Had some fun tonight “summarizing” my professional experience in LinkedIn. I just realized I left out an entire section for “menial labor”, ha.

My professional experience spans quite a few sectors:

Health/Education: I’ve coached collegiate athletics for 5 years at a four-year Division II NCAA state college, advancing several athletes to all-conference, all-region, and national honors as All-American. I’m certified as a yoga instructor, massage therapist, and track & field coach. As a coach, I design and lead workouts and structure team practices and meetings, as well as manage track meets, volunteers, and recruiting.

Business: I’ve dreamed-up and created 2 profitable small businesses in the fields of health and recreation, including managing an office of 12 contractors and all facets of running a small business, from accounting to marketing to HR to operating procedures to interviewing and training.

Science & Technology: I’ve worked in R&D for environmental biotech solutions and department of defense research in academic and commercial settings. I am an excellent small projects manager, awarded by a Top 5 US corporation for my development of a tool to streamline project management in my first year at the company. I also was recognized for my skills in facilitating successful meetings with multiple stakeholders on multi-million dollar projects, and for creating working operating procedures.

Government: For four years I worked closely with a national security consultant/contractor on advancing technology security initiatives involving US Government agencies, financial firms, and VC firms. I also created back-office operating procedures and managed the office and accounting as an administrative assistant.

Communication: I created and hosted an online summit where I conducted live, broadcasted 45-minute interview conference calls of eight Olympic-hopeful athletes in track & field. I’ve maintained a blog since 2006 where I document life lessons-learned, write poetry, social commentary, and updates about ongoing personal experiments.

ADDED:

Menial Labor: Valet Runner, Photo Lab Technician, Janitor, Construction, Warehouse labor, Childcare, Farm labor, Landscaping.

On my way to a valet parking job today in Pac Heights. It’s times like this where I wonder if I’m scrounging up work the best possible way. Even with tips I’m still working for less than $20/hour, and surely my time is more valuable than that. Or is it? It’s just such a bizarre scenario, certainly the supervisors at the valet company think it’s strange that a chemical engineer should be working for such little pay as a car runner. I suppose when I shut down my massage business, I was just not in the mood for taking chances with bigger projects, and probably rightly so. I am still learning how to properly manage money. I discovered that a bad decision made during my first couple years of college set the tone for what would eventually be my first big business failure: buying a new Rockford Fosgate sound system and 18″ subwoofer for my car, maxing out my first credit card, for $850. They agreed to sell it to me for my credit limit, so I thought it was meant to be. It was my first-ever time using a credit card to pay for something I wanted NOW, but hadn’t yet earned. I remember we were assigned an engineering homework assignment where we were to calculate our payments and interest for a purchase of our choosing. I was already taking out small loans to finance my education, *knowing* I would have a good job and be able to pay back that investment quickly upon graduation. Well, somehow an expensive stereo system became part of that “investment”. It is likely that I did not actually ever fully pay-off that debt for the next 10-12 years, until my recent bankruptcy wiped the slate clean.

But I think the problem was the energy shift that happened in me where it became “ok” to have something before I earned it. Looking back this habit followed me into my first well-paying job, where there were a few months I can recall having to do payday advances to cover my expenses. Pretty pathetic when you’re pulling in enough money for 2 people but you still can’t keep your head above water. I imagine this is at least partially what is meant by those people recently pouting online that they make $300,000/year and are still broke. A bit of entitlement complex. I’ve always felt entitled, which is to say envious, which I realize now is certainly a deadly sin. Ok to want the best, but also necessary to know where the universe placed you upon birth and what path you will need to tread to earn what you want.

On the positive side, my envy has taught me to be ultra-resourceful, I have a talent for finding and spending every possible cent easily available to me, it’s the money that has to be earned which I must now focus my resourceful energies toward.

So, as usual, I’m feeling too old to be learning these lessons, and too old to be running cars valet while I figure out how to be financially effective again. Fuck it, at least I’m learning something.

Tonight watched some great short films by local filmmakers at Excelsior Branch Library. Two stood out: One was about a semi-violent tradition in the Bolivian Andes amongst natives and the converted Christian natives who condemn it, and one was about how much Fresno sucks and that the only redeeming thing about being raised in one of the three worst places to raise children in the US was the fact that once you made it through high school by entertaining yourself with sex and drugs that you had a strong appreciation for how cool other places are and you develop a sense of creativity to cope with the concrete, bleakness, and nothingness given to you. Oh! The other film I appreciated was called White Walls, about a local club manager-turned-cdrug-dealer-turned-art-gallery-owner-turned-convicted-drug-dealer-turned-even-more-successful-gallery-owner. That was quite a cool true story.

Life continues its strange trip. I’m in the middle of a phase of experimentation (aren’t I always?) with livelihood and relationships. The subjects I find myself drawn to currently include: leadership, success, spiritual wealth building, astrology, polyamory/monogamy/orgasm/birth control/pregnancy, connectivity/relationships, and social science. Wtf.

I’m being more and more moved to stop my compulsive hair-picking. I’m thinking at this point I will need some kind of barrier separation for a good 7-28 days, as it’s turned into quite an automatic habit. I think I will start by fixing my hair very nicely early every morning, starting tomorrow.

Next on the agenda, getting rid of sore throat that is looming. Sleep! Water! Vitamins!

Then, getting paperwork organized for taxes, filing, etc. There’s quite a backup at this point. I have a feeling the pace of life will really pick up in the next 30 days.

Really been enjoying my newest relationship, so far, fits like a glove. Ahhh, how nice.

Studied up more on javelin and discus technique tonight. I’m committed to mastering the art of coaching these events a bit more. They are still complex to me, which means my understanding is not full yet. Excited to do some deeper training this year with some good coaches later on.

I’m becoming more and more aware of just how little can be “accomplished” some days, in my personal list of to-dos. It is amazing that with eating, sleeping, and obligations to others that the amount of stuff you can advance on the side by yourself is quite minuscule. But maybe that is pronounced by my virus-induced lethargy today. Had enough energy to sweep the mess my cat made toppling a house plant to the other side of my room. That was about it.