403(b) Savings Plan

Saturday, October 23, 2004

I miss Philadelphia and the East Coast when fall comes around. We don't get much seasonal change here in Southern California. It rained for two days last week and it was the first time in something like 250 days. People got excited.

I got a new job and I'm extremely happy about it. I work for Best Buddies International (www.bestbuddies.org) and it's very rewarding. It's easier to sleep at night when you work for a non-profit organization. The money's not always the best, but you're well paid in soul currency.

I saw The Motorcycle Diaries the other night. It made me cry in parts, which I felt was both though-provoking and cleansing. I'm still surprised that so many and so few people know about Ernesto "Che" Guevara. I'm really glad that my opinion and understanding of him and his passions is becoming more cultivated.

Best Buddies had a fundraiser in Northern California last weekend that I helped staff. The Volvo Hearst Castle Challenge was a 100 mile bike ride down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from Monterey, CA to San Simeon, CA (where Hearst Castle is located). I was sleep-deprived and over-caffeinated, but the event was a success a raised nearly $2 million for Best Buddies. I was bummed that I was only able to spend about 30 minutes in the city of Monterey. I'm reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck and that's where it takes place, and I wanted to spend more time soaking up the town. It's a beautiful area. One night I stayed in a $4 million home that someone donated for the weekend. It was beautiful, but unfortunately I only saw it from the hours of 1am to 4am and I slept on a bean bag. It made for a funny story in weekend full of funny stories.

I finally did a paint-by-numbers a few weeks ago. It was really theraputic. Too bad I left the white paint cap open and it dried out so I couldn't finish the painting. But I suppose it's more about the process and not the end product.

I'm in a good place. It feels good to feel good.