2008.12.14
If there are two things I love they are emailing in general and christmas letters, so I thought I would save a few trees (and myself some postage) and just combine the two.
Spoiler Alert.... This is just a really long email about how much fun I've had being unemployed most of the year.
(Helpful hint for Grandparents. If you click on the blue words below, most of them go to photos I took of the things I'm talking about.)
Christmas 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
Twelve months ago I was working in a cubicle in West Sacramento making environmental maps quite happily 40 hours a week. While not the most exciting thing I've ever been a part of, I enjoyed the professional environment. I learned a lot from my colleagues and was surprised to find that they were much more pleasant and agreeable than my textbooks in college told me capitalist pigs were supposed to be. I even bought a little hibachi on craigslist and was barbequeing on my patio on the weekends. Anyway, as much as I liked it, in April they laid me off. Like many companies who rely on residential construction, they are having a tough time. I have no hard feelings. I actually still consult for them from time to time.
So no job and no prospects. What did I do? Hit the pavement? Yes. To look for a job? Not really. I bought a fancy bicycle and started entering races. With no daily grind to get in the way, I trained and trained finished in the middle of the pack every time. Its a tough sport, and one in which I'm not apparently suited to excel.
In May I took a much needed vacation and spent a few weeks in Veracruz, Mexico in a Hacienda outside the city of Jalapa. I also spent a couple days in Mexico City on my way home. It was incredible.
In August my girlfriend Joy hid me in her suitcase and took me on a work trip to New York City. Actually, I should thank Laura and Dennis Klain for putting me on a United flight. While she slaved in meetings on Park Avenue, I wandered the streets with my jaw dragging along behind me. What a spectacular city. After she got done, we rode bikes across the Brooklyn Bridge, and then back across the Williamsburg Bridge.
When we got home, I tried to ride my bike from Sacramento to San Francisco and almost made it.
In October I visited a couple old friends in Boulder, Colorado. It was blind luck, but I think I went on the most gorgeous week of fall (and probably the year). I was lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of Nancy and Jim Thomas, who regretted to tell me that they do not have another daughter.
I also took the opportunity (if you can count losing your job as an opportunity) to work for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. I spent a month in Brisbane, Australia helping prepare their ship to sail to Antarctic waters for the fifth consecutive Japanese whaling season. I lived on the ship prior to its departure and spent my days doing accounting, picking people up from the airport, assigning bunks, pricing supplies online and then picking them up and writing thank you letters. The bad news is my contribution will probably not make it to season two of Whale Wars, the good news is, my mom can sleep at night. After we threw off the lines, my friend Ben and I roadtripped through Sydney, to Melbourne.
I have further taken advantage of the Unemployment System by volunteering in Sacramento when I was supposed to be looking for a job. Serving on the Board of Directors of a non-profit called the Sacramento Bike Kitchen, I have helped secure a new downtown location for our "Do It Yourself" Bike Shop. An educational workspace and market for used bicycle parts, the "Bike Kitchen" is a place where people can share specialized bike tools, get help from our friendly volunteer staff, and just talk about how great it is to ride bikes. Whether they need to learn how to fix a flat tire or take their bike completely apart, whether they ride a bike that cost more than my car or sleep at the local shelter and ride because its the only transportation they have, the Bike Kitchen is the place to be. It is a really fun, rewarding project to be involved with.
I am also proud to announce that my brother Scott and his absolutely lovely wife Jennifer are expecting their first child. I can not wait to visit Long Beach and start corrupting his mind with stories of the high seas. I heard something about him being nicknamed Jack, but he'll always be John to me. I am jealous of Jill for being so close.
I hope this letter finds each one of you content and well. I know I am. I actually stopped earlier today and listened to the Christmas carol on the radio a little longer. I must be getting old, I used to hate Christmas carols.
all my love,
-john
ps. im gonna be screwed when the unemployment checks stop coming in
pps. OBAMA!