Work, Animals, and a Boat!

Hello, all!  I know, I know, it's been a long time again.  I would tell you that nothing much has happened since my last posting, but then I'd be lying, and I'd have to flog myself.  I am not much a fan of such activities, so I won't lie.  The nut of it is that I still don't have a good writing space, and I still live with my P's, so I haven't been in much of a mood to blog.  It's not writers block, it's lifers block (yes, I still make up words.)  As of a couple of weeks ago, I finally got something I felt was worth blogging about, and I will now get to it.

First, a study of man.  So I am not a trained anthropologist, sue me.  I am a bit of an observer though.  One thing I have observed for well over a decade now, is that people seem to have this nagging urge to inform me that I have a deeper than average voice.  Most commonly it's along the lines of 'you should be on the radio!', or 'you should learn how to sing' (which I already do, but they need not know that), or simply 'dude, you have a really deep voice!'.  As though I've never heard any of that before, ever.  That changed during a temp job I worked for a couple of weeks, at a factory.  During the two weeks I worked ten hour shifts, doing a job that a chimpanzee could do.  Oddly, nobody offered me any bananas, or bamboo, or a rope swing, or any bugs.  I found that to be a bit rude.  What I found slightly more strange was that nobody mentioned my voice.  Not even once.  I heard it a couple of times on the weekends, but never at work.  This was a very odd thing to me.  So after the first few days, I started trying to figure out why this might be.  I came to a plausible theory.  It is possible that people working in a factory  have lost their own dreams.  Not their weekend warrior dreams, but more the loftier ones like 'I've got to get myself a better job for myself' dream.  In losing such dreams, perhaps they stop seeing the potential of others around them.  I watched everybody rushing around, and there seemed no spark of life in their eyes.  The only people who had that flash were the people who worked first shift, in the offices, where there was ample air conditioning, and no scent of sweaty workers, hot paper, and potent glues to suck the life out of them.  The office personnel also had no worries about one thing the factory workers had looming over their heads.  Mind you, that I was employed there for two weeks by a staffing agency, and though I was offered full time employment I turned it down.  And I'll tell you why.  At the end of week one, I was standing by the time clock, waiting for a minute to clock out.  I took notice of the glass encased bulletin board, and the contents within.  One document caught my eye, and I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I wasn't seeing things.  In short, it was a memorandum to all floor employees, that informed them that if they were ever offered a promotion to a different area, and turned it down, they would have their shift changed, and be fully demoted to the bottom of the production line, losing any seniority in the process.  That did not sit well with me, and I'm guessing it doesn't sit well with you either.  Feel free to re-read that bit, and notice the word "offered".  Well if it's a choice, why would you be punished by making a choice?  I've been offered promotions before, and turned them down for any myriad of reasons, yet I have never be demoted for turning one down.  Have you?

So, on to slightly less craptacular topics.  I dusted off my digital camera, and took some pictures in the last few months.  I figure I will share a couple of those, in case anybody is still checking this blog, and misses the pictures.  A couple of months ago, we had some lovely flooding from a torrent of rain, mixed with inadequate culverts, and soils that are mainly heavily iron laced clay and rocks about two inches below the top soil.  I found a local duck (who seems to have lost his woman sometime over the winter) who seemed pretty stoked to have a new body of water to wade in.

 

About two days later, I was out in the driveway after the waters had receded a bit.  I spotted something near the end of the driveway that looked like a piece of washed up debris.  I walked over the pick it up, and was shocked to find out that it was a living thing, not a piece of trash.  So I went inside to grab my camera, and this is what I found:



I have no idea what happened to this little guy.  I got him to the culvert, so that he wouldn't get run over by any car coming into the driveway.  However, we have an couple of owls in the neighbourhood, as well as some hawks, and ravens.  So he may have become a snack.  I looked around for mother turtle, but could not locate one.  Speaking of owls, I built my mom an owl house last summer, and over the winter, we finally got a resident.  Want proof?  Well here you go:



I would have liked to get pictures with its eyes open, but this owl didn't seem to like the mid afternoon sun in Northeast Wisconsin.

Back in January, I did something I'd never been able to do before!  I became the pinball champion score holder on a Family Guy Pinball machine, at my old place of employment, Glass Nickel Pizza Co..  Not once, but twice!



Since then, I have lost my champion status, and now reside as first and second place holder.  This is because, Jon, the owner, and my former boss, beat my score by a measly 2 million points.  Now, of course, in the kind of manner that seems to follow me in life, the machine is not in fully operational order, and it's damn near impossible to get a score above one million.  Oh well.

In much more recent events, I helped out with something really fracking cool, if I do say so myself!  I helped to build a boat!  But not just any old boat, a beer can regatta!  Okay, so ours was made out of pop cans, as at Glass Nickel Pizza Oshkosh, we have no beer in cans, tap or bottle only.  It was made by volunteers, a couple of us, and we were supplied food and beer for our services.  Food and beer as payment?  Hell yeah.  The only thing to top that would be room to go with the boarding, but I'll take food and beer any time.  After several hours sitting in a garage, taping cans together with a deluge of tape, and the first time we put it in the water to make sure it floated (the neighbour let us use his pool, how cool is that?), and then taping of countless more cans, we ended up with a finished product.  There was an opening night party, with music and other festivities.  The next day was the big race.  It was on the Oshkosh River, and not only is there a north flowing current, yes, north flowing, but the river is used by many other full sized fibreglass boats and yachts.  The between the current, and the wakes from rude boaters, the race was quite successful.



The race, called the Ya Gotta Regatta, was set up as a bracket style race.  It took several hours to complete.  Our team was made up of a group of totally inexperienced rowers.  They did manage to kick some royal ass in their first two races, but then, being unpracticed, and inexperienced rowers, they hit the wall.  However, our team did end up taking 4th out of 12, which is pretty darn awesome!  The let down came at the trophy ceremony, in which ten trophies were awarded, and we didn't get one.  This wouldn't have been all bad except for one little thing.  One team had built a boat that failed them in race one, and they nearly sank, and didn't even finish the race.  Somehow, they ended up with the best sportsmanship award!  How does that work???  What can we do though?  In the mantra of a true Cubs fan, I can only say that there is always next year!  And yes, designs for next years boat have already commenced.  It has also been rumored that this was the first event of its kind in America.  This event was started in Australia.  I know there are several amature boat builder races across this land, but as far as a 12 boat fleet made out of beer cans, I don't recall ever hearing of such a thing before.

That's what I have to share for now.  I hope you enjoyed my first blog in many many months, and a several full moons.  As always, I hope you are all doing well.  Don't forget to have some good times with your friends, some good laughs, some good eats, and if you partake, some good drinks!  Until I find my way back here again, peace out y'all!

It's Been...How Many Months?

Hello again!

I am not sure what it is with me taking so long between posts. I guess it's for lack of a good writing niche, and a lack of proper material to work with. With that said, it's been another wacky year. I'm still working at Glass Nickel (now voted the 4th best independent pizza company in the USA !), and there is still drama afoot, shocking as that may be. If any of you have never seen one of those reality cooking shows (I.E. Hells Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, etc.), because you think it's all blown out of proportion, fine. But believe you me, having worked in a few kitchens in my life as a line cook, prep cook, cook, dishwasher, busboy, and driver, I'm here to tell you, the kitchen industry is really not much more than a bunch of people cooking with drama. The natural stress of the environment in a busy kitchen is really to blame there. Long, hot hours, with other people working long hot hours, and, well, I think you can figure out the rest. So for the love of anything stable in a kitchen, please remember to tip your waitstaff and delivery people! I can not stress this enough. Waitress(er's) get well below minimum wage to this day, and guess what, so do the drivers.

So the Winter Solstice is today (for this side of the world anyway), so happy winter to everybody! As of yet, we haven't had much snow in this part of WI, although I did see some falling at about 4 a.m. today. Why was I up at 4 a.m.? Simple, I work nights now. For the last several months, I have gotten the awesome chance to work late nights, driving around, delivering to mainly drunk people at one o'clock in the morning. So when I get home well after 2, I have some down time before bed. Unfortunately, this morning's down time didn't want to last an hour, and instead I fell asleep sometime just before 6 a.m.. Stupid insomnia. Or maybe it was just me feeling the change of the season. Either way, I still wasn't thrilled about it. Although, something about standing outside in the still of the morning (save for the one guy who was going to work at 4:45), watching the snow fall was quite peaceful. Too bad it wasn't tranquilizing as well. It was also cool, because it was a thin layer of fluffy snow, that mostly melted, except on the trees and bushes. First day of winter, first snowfall of the season, and no shoveling! (Yet.)

In other news, my car is holding up pretty well. I still haven't gotten to take a proper road trip in it, but I have managed to rack up 116,000 miles on it, and counting. My little Golf GTI is truly a work vehicle. Gonna have to change the timing belt one of these days, and maybe the suspension. I have started to do my own oil changes this year, as it saves me money. Only because I need the high mileage synthetic oil, which shops always charge a lot more than $20 for. I also did all of my brake rotors and pads this year too. Of all the things I've done on my car, the oil and the brake service were definitely the most rewarding. I think I will leave the timing belt to a pro though.

Okay, as long as it's been since my last post, I think this is all I have to share for now. I hope you all had a good year, or at least a bearable year! Enjoy the holidays, as always, with good friends, good music, and good food! And don't forget to share some laughs too! Until next time, peace out, y'all!

The Non-Numerology Based 7

Hello all,



Welcome back to my blog, now that I am starting anew, having commenced the act of filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy. That's right. Barring any unforeseen disqualification, I won't be able to bitch about my financial woes for much longer. I will, however, be able to keep my car! Of course, I will still be making payments on it. This, in part, because I need my car for my work. It's also, more so in part, for reasons that anybody who really knows me, or who pays attention to hints I've dropped in this here blog, that I like my little hoopty mobile. I like it quite a bit. I like it so much I put a picture of it on my blogs sidebar. That, and I am a driver, and although I was already driving VW's before their "Drivers Wanted" campaign, I haven't driven another brand that I felt more in tune with than VW. It's my little red rocket, see. I've had a few Jettas before, and even though I miss the ultimate awesomeness that was my '04 Jetta TDI (which I had one hell of a time parting with, including some tears), I have grown to appreciate my '02 GTI 1.8T 5-speed quite a bit.



Anyway, back to the old chapter 7. As many of you know, I have been struggling in a losing uphill battle with money. Me and money have always been at war. You could even say that money is my nemesis, my arch rival, my evil twin (?). I don't see how money can be any kind of twin, as it's mostly cotton, and, well cotton, and I am more flesh and blood, although I do wear cotton weaves, like jeans and such. I think you get the point though. For years now, I have been struggling with the debt I got myself into in my mid-twenties. I have not had any access to any type of credit for the last 4 years, and for the last few years I had been on a credit protection program. When the shit hit the fan ,twice, last year, I ended up losing that protection, and all my creditors came back in a rather furious manner. That was almost amusing, because since my cell phone was turned off a few months ago, they had to resort to snail mail threats. That was freaky when I got my very first repo threat on a car I've owned, but that was taken care of. Everybody else though, didn't seem as scary. I was, however, shaking in my boots. I don't own any boots, but shaking in my sneakers didn't have the same ring to it. It's a shitty feeling when you can't find a job for a couple of months, and you have no savings to fall back on. When I finally did find a job, it wasn't going to be paying the bills, as it is part time, and I'm making the wages of a tipped wage employee (not very much). What that means is that I can keep up with my car payments, some fuel for my car, my car insurance, and my non-contract phone bill, and that's about it. Anybody who has missed one monthly payment on a credit card knows just how quickly the late fee's add up. As some of you know, Obama slammed the big hammer down on credit card companies a couple of years ago, disallowing them to randomly jack up interest rates for a mere late payment, or just because they wanted to make more money off of us simpletons. Unfortunately, my creditors had already done that, repeatedly, before the presidency changed. So for a $100 retainer (that's 50 pound to my European followers) I am beginning the process of saying "so long, and thanks for all the fish", I mean headaches. For another $1,349 (around 700 quid) I can be free of the shackles I've be bound with for years now. And good riddance. And, as an added bonus, since my credit score is already so craptacular, it will actually go up, instead of further down! The so called con (to the pro)? Sure, no mansion purchases for a couple of years. Damn! Oh, that, and my lawyer has the limpest handshake I've run into in a while. But hey, it's not like I have to deal with him that much, so no big deal. So hopefully this chapter 7 filing will help lead me to a new chapter in my adult life. I just feel bad for the mail carriers who will only have one bill to deliver to me soon! Maybe I will sign up for some unneeded catalogs, just to give them some job security back.



In other news, it has come to my attention that I may now, for the first time ever, have some coworkers reading my blog. Oh crap! Now I really have to censor what I write in the cyber world! On that note, I'd like to let it be known that when I might give you a somewhat blank stare, and fail to jump up and down, clapping my hands in excitement over some menial task, it doesn't mean that I won't do the task, but more that I have other shit going on. I will get to the task. If I ask followup questions, it's because I would appreciate clear cut instructions. I am not a super happy person, and I don't like people to assume that I already think that everything kitchen related is second nature after a few months of not actually doing kitchen work regularly. That is all.



Now then, to those of you who get notification of a new post from me. You may have been super thrilled last month, when you were notified that I had a new post, with a fancy title, only to find that it wasn't actually there. I apologize for any confusion that caused. I had decided to actually go into detail about the time I spent with my friend, from June of 2009 through October of 2010. After about five hours of posting it, I decided that this wasn't the place to share such events, so I took it down. In brief, I'd just like to say this: If you know somebody that has psychological misfortunes, do not step aside and think that it will pan out. Please try to make sure they get the help they need. It will not be fun, or easy, or pretty, or anything you really want to do, but damn. mental illness is a serious issue, and anything you can do to get them into the right hands is something worth doing for a true friend, or family member. Ignoring it will not make it go away.



Alright, that is about all the rambling I have in me for now. I hope everyone is doing well, and that none of you have forgotten to spend some time in good company, with some good music, and some good eats. Continued reminders to laugh once in a while too, maybe even smile if a laugh isn't needed or appropriate. Until next time, peace out y'all!

(To my English followers, my US computer wouldn't convert the $ to the pound sign either though Windows, or through Blogspot. I tried, I really did.)

Why Doesn't This Change?

Hello all. As a preface for this post, I would like to warn some that certain things contained within may hurt, and that it isn't easy for me either. Also, this is not the start of a fictional story. I have been trying to come up with a good plot line, but this life of mine proves too strange in reality, that coming up with fictional material would too closely represent actual life. So until I can work something out to avoid that, I will not be entering that foray.

Starting off with the good. A short while ago my car flipped out on me. I tried a couple of things, but with no luck. Thanks to my insurance plan, I was able to get it towed to a local shop at no cost. A shop that was recommended to me by a co-worker. For a minuscule fee of $75, my car was fixed. It turned out to be my ignition coils, and thanks to VW's Customer Satisfaction Campaign, they were covered. As it was not technically a warrantied item, or even a recall (as not every car was effected, and every manufacturer that used the coil packs had an issue with every model using them, no recall could be made, because it wasn't just one car company), I had to pay for the initial diagnosis only. Which is lucky for me, as a tipped wage part-time employee, because the cost a four new ones would have been $600! So, phew! Thankyou VW!

More good? Sure. My sister got a new job at a hospital, and is very pleased with both the position, and her coworkers! So yay Lisa! As for other family news, my mom has been making good progress in her recovery. She had a slight mishap a few days ago, but that hasn't slowed her down too much. So, yay Mom!

Even more good news? Well, sure, but this is where things get to some natural drama. I hate drama. I really do. People who make shit up, just to fill their lives with it, piss me off. I am aware that a blissful life without occasional drama is not at all likely to happen to anybody, but I'm not one to go out looking for it. So imagine how it feels when a good thing forces drama, and there isn't a damn thing to be done about it. It started off innocent enough, I swear. I met a girl. Well, I met a woman, actually. See, not so bad. I like her. You could even say I have a crush on her. You might even be surprised that it isn't a purely hormone driven crush, which I thought it might be at first. It's been a while for me, see? How long? Long enough. Anyway, that's where the good thing stops being so great.

First of all, I work with her. Not often mind you, generally only for about an hour or two a week. But I have not thought it was a good idea to date people you work with for a long time now. I used to think it was a ludicrous thing that some companies ban the practice, making you sign contracts swearing that you won't, or you will be terminated. Then I had my first bad break up, and I understood why such contracts have been concocted. So yeah, it's a bit of an issue for me on that front. Secondly, some of you may remember a fairly recent post about another girl who I came to terms with loving. Well, I still love her, but it is not a relationship that is likely to materialize any time soon, or really ever. Life has changed since then. Third, this is where the crappy type of junior high/high school drama seeps in. No, I'm not proud of this, or do I in any way endorse it. However, the nut of it is this: The place I work at is a place where my ex, of thirteen (nearly fourteen) years ago, works. We dated for a few months the last time I lived up here. The shell of said nut is that the woman I find myself attracted to is a good friend of my ex. One could argue that this shouldn't be an issue, what with such a length of time between, and that I didn't know this other woman existed back then, or that I'd find myself in this predicament all these years later. However, it is a bit of an unspoken rule among exes, that you don't date friends. See, drama. Not cool. I've been wrestling around with this in my head for a while now, and although it's mostly illogical to find any of this to have any bearing on future actions, I can't quite get past it. There is also the work thing. Okay, were this Chicago, and not such a small town, it probably wouldn't be such a big deal. But, it is a small town, and people talk. The company is a fairly family-ish place to work. I don't' really know these people, and I didn't grow up here. They seem cool, and I've been to a few company social outings, and enjoyed myself, but still. It's made me think about what'll happen if, a) I started dating her, and b) in the potential event of a bad thing what would that do to my job? See, more drama. I suppose I could ignore the whole thing, and continue on in my ha ha bachelor lifestyle. That doesn't seem the healthiest choice, but it's an option. Damn drama. It just goes to show, you never know who you're going to fall for, or when. Things like that never change, I guess. On the plus side, I can't really ask her out, because I have no bloody money!

Well, now that I got that out of my mind, and you are all probably asking yourselves "why is this guy sounding more like a girl?", I suppose I'll stop. In other news, the hunt for a full time job is still on. One of these days I'm going to need to move out of my p's house, and get back under my own roof again. I just can't suck it up and get any old retail job. I can't stand the rules and regulations of such jobs, and it is draining on my brain. School doesn't seem within reach right now, and the job market still sucks, even for those with degrees. So the hunt goes on. Perhaps I should get myself a battle trumpet, a horse, and some weaponry. I bet nobody would forget about my applications then.

Until next time, good music, good eats, and good company to everybody! Take care of yourselves. Peace out, y'all!

New Job, Old Worries. Again?

Hello All,



Yet again I allowed myself to deviate from my blogging habit. I had to go back, and skim over my last post, as I didn't want to repeat anything. It was strange, in a way, to think back to that time. Although the incident at my last job is still as dumbfounding now, the rest of my living situation then seems so distant, in a way. As some of you already know, I did end up moving back in with my parents. That was a bit of a blow to my, um...ego. Not so much pride, as I haven't had much of that for a while. I did, however not plan on ever living with my p's again.

It's not that bad really. It's awkward sometimes. For example, feeling like I need to tell them when I'm leaving, and where I'm going. I guess I don't really have to, but I'm fairly sure that being my parents, and having spent the first 20 years of my life asking me to, they might appreciate it now. Also, for the first time in my life, I've found myself feeling close to guilty about not having money to contribute towards food. My mom continues to this day, through all of her pain and trials, to try and make sure there is dinner on the table every night. Yes, an actual table, in the kitchen, where we gather as a family unit to dine, on home cooked food. I know this is a foreign concept to many of you, but believe you me, it does still happen in some parts of the world. Anyway, part of my angst moving in with my parents is: food supply. I'm a grown man, I should be able to provide food, or for food. I am man, hear me.....um...shop for prepackaged foods. One of the strangest things though, is having my television back in my bedroom. It's really the clincher to feeling like I'm a teenager again, and that I should be stalking around, being super grouchy and lazy. I can also say, that this is the first time I'm posting a blog, and my mother is sitting in a chair next to me. As strange as that is, it's even stranger that it's now 10:53 p.m., and my mom is still awake! All things said though, it has proved to be a good step, so far. I knew that I was not doing very well at the place I last resided. Not well at all. It took me a while to decompress when I moved here, but I think I'm nearly there.

For starters, I finally found a job again! It's not doing what I consider a dream job, or even something that could directly point me in that direction, but it's a job. I will be delivering pizzas again! On the plus side, it's not a b.s. corporate company, that makes crappy pizza for cheap. It's what I believe to be the best pizza joint in Oshkosh. Glass Nickel. If any of you are ever in town, make sure to stop there for some good food. On the down side, my car is getting older, and my bills are all past due by a couple of months now. So I'm going to need to get a as many hours as I can, and hopefully make some really good tips! But still, it's a start. New year, new job. Here's hoping it's a good new start.

Now then, back to posts from earlier this year, when I laid out my plans for change. I didn't exactly plan to start two new jobs, or move out of state to move in with my parents. I did attempt getting into the voiceover field, and had a good time doing it, but never got a chance at a real gig, or any money. I did fall in love, but didn't get the girl. And the one I didn't list, getting a new place, well, this wasn't quite what I was thinking of. However, I didn't quite swing and miss, more swing, and get a fluke swinging-bunt single. Perhaps the new year will fare better for me. Oh, and I recently met a dog. A husky to be precise. Too bad I won't be able to get him. Well, maybe if I get some truly amazing tips, I might just be able to pull it off. Ah, dreams. Where would I be without them?

Okay, that's all for now. In the new year, I'm thinking of taking a small turn from my usual blogging style, and perhaps putting together a short story, of fictitious matter. So check back later, and maybe I'll have something new for you to read! For now, good night, and have a good new year! Oh, who am I kidding, I'm going to play a video game. Why? Because, I'm 31, um, 15, and I live with my parents, and that's what all grown men do when they're faced with this situation. Right? Oh, I nearly forgot, good music, good food, and good laughs to all of you! And, peace out y'all!

A Year That's Held Chances

Hello All,

In case you're wondering, I have been meaning to post a new blog for a while now, but simply never got around to it. Early this year I posted about finding a different job, and finding a new girlfriend. Well I did find a new job, after getting laid off of the one I'd had for ten years. The new job was in a field that I've wanted to get into for several years now, auto repair/service. I didn't find a new girlfriend, but I had some hopes of possibility. Things were seeming to be going well. However, yet another point of time transpired yesterday, filled with shock, confusion, and life altering effects! I was fired!

Okay, let me set this one up for you. A little backstory to the event. About three months ago I started a new job, as I blogged about last time. The job involved a lot of car washing, inside and out. One day I finally got my chance to become a mechanic's assistant. I was getting praise from several people, for the work I was doing. One day, things went awry, and I went back to washing cars. During that entire time I needed to have some latex free gloves ordered for me, as to protect my hands from various grime and chemicals. I was the only one there that needed latex free gloves, and therefor had to special request them from the parts guy. The parts guy, a few body men, and my mechanic trainer told me to keep all my tools, and my gloves, in my car. They told me this because I don't have a tool cart, locking or otherwise, and no cabinet there had been assigned to me. So I did start keeping all of my tools, and gloves, in my car.

Yesterday I was discovered as one who kept a box of latex free gloves in my trunk. Three hours later, the general manager stopped me, while I was finishing up the cleaning of a car, to "talk with me." The talk went as follows: Him "I'm going to need you to clock out now. Then leave early, and that's all from you." Me "Why?" Him "I found out that you are keeping a box of gloves in your car." Me "Yeah, I was. Because that's where I keep them. I can't have anybody walking off with my gloves, because I can't wear latex gloves." Him "Yeah, well that's stealing of company property. This is a difficult call for me to make, but I can't tolerate theft, so that's all."


Okay, now I can understand grounds for firing an employee for stealing; I.E. Tools, cleaning supplies, parts, office supplies, etc.. But keeping a pair of non-latex gloves in my car, with my tools, and using them only for work isn't stealing. Am I wrong?

Nobody at work could believe that I was let go for that. I can't believe I was either! Ironically, the day before, I had received the benefits package in the mail. Full plan too. Health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and great 401K options. I decided to stay with the company for a long time, not knowing that less than 24 hours later I would be fired for "stealing company property" by way of keeping special order gloves with my tools, in my car. So, shit. Another notch in my bad luck staff. Now I'm back to thinking about moving back in with my parents, out of state. I was about to move out of the house I'm currently living in, and get my own place, one week from today. It hurt to call that guy back to tell him to put the apartment back up for rent. He asked why, and I told him. Even he couldn't believe why I had been let go! Oh well. I have to go back to my current place of previous employment, to return my uniforms. I will try to talk with the GM again, to see if I was let go for the gloves, or because my 90 day probation period was ending and he was looking for any reason to let me go.

Why does stuff like this have to happen to me at critical times in my life? Does anybody have a good answer for me?

I know it's a little early to count the year as over. Another two and a half months to go. There's still time.

Okay, that is all for now. I hope everyone else is doing well. As usual, I would like to wish good company, food and music to all, and that your life is going well. Until next time, peace out, and goodnight/day.

New work, New Worries

Hello Again,

Once again it's been a while. Life had been pretty humdrum for the last few weeks. Suddenly laid off from the job I'd held for ten years, still single, still living with the unhinged one upstairs. After one week attempting to pretend that I was simply on vacation, I started looking for a new job. I had applied for unemployment on the Monday following the layoff, and it paid off about as well as I knew it wouldn't. That's the problem with getting alternate forms of payment with the paychecks I'd been receiving for years. I was left unable to even make my car payment with the first check I got from the IDES (formerly known as the unemployment office, now renamed as the Illinois Department of Employment Security), and that just added to the list off bills I could not pay. I signed up for the IDES' employment search/match site, as well as renewing my info with another website that I have used in the past to find part time work. The state offered job site gave me nothing whatsoever to help me. The other site sent me constant emails about job openings, but none of them were anything worth my while. Yes, I can be picky, both from knowing what will drive me mad, and what my spine and knees can handle. I also scoured other online job postings, and wasted about $10 buying daily newspapers. On one of the random 'I need to get out of the house for a while' drives, during which I looked for help wanted signs, I saw a sign in front of a car collision repair shop here in town. I inquired, found out about an apprenticeship opportunity they offer. I sent an email, and got a response, and then another call back, and now I'm working at one of the other locations. Yay! It took me less than a month to find a new job, for which I am happy. Go me! However, the hours are insane, and it took quite a toll on my body in the first two days of work. I will eventually get overtime pay, which is great. I just hope I last that long, without my body quitting on me. I was offered to get training on the mechanical aspect, and on body work, which is something I've wanted for several years now. Again, great! Or so I thought. After thinking about it more realistically, and then seeing what it would take to get that training, I has to rethink the whole thing. I enjoy working on my own car, as I find it rewarding. But even a few hours of that, and my back is in pain for days. I forgot to think about what it would be like to be hunched over, bending past, and crawling under cars day in and day out would be like on my body. Damn back of mine!!! So, I'd like to stay on as a porter for now, but without the crazy amount of car washing and detailing that I'm asked to do when I don't have cars to move, people to drive around, or cars to transport to specialist locations. Oh well, work is work for now, and I really need the money! Bill collectors are becoming worse than the mosquito's are this time of year.

Okay, done with that topic, for now. What do you think of when you hear the names Keanu Reaves and Sandra Bullock in the same sentence? Nope, I'm not talking about illegally rigged bus's or boats. There's another movie out there, that most of you probably aren't familiar with. It's called The Lakehouse. It's kind of the predecessor for some of the blockbusters that came out in years to follow, with out being a huge money maker itself. It's well made though. It deals with a time mishap, plays a little with time travel (more a time portal object), and in my opinion a much better pairing of the leads than Speed managed. It's a love story (shocking, I know), but written more as a pleaser for both men and women alike. Anyway, the last time I watched it, it was with my most recent (if five years since the split is recent) girlfriend. I spent so much time trying to explain it, and the theory of time travel, time paradox theory, and how it works in the movie in a much more realistic way (albeit a way that would still destroy the fabric of time), that I got lost in the explanation and never got to enjoy the movie. Well that has changed now, because I rented it again, and watched it alone. It succeeded in reminding me of how alone I am, which is a recurring topic in the movie, and how much that sucks. I really need to remember how to say simple things, like 'hello' for example, to some of the women I see around town. I get some genuine smiles from them, sometimes. As well as the half smile, and the wink. Sometimes I even get the blatant double take. But for some reason, I have decided that isolation/seclusion is the better route for me. What the hell was I thinking? Earlier this year I decided that this was the year for me to find a new job, and a woman. Well I've found a new job, not for the reason I was planning on, but a new job none the less. Now I need to work on the second part, and soon!

So many little things I could go into, but I think complaining about a new job already, and covering my part time role as a movie columnist should take care of my need to write. Well, for tonight anyway!

Usual shout outs now. Well for one person, it's not that usual. Mom, hang in there! I've told you that already today, and yesterday, and a few times before. But still! You had quite the ordeal with your back and knee, and leg, and foot, before the surgery, and now you've had the surgery, so a little more time healing, and rehabing is not going to be that bad! Lisa, I hope you and dad finish that puzzle, and that you can complete it before mom get's out, so that she can see it in full while she's still in the hospital! Maybe you can mat it, and frame it, or something! Rachel, I hope things are getting better, and that you enjoy(ed) your vacation! To my new "follower", I don't know who you are, but please don't hack my identity! Not that it would get you very far anyway.

To everyone I say don't stop listening to some good music, have some great food, and surround yourself with some good company!

Peace out y'all!