So long Viking!

Well, it is now official. I received a call from Steve this afternoon around 1 asking me if I wanted to work with him and I took it. I am very very glad to have the chance to work with a great company with some very nice benefits. The only down side is that I had to call someone to quit my current job and since the chain of command is all screwed up over at Viking I called the man who bugged me the most. He didn't answer his cell phone but I told him i was quitting on his voicemail and he should get it sooner or later. I really don't need them for a job reference ever so I wasn't nice but I didn't burn any bridges either. Part of me wonders if he has gotten the message because I haven't heard back from him. I thought for sure that he would call just to cures me out but nothing yet.

I talked to Dano and Moo this afternoon too. I called over to Dad's house and Katie was baby-sitting. Dano went on about some food on the table and then I got him to laugh over my guess what? pizza hut routine. When I talked to Moo, she just said milk a few times and I think that is a great conversation.

After work I dropped by Cosimo's for another slice of the best pizza in the world. I know that when I am gone, I am still coming to Jersey for that pizza. Pizza David is happy that Judo David is coming home, he has been getting some moves together to catch him off guard. What is going to happen is that he will bug Judo David and then get hurt because he was trying to show off. David doesn't like that.

I am happy that David will be home soon. I miss my friend. Even if he is kind of a geek around the ladies and can kill a conversation in one sentence.... he is still a good man and it will be fun to have him around again to hang out with.

Saturday is a busy day of moving women helping out at a singles activity and moving into Manhattan. I'm lovin' it.

The Angie and The Willie

This picture was sent to me the other day. Angie and Bret were enjoying the Kamas Demolition Derby and she saw this Willie Nelson look a like, I am jealous that she got the pic and not me.

Things are looking very good on the job front. Tuesday I took the day off from Viking and met up with Steve and Vinny over at the Orkin office in Queens. Long story made short, they still like me and and I went to take my drug test and physical. Once the results are final and corporate has a chance to review them, I am a full employee of the company with all the benefits. I am just excited about walking away from this job I have now!!

I am very lucky because I called Alan Blumenfeld, a friend of my dad's, and asked him about some of the neighborhoods in Queens that it would be safe to rent a room in until I found out what area I want to live in and he offered to let me stay at his place in Manhattan until I found a room. That is a very kind offer and I am very very lucky to have kind people around to help me in this transition.

Other than that things are still fun here. On monday, I went into Manhattan with Carol to attend a stake FHE at the stake center. It was a mix of comedy and music. The comedy was by this lds girl who I thought was smart and funny and CUTE! A great combination. The music was very generic but.... what are you gunna do? We drove into the city that night and it wasn't bad at all, a lot faster than the train and we had AC.

On a sad note, Fifi the chicken did not make it home last night and I am worried about her. I am hoping that she got lost and will soon find her way back home.

Tonight, after dropping off some laundry to get done, I went to Cosimo's for a slice and found that all of downtown West field was having a party of some kind. It was cool, there was a band and a lot of runners. I got my slice to go and walked through the crowds and listened to the band. They were the Michael Craig Band and were really funny. Kind of like the Smothers Brothers but not as good. I love this town. If I ever some back to Jersey, I really want to live in downtown Westfield.

So that's the scoop. Miss the family. Miss the mountains and those nice cold summer nights but I love being here in the East!

Fat Cat

So this is one of those crazy good sandwiches from the "grease trucks" at Rutgers University. This one was a cheeseburger with fries on it. Nothing too dramatic but still a man's best friend.

I can't say that much has changed on the job front. I will be calling Steve from Orkin to get this next ride and physical set up ASAP! This week at Viking, I am in for another round of tech training.... My 6 years just wasn't good enough.

Yesterday, I left early to make it to the ward in Queens and saw the President Newbold and his family there. It threw me for a loop because Julie came right in and sat next to me it really took a couple minutes to process the information. They came to town to see the sites and head upstate for some church history stuff. After that I met up with the Jersey girls at the Manhattan singles ward for another session of church, don't ask me what I was thinking!

On saturday, I made the mistake of going to the movies to see Superman. I don't know why I forget that I hate theaters. With a few dozen open seats, some idiot sits next to me who is coughing and talking to his wife the whole movie. To add to it, there is some 6 year old brat behind me that is kicking my seat every couple of minutes. I just should have waited for it to come out on video.

I might be heading into Manhattan again Monday night just because there is some big pioneer thing going on with the stale and it just might be fun. I will let you know.

Pirates

Last night, I met up with some Ladies and went to downtown Westfield. They have and old movie theater there and we watched the new Pirates movie. Other than the girls showing up 10 minutes late and missing the first 5 minutes of the show, it was a great film. The theater is cool but not very comfortable for someone like myself with a large rear end. I kept on sliding off the front of my seat and there wasn't any side to side room. I could have walked down to Cosimos's pizza from there to get a quick slice but I really want to lose a few more pounds.

I am still here in NJ mostly because Orklin has yet another hoop to jump through. Now I need to ride along with a service manager from that office I will be working in..... Why I didn't ride with this guy from the start??? I give up. Steve told just to be patient and good things come to those who wait. after that there is a physical and hopefully, HOPEFULLY, that is the last move in getting this job.

I just about went nuts over at Viking the other day. The sales manager likes to control every little detail in a salesman life and he told me I needed to change the voicemail on my phone!!! What an idiot. I just ignored him. I'm gone in a few days so I will just save the ammo and that can be one of the reasons I'm quitting. The nice thing about training with this company is that I have seen a large part of NJ and gotten familiar with the roads and towns. A very valuable skill out in this neck of the woods.

A home in Queens

In anticipation of finally getting hired by Orkin (cross my fingers), I decided to check out a ward over in Queens this morning and I loved it! Babies were crying, old women were talking, speakers were boring and I felt right at home. This ward was friendly and everyone was wanting to know if I had moved in already and where I was at. A couple of people gave me some great suggestions and the elders quorum pres. gave me his contact info so I can get in touch if I had any problems. The ward was full of filipinos too! I could just tell that I would settle in nicely with this group. Now I just need to find a place in the ward and still make some occasional visits to a few singles wards.

Yesterday morning I met up with another Service Manager at the Orkin branch and I just followed him around while he did his thing and felt sure that it is within my capabilities to do this job. Where I go from here??? That is the question. It has been a very busy week and I am just wanting to get this over and done with so I can start living a life again. I am sure though that my patience will pay off, after all, there are perks to being a manager with a large company. Sure there will be some hard work but the rewards are there.

This evening, I spent with the Ortiz family. They had some guests over and after dinner, we played some cards and watched a movie. We watched the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice and it is funny enough to keep the laughs going. Up until watching that movie, I haven't been homesick at all but seeing the mountains and the aspen trees just made me miss those nice summer evenings that we get in Utah. Still love being in the East, just miss some of the comforts of home.

A few of us in the institute class have decided that come this Friday, we will be keeping a tally of how many times Grat (David's brother) will be kissing his fiance. My money is around 55-65 and I think that may be a little low after all, the class is almost 2 hours. I will let you know and maybe if I am sneaky enough, I can get a pic of them smooching. (I'm just jealous!!)

This is Fifi the chicken!

Sorry for the delay, due to some user error, the mouse was broken and without a mouse, using a computer can be very difficult.

Where to start? Well, Saturday night I met up with some friends to watch the Ortiz-Shamrock fight. I have to admit that it was very disappointing. While we all knew that Shamrock was going to get pummeled, none of thought it would happen in under 2 minutes. He was on the ground and Ortiz just started throwing those elbows and got in 5 straight hits witout a response so the ref called the fight on a TKO. I think the old man deserved a fair chance but the rules are the rules.

Sunday was another painful day at the singles ward. Again, the only friendly people were the interns everyone else was just in a different zone. To finish the evening I went over to Carol's house and had some dinner with her family and the missionaries. They are really young! That is where I met Fifi the chicken. She is the family pet and lays eggs for everyone to find. For Fifi, everyday is Easter. After that I met up with my friend Jay and hung out at his place while some people played cards. He then told me about the Greasy Trucks. On Rutgers campus there are some trucks that are open 24-7 that serve some really cool sandwiches. I really don't like sandwiches but when mine came with Philly cheese steak,chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and french fries all rolled into one bun for only $4.75, I couldn't resist. It was great and we decided that we would try a different one each time until we had them all!

Monday at Viking I was paired up with another salesman and this one is really cool. He has a laid back approach to sales and really focuses on gaining trust and then presenting the service options. So the last couple days with the company have actually been enjoyable. And since the office ladies like him, we don't have to work until 8pm every night.

After leaving work tonight I decided to get a haircut for my interview tomorrow and the lady found a way to butcher my scalp. So much for looking nice to make a great impression. Maybe the guy will feel bad for me and hire me because my haircut is crappy. Earlier this afternoon Steve, my future boss, called to wish me luck and ask me if I had any questions before my interview tomorrow. That is impressive that he would take the time to keep in touch. I really think that this is a much better move. I just need to find an affordable apartment in a somewhat safe neighborhood to make the final leap.

On a side note, it appears that David is making great strides of improvement while in Japan.... Wink, Wink. The man is becoming more aware of the crafty women that surround him. Congratulations!

A Jersey Sunset

This is the sunset tonight on my way to the stake institute class, it really isn't that bad. It has been a very busy week, this is to make up for my lazy 4th of July. These last 3 days, I have been leaving the house at 7 in the morning and coming home after 8. Tonight I was lucky and came in 10 minutes before so I had time to change and get ready for class. Last night I was able to make it for the last part of the morristown class and had another great evening of flirting with cute girls and enjoying some clean company. I never thought the day would come when I would be the conservative one in a group that people were worried about offending.

I talked with Steve today the manager at Orkin and he has an appointment set up for me next wednesday in East Orange with the regional manager and that should be my last hoop to jump through before getting this job and moving to Brooklyn. viking really isn't terrible but I just keep finding out more things that just really bug me.... no pun intended. For example, when I start my sales in August, I don't receive a dime in commissions until the 3rd week of September. That is a long time to wait for things that I have sold but that's "company policy" there are more policies there than in the US Congress. Even the secretaries there told me that when Rich, the salesman I'm with for training, bothers them they schedule his work later and farther apart! What a great bond of friendship! I really hope something comes through other than this.

On my happy note, I was able to go for a nice motorcycle ride this morning on company time. No one in the Corporate office is able to send my paycheck to the right branch. Last week I drove out of my way to get it after work. This week, I took my bike. It really was a great way to start the morning, other than the millions of bugs that hurt like none other when going 80 mph.

Shy Carol

This is a pic of Carol evading the camera after attending the singles ward on Sunday. She is in the stake here in Jersey and thought it would be fun to head into New York and see the singles scene.... Oh what a party it was. Actually, it turned out to be another Sunday full of snobby singles and lost tourists.

Today is the 4th of July, and just like every year, I am bored out of my mind. The worst part is, the humidity. The last few years, I have been able to spend the 4th in my cave of a basement apartment watching movies and eating pizza and ice cream. This year I have been cleaning David's room and driving around town to kill time. One nice thing is that last night I went to the store and bought some Godiva ice cream bars that are absolutely amazing. It reminded me at first of an old flame but the ice cream won out in the end.

Funny story from yesterday, I was riding along with another salesman for Viking and this guy liked to joke around. The more he joked, the more I thought of a way to get him back. Towards the end of the day he had to make a bathroom break and left me alone in the car, this was not smart on his part. I moved his seat all the way up to the steering wheel thinking that he would be smooshed as he sat down. Well, when he came running back to the car to get in he jumped feet first and slammed his right shin into the dashboard. I laughed my butt off and he was cursing like there was no tomorrow, of course my laughing stopped when he pulled up his pants and showed me a large gash in the skin but I started laughing once he told me the wound was just healing from when he did that to himself just last week. I do feel bad so I am buying him lunch on wednesday to make up for it.

Katie my little sister called me to rub it in that it was my favorite holiday and I realized that I am the Ebenezer Scrooge of July. Humbug! That's all I have to say about today.... Although on a happy note, the driver that smashed my bike will be dropping off the check to the bike shop to replace my front fender. I would say that there is hope for New Jersey but this guy is a foreigner.

As far as moving to Brooklyn is concerned, I talked with Steve the manager hiring me and he is just waiting approval from his boss and then I have the green light to jump the river and start fresh again!

Pictures from Loni

These are the pictures taken by Loni and Scooter when they were in town. Enjoy!
Me chowing down on my favorite NYC food!
Manhattan Temple, also where the singles ward meets.
Loni and Archie on a bridge in Central Park
A singer playing at Strawberry Fields
Free loving disco roller skaters! I love the City!

My Boy

Well I guess it was going to happen sooner or later, some idiot in his fancy mercedes backed up into my motorcycle earlier this evening. I figured that since it had cooled off I could just cruise around while there wasn't any traffic on the road..... Lucky for me, the bike wasn't hurt bad. Oh, I wasn't hurt either but I am more worried about my boy. The front fender was bent into the tire and I was able to bend it back and continue on my ride and it felt like there isn't anything wrong with the forks or tire but I am going to take it in and have someone go over it too make sure. Luis Salmun, the driver, was really apologetic and said he would pay to fix it. I just paced back and forth for a bit until I didn't feel like slamming his head into his bumper anymore.

Once we got things straightened out, I continued on my ride. After all, the best way to unwind is on the highway. I have to say this about New Jersey, I really like the way that I can ride 20 miles one way and just loop onto another highway for the 20+ miles home. It really ended up being a nice evening especially because on my way home I stopped by Cossimo's for a slice. I saw David there and he hooked me up with a free cheese slice and it was mmmmmmmm. Really, that is without a doubt the best pizza anywhere. What a nice way to finish a ride.

This morning was fun too. Grant and I helped his fiancé's roommate move some furniture and then installed a new dishwasher in her condo. It wasn't too hard to do and we even got a killer breakfast to start our day. I am always up for food.

In tribute to my motorcycle, I have his pic on the post today, he has served me well and I will not let him down. I love my boy. Of course I know that it is just a bike but he never argues with me or tells me what to do and best of all, we both enjoy the highway at sunset!