Ha!

Harry Potter Meme of All Memes by Osaku
Name/Username
Age
Gender
House	Ravenclaw
Wand	Pine, 9", Unicorn Hair
Best Course	Defense Against the Dark Arts
Worst Course	Potions
Pet	Eastern Screech-Owl
Patronus	Bobcat
Quidditch Job	Mediwizard
Wizard Candy	Chocolate Frogs
Profession After School	Cursebreaker

Christmas Report!

So Christmas has come and gone again. And this one passed quietly, with little noise, but lots of warmth and love. I like incident free holidays. Today was the antithesis of this past Thanksgiving. I just hate I won't be able to make to Bristol. And the only thing that would have made today even better was having someone to share it with, but...nothing for that right now. Next year? Like a bandit, I came out. I got a whole lot more than I thought I would. Which I don't necessarily have a problem with. But that's not the point. I would have been perfectly happy with less than I got, but I got what I got, and that's a lot. Rhyme, done. I got the Viking Lego Fortress. Holy crap! Primus, a bundle of very nice clothes, dark chocolate by the truckload, and the chocolate covered coffee beans. And other cash and prizes! But the best thing of the whole day was the ENTIRELY drama free family gatherings. And that means the family time was fantastic, and that's always good.

right. so. some song lyrics here.

Merry Christmas

Well, it's officially Christmas. And there's a lot I could say, but I'm at my mom's. So I'll probably post something later. For now? I just wanna say Merry Christmas to each and every one of you out there. I miss some of you very much, and I just want you to know that I'm thinking about you.
But Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, and I don't doubt it will be. So I'm off to bed.

and God bless us, everyone

Ugh. Tired.

Behold, my undying hatred of working retail during the holiday season. Behold! My unquenchable loathing of "Holiday Hours." I've been having to get up really damn early all week this week and it's wearing me the heck out. And holidays are supposed to be days of rest and feast and prayer! And I've been doing only one of those lately. And I can tell you now I've been eating light (of neccessity) and sleep is a joke. But I haven't killed anyone yet, so the prayers, at least, are working. Holiday hours. Pah! Our store doesn't even need to be open late. It's dead in there after 9PM, even on the weekends. Let me sleep! Stop making me come in at 7:15! Hate!

never gonna get it

Saturday Lunch, Revisited

Not in a gross "I just saw what I ate for lunch in the toilet" scenario, though. Yesterday, Chris, Doug, and I went out to Olive Garden for lunch; the unlimited Soup, Salad, Breadsticks thing they do. It was fabulous as always (and healthy). I mention it in specific because we had an interesting waitress. There had been at least tow, probably three, large groups of families celebrating A&T's December graduation and as a result our waitress seemed a bit tired when she first came out, but she was attentive, and all three of us sympathize with people who have to wait tables for a living. It didn't hurt that she was cute. As lunch went on, we discovered that she had a rather witty and dry sense of humor that was readily appreciated by the whole lot of us, especially me. Y'know, since I tend to be a dry-as-toast sarcastic ass. A lot. But I really do think we made her day a little better. Because we shared in the sense of humor the whole time we were there. As we were getting up to go, she almost said Merry Christmas, but stopped short because she was not allowed to say it. So the three of us immediately and loudly wished her the merriest Christmas possible. Several times. And we stepped out to get my hairs cut, then had to turn around because I forgot my hat. This is where it gets most notable. I pop in, and the table we were at was already seated and my hat was nowhere to be found. Luckily, I spotted Hilary (our waitress. Observational awareness; I spotted her name tag and remembered her name from the beginning.) and asked if she'd seen the hat. She ran off to ask her busser, and she came back looking somewhat forlorn, her eyes cast down. Ah, I thought, she found the hat and is pretending something bad happened to it. Is she flirting with me? She said, "Unfortunately there's been a terrible accident...here's your hat." Which was just fine. And I was right about the pretending. Ah, people. "Transformers, right? Excited about the movie?" Gaspa! And we had a brief discussion about the awesomeness of a Transformers live-action movie and the probable problems of Michael Bay directing it. I was taken aback that she would know anything about Transformers. There are a few possibilities. She has brothers/guy friends who are geeks. She has a boyfriend that is a geek. She, herself, is a geek. I have no problem with the first, and the third would be awesome, expecially if there was no boyfriend. Because geek girls are hard to find sometimes, and cute ones even harder.

Maybe I should go back to Olive Garden sometime soon. Hmmm.

Also? I got a haircut. Yay.

when I saw her standin' there

God, what a WEIRD night.

Right. So today was a bit of an odd duck. I had to go in at 10 this morning for work. But despite the ungodly hour at which I had to get up (shut up, I don't do mornings) it was a good day at work. The XM rep came in and, for no real reason that I could determine, handed me a Starbucks gift card of undetermined (I'm guessing like $5, but still) amount. Whaaaaaa? I was able to get away with wearing my comfortable (read: not black or brown) running shoes today, so my right leg was much better off. And it only took me five minutes to get home. During rush hour traffic. On a Friday. On the weekend before Christmas. How'd that happen? So I get home, I chill for a few minutes, then hop in the shower to get ready for Chris' gig at Plum Krazy's. Once again, I got to pretend like I knew what I was doing and play Sound Guy for the night. It's fun, and I'm going to be there anyway. It's cool how I've been kinda adopted into a "Guest Star" role in the band. Kinda neat, really. But right before they start for the night, Lenny, the kinda head of the band, drops a Jack and coke down in front of me. Free booze! This was most unexpected. I guess I must be doing a pretty good job. At the end of the gigs I've helped with, the band has tossed a little stipend my way. Not a whole lot, but it's always enough to cover my bartab, so it's cool, but never the buying of drinks! Susie, Heather, and Wes all show up. And normally that's a good time for everyone. But that's when it got weird. Wes, being Wes, was Wes all over Heather and Susie. Which, personally, is a little irritating. It's usually tolerable, but tonight the necking was being done nigh on top of me. Which makes for the slightly awkward. And by slightly I mean the opposite. Sarcasm and all. And this started at the BEGINNING of the night. And went on until AFTER the band had stopped. Of course, I had thought Susie was still seeing what's-his-face. Maybe not? Hard to keep up. (Why Justin, is that jealousy I hear? Yeah, maybe, what of it? I'm right fond of Susie, but last I heard she was with someone. Some mistakes do not bear repeating. Already struck out there once. ANd now we're moving on.) Eventually, I was able to be distracted from the...whatever...that was going on beside me when one of the Pixie Twins (these absolutely adorable little blond girls that work at PK's) showed up wearing knee high furry boots, a black sweatshirt, a pink santa hat, and a pair of pink boy-shorts shilling jello shooters. You will not I did not mention what kind of pants she was wearing. Which would be because she wasn't. She had some very nice legs. But even that was trumped a little later, though still eye catching. One of Susie and Heather's friends, Caitie(I think? I recognized her, but had only met her once) showed up. And I have to say, again, that I'm attracted to this one. Where the other two were displaying much flesh, she was a little more covered. Even if the jeans were painted on, with her knee high black boots also painted on. She had a much more reserved air about her that I like. It definitely didn't hurt that she's got an amazing smile and gorgeous eyes. But, alas, I was at the sound board and unable to engage her in any conversation or dance. Ah, well. But anyway, Friday nights are weird nights for gigs as it is. People (and the band) are tired from a day's work already. There is a higher concentration of drunk assholes and retards (had to save Susie at least once) and people tend to leave early. So the last set saw the place almost empty, save the Hardcore AKA Fans. But it ends well, and they guys sounded great (thank you, thank you). And as I'm waiting to pay off my tab, Lenny hands me another Jack and coke. Whaaaa? Oh well, cheers, mate! And to top it all off, the guys tossed in a little more my way than usual. I must be doing something right. Soooooooooo...yeah. Weird night. Weird night.

Tomorrow, laundry and a haircut. I've gone six months growing my hair out. It looks good. I do actually like the look I have, with the pseudo-jawline-beardlet and the longer curly-shag but clean and groomed hair. But as much as I like it, I think I'm done with it. While I don't look bad with it long, like with bright colors, I just don't think it fits how I see myself. This time I think I'll stick with the short hair. It's more me.

slainte!

Doing Fine, Really

I appreciate everyone's kind words in response to my last blog. Really, I wasn't nearly as whiny blue as my post sounded. But it was stuck in my head, it was 3 in the morning and I just needed to get it out. That's what this space is for, really. Well, at least partially, anyway. Sometimes I get to feelin' like the crap and I write it out. In truth, I felt almost immediately better just getting out of my head and "on paper" so to speak. Things have returned to a more or less modicum of not too bad. I still dread going in to work everyday, and I think I've figured out the main reason. Sure, I can complain about the management, but that'll be found everywhere I work. And, admittedly, I don't have the ideal, ah, personality for retail. I'm a malcontent. It happens. But the main thing, I think, is that I'm not growing. I'm not learning. I realized this when I was explaining to one of the new guys why I left Geek Squad. I left because I wasn't learning anything. I wasn't gaining any new skill, I wasn't growing. Stagnation is bad. And that's what I'm dealing with. I'm not being challenged in any way, so it's hard to pay attention, focus on the job. It's hard to find anything to enjoy. Today wasn't as bad as some other days, though. I was able to teach some people some of the basics of some of the stuff. And it was nice to actually see the people get what I was telling them. (Maybe I should be a teacher.) I've also been pondering the idea of going back to school. Even if it was just a class or two a semester at first. The only thing is, I don't know what I want to study! I webcomic (of all things!) has stirred up the old physics bug in me. But I also want to study history, specifically European history from the Roman Empire to the 17th Century. But I'm also interested in math theory and calculus. Or maybe linguistics. Literature? Information technology, computer science, engineering. This is part of the problem of me. I learn really fast. I love learning in general. And I'm good at jsut about all things equally. Be it mathematical/logical, or verbal or artisitic. I take to languages very easily (I slept through two years of French and pulled an A 7 out of 8 quarters), I grasp complex scientific and mathematic theories and concepts with very little study, I have a knack for grammar and spelling and I've got a very strong foundation in writing prose, verse, and essay. What do I study? How can I bring any of that in to focus on anything? Is there an Everything Ever major? Do I take a physics class or two one semester, then some history and so forth, just doing "themed" semesters until the end of my days? Ack!I just don't know! Of course, it's all kinda moot until I can find something that pays a little better so I can afford to actually take the classes. And after the holidays I plan to do some serious searching. I like Best Buy. I used to like working there. Maybe I can connect with one of my superiors and see what my options are, see if I can't force something that will allow me to grow and be challenged, that will allow me to learn. We'll see. But I'm hopeful. Eeeeeever hopeful.

For now? I'm going to read Eragon and The Eldest all in a bundle. Most likely in only about 3 or 4 sittings. Being a voracious reader and all.

I command your very souls you unbelievers

Not so much.

Well. 3AM and insomnia strikes again. And what keeps me awake tonight, Pinky? The same thing that keeps me up any night, really: a general dissatisfaction with my life. Which is as simple and complicated as it sounds. I'm not happy, so I don't sleep well. Which means I sleep later when I finally do get to sleep. Which means I'm more awake when I should be asleep, then stay up later because of the...you get the idea. I miss having someone to talk to this late at night. I had that. For a while. It made it easier. I was still an insomniac, and things weren't as good as they could have been, but there was someone there. Someone who loved me, and I loved them. And miss her. Loneliness is part of the problem. I don't get over love very easily. It's been, what, six, seven months now? Longer, if you look at the signs. But if felt so good to be with someone who wanted me, loved me. Didn't want me to try and be something else. Someone who actually desired me, lumps and all. And it was the same for me with her. We fit. We didn't need to mold ourselves into anything just sit there and click. That's the big problem, I guess. There are other more material things, and those will take time and money to fix. And since I have less money, it'll take more time. I want to have that stuff all squared away by my 25th birthday, which I think is a very attainable goal. And while having the material things squared away will make the immaterial (and more important) things a little easier to fit, they, ultimately, mean only so much. Friday was a really good day. Friends and family having a freat time. But with Chris and Lani being off in honeymoonland, I've noticed how depressingly much I've come to rely on Chris for the socializing. It's been just Doug and me around here and, well, nothing's been going on. I've seen Doug, the pets, the TV and my computer. Excitement. It would fantastic to have Something Else to do. Someone I could call over to hang out (if the apartment didn't look like crap. I need to be less lazy), or to go out and visit or something. But of course, my case is not helped by the fact that I seem to have, just like high school, found myself surrounded by many amazing and beautiful women who have little interest in me other than friendship and/or are very happy in their current relationship. Go me. I realize I have some somewhat strict criteria. But I have a reason for that. I'm not looking for just a good time. I don't have interest in flings or one night stands. It's not about sex, it's about everything. Which isn't to say I've become some asexual being (God, no) but it's not about just getting some. If that's all I wanted, I wouldn't be writing this pile of emo. They have to at least "get" the ren-faire, if not love it. Participant is nice, since that's something we can do together, but playtron will work, too, since that means they have a love of it. An appreciation of sci-fi, fantasy, and anime would be nice. It'd be awesome if she could get into Warhammer or RPG's of some kind, but it's not a requirement. I prefer more modest attire most of the time, but I like a girl who knows how to dress enticing when the occasion arises. I like spontaneity, but not for its own sake. I like traditional gender roles. So sue me. I like it if a girl can cook and clean. No, I'm not asking you to do it for me. I prefer to do my own laundry and I like to cook. But sometimes domestic habits are good. An artistic talent would be nice; dancing, drawing, singing, painting, playing an instrument. Being around creativity inspires it from me. And I don't exercise that part of my brain enough. She should love trees and flowers and animals and mountains and beaches. I'm an earthy kinda guy. I live in a city, yes, but a very green one. I grew up around trees and yards and such. You'll note I haven't listed much, if anything, about physical appearance. I won't try to lie and say looks don't matter. Because that's bullshit. But what I find attractive, not everyone else will. I also don't have a "type" I like more than any other. I've been attracted to (and, lo, even dated some of these) tall girls, short girls, slender and curvy, short hair, long hair, blonde, redhead, brunette, (even one noted case where she was starting to grey), younger girls, older girls, blue and green and brown and grey eyes, and any of the races of man. That said, I don't find unhealthy to be attractive. Both the thin and the fat. Does that make me shallow? Maybe. But it's not sexist either. I'm not asking a girl to conform to any kind of sterotypical model. But then, a lot of women might call me a chauvinist for my views on gender roles, too. Whatever. I'm not looking to be with a woman like that anyway, so it's a rather moot point to this diatribe.

Where was I?

Oh right. My life sucking and how I was going to listen to Hawthorne Heights and cut myself.

Also: I'm too damn moody. What, am I fourteen again? What the hell? I was doing just dandy Friday and riding the buzz from that all day Saturday. Then on Sunday I felt not so awesome. And I worked Sunday. Coincidence? Maybe. But can you take that chance? Bleh. Just bleh. I wrote, so I feel better. But I really wish I could have whined all this out to someone instead of just vomiting it out here for everyone to see. And I shall promptly copy this pathetic cry for attention on my other blog type spaces. Because I'm a jackass.

And so I think I'll close with an open letter prayer and let you guys get back to not listening to a grown man whimper about.


God,

For Christmas I would like Something Great back in my life. I'd ask for it from Santa, but that seems an unlikely thing to get from him. I've not been all that great this year, but I'm trying. I'm doing my best to repent for the things I've done, but I'm having a hard time. I want to be happier than I am. Being happier would make being better easier. And other modified comparative words. I've never been good at this asking for help thing. But I think I've gone as far as I can with this. I've had different Great Somethings in my life before, at various stages, but I always seem to screw it up somehow. I can't promise I won't screw it up again, but I'd like the chance to try. I'm a practical guy. I know I need to straighten some things out about me down here. But it would be nice to have that Something Great there to encourage and help me. I know You're always there. But sometimes it's nice for us mortals to have that warmth of a physical human there beside us. You understand, I know. You made us that way. Even if that Something Great isn't a Someone Great (though, really, that's what I'm asking), I need that Something that's missing. I don't know what it is. I have ideas, of course, but You know me better than I do. What with all that omnipotence and everything.

All I can do is ask.

Your will, not mine.

Amen.

It was a Good Day.

So Chris' wedding was yesterday. And it was a whole truck load of a wide variety of awesomes. We'll start with Thursday night. Thursday was the rehearsal day. There was a whole lot of rushing and freaking by the groom, but he was getting married the next day. It's ok. But we had to pack everything up because we were going to stay over in Durham for the night. Which meant even more packing for Chris since he was going to be off to the honeymoon after the wedding. There was a minor issue with my tux, but we were able to get it resolved, no muss, no fuss. We then proceeded to check in at the Embassy Suites on Harrison Ave in Cary (OMFG!) and chill for a bit before heading off to the rehearsal. Of course, in one of several flights of intelligence by the Wagner House, the rehearsal was scheduled for 6PM. Which meant we had to fight rush hour traffic all the way to the rehearsal. So arriving a full 45 minutes late (but only minutes behind the bridal party) we start the rehearsal and we're all done in a matter of, roughly, 20 minutes. Then we all convoy out to Chris' dad's church where we have the rehearsal dinner, which was a lovely all-you-can-eat Italian affair. Chicken marsala, spaghetti, lasagna, and baked ziti chicken alfredo with breadsticks and salad with eclairs and cheesecake for desert. I ate myself stupid since all I had to eat the whole day was lunch at Red Robin around noon. And we had done a whole lot of running around all day to be eating at 8PM. There were a lot of silly and meaningful toasts made, a bonding of the two families, and an all-around good time. We go back to the hotel and chill for a few minutes then hit the 24 hour pool area. I should mention a few of the things that made me love the Embassy Suites real quick. First off, Chris' rate, thanks to the military discount was only $85 for a suite with a fold-out and two queen size beds. And the room was bloody huge. Before heading to the rehearsal we chilled out in the atrium at the entrance and heart of the hotel. The place itself is 9 stories tall. And the atrium was just awesome. Gorgeous with plush chairs and all that. But from 5:30-7:30 they had a complimentary snack bar with the option of a single complimentary drink. Awesome. I had a vodka and sprite, a nice little treat after a day of rushing like maniacs all day. Not top-shelf vodka by any means, but it was nice drink. But back to the pool. Now, for the Ren-Faire season, we stay at a place called the Country Suites. Why? Because Chris refuses to camp, I'm a creature of comforts, and the idea of trying to keep control of 9 teenagers on a campsite is just lame. This place has been very good to us over the years. Its rooms aren't quite as nice. And their pool is always too warm, the hot tob way too hot (even for me) and far too heavily chlorinated, and the whole room poorly ventilated. The Embassy, however, had a hot tub that was perfect in temperature and chlorine levels. The room was well ventilated, keeping ambient chlorine to a minimum and the pool was actually cool, as opposed to the temperature of tepid bath water. Needless to say, we were there for a while before heading to bed.

The next day we got up early and dropped down to the atrium again for the complimentary breakfast. Omelettes to order, with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, grits, cheese and pancakes all hot and fresh, with the usual array of oatmeal and cold cereals, milk and juices. I loves me a hot breakfast, and free is even better. After that, we go back upstairs to chill for a few more hours until Wes arrived to escort us to Crabtree mall (to pick up my tuxedo jacket) and then off to the venue. We arrived on time, much to the shock of ourselves and everyone us and proceeded to change into the monkey suits, which were very nice. Crevat and full vest, no cheesy half vests and dinky bow ties, and all in black with the white shirt and silver cufflinks. Very smashing. And then we wait. And then we came to find out that our venue had planned a wedding for the next day, and a rehearsal for the SAME TIME as the wedding. Wow. Brilliance. I'm none too impressed with the Wagner House. Goes back to the planning stages were they made us use their caterer, informed us that there would be no bringing of the alcohol, so we had to pay even more for them to get mead for us. Most of the wedding guests were rennies which meant that there were a lot of mead lovers in the crowd and we wanted it there for them. Most of the non-rennies also grew to love the fermented honey drink as well! But the rehearsal was a minor inconvenience and outside, while we were all inside. The wedding itself was actually a little delayed, but this is Lani we're talking about. It always takes her forever to get ready for anything. But I say that in the kindest way I can. She's family now and all. In a way, it was kinda comforting that she was delayed. A sense of normalcy being lent to the whole affair. And then the wedding. Lani was, of course, gorgeous. Chris got choked up during his vows. Lani got choked up during her vows. All the bride's maids were choked up the whole time. Y'know, normal wedding stuff. Lani had picked out nice black dresses for the girls to wear that they would be able to wear out somewhere else, if the evening called for a semi-formal dress. Lani can be practical sometimes. And the pastor kept the sermon fairly short, amazing for a Southern Baptist if you ask me, which was a true blessing since the shoes that came with the tux were horrrrrrrrible affronts to the very nature of foot wear. The ceremony was short and very sweet, with the both of them reciting their own vows, tears all the way. And that was the awesome part. See, we had booked the place from 4PM until 11PM. The wedding? Took maybe 20 minutes. Even given the late start that left us with over 6 hours to par-tay! The rest of the wedding photos were shot, we sat down, we ate (fabulous!), then off to the cake cutting. In the end I got promoted to Best Man pro temp, as Chris' dad wanted to sit with his wife instead of at the wedding party table. And he had also, it seemed, abdicated the Best Man's toast as well. Yay? But it was alright. I didn't have anything planned, really, but I had some heartfelt things I had to say, and I kept it short and to the point, but that's just me. The Maid(s) of Honor had wrtten things to say (more tears!) and then the cake cutting. No smashing, but there was a Lilliana moment of drawing on each other's faces with icing, which was adorable. And then! Then the dancing! Oh my, the dancing. At that point I had changed into my kilt and the short jacket. Let me sidetrack again for a moment. Originally, Chris had asked me to wear the kilt to his wedding. I was, of course, thrilled to do so, because I love breaking out the kilt. But then Lani didn't like the idea. Then she did, then she didn't again. Which, ultimately, was no big deal. So we called and had my tuxedo order changed. Only when we went to the mall on Thursday (Greensboro) to pick up the tuxes, they had left the waist-length jacket, but had given me pants. Huh. So they called and had the Crabtree store reserve a long coat like the others had to be picked up on the way to the wedding. But what that did mean is that as soon as the rest of the wedding pictures were taken, I changed out of the pants and into the kilt and kilt hose and tossed on the short jacket and looked fabulous again. So I spent the next many hours making an absolute fool of myself on the dance floor in my kilt. There was a Lady's Choice dance which I got "dragged" out for by Rayne. I danced with Chrissy during the first dance, being the lovely lady I was paired with in the wedding party. I danced a bit with Lolly, our queen from CRF and Heather, of course. Then came the tossing of the bouquet. Which was, of course, a full contact event with a tumble on the floor and a chase scene. Ashley, a long time mutual friend of everyone, caught the bouquet. And then the garter. It amazes me how many weddings I go to where the groom overestimates the elasticity of the garter. It fell short. Which I then (I'd consumed at least a full bottle's worth of mead by then) threw myself on to save the rest of the groomsmen from a fate worse then death. Did I mention the making a fool of myself all night long part? The surprise for me, though, was the rarely seen tradition of the man who catches the garter sliding it onto the leg of the lady that caught the garter. It was a very nice surprise for me, since Ashley has very nice legs. And it was very nice to be able to slide it up dangerously high on her thigh. Very nice. But then the more dancing. Ashley dragged me out on the floor a couple of times, as did Rayne and others a couple of more times during the night. That was all interspersed with general hanging out with a bunch of really awesome people I don't get to see as much as I'd like, including my brother. Pictures were taken, but not by me. I'll post the ones I can as soon as I get them. All in all, it was just a really awesome time. I haven't had that much fun in what seems like ages. And this year's renaissance festival was awesome, so that's saying a lot. I hate that some people didn't make it, but in the end, it kinda worked out.

you are so beautiful, to me

Better. Really.

I'm doing much better. At the expense of some hours at work, though. Which sucks. But there's not much I can do about it. I was sick! I needed bed rest! So I took it over the weekend. And I feel much better for it. Still have a bit of a barky cough, but plenty of expectorant around here so at least it's "productive" coughing. Ick. Chris' wedding is Friday! Excitement! I plan on doing a whole lot of not much this week and enjoying the fun there. Laundry and WoW are the orders of the day for me. As for the rest of you? Well, that's entirely up to you.

it's a nice day for a...white weddiii-iinnnnnnnngg

The Darkest Day

Today = Suck.

Let's start from the beginning. Wednesday, I got a nice case of the Sudden Onset Cruds. I was kinds stuffy in the morning and then, right during dinner, BLAM! A tsunami of ache and ick rides up my spine and over my head. And then the condition continued into Thursday. And then came Thursday night. I was scheduled to come in at 3:30AM Friday for the Black Friday Bullshit Marathon. My schedule was 3:30AM to 2:00PM. Ten. Freaking. Hours. What the hell? And there was no way for me to call out. Nada. Even if I knew Wednesday I was going to feel like death lightly sauted in a creme sauce on Friday, calling in sick would have only gotten me fired. Which is a battle I don't care to fight, really. Yes, I'm sick. Yes, I'm contagious. But certain managers would have found a way to fire me for it. Which would have led to me filing a harassment suit. Just a mess. And I need a job more than a lawyer right now. So. I go in at three freaking thirty. Having slept maybe an hour. Not having eaten anything. BUt I wasn't hungry. Too busy being over-medicated. That's one of the nice things about my family. Can't throw a stick without hitting some kind of medical professional. So anyway. I'm propped up by at least four drugs at any given moment. But these drugs have a very drying affect, so I'm constantly having to leave to get water and relieve water. Fun times. Break time finally roles around at 9AM. Only the last guy to show up this morning went on lunch first. Thanks a bundle, jackhole. But I finally go on my lunch. And what a lunch it is. A single whole Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit. Not two like I really needed. Never mind that there was enough food for EVERYONE WORKING THE WHOLE DAY to grab two bisuits. Only one. So I eat it. Luckily, or so I thought, there were a handful of Krispy Kreme doughnuts that the XM rep has provided. So I had a kruller along with a monster drink and a bottle of water. But, it seems that the mix of my meds and those foods wasn't too wise. Because right around 11AM or so, on a routine trip to the bathroom for the water cycling, my internal organs decided to return to the outside that which I had consumed for my break two hours earlier. Did I mention that I was running a fever the whole time I was at work? So finally I am cleared to go home. There are a couple of managers who actually give a shit. Just not the top managers. Only, I've left me cell phone at home. Which is problematic because I haven't memorized anyone else's phone number, since I saved them into the cell. And I can't reach Chris on his cell phone. So what does my happy ass get to do? Walk home! Yay! Which sucked. And then I get home to find that I do not have my keys and the door is, of course, locked. So I get to break into my apartment. Fun! Then I grabbed a hot hot hot shower and passed out for a few hours.

So this poor dejected soul could do with some pampering. Preferably by a female type with a good immune system and great hands. Any takers?

cough hack splort uuuuuggghhhhhhh

The Blog That Followed!

Hear the words long prophesied. Well, not that long. And really more suggested. Not even promised, really. Anyway.

The 13th season of the Carolina Renaissance Festival came to a close this weekend. And I've got mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I'll miss being able to be more "me" than I get to in the "real world". I've always felt more comfortable in garb with a sword on my hip than I ever have in any modern clothing. And Captain Julien Grey is a sort of idealized version of who I wish I was at times. He was born of noble blood, though he was not nobility himself. He started in the militias early on and distinguished himself. Eventually, he got picked to be in the Royal Guard, defending the royal family. And there, he continued to distinguish himself. He became Captain of the Royal Guard at 21, very young by anyone's standards, was knighted and took back his ancestral estates. In the following years, he was granted lands, respect and eventually a barony and lorship all his own. A self-made man. The American dream in Renaissance England, if you will. Now, I'm working on the self-made bit, but as a merchant, not a soldier. But on the other hand, Chris, Doug, Lani, and I nearly broke ourselves financing the festival this year. Which was a result of several things, some our fault, some not. And it didn't help that we were transporting 9 teenagers to and from the festival each weekend, on top of the four of us. And now we have our weekends back. Which is nice. But I'll still miss it.

A lot of greatness went down this weekend.

The Royal Guard finally got the recognition it deserves. Lolly, who played our amazing Queen Eleanor, is the Queen in Minnesota as well. Up there, she has her Royal Guard. And they're an amazing bunch. The dress in the Beefeater uniforms as designed by Henry VIII. They're all very sharp. And for them, Lolly created an order called the Order of the Queen's Heart. And for that Order, she commissioned pewter badges, a great honor, to be sure. This year, she gave our Royal Guard, my Royal Guard this great distinction that had until now only belonged to the Minnesota Guard. Words cannot express how much that means to me. For my entire run as Julien Grey, I have strived for such a worthy Guard as this. And it took what I thought it would take: breaking the Royal Guard off into its own troupe again. That meant I could have the creative control, the casting control. No longer would the Royal Guard be the dumping ground for men who got onto the cast, but didn't fit in anywhere else. No longer the rag-tag Keystone Comedy Cops routine. Yes, we played. We were goofy at times, but also, we were sharp when we needed to be. I am damn proud of those kids.

Also: Justin might be the prince next year. Or a prince anyway. He's going to audition, at least. He even got a sort of endorsement for the effort by Rob, the Entertainment Director and Fearless Leader. Which is why he is practicing speaking in the third person, you see. It seems there's been a lot of pretty princes, some down right girlish. But he plans to play a big manly prince. Soldier and scholar and ready for the throne, etc. He thinks it would be a great learning experience for him, and an opportunity to expand and stretch himself as an actor. It's also more inspiration for him to get into shape.

The cast party slash talent show was awesome. Our "dirty" version of "Seven Drunken Nights" went over fabulously. Mmm, free Guiness. It was nice to stick out a little more. The red shirt really helped out there, I guess, though I don't really know why. But it's best not to question, merely accept the results. If only it had resulting in something more than just a bunch of (mostly female, even!) people telling me how great it looked. And it doesn't help that Holly showed up Saturday, told me she missed me, hugged me and smelled good. I hate it when they do that. All smelling good and crap. Anger! And, predictably, it lead me to think of this time last year. And just how much I miss her. So very much.

This could be a weird holiday season. My grandfather, Jim, is in the hospital right now. He may be well enough to come home by Thanksgiving, which I hope for. My grandmother has been getting a little more and more emotional in the past few years. Granted her mother died a couple of years back, but for Pete's sake, the woman was in her 90's. It hasn't helped that almost all of her grandkids have moved off and out and away to college and/or lives elsewhere. So I'm really hoping things don't get bad anytime soon. Because mental breakdowns by the grandparents aren't pretty. But there are some silver linings. Jim is doing better. I don't have to fight about Thanksgiving dinners for once, since Randy's side of the family isn't doing a get together. Which is a terrible thing to say, but, hey, you don't get to be the black sheep by not stepping on toes. We'll see. Maybe I should be a teacher so I can get the summer off and get a Christmas Break. Hmm. Naaaaaahhh. I hate kids too much.

Well, that's most of what's on my mind right now. You crazy kids keep it down. And get off my lawn!

ever and ever and on and on. my sweet, dear kae, i love and miss you

Photoblog. Words to follow. Maybe.

I Have Alene to Thank for This

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! In May I helped battledream see the light (8 points). Last month I ruled Canada as a cruel and heartless dictator (-700 points). In April jadedjules and I donated clothes to the needy (11 points). In November I helped skzbrust hide a body (-173 points). In February I pushed beelee in the mud (-17 points). Overall, I've been naughty (-871 points). For Christmas I deserve a spanking! Sincerely, thelastpaladin

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

Bwahahahahahahahahahahaaa!!!1 Any ladies seeking to give me what I deserve, please for a line to the left. In fact I shall give you all spankings.

and then the oral sex

Pictures! Glee!

These were snapped during the Court Dancing in the mornings; these in particular are from Saturday. I'd have more, but I was too busy actually dancing Sunday to get any then.

Overall, this weekend was a fairly interesting one. A pretty good one, actually. I got free italian food Friday night. And free food is always awesome. Especially if it's offered to you by someone who keeps reminding you (during the meal even) how much they hate you. Bwa-ha-HA! The Faire weekend was really nice, if bright. Cool enough to keep me from sweating too much, but warm enough to keep everyone else from complaining. Weak bastards, all! There was a very nice (to me, anyway) breeze blowing all weekend, too. I got many compliments on my new red shirt, nearly all from the female types, and several from female types not normally in my social circles at faire. Which is just fine by me. I got to hang out with Amy at the hot tub waiting for everyone else to arrive. She plays a fool, Keena(spelling unknown), at CRF and is most often found on her head telling bad jokes. She's been doing the Rennie Life since her first year at CRF, 2004, where I first met her. She's a fantastic woman, and it was nice to get to know her a little better. Chris and I had a patron come up to us and request that we sing Seven Drunken Nights. This season is really shaping up to be an awesome one for me.

Now if only I could get the weekdays to not suck so much. Aye, there's the rub.

as i went home on a sunday night...

Lord Captain Julien Grey

Man, but don't I look smashing?

Slacker!

I really am. At least when it comes to this blog. But I tend to get out of touch with the world during the Ren-Fest season. Wear myself out during the weekend and zombie my way through the week. The festival is great, though. The kids are alright, but, being a bunch of teenagers, they can get on my nerves just a bit. It's also difficult getting the kids to respect me like they do Chris. Chris was the Sarge. Teacher, mentor, guy-to-listen-to. I'm the new guy, so to speak. So it's a lot harder to get them to listen to me. Maybe because I don't particularly want to dress them down off stage. I guess I'm still used to not having to do so. In the past, the Royal Guard/Pike Troope was made up entirely of adults. And on top of that, adults under the head of someone else. On stage, I was the captain. Back stage, someone else was responsible for everyone's behavior. Now I'm both Stage Manager AND Captain. If this were a real Guard, they'd listen or get the crap beat out of them for insubordination. Can't quite do that now. Oh well. If that's the only real complaint I have, I think I've got it pretty good.

I got a new shirt. Wow, isn't that exciting. I started thinking about getting a red shirt earlier this year. Grey and red are Captain Grey's "colors" but I've always had just a white shirt. No plans to get rid of the white one, though, because it still looks very good. And it's cotton, so nice and breathable. The new shirt is red silk. And man is it pretty. Grey is a Lord, after all, a Baron. He should have some nicer clothes. I made a leap in that direction with his doublet from a couple of years ago, a nice corduroy with silver braid accents and detachable sleeves. And The suede doublet I have now is very much lordly. And now I have a nice upper class shirt. It's the hotness. I'll get some pictures next weekend and post. But now, I have a few pictures of the kids to share with everyone! Yay!

Looooong week. And some change.

Wow. What a week. And some days. So.

My last post was made just after getting home from Dress Rehearsal weekend. Which went well enough, if really warm. But this past weekend, opening weekend, went fabulously. I need to remember to grab my camera to take a few pictures of the Royal Guard, and everyone else. But those kids are awesome. I don't know if I've elaborated on the kids, so I'm gonna do that. These are former students that Chris taught in his Leadership Academy at Imani Institute. These are underpriveleged kids who would never have really been able to experience the Renaissance Festival otherwise. But being Chris' kids, they're all very disciplined. Lani has (and still is, grumble grumble) made some very sharp costumes for the guys to wear. People in the cast keep coming up to Chris and me telling us how impressed they are, how great the kids are. We couldn't be more pleased with the reaction. And being, technically, production staff, we don't really have to listen to other people when they try to tell us what to do or not to do. We usually do, but only because 1) it's a legitimately good idea that's been proposed or 2) to play along and keep the waters from being too stirred up. But I've denied people, much to their chagrin (only 24 years old? What does he know?! Punk kid!), their petty power struggles on more than one occassion. Because I can. I answer to myself, Rob and Jeff. Rob being the Entertainment Director and Jeff being the Mighty Owner Guy of the whole thing.

Work's been work, but continues to be a lot less stressful and a lot more fulfilling. Especially since I don't have Scott Horton leaning heavily over my shoulder all day, every day. If he's the Manager on Deck, he'll walk about checking on the department, but it's a pain in the ass to come all the way out to Car Fi from the Manager's Bridge on the opposite corner of the store, so his visits are rare. Some days he'll get a wild hair up his ass and spend many a circuit passing Car Fi when I'm on shift, no doubt looking for something to get on my case about. Meh. I do more than my share keeping the numbers up, and Jimmy knows it. So I've got some relative immunity.

Speaking of work, I've taken to walking to and/or from work, instead of getting Chris or Lani to drive me. Not often, and usually only when I can't get a ride. But I think I might do it as a matter of fact, barring foul weather. The absolutely amazing doublet Kae made for me is a little tighter around the middle than it should be, and I need to fix that. Because I have put on a little size in the last 6-7 months. Faire will help that. I get into a mode where I eat less and do more. Which I really wish I had kept up a little better than I did. But I've been stuck in a long bout of apathy about my physical condition. Heartbreak does that to me. But it's been months. I really should have shaken myself out of it sooner, but laziness, apathy, etc. Yadda yadda yadda. Fixing it. My khakis are already fitting better and the XL Best Buy Blue Polo of Blue fits a lot better than it did four weeks ago when I first went back to Car Fi. I just need an accelerant. Like liposuction. Heh.

Back to opening weekend! The weather was awesome. For me. A lot of other people weren't happy with it. But they weren't blessed with Northern European genes that were made to handle cold and misty/rainy days. I was a little miffed that I didn't have my cloak, though. Not because I was cold and wet, but because I want to make sure I don't damage the doublet. It's suede and all. And a labor of love. So I treasure it and keep it in the best condition I can. Also? I need to get a red shirt.

I've been watching too much Stargate SG1. Damn you, torrent files. Damn you to hell!

caaaaaan...anybo-deeeeeee...find meee-heee-heee...somebody too-hoo....looooooooove

One Year

I remember. I will always remember. I will always love you.

and the greatest of these is love

The New Hotness

i'm the man in black

Old for My Age

I had an interesting evening tonight. In the end, I have re-affirmed that I am too old for my age. Not even 25, but feel utterly out of place amongst people my own age. Tonight we did our nightly patrol around the complex, and noticed people hanging out at the gazebo. Which is actually fairly unusual. So we decided to load up a hookah and head out. We set up on the deck near the gazebo and let the small cluster of young people engage us as they wanted to, not intruding. As a side note, we've got confirmed orders for at least three hookahs. Yay business! The average age of the group was probably 21 or 22. As is wont to happen when a little alcohol and the hookah is involved, conversation on a wide variety of topics ensued. Which, as would be expected, lead to politics and religion. Which lead to a mostly silent and irritated me. Young people full of "new" and "radical" ideas, severe distrust of the government, liberal though, dislike of an unpopular war, etc. Not unusual for the age group. And they were all well read and articulate. Likeable enough people, really. But frustrating for me. More and more I find I just don't understand or identify with people my own age. Got called a racist by a white person (dwa?) until I repeatedly explained that my dislike of urban culture has nothing to do with race, but the culture itself. The style of dress, the general attitude of zero personal responibility, the glorification of the objectification of women (that was a mouthful), the "music" and all that. I don't care if they have something intelligent to say. I can appreciate their wordsmithing, and do. But unlike one of the guys we talked with, I do care about what they say, not just how they say it. I also believe in not dressing like a clown. But. As I said, they were agreeable enough. Well-spoken, well-read. Cultured and intelligent. Just...well...kids.

When did I get this old?!

today's music ain't got the same soul

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

Thief! THIEF! THIIEEEFFF!!!!

refer here for object of theft

Just Stop

I think I should learn how to become an automaton. I think it'd much easier than my ever-hopeful self. Because that ever-hoping crap is only going to end in disappointment. Again. As always. Rah.

there she goes

Weekend Update, with Norm Macdonald

I've been away from the box for while. Just checking in. My mood's been stuck somewhere between melancholy and depressed for the last week or so. No discernable reason, other than maybe just the end result of months of crap at work and a rather vaccuous hole of a social life most of the time. But I don't think that's it. Probably just a bout of the ol' chemical imbalance rearing its ugly head. After tomorrow, I'll no longer be in Geek Squad. I hate that it came to that. I'll still be employed at Best Buy, and at the same store, just back in Car Audio. I should be working through Thursday of this week, but that changed while I was at work not 10 hours ago. Two weeks ago, I had 37 hours this week upcoming. A week ago, unchanged. Even when I went in to work at around 3PM for my closing shift, I was still scheduled a full work week. But between the time I got to work and the time Renny left, I had no hours. Zero. None. But everyone else, full or part time had full time hours. Huh. Letters to HR will be written tomorrow, oh yes. If Scott or Renny are there, I might raise a stink. I'm leaving anyway. They have no power over me now. No fear of reprisal hold me back. Which is what I've had for the last two weeks. But that's beside the point.

I've been writing, though. Just not here. Working on the Chronicles of Jed, working title. A lot of good ideas for the tale, which continuously evolves, came to me this week. For example, Jed, the main male character, is part demon. His mother was an elf of a certain tribe. She was assaulted by, what amounts to, an angel of death. Twins were the result of the assault. Jed, and Drandor. The mother, however, being an elf, was able to discern which of the two was the "Good" twin and which had a disposition more like the father. She was able to separate the essences of the children so that the "Good" twin got the noble heart and the demon blood whilst purifying the other child, but leaving the dark heart. I like the dychotomy. One's flesh is evil, while his soul is pure. The other is a pure being with an evil soul. That leads to another dynamic. The pure female priestessy character always gets treated rather tersely by Jed. There's no immediate explanation for this. Later on you discover that while Jed is, indeed, usually an asshole, in this particular case, it's something much different. Jed's demon blood is repulsed by holy things. Being in churches and around general holy things makes him uncomfortable in a non-specific way. Being around someone who is part celestial/holy being actually causes him physical pain. Like, say, a 5 or 6 on the 0-10 scale of pain. Constantly. This is a little bit of self-reference. I, on a normal day, because of my leg, can usually expect a pain level of 3 as a constant. There are times when it is lower than that, or even a 0. 3 is not bad. That, as near as I can tell, is the equivalent of just have a stiff back, or a head-coldish sinus pressure. Not bad, usually ignorable, easily remedied with low dosage of medication like tylenol. But this is everyday. And I don't like relying on pills. It's just a fact of me. My leg is kinda screwy because of how it was broken 11 years ago. I deal. But whenever there's a significant weather change or if I get in a "mood" the pain jumps to around 4 or 5. Which is what I equate with, say, the flu kind of achiness or first hard workout kinda sore and stiff. Which means I'm cranky. This week in particular, I got the double whammy of weather and moodiness so my leg has been most unpleasant. I have naproxen sodium for days like these, which help. But I don't always remember to take it when I get up. So if I'm ever kinda barky at you, take into account weather and such. It's probably not you so much as I hurt. Kinda like animals. When they're in pain, they tend to snap and bite. But that's Jed, too. Being around her causes him a noticable level of discomfort. But there are other things, far more epic and grand than mortal and identifiable characters. Like dead gods and dark cults trying to resurrect them. Avatars, angels, demons, mad wizards, dragons, AIRSHIPS!(ZOMG!!!1), meaningless death, redemption, resurrection. I know that when I get moody, the mind starts working funny and a lot of ideas flow forth and most of it is slag, but from the slag comes the occasional nugget of worth. And that is the one silver lining to the moodiness is an increase in creativity, even if it does tend towards dark and morbid things.

i'm gonna get free

Grand Opening!

I am now, officially, co-owner of the Sultan's Tent Partnership, a subsidiary of Shaw, Johnson & Jones Solutions and Consultations. Our "Grand Opening" is Friday, September the First, in the Two Thousand and Sixth Year of Our Lord. We'll be having several hookahs set up, probably grilling, most likely drinking. You are all invited.

takin' care of business

Rah.

And I miss her
And I miss her
And I miss her still

Got tired?

Man. Tuesday? Tuesday was a good day. Slept in. No work, as I twisted my knee bad enough the night before that being on my feet for 8 hours was a large no-no. I was well-rested. I finished cleaning my room. My room is now nigh-unto spotless. Very presentable. On top of that, my England World Cup soccer, I meant "football", jersey came in the mail, and it is very spiffy. And being an "authentic" replica (jumbo shrimp? wha?) it's actually an Umbro X-Static jersey, making it very comfy. It's washing right now, but I'll try to get some pictures of me in it. Being not made in or for the US, the sizing is actually more like it should be, but I'll rant on that a little later. My new bracers also came in. And man. Are they sweet. Medium brown leather (I'm switching over to all brown leather since my old boots finally gave out.) with, get this, copper plates on top in a scrollwork pattern! So very pretty. Check them out here.

Today? Wednesday? Not so much. 10 AM shift. Mornings and I have never gotten along. This one was no different. It didn't help that there was a line formed outside BEFORE THE STORE WAS EVEN OPEN!!! Jesus, people, it's not that important! Go home! Sleep in a little longer! Something! And there was no mid coverage today. Two openers, and then everyone else came in after 1. Which means the guy that came in at 7AM didn't get his break until two hours before he was supposed to leave. What kind of schedule is that?! The only reason the day wasn't a complete shit-fest was because I lucked up and managed to already be working on some new pcs when the new orders kept coming in. So after lunch all I did was new computers. And I pushed out about eight in that time. Bearing in mind, that a new PC setup with restore CD creation takes about three hours, and I had four hours left after lunch. So I was working on six new computers at a time at any given moment during that time. But at least I wasn't at the window so I could actually get something done. And I'm not the only one in the department wanting out. The two new guys are already asking what the heck is going on with our precinct. All I can do is shrug and point to the leadership.

Clothing Rant, Go! So Chris got some black military-style cargo pants a month ago when this whole night-time security gig started. And normally I wear an XL shirt, so Chris, trying to be thoughtful, got me some XL pants. I'm willing to bet that if I were to buy a pair of, say, sweatpants I'd buy an XL. But the military, at least, knows how to size things. Shoes, for example. I wear a 13-14 in commercial sports shoes and boots, etc. My new jungle boots are a 12 wide. Are size 12's not as big as they used to be or do the army numbers run big? And my new soccer jersey is an XXL. But wears just like all my XL t-shirts. Are we so fat here in America that we need to adjust our sizes to make us feel better as men, but the adjust our sizes so that a, say, size 12 dress is what most people would consider fat, even though Marilyn Monroe wore a 12? What's going on there?

One last thing for you guys. I have to admit that I'm finding iTunes to not suck. Not the music store, I'll have none of that. But the player itself handles my mp3's just as good as winamp did, but with far less frequent needs to update. And when it does need to update, it does so automatically. Which I like. I like stream-lined computer use. Screw micro-managing my PC. That's what Linux users are all about. I'm not a Linux user. But I also recently discovered iTunes internet radio. They have a classical guitar channel. Classical guitar! I fell in love with this particular type of music years ago when Billie first started going to the NCSA. I will admit that if it weren't for my affection for her, I might never have discovered or developed an appreciation for it, but I did. I have many fond memories of going to Escape the Daily Grind and getting a large espresso smoothie and listening to Billie play for a couple of hours, or hanging out with her at her parents' house (her still living there and all) and listening to her practice. I miss that.

Sigh.

still my guitar gently weeps

OMFG!!!1

I CAN'T GET TO SLEEP! OMG!!! >.<

who needs sleep, never gonna get it

Group!

I don't get to hang out with my brother nearly enough. Which is why it was super awesome being able to hang out with him in the whee hours of the morning. All thanks to World of Warcraft.

Thank you, World of Warcraft, for bringing my family back together.

How has World of Warcraft changed your life?

How could World of Warcraft change you life, even today?

Join us at the First Church of WoW, every Saturday night. Raids and instances to follow service.

raiding for Jesus

Tax Free is very taxing

Day one the three day onslaught that is Tax Free Weekend (end...end...end...) has come to a close. I...am tired. And I hurt. This is all the fault of poor management on all levels. And there's no real relief in sight. Our old GM, Alvin, has left for better positioning in the new Kannapolis store, where he's closer to home and has the opportunity to make great things happen, yadda yadda. So we're a ship without a captain. And lots of bickering officers. And the only people who know what they're doing in engineering are the enlisted men of little or no rank. Our sargeant, our lieutenant and the executive officer are ALL from logistics and supply. But feel they have the training and skills to tell us how to do our job. Whee. I do have a couple of leads on some better jobs, at least. But I need to find something before the holiday season. I am done with retail. Or at least, I'm really feeling done with the Geek Squad department in my store. But I say that every few days or so, don't I? It's just really hard to let go of the benefits at the location. I do have friends there. I just don't like what my bosses have caused to happen in the department. And no one cares but us. Rah.

So I've joined a guild in World of Warcraft. I'd link the site for the guild, but I haven't made it yet. Yes, that's right, I'm something of an official in the guild and the only person who knows enough code to make a website. Am I in high school again? I thought everyone knew HTML?! Yeesh. The guild itself, Phlinx if you're interested, is new. Like last week just created new. So I don't know how cool or not cool the guild will be. But I'm willing to give it a shot. The tabards don't look too bad, and there's plans to schedule raids and instances and fun community stuff like that. I just have to survive tax-free weekend so I can make the page.

a killer in me is a killer in you

Ulthwe, for the win.

Another long day for the persons.

Y'know, I started to write this blog, then had to walk away after writing that first line and now I have no clue where the heck I was going with that. But I'm going to leave it. On a whim. Sucka.

Today was another pretty good day, despite having to be in at 10AM. (When will they learn?!) Work was actually rather blah. I got a few things done, but not really enough. Mostly because of the lack of help going around. See, even with the new full time employee, we've got a part-timer getting the heck out of dodge. And this new guy knows his stuff, he was even a Double Agent, but he doesn't know precinct work. So we've got to teach him the methods we use. I hate teaching. Renny was 45 minutes late today. Which is bad enough. But this story goes back a little farther than that. See, there was a blood drive today. And Annie and Amie were getting people signed up to give. I figured I hate avoided it long enough, and it was time to bite the bullet and just give. So I sign up for 2:45 in the afternoon thinking that surely I would be able to eat lunch before giving blood. Enter Renny. See, Renny should have been in at 2PM. Enabling me to immediately go to lunch, get cleaned up and give blood. Remember that 45 minutes late I was talking about? Yeah. Renny got there just in time for me to give blood. On an empty and growling stomach. So I'm lying there on the almost comfortable chair thing. That was designed for someone much smaller than me. Now, I can stand the sight of blood. I can handle the sight of my own blood. But apparently, I'm not so keen on seeing a dark red tube hanging from my arm. I've still got to twitch and shake my arm thinking about it. And they took from my right arm. Not my best arm. But back to the empty stomach. About 3/4 of the way into it, they notice me being visibly pale. I'd have said something, but speech was a little more than I could do at the time. Thinking was fine. Moving wasn't. So they immediately pump me full of about 4 cans of Pepsi and some crackers until I'm done. I don't think the nurse liked me too much. There appears to be a lot more donor involvement than I thought. And in situations like this, I prefer to just kinda nap through it and zone out. I think I would have been okay if I had eaten before. Even right now, though my right arm is still weak. I don't know if I'll give again.

In other news, Jerod is up for a day or two. My Eldar now stand, technically 2-0. Though these victories have been very narrow. But it's nice to win. Eldar tanks rule.

There's more to tell about the day at work, but I'm going to turn in "early." Still kinda tired.

sephiroth! sephiroth!

A day of rest.

Aaah. Sleep. How I have missed thee. So far, my day off has been restful, unproductive and all around fantawesweetastic.

I played WoW until around, oh, dawn or so. Because it is, in fact, very fun to do so. Especially when you're running around kicking ass as a Paladin. Mmm, Paladin. I just learned the Ressurect spell, so I am well on my way to becoming a very viable party member.

I only ended up sleeping until around 11:30AM today. Which is far earlier than my usual 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. Heh. But it was a very nice six or so hours of sleep. I felt very well rested when Chris came in to wake me up to deliver some really good news.

See, we've been muttering to ourselves of late. Along with many plans we're putting into the works, we also came up with the notion of making a proposal to the apartment complex about being on-site, in-house security. Our plan is to make regular nightly patrols until a fairly reasonable hour. Flashlights, pseudo-tactical clothing, duty logs, incident reports, all that. We were going to ask for a small concession on our rent. Around $300 a month for the three of us. Chris went in with his proposal today, laid out our ideas. They agreed to everything but the concession. The offered HALF OFF THE RENT with the garage for FREE!!! That's right, instead of $400 a month a person ($1200 a month for rent, garage, water), they're talking about $600 a month for a 1,400 square foot apartment with three bedrooms. $200. A. Person. Holy cow.

Hugh is on his way out up here and we plan to celebrate with some fine Japanese cuisine.

now you feel like numba one, shining bright for everyone

I'd Forgotten

It's been a really long time since some on called me self-righteous. I'd forgotten how satisfying that is to hear. Especially if the person is trying to mock you when you're trying to offer support to someone you thought was a friend. I guess they all really do hate paladins.

*sigh*

Who are you people again?

Tired. Hurt. Too much work, not enough play. Rah.

Also? The smell of pot being smoked makes me sick to my stomach. If I had been thinking a little more clearly, I'd not have gone over there. I knew the guy smoked pot. But I didn't expect 12 of his stoner buddies to show up and begin to pass around the stuff. Which is pretty dumb. Most stoners only hang out with stoners. They being the only people that can really stand pot smoke. Perhaps I made the incorrect conclusion when I thought that it was a sometimes thing he did, not an Every Day After Work kind of thing. Eesh. I also made the mistake of complaining about said upset stomachness to some co-workers. Who glanced about and made sarcastic comments indicating that they, too, dabbled in the marijuana. Just another reason I want out of the place.

I've been enjoying World of Warcraft. Shut up, I'm new to the game. Anyway, I created a paladin, which is more fun than my warrior in many aspects, mostly survivability. Until, of course, level Ridiculous opposing characters (two of them) storm into what amounts to the Newbie Area and kill. A lot. I died at least a dozen times just trying to contribute to the defense of the area. Being level 11 at the time, going against what was later determined to be around 50, seems foolish. But there were many of us. But it was foolish. I didn't have to go, I could have gone along my merry way, but I like to play true to character. Paladin. Honor. Defense of the Realm and all that. But it was still fun helping bring them down. Eventually.

Going back to work, I am tired. Too much work, not enough days off. In a row, at least. By the end of this week, I will have had two days off in a row at the very beginning. That's it. The progression of the 21 days will have been as follows: off, off, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, off, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, off, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, off, WORK, off. And off the 15 days there I'm working, 11 were openers. I haven't worked a mid shift in weeks. I'm better at closing. I struggle when I open. Struggle to be in on time, struggle to perfom, struggle to give anything that even resembles a rat's ass about customers, their computers, managers, budgets, anything. But still they schedule me to open. Why?!?!

where is my mind

"Weekly" Post

I really meant to post something a few days ago. But I am a lazy fart. But here's the skinny, yo.

So my phone came in this week, and so now I have a cell phone. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone's number anymore. So if you know me and have/had my cell phone number, give me a ring sometime so that I might re-add your phone number into the list. Or message me. Or whatever. It's a pretty nice phone. Been on the market a month or so, maybe. KILLER battery life. I've had it on since Wednesday, and I've got 3 of 4 bars of battery power. And this is WITH the heavy amount of talking on it that I've been doing the last couple of days. Well, heavy for me anyway. It's black, and it's a flip phone. Not a ROKR, though. So I've lost my iTunes on a phone capability. I'll manage, somehow.

I also got a hookah all of my own this week. It's the Vicinity two hose model, offered by Southsmoke.com. Her name is Galadriel. She's a very pretty item, too. I got some nice tobaccos with her, too. A small sample of mint and a mix called Winter Flower, which combines mint, rose, apple, and cola. It's a very nice perfume smelling smoke, with a unique taste. But it might take a little getting used to, as it's not the immediately sweet flavor that we're used to. I'll have to take some pictures of her, soon, as the picture on the website doesn't really do her justice.

World of Warcraft. I am now a paying member. I like it, what can I say. I wish more MMORPG's offered free trials WITHOUT having to buy the software. I paid $39.99 for the "activation" and a "free" month's service. Whereas I could have paid $50 off the shelf never having tried the game at all. It's a very slick move on Blizzard's part, and I applaud them for it. But the game is really fun. And on top of that, it's very easy to start a new character and succeed with it. I'm tempted to start a new character, though I am loathe to toss away the work I put into my warrior. Always had a soft spot for the paladin class...

Today I had a rare weekend day off. Which I promptly spent sleeping in a bit then hitting the pool for three hours. I forget what a nice summer afternoon feels like, constantly being chained in my underappreciating job. Got a little sun, enjoyed the pool. It was nice. Though with the highs being in the mid-90's all week, I'm kinda glad I'll be indoors during the hottest parts of the days. Downside? I have to open almost all this week. This does not make Justin happy. Not one bit. Tomorrow/today promises to be a long one.

i still hate ipods

WoW

World of Warcrack.

A few days ago, I found a link, though I forget where, to a free 10 day trial for World of Warcraft. And, of course, I opted to give it a try. At first, I was loathe to delve into the game. It's artwork and colors are all very stylized and cartoon-like, full of bright colors. I guess I had grown used to Final Fantasy XI's more 'realistic' and muted colors and design. I was also somewhat put off by the fact that you can only learn two main professions. Which, in reality, means you choose one profession, and then have to learn the gathering skill for that profession. It wouldn't make any sense to make a Skinner/Blacksmith or an Herbalist/Leatherworker. But free? We can give it a shot for free. We can handle that.

And so far I'm liking it well enough. It's a lot (a hell of a whole lot) easier to level skills, professions, and class. Which is a double-edged sword. I remember it taking months to level to 18 in FFXI, but in the span of about three days of playing, I'm halfway to level 14. My profession skills are maxed out until I can find another trainer NPC. It's fun, though. And solo-ing is a lot easier to do, I've found. The drawbacks are there, though. The Looking For Group chat is constantly spammed with Chuck Norris Facts. And people yelling at the people spamming the LFG channel. And the people yelling at the people yelling at the people... A level 60 character is a little diminished in WoW, though, because it denotes a significantly less amount of time devoted to the game than, say, FFXI. If you saw a level 70 ANYTHING running around Vana'diel in FFXI you knew that cat had been around a while. Though, really, I think the highest level I've seen in my playing is around 25. I'm still in the n00b area, but my few trips into the main city, I haven't seen a whole lot of higher levels. I think I'm in a new server, but I haven't researched it or anything.

But if you play WoW and see a human warrior named Iustis running around on the Aerie Peak world, give a shout.

cry holy, holy, LORD

Ah, food.

First "real" meal I've cooked in ages. I've been pretty good about the nutrition of late, but not when cooking so much. Granted it centered around one of those pre-packaged box meals, but that's just the foundation. Made up two boxes of chicken/mashed potatoes/biscuits in our big ol' casserole dish. Then cooked up some corn and peas with a box of mac and cheese. And I made some goooooood mac, I tell ya what. Added 5 oz. of milk, instead of the 4 it asked for and then made up for it with a whole lot of parmesean and american cheeses added to the cheese sauce mix. While it maybe wasn't, ah, slimming, it was, at least, nutritious. And no seconds. A full plate, true, but just the one plate. Which means that I have plenty of leftovers. Nothing like an easy lunch!

And a Cheerwine for "dessert." Mmmm, Cheerwine.

and they call me mellow yellow...

Sorry, Lenore

I got a haircut today. Bigs news! Stop the presses! Not just a trim either. Back on down to the old standby haircut I sported for many years. Buzzed down on the sides and about an inch on top. Truthfully, I already miss the length, but I'm glad I did it. Thought, originally, I went in for just a trim. Talked everything out very specifically, and the trim was exactly as I had asked, and while it looked ok, I decided to just go ahead and lop it all off. My plan, however, is to see if I can not cut it again until December of '07. 18 months of grow. With the rate at which my hair grows, that should be enough for about 9" of length. If I can tough it out that long and I don't like it, that's enough to give to Locks of Love. If I do like it, then I'll keep it.

Mostly, though, I just think I needed to clear it all off. Most of the girls who voiced a liking of the long hair aren't available. In fact, I think all of the votes for me keeping it long came from the taken list. Kinda discouraging, really. I had a reason to grow out the hair, but I don't have it any more. And I've been having to stiffen myself again as of late, and this helps with the hardening process. Besides, I look better in my contacts if I have short hair. And these glasses are long since done.

Now to see if anyone wants to go out and eat tonight. I got paid, and I'd like to hang out with friends and eat.

And in a related story, Steven brought about one and a half gigs of jazz music to work this week and I've ganked it for myself. Mmm, jazz. Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Etta James, Wynton Marsalis, and Louis Armstrong. Good stuff.

born to lose, i've lived my life in vain

Buh Lah

Yawn. Dullsville around here. I'm ready for the weekend. Work is long and draining, as always, but at least the numbers are good! OMFG YAY!!!1 Rah. Good surprise though, is that I did the math wrong and I get paid today instead of next week. Money is being the useful. Need to hit the grocery store tomorrow, pay for a doublet. Just enough left after that to sit on. Yaaaay. But I open in several hours, and Saturday is off. So hurrah weekend. Jerod's coming out this way Saturday night, so I might do something really crazy and break out a hookah. Gasp.

Also? I'm still debating the whole haircut thing. What's wrong with me?!

georgia, georgia

8 days later...

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. Just a whole lot of not much to say of late. Work's been...well, work. Things seem to be improving in general, which, by sheer coincidence alone, means things are getting a little better for me. But I'm still waiting to see what Adam's got for me. Marquis and San are both gone as of this week. So next week should be reaaaalllly interesting. In that not fun kind of way. I imagine some fecal matter will be hitting some rotating blades very soon. Hopefully this time the management fall out won't cost me my job. Which, admittedly, would be a very pleasant first. Jerod came up today. I don't get to hang out with my brother nearly enough. But we had a good time. Ate way too much really good spaghetti, watched some Hustle and did the usual gazebo thing. Though I am ticked at the weather for ruining the Evening at the Pool I had been trying to piece together. Ah, well, my fault for not consulting the forecast before making plans. Maybe next time.

Also? Oblivion still owns me.

in the ghettt-ttoooooooo

Video Killed the Radio Star

But some punk took the radio out of my car.

Yes, that's right, some idiot decided he deserved my 6 year old beat-up CD player more than I did. And I didn't even have my windows rolled down like I normally do! The irony is that my car spent three days alone and unsupervised in a parking lot out of gas, and no one took the radio then. The NIGHT I get gas in it and get it home, no more radio. Between 11PM and 8:45AM this happened. I had been meaning to replace the radio anyway, but really. That's just sad. Left my CDs, my baseball bat, my hats, the two quarts of oil and the change in the ashtray. Just the old and tired CD player. And you can't even use half the functions because the remote got missing almost a year and a half ago. But good for you, hoodlum kid. You have a bright future in Prison Occupation. Congratulations. I hope taking my radio made you feel better about your 3 inch penis. At least the doors were unlocked so they didn't bust my windows.

who steals a radio out of a piece of crap car like mine anyway?!

Random Catch Up

There's been a goodly amount of stuff going on that I've neglected to post. I blame the intense focus on the suck of late. But there's quick bits.

This past weekend, was, overall, a pleasant experience. The bachelor party out on the lake was fantastic. I miss gaming with people. Stupid not-so-much gaming roommates! But! It was Thursday night that the unforeseeable awesomeness happened! I beat Jerod's bugs! That's right, my first time commanding an Eldar force, I won! Though, to be fair, it was just barely. Essentially, everything got wiped off the table except my two unharmed tanks. But that's 360 points out of a 1000 army. So not so bad. There were a handful of bugs left on the table but all blasted to well below half strength. A moral victory, but no much else, as all of my foot soldiers got et.

To top off all the crap from Monday, my car ran out of gas not half a mile from a gas station. Not that I had the funds to pay for the gas, mind you. The schedulers at my store have seen to that. But I was frustratingly close to everywhere I could want to be. Rah. And thanks to that, I didn't get to swim yesterday. Which sucks. And I closed today, so no swimming. But tomorrow, I am the off, so swim I shall!

In other news, I'm getting frustrated with my hair. I've been trying to grow it out for a while. If I didn't work in a retail environment, I wouldn't care so much. But I do work with the public. And even I care a little about my image. The scruffiness of face, meh. But the hair, even if it looks unkempt, should not be curling up and out and forward, so that if my hair had it's way, I'd look like my face was in a bowl of hair. That's just no good. That and I am horribly impatient. I just want to cut it all off and go back to my old hair style, all short and low maintenance. I miss the low maintenance. Thoughts?

my "i" key is slowly dying. i weep.

Jumping Ship

Yeah. So I'm getting out. Too much BS. I don't blame Best Buy. I don't blame Geek Squad. I don't blame the store or even most of my co-workers. I blame Scott Horton, Services Manager at Best Buy store 155 in Greensboro. Today I found out that we have moved one of our best techs out to the computers sales floor as a Computers Senior and in his place took one of the best Computer sales guys we have OFF the floor and made him a Geek Squad senior. What the hell. And with Marquis leaving very soon, I'm going to have nothing but sales people as bosses in a services department. How does this possibly make sense?! It's like I work in the motor pool for the Army. Similar things, fixing and maintaining equipment. Only the powers that be saw fit to replace all the leadership in the motor pool with supply officers and sergeants. People with no technical experience. And I have to answer to these people?! How in the nine circles of hell does this possibly make any sense?!?! Christ! So I called up Adam this evening and tomorrow he's going to see what's open where he works. Or how soon an IT spot would be open there. Because I have GOT to find something better than this. And it really burns me up that this one manager is making want to leave Best Buy. The company has been pretty good to me. Decent pay, good benefits. Just one asshole ruining my job.

here comes the new boss. same as the old boss

First Time for Everything

So we got kicked off the gazebo tonight. For the first time ever. What appeared to be an off-duty deputy who may or may not be the one that lives in the complex came out as we were setting up. A parrot he was.

him: "Poo' close a' teen."

us: "But management has never had a problem with us before."

h: "Poo' close a' teen. No akahaw at da poo'. Poo' close a' teen."

u: "That's fine, but we're not at the pool."

h: "Da's fie. No akahaw at da poo'. Poo' close a' teen."

So. We pack up the crap. And Chris will be having a long and heartfelt conversation with the management. Maybe get us some hall passes or something.

In other news, yet another wedding! This time my cousin Tony is getting married and I'm a groomsman. Rehearsal tomorrow, bachelor party type thing Friday, wedding Saturday. This will make three weddings I have been a part of the party. This does, however, mark an interesting passage. Of all of the cousins on my dad's side, I am the third oldest. And as of Saturday, my two older cousins will be married. Marking me as the next, if one goes by ages. Though my younger brother seems to be ahead of me in the realm of relationships. Shouldn't I be next? Soon to be wed, plans for kids, oldest son to oldest son to oldest son and all that jazz? Sigh.

nobody knows who i really am

Amusing Distraction

Grey -- [adjective]: Benevolent to a fault 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Day 5, The Voyage Home

I'm currently squatting about a concourse in Atlantan Internat'l airport waiting for my flight. I got here around 4:30PM, Atlanta local. My flight leaves here at 7:50. Bleh, he said. But I'm almost home, and that's a good thing. All told, it was a nice trip. I did learn some things, though. The first and most important is that I need to learn to travel a little lighter. But I always was one to over prepare. I blame the Boy Scouts. Be Prepared, indeed. Two, I really wish I had booked an earlier flight home. I don't have jet lag or anything, but I do have travel weariness. And I'm going to have to get up early and call in to see when I'm supposed to be in. Though I have this sickening feeling I'm going to have to open. Sigh. I did get a few thing to bring home, though. I finally found a St. George flag. I was also left with some alcohol to bring home. Jameson that I had got, some Smirnoff, and some scotch Alene had brought. I tried to get her to take it back with her, because it was a lot, but she never did get it from me. And she even dropped me off at the airport! I guess I was just meant to have it. Hehe. Kae got me a CD by one of the OKRF musical acts, the Bedlam Bards (ye gads, baudy guys), that was inspired by Firefly. Promises to be good! Not all was fun and games, though. I lost something every day there, other than money. The first day there, my cell phone vanished. And that sucks the most, I think. Friday, I lost my sunglasses, Saturday a scarfy thing someone had made for me, Sunday my clip-on sunglasses. Today I haven't lost anything, at least. And my clip-ons and sunglasses I found again. But man. Cellphone. I miss it already. It was so much fun! Yargh!

Home. Sleep. Bleh. Never thought I'd appreciate May weather in North Carolina as much as I do now.

I drifted away from somone, though. Not because I wanted to, though. Maybe I needed to, but it still sucks. I got a little closer to someone else. A balance is maintained?

Oh yeah, Chris, you'll appreciate this. According to Alene, Jake calls me her internet boyfriend. Ha! I laugh.

Above all things, remember your veterans and those who have died for this country, whether or not you agree with their wars, their mission or their sacrifice. It's not the soldiers that choose to fight, it's the government. Don't blame the fighters for the politicians actions. Your freedoms were bought with the purchase of their blood.

from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli