LMF 1127

I had never heard of LMF until finding this video on YouTube:



It's their tribute to Bruce Lee. My favorite line from the song:

We are not the "Sick Man of Asia"...the spirit of Bruce Lee will never die.

Bruce Lee Sparring Footage

I've been on YouTube alot recently, looking for interesting videos on Bruce Lee and Ted Wong. Here are some good ones I've found of Bruce Lee at the Long Beach International Karate Tournament :



Here's one in color:



I noticed the History Channel logo on the bottom. I wonder if there's more of this footage, in particular, of the sparring done in the first clip? That would be outstanding!

And a few videos dedicated to Ted Wong (RIP):

Christmas Time is Here

It's NOT the holiday season, it's fucking Christmas, okay?!?!?! I hate this political correctness bullshit that pervades the United States. You can't say anything for fear of offending someone or some group, even when it is the truth and it needs to be discussed. When did we become so thin-skinned? End of rant.

Anyways, it's Christmas time and one of my favorite traditions is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Some of my favorite moments:







And here's a bonus favorite for you:



Merry Christmas!

Fire Wave Motion Gun!!!

As a kid, Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers in the United States) was my introduction to the world of anime. While there have been other favorites through the years - namely, the Macross Saga of Robotech and Gatchaman (aka Battle of the Planets) - none of them inspire the childlike awe I get from watching Space Battleship Yamato.



While I still love the anime (even though the animation is quite dated by today's standards), I've always longed for a live action version. Well, I no longer have to wait as a live action Space Battleship Yamato movie was released in Japan earlier this month.



(Why did the makers of the movie include a theme song sung by Steven Tyler? It immediately makes me think of Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing power ballad from Armageddon.)

Here's a longer clip (roughly 5 minutes) from Space Battleship Yamato. Just ignore the picture in picture folks at the top right. You gotta love Japanese TV. LOL!



I was hoping to be in Japan when it hit theaters on Dec 1, 2010, but my vacation plans didn't quite pan out. Oh well... I've waited 30+ years already, so what's another few months for the official Japanese DVD? :-)

PS - I'm very grateful that this movie wasn't made by an American movie studio. If it had been, it probably would have turned out like Dragonball: Evolution or Speed Racer. In other words, it would have SUCKED!

RIP Sifu Ted Wong, 1937-2010

Sifu Ted Wong passed away on November 24, 2010. He died of stage 4 melanoma cancer (internal melanoma) which was diagnosed in October 2010. Our thoughts and prayers to the Wong family.

Sifu Wong was the last private student of Bruce Lee and was considered by many to be Bruce Lee's protege. Sifu Wong was there to witness & learn the last stages of Jeet Kune Do (JKD) before Bruce Lee's death in 1973.

For the last 10 years I have been learning JKD with a group that teaches and follows Sifu Wong's lineage of JKD. I had the privilege of being instructed by Sifu Wong in both public and private seminars. Sifu Wong was always gracious with his time, was very humble when sharing his knowledge of JKD and always encouraged our group to not only be good JKD practitioners but to be good people above all else.

Since his passing, I've noticed a lot of videos have started popping up on YouTube regarding Sifu Wong. The following video isn't new (it was uploaded over 2 years ago), but I consider it to be one of the best:



Rest in peace, Sifu Wong, and thank you. I'm sure you're training with Sigong Bruce once again. We'll do our best to continue training what Bruce taught you and keep JKD alive for future generations.

Lemon Tree by Fool's Garden

I remember the first time I heard this song, I actually thought it was Sting who was singing. I searched and searched but never could find a song called Lemon Tree by Sting. Fast forward to today, and on a whim, I searched for Lemon Tree and found this:



Fool's Garden...not Sting. Mystery solved! I'm such a dork.

Sold the Walther P22

Well, I hated doing it , but the time had come. I sold the Walther P22. If you recall, I purchased the P22 in March 2009 and used it to learn how to properly/safely handle a firearm and shoot. It was my very first firearm.

Ever since I picked up the P99 and then the T3, the P22 has sat in the safe. I was hoping that when I go to the range, the wife would join me and use the P22. No dice. As such, I decided I would rather sell it and have someone else enjoy the P22 rather than let it sit.

I placed an ad on the online gun forum I frequent and sold the P22 within 24 hours. Now with the funds, I'm hoping to pick up a bounce bag and use it to improve my JKD. If you don't know what a bounce bag it, here's a pic:

A bounce bag is great for places with limited space and/or no place to hang a punching bag. I'll be using the bounce bag to work my lead straight and lead hook kick with hopes of refining my mechanics and developing more power. So far, it's been hard to find in Los Angeles. I've gone to a few martial arts equipment stores and none have had them in stock. I would order online, but I'm not interested in paying $70+ for shipping. Hopefully, I'll find one locally soon.

Impact of the New TSA Pat-down Procedure

Due to the new rules by the TSA regarding pat-downs, we're going to have to teach our kids:

"No one is allowed to touch your private area/parts except for mommy, daddy, our family doctor, and some random TSA worker."

Can we all step back, take a deep breath, and admit how ridiculous that statement sounds? I realize that flying is not a right. It is a privilege and that we have to follow the rules if we want to fly. But at what cost?

If one wants security, one has to give up some rights. But when is it too much? Have we crossed the line? We can't base security off of "profiling", but we're fine with having some random stranger (who could be a sex offender or other criminal as I have no confidence in the TSA's hiring/screening abilities) pat down our privates? Really?

Honestly, my dog is probably better at security than most TSA screeners/workers.

The New Stig

If you're a fan of Top Gear, you probably know all about the drama about the Stig's identity being revealed. As such, he was let go and a new Stig would have to be found.

I was secretly hoping for a Stig reality show where different drivers would compete for the honor of being named the new Stig. However, Top Gear had a backup plan...the Stig Farm!



I love it and laughed my ass off. I love Top Gear!

Cannot Wait...Battle: Los Angeles

Here's hoping the movie lives up to the trailer:

Forever Young or Young Forever?

Which version do you like?





I'm digging the 80's hairstyle and clothing of the Alphaville video. LOL!

Trojans, Fight On!

I haven't done much blogging on the USC Trojans football team this year. I'm still pissed off by the sanctions handed down by the NCAA, but that's to be expected since I'm somewhat biased. I knew this would be a difficult year, but the team looks like it'll be okay. With just 3 games left, the team has a shot at ending up 10-3.

I'll take 10-3, as I was expecting 8-5 or 9-4. For a program that's been hit with sanctions, a ton of transfers, limited scholarships and a 2-year bowl ban, that would be a nice FUCK OFF to the NCAA and all the haters of Trojan Nation.

Anyways, I saw this magnificent quote from linebacker Michael Morgan who was asked about the Trojans being the underdogs against the 18th ranked Arizona Wildcats.

I've never felt like an underdog my whole career. Even if we're down I always feel like we can win. We're 'SC.

I love that spirit from the team! You can't sanction the endzone. Fuck the NCAA.

FIGHT ON!

20% Off at Sports Authority

For those of you who shop at Sports Authority, here's a 20% off coupon code.

SAGIFT20

No minimum either. It's good until Jan 15, 2011. Enjoy!

Bruce Lee Statue in Los Angeles' Chinatown

I got this news back in July but haven't had a chance to blog about it until now.

There's an effort by the Bruce Lee Foundation to erect a Bruce Lee statue at the Alpine Recreation Center in Los Angeles' Chinatown. Apparently, the statue has already been purchased and the plan has been approved by the Dept of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles. It's now waiting for approval from the Dept of Parks & Recreation Commission.

For more information, you can check out the proposal for all the details.

Extended Slide Release for the Nighthawk T3

Sorry for being MIA the past 3 months. I've just been really lazy and preoccupied with other things. Anyways, just consider it a summer hiatus and that I'm now back for the Fall prime time season.

I recently purchased a new item to "upgrade" my Nighthawk Custom T3. It's a Wilson Combat Extended Slide Release.

My hands are on the medium to small side. Because of that, I found it really difficult to manipulate the slide release on the T3 with my right hand. Yes, I realize that I should be using my left hand to work the slide release with a 1911; however, I've grown so accustomed to using my strong hand with my Walther P99 that I wanted to find someway to do the same with the T3. The extended slide release is perfect for what I wanted.

As you can see from the picture above, the extended length of the slide release was just what I needed. I can now use my right thumb to either release the slide or lock back the slide.

It also helped that the slide release matched the fit of the T3 perfectly! All this for only $20 as I had purchased the extended slide release slightly used from a member of Calguns.net.

I cannot wait to hit the range to work on refining my technique with the new slide release...especially now that I have some ammo. Check out what I was able to procure from a non-Los Angeles county Walmart. Check this out!

Could it be that the ammo shortage in California is coming to an end?!?! The Walmart where I bought this from had shelves that were nearly full of handgun (9mm, .40 cal, .45 acp, .380, and .22lr) ammo. I certainly hope so as I need to spend some serious range time to get proficient with my firearms.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

I don't know about you, but there's clearly something wrong with the US when the following things are happening:

• The leader of a 3rd world country can come into the US, criticize his host THEN get a standing ovation from the monkeys running the country
• US allies are now making deals with nations the US deems dangerous...and doing it openly without any fear of what the US reaction would be

What the fuck has happened? And more importantly, can this be turned around before the decline becomes permanent? Or have the monkeys in Washington accomplished what no other country in the world could do - bring about the decline and ultimate destruction of the United States of America?

Maroon 5 Music Video Shoot in Downtown LA

For you Maroon 5 fans out there, they've been shooting a music video in Downtown Los Angeles this weekend. A few pics for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Tax Day Tidbit

I caught this today:

The percentage of Americans who will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009 has risen to 47 percent.

That isn't the worst of it. The bottom 40 percent not only pay no income tax, but the government sends them cash or benefits financed by the taxes dutifully paid by those who do pay income tax.

I don't know how accurate these stats are, but this is astounding if true. And 'No' I'm not blaming the Obama Administration for this. Obama just got to office, so that blame isn't purely his. I blame the previously administration and Congress for letting this happen. What happened? Why are we subsidizing more and more people who aren't carrying their weight? The more the government gives them, the more of them there will be. How hard is this to understand?

The reverse is true too. The more you tax, the less there will be. When you tax me more and more, the less incentive I have to work hard to make more money. You tax a business too much and the business will leave. Why work hard when I get absolutely no benefit from my labor? At some point, I will stop working so the fucking government can take care of me and the tab can be paid by the remaining few (or is it fool?) who want to continue to work.

Sigh...

Alumagrips for the Nighthawk T3

About 2 months back I took an advanced handgun class and used my Nighthawk Custom T3. I ran the following through the T3 during the class:

• 300 rounds of WWB
• 50 rounds of American Eagle
• 50 rounds of Winchester JHP

I had a failure to load within the first 10 rounds (which a quick tap and rack remedied) and no failures for the rest of the session. The T3 was wonderfully balanced in the hand and I could barely feel the recoil.

The one thing that bothered me with the T3 was the grips. My hands were very raw at the end of the session due to the aggressive checkering...not to also mention that the grips seemed to be a bit thick for me as I'm used to the slimmer grips of the Walther P99 and Walther P22. Well, I decided to change the grips and picked up a set of slim tactical Alumagrips.

The slim grips are slim!


The Alumagrips next to the stock T3 grips.


The Alumagrips installed on the T3.


Look how thin my T3 grip is now!

I absolutely love the Alumagrips on the T3! The T3 grip is now as thin as that of my P99. I feel as though I have a better hold on the gun and highly recommend them...especially if your hands are on the smaller side.

Paying the Neighbors' Mortgages

Well, it appears that I will be helping to pay the neighbor's mortgage after all. Just check out this fabulous plan.

I came across this quote from Keith Hennessey's blog about this plan and I couldn't agree more.

Buying a house is a big deal. So is getting a mortgage. As with any investment, when you buy a house and a mortgage you assume both upside and downside risk. You are responsible for both sides of that bet, not someone else.

Does a fucking contract not mean anything anymore? You signed on the dotted line...it is YOUR responsibility to understand what you are signing and what you are getting yourself into. It's a YOU problem. Don't take other people's tax dollars to bail you out! (Although, if the Feds just wanted to return that person's tax dollars to help them out, I'm cool with that.)

Since President Obama is being so generous with our tax money, how about he do something for me? How about giving me back money for all the stock losses I've had over the last 10 years. Or better yet, pay me the money I should have had today had I purchased 1000 shares of Apple stock (AAPL) when it was $2 per share in the 90's? That would be roughly $229,000....which just about covers my mortgage.

I'll be expecting my check in the mail. Thank you very much!

Health Care Law Signals US Empire Decline?

I couldn't have said it better myself:

The passage of the health care law shows that the US empire is declining because it illustrates the fact that people expect the state to take care of them, David Murrin, the co-founder of Emergent Asset Management hedge fund manager, told CNBC.

Read the entire article here.

Beaming with Pride - Socialism has Arrived

Check out these shit eating grins.

I respect the offices that these two men hold...but I do not respect the men. One is an absolute fool. Can you guess which one?

Two quotes from Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and—for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States—one of the most influential Founding Fathers.

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.


The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave for what we have allowed this country to become. We let fools and hacks run this country into the ground.

First the Feds bail out the banks as the financial system crumbles (under the not so watchful eyes of President George Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan), then the Feds take over GM and Chrysler, and now national healthcare. Sigh...so when do I get the privilege of paying my neighbors' mortgages?

At this point, I should just stop working and let the government take care of me. Why work hard and try to better my life when the Federal/State/City government will just rob me (er, I mean tax me) to take care of others?

The Judicial Assembly Line

Sorry for being missing in action for the past few weeks. My wife and I have been preparing for arraignment for the traffic ticket that we received. Today was arraignment day and we woke up bright and early (can someone say 4am?) to drive out to Barstow (from Los Angeles).

We get to Barstow in plenty of time and parked in the parking lot of the Superior Court of Barstow on West Mountain View. There were already a few cars parked and I see some people waiting in line as the court was not yet open. My wife and I stay in the car as it was cold outside (around 50 degrees). As we waited we watched the parking lot fill up. I can't say that all these people were there for traffic court, but even if it was only half going to traffic court, it shows that the city/state has been busy enforcing traffic laws!

After about 30 minutes of waiting, the court doors open up and we line up to enter. We go through the metal detectors and were instructed to sign in. After signing in, we are assigned a courtroom and told to wait. We waited for another 30 minutes when we are called into the courtroom by the bailiff.

The bailiff proceeds to tell us (my paraphrasing):

You will all be called up to appear before the judge. During this time, the judge will state the charge against you and you will be required to enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty. The judge will NOT hear any stories/explanations. If you have anything to say as your defense, save it for trial by pleading not guilty. Traffic school is available to you, but not if you were charged with driving over 100MPH or if you have a commercial drivers license. The judge moves quickly so when you hear your name, please stand up and line up in this area.

If your penalty is a fine, you will be required to make payment. If you need a payment plan, that is available for an additional fee. After you have entered your plea and either get your penalty or agree to your assigned trial date, please step outside the courtroom and wait for your paperwork.

At this point, we were screwed. Our plan was to plead "no contest" and ask the judge for leniency as this was my wife's first citation (ever) in 10+ years of driving. We huddled up and started to discuss what we wanted to do. As we discussed it, people were being called and lined up to appear before the judge. Would it surprise you (just based on what the bailiff had told everyone) that the judge would be an absolute hard ass?

Well, neither did we, as we proceeded to hear the judge deliver the first set of penalties - a $1000 fine for one defendant going over 100MPH, a $861 fine for another person going over 100MPH, $225 fine for going 26MPH above the speed limit. You get the picture. Since the judge was not giving anyone a break, we decided to plead not guilty and take our chances at trial...a slim chance is better than no chance at all. However, we did attempt one thing - when called up, my wife asked if traffic school would be an option. Any guesses as to the judge's answer? Yup, she replied "NO".

Anyways, we now have a trial date for early April and will be making the early morning trip back to Barstow. We'll definitely have a lawyer with us for trial, so if anyone has any recommendations (or any words of advice), please let us know.

It took the judge about 45 minutes to clear the courtroom (with about 50 people appearing). I figure that the average fine was about $300-$350. In less than an hour, the city/state just raked in about $15,000. A good way to increase revenue if you ask me. Now if only the authorities would also enforce the ban on talking on your cell phone while driving! I see a minimum of 10 of these infractions a day...how much revenue would that bring into the city/state coffers?

With all this said, here's my public service announcement for the day:

Watch your speed folks. The city/county/state is broke and they want your money! Saving those few minutes on your drive isn't worth it...and can be dangerous as well.

PS - Too bad these weren't our judges at traffic court!

The Stealth by Nighthawk Custom

I thought I was done with getting goodies for the T3, but I was wrong.

I stumbled upon a seller on Calguns.net who was selling a commander-size Nighthawk Custom holster called "The Stealth". After contacting him and taking a few days to think about it, I decided to purchase it. Luckily the seller hadn't sold it yet and I made the purchase. The holster arrived today.

As you can see, it's a perfect fit for the T3. The leather is extremely nice and it looks like it will last for quite a while. In case you're wondering, I'm not planning on concealed carry anytime soon as I don't have a CCW permit. However, should the day ever come that ordinary citizens in the County of Los Angeles can obtain CCW permits to conceal carry, I'll be ready.

More Nighthawk Custom Goodies for the T3

As I mentioned in my original T3 post, I was going to take advantage of Nighthawk Custom's offer of 6 magazines for $100. Well, I called in my order last Friday for the magazines and a few additional items. The UPS delivery person dropped off the package yesterday afternoon, so let me show you what I received.

Here's what I got:

• 6 blued Nighthawk Custom 7-round officer's magazine (in the picture, 4 magazines are out of the packaging and 2 are still in the packaging)
• Tetra Gun Grease for the rails
• Tetra Gun Lubricant for the springs and other moving parts
  
• Nighthawk Custom Spring Kit which consists of 2 standard recoil springs (in this case 18lbs), an extra power spring (20lbs) for +P ammo, a hammer spring, and a firing pin spring

I ordered the grease and lube to keep the T3 running as smooth as possible. The extra springs are for peace of mind and to keep downtime to a minimum.

The package arrived just in time too. I'm scheduled to take an Advanced Handgun course on Sunday and I'll be all set to break in the T3. I can't wait.

New Job and New Stories

Well, I started the new job this week and so far so good. My department is putting me through orientation/training to get me familiar on the products we sell, the processing we do to make the product happen, and the pre-sale activities we perform for customers who call before purchasing.

Next week, I'll be getting all the metrics of the business. You have no idea how happy I am to be at a place where they use metrics to run the business. I can't wait to dig into the KPIs, to understand what levers to pull to drive more business, etc. It's a far cry from my previous employer where no one was interested in driving more business, optimizing the website, etc. to make more money.

I'm still taking public transportation with my new job; however, I'm no longer taking the Big Blue Bus #10. As such, I here-by retire "The Chronicles of Bus #10"...and will be replacing it with the "Red Line Chronicles".

I've already got a few stories for the Red Line Chronicles, so stay tuned!

I Can't Drive 55...Citation 22348B

Actually, it's my wife who can't drive 55. LOL!

Here's the story...my wife and I take a quickie road trip to Vegas. We start off in the morning and she's at the wheel. During the drive to Vegas, I remind my wife several times to watch her speed as I had seen a lot more people being pulled over. I have a feeling that with the state of CA and the city of Los Angeles being in massive debt, the police and CHP will be more strict in enforcing traffic laws as a way to bring revenue into the coffers.

I fall asleep in the passenger's seat right after we hit Barstow...and the next thing to happen is that the car starts shaking as my wife is slowing the car down. At this point, I thought we had made it to Primm, but as my eyes begin to focus, I see some red lights in the side view mirror. Yup, we had just been pulled over and that shaking I felt was my wife pulling the car over to the side of the road.

The CHP officer approaches and asks for our license and registration. He explains that he clocked us going 101 MPH, especially as we passed a gray Mercedes Benz. It also didn't help that we were nearly to Primm and had been going downhill. He takes my wife's license and registration and returns with a citation. He didn't cut us any slack as he actually listed our speed at 101 MPH (in a 70 MPH zone).

This totally sucks because it was this time last year that I got pulled over in Nevada (while returning from a Vegas trip). I too was doing 100 MPH, but the officer only cited me for 75 MPH in a 70 MPH zone. He cut me a break as he saw that I had never been pulled over in 18+ years of driving. I ended up paying a $95 fine for the ticket...but the good news is that it didn't go on my record as speeding. The State of Nevada has a unique law whereby a 'light' speeding ticket (5 MPH or less over the maximum speed), they'll consider it a parking misdemeanor with no points going on my record.

Unfortunately, we don't have the same in CA and we're going to have to appear in Court in the City of Barstow. Citation 22348B is going in excess of 100 MPH and has harsh ramifications in terms of the potential fine and the impact to our insurance rates. As of right now, I'm going to see if we can get a lawyer to represent us and get us out of this. I don't expect that we'll get the ticket dismissed, but I do hope that we can get the charge/citation reduced to something less harmful - such as exceeding the maximum speed limit (not both exceeding the speed limit AND driving over 100 MPH).

If anyone has any advice to offer or can suggest a good attorney, please post it in the comments. We'd be more than grateful for the help!

PS - For those too young to remember, before Sammy Hagar was a part of Van Halen, Sammy had a successful solo career. One of his hits was "I Can't Drive 55" (hence the post title) and here's his video:



PPS - California Highway Patrol SUCKS!!! That's our sentiment and the sentiment of my local police department officer friend.

It's Official...Back to Work

Well, it's official. My background check finally came in and I received the written offer yesterday. I signed it, sent it back, and will be back to work next week.

I'm going to give start-up life one more try. I'm 0 for 3 so far with start-ups, so hopefully the 4th time is the charm. I wouldn't mind a 25% start-up success rate....a lot of VC's would kill for that.

Here's hoping the new job is a million times better than my old job. I just know that it won't be worse!

Returning to Work...Soon

Knock on wood but only after a week of leaving my job, I may have procured my next gig.

I went through a series of phone interviews with several different companies, then landed in-person interviews with a company not too far away from me. I interviewed with 6 people over the course of 2 days and got the call from the HR rep yesterday. She gave me a verbal offer that is dependent on my passing their background check (which will take about a week's time).

I shouldn't have any problems with the background check, so I'm anxiously awaiting the official offer!

Wish me luck!

Some Goodies for the Nighthawk T3

Here are some goodies that I got for the Nighthawk Custom T3 prior to my leaving/losing my job. Now that I'm free of the work drama, I'm hoping to blog more regularly and get back to normal. :-)

First up are 2 boxes of Winchester Supreme Elite ammunition that I purchased from a local Big 5 Sporting Goods.

Ammunition is hard to come by in greater Los Angeles. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but ammunition is still just trickling in...a few boxes at a time. The Walmarts are basically empty when it comes to handgun ammo and when I saw these 2 boxes at Big 5, I knew I had to snatch them up.

I have 2 other boxes of jacketed hollowpoints by Winchester, but these are a step (or 3) above those and I didn't want to be cheap when it comes to protecting my family. The Winchester Supreme Elite were roughly $23 per box (of 20 rounds) so a little over $1 a round. The other JHPs were $24 per box of 50 rounds. Here's hoping that I never have to use them. (Knock on wood!)

Next up is a leather paddle holster that I'll be using with the T3 when I take my next handgun training class.

It's a Safariland holster (model #560-53) that I purchased off of eBay for a little over $30. This holster will fit a full size Government 1911 to a subcompact 1911.

From what I can tell, this holster is no longer being sold by Safariland; however, the Wilson Combat Adjuster holster (that retails for $120) looks very much like the holster above. I wonder if Safariland is repackaging this holster for Wilson Combat? Inquiring minds would like to know, because the price difference (in my case) is $90. I wonder how much the Safariland holster originally retailed for?

Now, I just need to find a leather dual magazine holder for the 1911 and I'll be all set for my next class with Greg Block. Anyone have a suggestion on what I should consider/get? Thanks!

Taking a Severance Package...and Leaving!

Well, things came to a head today at work. Mid-year reviews are due and my manager pulled me aside to talk. He told me that I was going to be placed on a 30-day performance improvement plan. This would involve taking me off my current project and being placed on a meaningless project. Basically, I would be marginalized and would be gone after the 30-days were up because what could I truly accomplish within such a limited timeframe. Besides, I wasn't one of the "boys" and nothing I do would be able to get me out of their doghouse.

I said as much to my manager. In turn, he said that he could work with HR on getting me a small package and in return I could leave the company immediately. I readily jumped on that offer and set the wheels in motion.

So today became my last day with the company! I will meet with HR in the morning to discuss the parameters of the package being offered me. If everything goes smoothly, I'll be done and free of the drama for good.

It's weird, but I feel a sense of relief, excitement, anxiousness and hope all at the same time. I'm happy that I no longer have to work at the company and excited to be moving on, but am anxious that I need to look for a new job in an uncertain economy and hope that I can land something quickly (and to my liking).

We'll see how quickly I can land on my feet. I'll keep you posted!

Review: Taco Bell's Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

Enough posts about work...they're depressing me. Let's get to a quickie review of Taco Bell's latest addition to their Value Menu, the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito.

If you've been watching any of the college football bowl games on TV, I'm sure you've caught the Taco Bell commercial for the beefy burrito. Well, I certainly have and as I'm a sucker for the marketing, I had to try it out.

The 5-layers consist of:

• Flour tortilla
• Nacho cheese sauce
• Seasoned ground beef
• Refried beans
• Sour Cream

The first bite was great. I had a great big helping of the seasoned beef, a ton of nacho cheese and a big dollop of the sour cream. Unfortunately, things went south from there. The next bite would turn out to be the last bite of beef and sour cream. After that, it was all beans and nacho cheese sauce. Yes, I realize that I should not be expecting much for $0.89, but the person who put my burrito together could have spread the beef, beans and sour cream more evenly. It was just very disappointing.

My verdict: skip the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito. You'd be better off with one of the tacos (either the soft or crunchy taco).

Dreaming…about Work

As you can tell my blog has been preoccupied with work the past few weeks. As I think about my next career move, I thought it would be helpful to explain my thoughts on work and how it fits into my life.

I believe that there are 2 ways to think about work. Either you "live to work" or you "work to live". I, for one, subscribe to the latter. I don't spend every waking minute thinking about work. My work does not consume me (probably because I don't have/run my own business). I think of work as something I do so that I can earn enough to live comfortably, to be with my wife and family, to take care of our pets, to pursue hobbies, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some lazy SOB. I AM very ambitious. I work hard to get promoted, to be promoted where I'll run the show one day, to get rewarded and make more money, etc. However, I want balance in my life where I can enjoy the life that work affords me.

One of the things I've told close friends is that when I start dreaming of work, it's time to look for a new job. My thought on this is that once your work seeps into one's sub-conscience, it has consumed you. That's where I am now as I had a dream about work last night.

In my dream, I was actually laid off by the company. My manager and HR rep pulled me into a conference room and gave me the news. However, rather than be shocked and saddened by the news, I got up and started dancing with joy. I know I shouldn't laugh (or make light of this) as many many people are out of work and I should be thankful to have a job. However, I found it funny that I celebrated being laid off in my dream.

How bad must it be for me to start thinking this way? Would it be better off for me to quit and be happy OR should I bear the misery to continue earning the paycheck? If I was single, the answer would be easy as I would have quit months ago. But as I'm married and have more than myself to take care of, I've chosen the latter and praying that a new profitable opportunity comes up within the next few weeks.