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Showing posts from 2009

a new year...

So it hit me like a ton of bricks last night. Here I am on New Years eve without a thing to do. I just put in a long day on the jobsite hauling 250+ sheets of 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch sheet rock into a house. I was a little exhausted and tired but ready to have a beer or two. I lined up plans, but as the night progressed, they fell through and by 10pm, I decided to turn out the lights and go to bed. I realized truly for the first time what it is like to truly be alone on a New years. Part of it could be, the company that I chose to keep and another part could be that I am just different. I turned my phone off and decided to just be in the moment and feel what it felt like. I felt my mind thinking and telling me that something was wrong with me or that I am not a worthy person. I thought about the people I may have hurt in the past, specifically this year. I just really stayed in the feeling place of being in the now. As I stayed in that place, it became more evident to me that I w

Learning patience…again.

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So a few weeks ago, i gave my aunt a quote on repairing a deck for the back of a mobile home she has up in Calabasas. I tend to be the resident handyman in our family and when I am not busy, I love doing small things like repairing decks, installing shelving, building closets, redoing sinks, installing new toilets. It is the handyman in me and I love it because it keeps me focused. Well i did the estimate and gave it to my aunt and she loved it and said go for it. I told her I would come up in the next few weeks to get started. After looking at my schedule (I am not busy for months), I decided to drive up and begin the process of what I thought would be a quick day job. I figured that I would demolish the old deck, repair the few pieces of wood that were bad, lay the new deck down and voila…good as new, right…wrong! [caption id="attachment_670" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is what it looked like at first"] [/caption] [captio

Movie Review: Up In The Air

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5 out of 5 stars I try not to post movie reviews on here because, well truthfully, I use flixster inside of the facebook app for that, however on this rare occasion, I decided to post my official review of this movie. I need to forewarn you that this post may be longer than usual because it really struck a nerve and brought up some great thought points for me--so grab your coffee, water, juice or energy drink, get comfortable and hear me out. I wont talk excessively about the movie and try to touch on points that really stood out to me. Overall it was well done and I think Clooney was a perfect choice for the role so out of 5 stars, I give this movie 5 stars, primarily because it hits so close to home for me. So a quick synopsis is that Ryan Bingham is a guy who works in corporate America as "downsizing expert". He is a road warrior extreme and lives his life out of a suitcase and rarely spends time at his small drab apartment. His ultimate goal is to hit 10,0

Pushing Through

Sometimes we don't know how we are going to get there. We see all of the obstacles that keep us from whatever the goal is. We think of all that isn't, instead of all that is. We make excuses and say it isn't possible. What if you could change all that? What if you saw doorways opening, the universe aligning and possibilities expanding? What is stopping you from seeing things the latter way? Its your mind. These past few weeks have been tough for me. I have had to let go of control of many things and one of them being, that I am really not in control of anything. I am present and in the moment and try to find joy in all things that surround me. Financially, my life is a wreck. I am not sure if I will be able to scrape together funds to pay my rent, as well as car note, school loans, credit card and groceries and put gas in my tank. What I can only focus on right now. I am not sure about what or where my future will take me. I am not in control of that. I cannot t

Taking care of ourselves

Nobody likes it when they are sick. We eat right, try to alleviate stress and exercise. We do yoga, pilate's and eat tofu as well as veggies , yet it still happens to the best of us. Many times we wonder why? Today, I got my daily motivator from Mr. Ralph Marston and the title was "Treasure the Experience" . In a nutshell the daily reminder advised us to let go of control. He talked about possibilities that we end up not seeing because of our need for dominance and control over the issue. We are connected beyond our physical senses, but we continually want more. The reminder finishes up by saying that good things will become abundant in your life as soon as you step aside from needing them. You may be asking , "Chad, how in the hell does that have anything to do with getting sick?". Well when you are sick, it is your body's way of letting you know that there is a little bug inside of you that has weakened your immune system. Many times we want to con

Wow!

You never know what the universe is going to throw at you. Today I was trying to put my credit card back in my wallet. It wouldn't fit. I couldn't figure out why at first. I pulled the card out and saw a piece of paper jammed into the slot. I fidgeted with it for a bit, next thing you know, out comes a $100 bill. So thank you to the love of the universe. Off to San Francisco for work. Until next time...

finding the meaning

We wake in the morning hoping for some semblance of meaning in our lives.  The day begins as any other and much like days before.  Since this day is so like others, we assume that there can be no other frame of reference and that the monotony of our life will continue each day as we seek out some form of recognition in this world.  We seek in this life someone to comfort us and tell us its all going to be okay. We come back to familiar places and things in hopes of finding that happy place once again.  The ones we knew as children when fairy tales were as true as the person that told them to you.  The images blur as we grow older and the lines are not as distinguished as we once knew.  We hold on to the memory of a lost love in hopes that that memory will comfort us until that next one comes along.  We lose the things that matter and keep the things that destruct our mental fiber. Wake up zealous again with a new song in your heart.  Wipe the sleep from your eyes and embrace the most g

I am...

I am a freelance business, coffee drinking, have fun with my friends, loves to travel, doesn't eat brussel sprouts and likes riding bikes more than running.  I don't have possessions and don't own anything of significant value.  I treasure the friendships I have and will always make time for the people I like in my life. I don't have retirement fund, savings doesn't exist and i live day to day.  I don't have medical insurance or an annuity from family members.  I don't have much, but i give alot and money will never have an emotional place in my heart.  I love animals and dislike fighting.  I will never own an SUV even if I won the lottery or came into money.  I  am practical and recycle when i can. I won't kill a spider or an insect of any sort for they have as much right to be here as me.  I enjoy the pain i get from riding long distances on my bike, but I will never be Lance Armstrong.  I am fit but not ripped.  I don't like junk food and pre

One foot in front of the other...

I don't really write too much about being bogged down in life. I like to keep things upbeat and focused on all the greatness that the world has to offer. Every so often you come across a story from someone close to you or that you have met, that makes you step back and say "Wow, If they can do it, so can I," I recently had one of those wow moments. I was in Dallas in the end of August working a program there. I met a girl the first night off of work in the lobby bar while settling in and ordering some food and grabbing a night cap. Her name was Cathryn and she was a very beautiful blonde. It started off with the usual smiles, throw in a few jokes here and there and before long we were having a real life conversation, not a text chat or email correspondence, but a real conversation. (I know very shocking in this digital age) We ended up seeing each other in the lobby 2 nights and having some really in depth conversations about life, love and the universe. Part of t

Rio De Janeiro, Latin Women and Joe Merchant

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So Rio has been nothing like I expected. We arrived here on Sunday afternoon to perfect skies without a cloud in the sky. We checked in to our hotel and decided to don some shorts and minimize our necessities. The Hotel Agrense is only about 2 blocks from the famous Copacobana beach. It was very hot on this glorious day. The temperature reading on the board said 30c and UV 11. The walk was amazing seeing all of the Brazilians out and about as we walked down the beach. The Brazilians are very comfortable with their bodies. It doesn´t matter what shape or size, the women all wore thongs, and a majority of the men wear speedos. They play fut-volley here instead of volleyball. They basically use the same rules and volleyball but you have to use your feet, head, knees, chest or even shoulders. I became enraptured in a game and watched for 20 minutes as the two teams never scored and kept going back and forth. Two of the guys on opposing sides got into a verbal squabble about the score and f

Day 14-Paraty to Ihla Grande

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Today we woke up at 8 after staying out late.  I had a great time admiring the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of Paraty.  We loaded our gear in taxis and walked to the bus station.  I kept mine on my back as the walk to the station was very close.  We loaded as many of our packs under the bus and the rest we placed on the back seat behind the bus station attendant. It was a beautiful 2 hour and 15 minute ride from Paraty to the boat docks.  We ended up going through rain storms and beautiful mountainous countryside.  I admired the scenery and took it all in.  On several occasions, i stuck my head out of the bus to smell the air and feel the rain on my skin. We stopped the whole way down to mandara picking people up and dropping them off since we were in a public bus.  At one stop in particular, we picked up one of  Brazil's future models.  She was approximately 16 with the most mesmerizing smile, dark brown flowing hair, satin soft skin and completely heart stopping.  My friend

Day 13-Paraty

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Today, a group of eight of us, went to a beach called Trinidade.  It was a beautiful beach at the bottom of this very steep hill.  The hill was so step that until it was paved, you really couldn't take a car on it.  The drive down was impressive and reminded me a bit of the blue mountains in Jamaica. Noah surfed for a bit on the beach, but the waves closed out too quickly.  After swimming and body surfing for an hour, Carlos, our guide walked us to a Piscina Natural or Natural Pool.  it was really pretty, but a little murky.  We snorkeled for a bit and paid 7 reis each to get back to the main beach.  Carlos walked back and met up with us. We played soccer for a bit and then the group decided to eat lunch.  A very quick squall passed through and the location we were having lunch had to batten down the hatches per se.  I took some photos of the waves crashing against the rock, but in the end, It was Carlos, when using my camera, snapped the best shot. After lunch we headed back into

Day 12-Bus to Paraty

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pronounced Para-chi. We arrived in Sao Paolo this morning at 10 and were stuck in traffic for 2 hours.  We then transferred to a mini coach and took a 6 hour ride to Paraty.  We met with our Paraty tour guide named Carlos.  Not a whole lot to write as I am tired from being on a bus for 26 hours. We ended up going to dinner at Thai Brasil, which was fabulous.  If you are in Paraty, you must eat here.  We also found out they were moving from the location that they were at, but they will reopen somewhere in Paraty I was exhausted and was in bed by 10:30 at the latest. Until Next time

Day 11-Iguassu at leisure

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Since we had so much fun at dinner last night, today is a day at leisure.  So i am loading this page with birds, that we saw at the sanctuary.  Enjoy Until next time.