Friday, December 14, 2012

Last Day


The nice thing about last days is they're so steeped in the awareness of conclusion that they feel more like the first of something than the last of anything.  That's how I feel today.  With such a large amount of time to claim as my own, I'm already thinking beyond today.  And yet, I'm going to enjoy every hour as it passes, reflecting upon my time at Wendel and the great friends and memorable characters I've met.  Today will be fun.  20 years in the corporate world is a large chapter I'm happy to close.

Tomorrow I'm playing in the Toys for Tots Racquetball Tournament in San Ramon.  It's one of the best attended tournaments in the area.  I missed last year's event, so this one will be particularly enjoyable.  There's really no reason why every day can't be a perfect day.  That is so sweet! 



Thursday, December 6, 2012

4 Days Left!

I have four complete days left of work.  What joy.  What incredible freedom.  To have the rest of my life to write stories, articles, screenplays and non-fiction pieces is about as satisfying as finding a check in the mail for $1 Million or having Obama win re-election or Hilary win in 2016.  Pure satisfaction is how I'm feeling right now.  It's hard to appropriately put into words how happy I am to see this phase of my life come to an end, a long 20-year stretch in which I needed time to mature and work through my issues while devoting so much time and energy toward other people's work.  I will not miss that for one second.  I'm grateful, however, for the skill set I've learned in the corporate world, the work ethic I've adopted and the effective life lessons and time management skills I've incorporated into my daily routine.  What I won't miss is the tedium and blandness of corporate life, the detachment from what matters most to me.  I don't believe I will ever have another boring day in my life, even though so much of the future will be spent in front of my monitor at home, banging away at the keyboard or taking a nap on the couch.  I have tomorrow and Monday off, then Tuesday-Friday -- my final four days -- until 7 p.m. on December 14 when it's all done. 

My first official day of writing will be January 14, 2013.  My 1,000 Days of Writing will go until October 10, 2015, the day before my 52nd birthday.  I'm eager to see what I can accomplish with 1,000 days of uninterrupted writing time. 

 From Dec. 14 - Jan 14 I'll connect with family and friends, clean, read, organize, prepare and play lots of racquetball. 

Sara told me to revisit Introducing Girls a few days ago and from that she gave me a great idea that I've been kicking around all week.  No Sweat:  an Elementary Memoir.  Before I write Austin15, I need to put on paper the source material for everything, the first 10 years of my life, my crazy wonderful childhood and all its secrets.  I knew there was a reason why I kept everything.  I'll need it all to write this book.  I'm ready to make so much noise. 

Monday, December 3, 2012

8 Days Left

I have 8 days left of corporate life.  How sweet is that!  This week I work Monday through Thursday, and next week I work Tuesday through Friday.  I'm already loading up my schedule with writing projects, books to read and family to visit.  This year is going to be wonderful.

Yesterday, Alice and I went to Emery Bay to exchange an ipod nano for Alice (hers stopped working).  I checked out new books in Barnes and Noble and bought three, plus I'm reading another about mentally ill leaders who excel in crisis when compared to more normal leaders.


The Thomas Jefferson book has been on my mind all week.  I'm glad I finally own it.  I don't know as much as I should about him.  After Martin Martinez, I find myself drawn to the histories of presidents.  Cowboys Full is great research material for Austin15.  I'll start that in January.

Yesterday morning it rained so hard there were two small rivers zipping down Erie and Mandana streets.  It was something else.  Today it's calm and clear. 

Dorian and I played Tiger and Glenn in racquetball this morning and we were clicking.  He made some beautiful shots and we were unstoppable. 

Jon Meecham is only 43.  That blows my mind!

Off to work for the eighth-to-last time!