Category: Stories from Life

There’s a reason for why I am always optimistic, and that’s because there is always something good in every event.

Let’s look at tonight’s event:
Initially, it was an idea from my friend to do a Krampus tour of terror through the Holidazzle Village. My friend backed out of the deal, which really left me in limbo. I had no idea how to pivot the event. I was thinking about just continuing the event as intended, but go to more bars, etc.

My event was a scramble. I didn’t have time to plan much, but I knew I wanted to do a pub crawl around 1st Ave. So naturally, I started at Lyon’s Pub.

My meetups are interesting because they are pretty random. Often, I host an event somewhere because I want to try something or a restaurant. But other times, it’s because it tops my list.
Lyon’s Pub tops my list. It’s nothing miraculous, but it’s like Davanni’s. It’s just part of something bigger. Like Davanni’s, it’s part of the Saint Thomas experience. Lyon’s is like that with Deloitte. I just feel at home.
There’s always a good chance I’ll run into someone I know, too. It’s funny, because I’m apparently not the only alum who goes there. I saw Bill, who I just had lunch with on Wednesday. He works for Grant Thornton now. It’s just interesting how small the cities are.

Anyways, my event was a disaster. I had a group of 3 guys and 3 girls at the beginning. I figured it was early, and it’d get better. Well after Lyon’s, the ladies went to the Gay 90’s. The rest of us went to Kieran’s. There, we waited for my friend Allaina.
Once she came, we went to the Imperial Room and Sneaky Pete’s. Eventually, the others dropped off, and she and I decided to venture off on our own.
Allaina has been to a few of my events before, and we talk well.

It’s funny – she is the kind of lady with whom I connect well:
– A little older
– Smart
– Didn’t grow up only in MN
– Open / communicates
– Smiles
– Unique experiences

Anyways, so even though the event was a total wash, some good came of it.
Allaina showed me a couple of places off of Washington. I was also able to talk to her for a little while before I dropped her off at her dt apartment.

I think it was the start of a strong and beautiful friendship.

Today was the Mustache Run. I went to it. I didn’t participate because I need to start training (just got the doctor’s okay to start running again, but I don’t think I’ll do a 5K for a while. I’ll run on my own and build back up. A 5K doesn’t make sense right now).

I did go to cheer on one of my colleagues. I usually know ppl in races. But really, I just wanted pictures of the rad ‘staches.
Apparently my phone auto rotate doesn’t mesh with WordPress.
Enjoy the pictures:

It was fun!

With the addition of a job, I’ve finally developed some kind of a ‘normal’ day! I’m excited because this allows me the stability and good habits I’ve wanted for a long time, but couldn’t do them because I couldn’t predict plan a day, let alone a week!

So here’s my approximate daily routine:
• Wake up, 6:00 to 8:00, depending on late night working the night before
• Business (networking or working at home, typically reading business news and scheduling my social media posts for the day). Sometimes the networking starts at 7:30. I miss these 50% of the time because I am often working until 1 or so. That’s where I could hone up my tendencies. I do this until lunch, often there are lunch networking events
• Go to work until evening. I usually leave work by 4, 5, or 6
• Evening free time: I get to do what I want. Frequently (3 to 4 days per week), I just happen to want to do business-type things. Either client meetings after work at one of my offices or networking of some variety. This is also when I host my social events. If I had a lady-friend, this would potential be an opportunity to see her, but we would mostly see each other on the weekends
• About 8 or 9, I go for a run. After I get home, I go directly to the gym for weight stuff. I mix abs and a protein shake somewhere in there. The protein shake is usually dinner, along with fruit. I basically eat a lot of fruit, as I’ve used it to replace cookies (well, usually….)
• After I get home from the gym, I have free time. I use this to clean, type notes here, work a bit, or do whatever
• Go to bed hopefully by 12ish. When I spend this free time working, it turns into 2 because I get on a roll. Then I miss my 7:30 networking

I am so very happy! This is a sustainable routine, and it’s making me super healthy and obtain my goals! Believe it or not, I actually prefer being stable!

I watched Grease for the first time last night. I’m always a fan of musicals, so I liked it.
I need to work on my ridiculous swing moves, though, but I’ll probably need a consistent dance partner first.

After the movie, JJ, Kristen, and I walked to Sebastian Joe’s. They were closed (oops on the planning), so we walked to Tilia. I got some chocolate cake, JJ got some smoked trout (which was a joke suggestion, but I guess sometimes a guy feels like smoked trout at midnight).
Kristen helped with both, but quickly retreated from the trout after biting a bone.
Overall, fun night.

Today was a good day.
For lunch, I made BBQ chicken on the grill – turns out I’m a natural at feeling chicken, too!

I talked to my buddy, and after mowing the lawn, I joined him and his friend at Lake Calhoun at the beach.

We hung out there. While he was taking a nap (on my towel, so I couldn’t chill much), I was talking to a lot of people. I started BSing with a group of about 5 women and two guys.

Fast forward about 30 minutes, and there was a dance party on the beach.
Yay!

We all had a lot of fun! I, of coursed, enjoyed just having fun conversations with a couple ladies and one lady’s fiancé.

Later, I was talking to Jeremy and Rohit about what to do. They were planning on either Roseville fireworks or Saint Anthony fireworks. I told them about Boogie Wonderland at Mystic Lake.

First, they wanted food, and they like saving money right now, so I offered burgers at my place, and they accepted. However, after deciding to go to Shakopee, my house was out of the way, so Jeremy offered to make burgers at his house in West Bloomington (right off of Old Shakopee Road, which was perfect for Mystic.

The show was awesome, and my friends were very happy that I suggested it.
After the show, since Rohit has never been in a casino after leaving India 8 years ago, Jeremy and I decided to show him around while we waited for traffic to die down.

Overall – great night!

Not sure if I told you, but the reason that I’ve been generally a very high paced person in all of my life was because I couldn’t differentiate between work and life.

I’ve since then learned how to differentiate. Cool.

One look at my career, and it would look like only moderate success. Unless my career is looked at as a long term plan. Basically, I’m good at going with it.

More later, but I think things are going sweet, meaning with my firm and with fortune 500 companies.

Keep checking my firm blog and my LinkedIn for changes, probably July 1.

I’ve been speeding down the runway, and things are about to take off!

This is not a professional blog, though, so I’ll have none of it!

I got a lot done today. You can definitely count me in on a lot of summer shenanigans.

First to explain the song:
Admittedly, I’m not sure if it’s the cheap headphones or the cheap radio player, but my arm-band radio no longer produces music.
So this song was playing in my head while I ran.

The reason? One little phrase:
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I’m insane

It was just about to rain.

Which made me think of the next thing in this blog (see what happens when I run without music? I think):

Reasons I Run:
1. Exercise
2. Cardio – I am male, one of the main risk factors for heart disease
3. For my breathing – this is an area on which I will expend:
If you didn’t know, breathing is pretty restricted. As such, I have to be in better shape in order to breathe well and sound ‘in shape’. I thought I’d draw a picture, but since I’m an accountant, it was way faster to just make a chart in Excel, and screenshot it to a JPG. Here it is:

This chart explains why I should never let winter/Christmas/Tax season/anything else life feels like throwing at me get in the way of my being in shape.
4. I enjoy it, and I might be addicted to endorphins
5. It helps me maintain my stellar good looks (sarcasm intended)
6. Separate from my looks…. LEGS

Reasons I Run Faster:

1. To get faster
2. To increase my thigh range of motion (I take bigger steps, it makes me work more legs, and it makes me faster)
3. To beat the rain
Literally, today it was about to storm, so I ran home from my 2.7 jog about 2 minutes before a huge thunderstorm broke! I was pretty amazed!

Also business was big today. Meetings, but they’ll turn into more clients. Sooner than later, too!

Also, reconnected with a friend – she’s going to hang out tomorrow.
Dinner and games with another friend on Wednesday.

So much work to do, too! Remember the “good old days” when summer had time?

J Out!

If you haven’t seen me for a while, you may notice something:
In the last year or so, I’ve significantly bulked up.
I thought I was fatter, but I’ve been running everyday.  I now run the big loop without stopping.

I’m just simply broader and a bigger man. I weigh more.
I’m not any slower, less flexible, or less graceful (from a dancing standpoint,  who’s to say about my personality).

I think it’s a good change. Part of my process of manning up last year.

Tonight I went to the Uptown Scavenger Hunt,  a meetup event from the group I’ve been doing a lot with.

The premise?
Walk around Uptown finding a bunch of random stuff on a list and photograph it.

I was in a group of six. Well,  myself,  Scott,  and Ann had no idea where the other three went. So we just did it in a group of three.

It was so much fun! Petty sure I will have a good friendship with Scott and Ann.  I just need a  counterpart so I’m not always a third wheel.

Anyways,  here’s the night in pictures with captions saying what they were on the list:

A guy wearing lipstick. Literally,  he put on hot pink shiny lipstick.

A clock at 10:17

A cartoon tattoo. This was in a tattoo parlor.

Photo of team members with strangers at the Uptown Cafeteria

Team mates with spoons on their noses

Coaster signed by a bartender

Team member drinking from a tap.  We were the only team to have this.

Plaid

Craziest hair

Sox that were plainly too high

Margarita

A white drink, a tall PBR (two items)

Chugging a beer with a stranger

Chugging a beer upsidedown

Photo with the irish band

Entire team in mid air

Human pyramid with whole team

Then it ended at a bar that had a dance floor

What an awesome night! Made some great new friends!

This is a great song Broken Spoke Plays.

It was another great St. Patty’s Day this year!

This year, I got the word out to about 250 different people using the meetups. We didn’t all hang out in one place, but I talked to many people, and they all had a blast!

A lot of us just danced the night away! I’ll just let the pictures talk!