And then there was one

It’s early March 31, 2008. The last day of my private hell that is every February and March. This year’s version might have been the worst on record.

These two months will have one more day to antagonize me. Let me recap and I’ll even get into my personal life. (And don’t give my any suggestions on what I should do to solve my problems. I’m talking to one person here.)

… The two months got off to a good start. I won money in Las Vegas while attending a UFC event. I had also made contact with a female, so it was easy for me to have a good feeling about these two months this time around.

Turns out, I screwed that up and never heard from her again. It was at this point, where things slowly slide into the abyss.

… My ex-girlfriend makes several appearances during this time and I should have known better than to talk to her. I find out the hard way why I should have just let things go.

… Then come all the troubles with the dismantling of the copy editing and design desks at the Press-Telegram. What I’ll never forget is we found out of the changes on leap day.

I’m at the Daily Breeze now and the best way I described working there that first week was "Each day is better than the next." I’ve had to do a lot of adjusting, mainly becoming a copy editor. I have less control of the P-T front page when I design, too. I’m not really designing anymore, just managing the pages.

However, that doesn’t make the job less busy. When I started at the P-T, our deadline was 10:45 p.m. for first edition. Now, we have to put out two papers by 10:40 (P-T’s deadline is now 10:05) with less people.

It is getting better in a way and I am getting paid more. At the same time, I don’t like it. I said I would give it until the summer, by then the DB should have a new building and I’ll see if there are any good changes. Of course, I could be laid off by then.

… I’ve also tried online dating, but have had very little success. And by very little success, I mean no success. I actually laugh at some of the things put by women on their profile. For example, on the site you can list the ethnic groups you’d be interesting in dating and this woman put didn’t put down Latino. In her short write up, however, it said race wasn’t an issue. There are other examples of this kind contradictory thinking.

… I went back to Las Vegas recently and lost money. I lost big in roulette and I rarely lose on that game. Every time I played, I lost. I cover half the numbers at any given time, so it was mind-boggling. I could only look at the calendar as an excuse.

… As if the news couldn’t get any worse, I also found out that my father has been diagnosed with cancer. I found that out the day I started at the DB.

The good news is that it was found in the very early stages and my dad will need to go in for radiation therapy for eight weeks and will be revaluated after that. He’s in good sprits, which makes me feel good.

… So what does the last day of my own private hell have in store for me? Well, I admit, I’m asking for it since I will be at Opening Day as my beloved San Francisco Giants take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants are predicted to be a bad team this year. Yet, it won’t stop me from rooting for them.

… But, the best thing about today is the knowledge tomorrow is not only another day, but will also be April.