For those of you who have followed my blog, on my travels, thank you so much.

 

I have started a new adventure: I am in a PhD program for Journalism and

Mass Communications. As a full-time student, who teaches as well,

I am quite busy, but I love it!

Cheers to all,

Laveda

 

The news here is fascinating to me. Watching Chicago news for my whole life I am used to certain things, and here in the Valley of the Sun, they have different expectations. The latest news is centered around the weather person promising we will get down to the 80s soon. It is with apology she announces another day with a high in the 90s. She seems to not know how some parts of the country are struggling in the 40s and 50s and would welcome the 90s. Today is supposed to be the last day in the 90s, and yet, it is another beautiful day, which I would feel guilty complaining about.

I feel alone often, but not really lonely. I feel a definite difference in the two. I have friends I can talk to, my kids and all the people here at the resort who are more than willing to spend time chatting, mostly when I am in a hurry to get things done. But I feel alone a lot. I go to the gym where I purposely shut the other people out, and try to concentrate on getting fit. I am getting stronger, but not really losing any weight for the past month. I am sure it has to do with my extra evening munching while doing my school projects.

I took the scooter last weekend and went to the closest casino (where I left with a little more than I came with) but gambling is a solo event, where I even go alone when I am with people. I had joined a couple of meet up groups but they didn’t really workout for me, as they had back in Chicago where I met some great gals.

Today is my birthday. This is not the first birthday I have spent away from Chicago, but this one seems different. I am not sure what I want to do, but maybe the fact that my day has been exactly like every other day, can be interpreted to be I am living a pretty great life, or I am uninspired to find something better to do.  Thinking about how I want to spend the day, all I could come up with was the food I wanted to indulge in.

When I was a kid, my grandpa had a birthday and when I wished him happy birthday he answered, “It’s just another day, no reason to make a fuss.” and as a kid, I could’t understand how he could think that. I really liked presents and getting to pick my dinner back then. Now, I just want my kids to call me, and send me a card which makes me feel appreciated. I have received a couple of gifts already, which are very nice and thoughtful, however, the son who called me first thing this morning to ask for my help with an email, and did not wish me a happy birthday, kind of made me laugh. He just wasn’t thinking, and I am OK with that, because he calls me all the time, and always answers my texts and stupid emails I send him, so he gets a pass on this one.

My plans have changed throughout the week, and evolved into taking a scooter ride, having ice cream, and pizza and wings. I am not sure what else I will decide to do, but I am kind of sorry I got all of my work done, so I could do whatever I wanted today, since I don’t know what I want to do. Having nobody to do things with, makes it harder to have fun. I was laying in bed, thinking about my birthday this morning, and I was thinking about my favorite birthday; It was the year I turned 19, because I had wanted to see the play “The Odd Couple” and Chuck gave me tickets for my birthday. I had never been to a live play, and I loved it. We went out to eat afterwards and stayed out til 4am. Later that same date, he asked me, unofficially, to marry him. It was a great birthday.

It is this yearly celebration where most people think about their next 30 years, and vow to make their lives better. I know I need to eat better, be kinder and try to give back, more. I will work on being more positive and forgiving myself for my past, and moving forward, embracing whatever the future holds. I know I will be in a different place the next birthday I celebrate, if I am so lucky to do so, so I should enjoy my next trip around the sun, and be grateful for all the blessings I have.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 

–Steve Jobs (who passed one year ago, today)

Yes this is true. As I stayed up very late last night to finish the Powerpoint presentation for my class, I was thinking about the time I have spent working, and going to school. I enjoy what I am doing right now, at the resort. It does not pay as much as a “real job” would, but I like it, so far. It is fun to be the “newscaster” for the resort, and to take pictures and post them.

How much should money play a part in what you do? If you can do something you enjoy, isn’t that worth the difference in pay. I have always believed it was. I can spend less on frivolous things, and have a lot less stress. Maybe in the long run, will I save the money in healthcare, or in care for some disease which sets in due to the stress I was experiencing.

I think getting paid a lot of money is a great advantage, but if given the choice, I’d prefer less money, and enjoying my days and nights. I see people all of the time on Facebook, just counting down the days until Friday. Is that really living your life? If you plod through five days to get to the two, you are not really enjoying your life.

I remember when I was working at US99, I was so thrilled to be working there, I looked forward to going to work. Of all the jobs I have had, I think that one was the one which paid the least, and I loved every minute of it. I learned so much, and I got to do something I wanted to do, so it was more fun than work.

Although even in the best jobs, there are things you may not want to do, or times you may not feel like doing it, but overall if you enjoy your work, what a wonderful life you will have. And how much better of a job will you do? I know I get more into a job I enjoy than one I am in it only for the pay.

Sam and I judging a Lego competition

On TV the other night, on The MIddle, the mom wanted to start her second career, and looked at all the various avenues, and wondered what she REALLY wanted to do. I think that myself, as I work towards another degree in hopes I can teach audio editing, and communications classes at a University, maybe even some online classes. But as I work towards this education degree I start remembering how much I wanted to teach when I was in grade school. The public teachers went on strike, and I was asked to come in and fill in for one of the lower grades. I was in 8th grade and one of the best students in the school.

The kids were acting like you’d expect kids to act when they knew they had a substitute teacher who was only a few years older than they were. The one kid was throwing spitballs at the blackboard so I told him he had to go to the office. He took his stuff and left the room. At lunchtime, I was called into the Principals office and a lady who was a secretary (which was why she was there and not on strike) told me the boy went home and told his mother I yelled at him and sent him home. I was so upset, because that is not what happened. I may have yelled when I sent him to the office, after he was being a jerk, but still, I did not send him home. While she was admonishing me, she said “And whatever you do, don’t ever become a teacher!”

Later she would come and apologize to me, because other students told her what had really happened. But in that time, her words stuck with me, and I always kept away from thinking I should teach. So, I taught Bible School, CCD and sports, I even taught a kids class of bowling at the Community College one semester. This was something I had always wanted to do, and her words hurt me so badly, I never went in that direction again. In fact, whenever I have thought about teaching, I think I need to teach adults, because the problem I had was with kids. But as I do these various teaching projects, I am really drawn to teaching younger kids.

We take our work seriously.

When I had to answer the questions about Sam, the young lady asked if I had wanted Sam to do something particular, and I thought about how I always wanted my kids to do something they love. I remember Sam coming to me and saying he wanted to attend the one college, and I had a hunch it was because of the bowling team and his friend was talking about it, so I asked him what he was going to major in and he said Culinary. I literally laughed out loud. He had a thing about making smoothies, but before that he had no desire to cook anything. I had taught him to make french toast, but he never made anything else, so I thought he was joking. I feel terribly guilty to this day, because now he calls me and sends me pictures of his food, and he really enjoys cooking, so maybe he could have been a great chef if I had not laughed at him. I think he enjoys what he is doing, but I still feel badly. Maybe cooking can be just a hobby for Sam, or one day he may want to be a chef, it’s nice to have that option and be able to think that you should do what makes you happy.

 

 

Sam and I working on videos together.

 

 

So, as I keep learning more about teaching, I keep changing what it is I may want to do. I dont think it is ever too late to change what you want to do, and to do something you truly enjoy. You only get one chance in this world, so you have to make it count.

More and more RVs come into the resort each day. It is almost “the season” here in Arizona. I have been fortunate to have spent one of the hottest (according to the weatherwoman last night, there have been the most 100+ degree days this summer since they began keeping track!) summers here, and now I am hoping to get the reward of a cooler, allbeit warmer than the Midwest, winter!

I have been busy with making videos for the author, and keeping the Facebook page for the resort up to the minute, attending meetings and doing my schoolwork . I have projects due this week, but I wanted to post a few thoughts I have.

Right now, my life revolves around modern technology. My job here is based on doing social media, editing and uploading videos for websites, and I am taking my Masters degree classes via the internet. When I stop and think about it, it seems mind boggling to me. I am being paid to do a job that didn’t exist 10 years ago, taking classes in a way that could not have occurred 10 years ago.

I was sent a few questions from one of Sam’s classmates. It seems they are doing a project where they interview people and do a real indepth project about the person. Sam told me she’d be sending me some questions, but I was surprised at them. She asked if I could describe Sam in 3 words, which would be next to impossible, but I tried. Then she asked me about my favorite memory. That is another one which I cannot say, yes, THIS is my favorite memory of Sam. There are so many. it made me think back to a lot of great memories when the kids were little. This is always a fun thing to do, since it was the best time in my life. I enjoyed thinking about all of the anecdotes which revolved around Sam, and shared a few with her.

Then came a question which made me think a lot about my life. What can you see Sam doing in 5 years? I am certain I got this right about him, but if someone had told me 5 years ago where I’d be, I would have certainly laughed at them. Even 5 years ago, my position as a social media director, and taking online classes would be a far fetched idea. Even if there was such a thing, it was not something I thought I would be doing.

If you had told me I would be in Arizona, I would have probably debated that and certainly if you had told me there would not be anyone from our family living in Illinois, I would have doubted that as well. Life takes funny turns and the future is not for us to know. Sometimes I think the people like myself, who worry and fret over things are the least productive. The people who roll with the flow seem to be the happiest, and most content. Striving for things and to make everything perfect, just makes yourself crazy. Nothing is ever perfect, and maybe those imperfections are what gives us character?

I got a picture last night on my phone. It was of Sarah, doing her editing. It is always nice to get a picture from any of the kids, which means they are thinking of me, and want to share. This is something I never could have thought would be so much a part of my life. I send pictures to my kids of food I made, the dogs, what I am doing and they send me the same. It is another way technology keeps us connected in five different states. Yes, that’s right, currently we are in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Missouri and Arizona. I never would have thought that either.

I watched the Presidential debates last night, and I have never enjoyed them more. I usually watched, while doing something else, and this time it was not much different, but I enjoyed this debate far more than any other. I had my twitter account open, and the people I follow are insanely clever. In real time, they commented on the debate, and I laughed out loud as if I was watching a sitcom, without the laughtrack. This is something I had never thought of, five years ago, but I have to say my Twitter people certainly entertained me during an otherwise awful debate.

I sent the answers to the young lady and thought more about what I had written. Who’s to say what Sam will be doing in 5 years, or any of us for that matter. I can’t see the future, and I am glad for that. But I do know that for right now I am glad that we have this marvelous technology which keeps us connected and helps me try to move forward.

Things usually fall into a routine, and around here, we have one as well. Not only do the dogs dictate most of the routine, they force me to follow their needs, and adapt my schedule around when they need something.

For the past month, we have been getting woken up around 7:45am, Arizona time, by a very low whine which Wrigley has used since being a little puppy to announce to the world he is ready to start his day. I plead with him to give me a few more minutes to which he does his best immitation of a snooze alarm and is quiet for another ten minutes before starting again. I have learned the hard way, he will not relent the second time, he will get louder and louder until you respond to him. Knowing this, I get up and talk to him while I make my bed, brush my teeth, get dressed, etc. then I gather the various things we need to go to the dog park.

My alarm clock

This is not a small list. There are leashes, doggie bags, my keys, sunglasses and once I have shoes on, we head out the door. The two of them head towards the gate, and I follow unlocking it to let them into the canine version of a big bathroom. They do their business, and after smelling all the new smells, they head back to the gate where I leash them and we go for our walk around the resort. They pull and tug at first but after about 5 minutes they are good walkers and if it’s not too hot, we even head to the back part and get a few more “blocks” in before we head back to the RV where I make their breakfast, and my coffee.

The middle of the day can vary, but the dogs don’t do a lot, until about 4pm, then they will start wanting to go out, and for a second walk which sometimes gets pushed to later, or when it was too hot, gets nixed all together. But at 5pm, they start wanting their dinner, so I give them dinner, and then they watch the other dogs go to the dog park and start asking to go out every hour for the next 3 -4 hours. At 9-10pm, Wrigley will start pulling Snowballs’ tail, and taking my socks and basically asking for me to get a treat and ask him if it is “bedtime for Bonzo?” After more than 2 years, he knows what this means. Some nights he will calm down and find something to chew on quietly, other nights I hold up the treat and ask him and heads right for his bed where he is ready to call it a night. I hear nothing out of him, most nights, until 7:45am when we start all over again.

Last night, however, I had a phone call planned and decided to take Wrigley into the cooler night with me at about 8pm, and we went to the dog park where he played with the puppy who has even more energy than he has, and after they ran around like crazy little doggies for about 30 minutes, my phone rang, so I took the leash and we walked for about 40 minutes more while I talked, and when we got back to the dog park, all alone, Wrigley laid down. We walked back to the RV and when we came inside Wrigley headed for his bed, and looked at me, asking for his treat, from inside the crate where he has slept his whole life, except for a couple of nights.

I put him to bed and took Snowball out and came in, to finish some work I was involved with. I did not get it done until almost midnight, and I went to bed then. I was tired, but when I saw that the sun had come up and I rolled over to get a few more winks before rising, I was hoping for more sleep. I drifted back to sleep and as I do many mornings, when I decided it was time to get up, I assumed it was about 7:30 and I would hear Wrigley in a bit. But when I looked at the clock next ot the bed, I thought there was something wrong with the clock, because it said 9:45am. I wondered if it had stopped the previous night, and grabbed my phone which confirmed that the time was a good two hours past when it should be!

My heart started beating faster, because I could not fathom how Wrigley could still be breathing if he was not up yet. I came into the room and looked at him. He was curled up, and so I called him. He looked very sadly at me, as if I was bothering his slumber. I got dressed, made my bed, brushed my teeth, and still, nothing. This was such a foreign concept for me I was not sure what to do! I got all the leashes and bags ready and he started stretching as if he decided it was finally time to get up.

We went ahead with our doggie park visit, walk and breakfast routine, but because I am usually up so much earlier on Sundays, I can usually go get the paper before the football games start, but here, they start at 10am, so I hurried to get the paper, forgot to get coffee, and all day I have had a hard time getting into the swing, because it seems like it should be earlier than it is! Wrigley has slept a lot, so I am not sure if he just overdid it yesterday, or he is getting sick, or what.

It’s funny how I depend on his dependability to get the morning started, and this morning, he really dropped the ball!

Today is the day.

I will run in my new running shoes for the first time. I will miss my Tiffany shoes, which made me feel cool walking around the gym, and I will still wear them around, but my feet have started to hurt after running in them, and since I have used them for the gym for ten months, I am guessing they are just no longer giving me the support I need.  I went with a shoe I had bought at a running store a couple of years ago, but was on sale online. I used tons of codes and coupons to get a great deal. I put them on, and they feel comfy so today will be my first run in them.

The new running shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is the post from when I purchased my now retired Tiffany shoes.

Rodeo Drive, Ca

I remember hearing about Rodeo Drive as a kid. It has always been pictured in my mind as a very special place full of expensive stores and boutiques with large windows and the items inside the windows would cost too much to even consider buying.

Sarah and I ventured to the famed part of Hollywood on her last night in LA. We strolled into the familiar stores we know and love. Mine included the teal colored boxes, and Sarah’s included almost any kind of store with fancy handbags.  We walked up and down the actual Drive and many stores were not open on a Sunday night, but the chain stores were. Unfortunately,  these were all stores we could have and did visit on Michigan Avenue many times. Sarah found a gift she would like, and I bought it for here now, because having an actual item from Rodeo Drive seemed cooler than from just any name brand store. Like a kid on Christmas morning, she and her new gift were inseparable the rest of her time here. I dropped her at the airport, still clutching it, which made me smile.

In the Nike store, I purchased a pair of new workout shoes in the cool teal color which adorned the store I truly love items from. This was my nod to the beautiful stores on Rodeo Drive. The gel inside the shoes made them even more appealing to me. For me these shoes were my splurge on the grand Rodeo Drive, so no matter how many times Sarah made me swear I would not wear them outside the gym, she never made the correlation between my love for the store which prompted the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” where every treasure is sent out in a teal box, with my treasured new shoes. The treasures I saw in the store were definitely pricey for me, and the shoes were something I truly needed, so I combined my two loves and I am now the proud owner of a pair of super comfy shoes I vowed to never wear outside the gym!

 

Today has been a whirlwind of activity, and tonight, I feel a little sick, probably from the stress of having to choose how I will live the next year of my life.

Money is something I have tried not to worry too much about, but the reality is that I do not have unlimited funds and at some point I will need to work hard again.  I had hoped it would not be too soon, but reality has a way of sneaking into your dreams and killing the Peter Pan in us all. It makes me wake up thinking of ways to stretch my money and makes me think about what I really want to do when I am forced to grow up.

I came to Arizona, hoping to be considered for the position of Social Media Director, but with six others in contention, I had more than three backup plans in place.  If this seems a bit unusual to you, then you have not looked for a job in some time. I am certain I will not get each job, and yet, I have been fortunate enough to get selected for more than my share. Not that these positions are paying a lot, but they include my RV spot, electricity and water, which is an asset, considering more than 2/3 of my pay went to my housing and transportation when I worked at my corporate job in Chicago. This meant my net pay then was not as much as it will be if I make half that pay now, when my RV spot is included. Today was the final meeting, and I was given all the tools to complete my tasks, and given an itinerary of items to complete over the summer. I was told I could work from wherever I choose, but I am welcome to stay at any of the 3 Resort grounds.

After this meeting ended and I was happy, the management position at the Campground I left was offered to me, and because I wanted to accept the challenge, I tried to think of a way to do both. This was impossible and it would not be fair to whomever I turned down. It would be even more unfair if I tried to do them both over the summer.  I rolled this around in my mind, but the offer from the RV Resort was what I asked for, and included a place to stay from this moment on. In reality, that was what I wanted when I took the job in Santa Paula. I was supposed to finish my writing while working there, but the work got in the way and I got very little done. The allure of the management position clouded my memory of the hard work I would be in store for. Having a boss who likes you, and who you like is important, but it could not promise me time to finish my writing, or even time for any other dreams. Staring at 50 hour weeks for the entire summer, giving up my newly offered position making videos, and doing the creative work I enjoy, made it easier to know I had to call back the owner in California and tell him I could not take the job.  It was a hard call, but I knew it had to be done.

The Resort in Arizona offered me a place to stay, with a month of no work on my plate which meant I could drive all over, or I could stay still and do the writing I planned on doing when I left my driveway more than a year ago. I could finally finish the book on my bucket list. Whether great or just an accomplishment, it was a major reason for my time off, and it is something I have wanted to do, for many, many years. It is currently the one thing I have always wanted to do, that I have not completed.  I have been fortunate to have been able to work in radio, have a pro bowlers card and complete my college education. These were all things I was able to accomplish by setting goals and working hard.  I was told I would not be able to do each of those things by someone who didn’t believe in me. However, I did them, one by one. Now just one big goal remains…I first wanted to write a book in High School. I thought about it many times over the years, but something always got in the way.

I now have the story, and all I need to do is complete the book. Finish what I have started. My last excuse: I don’t have the time, has been taken care of, for me. I will cancel all of my other plans, and make this, and my health, my priorities for the next 5-6 weeks.  I have always been able to do what I set my mind to, and this will be no different. I just need to get it done.

This leads to my plans after the book has been finished.  I will be the social media director for the resort, making videos and taking care of other assignments over the summer, until October, when the real work begins. I am excited about this opportunity and looking forward to getting to know the Apple computer and HD camera I was given to use, as well as the video editing software I will be spending many hours with.

Once the book is complete, I will be taking classes to complete my Master’s degree, since that is now needed for all the new adventures I seem to be interested in. I am a bit afraid to go back to classes, but I feel I can do whatever I put my mind to. My heart is into taking care of my health, writing this book, getting my Masters degree and being the best Social Media Director I can be. I can be sure; wherever my heart is, my mind will follow.

Taking care of business. That was Elvis’ saying and I am better at it in some areas than I am in others.

I have some things which need to be taken care of, but I also have a lot of things I WANT to do. It seems that the want list always gets priority for me. This also means I tend to be a procrastinator. Why do anything you have to do today, if you can do it tomorrow?

I have been working hard on losing the weight I have which is making me unhealthy, and even more important, I have been working hard at fueling my body properly. This is no small task, since the world is full of food which is like poison for the body.

I went to the fruit and vegetable store, which was a great find here. It has everything you could want, including nuts and oats and other healthy foods, and it was priced so reasonably, I was in heaven. I bought more than I could fit in the scooter’s spacious seat compartment, and the total was just a few cents over the $20 mark with tax!

I got oats, nuts, prunes, lots of salad ingredients, pineapple, mango, asparagus, and granola. This was four bags of food, and all of it was healthy and good to eat.

Since I won’t be staying in the area, I only used a free week pass for the local chain gym, which was an amazing place to visit. It made my own chain gym look small and unimpressive. However, location is everything, and my gym has awesome locations, making it convenient for me. I drove the 12 miles to my own gym Sunday and as I rode the scooter past a small group of businesses, I saw a sign for Crossfit. I have been wanting to try out a Crossfit gym, but have not been able to find one. Once I returned, I emailed the owner and set up my free session to see if it is something I would like to do more often.

The free session was Monday at 9am. It was different from gyms I have been to, for sure. The gym had no machines except for the rowers. Everything was weights, bars and other basic equipment. I was in the newbie group, and we were told we’d be doing an easy first timers workout which consisted of warming up with 400 meters on the rowing machine, 10 deep knee bends and some arm warmups with PVC piping. Then we were told our workout would be 3 sets of : 400 meters running, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 jumping pullups. I thought we were supposed to be timed, but did not see the timer, so I did not really push for time. I found out once I completed the 3 sets that the timer had been running. I thought maybe new people were not timed. Now I wish I had been able to push for a good time. I even waited for the other newbie to finish her pullups so we could run together. The pullups were definitely a challenge for me, even jumping from the box and the swinging motion we were told would make it easier, did not make it easy. It was quite a challenge. Anyway, once we were done, people chatted, some tried to do some of the other stations there, like climbing a rope, or rings, I asked about the wall balls, and asked to try them out. It was here I discovered I was not going deep enough in my squats. I did ten as deep as the trainer wanted me to do, and I am feeling it today! My rear end was an inch from the ground, which was very deep for me! I am surprised my bad knee is not hurting, but I am glad it is not.

I was sweating when I finished my third set, but I did not feel like I worked out. I felt like I did a fun little extra, so I came home and did a complete Biggest Loser 50 minute workout so I felt like I had indeed worked out! Overall, I can see the attraction of Crossfit for those already in shape. However, someone like me needs to run miles and put in more time to continue to lose weight. Once I am in decent shape and stronger, I would consider Crossfit as a way to push myself, and to get in a workout in less time than I now need.

The fact that there were 2 alumni from the Biggest Loser TV show working out there, shows how popular the Crossfit workouts are for people trying to get more fit in less time. The one guy, John, was the winner from last season, and apparently is a regular there. He brought Sione, one of the cousins from an earlier season there. They were looking pretty good, for past contestants and were lifting heavy weights, from what I saw through my swinging kettlebells. They stood around talking about their experiences on the show, after everyone had completed their workouts. They were basically comparing notes, and talking about working out.

I am sure the people who are in great shape, and practice their pullups, pushups and weightlifting, get a great workout from Crossfit, but I am just not there yet. I really believe I enjoy my workouts more, and actually look forward to going to the gym now…Jonathan used to tell me that and I laughed at him, because I never thought I would be here. I never thought finding a place to workout would be so important to me, and spending more time in the gym would actually make me happy.

The results I am experiencing are helping me want to do more. I had a 4 pound loss the week I spent at the really cool gym. I used the pool, the sauna, hot tub, basketball court, and all of the equipment to get the most out of my workouts there. I am hoping this week will be half as good. I have eaten well, and I am trying to get in good workouts, but I really enjoyed the big gym the most, and I know I spent more time there, because I enjoyed it. The 15 mile Bataan memorial march is coming up soon, and I am hoping to be able to finish the very difficult march which has tough terrain over 15.1 miles. I have never walked that far in my life, so for me it will be a major challenge. Sunday I ran 4 miles without stopping which is the longest I have ever ran in my life. I would never have thought I could do that, so I will try my best to finish the tough march, and keep adding to my list of things I never thought I could do.

1 real pullup is on that list, thanks to my 3 sets of jumping pullups I feel closer than I did before. The trainer, who has been leading fitness classes for years, told us how she could not do the pullups when she started at Crossfit, and her boss told her she needed to be able to do them; it took her 6 months to be able to do ten.

I will continue to take care of business, and I will get there.

　

Apache Junction,Arizona

Those who know me well know I am a fan of a now defunct country rock band called Cross Canadian Ragweed. I have several of their songs which remain staples on my ipod and assist me in reaching my fitness goals. One particular song which amuses me every time I hear it is a song entitled “Carney Man”. What is so clever about this song, is it can be used to represent so many things. When it I heard it yesterday, I knew it was speaking to me about my current situation.

The song is a about a guy who thinks working as a Carney man would be the greatest thing in the world. He talks about it, like a person speaks of a dream which is impossible to attain. He finally gets his chance to live his dream, and it is then he can see it for what it is. In the last verse he tells how he makes 2 bucks and he’s come to realize, this job, it really sucks!

Sometimes, things look good and seem like they would be the perfect setting, until you are in them, and it is then you realize that maybe it is not the fit you thought it should be. In fact, it is not what you wanted at all. I can see this being applied to relationships, schools and even places to live. All of these things are only able to be properly evaluated after you have had a chance to experience them firsthand.

I had a terrific week working out, and managed to eat like I should. The Biggest Loser Challenge wii game 12 week challenge was over, and I was the runner up last week. I decided to do the next 12 week game on the next level up. This first week I vowed to do better, and attending a new gym helped me to be successful on my first week of the new game. Not only did I win the challenge, I also won the weigh in. The scale part is so realistic it is scary. I stood on the scale and waited for the numbers to register my current weight. I was thrilled to see a four pound weight loss this week! This was my best week yet, and I was so excited to have my planned day off, and get a treat.

I believe that if you think about some food for a while, it is better to treat yourself with a small portion than to deny yourself, and then binge because you are not allowing yourself any particular food. I went to Coldstone, where I ordered the small “like it” of my favorite treat: chocolate ice cream with walnuts, strawberries and bananas. I ate it slowly, and although I had thought about it for days, it wasn’t as good as if I was having it with my ice cream pal Sam. Maybe it is better with someone else? I literally felt sick the rest of the day. Maybe I have been eating too cleanly? Not sure, but I know I did not feel well the rest of the day.

The song I mentioned could be applied to this situation, but it is not what I was thinking. No. It is the Resort I am staying at. Although it is wonderful, and there are many great things about it, just like the people who told me they did not like it because there were too many people, it may not be right for me either. Actually, I was here for a job interview. This interview was for a position I felt I would be great at, and I could do well. I was so excited about the position and the place, but like the guy in the song, once I was here, I realized it might not be exactly what I thought it would be.

For me, it meant seeing the people around me not excited about me taking the position, and honestly, I have been through that before, and it was very stressful. If others want this particular job and I take it, I know that it will be an uphill battle for me, and I will have a bullseye on my back.  I can do it, if I really want it, but I want to make sure it is a good fit for me before I decide it’s “worth fightin’ for”…(another song by the same group).  Since I have time to think about it, and I can do the job from the road over the summer, I can see how it goes. For now, I am moving on and seeing what the future holds. I will really miss the gym which I had some really solid workouts in.

Next week, my friend from Chicago arrives and we start our adventure of Spring Training baseball. After that, I have a 15 mile march which I hope to finish in New Mexico, then head to Branson for a Bootcamp and further North for another Habitat for Humanity build. I am glad I have a chance to find out how this will work out unlike how my singer did, by being stuck there, saying “This job, it really sucks!”

The old adage “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet” comes to mind as I am thinking about my current homebase. While researching my travels, I ran across a few mentions of a place called Quartzsite. Pictures showed RVs blanketing an area of land almoat one upon another. It looked very crowded and the descriptions said as much, and told of dusty conditions as well. Many mentioned the constant humming of generators which seemed to make sense since there are no hookups, many people rely on their generators to power their rigs. Although these people would have the experience to know that you only need to run the generator once, or twice a day for an hour to replenish the batteries, they would be taking turns, so with the multitude of RVs, I could see many of them running often.

All of this reading made me want to see the RV wonderland myself, but I was not going to plan on staying too long, in case it was not a great place to be. I stayed at the campground the past 3 months, and not having cell phone service was much more “roughing it” than not having hookups for me. Although I had internet acess, it was not reliable and if there were a lot of guests, sometimes I could not even get on at all. This was really hard for me. My RV is setup for boondocking, with a generator, larger inverter, bigger battery bank and solar panel. Until now I have mostly used it for urban boondocking, so I was looking forward to the challenge.

I left Las Vegas and drove to the closest of my gyms, and had a proper workout. Although it was a rough one, probably from detoxing all the sugars I had consumed recently, I was happy to be back at a gym. I stayed the night in their parking lot, and then headed towards the magical land of Quartzsite. This tiny area was about 4 hours from where I was, which means it would take me 5 hours or more to get there. I drove, I stopped, I stocked up on supplies. I was most worried about water, since I have been drinking more water, I wanted to make sure I had fresh water. Having the scooter means I can travel if need be, but I would rather not have to. I was not sure how far into the wild I would be going either.

I saw the first little group of RVs before I hit the sign which told me I had arrived in Quartzsite. I saw another group off to one side, and so I kept traveling, looking for the giant group. I did see many RV parks which charged to park, some with hookups, and some without. Tis made me curious, they looked like modern expensive RVs, so why would they come here, and then pay? I drove around the vicinity and never found the multitude of Rvs I had seen, but then again, I am at the end of the season, so maybe they have left. I saw one area which looked like boondocking, so I stopped and asked a guy who looked like he had been there for some time. He assured me the place was packed a few weeks back, and I could go wherever I wanted. He added that the people are very nice and nobody steals. This was just rhown out there, so I laughed and he added, if they do I shoot them. OK then. I was not sure what to expect out of this guy…not sure if I wanted to befriend him, or get as far away as possible!

It was almost dark, so I drove just a little ways away and set up for the night. I figured Wrigley and I could take a walk and find a better place the next day. It was hard to tell how the other RVs got to where they were, further away, and I did not want to get stuck, so daylight was a good idea. I started by BBQ, and proceeded to get dinner ready, when I saw the same guy walking toward my RV carrying a box…oh geez, what now? He got closer and I could see it was a pizza box. He politely offered me some pizza and since I had the BBQ already going, it made for a very convenient excuse, but he seemed a bit insulted by my decline. I tried to explain to him I am trying to lose weight, but he seemed upset, so the next day after Wrigley and I scouted out a new place, I was glad to move farther away from him and his buddy, who also stopped by to chat…

Now, I don’t want to be rude, but I did not feel like chatting with these fellows and I really wanted to just do my own thing. I have plenty of little projects I need to get done, and I did not care to discuss with this guy why his lack of communicartion with the world is superior to my way of living. He has no communication devices at all, and wanted to know all about mine. I tried to be polite, but I just told him I needed to get back to making my dinner…

Once we moved to the new area, we both we so much happier. It is far enough off the road, Wrigley can roam for a bit, without worry he will wander into the way of a car. Neighbors here are not chatty, and I have a beautiful view. If I had known this was what it was like here, I would have come here much sooner. It is quiet, and peaceful, and the sun is so bright, my solar panel charges up the batteries in an hour! Now at night, that is another story, we saw a guy using a small wind devise in Las Vegas, and I am going to look into that for additional power, especially at night.

I was as happy as a pig in slop, as I sat outside and worked on my computer, listening to the radio while watching blue skies. My phone would ring now and again and I could talk to my kids whenever I wanted, which is so wonderful. After I went to sleep the first night, I woke up a bit more refreshed, but was alarmed when I went to take my daily thyroid pill and there were no more left. I had stocked up on all the things I thought I would need, but forgot this one real necessity. I checked my phone for a pharmacy nearby, and after checking various listings, it showed the closest one to be 22 miles away. I changed the settings to avoid highways and it became closer to 30 miles. Now I drove my scooter with the big bikes last year at Daytona, but out on the expressway alone, it gets a bit scary for me, so I avoid expressways if possible. If I took the RV, it would cost me about $20 in gas, plus I may lose my awesome place I have claimed. I looked at all my choices and determined the next day I would just bite the bullet and take the long ride on the scooter, avoiding the expressways.

I got ready to go, and took off down the road I had driven into town. It turned into a one lane road, which was not good for me, since I was not going more than the 55mph listed and people get behind you and want you to do more. I pulled off to the side of the road twice for people to pass me. From my experience on Highway 1, I knew this was going to be a long ride, but heck I had time, so why not just enjoy it….until I saw the next sign; 65 mph….! This is where I draw the line. The reason I avoid highways is because of this, but at least I have a lane to be in so others can pass me on the highway. I pulled over and tried to decide what to do. I looked at the route by highway and decided to give that a try.

I drove back the way I had come, then through town, and down a street which runs parallel to the highway. I saw a lot of stores, and wondered why there is no pharmacy in this town. I was thinking if I could build one, because I bet it would make a lot of money with all the older people here, surely they need their medicine? I got to the entrance of the highway, and I just didn’t like it. I decided to go back a few blocks and ask some locals. I drove to the market store which had a little of everything. I waited in line to ask the cashier. A guy was stocking shelves, so I asked him if there is a pharmacy in town, and he told me they sell medicine here. I said I need a prescription, but his English was not very good so he pointed me back to the cashier, whose line had now doubled. I walked to the door and asked the gentleman there if he was from the area, and he told me he was.

He told me there was a small pharmacy behind the fire house off of the street I was staying on! I was looking for a Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid type of drug store, so I had not thought there would be one hidden behind another place! I drove there and behind the heliport (nice to know it’s there, just in case) there was the smallest drug store I have ever been in. I was delighted I had not driven the highway, or taken the long route, when the drug store was only about 3 blocks from my RV!

I had to go back to get my prescription, but now I was set. My exploring showed me my worry for supplies was not necessary since the area has a ton of little stands, with food, even fresh produce. More than one place has taken advantage of the RVrs who come to boondock and offer fresh water, dumping and LP gas for a reasonable fee. Standing in line at the Post Office, where I was informed there is always a long line, I discovered how clever people are. Many have their prescriptions delivered by mail, so they do not have to worry about finding the pharmacy…so now I know. Still does not explain the people paying to stay in an RV park, close to one another, when all of this open land is available.

For now, Wrigley and I are enjoying our little slice of Heaven here on Earth. The sunsets are amazing, and I have everything I need.