August 1, 2003

Here it is, the summer of 2003 and time is moving swiftly! I'll be 34 before I know it (end of the month) and it's really hard to believe so many years have passed in my life. I feel blessed to have had so many great opportunities to travel in these 34 years, allowing me to experience so much of what the world offers. The best part of travel, though, is always the people I meet along the way. Staying in touch isn't often a simple task, yet it remains one of the most rewarding. As I focus this year on work and a new home, I'm glad that I've had extended periods in my life that have afforded me the time to get out and do some really amazing things.

Being a new homeowner (a first-time homeowner at that!) hasn't been as rough as I'd expected. However, with the uncertainty of the economy and the job market, I admit that there've been more than a few times that my heart skipped a beat in thinking about how I'd manage if I suddenly found myself out of work. Most fortunately, I've had a great period of work since this past November working with STA Group, a consultancy out of Chicago, on projects in Central Illinois at a large Insurer (name withheld like they do on the game shows). While still no guarantees, the current outlook is positive that there will continue to be good-fit assignments for me at least through the end of 2003. That is very welcome comfort to me, indeed. I've really enjoyed my time on these projects. The people with whom I work and the nature of the work have been interesting and fun. Also, I've really enjoyed getting to know a great group of people in Bloomington that entertain me during the week in the evenings. I play Volleyball with a group every Wednesday. True to my skills, we're not particularly good, but we have fun!

On the home front, I've managed to complete painting all the areas/rooms that I'd planned to paint. I pretty much have all the furniture that I need now. I've been pleasantly surprised that not having done a lot of "handy work" before myself, I've managed through painting, installing closet shelving, plumbing fixes, etc. reasonably well on my own. All in all, I think the place has turned out pretty nicely. I'm still waiting on getting some cool ceiling fans installed and my A/C unit is being replaced (it's too small for the space) today. In the end, artwork and lighting will be the final challenge (for now). Hopefully taking down some of the stuff I have on the walls (rugs, old pics) and replacing it with more modern stuff will give the place the more updated look I was originally looking for. For lighting, I'd like to replace the fixtures in the bathroom and the kitchen to something more modern.

My weekends have been really tight, given my out-of-town assignment. I feel like I get home on Thursday nights and run a great race through Sunday night, trying to see as many friends as I can, while still spending time along the lake, working out, paying bills (!), etc. I've managed to have a couple great parties. I have more alcohol from those than I think I'll EVER get rid of. Sure wish I liked beer!

Of course, one of my favorite summertime activities is riding my motorcycle. I can't say that I've taken many long rides, yet I do track around town on it frequently to ease the parking pains. Since it's been a while since it's been on display, I'm including a picture of it here. I still don't have one with me on it... I feel I need one to prove to some people out there that can't believe I actually ride one(!).

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and fun rest of the summer! Drop me a line at michael@michaelmurray.com and let me know how life is for you...

Mike