Monday, February 20, 2006

So You're Probably Wondering...

What happened to me?

Well, I'm afraid that it's not too terribly interesting. But I'll go ahead and give it a shot. Since I last wrote....

I moved into a new townhouse with The Woman. We got the keys in October. I still have yet to unpack.

I've been working a sales job. When I started working there, I ignored the danger signs. High turnover, low employee morale, etc. It was one of those burn-out jobs where they try to get as much out of you as possible for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, my burn out was more extreme than most. This burn out is the reason that I haven't written.

It started off as bronchospasms, like I wrote in the post before. It turned into full-fledged, crippling panic attacks that took hold every time I thought about work. Since I was working 12 hours a day, these attacks were occurring more and more frequently. By my third trip to the emergency room, I knew I was done. I quit the next morning. The only thing I feel good about is that I was leading the branch in sales for the month at the time I left.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get out of this whole situation with only an ulcer, heartburn, and mild breathing problems. The ulcer no longer bothers me, I'm able to eat almost anything without fear of heartburn, and my breathing is improving by the day. I'm on the road to recovery.

Other updates...

I got a new puppy. If someone tells me how to post pictures, I'll show you all what he looks like. He's a beautiful black lab mix. His name is Payton. I got him for The Woman's birthday. The jury is still out on who she loves more. Either way, I see us as the two luckiest men around.

And lastly, but certainly not leastly.... (is 'leastly' a word? Absolutely not. Do I care? Not so much. Do I have a habit of asking questions and then answering them myself, thereby making it a declarative statement? You betcha!)

I am engaged. I asked The Woman to marry me on Christmas morning. She teared up like Niagara Falls. I thought I would feel weird, waking up next to someone, knowing that they would be my partner for the rest of my life. Instead, I wake up every day with a feeling of contentment, happiness, and joy. Even with all the health problems, I'm the luckiest man alive. I don't know how she puts up with me.

So that's the short and sweet of it, folks. I'd love to talk more right now, but I'm on a job hunt of epic proportions. Anyone know of a good restaurant in the Chicago-land area that's hiring?

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:36 PM

    Congrats on the improving health, house, future with The One, and the puppy (who shares a name with my oldest child, though spelled differently).

    Looking forward to seeing you back in the blog saddle.

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  2. Anonymous9:01 AM

    Welcome back. I kept you in my link list, checking 2-3 times a week. Glad you're back, can't wait to read your stories again!

    LJ

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  3. Congratulations !!

    Hope you find a less stressful job. Hey, I hope I too find a less stressful job.

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  4. Anonymous9:01 AM

    Dude, I clicked this link in my favorites by accident and was THRILLED!

    Welcome back and congrats!!!

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  5. Anonymous2:37 PM

    It's really good to see you back, Like others have commented, I clicked this link at random one day and you became one of my favorite pages.

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  6. Anonymous6:20 PM

    Congrats!!! That's awesome!

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  7. Hey congrats and hope everything is working out for you!

    I'll link you back up!

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  8. Good to see you back again! I spotted that Waiterrant had your link back up, and came to see.

    PS: Puppy pictures! ;)
    How to add an imgae to your webpage. This applies to a blog as well. Just stick the code in your post. Photobucket.com is a decent place to host pictures if you don't have one.

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