This should have been my very first post

Anyway, a little more about me…

I was born and raised in New York City. I left New York City for good in 2001, just shortly before 9/11. I moved to Arkansas, where I lived, worked and went to university until 2006. I relocated to the northern Kentucky/Cincinnati metropolitan area, living in a city called Erlanger. I bought my very first piece of real estate in the form of a condominium. Recoiling from the housing bubble and market crash of 2008-2009, I decided that I would satisfy my curiosity for the west coast while living my life as true as I could possibly afford. I moved to California in 2013, where I continue to reside to this day, living in places like Corona, Los Angeles, and now Desert Hot Springs, in the beautiful Coachella Valley.

I am a single, gay man. Out, proud and happy, being as smart and as frugal as I can as I try to navigate an increasing complex world.

My interests are music, cooking, dancing, and exercise. I wish I were sophisticated enough to appreciate the finer aspects, but I do appreciate classical music very much! Helps me to relax…at home and behind the wheel! I love jazz…both contemporary (smooth) and classic jazz. Being born in New York City… at the right time, I guess… I am a big fan of classic disco, “Italo-disco”, and “house”. I have a huge vinyl record collection…not to mention the glut of CDs, cassettes, and “cassingles” that I have yet to digitize. I have and will continue to definitely expand my horizons and enjoy other musical expressions. I truly wish I knew how to play musical instruments, but alas, I do not.

I am not an accomplished chef by any means, but I have experimented here and there, and have turned out what I thought were some very delicious creations! I find that I often veer off course from to-the-letter recipes and either improvise or leave out. I have not been disappointed yet!

Like I have alluded to before, I am a “disco kid”! I’m not a professional dancer, but I do love to dance. I like making my own moves up.

Exercise for me started from very young. I have studied martial arts as a teenager and have always performed some weight training as part of my regimen. About 5 or 6 years ago, I have made yoga practice a part of my daily regimen. I try to exercise my mind as well, by reading anything I find interesting that I have not encountered before.

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I decided that I should have an (more professional) online presence, especially since I have decided to enter the real estate industry. That is, as soon as I am able to take the state exam and obtain the license!

That said, I have understood any online presence to mean having a blog space, so this is my attempt.

I like to think of myself as somewhat intelligent. I was able to get a bachelor’s degree…at age 35…even though my career after getting the degree in 2006 did not involve use of the degree major much at all! This, I regret about the post-college experience. I have attempted many times to get back in the groove by taking programming courses, but just like any language, if one does not utilize it in their daily life, it becomes forgotten.

Only now, learning those language skills are critical in securing a career path in today’s work environment. I still have the paralyzing trepidation about the learning process. When I was matriculating, computer programs and programming have steadily eluded my grasp of understanding, especially as the concepts grew more complex and convoluted. All that said, I still think I have a chance at picking up most languages enough to compete in the working environment.

It’s the work environment that I most fear, now that I am no longer in my 20s and 30s. There are laws on the books that say age and race discrimination is illegal, but we all know what goes on at a lot of these places when it comes to hiring! You have to have “…the look they want to know better”, to paraphrase a Jordache jeans commercial. Forget about qualifications, experience, education…even presentation seems to not count anymore! I have to try, though, as I need to work…