I've got a big schmattering of crap on my plate tomorrow... the big bulk of which concerns my dad and his very major cancer-removing, life-altering (and hopefully not fatal) surgery at 8:30 a.m. Then there's the fact that I basically have nothing done for work... but like everything else about my job, that's an old story.
I'll get it all done... tomorrow. Right? Right.
Sunday, August 26
Tuesday, August 21
I'm still laying in bed, semi-avoiding going to work, semi-cognizant of the fact that there's really no reason for me to be in so "early" this morning since I finished almost everything last night, and semi-unexcited about the fact that I have to shave (shaving... what a pain in the ass!)
I was laying here thinking that I really want some pumpkin ice cream from ColdStone.... Jesus that sounds good. I wonder when they start selling that again. I'll have to look it up when I'm at work.
I also need to get a haircut, mainly because I can't find a styling product that I can tolerate when my hair's this length. Right now I'm switching between some cheap-o Suave hair gel, which doesn't really have any effect other than to make me slightly less frizzy (and smells kind of funny) and my American Crew Matte Styling Putty, which is this sticky white goop that holds my hair well, but also makes it hurt as though I'd dipped my hair in glue and then adhered a small, hair-pulling child to my scalp. Plus, when my hair's this long, I can't just forego showering for a day... which, on mornings like this one, would be nice. Because I really want to know when that pumpkin ice cream comes out.
BUT to get my hair cut, I have to find a place that's open. In my adulthood, I have come to favor any of the myriad generic hair salons that don't really promise good service to anyone who doesn't think the name says it all (Great Clips, Super Cuts, Awesome Hackjobs... you know what I mean.) There's just something about a somber, uninviting, silent woman cutting my hair that I prefer over a chatty Cathy who tries to get me talking about sports (because she's the type of woman who's proud she can relate to males) or the weather (because she has nothing else to talk about.) I used to like it when I had a friend who cut my hair because we used to gossip about people we knew and that was fun... but I suppose the only way I could have a situation like that again is to as a friend where they go and then become a regular. You'd think I would have gotten over this after having my hair cut a few times in China, buuuut no.
I was laying here thinking that I really want some pumpkin ice cream from ColdStone.... Jesus that sounds good. I wonder when they start selling that again. I'll have to look it up when I'm at work.
I also need to get a haircut, mainly because I can't find a styling product that I can tolerate when my hair's this length. Right now I'm switching between some cheap-o Suave hair gel, which doesn't really have any effect other than to make me slightly less frizzy (and smells kind of funny) and my American Crew Matte Styling Putty, which is this sticky white goop that holds my hair well, but also makes it hurt as though I'd dipped my hair in glue and then adhered a small, hair-pulling child to my scalp. Plus, when my hair's this long, I can't just forego showering for a day... which, on mornings like this one, would be nice. Because I really want to know when that pumpkin ice cream comes out.
BUT to get my hair cut, I have to find a place that's open. In my adulthood, I have come to favor any of the myriad generic hair salons that don't really promise good service to anyone who doesn't think the name says it all (Great Clips, Super Cuts, Awesome Hackjobs... you know what I mean.) There's just something about a somber, uninviting, silent woman cutting my hair that I prefer over a chatty Cathy who tries to get me talking about sports (because she's the type of woman who's proud she can relate to males) or the weather (because she has nothing else to talk about.) I used to like it when I had a friend who cut my hair because we used to gossip about people we knew and that was fun... but I suppose the only way I could have a situation like that again is to as a friend where they go and then become a regular. You'd think I would have gotten over this after having my hair cut a few times in China, buuuut no.
Sunday, August 19
Keep the faith!
About two weeks after I got off the plane, people started asking me "What are you going to do now?" For awhile, I'll admit I had no idea... just finding a source of income was enough to occupy all of my time and forward-thinking abilities. Now, with me working back at the newspaper and living at home, some have gone so far as to suggest that they think that my current arrangement is a sign of complacence, and that if I allow it to continue, all my nomadic inclinations will become mired in their pre-China muck and I will be stuck here forever.
I am telling you right now... I am not stuck in Kansas. I will not work at the paper for the rest of my life, I will not take up permanent residence ten feet from where my parents sleep, and I will not spend all my income accumulating belongings that will only serve to complicate my eventual departure from this little life of mine (I realize now that what I just said sounds like I'm planning to die soon, or, at least once I actually do get stuck in Kansas. That's not what I meant, but I don't feel like editing it because I enjoy the 'wink-wink' allusion to "This Little Light of Mine." So, when I say "life", I mean "lifestyle"... and nothing to do with heartbeats, brainwaves, or breathing. Well, maybe a little with the brainwaves...)
Here are a few real, tangible ways I'm ensuring that these statements are true:
- I'm taking a second job (part-time at Yankee Candle) to get some more moving money,
- I've asked my parents to help subsidize the first couple months of rent and, possibly, moving expenses (a HUGE step for me), and
- I'm applying to roughly a job a day... which I know isn't really enough, but it's better than nothing.
I'm hoping (realistically) to be out of here by early- to mid-October... and at the moment I am pushing to move to Seattle. If I made it in China for a year, you can be damned well sure that I can make it work in Seattle, even if I have to take on three jobs, one of which involves cleaning up cat shit (or turkey.) I'm prepared!
... and... yeah.
I am telling you right now... I am not stuck in Kansas. I will not work at the paper for the rest of my life, I will not take up permanent residence ten feet from where my parents sleep, and I will not spend all my income accumulating belongings that will only serve to complicate my eventual departure from this little life of mine (I realize now that what I just said sounds like I'm planning to die soon, or, at least once I actually do get stuck in Kansas. That's not what I meant, but I don't feel like editing it because I enjoy the 'wink-wink' allusion to "This Little Light of Mine." So, when I say "life", I mean "lifestyle"... and nothing to do with heartbeats, brainwaves, or breathing. Well, maybe a little with the brainwaves...)
Here are a few real, tangible ways I'm ensuring that these statements are true:
- I'm taking a second job (part-time at Yankee Candle) to get some more moving money,
- I've asked my parents to help subsidize the first couple months of rent and, possibly, moving expenses (a HUGE step for me), and
- I'm applying to roughly a job a day... which I know isn't really enough, but it's better than nothing.
I'm hoping (realistically) to be out of here by early- to mid-October... and at the moment I am pushing to move to Seattle. If I made it in China for a year, you can be damned well sure that I can make it work in Seattle, even if I have to take on three jobs, one of which involves cleaning up cat shit (or turkey.) I'm prepared!
... and... yeah.
Sunday, August 12
Oh, what a tangled web Wii weaves...
I really don't have much to say about my Wii other than that I have formed an almost sick obsession for it... which is why I can't stop myself thinking of funny (to me) ways to use "Wii" in common catchphrases. All that aside, I usually fire it up two or three times a day, sometimes only to look at its gorgeous menu or browse the internet on its slow, somewhat cumbersome internet channel, or beat a few more levels of "Kirby's Adventure" (the old 8-bit game I was OBSESSED with as a child... an obsession that has carried over into my adulthood, apparently.) I've also been working on "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess", which is an amazing game.
I have to admit, though, that I'm not much of a gamer... I think there are two reasons for it. First, and less embarassingly, I feel like whenever I sit down and play a video game for a handfull of minutes (or, *gulp*, hours) I feel like its a monumental waste of my time... I feel this way because of the second reason I'm not a gamer... I don't really enjoy video games all that much. I mean, I like a game with a good story as much as anybody, particularly if its from one of the bubbly, happy game franchises like Mario and, to a certain extent, Zelda.
But, really, I get a little spooked by playing them. Even when I'm playing the most brightly-colored, non-realistic of digital confections, I find myself shaking in anticipation of the next happy little baddie lurking around the lollipop corner. It's pathetic... but, alas, it's true. And game like "Halo" or "Splinter Cell"? Fugheddaboutit... I think I'd have a heart attack!
There are two exceptions to this rule: The first is "God of War", which I started playing a couple weeks ago. It's dark and graphically violent... but it's also really fun... none of the tension of a first-person shooter where you have to lurk in the shadows, moving your control stick only slightly in hopes of not being found out by some giant monster. Which brings me to the second exception, the "Resident Evil" series. I can't actually PLAY those games without wetting myself, but watching others play them is enjoyable.
Long story short, I'm glad I bought a Wii, because it has more of the sugary (some might say "insipid") games my weak-ass gamer self can handle, and it also has plenty of "party" games... like "Mario Party", "Wii Play", "Wii Sports", etc. that can be played by up to like eight people at a time. We all know (or we should, anyway) how much I like to host parties and the like... so the fact that the best games on the Wii right now are its numerous mini-game collections makes it pretty much the perfect system for me.
I have to admit, though, that I'm not much of a gamer... I think there are two reasons for it. First, and less embarassingly, I feel like whenever I sit down and play a video game for a handfull of minutes (or, *gulp*, hours) I feel like its a monumental waste of my time... I feel this way because of the second reason I'm not a gamer... I don't really enjoy video games all that much. I mean, I like a game with a good story as much as anybody, particularly if its from one of the bubbly, happy game franchises like Mario and, to a certain extent, Zelda.
But, really, I get a little spooked by playing them. Even when I'm playing the most brightly-colored, non-realistic of digital confections, I find myself shaking in anticipation of the next happy little baddie lurking around the lollipop corner. It's pathetic... but, alas, it's true. And game like "Halo" or "Splinter Cell"? Fugheddaboutit... I think I'd have a heart attack!
There are two exceptions to this rule: The first is "God of War", which I started playing a couple weeks ago. It's dark and graphically violent... but it's also really fun... none of the tension of a first-person shooter where you have to lurk in the shadows, moving your control stick only slightly in hopes of not being found out by some giant monster. Which brings me to the second exception, the "Resident Evil" series. I can't actually PLAY those games without wetting myself, but watching others play them is enjoyable.
Long story short, I'm glad I bought a Wii, because it has more of the sugary (some might say "insipid") games my weak-ass gamer self can handle, and it also has plenty of "party" games... like "Mario Party", "Wii Play", "Wii Sports", etc. that can be played by up to like eight people at a time. We all know (or we should, anyway) how much I like to host parties and the like... so the fact that the best games on the Wii right now are its numerous mini-game collections makes it pretty much the perfect system for me.
Tuesday, August 7
Somebody wash my mouth out!
I normally don't make a habit of cussing when I talk to people... I find it a little abrasive and off-putting when other people do (JJ, can you fuckin' hear me?) and so I often censor the more colorful language floating around in my head in favor of my dulcet, unassuming, vanilla tones.
But looking back at some of my previous posts, I guess those efforts don't translate over into my writing.
I've always felt that I'm better with written communication than I am with verbal communication (perhaps that's why I still keep TWO blogs, or why my only 'real' girlfriend was a long-distance, internet romance.) So maybe all this bleak, expletive-laden talk is the real me?
Obviously.
Is that depressing to me?
Certainly.
...
ANYWAY, I started back at the paper this week, and so far things are going fairly smoothly. At the moment there are a couple other people writing stories for Spring Hill as well, so really, the most stressful part of the job has been A.) fitting all the news into the paper by deadline and B.) dragging my ass out of bed in the morning. Granted, this is Day Two, but... yeah.
Also, I finally got a new cell phone. Which makes me happy. And I have a Wii. Which I can't stop playing.
But looking back at some of my previous posts, I guess those efforts don't translate over into my writing.
I've always felt that I'm better with written communication than I am with verbal communication (perhaps that's why I still keep TWO blogs, or why my only 'real' girlfriend was a long-distance, internet romance.) So maybe all this bleak, expletive-laden talk is the real me?
Obviously.
Is that depressing to me?
Certainly.
...
ANYWAY, I started back at the paper this week, and so far things are going fairly smoothly. At the moment there are a couple other people writing stories for Spring Hill as well, so really, the most stressful part of the job has been A.) fitting all the news into the paper by deadline and B.) dragging my ass out of bed in the morning. Granted, this is Day Two, but... yeah.
Also, I finally got a new cell phone. Which makes me happy. And I have a Wii. Which I can't stop playing.
