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JayD916
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Name: Jon
Country: United States
State: California
Gender: Male
Interests: Nor-Cal sports teams (Kings, Niners, Giants), my alma mater UCLA, indie music, traveling, sleeping
Occupation: Accounting/Finance
Industry: Government
Message: message me
Member Since:
12/6/2004
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| This past Saturday a handful of us PPAers (me, Rosie, Jack,
Angela, Carrie, Amy S.) took our good friend Wendy out for her birthday, along
with two of her close friends who made a surprise visit from the Bay Area.
Following dinner at GV Hurley's and post-dinner drinks at the Depot, I called
it a night to avoid going dancing at Badlands,
despite pleas from Rosie, Wendy and her friend Kem to get me to go. Rosie's
boyfriend Jack also urged me to stay as well since he thought he might need
moral support from another straight guy upon his first ever entry ever into a
gay club. But for whatever reason...whether it's my age, lack of energy, or the
fact that I'm a bit emotionally perplexed at the moment...I just couldn't get
myself to have fun that night despite knowing how happy it would have made my
good friends Rosie and Wendy feel. I know they're always willing to do anything
for me...I feel bad that I couldn't do the same for them on that particular
evening.
But gay clubs aside, what made this night interesting was a couple of conversations
that I had which made me ponder what in fact it is that truly makes people
happy with the lives that they’re living. At the Depot, while Wendy, Kem, and I
were talking about how wonderful of a city San Francisco is (where Kem lives),
Wendy acknowledged that she might be moving there for a new job in the near
future (waiting for an official job offer). Instantly, aside from realizing how
much I'd miss her if she were to move, I was also happy for her since she's
been talking for months now about wanting to move back to the Bay Area.
However, I also learned that night from Angela that it's not just the
opportunity to embark on a new career in SF that appears to make Wendy happy;
it is also that she's just so unhappy here in Sacramento that the idea of leaving this city
behind in itself would bring about a perceived sense of happiness to her life.
Just found it a bit puzzling as to why someone who as bright, beautiful, and fun
a person as she, who has a bunch of great friends here who care about her,
would actually be so "unhappy" living here in Sacramento.
The second interesting conversation that night took place
with Angela, as she and I were enjoying a couple of cigarettes out on the patio
at the Depot. While talking about her hometown of Portland
and her previous residence of San Diego, she also
blatantly discussed her "unhappiness" living here in Sacramento. Although she
actually acknowledged friendships (especially with her best buddy Wendy) and
meeting cool people from our grad program as what she's enjoyed most about
living in this city, she claims that there’s just something about Sacramento
that just seems uninviting to her…or as she put it, it’s a city that is “trying
too hard to be a city.” Still a little
confused as to exactly what that means, but I guess I would interpret that as
saying that Sacramento just isn’t a city that she’s fully embraced as her
home…and probably never will.
So this got me to thinking. Does geographic location
actually play so great a role in happiness, that friendships and camaraderie
are overshadowed? Does the lure of living a big city lifestyle actually in fact bring about complete joy in some people that they couldn't seem to find in their prior smaller city locales? Or are they
just convinced that the cosmetic qualities that these cities entail will divert
their attention away from the actual causes of their discontentment? I guess
the answer to all of these questions could be yes…since I myself on many
occasions have flirted with the idea of leaving all of my worries and hassles behind here in my
hometown in favor of seeking happiness in San Francisco or Los Angeles (my two
favorite cities). But I guess each time,
I've always come to the same conclusion that I have everything I need to keep me
happy here in this city…as dysfunctional and boring as it may seem sometimes. I have my family, my awesome friends, and
it’s close enough to San Francisco and Los Angeles (by plane of course), that I
can make weekend trips to these cities with no problem if I am ever really in
need of the big city to cure me of any displeasure I may be seeking to rid
myself of. Plus, since I’ve lived all
but three years of my life here in this city, I have a true personal attachment
that out of towners like Wendy and Angela will never really have. So maybe I'm a bit biased in my misunderstandings of why people hate living here in Sacramento so much. We live in a free democratic society here...people can live where ever the f*ck they want...and for whatever reason they so choose. Who am I to judge? | | |
| Since I only post once or twice a year these days, seems only fitting that this post follows the passing of yet another birthday for me...this time my 31st. Sheesh, that sure sounds old the more I say it. Although not as alcohol dominated as my 30th birthday, my 31st turned out to be just fine...laid low on July 4th, and enjoyed a nice couple of days in sunny San Francisco for the rest of the holiday weekend with Scott and Randy. I'm a little disappointed though that I missed out on Amy's three-day birthday bash in Sac.
Given that birthdays seem to fly right by each year with the greatest of ease, I've realized that I tend to only notice life changes in phases or three to five year chunks, rather than on a year to year basis. In other words, regardless of age, life seems to stay the same up until certain life events occur every few years or so (new job, new home, etc.) Whether I'm turning a new chapter or entering a new phase of at age 31 remains to be seen. Since life hasn't changed much for me since 2005 aside from a couple of promotions, I'm hoping this is the case.
As a reminder of how the years fly by, this weekend I enjoyed celebrating my grad school buddy Rosie's birthday here in town, along with 8 of Rosie's other friends from work and school...including my good friends Dennis, Wendy, and Emily. Hard to believe that it's been nearly two years since I met them in our Introduction to Public Policy class back in 2006....but glad that I've been able to maintain such close friendships.
Pit-stop at the Depot following dinner at Centro's...which explains the flag in the background :)
One of my prized SF pics from Treasure Island on July 5th.
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| Where the heck did 2007 go? Seems like this past year went by faster than any previous one that I can think of. With the completion of two more semesters of grad school, multiple 30th birthday parties, trips to LA and Chicago, and the marriage of another good friend, 2007 just flew fly right by. Despite ending the year as a single guy once again (not to mention a 30-year old single guy), I think 2007 actually turned out to be a very good year. I was able to forge new meaningful friendships, further narrowed down my career path, maintained a 3.9 GPA, and even scratched three MLB ballparks off of my "Parks to see" list. So, whereas I usually approach the start of any new year with a "glass half empty" mentality and pessimistic outlook, I've decided that I'm going to change my approach heading into 2008. Rather than dwelling on what's wrong or missing in life, I think the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to start appreciating the things and people that we already do have in our lives, and to start viewing the world through a lense of optimism and hope. So if I were to make only one new year's resolution for 2008, I would undoubtedly say that mine would be to start seeing things with a glass half full perspective rather than always dwelling on the negative. And for some reason, I have a feeling that 2008 will be a good year personally...hopefully with regard to work, grad school, and interpersonal relationships.
Guiding my optimism involving work, I was promoted to a Staff Services Manager I (SSM I) position last week...which according to most of my co-workers, makes me the youngest SSM I in Caltrans history. Not sure if that's actually true, but I guess I am pretty young compared to the other managers throughout the department and state service in general. The position will involve managing the cash for the new programs created via the November 2006 Proposition 1B general obligation bonds. Several new programs were created through this act, so it will be my job to monitor the expenditures and cash balances for these programs, and to do quarterly and annual forecasts that are required as part of the short-term loan process through the State Treasurer's Office. Although the position is a manager classification, I will not be a supervisor but rather a "specialist" which will allow me to work independently and not have to supervise any staff...which suits me since I don't have any desire to supervise at the moment. Although I am excited to step into this new position, it is a bit scary though since it is a brand new unit being created completely from scratch, and the other 5 positions in the unit still need to be filled...including my future boss. But again, with my new 2008 optimism, I am sure every thing will work out just fine and that it will be my most productive and rewarding year yet. However, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...just in case.
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| Well, another December is upon us once again. One more month and I'll officially be at the half-way (six-month) point of my 30th year of existence on God's Earth. Yet, as much as I think I've matured and grown to understand all there is to know about life these days, random shit always seems to happen (such as this past weekend) that serve as painful reminders of just how clueless I still am about stuff such as money management, politics, or most importantly, understanding the female psyche (which is honestly baffling my brain at the moment). Somewhat related to the latter, I'm honestly beginning to think that some people, by no fault to themselves or those who date them, may just be destined to remain single or "undateable" (as referenced by Jerry Seinfeld in an old episode of Seinfeld). After years of denial, the events of the past few days make me start to wonder if I'm in fact one of these creatures. I thought at my age, I could sense when there's a good vibe between two people, but I guess not...what the f*ck do I know? I'll stop there before getting ahead of myself and turning this thing into a full blown rant.
But pushing dating drama aside, one bright spot from this week is that I've been nominated for another Caltrans superior accomplishment award (I received my first one in 2005), for working outside of my classification and managing the development of our 2008 STIP Fund Estimate. According to my boss, our CFO just needs to approve the nomination, and I'll receive another plaque to put in my cubicle along with a $500 bonus check. Not too shabby. So even though I'm still somewhat clueless when it comes to dating, I guess in terms of work, I must be doing something right.
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| While my UCLA pride usually stems primarily from successes by our world-renown athletic program, an article that I read this morning involving a new educational program at the UCLA Extension Center, gave me a renewed sense of pride in UCLA as a world-renown academic institution. This fall marks the conception of a new Extension program called "Pathways," which is designed to allow adults with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome, the chance to gain a college experience while learning skills needed for independent living. The inaugural class of 16 students, and the future classes that will follow, will not earn college credits, but rather a two-year certificate which will provide them the skills and confidence to live more independent lives (i.e., learning to cook, pay bills, schedule appointments, etc.). Equally important to the curriculum, however, is that this program will allow these individuals to live the dream of going to UCLA, and college in general. They will get to study at Powell library, exercise in the Wooden Center, eat in the
dining halls, and participate in all walks of campus life such as attending sporting events as students. The inaugural class even had an orientation event and welcome luncheon where they took a class picture next to the famous Bruin statue outside of Ackerman Union.
Although I am not sure if UCLA is the first university to offer such a program, I was extremely touched by the article and it made me proud that my alma mater is reaching out to improve the lives of those with developmental disabilities. Given that autistic and other developmentally disabled adults are usually cast aside in terms of mainstream life and labeled throughout their lives as being handicapped or "different," I can only imagine the sense of joy that these individuals and their respective families must feel by taking part in such a program that promotes integration into the "normal" experience of going to college. Much props to UCLA and the Extension Center staff for doing this, and good luck to the Inaugural Pathways class of 2009!
Speaking of congrats, I'd like to offer my congratulations again to the newly married Bryan and Angeline Yamauchi! The wedding was a blast! Everything seemed to go rather smoothly...well, at least if you disregard the late arrivals of the groomsmen to the reception and Doug accidentally setting off Bryan's house alarm :) But aside from those "minor" mishaps, couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding.
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