I think everyone asks at one point in their lives, "How would my life be different if..."
I asked that question a few months ago when talking with a bunch of friends. How would my life be different if I had moved out to LA to take that studio job? Well, the guy who took it ultimately lost the position due to the writers strike and is currently in Boston trying to find a steady gig.
What if I had made a move on this girl in high school that I was crazy about (she was kinda mannish-soccer playing kinda girl)Would I be married right now and not have this blog? Possibly have a blog about being married and in the closet?
These questions have always intrigued me. Various scientists believe that we are always creating "new timelines" with every choice we make.
I had a dream last night that was just like an alternate reality. I'm sure some of you have had dreams like that. Where everything is familiar and yet different in some ways?
Maybe it's the Land of the Lost trailers I have been seeing? That episode of Sliders I caught late night while trying to fall asleep where the Jets won a Super Bowl over the 49ers.
A few weeks ago I was watching the finale of "Fringe" on FOX. If you ahven't seen the show, I highly recommend watching it. It's a JJ Abrams show that deals with Alternate Realities and "Fringe Science" like teleportation, dark matter and the like. It's almost like the XFiles. Check it out on Hulu.
***SPOILERS***
In the finale of the show, the main character Olivia is trying to get a meeting with the head of Massive Dynamic. A tech company that is behind a lot of research that may give her a lead on a case she is working.
She is told to meet William Bell at this restaurant. He never shows. As she is leaving she gets in the elevator and after a few bright flashes.. well... check it out...
A friend and I were talking about the show and he turned me on to a series of books about the Civil War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline-191
Harry Turtledove does a "What if..." and writes about an alternate America where the North is defeated in the Civil War. There are two Americas. The Union and Confederacy. His series of books goes beyond the Civil War and up through World War 2. I have started reading them and I enjoy it.
A bit of a different type of entry for JP today. I would love to write a what if novel... maybe even a TV Series... seems JJ Abrams is beating me to it though.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Scary Night
I barely talk about work on here anymore. I really need to talk about what happened last night.
A few months ago I was switched back to the night shift because of the loss of someone in my department moving to our LA Facility. No big deal. Instead of 5am-2pm I am working 4pm-1am.
I was asked to come in later last night to help cover the desk because of the way our late shows were arranged. So I did my normal schedule of waking up, going for a run, making food and then took some of the extra time I had to work on a script I have been writing.
I got to my desk a little before 6pm and noticed that my manager and coordinating producer were waiting for me at my desk. I put my bag down and had my CP tell me to follow him into our Senior CPs office.
We walk in, they shut the door.
I am shitting myself at this point. Trying to figure out what is going on. I have a colleague sitting next to me who has this confused look on his face.
My senior producer starts off the meeting with..."The company decided to lay of X amount of people today"
My heart sank.
She went on about how the company studied what was going on and projected through 2010.. yadda yadda yadda... the entire time she left out the fact that my job was safe. When she told me I was overcome with joy but then she mentioned some of the people who were laid off. People I know. Friends of mine.
She then dropped a bomb on us. Up until Monday my immediate area that has about 19 people in it would have lost 7 or so. The argument that I do a highly specialized job that requires a lot of training left them keeping our job safe. Plus, we have saved the company over a million dollars since January.
The meeting ended and I texted my friend who had been let go to see if she was ok. She was. She had cleaned out her apartment and started to drive to another city hoping to find work.
It's a wake up call that no one is safe right now. I'm happy that I have job. I also realize that I should start thinking of a backup plan if I get laid off in the future.
A few months ago I was switched back to the night shift because of the loss of someone in my department moving to our LA Facility. No big deal. Instead of 5am-2pm I am working 4pm-1am.
I was asked to come in later last night to help cover the desk because of the way our late shows were arranged. So I did my normal schedule of waking up, going for a run, making food and then took some of the extra time I had to work on a script I have been writing.
I got to my desk a little before 6pm and noticed that my manager and coordinating producer were waiting for me at my desk. I put my bag down and had my CP tell me to follow him into our Senior CPs office.
We walk in, they shut the door.
I am shitting myself at this point. Trying to figure out what is going on. I have a colleague sitting next to me who has this confused look on his face.
My senior producer starts off the meeting with..."The company decided to lay of X amount of people today"
My heart sank.
She went on about how the company studied what was going on and projected through 2010.. yadda yadda yadda... the entire time she left out the fact that my job was safe. When she told me I was overcome with joy but then she mentioned some of the people who were laid off. People I know. Friends of mine.
She then dropped a bomb on us. Up until Monday my immediate area that has about 19 people in it would have lost 7 or so. The argument that I do a highly specialized job that requires a lot of training left them keeping our job safe. Plus, we have saved the company over a million dollars since January.
The meeting ended and I texted my friend who had been let go to see if she was ok. She was. She had cleaned out her apartment and started to drive to another city hoping to find work.
It's a wake up call that no one is safe right now. I'm happy that I have job. I also realize that I should start thinking of a backup plan if I get laid off in the future.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Glee!
I first saw the preview for this show a few months ago and was really excited about it. The show is a little bit of Sister Act 2 and Mighty Ducks rolled into one. Pictured above is "Finn Hudson" (great porn name by the way) He's the star quarterback of the school and has a secret passion for singing. He joins the Glee Club without his buddies knowing and ends up really enjoying himself and rocking out to an awesome arrangement of "Don't Stop Believing"
I have no shame in saying that I was in choir in high school. I was an All State singer! I really like the elements of show. Underdogs versus the popular kids. Rocking out on stage with other "theater geeks". I highly recommend the show. Plus there are some scenes in the locker room with some shirtless guys.
Boyfriends
Spring has sprung! Summer is almost here and you know that it's here because of one reason. Someone you know just got into a relationship or they are breaking up.
This is just an observation from someone who is pretty bitter and observing.
Case 1: The break up
My fraternity brother Phil has been dating this girl for about 2 years. He is heads over heels in love with her. Most of his friends don't really like her. She is a year younger than him and just graduated from a 5 year program with her masters. She told him that she wanted to take a break.
They still talk and text but she wants the option open for her to go off and hook up with other guys. I told him that it's bullshit that she would do that to you. I gave him advice and then he asked me for the honest truth of what I thought. I think I broke the kids heart.
Most of the time when someone in the relationship says "I want to take a break" more often than not the relationship has only a few weeks left. It's just a way of dragging out the process.
Case 2: Come out, get a bf.
A reader of the blog who I will call "Charlie" contacted me a few months ago. Really awesome guy. Similar situation to me while I was in college. He's gay, sort of in the closet and in a fraternity.
As our conversations went on I could feel what he was going through. I went through it. I hadn't heard from him in a few weeks. Until tonight. He IMed me to tell me that he had awesome news: He came out to his friends and now has a boyfriend.
Why does this happen to pretty much everyone else except me?! Well, Charlie went off to a leadership conference and met this guy. He opened up to him and they had a lot in common and is now seeing him.
I don't know what the deal with all of this is but I want to catch the spring fever. Last spring I caught it and the guy and I ended up not really getting along after a week or two. No big deal. Just wish my time would come.
This is just an observation from someone who is pretty bitter and observing.
Case 1: The break up
My fraternity brother Phil has been dating this girl for about 2 years. He is heads over heels in love with her. Most of his friends don't really like her. She is a year younger than him and just graduated from a 5 year program with her masters. She told him that she wanted to take a break.
They still talk and text but she wants the option open for her to go off and hook up with other guys. I told him that it's bullshit that she would do that to you. I gave him advice and then he asked me for the honest truth of what I thought. I think I broke the kids heart.
Most of the time when someone in the relationship says "I want to take a break" more often than not the relationship has only a few weeks left. It's just a way of dragging out the process.
Case 2: Come out, get a bf.
A reader of the blog who I will call "Charlie" contacted me a few months ago. Really awesome guy. Similar situation to me while I was in college. He's gay, sort of in the closet and in a fraternity.
As our conversations went on I could feel what he was going through. I went through it. I hadn't heard from him in a few weeks. Until tonight. He IMed me to tell me that he had awesome news: He came out to his friends and now has a boyfriend.
Why does this happen to pretty much everyone else except me?! Well, Charlie went off to a leadership conference and met this guy. He opened up to him and they had a lot in common and is now seeing him.
I don't know what the deal with all of this is but I want to catch the spring fever. Last spring I caught it and the guy and I ended up not really getting along after a week or two. No big deal. Just wish my time would come.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Great Weekend
I haven't had this busy of a weekend in a while. It all started Friday with heading into NYC with a few buddies from college for a "Guys Night out" A friend of mine has a place on 34th street and we drank on his roof deck. he has some great views of the city there.
After we decided to head to Brother Jimmys to start the night. Well, from there it gets blurry. We were all dancing and shooting the shit and just having a great time. I woke up the next morning with an enormous hangover.
Saturday was a big day for me and my family. My sister got engaged! Her fiance is an awesome guy. I spent most of Saturday with family eating and drinking some more.
It was a fun and crazy weekend. Now it's back to reality and back to running and working out.
After we decided to head to Brother Jimmys to start the night. Well, from there it gets blurry. We were all dancing and shooting the shit and just having a great time. I woke up the next morning with an enormous hangover.
Saturday was a big day for me and my family. My sister got engaged! Her fiance is an awesome guy. I spent most of Saturday with family eating and drinking some more.
It was a fun and crazy weekend. Now it's back to reality and back to running and working out.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Running my ass off...
Just as the title says... I have been running my ass off.
A couple months ago I bought Nike+ and have been running with it. I also did an experiment with P90X. I decided to spend a few more weeks with running and lifting before diving back into p90x.
I want to do a lot of cardio. I want to run a 5k in a few weeks and then hit up a half marathon in October. I talked with my P90 coach and he said to give running a try in the morning and then use my "dinner break" at work to do most of the work out. I would need 90 minutes but only get 60 for my break. I am still trying to work it out.
I have been doing some distance running. My times have improved tremendously.
March 18, 2009
2 miles
32:15 total
16:11 per mile
I was out of shape and just getting back into running. No big deal. I think I did this on a tredmill too. I forget.
March 19, 2009
2.73 miles
30:09 total
11:03 per mile
I am getting better...
March 25, 2009
4.32 miles
41:20 total
9:32 per mile
This blew me away.... My stats just kept getting better and better... here is what I did today... err yesterday... I hate working nights because this is still considered today...
March 12 2009
5 miles
43:23 total
9:13 per mile
841 calories burned
It feels awesome. What makes it even cooler is that training with a goal in mind helps keep you motivated. My motivation is to kick ass in a 5k and impress myself with my half marathon numbers.
Overall... I am on a great pace for summer... get it... pace!?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What an amazing weekend. First and foremost, I saw Star Trek on Friday after having a lovely dinner with my friend Lisa. The movie blew my mind. If you aren’t a fan of the franchise, don’t worry… you will love this movie.
Fridays seem to be my dinner and a movie night with my ladies. Its great though. After the movie was done and stopped in downtown New Haven to see some buddies for beers and ended up staying up until 4am drinking out of a keg and making hamburgers with 3 guys from college.
Saturday was Softball Day. I have been on FIRE as of late. I went 6 for 6 in both games and seem to be hitting the ball very solid.
During our 1st game, I realized that I had crushes on about 80% of the other team. Majority of the guys are super hot. By crushes I meant that the guys are really good looking.
After we were done with the game I grabbed some dinner with our manager. Over dinner at this BBQ place he talked about whenever we hung out he always had a good time. He also loved that I liked to go up to random guys and say hi to them. He wanted to change that and be able to talk to other people besides the people he would know at bars.
I told him that we were going to meet random guys that night and have some fun talking with them.
We went to GYM first. Hoping to bump into some of the other guys from teams. We did and I saw my favorite bartender. I bought the first round of drinks. When it came for a third I leaned into the bar and ordered. I heard a voice next to me say, "That sounds amazing" to my Jack & Ginger drink.
A slim faced guy stared back at me and smiled. I decided to turn up the charm.What followed was an awesome night of conversation witha 24 year old swimmer who "just moved up to NY" from Florida. He was really tall too. When I started talking to him, he was sitting down. When he stood up I could not believe it.
As the night came to a close, he asked me for my phone number. He told me that he would want to get to know me better if I lived in NY.
He was cute and it was fun talking with him. I knew that it would not go anywhere after that.
Overall it was a fun weekend.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Settle Down
I had a pretty good weekend leading into Sunday. Very mellow.
Friday I had dinner and drinks with two friends from home I haven't seen in a while. They pretty much talked the entire time but it was fun.
Saturday I went running tried to focus my head and when I got home I just relaxed on my couch watching the Yankees game.
I got a call from my softball manager asking me if I was still playing in one game on Sunday. I said yes one game.
I woke up Sunday to rain. As I started to get ready to go I called our manager to make sure the game was still on, despite the rain. It was. I drove into NY to pick up some teammates and it was really starting to pick up. I called several times to ask if the game was still on.
He assured me that we would be playing and that it was not raining in NJ.
See, every team in our league has to play one game in NJ for some odd reason. I swooped in and picked up 3 teammates and we all said, by the time we get out there the game would be canceled.
We were right. As soon as we got out of the car they called the game.
I was pissed. What made me even more pissed off is that I had to sit in traffic on my way home and had barely enough time to eat food and get to work and work all night.
I did get a phone call from my manager thanking me for what I did.
I don't know if it's me being a good teammate and trying to help the team out or bme being stupid enough to listen to my instincts with the rain.
JP has a new rule... if it's raining I am not heading to NY to play softball. End of story.
Friday I had dinner and drinks with two friends from home I haven't seen in a while. They pretty much talked the entire time but it was fun.
Saturday I went running tried to focus my head and when I got home I just relaxed on my couch watching the Yankees game.
I got a call from my softball manager asking me if I was still playing in one game on Sunday. I said yes one game.
I woke up Sunday to rain. As I started to get ready to go I called our manager to make sure the game was still on, despite the rain. It was. I drove into NY to pick up some teammates and it was really starting to pick up. I called several times to ask if the game was still on.
He assured me that we would be playing and that it was not raining in NJ.
See, every team in our league has to play one game in NJ for some odd reason. I swooped in and picked up 3 teammates and we all said, by the time we get out there the game would be canceled.
We were right. As soon as we got out of the car they called the game.
I was pissed. What made me even more pissed off is that I had to sit in traffic on my way home and had barely enough time to eat food and get to work and work all night.
I did get a phone call from my manager thanking me for what I did.
I don't know if it's me being a good teammate and trying to help the team out or bme being stupid enough to listen to my instincts with the rain.
JP has a new rule... if it's raining I am not heading to NY to play softball. End of story.
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