I forgot I had this blog, but rediscovering it could not have come at a home awesome time.


I got a kick out of reading the first few posts authored just days after moving to Orange County. Things are very different now. No longer am I stalking young people in my apartment complex in an attempt to make friends. Nor am I trolling the personals on Match.com.

To date I am +1 year into that new job and already the recipient of a great promotion. I have carved out a great, yet small, group of friends. And now that life seems to be as close to normal again as I expected it to be...I'm restless.

Um..OK

Today at one of the many malls in the OC, I saw a parking spot which I thought was designated for a handicapped driver, but it was for an expectant mother and had a picture of a stork on the sign. I've never seen that before!

Oh the pains of trying to make friends

The other day I decided to sign up for Match.com. Not because I really want a boyfriend, but because I thought it would be a great way to make friends and if romance fell into my lap then so be it. All has been going relatively well and I actually met a guy who works where I work! But, there was one very interesting message, it's below...draw your own conclusions.

Dear ashley

Hi , I did find your profile from Internet, and then after reading it , I decided to write you, My name is: Larry , i wish to meet you if that is ok with you,, I am working as president/owner of a service company , in Sugarland Texas ,I have large ,two storey luxury Townhouse , in a good ,and safe area of west Houston Texas , it is overlooking , a heavily wooded ravin , and also is close to a very large shopping mall , I am 5'11" with my shoes, and clothes on , , and weight 185 lbs with my shoes ,and clothes on , I am caucasian , light skin, dark hairs , do not drink or smoke , no drugs ,or tatoos ,or metal rings thru any part of my body, I am always respectful toward others , especially , toward my subordinates ,and females , I attend local Baptist church , I usually do not get mad easily , and easy to get along with , who likes to pet angry Rothwilder ?, and most of times I am a good natured person , I do beleive that I am one of the nicest guys that God has ever made , , , I usually hold no grudge against anyone , have no criminal conviction , I go in, and out easy , I am in good health , exercise regularly , I have pet rabbit , with white pelt, my Hobbies are reading , Tv (national geography ,and discovery ,and History channels are my favorites), Jogging , listening to Rush Limbaugh , and Michael Savage ( .ultra conservitive), eating out , do it your self projects , traveling , ,my office no. is xxx .or xxx, , , call or e mail me with your ph. no., my e mail is : xxx at yahoo dot com , Email me your E mail address ,and i will send you picture of my house, - I am single and looking,, no children,but do love children , a child is a man,s imprint on the universe and make him to be extended beyond the grave,, I do want , and wish to meet you ,if you also want to visit me and ,my place ,and Houston I can arrange your visit , and if you prefer I can fly out to see you , during your visit i plan to take you and show you around the Houston , this would be a discovery visit for you , no disrespectful intentions intendend, to see if you like to live here or not, , you may just meet at airport only if you wish , for the visit To Houston , , , , also there are lots of schools , tech school , universities in this area that , if you wish, you may continue your schooling, or if you wish to get job locally , unemployment rate in this Area is 3.8% one of the lowest one in USA , ,i will help you on that too ,more photos is avilable if you send me an e mail i can e mail that to you ,very fast. write back :

cordially

Larry

While I am flattered by Larry's interest...does any one else find this peculiar?

Ok, so that was one pain of trying to meet friends...here's another. I was sitting on my balcony drinking a beer and enjoying the evening breeze when I saw a group of people around my age walking to the pool. I thought, ok, this is your chance. Get up, get into that swim suit and go to the pool...try to make friends. So, that's what I did. When I got there the pool was really crowded but it was kind of dark so I couldn't tell where these new friends had gone. So I hoped in the pool and after a few minutes realized they must have gone to the other pool on property to avoid the crowds:( So sad! So, I sulked my way back home! Better luck next time, huh?

Move In Week

So I arrived ready to move into my apartment, which I rented sight unseen. A few things took me aback. 1) the office lady was borderline retarted and she scared the crap out of me when she said she didn't have my lease or anything on file for me, 2) they didn't even show me around the HUGE complex, and 3) I got lost getting from the office to my place because the complex is that big!!!

Anyway, enough complaining, when I found it I fell in love instantly! It's beautiful, spacious and perfect for me! My love of the place and being on the third floor quickly faded when we began unloading my heaps of junk up three flights of stairs! The best story I can offer is this: when my dad and brother went to move the refrigerator up the stairs they got stuck. Literally stuck and if anyone knows my dad he does not like to be held up or forced off schedule! Here was the solution, we had to take the doors of the stupid appliance and heave it up one step at a time...all 36 steps!

So, below are a few pictures of the new place. Let me know what you think!

The Re-Start Button Project

Have you ever wanted or wondered what it might be like to be able to hit the re-start button on you life and start totally anew? If you answered no, I suspect you're lying...I know I have and God has given me the chance to do just that.

For so long I have been living my life as a product of the decisions of others. I never realized how much I waited for the decisions of boyfriends, friends, or family before I would actually decide what it was I wanted to do with my life. It's extremely ironic because if you ask any of my friends or family members they would say I'm very goal oriented and driven, but the secret is out. While I might be able to reach most goals I have, am I really the one who has been setting them in the first place? I suspect not.

This blog is going to be about my journey or project of starting a totally new life. I've been transplanted to Orange County, California where I will be starting a new job and plugging my way through day to day life with no friends, family members, or even acquaintances (at least at this point). As scary as that seems, I'm so excited for this chance. For once, I call the shots and I make the rules. This project that will ensue will detail my day to day adventures of learning a new town, trying to make friends, building a new career, and ultimately creating a new life.