Um...wow

I apologize for the lack of updates but so much has gone on lately. I was sick for damn near the whole month of February... kept getting recurring bouts with the flu/cold I caught at Inauguration. Then I ate something bad when I was in NYC in early March that had me running back n forth to the bathroom. Then I was diagnosed with Extreme Anxiety which was due to me being stressed out from lackof unemployment coupled with my dad driving me crazy. So for the time being I am on Effexor (Google it to learn more about it). And then to top it all off... my grandfather died on March 9th. It was kind of expected... he had been bedridden for about 5 yrs now and was suffering from alzheimers. He had stopped eating for the most part in is last few weeks. SO we kinda saw it coming. We try to look at it as a blessing... the man was 95 years old. He was definitely one of the greatest men I've ever met, and it's an honor being one of the many grandchildren that he has.

Onto more positive things that happened during my blogging hiatus...

1. I mentioned before that I went to NYC in early March. I went to go see the Broadway play Avenue Q which I must say is one of the most hilarious productions i've ever seen in my life. I definitely must get into Broadway more often.

2. Despite being poor and unemployed, I managed to buy my mom a new laptop... something that she's been hinting at wanting for the past 2 years. But... anything to make mom happy.

3. As much as it may come off as comedy to most people, I saw britney spears in concert. lol... yes I like Britney OKAY! She definitely made a serious 180 from when she went nuts. She was workin the stage. I really enjoyed myself. The Pussycat dolls opened for her, and they threw down as well. I never paid attention to them before... well except for Nicole Scheblablabla (whateverher last name is). That chick is HOT.


4. And the best news of the year... I GOT A JOB!! I am so happy about it... and yes it's a pay raise for me. Although the 4 months I was unemployed seemed liek FOREVER, I should consider myself lucky because a lot of people(especially in these bad economic times) have waited and will be waiting a lot longer. I wish good luck to any and everyone out there looking. It's hard out there.

The Week After Inauguration...

Oops... I forgot to update the blog at some point this week. Mainly because I've not only been busy (sounds better than it actually is), but I've been sick. For the most part, my flu is over and done with aside from the lingering cough. Which is pretty annoying in and of itself.

In any case, as far the job hunt.... on Monday I had to take an online assessment test for a Systems Administrator position that I was informed about on SUNDAY NIGHT. Which was ok; I just never had anyone contact me on the weekend regarding employment. lol... The test itself was ummmm... well lets just say I don't think I did that hot on it. And the fact that I haven't heard anything else back this week is probably a good indication of that as well. In Thursday I had a second interview with a firm that IMO went pretty well. The people there seem really cool. I think I would actually like working there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that one.

In other job hunting news, I was told that I was overqualified for 3 positions that I'd previously interviewed for. I mean really.... how can you be "overqualified"? If you can do the job then you can do the job. I would think being "overqualified" means less time and money the employer has to take in training you. But that would be too much like right. Oh well... whatever. Life goes on.

DC also experienced its first snow/ice storm for 2009 this week which prompted me to go out and buy some new boots. At the same time, I ended up buying much more. Yes it turned into a bit of a spending spree. I guess one unemployment check did deserve to go towards it...

I bought a new book yesterday titled "The Dante Club" by Matthew Pearl. For those that don't know, Dante is my middle name, so when I was in the mystery & thriller section (my favorite) in Borders, you know I couldn't help but to be intrigued. In addition, I do need to make another resolution this year to read more.

I really am trying to become a more well-rounded person. lol

Inauguration Week

Probably the most significant week of 2009.

In any case, this week had a lot going on, including the Inauguration of course. My best friends from college came for it, even though I didn't really see them that much. On the day of, it was cold as hell. I got down there at about 5:30AM...in enough time to get in the ticketed standing room area. In there I saw a few celebrities... Samuel L Jackson and Whitney Houston just to name a couple. But of course they had nothing on the man himself... Mr. Obama.

As a result of taking part of such a historical moment in time, I managed to really close to getting frostbite on my feet (they were purple when I took my shoes off in the Air n Space Museum) and catching the flu... which I'm still trying to get over... woohoo!!

In all the while.... the year of change continues... I had 2 interviews...a phone interview on Monday which in his eyes probably didnt go well because he called while I was still sleep. The interview was scheduled for 10:30AM and he called at 9AM. wtf? of course I answered my phone with a bit of an attitude since I'm not a morning person... and I probably sounded groggy as hell. But I answered all his questions. We'll see what happens. The second interview on the other hand, turnedout much better than the first, even though I went up in there sick as hell. It was for a law firm in downtown DC. Everyone seemed cool and down to earth, even though I think they were trying to intimidate me a bit by saying lawyers area bit demanding. I had to inform them that for the 10 years I've been working in the technology field, I have either dealt with military heads or law enforcement. I'm not much intimidated by anything. lol

Either way, they must have liked me. They called me back for a second interview some time next week. The actual day has yet to be scheduled.

In other news, I continue to update my wardrobe. I bought some new dress slacks and dress shirt. Not muc but the business casual/dress clothes upgrade is working out. Eventually I will start buying regular clothes. Becuase I need them. lol

Upgrade,interviews, etc

Well i have started making steps to upgrading my wardrobe...one of my new Years Resolutions. I've started buying more new dress clothes, mainly for interview purposes. And since my dad ruined my suit, I guess I have to buy another one of those too....

On another note, I have 2 interviews scheduled for next week... one of which is on MLK day. WTF? Don't you know I have inaugural events to attend? lol

Interviews, interviews, interviews...

Today... well yesterday technically, I went on my umpteenth job interview in a month. The job seems pretty cool... expounding upon my previous job. This particular job is at a non-profit educational organization. They gave me a grand tour of the building (which I always take as a good sign) and told me that if I was chosen for the "final pool" then I would meet with the president of the company sometime next week.

Good luck to me (as I continue to wait for word from the other companies)...

Resolutions for 2009

In the past, I didn't make resolutions because I never thought I would follow through with them. However, I did have a full list for 2008 and from what I recall, I did pretty good with it. I can't exactly remember what was on it because the list was on my work laptop...and well... I don't have that anymore. I figured I'd do the same for 2009.

Here is a list of proposed resolutions:

Finances

· Get a new PERMANENT job making more than what was made before

· Put away at LEAST $100 per month for savings

· Clean up credit report (get rid of collections, add positive tradelines)

· Prepare and live by a good budget

Personal Needs

· Buy a new car

· Get a new apartment

· Get technical certifications; start working on MCSE

· Get back in the gym for a better body

Travel

· Caribbean Cruise 2009 (August 2009; Family reunion cruise)

· Memorial Day weekend (options: Miami, FL, Orlando, FL, Va Beach, VA)

Other

· New tattoo

· Furniture for new apartment (bedroom set, living room set, flat screen tv, etc)

· Upgrade wardrobe

· New laptop (for mom and maybe me)

· Get Dad the help he absolutely needs

That "other" column... I'm sure some of the entries seem kind of abstract and strange... i.e. "new tattoo" and "get dad the help he needs". I know the tattoo shouldn't be something so serious that I have to make a resolution out of it, but it helps me to remember it... lol. The most important section is of course the first one (finances). As the year goes on, I will document my progress through this damn list....wish me luck.

The beginning...

Like for most Americans, 2008 was a pretty crappy year. Of course the economy went to hell (thanks Bush), but what about personal setbacks? I, for one, had a few terrible ones. I lost my apartment, moved back in with my parents, lost my job, and a few other things that I don't feel like getting into. As much as I don't want to be back in my parents' house, it's probably for the better for right now. It will give me the chance to take back the somewhat decent life I once had. It will allow me to save more money to put towards buying a house (which will happen when I find another job) as well as do other things.

Today is the day (through this blog anyway...bcuz I declared it a long time ago) that I declare that I am getting my good way of life back. 2009 is the year of change. Not just for this country, but for me as well.