I'm back!

It's been 1 year and almost 2 Months since I last posted on here. I honestly don't even know where to start. Well I suppose I could start with how/why I decided to revitalize this blog and am making a commitment to start blogging again - even if it's in a limited basis (say, once a month).

I actually stumbled upon a new friend's blog, and it's a long shot but maybe she'll read this and realize that it was because of her that inspired me to start blogging/writing again. (for clarification, her initials are A.B.) There was something about her latest entry that made me take a step back and look at my life as it stands today versus my life about a year ago when I wrote my last blog entry. I've always enjoyed writing, even if no one read any of my rambling drivel, because it helps me think about and reflect on my life, current events, and emotions that I may be going through.

I really wish to sit down and recap the void of blog entries that would somehow document and date the things I went through in the year of 2009, but I think that might be an impossible task. I'd probably have to focus on categories ranging from my work (the good and the bad), to my social life (1 relationship, a handful of new friendships), to family matters (the 2 brothers and Mom), to my dear dog, to my current living situations, and finally my 1 to 5 year plan of life in general as I start counting down these last four years before I approach turning 30 years-old.

So you know what? I'm not going to.

I'm a firm believer of not "crying over spilled milk" or in other words, focusing on what has happened in the past but rather what's to come in the future. So I will quickly address the above listed topics but relative to the future.

Click below to skip to:

My Work
My Social Life
My Family Matters
My Dog
My Day-to-day Life
My Plan

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My Work...

... has been extremely busy to say in a nutshell. It has also been filled with change, and a small amount of uncertainty. The past months I've come to learn how to go about designing physical security, how to demonstrate it, and of course how to present and sell the overall solution. The same thing could be said about digial media systems - and this one I actually like a bit more. Boring stuff aside, I'm growing closer to my manager Cindy and I really like her managing style, as well as her genuine caring and helpfulness attitude. She really takes an interest in her engineers and does her best to provide the guidane that she has (in her short history as a manager) to make us better at our jobs. At least she does with me during our weekly one-on-one meetings.

If you had asked me a couple of months ago whether I thought I would continue to stay here on the St. Louis commercial team I'd probably give you a confused and long-winded answer that's accompanied by a lot of "well it depends..." or "then again, it could be worse..." and even "I don't know." But lately I've been so involved (which is a good and a bad thing) with things at work that it's turning in a much more positive direction. I'm actually proud of what I am doing and feel that I'm appreciated by the team. The times when I start thinking about what it would take to find a new position back in California are starting to dwindle and becoming less and less frequent, if at all.

While it is forcing me to be committed and put in many more hours, work has been going well.



My Social Life

... has definitely gotten a lot more interesting and fun. Compared to 3 months ago where I had basically no outlet for my energy and practically no one hang out with to de-stress from a full work week, this aspect of my life has also taken many positive steps in the right direction.

After meeting up with Julian, Lisa (my BFF!), and Ryan for lunch over Christmas break, they've got me playing Left for Dead 2 with them. We've had about a dozen online gaming sessions since then, and it's always great to play video games with close friends - reminds me of the days during college when I was in different clans for SoF2. The 4 of us typically communicate/schedule via GMail throughout the week and play for a couple of hours on the scheduled night and we talk (communications is a must for L4D2) over their Vent server. Always great to hear the voices of friends screaming at you for help getting the zombie off their backs, ha!

Volleyball is where it all picked back up for me and acted as the catalyst for all of the great and fun things to my after-work activities. Our team plays on Thursdays, and just hanging out with these old friends (Chad, Rebecca, Elizabeth) as well as new ones (Allison, Logan, Brian) both on and off the court has really helped make my life less boring and depressing. The games themselves are great because I'm finally getting the much needed exercise during these harsh weathers that don't encourage outdoor activities. Our team is also very solid, and everyone seems to play much better indoor versus in sand. That may have something to do with just the surface we're playing on, but our team chemistry is probably just as big of a factor - with this being the 2nd league we're in together. Needless to say I am very much looking forward to each Thursday night when I get to play and hang out with my friends.

It shouldn't be a surprise when I say that I have next to nothing new to report from the standpoint of the dating world. While I had made a commitment to put forth effort into this part of my life as one of my 3 top new year's resolutions for this year, 2 months have gone by with no progress. Nevertheless, I suppose there are opportunities out there right now and it's kind of exciting to get those butterflies in your stomach again when you're in the same room as that cute girl you hope would talk to or just even look your way and smile at you.

I love my volleyball teammates/friends and know that things will get even better in the spring/summer!



My Family Matters...

... aren't extremely complicated and actually has been pretty consistent. Will and Leo are still going to Sac State, with something around 1 year left before graduation. What kind of jobs they will end up getting I have no clue, but I need to start keeping better tabs on them and forcing/helping them get their butts in gear for interviews or interships. I guess you take those things (having a job) for granted when you have a very stable and well-paying one, but it's quite a different story for those unemployed, underpaid, or new graduates that are caught in these tough times. But having said all that, the brothers are making good progress through school and having a good time. Leo's going to travel to Taiwan this summer for a vacation, of which he's been saving up $ for.

Mom's doing well, but I know she's lonely. Still working her desk job and making enough to get by while also keeping herself busy with her Chinese teachings on Friday nights and on the weekends it's been mostly church/bible study related activities. I think it's good she has those things to help keep her occupied, especially living in a big house by herself. I think at the end of the day, I have to be thankful for her health (brothers too) and that we continue to talk on a regular basis on the phone to check in on one another.



My Dog...

... I think for this one, I'll just take a picture of him and leave it at that. Apollo's doing just fine, and we had Sadie over for about 1 week last week while Dena was on vacation with her husband. Having Sadie over actually really made me appreciate how smart and well behaved Apollo really is, compared to many dogs out there in this world. He doesn't bark much at strange sounds (not too often, but he IS a great watchdog); he knows our system of going to the bathroom outside and doesn't take more than a few minutes to do his business; he doesn't snore when he sleeps at night; he is very well behaved and follows my commands; he is very friendly to just about everyone he meets for the first time and never bites anyone. Apollo turns 6 this year, I can't believe how quickly time flies.

I love my dog :)



My Day-to-day Life

... has actually become more and more consistent lately with work as busy as its ever been. I'm finding myself getting up earlier on a regular basis, and walking back into the apartment more frequently after 5PM than not. Usually when I get home it's dinner time - which makes me sound like an old person for having dinner before 6 but that has a lot to do with my eating habits that've developed thus far in 2010.

So after getting home from work, it's usually dinner followed by TV (usually basketball games) for a couple of hours. I do my rounds around the internet (Facebook, fantasy sports, etc.) before the night is pretty much over... but not before I grab 1 last snack and watch some shows on Hulu or others saved on my computer and go to bed. The weekends aren't much different, except I take care of apartment related chores (cleaning, laundry, etc.) and run some errands (grocery shopping).

I've never - not since moving out after high school - been a big breakfast person. I'd trade every second and every minute that would be spent preparing/eating breakfast for moments of lying in bed next to a warm Apollo and maybe falling into some dream or other ficticious fantasy in my mind. Plus, for some reason I'm never hungry in the morning.

Then there's lunch: I'll eat lunch, but those occasions have to really present themselves in front of me. What I mean by that is there has to be some reason for me to eat. Those reasons could be one such as having to have it with a customer/partner, or that I'm attending some event where not eating makes me stand out like some weirdo, and lastly if the lunch is free and provided to me in the office where it takes no more effort than walking to the lobby and picking it up. There's 2 main reasons why I choose to cut out (or just plain ignore) lunch. The first is that I'm trying to lose weight. While some dieticians will say that not eating forces your body to go into a "storing" mode where you actually gain weight instead of losing it - other dieticians say that a calorie is a calorie, and at the end of the day it's a total sum... so whatever you cut out, is what you've managed to lose for the day (in a good way). The 2nd reason I cut out lunch is the fact that whenever I eat anything more than a bag of chips or a couple of cookies, I become extremely sleepy/groggy in the afternoon. No amounts of caffeine can awaken me, and I find myself in embarassing situations in front of customers or going through annoying periods of extreme unproductiveness.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is why Glen doesn't eat breakfast or lunch.



My Plan

... for the near future has actually started reshaping itself as of late. Much of it has to do with the fact that, well, I'm happier. My life has become more eventful and entertaining due to me getting out more often as a result of volleyball and the group of friends that revolve around it. My work has been less depressing and more enjoyable (as well as a bit more "stable"). All of those things contribute to how I feel about living in the state of Missouri versus California and the amount of desire that I have (or lack) of wanting to move back for what "might" or "could" be there in California.

I recall Alex telling me something in a phone conversation we were having back in fall/winter of last year when we were discussing whether I wanted to move back to California. And that was, "I know you Glen, and you're someone who is more content and prefers to have stability and consistency with your life as opposed to the opposite." And I think he's right, I do feel better when things aren't constantly changing or seems out of my control. Moving back to California is obviously a huge move and a drastic change that would have a lot of moving parts and in a way almost forcing me to start my life over yet again. Finding a new place, more than likely adjusting to a new job (albeit with Cisco), and even the friends that I may already have there might not make up for everything else I'd have to settle into. In all honesty, it would require quite a lot of things to persuade me to make that call as of today.


And as of today, I'm quite happy - which says a lot considering all of the great things I already have lined up for and that I'm looking very much forward to in the near future (and later this year).

~ Glen

The Story

This was my first time traveling during the holiday season, and boy was it a horrifying story that had a happy ending. I've told this story probably 10 times to numerous people already, and each time I get better at telling it. I think I've gotten the final version down, so here it is... in all it's glory (no exaggerations, I sware).

I had purchased my plane ticket home for Christmas and New Year's way ahead of time, sometime in the middle of October. I had planned ahead, and gotten the reservation (including the extra accommodation for Apollo that the airline needs to know ahead of time) taken care of. My ride to the airport that December 19th morning was Jaclyn's sister Leslie... who also happens to live in my apartment complex (no she is not my roommate and does not live with me). I had called her the night before and agreed on when she would pick me up the next morning.

I got up in the morning, finished packing, and had a few minutes to spare. I took my bags outside and waited in the parking lot with Apollo for Leslie to drive over from the next parking lot. 5 minutes went by. Then 10. I didn't wait for 15, and picked up the phone and dialed her. It rang and rang and then her voicemail picked up. I called again, and this time she picked up. Turned out she had turned her alarm off and went back to bed. By the time she drove over, I was already about 15 minutes behind schedule.

I've flown out of the St. Louis airport at least 3, if not 4 times in the past. It's never taken me more than about 20 minutes to get my boarding pass, check my bags if I have any, get through security, and arrive at my departure terminal. Thus I usually give myself about an hour ahead of time when I am flying anywhere. Well, that day I only had 45.

However, as Apollo and I got dropped off at the airport and walked through the first set of doors... I knew I wasn't going to make my flight. Had I been smart, I would've taken into consideration that it WAS, after all, only 6 days before Christmas... so there was going to be extra people at the airport on that Friday morning.

What I did NOT and almost COULD NOT possibly have anticipated was that the military base here in St. Louis chose that same day, December 19th, to dismiss all of their troops home for the holidays. As I walked into the airport, for every civilian I saw - there was a person dressed in army fatigues. The airport was 1/2 civilian, 1/2 military. Mathematically, this meant that the airport had TWICE the amount of people there that morning.

I started to wait in line, it was the same line to not only check-in your bags but also to get re-ticketed in case you miss your flight, and by the time I got up to the front counter... my plane was already gone. I waited 45 minutes in that line... and during that time I only got more nervous. Not because I felt that I still had a chance to make my original flight, but because of what I overheard someone else saying. I was talking to this guy, who was supposed to take off the day before, but had his flight cancelled due to there being too much ice on the runways. So that day, December 19th, the airport had EVEN MORE people there (due to the cancelled flights from the night before) than there would normally be. It didn't stop there. I continued to hear bad news that told of all the flights leaving St. Louis today being already booked.

Finally I got up to the counter, tell the lady that my flight had already left, and she asks me my final destination - and I replied, "Sacramento, California." She starts typing stuff into the computer to rebook me... and I added, "I'd be willing to upgrade if that would help." After a few seconds she asks me, "Would you be okay flying into San Francisco? I have a direct flight." The plan was to originally have my brother Will pick me up in Sacramento (where he was going to College, would've been a 10 minute drive for him). My mom would have to end up picking me up if I flew into San Francisco, but at this point I'll take anything I can get... ESPECIALLY if it's DIRECT. Hell, I didn't even know American Airlines even had direct flights into anywhere into Northern California (and I've looked for a long time, I dunno how I missed it). I told her "Yes!!! I'll take it!" and she said "your flight's leaving in about an hour."

An hour later I was sitting at the terminal, having called my mom and arranged for the pick-up... of which she was skeptical about because 1.) she has to drive over an hour to get to the airport 2.) she's not very familiar with the airport 3.) she had to leave work early. Anyways they started to board the plane: first class, business class, priority, group 1, group 2... then they stopped. 5 minutes went by, then 10, then 15. Finally I see someone wearing airport security uniform come driving up in a Segway machine, and go into the gate. The guy at the front desk finally gets on the loud speaker and says to us that someone apparently slipped and fell while getting onto the plane. Then I saw someone who was probably a doctor go into the gate, and about 5 minutes both he and the security guard comes back out. We finished boarding, and by the time we took off... we were about 20 to 30 minutes behind schedule.

At this point I should've probably called my mom. But I had flown before and pilots have always "made up lost time" when running late by taking shortcuts or going faster in the air. That's why I didn't call my mom, because I figured that's what they were going to do. Whether they attempted to do that or not, we didn't get to California any quicker. It took us the same amount of time to get there, if not even longer... because by the time we landed (and I factored in the time we were already behind schedule when we first took off) we were somewhere around 40 to 45 minutes late.

I want to take a few minutes to pause and tell you how lucky I was to even get out of the Mid West that day. While I was still sitting at the airport in St. Louis, I was watching the news and weather report on the TV screens and every few minutes they were talking about the "huge storm" that was headed our way East-bound. Airports that have already been hit (or are starting to get hit) have been delayed by an average of over an hour, and the storm was to last a couple/few days. Had I not gotten out of St. Louis that Friday morning, I probably would've been delayed a minimum of at least a day or two.

That was a problem which compounded immensely and had an exponential affect. How? Well, by being delayed meant that it would be December 20, 21st, or 22nd... any day getting closer to Christmas means more hell and more time spent in airport terminals. It also means fuller planes, and most likely MULTIPLE connecting flights just to get back to California. This continues to GET EVEN WORSE, as I am traveling with A DOG. Now, Apollo has a "bladder of steel" that can hold it in for 12+ hours... but putting him through a full day of travel is torture and hell for him. What would we do if we got stuck at an airport? I don't even want to think about it.

Getting back to the story (yes, it's not over), I had finally landed in California. No, I haven't been able to contact my mom and tell her how the plane was arriving almost an hour late of schedule - remember, this was a direct flight and I couldn't get signal while in the air. But I called her as soon as the wheels were on the ground and assured her that we were alright and that I was at the airport. I told her I would be about 10 minutes as I still had to pick up my checked bag. Easy right?

I was in the front 1/3 of the plane and so Apollo and I got off the plane and headed to the bag claim area. As I waited for my bag, I noticed more and more people from our flight showing up at the bag carriage but no bags were coming through. About 15 minutes later we hear an announcement on the overhead speaker: there was a bag-jam. Finally the bags started coming out, and eventually mine popped out as well. It took about 20+ minutes from the time I got off the plane before I got my bag. All-in-all, my mom had to circle the San Francisco airport for about an hour and 15 minutes before I was in her car and on the way home. She was glad to see me, and I said to her...

"An hour and 15 minutes (plus the hour it took for you to get here) is surely a hell of a lot less than 2 or 3 days from now.... or even sometime AFTER Christmas. Let me tell you my story..."