This Early December 2011 with Andy

Dec 9, 201114 min read

Deviation Actions

AndySerrano

Published: Dec 9, 2011

5.6K Views

Thank you all for reading my journal.

Readers have been telling me they would like to see more photographs of myself and that they would like more detailed and personal journal entries. I hope this fits the request.

Steepy Trail
Mabintou, Susie, and I hiked at Griffith on late one Monday late afternoon. We began our chilly trek 50 Fº (10 Cº) up Rainbird and then towards the west base of Serpentine Trail. There, we climbed a trail Louis has been urging us to try, Steepy Trail, which he has been ardently working to create footholds and handholds. Steepy Trail was challenging enough that some of the hikers had to be helped up at some points. Although the photos don't clearly show it, it is a struggle to find footholds and places to grab the rock to pull ones self up. Once at the top, we could see a bright red sunset and the clear blue of the ocean. We could see islands we normally couldn't see. There was a full moon. The wind had washed away all of the smog.

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www.facebook.com/media/set/?se… Link to see all the photos

Job Interviews
Somehow, I've been suddenly getting a lot of job interviews. I have to avoid jumping at the first job that might be offered to me. I can hold out a bit for the most appealing one. Some of the jobs require online testing. That's what I did one evening last week. Barbara's friend, Yvonne, let me use her PC for a test. (I have a Mac and have been procrastinating putting Windows on it.)  Some employers require online computer tests before they let me interview.  Yvonne was very nice because it took all evening. I still have not loaded Windows on my Mac.

One Promising Interview
One really good interview I had was at City of Hope Medical Center. They treat people with cancer and do lots of research on finding a cure for it. My interview was with people who oversee experiments on humans with new drugs. They are now using stem cells as one therapy to treat cancer. One of the people in this department used to work with my wife, Barbara, and intercepted my resume. She brought it to the attention of H.R. and the hiring person and put in a good word for me. I liked the person who interviewed me and I think he liked me. This would be a good job for me because no one has ever done it there. I like to do jobs that other people haven't done. I won't know the result for several weeks. (If it doesn't work, I've lined up a wonderful agency, Spherion, to get me back into UCLA Medical Center.)

An On-Line Course
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I've been taking an online course called "Six Sigma."  It's like a corporate efficiency expert type of training.  I have a degree in Economics and I can see it's really nothing more than jargon and names for old concepts that corporations can have a shared language so they talk about it. I aced my first exam.  I took my first exam online and got a good score. The program allowed me to take the same test over.  I thought, "That's crazy."  For those of you who have taken online courses: Do they all allow this????

Stock Market Report
The stock market scared the beejezuz out of me during November. Over the last few days, most of my losses have been recovered. I'm only surprised my hair did not turn white. I'm just holding my breath and hoping the Germans and French can save the system so the whole world economy does not crash and burn. We're all so close to the edge of disaster, if most people only knew, they'be be frightened. Fortunately, the Europeans have cobbled a temporary solution to their problem and the British took their marbles home in a self-righteous huff. If it works out, I might earn my income for the year very soon. Thankfully, my hair didn't turn white. I was very concerned, but I don't worry all that much. When I worked on getting rid of anger, envy, and jealousy, the useless habit of worry was also on my hit list.

Canceled Art Show
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Last week, I canceled my participation in a ceramics show. I had been scheduled to display my sculptures, but I decided it was not in my self-interest. The show mainly was for cups, plates, vases, and other kinds of pottery. My dancing girls would have been out of place and I would have had to have dropped my asking price too much. So, I opted out. It was a very hard decision.  It was difficult not entering the ceramics show. However, maybe next year, I'll find a dedicated sculpture show where I can show off my work and maybe find a benefactor or someone who will give me a commission.

Self-Promotion
I have to learn for myself how to network and make connections in order to sell my artwork.  I don't know how to promote myself and it is a valuable skill.  I know my art work is a hell of a lot better than many people around me. However, those other people know how to promote themselves and probably could sell rocks to their customers.  I'll figure it out someday!  Does anyone have any suggestions for self-promotion? Do I have to set myself on fire in front of news cameras to get attention?

Wind Storm in Los Angeles
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There was a big wind storm here that knocked down thousands of trees and cut our power for several days. That was very exciting. We had to do everything by candle-light. There was no heat at night.  I had to take the food from my freezer and take it across town to a friend who has electricity and put it in his freezer. I didn't want all that good food to spoil. Periodically, I had to boil water and put it in my fish tanks otherwise the fish would have died from the cold water. My friend who let me use the freezer is special. He was my best man at my wedding 30 years ago and I've known him since 1975. He is from India. His name is Rupert. He's the one who often teaches me about patience and not giving in to anger, impatience, envy, jealousy, and other emotions.

One Friend Fading and Another Rising
I still see less and less of my friend, Robin. It's disappointing. She's a single mom. I really thought she was going to turn into a really cool friend. Some people who know her say that is her style and history. She gets close then pulls away probably to try and avoid getting hurt. I'm getting too old for this type of behavior. However, another woman, Susie, exactly my age, has been hiking and learning how to tolerate heights and steep cliffs with me. She's thin, Jewish, long brown hair and big eyelashes and very pleasant and easy-going. She was once married, but her husband died. I love going into the mountains with her.

Golf Tournament
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Barbara, her friend, Gary, her friends Yvonne and Terry and I were partners in our first golf tournament. We came in last with a score of 65 (the pros had scores in the 50's), but had a good time. Terry seems to like me and is sweet as sugar on me. Poor Gary worships Barb. He cooks for her, takes her to the store, makes sure she takes her pills, even fixes her car. He is her slave. I'm sure he thinks he would be taking my place if a train ever ran over me! I am lucky Gary takes care of Barbara. She takes a lot of my time because she does not really like being by herself for too many hours. So, if I feel like going out, I always arrange it when she is spending time with Yvonne or Gary or some other friend. I don't leave her to be a widow like other guys do to their wives. Gary is a great cook, but because he is so great, I have to watch how much I eat and it is always a battle to keep myself from eating too much of his good cooking. Also, he is not totally frustrated regarding her. She asked me for permission many years ago if she could give him sex for his birthdays and some special occasions and I agreed to this. So, after every birthday, he thanks me for letting him have a wonderful experience! (His birthday is one day before my birthday.) Thankfully, I don't get jealous.

Bah! Humbug!
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I don't really like Christmas. Christmas ended for me long long ago when my parents passed away. It doesn't exist anymore. I wonder how many other people feel like you and I about Christmas, but keep it to themselves? I bet it is a lot.  On my Facebook page, I announced I won't be contributing to the commercialization of Christmas. I buy presents for people I love, when I feel like it.

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