Coming out of high school I did not know what to I wanted to do other then just start working. I did not want to go to college just to take general education if I was not sure what I wanted to major in. I still feel this way to be honest. I went start to work and started making money. I worked for a moving company and things were going good for a long time. I mean I was not raking in the doe big time or anything, but I had money for my bills and to go out and do my thing. And being young and fresh out of high school, I was not thinking about saving up a lot of that money. Some of my best times I think were my early twenty's working at the moving company. I learned a lot about packing trucks and reading maps. Learned how to drive Bobtails. Even though I was moving heavy furniture, I got to travel all over the Bay Area and the surrounding area as well.
Wail I was working at the moving company, I went to school to learn how to clean surgical equipment. Now this was not my idea, it was my dad's. But I went and it was could have been a job that made me a lot of money. Never did the job though. I did finish the school, but when I tried to get a job I was told the job would not be open for about two months. Then two months turned to six. Then six months turned into over a year an a half. When the job was finally open, I was stuck where I was at at the moving company. Just got a raise and was pretty ticked off that the job cleaning the surgical equipment took so long to open. So I passed on it. I think there was more to me passing that job then being up set it took so long to open. At the time I was having to much fun traveling at my job and working with my uncle. Who knows what would have happen if I would have taken that job. I know if I was still working at that job today, I would be making a lot of money. But making a lot of money don't mean a lot if your heart is not into the job as mine was not.
Around this time I also got with my wife, Crystal. Now I had known her since I was eighteen and we had gone out before, but at the time it did not work out. We got together again when I was twenty one. Meeting her brother Angelo was a trip. Right away we both were clowning on each other, but it was all in fun. In meeting Angelo, I meet his friends as well. A group of guys that are funny and can be stubborn, but will have your back at the drop of a hat. Granite at the moment we got a lot of problems within the group, still love these guys. Crystal's parents are great people, and I would do anything for them. Crystal's little brother Anthony is a trip. You can tell when if he likes you or not on how he talks to you, if he says your ugly or stupid. One thing I will always remember about him when he was little is when I first dated Crystal I was really in shape coming out of high school. I had big arms from weightlifting. When we got together again, I was not lifting as much and lost some of my arm size. The first thing Anthony says to me is, "What happen to your arms? They are smaller." Man kids tell it as it is.
Well working at the moving company I also got hurt. Well filling up a model home with furniture for display, I was carrying a sofa backwards and fell back on some 2x4's that where laid out by someone who was laying cement. I ended up getting a hair line break in my left hip and pulled three tendons. This would lead to me not being able to lose my job at the moving company. They could no longer insure me because of how much it cost them I am guessing. I was off for over three months with that injury and still have problems with it from time to time.
As I left that job, I got a job at Best Buy well I started going to school at WyoTech for heating and air. At both places I meet people who became more then just friends, they are family. At Best Buy I meet a bunch of guys just like me. Jokers that like to have a good laugh but still works hard to get the job done. Out of all the guys I meet at Best Buy, one guys stood out that I connected with, and that would be AJ. AJ was such a great guy. We had a lot in common such as our personally. We found a lot of the same things funny and liked the same sports teams. He was one of my best friends. Then one morning I got a call that he was killed in a car accident. This still to this day makes me cry. In fact as I am writing this, I can not help but to cry. Losing him was like losing a brother. I felt guilty for a long time after he passed. I had not seen AJ for almost a year. He moved to another Best Buy and had gotten married. He wanted me to come to his wife's family's new restaurant opening that he too was going to be working at. I had to some stuff that day and when I got done was kind of tried and did not go. AJ understood and I had planed to go later to check it out. About a month later, AJ died in that car accident. I know he was not mad for me skipping out on that day, but I was mad at myself for not going and seeing my boy. Love you brotha, and you will always be with me. I know AJ is with me every time I go to a Oakland A's game.
Okay, now well I was going to Best Buy, I was going to school at WyoTech like I said. I meet some really good people there too. I also meet my other two brothers that I did not know I had at WyoTech. You don't have to be blood to feel connected with someone, whats the say,"My brother from another mother". At school is were I meet Alberto and Johnny. I am not sure I could have gotten through school work and times in my life with out these guys. Both have helped me in times when I needed the most help. Don't give get me wrong. I have some awesome friends that I have known forever. I feel the same way about them. As far as I am cornered, my boy's Anthony and Joe are brothers to me too. At the time when I was in school and coming out trying to find a job though, I really leaned on Alberto and Johnny, and I thank you for that.
Coming out of school got hired at Sears along side of Alberto. We started off doing a project called RCA. We would go around checking electric maters and A/C units at apartment buildings and retirement homes to make sure they had the right a mount of refrigerant in the system. This is also where I meet two other people that are really close to me. I meet Carl and Mary. Carl is such a great guy. And I believe we meet when we did for a reason. Carl was going through a rough time in his life when we meet at the Sears job. I am not going to put his business on blast. He was always upset and was just not doing good. I believe we meet not only to do a job, but cause of my personally, I was able to snap him out of his bad moods and when he was upset. I don't take credit for him getting better, but would like to think I had apart in it. There were days I know he did not want to be at work, and me being me helped him through the day. And when I needed my pick me up days, Carl was there with his hand out a some encouraging words.
Mary was my boss at Sears. I got really close to her as well. She was a fun boss, who would get on you if you were slacking but knew how to take a joke. She always has a smile and I got to love anyone who will put up with me like she did. Best time ever was around Halloween. I got some fake rubber mice from the Halloween store and when she was not looking after a meeting we had, I placed one on the seat of her car and one in a mini purse she had hanging from the rear view mirror of the car. As she was heading to the car she was talking to us and opened the car door. As she turned to get in, she let out a scream and jumped away from the car. I started laughing so hard that I get tears in my eyes, all of us were laughing but she knew right away who put the mouse on her seat and ran after me smacking me on the back. Mary left right after that and I got a call about twenty minutes later. She had just noticed that one hanging from the rear view mirror. Man that was a great day. But because of things like that I got really close to Mary, and know I can always talk with her just BS or if I need advise on whatever.
Well working at Sears, Crystal and I got married, yeah I got married. Before we got married I had gotten hurt, YES hurt, again. I was working on a dryer and tore a tendon in my right wrist. I had to have three surgery's to try to repair it. This really through a monkey wreath into my life. I got put on disability and had my pay cut in half. Between student loans and every other normal bills people have, I got far behind. I got put in a hole that to this day I am still having trouble getting out of. I finally got cleared from the doctor and from my job. The doctor said that I can't really do physical work anymore. This scared me because that is the kind of work I am good at. Not saying I am a smart person. Just always been better doing physical work and with working with my hands. Now I have to try something new. Trying something new can be fun, but there is always a little fear that comes with that.
Being hurt, broke, and being worried all the time put me into a depression. I was not a happy person for a long time. I am married and can not provide for my wife. Lost my truck cause I could not pay for it, and have creditors calling all the time looking for money I did not have. With all this going on, I gain so much weight. Coming out of high school being fit and in shape, to where I was at in 2010 there was a big difference. I look back to pictures of my high school reunion and can not believe how big I got. It was unbelievable, I just shake my head at myself. I knew I was getting fat, but did not realize how bad it was till I saw those pictures.
Knowing I needed a change, I went back to school to learn how to draw blood. Around that same time, my boy Johnny got me to come to the gym he had been telling me about for months. As I went to school I started going to Zub Zero Gym and that is when I meet Tee. Tee is the owner of the gym and instructor. Tee is a great guy, who has helped me get my health in check. I don't even know how much weight I lost because of him. I am feeling better everyday now that I have started losing more and more fat. And I thank you Tee, cause I really believe you saved my life.
I have lost friends and family over the years of my twenty's. Lost three grandparents in a matter of a year, a baby cousin who was taken and was not given a chance at life. Lost my aunt last year who was the last link to my grandma besides my mom. As I said before lost my friend AJ in a car accident. Lost one of my best friends Jenny. She is still alive and well, but she got married and just up and left our friendship. For whatever reason she stop talking to me and never really gave me a reason why. I was really close with her, and was there for her through a lot big things that happen to her and her family. That one still really hurts, and I think might always will a little.
Even with all the bad, there has been a lot of good. As I said, getting married to a woman that will put up with not only my personally, and my strong will towards things, but also staying by my side wail I went through all that I have. I have meet a lot of people that have only made me a better person. They in packed my life in such a good way, I can only hope I have done the same thing in there life. I have also be came a God Father to three beautiful little girls. I have also became a Uncle to another beautiful baby girl. As I am getting closer to the day I will wake up and hear, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! How does it feel to be thirty?", I look just hope I get things going. Get a job, my own place and the wife and I start our family.
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