C Note(s)

After 8 months at the warehouse, I've settled into a familiar role. The go-to guy, the utility player, good ole Clutch Carlos. Because of this role many of my teammates hit me up to ask what I'm doing for the day (meaning what title and/or hat I'm wearing today such as supervisor, cashier or the VISA table) I'm viewed as the guy that know what to do when trouble strikes, or at the very least be willing to help out. A jack-of-all-trades yet a master of none. For those of you wondering, I've completed my Supervisor-In-Training months ago. And yes, I've applied to be a full-time Front End Supervisor but yet to be selected. Each time that happens I've been assured by my teammates that I'll get there someday. Then again I've been assured that unicorns exist, the world is flat, and I'll find Mrs. Right. I think I'll hold station with the words, "seeing is believing." 'los; out

Entry 1, Day 20 . The past three weeks I’ve been adjusting to home ownership. Actually I should say, re-adjusting to home ownership. You see, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was married with a house that was in the middle of Leave-It-To-Beaver-ville. It’s been hectic to say the least! My first tenant moved in last week, which happens to be my little sister. As I sit nightly on my back step, I think on what needs to be done. I bought the house knowing it was a fixer-upper which was far from move-in-ready and needed tons of TLC with elbow-grease. I’ll consider every minute of effort put into the house will be sweat equity. Although, I’ve received a very warm neighborhood welcome, and many congratulations from friends and family, a little bit of sadness pricks at my heart when I know my mom isn’t around to see my accomplishment. In addition, witness the transformation from a house that was abandoned for 5 years to eventually a beautiful home. My Dad has seen pictu...

I blame the Sounders for this fine mess. In the end, I'll accept responsibility, but hear me out first. It's no secret that the Sounders season thus far has been sub-par. So last night's thrashing of FC Dallas was welcomed event. Sidebar: The FC Dallas Head Coach is an arrogant bastard for not loading up his 5 best players to 'rest' them. He figured he could win in our house with his 2nd rate assclowns. Glad to send them packing with an embarrassing 5-nil loss. I digress. Several corporate sponsors offer fans great promotions when the Sounders win. If the Sounders score three goals, Great Clips offers a free haircut. If the Sounders shut out an opponent at a home match, Papa Murphy's will offer a free a large, one-topping pizza. As soon as the neon lights of the large screen flashed "Sounders Win!", I was dead-set on redeeming that pizza. In fact, it was MY DAMN PIZZA. I even told WCP, my seatmates, and a couple of coworkers I was gonna collect i...

I'm not Catholic or religious by any means, but there is some value in the 'love thy neighbor' adage. Nowadays, I can tell you a majority of neighborhoods, at least in the Seattle metroplex, that people have lived next to each other for years without introducing themselves or even know their names! Gone are the days of the sense of community, which saddens me greatly. Growing up my niche of the world was a tight-knit community in which we all know of each other in the cul-de-sac. We were proud to call each other neighbors. We might not necessarily the best of friends, or even entered each other's homes, but damn, at least we knew of each other. And, I vowed to myself, that if I ever own a home, and in a neighborhood, I would add to the sense of community once I arrived, or start to build it if none existed. I was gonna love thy neighbor, and demonstrate to others how to do it, too. Last week, I moved into a house I purchased in Lake Stevens in a cul-de-sac,...

They say freedom isn't free, that there's always a cost. I couldn't agree more. Several years ago, I was freed from a prison I didn't know I was in or could see. You can't spell freedom without freed. 8 years ago on 4th of July weekend, I visited my friends in Phoenix. They invited me down after hearing news of my impending divorce. Since my pity party had lasted months up to this point, I accepted their offer, if only to escape the situation for awhile. Prior to my trip, I designed a tattoo, and had it put on. In retrospect, I honestly believe I've always had this tattoo underneath my skin and on my soul and it simply hadn't manifested itself, yet. Keyword: yet. Up until this point, again, there was no catalyst. It wasn't freed. Well after my wife had dropped a bomb on me mid-March, that all changed. So with my design, and $100 aka C Note, I drove to the nearest tattoo parlor. I explained to the artist, that I didn't want a tattoo until I had so...