I am fighting the urge to write about the Presidential Debate that occurred this week. I wasn’t home as I work in practically another state now, but did catch a good portion of it on the radio. But I am NOT going to write about it other than I am proud of our country in that we, as citizens, are given the right to vote for our leaders. So on that, VOTE PEOPLE!

The new job is a bit tough, for myriad reasons……which I will not get into here and now. The drive is a huge part of that, but also there is no real “accounting” in this firm. Learning in 3.5 days what I need to do (which currently is not “accounting” but scary procedures) was tough enough……and eventually I am supposed to establish real accounting procedures and policies. Sigh. I can do it, those of you who know me know this is the sort of thing I thrive on……but there are aspects that have me concerned. But it’s only been a few days so I will wait and see……

The kids are doing well, although they miss having me here everyday to go to the skate park, go out to eat, etc. With all the bitterness and complaining you’ve heard over the last few months, having the summer off with the kids has been an amazing blessing. It is totally what we needed, it brought so many awesome memories into our lives, and I will always look on these months as a direct gift from God. I believe the Bible says something along the lines of “all things work out for those who love God”…..and it certainly was true in this respect for me.

My shoulder is, well, blah! It still hurts and is extremely sore from the procedure I had this week. My appointment for the results is scheduled for 10/6. This is the longest time I’ve had to deal with pain (other than my carpel tunnel), and it’s getting quite frustrating. I am getting better at protecting my arm (no body surfing, no indoor kart racing, etc.) as the pain bugs, but there are times when this is difficult as I am left handed. Instincts tell me to do something and then BAM, I am in pain. So yeah. But I AM toning my activities down.

The bike is AWESOME! Ken and I tooled around town yesterday and it was so much fun. Josh loves it too, but he was too busy with his friends yesterday to partake in the fun. LOL He is so funny.

Okay, well, let me know if you have any questions or topics you’d like to see on this blog. I know it’s getting a bit boring.

Okay, this has to be quick so sorry for no eloquent words or humor!

• I have a job!  I was hired as an accountant for a company that has 4 companies.  Not exactly sure what they do, which is funny since I’ve been there two days!  Good news – I have a job!  Bad news – 60 mile drive one way.  (I started Tuesday)
• I had my arthroscope and MRI yesterday.  What is an arthroscope?  Per the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, this is “In an arthroscopic examination, an orthopaedic surgeon makes a small incision in the patient’s skin and then inserts pencil-sized instruments that contain a small lens and lighting system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Light is transmitted through fiber optics to the end of the arthroscope that is inserted into the joint.  By attaching the arthroscope to a miniature television camera, the surgeon is able to see the interior of the joint through this very small incision rather than a large incision needed for surgery.The television camera attached to the arthroscope displays the image of the joint on a television screen, allowing the surgeon to look, for example, throughout the knee. This lets the surgeon see the cartilage, ligaments, and under the kneecap. The surgeon can determine the amount or type of injury and then repair or correct the problem, if it is necessary.”  Um, this hurt like hell and my shoulder is screaming now as I type!
• The MRI was uneventful – just laid there and thought about sleeping but thought if I had a night terror in there, it would not be good……so I was wide awake!  Yes, I have night terrors!

Okay, must get ready for work!  More later!

I need to go to bed (it is after midnight), but yesterday I bought a scooter!  This is a big cruiser and can be ridden on the freeway, etc.  I love it.

More details tomorrow, I am tired!

As a person that has been unemployed for over three months, I can say finding a job right now is not fun.  Well, admittedly, I kind of coasted during the summer a little – hanging with the kids, going to the beach, etc.  But now that the kids are back in school, the days are LONG and I am going stir crazy……and have stepped up my effort to find work.  It is still encouraging; in the past, I would send out maybe 4-5 resumes and get 3-4 calls back right away.  It is very different now, although I DID have an interview this week……we shall see what happens.

But, overall, there are LOTS of people in my position and we are all fighting for the small amount of jobs being offered right now.  Everywhere you turn you hear about tough situations.  Such as:

HP Announces 24,600 Layoffs in wake of EDS Acquisition

US weekly jobless claims rise 10,000 to 455,000; cont. claims down 55,00

I could find lots more, but you get the idea.  So I am sitting here as I send out an average of 10 resumes a day wondering – how long before I find a job?  Should I go to McDonald’s and see what I can get?

Dun dun dun!

I am NOT meaning to sound all pitiful, for sure.  But I am but one person in thousands who is experiencing a big change in the market and the economy.  I have a good friend who is well educated, has had a work history at the executive level, and has only been able to do contract work in the last few months.  This is tough!

So anyway, I will persevere but yeah, “Dude, this sucks!”

Okay, the day started out ROUGH.  First thing, immediately when class started, we had to ride a low speeds making a figure 8 within a rectangle.  We could not touch the ground or use our brakes.  It was all clutch and throttle control as well as counterweight use.  IT WAS HARD!  We didn’t get to warm up, get used to the bikes, or anything!  We all sucked, were stalling out or fumbling, and it set a bad start to the day.  We were cranky!

Our Coach, Rich, explained and apologized that this was the schedule but agreed it was not a good plan.  We moved on to fun, fast, and EASIER lessons and started getting our mojo back!

One of the lessons was going about 15-20mph into a tight curve and making an emergency stop.  The thing about stopping when turning is that you CAN’T or else you will probably crash…..so you need to straighten up from the lean before you hit the brakes.  The guys in the class would go into the turn going about 10mpg and not lean…..really lame.  I was booking it and got pretty good.  Coach Rich says to me, “Well, you’re the only one really doing it, the guys are all chicken!”  (I was the only girl today)  Woohoo!

Okay, the test consisted of the figure 8 (doh!), an emergency swerve (no prob), a quick stop (no prob), and a controlled turn which included braking without downshifting (no prob).  Fortunately, I did pretty good on the figure 8 – I learned that my bike was easier to control in 2nd gear, although I DID pop out of the rectangle a little on my second loop.  The others I did pretty well, but I think my quick stop was about 2 feet too long.

Only 5 of the 6 in my class passed…….

1 rider has been riding for several years, using permits, and decided to finally get a license.

5 of us were first time riders.

I got the highest score in the class!

YIPPEE!

Next thing – to pass the written test at the DMV!

Okay, I am VERY tired and a little sore (shoulder is screaming) so this will be brief.

I rocked on the motorcycle! To see pics from the day, click here. Got up to 3rd gear, got really good with balancing on the tight curve course, mastered the emergency stop, and didn’t fall once. I DID stall the bike a couple times – oops, forgot to pull in the clutch! But the instructor DID say to me near the end of the day, “You said this is your first time riding? Wow, I would never have thought that!” Daddy would be proud!

So tomorrow a few more lessons and then THE TEST. We shall see!

As for now, some strong prescription drugs and sleep!

Addendum:

Okay, so let me admit something – I was a little scared.  I mean, the last time I tried to ride, I kind of crashed.  Okay, I crashed.  And I broke my Dad’s Harley.  Serious stuff!  So even though this bike was smaller, I was a-scared!  But the lessons were AWESOME and really eased us into moving the bike, using the clutch, using the bike, etc.  It was very good for building confidence and reducing the fear factor.

I need to get ready for my final class, but I wanted to share something.  As you can see from the pics I added, I was wearing boots, jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a full face helmet.  It was probably in the mid 90’s yesterday.  IT WAS HOT!  I was really sweating, especially after a break and then sitting on the BLACK seat!  Whoa.  Sorry to gross you out, but I was sweating so much that, even though I had (seriously) 2 liters of water, I never had to go to the bathroom!  NOT ONCE ALL DAY!  When I finally got home, my bladder was not that full either!  TMI?  Well, at least I hope you get it in perspective!  So I am dreading that today as we HAVE to wear the gear noted.  Sheesh!  But I guess there ARE some safety bennies, huh?

Okay, have a great Sunday!

Okay, did I tell you that I am taking motorcycle lessons? Well, I AM! Let’s cover some areas here:

WHO – That would be me, Gina. Oh solo mio. I made a few friends in class though!

WHAT – This is a three day course under the direction of the CHP through the CMSP (California Motorcycle Safety Program) and MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation).

WHERE – classes are held in Orange County about 7.2 minutes from my house!

WHY – Many of you know me, and probably know my Dad has been an avid biker for many years (all of my life). He is even called, on occasion, Grandpa Harley by my kids. (Admittedly, this started because, when Kirstie was little, she was confused by her grandpa and uncle having the same name AND the fact he had a harley!). Alas, I have always enjoyed motorcycles – LOVED being the passenger with my Dad, even in the days when helmets were not required! I have dreams even now where I am riding and LOVE it. So, I want to ride too. But, knowing how dangerous they can be, realizing there is much more to it than just jumping on and doing it, and considering the traffic and other factors in beautiful Southern California, I decided it was best to learn the right way! (And, since I dumped said Harley once, which was more than enough!)

HOW – this class, offered by OC Motorcycle Training, is a three day course; one day in classroom, two days on ranges applying theory AND getting the exposure to actually controlling a motorcycle. IF I pass the class, I will receive a California State Motorcycle Training Certificate, allowing me to waive the on-motorcycle examination at the DMV. However, I will still have to also pass the written exam at the DMV. (AND, I was told last night, if I haven’t taken the DRIVING written exam within the last 6 months, I will have to do that too! Dun dun dun….)

Recap of Last Night

So last night was the classroom portion of the training. LOTS of info to absorb! Most was common sense stuff, but I got a little nervous when the instructor (who is HOT, btw! Hot like Justin Timberlake!) started talking about techniques to avoid problems (letting off the throttle in this situation, applying the brake HERE but not THERE, etc.) But I told myself to calm down because, 1) Most of that info would be covered in detail when we are on our bikes and 2) I am hoping many of the items he mentioned would be intuitive when I am on the bike.

I am fortunate that I have been exposed to bikes all my life, because at least I know where all the items are located (brakes, gear shift, throttle, etc.) I was surprised that many had no clue!

So, we took a written test last night, which had to be passed in order to proceed with the next two sessions. 50 questions! I totally tricked Rona when I got home! She, Sandy, and Stephanie arrived after I did as the class actually got out about an hour early. When Rona was like, “Why are you home already?” I said, “I totally didn’t pass the first test, so I am out of the program!” I have to say, getting out early really helped with the charade! I had her going for about 15-20 seconds before I couldn’t carry it on! LOL

People, of course I passed! 48 correct. That’s 96%! Not my best, but it will do! LOL

So the next two days will be on the motorcycles. 5 hours each day. Intense! I just hope I can learn and don’t kill myself! I wish my Dad was there because he would help me at least stay calm. 🙂

My Dad is an EXCELLENT rider! I believe he was in 2 accidents in his life; one where a car turned left in front of him, realized it was a mistake, and stopped. He broke some ribs on that one I think. The other was on his ATV; he was going fast (it was a big ATV) and hit a downed tree or something that came up quick.

I would always love riding with my Dad, I never was scared. My Mom “forbid” us having rides, but I have to admit when she wasn’t around we would do it. There WAS the time, when I was about 16, when my Mom went to the mountains with friends for the weekend. I begged my Dad for a ride on his Gold wing, which is what he had then, and he agreed. He got it out, warmed it up, I hopped on, and we began to take off. All of a sudden, as we were going down our street, here comes Mom! She had an abscessed tooth or something and rushed back from vacation to get to the dentist! Dun dun dun, we were BUSTED! We pulled it off though, saying we were just going up and down our street (which was NEVER the case). Did I mention my mother is Italian? YOU WOULD BE SCARED TOO! LOL But my Dad loved us and would never knowingly endanger us! And I know some of you might not like motorcycles and I do understand the risk related to them, but I just love the feeling………and I loved riding with my Dad. I am a little sad that he no longer has his Harley…..

Anyway, I got of on a tangent there. This happens when I wake up in the middle of the night and decide to post! *ding*

So I will let you know how day 2 goes. Hopefully I don’t break anything!

And DAD – I JUST got your voice message! I have no idea what the deal is, but thanks for calling and I will call back later today! Smooches!

Sorry for any typos – the Vicodin has kicked in!

Musical taste “defines personality” – Yahoo News.

This is a very interesting article – especially in regards to heavy metal listeners!  Remember, I am ecclectic in my music tastes people, but check this out!