the jensen method

snow, snow, snow

2007-01-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

ok,

i do love snow, i really do. but i moved to denver, not for the snow, but for the warmer climate. how does it work that the midwest has better temperatures than we do this winter? and, we have had over 60 inches of snow this year already! our yearly average is 61.7 inches (which seems high) and mr. alamanac said that the past 10 years have all been below average except 2003 and 1997 when we were blasted by big snows.

so we are on for a record year... and i am sorry to say that i am getting a little tired of it.

now, don't get me wrong, i love the snow, i love the ski, i love the white. but, we have mountains for that! oh well, enough complaining... i guess i should pour myself a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the blizzard. i can see about 100 kids sledding across the street, which is cool. they even closed schools today (bunch of wussies) so all the kids are running around in their snow gear. fun times.

the only issue i have with all this snow is that i can not get out as much and enjoy denver. things are soo snowy that walking is difficult and all the sidewalks are covered and icey so we have to walk on the street. more time at home i guess.

once we get back in the 50's, and sunny, like usual for this time of year, i will be back on track.

gotta get back to work.

sweater party 02

2006-12-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

sweater party 02
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 04

2006-12-11T18:59:00.001-07:00

sweater party 04
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 05

2006-12-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

sweater party 05
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 13

2006-12-11T18:58:00.001-07:00

sweater party 13
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 11

2006-12-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

sweater party 11
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 09

2006-12-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

sweater party 09
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

sweater party 31

2006-12-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

sweater party 31
Originally uploaded by glipsbrowne.

Test publish

2006-12-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am using a new blog publisher.. Testing to see if it posts correctly.

ericj.

Ugly Knit Gathering

2006-12-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am having a few people over tonight for a nice ugly knit gathering. we are all going to pull out our ugliest sweaters and show 'em off. with some food and drink and sweaters the party should go well. we'll find out.

here's a flyer.

off to meet up with a good friend who is in town.

ericj.

A new blogger

2006-11-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

it seems that blogger.com decided to do a new blogger beta. i would hope they combine them or something but i played with it for a hot minute tonight.

it looks the same, but is a little different

the nice thing about the new interface is that it is easier to have the feed appear anywhere. you could setup a feed-reader for your favorite feeds then.

anyway.

anotherjensenmethod.blogspot.com

a couple weeks ago in pennsylvania

2006-10-19T11:45:00.000-06:00

brooklyn

2006-10-07T11:31:00.000-06:00

you ever just feel like every happens right? i had a chance to roll up to the PA for a quick wedding and ended up crashing overnight in NYC. I stayed with my boy Jeremy and (after getting in rather late) had a beverage and crashed in his small room in the east village.

after waking up slowly, we took a stroll over to alt coffee shop over yonder east village and chilled with garrett (a friend of j's) over some coffee and bagels. quite the eclectic place... oh, everything is eclectic in nyc. it was nice.

then i had to send j off to work at some stuff french restaurant and i decided to find a rather hard to find coffee/lunch/record store in greenpoint.... brooklyn. a nice shop where j's brother works and spends time at.

after purusing through some vinyl, i decided not to buy anything, even though there were about 10 lp's that look rather tempting to pick up. i might have jeremy pick up a couple if he decides to venture to denver in the next few.

well, this place (call eat records) has a nice fair of food, fun, and records. good musica and a nice view of meserole, right off manhattan st. i guess it is a fairly polish place and i could see myself living near here if i ever lived in nyc (which wont happen, but it is always fun to think about)

a nice city, happenstancically driving through soho (spring and sullivan) and through east village, over the bridge, up and around brooklyn, getting ready for my 'big' drive over to the PA. it is currently 1:30 eastern and i will probably venture out sometime around 3ish?

i hope i have some nice tree views, but everything is still quite green in nyc.

i have a camera but dont feel indulged to take any pictures. i might be able to take a few here and there, but dont expect a galleria of my nyc good times, just not interested i guess.

that's my story, going to finish up some work emails and then enjoy the atmosphere here for a few minutes... then i leave.

until later.

why i love and hate coffee houses...

2006-09-16T13:03:00.000-06:00

first off, my blogging is quite horrible. i understand that but really do make an effort to impress upon people out there that i have the focus to provide tidbits of life, info, and mind-dumps on a somewhat regular basis. i think that sentance was a run-on... which means that if you read it twice to 'get it,' dont worry, it's normal.

what i have discovered is that my mind works very situational. extremely situational. i have been able to compartmentalize(sp?) my thoughts so my environment is in direct control of my thoughts.

that means that i have groups of thoughts that 'come out' when the situation or surrounds are ripe for them... and if it is not, it is hard for me to do so.

that is why i love and hate coffee houses.

to me, the coffee house is the Premier locale in which my most philosophical thoughts come alive. you name it, God, politics, life, existentialism, how things work... those things flourish. my best conversations are over coffee and some overpriced sweet item. but to me, that is worth the costs. the breeding ground for rich thoughts stews at these indie shops scattered throughout the land.

the problem is that i do not have the discipline to spend the appropriate times at these locations to flourish my 'creative' thoughts and keep them happy. i am often too tired from the grind to really get excited to get to a shop and live. the other problem is that coffee houses that are open when my i have the slight chance to go are a great distance away from my sleeping quarters.

the dilemna is to buck up and get out, do my thinking, reading, and writing (which, by the way, is where most of my decent blog entries come from) or watch the boob-tube to decompress and slough off to bed feeling crappy about not contributing to life but contributing to the things that i despise (like t.v., media, current hype).

because my slacky patterns are in place, my home in Golden is now soley able to shove my thoughts into a state of hibernation and all i can do at home is nothing.

my office is nice because my mind is focused, but it is often distracted on the to-dos of the day/week/month and i cant sit and focus on philosophy too long.

what i need to do is accomplish my dreams really quick because one of them is to provide a coffee house open really, really late (and early) really close to my home. so, i am looking for individuals that might be open to catering my needs close to my house fulfilling my requests even if it is a losing business to them (because i do not have the time nor capitol to start one myself).

being a realist gives me the opportunity to laugh at my self and my thoughts and just focus on solving my dilemna.

anyway, i am losing focus because i am at work... hopefully you were able to follow this entry a bit.

ericj.

Superbness

2006-09-11T10:23:00.000-06:00

well,

it has been a crazy, crazy month (as usual.) things are hyper speed over here and now that i started coaching, i really dont have a life.

i am having soo much fun right now, but my priorities on some things are just not there. i still want to continue this blog and i will have this be a priority.

the day is spent running around meeting with people and doing computer stuff so i dont have the energy to sit at home in front of the computer too much and do these 'fun' things.

i have to do it during the day, and as you can probably tell, my mind is not focused on writing right now because i have work on my mind.

anyway, i will update this...

ericj.

Rainbow...

2006-08-05T11:30:00.000-06:00

Pretty sweet double rainbow a couple days ago!! it was a full one just over the building next to mine. i only wish i had a wideangle shot, could of put the whole rainbow on one picture. oh well, it is always more impressive in person anyway.

those must be important buildings :)

ok, bye

eric

Office space

2006-08-05T11:12:00.000-06:00

Well,

I just wanted to send a couple pictures that show my new office.

The desk is my desk with a nice view of east denver.

This is the main room of the office with a kitchen and couch and formal conference table... etc.

anyways, it looks nice.

eric

super quick weekend in the big wisconsin

2006-07-31T11:30:00.000-06:00

hey,

had a blast in wisconsin this past weekend. did some business, did some pleasure... you know, a nicely organized weekend full of good times.

it was my grandma's 80th birthday, my dad's birthday, and my bro-in-laws birthday... crazy.

anyway, some pictures. but off to work.

ericj.

awesome sunsets

2006-07-13T22:45:00.000-06:00

what a great day. seriously, a great day.

work rocked, got a lot done there

got to see elliott and linda p. longtime friends and second parents. great organic dark coffee, sweet golden city beer, and good times on the top of lookout.

it's been hot, hot, hot. but the evenings are super perfect. super perfect.

lots of unneeded adjectives today.

here are some sunsets.

This one is from yesterday!This one is from today!!

yo

oh, i found this picture too. from my backyard a couple weeks ago.

yo yo

workout dreams

2006-07-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

so i think i did something pretty stupid last night. i asked a friend to be accountable to me for working out. ha, and to think they said yes.

now i have to live up to my 'word' and do this.

i did workout last night, part of the reason for doing such. i enjoyed it. i realy enjoy it. but getting there is really tough. my schedule is nothing close to 'normal' and i am out of shape. all those things make it difficult.

once i get on a schedule though, i think i will be fine. i have been talking about working on a couple key sport specific goals anyway. so i think i will be good.

it never hurts to be heathier anyway.

my friend is a personal trainer and i think the hardest part for me is going to be the nutrition actually. so it should be fun to see what happens here.

i think i will get going next week. so that is my goal

progress will be posted i am sure, so stay tuned, if i have any readers left hehehe

ericj.

my friend just moved to alaska and i'm jealous

2006-06-21T20:22:00.000-06:00

i met this cool girl at this coffee shop in south east denver. i spend a lot of my days at the coffee shop doing work on my business so i got to know quite a few of the workers.

she just got back from two years in china and is now off to alaska for a bit of time... i am jealous. i am so stuck on work (though, i actually do like to work) that i dont allow myself to make the time to do anything of that sort... at this point in my life.

her site http://www.xanga.com/Solomon2_2 is a great update of her doings up in alaska, and i get to view a bit of that and live (just a touch) vicariously through her blog.

cool stuff, good pictures, and a great life living.

(i wrote something about the impact of blogs and community, but this is the third time i am typing this because something messed up... so you dont get that now)

back to work.

my friend just did a big bike trip and i'm jealous

2006-06-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

so my friend, loren, just got back (last night) from a big six week bike trip down PCH (pacific coast highway.) I am super jealous. regardless of the fact that i dont own a bicycle right now and i probably couldn't hack the trip, and well time of that nature requires me to give up more than i want, i still envious.

he just has this big smile and nice aura around him (some of it is from seeing his friends again, but i think a lot has to do with the experience) and that is hard to come by in this ridiculous production oriented society we have.

seriously folks, i have drive, lots of drive when it comes to work... but is it neccessary? i have a few friends (a lot of my golden peeps) that live life the way it should be and make sure they live a very balanced lifestyle. why cant i? i mean, i take a couple days off and get sick. that ain't right? i am out of wack.

i am in one of the fittest states in the country and i am more out of shape than i have been since before chicago. wow.

keeps my thinking about more time spent on 'personal' stuff. that would round me out a lot more and get me to the point where i can experience life more and get fit for being involved in activities i love to do.

so now i have to try and figure out how i do this... how i can spend more time balanced.

i feel like i have been asking this question for years.

ericj.

Eric, welcome to your web experience

2006-06-15T12:19:00.000-06:00

besides for getting sick on vacation this week, i would say my vacation was a success. being sick forced me to just, really, do nothing. that is a hard thing for me to do, especially when i think of all the things that i had to do.

camping was a blast. it was soo good to re-experience the wisconsin forests. the state bird was out in full force (mr. mosquito) and we did lots of swatting. but that did not deter us from having a great time. lots of camp fires, lots of sunsets, lots of good grilled food, lots of good blueberry pancakes... sooo nice.

now, i am heading home to get back on the 'busy' train and get back to work full force. i have lots and lots of things do to and not a lot of time to do it. i am still trying to figure out how it will all work out. i hope i can make it :)

not a very exciting update, but i am a bit sickly (not too bad anymore, it kinda broke last night) and am more motivated on the trite sides of things today.

fantastic.

glad to see you, eric

2006-06-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

a couple comments.

frist... i noticed that i was moved to 'blog slacker' level on my friend, mary's, blog page. since her blog is the blog of blogs, being on the slacker list probably reflects that i haven't been as 'due diligent' as i could/should be. well, my goal is to spend a couple months 'winning' her blog status over and making it to the active roster... but i need to work diligently at it, you know, post more then twice a month... like maybe 2-4 times a week!

i know i can do it, it just is difficult when the last thing i want to do is write about my triteness when i get home from the day. i keep talking about changing my life... creating better habits... you know, wake up early, work out more, enjoy the day better, travel, personal time, decompress at night (write in a blog, read) do the things that really enrich my life and make me a better person.

second... my blog is my 'homepage' so i have been writing too much negativity on the taglines, so i am convicted to write good, solid poistitive lines that welcome me to my web experience. if i do have positive statements, maybe i will have more writing moments? i dont know, it is worth a try.

now.... my vacation so far.

been a blast. spent a nice night in chicago catching up with friends and relaxing. a couple good dishes of food, a couple drinks, good friends. sounds nice.

spent the next day trying to catch a bus to madison. missed it twice! (my fault, yes, but traffic was bad and unexpected) ended up gong to rockfor and getting picked-up. that was fun though cause i got a car ride with the folks through the countryside of southern wisconsin.

today, i woke up pretty early and had bfast with chris, elliott, and greg (chris and elliott are father and son, greg is chris/elliotts brother/son -in-law). what a great bfast, lots of food, bad coffee that made me feel sooooo good, and good convo. the kind that seems like i just had the previous conversations yesterday. we picked up right where we left off kept going.

then went to visit my grandmas. i love both my grandmas. i had such a good time catching up with them. i haven't seen them since x-mas and it was time.

then i got home, went camping shopping with my sister, came back and ate a fantastic dinner with steaks on the grill and salad and asparagus and some mushrooms and onions.

now i am blogging a quick update blog and hope to spur into more activiity on this page.

i am camping for a couple days, so i dont know if i will have internet stuff... (nice towns with coffe shops, who knows.)

ericj.

im still around... barely

2006-05-31T17:07:00.000-06:00

it's my busy season at work. and i am that, busy.

sorry,

will write more later.. soon. very soon.

ericj.

mind overload

2006-04-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

have you ever been in a situation where you just have total (i mean total) mind overload. to the point where it just makes you shut down.

i thought that event might be an all-of-the-sudden-too-much-information thingy. and i suppose that has happened to me in various forms in the past. but what i *actually* found is that it can build and build over time. and, quite honestly (even though i have started the last three sentances with predicates) that time is now... or close to it.

being involved with two jobs running parallel, learning tons and tons of new things, coaching tournaments (teenagers remind you) in places like greeley and dallas, and not getting home for periods of 12 - 16 hours on average everyday, makes you a little crazy. the issue isn't the things i mentioned above... really. it's the fact that i dont have time to decompress, debrief, chill.

where did my hobbies go? why can't i go home (albeit very late) and just depend on a few hobbies to put my mind at ease. why, when soo tired, do i just go to sleep without any mind dump. i think i actually sleep fairly restlessly and in doing so, perpetuate the situation with staying tired.

so, that means i need a break. i need to remember what it means to relax. what it feels like to not think about work. what it feels like to have fun around hobbies, people and not have those be afterthoughts or squeeze-ins.

what does this all mean? i am a *horrible* time manager. dont the *greatest of great* in the biz world say to book your vacations first and then work around that. hmmm, good idea. i am going to get an ulcer and have my head explode if i am not careful.

what does this lead to? i am taking the day off tomorrow!!!! i am excited. haven't had a day off in a while... a serious day off. most of the time i just have a psuedo day off. mind you i still have to do a little work, just a little, but i wont take any new calls, hey, i may even change my voicemail to tell people that i am decompressing, nah, but i could.

so here is my plan (very loose by the way, so dont worry):
wake up earlyish
get a big, fat diner breakfast... preferably at the breakfast queen.
put my shevles up in the garage
design some shelves for my snow gear (garage) and lps (room)
put a new car stereo in my car
grab a beer with seth
put my air conditioner on craig's list.
watch a movie at the movie theatres.
call it a night.

i am looking forward to it.

peace

easter

2006-04-17T12:32:00.000-06:00

well,

what a fantastic easter. it was quite enjoyable from the sunrise service at red rocks to the evening dinner with friends and family. what a great day too, i think it was about 78 degrees outside (like it is today) and just really easy.

now i am back to the grind, working two jobs and only really have time for one. i also am going to dallas this weekend for the girls volleyball tourney. that should actually be pretty fun because once we are done coaching (all day though) we are free. the chaparones are the parents, we are just the coaches.

so i will be trying to get things all tied up this week so i can use this weekend for enjoyment and for work. we will have to see what will happen.

i guess thats the boring updates, otherwise just been thinking alot about my life... like what i want to be when i grow up sort of stuff. i mean, it keeps changing. i always think that "this is it," but something else always comes up. i really thought i would be doing real estate for a long time, but then again, i might be switching to more of a management role. who knows, that is the plan but i am expecting things to change here in the next few weeks anyway.

talk about confusing, i leave in the morning and dont get home until pretty late (usually) and start all over again. easter was my only day off i have had in a long time and it was full (mostly). i loved easter, but i need a day where i can just lay in the grass after a nice hike, then finish building some stuff in the garage, then grab a nice dinner and call it a day. those lazy days of summer, that is what i really need.

sorry for the latest post, it was more of a 'this is my day' kinda blog, instead of 'this is how i am doing and feeling' which i prefer. guess i just need a break.

busy bee

2006-04-06T10:31:00.000-06:00

well,

i am officially busy. last night was the first night i got home from work before 9pm! what a way to relax. my friend, phil, had a great birthday party last night and it was soo good to have great food and great conversation.

let's see: beer, corn on the cob, marinated chicken, mash potatoes, yummy guacamole, italian sausages, chocolate cake and ice cream, and strawberries. That was a fantastic dinner.

I was going to take today off and enjoy the mountains a bit. heather is in town (well, in dillon) but my day seems to just get booked really fast. now i have appointments from noon till 7pm and then i get to relax a bit tonight. crazy.

so, i think i am going to go to common grounds near the highlands and do some reflection. i have a lot on my mind and havent had a lot of time to think on my own. it is tough when you fill your life up with stuff and just dont take a lot of time for yourself. i did sleep in a bit today so that i could 'relax' a bit on my day off, but really, i want a day off!

maybe next thursday i will take off no matter what, yeah, i think that is a good idea.

alright, sorry for the lack of content blog post. i want to write some good thought stuff down and i might be able to a little later. i felt like i was falling behind so i wanted to get something out there.

bye

adventures in denverland

2006-03-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

do you find it very intersting that most of us are frustrated about something most of the time? i mean, if it isn't relationships (or lack thereof), then it is job, or family, or friends (or lack thereof,) or the weather, or, well, whatever.

tonight i was frustrated about volleyball. i dont know why, but maybe i am just doing too much of it. but i got really frustrated at my team (my adult team) because we didn't win, nor did we push ourselves. i feel like we are mediocre and are cool with it.

the same goes with my team i coach. i really feel like these girls try... like they push themselves to get better. but you have to understand, they are better then their performance. why do they settle short?

hmmm, maybe i do the same thing time and time again. we can all be soo much more as individuals. i mean we are made in the image of God! that is pretty powerful. yet we still are very petty, and we sin, and we like to disbelieve... or worse, we stop challenging our beliefs and accept the american viewpoint on christianity.

what about our jobs... i am sure that we are up to like 10% of each day, on average, surfing the internet, and like 30% is taken up by emails or something like that. luckily, my job is not like that so i dont have to rely on computers as much as i dont have to be infront of them to do my business, wholely. i can spend a whole day or even two away from my computer and still get a lot of progress done in regards to work.

i hope eventually everyone can get back to relationships.

guess i fell a little scatterbrained again tonight, but i know that before computers, we knew shop owners and mechanics, and even salesmen! now we only shop for the best deal possible. its our wallets that matter, not the building of community. if you knew that a local shop was to be bought out by some national chain, i would HOPE you would make an effort to stop that by going to support your local business.

now, if we all agree to that, why do we still not do it! or only do it when it comes to a situation where there might be a decision made. we are so reactionary as people, aarrrgh, it drives me crazy.

i do and would spend extra money at local places, why? to keep them local. to know that the owner probably lives down the block... but most importantly, to know that i am buying from someone that believes in his/her product.

do you get it?

what's the most important thing in life? really? relationships, plain and simple.

then why are we so quick to judge and so eager to save money then to know who you are buying from?

dont worry, i am a hypocrite also. but i think i am going in the right direction. i really do. i know there are good people out there.

ok, ok... enough rambling for now.

tata

sad state of affairs

2006-03-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

i'll admit it... i'm hopeless :) not in the sense of success, life, love, self appreciation... but in the sense of bad habits. i have been on this kick to really get up early and get my day going. the struggle has come since college and is really rearing its ugly head now that i dont *really* have to be anywhere in particular in the morning.

skiing, hiking, have-to's give me absolutely no problems of waking up early, but work, life, and the daily grind give me the hardest time. i dont get it. i **know** i am not a morning person, but i think i can become one... they say "nothing good happens after 9pm" right? so, why not be in bed by 11 or so and then really get up early (for me, that is between 6-6:30). my day would be soo much better and i would feel stronger and healthier.

any suggestions? all you morning people out there, let me know the secret. and please do not say put the alarm clock really far away. i need new motivation, not another excuse to 'get up on the wrong side of bed'

that being said, not only am i lazy in the morning, but i eat like crap. i hate grocery shopping and so i never have food at home. that leaves me with frugal eating out... wendy's has been my favorite lately, but i think my artories are slowly (or quickly) clogging.

every once in a while, i will buy stuff, but it seems to go bad or i just dont get the time or make the time to eat properly.

maybe if i got up earlier?...

as i am writing this blog, i am looking disgustly over at my leftover taco bell, yep, leftover taco bell. i am actually embarressed to even get up to the microwave at work and heat it up. ok, ok, it will produce a pleasant wafting for lunch, but people will start asking what i am eating... what do i say? NOT leftover taco bell. so i might just say mexican (if you can call it that), but they will probably ask where i got it from. my reply 'a little place by my house :)'

i hope it wont get to that, i think i can time it where i get in and out without being noticed and eat in peace. yeah, that is what i will do.

so, off to get some lunch and to comteplate on getting up early tomorrow

i need a wife :)

peace

Another rediscovery

2006-03-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

ok,

after reading this title, you are all probably thinking... 'great, another one of eric's introspective time periods in his life.' well, yep, that's me.

not only am i going through a change in my life in regards to my dating life (or lack there of at this point), but am trying to do a rediscovery at work. i am starting to work with a coach that will not only create an energy and motivation to rediscover myself as 'eric, the realtor' but also figure out what i really want.

she asked me this question when we met on tuesday.. 'eric, what do you want to be known for?' -- umm, i thought we were going to be talking about systems and networking and distinction... yikes. so i kinda sat there and turned and said... 'i want people to be happy.' which she noted that only if i benefit also... ouch :)

so that is where the dialog started. why am i doing real estate... who cares. what do i want to be known for... that matters.

for the next couple we are going to figure out what is it that makes me tick and then directly apply it to my career. it is not the question as to why i am doing real estate, but really, what do i want to be? i mean fully... pretty interesting. i feel like i am going to have some introspective moments soon. that means great blog material, right?

not only will i benefit, but you all get to read about my struggles :)

i did come up with something interesting... as the dialog progressed, i had this statement run through my mind: ' i lack clarity, and i hate it. i want people to not feel that.'

this boils down below all that stability, sanity, world perception bs. i mean this is for real. i am really going to gain clarity or die trying. it is truly necessary for me cause i need to not only let people love me, but to love as well. job, shmob... i mean that will be the focus of action, ill get my clarity a bit then apply it to me as a realtor. (seriously, personal and business life are not separate in this business, not matter what they say).

stay tooned.

yo

it's thursday night and i'm at a coffee house

2006-03-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

so i haven't been all that positive lately. it seems like life is just a little brash on me currently and, well, normally it ain't no thing... this time it is rubbing me the wrong way. though, the positives of this whole bit is that i really, really get to love and respect this thing called coffee. it has to be one of god's greatest gifts to man, hands down. that and pancakes.

so, when i get a little down, what do i do, say "screw it!" to my two cup max and just drug myself silly with the killer juice. ahhh, sweet killer juice.

anyway, you are all probably wondering why i am so down and why i am raving soo much about coffee. i wont tell you about either of them. but i will say that im in position to bounce back. all i need is a couple of good days in the 60's and things seem to clear up quite nice :) that is the great thing about denver, it really encourages you when you think about all the good things it provides (weather and mountains).

i guess that means i am getting more and more settled here in this wonderful town and want all you all to move out here. i mean it. move here. you wont regret it.

seriously, what are you leaving behind? family, jobs, friends, relationships, churches, communities, what... those are all replaceable :) j/k at least i am here.

so, as i sit here at one of my favorite coffee joints, i am writing contracts, doing research, trying to think about all things that relate to life, get clarified on who i am, what i want, how things are going, how motivated i really am... you know the biggies.

at least my soul is calm right now, ben harper always makes me contemplate life and my ipod makes it easy to listen to him. my phone makes it easy to take pictures, and my computer makes it easy to upload it. that means that you all get real time images of me (and my coffee cup :) )

anyway, i dont think i have really said anything of importance, nor has it been relevent to you all... but that is where i am at right at this moment.

off to im to chris p chicken. ill write something more soon enough.

peace

friday

2006-03-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

another month has come and gone... this time stuff is soo ridiculous. It is truly amazing how time passes, or at least how it is percieved to pass.

i guess, when you get busy and have a lot going on, time just cruises along, you cant really stop it. the only thing that would actually pause time, would be to constantly look at it, and that isn't much fun.

well, i got back from vegas for a real estate convention and things are just crazy, my personal life is packed, my business is busy and i am tired all around. when you get in that mode, things just dont slow down. a vacation is out of the picture, so i just have to really concentrate on the time i have and try and use it to the fullest.

i also might be taking a different team for coaching. the head guy at crush wants me to coach the 15-2's team and i was just getting into the assistant groove. i tell you, you can not count on things to last very long these days :) you set up your life as such and bang, things change. oh well.

just a quick update... of to a meeting (with coffee of course) and then phone calls and marketing today.

bye!

brrrrr

2006-02-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

it's supa cold outside today! high of only 25!!! yikes. i dont know about you, but i get this horrible tightening in my lower back when it is too cold outside. it is really uncomfortable... only thing that keeps me going is the thought of warm things, like hot chocolate, blankets, fires, hot tubs, whiskey, you know, the basics.

i know what you are thinking, "what a wimp..." well, yep, i admit it. i am now a true cold wimp. i dont like cold weather, it doesn't appeal to me, i want nothing to do with it... except when i ski, but that is the mountains. i can separate my coldness when i go to the mountains because i "expect" it to be cold. expectations are key, in denver, it should never be cold, nor cloudy (i do like a few rainy days a year, say 15, maybe 20) but in the mountains, it is ok.

we have had record amounts of snow and skiing in powder is one of the coolest feelings. you know i am having a good time when i giggle... i do it on roller coasters and when i ski pow pow. how else to express the feeling. reneau will know (feb '05).

but, for the rest of today and this weekend, i have to stuggle in the cold weather. i guess wine and blankets are in order.

oh, i do get to go to las vegas next week for a real estate convention. yikes, 12,000 crazy keller williams real estate agents taking over las vegas... should be fun.

have to finish up work for the day and then i can ponder pow pow and all that good stuff... sweet vail of last year.. ahhh, sweet copper this year. i will be hitting powder in march, that is for sure.

yo

today was a good day

2006-02-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

it is really nice to have one of those really good days... i woke up early, had coffee with phil and we took a nice walk up for the sunrise in the foothills of my beautiful Golden city. we chatted about life and love and loss and what not, talked biz and got on.

the day rolled forward with appointments and meetings and things just seemed to click... had lots of good conversations with clients and friends and family... just a catch up day. i usually take off on thursdays, but i am taking off on sunday instead, so using today effectively feels good.

i have a bunch of junk i need to get done tomorrow and i have a good outlook on getting it done... but just all around good week.

supposed to be cold tomorrow, so time for the scarf and jacket again. yikes. chilly air. i am definitely ready for the spring time! spring in Denver is sooo nice; big snow, flowers, 70s, slush, bright skies, later evenings, smiles, sales, mmmmm sounds great.

anyway, off to chat with elvi. i get to hear about the exciting happenings of nashville. hopefully, things are on the up and up out there. oh -- mary, to answer your question: at least a year, maybe more :(

peace <-- click here

Feb 7th

2006-02-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

can you all believe that it is feb 7th already? pretty soon we will be smiling at the dusky sky at 9pm in the evening... cant wait

well, i am feeling a bit better. i have decided to get on, can't stay blue for too long. even though i am constantly stressed, i still feel exhillerated anytime i drive home and drive between south and north table mountains to settle in my home.

new?

well, i am again coaching volleyball... well, assistant coaching. i am an assistant coach to the 14 navy (that is the number 1 14's team) for Crush Volleyball Club. we practice on the weekday nights and have a couple tourneys a month on sunday. sweet. i am pretty excited because i get to really sharpen my coaching skills so i can be more effective next year. the head coach has been doing this for 14 years, so i should learn a bit. he's an engineer too, so we will have many really petty statistical arguements, just kidding.

lets see, i am still sore from skiing, not boarding, but skiing. i think that sport is better for me. dont get me wrong, i love to board and i will board for the rest of my life... but i can do soooo much more and cover soo much more of the mountain on a ski. partially because i am much better on skis, but also because a board makes it really hard to do bumps.. and well, i love bumps. but, bumps kill my quads and i feel like a grandpa :)

other than that, just doing the real estate thing. still struggling, but this is my breakout year. looking forward to the future, and the spring when i have some breathing room.

we will see, maybe i will be holding a cup out with a nice cardboard sign that says something about 'anything helps' :) well, that wont work too much longer in denver seeing they (hickenlooper) are trying to eradicate homelessness in 10 years. ahhh, sweet idealism. i love it... being a socialist of sorts.. but greedly people tend to win :(

let me give you some quick advice:
dont do a long distance relationship... it sucks!

peace

blue

2006-01-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

so i have been down lately... elvi's in nashville and i haven't been in a good mood lately. which means that i haven't been interested in writing about trite junk about my life. sorry.

give me a couple days... and mary, dont move me to your 'infrequent update' blog list, i am on it, just haven't been in a good mood lately.

sorry

2006-01-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

been crazy...

was in nashville for all of last week and just getting back into the swing of things.

have some stories.

new years

2006-01-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

well,

new years was a great time this year... as always. the difference is that my expectations were no super high because i did not expect anything to be that great of a time, as far as parties or bars...

i made it up in my mind that i wanted to be with elvi and that i wanted to toast at a house and not a bar... that was accomplished. elvi and i had a great time in the evening with dinner and relaxing. we ended up going to a party and were then going to meet up with other folk, but they ditched us and we ended up just doing our own thing.

it was nice, some champagne and a brownie with ice cream right at midnight.. cant complain about that.

one of my first really relaxing, chill new years and i have to admit that i really enjoyed it. house parties are fun and with the right people, are great. but just making sure that you have a couple small goals set up and accomplished make new years a success.

i think i will throw a party at my house next year... then i dont have to drive anywhere and worry about people ditchin. if they ditch, i still have my goal, toasting the new year at a house party (alone or with tons of people :)

ok i lied, but i will make a promise

2006-01-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

here is my list of things i will post over the next few days (3 posts by the weekend is my goal)

ishmael
crash
xmas
new years
2006
skiing
good fun
yay

it'll happen

xmas

2005-12-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

had a great christmas... tell more tomorrow.

informational

2005-12-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

i am feeling very informational lately. i guess it comes out in the way i talk and even in the way i write. i want to be able to express my 'feelings' better (whatever that means) but i always seem to just relay information.

how do you exactly get around that... i suppose i can, for example, talk about how i 'felt' during an informational piece. ok, lets try it.

----
(informational)
yesterday i went skiing, the snow was awesome but it was really cold. a perfect sunny day that did warm up. i ended up on blacks all day long... i found a great hill with tons of bumps but a really, really smooth edge with about a foot or so of powder. i hit bumps for half the hill, then all powder. my last run was on these soft bump blues that make you skip on your board like crazy, well, i rocked them and didn't skip. a great run to end on.

(informational with feelings)
yesterday was my day off for me and i really needed a break from the stress... so i went skiing. when i woke up, i considered sleeping, but i had to meet phil at 6 so i just got up and after the meeting got the courage to head up to the hills. the first half of the trip i listened to some chill music, cant remember exactly, but my guess would be some reggae i had. the last half i put in some great aesop rock to get me in the mood.

since i have a pass, i got out on the hill right away and went to the chairlift. i haphazardly sat with my friend evan who is a very fast skiier... i went with him and my friend, eric, to a-basin and they made me really scared (edited for mother, i.e. did stupid things on skis)... so that was cool, we caught up a bit and skiied together for a few runs. it was so exhilerating the first run, the snow was awesome, but it was a bit cold. after one run, my body was getting warm though. i was really stressed because there were some loose ends on a closing i had today and i needed to get them tied up, obviously. so i stayed inside for a few minutes after a run or two until they were resolved (it was good because it was warm).

thats when i made my transistion to blacks because i rolled solo and felt like doing bumps. i ended up on blacks all day... i found a great hill with tons of bumps but a really, really smooth edge with about a foot or so of powder. i hit bumps for half the hill, then all powder. i really dont think most of you can fathome what it feels like to glid on powder... its really amazing, honestly. you get this feeling of cloudage and a sense that nothing can hurt because when you fall, it doesn't hurt :) all you want to do is smile and laugh while you glide through the softness.

for four runs, that is what i did, killed myself on bumps then cruised on powder. yes, yes. perfect. my last run was on these soft bump blues that make you skip on your board like crazy, well, i rocked them and didn't skip. i had great training with the big bumps that the little ones were easy and super fun... get little pops while flying down passing tons of boarders and skiiers alike (granted it was a blue :) man,a great run to end on. i ended up exhausted in my car with my super confortable shoes once again (i love the feeling of putting shoes on after where boots all day). cruised home with some fiona apple, what a nice way to travel down the mountain.

-----------------------

ok, so howd i do? was my 'feeling' version good, worth doing, or should i stick to the short and sweet informational version? was the 'felt' version too wordy? not wordy enough? to informational? help me out. i plan to write a little shpiel(sp?) on my new ipod, but would like some critique before hand :)

out.

last week

2005-12-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

last week i went snowboarding with elvi and it was the best conditions i have been on in a long time. it was sooo cold last week in denver it scared a lot of people off the hills. we went on thursday and the hill was empty, the wind was nill, and the temp was a warm 20 or so.

it was actually a lot warmer than we thought cause we had to pull a bunch of layers off.

i have been working a ton because i want to and need to. it is good, i feel a lot more productive and things are moving forward even though it can be the slowest time of the year. i am worried i wont have time to get my business plan 2006 in order, but i think next week will be DEAD so i will concentrate on it then.

this week i will probably board again, i might go up to winterpark this time. no one else has tomorrow off, so i might be rolling solo, but that is ok. i dont mind doing that, just ski for a couple hours and chill out a bit, read, relax, think, write... all that good stuff.

simplifing my life is working ok, but still not there. maybe it is just a state of mind really because i do live pretty simply. i dont buy a lot of stuff and i only play with volleyball and music now. if i am really tired i will watch tv, but other than that, it is really quite simple.

i do drive a ton, even to go out with friends and stuff, so i think that might be ultimately what is making it hard for me to feel 'simple.' i need to spend more time in golden. maybe next fall i can get rid of my roomie and set up an office. i am not a big fan of working at home, but if i do it a day or two a week, or a portion of a day everyday, that might help too.

well see,

right now i will be working like a madman and pushing to be 'successful.'

peace.

weekend

2005-12-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

well, it was a nice weekend. i had a great time yesterday evening grilling out with my cousins and elvi. it was a nice evening and the chicken was great :) we were going to play cars a bit, but i still haven't dug them up from when i moved (yikes)... we had one deck, but i think we were in the mood to play with more than one... maybe it was just an excuse.

today was a good day, mainly have been working, but felt good to accomplish a bunch and get ready for the week.

now i am off to church.

after church, coffee and more weekly planning. my life will get organized! i am convinced.

i will be mucho busy at work this week and i get to ski (well board) on thursday! yay!

sweet chicago

2005-11-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

man, i really miss chicago. just the simple pleasure of taking the el downtown, hearing the soft sounds of the tracks and seeing brick upon brick of beautiful brownstones. as i sit here looking out upon madison and wacker streets all i can think of is my time of past.

dont get me wrong, i love denver and if i ever moved back to the middlewest, it would probably be in wisconsin, but chicago always has a place in my heart.

seriously, this place is beautiful. the idea of living a simple life in complicated chicago really really appeals to me. actually, living a simple life really really sounds appealing to me. just a couple more things i need to take care of before that happens.

how can you not look upon the streets of this gritty city and not fall in love with it. its anonimity(sp?) and crazyness combined. how fabulous.

i guess i am really reflective upon simple lifestyles right now. fires, sweaters, movies, games, curled up, no cares yet struggling, low material ownership, thoughts of God, marriage, reclusion, close friends, cooking, no tv... sounds awesome.

i was at my friend randy and sarah's house and was just envious of their downtown madison apartment with lots of hardwood and built-ins. functional obsolencence, beautiful picture windows, slowness of a sunday night. awesome.

i guess i am in a quiet mood right now :)

ok, ok

2005-11-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

so i haven't been that great with updating my blog... but i did get to eat lots of turkey this weekend. that means that everything worked out and all is ok.

beyond the enjoyments of spending quality time relaxing with family and friends, it has been a great weekend to get away from denver for a bit. i haven't had that time alone to think much but i have a couple days of me time in chicago this week so that will make up for it. i look forward to some introspective time again.

the main reason that i haven't updated this site and others is that i kinda fell out of life the last few weeks. i checked out and just worked tons and tons. i wasn't in the mood to do much of anything else (sorry) but thats the truth. sometimes you just get in that mood, and i was there. i am looking forward to this week cause i think it is on the verge of breaking and will break once i get back to town.

i cant promise that i will be a master at this writing stuff, but i am still faithful and writing this and other things in my schedule. i just need to not procrastinate and do it. one of my biggest problems...

so that is fun, right?

anyway i do have time this week to delve more into things but since i got reemed out by everyone about my blog, i thought i would at least send a little update.

rush of posts

2005-11-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

introspective:

so, last friday i had a little meeting with my team lead. we usually sit down and chat about business and all that jazz every week or two. regardless, i gave him my quick 20 minute agenda...

what was on that agenda you might ask? well
1. mission, vision, values -- just starting to write this out (so i thought)
2. internet leads and how to market
3. something else i can remember, probably had something do to with real estate. hehehe (anyways, it will become quite apparent that we never made it to 3, nor 2 for that matter)

so we sit down and i give him the agenda and start out by pulling out this article i found on the CIO website about mission, vision, and values. i said i am just getting into it and plan to read the article and start writing some ideas about it all. you know, the 'couple week' plan.

well, it turned into this hour and half discussion about what i believe and what i deserve. come on, really? (well, it was actually awesome, i needed it and will be doing tons of introspection over the next few months)

the crazy thing is we starting talking about perception (our core self vs. our percieved, or viewed by others, self), fears, self-worth... you name it. it was a good ole fashion counseling session about me discovering things about myself i had no idea were there.

here are a couple of highlights.

relationships... how i relate things:
1. i relate lack of modesty to someone that is condescending. hmmm
2. i relate the fact that when someone rejects me, i feel like i let them down. yikes.

fears...
of course i have a fear of rejection (see relationships part 2)
but i really think i have a fear of success. the second fear is much more of a problem than the first. i think for years i have been trying to combat my fear of rejection. and i have made some headway on it... but i truly dont believe that is my major problem... fear of success is.

anyway, i have to think about this crap for a while. i think i am getting somewhere. well, i might actually be maturing to my age again. this next year i turn 30 and i might actually start acting 30. what a concept.

oh, chicago made me younger. i lost (or didnt mature) for close to 4 years while i was in chicago. that is funny to me. i think i was more mature in high school than i was 3 years ago.

what does all this mean?

so i now have another assignment... before i can even start working on mission, vision, and values, i have to figure out what i truly believe (me, me, me, not others) and what i truly deserve.

i came up with a couple things.. but by tomorrow i will have a bunch more.

I believe in/that...
- nothing is a handout
- work is neccessary for a return
- i am a spiritual being that is driven by something bigger than me (jesus)

I deserve ...
- being compensated well when going a good job

hmmm. its a start.

anyway, i really recommend you all do this. i think it is important for every individual to come up with a mission, vision, values statement that describes who you are. i will post it when it is done.

start with what you believe and deserve. that pricks at the core. then you can extrapolate that to your 'big why' -- what you truly feel is driving you as a person. then translate that to a couple pieces of paper and keep it close. maybe you will discover you are in the wrong job, location... but i truly believe it will help you discover that you have made tons and tons of right decisions because your intuition is ultimately who you are, right?

i am who i am.

halloween again

2005-11-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

ok, i guess i get to re-live the weekend once again. that is fine cause it was pretty fun.

so friday night was a fun night, i actually was able to dj at my friends party. it was pretty tough, a lot more difficult than my previous dj'ing experiences. mostly because these people i did not know and i did not know their music. i heard it went well enough, so that is good. it always seems like i dont have the music people request, but does anybody? how many times at a wedding or a party do you want to hear that one song and they dont have it. well that happens to the best of us.

since i didn't have my true costume quite ready, i just quickly dressed up as an overdone rapper. that is pretty easy for me since i have the clothes and know the attitude :)

saturday rolled around and i did nothing much than recover. the night was quite long and quite late. fun, yes, but took a toll on my maximizing saturday. ahhh well, i guess i just went to work and did that for a couple hours then ran off to my house to relax. my friend, joe, convinced me to go to his house for a little gathering of folk. he wanted me to control the music, but i was done with that :) so i just showed up in my grubs and chatted with folk for an hour or two then went home. ahh sweet sleep.

so sunday rolled around and i had a big day infront of me. i told a bunch of folk that i was going to have a bbq at the house, costumes and all. that means i spent the morning preparing for it and then the rest of day entertaining and cooking and all that stuff that is required to host a bbq. it takes lots of work, but was definitely fun.

oh, i dressed up as peewee herman. cant quite do the character, so i kept quiet, did a little 'tequila dance' and kept cooking. i thought i could pull off a little peewee impersonation, but alas, i am not that talented :) might be a good thing though, peewee is kinda scary.

anyway, i spent the rest of the week working and catching up with reality. i dressed up as myself, mainly and went out and lived.

this weekend, i am just working. i am done for the day... about to do some dinner and a movie (i think i will watch saw II) and call it a saturday. tomorrow i will be working all day, do a little open house and then hit up my church.

after skipping church last weekend (bbq) i am looking forward to it again, kinda miss it.

later y'all

that's weird

2005-11-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

so,

i wrote up a pretty post about my festivities last weekend... it is not here. hmmm, that is too bad.

anyway, that means i have to redo it. i have time today.

ericj.

a new leaf... again

2005-10-26T17:02:00.000-06:00

ok, ok, so i am not the greatest at blogging. i started out well but lost it. i am determined to get it back (hang in there for me :) )

early blog life:
my life was much simpler, enjoyed spending time writing the blog and would actually spend time during the day to write. it was nice.

current blog life:
now i push everything to the evening, well, that just doesnot work for me. i always have a hard time doing these little things i enjoy late at night. not because i cant or because i dont want to, but often times because i just forget. so when life gets a little crazy (coaching), other things fall aside.

today and future blog life:
i had a revolutionary change at work which involves this thing called the 80/20 rule. essentially, 20% of what you do produces 80% of your goals/outcome/finances. so we started breaking our responsibilities down to whats important and being accountable to those 20% things. the other 80% will happen when they need to, but we NEED to get the 20% done.

so how you i apply that to personal life... well, i have started. this 20% thing is mainly for business, but our scheduling and accountability has spread a bit to personal life as well, because with real estate, personal life is very key to have in balance.

so, i put the blog on my personal goals, so i am going to start scheduling time for it. might be early, might be late. but it will start happening again. which is cool

that is my bit and i find i really like to start paragraphs with 'so', or 'i'... they're both nice.

more substance later.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

2005-10-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

yep,

i woke up this morning and it was a nice winter wonderland outside. most of it has melted by my house already :( but denver proper received about 4 inches of snow. breckenridge was able to capture 18 inches of goodness.

check out the fab pics.

i finished ishmael so ill write about that later...

2005-10-10T11:07:00.003-06:00

and more

2005-10-10T11:07:00.002-06:00

and more

2005-10-10T11:07:00.001-06:00

and more

2005-10-10T11:07:00.000-06:00

and more

2005-10-10T11:06:00.001-06:00

2005-10-10T11:06:00.000-06:00

It snowed!!!

Weak update

2005-10-04T00:29:00.000-06:00

So I thought I was going to be home early enough tonight to get a little laundry and what not taken care of tonight... but I ended staying at the cousins house till late.

I did end up finishing Ishmeal this weekend, which was good. It ended up being a pretty good book overall but ended up becoming pretty weak at the end. It was quite thought provoking with a completely different wayto think about how we humans play in the realm og the World. The big revelation was that humans strayed from their true evolved destiny of being part oof the community of life and is on th path of destruction because we want to control the earth and no longer be subject to the gods. I will elaborate more as it falls into placeM but for nowM that is what you get..

Tird so I am off to bed. Should be more frequent in the future.

Tonight

2005-10-03T10:10:00.000-06:00

I'll write something tonight.

yeah.

mary, you always get me...

2005-09-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

so this haunting feeling never has been haunting enough for me to actually sit down and write something 'meaningful.' well i received a very pleasant unsuspecting call from miss mary b. we were able to briefly catch up with each other, yell at each other for not visiting more often and i, of course me only, got a good speaken to about my lack of blogness. so, i am officially guilted into writing something 'meaningful.'

i have had a lot of stuff on my mind, like coaching, work, intentional community, existentialism, thanksgiving, girls, work, music... you name it. clutter, sweet clutter. lets go...

coaching:
soo fun. high school girls are very different (peace to the pollasch's for working with them these years). i know they want to learn and do their best but they also are way way lazy and have to get their way. right now we are just working really hard at learning some fundamentals that were not taught in previous years so it will be interesting to see if they start winning games. they have heart, a bit of talent, but no team skills and their rotational offense and defense is kicking their butts. also the setters (i am a little particular) are not stepping up. yikes

work:
what can i say about this, i am always trying to get a deal. i have will be getting a listing here ina couple of weeks, so that is tres exciting. but i need more buyers and sellers. i am way excited for my business to take off, but i just havent had that 'hit the pavement' attitude i think i need.

intentional community:
i want it. not only that, i want a mentor. my ideal week would be to interact with an intentional community of committed men who are encouraging each other to pusue God. i mean really pursue. of course their would be lots of running and hiking and drinking and smoking (pipes) and eating and biking... but it would all be surrounded by the desire to encourage each other. yeah, that sounds awesome. i also want a mentor who is beyond a peer level, my progress has been poor.

existentialism:
so i am reading this awesome book called "Ishmael." it is kicking my butt and allowing me to think more about why God created us the way we did. It is a very interesting and a bit simplistic view that man (civilized) is breaking the 'law of community life' and is doomed towards destruction. the way we should live is in complete balance with our wonderful earth and not trying to be in control of it. yep, that means going back to becoming wanderers and only using what we need (a big proponent of, but i still horde too much). anyway, good theory about our pursuit towards utopia, our destructive nature based on a assumed flawness in humans, and what it would look like to be in balance with the world. hmmmm.

thanksgiving:
by far my favorite holiday. i am soo excited to experience the smells, tastes, conversations, le tigre, crafts, games, family, fun, fun, fun. can't wait. making plans in my head. yay!

girls:
humpf. dont think i am going to go there right now... but they are on my mind (yikes, my singleness i catching up to me) desire a relationship, just dont want to process. word.

work:
always on my mind... where i am going to get that next deal.

music:
music has always been a big part of my life. i love to research it, listen to it, know it, listen to it, maybe one day produce it a bit. my goal is to slowly learn the 'behind the scenes' of music and dig in from there. i dont know a single soul in the music arena but will be up for learning. i will probably get involved in my church somehow with music. hopefully.

so i am done for now. brief yes, but i have a lot on my mind.

gotta hussle. peace

Haunted

2005-09-11T23:17:00.000-06:00

Haunted
I am being haunted by my blog to write... Too much other catch up from vaca... I will soon, some good stuff on my mind

I am excited because I

2005-09-03T19:31:00.000-06:00

I am excited because I am going on a hike tomorrow. Haven't been on one in a while. I think we are going to go behind boulder somewhere... Not t

im a coach now

2005-09-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

i am finally doing what i have been wanting to do for a long, long time. coach volleyball. i am having a great time at it soo far (one week into) but it is a huge, huge, huge time commitment. oh well, you have to make time for what is important, right?

my school is Kent Denver: http://www.kentdenver.org/. it is a nice school situation right in the south side of denver, actually fairly close to where i stayed when i very first moved out here. so, i am now coaching JV1 girls volleyball: http://www.kentdenver.org/pages/athletics_teampages.cfm?sport=Volleyball&level=JV

it has been really fun soo far, they really like to learn and i am giving them lots to learn since they are pretty new at the 6-2 rotation and a perimeter defense. lots to work on, passing, setting, hitting, defense, wait... that's everything.

anyway, just thought i would post that... oh, for you comment people, i have been getting comment spam a bit so i put that verification thingy in there. i apologize for the inconvienence but i really am not interested in penny stock information :)

about time

2005-08-29T22:11:00.000-06:00

i dont know how often you get into moods like this, but i do every couple of months. you get to a point where you are soo busy with stuff that you dont even feel like writing when you have a minute. you just want to veg out. kinda poor because writing helps focus and clarify thoughts for the day and you get to spit a bit of creativity if you so desire.

i am coming out of it a bit and i am even scheduling time to write emails and blog stuff because i wouldn't get it done otherwise.

so, i started coaching girls volleyball. i am really excited to teach and train and just have a blast with a bunch of high schoolers. they are a really cool team and work really hard. i am hoping they will enjoy the season and just have a great time.

our first game is next week already, so i have a lot to do to get them in shape :)

but, it finally is starting to feel like i am succeeding a bit in my plan. i wanted to give myself 3-4 years in real estate, out here in denver, so i can develop a company and a branding and create this business that will produce freedoms (like coaching volleyball) and fullfillment. i am making headways into community, church, friends, activities. it is actually getting a bit out of control. oh well, i have never been very good at balance and i need to just start scheduling my life a lot more to create a foundational plan to accomplish all that i desire (see wayne becker).

but, these activiities (coaching, work, friendships) taken in the correct perspective, allows me to really see God in my life and in this world. i am just really blessed (for the lack of a better word) to be able to participate into these things and still make my financial needs (kind of).

over the next few months, my business and life will start to really bloom (awww) and take a life of its own. i am starting to generate this passion, enrollment aura about who i am and my work with those people i meet. i am hoping that some of this stuff creates a desire for the right people to want to work/play/build with me.

the next big step i am desiring is to get a mentor for more spiritual things. my work peership is going well and my team lead offers a mentor perspective that satifies my business side, but i am lacking in some personal coaching/accountability that i really desire.

i am also hoping to create a small community of folk to start dialoging/encouraging/challenging with and to create an enviorment of saftely and openness and worship to all of us to benefit from. this kind of life and group is starting to bubble up, we will see what kind of beast it wil become over the next few months.

sorry for all the time off, i am back now, for a while at least.

ericj.

This is really cool.

2005-08-29T22:10:00.000-06:00

This is really cool. I can now post small posts with my phone. No longer do I even need my computer

oops

2005-08-17T19:25:00.000-06:00

i will try and get something better out tonight.

got back from the midwest with my cousin's wedding and my mom was in town for a couple of days... did not have much time to write stuff :)

things are done now.

sooo we will see.

one of those moods..

2005-08-06T23:27:00.000-06:00

so... what's one of the saddest movies you have ever seen. I mean, the type that actually jerk at your heart? I think I found a winner tonight, or close. I guess it is not really a competition or anything like that. It's called Broken Wings and it is an Israeli movie. Essentially, it is a movie about 3 or 4 days in the life of a really messed up family.

Not only did this movie create in me a tear or two, it put me in one of those moods. I just got back from smoking a nice pipe and sipping a beer.. yeah, it was that kind of night.

your probably asking what i was thinking about? well, not much of any one topic. i was in that mood to chat with people about this and that but i did not have any pull towards one particular subject. i guess it just felt good to talk to friends. makes life get put into a lot better perspective... probably the second biggest reason why god created us like this, to love each other.

that word has always been fairly hard to get out. it is a big deal, seriously. to say that you love someone goes beyond just a relationship and enters into a new realm, something like missing a person, or longing to be with them? i am not talking about dating/married relationships either. i am talking about the genuine friendships that exist where people are willing to say they love each other.

i think i am blabbing about crazy things again. i goes from why do we exist to what really is the real meaning behind love.

seriously, did you ever think about why god would create in us a feeling/sensation/longing/whatever for something that was built in to us? why love? why physical bonds? why emotional bonds? why do people get manipulated? why do people do irrational things for other people? what is this all about?

i guess, when god created us in his likeness, there instantly became a thing in us that desired longing.

i like that word... longing.

anyway, i saw charlie and the chocolate factory last night and thought the movie was absolutely amazing.

off to reflect on longing.

ok, ok

2005-07-28T22:23:00.000-06:00

i feel like my creative juices have been sucked dry the last few weeks. as you can tell from my posts (or lack thereof), i have been kinda discouraged lately. i feel like i broke it a couple of days ago and things have been clicking again.

you know how you get stuck in a rut and things get so narrow. i have been feeling very suffocated lately, even after moving and working so hard. just recently i have been able to think about things big picture again, and that is cool.

the idea of having dreams that span beyond a neighborhood and enter the international realm are really exciting. i wish i had more money because i have a lot of ideas :)

subject change, kind of... i want a more routine life. anyone have any ideas? i definitely need to wake up earlier, i think my day would feel much better. i have ideas of reading more and resting more but i can not get rested right now because i feel i have so much i need to do. my life is too hectic, it is hard to accomplish my simple goals of getting outdoors more and investing more time into music and other creative mediums when i feel like i have to work all the time.

yikes, this life stuff is crazy, the day i feel like i have it all together, something will happen to shake it up. i love life.

peace yall

promise

2005-07-28T17:09:00.000-06:00

i will write something tonight. been running around all week and haven't had much chance to do much of any writing.

my mind is a bit clogged anyway.

swamped...

2005-07-22T00:28:00.000-06:00

well,

been a bit swamped lately. i will have time to write something tomorrow or saturday...

it's been really hot out here as well, kinda makes you slow down. though i did go for a nice trail run tonight, yikes, will take a while to hydrate and recover again :)

oh, my desk is almost done at the house, so i wll have a place to put stuff again. then pictures, i promise

ericj.

1 of my 43 things

2005-07-20T15:54:00.000-06:00

i have been having a problem with snoozing lately. i need to start getting up right when my alarm clocks goes off. it is easy if i have something to get too.

See more progress on: wake up when my alarm clock goes off

Test post

2005-07-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

I am doing 43 things.

desire

2005-07-16T14:52:00.000-06:00

was watching good will hunting with my cousins last night and it made me think... uh-oh

i think a lot of people are like will hunting, they have this incredible drive to avoid change. i would say i am normally like that, but i also know what it feels like to ditch everything you know and change your life completely. i flipped my life last year and it wasn't a disaster, it wasn't perfect either. i would say the only thing i know is that it wasn't easy, but it was way way worth it. i am still picking up the pieces, life can be awkward with change because you don't know what you are getting.

i was asked fairly recently if i could do it again? start over. well, i could (but not for a while cause i don't have the cash stash to start over) but i am not going to do it alone. i actually enjoy it a bit. you get to start completely fresh. it can be frustrating, but it might just be worth it.

will hunting was scared to let people in, abandonment, rejection whatever. he relied on his head and not his heart. how normal for people in general, you get burned a couple of times so you no longer try it again. will did not know what he actually wanted, he just lived what he knew. he avoided change because he could not control it if he pursued it... but is life worth only living in what we know?

so the question i got to thinking about is, 'what do you really want?' seriously, stop reading this crap and actually think about it, but simplify it to only 'one' thing. go.

-----------

what came to your mind? i imagine the first couple things that came to your mind was something about god and intimacy? or a good life? or contentment? i had those thoughts too, because i think we are trained to answer it that way. avoid the money, wealth thing because that is selfish, avoid the fame because that is shallow. hit the god thing because that is what we are 'supposed' to think or guilt pushes us to think that way (don't take this the wrong way, it may just the best answer, but i think alot of us think of this answer through guilt of not living it now).

here is my answer... i think i want to connect with one person on a soul level where when i am in the pits, that is the one person i want to go to (or can handle)... or when i accomplish something huge, she would be the first person i would want to tell. i would give up wealth, comfort, ease just so i could have some girl to desire and desire me.

don't get me wrong, i do desire to grow close to god, to have this intimacy with him. but the problem is i don't think we physically can on earth. we were created to be consumed by god, right? but with the whole fall, we are physically separated from the creator (by creation, well skewed creation) and can only return to that when we return to the actual state we were created for. (why we have to take this earth step, i don't really know?) is my philosophy even correct? i don't know, but god desires us to journey towards him every single day of our lives, so we can have a piece of what will come.

but i am just not convinced that we can have that actual, real consuming feeling with god on earth. it is almost as if we just get glimpses of it to give us hope and to push on. the journey is the blessing, but the end will come when we live in the true presence of god.

so that leaves me to think that the one thing i want is vulnerability and intimacy with some girl (perfect for me) on earth. that that would be the ultimate glimpse of what is really coming for us because that is the ultimate one thing that we can actually comprehend here.?

that doesn't mean i am desperate at all, nor does it mean that it is the only thing that consumes me, but really, what else is more important than relationships and there are only a few relationships that can mimic what god created us for, himself.

am i wrong here? do i have it flipped, should the one thing that i really desire be intimacy with god? let the things here take second? any thoughts? did the thomas mertons, richard fosters, pauls, peters, bonhoffers, rich mullenses, brendan mannings, lewises, moodys, luthers, francaises.. did they really feel consumed by god?

its hot in denver and i am just rambling. hope you all are having a good day.

ericj.

inspiration?

2005-07-12T16:28:00.000-06:00

well, i guess it has been one of those weeks. you know, where you are pretty busy with life and just uninspired to be very creative. i have this desire to have all this important life changing philosophical stuff to say... about all these deep, meaningful thoughts that are constantly passing through my brain (yeah right) but when you dont have a lot of deep, meaningful things to think about or you ignore them to think about the busyness you have to take on, things get kinda hum drum.

i did get a chance to finish a good book the other night (albeit, pretty late) and it had to do with the whole struggle between 'we' i.e. community (soft end) or communism (hard end) vs. 'i' i.e. creative freedoms (soft end) versus selfish gain (hard end). the book (anthem, by ayn rand) comes from a completely opposite upbringing but is really thought provoking.

here was my realization, ayn rand grew up in communist russia and wrote about how true liberation is through the self (communism-- hard end vs. creative freedoms (soft end). i grew up in a complete capitolistic society and am constantly trying to incorporate community into my life (selfish gain -- hard end vs. community -- soft end). interesting. i can understand why she would write soo much about the necessity for personal freedom. i really think if she lived in a society like ours, she would almost write the opposite story... at least i would.

it is a good read, you should read it. about 120 pages, pretty quick. makes you think about how oppressive communist russia really was because community and the 'we' sense of solidarity are really quite powerful, impressive, and honestly... appealing. but the book really shuns a lot of socialist viewpoints for the sake that her experience (guess) was so rigid.

i read about how she feels the individual is the 'god,' and i think that is crap. but, coming from her background, maybe it isn't meant to be *that* strong, maybe the individual (even just a little creative self freedom) is powerful and beautiful.

even though the book was a bit extreme for my socialist tendancies, the end has a great point about using the individual mind instead of relying on the collective. i wish there was more thought about using the heart, which can include some collective yet adding personal creativitly for the ultimate good of both self and society than relying totally on the self mind to conquer all problems.

yikes, i guess i did have a little bit of creative juices in my head, probably doesnt make much sense though.

have a good day.

writer's block

2005-07-08T17:57:00.000-06:00

i am just uninspired to write anything right now. maybe it is the heat. regardless, i may bubble up enough steam to do some writing tonight. maybe not.

i gots myself a busy weekend too.

reading and poetry

2005-07-04T00:28:00.000-06:00

well, let me ask you all a question. i have never been much of a reader and i am interested in learning. how can you lose the anxiety of doing something else when you are reading? that's the big question. it is really difficult for me just to read books and what not. i get into a few every now and again and blaze through them. i love reading at airports and at coffee shops. maybe i should just do that, go to airports and coffee shops to get my reading fix.

but how do you live a more simplified life as a reader and have to go to a coffee house everytime i want to read? that doesn't seem like an analogous pattern. maybe it is.

golden doesn't offer much in the way of late night non-bar hang outs. well see, this whole move, simplification process is new to me. lots to learn.

tonight, i did have a great time just chill'n with some friends (neighbors actually) just around the way. we just chatted, ate, and read poetry. i really liked it, kinda like what we did back in the day before bars were the major source for social activities.

on that same line of thought, i have been thinking quite a bit about living in community of sorts. dont know how that is going to play out either because proximity community will not work since i just bought a condo, and it is fairly small. but the ideas behind community (shared lives) really appeals to me lately and i want to live it out a bit. all this stuff is just at the beginning stages but i really feel like my life will be radically different in a few years.

i think i might be the only realtor in the whole world that actually doesn't care about making tons of money and actually enjoys living in smaller spaces close to neighbors and friends. i think the american dream (crap if you ask me) is to get that big house far from your neighbors. bah, community is better.

i say that now without kids, i suppose that thought process might change, but really, is that all necessary? i have never been a white picket fence kinda guy, i actually enjoy neighborhoods with some diversity of sorts. i think schools will be a big deal for me, but i aint gonna worry about that now :)

-----------

change of topic really quick. we were chatting tonight about some music and what not and we were listening to jack johnson. one of my peeps mentioned that she loved this certain song because it makes her think of love. i think that is really cool. that happen to you? i know it does to me. i have those songs that i love to listen to because they put in a me a longing, a longing for something else. i suppose it might be love but its the longing the creates that feeling.

peace

as per miss mary in chi

2005-06-30T22:30:00.000-06:00

hmmm... this is a very quick list. i have about 5 minutes before my battery runs out. i am at paris on the platte and i dont have my cord with me :(

1. music, i love music. especially not so mainstream stuff
2. ski/snowboard stuff
3. jackets... mmmm, jackets
4. shoes (see 3), size 10.5 or so depending on the brand
5. my subaru wrx
6. food, restaurants
7. outdoor activities, running, hiking, camping, biking. i am slowly turning into a gearhead out here in colorado
8. a better laptop with more battery power
9. an ipod, i need one

battery is going... will think more later and maybe add/change tomorrow.

more simplification

2005-06-29T11:23:00.000-06:00

i had an great conversation last evening where i was able to dialog about life with this guy, Paul, who is willing to listen to my babbling and opinionated snidities(new word). two pronounced ideas have been floating through my mind last evening and into today from that conversation. those being: monestaries and the cat theory.

so, i have stated to a couple of people that i really am trying to strip my life down to a more simplified way of living. less dependance on the things that make me anxious. i have not been able to go to my house and just be ok with sitting and doing something as simple as reading. i always feel i need to be doing something or worse, i flip on the tv to avoid that feeling.

my goal is to really be comfortable with silence and solitude and all the good things that come with that so my heart can be more at rest and more importantly, my relationship with God can be more real and personal. i want to be able to enjoy simple pleasures, not be anxious for something next.

with those thoughts came the idea of a monestary. Paul knew of some friends that took a week off and went to a monestary in New Mexico to live in solitude. i really dont remember what came out of that trip for those people, i might not have been told. but i do know that that idea sparked in me a desire for the same type of thing. my vacations are full up for the year, so i am trying it with 'baby steps' over the next few months and maybe next year will be able to do something more drastic. so we will see how it goes. i know journaling/blogging is a good first step in the simplification process, it requires me to spend time with my thoughts and jot them down for the unsuspecting world to read. that is good. now i just need to get more 'in tuned' with myself.

which... brings me to my second topic; cat theory. it has come to my attention (though it has been a revelation for me for quite sometime) that i am way more of a cat than a dog. (quickly, cat and dog theory goes that cats are independant and rely on themselves, they are god. dogs are dependant and rely on their masters). it was asked of me why i really believe in God on a truly personal level... quite honestly it was hard to answer that question. i guess i have not asked that question of myself for quite sometime and thoughts were swimming in my mind about just being taught it. i ended up giving the somewhat cop-out answer of just knowing it in my core. i mean, it is the truth, i trust it in my core, but not having a somewhat logical answer drives me crazy.

without that dependance on God, it is a struggle to really have an answer to why i believe in the things i do. with this whole religion/relationship stuff, the more honest you are with yourself that you really are nothing (yet mean everything to God) and being dependant on That which knows what is best for you, the more of a dog you become (in a purely complementary way). dogs are anxious for only their masters while cats play with that which is infront of them then quicly passes it off when it gets bored. hmmm

just some thoughts. maybe i will expand more later, have to finish lunch and get back to work.

shoes

2005-06-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

oh...

i have too many shoes. any suggestions on how to better organize them or arrange them in a way to maximize space and accessibility (i lost closet space). any suggestions would help besides the obvious 'get rid of some shoes' suggestion.

that goes for jackets too. dont have a hallway closet anymore. i have never been a seasonal packer, school me please.

i now have a commute

2005-06-28T16:06:00.000-06:00

so, i went from a 10 minute commute to a 15 minute communte. i suppose it could go up to 20-25 minutes if i have bad traffice, but it is worth it. ha, ha... the funny thing is that i dont even think those numbers constitute a bad commute. it is ridiculous how denver (being 3 mil or so) is soo easy to get around in.

going from a 1 and 1/2 hour commute using 2 different cars and a train in chicago to driving alongside a nice plateau of rock and trees for most of my commute creates in a me a much happier mood... so much better in clearing the mind.

almost all moved in. just have my bedroom to complete. cant really do it until i get my computer desk (which i have to find one first). then my room and life will be complete :).

about the whole simplification process... it is going pretty well. i am choosing to put most of my things in the garage and then deciding at that point whether i should bring it in the house/use it. alot of my clutter will be out of site, which will help with me focus in on what's important. i still have too much furniture and it is pretty crappy, but hey, one thing at a time.

so, another of my goals in this moving process is to get more outside. i will tell you it is soo much easier to get outside when i am in Golden. everyday (at least the first) i see the foothills that literally surround me and i am refreshed. i do miss east colfax (most people would think that statement is funny, it is like saying they miss all the crap that comes from living in the city, but honestly, that is why i like cities... the crap) and all the 24 hour diners that come with the hustle and bustle. oh well. it was like 9:30 and it was completely (and i mean completely) quiet in my neighborhood, very weird. it is going to take some time to get used to that.

but, on the good side, i already ran into someone i know running in Golden on my first night at the house. that was really cool.

ok, gotta run, going to meet with my pastor now. have to get all spiritual.. just kidding.

buying my condo

2005-06-24T13:08:00.000-06:00

yikes.

i am buying a condo in 3 hours. not quite nervous yet, but once i step out and go to the bank to write that 'huge' check, i will probably start to freak out a bit.

otherwise, it should go fairly smoothly. i looked at the pictures i took a couple weeks ago, and they were not *that* interesting. i will take better photos and post them in the next day or two.

cant wait to get a garage! though i lose my gear closet. i guess i will have to put something up in the garage for all my gear. i suppose that is the price i pay to move to golden. i am looking forward to building a couple shelves and hooks to keep my gear in the garage. i even have a place to put my open house signs.

gots to run to the bank.

2005-06-21T11:51:00.000-06:00

And this...

2005-06-21T11:49:00.000-06:00

This is why I moved to Colorado...

pop stand

2005-06-19T22:36:00.000-06:00

father's day is soo weird. i think on one hand it is absolutely necessary to have a day where you can reflect on the father figure in your life. i suppose that comes with mixed emotions for a lot of people. on the other hand, it is really odd to have a day dedicated to 'father's.' it goes the same with all the 'personal' holidays we have, don't you think birthday's cover the 'thought' days for individuals?

we are such a comsumeristic society that the world of materials uses these days to slaughter us with this guilt to purchase junk for people we love. i don't think these holidays are used as effectively as they should be. it always seems like someone has to get a buck off these things.

i did think our church service tonight was pretty good (even though i really did not want to be there). there was quite a bit of discussion about father's and even the sermon was about God being a Father unlike the father's we have here on earth. the point of my church service (i think) was to get the idea that God does not take on any characteristics of any earthly fathers but is soo beyond the typical father role. the other point (i think again) is to say that it is some sort of blasphemy to react to God like how we react (or have reacted) to our fathers. i guess that makes sense, it is just weird having timely topical discussions around holidays i am not sure were even created for the right reasons... (research time) link_one, link_two. ok, so i was wrong, it was created for the right reasons. but why do these discussions always happen ONLY on these special holidays. you would think that it is important enough to be brought out on a more random basis (well i really like expository teaching, so the Father topic would be covered plenty if most churches taught int he expository way).

the good thing for me is that i did get to chat with my pops for a few minutes today. i suppose i probably would have done so anyway because it was about that time, but i got to anyway.

i wonder how many people really struggle on days like these?

man, my mind is all over the place. oh well.

Friday Afternoon

2005-06-17T15:03:00.000-06:00

It's pretty hot here in Denver. I think it hit 90 today. Feels good though, you know the little sweat you get on your back as you drive around. That is summer.

The main thing that consumes me lately is my job. I suppose getting going in the real estate business seemed a lot easier when you talk with people or read books and what not. I have a lot of excuses like being new to Denver and not knowing too many people, but really it comes to just requiring myself to hit the pavement and get any deal I can until I make it in this business.

The other big thing that consumes me is my new house I am getting. I will be moving to Golden in a week or two and am really excited about it. I haven't started packing yet, but tonight sounds like a good night to start. I have to do laundry anyway... mmmm, laundry on a Friday night.

I will get pictures up for the place soon.

Let's see. I am going to pick up a roommate as well, and simplify my life. I mean it too. I have too much stuff and too much stuff going on. So, I meet with this guy, Bob, next Wednesday to see if we get along. He is an IT guy that works for some company that takes pictures from planes and formats them to the company and what not that desires to use the photographs. I guess it is kinda like maps.google.com satellite stuff. Sounds pretty cool

Anyway, that is pretty good for now. I have to go and walk some flyers around for my open houses this weekend.

Oh, my cousins are moving to D-town next week. I am really excited that they are moving out here. (Cousin and soon-to-be Cousin-in-law to be exact).

Holla

2005-06-17T14:49:00.000-06:00

A new leaf of sorts...

2005-06-17T13:45:00.000-06:00

So I think I might start updating my life a bit with this thing. It is convenient but to do it regularly will be difficult. We will see how it goes...

2005-06-17T13:44:00.000-06:00

Trying this picture post thing out...

just starting

2004-11-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

hey!