Showing posts with label stupid shit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupid shit. Show all posts
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Oops!
That was scary. I accidentally attempted to log into Blogger using my other Gmail, the one that doesn't have anything attached. For a moment I thought someone had hijacked my account and deleted everything. We now return you to your regularly unscheduled blog, already in progress.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Or Maybe Not
Last week, I went for an interview at the place that I thought had hired me. They told me to come back Monday morning for a second interview. I went there prepared to interview, along with another candidate. Instead of an interview, I found myself (and the other fellow) filling out a slough of new-hire paperwork. WTF? I've been out of work since December, so I didn't let it faze me. After a brief run-through of the documents, they told me to come back Tuesday and begin training.
Tuesday morning I went in prepared to train, only to be told that they weren't quite ready, and "Could I please come back at 1700?". I went back to my sister's store and chilled out for a few hours. I went back to the job site in the afternoon, only to be told that I can't begin my training until my background check comes back. One of the trainers made me a milkshake, so it wasn't a totally wasted trip. They told me to come back on the morrow, at the same time.
Wednesday I trundled out there only to discover that I still couldn't train, because the background check hadn't come back. Worse still, no background check was submitted because that form was missing from my new-hire packet. I filled out the missing form, and now I'm waiting. My background is clean, so I'm not worried about anything, but it's frustrating to have been so close to work again, only to be forced to wait. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate waiting?
Tuesday morning I went in prepared to train, only to be told that they weren't quite ready, and "Could I please come back at 1700?". I went back to my sister's store and chilled out for a few hours. I went back to the job site in the afternoon, only to be told that I can't begin my training until my background check comes back. One of the trainers made me a milkshake, so it wasn't a totally wasted trip. They told me to come back on the morrow, at the same time.
Wednesday I trundled out there only to discover that I still couldn't train, because the background check hadn't come back. Worse still, no background check was submitted because that form was missing from my new-hire packet. I filled out the missing form, and now I'm waiting. My background is clean, so I'm not worried about anything, but it's frustrating to have been so close to work again, only to be forced to wait. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate waiting?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Another Kind of Hell
As I've written much about of late, I've been out of work since 2 February. The interview I wrote about weekend before last came to nothing, despite my good feelings. I've continued to pound the pavement, sometimes literally. I've filled out applications all over, in every sort of business, even in places outside of my comfort zone. Yesterday morning I banged out a resume to a donut shop looking for someone to work overnight.
I hate being idle. I hate being broke. That last is especially hellish because I'm not the only broken thing in this house. On the Sunday the family went to Wakulla Springs, my Xbox 360 died. It was a hardware failure; nothing as dramatic as the Red Ring of Death, just a simple power supply failure, what's commonly referred to as the Brick. A new Brick is going to cost me $50, if I buy it from a reputable dealer, like GameStop or the like. I got a $25 gift card from the raffle at the employee Christmas party last year, but I still need the rest, and any money I've picked up the last few weeks has gone for gasoline or other necessities.
I know, I know. It's only a toy, right? A very grown-up toy, but a toy nonetheless. Alas, it was an outlet for a lot of my negative emotions. I was alternating between replaying missions of Halo 3: ODST and my 28th campaign of Mass Effect 2. I haven't killed a hostile alien in six weeks and some. I've had steady internet access for all of that time, but my PC isn't smart enough to play any kind of combat games either online or downloaded. Hell, some flash games cause it to freeze just because it's got an inferior graphics card.
I don't expect anyone reading this to solve my problems. I just needed to vent, to let y'all know what makes me crazy.
On a more positive note, I may attend the next meeting of the Tallahassee Atheists en femme. It'll be nice to get out feeling more like myself.
I hate being idle. I hate being broke. That last is especially hellish because I'm not the only broken thing in this house. On the Sunday the family went to Wakulla Springs, my Xbox 360 died. It was a hardware failure; nothing as dramatic as the Red Ring of Death, just a simple power supply failure, what's commonly referred to as the Brick. A new Brick is going to cost me $50, if I buy it from a reputable dealer, like GameStop or the like. I got a $25 gift card from the raffle at the employee Christmas party last year, but I still need the rest, and any money I've picked up the last few weeks has gone for gasoline or other necessities.
I know, I know. It's only a toy, right? A very grown-up toy, but a toy nonetheless. Alas, it was an outlet for a lot of my negative emotions. I was alternating between replaying missions of Halo 3: ODST and my 28th campaign of Mass Effect 2. I haven't killed a hostile alien in six weeks and some. I've had steady internet access for all of that time, but my PC isn't smart enough to play any kind of combat games either online or downloaded. Hell, some flash games cause it to freeze just because it's got an inferior graphics card.
I don't expect anyone reading this to solve my problems. I just needed to vent, to let y'all know what makes me crazy.
On a more positive note, I may attend the next meeting of the Tallahassee Atheists en femme. It'll be nice to get out feeling more like myself.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Wrong Shoes
My epitaph will probably read:
"She was wearing the wrong shoes."
It's the story of my life. Wore sneakers to soccer practice because I didn't know I was supposed to buy cleats. I've worn spike heels to the mall because they matched my outfit. I once had to pull a twelve-hour shift at a hotel in really girly-looking heels because my regular work shoes fell apart while I was getting dressed, and I didn't have any male shoes that could substitute.
There's a branch of the local public library about two miles from where I'm living. It's a decent walk when the weather's nice. I was going to go this morning, but I got busy puttering around the house, and by the afternoon, it had gotten too warm. I wouldn't have pushed for it, but I ran out of anything to read, and I get antsy when I don't have a book near to hand.
After dinner, my sister and her husband announced they were going to WalMart, and I asked if they'd drop me off at the library on the way. They did, and said I could text them when I was ready to go home. It only occurred to me when they left that I was wearing flip-flops. I'd meant to change before we took off, but it slipped my mind.
I have owned sandals that are meant to be walked in. These are not that kind. They're Airwalk, a brand I bought at Payless. They've got simple hard rubber soles (patterned like Converse sneakers) with denim-like cloth thongs. I could have waited for them to finish at the store. It might've meant sitting outside the library for twenty minutes after closing, but I felt like walking. Curse my feelings.
I was halfway home when I decided I'd had enough, so I sent a text asking if I should wait where I was or press on for home. They advised me it would be another twenty minutes or so, so I kept on walking. They caught up to me just as I turned onto our street.
I think I walked these poor shoes into their grave. It's time to buy new shoes. Maybe I'll get some after my tax refund comes.
"She was wearing the wrong shoes."
It's the story of my life. Wore sneakers to soccer practice because I didn't know I was supposed to buy cleats. I've worn spike heels to the mall because they matched my outfit. I once had to pull a twelve-hour shift at a hotel in really girly-looking heels because my regular work shoes fell apart while I was getting dressed, and I didn't have any male shoes that could substitute.
There's a branch of the local public library about two miles from where I'm living. It's a decent walk when the weather's nice. I was going to go this morning, but I got busy puttering around the house, and by the afternoon, it had gotten too warm. I wouldn't have pushed for it, but I ran out of anything to read, and I get antsy when I don't have a book near to hand.
After dinner, my sister and her husband announced they were going to WalMart, and I asked if they'd drop me off at the library on the way. They did, and said I could text them when I was ready to go home. It only occurred to me when they left that I was wearing flip-flops. I'd meant to change before we took off, but it slipped my mind.
I have owned sandals that are meant to be walked in. These are not that kind. They're Airwalk, a brand I bought at Payless. They've got simple hard rubber soles (patterned like Converse sneakers) with denim-like cloth thongs. I could have waited for them to finish at the store. It might've meant sitting outside the library for twenty minutes after closing, but I felt like walking. Curse my feelings.
I was halfway home when I decided I'd had enough, so I sent a text asking if I should wait where I was or press on for home. They advised me it would be another twenty minutes or so, so I kept on walking. They caught up to me just as I turned onto our street.
I think I walked these poor shoes into their grave. It's time to buy new shoes. Maybe I'll get some after my tax refund comes.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Changes Afoot
What's New With Blogger
I haven't been keeping up with this thing like I should. It's not as though anything is happening with me right now. I was going to do a post about how there's nothing around where I live, but I decided to wait and see, and now some things have begun to happen.
I logged in a few minutes ago, and I see these links at the top of my Dashboard. There's a smarmy message about the news being for anyone who didn't get to go to SXSW. I haven't been much of anywhere in weeks, much less to some overblown music festival in the middle of the desert. I'm sure it was a blast, and I've seen some nifty video, but I didn't need Blogger to remind me how low I've sunk.
So they're getting ready to change the editing format... AGAIN. Frankly, I've just gotten the hang of using the current model, and now they want to kick the training wheels off again. Bastards. They're getting to be just like Facebook, where the settings for everything change almost weekly.
Once again I've come to let you all know what's going on with me, and I've gone off on yet another tangent. So sorry.
I haven't been keeping up with this thing like I should. It's not as though anything is happening with me right now. I was going to do a post about how there's nothing around where I live, but I decided to wait and see, and now some things have begun to happen.
I logged in a few minutes ago, and I see these links at the top of my Dashboard. There's a smarmy message about the news being for anyone who didn't get to go to SXSW. I haven't been much of anywhere in weeks, much less to some overblown music festival in the middle of the desert. I'm sure it was a blast, and I've seen some nifty video, but I didn't need Blogger to remind me how low I've sunk.
So they're getting ready to change the editing format... AGAIN. Frankly, I've just gotten the hang of using the current model, and now they want to kick the training wheels off again. Bastards. They're getting to be just like Facebook, where the settings for everything change almost weekly.
Once again I've come to let you all know what's going on with me, and I've gone off on yet another tangent. So sorry.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Missed Opportunity
Back in October I goofed around by posting my 10/10/10 thing, and I could have done something similar today, with it being 12/11/10, and I could've posted it at 0908. Sadly, this didn't occur to me until some hours later. Ah well...
Monday, November 8, 2010
Technical Difficulties III
I haven't really attended to this blog for a couple of days, which also means I haven't been reading others' blogs as well. Imagine my surprise when I logged in a few minutes ago and discovered that I'm not following ANY blogs. None. Where have they all gone? Apparently I'm not the only one this has happened to, but Google don't seem to know anything about it. "AGGGHHH!" as Charlie Brown has said many times.
The sad part of it is, I don't remember all of the URLs for all these blogs. Some of them are fairly distinctive, or otherwise memorable. Reassembling my list will take some time.
While I was typing this, I heard a most blood-curdling scream from outside. It was short and shrill, but repeated itself, over and over. Youtube tells me it is the sound of a fox crying. City girls like me don't know anything about these wild creatures. Close your eyes and listen to this and tell me it doesn't scare you shitless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk1mAd77Hr4
EDIT: Now my Reading List is back, as though it never left. Stupid shit indeed.
The sad part of it is, I don't remember all of the URLs for all these blogs. Some of them are fairly distinctive, or otherwise memorable. Reassembling my list will take some time.
While I was typing this, I heard a most blood-curdling scream from outside. It was short and shrill, but repeated itself, over and over. Youtube tells me it is the sound of a fox crying. City girls like me don't know anything about these wild creatures. Close your eyes and listen to this and tell me it doesn't scare you shitless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk1mAd77Hr4
EDIT: Now my Reading List is back, as though it never left. Stupid shit indeed.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Still Nothing to See Here
Did anyone notice I went another thirteen days without posting? I didn't mean for it to be like that, but my internet access has been somewhat curtailed of late. Longtime readers know that I've done a lot of my blogging at work. Last week, one of the front desk machines contracted a nasty trojan, something that embedded itself in the registry and prevented the computer from connecting to it's net-based security software. Corporate had to send us a restore disk and scrub the machine back to factory-spec. A couple of days later, my supervisor comes to me with, "We're not accusing you of anything, but the GM is convinced that whatever we got was downloaded while you were working." It happened while I was off, but somehow it's my fault? Anyway, as fallout from that, all front desk agents had to sign an agreement stating that they'd only use hotel internet access for guest-related activities. I will abide. As such, it's been a long couple of weeks.
I haven't done much since then except download music. Lots of music. I've added a few new artists to the mix, as well as favorites from assorted classics. As stated before, the joy of downloading music is that I no longer have to go broke buying entire albums. If I only like one song, I can pay for that one, and be done with it. Plus, if one knows where to look, there's tons of free stuff out there.
My latest acquisitions include:
AC/DC
Agent Ribbons (free)
Air
Al Di Meola
Alice in Chains
Anna Nalick
Band of Horses (free)
Beach House (free)
Bell X1 (free)
Black Label Society (free)
Blue Man Group feat. Dave Matthews
Boom Boom Satellites
Breaking Benjamin
Bush
Cassie
Chevelle
Civil Twilight
Creed
Crossfade
Cylab
Daft Punk
Deee-lite
DJ Earworm
Ellie Lawson
Feist
Fergie
Foo Fighters
Gnarls Barkley
Godsmack
Gotan Project
Guns N' Roses
Heather Alexander
High and Mighty Color
Jem
Jerry Goldsmith
La Roux
Lia Ices (free)
Lifehouse
Live
Living Colour
Magic Wands (free)
Marcy Playground
Mathew Leutwyler (free)
N2o (free)
The New Mastersounds (free)
Nikka Costa
Nirvana
Papa Roach (free)
Paul Oakenfold
Phil Collins
Philip Glass (free)
Pink
Puddle of Mudd
Regina Spektor
Revis
Rihanna
Robyn
The Roots (free)
Run DMC
Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Seether
Shinedown
Silversun Pickups
Sleigh Bells
Stone Temple Pilots
Sufjan Stevens (free)
Suzanne Vega (free)
Three Days Grace
Tim Minchin
The Ting Tings (free)
Tool
Tosca
Trapt (free)
Tricky (free)
The Who
Yael Naim
That's only the new artists. I've also added to my collections of several artists already existing in my library.
There's not a lot of rhyme or reason to my downloads, either. A lot of the free stuff was downloaded over the course of a couple of days. Amazon has thousands of tracks listed for free; it's just a matter of picking through for the real treasures. Some of the other free tracks came about because I Googled "free mp3" and found links various artists' pages, record company sites and assorted clearing houses. I was on a grunge kick for a couple of days, hence the Alice in Chains, Nirvana and STP. Then I found myself hankering for electronica, and I found myself downloading Moby and Paul Oakenfold.
I haven't done much since then except download music. Lots of music. I've added a few new artists to the mix, as well as favorites from assorted classics. As stated before, the joy of downloading music is that I no longer have to go broke buying entire albums. If I only like one song, I can pay for that one, and be done with it. Plus, if one knows where to look, there's tons of free stuff out there.
My latest acquisitions include:
AC/DC
Agent Ribbons (free)
Air
Al Di Meola
Alice in Chains
Anna Nalick
Band of Horses (free)
Beach House (free)
Bell X1 (free)
Black Label Society (free)
Blue Man Group feat. Dave Matthews
Boom Boom Satellites
Breaking Benjamin
Bush
Cassie
Chevelle
Civil Twilight
Creed
Crossfade
Cylab
Daft Punk
Deee-lite
DJ Earworm
Ellie Lawson
Feist
Fergie
Foo Fighters
Gnarls Barkley
Godsmack
Gotan Project
Guns N' Roses
Heather Alexander
High and Mighty Color
Jem
Jerry Goldsmith
La Roux
Lia Ices (free)
Lifehouse
Live
Living Colour
Magic Wands (free)
Marcy Playground
Mathew Leutwyler (free)
N2o (free)
The New Mastersounds (free)
Nikka Costa
Nirvana
Papa Roach (free)
Paul Oakenfold
Phil Collins
Philip Glass (free)
Pink
Puddle of Mudd
Regina Spektor
Revis
Rihanna
Robyn
The Roots (free)
Run DMC
Scala & Kolacny Brothers
Seether
Shinedown
Silversun Pickups
Sleigh Bells
Stone Temple Pilots
Sufjan Stevens (free)
Suzanne Vega (free)
Three Days Grace
Tim Minchin
The Ting Tings (free)
Tool
Tosca
Trapt (free)
Tricky (free)
The Who
Yael Naim
That's only the new artists. I've also added to my collections of several artists already existing in my library.
There's not a lot of rhyme or reason to my downloads, either. A lot of the free stuff was downloaded over the course of a couple of days. Amazon has thousands of tracks listed for free; it's just a matter of picking through for the real treasures. Some of the other free tracks came about because I Googled "free mp3" and found links various artists' pages, record company sites and assorted clearing houses. I was on a grunge kick for a couple of days, hence the Alice in Chains, Nirvana and STP. Then I found myself hankering for electronica, and I found myself downloading Moby and Paul Oakenfold.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10
Here's another geeky idea. Today is the tenth of October, in the year 2010. I'm setting this to post at 1010, EDT, so it'll appear at 1010, on 10-10-10.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
King of Pain
So I'm at work, and The Police's King of Pain comes on over the lobby music machine. Synchronicity is one of my all-time favorite albums, one of those rare discs I mentioned in the previous post where I love the whole thing. I first owned it on cassette, and I'm onto my second CD version. Anyway, I've been singing King of Pain since 1983, and I know it by heart. As I go into the elevator, I'm singing along softly, "There's a little black spot on the sun today..."
I continued singing as I got off on the third floor and bought a Coke Zero out of the machine there. I kept on as I went down the stairs to Two, where I stopped and got a little bag of Baked Lays out of the snack machine. Then I continued down the stairs to the lobby, and came out singing, "There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt" in perfect time with the music coming out of the ceiling.
Yeah, I'm a nerd. :)
I continued singing as I got off on the third floor and bought a Coke Zero out of the machine there. I kept on as I went down the stairs to Two, where I stopped and got a little bag of Baked Lays out of the snack machine. Then I continued down the stairs to the lobby, and came out singing, "There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt" in perfect time with the music coming out of the ceiling.
Yeah, I'm a nerd. :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Another Nothing Post
I'm hoping to go to the movies later tonight, and I'm even planning to see a concert Thursday night, but in the meantime I'm going to drop this in as filler. A couple of the message boards I hang out on have threads wherein posters are asked to list the contents of their MP3 players. I only just started to really download music this summer, and in yet another sign of how behind I am, I still don't have an actual media player device. That said, I've got a ton of stuff on my hard drive. I'm going to give y'all a peek inside.
This is just going to be a listing of artists/band names. If I listed album and song titles, the list would seem to go on forever.
I like to think of my music tastes as eclectic. You all might just think I'm weird.
Acrassicauda
Aerosmith
Alana Davis
Alanis Morissette
Alicia Keys
Amy Winehouse
Andy Caldwell
Anthony Hamilton
Arcade Fire
Arkestra One
Artie Traum
Astrud Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Belleruche
The Black Crowes
The Black Keys
Black Sheep
Blind Faith
The Bloodhound Gang
Blue Six
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Boozoo Bajou
Broken Bells
Brother Cane
Butthole Surfers
Cake
Cathy Dennis
Chaser (remix of a Blue Six track)
The Chemical Brothers
Chris Cornell
Cirrus
Clannad
CocoRosie
Collective Soul
Corinne Bailey Rae
Coverdale/Page
Cowboy Mouth
The Cranberries
Dave Matthews
Def Leppard
Deftones
Deodato
Depeche Mode
Dishwalla
DJ Shadow
Dropkick Murphys
Duran Duran
EA Games Soundtrack (assorted songs from Mass Effect 2)
Eddie Vedder
Elbow
Electric Light Orchestra
Emiliana Torrini
Enya
Erin McCarley
Evanescence
Fatboy Slim
Federico Aubele
Fila Brazillia
Fiona Apple
Florence + the Machine
Frou Frou
Fuel
Fujiya & Miyagi
Galactic
Gary Jules
Goldfrapp
Goo Goo Dolls
Halestorm
House of Pain
Howard Jones
Ilaria Graziano
Imogen Heap
Iron & Wine
Jane Child
Jane's Addiction
Janet Jackson
Jeff Beck
John Williams (music from Star Wars)
Kate Havnevik
Kim Richey
Kinky
Koop
Korn
Lacuna Coil
Lady Gaga
Lauryn Hill
Led Zeppelin
Lenka
Lindsey Ray
Lindstrom & Christabelle
Lizz Wright
Loreta
Lusine
Maaya Sakamoto
Madonna
Mark Ronson
Maroon 5
Massive Attack
Maya Azucena
Men At Work
MeTalkPretty
Methods of Mayhem
Michael Bruce (remix of a song by Blitzen Trapper)
Ministry
Mo' Horizons
Moby
Mocean Worker
Mstislav Rostropovich
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Nickodemus
Nicola Conte
Nina Simone
Nine Inch Nails
Ocote Soul Sounds/Adrian Quesada
Origa with Heartsdales
Paul Hardcastle
A Perfect Circle
Phantogram
Portishead
The Prime Movers
Pumali Panthers
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
The Raveonettes
Rick Springfield
Rob Zombie
Robert Plant/Alison Krauss
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Sarah McLachlan
Scissor Sisters
The Seatbelts
Sencit
Sia
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Sixx A.M.
Skindred
Soundgarden
Stabbing Westward
Staind
Sublime
Switchfoot
Thomas Dolby
Three Mile Pilot
Tonic
Tori Amos
Train
Two Steps from Hell
U2
United Future Organization
Ursula 1000
Van Canto
Vanessa-Mae
Various (mostly Amazon sampler albums)
Various Artists (soundtracks and compilations)
Xzibit
Yeasayer
Yello
Zero 7
Now, I didn't download all of that. I've been ripping individual tracks off of various albums, trying to render my massive CD collection down into something more manageable. That process accounts for close to forty of the albums in my digital collection. I have some albums that I love in their entirety, but I also have quite a few that I bought in pre-download days just to get one song, hoping that I'd like the whole disc. That love didn't always manifest.
This is just going to be a listing of artists/band names. If I listed album and song titles, the list would seem to go on forever.
I like to think of my music tastes as eclectic. You all might just think I'm weird.
Acrassicauda
Aerosmith
Alana Davis
Alanis Morissette
Alicia Keys
Amy Winehouse
Andy Caldwell
Anthony Hamilton
Arcade Fire
Arkestra One
Artie Traum
Astrud Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Belleruche
The Black Crowes
The Black Keys
Black Sheep
Blind Faith
The Bloodhound Gang
Blue Six
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Boozoo Bajou
Broken Bells
Brother Cane
Butthole Surfers
Cake
Cathy Dennis
Chaser (remix of a Blue Six track)
The Chemical Brothers
Chris Cornell
Cirrus
Clannad
CocoRosie
Collective Soul
Corinne Bailey Rae
Coverdale/Page
Cowboy Mouth
The Cranberries
Dave Matthews
Def Leppard
Deftones
Deodato
Depeche Mode
Dishwalla
DJ Shadow
Dropkick Murphys
Duran Duran
EA Games Soundtrack (assorted songs from Mass Effect 2)
Eddie Vedder
Elbow
Electric Light Orchestra
Emiliana Torrini
Enya
Erin McCarley
Evanescence
Fatboy Slim
Federico Aubele
Fila Brazillia
Fiona Apple
Florence + the Machine
Frou Frou
Fuel
Fujiya & Miyagi
Galactic
Gary Jules
Goldfrapp
Goo Goo Dolls
Halestorm
House of Pain
Howard Jones
Ilaria Graziano
Imogen Heap
Iron & Wine
Jane Child
Jane's Addiction
Janet Jackson
Jeff Beck
John Williams (music from Star Wars)
Kate Havnevik
Kim Richey
Kinky
Koop
Korn
Lacuna Coil
Lady Gaga
Lauryn Hill
Led Zeppelin
Lenka
Lindsey Ray
Lindstrom & Christabelle
Lizz Wright
Loreta
Lusine
Maaya Sakamoto
Madonna
Mark Ronson
Maroon 5
Massive Attack
Maya Azucena
Men At Work
MeTalkPretty
Methods of Mayhem
Michael Bruce (remix of a song by Blitzen Trapper)
Ministry
Mo' Horizons
Moby
Mocean Worker
Mstislav Rostropovich
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Nickodemus
Nicola Conte
Nina Simone
Nine Inch Nails
Ocote Soul Sounds/Adrian Quesada
Origa with Heartsdales
Paul Hardcastle
A Perfect Circle
Phantogram
Portishead
The Prime Movers
Pumali Panthers
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
The Raveonettes
Rick Springfield
Rob Zombie
Robert Plant/Alison Krauss
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Sarah McLachlan
Scissor Sisters
The Seatbelts
Sencit
Sia
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Sixx A.M.
Skindred
Soundgarden
Stabbing Westward
Staind
Sublime
Switchfoot
Thomas Dolby
Three Mile Pilot
Tonic
Tori Amos
Train
Two Steps from Hell
U2
United Future Organization
Ursula 1000
Van Canto
Vanessa-Mae
Various (mostly Amazon sampler albums)
Various Artists (soundtracks and compilations)
Xzibit
Yeasayer
Yello
Zero 7
Now, I didn't download all of that. I've been ripping individual tracks off of various albums, trying to render my massive CD collection down into something more manageable. That process accounts for close to forty of the albums in my digital collection. I have some albums that I love in their entirety, but I also have quite a few that I bought in pre-download days just to get one song, hoping that I'd like the whole disc. That love didn't always manifest.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Scary Monsters
The photo to the left is one I ganked off of yesterday's Go Fug Yourself. The three people in it are, left to right: Madonna's daughter Lourdes, Taylor Momsen (who is apparently an actress or something) and Madonna.The first thing that grabbed me was Momsen's eye makeup. Holy hell! That girl's wearing more eyeliner than I have in my whole life. Then I got a look at Lourdes's outfit.
Let's see, she's wearing a leather jacket (with the sleeves pulled up) over an unbuttoned flannel shirt, over a tunic, with ripped(!) tights and either heavy socks or leg warmers(?!) tucked into ugly boots.
Madonna, on the other hand, looks almost normal. The platforms on her shoes almost look like hooves.
There's enough Nightmare Fuel in this photo to last for weeks.
Taylor Momsen's boots are pretty cool, though.
I really need to get some shopping in.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Witchcraft
There's a Tea Party rep running for Congress in Delaware. Her name is Christine O'Donnell. Since her nomination last week, she's been dodging appearances on various television programs. This isn't really a new thing; all of the Tea Party candidates have done this. If they don't appear on shows hosted by people who don't share their views, then they don't have to answer hard questions about their positions, some of which are admittedly odd.
One of the hosts whose show she's declined to appear on is Bill Maher, the host of HBO's Real Time. I didn't know this, but Ms. O'Donnell was a frequent guest on Bill's old program, Politically Incorrect. Bill had promised to show clips from her old appearances every week until she consents to appear on his program. Last Friday, he showed a clip where she claimed to have "dabbled into witchcraft".
I know a little something about dabbling IN witchcraft. I dabbled IN Wicca. I stood in circles on the Sabbat. I stood for the God in certain rites. In March of 1993, I went to Virginia Beach with some friends. We cast a circle on the shore under the full moon when it was in perigee (that's when it's as close to the Earth as it ever gets). That was an awesome experience, with the beach awash in all sorts of energies. In the end, it wasn't for me, anymore than any faith is.
Dabbling INTO witchcraft sounds like she peed in it or something. I also dislike the association she made between witchcraft and Satanism. Wicca is a legitimate religion, recognized by the government and everything. In 2007, the organization in charge of marking soldiers' graves allowed the Pentacle to be placed on the headstones of the fallen, along with the symbols of other soldiers' faiths. Satanism, on the other hand, is just a bunch of silly anti-God claptrap. I can do anti-God without any silly rituals or pretense at evil deeds. I used to know some Satanists, and they were just people who liked to drink and drug and screw around and pretend they needed some higher (or lower) power's blessing to do it. I think the Wiccans have it right: "An' it harm none, do as thou wilt."
All that said, Christine O'Donnell is NOT one of my people. She's human, and American, but that's all we have in common.
Oh, in case anyone was wondering, I haven't made it to the movies yet. Thursday night I felt like crap, and stayed home in bed. Ditto for Sunday. I will get out sometime this week, if it kills me.
EDIT: Rereading this post, I realized I misused a word. I wrote "perihelion" when I meant "perigee". Perigee is when an orbiting body gets as close to the object it orbits. "Perihelion" is when an object gets as close to the sun as it ever gets. No one is paying attention. LLLLL would have caught that one in a heartbeat.
One of the hosts whose show she's declined to appear on is Bill Maher, the host of HBO's Real Time. I didn't know this, but Ms. O'Donnell was a frequent guest on Bill's old program, Politically Incorrect. Bill had promised to show clips from her old appearances every week until she consents to appear on his program. Last Friday, he showed a clip where she claimed to have "dabbled into witchcraft".
I know a little something about dabbling IN witchcraft. I dabbled IN Wicca. I stood in circles on the Sabbat. I stood for the God in certain rites. In March of 1993, I went to Virginia Beach with some friends. We cast a circle on the shore under the full moon when it was in perigee (that's when it's as close to the Earth as it ever gets). That was an awesome experience, with the beach awash in all sorts of energies. In the end, it wasn't for me, anymore than any faith is.
Dabbling INTO witchcraft sounds like she peed in it or something. I also dislike the association she made between witchcraft and Satanism. Wicca is a legitimate religion, recognized by the government and everything. In 2007, the organization in charge of marking soldiers' graves allowed the Pentacle to be placed on the headstones of the fallen, along with the symbols of other soldiers' faiths. Satanism, on the other hand, is just a bunch of silly anti-God claptrap. I can do anti-God without any silly rituals or pretense at evil deeds. I used to know some Satanists, and they were just people who liked to drink and drug and screw around and pretend they needed some higher (or lower) power's blessing to do it. I think the Wiccans have it right: "An' it harm none, do as thou wilt."
All that said, Christine O'Donnell is NOT one of my people. She's human, and American, but that's all we have in common.
Oh, in case anyone was wondering, I haven't made it to the movies yet. Thursday night I felt like crap, and stayed home in bed. Ditto for Sunday. I will get out sometime this week, if it kills me.
EDIT: Rereading this post, I realized I misused a word. I wrote "perihelion" when I meant "perigee". Perigee is when an orbiting body gets as close to the object it orbits. "Perihelion" is when an object gets as close to the sun as it ever gets. No one is paying attention. LLLLL would have caught that one in a heartbeat.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wealth
I don't think of myself as being poor, at least not in the usual sense. I've settled into being on the lower edge of the so-called middle class, and that's okay. I sometimes wonder though, what it might be like to spend money with impugnity, to throw it around without having to worry if I'm spending part of the rent, or risking having a utility turned off or something important like that.
A guest in the hotel last night ran up a $280 tab in the restaurant, dinner and drinks for fourteen people, and charged it to his room. The bartender had me check is credit card to make sure he was good for it. He was. Two weeks ago I splurged on pizza for the family (all thirteen of us) for my niece's birthday. That was a mere $40, and it hurt. It was a pleasant hurt, because I was doing for people I love, but still. I can imagine spending money like my guests, but only because I've got a pretty wild imagination.
Someday, maybe.
A guest in the hotel last night ran up a $280 tab in the restaurant, dinner and drinks for fourteen people, and charged it to his room. The bartender had me check is credit card to make sure he was good for it. He was. Two weeks ago I splurged on pizza for the family (all thirteen of us) for my niece's birthday. That was a mere $40, and it hurt. It was a pleasant hurt, because I was doing for people I love, but still. I can imagine spending money like my guests, but only because I've got a pretty wild imagination.
Someday, maybe.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What Is That About?
My friends know my love-hate relationship with Facebook. I love being connected to my friends and family. It's been especially valuable in that way since I moved to Florida. I've also made some new friends. Some are friends of friends, others are people who share interests. My friend list jumped a bit when Mass Effect 2 came out. Some of my friends came to my attention because Facebook "suggested" them. That's how I came to be "friends" with a few celebrities. What brings me out tonight are the outliers. I'm speaking of the friend requests I've gotten from complete strangers who don't even share any interests. I know some people collect friends on Facebook, under some sort of "she who dies with the most friends on Facebook" vibe. That doesn't bother me too much.
What does get me is that I think some of my friends are guys with a trans fetish. Some of these men are Middle Eastern, or East African. I'm always open to making friends in new places, so I usually accept friend requests from strangers in faraway places. Occasionally I wonder what prompts their friend request, but I don't always give it a lot of thought. That may have to change.
A little while ago, I was playing a game on Facebook (Bejeweled Blitz, if anyone cares). I don't know why, but people always open chat windows when I'm playing a game. It's a minor annoyance, because my system freezes up while the chat applet sorts itself out. Anyway, I was playing the game, and I got a chat pop-up from a recently-added friend in Turkey. I won't share the whole chat, but it went something like this:
Him: hi
Me: (after checking to see the time in Turkey) Good morning.
Him: how r u?
Me: tired. it was a long day.
Him: why?
Him: cam plz
Him: i mean webcam
So already I'm a little suspicious. Why does he want to cam chat?
Him: r u male?
AHA! We come to to the heart of the matter.
Me: you read my profile?
Him: yes
Me: you know im trans?
Him: yes
Me: I am transitioning, but am not full-time yet
Him: do u have a male body?
SIGH
Me: yes
Him: oh
That was the end of that. So, it's cool that I'm trans, but not cool because I'm not trans enough. I get it now. He wanted to see my breasts. Men are pigs.
What does get me is that I think some of my friends are guys with a trans fetish. Some of these men are Middle Eastern, or East African. I'm always open to making friends in new places, so I usually accept friend requests from strangers in faraway places. Occasionally I wonder what prompts their friend request, but I don't always give it a lot of thought. That may have to change.
A little while ago, I was playing a game on Facebook (Bejeweled Blitz, if anyone cares). I don't know why, but people always open chat windows when I'm playing a game. It's a minor annoyance, because my system freezes up while the chat applet sorts itself out. Anyway, I was playing the game, and I got a chat pop-up from a recently-added friend in Turkey. I won't share the whole chat, but it went something like this:
Him: hi
Me: (after checking to see the time in Turkey) Good morning.
Him: how r u?
Me: tired. it was a long day.
Him: why?
Him: cam plz
Him: i mean webcam
So already I'm a little suspicious. Why does he want to cam chat?
Him: r u male?
AHA! We come to to the heart of the matter.
Me: you read my profile?
Him: yes
Me: you know im trans?
Him: yes
Me: I am transitioning, but am not full-time yet
Him: do u have a male body?
SIGH
Me: yes
Him: oh
That was the end of that. So, it's cool that I'm trans, but not cool because I'm not trans enough. I get it now. He wanted to see my breasts. Men are pigs.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A Nice Night for a Walk... Not!
After all my years on the night shift, I have become a creature of the night. I can run around and do things during the day, if need be, and I often do, but somehow I have reached a point where I am most comfortable in the dark. As such, when I am not working, I tend to try to keep the same hours I would when I'm working.
Saturday morning was the end of another nine-day stretch for me at work. I only got a short nap Saturday before I went out to a friend's house to watch District 9. Good movie. Came home and crashed.
I spent most of Sunday indoors, as it was raining. I alternated sleeping, playing Mass Effect (8 days till ME2!)on the Xbox, and watching DVDs. I went out for pizza around 1900, and vegged out in front of the computer for a while. Around 0030, Nate said something about walking up to 7-Eleven to buy cigarettes. I mentioned that I was thinking of making a run there myself, because I ran out of Coke Zero, and after a few minutes, I said I'd go. I could drive, but it's only half a mile, and walking saves gas and gives me a little exercise in the bargain.
I've been walking around this neighborhood for almost a year, day and night, and never had a negative experience of any kind. Much of that I attribute to my size. I'm a little over six feet tall and weigh over 200 pounds. No matter how I dress, I'm big, and no one willing messes with a big person. In theory, at least.
As I was putting on my shoes, Nate came in and asked if I had any pocket-sized weapons. I haven't openly carried any weapon for years, and the only weapons I own anymore are of the bladed variety, and long enough that I could get busted just for carrying them (I forgot I have my grandfather's nightstick, d'oh!). Besides, no one's ever bothered me in a hundred excursions or more, I said, and I'll only be gone half an hour or so.
There are two 7-Elevens within a mile of the apartment. I went to the nearest one, just a straight shot up Elm Avenue from home. They had Nate's smokes, but no Coke Zero, so I came back down Elm to London Boulevard and headed east, toward the second store, one long block down the street.
Just after I turned onto London, a man called out from across the street, "Man, do you have a cigarette?" I didn't understand what he said, and kept walking away. He ran across the street toward me, and I turned around. "Do you have a cigarette?" I told him "No" and kept walking. He asked me again, and I told him to "Fuck off." Not my brightest idea, but I wasn't feeling him.
Next thing, two more "gentlemen" approach from the opposite direction. They start chatting with gentleman #1. Obviously, they're not strangers. Number 1 tells the other two that I dissed him, and #2 starts looking at me funny. There wasn't any traffic on London Boulevard, so I crossed the street. The other side was better lit. Safer in the light, I thought. Heh.
Numbers 2 and 3 followed me. I don't remember what they said, but I tried to get them to back down, all the while looking out for #1. Number 2 slapped me, or something. He hit the right side of my head. It wasn't a hard blow, and it triggered my adrenaline response. In the back of my mind, I remember what I was taught of hand-to-hand combat. One fighter I could handle. Two, maybe, but only if I fight to win (no pulled punches, no soft blows). Any more than that, and you're supposed to run, but they were within ten feet, plenty of room to run me down, and I still didn't know where #1 was.
No worry. Number 1 came running across the street swinging ... a bicycle tire? I couldn't write shit like this. He swung the tire at me, and I side-stepped and yanked it out of his hand, pulling him off his feet in the process. I dropped into a fighting stance and gave the tire a couple of tentative swings, to put some space between them and me. Then they backed off and I drew... my cellphone. At that point, they ran back across London and down one of the side streets. I resumed my walk.
I got about half-a-block from the "attack site" and called Nate. I didn't call the police. What was I going to report? Three strange men half-heartedly attacked me and then ran away? I wasn't injured, beyond a cut lip (cut on my teeth). They certainly didn't steal anything, aside from a little peace of mind. Anyway, Nate came out and picked me up, and we drove out to WaWa. He got his cigs. I found that Coke product 12-packs were on sale, and grabbed a pint of ice cream to consume once the adrenaline wore off. Adrenaline's great when one is in action, but it's a hell of a thing to come down off of.
Saturday morning was the end of another nine-day stretch for me at work. I only got a short nap Saturday before I went out to a friend's house to watch District 9. Good movie. Came home and crashed.
I spent most of Sunday indoors, as it was raining. I alternated sleeping, playing Mass Effect (8 days till ME2!)on the Xbox, and watching DVDs. I went out for pizza around 1900, and vegged out in front of the computer for a while. Around 0030, Nate said something about walking up to 7-Eleven to buy cigarettes. I mentioned that I was thinking of making a run there myself, because I ran out of Coke Zero, and after a few minutes, I said I'd go. I could drive, but it's only half a mile, and walking saves gas and gives me a little exercise in the bargain.
I've been walking around this neighborhood for almost a year, day and night, and never had a negative experience of any kind. Much of that I attribute to my size. I'm a little over six feet tall and weigh over 200 pounds. No matter how I dress, I'm big, and no one willing messes with a big person. In theory, at least.
As I was putting on my shoes, Nate came in and asked if I had any pocket-sized weapons. I haven't openly carried any weapon for years, and the only weapons I own anymore are of the bladed variety, and long enough that I could get busted just for carrying them (I forgot I have my grandfather's nightstick, d'oh!). Besides, no one's ever bothered me in a hundred excursions or more, I said, and I'll only be gone half an hour or so.
There are two 7-Elevens within a mile of the apartment. I went to the nearest one, just a straight shot up Elm Avenue from home. They had Nate's smokes, but no Coke Zero, so I came back down Elm to London Boulevard and headed east, toward the second store, one long block down the street.
Just after I turned onto London, a man called out from across the street, "Man, do you have a cigarette?" I didn't understand what he said, and kept walking away. He ran across the street toward me, and I turned around. "Do you have a cigarette?" I told him "No" and kept walking. He asked me again, and I told him to "Fuck off." Not my brightest idea, but I wasn't feeling him.
Next thing, two more "gentlemen" approach from the opposite direction. They start chatting with gentleman #1. Obviously, they're not strangers. Number 1 tells the other two that I dissed him, and #2 starts looking at me funny. There wasn't any traffic on London Boulevard, so I crossed the street. The other side was better lit. Safer in the light, I thought. Heh.
Numbers 2 and 3 followed me. I don't remember what they said, but I tried to get them to back down, all the while looking out for #1. Number 2 slapped me, or something. He hit the right side of my head. It wasn't a hard blow, and it triggered my adrenaline response. In the back of my mind, I remember what I was taught of hand-to-hand combat. One fighter I could handle. Two, maybe, but only if I fight to win (no pulled punches, no soft blows). Any more than that, and you're supposed to run, but they were within ten feet, plenty of room to run me down, and I still didn't know where #1 was.
No worry. Number 1 came running across the street swinging ... a bicycle tire? I couldn't write shit like this. He swung the tire at me, and I side-stepped and yanked it out of his hand, pulling him off his feet in the process. I dropped into a fighting stance and gave the tire a couple of tentative swings, to put some space between them and me. Then they backed off and I drew... my cellphone. At that point, they ran back across London and down one of the side streets. I resumed my walk.
I got about half-a-block from the "attack site" and called Nate. I didn't call the police. What was I going to report? Three strange men half-heartedly attacked me and then ran away? I wasn't injured, beyond a cut lip (cut on my teeth). They certainly didn't steal anything, aside from a little peace of mind. Anyway, Nate came out and picked me up, and we drove out to WaWa. He got his cigs. I found that Coke product 12-packs were on sale, and grabbed a pint of ice cream to consume once the adrenaline wore off. Adrenaline's great when one is in action, but it's a hell of a thing to come down off of.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
I love internet memes, to a point. This afternoon, a friend of mine posted the following on Facebook:
"India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar Uniform Charlie Alpha November Uniform November Delta Sierra Tango Alpha November Delta Tango Hotel India Sierra, Charlie Oscar Papa Yankee India Tango Alpha November Delta Papa Alpha Sierra Tango Echo India Tango Tango Oscar Yankee Oscar Uniform Romeo Lima India Victor Echo Juliet Oscar Uniform Romeo November Alpha Lima."
For those not fluent in NATO-standard alphabet code, it says
"If you can understand this, copy and paste it to your LiveJournal."
I had a LiveJournal once, and I still have an account (just so I can comment on other people's blogs), but I wasn't going to post all that (which I typed out by hand, just now), just for the sake of carrying on the internet's latest equivalent to a chain letter. But I decided to play along, so I posted a comment about not using LiveJournal anymore, and instead doing all my writing on Blogger. Which prompted a query regarding the link, only worded as
"Juliet Alpha Yankee Echo: Lima India November Kilo?"
Just out of curiosity, I did a Google search a few minutes (or is that Mikes?) ago for "India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar...", and it seems that this popped up on Twitter eleven days ago. I do not use Twitter. I will not use Twitter. I don't even read other people's Twitter feeds. I don't need to know about ANYTHING that badly. I don't think I've ever been that concerned with what John Scalzi calls "the blatherations of others". That might be a misquote (I think it refers to comments on his blog), but I feel it's appropriate. Now I'm sorry that I've perpetuated this thing.
"India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar Uniform Charlie Alpha November Uniform November Delta Sierra Tango Alpha November Delta Tango Hotel India Sierra, Charlie Oscar Papa Yankee India Tango Alpha November Delta Papa Alpha Sierra Tango Echo India Tango Tango Oscar Yankee Oscar Uniform Romeo Lima India Victor Echo Juliet Oscar Uniform Romeo November Alpha Lima."
For those not fluent in NATO-standard alphabet code, it says
"If you can understand this, copy and paste it to your LiveJournal."
I had a LiveJournal once, and I still have an account (just so I can comment on other people's blogs), but I wasn't going to post all that (which I typed out by hand, just now), just for the sake of carrying on the internet's latest equivalent to a chain letter. But I decided to play along, so I posted a comment about not using LiveJournal anymore, and instead doing all my writing on Blogger. Which prompted a query regarding the link, only worded as
"Juliet Alpha Yankee Echo: Lima India November Kilo?"
Just out of curiosity, I did a Google search a few minutes (or is that Mikes?) ago for "India Foxtrot Yankee Oscar...", and it seems that this popped up on Twitter eleven days ago. I do not use Twitter. I will not use Twitter. I don't even read other people's Twitter feeds. I don't need to know about ANYTHING that badly. I don't think I've ever been that concerned with what John Scalzi calls "the blatherations of others". That might be a misquote (I think it refers to comments on his blog), but I feel it's appropriate. Now I'm sorry that I've perpetuated this thing.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Ready to Be Fired
Actually, I don't know that it's going to happen, but it seems a distinct possibility. Since my write-up in August, I have done my level best to maintain a low profile. I've tried to keep my interaction with management professional, when I have to interact with them at all. I've done all my work to the best of my ability, whether it's the paperwork or guest service.
A gentleman came up to the desk a little while ago and asked if it was possible to change the channel on the TV during breakfast. I told him that we could put the TV on whatever channel he wanted. Yesterday morning, it was tuned to MSNBC. He told me he prefers Fox, because he likes to hear "the truth". All I said was, "If you say so." I didn't defend MSNBC. I didn't blather on about my own liberal views, or all the negative press Fox have garnered over the years. I didn't call the channel "Fixed News" or "Fox Noise" or anything. I certainly didn't say anything about their blowhard hosts. No, I just said, "If you say so."
The gentleman went out to his car. When he returned a few minutes later, he thanked me for "the information" and went upstairs. I have little doubt that's going to come back to bite me on the ass when the gentleman fills out his guest satisfaction survey. It might amount to nothing, but I have to be prepared for the possibility.
When I'm working, I'm not supposed to have opinions about things, but I'm having ever more trouble suppressing my need to be, and express, who I am.
A couple of weeks back, a big sedan rolled up to the front of the hotel around 0400. A nattily-dressed gentleman climbed out, and I was all set to sell him a room. As it happened, he came in and handed me the latest issue of The Watchtower, a publication of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We were standing under a sign on the wall which prohibits solicitation or "distribution of printed materials...by non-employees". I smiled and told him, "No, thank you." He started to say something about preparing me for "the End Times". Again I said, "No, thank you," and added, "I'm an atheist." The gentleman gaped for a moment before composing himself. He then asked if I didn't want to read it "for entertainment". I said, "No!" He took the hint and departed.
I half-expected that incident to generate some negative feedback, but nothing came of it, and maybe it won't this time, either. I'm just tired of pretending to be someone I'm not. It wouldn't be so hard, I think, if my employers had been a little more understanding about me transitioning. My search for another job continues to be thwarted. There are five hotels within five minutes of my apartment, and none of them are hiring. There are another six in the general vicinity of my current job, but four of them are owned by my employer. There are jobs at the Beach, but I'd eat up a good chunk of my wages driving back and forth to the Oceanfront. So I toil on.
EDIT: 0505 here. I switched the lobby TV over to Fox in order to head off any potential hooha. As I speak, they're showing a repeat of the Glenn Beck program. I've seen bits and pieces of his material on Countdown, but I've never watched it raw and unfiltered like this. The man is scary. Eeeeeeeee...
A gentleman came up to the desk a little while ago and asked if it was possible to change the channel on the TV during breakfast. I told him that we could put the TV on whatever channel he wanted. Yesterday morning, it was tuned to MSNBC. He told me he prefers Fox, because he likes to hear "the truth". All I said was, "If you say so." I didn't defend MSNBC. I didn't blather on about my own liberal views, or all the negative press Fox have garnered over the years. I didn't call the channel "Fixed News" or "Fox Noise" or anything. I certainly didn't say anything about their blowhard hosts. No, I just said, "If you say so."
The gentleman went out to his car. When he returned a few minutes later, he thanked me for "the information" and went upstairs. I have little doubt that's going to come back to bite me on the ass when the gentleman fills out his guest satisfaction survey. It might amount to nothing, but I have to be prepared for the possibility.
When I'm working, I'm not supposed to have opinions about things, but I'm having ever more trouble suppressing my need to be, and express, who I am.
A couple of weeks back, a big sedan rolled up to the front of the hotel around 0400. A nattily-dressed gentleman climbed out, and I was all set to sell him a room. As it happened, he came in and handed me the latest issue of The Watchtower, a publication of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We were standing under a sign on the wall which prohibits solicitation or "distribution of printed materials...by non-employees". I smiled and told him, "No, thank you." He started to say something about preparing me for "the End Times". Again I said, "No, thank you," and added, "I'm an atheist." The gentleman gaped for a moment before composing himself. He then asked if I didn't want to read it "for entertainment". I said, "No!" He took the hint and departed.
I half-expected that incident to generate some negative feedback, but nothing came of it, and maybe it won't this time, either. I'm just tired of pretending to be someone I'm not. It wouldn't be so hard, I think, if my employers had been a little more understanding about me transitioning. My search for another job continues to be thwarted. There are five hotels within five minutes of my apartment, and none of them are hiring. There are another six in the general vicinity of my current job, but four of them are owned by my employer. There are jobs at the Beach, but I'd eat up a good chunk of my wages driving back and forth to the Oceanfront. So I toil on.
EDIT: 0505 here. I switched the lobby TV over to Fox in order to head off any potential hooha. As I speak, they're showing a repeat of the Glenn Beck program. I've seen bits and pieces of his material on Countdown, but I've never watched it raw and unfiltered like this. The man is scary. Eeeeeeeee...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I Sleep With a Monkey
That's the horrible confession which has been eating at my insides for months. I'm not kidding. How many adults do you know who sleep with stuffed animals?
It's partly my ex's fault. She collected stuffed animals, mostly bunnies, though she had a few bears. When we parted ways, she insisted on dividing the collection evenly, leaving me with a moving box full of unpleasant memories. I gave them all to Goodwill. Actually, I found a couple that I had missed when I was packing up to leave Charlotte. They went straight into the dumpster.
A few months before that, I bought my monkey. It was May, and I was out spending my tax refund. I had just bought a few things at Torrid in South Park Mall, and was on my way out, when I came upon a kiosk selling "make your own" stuffed animals, like a knock-off Build-a-Bear Workshop. They were having a sale. I decided I wanted one.
They had several different animals on offer, not just bears and rabbits but assorted barnyard and "jungle" animals. I picked out a monkey, just because I liked the way it looked. The vendor let me choose how much stuffing to fill it with, and offered me a selection of hats and clothes. I thought that was a little much.
On the way home, I remembered having a sock monkey when I was little. Its name was Monkey. Yeah, I was an imaginative child. Anyway, to honor the toy I had when I was younger, and make light of my youthful naming conventions, I christened the little fellow "Mr. Sock". Naming it somehow made it more touchable. I hugged the little thing. It felt good. A few days later I found myself holding it while I tried to fall asleep one morning.
That was two years ago. I've found that I can sleep without Mr. Sock, but I don't like to. It's not like anyone else is clamoring to share my bed.
A few months before that, I bought my monkey. It was May, and I was out spending my tax refund. I had just bought a few things at Torrid in South Park Mall, and was on my way out, when I came upon a kiosk selling "make your own" stuffed animals, like a knock-off Build-a-Bear Workshop. They were having a sale. I decided I wanted one.
They had several different animals on offer, not just bears and rabbits but assorted barnyard and "jungle" animals. I picked out a monkey, just because I liked the way it looked. The vendor let me choose how much stuffing to fill it with, and offered me a selection of hats and clothes. I thought that was a little much.
On the way home, I remembered having a sock monkey when I was little. Its name was Monkey. Yeah, I was an imaginative child. Anyway, to honor the toy I had when I was younger, and make light of my youthful naming conventions, I christened the little fellow "Mr. Sock". Naming it somehow made it more touchable. I hugged the little thing. It felt good. A few days later I found myself holding it while I tried to fall asleep one morning.
That was two years ago. I've found that I can sleep without Mr. Sock, but I don't like to. It's not like anyone else is clamoring to share my bed.
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