My Daily Life and Thoughts while in San Diego |
List of Best Posts
This blog is where I express myself to the world or at least to those who might stop by to read what I post 
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers.
I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!
Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers. I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me
)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
Rejoicing on the way back from buying some oatmeal :).
Posted 01-26-2009 at 12:54 AM by carlos123
Updated 01-26-2009 at 08:24 AM by carlos123 (Added a couple of paragraphs....and changed a few phrases.)
Updated 01-26-2009 at 08:24 AM by carlos123 (Added a couple of paragraphs....and changed a few phrases.)
I have been writing quite a bit in the last little while, first to a friend and then making an update to my last blog post so I am a bit tuckered out...writing wise.
As I told my friend...writing to me is a like drugs must be to some people. I get a sort of high when I write something really good. But once I express myself well and fully...I loose the drive to write much more. Until I need my next writing "fix".
But I think I still have a bit in me to write about for the reading pleasure of anyone still following this blog. I see what seems like a lot of people stopping by to view my blog but one never knows how accurate those view counts are. By the level of comments being left it seems like only a few are actually reading what I write here.
Be that as it may or may not be...I feel like writing a bit more so without further ado (I wonder where a word like that came from...it sounds an awful lot like without further poo poo LOL) here is my post for tonight.
As I walked toward the food store, about forty five minutes walk away from where I live, to get some bread...I almost fell over! There I was walking one minute and the next I started heading for the ground. Or at least that is how it felt. In actuality I never really came close to falling, I think, but it felt like I started to go down.
So...after continuing my walk I came upon an Arby's and after debating whether to get 2 something melts for 3 dollars or 2 something subs for $5, I chose the melts to get some real meat into me. I figured that since I had eaten little more than some mixed up peanut butter and jelly and some dry cereal today that my body was due for a bit something more. Though whether 2 Arby's melts constitutes something more of the type I needed is...well...a bit debatable. Still they were cheap enough and I felt better after eating them.
Then I debated whether to buy two loaves of bread ($4) or one can of quick oatmeal ($1) at the food store. I chose the oatmeal and passed on the bread.
For my fruit portion I decided to get a caramel apple since it was only .88 cents as opposed to a normal apple which would have cost me something like $1.20 (when I got home and ate it...well...I was not too surprised to find that it was not quite the apple I thought it was based on appearance).
As I started to walk home...I experienced one of those times when great joy filled my heart. So much so that I laughed out loud and with gusto. As if I didn't have a care in the world.
I had been thinking about some verses I had read a couple of days ago that say that if a person confesses Jesus Christ to be their Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead that they shall (without fail) be saved. That struck me particularly as something to be greatly happy about tonight! And I rejoiced in that!
That no matter what happens to me...whether I end up homeless living on the streets or not...that in one sense it doesn't matter. I am headed for heaven and nothing will change that.
I so much wanted to die to be with the Lord for in truth...that is so much better than what this life has to offer. As I prayed I told the Lord that the day of my death would be such a glorious day for me.
To have Him hold my hand as I pass from this life and to wake up in heaven where there will be no more tears, and pain, and sorrow. No more having to endure the judgments and false accusations of people who don't know Him. No more of having to see His love as through a mirror darkly such that sometimes...His love is obscured by the ever present coldness and callousness of so many around me.
No more having to see myself fall into being less than what God created me to be and that I want to be.
I have at times in my life touched the hem of His robe and like the woman whose bleeding was stopped when she touched Jesus...my heart has stopped bleeding from the wounds caused by the sin in myself and in the world around me. Such that for that moment in time I experienced a love that is unseen in our world. A love that overwhelmed me and filled me to the brim.
A love that made me hungry for more of Him. A hunger that will only be fully satiated upon my death.
That is why I sometimes long to die. Not because this world is so terrible but because He is so much more wonderful than anything this world has to offer, such that I want to go and be with Him and to experience all of what heaven will be.
There is a reality in relationship with God through Jesus Christ that has nothing to do with knowing about Him. Rather it has everything to do with knowing Him.
If there is one silver lining in what I am going through it's that the harder it gets...the closer I draw to the Lord as I take refuge in the shadow of His wings if I react right to my circumstances and walk forward with faith and a thankful heart.
It was a great comfort to me to know that no matter what happens I am forgiven of all my sin and headed for heaven. And that was the cause of my great joy.
I do not always keep that in mind and too often get my eyes off of the Lord such that I many times sink into discouragement and even despondency. But tonight...I was reminded of what awaits me in the future and it made what I am going through now seem insignificant in comparison.
I mean what is the worst thing that can happen to me, I thought? I can end up not being able to pay my rent such that I end up having to leave and become homeless. Loosing the few things I have left that mean anything to me at all. Photographs of me and my dad (who passed away), of my wife (from whom I am presently seperated), of the years I lived in Europe. The little rubber ducky I played with as a child and the bib that was placed on me as a baby. My departed grandmother's parasol. I could loose it all and end up sleeping next to a bush. Cold...perhaps hungry and unable to wash myself properly.
But...so what! I have God in my life and am headed for heaven and in truth...any such thing is of relatively minor and temporary inconvenience until I die and pass away into the next life.
Not that God will allow that to happen mind you. I do not believe He will but, at the same time He does not guarantee any of us provision for continuing to live where we might be most comfortable. Only that He will be with us and that He will provide us with food and shelter. Such that a bush might, like the bush He provided to give shade to Jonah, be the only shelter I have at times.
Many of us who call ourselves Christians may need to remember where we are headed in the days ahead.
If this post has encouraged you please post a comment or drop me a note through PM so that I can be encouraged to write more.
Have a great night everyone.
Carlos
PS. If anyone is praying for me...please pray for me especially tomorrow as I will be trying to find at least four news worthy things to write about. I found a local newspaper that will pay me $50 per such news story. I already have two items that will make good news stories but I need at least 3 more (one extra in case they don't like one). If I can write and submit 5 news stories by Tuesday at noon I will cover my rent due on Feb 1st in that they will pay me for my news stories this coming Friday. It's going to be close but this could be God's provision for me.
There is also some stuff happening behind the scenes that I will not divulge yet whereby God may have already provided for me to be able to make my rent on time. In addition to the potential income from any news stories that I write that get accepted.
Stay tuned...
As I told my friend...writing to me is a like drugs must be to some people. I get a sort of high when I write something really good. But once I express myself well and fully...I loose the drive to write much more. Until I need my next writing "fix".
But I think I still have a bit in me to write about for the reading pleasure of anyone still following this blog. I see what seems like a lot of people stopping by to view my blog but one never knows how accurate those view counts are. By the level of comments being left it seems like only a few are actually reading what I write here.
Be that as it may or may not be...I feel like writing a bit more so without further ado (I wonder where a word like that came from...it sounds an awful lot like without further poo poo LOL) here is my post for tonight.
As I walked toward the food store, about forty five minutes walk away from where I live, to get some bread...I almost fell over! There I was walking one minute and the next I started heading for the ground. Or at least that is how it felt. In actuality I never really came close to falling, I think, but it felt like I started to go down.
So...after continuing my walk I came upon an Arby's and after debating whether to get 2 something melts for 3 dollars or 2 something subs for $5, I chose the melts to get some real meat into me. I figured that since I had eaten little more than some mixed up peanut butter and jelly and some dry cereal today that my body was due for a bit something more. Though whether 2 Arby's melts constitutes something more of the type I needed is...well...a bit debatable. Still they were cheap enough and I felt better after eating them.
Then I debated whether to buy two loaves of bread ($4) or one can of quick oatmeal ($1) at the food store. I chose the oatmeal and passed on the bread.
For my fruit portion I decided to get a caramel apple since it was only .88 cents as opposed to a normal apple which would have cost me something like $1.20 (when I got home and ate it...well...I was not too surprised to find that it was not quite the apple I thought it was based on appearance).
As I started to walk home...I experienced one of those times when great joy filled my heart. So much so that I laughed out loud and with gusto. As if I didn't have a care in the world.
I had been thinking about some verses I had read a couple of days ago that say that if a person confesses Jesus Christ to be their Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead that they shall (without fail) be saved. That struck me particularly as something to be greatly happy about tonight! And I rejoiced in that!
That no matter what happens to me...whether I end up homeless living on the streets or not...that in one sense it doesn't matter. I am headed for heaven and nothing will change that.
I so much wanted to die to be with the Lord for in truth...that is so much better than what this life has to offer. As I prayed I told the Lord that the day of my death would be such a glorious day for me.
To have Him hold my hand as I pass from this life and to wake up in heaven where there will be no more tears, and pain, and sorrow. No more having to endure the judgments and false accusations of people who don't know Him. No more of having to see His love as through a mirror darkly such that sometimes...His love is obscured by the ever present coldness and callousness of so many around me.
No more having to see myself fall into being less than what God created me to be and that I want to be.
I have at times in my life touched the hem of His robe and like the woman whose bleeding was stopped when she touched Jesus...my heart has stopped bleeding from the wounds caused by the sin in myself and in the world around me. Such that for that moment in time I experienced a love that is unseen in our world. A love that overwhelmed me and filled me to the brim.
A love that made me hungry for more of Him. A hunger that will only be fully satiated upon my death.
That is why I sometimes long to die. Not because this world is so terrible but because He is so much more wonderful than anything this world has to offer, such that I want to go and be with Him and to experience all of what heaven will be.
There is a reality in relationship with God through Jesus Christ that has nothing to do with knowing about Him. Rather it has everything to do with knowing Him.
If there is one silver lining in what I am going through it's that the harder it gets...the closer I draw to the Lord as I take refuge in the shadow of His wings if I react right to my circumstances and walk forward with faith and a thankful heart.
It was a great comfort to me to know that no matter what happens I am forgiven of all my sin and headed for heaven. And that was the cause of my great joy.
I do not always keep that in mind and too often get my eyes off of the Lord such that I many times sink into discouragement and even despondency. But tonight...I was reminded of what awaits me in the future and it made what I am going through now seem insignificant in comparison.
I mean what is the worst thing that can happen to me, I thought? I can end up not being able to pay my rent such that I end up having to leave and become homeless. Loosing the few things I have left that mean anything to me at all. Photographs of me and my dad (who passed away), of my wife (from whom I am presently seperated), of the years I lived in Europe. The little rubber ducky I played with as a child and the bib that was placed on me as a baby. My departed grandmother's parasol. I could loose it all and end up sleeping next to a bush. Cold...perhaps hungry and unable to wash myself properly.
But...so what! I have God in my life and am headed for heaven and in truth...any such thing is of relatively minor and temporary inconvenience until I die and pass away into the next life.
Not that God will allow that to happen mind you. I do not believe He will but, at the same time He does not guarantee any of us provision for continuing to live where we might be most comfortable. Only that He will be with us and that He will provide us with food and shelter. Such that a bush might, like the bush He provided to give shade to Jonah, be the only shelter I have at times.
Many of us who call ourselves Christians may need to remember where we are headed in the days ahead.
If this post has encouraged you please post a comment or drop me a note through PM so that I can be encouraged to write more.
Have a great night everyone.
Carlos
PS. If anyone is praying for me...please pray for me especially tomorrow as I will be trying to find at least four news worthy things to write about. I found a local newspaper that will pay me $50 per such news story. I already have two items that will make good news stories but I need at least 3 more (one extra in case they don't like one). If I can write and submit 5 news stories by Tuesday at noon I will cover my rent due on Feb 1st in that they will pay me for my news stories this coming Friday. It's going to be close but this could be God's provision for me.
There is also some stuff happening behind the scenes that I will not divulge yet whereby God may have already provided for me to be able to make my rent on time. In addition to the potential income from any news stories that I write that get accepted.
Stay tuned...
Total Comments 6
Comments
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Carlos,
You really missed your calling in life. You should have been an author. Novels, magazine articles, whatever. Your creativity with words and ability to tell stories is fantastic!
You have the ability to take everyday insignificant events, such as buying a loaf of bread, and turn them into a very interesting story.
It sounds like you may already be pursuing this, based on your blog. I have little doubt you may one day be working as a journalist, novelist, or something similar.Posted 01-26-2009 at 08:52 PM by RD5050
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Hi there RD5050!
If I was in the movie Star Wars...you would be my RTUD2. As it is...having you as my RD5050 on this forum ain't too bad at all in that you come around once in a while and throw an encouraging word out to me. Much appreciated.
Yeah...I think you are probably right about having missed my calling earlier in life. Though in truth my writing seems rather common to me most of the time.
One of my news stories will be getting published...indeed my first news story. Which is GREAT! But...it will probably be my first and last one. It's just too much to expect me to run all over the city, talking to everyone I meet, to find more breaking events news stories that the big papers haven't yet gotten the scoop on.
And that is what they want.
It's nice of them to offer $50 per such news story but it's unrealistic for me to try and make the money I need from that.
There just aren't enough breaking news stories around for every Tom, Dick, and Carlos and every newspaper reporter in San Diego to feed off the same story.
This place is just...well...too peaceful I guess. Which is not a bad thing.
I don't quite know what to do at this point but will try to pound the pavement in far away communities today for some more window cleaning work. Or continue to try and find businesses that might want to pay me, the great writer that I supposedly am, to stand on the street corner with a great big sign that says "SALE". How uninspiring and how boring but oh how enthused I would be to even do that and get paid for it...today!
Maybe I can charge a premium wage per hour to add a few descriptive words like..."SALE Today" or "SALE Here Today" or even "SALE Being Advertised by This Here Starving Writer Here Today, Under This Flowery and Unimaginably Glorious Day". There...that's better. Maybe my writing ability might be able to make me the immediate income I am in need of after all LOL.
Will post later today of my continuing adventure in trying to survive...oops...I mean live in San Diego.Posted 01-27-2009 at 10:22 AM by carlos123
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Carlos,
Don't give up with the writing. All it takes is one editor to recognize your gifts, and you're set.
There is a really good TV show called "Sex In The City" which is centered around a female writer named Carrie Bradshaw. The show is based on a real life person.
She writes a column called "Sex In The City" in a NY newspaper, and simply describes things related to women who want to fall in love in NY City, and the challenges they face.
Your style of writing reminds me of hers. You take everyday life events, and make them into interesting stories. And it is captivating to readers. This is why you have such a huge following here at City-Data.
Perhaps you don't really need to hunt all over the city for special newsworthy events to write about. You might impress the editors by taking simple everyday life stories about regular people, and turn them into captivating stories using your writing talents.
An idea might be "A Day In The Life of Carlos". You take a trip somewhere ... Balboa Park, Pacific Beach, wherever ... and simply describe the events that happened, and people you've met. You may be surprised how many people will enjoy reading it, simply based on your writing skills. It could eventually turn into a regular newspaper column like "Sex In The City".Posted 01-27-2009 at 02:07 PM by RD5050
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Hi RD5050!
Gosh...I didn't know I had a huge following as you put it. Makes me a bit hesitant to so openly lay out what is on my heart. I mean if I knew that countless thousands where going to read my musings...well...I don't know if I would write as freely as I do.Quote:...You take everyday life events, and make them into interesting stories. And it is captivating to readers. This is why you have such a huge following here at City-Data.
But...for now...there is a still a measure of anonymity here in that people don't know where I live or what my real name is or any other identifying information about me. Such that I feel freer to write as I do.
Carlos is a name like John and there are hundreds if not thousands of us around...
But my writing is who I am. If I were to stop being open and honest and just saying things as I feel they need saying...my writing would probably cease to be very interesting at all.
So even if I must write and be identifiable at some point in the future...my style of writing won't change much, if at all.
Still...I have to be careful. I live in a trailer..something I don't think the city likes too much. And I've done some window cleaning without a licence trying to find enough money to eat and get around by bus (my sincerest apologies to any public servants who think I should have done differently but...well...I got's to eat and when push comes to shove I will do what is okay to do in God's sight in order to eat. With or without the city or anyone else's blessing. You know...along the lines of my having some inaliable rights in the US like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.).
So...for now it's nice to be anonymous.
That's an excellent suggestion RD5050.Quote:Perhaps you don't really need to hunt all over the city for special newsworthy events to write about. You might impress the editors by taking simple everyday life stories about regular people, and turn them into captivating stories using your writing talents.
I had one editor tell me that some of my story suggestions might make for some good copy like the one I uncovered about how a man with a parrot makes some good money on the streets of the Gaslamp Quarter. I suspect the man might not want much publicity though. Still...I could certainly write up a story about him.
If only I could find an editor who might be willing to pay me for one of my stories a bit quicker than they usually do.
I can see it now...Carlos In San Diego. Or...Carless Carlos Covers Carfull City. Hmm...I'll have to work on my byline a bit I think LOL.Quote:An idea might be "A Day In The Life of Carlos". You take a trip somewhere ... and simply describe the events that happened, and people you've met. ... It could eventually turn into a regular newspaper column like "Sex In The City".
I'm keeping my eyes open RD5050. If I see any kind of writing opportunity that looks like it might pay me some much needed money within a reasonable amount of time...I will jump on it!
When I say reasonable I mean...quickly enough to feed my stomach today and tomorrow and allow me to get around by bus.
Eating dry cereal, some peanut butter and jelly mixed together without bread lately, and an orange or two followed up with one .99 cent burger for dinner is...well...getting old quick.
CarlosPosted 01-27-2009 at 05:19 PM by carlos123
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Hmmm... RD5050 ... and I are on the same wave length, as I have mentioned before to you (Carlos, that is), you write with style and have missed your journalistic calling.
Give another newspaper a shot. It takes some courage, but you have that... to go in and apply for a reporting job on anything they have to offer.. no matter if it is boring to you, it is a step up to another level of writing events that might be more intriguing.
Or even apply for a job at some other aspect of newspaper business.
If the same procedure is set in SD as here in Salem, the carriers are the ones who put the papers together in the wee hours of the morning. BUT... if not so there, maybe they could use that sort of help for a little while till you can find another opening.
Maybe, too, my ideas are not realistic.. not being there and knowing the way things are done.
Again, though, I totally believe you have a gift for the written word, perspectives that others might enjoy reading .... and if in the days ahead, you find a chance to use them ... by all means, do so.
One of my suggestions to you, which I won't repeat here, you could do more easily from your location.. meeting and interviewing a group of people who would open up to you, and you could embellish their stories while not actually fabricating them.. They would be called "human interest" stories. Everyone likes to read this type of thing.. they can 'relate' .. in many instances.
SummertimePosted 01-27-2009 at 05:38 PM by Summertime
Updated 01-27-2009 at 08:17 PM by Summertime -
Thanks for the added input Summertime! It's encouraging to get some constructive input and ecouragement once in a while.Posted 01-27-2009 at 11:33 PM by carlos123
