Well I Guess This is Growing Up
Three weeks ago I celebrated my 29th birthday. I'm extremely thankful for my friends and family showing up to celebrate not just my birthday but moving into my own apartment. All the mayhem was recorded and has been posted on my Flickr page.
I've been wanting to post something about my birthday on my site but never got anywhere past posting that Flickr link. For me turning 29 is probably the next biggest thing until I turn 30. Turning 30 is, well, turning 30. But turning 29 puts everything into perspective. This will be my last year in my twenties. While I did most of my physical growing up from ages 10 to 20, I did A LOT more growing up in the past 9 years by far. I got my inspiration to post about my birthday when I ran across this article which I found on Kottke's site. If you haven't bookmarked him, it is THE best site for finding great little reads like this.
My friends and I have come a long way since our days of being newly full time workers still desperately holding on to our college lifestyles. We notice a lot of things that are different now in our late twenties than when we were in our early twenties. That Tomato Nation article literally hit home on every point. Along with those 20 points, I'd like to list my own, in no particular order.
- Until you get married (which is when you should DEFINITELY get your own place), the largest number of roommates you should live with is ideally one other. Two other roommates is the ABSOLUTE limit. If you can, live on your own. There's nothing more satisfying than saying that you "have your own place." The college frat style housing arrangement is definitely fun for awhile, but it's not fun cleaning after someone else's mess and it's definitely NOT attractive to your date when you show her where you live.
- Learn how to cook. Not only does it impress the ladies, it's good for you. Eating out is generally unhealthy and it can get expensive. I'm not saying NEVER eat out. Eating out is a very social activity by nature. It's always good to meet up for lunch to catch up with a friend or go out to dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday or to treat yourself and your significant other to a fancy meal. I like to say once or twice a week is a safe limit.
- Stay active. I truly believe that if you can incorporate an active routine into your lifestyle, it'll go a long way into helping you lead a healthy life. You don't have to buy a gym membership, but pick up an active hobby. I have friends that go bike riding, snowboarding, stand up paddle surfing, running, etc. It's another great way to stay in touch with friends by having a similar hobby. Which leads into...
- Never burn bridges. Ever. I had the misfortune of being laid off earlier this year but by keeping in touch with former colleagues, I was able to land my current job. It's important not just in your professional life, but your personal life as well. When in relationships, you'll meet a lot of people because of your significant other. Even if that relationship doesn't last, don't forget the people you met through him or her. You will have met a lot of great people and you don't have to end those friendships. Remember, you broke up with just one person, not everyone you met along the way.
- Take turns buying rounds of drinks or driving places. This is a big one with my friends. You don't always have to be the one to buy the first round but a reciprocation is almost always expected. Driving with your friends has its own set of unwritten rules. I believe that the person who drove does not have to pay for parking and never has to buy the first round of drinks. As for the driver, asking for gas money is so high school. Just buy me a drink at the bar.
I know I'll probably think of more but I was able to bang these out in 15 minutes. I'll add more to these if I can think of more. It's crazy to think that in the US we are legally considered adults at 18, legally allowed to drink at 21 but I only now feel that I am finally growing up at 29.
The Setup
I love reading about and taking a look at people's setups. I was inspired by this series so I decided to do one for my own setup.
So who are you and what do you do?
I'm Jay Torres and I'm a sales engineer for an HVAC company.
What hardware are you using to get your work done?
My current setup is a 15" MacBook Pro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM) and it is connected to a 24" Dell monitor. I use the Dell as my main workspace and push other distractions (iChat, Tweetie, iTunes) to the MacBook's monitor. I use Apple's wireless keyboard and mouse. I thought I would get annoyed of the keyboard's lack of a dedicated number pad but I really like how small and minimalist it is. The Mighty Mouse isn't my favorite thing in the world but until I find a decent Bluetooth mouse that comes with a rechargeable cradle that works with OS X, I'm stuck with it. I listen to music through a set of iHome computer speakers that also serves as my iPhone dock.
I have a 160GB external drive that USED to serve as a mirrored backup but that drive is on it's way out. In the meantime, I'm using a 500GB Time Capsule and Time Machine for backup. It's convenient but whenever it backs up, it's slow as shit. I also use the Time Capsule to store movies/TV shows and stream them to my TV via a 160GB Apple TV.
I have an original 16GB iPhone that I could not function without.
And what software?
I thought about this and amazingly, I spend a lot of my time in my web browser. I currently use the latest beta of Safari 4. Simple equipment selections are web based but for actual equipment quotations I have to use Internet Explorer. I haven't really committed to either using Parallels or just booting into Windows. Parallels is more convenient, but its slow. Booting into Windows means everything runs faster but I don't have the applications from the Mac side. On the dark side, I use Windows 7 and IE8. For chat, I use Pidgin.
For email, contact managment and calendars, I use Google. I love Google. I love how my contacts and calendar sync over the air with my iPhone. I manage my personal email and my work email using the multiple inbox feature in GMail. I make full use of labels to organize what has to be done. And finally I also use Microsoft Office on both Windows and Mac OS X. It's a necessary evil.
As for random miscellaneous software, I use iChat, NetNewswire, Marsedit, iPhoto, Stickies, and Tweetie. On my iPhone, I make use of Twitterfon, Loopt, NetNewswire and Beejive.
What would be your perfect, ultimate setup?
I love my current setup but I always want more. If I could, I'd like a tricked out 15" Unibody MacBook Pro and one of those new LED Cinema Displays. Extra HDDs for backups would be nice and an iTunes NAS would be awesome.
Two Months
It's been 2 months and one day since I moved into my new place so I thought now would be a good time to post an update. It's been sort of an adjustment from living in a 6 bedroom house with 7 roommates (at one point) to living by yourself in a one bedroom apartment. You go from constant commotion in the house and always having someone to bother or bother you to living by yourself and seeking any sort of social contact even if its with the resident weirdo in the elevator. Not saying that those are bad things, just different. I like having the TV and couch all to myself. I like knowing the only dishes and stray pee splashes I have to clean are my own. I like saying finally that "I have my own place".
My place is far from "finished" and I don't think it ever will. The first thing I did was set up my TV and computer desk in the living room. Since I work from home, my living room will double as my home office. I got a couch and coffee table from IKEA a couple weeks after I moved in. I would like to get some sort of bookshelf in the living room and a dresser for the bedroom and I would be content with that. The walls are pretty bare but I hope to put up pictures or maybe even wall decals soon.
The cool thing about my neighborhood is that it's in an area that with shops, bars and restaurants walking distance from my complex. Every Thursday and even Fridays and Saturdays, I'll have friends come by and have a predrink before heading down to the bars. This definitely helps with keeping in touch with friends. I just have them all stop by on Thursday as a warm up to the weekend.w
And finally, a little over 2 months into the new job, I'm still trying to get adjusted to working to a smaller company, working from home, and starting over again with a new product and new accounts. With this ongoing recession, it's kind of tough finding new projects to work on, but I'm using this time to lay down groundwork and build relationships with my new accounts. The fact that my company is smaller is kind of exciting knowing that I have a chance to help this company grow.
It's always fun to play the "one year ago" game so let's see where I was last year.
All Good Things...
On February 20, 2009, three pretty big things in my life came to an end. Two of the things may seem unimportant but when I really think about it they played a part, not a big part, but a part nonetheless, in my everyday life.
Friday was the last show of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. For those that know me, I'm a pretty decent fan of Conan. I was a fan during his stint as a writer and producer on The Simpsons (the years he was there, I think, were the best years of the show. Ever.) Once he made the jump to Late Night, I hated the fact that I had to sit through Leno before I could watch Conan. And I never really watched the whole show. All I was really interested in was his monologue and the little bit they did before the guests came on. Where some might think his sense of humor and wit comes off as weird and disturbing, I think it's genius. I loved all his bits on Late Night, from "In The Year 2000" and "If They Mated" to the Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog bits, they all made me laugh and even if they weren't funny, just his delivery and self deprecation found a way to make it funny. I'm glad that he isn't going anywhere and that he's taking over Leno. I'm also glad that he confirmed that even though he's on earlier at 11:30pm, he's not going to stop being weird or "too out there" for the wider audience that he'll be getting. I can't wait.
Friday, February 20 was also the last episode of Frosty, Heidi and Frank on 97.1 FM. I've mentioned before that I hate most radio stations because they get paid to play the same Top 40 crap over and over. An old coworker turned me on to FHF back in 2005 and over the years, I grew to like them more and more. It was definitely better than listening to Power 106, KROQ or god forbid KIIS. The current recession, however, has taken the toll on everyone, even those in radio. KLSX can no longer bring in enough advertising to pay for the current talk radio format and has been forced to switch to a Top 40 format. I know, ANOTHER FUCKING TOP 40 STATION in Los Angeles! What is that? Like six stations?! Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK? That's another post for another day, however. Frosty, Heidi and Frank were on from 10am to 2pm and while I listened to them at work at my desk, I listened even more once I got promoted to outside sales. I'd be out driving from client to client and I'd be listening to them while I was stuck in traffic. The more I listened, the more I got to know each of their personalities. Frosty was the guy that everyone made fun of because it was so easy but he was loyal and he was still your friend at the end of the day. Heidi was the chick that even though she wasn't that hot, she wasn't ugly enough to kick out of your circle of friends so you kept her around just to have a girl around. And Frank was a man's man. You'd want him as your wingman or as your back up if you were ever to get into a fight. Over the years, I felt like I got to know them and when they went off the air, it was like losing some close friends. Their last show and farewell video almost brought me to tears. Nowadays, it feels weird not tuning in and listening to them from 10a to 2p. Until they end up at their next gig, I have old episodes to hold me over and even though I've listened to them before, they still make me laugh.
And finally, on Friday I signed lease papers for my own apartment effectively ending my time at 14512 Mango. Where do I begin? So many memories during my time at this place. In the future, when I think back to this place, it will remind me of my mid-twenties and all the great times we had here. From all the Tuesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights we would all get ready and go out drinking to the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas parties we had with our huge circle of friends, there are WAY too many stories to tell in one blog post. One thing that I do realize is that while it was fun and I wish I can live like that forever, there comes a time to grow up and become more responsible. That doesn't mean "be boring and never go out". To me, it means be independent, take care of your shit financially, and find time here and there to maintain the relationships that mean the most to you. Although it's the end of a great era at Mango, I'm already excited with this new chapter in my life. One thing is for sure, this new chapter has some big shoes to fill.
Laid Off
The shitty state of the economy really hit home when I was laid off mid-January. I thought that my job was safe. I was in sales and after all, the company needed us to bring in money for the company. Apparently our company didn't do so well in FY2008 and I had to be let go.
At first I thought it had something to do with my performance. When I sat down with my boss, he really felt bad for letting me go. He knew I knew something was going on so he did what he felt was the right thing and dropped the news the day before instead of waiting the next day when the axe came down on everyone else. He also let a couple guys within our industry know that he was letting me go and if they needed someone, I'd be a good candidate. I'm not sure if he did that because he wanted to help me or just to keep me from going to the competition. Either way, it helped out with the job hunt.
I was able to land a job within 2 weeks of being laid off, for which I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky. I was able to push my start date to February 16 and it feels great to just take a break from everything. I'm also anxious to start since I'll be working exclusively from home and my territory would only be Orange County. No more sitting on the 5 in traffic to drive up to Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena.
As cliche as it sounds, I'm kind of glad I got laid off. First, work wasn't fun anymore. The transition to the new brand was a lot more difficult than I could have imagined. It also occurred when I got promoted so I had to deal with that as well. And since I got laid off, I got severance and was eligible for unemployment. If I had quit, I wouldn't have enough money saved up to take this much time off. If I quit, rather than got laid off, I wouldn't have had my managers give me leads to new jobs.
While this break has been very relaxing, I'm sort of anxious to get back into a routine. Plus it's no fun when all of your friends are working during the day.
Year in Review: 2008
This is unofficially the fourth edition of my yearly reviews. I'll be blunt about it, 2008 is one year I would rather forget. I won't go into the details now, but I am more than happy to see 2008 see its way out the door. Looking at my other reviews, a lot can change in a year. In one year, I can't wait to read over what happened in 2008 and write about what will happen in 2009.
The Coldest Story Ever Told
Kanye's new album "808s and Heartbreaks" came out a couple weeks ago and this guy never ceases to amaze me. A totally different sound and unexpected subject matter turned some people off, but I think that's what makes Kanye such a true artist. He could have easily put out another album with the same production, lyrics, subject matter as his other three albums but he instead changed his sound and subject matter. True, he might lose some fans, but he's an artist; he's going to do whatever he wants to do regardless of what other people say. Kottke summed it up perfectly, "Someone stomped on Kanye's heart and out squirted a great album".
Limbless For A Week
So a week ago my MacBook Pro fell victim to the nVidia video problem that nVidia has openly admitted. I brought it in to an Apple Store where they told me I'd be without my computer for a week. A WEEK. That's like telling someone you won't be able to use your right arm for a week. Not only is this my personal laptop, but also my laptop which I use for work. I figured this has to be done plus I have an assistant back at the office to help me out with all the heavy lifting at work. Everything else could be done on my iPhone. I was about to see if I could survive without my laptop for a week.
So how did it go? About how I expected. As far as work, keeping up with email was no problem. The only problem came when I needed to do work using work software. Having an assistant REALLY helped me out here. Without him, I'd have to borrow someone's computer every 10-15 minutes doing selections which could get annoying fast. Without having a desktop, I found myself having Yung forward me emails with files attached which I tried to do most of the time. When he wasn't available or just too busy, I had to use a fax machine. I never found myself using one so much in the one week without my computer.
As for the personal side, having the iPhone really made being without a laptop manageable. With all the apps available on the App Store, there's an app for everything I do on a desktop, namely, chat, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and web surfing. Now that I think about it, if not having my laptop is like ripping off my right arm, being without my iPhone would be like ripping out any vital organ. I wouldn't be able to go a day without it. Not having a cellphone would be impossible because of the nature of my work. I need to be able to be reached at any time and I can't be at my desk the entire day.
I have to give Apple some credit. When I got my laptop back, I thought there might be some problems since they were swapping out a motherboard. I know Windows usually doesn't like when that happens but I was surprised when not only the Mac side turned out ok, my Windows partition was ok with the motherboard swap out. I just hope that I never have to go limbless again.
Twenty Eight
Last week, I turned 28.
Glow
In front of my computer.
