The day after Sept. 30th

For me, September 30th represented the end.

The end of what I will refer to as the first chapter in my career. I have to say, the send off was great. I know that my colleagues are all very happy for me and were able to sense that I am making such drastic changes because I am serious about chasing my passion.

My team and I said our goodbyes over a "Little Italy" lunch (they know me well!). They also presented me with an awesome card. It's a picture of my face "photoshopped" on Rocky Balboa's body. The card says something along the lines of, "The Eye of the Tiger cannot be stopped. But it can be distracted by doughnuts and pastrami." These are inside "office" jokes that I definitely appreciated. Everyone signed the card and wished me well and I promised to hang the card in my office when I eventually get one at an advertising agency.

While it's always been my plan to leave my full time gig to work on my ad portfolio, I am not altogether against having a job, in fact I'd be up for something part time. Like everything else, I have a list of criteria. For a part time job, they are the following:

- It has to be part time
- I'd like it to be fun
- I want to learn
- And I want $$

I received a nice surprise on my last day of work, when I got a call from the Athletic Director of a Division III NYC college asking me to interview for the position of Head Men's Tennis Coach. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love tennis, so to say that I was thrilled to get this phone call is a gigantic understatement. In a way, this is almost a dream job. I am really noticing that lately, doors seem to close fast and open faster!

The interview was today (Friday Oct. 1st) and in my humble opinion, I completely knocked their pants off. I went into this interview with an unbelievable amount of confidence and for that, I must immediately give credit to some of the guys on my USTA tennis team who wrote me the most beautiful letters of recommendation (with hardly a moments notice). Even if I don't get the job, just knowing that my guys hold me in such a high regard means the world to me. They have become very close friends and are just all around great guys that I respect and admire.

On a very sad note, my beautiful baby peach face lovebird, Peaches, had to be put to sleep this past Thursday. After all the great things that have been happening to me these last few weeks this was a definite low point.

I got Peaches on the last day of school in 7th grade. She was the cutest, spunkiest, little parrot with more personality per square inch than the coolest people I know. Peaches was always able to make me smile. She stayed with us for just about 15 years.

Being that Wednesday was my last day of work, I was randomly home on Thursday and as a result, I was able to be there for Peaches while she was suffering. I took her to the Vet and when the the Doctor informed me of Peaches' poor prognosis I really had no choice but to put her to sleep. The staff was so kind and understanding. They brought Peaches out of the oxygen incubator so that she and I could spend some time with each other one last time.

I am not embarrassed to say that I cried like the little 7th grade boy I was when Peaches first came into my life. I told her that I loved her and I hope she knows that I didn't want her to suffer anymore. Here's a picture of Peaches and I from this past Wednesday night. Although she was sick, I think the special bond we had was obvious right through our last moments together. I will miss her always.



The silver lining in all of this really is that my sudden departure from Corporate America somehow allowed me to be with Peaches. The timing really was incredible, a day earlier and she could have been alone.

Late Thursday evening my family and I went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I, of course, had General Tso's Chicken (or was it General Tao...I have a theory involving a forgotten General, but that discussion is for another day). At the end of our meal we each grabbed a fortune cookie.

Mine happened to contain 3 fortunes. They were:

- You will be fortunate in the opportunities presented to you.
- You are a bundle of energy always on the go. (Could be why I'm blogging at 2:15am)
- A thrilling time is in your immediate future.

Waves of excitement have been crashing over me by the hour these days (am I wearing a shirt that says, "looking for a wild time?"). If so, remind me not to change. But with each passing day I am less sure what the future will bring.

There is one thing I'm sure of; I'm flying high, sitting pretty and in for quite a ride.

joeyz101

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