Happy Independence Day!!!
So, another month-by-month play:
April-Went to see my cousin graduate from chiropractor school. Kinda cool to have a doctor in the family. My term at work was also extended until June, so yay me! (more on that later). And I celebrated one year at my apartment with a movie. I also celebrated the first time I've held a full-time job for a year. Any jobs that I've held for that length of time were part-time, and any full-time jobs I've held never lasted longer than 7 months. So, I had two drinks...because one just wasn't going to cut it. And I think this was also when a good family friend of ours moved away. Not just out of city, out of state. :( His party was a good one, but still...I'm hoping to go see him in December. I also got new tires (finally!!).
May-um...major event for this month was my cousin's graduation party. Like, full-on formal Las Vegas party, which was a blast. A friend of ours in Tehachapi came to Bakes to do our hair. 'Our hair' included mine, my mom's, both of my aunts, and my aunt's neighbor. We looked beautiful. At the beginnning of the month, we all went shopping for dresses, and almost all ended up with purple. My aunt that was throwing the party did a black dress, but the rest of us ended up in different shades of purple. My best friend and her fiancee came down for the night, along with her brother. I have to say, I probably should've socialized more, but I was too busy having a blast with them to really worry about it. Unfortunately, I also had a few really horrible days at work. The only time I took off was the holiday, Memorial Day, and a Friday because my car died. I had to replace the battery, and figured I may as well get it serviced at the same time.
June-Well, some more things started happening. I got to go see my best friend down south, over Father's Day, and had a great time. I was made a permanent employee of the state as of June 1st, which meant I could stop biting my nails over whether or not I would continue to be employed, and I switched to regular hours. Trust me, when I had this good news within the same day I had to keep myself from dancing out of the office. To top it off, I had an interview at CCI last Thursday, and felt pretty good about it. Felt even better because it was payday and I was heading to Avila the next day. Which is where I'm updating this from, because Dinosaur Park is just that awesome for fireworks shows.
Now, movie talk. I knew a couple of years ago when I saw IMDBs list of upcoming movies that I was probably going to be broke (more than usual) at the movies this year. I was right. I I caught 'Green Lantern' while I was down south (at the drive-in, no less). Back in Bakes, I saw 'Kung Fu Panda 2', which I loved as much as the first one. That one I saw with my dr. cousin and my aunt. Finally, I saw 'Thor,' which was enjoyable. Black jeans with those abs? Yummy. Now, what's coming up? I'm probably gonna saw 'Cars 2' this week with my parents. The last Harry Potter is coming out, which I'll more than likely see. Out of principle, if nothing else. And of course, Captain America. I'm seriously considering catching a midnight showing for it, but we'll see what my bank account looks like. And that's just this month-I don't even know what the rest of the year looks like.
Well, enjoy the weekend. Or week, or whatever. Have a drink, say a prayer, wave the tv remote, whatever you do, to celebrate the day.
Yankee Doodle Dandy-traditonal folk song
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Raise Your Glass
Shockingly enough, I almost posted last month!!! Like, last week or so! Then real life intervened, which prevented my doing so. Like, returning from Sacramento. A job interview. Staying at work until 1 in the morning.
Yes, you read that right. 1 in the frigging morning. And the worst part? It's not overtime-it's straight time, because of the holiday. Fan-TASTIC, right? :(
Anyway, I almost posted. That was my original point.
So, I went up north to visit my friend that was in the JET program. I got up there Tuesday and came back to Bakes on a Saturday. Almost a full week. We met up in Salinas, got food, and stayed up until about midnight. We stayed at an apartment of a friend's of hers. Wednesday we went to Karaoke in San Jose. Now, it wasn't American-style karaoke where you're in a bar (usually) and singing in front of a bunch of strangers. This was Japanese-style, where you and the group you were with rented a room and it was just you guys in there. I prefer Japanese-style, I've determined. And I rocked on "Chim Chim Cheree." Also, were you aware that the Jonas Brothers did a rock version of "Yo Ho Ho A Pirate's Life for Me?" I wasn't. It was surprisingly good.
Thursday was shopping-with-the-grandmother day. I have a renewed understanding of why she does some things and refuses to do others. Later that night we played games with some of her friends from the bay area. Friday we went to Berkley and met up with another friend of ours, and had dinner with her grandmother that night. ON Saturday I came back, like I said. The earliest we went to bed all week was 1 or 1:30, and the latest we got up was 9 or 9:30. Exhausting? Yes. Cram a full week into half of one? Yes. Totally awesome? Yes.
This past month (February) I went back up north to visit another friend. Got up there Wednesday night and came back Monday afternoon (President's weekend). We saw "Number Four," which wasn't too bad. My phone dropped out of my pocket so I had to go back to the theatre, but it has been safely recovered. My friend accused me of overthinking the movie, which is fair. I tend to do that more often than not. We also went to a couple different places that sell tea. One of them was just a shop, but the other was an actual place where they serve 'high tea' and 'dinner with tea.' It was really nice. We also hit downtown...folsom, I think?...and raided the antique stores. We both got a couple things, but I found this really awesome dragon pendant. It's two dragons (Asian style) intertwined, but facing out. Most dragons that are intertwined are facing in, so I was stoked to find this. Other than that, we vegged out on Castle and Korean dramas. Couple tv series, and a couple movies. Had an awesome time there, too. :D
You can see a trend here, right? If I'm going to have fun, I do. Most of the time. That's it for now. Maybe I'll get inspired and come back to blog this month. *ignores the sound of laughter in the background*
Raise Your Glass-Pink
Yes, you read that right. 1 in the frigging morning. And the worst part? It's not overtime-it's straight time, because of the holiday. Fan-TASTIC, right? :(
Anyway, I almost posted. That was my original point.
So, I went up north to visit my friend that was in the JET program. I got up there Tuesday and came back to Bakes on a Saturday. Almost a full week. We met up in Salinas, got food, and stayed up until about midnight. We stayed at an apartment of a friend's of hers. Wednesday we went to Karaoke in San Jose. Now, it wasn't American-style karaoke where you're in a bar (usually) and singing in front of a bunch of strangers. This was Japanese-style, where you and the group you were with rented a room and it was just you guys in there. I prefer Japanese-style, I've determined. And I rocked on "Chim Chim Cheree." Also, were you aware that the Jonas Brothers did a rock version of "Yo Ho Ho A Pirate's Life for Me?" I wasn't. It was surprisingly good.
Thursday was shopping-with-the-grandmother day. I have a renewed understanding of why she does some things and refuses to do others. Later that night we played games with some of her friends from the bay area. Friday we went to Berkley and met up with another friend of ours, and had dinner with her grandmother that night. ON Saturday I came back, like I said. The earliest we went to bed all week was 1 or 1:30, and the latest we got up was 9 or 9:30. Exhausting? Yes. Cram a full week into half of one? Yes. Totally awesome? Yes.
This past month (February) I went back up north to visit another friend. Got up there Wednesday night and came back Monday afternoon (President's weekend). We saw "Number Four," which wasn't too bad. My phone dropped out of my pocket so I had to go back to the theatre, but it has been safely recovered. My friend accused me of overthinking the movie, which is fair. I tend to do that more often than not. We also went to a couple different places that sell tea. One of them was just a shop, but the other was an actual place where they serve 'high tea' and 'dinner with tea.' It was really nice. We also hit downtown...folsom, I think?...and raided the antique stores. We both got a couple things, but I found this really awesome dragon pendant. It's two dragons (Asian style) intertwined, but facing out. Most dragons that are intertwined are facing in, so I was stoked to find this. Other than that, we vegged out on Castle and Korean dramas. Couple tv series, and a couple movies. Had an awesome time there, too. :D
You can see a trend here, right? If I'm going to have fun, I do. Most of the time. That's it for now. Maybe I'll get inspired and come back to blog this month. *ignores the sound of laughter in the background*
Raise Your Glass-Pink
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Moments To Remember (Forever Plaid)
Alright! Back from extended hiatus!! Like BSG or Heroes!! Go me!!!
Ok, so obviously I haven't blogged since July. I will attempt to bring ya'll up to date, a month at a time.
August: The start of the search for a new house for my parents. I didn't actually help much with that part, but we had my mom's birthday party this month. It was the last big bash we had at my parent's old house. It was awesome, and I was stoked to see my friends had come to the party as well. Which of course made it awesomer. Also this month, movie night at some really good family friends' house. I don't actually remember what the movie was, because I didn't pay attention to it (it was recommended that I shouldn't), but it was still a lot of fun. It had Divine (Devine?) in it though. My god that woman is fluffy-fied. Ok, so, the drive up was horrible. The 58 was closed, so I had to take the back road in. Here's a secret-I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE BACK ROAD. And I don't intend to in the near or even far future, if I can help it. I did it though, and got to Stallion and called them to let them know I'd be a little bit late. Once I got there, one of them (aka Personal Bartender, or P.B.) started making me an amaretto sour. I told him to forget the sour part and just give me the amaretto. Granted, it was in the same glass, so it was almost a juice glass full of amaretto, but it tasted wonderful. I finished that before dinner, and had another (same size) with dinner. After that I had hot chocolate with amaretto-after that I was better. :) The next day mom & dad went to look at a possible house, and had all but signed the contract by the time they got back to our friend's house. So, they essentially found a house in the same month they started looking for one. Not too bad, wouldn't you say?
Septemer: Lots going on this month. So, very beginning of the month one of my aunts had a birthday party. Happens every year, what can I say. However, another aunt (hereafter known as Typhoid Mary) decided to make the party about her and her problems as opposed to focusing on the "Yay, my sister has been alive for another year" aspect of the party. How did this happen? Family drama. What it boiled down to (bare minimum, here) was somehow my grandmother and Typhoid Mary got attacked by my cousins' wives. 2 wives, with perfectly sound reasoning, suggested another way of doing-here's the punchline-Christmas gifts. What we've been doing is $5 gifts from the adults, to EVERYONE, and $1 gifts from the kiddos, to EVERYONE. My family has 20 some-odd people in it. Unwrapping takes forever, and you don't actually enjoy the gifts, for the most part. Sometimes you luck out, but most of the time they're not that great. But somehow my grandmother and TM twisted it around as being attacked. And here's the other shoe-Christmas Day is ONE DAY. Out of 365 days a year, doing something different one of those days would not kill anyone. So, stupid, I know, really really stupid. But as a result no one has talked to my grandmother, grandfather, TM, her husband/my uncle, and my 2 girl cousins since the birthday party. At this point, they've ruined not just one day, but years. So, we did not spend my birthday, which was a nice dinner in Tehachapi with friends, or PreThanksgiving, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or anything for New Years. And my grandparents have also missed the birth of their first great-granddaughter. So, until the baby was born (December), I was the only niece again. In between this, I helped my parents with packing and moving. And my favorite birthday present? My friend that's in Japan called me the day of my birthday and we were able to talk. That definitely topped it off for me.
October: The annual Halloween party at PB (and Jelly's) house. Once again, an awesome party. This one actually had more people dressed up than in previous years, so that was really cool to see. The theme this year was 80s, and I was surprised to see that people actually dressed up, for the most part, and didn't just do bell bottoms and screaming shirts. We had Pat Benatar, 2 versions of Michael Jackson (Thriller and the mask/one glove look, if anyone's curious), a scary mask lady, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Marty McFly, and leather and chain punkositys. Some people, including my parents, went with an 1880s motif as opposed to 1980s, and they looked great. I myself opted for pigtails and an adult-sized onesie-hey, if I was born in '86 that means I would have been a toddler during that time frame. It was a load of fun. And we got my parents moved into the new house completely, so I made quite a few trips to Tehachapi. Also, during this time my other aunt (aka Disney Aunt, or DA) started visiting me during the week. She was taking a diet class that took her near my neighborhood. I've been enjoying it a lot. It was nice starting to feel like I could actually count on my family. For more than extended phone conversations and drama, that is.
November: Prethanksgiving was awesome. People were there that I hadn't seen in a while, and once again my friends were able to show up. I had a blast, and so did everyone else. Actual Thanksgiving was, well, not too bad. It was kinda different without Typhoid Mary or my grandparents there, but there was a definite change in pace. But the surprise came the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Mom had called and left a message, saying that PB, J, and them were going to go up north to the Dickens Faire, but plans had changed and would I like to go? Of course I accepted and went up with them the Friday after gobblegobble day. On the way up, I texted a friend I knew was up north to see if she wanted to come down and meet us at Faire (aka Missy). Missy agreed, and I met up with her and her sister, and we had a great time! We tried on as many hats as we could find, made fun of each other, and pined after some coats. There was one booth we found that had gorgeous jackets for sale. I particularly liked the Winterfield coat and the men's Bailey coat. We found the shop the first time, Missy and I went back in for a second time, and I went in for a final time before closing. http://www.samiah.com/_Samiah-Womens-Clothing.htm
December: Missy came down to Bakes the weekend before Christmas and we had an awesome time. We watched the new Narnia movie, saw Plaid Tidings at the BeeKay, talked, and watched anime. We also went to see the Christmas lights in Haggin Oaks, which I highly recommend. Christmas Eve I drove to my parent's house, and stayed with them until the Monday after Christmas. However, I think someone in the family was sick and didn't 'fess up. I was just finishing getting rid of something (a cold or congestion or something-it was hanging on by its fingernails) but the Monday after both mom and I started coming down with something. So, I'm downing the orange juice and tea. Also this month, Dec. 30th, my cousin's wife had her baby. I didn't get to see her, but mom sent me a picture. She looked adorable.
January: Still a work in progress I've had 2 days of it. I will be going up north this week though, because my friend is back from Japan for a little bit, and we're going to have an awesome time!!! Hopefully I'll return to my blog after my trip but I make no promises.
"Moments to Remember (Forever Plaid)"-Plaid Tidings crew
Ok, so obviously I haven't blogged since July. I will attempt to bring ya'll up to date, a month at a time.
August: The start of the search for a new house for my parents. I didn't actually help much with that part, but we had my mom's birthday party this month. It was the last big bash we had at my parent's old house. It was awesome, and I was stoked to see my friends had come to the party as well. Which of course made it awesomer. Also this month, movie night at some really good family friends' house. I don't actually remember what the movie was, because I didn't pay attention to it (it was recommended that I shouldn't), but it was still a lot of fun. It had Divine (Devine?) in it though. My god that woman is fluffy-fied. Ok, so, the drive up was horrible. The 58 was closed, so I had to take the back road in. Here's a secret-I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE BACK ROAD. And I don't intend to in the near or even far future, if I can help it. I did it though, and got to Stallion and called them to let them know I'd be a little bit late. Once I got there, one of them (aka Personal Bartender, or P.B.) started making me an amaretto sour. I told him to forget the sour part and just give me the amaretto. Granted, it was in the same glass, so it was almost a juice glass full of amaretto, but it tasted wonderful. I finished that before dinner, and had another (same size) with dinner. After that I had hot chocolate with amaretto-after that I was better. :) The next day mom & dad went to look at a possible house, and had all but signed the contract by the time they got back to our friend's house. So, they essentially found a house in the same month they started looking for one. Not too bad, wouldn't you say?
Septemer: Lots going on this month. So, very beginning of the month one of my aunts had a birthday party. Happens every year, what can I say. However, another aunt (hereafter known as Typhoid Mary) decided to make the party about her and her problems as opposed to focusing on the "Yay, my sister has been alive for another year" aspect of the party. How did this happen? Family drama. What it boiled down to (bare minimum, here) was somehow my grandmother and Typhoid Mary got attacked by my cousins' wives. 2 wives, with perfectly sound reasoning, suggested another way of doing-here's the punchline-Christmas gifts. What we've been doing is $5 gifts from the adults, to EVERYONE, and $1 gifts from the kiddos, to EVERYONE. My family has 20 some-odd people in it. Unwrapping takes forever, and you don't actually enjoy the gifts, for the most part. Sometimes you luck out, but most of the time they're not that great. But somehow my grandmother and TM twisted it around as being attacked. And here's the other shoe-Christmas Day is ONE DAY. Out of 365 days a year, doing something different one of those days would not kill anyone. So, stupid, I know, really really stupid. But as a result no one has talked to my grandmother, grandfather, TM, her husband/my uncle, and my 2 girl cousins since the birthday party. At this point, they've ruined not just one day, but years. So, we did not spend my birthday, which was a nice dinner in Tehachapi with friends, or PreThanksgiving, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or anything for New Years. And my grandparents have also missed the birth of their first great-granddaughter. So, until the baby was born (December), I was the only niece again. In between this, I helped my parents with packing and moving. And my favorite birthday present? My friend that's in Japan called me the day of my birthday and we were able to talk. That definitely topped it off for me.
October: The annual Halloween party at PB (and Jelly's) house. Once again, an awesome party. This one actually had more people dressed up than in previous years, so that was really cool to see. The theme this year was 80s, and I was surprised to see that people actually dressed up, for the most part, and didn't just do bell bottoms and screaming shirts. We had Pat Benatar, 2 versions of Michael Jackson (Thriller and the mask/one glove look, if anyone's curious), a scary mask lady, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Marty McFly, and leather and chain punkositys. Some people, including my parents, went with an 1880s motif as opposed to 1980s, and they looked great. I myself opted for pigtails and an adult-sized onesie-hey, if I was born in '86 that means I would have been a toddler during that time frame. It was a load of fun. And we got my parents moved into the new house completely, so I made quite a few trips to Tehachapi. Also, during this time my other aunt (aka Disney Aunt, or DA) started visiting me during the week. She was taking a diet class that took her near my neighborhood. I've been enjoying it a lot. It was nice starting to feel like I could actually count on my family. For more than extended phone conversations and drama, that is.
November: Prethanksgiving was awesome. People were there that I hadn't seen in a while, and once again my friends were able to show up. I had a blast, and so did everyone else. Actual Thanksgiving was, well, not too bad. It was kinda different without Typhoid Mary or my grandparents there, but there was a definite change in pace. But the surprise came the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Mom had called and left a message, saying that PB, J, and them were going to go up north to the Dickens Faire, but plans had changed and would I like to go? Of course I accepted and went up with them the Friday after gobblegobble day. On the way up, I texted a friend I knew was up north to see if she wanted to come down and meet us at Faire (aka Missy). Missy agreed, and I met up with her and her sister, and we had a great time! We tried on as many hats as we could find, made fun of each other, and pined after some coats. There was one booth we found that had gorgeous jackets for sale. I particularly liked the Winterfield coat and the men's Bailey coat. We found the shop the first time, Missy and I went back in for a second time, and I went in for a final time before closing. http://www.samiah.com/_Samiah-Womens-Clothing.htm
December: Missy came down to Bakes the weekend before Christmas and we had an awesome time. We watched the new Narnia movie, saw Plaid Tidings at the BeeKay, talked, and watched anime. We also went to see the Christmas lights in Haggin Oaks, which I highly recommend. Christmas Eve I drove to my parent's house, and stayed with them until the Monday after Christmas. However, I think someone in the family was sick and didn't 'fess up. I was just finishing getting rid of something (a cold or congestion or something-it was hanging on by its fingernails) but the Monday after both mom and I started coming down with something. So, I'm downing the orange juice and tea. Also this month, Dec. 30th, my cousin's wife had her baby. I didn't get to see her, but mom sent me a picture. She looked adorable.
January: Still a work in progress I've had 2 days of it. I will be going up north this week though, because my friend is back from Japan for a little bit, and we're going to have an awesome time!!! Hopefully I'll return to my blog after my trip but I make no promises.
"Moments to Remember (Forever Plaid)"-Plaid Tidings crew
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Wind From The West
So...instead of boring you with excuses, I shall regale you with tales of my adventures!!! Or...something. Hopefully. Maybe.
Alright, I have started the job at North Kern. My celebration of being there three months consists of me NOT being there on Monday the 19th. I will be sleeping in, and quite possibly watching a prison-based movie (The Rock, Spy Games, etc.). I haven't decided yet. For those of you that have been watching the news about the budget, for July and August we will not be going to minimum wage. Pray, hope, shake rattles, whatever you do, I am asking that you do it so the bleeping parties involved with bargaining wages, state budget, and the overall status of California come to some sort of resolution that doesn't leave all state workers screwed with their pants on. I'm not just asking for me, but my mom too.
In other news, I was completely moved in (final box unpacked) in the middle of May. I have an odd shift for non-nursing work, and couldn't do much on the week. Also, I wasn't at the apartment the entire time. I currently live in Bakersfield, in a one-bedroom apt. and drive about 40 minutes to work. Not as close as I would have liked, but I took what I could get.
Also in May, I attended a hand-fasting. I thought it was very interesting, especially since it was my friend that was taking part in the ceremony. There was an interesting dynamic though; about 3/4 of the people there treated it as a pre-engagement ceremony, emphasis on the ceremony part, and the other 1/4 treated it as practice for the wedding ceremony. I was in the majority, for this event. Other than that, it was very enjoyable.
In June, I attended Godspell at the Beekay in Tehachapi. I was supposed to be stage manager, but when the job got offered, that took priority. I sill rated a comp ticket though. I love knowing the right people. :D
I also went to Disneyland with my mom and our family friend from Russia who had never been. None of us could really afford it, but it was definitely worth it. Our friend was like a kid in a candy shop....or at Disney. I considered inviting my friend down south, but I knew she was working on moving so I figured she'd be stressed/busy with that. And I knew it would also be a different pace. When we've gone, it was always a mad scramble to get the rides. Which is fine, but this time I ended up going with people that took things at a slower pace. Which I was happy with, because I normally haven't had that much luck with getting character photos, but we got quite a few this time around.
My brother also moved out. He got an apartment with his friend since forever, and they moved in about the middle of the month. Joe got accepted to Le Cordon Bleu, and his friend got accepted to a mechanic school.
For Independence weekend, I was supposed to go up the coast with my parents, the dogs, and a family friend, but it didn't quite work out that way. Our family friend ended up having to work, so did another couple we were supposed to go with, so I called in another of my friends instead. We were supposed to leave Saturday~turns out that there was something wrong with the travel trailer. My friend had met me in Bakersfield and we were already on the road. So we went to Oceano for the melodrama that night, and had dinner in Arroyo Grande. We ended up getting back around midnight.
The actual 4th, my friend and I watched anime and went to one of my aunt's houses for the 4th of July golf cart parade their neighborhood normally put on. We got there kinda late, but we did the parade and went swimming. To round off the night, we played disc golf with some of my cousins at a park. At around 11 at night, mind you. After the game, we crashed again around midnight. My friend left the next day. We had a blast.
I think that pretty much covers anything. If I think of anything else I need to add, I'll put in an addendum. Or maybe another full post. Who knows but the wind?
"The Wind From The West"-Golden Bough
Alright, I have started the job at North Kern. My celebration of being there three months consists of me NOT being there on Monday the 19th. I will be sleeping in, and quite possibly watching a prison-based movie (The Rock, Spy Games, etc.). I haven't decided yet. For those of you that have been watching the news about the budget, for July and August we will not be going to minimum wage. Pray, hope, shake rattles, whatever you do, I am asking that you do it so the bleeping parties involved with bargaining wages, state budget, and the overall status of California come to some sort of resolution that doesn't leave all state workers screwed with their pants on. I'm not just asking for me, but my mom too.
In other news, I was completely moved in (final box unpacked) in the middle of May. I have an odd shift for non-nursing work, and couldn't do much on the week. Also, I wasn't at the apartment the entire time. I currently live in Bakersfield, in a one-bedroom apt. and drive about 40 minutes to work. Not as close as I would have liked, but I took what I could get.
Also in May, I attended a hand-fasting. I thought it was very interesting, especially since it was my friend that was taking part in the ceremony. There was an interesting dynamic though; about 3/4 of the people there treated it as a pre-engagement ceremony, emphasis on the ceremony part, and the other 1/4 treated it as practice for the wedding ceremony. I was in the majority, for this event. Other than that, it was very enjoyable.
In June, I attended Godspell at the Beekay in Tehachapi. I was supposed to be stage manager, but when the job got offered, that took priority. I sill rated a comp ticket though. I love knowing the right people. :D
I also went to Disneyland with my mom and our family friend from Russia who had never been. None of us could really afford it, but it was definitely worth it. Our friend was like a kid in a candy shop....or at Disney. I considered inviting my friend down south, but I knew she was working on moving so I figured she'd be stressed/busy with that. And I knew it would also be a different pace. When we've gone, it was always a mad scramble to get the rides. Which is fine, but this time I ended up going with people that took things at a slower pace. Which I was happy with, because I normally haven't had that much luck with getting character photos, but we got quite a few this time around.
My brother also moved out. He got an apartment with his friend since forever, and they moved in about the middle of the month. Joe got accepted to Le Cordon Bleu, and his friend got accepted to a mechanic school.
For Independence weekend, I was supposed to go up the coast with my parents, the dogs, and a family friend, but it didn't quite work out that way. Our family friend ended up having to work, so did another couple we were supposed to go with, so I called in another of my friends instead. We were supposed to leave Saturday~turns out that there was something wrong with the travel trailer. My friend had met me in Bakersfield and we were already on the road. So we went to Oceano for the melodrama that night, and had dinner in Arroyo Grande. We ended up getting back around midnight.
The actual 4th, my friend and I watched anime and went to one of my aunt's houses for the 4th of July golf cart parade their neighborhood normally put on. We got there kinda late, but we did the parade and went swimming. To round off the night, we played disc golf with some of my cousins at a park. At around 11 at night, mind you. After the game, we crashed again around midnight. My friend left the next day. We had a blast.
I think that pretty much covers anything. If I think of anything else I need to add, I'll put in an addendum. Or maybe another full post. Who knows but the wind?
"The Wind From The West"-Golden Bough
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Changes
Howdy ya'll. So, my second posting for March. Go me!
So, I was offered the job for North Kern. Yay! And I'm taking. Pros: I will be moving out (finally), it's a bit more likely to roll over to permanent than the county job, I think I'll be making a dollar to two dollars more than I am now, AND once I'm there, I'm there! No more drives to Ridgecrest 2 or more times a week! No side trips to Rosamond! No field trips to Palmdale or LittleRock! The only driving I have to worry about after that is getting OFF of work! Cons: I haven't been able to save extra money because life happens, I highly doubt I'll be able to move into my apartment right away, I will have to furlough since it's a state job, and I'll be on pins and needles budget wise the next 3 or 4 months at least. BUT (and here's the juicy part) I HAVE A JOB THAT I WON'T BE LEAVING IN 3 MONTHS!!!
In other news, I went to Shakespeare in Cal Poly. It wasn't the entire original cast, but honestly 2 outta 3 ain't bad at all. And I replaced my dvd which some family friends lost. They won't admit to it, but they did lose it. I lent it to them last November, and it is now March. On the eve of April. You can see why I'm justified.
My friend down south is doing fairly good. And my friend across the states seems to be doing okay too. Things are slowing down and being better, at least for a little bit. Word to the wise? Enjoy what you can, when you can. I'm feeling very lucky, and far more upbeat than I have in a while.
"Changes"-BaseBall Bear (Library War soundtrack)
So, I was offered the job for North Kern. Yay! And I'm taking. Pros: I will be moving out (finally), it's a bit more likely to roll over to permanent than the county job, I think I'll be making a dollar to two dollars more than I am now, AND once I'm there, I'm there! No more drives to Ridgecrest 2 or more times a week! No side trips to Rosamond! No field trips to Palmdale or LittleRock! The only driving I have to worry about after that is getting OFF of work! Cons: I haven't been able to save extra money because life happens, I highly doubt I'll be able to move into my apartment right away, I will have to furlough since it's a state job, and I'll be on pins and needles budget wise the next 3 or 4 months at least. BUT (and here's the juicy part) I HAVE A JOB THAT I WON'T BE LEAVING IN 3 MONTHS!!!
In other news, I went to Shakespeare in Cal Poly. It wasn't the entire original cast, but honestly 2 outta 3 ain't bad at all. And I replaced my dvd which some family friends lost. They won't admit to it, but they did lose it. I lent it to them last November, and it is now March. On the eve of April. You can see why I'm justified.
My friend down south is doing fairly good. And my friend across the states seems to be doing okay too. Things are slowing down and being better, at least for a little bit. Word to the wise? Enjoy what you can, when you can. I'm feeling very lucky, and far more upbeat than I have in a while.
"Changes"-BaseBall Bear (Library War soundtrack)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Callin' Baton Rouge
So, I promise there's a reason for the Cajun title. For those who I've talked to about it, they know I do a lot of driving for my job. For those that don't know, I'm in the car driving a lot for the job. Solution? Audiobooks. The one I've been listening to recently is called "Crusader's Cross," by James Lee Burke. The actual book itself is fairly good, sort of a film noir hard-bitten detective in a mess of trouble story, but it takes place in Louisiana. And the reader, whom I may have to start following, has an AWESOME voice to listen to. Anyone remember Gambit, from the original X-men tv show? You could tell it was such an affected accent, but it still worked. This reader, who has also played in the movies "Armageddon" and "Remember the Titans" and has made appearances on "24," "Num3ers," and "CSI" , is wonderful to listen to with the accent (a cookie if you get the answer). If it's not natural, it's professional enough you can't tell. And I'm talking just enough Cajun to make you warm and runny inside and head straight for New Orleans just to see how close it comes to the real article. Mmm-hmmm.
So, the word is official: all extra help is getting laid off again. Big shocker there. I'm job searching yet again (joyfulness), although I did have an interview in Delano for North Kern State Prison. We'll see what happens.
And in other news, I GET TO GO SEE THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY!!! Not the community theatre production next month, but the ORIGINAL COMPANY!!! I am STOKED!!! I'm going with a friend of mine to Cal Poly for the show. I was hoping to go with a couple other people, but none of us had the money. :( I offered to pay, but then it turns out my dad had to borrow money. My health insurance company also took my payment out of this last paycheck as opposed to my next one. But I'm determined to have a good time for her. :)
"Callin' Baton Rouge"-Garth Brooks
So, the word is official: all extra help is getting laid off again. Big shocker there. I'm job searching yet again (joyfulness), although I did have an interview in Delano for North Kern State Prison. We'll see what happens.
And in other news, I GET TO GO SEE THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY!!! Not the community theatre production next month, but the ORIGINAL COMPANY!!! I am STOKED!!! I'm going with a friend of mine to Cal Poly for the show. I was hoping to go with a couple other people, but none of us had the money. :( I offered to pay, but then it turns out my dad had to borrow money. My health insurance company also took my payment out of this last paycheck as opposed to my next one. But I'm determined to have a good time for her. :)
"Callin' Baton Rouge"-Garth Brooks
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Entertainer
So, my long awaited update. Ready or not, here it comes!
Let's start with the good. Or mixed, at any rate. I was asked to stage manage for the Christmas show in TCT. As my first time as stage manager, I didn't think I did too bad. According to the director, the crew, and the actors they also think I did fairly well. Well enough that the spot operator asked me to stage manage for his show, whenever it was, a family friend who is also a director asked me to run sound for the current show, I got asked last minute to step in as stage manager for another director who had one but his SM had family problems and couldn't do it, and the husband of the director for the Christmas show asked me to SM for his show in June. Apparently word is getting around that I didn't completely fail. Which is definitely an ego-boost for moi.
Work is being stupid. I've started a list of "what they don't teach you in training," and while darkly humorous it is also somewhat depressing. Things started blowing up for the workers at the beginning/middle of December, which means stuff had to get shuffled to me, which means things have been blowing up for me. While the rate of explosion has gone down, it's still near the "barely tolerable" zone. And I'm convinced that the workers (including my supervisor, I might add) have bonded together to form the "Convince Ch**** to become a Social Worker." Not 1, not 2, but 3 separate workers have told me to become an SW within the past couple weeks. And one of the workers mentioned that at the staff meeting they had with my supe, even my supe said I should be an SW. You can see where I'm basing my convictions. Normally one of the workers will just bring it up once or twice a month, but not all at once. Grr.
On the upside, I should be owning a dresser soon. I already put half down on the payment, I just need to put in the other half...which will be after next week's paycheck. Also on the paycheck front, I am no longer working for the bookstore. It makes me kinda sad, but at the same time it means I get weekends back. And considering how involved I am getting with theater again, it's actually better to have at least some free time. I also hope to spackle and repaint my room by the end of February. I'm not saying it will happen, but it might.
Hmm, I think that's pretty much it. There's some inner drama with my extended family, and things may be changing very soon with my immediate family, but that's it. I'm planning to go down south for a weekend at the end of this month, which will be some nice R & R. Well, the second R for sure. My friend and I don't seem to rest that much when we get together. What can I say?
"The Entertainer"-in the spirit of Billy Joel as opposed to Scott Joplin
Let's start with the good. Or mixed, at any rate. I was asked to stage manage for the Christmas show in TCT. As my first time as stage manager, I didn't think I did too bad. According to the director, the crew, and the actors they also think I did fairly well. Well enough that the spot operator asked me to stage manage for his show, whenever it was, a family friend who is also a director asked me to run sound for the current show, I got asked last minute to step in as stage manager for another director who had one but his SM had family problems and couldn't do it, and the husband of the director for the Christmas show asked me to SM for his show in June. Apparently word is getting around that I didn't completely fail. Which is definitely an ego-boost for moi.
Work is being stupid. I've started a list of "what they don't teach you in training," and while darkly humorous it is also somewhat depressing. Things started blowing up for the workers at the beginning/middle of December, which means stuff had to get shuffled to me, which means things have been blowing up for me. While the rate of explosion has gone down, it's still near the "barely tolerable" zone. And I'm convinced that the workers (including my supervisor, I might add) have bonded together to form the "Convince Ch**** to become a Social Worker." Not 1, not 2, but 3 separate workers have told me to become an SW within the past couple weeks. And one of the workers mentioned that at the staff meeting they had with my supe, even my supe said I should be an SW. You can see where I'm basing my convictions. Normally one of the workers will just bring it up once or twice a month, but not all at once. Grr.
On the upside, I should be owning a dresser soon. I already put half down on the payment, I just need to put in the other half...which will be after next week's paycheck. Also on the paycheck front, I am no longer working for the bookstore. It makes me kinda sad, but at the same time it means I get weekends back. And considering how involved I am getting with theater again, it's actually better to have at least some free time. I also hope to spackle and repaint my room by the end of February. I'm not saying it will happen, but it might.
Hmm, I think that's pretty much it. There's some inner drama with my extended family, and things may be changing very soon with my immediate family, but that's it. I'm planning to go down south for a weekend at the end of this month, which will be some nice R & R. Well, the second R for sure. My friend and I don't seem to rest that much when we get together. What can I say?
"The Entertainer"-in the spirit of Billy Joel as opposed to Scott Joplin