DavidGervino.com

Birthday

Today is my birthday! In the past three weeks I've been to Missouri, my parents came up to Chicago and I spent a week in Florida.  I'm exhausted! I went out to Al Capone's Hideaway last night with some friends for an early celebration, so I decided not to plan a big get-together like I did last year. 

On each of the past 7 birthdays that I've had living in Chicago, I've always taken some time to go down to Navy Pier to listen to some live music, look at the boats and reflect on my past year.  I've definitely had an interesting year.  I had become extremely frustrated by ever-changing commission plans and the feast or famine lifestyle that is typical of the sales industry.  I felt as though I had "climbed the ladder of success only to find out that it was leaning against the wrong wall" (to quote Stephen Covey).   So I made a conscious decision to take an entry-level position in a different field. Learning to live on 50% less than what I was accustomed to earning was tough but I've adjusted well.  I'm actually happier now than I've ever been.  Had I known how much happier I'd be by perusing work that I love rather than simply perusing money, I would've started making less money a long time ago!

Florida Vacation

I went to Sandestin Beach Resort a few weeks ago.  My family has been going to the same resort every summer since I was in sixth grade.  I was unable to go the past couple of years due to my work schedule. 

It was great to spend time with my family and to hang out on the beach.  I also spent some quiet time and read two books by John Eldridge.  One of the highlights of the trip was going out on a boat and seeing several dolphins.  The crew gave us Cheez-It Crackers.  We were told to hold them up in the air and birds would come eat them right out of our hands.  It sounded like a cool thing to do until someone asked if the birds ever wind up biting people's fingers.  The captain replied, "Well, it's rare." Yeah.  Okay.  I'll just sit this one out and watch the others participate.

I brought my camera and intended to take pictures to post on my blog.  I'm still trying to find the balance between enjoying my vacation and spending time taking pictures.  That is, I don't want to be one of these guys who spends so much time taking pictures to preserve the memory of a great trip that he doesn't even take the time to relax and enjoy the trip while he's there.  So I went to the other extreme and took absolutely no pictures....

Family Visit

My parents came and visited me in Chicago this past week.  We had a great time.  It's so nice to finally have a job that allows me to take time off to spend with my family.  We mainly hung out in Chicago and we discovered some great restaurants that I had never been to before.  Click here to see photos of my family's visit to Chicago.

Tech Review - Nextel Blackbery 7100i

I've had the Nextel Blackberry 7100i for approximately one week now (See picture on left).  I LOVE IT!!!! I previously had the 7200 (Shown on the bottom right).  The ergonomics of the 7100i are much better than that of the older 7200 model.  The 7200 was too wide and the "End" button was positioned on the side of the phone.  This made it difficult to hold the phone in your hand and not accidentally hang up on the person you were talking to.  Another difference between the two phones is that the screen & keypad are significantly brighter on the 7100i.  I was expecting to have problems with battery life on the new Blackberry but so far I've been pleasantly surprised.  Another thing I was concerned about was the two letters per key on the 7100i.  It did take a few days to get used to but now I'm typing with no problem.  Probably the biggest advantage that the new Blackberry has over the older one is web browsing.  I could never seem to get pages to display properly on the 7200.