Ever since my radio show Friday Night Flashbacks ended on KCPR, there has been something missing in my life. Those two hours spent playing music for the community was so special and I didn't realize how much I missed it until recently. It didn't matter that I had the worst week at work, had a headache, or felt completely miserable--stepping inside that control room changed whatever mood I was feeling into a rush of endorphin splendor. It was like a drug--suddenly I was high on something and feeling euphoric. Even if I arrived in the studio two minutes before I went live, it was two hours I … [Read more...]
Empathy and Office Politics
Last week marked another birthday come and gone. Most would acknowledge it as another year older which is inevitable as we all march toward retirement, stronger eye-glass prescriptions and utilizing the senior citizen discount. Personally, I like to think of it as another year experienced. The past year was full of lessons learned both with my health and my work life. I learned both go hand in hand often and if you don't have a balance between the two, life can get completely overwhelming. I truly became a workaholic--managing my territory almost 24/7. Being a field operations manager in the … [Read more...]
Fear of the Unknown
How many times in your life have you been paralyzed by fear of the unknown? For me, I have gone through it many times. The first time was my graduation from high school the night before I left for college. Of course my age and immaturity had no frame of reference for leaving home and doing something on my own. However, hindsight shows me it was one of the best changes I experienced. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The next big change came with my graduation from Cal Poly. I think back to my senior year and feel nostalgic and scared. I remember having the best time of my life, but I … [Read more...]
Norbert – Three Pounds of Pure Love
Its been so hard lately. With the divisiveness and social unrest, reading my news feed and facebook has been torture. However, the one thing that can bring us all together and make us all happy is a video of the cutest puppy ever--Norbert. A trained therapy dog, he is three pounds of pure adorableness. So check out his youtube page and smile. *I posted this without permission from Norbert's mom. So please don't sue me. … [Read more...]
The Day and Age of Stress and Anxiety
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” – Winston Churchill It seems the world just continues to move faster and faster. We have our news available in a split second, we can call anyone from anywhere with our mobile phones (and even see them on the other end), we can now see our tv shows on demand, and obtain a college degree at our leisure from the comfort of our own desk chairs. However, with all the convenience comes higher stress levels and … [Read more...]
When the Headlines Hit Home
I've been feeling very uncomfortable lately. Ever since the Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was given a short six month sentence for a rape he committed behind a dumpster on an unconscious woman, I've had flashbacks to an assault I faced when I lived in Minneapolis. It wasn't rape, but it was a sexual assault that occurred when I was at the local bar in my neighborhood. Like the victim in the headlines now, I had been drinking and casually talking to a guy. It was innocent. I wasn't really drunk but probably had a good buzz going because I can see it clearly in my mind. I remember hearing the … [Read more...]
Changing the Past
If you could go back into your past and change anything or any decision, would you do it? At first thought, its an instant, "YES!!" We all have a few times we wish we could turn back the clock and choose door B over door A. Maybe its a minor change like speaking to that guy in college who we thought didn't even know we existed but it turns out he did...and he had a crush on us. Maybe it was picking Enron stock over Microsoft in the late 80s, or staying with that guy way too long when we should have dumped him right away. We all have those bad decisions we wish we could change. However, … [Read more...]
Go Solar before NEM 2.0 Kicks In
Just about every other aspect of our lives has choice--cable or satellite, Verizon or Sprint, iPhone or Galaxy, United or Southwest. We get to choose. With our electricity, we haven't had that choice...until now. Solar is that new choice...and its BETTER. Not only is it better for the environment by being so much cleaner, its better for your budget. Its cheaper. I will give props to PG&E for working well with the solar industry, although it was basically mandated by the gov't with the alternative energy act. PG&E has allowed many California residents to switch with no problem. Some … [Read more...]
Boycotting the Oscars
I used to enjoy watching the Oscars every year. When I lived in San Francisco, I could walk to the theater for a quick matinee or go on a date to a movie followed by a drink or dinner afterwards. It was still affordable and didn't break my budget. I remember seeing Titanic, Sense and Sensibility, Shakespeare in Love, and Four Weddings and a Funeral multiple times at the theater on Union Street. All of them went on to win an Oscar and it was fun to watch. I remember feeling giddy when I would see a celebrity around town or when I was in LA and I still have a couple celebrity crushes I would … [Read more...]
The Clubs of Life
Remember that club your friends started in the third grade but didn't invite you to join? Or that sorority you desperately wanted to rush but they didn't send you a bid? Everything always seems to be about joining that club you feel everyone is a member of except you. Being in my mid 40s, there have been many clubs I've wanted to join only to never get an invitation. I've watched my friends, family and coworkers join, but those clubs remain elusive to me. It seems as if every stage of our life consists of levels taking us to the next club we, by society's standards, must join. I call these … [Read more...]
