Buy me a retirement beer here: bit.ly/3feE6tJ*
I spent 30 years in Public Safety work and it's time for me to move on into the Retirement Chapter of my life. I will no doubt continue to make videos for this channel to give back to the Toyota/Lexus SUV & Truck Community. Happy Wrenching and Sic Mods for All!
If you're interested in learning more about me, the following is my 48 year work history that started when I was 11 years old.
*When I was 11 years old and I got my 1st job delivering an advertisement paper called the Potpourri.
*At age 12, I got a job delivering newspapers for the San Jose Mercury news. I did that for 4 years until the age of 16. I really enjoyed being a paperboy. It taught me a lot of responsibility. I not only had to deliver the papers, I had to collect the money from my customers and pay the Mercury News the cost of the papers every month, and I got to keep the rest.
*At 16, I decided to try out a fast food job, Del Taco. I lasted 2 days.
*I got a job as a bus boy for a place called Burger Pitt. I lasted about a month doing that and didn't like that job either.
*I decided to go back to work as a paper boy for my Junior year of high school.
*At age 17, my brother Jim got me a job as a Gas Station Attendant at a Chevron gas station in San Jose. I really enjoyed this job. It was a good experience.
*At one point, I needed more money and I took a job as a Construction Plumber. I worked 8 hours doing Construction, and then worked an additional 4 hours closing down the gas station every night. I worked 12 hours, 5 days a week.
*The Construction job didn't last too long and I got laid off when work slowed down. But, I learned some good skills that still benefit me today.
*One summer, I tried my hand as a roofing laborer and I tore off roofs for a summer. It was a hard physical job, but I really enjoyed it.
*Then, I got hired by Costco. I worked for them stocking shelves in the early morning before the store opened up. I did that for 2 years. I liked this job but the management sucked.
*I did a short stint as a Car Salesman for Stanford Honda. I hated that.
*I got into doing Security Work as a Security Officer at the Stanford Medical Center campus while working my way towards a Law Enforcement career. I didn't mind doing Security work but it was pretty boring.
*I met a Deputy Sheriff, Mark Garcia , at a night class we had together at De Anza College. He told me Santa Clara County was hiring lots of Correctional Officers and it could be a good stepping stone into a law enforcement career, so I applied and got hired around a year later. Being a correctional officer was pretty cool. I didn't mind supervising inmates and I was good at my job.
*During my 1st year as a Correctional Officer, I got back heavily into mountain biking and started racing. Instead of pursuing becoming a street cop, I decided to devote the next seven years racing mountain bikes. During that 7 years, I managed 4 mountain bike teams, I cyclocross team, and worked my way up to being a Semi-Pro Mountain Bike Racer, which is one step below Professional. I was a pretty good cyclist and achieved my fair share of medals.
*I went through some drama with the Department of Corrections, lost my job, but got hired by the Sheriff's Office. But, the drama from Corrections haunted me, and I was let go once again by Santa Clara County.
*I spent 5 years reinventing myself and became a firefighter. During that 5 years, I stayed afloat by doing more Security work and working for the AMR Ambulance company.
*I enjoyed my firefighting career. It was challenging and rewarding. But, it's not how Hollywood portrays the career. There's a lot of mundaneness and BS to the job. Most 911 calls aren't emergencies, but when they are, the job is exciting and rewarding. I made the most of it and had a great career working with some awesome people.
*During my firefighting career I got back into bike racing, cyclocross. I raced for the Rock Lobster team in Santa Cruz. It was a lot of fun. I finally quit due to too many injuries.
*Also during my firefighting career, I got into doing trail work. I helped build many trails in places like Nevada City, Napa, San Luis Obisbo, and around an old gold mining town called Forest City. I found building and maintaining trails to be very fun and rewarding.
And, that's my story. What does the future have to offer? Well, you already know I'm going to keep making DIY videos for this channel. I'll probably get back into doing Volunteer Trail Work and build and maintain trails. I want to maintain physical fitness by riding bikes, hiking, backpacking, lifting weights, pilates, and whatever else floats my boat. I want to travel a lot with my wife Alison and see more of the world. I want to go camping, fishing and 4wheeling. I want to make the most of the time I have left on this earth.
Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about me. I'm looking forward to retirement life.
1 окт 2024
