Last Friday I started up my wonderful Toyota Camry (you should all buy one even though everybody in America has one) and it made the strangest noise. It sounded like something was caught in my air vent, so I turned off the interior fan and the car sounded like it was running fine, then I turned the interior fan back on... yep definetly something caught in my fan.
Since I have a Toyota warrenty on my car I took the car to a Toyota dealership near me... they weren't very nice. I drove up and they asked me what was wrong and I told them. They said they could look at it next Thursday (this was Friday), so I asked them where the other Toyota dealership was, and they upped the date to Tuesday. Seriously, they want me to go all weekend without knowing what's wrong with my car? I don't think so. Again I asked them where the other Toyota dealership was and they told me. I called and got an appointment from the 'nice Toyota dealership' the next day.
Going in I was assuming a fan or belt had broken. I am not so lucky that my car would break and it'd actually be covered under the warrenty. Instead a rat (or mouse) crawled up into my fan cage and, um, for lack of a better word, exploded. They had to then clean out all the little rat pieces from my fan ducts. Yummy. It took them three and a half hours to do this... but I am glad I didn't have to do it! The dealership said they get around one car a week where this happens... it cost me a 100, but that's not bad considering I didn't have to clean up rat pieces.... ewwww.
I got my job offer yesterday and even though it's a 25-65 minute drive to work I accepted because it's a great opportunity. It is a position at a college in the area, actually it is nationwide college, and I get to help people find internships... among other things. Anyway, I'm stoked I got it. (It's not National American University, I am morally opposed to that song.)
I quit Evil Coffee Corp yesterday and my boss seemed pretty surprised, but I think he understood. He said I was very mature and a first class person after I finished talking about why I was quitting... which was of course all about me... I don't burn bridges! Hopefully I will be out of there in a week, but if I have to work two that's ok too. My new job wants me to start right away. If I have business cards I'll let you guys know... oooo, I bet I will!!! Exciting!
I hope everybody enjoyed their Wednesday night, and if they didn't I think they could improve it next week by watching the Pilot, part 2 of Lost. I have to admit the only reason I tuned into the show was because JJ Abrams, who created Alias, also created this show. Like Alias this show focuses on characters, not just surroundings. If you don't have time to watch this show on Wednesday nights they will replay the two hour pilot, which has been split in half because of the premier of the Bachelor (blech), on Saturday October 2.
I don't think I've ever seen this great of a show on primetime and I hope it survives. The drama and blood are amazing. I love the chemistry that is happening between the characters already! Watch it, and if you are dissapointed (with the first episode) I'll send you a quarter... I'd send you a dollar, but as we've already covered: I'm poor. Greg Grunberg makes a quick appearance, and exit, in this pilot. Well at least we know he's not leaving Alias.
Got a second interview at one job I would really like. Hopefully I'll hear back from them before the end of the week or sometime next week. They are still doing other interviews. I gave them numbers for a couple of references... so Joe and Mike had better be nice! Hehe, just kidding... they give me good ones hopefully already. Well that's my update, sorry it's so short.
Can't wait until I get a new job, but for right now here's a list of what I've been missing:
10) Having access to a computer that runs on the internet, not just on a portal. Mainly so I can slack off at some point in the day... or check email.
9) Wearing shoes that are not my black running shoes or my black oxfords.
8) Being able to sit down while working.
7) Wearing clothes that are outside the colors of black, white or khaki... or some combination thereof. Can't I wear some color? Besides green, as in apron??
6) Having long hair, or being able to style my hair any way I want. I cut off my hair, which I had been growing out, because I was tierd of putting it back a la food service requirements. The nature of the universe being what it is I now miss my hair again.
5) Going home every night not in pain from manual labor... or really having to not do manual labor at all.
4) Regular hours and 5 day work weeks. Right now I am in the middle of a 'work week' of seven days and a combination of opening and closing shifts... can't they just give me one or the other?
3) Weekends free, actually I can't remember the last time I had a weekend day off that I didn't specifically request or arrange.
2) Being told that I do a great job... or at least being told that without it being a backhanded compliment. For example: 'You're doing a great job as a barista'; gee, thanks, too bad I'm supposed to be one step above that. And yes, they meant it that way, and yes, it was my boss who said that.
1) Money, money, money, money.... money!!!! Making 18,000 a year isn't so much fun. And it makes one very, very poor... very poor. I live at home and I can't afford to buy new shoes, new clothes, new haircuts, new anything... though I have bought some second hand books. I'm not saying it's anything I NEED... but I miss buying things I don't need. Sniff..... like cute sweaters.
I have a few interviews this week, we'll see how they go. Hopefully depending on how they turn out I'll write about them on here, but I won't do it until I am either accepted or declined for the job. It also probably won't contain company names or details, and I'll only put it up if it's really, really boring and prozaic. Try not to look forward to it too much!!
Seriously though, sometimes I think I'll really miss the coffee shop and other times I can't wait to quit. Mostly it's the latter, but occasionally I'll think 'hey, I could do this forever', then I remember I can't... or not without some sort of possible homocide happening. Not saying who, just saying...
Ok seriously people, I know the CBS news did this story about how GW Bush had trouble with his superior officer in the Texas National Guard and now there is some fallout. Apparently the document, a memo, which was used to 'prove' his superior's feelings was forged. CBS now admits that the memo is a forgery but that it expresses true feelings. The person in question is dead, so no chance of asking him... anyway, that's not what this post is about...
MEMO-GATE? Since when did a forged memo rank up there with WATERGATE? Oh my gosh, seriously... even if it was faked, was anybody surprised? Was any American like 'Oh my gosh, my belief system is shatter (sob), Bush didn't serve honorably in the National Guard... how can I go on?'
So that's my rant for the evening, if you are voting for Bush because of his Army National Guard duty.... um, don't. Not a good plan. There was a great quiz on MSN today that could identify what candidate you were more closely associated with in beliefs. I was 57% for one and 58% for the other; I'm not going to say who won, but if they were both rational people, like myself, they wouldn't only each have half the ideas that matter to me. Here is the link if you want to try it for yourself. Perhaps one of them matches all your views, and I'm sure you are a completely rational being too...
I am pretty sure Armaggidon is coming. Why, you may ask? Because today I went shopping in a drug store and turquoise eyeshadow was available. That's right: turquoise or aquamarine also known as: what was the defining color of the 1980's? Ending I tell you, ending!
Today is primary election day in my state, I don't know if it is everywhere or not, but everybody should get out and vote in their party so that the candidate they like makes it to the 'final' election. Everybody in my state is upset that they don't have the right to vote for whoever they want in any party, now they have to pick a party and be registered to vote for that party. There was some federal law passed that changed it; everybody here thinks it will be changed back. Too bad it will never happen. The reason we have a Federal government is to make laws that superceed the State laws and, in case no one realizes it, we already fought a war about State rights vs Federal rights commonly referred to as the Civil War. It's the same reason that whatever the Federal government decides about homosexual marriage will hold. If they decide it's unconstitutional it will hold that it's unconstitutional; if they hold that it's unconstitutional not to the same will hold all over the 50 states. Personally I hold they should abolish the term marriage except for those married in a church and make everyone who is married by state into a 'civil union'. There used to be different types of marriage licenses... what'd you say we start those up again? Could be interesting!
My post today was mainly about the turquoise eye shadow... if any of my friends start wearing it I will disown you. Don't do it!! Friends don't let friends wear obvious 80's throwbacks.
All my days have been filled with boringness and work. I have watched a lot of Alias the past day, though it hasn't been Season 3's episodes yet. I've also read a lot of books, none of which are worthy to be recommended however. I have changed the name of my blog, mainly because I thought it would be funny, and perhaps someday I will have many single misadventures. Right now I only have one to comment on:
About two weeks ago I finally went and met one of the guys I had been 'set-up' with online. Actually he was the only guy I was still talking to, though I don't know why all the other guys were scared off. Do I really take that bad of a picture? Do I look fat in all my pictures? Screw the looking, am I fat? (Hopefully these are rhetorical questions) Anyway, Cary was the last one and I was at least interested in meeting him. It's hard to tell what a person is like from a picture, unless you already know the person. They are so much more than just their physical appearance. How one carries themselves can make them taller, shorter, geekier, smarter, more or less confident, etcetera.
We agreed to go on a quick mini-golfing date. He wanted to go 'real' golfing at first, since I've never done that I declined... besides being stuck on a golf course for an indeterminate amount of time didn't seem like the best plan. It was raining for a few days leading up to the 'date' and so we decided our backup plan was bowling. The day dawned bright and sunny, so I headed to the mini-golf range... I was supposed to meet him in the clubhouse. That's when I realized that we were going to mini-golf at an actual golf course. I wasn't so sure how I felt about this, but didn't put up a last minute fight... what would be the point anyway? I drove down there and, of course, got lost. He, of course, didn't have a cell phone or at least not one that he would admit to and give me the number for. I ended up being 10 minutes late and had to walk into a bar filled with men; which is probably on the top 10 things I never want to do again, right up there with farting during a prayer service. He recognized me, though I didn't recognize him... probably because I was trying VERY hard not to stare directly at anyone's face for fear of being hit on by a total stranger. (I don't know why I fear this, I just do.)
Cary offered to buy me a drink, which I declined. For one I don't enjoy drinking that much, and for two I was driving, and for three I should make it a policy not to drink on first dates. So we headed off in the direction of the mini-golf course and had very awkward conversation along the way. I was so flustered that I didn't get any of his jokes, not that they were any good. And I pretty much realized that he was a complete geek, not that he wasn't cute or attractive, but geeks aren't really my type. I'm more the 'athletic' type... and I don't mean jock and prep... I just mean solid athletic guys who don't cry when they break a nail. Not that Cary would cry if he broke a nail, but Bill Gates might...and that's the famous person that Cary most reminded me of though he wasn't quite THAT geeky.
Well we arrived at the mini-golf place and found that it was closed for a private event. Cary suggested we go and get dinner, but it was only 4pm and I wasn't hungry, plus I had told him the night before that I didn't like eating in front of dates... too much pressure. So we headed back towards the direction of the cars and I thought perhaps we would go bowling instead since it had been our backup plan. However I had no idea where the nearest bowling alley was and the one we had been planning on was 25 minutes north not including the rush hour traffic. Alas, our date was not to be for as we arrived at Cary's car he said 'Well I guess we'll reschedule then' and my response was 'Oh, okay'... what else am I supposed to say?
He emailed me three days later to ask if my reply had merely been a polite way of saying no, though I haven't written him back because I don't know what to say. It's not that he's not cute; it's that I'm not attracted to him. And I would go out with him to be friends, but he's already said he's not interested in that. So I have let the email hang... perhaps I will write him back this week, but probably not.
Buying a new shirt for your blind date?... $15
Gas for the 25 minute drive to get to your date... $10
Having the date only last 6 minutes?... Priceless
For all of you out there who don't think about Alias on a daily basis, I'm sorry, but I have to spread the news that it is out on DVD today! Find it at Amazon or any other fine retailer... and check out the pretty blue cover.
Even though Season 3 was by far the suckiest of the three seasons it was still far better than any other show on television. I feel like the cliffhanger this year will redeem itself, as opposed to Season 2's cliffhanger which was unsustainable. And here is an article about Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan having to still kiss after they have broken up in real life, it's the second story down on the gossip page. And can I just say I love Greg Grunberg... I think I might rename this site I love Greg Grunberg.com because he is one of my FAVORITE characters on that show. Just an awesome guy, with some kick ass lines, doesn't hurt that he's cute.... he place Mike Weis for those of you who only know the character names... ok, so I just found out his real name yesterday...
On the job front: the day after I wrote that blog entry I got WRITTEN UP at work for not 'finishing my closes' and the last two closes all I had done was on one night 'not put away the windex bottle'... yeah that's a danger to everybody because it summons the windex demon overnight to maim and kill all those who enter the store thereafter. Riiiiight. It was the first time I have EVER been written up at a job and I thought it was the dumbest reason... I have to improve in three months and I'd like to point out that I haven't even been WORKING THERE FOR THREE MONTHS! I considered quitting the next day, and might have, but my boss Ed talked to me and made me reconsider everything. He almost made me reconsider quitting altogether, but he failed on that point. I'm quitting, he only made it ok for me to work there for however long it takes me to find a new job.
So that's why I haven't been updating that much, job searches are inherently boring so that's why I am not writing about them. Seriously, if you know of any jobs let me know... any jobs HERE that is, I'm not moving back to Minnesota even though I miss all of you. :-)