So we're finally moved into our new house. By "moved in" I mean that all of our stuff is there although not necessarily unpacked but it's coming along.
Classes have started at Western and we're now into week 2. Overall I'm quite pleased with my classes. The current lineup is: World History Since 1500, Child Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Human Anatomy. My Abnormal Psych along with my Human Anatomy Lab is being taught by Grad students. This isn't uncommon I know, but this is their first time teaching for both of them and let's just say they don't quite have the knack of it yet, but I'm sure they'll get better.
I finally got the pre-amp for my turntable and now I can actually listen to vinyl at a normal volume. I'm not an audiophile and I certainly love my iPod and the CD for that matter, but there is something to be said for listening to a vintage LP.
Current vinyl collection:
The Who - Who's Next Fleetwood Mac - Rumours Boston - Boston Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle Cheap Trick - At Budokan ZZ Top - Eliminator Van Halen - 1984 Duran Duran - Rio Bad Company - Straight Shooter Billy Idol - Rebel Yell Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Bachman-Turner Overdrive II REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity Huey Lewis & The News - Sports KC & the Sunshine Band - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Moved to Kalamazoo.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not exactly, and yes I probably will.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that was very close.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Nope.
5. What countries did you visit? Just Canada.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A hopeless romantic ;)
7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? April 16th - My Birthday
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I finally got some guts.
9. What was your biggest failure? It didn't work out too well.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Illness.
11. What was the best thing you bought? iPod Video. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Not sure.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? George W. Bush
14. Where did most of your money go? Rent & Tuition.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I had an awesome trip to the casino. =) 16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Rancid - Fall Back Down
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or Sadder? I'd say slightly happier.
ii. Thinner or Fatter than last year? Slightly thinner?
iii. Richer or Poorer? Definitely poorer.
18: What do you wish you'd done more of? Traveling.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? w/ family.
22. Did you fall in love in 2007? I'm not sure...
23. How many one-night stands? 0
24. What was your favorite TV program? Lost
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Not that I can think of.
26. What was the best book you read? Not sure.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Roxy Music?
28. What did you want and get? A house.
29. What did you want and not get? Well you can't have everything.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Superbad
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Partied with friends, 24.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Win the lottery?
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Return to jeans.
34. What kept you sane? My friends.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Not sure.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Healthcare
37. Who did you miss? Not sure.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Too many.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007? Don't write yourself off yet.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"And I'm leaning on this broken fence, Between Past and Present tense. And I'm losing all these stupid games, That I swore I'd never play, But it almost feels okay." - Aside by The Weakerthans
So it’s obvious that I’ve let my LJ fall somewhat by the wayside. I’ve had a lot to write about but for some reason I just haven’t felt the urge to write it all down. Honestly I wish there some way I could integrate my Facebook (since I’m on there quite a bit) and my Livejournal, but for now that doesn’t seem possible.
Anyway, I figured I would start off my latest round of entries with a Helena style rant, so here goes…
Slow Drivers
Now that I’ve moved to Kalamazoo and am still working in Hastings, I’ve got about an hour drive each morning. I have to be to work at 8 a.m., and to accomplish this, I force myself awake at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. Now anyone who knows me can tell you that I am not a morning person by any means. This means that I give myself enough time to get ready and make it to work on time with maybe no more than 5 or 10 minutes to spare. Really, barring any sort of catastrophe, this should be plenty of leeway. It seems, however, that I always underestimate my arch nemesis: the Slow Driver.
The slow driver comes in many forms but more often than not it consists of one of two groups: the elderly, or the disabled. These people seem to have lost all sense of time and urgency. With nowhere to be at any particular time, these people seem to wander aimlessly down the road in their large automobiles, driving at least 10 to 15 miles per hour under the posted speed limit. Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck behind one of these individuals. Couple this with the knowledge that their completely unnecessary and false sense of “caution” or “prudence” is making you late for work.
Some people are quick to label those like myself, who believe traveling 5 mph above the speed limit is perfectly acceptable and in fact courteous, as being reckless and dangerous. Well I say that when you drive under the speed limit, when conditions do not warrant it, then you are a road hazard, and in fact put the rest of us in jeopardy. Cars begin to line up, and we are forced to attempt what could sometimes be risky passing maneuvers.
Bottom line, if you want to drive slow, fine. But don’t make the rest of us pay for your inability to correct judge speed and time. Move out of the way! Even a school bus will pull over to the side of the road to let cars by after making a stop because they know they’re slow (and they probably should be). I mean, come on!
Well only 1,518 days left (that's just over 4 years) until the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. So I guess it's high time that I get started on my training. First I need to decide what event(s) I wish to compete in. I'm thinkin' Alpine Downhill. Probably best just to focus on the one event so that I can hone my skills better. What's that you say? Impossible you say? Shamrock Shakes are better than Eggnog Shakes you say? Well my friends, you are mistaken! I encourage all of you to join me on the road to Vancouver. Training will commence in January at the Bittersweet Ski Resort in Otsego, MI. Ski days will be on Tuesdays (lift tickets are 2 for 1) so I'm going to need at least one partner on this one. Ok good meeting everyone, I'll see you on the slopes! =)
So what's new? Well let's see... Last night Pheen and I went out to L.A. with one of his sort of friend Angie (the girl he has been training to replace him at work) and her friends for one of her friend's birthday. First Angie, Pheen and I went to this crazy little eatery in West Hollywood called Nova Express. It was pretty sweet, the whole place was illuminated with black lights and each crazy shaped table had it's own lava lamp. In the back there was a giant plush Cthulhu. So after that we met up with Angie's friends and went to this club, Zanzibar, in Santa Monica. The club was ok, a little small inside though. I somehow paid $12 for a Long Island Ice Tea that I'm convinced had no liquor in it whatsoever. That pissed me off a little, especially because the bartender acted all bitchy when I ordered it. God forbid she has to know how to mix a drink. Hehe anyway...all in all it was fun night and I got to meet some cool people.
Tonight Pheen and I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia (for free of course, since I managed to snag a few passes before leaving =) ). I suggested that we eat at In and Out Burger, for the first time, before the movie. I got a double-double combo, animal style, with fries well-done, and let me just say it was freaking awesome. It was so good, the burger was great, the fries were great, and the whole thing was around $5. I have found a new love in In and Out Burger.
After our kickass meal, we saw Narnia and I must say I did enjoy it. Of course we cracked some jokes during it, as usual =), but I would say that it was definitely entertaining.
It was a pretty good weekend to breakup my shear boredom that I was experiencing. Today (Monday) marks 15 days left for me in California. It's weird, it's actually starting to seem real. I've still got packing to do and a few more things to square away. Most of my stuff that I won't be bringing home with me I will be donating to the Salvation Army, so I'm also waiting on them to come pick up my stuff. Does anybody remember seeing the video of the American withdrawal from Saigon at the end of Vietnam? Where the communists were rolling into the city and people were lining up on that staircase on top of the U.S. Embassy to get on the helicopters and basically only with them whatever they could carry. Ok hehe maybe that's a little crazy, but it's kind of how I feel. Obviously it's nowhere near that extreme of course but you know... =)
P.S. - Did anyone catch Aqua Teen tonight? What the hell was up with the Boost Mobile crap? I mean I get it, they were trying to make fun of the fact that Boost Mobile is their sponsor but it wasn't really funny. The entire episode was about Boost Mobile. I don't know, it just seemed kind of lame and unfunny...
My life has slowed to a crawl...Being unemployed, while extremely non-stressful, is however extremely boring. I pretty much did nothing today. I did book both of my hotel rooms for my trip. Also today was the last day to have your financial aid info to KCC before they would remove you from your classes, and as far as I can tell I'm still registered, so must be they finally got everything from me that they needed. After reading some reviews at http://www.ratemyprofessor.com, I'm a little worried about my Astronomy class but hopefully it will go well. I also checked out http://www.ratemyteachers.com/schools/michigan/hastings/hastings_high_school, great stuff! I would encourage anyone who went to Hastings to check it out and even leave some reviews. =) Boring entry eh?
God I want an Eggnog Shake from McDonald's! I went there the other day in Huntington but of course they've never even heard of an Eggnog Shake. I asked and just got a blank stare. Damn heathens! I bet if I asked for a salsa shake they could have given me one! lol ok sorry, that was off color but dammit I've been jonesing for an Eggnog Shake for weeks now. I've heard that supposedly they have them from after Thanksgiving until New Years Day, so hopefully I can get one somewhere before they are gone for the year, or else I might have to ask someone to buy one and throw it in the freezer lol. They're so good, and then it's just a few more months until the Shamrock Shakes! There ya go, a post all about McDonald's shakes. =)
“Hello everyone. Eric here. Just testing out my voice posting capabilities on my livejournal. I will soon have it set up so people can actually transcribe my voice messages, if they so desire...which will be cool because I'm planning on using this to record my journal home from California...through the SOUTH...and back to Michigan, so I can kind of update it, and if anyone is intrested they can check it out. And if they don't have a broadband connection [although you probably won't need one] to actually listen to the voice post, then they can read the transcription from whoever wants to take the time to transcribe it. So...with that said...there's not much to really say right now, so I will be off...but I will talk to you all soon! Bye bye.”
So I was having a typically crappy day at work, with no projectionist and my Chief of Staff (they're the ones that handle all the stocking and inventory) out sick. While I was counting down the concession register, one of my staff (Ben, of the band Bottom Line) asks me: "Have you ever seen that movie Napoleon Dynamite?" So I of course answer yes.
Him: "Well I swear that the guy who plays Pedro is in theater 5 watching Get Rich or Die Tryin'." Me: "What?! No way. Why would he be watching a movie in Huntington Beach?" Him: "I don't know, but I swear to god it was him. Go in there and look." Me: "Fine..."
So I go in the theater under the guise of doing a theater check. There are only about 6 people in there, and it's easy to spot the person Ben was talking about, sitting near the back with what must have been his girlfriend. So I get a look at the guy, but he doesn't look anything like I remember Pedro looking. So I go back out into the lobby and tell Ben he's crazy. Since I couldn't remember the Pedro's real name, I decided to IMDB it. So I found Efren Ramirez and along with his info there was a recent picture. It turns out he's got long hair now and without the mustache, looks completely different!
Well I couldn't let this opportunity pass without doing something. I didn't know if it was him or not, but I was willing to make a fool of myself to find out. So I waited until just before the end of the movie, and then went in there with a broom and dust pan (I didn't want to look like I was waiting for them, even though I was, but I didn't want to look like it!) =). The credits started to roll and everyone left the theater except the two I was waiting for. I was standing in the back and I don't think they saw me because the girl got up and started dancing to the music lol. While doing that I think she noticed me standing there and said something to her boyfriend. Shortly after that, they both got up and started to walk out past me. They told me to have a goodnight and were heading out the door. I almost didn't say it but right as he was opening the door I turned and said "Are you Efren?" He stopped dead in his tracks and turned and looked at me astounded. His girlfriend sort of chuckled and just said "Yeah..." So I'm like "The actor?" (This was probably a dumb thing to say, but it's not everyday I confront possible famous people!) He just responded, again with an astounded look, "Yeah." I'm just like "That's awesome!" hehe. So I asked him to sign the only thing I could think of, my Mann Theatres Manager name tag. His girlfriend thought this was really funny and then she made the comment "Luckeeee" lol. I thanked him and shook his hand again and they walked away and went in and pretended to clean the theater. I forgot to even look at the tag after he signed it, so I looked down and laughed to read "Vote for Pedro...Efren Ramirez". After a few minutes, I ran into the couple again and they asked where the bathroom was lol. On their way out another theater had gotten out and there was probably 10 people in the lobby with them but no one noticed. They both told me to have a good night and left. LOL! How crazy is that! It really made a crappy night a hell of a lot better! Of course I wound up not getting out until 3:00 a.m. because the inventory was so jacked but who cares! =)
Holy crap, I just slept for 10 1/2 hours. I have no idea why. Now it's almost time for me to get ready for work but I seriously don't want to go. I don't think I'm going to put much effort into it. It's not that I'm lazy, anyone who knows me knows that I always put a lot of effort and personal interest (sometimes too much) into my job. But this job is different, no one takes any interest in their jobs at all, even the supposed "Acting General Manager" doesn't actually give a crap about anything other than the numbers at the end of the night. So it's for that reason that I think I'm just going to coast through the next two weeks as much as possible. It's crazy that home still seems so far away, but it's only 35 days. I look around at all the stuff I'm probably going to have to give up to make it back. I really will have to start all over from scratch with a lot of things, but I suppose starting over can be a good thing from time to time.
Things are looking up for a change. I have crossed the financial threshold to carry out my plans (assuming I can refrain from needless spending). This means that I am free to depart from my job (which is causing me enormous amounts of stress) at any time that I see fit. I will give me two weeks notice either tomorrow or Thursday, most likely tomorrow. =) Assuming I'm not fired between now and the 1st, this will give a nice cushion of money for when I return. My only remaining worry is my large items that I need to rid myself of before my trip. Luckily Phoenix has agreed to take my sofa, chair, coffee table, microwave, and bistro table. This means I still need to get rid of my bed, my computer desk, my other desk, and my tv stand. If it comes down to it, I guess I can just probably stick them by the dumpster and high tail it out of dodge. My grandparents are anticipating my arrival and said that they are happy I am coming back. Of course they've already started with the "You need to get a job" talk. I'm not sure if they're aware that I don't plan on getting another full time job if at all possible, but that's something that can be discussed once I'm already back. For now I must push ahead and do my best to tie up any loose ends.
I am, however, extremely optimistic of the coming year. I believe that there are a lot of very good things looming just over the horizon. I think 2006 is going to rock. I think it's about time the mid-mid-life crisis comes to an end and my goals start coming to fruition. It's time to move ahead and to not look back. It's time to start living by my own rules and no one else's. Oh yes, it's going to be a good year...
My boss is an idiot, he freaking kept me on the phone for over 45 minutes until 1:30 in the morning, all over the fact that we were missing 8 popcorn bags on our inventory. All he did was repeat things over and over again. But it's impossible for me to get work done while on the phone with him so I couldn't leave until after 2 a.m. Yes missing popcorn bags is not good, but all he did was talk about how his commission would be effected. That's not a very good way to motivate your employees who don't get a fucking commission! I was elated to finally calculate out today that I have in fact reached the point of financial independence from my job. In other words I could quit right now and still have enough money (although it would be close) to carry out my plans. It's such a relief knowing that you could leave at any minute and still be ok.
Oh my god, my job is causing me to lose my mind! No one can stand the new General Manager that was sent to "clean up" our theater. At first his ideas seemed like a welcome change, there were a lot of things that could be done better. But it didn't take long to realize that he didn't want to be here and was more pre-occupied with his other more important Hollywood theaters. You can't even talk to the guy without him talking to someone else on the phone at the same time. It's so annoying that when you try to talk to him about anything, you have to tell him at least three times before he gets it. I can only figure it's because his mind is on other "more important" things. I get so sick of repeating myself over and over again. Not to mention that the staff is so fed up that they're all quiting. I can't really say that I blame them since it's not such a great job and only pays minimum wage. So that only adds to my frustration of trying to make a staff schedule for the upcoming...dare I say it...Harry Potter opening. Everyone keeps making comments on how stressed out I look, and I don't doubt that I am. We're also still looking for another Assistant Manager which means that it's still just Melody and I. Melody is nice enough, but she still needs some work on management things. Anyway, at this rate I'll be lucky to make it through the next three weeks. I've decided to make December 8th my last day. I honestly don't want to even go that long but it will help to have that little extra boost of money once I get home. Plus that will give me a little less than three weeks to make my final preparations and chill with the Pheen, I'm really going to miss that guy.
1. a. A period of stagnation or slump. b. A period of depression or unhappy listlessness.
I would say that pretty well defines my life at the moment. Like everyone, I have good days and I have bad. The last couple days have been more in the bad category than the good. Perhaps it is because I've had the last three days off of work. I would consider that a good thing but it also give me a lot of time to be alone with my thoughts and think about everything that I'm facing before me. At times it feels like I still have so much to do and that it will never get done, and then at other times I feel like there isn't anything I can do. I feel like I'm cut off from the world, but I know that it's only through my own doing that got here. 43 days but it might as well be 43 years because it feels the same. Who is to say that my plans will even work? What evidence do I have that any of it will happen as I have planned? That's worst part, I have no idea if any of it will even work but all I can do is keep going forward with it. This is the part where you've figured out what you want to do, you've got it all planned out, but now since there isn't any more planning, you begin to question everything that you just planned. Will it work? Will the people that matter still be there? Or will I have to start all over again? I just have to stick to the plan and hope that the plan will get me where I want to go. But that is going to be far easier said, than done.
So tonight Pheen and I decided to head out on the town to Hollywood. Neither of us had actually been there before so it was quite an awesome experience. First thing that was awesome was actually seeing the Hollywood sign for the first time. It was pretty sweet, but unfortunately I couldn't get any pictures of it. Next we went down Hollywood Boulevard and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We actually parked next to the star of Johnny Cash. =) We walked down the walk for a while to the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. I'm not quite sure why Hollywood and Vine is so famous because there really isn't much there but it was still cool. Here are a few pics from our journey down Hollywood Boulevard.
After that we took a trip up in the hills of Bel Air. Now the one thing I've wanted to do since I got here was go up in the hills above L.A. and look out over the city. Tonight I finally got a chance to do that. My camera really sucks at taking pictures in the dark and the pics that I have don't really do the view justice. It was an amazing sight and if you ever have the chance to visit L.A. I really think you should see it.
It felt different being in an actual city once again. Orange County is definitely not the same as L.A. Walking down Hollywood Blvd. reminded me of walking down The Magnificent Mile in Chicago, only it was quite a bit warmer here. =)
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