well, what can i say, except that THE DUCKS ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP!!!!

i just experienced one of the best games in my life...the ducks beat the wings in 6 games, advancing to the stanley cup finals against ottawa. i have never experienced this feeling before, even after 7 years working with maple leaf sports (however, the raptors and leafs did come close, to advancing to the 2nd round...some years ago)

first and foremost, my first 2 days with the anaheim ducks have been a blurr. everyone at my work have been congratulating me for joining the ducks at the best time possible...i guess i'm just blessed.

tonight was so much fun, as we had to be in charge of the corporate sponsor vip lounge...where i

had the fortune of seeing celebrities like lil' jon, lex luther (michael rosenbaum) from smallville, agent mahone (william fichtner) from prison break, and some dude from an abc show.

after the game concluded, and anaheim beat detroit, all the full time staff celebrated, drank some moet, and partied the night away.

not bad, for my 2nd day of work!

well, it's been awhile...but i have a legitimate reason of why i couldn't post any updates...
as some of you know, i've been in a state of flux for that last couple of months, since getting back into the workforce...
for those who don't know my current situation...let me give you a brief rundown...

i decided to register with a temp agency in order to find myself temporary work, while i wait for better opportunities to present themselves...so nikki suggested i join appleone, as there was a branch that was very close to my house. so i went...not knowing anything about employment agencies at all. i literally thought i was interviewing for a job and everything, but apparently, that's not how they work. nonetheless, as i was being interviewed by this recruiter, she asked me whether or not i ever considered working in the staffing services, because apparently all my skill sets seem to make me a great fit. i told her "no, i never considered working in staffing services..."

next thing i know, she introduces me to her branch manager, and then with the regional vp, then all of a sudden, a week later, they make me an offer. suffice it to say, those agencies work real fast...i didn't really anticipate working so soon...let alone for full time work. but it happened, and so goes my journey into staffing services.

i knew after the first week, things were going to be tough. not because of the workload, or the nature of the work, but because i was the only guy in an office of 6 women...now you're probably thinking this was going to be a great gig (and in theory, it seemed like a great scenario)...but alas, not having any other testosterone in the office, and being outnumbered by estrogen just wasn't my idea of a conducive work environment. don't get me wrong, the girls were great, and we got along really well, but there is only so much weight watchers talk i can take...or what kind of bag that candidate has...

i literally would be begging them to talk to me about sports but that didn't go over well. apart from the estrogen barrage i would take everyday, one of the account executives quit in my second week, and the other girls would take days off which would leave me and 2 other people in the office (one of which was also new and in training) to pretty much hold the fort...uh, excuse me, talk about a lot of pressure for 2 new people. in addition, my manager was also suffering from her own battle with cancer...so she would be out of the office a lot. let's just say, the hits just kept on comin'!

i was also in a intense one month training regiment that had me driving to god knows where, training with other branches, and having to read 5 books, and write essays for...what the F!!!! i didn't sign up for this! nonetheless, i read the books, wrote my essays, and even shopped a competitor...while all along, i was pumping out resume after resume, looking for that better opportunity.

...and it finally came.

after several "after work" interviews, and persistent phone calling...i finally got the call i was waiting for...

as of may 21st, i will be working with the anaheim ducks. i'm so excited about it, as i'll be back working for a professional sports team and venue again! the honda center is so close to my house as well, and the ducks are knee deep in the playoffs (even though they got beat pretty bad last night against detroit)


...make sure to look for my update, as the ducks just beat detroit to advance to the stanley cup finals!!!!

where do i begin...? well, it's been a month since my debacle at belkin, but i'm back in the game again...a lot quicker than i thought. actually, when i think about it, i've had 5 different offers from 5 different employers in the past 3 months...so i'm actually getting offered at a pretty high percentage. it's not that hard to find work in LA...

so i have only a couple of days till i have to go back to work again. and of course this weekend is easter weekend. i can't believe how fast the year is going by...and the raptors have secured a playoff position as well...all is good in the world!!!

as soon as i start work, i'll begin to update you on some more of my shenanigans! i already have some classic stories and that's just from 2 days of observing...so keep checking for my updates!

this pic was taken when my buddy rob came down to visit his girlfriend in LA. we hooked up in west hollywood and decided to take him to the best LA hotspot ever...IHOP! nothing says LA better than a 24 hour pancake shop!

his girlfriend, kristen, is performing in the LA production of Wicked, and he was there for the gala opening.

this is the front of my brother's place in norco. he lives at the end of a cul de sac...it's really nice...but just to give you an idea of how hot it gets in LA...check out the next pic...

this is a brush fire that swept anaheim hills, and we were so close, you could see it from the backyard!

alright, so belkin didn't work out...but at least i can say that i worked in the hood for a month...

one week down, and i've survived. i completely forgot what it feels like to actually wake up early, to go to work the next day. today was even harder considering that it was a monday...



...nonetheless, my first week at Belkin, and everything looks good. i was really concerned seeing as i've never worked in the technology industry before. but after my first day, i knew everything was going to be alright. of course, the first week consisted of lots of tours, introductions, and on the job training. what i learned however, is that this job isn't that much different from my job at maple leaf sports. the principles and skills can be carried over from industry to industry, it's just the systems, processes, and programs that have to be learned.


the facility is really big, and they have their own restaurant style cafe, work out facility, lockers and showers, and discounts galore. did i mention that parking is free too???? maple leaf sports charged employees for parking...weak!


i don't know much about the benefits, or what ppo, hmo, or 401k means, but nikki does...and apparently it's pretty good. it will be a far cry from canada's health care system, where i just go to the pharmacy, and they give me drugs.



we also went test driving this past weekend...yeah, i know...should i really be considering a new car, seeing as i just started my new job? well, the thought did cross my mind. there isn't an urgency for a new car, but we did test drive the mazda cx-7, toyota camry se v6, and we even went to check out the lexus is 350. all the cars were great, but i'm lucky enough that nikki's dad is allowing me to drive his 1979 mercedes 250. this car is straight pimpin!!! it is literally the top of line mercedes in 1979...this car is 4 years younger than i am...






as much as i miss working with the toronto raptors and the leafs (the raptors are playing awesome right now...boohoo lakers!) i'm happy for the new challenge in my life. don't worry though, i still have my nba league pass, so i haven't missed a raptors game yet.

peace out for now.

rb

well, i said i was going to post some pics from new york, so here they are. i only put a couple as i still have to sort through a whole bunch of them.

this is a pic of my soon to be brother in law. pam and daniel are getting married this july in newport beach. i'm still trying to convince daniel to let me mc, but i don't know he'll feel about all the cussing...i guess we'll have to wait and see.

nikki had a bunch of her cousins from texas come down, so it was a little bit of a reunion for everyone. it's always good to spend the holidays with family...everyone is always drunk, everyone stays up really late, and you're always welcome wherever you go.

some random pics of new york. i love times square, and the city is always buzzing...from noon right through till the evening. it definitely is the city that never sleeps.

i also took nikki to watch Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre. she absolutely loved it. let's just say she was crying at the end of it...'nuff said.

let's just say that 2007 has started out with a blast. from my previous post, i was still in nyc. i really do miss new york, but of course the weather was really mild. apparently, it's gotten a little colder since then, and out here in LA, it's gotten a little hotter...almost 80 degrees to be exact.

anyway, let me bring you up to speed on what's been going on. prior to before we left to nyc, i'm happy to announce that my work permit finally came through...whoohooo!!! it's been a long time coming seeing as we started the process back in august. so it technically took around 5 months to get it. with that being said, i was just excited as now i can work.

now, on the work front, i actually had a couple of job interviews before the holidays. i had 2 interviews with the Home Depot Center (this is the stadium where David Beckham will be playing this year) and 2 interview with the LA Clippers. the interviews went really well, but i hadn't heard back from Home Depot or Clippers. suffice it to say, i was getting a little discouraged. i even had an interview the week before xmas with ESPN Radio...anyway, i decided i wasn't going to worry about it until after i got back from nyc.

i did, however, leave voice message and emails before i left, but for some reason, nobody here in LA returns any phone calls. perhaps, it's just me, but does common courtesy escape those who live out here in southern california...i just don't get it...anyway, i'm getting away from myself.

after we got back from nyc, i still hadn't heard back from any employers. i was definitely getting pretty frustrated. however, in the span of one week, i managed to get an interview with Ticketmaster LA, and Belkin Electronics. those interviews went so well, i found myself with potentially 3 different offers.

so, as the week went on, i had some tough decisions to make. of course, i talked with nikki about it, and we weigh all the pros and cons...and at the end of it all, Belkin came out on top. if Belkin didn't make such an aggressive counter offer, i wouldn't have considered it. if you asked me last week, i was leaning towards Home Depot Center...Beckham had just signed with the Galaxy, the facility was beautiful, and there is a alot of upside for working with AEG...but in the end, Belkin had the best offer.

today, i had to get a drug screen test done. i've never had to do that before, so i was all for giving a little urine...and i'm also happy to announce that i'll be working in COMPTON!!!!! that's right, COMPTON California...just like in Boyz n' the Hood. i think it's mandatory to go into work with bullet proof vests...

i'll let you know how the new job goes...so check back. and for my bud, JJ, i hope you double bagged it.

peace,
randy

this will most likely be a short post. i'm here in nyc right now. right after christmas, nikki and i jumped on a plane and flew down to spend new year's with family here in newark, nj, and long island, ny. let's just say, it's been an amazing time. all of nikki's family from texas were down, and we've just been eating, drinking, eating, drinking, and going out every day.

i love ny city. the night life, the excitement, and just the overall energy of the city. you just can't get that in LA...oh, and we also watched wicked at the gershwin theater. let's just say she loved it...and i really enjoyed it too. i knew nothing of the story, and i could hardly remember the wizard of oz, but i do highly recommend that if you can, watch it.

of course, we went to the usual places like radio city, rockafeller, st. patrick's cathedral, 5th ave, broadway, times square...i'll post pics when i get back into LA.

i hope that everyone had an awesome new year...

peace,
randy