Jared's "Lost in Life"

Over the years, this blog has had a wide array of alliteration-based names. The original name was "Lost in Laie" which took how I felt navigating my life at the time and my location of Laie, Hawaii. When I would go home to Mesa for the summer breaks the blog was called "Menace in Mesa." That was a reference to a quote by a church leader saying that anyone over 25 and single was a menace to society. For the nearly 10 years I lived in Guam the blog was retitled once again to "Gone In Guam," which I thought was still pithy and fit well. Upon moving back to Arizona, but no longer single and a "menace" I decided to change the name to "Phloudering in Phoenix" -- a placeholder name I had a hard time replacing with something better. I was unemployed when I moved to Arizona, so... floundering. I had to play fast and loose with the spelling and the fact that I don't actually live in Phoenix. After some time and consideration I have decided it is time to once again readjust the title of this frankly neglected blog. 

World, welcome to "Lost in Life." A return to the vibe and meaning of the original title, but now untied to the location I am in. I think that as I change my life and location this title may just be able to stay with me for the long haul. In truth, I am feeling a bit lost in life. Not some major existential crisis or anything. But I was thinking about my life and the direction it has been going in recently. Then it occurred to me today that I hadn't posted here in nearly 5 years! 

To say that my life has changed a lot since that time would be an understatement. I am unsure at this time, but I am debating on going back in time and recreated posts to fill in the gap. 

Here's a short summary of the major life changes since then: 

• The weight loss I last posted about in 2018 has pretty much stuck. I'm still at a healthy weight. 
• I've taken my chosen method of exercise, running, to a new level. Now I run more than a 5K every weekday before I got to work. I have run a formal half marathon twice and plan to run a full marathon in 2024.
• I now work at EVIT teaching computers full time, where I was part time in 2018. I needed to make more money because...
•  My wife of 12 years decided in 2019 that she didn't love me any more. She summarily dumped me and I was a single father for some time. 
• I couldn't let a good personal tragedy like that go to waste, so I tried my hand at standup. I got to the point where I was doing standup 2-3 nights a week and started hosting at a comedy club as a regular. 
• My friend and co-worker, Steve Grosz, had a stroke (but did fully recover). That openend up an opportunity for me to fill in on the radio station KPNG 88.7 FM the Pulse. That turned into a daily spot. 
• That whole covid-19 pandemic thing happened. I stayed on the air and even got more airtime as a result. And with that, my stage time as a standup comedian slowly diminished. 
• Steve Grosz then quit the school and radio station and I shortly was the primary personality for the morning drive at the station until the new station manager ran the place to the ground I left. 
• I met, dated briefly, and then married a woman I met online who lived in Utah. Her name is Oogii and she and her daughter moved to join me and my two kids in Mesa. Her daughter is named Zaya, which matched the name of my daughter, Maia, surprisingly well. But it does cause some confusion when we yell for one or the other.
• I took a second teaching job as Mesa Community College as an adjunct professor nights and weekends.
• I was awarded the best high school teacher in the East Valley by a newspaper.

And now you are somewhat caught up, albeit without any of the juicy details. I feel like the last 5 years has permanently changed who I am. For better or worse. I don't know where this crazy life will take me or what is lying ahead. What I do know is that I'm just stumbling my way through it like everyone else. And that's why I am now... "Lost in Life."