flew from Phoenix to Michigan (aka "the mitten" as the state is shaped like a large mitten) and arrived this afternoon. Both flights (the one from PHX-CHI, and from CHI-GRR) were fine and went without a hitch. I took the picture above while in route to Chicago. It is amazing how high these planes fly.

I have been gone only a few days, but I miss my Boo cat very much. Kristin has said she is being very "grumpy", refusing to be brushed, and not eating very much (which is her usual behavior when I am away), but it has also been hot at home so that might have something to do with it. While I am looking forward to getting some stuff done while here in Michigan, I can't wait to also get home and see everyone (including the Boo cat).

Golf Day 2

I woke up VERY early this morning as we have a 7 am tee off time. Why we needed to tee off so early is still beyond me... Luckily or unluckily I could not sleep so was up anyway.

We played a very nice course (Trilogy Golf Club) with my dad's usual golf group. Unfortunately both my lack of sleep, and bad back, kept me from shooting the golf score I had hoped. But we had a good time and on one hole my dad got a birdie and I a par, and as I figured that was probably the best hole of the day and I took the picture below.



Given my back, and my inability to get any sleep, we cancelled tomorrow's golf outing in favor of sleeping in and getting some rest.

Played "OK"...

Well I went out and shot an 89, which is not bad considering I can not remember the last time I actually played 18 holes of golf. The weather was not too hot (for Phoenix) - as it was less than 105 (Heehee). But it was good to get out and hit the ball around.

My back has been bugging me since basketball on Tuesday, and I had hoped that the desert air and heat would loosen it up, but it didn't seem to work that way. My posture seemed ok in this shot, although the outcome was less than optimal (as I think I pushed it to the right) - oh well that is golf for you.

Phoenix Morning

I awoke in Phoenix this morning and it was such a pretty sunrise I thought I would share it. This is the view from my dad's back yard, and if you look closely you can see a small rabbit watching the sunrise as well. It is very nice out at the moment, but I am sure it will get much, much hotter as we play golf later today.

Working the kinks out...

I am headed to play some golf with my dad in Phoenix, so thought I better get the kinks out of my dormant golf game. I have the fortunate or unfortunate ability to play about the same (within 5 strokes) whether I play every week or once or twice a year. I wish I could improve or lower my 15 handicap, but am just happy to be playing at all. With everything else that is happening with me, it is nice to have a few days to concentrate on something that is seemingly trivial - Like what my score will be...