Major news!

Well, the time for procrastination has come to an end. I've been wanting to start up a blog for a while but laziness has prevailed. No longer! My life is setting itself up for some major changes in the very near future, and I know if I dont document it I'll kick myself later. So let me get you all up to speed...
Last week I quit my horrible job! I shouldn't really say it was horrible, there were great parts of the job too. I loved going into people's homes and doing health education with them, and I truly loved getting to know the patients i was working with. I'd been having problems with management for a while though and everything came to a head last week. I felt like I was close to getting fired (and I've NEVER been fired before, I dont think I've ever even been written up before!) so I decided to jump ship and keep my resume intact. In an amazing moment of self-confirmation, I was contacted by the company's HR director to let me know that they had decided to fire my boss and would like me to come back to the company (it was like the end of a movie, I couldn't believe what a lovely resolution it was.) At that point I had already come to terms with the fact that it was time for me to move on from NYC though, so I said no. So here I am! Unemployed for the first time in 15 years! I have two months left on my lease for my Brooklyn apartment, after that its off to new adventures. Right now I'm focusing on using my free time to enjoy all of NY's offerings (while maintaining a VERY strict budget).
I'm also trying to get my ass in shape! With no job to eat up my time, I have no excuses not to be in the gym every day. I'm hoping this blog will serve as my daily log of my progress. I'm a big dude and have tried losing weight in the past with mixed results. The time has come to crack down though. I'm currently on three different blood pressure medications and have a family history of early strokes. The sooner I lessen my risk factors, the better. Another important reason to lose weight is the fact that in a few short months I'll be chasing 600 kids through the hills of Honduras! I've been accepted into a volunteer position starting in January. I'll be working as a nurse/health educator for kids in a group home (similar to a gigantic orphanage) out in the middle of Honduras (or Guatemala. I have to pick which placement I want!). So big, big changes in the life of Shawn. Hopefully I'll keep up with this blog (unlike so many of my poor blogs floating out there with one or two entries...) and be able to document all of the amazing things that are happening right now. I'm so excited for all of these changes and I'm feeling truly blessed right now!!