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Stupid Image Host. Archives have broken links.
2002-11-15 - 3:34 p.m.
Can't complain. Everyday I've been here, I've had a hundred bucks or more in my wallet. I make considerably less now than any year before, but I see no negative impact on my finances. I'm pulling in around 4k after taxes, a month, and spending about half that, counting about 800-1000 a month for my mom. The rest I'm saving. THAT is a first. Craig said he's going to give me about a 1600 dollar a month raise in January, for all the progress we've made, and the automated sales mechanism being so well implemented that we've blown the doors off our early projections and are on track to have this company outgain his others by almost 25%. I'm as shocked as him, to be frank. I don't even think about money. In NYC, when I'd get ready to write rent checks out I'd have to get drunk. Seriously. Almost 4 grand for that place, 1200 for Jeonga's place in Florida, and utilities, phone, cable, etc....every month. Crazy. We were making about 150 to 200 an hour there, plus pulling my WCO salary, and I saved nothing. never. nada. zilch. When I moved back after nine months and had Chloe with me, I'd manage to sock a few hundred away on any given payday, but with wrestling, I was really barely making it. I went grey in the space of 2.5 years. Reed Richards. Nobody who looks at me guesses anything less than 35. I'm hearing that I look younger now. I'm actually smiling in a few photos. I'm wearing size 32-33 inch jeans I'm 184 lbs. I'm happy when I wake up in the morning.I love waking up. I don't use an alarm clock. Never. I pop up, do 200 crunches, 20 pull ups on the rings, put some water on for tea or coffee, turn on the shower, and get ready to start my day. I catch myself whistling. I'm happy. I'm dating a few girls. Going out, if I want, and having fun with the people I meet. Nothing terribly romantic, just getting to know people here. Making friends. I have two projects I'm working on for Chloe. One is her Christmas dollhouse. It isn't made for Barbies, but I'm sure it will work. The place that's making it has actually pointed out several things that they wanted feedback on, and I've gone to see it. I will post photos soon of it. She will love it. The other project is this map of budapest I'm making. It's like the maps you get at themeparks..with exaggerated colors and illustrations of the different attractions. I'm putting the zoo, the childrens theme park, the museums and the Island that is in between buda and pest on the danube. I got some wax paper to stick to it, so that it's glossy like a denny's menu, and when i"m done, I will give it to her to play with on the plane ride over here, and we can decide what we'll explore together first. I'm not really the kind of guy who's good at fixing things. I'm not really even good at sitting down and painting with her, or doing arts and crafts, but I will work on that, and help her explore her creative side a bit more. Honestly, she's too much like me. She is so serious sometimes, and that's my fault. I just feel renewed here, like I have been given an opportunity to find out how good I really could be. Not just myself, but the type of son I can be to my parents, how I can help them more, and give them a little break when they need it. It's not just about money, it's really not. For me, it's one of the first times in my life I've not felt overwhelmed by life. There are some days I just grab a book, my coat, and head off in a random direction to get a good meal, and a nice drink, and read....hours without saying anything to anyone, just being. Monday through Friday I work my ass off. I love coming to work, I love managing the business here. I love seeing results and profit. You know, when you work for startup after startup, you tend to forget that businesses are supposed to make money. Seeing money come in and sales 2x as a result of processes you put into place is a good feeling. It's better than the feeling of seeing a row of execs smoking 20 dollar cigars and driving lincon/jaguars bought with company funds. That feeling = bad. Now when Craig and I have our wednesday cigars on the balcony we are doing it to celebrate progress, nothing more. And they are real cubans. That's always nice.
Pics
My progress. Sorry for the cheesy poses. 
the first is me. the second is when i smile. the third is how i feel like I look when I smile. New layout, obviously.
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