Feliz navidad y otras ideas

Este post era inspirada por un mensaje de la navidad que envié a mis amigos y parientes, pero no he incluido todas las mismas fotos.

Este año pasado era un año bueno. Era el primer año que me puse un árbol de navidad.

De empezar, me parece que estoy disfrutando mi nuevo trabajo. Yo todavía trabajo por la misma empresa, pero me mudé desde seguridad general a seguridad de radiación. Ha sido muy agradable tener un énfasis más pequeño.

Tenía varias vacaciones buenos este año. Amo absolutamente el sur de Utah, y trato de viajar esa dirección frecuentemente. Esta primavera, la destinación fue el parque nacional de Canyonlands, donde fue a excursión de pie a la confluencia de los ríos Green y Colorado. Era doce millas de terreno muy difícil, y tunía las ampollas de pie por casi un mes, pero vale la pena hacerlo.

En Junio, volé por avión a Kansas City para visitar a mi hermana y su familia antes de se mudarán a Alemania. Me sorprendió que esta parte de los Estados Unidos era tan verde ye hermosa. Me divertí pasar tiempo con mi pequeña hermana bella. También tuve mi primera prueba de BBQ auténtica.

En Julio, viajamos a Idaho para assistir a la boda de mi prima Jennifer. Fue muy agradable pasar tiempo con mi familia del norte, y los Tetons eran magníficos. ¡Felicitaciones a Jenny otra vez!

El resto de mi verano (y casi todo el resto del año) fue pasado en el proyecto. Me compré mi primera casa el año pasado, y este año, decidí que necesito pintarlo. Tenía que arreglar muchas partes del apartadero. Pinté toda la casa yo mismo. Era un proyecto más grande que me anticipé, pero también uno de mucha alegría. Siendo afuera las noches de verano, donde era solo yo, la pintura, y la casa, me alegré que tuve esa experiencia.

Otra cosa genial de ser un dueño de una casa, es que ahora vivo muy cerca de mi familia, que continúe creciendo y creciendo. Este octubre, mi hermano y su esposa dan a la luz un niño bebé hermoso. Es difícil creerlo, pero ahora tengo una sobrina adulta y diez sobrinos.

La versión inglés:

This past year has been a pretty good one. It’s also the first year I put up my own Xmas tree!

To start off, I seem to be enjoying my new job. I still work for the same company but made the transition from general safety to radiation safety. It’s been nice to have my focus narrowed a bit, and not have quite so much on my plate.

I had a few good vacations this year. I absolutely love southern Utah and try to head that direction pretty often. This spring the destination was Canyonlands National Park, where I hiked to the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. It was twelve miles of very rough terrain, and I had blisters for about a month, but it was well worth the trip.

In June, I flew to Kansas City to visit my sister and her family before they headed back to Germany. I was surprised just how green and beautiful that part of the U.S. can be, and it was awesome to spend time with my beautiful little sister. I also got my first taste of authentic BBQ!

In July, we made it up to Idaho for cousin Jennifer’s wedding. It was awesome to spend some time with my northern family, and the Tetons were magnificent. Congrats again Jenny!

The rest of my summer (and just about the rest of the year) was spent on The Project. I bought my first house last year, and this year I decided it was time to paint. I had to repair many parts of the siding so I actually painted the whole thing myself! Looking back on it, it was a larger project than I had anticipated, but as goofy as it may sound it was also one of the most joyous. Being outside on those late summer nights where it was just me, the paint and the house, I’m glad I had that experience.

Another nice thing about being a homeowner is that I now live a lot closer to much of my family which seems to just keep growing and growing. This October, my brother and his wife Jenna had a beautiful baby boy. Seems hard to believe, but I now have 1 (adult) niece and 10 nephews!

Nueva York-cool pics

I bought a new scanner this past week and am finally getting around to scanning in some of the numerous slides and photos I inherited when Dad passed away. Hopefully I'll get something cool put together for everybody by Christmas time, though I'll be the first to confess this project is not my highest priority. However, I did come across some photos I think are kind of neat. Grandpa took these slides when he went to New York City in 1959. You can get on the internet and see lots of photos of New York, but a panorama view of New York City over 50 years ago is a bit tough to find.

Enjoy.

El Baño

Well, I'm finally writing again. These photos are from my most recent home improvement project, fixin' up the master bath. Seems like every time I plan to write, I find myself doing something I enjoy better (playing the piano, reading, watching tv, etc.). Ah well.

I really enjoy projects around the house (at least every now and then), though they can be a lot of work, and this one had its share of effort. The old paint wasn't so bad color-wise, but it was a pretty half ass cover-up of what went before (and unfortunately showed through here and there)... and that was pretty hideous. The lady who lived here a few years back had painted the bathroom pink and bordered it with pine green plaid wallpaper (really!).

So, after putting up the blue tape and the plastic tarps I sanded everything down.

It was the first time I painted a room with vaulted ceilings. Fortunatley I bought one of those little giant knock off ladders about a year ago, and it worked out pretty well.

I also bought one of those slick adjustable paint roller extender poles which came in handy too.

After finishing the paint job, I replaced the sink. The old one had a really bad rust spot and looked pretty nasty, so I went for porcelain this time. I also replaced all the corroded brass fixtures with brushed nickel, and installed a new light. I also painted the mirror white. Not huge changes, but enough to make things look a little more classy, and I really like my "new" bathroom.

Been a while...

Well, I've decided I will continue blogging, at least every now and then. It has definitely been some time since I put anything up here.

My life is a bit different these days. I had dinner with a friend the other night, and commented to him that while overall my life is good, I still feel a little lost. He reassured me that feeling that way is pretty normal when you've experienced major change...and I have. Six months ago (yes, it's been about that long) I never would have guessed that I would have traded the most stressful job on the planet (okay, maybe it just seemed like that, certainly don't envy Obama) for one of the least stressful...and that I would be very pleased with the change.

But the the truth is, I am. I feel like I'm living life more the way I want to live it, and I don't need to feel guilty for not being the person who constantly gives of himself in trying to solve other people's problems.

I guess that's all I have to say for now. To my friends and family, as I haven't been blogging myself, I haven't been reading any of your blogs either...so I guess I have a fair amount of catching up to do:)

Hasta luego.

very cute

These photos made me smile so I thought I'd share

Hungry little guy.

Do the baby's have the butt problem too?

Who would have thought a rhinceros could be so cute?

Kind of proud of myself

I was getting a little down today, because I didn't feel like I was doing quite as well I could in the bravery department.

Well, this afternoon I did a good job in facing up to something that had been bothering me for a while. There's this project I have going on at work that honestly has scared me, and I've kind of avoided it because it seemed really hard. I would write more about it, but as my company is fairly high profile that's probably all I should say.

The cool thing is, tonight, I just went for it on this project, brainstorming as best I could possible solutions to a really challenging problem. At first, it was stressful, and it was as hard as I'd imagined. But then, it got pretty exciting. Still have more work to do, but sometimes just going for it...really helps. I now have a fairly clear path forward whereas before I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Kind of sucks I ended up stuck at work this late, but I know this next week is going to be better, and I don't need to beat myself up for wimping out. Oh, and on the way home...I get to listen to this album:

Por dios...me encanta MUCHO este hombre...

To all those who suffer from headaches…

You would think that with all of the “opportunities” my job presents me, headaches would be a frequent occurrence for Zekers. But the truth is, for all the “headaches” I have to deal with, I very rarely suffer from actual headaches, and when I do they are usually pretty mild.

Such was not the case last night. I had the worst headache I’ve had in years. One of those headaches where you feel weak and nauseas in addition to dealing with the throbbing pain in your head. Not sure what triggered it, as I had a rather good day at work. But, around 1:00 p.m., I started feeling really tired. Driving home, my head was hurting a bit, and even though the gym wasn't sounding too appealing, I thought I felt up to at least getting the lawn mowed, but after running a couple of errands I realized that just wasn’t going to happen.

As I normally don’t go to bed at 6:00 p.m., I was lying there a long time hoping for sleep to take away the pain. It was fairly torturous, but at the same time not so bad. As I was prostrated focusing on my breathing, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that overall…I’m a pretty happy guy. Other than a recent experience of worrying a bit much about worrying, life has been good to Zekers. My life’s not perfect, but a lot of things I’ve wanted to change, have been changed…and it’s good. I also feel pretty good about getting to understand better about why I worry, and how to avoid it…and, I seem to be succeeding in the battle.

To anyone who suffers headaches on a regular basis, my heart goes out to you. Notwithstanding the episode of personal insight the experience provided, the truth is, the headache really did suck, and I doubt what I experienced was even a true migraine.

Fortunately, rest seems to have helped. I still had a bit of a headache when I got up at 3:00 a.m. for “dinner” but a couple hours of sleep later I was just fine, I am having a good day at work, and it looks like I will be healthy enough to go camping this weekend too:)

just a little feller

I planted a tree today in the hole from the stump. The cutest little apricot tree I've ever seen. He seemed quite large stuffed in the back of the Durango, but now he's in the ground, I've got to say he's really not that big, especially when compared to the remaining jumbo cherry tree (glad I didn't try to chop THAT one down by myself).

No apricots this year, but talking with the guy at the nursery, pretty good chance for next year. Apricots can be a little messy, but I think I found a good spot, and they taste SO good:)

Getting serious about being less serious…

I’ve posted before about some of the fear issues I’ve experienced, and the fact that they have caused me pain…and also about my dream of becoming the FEARMASTER.

Well, something happened at work yesterday that really got me frustrated with my fear issues. I found out my employee was being interviewed for a corporate promotion which I had declined (well, I was asked to apply and I said no) because I feared I wasn’t ready. It was rough.

Fortunately, today I had a good chat with my boss about the situation, and I feel quite a bit better about the decision I made a month or so ago. He was really cool about it, even said that when I did decide to go for that promotion…his strategy would be to make sure he paid me enough that I’d want to stay (I wish I could have recorded that statement). We also had a fairly frank talk about my fear issues, and about some of the things I was doing to overcome them. My eyes did water up a bit, but I wasn’t too embarrassed. We’ve known each other for 10 years now, so it was okay.

Honestly, I don’t know if I ever will be the FEARMASTER. But, I do think there is good reason to hope that things will get better. Dreaming just doesn’t make things happen. You’ve got to work for it.

I bought a couple of books last January. Read one of them cover to cover a couple of times. It was called “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.” It had some good ideas, but wasn’t the best. Too much “whenever this…do this.” Life isn’t a cookbook and we really need to write our own recipes. The other book I’ve found, which I am sad to say I have not yet finished is called “When Panic Attacks” by Dr. David Burns. I really like this book, though I must admit, it’s kind of a pain in the ass. Lot’s of writing assignments and exercises that force you to think through things for yourself, and that’s probably why I haven’t gotten very far into it. With work, buying a home (and getting accustomed to yardwork), and trying to make time for family and friends. Well, I had a lot of good excuses for putting it off.

But, the truth is, I need to sort through my thoughts. For some reason, I have beliefs that are inhibiting me from being as happy as I could be, and I really want to be happy.

So, it’s time to get to work…

Feelin' like a manly man...

So one of the joys (aka, hassles) of being a home owner, is getting to do things you never really saw yourself doing, and this weekend was no exception.

When I got home from Texas, I was pleasantly surprised to discover there was a geyser in my backyard. Apparently, turning on the sprinkler system just two days before heading out of town is not the wisest thing to do, even if you did spend half a Saturday playing in the sprinklers figuring out how the sucker works.

So this weekend, I finally finished the repair job (I hope). You’d think that dragging around a hose (for over two weeks) would be unpleasant enough I would have gotten the job done sooner, but, you see, Zekers isn’t always the bravest guy out there…and I avoided doing the job because I was worried I’d totally screw it up. Also, it looked to be a lot of work. It wasn’t just a simple broken pipe, but the crack occurred on an elbow joint in a rather inopportune location, and so instead of having just a couple of connections to make…I had eight.





Fortunately, it looks like I figured it out. I won’t know for sure until tonight when I turn the water back on (after the recommended 24 hours setting time), but I’m hopeful.

And, actually, I am a little nervous about something else.

On one of my vacation days (I think the only day I didn’t spend hanging out with my family) I chopped down a cherry tree. Okay, it was more like a chain saw a massacre. There’s something rather virile about operating a chain saw (first time I’d every used one…rented from Home Depot), and cutting down a tree definitely feels like an accomplishment. But the real accomplishment came last weekend, when I removed the stump. Removing the tree was actually pretty easy, as it had been dying for some time and was already about two-thirds cut down. The stump, on the other hand, was very much alive…and very, VERY big with about a billion pesky roots. So, I went back to Home Depot and rented a Sawzall (first time again too) and this big ass pry bar. Well, five hours and five Sawzall blades later, I finally got the stump out. I’ve got to admit, at four and a half hours I was very tired of digging, cutting, digging, cutting…and well, not a very happy camper…but eventually I could see the stump wiggle a bit when I jumped up and down on the pry bar, and after a bit more digging and a few more cuts...the job was done…and DAMN did that feel good.

So the other thing I’m nervous about. There is a possibility that in cutting blindly (and ferociously) at the tree roots I could have hit a sprinkler pipe. Unfortunately, the thought of such an outcome didn’t even occur to me until I was about half-way done removing the stump, but…fortunately…I never actually saw the saw make contact (or an actual pipe for that matter), so hopefully no damage done.

I guess I’ll find out about that tonight too:)

Wish me luck!

The Stump

¡Adiós a mis amigos!

Well, for everyone who has seen the forecast for next week and asked the question "what about spring?!?" I don't think you should complain too much. The first full week of this first month of summer...Zekers will be in TEXAS...




Actually, I was pleasantly surprised the temps were not going to be worse. And truthfully, I'm excited to be going! It's not a vacation, it's a business trip...but it is a much needed change. I've never been to Texas, except for one stop inside the Dallas airport a couple of years ago.

And, best of all, the week after that, I get to stay home for a few days to celebrate the arrival of beautiful.

Relax my boy...relax

I typed up a post today…that is totally different from what I am posting now. It was about how pleased I was to be getting a good handle on time management (I really have figured out a fairly kick ass task management system to deal with the “work problem”) and to be dealing successfully with some of my fear issues related to work.

Fortunately that's all very true. But, after writing that…I couldn’t help but realize that I’m still just a bit too uptight. The perfectionist in me still seems to be live and kicking…and unfortunately periodically comes back to kick my butt.

It’s interesting how many of the challenging parts of life…are challenges of our own making.

So tonight…I’m going to remind myself that often (not always, but often) life is only as hard as I make it….and I’m really not in the mood for life to be all that tough.

Stole another one...

I came across this photo of my sister Lani on Apryl's picasa web album. I'm kind of prone to getting excited sometimes, and seeing this shot of Lani really got me going. I haven't seen her since last August, and she'll be out to visit next month. Umm...that's where I'm already almost giddy. Oh, and she's bringing baby too!

BTW...isn't she beatiful!

I totally stole this one

My sister in-law posted this, and I think it's worth sharing. I don't know if I believe in God. In some respects I think I do, but rest assured there is no organized religion in my future. I fundamentally do not have faith in people who say god has spoken to them (for me).

However, as I've gotten older, and hopefully a bit wiser, I've come to realize that being bitter or upset about humanities proclivity toward religious belief (and it's inherent injustices) is a waste of time. The fact is, life is tough. (So we're clear Jenna, this message is not for you...just me reflecting). Anyways, things that remind us that love trumps hate, that sharing is better than selfishness...they're not so bad. And when people work together to make life better...

Anyways, here's what I stole (and my comments):

1. God won't ask what kind of car u drove. He'll ask how many people u drove who didn't have transportation. (Good thing...cause old blue is falling apart)

2. God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people u welcomed in your home. (So far 17. Well that was the most at one time.)

3. God won't ask about the clothes u had in your closet, He'll ask how many u helped clothe. (Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't show God my closet)

4. God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it. (Hope I haven't)

5. God won't ask how many friends u had. He'll ask how many people to whom u were a friend. (Working on it)

6. God won't ask what neighborhood you lived in, He will ask how u treated your neighbors. (Haven't met them all yet, but I try to be nice)

7. God won't ask what your job title was. He will ask if u performed your job to the best of your ability. (To the best of my ability...within reason)

8. God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character. (I really would prefer blue)

9. God won't ask why it took you so long to seek salvation. He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven and not to the gates of hell. (I actually like this one even though I prefer to think of the afterlife as one of the great mysteries of existence. I do think it is really foolish to live life in fear of hell and frankly, I see this as one of the great tragedies of religious thought over the centuries. This punishment mentality is just WAY too much fear. Live life to be happy...deep down. If there is a god, I'm willing to bet everything on this: God knows how hard all these decisions were...and God plays fair.)

10.God won't have to ask how many people u forwarded this to. He already knows your decision. (sorry, but this one just bugged)

As promised...

Mom...I hope you enjoy these photos. Thanks again for a wonderful mother's day and for being a wonderful mom!

Help Wanted-aka Zeke’s Goals Revisited

After my fairly bold post last week, I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on this job problem and how I’m dealing with it. So we’re clear, it’s not like I just threatened to quit. The truth is, opportunity-wise at least, I have a fairly sweet arrangement with my existing job. But will getting additional help really help? Yes and no. Sometimes in life, if you can solve one problem, others can become a lot more manageable.

So, now that I’ve completed Goal #1, I think I need to add another goal to the list to be the new number one for this year, and it’s a goal I believe I may achieve more easily if I take advantage of social commitment (hence this post):

Goal #1. Master the art of managing my time so that work time is work time, and play time is play time.

It’s not that I totally suck at time management, and I’ve certainly made various efforts over the years, but planning one’s time is a lot like exercising. You always feel better when you do it well (often the benefits to overall health-both mental and physical-are tremendous), but doing it (at least initially) kind of sucks. And keeping at it...isn’t always that easy.

Not that I want my whole life planned out. Far from it. But when it comes to certain aspects of my life…aka work…I think I would be a lot happier if I planned my time better.

I think a big challenge I’ve had is that I’ve been too much of a perfectionist with this issue, and when I fail, I get discouraged and more or less give up for a while. It's also true that my job is challenging in that it demands planning, but I also have to be ready to respond in an emergency, which I guess is all the more reason to plan when I can. I don’t need to always accomplish what I had in mind…I just need to plan well enough so that the person driving my life is ME. So that I’m in the habit of saying yes to the things that really matter (friends, family, well deserved recreation…you know…the good stuff in life)… and NO to the things that don’t.

Diez años

Well, this week is kind of an unusual milestone in my life. It is now ten years since I graduated from college, and as of Wednesday it will be 10 years that I’ve been working as a safety geek.

Can’t help but ask the question…have my endeavors over the past 10 years really been worthwhile?

I think my answer is both yes and no. Career wise…I’ve progressed as well as I ever expected. I’ve learned so much about “the real world” and a lot about me as well. I’ve found I’m capable of a lot more than I imagined. The shy kid who was scared to death to run a cash register at Arby’s now directly manages 4 people and indirectly manages about 200. I have a job that is much more challenging…and at least some of the time…even more fulfilling than expected. And the fact is…sorry if this is a bit boastful…I’m really good at what I do.

I’m also pretty happy with where I’m at financially. I have the American dream…a beautiful home…two vehicles in the garage…a stable income and money in the bank…with my only significant debt…a fairly reasonable mortgage.

Not bad. But far from perfect. It took me a LONG time to get here…and I made some really dumb moves along the way. The biggest one…I chose to learn the hard way that just because you CAN afford a certain lifestyle…doesn’t mean you really WANT to. Let’s face it, getting myself stuck in a condo in Tooele with two rather sizeable car payments. Not smart. And then, after I get the cars paid off to have the condo association turn around and bar any new rentals…when I was finally ready to move. Uggh!

I also think I need to face the fact that I’ve been a bit too focused on my career…and it’s basically backfired on me. The more you prove you can do…the more they ask of you. Well, it’s not just that. As I’ve gotten better at what I do I now recognize so many different things I “should” do…that before…never really hit the radar. The fact is, this past month…has been one of the most challenging of the past decade. Work-wise at least.

Fortunately, there are solutions. The fact is…I really am at a spot in my life where I can say…this job thing…it’s going to be win-win…or it’s no deal. There are greener pastures…and if necessary…I can and will graze elsewhere. I’m very grateful I didn’t overspend on my home. Kind of cool…as I’ve reached this new spot in my life (thank God I’m no longer trapped in Tooele) both myself and my boss have come to recognize that old Zekers really is overworked…and that can only be tolerated for so long. I got authorization this past week to hire (contract out) whatever additional help I need. I’m a little nervous about hiring strangers who may show me I don’t know quite as much as I think I do…and having even more people to supervise…but I think I’m up to the challenge…

I hope I am:)

me gusto much tambien

For some reason, I absolutely loved reading this story:)

¡Me gusta mucho la primavera!

It’s definitely true. Every bit as much as I hate cold weather…I LOVE SPRING!

I realize this warm weather the past few days may be a bit of an aberration…but it was definitely worth enjoying, and I am ever so glad I had the day off work today.

I’m also really getting to like this new T-town. The river is awesome. A three-city bike tour on Saturday afternoon (okay, Murray and West Jordan aren’t really all that far), and then roller-blading today. It was fun!

Being in a new home (for me) has also made this spring special. I admit, buying the lawn mower was a lot more fun than actually using it, and I’m sure it will eventually seem like much more of a chore than an adventure, but is so nice to have “my space” outside. On Saturday morning, after pruning the trees a bit more (I cut down a dead branch almost 5 inches in diameter all by myself) I decided to just lay down on the grass and take it all in. I think I spent about 20 minutes listening to and watching the birds that have chosen to share my home.

Hmmm…I think I may be a little high on this spring thing right now…but ah well.

I guess I’ll end this with some photos…of the flowers…in my yard…the ones I didn’t have to plant at all…

What a week…aka…ready or not here they come!

This week has been a bit unusual in a few different ways. First of all, my ties to Tooele are officially severed. Perhaps another manifestation of my worry problem…but I can’t deny it feels pretty damn good to have the “what if the buyer blows off the contract” concern behind me.

My ties with the west desert are far from severed, however, and even though amazing freeway access and a concomitant minimal bump to my drive time while still being essentially in the middle of everything were…well...HUGE…factors in choosing my new home, I ended up being stuck in traffic the longest of my entire life this past week.

Fortunately, that only meant being parked on the freeway for just over an hour in addition to my normal lengthy commute time (I think anyone from California would state I have no right to complain). It actually was kind of interesting. Wondering if the Saltair fires would reach my car, trying to get some work done from the driver’s seat of old blue…struggling to view the screen on my laptop through the layer of accumulating ash.

When traffic finally did start moving, I saw something I was very glad didn’t happen to me. Let’s face it…I drink lots of caffeinated beverages…and the “do I expose myself in public?” question was fairly pressing on my mind (and on other body parts). No, I didn’t see somebody yanking it out, but I did see a guy who apparently had gotten out to do so and had clearly locked himself out of his vehicle. I bet that highway patrolman trying to pry his door open was pretty tempted to just smash the window as surrounding traffic approached NORMAL freeway speeds.

Maybe these traffic stories aren’t as interesting as I think they are, but to me it did seem ironic to drive past over 5 miles of parked vehicles all on their way home to the place I had been so anxious to leave. What was even more interesting (for me), was seeing almost the same sight the very next day (less than one hour after I found out the condo sale had funded) due to slipping and sliding from the winter storm…while I zipped right on to my new home:)

I’m glad I’m finally taking some time to write. Work has been a bit unusual too and proved to make for one heck of a week…a week that just happens to be the week before our biggest audit of the year. There were plenty of unexpected twists (considering I have no idea who might read this blog that’s about all I can say). Well, I will say this. As much as I love helping people…sometimes it’s draining when you feel you are expected too often to be the hero…and as much as I wish I didn’t feel this way…I’m kind of pissed I have to work an extra long shift on a Saturday through what seems to me to be no fault of my own. I’m freaking tired!

But, fortunately, I know this too shall pass…