I reject your reality & substitute my own

Sandia Mts @ Sunset Yesterday

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:18:51 GMT

I love our watermellon (Sandia) mountains and last night they looked good. Another reason I love living here.

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So Freaking True!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:52:09 GMT

This is true. I wonder this everyday. For those of you who cant / wont look at the picture, its a sign that says: Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happended!

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Wondering If The Swine Flu Was Made Up To Sell Products...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:29:14 GMT

Found this at the checkout stand of my Smiths (Kroger) grocery store. Lol. Someone is going to make some money off this swine Flu scare. :)

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Getting Ready To See La Cenerentola

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:30:48 GMT

Getting ready to see the Opera Southwest performance of La Cenerentola (Cinderella) at the historic Kimo Theater. Good night at the opera with my parents & grandma.

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Enjoying Lunch With The Crew @ Flying Star In Corrales.

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:51:39 GMT

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Not going anywhere fast...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:01:25 GMT

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Good Morning Albuquerque!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:10:19 GMT

View from my front door.

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My View For The Night

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:56:50 GMT

My view for the night as seen from the patio of my former bosses house overlooking Corrales & Albuquerque. Great view from here.

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Eating Dinner @ Five Guys! Yum!

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:15:06 GMT

Eating dinner at Five Guys Burgers & Frys in Aurora, CO before I need to head back to DEN for my flight back home to Albuquerque. There are so many good places to eat (Five Guys, Panera, & Chipotle) that we do not have in Albuquerque, that I try and hit them up whenever I am somewhere that has these restaurants.

And to all my Denver / Colorado Springs / Northern Colorado friends, I am sorry, but I was I was just not in town long enough to see any of you. Heck, I was really only in the Denver area for just about 24 hours even.

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Guess who stayed at my hotel last night?

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:21:01 GMT

Yep, ICP is staying / stayed at my hotel last night. Got a full day meeting here in Denver, then I fly back to ABQ tonight.

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Up in a hot air balloon!

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:35:58 GMT

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And You Though IT Was Only Computers...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:45:34 GMT

Working on our gate here at work beacuse its having some issues working with our remote openers (yes, that part of my job too). Right now, I am not sure whats going on & I need to wait for a coworker to come back from lunch so I can test something.

Just another day in IT!

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Find Me A Find! - Lays Salt & Vinegar Chips

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:11:26 GMT

Wow, so surprised to find these. Normally you cant find these in New Mexico. We used to get some other crappy flavor. Now I just hope Smiths continues to stock these.

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Found at the New Mexico State Fair!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:55:28 GMT

I lol'ed.

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Updates About A 2nd job, Beacuse He Is Not Busy Enough As Is...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:25:31 GMT

Those of you that follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that I have been talking about a second job.

Well, its true, I have taken a second job and the wait is over. I can finally say that I am the new Part Time Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry for All Saints Lutheran Church here in Albuquerque, NM. Now I took this job for a reason, but not for the reason you think. Its not that I need the money that bad (but the extra money will be nice). I took it because I was asked to fill the position.

After the person who held this job before me resigned in August to pursue other things, the senior pastor came to me & asked me if I would be willing to take over since I had been around the youth at this church for a long time (I've been volunteering with the youth program at All Saints for many years now). I said I would and my first Sunday is this coming Sunday the 20th.

It should prove to be an inserting job and will probably take what little free time I have between my 9to5 job & school, but oh well, I enjoy it. I really do enjoy working in Youth & Young Adult Ministry as I get to help shape the youth of today into the adults of tomorrow (they grow up fast). There is nothing more rewarding then a youth telling you how you've impacted them for the better.

So to all my friends (well, at least I think I have friends), if you do not see me for awhile, but only read my updates on Twitter or Facebook, I am sorry! I will try and make time for all you all even with my crazy-busy schedule.

I Think I'm Going To Need More Velcro!

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:51:59 GMT

One of my long term projects at work has been to clean up the rats nest of wireing that is my server room. I've made great improvements on it from when I inherented the mess, but I still have a long way to go.

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Forgot I Had Leftovers In The Frig, So I Cooked.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:57:55 GMT

Forgot I had leftovers from dinner in the frig, so I cooked dinner. Oh well, it was tasty, which is what counts (I think).

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Found in my math book. I feel the same way!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:46:48 GMT

Found this in my math book today. It gave me a laugh. I must say that I do feel the same way. Fibonacci Numbers bored the crap out of me, and I find them useless.

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25 Years...

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:46:17 GMT

As I sit here at Denver International Airport, having just finished my meeting of the Congergational Ministry's Board of the Rocky Mt. Synod, I am reflecting on having been on this rock we call Earth for 25 years. In case you can not tell, I turn 25 tomorrow. Yes, I have been alive a quarter century and so far, I am happy with how things are gong.

25 is the last major milestone for a while that we measure. For me, these milestones have occurred at 15, 18, 21, and now 25. It was getting my drivers license at age 15, turning 18 where I could legally smoke (which I don't), buy porn (which I do), play the lottery (which I do every now and then), and rent cars (but pay an arm and leg in fees). Now, here I am turning 25. The only thing major about this milestone, other then being alive for a quarter century, is at 12:01am tomorrow, I will be able to rent cars without paying the very large under 25 fee.

As I am traveling more and more, both for personal and business, I am very glad to pass this milestone. Really, the under 25 fee to rent cars has been a pain in the ass more then anything. Its also something which I do not get. I mean, I have a stable job, I own my own house, own my own car, and have my own car insurance, so if I crash and/or trash the rental, its just going to fall back on me (and my insurance) then the car rental company, so I have never understood why they are charing me the under 25 fee. Oh well, thats life I guess.

Getting back on the topic of my birthday (yes, once a year I do get to say its all about me, and this time its the truth! Other times I say it, but really its not about me). I think I have done a lot in 25 years, some of which I hit on above. I graduated high school, not that there was much doubt about that (just don't ask my parents). I got a "real" job (I use the term "real" very loosely). At age 22, I bought my first house, which I am still very proud of. And earlyer this year, with my parents help, I bought my first car (I borrowed my parents car once, and for 9 years, just forgot to give it back to them). Really the only thing I have not done in my 25 years on this rock is my quest for World Domination! I actually have a task in Microsoft Outlook that says "Takeover the world!" and its due tomorrow.

Now there are probally somethings that I have not paid enough attention to in my quest for world domination. My love life would be one of those (I said love life, not sex life). If there is one thing that I regret (and I really do not regret) its not paying enough attention to finding that person that completes me. As I turn 25, I do find myself looking for true love. I am past playing those games and I want love. I want to find that perfect person, and settle down. The other thing, which I have since corrected, is not paying enough attention to my studys. Granted, for the longest time, I was not motivated in what I was doing, which really was affecting my grades. But now that I am in a program that I love (Systems Administration) my grades show how much I love it.

So as I look forward to the next 5, 10, 15, and 25 years on this rock (God, thats a scary thought, me at 50) I wonder what life has in store for me. As I stated above, I want to settle down. Find that man in my life who will complete me & be my other (and probably better) half. I want kids, that I already know! I have not figured out how many, but I do have a rule: No more then you have humans to take care of them, and if you violate that rule, then no more then you have arms / hands.

In a perfect world, I would love to find someone who could be my financial backer to pay my expenses & give me enough to live comfortable so that I could give all my time to work in non-profits who can not afford to pay people. Again, I said in a perfect world, and its also probably my dream world that my mom kept telling me that I lived in growing up :)

Overall, life has been everything and more then I thought it would be. Its not been easy, but then again, no one ever said it would be. You gotta fight and work your ass off for what you want, and I feel that I have done that. What the years ahead hold for me, I do not know. But what I do know is that I am looking forward to the ups and downs that we call life, here on this rock that we call EARTH!

Can anyone guess what I am doing tonight?

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:26:49 GMT

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Epic Find! Lamb Collectors Edition! So Stoked!

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:06:39 GMT

Found this (and bought it) today at Borders. I already own the book, but I do not care. This version is so epic, it was worth it! If you have not had a chance to read this book, what are you waiting for?

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Ok, now I have seen it all: Sweet Tea Vodka!

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:08:01 GMT

Ok, so I will admit that I am curious as to what this tastes like, but I am not $21.99 curious.

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Can it be, a real update?

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:05:36 GMT

I figured its about time I gave a real update on life, work, school, & everything else related to Kevin. I know its been a long time, but I have been uber busy this summer between work, vacations, and then other travel.

Summer started with me buying a new-to-me car in May. I bought a used 2007 Honda Accord from CarMax with only 6,500 miles on it. So basically just like a new car. Since that time, I have put almost 6,000 miles on it. Thats what happens when you take your car on a few road trips in one summer.

Speaking of road trips, i've gotten to travel a lot this summer, much more then I thought I was going to be able to. Back in early June I took a spur of the moment trip down to Frisco, TX (in the DFW Metroplex) to see some friends and help celebrate a friends birthday. Due to money issues, I decided to drive and it was also my first road trip in my new car. It was a really good 4 day trip & I was very glad I went.

Then in July I did two 8 day trips back to back with only 48 hours in between them (ya, I know, what was I thinking?) The first trip was a vacation to Breckenridge, CO with my family & my mom's brother and his family. All in all, it was a great trip and a nice chance to decompress from everything that life has thrown at me. It was also a nice chance to see family that I have not see since Thanksgiving.

Kate (my sister) flew in to Denver on Monday evening and I picked her up and together we made the almost 2 hour drive back out to Breckenridge. Then on Wednesday, one of my cousins had to fly back home because she had school & work, so that morning we loaded her up in my car, and with my father & sister, we drove up to Ft. Collins, CO to see some friends of ours & do some brewery tours. Then after that was all over we drop my cousin the airport, and then had dinner with a friend of my sisters who just took a call (he is a pastor) in NW Denver area.

Friday my sister, 2 of my cousins, and I all drove down to Buena Vista, CO where we did a half-day rafting trip on the Arkansas River in the Browns Canyon area. It was amazing fun, and dead tiring since my fat-ass is so out of shape. After grabbing a quick lunch in Buena Vista we made the drive back to Breckenridge, where I think we were all just pooped out.

Saturday brought an end to the vacation as I had to head home to prepare for my next trip which was just 48-hours away. We did stop in Lone Tree, CO (South Denver) to have lunch with one of my mom's cousins and her husband, both of whom I had not seen since I was very young. After lunch I jetted out to Denver International Airport for the third time that trip to see my sister off and then started to make the long trek back to Albuquerque. All in all, that trip was about 1,600 miles of driving.

So with only about 48 hours back in town, I then left again. This time, I was off to the 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA, where I was a chaperon for one of the church's in Albuquerque. For some sick reason, we thought it would be a good idea to drive. The first day, we made the drive from Albuquerque to Tyler, TX which for those of you playing the home game, is 745 miles and over 12 hours of driving not including stops. The second day, we drove from Tyler, TX to New Orleans, LA which was 432 miles and about 7 hours of driving. So, just to get to NOLA, we had drove about 1,175 miles and spent almost 19 hours on the road.

The gathering its self was good. There is just something amazing about worshiping with 36,000 to 40,000 youth & adults. It was amazing to see super dome filled to the rafters The kids were good & the speakers were awesome. This made my 3rd National Gathering (1 as a youth & 2 as an adult) that I have been to, and I think possible the speakers they had for us were some of the best I have heard. I took tons of pictures, which when I get some free time, I will post to facebook along with pictures I took when I was on vacation in Breckenridge, CO.

So after the gathering was over, we drove from NOLA to San Antonio, TX where we took the kids to Six Flags. All in all, a good time was had, and then the next morning we started the long drive back to Albuquerque. The whole trip was just over 2,550 miles and we spent almost 40 hours in our rental ran (yes, I know crazy, and nucking futs).

Just before I got back to school on the 31st of August I have a quick little one day trip to Denver for the Rocky Mt. Synod, Congregational Ministry's Board that I am on. Its just going to be a quick fly in, fly out type trip.

Speaking of school, it looks like I will graduate at the end of the spring term if I can keep my act together. If not, then it will be next fall (2010) when I graduate. It really all depends on a lot of factors, some of which I might have no control over. I am taking 4 classes this term, and I expect between work and school, it will keep my pretty busy, so if you do not see me or hear from me between September and December, you will know why. :)

Work has been keeping me pretty busy. Nothing really new or earth-shattering is going on here, just much of the same has been going on. Office drama is office drama, and I have been trying to stay out of that best I can. Its sometimes fun to sit back and watch the fireworks between other coworkers and then there are other times where its sad to see it happen.

One nice thing work related that I am looking forward to, is this weekend we are doing a work picnic up in the Jemez Mountains (NW of ABQ by an hour or so). I think it will be nice to be able to relax (and drink) with coworkers and just take some time to unstress from our busy season (which is still going on). We try to keep the company like a big family, and as such, we like to do things together. As long as the weather holds this weekend (knocks on wood) it should be a fun time.

Well, It think if you have read all of that, you are now pretty much updated on what I have done this summer and what the next few months hold for me. I do have a few small trips here and there scheduled. I know between now and December, I will be in Colorado 3 times (counting the CMB meeting later this month). Other then that, and maybe a quick weekend trip somewhere, thats about it.

I hope all of you are doing well and that life is treating you all good.

My partners in crime in the very back row @ church.

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:53:59 GMT

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Yep, I am Lutheran. The view from the very back row.

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:41:48 GMT

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