It’s hard to believe it’s Sunday already. For me, it’s come much too fast. As many of you know, I’ve taken over management of a new property– it has been keeping me very busy.
Long hours have become the norm for me… and working through the weekends… well, that become the norm too. I’m not complaining, I love my job. I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to leave something hanging. I end up thinking about it all day and it drives me crazy. Because of this, I tend to work until I’m too tired to concentrate… or until American Idol is scheduled to come on.
This was my first full weekend off and so far it’s been very relaxing. I can’t tell you the last time that I slept 10 hours straight. I feel great– well rested and energized.
As things settle at work and I get back to a more reasonable work week, you can count on me opining on the latest news. For now, I’m off to the store to get the Sunday paper- who wants to miss an opportunity to take advantage of a good sale.
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May I have a few moments to get everyone up to date? Well, I started my new job and I’m loving it. It’s quite the challenge; long hours, hiring new staff, putting together a marketing strategy, redoing the 2010 budget, seeking out new vendors, signing new contracts, setting up new accounts… the list goes on.
The community I manage is beautiful– it’s double the size of the previous property I managed. Of course, I have more staff which is nice. The community has a resort-style pool, state-of-the-art fitness facility, business center, video library, reading room… I can continue to brag on my wonderful community, but then y’all will want to sell your homes and come stay with us.
I’ve selected a new apartment. It’s a spacious 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment with a solarium and 1,200 square feet of living space- I also have a garage for my car. I’ve done some shopping for furniture– I’m getting a Tempur-pedic mattress. I’m tired of waking up with a sore back. I just want to sink in my bed after a long day at work.
So, for the third time this year we have snow here in North Carolina. I know, I’ve already heard- the cold weather and record snowfall is a result of global warming instigated by 8 years of the Bush administration. I would assume that those extremist scientist who predicted that we would begin experiencing colder temperatures brought on by the cyclic events of the sun were… uh, lucky guessers.
Who’s chalked March 12th down on their calendar? Clay Aiken is performing songs off of his upcoming album, ‘Tried and True’, at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. With such short notice, I hope that I can get good tickets and a limo for the event. No, it’s not that I’m too good to drive, I just know that I have to be a little drunk to endure 2 hours of moaning and commentary from his fans- it truly is the best way to enjoy his concerts.
Some have asked about my “move”. Well, there’s been a lot going on the past several days and with that some opportunities presented themselves. As a result, I will be leaving the company that I work for on Friday and taking some well-deserved vacation time before starting work at a new company. I’ll be doing what I love- property management.
I’ve been actively looking for another car– I’m eying the Mercedes SLK 280 or 350. I’ll be keeping my Mercedes C240– I need a car with backseats for my friends, I just want to have a sporty two-seater convertible too. My friend’s husband purchased a dealership and will take me to the auctions where I can get one for just $500 above auction price. It just takes patience to find the exact one.
On the “boyfriend” front– I’m still in a monogamous dating situation with this guy that I met 3 months ago. Can I share that Google is the enemy? Yes, he Googled me last week and sent me a text about watching Auditions- Scandalous. No worries, though, he enjoyed my acting. Of course, my starring role was the least of what he gleamed from Google… he read my biography and discover that I was 42 and not *cough* 36. Hey, what celebrity is truly honest about their age. I mean, I look 36, right? And then there was all of that Clay Aiken history. I mean, is he really going to judge me based having bad taste? I suppose he and I can chalk that up to my contribution to ‘Idols Give Back’ charity.
Anyone else looking forward to Obama’s ‘State of the Union Address’? Let’s see if I can play Ms. Cleo and predict what he will say; he inherited a worst economy than anticipated; it’s all Bush’s fault; the banks are evil; he’s going to give the middle class more of those imaginary tax cuts; and the fight against the special interest isn’t over. Can’t wait.
Well, that’s my this and that for today. Now, I think I’m going to spam Decca with some emails asking what Clay’s big secret surprise is. I’m like that, you know.
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Boy have I been busy! There’s been a lot going on. For example, I spent yesterday searching for an apartment. Yes, I’ll be moving out of the “attic” of my mother’s house. And no, it’s not what you think… she didn’t throw my a*s out. In fact, I’ve accepted a promotion of sorts and a job transfer. This new position would have required me to commute about an hour and fifteen minutes each way and that just wasn’t an option.
I will be introduced to my new investors tomorrow for the first time– I’m excited. I went to Jos. A Bank’s yesterday and purchased a gorgeous wool jacket, a matching pair of brown pants, this stylish gold and red tie, and a yellow and beige hued shirt. You have to dress to impress, although I hope my hard work and performance has already done that.
As far as the rest of my personal life, I’ve been going on a little over 2 months seeing someone. He’s very interested in taking it further, but I’ve been cautious. He’s a very nice guy; smart, kind, caring… all the things one normally looks for. I was asked the other day if he was attractive and I had a difficult time answering that… don’t get me wrong, he’s attractive; 6 feet tall, green eyes, slender yet muscular, 27 years old, his dad is black and mom is white, very exotic looking, light skin- in fact, I’m darker than him… it was difficult for me to answer, because I wasn’t considering how he looked as much as what kind of person he was. I know he’s attractive… heck, we went out to the club and I went up to the bar to get some drinks and immediately two people where there trying to engage him in a conversation and get his number. I just don’t know if I want to settle. To me, my independence and my job are my priorities. I’ve conveyed that to him so he understands, but I can tell he’s looking and wants more. We’ll work it through.
Well, I hate to cut this blog short, but I need to go look at furniture– I’ve made a decision not to move one piece of furniture from my mom’s house and instead just buy all new furniture. I’m tired of moving.
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I want to take this opportunity to thank my readers and friends who visit here for a wonder 2009. So much has happened this year and we’ve shared so much. We were together for the swearing in of our new president, we watched American Idol together and shared our favorites, we watched from start to finish my mom build her house, we debated health-care, the stimulus bill, and the troop surge in Afghanistan, we discussed Tiger Woods and ClayAiken’s voter fraud… together, we welcomed 2009 and together, we say goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010.
For 2010, I have many things that I hope for and here are my top 10.
1. I hope for good health for my family, friends, and readers.
2. I hope for the safety of our men and women who sacrifice each day to protect us.
3. I hope that the principals and foundation of our Constitution be adhered to and followed.
4. I hope that Republicans take over the Congress.
5. I hope for the failure of the health-care legislation proposed by this Congress.
6. I hope for the return of economic prosperity for our country.
7. I hope for God’s continued blessing on our nation.
8. I hope that Democrats will come to their senses.
9. I hope that Adam Lambert will tour.
10. I hope that Clay Aiken continues to blog every month.
Happy New Year everyone and again, that you for making 2009 fantastic and thank you for your support. I’m very appreciative.
Best,
John Paulus
Internationally known blogger
I just thought this too cute not to share. I woke up this morning to find my mother’s cat, Samuel and her dog, Cinnamon sleeping with me in my bed. I just had to reach for my iPhone to take a picture for you cat and dog lovers.
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There’s just a few more days until Christmas, can you believe it? It’s been difficult for me to really get into the holiday spirit, though– I’ve been going non-stop for nearly two weeks; packing, more packing, and moving. The benefit is that we’re in the new house for Christmas.
And speaking of Christmas, I still have a lot of shopping to do. Mom’s done, 1 niece and nephew are done… I still have aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, dad, grandma, grandpa… I guess gift cards are in order this year. I can’t imagine myself fighting the crowds at the stores. I don’t have the patience.
I have spent the past few days setting up my bedroom in the new house. It’s large enough to fit my entire living room and bedroom furniture from my apartment. There is one drawback– the closet is way too small to accommodate my wardrobe. It’s a temporary inconvenience that I will have to live with for another year. I will admit that I’m already homesick. I miss my apartment terribly. Well, to be honest, it’s not so much the apartment itself that I miss as much as it is living by myself. On the bright side, it’s only one year.
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It’s not easy juggling my duties as an international blogger, and now, the acting publicist for Clay Aiken. What can I say, I’m the go to guy for Clay Aiken. And you know me, I’m always willing to step up and help his career in any way I can. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to help promote his career.
So you’ve been using Echo for the weekend, how do you like it? I know it doesn’t have everything that some of you enjoyed with Haloscan, but I think you’ll agree there are plenty of extra features that make Echo a whole lot better.
The last few days, I’ve been out shopping with my mother for her new house. We’ve been at Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Home Good’s store, Dillards, and Belks. We purchased towels, and curtains for the bathrooms. Drapes for mom’s bedroom. A beautiful carpet for the living room. A large mirror for the dining room. We’ve done a lot of shopping.
To be quite honest, I haven’t read many of the comments. I’ve been really busy this weekend, but I received emails telling me that Clay has been with Reed. Ladies, I know. His IP address showed up on my ClayAiken411 address for Minnesota. I’m very happy that Clay could take the time to visit his friend and family.
Any way, I’m going to relax while I watch Oprah’s special and enjoy the ranting of some of you.
International blogger's upstairs retreat
International blogger's upstair's retreat and back room study
Future mini-kitchen area
Well, we had a walk through and there were just a final minor paint touch-ups that needed to be done. We are still waiting on lights for my mother’s room, breakfast area, master bathroom, and dining room- those should be installed tomorrow. The home inspector noted one faulty smoke detector, but otherwise was very impressed with the builder and the superlative job that he did. In just a few days mom will be moved into her beautiful new home and her childhood dream of having her own house built will finally be realized– I can not express how excited I am for my mother and the shear joy it brings me to see her face every time she just stands there with a smile on her face staring at the house.
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