Rambling

I think I have been thinking too hard when it comes to my next blog post.  I have so much to say at times, but never a chance to sit down and just let it be heard.  This time of year is more stressful then it needs to be for me.  I love the holiday season but this year there are a lot of things going on all at once.  I guess I am not really stressed out.  Just more concious of what is going on and processing everything.

Hopefully this week I get a call from the school district with an interview.  I applied at West Side Elementary, about a block from my house, to be a custodian.  I love the fact that I can walk to work, leave the temptations of working in a desk position, and be able to become more physical.  My job now is great.  I love the people I work with, I can do my job in my sleep, I have an awesome boss that is morer understanding then any I have previously ever had, but the hours stink and I have very little family time.  I need a job that gets me off my butt and brings me closer to Jess and Thomas.

On the family subject(yes I know I did not use my turn signal.)  There is never a dull moment.  This week Jess and Erin came to the Dells to finish up some shopping.  They came up to a semi turned on it's side in the ditch just off the off ramp.  Long story short, the semi was on it's side and Jess ends up on the top of it helping the driver out.  No thinking by those two girls.  Just reacting.  It's amazing how instinct takes over when there is someone in need.  The driver ended up being ok, just a little rattled.  That's not it.  Jess was on her way home from picking Thomas up from her mom's, and she helps a guy that ran out of gas!  After hearing about the help they gave to the semi driver I was proud, but after hearing of her helping this other complete stranger...WOW!  My wife is creating Christmas miracles.  It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about this.  I love her so much and am so proud of her for the things she does for others, some people don't know what they are missing out on by not getting to know her better or just not being involved in her life.  I hope we can impress on Thomas these same morals.

My weight loss
I am making progress.  I have not weighed myself in six days.  Prior to these last six days I weighed in at 261 lbs.  I feel smaller then that though, is that possible?  I am into a size 42 pants and 2xl and even some xl shirts.  I am self concious about my body, but I also feel more confident.  It's funny how people that used to look at me, turn away, and not talk to me or even say hello, how they are smiling at me and even making small talk.  I don't know if  this has to do with me being more confident or them being judgemental. "Don't make eye contact with the fat guy!  He might see that you are thinking he's fat..."  I thought I had good self esteem before but I find myself approaching people and talking to people I wouldn't normally talk to.  I can definitely feel myself smile more and maybe that is making people feel comfortable with approaching me too. 

After watching the Packer game tonight I realize that we are all products of our environmennt.  I already knew this, but I realized it again after the loss to the Patriots.  I was, and still am, upset at the end result.  I see how one small thing like a football game you don't have control of can control our lives.  Maybe not to some horrific extreme, but it does affect us.  I don't like New Year's resolutions because I don't think you should use one time of year to resolve to do better at something but since it's that time of year, I will make a resolution.  It's a little long and entails a lot, but here it is

I resolve to make my environment the best it can be for me and everyone around me.  I will not take life too seriously.  I will only worry about what is in my control and I will do the best with the tools that are given to me.  If I don't have time, I will make time.  I will have fun. 

There you have it.  My ramblings and resolutions. 

Blogging

In all the time I have been using social media, I never once considered starting a blog.  This past Wednesday I attended a class about social media and all it's wonders, and the instructor advised me to start blogging to get my brand out there.  I'm thinking to myself, I have a brand?!?!  Sweet!  Now what is it?  When I asked what it was, he told me that I was the brand.  Great, the only brand I am is the generic store brand all the way on the bottom shelf in the back.  I do understand where he is coming from though.  When I was selling real estate I was constantly told that I needed to get my name out there.  In other words, start branding myself.  I understood it then because I was offering a service to the community. 

My understanding about it has since changed slightly.  Although right now I am not really offering a "service" to my "community"(a service like real estate to a community like Mauston), I am offering a new service to my not so new community.  The service I will offer is still questionable.  Some days it may be entertainment, some days advice.  Other days I may just rant and rave about whatever is on my mind.  But each time I blog, I hope you, as my community, can take a nugget of what I am offering and somehow either apply it in your life or laugh at me and say, I am sooo not going to do what Matt has done!!