Me

Last evening my wife and I went to dinner with the Saint Petersburg Chapter of MOAA. We were by far the youngest people present by 10-15 years. At our table was a couple from New Hampshire who live in South Pasadena for 4-5 months per year and a former Army Nurse. The gentleman had served in the Marine Corps in the late 1950s-early 1960s and then went on to a career in computers and telemarketing. The nurse served during the late 1960s never deploying to Viet Nam and ended up living in the Washington, DC area until retirement. During the course of dinner my career came up and I told how I had flown P-3s and then taught Mathematics at the Naval Academy. When I talked about my new career as a consultant I never mentioned my companies name. This intrigue my wife.
She asked me this morning why? My answer really goes back to why I don't bring up the fact I graduated from the Naval Academy, people have preconceived notions about people based upon their past. As a young junior officer I was on a crew with no Naval Academy graduates except me. During my first deployment to Diego Garcia in 1983, my mission commander, LCDR Ed "Pappy" Boyington, mentioned that he was glad we didn't have any of those F-ing Naval Academy graduates on our crew. Being the junior officer I kept my mouth shut as he expressed his opinion on Naval Academy graduates. One of the other officer told him that I was a graduate and he couldn't believe it. When asked I of course confessed that I did graduate from the Boat School. His response was that I sure didn't act like those other A-holes.
I always want to be accepted for who I am, not where I came from or who I know. So I didn't share the company I work for not out of embarrassment but that is not who I am.

Cooking

I have discovered over that past few years the way through a woman's heart is also through her stomach. My wife is always happily surprised when I try and make dinner. Not so much when I grill or even when I get take out, though they do make life more pleasant as a change of pace. But when I take the time to think up a menu, find the recipes and follow through, she shows me how nice it is.
I have talked with several other men, and women, and they all have the same story. Women really enjoy a man that can and will cook. My cousin is married to a sou chief, my brother-in-law almost exclusively cooks in his house and my son enjoys creating a masterpiece in the kitchen. I don't have any of those skills nor am I actively striving for them. But today I have made mango salsa. It will be laid on top of grilled snapper. Still debating what kind of wine to drink.

Turning 51

Now that I am really into the back half of life I need to find things that make me feel positive about what I am doing. It could be a reward at the end or maybe self-satisfaction of attaining a new goal. Regardless, I have realized only one person looks after me, AND ONLY ME.

I will say that my wife puts me a close second to herself, but I do the same for her. She has always been there either to support me, to criticize me or to kick me in the butt when I need it. She was the one that choose St. Petersburg for us to move to after the Navy. And she is the one that motivates me to continue to work hard everyday. She does try to live by the adage Work Hard, Play Hard. I really just want to play hard, but don't we all.

Still working with the new haircut. I think it looks like a mullet.

New Haircut

It has been eight months since I got a real hair cut. A couple of trims, but nothing noteworthy. Maybe turning 51 tomorrow motivated me, maybe constantly playing with the hair around my ears, or maybe it is because I needed a grown-up haircut with length. Whatever the reason, I am cleaned up and presentable to society. When I got back to work the reviews were favorable. The next big situation will be when my wife gets her first view of the new look.

This is my first haircut NOT from a barber in 32 years. Things have changed, the salon was huge and the other clients spanned the generations. At 51 I was probably on the high end, especially for males.

New taste treats

With the New Year comes the opportunity to go out on a limb. Starting Friday I have tried three new places to eat and found all worth second trips in the future.
First there is Sloppy Joes in Treasure Island. It is on the beach. Second our server, Jeenee, wass sweet and full of advice. I had the fish tacos with black beans and rice. A nice landshark beer and the sounds of the gulf coast were more than sufficient.
Lunch on Saturday was Dockside Dave's. Good name. A Pango sandwich with waffle fries. This was in Maderia Beach. Outstanding. And dinner was pizza from Verduccis. St pete's Beach.

Lunch with my co-workers

It is a tradition that we go out to lunch on Wednesday. The opportunity to bond with the great people I work with, discuss current events in our lives and society. And we try new places to eat. Today was a Mexican Restaurant about a mile from the office. Good service, great chips, food was edible. The conversations ranged from the circus to Fantasy Fest to the traffic issues in the area. Everyone is polite! what a change from most groups you meet. People genuinely act interested in each others opinions and lives. Must be the warm weather of the gulf coast.

Thanks for my wife

Margo created another amazing meal. Grilled zucchini, saudade garlic, onions and mushrooms with ground turkey and spaghetti sauce. Plus steamed broccoli. That is why I have no problem with my cholesterol and I don't weigh 250. Plus she loves to create these great meals. I love my wife.

What a rainbow

I was planning on riding my bike over to the gym this morning, but it started to rain. When I walked out the door though I saw a beautiful rainbow. January 2nd and already nature provides motivation to be better. When I got to the gym I spent almost an hour on the elliptical.
When i got home I was still motivated and picked up around the pier, finding a shell.
I hope everyone can stay motivated to have a great new year.

New Opportunities

2010 is finally over. It was a fun-filled year for me and my family. I turned 50 to start the year and was facing my first retirement. The fear of finding a new job was very stressful.
My wife and I came to St Petersburg in January looking for a house to be.gin this new phase of our lives. We didn't find a house on the trip, but did determine we wanted to live near the Gulf Coast beaches. As May approached, my job hunt was not going well. My concern grew, as all the opportunities for me were in the greater Washington, DC area. Finally getting an offer for a job in St Petersburg was a burden lifted. The retirement went smoothly. Family and friends shared this special moment with us.
A quick trip to the Bahamas to celebrate retirement and our anniversary was eventful. Landing in Melbourne, FL, shortened our trip, but us an interesting tale. Back to Florida to lol for a house, our realtor found us a home in Treasure Island (I can't make this stuff up). I left in July so my wife had to close. She followed me down and after weeks of waiting we closed on our new house on Boca Ciega Bay.
From September to the end of the year my wife found a job, we re-modeled the house, and our son became engaged to a wonderful young woman. They visited our new home for Christmas, as well as our daughter and her little dog.
Now as we move forward into 2011, it is all about new challenges and opportunities. This blog hopefully will be positive and upbeat with al the new experiences I have in 2011. Happy New Year!