Goodbye San Diego and old cell phone bills

Last weekend I went back down to San Diego to get the rest of my stuff. I didn't think it was that much but my car was filled to the brim and I couldn't see out the back window or to my right. Very dangerous when driving on the highway but I stayed in the same lane most of the time.

I didn't realize just how much stuff I hold on to like very old cell phone bills. I have cell phone bills from Cellular One (then became Cingular) from 1999! At work we have a shredder bin that is locked so I took them in today to get rid of those. There is no need to hold on to those. I got rid of all from 1999-2003 before I changed to Verizon.

It was interesting to note that back in 1999 I only receive 15 peak minutes but free nights and weekends from 8pm - 7am. My bill was only $20. Then in 2000, I received 30 peak minutes. When I changed to a national calling plan in 2003, I received 150 peak. Now I receive 450 peak minutes and nights/weekends begin at 9pm, which is really annoying. When it was 8pm it was perfect. Of course the cell phone carriers want you to use as many peak minutes as possible to make the most money.

I really limit my peak usage though. I have come close before, but I just use Skype instead. My bill is always $55 and that includes $5 for 250 texts and another $5 for insurance. I have an LG Envy 2, so it is a reltatively expensive phone. I don't want to take any chances.

It was bittersweet to leave San Diego. I really will miss the city but I am so close. It's just meeting people up here in Orange County that will be the hard part. The next few weekends will be busy since I will be in NYC for work next weekend. I'll get to see Nathan, Jason and Leigh Anne. Then the weekend after that is LA Pride, so I'll drive up to see Alexis. Then the weekend after that I should be in Newport.

San Diego weekend coming to a close

On Friday afternoon I drove down to San Diego since I needed to pack up and sell my bed and dresser. I also wanted to spend time with friends as I know no one in Newport Beach yet. I left Irvine at 2:45pm or so. The drive took almost 3 hours! I should have waited until 7pm, but my manager let me leave early. I should have left at noon or something. I just felt bad leaving so early during my first week.

It was a long drive but was happy to be back to San Diego and hang with friends for the weekend. On Friday night I went to Bourbon Street with Newell, Ryan and Justin. It was ok, kind of dead and many more lesbians than usual. Then on Saturday I organized stuff for a while and then went walking around Balboa Park with my friend Ryan. I am going to miss that park and all of the beautiful scenery, the flowers, greenery, etc, etc. Before I left for the walk, I posted my bed and dresser on Craigslist and within 20 min I was already getting calls so after our walk I rushed home to get rid of the bed ($45) and then later that night the dresser ($25). I should have priced them a little higher as I received at least 15 phone calls. That's the beauty of Craigslist. You can buy or get rid of something very easily. I thought it was going to be a stuggle to get rid of the bed. I was so wrong!

Yesterday I went to a BBQ with my ex-coworker Suzanne in South Park. It was great. The food was good as I really craved meat, so I got to eat some nice chicken. I also had this amazing Julian apple crumb pie and brownies! I did not run on Saturday due to my achilles (or a tendon around that area) still being sore from my Thursday night run in Newport (I did and out and back 7.2 mile run along the Pacific Coast Highway). I ran 5.3 miles yesterday (Sun) around my neighborhood here in University Heights. It was good as I did not feel too much pain and did 6:52 pace according to the Nike sensor. Oh, I need to replace the sensor soon since the battery is low (as displayed on the screen). I hope it is not $30 and I can just buy another sensor for less. Today I did not run but walked with Justin in Pacific Beach down the boardwalk. The sun finally peaked out at 3:30pm finally (typical May gray pattern in San Diego).

I still (5pm) have not packed up my car. I was able to put books in boxes and pack kitchen stuff and most of my clothes. I am coming back down next weekend to wrap it up. I still need to water plants next weekend as one of the last apartment manager duties. It was a good gig doing it as it didn't take too long to maintain the grounds, etc. I am going to miss San Diego a lot, but I am only a 90 min drive away (without traffic!).

I also found out that my friend Ivan and his ex-boyfriend Mahesh live in Irvine! Mahesh works in the same office park that I do! Thanks to Facebook I was able to find Mahesh and then I wrote Ivan, who I have not spoken to since 2006. It is great to have friends in the area. I missed them a lot.

On a random note: Mahesh took photos of me at the 2005 Long Beach Marathon (above is one). Ivan was living in Long Beach back then since he was going to UC Irvine at the time and has since graduated. Anyway, the photos were very good. He really captured the struggle and exhaustion he was going through at the finish line. I ran 3:09 that year (not the best time for me, but middle of the road). I have since run faster than that, but that year I had not trained to my utmost capacity. So I was happy to squeak in under 3:10.

I'm headed to the OC it seems

Today I'm in NYC and headed up to Boston on the Megabus to see friends and family up there. Back to Boston on Monday and then I fly back to San Diego on Tuesday afternoon. I got here on Thursday (4/23). While I was on the plane I received a voicemail from the Irvine software company's recruiter. I got the job as a Marketing Programs Specialist! I had the interview last Tuesday and met with their VP of Marketing. It went really well. I talked to her for over 90 minutes and it just flew by. I went into this interview thinking I was going to be interviewed by an up-tight 50-something woman. I was surprised when I saw a woman in her upper 30s or early 40s who seemed young and vibrant. The entire vibe of the interview was warm and welcoming. It must be because she has toddlers. I was not nervous at that point once I started talking. 

I think I hit the home run when we started talking about social networking marketing. They were starting to do that and I mentioned a book by my former VP of Marketing called "The New Rules of Marketing and PR". I had read the first 3 chapters before going into the interview for ideas. I knew it was important. Actually 2 years ago when I was job searching back then my old VP (David Scott) gave me the PDF of the soon-to-be-released book. It is now a national best seller. Anyway, she said that she read this book, David's blog and bought this book for two of her employees. So we were on the same page and she seemed very impressed. I walked out thinking I got the job. I was conflicted though. 

At that point I didn't know if I got the LA job that I really wanted, I still had not heard. I knew the LA job would "BREAK THE CYCLE" of me getting these marketing jobs at tech companies. If I got the job I would finally be able to gain experience within another industry. I sent an email to the woman that night since I had not heard yet. The next afternoon (Wed, April 22) I got an email from her that said: 

"I wanted to update you that I made an offer to one of the other candidates and that person has accepted. You had some very relevant experience were a pleasure to meet and interview, though you are actually more senior than the position really requires. If a position comes up again on my team that can benefit from your great knowledge of email and direct marketing, I'll be in touch. Thank you for interviewing with me. I hope you find the perfect job soon." Obviously I was very disappointed. I guess she did have a point. I was a little too senior for the position but I thought my obvious enthusiasm for the company and sheer passion were going to overshadow this fact. I really pictured myself working and living in LA. So that was a huge disappointment. 

I am more at peace with it. On the plane to NYC before I even knew I got the Irvine job, I read about half of the "The New Rules of Marketing and PR" and became inspired. I told myself I would suck it up and throw myself into a marketing job at a tech company, something I have not really done before. I gained a lot of confidence reading this book and gaining new insights. When I got the VM with the offer I was thrilled. I was able to talk to the recruiter yesterday (we played phone tag on Thursday) and the offer was 2K less than my last job. I was able to get 1K more. At this point I don't care so much. I will just deal. they are performing the background check now with references and then I will get the official offer next week. In the mean time I am apt searching. I have isolated Costa Mesa and Newport Beach area as a place to live that is both close to work and a nice neighborhood. I have found several roommate situations that are affordable and not much more than my San Diego rent. I'll figure it out. I'll be starting the job on May 19, after I get back from Italy. I will most likely commute up there for a few weeks until I can get a place, but I am looking at renting mid-May or June 1. I already told my roommate I need to move out so he has plenty of time to get a new roommate.