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 |   A little bit of everything, colored my own way. |
 BLOG CHALLENGE WINNER FOR SEPTEMBER 2011 AND APRIL 2012!! ** Image ID #1901871 Unavailable **  After almost a year away, I've decided to revisit Blogville. I'm refreshed and ready...this time around it'll be a little different. I'll talk about a little bit of everything...music, sports, retail life, and more. It's not for everyone...you might not like it, but someone you know (and possibly detest) probably will! WHO THE HELL DO I THINK I AM??  We're gonna find out one way or another!  Relax, enjoy, leave a comment, tell your friends... A special thanks to Julie D - PUBLISHED!  for the 2011 Quill Awards image!"There is only one way...it is THE WAY." -Photo Jesus  "Can't you count to one??"  Thanks for stopping by and showing your support!  |
| Good evening everyone! The temperatures are rapidly dropping, but still no real snow in Buffalo. We had one snowfall so far that yielded some accumulation, but that was gone almost as quickly as it fell. However, we're destined for some type of storm tonight. Still hasn't happened yet, and I'm debating on how long I wanna try to stay up for it if it's gonna be really bad. The longer I stay up, the less I have to shovel in the morning (unless our plow service comes before we leave...unlikely). I hate snow (and cold) in general, but I don't mind a dusting or so around the holidays. I think, for me, at least, it lends to the atmosphere of the holidays. Otherwise, it's just a nuisance. I don't ski, I don't snowboard, and it's been years since I've even cared to be engaged in any kind of snowball fight. So to me, snow is pointless. Like anything else that irritates me while provoking little-to-no thought. So in lieu of having almost nothing to talk about, let's savage discuss the news, shall we? Let's see what's trending on MSN...  http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/08/9307262-police-officer-gunman-dead-...Another senseless act of random violence. What the hell is up at that school? Second time in less than five years? Damn. I don't get it. What possesses people to do this? Is it the old "Suicide By Cop" theory? I'm sure most cops would prefer to not have to shoot somebody, let alone kill them, and no cop worth his badge is gonna stand by and let someone blast innocent people down. Kinda want to hear a little more about this. http://wonderwall.msn.com/tv/michelle-duggar-suffers-a-miscarriage-1656881.story...Wait...since when does this qualify as "news"? I don't mean to be an insensitive prick. This is a sad and serious topic...when your life's not so "out there". I mean, how ballsy of you to ask for privacy when you made your crazy life into a tv show. And 19 kids weren't enough? Nineteen. NINETEEN!! I feel bad and all for the pain and suffering, but people please, really? You're rubbing your 19 kids' faces in the face of people, some of which can't have kids, and then making money off of trying to have a 20th by making another tv show? You people are effing crazy! Now, before you spout off on me, hear me out. According to family lore, I myself am indirectly here in part due to miscarriage. From what I remember, my mother miscarried before she got pregnant with me. Had she gone full-term, there's no way I would've been born. I don't remember all of the facts or details (man was I lot younger when I heard that bombshell), but I know this and have filed it away in a mental folder titled "things my family told me when I was young that I still believe". This doesn't mean that I advocate miscarriage, but I'm still sympathetic to it. Things happen for a reason. That 20th kid wasn't meant to happen, and neither was the child to be born in place of me. But I'm here...you get me instead. Now howl away at my perceived "insensitivity", because life is precious, and if that's what you want to make of this story or my story, so be it. And don't be alarmed when I think of you differently after. Ugh...the "Editor's Picks" on MSN are so....lame. I don't care about the gossip. I don't care about celebs and who's fuckin' who and who's gettin' fat or rich or long-dead peoples' things being sold. I don't care. If I wanted to talk about sports, it'd be only about sports. If you cared about sports, you'd appreciate that I didn't waste your time talking about other crap, and if you didn't care about sports, you would mouse your way down to the next segment.CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! So I'm starting to hit a wall, but luckily I found this song and it's given me some other options to use in my search for non-traditional Christmas-themed musical selections. You'll take this and you'll like it. I forget about this song/band every year around Xmas until it's far into the season. I tell myself I'll have to find it somewhere. And ya know what? I never do. I might write the exact same blog entry next year and post the exact same song, and two days later it's out of my head, because I'm looking for another song. I've got a couple of songs in my back pocket I'm waiting to roll out in the forthcoming days, but I'm not all Christmasy yet. So enjoy this and hope it becomes a staple of Christmas music down the road. Much like another band's Christmas album was a staple of my own Christmases as a youth...I'm gonna find their "Christmas" album, and hang ornaments on our tree to it (if we ever have our own kid/s). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcDt_SJhH6s VITAL STATS:  I'm as prepared as I can be for snow. Which means: I'm not prepared. I had a really good retail-centric topic to discuss today, until all sorts of miniscule retail things happened. Thanks for killing my flow, retail.That's it. I'm bailing on this one. Man overboard on the snow coaster. OHHHHH!! Holdup-waitasecond.... totally forgot about this...lemme pause a sec so I can see if I can find a link.... So I was a few minutes late to work, despite our best efforts to leave early after hearing about this on the radio (and bless justjessica1's heart for having news radio on in the morning so I can hear this stuff). A Pepsi truck crashed about five minutes away from our house...closing an intersecting main thoroughfare three blocks from our house to three blocks toward my way to work. We were able to get through the intersection going straight, but wouldn't have been able to if we turned right. We fought the traffic that was filtering our way and I was only late by a minute or two. Here's a short clip of the scene: http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/top_stories/566402/pepsi-truck-crashes/ STALKER ALERT: I live on Walden, about two lights down from the scene. Here's another look at it: http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Crash-Causes-Sticky-Mess-135257283.html Allllrightey then. Now I'mma GTFO and relax, after I proofread this because I've already caught myself a few times jacking up the words. Tomorrow's Friday, which means it's one more day after that 'til my weekend. So get your Friday on in style, and we'll see ya soon around these parts. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm trying not to get distracted typing this while listening to the Sabres game (damn you DirecTv, and us not having Versus!!). Many of you who are friends with me on Facebook have seen me allude to this before, but today has only reinforced the need for me to reiterate the cardinal rule of retail considering myself: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, AS A CUSTOMER SHOPPING IN MY STORE, SHOULD YOU EVER TOUCH ME. And we're going to amend that rule, appropriately: NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL OF EXEMPILARY CUSTOMER SERVICE I BRING, REMEMBER THIS: I AM NOT YOUR BABY, HONEY, SWEETIE, OR LOVE. I wear a nametag, and it's freakin' big enough for even the oldest of the elderly to read. It has my name on it. That's how you address me. Please, and thank you. And the no-touching thing, well, that should be a given. I wouldn't touch you. I'm here to take your money and hand you merch. If I touch you, it's totally accidental. And by accidental, I mean it's the "you rammed into me with a shopping cart and I fell into you" kind of accidental. I don't need you grabbing on to my arm as you tell me how spoiled your grandkid is. You're not falling. You're not losing your balance. You're leaning into me, to tell me your grandkids are spoiled?? Step the eff you see kay back, please. I'm not gonna continue to keep showing you toys you're planning on buying your "spoiled grandkids" (from a drugstore, no less) if you keep the touchy-feely goin' on. [SIDEBAR]: I'mma start blogging during Sabres' games more frequently if they keep scoring once I hit WDC on my address bar. For reals. Hey Julie D - PUBLISHED! , how do you like your hockey team right now?  Remember Ville Lieno? Yeah, we forgot about him too, until tonight.  On a related note, my hair, while nothing special, is also off-limits when it comes to the customer/employee touching rule. You never, ever, ever have a reason to touch my head. You don't freakin' know where I've been! (It must be noted that I have not been anywhere, besides a shower, that would make you not want to touch my head. You should just know a little better...let's put it this way: you coming into the store pretty much every week doesn't give you the license to hit on and molest me, especially when you come in every week to make pictures from a camera you don't know how to operate, on a machine that has software you still don't know how to navigate. After at least two and a half fucking years!!  )Besides all of that, I kinda liked my job today.  CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! I love my city too. [SIDEBAR]: The crowd's roaring...this game sounds like it's getting ugly. Sounds like the Flyers are targeting Sabres with injuries, and Buffalo's finally responding when opposing players are taking liberties with our players. 'Bout damn time. I'm anticipating a 3rd period brawl. DAMN YOU VERSUS!! But ya know, I'm totally ok with it. We've got the greatest announcer in the history of hockey, Mr. Rick Jeannerette. Youtube some of his legendary calls. Dude's a Buffalo icon. Anyway, so this little Xmas tune is new to me. I was messin' around on Youtube and came across this tune. It's cheesy, but the visuals (well, most of them) are pretty sweet. It's the heart of a Buffalo winter. The places, the shots, the comments on the vid itself, well, that's who we are. If anything could get me in the spirit of the season, this just might be it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZgP1cKwlq4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list... VITAL STATS:  I'm trying pretty hard to get into this "Christmas spirit" kinda feeling. Probably harder than I should. Cuz it's not working so far. Nothing like your boss changing your schedule for the upcoming week and not telling you. Especially when you pretty much work the same days/times every week. Look, I don't want to feel like I'm "entitled" to anything, because I shouldn't be. But at least grant me the courtesy of asking me if I'm ok with changing my schedule. Maybe that is something I've earned after being a valued employee. And if there's an issue, just effing ask me...cuz I'm easy about things like that, but when I have things coming up, don't just expect that I'll jump in the company's favor. I don't care what the season is. If I have things that need to be taken care of, I have to take care of them. If you want me to come in at 10am instead of 8am, fine. Not cool, but ok. If you want me to come in at 5:45am instead of 8am, you better fucking ask a playa first. This house has rides to coordinate, and I need to know these things. Not to sound like a spoiled idiot, but I do my work. When there's no more work, I find work. I get touched wrong by random people. Give me the respect and the benefit of having an option when you want to change things up on me. That isn't too much to ask.[SIDEBAR]: This Sabres' game has gone to shit. Now down 4-3 after two periods. Julie, I take it back. Normally, I have a little love for the fast-food servants. Not today. Not when I pick up lunch for half the store, get the bends from the other half of the store for not asking if they want anything, and then realize they didn't put my order in the bag once I settled in for my chicky nuggies. And ya know what? It's my fault. I briefly checked the bags to make sure I got everything. Damn near looked like it, and I don't want to be that guy that holds up the front counter. But damn you, McDonalds. You're paid minimum wage to do minimum wage tasks. If you want to get paid more, step your damn game up. And to the manager that filled my original order, learn from the minimum wage chick who let me have chicky nuggie time when I burned up my lunch break going back there to get your mistake. You wanna wear the goofy tie? Do your damn job.And with that, I'm gonna take 27 years off my life by having a beverage, a smoke, and a listen to the 3rd period of the Sabres' game in privacy. I like that because nobody can see the worst side of me...the one that actually swears at a computer that works (for the most part). This side that you see, it's all "well, he's cute, he's kind of an idiot, he's got some issues"; no...this side would be throwing remotes at tv's if this game was in my viewing vicinity. Peace, love, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| Hey there...a good morning to you all. A tomato and basil hummus with blue corn chips may not be your breakfast of choice, but it is mine, and it's fantastic. Especially when I'm ready to go back to bed, because I have to work later. In a retail position that describes my job as "not being left alone", but the rules change at this time of year. I roll and stay thankful I'm still employed. I doubt I'd have time when I come home tonight to keep the blue going. Not much has changed since last night, but because I'll be working late tonight, I'm posting early... CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! These local Buffalo boys will be wrapping up their run as Buffalo's best indie/DIY band later this month. I need to get a couple tickets for their final show, even though I can't stand where they're playing. And when I said I wasn't gonna play any traditional music for Xmas, well, I sorta lied. These guys take this song to a whole new level. I'm proud to know Josiah from Letterset, and although you guys are calling it the ends, this will be a staple for Christmases to come for us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg4xjaV27Ds VITAL STATS:  http://www.myspace.com/letterset Who's comin' with me? I'm gonna put these blue corn chips down and take a nap before I get back to work. Before I do that though, here's a video I shot myself of Letterset: http://www.youtube.com/user/naikin3?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/Zs-PEzKh6u8 I apologize for the Blackberry's crappy audio quality. You'll understand.Ok, naptime for this kid, then back to work. Hope it's jolly. GOODDAY Y'ALL!! |
Good evening folks...it's a chilly, rainy evening and I had a day off so I really got pretty much nothing done (surprised?  ). In honor of all things cold and rainy, I'll skip right on to...CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! I never would've guessed in my entire life that Canada's greatest poet would ever *gasp* do anything related to the holiday season! But it's right up my alley when it comes to songs of the season...bright, fast-paced, and it doesn't beat you over the head with syrupy holiday sentiment. I present for your pleasure, the acoustic version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnqR5aizSQw VITAL STATS:  No slight to the beautiful countryside of Canada...it's always been lovely when I've made my way up there. Especially in the summer. No slight to my day either... after a superb dinner by justjessica1, I went out and got the mop chopped off the top of my head. I do believe I may have longer hair on my chin now than at the top of my dome.And ya know what's almost more annoying about getting a haircut? Not the little pieces of hair you seem to take with you everywhere you go for two days, no matter how much you shower. Not the fact that you're held hostage for 15 minutes by a chick with a sharp object in her hand, who leaves you to answer the phone by saying, "See how that looks and tell me what you think." No, it's the banter these chicks at Supercuts try to strike up with you. Does their orientation consist of a few cookie-cutter styles for kids, and a scripted interview for each client? I've been going to this place for a few years now (when I wasn't too busy growing out my hair), and it's pretty much the same conversation all the damn time. Luckily, the stylists are usually cute...until they start talking about their lives. NHL realignment was announced today. It's totally not how I would've done it, but I'm not a governor on their board, so I must not know much. If anyone cares, here's how it shapes up... http://sabreshockeycentral.com/2011/12/05/nhl-realigning-divisions-for-2012-2013...And I'm not one for change as it is, but I really don't care for this set-up. Not that the current divisional and conferences are that great either, but dammit, I'm used to it. And I don't like having to get used to new things that suck. All that said, I'm gonna turn and re-focus my attention to Monday Night Football, even though my fantasy team has this week all but wrapped up. Sorry, @JustInBuffalo...love ya bro, but I have to take a little solace in my season somewhere. #thatsatweetiwontsend. Don't feel bad, I love the rest of ya too. I'm just getting out of here for a few hours. GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
Well hello there! Seems like I might have to be a little more careful of the things I say and do around this here space (not that I really say or do anything of question, but, you know, just sayin'...). I finally got the lovely justjessica1 to sign up for WDC. She was sitting here last night, telling me she hasn't read this spot in awhile, and then verbally commenting on everything she read while I was trying to type another entry, which she knows annoys the hell outta me (and she's doing it again tonight). Finally I said, "Listen, why don't you sign up for your own account, and leave your comments there? It is free..." and she finally did. Love her to death, and we'll see how often she actually chimes in, but anyway...welcome to WDC, sweetie!  CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! So forget the fact that he once wore a shirt that says "Fatty Says Dance", or that I think he's the only male alive that I would ever describe as being sexy. Dude can sing, and he's got moves. If you know me, you already know who I'm talking about. You can get a new version of his 2001 "holiday" album here (and I recommend it highly): http://www.maplemusic.com/product.asp?dept%5Fid=41&pf%5Fid=40%2D75&lang=EN The song I'm about to post isn't even the best song on it, nor the one I wanted to post. I didn't even want to post this version, but the audiophile in me didn't like the song quality of the live clips (so you'll have to take my word for it re:his moves, if you've never seen him live). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9nAHeRZ7LE VITAL STATS:  Wasn't gonna say anything about this, but it's so random that I had to. It reached almost 60 degrees in some parts around here today; very un-Christmas-like for December. I'm not complaining either. I just stepped out on the porch and it's very comfortable out for pajama pants and a hoodie. And that's not my main observation...I live on a street that's 40 MPH. Cars routinely zip up and down like it's nobody's business. And I don't care. Hell, at least once a day someone flies past me from behind as I'm turning onto the sidestreet that our driveway's located on (because that's what living on a corner does to you). So as I stepped out into the air, I noticed that while it wasn't raining, it was wet out. Then I saw a van...not a mini-van, but a van...an old-school, almost Econoline kind of van, from the late 80's, driving by very slowly. Thought nothing of it...maybe just some random child molester looking for late-night street vamps or something. But almost 30 seconds later, a semi came from the other direction, driving very slowly. Now that's odd, because there ain't no reason for that. But then, a few seconds later, coming from the opposite-opposite direction, was a cop car. And what's really odd is the cops have no idea what the speed limit is around here, in any kind of weather. So something must be up. I just checked the Weather Channel app on my phone...50 degrees and light rain at 11:13pm. Question amongst yourselves my point, as I currently have none. Just hit over 2,400 views. Thank you...I hope I've done you well. Back in the 80's when the Bills were really bad (pre-Super Bowl era), I remember listening to Bills games on a device called a "radio" when the games weren't allowed to be shown on TV. And today I had to do something that I hadn't done since I was without a working tv at the ol' 542. I had to listen to the Bills game on a "radio" station. How did people in the 40's and 50's listen to the radio? Did they just look at it, expecting what they were hearing to just jump out and act in front of them? Radios were a lot bigger back then too. This "radio" stuff...how did people entertain themselves without the internet and Facebook and Twitter? Did they dial their friends on their rotary phones with 5-digit phone numbers, asking, "Did you just hear that? That was amazing!"?? Ohhhh me, why tell one friend when you can tell the world? I will want to do nothing tomorrow, except update this with another fancy Xmas song that you've probably never heard. Only, I'll have things to do. Clean up a little, maybe get my computer chair replaced, maybe a shave and a haircut which will lead to a shower, and then have Jess the CWC's justjessica1's dad over for a fancy dinner that I can already smell being prepared. That woman knows how to cook, and mah bellay can prove it.That's all I've got for you tonight...you're a trooper if you've made it this far, because frankly, I'm bored by this entry. So to spice it up before I go, there's a concert going on about an hour and a half from here. My friends couldn't go, I wanted to, and it's their last local appearance because they're breaking up. I saw them a little while back when they played their breakthrough album in my town from front to back, and it was awesome (VIP service does make life at concerts a little more manageable). My cousin is actually at the ahow and facebooked me to ask if I was going. I said I wasn't, but if she would've let me tag along I totally would've. I hope she has a great time...there's a clip at the end of one of their older songs, one that got me into them... I still rock one of their t-shirts that says "I don't want to feel this way forever". GOODNIGHT NOW!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-cepZ6K7mY |
| Good evening everybody....slow day around here. Was gonna go to a Christmas party that my friend and his wife hold every year, but wasn't feeling up to it after working 5:45am-2pm unloading a truck. Waited for Jess the CWC to get home, took a weak nap, and here I am. I do want to share a story about a local sportswriter who passed today. Allen Wilson was a beat writer for The Buffalo News for quite a long time. He was well respected not only in the community, but by the Buffalo Bills and nationally syndicated sports journalists. I never had a chance to meet him, but I read his columns all the time and it almost seemed like you got a good feel for who he was as a person through the way he covered athletes or crafted his commentary on pressing sports issues of the day. Here's The Buffalo News' obit on Allen: http://www.buffalonews.com/deaths/local-obituaries/article654586.ece For another touching tribute and testimonial regarding Allen and the kind of person he was, please visit Nick Mendola's blog, located on the left of this page under Offsite Blogs. Thoughts and prayers go out to Allen's family, friends, co-workers, and anyone who's ever been touched not only by his body of work in The News, but by his body of work in life. CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! I guess there's a few reasons why I chose this song. While it's non-traditional, it's been around for pretty much every Christmas I can remember (and really, were there any Christmases that happened before I was born? Let the theorists conspire... ) so it's practically traditional. Second, I think with all the events that have happened in the world since the last time we changed the Page-A-Day calendar to Dec. 25 (actually I think it was Dec. 25/Dec. 26 on that page, because Christmas fell on a Saturday), this song carries so much more significance this year than years before...think the ending of the war in Iraq, the capturing of Bin Ladin, and all of the people around the world who've suffered in some sort of weather-related debacle that Red Cross recommends we text a country to a 5-digit number to tack $10 extra bucks onto phone bill. That's why we need this song more than ever (even if the Christmas music stations all around the world play this song twenty times a day as it is).WARNING: There are semi-graphic and slightly traumatizing images in this video. If you are offended easily, or are squeamish, I suggest you skip the clip. -The Ed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4Uu0OlmTg VITAL STATS:  High drama in tonight's Sabres game as I type this....may have to set the DVR so I don't miss a brawl anything. Props to the manager I worked with this morning, for sticking out the truck unloading while simulatneously hugging a garbage can. You earned the rest of the day off for that, sir! And I hope you feel better. It's official...the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  will be back in January! And I've got a title to defend. That's all for tonight...back to the Sabres game for me. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| Good evening my friends. With all due respects to whomever I'm going to bastardize this quote from, this is how I'm going to sum up the morning I encountered..."With great accolades, come greater scrutiny". Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you've had a great day. Mine? Not so fantastic. When it starts out with management singling you out for a customer complaint and you can't recall any details of the situation, and being told you won't be in consideration for the award you just won because of it, that can be a downer. When I ask them to check the tape so I can see who it was I was dealing with, I'm told there's no camera on the register I was on. STALKER ALERT: There's no cameras on the photo lab. Great.  Mind you, all of the paperwork says I "helped" this customer in this certain "complaint". Never mind the fact that the initial transactions happened when I was off. All I did, I guess, was apply a valid coupon to their online order. Only, it shows up in the system as "Employee Discount". Well, slap me around and call me Sucks-to-your-bonus. If it was a curious situation, it would stick with me. But it doesn't. The paperwork they have on me doesn't match the entireity of the situation. All I did was apply a coupon a stupid customer wasn't able (by their own ignorance, I'm guessing) to add themselves. So I'm pissed. I don't need my good name being sullied in that place, no matter what. Turns out it wasn't me that pissed this woman off (after some more thoughtful research). After a giant exhale, I was pretty much ok. I don't need shit that doesn't involve me being the end to my employment. Not especially after another day of busting my ass, especially with upper-management types being in the house. The moral to the story is: The pin on your chest is a target on your back. The multi-million dollar company is always looking to cut costs. They just gave me ten bucks and a cheap pin. Now they're looking to try to get under payroll all of the sudden? And that's the worst they can do? Fuck man, I'm (probably) the most versatile employee in the store, and they've already cut some of my wings. And those wings were snipped a few weeks back...who the fuck else would you want to run the photo lab when things go wrong and no one else can get around problems besides Photo Jesus, when you have call-offs and you can't hire people for shit due to the new system that feels like none of us would've been hired had we taken the then "new" tests? I'm calling bullshit on the company. You wanna investigate me? Get your shit straight and then figure it out...as it turns out, they had nothing on me. But the corporate policies need to catch up with society. And I won't be surprised if they ever do. CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!! So I don't know this song. I don't know where it comes from. But I know it played a lot at work last Christmas, and all I could think of was this clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK5jeKYlF_w All of my years of singing in chorus in high school can't bring back the memory of that one. VITAL STATS:  Was a little more than concerned about Jess the CWC last night, and if the shoe fell on the newly found foot, that'd be an issue too. Got an email telling me I was dropped from "30-Day Bloggers Group" , and I have no idea why. Bullshit; step up and tell me why. Or don't, and let me twist in winds that I don't feel. The Sabres aren't doing shit tonight. And I have to be up at the mega-early time of 5:30-ish tomorrow. #nevagonnaseemylovaI hope you all have a good Saturday...gonna work my balls off again, maybe catch a nap, and hit up the Annual Dan & Janet Xmas Party. GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| What's up y'all? Happy December and stuff. Coming to you live and direct from the absolutely freezing basement (cuz that's where the beer lives) from under a blanket, when I should be getting ready to watch some football (cuz we still haven't acted on any impulses to upgrade the tv down here to one that can show sporting events). I just hate dragging my laptop all over the place. So damn lazy, I know . But you're not gonna do anything about it, and I will when I feel like it. You'll have my cold nose and my snarky words, and you'll like it. And I'm gonna save the rest of my day for the lower portion of this entry. CHRISTMAS MUSIC BREAK! If you read my last entry, you know I have a thing against Christmas music. It's only because of two things (primarily): 1) I'm so over going overboard trying to celebrate Christmas. And that's due to working in retail, plus the fact that I don't celebrate it like I used to when I was younger. So it's not as fun for me, all the way around. I suffer from a deadly combo: Being a retail person means you get to watch other people shop for other other people (and that's not a typo...I did intentionally say "other other") when you could be wasting your eight hours at work shopping for people who aren't "other other people". The other side of that combo? The fact that I don't really celebrate anymore. Whether it's me just getting older, or just doing small things with Jess the CWC's fam, I'm cool with that. But long gone are my days of anticipating a pony for Christmas. The highlight of the day though was watching an elderly woman trying to reach for something we decked above the regular merchandise. I came back off lunch, was talking to G-Stamm in photo about him taking his lunch, and I heard the sound of something falling and hitting the ground. I looked over, and a senior was trying to grab something she had no business grabbing (as it was so high). I offered to help, but she declined because she was "getting it on her own". Little did she realize that we had the same box of cookies even more readily available on an end that she walked past, and didn't need to struggle just to break more of the shitty cookies she was so intent on grabbing. TWITTER ALERT: #dontdothat So I went to change my ringtone the other day to celebrate Christmas the only other way I know...by leaving my cell phone in the office at work and having it blast my favorite Christmas song when I'm not in there, but for everyone else to enjoy and/or silently (or perhaps, in my boss' case, very verbally) motherfuck me for not leaving my phone on something more palatable...like, say, vibrate, when it just sounds like you're shaking 6,000 roasted chestnuts against an unopen fire hydrant. Only, I forgot that I just purchased my last phone on New Years' Eve of the past year. So no Xmasy ringtone (lost them somewhere in the shuffle between carriers and Micro-SD cards). Luckily, I can upload songs from my iTunes library to https://www.myxer.com and just effin' make the shit up as I go. After a few minutes, BAM! New ringtone! Now, everybody can do that. And I'm sure everybody who's at least 20 has heard this song before. WDC readers, I'll slam 50,000 GP's your way if you can guess which [approximately 23-second] bit of the song is my actual ringtone. And that's a real live threat if I've ever put one out there! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8&ob=av2e Amazing how "special effects" worked in 1987. VITAL STATS:  So, your boy over here today was named "Customer Service Employee Of The Month" at the local Wall. Semi-nice honor too, actually, cuz they actually give you things. "Pick-your-own" $10 gift card, a certificate honoring your well-doing, and a pin that's too heavy (actually) to pin on the top of your pocket. Plus, I get to eventually have a pic of me hung in a place that pretty much no one pays attention to in the office hallway. Normally, when the co. does things like this, it fades out after a month or two. The free soda and bag of chips isn't for everyone, so nobody cares. But if you're gonna dangle a $10 gift card of my choice and hang my picture up, dammit, tell me when you're gonna do this, so I can take a damn shower first! And let me tell management about all the people who feel so better about themselves and chuckle when I'm pretty much making fun of them, or the job I do, while I'm doing it. Jess the CWC had an interesting take on it...after congradulating me, she was like, "Nice job, Mr. Employee Of The Month Who Hates His Job!" To clarify, I don't hate my job; only certain aspects of it. And certain people. But I'll give a reprieve to the old ladies I fuck with that love my banter with them. They make me let me be who I've become...the "Customer Service Employee Of The Month". And let's see how long this initiative lasts. #notgonnamakeitpasttheholidays @Walgreens (Twitter lingo for the uninformed) And that pin has some weight to it. Not like the old "Service Star" pins, that a certain MGT wears to just keep the pocket together on his shirt. These pins actually sag the fronts of pockets. Maybe I should go back to wearing the company-issued polos we no longer issue. Then I can wear all of my flair the co. dishes out, and not feel saddled by the lanyard they are making us wear. Cuz if I hang anything else on it, I'm not gonna be able to lift my neck. For reals, playas.Alright, I've had enough. I'm making my way toward higher ground in this house, possibly something to eat, and some football. Definitely an early night for this kid. Peace, love, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| What's up everybody? If you're like me, and I know you're not, you hate Christmas music. And if you're like me, you hate hearing it well before Thanksgiving (as some of the local radio stations have been playing it well before the bird's been prepped). Maybe the years I've worked in retail have killed and numbed my soul to the Xmas sounds that rattle your earholes. Maybe it's because I don't enjoy Christmas the same way I did as a youngin'. Hell, I can actually work and get holiday pay now. Who am I kidding...I worked at places that offered a premium once for helping out at other stores on Christmas...how does $250 for a 4-hr shift sound? Where do I sign up?? Maybe it's because I really don't have family anymore after both ends burned the bridge. But that's something that's ok for me to be with and not ok for you to question. Jess the CWC and I have a Christmas tradition that dates back to when we started dating. Usually we both work, because we do all of the family stuff Xmas eve. Then we order Chinese food and exchange gifts on Christmas Day. Shit, damn near everything is made in China anyway. If I'm gonna work on a holiday and they're gonna work on a holiday, far be it from me to not give them a reason to work for me. FA-RA-RA-RA-RAH, FA-RA-RA-RAH.But I digress. I get really burned out with the Christmas music I'm forced to hear. I want to hear what I want to hear. So I'm doing this: A Blue December (and if you don't know what that means, you better ask a playa) for this here internet spaciousness, and each day will be a song that veers off the traditional path (for the most part). I initially wanted to do a top 10, but 10 wasn't enough. Julie D - PUBLISHED! had to get my gears going on this one (and it's not her fault...it's mine). I'mma do my best to give you a 25 days of Christmas that you didn't see coming. And maybe you did, but maybe you didn't.MUSICAL BREAK: I'mma start this off with something traditional...but don't get any expectations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDBMzGq1vhs VITAL STATS: Happy December y'all! Snow fell in our area for the first time...and I hate it, but what can you do about it? I did actually have some trauma today...the fantastic chair I sit in while I type this to the masses, that was a b-day present from Jess the CWC. And the amatuer hydrolics in it are now non-functional. For once, I feel like I'm staring up at something. And that's where I'll leave you, friends. Til tomorrow, at least. Happy holiday season to you all! GOODNIGHT NOW!!! |
| Good evening...I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday holiday weekend. Mine was spent working long and early hours Thursday, Friday and Saturday, combined with arranging plans and get-togethers with family from out of town. I'm going to take a break from it all with a very special "ABC After-School Special" episode of "Who Do I Think I Am??" , where I shed some light on some of the household drama that came to a head this weekend (of all weekends). A few months back we took in a friend of Jess the CWC's son (her name doesn't merit any more attention than she's getting from this as it is). She's had a rough life. Broken home, broken family, bouncing around from place to place because "no one's given her a chance" and "she has no place else to go". Being the good people we are, we rescued her from a bad situation...living with an abusive boyfriend with no place else to turn. Now, this is Jess' son's best friend. Of course we're going to try to help her. And everything started out fine.... She helped out around the house. She was, for the most part, considerate, and always polite and seemed to care for us. We did everything we could to help her as well. Her son set up shop in the basement so she could have his room. We made arrangements for her to have a job lined up. We let her use our vehicles so that it not only eased our burdens of driving each other around, but that so she could also see her friends. We were good people doing the right thing. We wanted to end the cycle of abuse and neglect in her life. We wanted to show her that things could be different...all these people that "didn't see the potential in her" and "turned their backs on her" were wrong, and that she could be a successful person. We afforded her every opportunity we could. Friends and family members were willing to step in and help. We were optimistic and hopeful. And boy, could we have not been more wrong. On day one, we stormed her apartment to make sure she was safe while gathering all of her belongings out of the shithole she was living in. "Squalor" might be a nice way of putting it. From that point on, she was done with this chubby, lazy, piece of shit scumbag kid she was shacking up with. She blocked him from Facebook, we got her on a cell phone plan that she could have a phone, there was to be no contact- nothing with him. This is her new life, and she was all in. The next week, she seemed to sleep a lot. And she was sick. We all attributed it to stress and whatnot. Eventually she started to feel better. She was coming around, wanted to start seeing her friends, getting out and doing things...but couldn't manage to make the orientation sessions for the job we had lined up for her. Soon after, she'd be gone entire weekends. No call, no info, nothing. We sat her down and explained, again, how things work in this house. We give a lot of leeway, as long as there's responsibility. She swore she wasn't hanging out with the douchebag ex, and that she was only going over to her friend's house, who was having lots of drama. Fine...but you're not taking a vehicle and you're not staying days at a time. And of course, she'd come home, apologize, and sleep most of the day. Last week, she told us she'd be leaving for Arizona this week to take care of a sick relative. Mind you, very early on in all of this she had mentioned she had a friend in Arizona that she would like to visit, and that us giving her a place to stay was "temporary" at worst since she was going to AZ. Well, the friend bailed and that fell through. And after all of her instability, I think collectively most of us were ready to see if she was ready to care for a sick relative. Then the shit really hit the fan. After spending Thanksgiving with us at Jess' sister's house with all of her family, there was "more drama with her friend". This is after proclaiming that after spending last weekend with her friend, she wanted to spend time with us before she left for AZ because we had been so good to her. Fine. Do what you gotta do for your friend, who doesn't seem very stable. We let her know that we were planning on celebrating Jess' brother's birthday at their sister's house on Sunday, and we were gonna be there at 1pm to watch the Bills game, and to let us know if she needed a ride or if she'd be home. Easy enough, right? Pretty plain and simple. Saturday comes and we're trying to plan all sorts of things with family in town. I got home after working 5:45am to 1:45pm and get to hear about all of this drama between this girl and Jess' son, about how we're "smothering" and all sorts of other things this girl's friend is saying. Let's just leave it as a Saturday of plans pretty muched ruined because this flippant twit can't keep her lies straight, and since she's been caught and can't talk her way out of anything, seems to want to let her friends start more shit. In remembering some of the last conversations with us, Jess remembered that the girl was excited over the pictures she was posting on Facebook about how happy she was now and whatnot. So we decided to take a look. Sure enough, not only was she still talking to the ex (who not only commented on her pics), but they weren't blocked from each other like she said they were. Big lie right there. Then we decided to click on his page, which opened up everything for us. His profile was very open...you could see everything. His profile pic was a very recent pic of the two of them. His page was littered with things the two of them (and friends) were doing...things she told us she wanted to do or would do, even though she swore she wasn't seeing him. Using perspective, this all made sense...she was everywhere he said he was. This girl was playing us. There is no "relative in Arizona". But there is an abusive boyfriend in South Buffalo that she's been seeing again and lying to us about. Oh, and there's plans to move back in with him. And his sister/her crazy friend. Oh, and he sells drugs too. Fantastic. And that ties up all of the sickness and other issues of her flightiness and shit. She was in,in a bad way. Her sickness wasn't an illness that medicine couldn't treat...it was withdrawls from the pills and/or whatever else went on in his "4/20 friendly" environment. She's been fiending and recovering during the week, and using the weekends to get fucked up. And acting shady all along. When we explained to Jess' son all that we found, he called her. Of course, she denied everything and acted like she didn't know anything that was going on. And, of course, the evidence dried up right after, because she knew she was caught and everything started disappearing from Facebook. If she was, in fact, leaving Wednesday, I wanted her out NOW. Not Wednesday, not tomorrow, but 15 minutes ago. Sunday came and went with more celebrating with the family, and the situation had been adressed. We became the "bad guys" because we were just like everyone else that had turned their back on her. She ignored her selfishness and turned blame on us just to make herself feel better about how much hurt and pain she has caused for everyone, most importantly, the one person who stuck up for her (and had the most to lose), Jess' son. Finally putting 1+1+1 together, there is no way she wasn't abusing prescription meds. All of the signs have been there from day one. She doesn't need to be saved from her past...nor does she need to worry about her future. She needs to get the fuck out of the present, look at her life, and say, "I'm 19, I acknowledge everything that has happened to me, and I'm going to make it better" rather than her current attitude of "I was abused and neglected...I'm entitled to everything, you people are wrong and I don't know what you're talking about". But that's an addict's mind at work for ya. And I'm not perfect by any means...I've had my missteps and I've seen it in others around me too. But you can't help someone if they don't want to help themself first. Not only now has she burned another bridge (and continued the cycle by labelling us as "people who turned their backs on her", while forgetting that we tried to help her as much as we could), but that comma was kinda unneccesary because I pretty much said it all between the parenthesis. Now we move along to this morning. Jess' son is physically sick and in too much of a bad place about all of this to go to school. I don't blame him. I understand. He's debating on going to work. Honestly, I've been through a lot in life, but nothing quite like this. The best advice I can give him is to just go to work and focus on that...some of my best days at work have been when I'm not dwelling on something, because I'm more focused on the tasks at hand rather than what I'm dealing with outside of work. And that may work for some, but that's not always the case. Luckily, I've had the day off and Jess had to work the night shift. The girl wanted to come tonight to pick up her shit, because we "don't want her around anymore <insert pity-face here>". And she's god-damned right. She finangled a way to get a car to come over early this afternoon to fetch most of her belongings, mainly because I didn't want to be the only real adult in the house when she came over...I have to be precautious. I don't need this twit stirring up more imaginary shit. I need a witness, so that she can't say "we did this" to her stuff, or "he did that to me". Fuck that; I don't play games when it comes to the security of this house and our family. I may bitch and moan at times, but I'm not gonna let this chick consume my thoughts and compromise my lifestyle any more than what she's done to all of us. Unfortunately, the one thing I cannot control is my anger. Y'all know me as someone who's funny and peaceful and loves life, etc....but DON'T fuck with me, and don't fuck with my household. She came in to get her stuff, and Jess tried to talk to her and explain our point of view...and of course, she didn't understand. She had "no idea about where those Facebook posts came from" and tried to lie (again) her way out of everything. And I reached my limit. I tried staying out of it. And I snapped. I SNAPPED. Like I haven't snapped in a long time. I used the deep, demanding voice. I did, in fact, tell her to get her shit and get the fuck out of here. I told her I was sick of her bullshit and lies. I may have hit an octave I haven't hit since the 8th-grade chorus. And I was shaking. Uncontrollably. Like you shake when you're having a cigarette in 10 degree winds. Granted, I was drinking coffee and my nerves were peaked. But if I'm shaking that bad, I'm pissed. Hours later, after things had calmed down, I could feel the pain in both arms from being so tense. I get pains in my arm and leg muscles regularly (and I don't work out, so...), but I knew this was directly related to her being in the house and my snapping. I wasn't having any part of her try to explain everything away anymore and not put anything on herself. I was done. Jess thinks at one point she flipped her off while she was walk-of-shaming her way out with her possessions. As she was telling me this and telling me to calm down, I told Jess to not even worry about it. She's a kid. She had a rough life, but she's acting like a 10-year-old who isn't getting her way, yet again, after ten years. We don't need that wonder, that frustration, that baggage, whatever. Not in our house. We all may be crazy, and we all may bicker once in awhile, and we won't always agree with one another, and whether the boys know it or not, the most predominant thing in this house is love. I'm not the perfect example. But I try, and I actually care about the people I live with. I'm going to do my best to see that they don't get harmed. I can only go by what I know, what I see and what they tell me, but if I see something, I hope those kids know I'mma say something, and they'll take it to heart. I realize I've been through a lot, and that sometimes it's easier to learn the hard way, but dammit, that's a hard way nobody needs to go through. And I'm officially done talking about it...at least until Jess the CWC meets this girl's mother with the rest of the stuff she's left behind. That's a confrontation I wish I could be at, and while I don't like confrontation, I want a fly on the wall's perspective. She needs to rip this woman a bigger vagina than the one she's already getting from her lesbian lover (and another reason this kid doesn't get support and/or treatment that she needs). THE MORAL TO THE STORY IS: Parents, raise your kids through your own eyes, and through your actions. It is easy for me to say, because I don't have kids. But I do have a person that wants to spend a life with me that has them. And I'm not the perfect example. I make my share of mistakes. But this situation is what happens when you let tv and the internet teach your kids, rather than taking the time to be a parent to your kids. Other lives become affected out of your selfishness if you choose not to be dilligent with your parental responsibilities, and your child knows this. They take on your tendencies. Your traits become theirs. And you're not doing anything to make this world a better place, so they aren't as well. You make it all seem ok, and don't care when it's not. Own up to your responsibilities. This is just one of the reasons why I don't wanna have kids...when people like this have kids. And I want to be a better father than my father was to me, and I have the perfect woman to think that I might want to have a kid and be a father instead of just a dad. MUSICAL BREAK: I'm so worn out. Two songs that encapsule my point... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ni8oFtgoAI&ob=av2e That's good Canadian rock. I may talk shit about crazy Canadians who not only shop our stores on their Thanksgiving, but use ours as a reason to think that Christmas doesn't exist in Canada on our Thanksgiving by acting like they're so suprised we're open. Well no shit, the mall's open too...get your snacks and whatnot for Black Friday! Thanks for giving my store a reason to be open and not celebrate our holiday with our families...nobody from the US camps out on Canadian soil before their Thanksgiving in October and expects super deals. I won't apologize for my less-than-superior customer service when you tell me at 5pm that you're amazed we're open and you give me a dirty look when I say I wish we weren't. What the fuck would you have done thirty years ago when damn near everything was closed on holidays? And that's a tangent well-served for another day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBZESy0H-40 All I'm gonna say is that this is where we're at. We did the best we could, while expecting she'd make progress. At least she could've thanked us for trying, and bringing her in. But that wasn't good enough for her. We gave her our home and all that it comes with. We gave her care and compassion. That wasn't enough. We provided opportunities from our friends and family...that wasn't good enough either. In the end, you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themself. You've messed with the good souls long enough. You've caused enough trouble to negate all of the good things you've done. VITAL STATS: None. Between working this holiday and all, and not getting a chance to rest, I'm pretty ready to pass out. I didn't need to write this, but I had to, just to get it off my chest. I hope the next time your eyes meet this screen I'll have something of more hilarity for you to see. Til then friends, I'm gonna lay down in front of some Monday Night Football, stop justifying everything, not think about what we lost in trying to help someone, and get this place back to where it was pre-4"2' hurricane "Hood Rich". I don't ever want to exist in that bubble of false intentions again, and to the people that tried to help us out with her, I'm truly sorry. I didn't, and nobody saw it coming, (and this is all bad grammar) want it to end this way. GOODNIGHT NOW!! <insert funny cartoon that I can't think of right here because I'm too worn out to search for one, damn> |
| Ok ladies and gentlemen, after a long weekend of parties and a Monday morning full of stimulation and idea-processing, I'm proud to announce that after a year and a half, my ManCave is approximately 90% complete. Operation #OccupyManCave was an off-handed success, thanks to my quick thinking and some hard labor. I spent a week last summer basically setting up a space in my basement for me and my stuff. It was nice at first, but it wasn't complete. It's an old house, and the basement doesn't have much power. We finagled a way for the kids to have power on their side of the basement....and then they vacated it. So I said "fuck it" like I was going above and beyond what I was already going above any beyond, and made things happen for me. I extension-corded my basement out, powered up the tv, added another light, pulled the loveseat over and moved my desk, and wouldn't you know...this ManCave is damn near complete. I even called about getting some tv service down in here (fuck if I don't cancel my beloved DirecTv for the hated Time Warner). All I need is that and some speaker wire...and maybe an adaptor so this tv has a few more inputs. Why? Welllllll.... Just picked me up an Atari Flashback 3. Haters can hate on it here: http://www.amazon.com/Atari-Flashback-3-Classic-Console-2600/dp/B005NJ3U32. That was all the motivation I needed to get the ball rolling on things down here...that, and an extension cord and surge protector, which I got on the cheap at http://www.valuhomecenters.com/. Now all I need is said tv hook-up, and get some pictures hung, and this place is open for business! And by business I mean grown men eating food, watching sports, listening to music, and farting. Maybe I can formulate some sort of ventillation system where all the farts go through the blocked-glass windows. Or back up the laundry chute. MUSICAL BREAK: During the renovating of my ManCave, this song came on. When it came out about 15 years ago, it was instantly one of my favorites, even though it wasn't popular. That Pearl Jam can play this and make it sound better 15 years later is a testament to their catalog and musicianship. And my good taste .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXIiAlLaDWI VITAL STATS:  Fitting bullet point, no? Great time Friday at G-Stamm's for his girl's Tastefully Simple party...and dudes who read this, please, never turn down an invite to one of those. Get your bro on while the ladies get their lady-thing on, while you snack on tasty treats like it's a meal. Cuz really, that's a meal. http://www.tastefullysimple.com/ Equally, if not better time Saturday. Birthday party for an ex-co-worker's boyfriend, better known as "The Gay Pride Thanksgiving". I love you homos...and thanks for loving me. And thanks for loving me for calling you homos. And thanks for grabbing my ass and telling me you love it, when I'm gifted everywhere else but the ass. (Wait...is that their way of luring me in, by telling me they love my unshapely ass, and then taking advantage...??? I'm halting this conversation for another time right now.) The Twitter fallout in this domicile is hilarious right now. I text Jess the CWC with whatever I need to text her with, but add a relevant hashtag. Like "Hot sauce and tomatoes with peppers in the sauce. #hater". And she doesn't get the hashtag thing. She just calls me "Twitter-gay", and I just tell her all of her friends are gay, and the texting stops. Fed the kids and scored some quiet-time for my phone...aces! Won't even get into how maddening fantasy football has gotten for me. Maybe I'm too excited about the ManCave, or too concerned about sharing a room with others, to watch the Monday Night Football game. #Idontwannafuckingknow. There's no heat in the basement, a situation that will be remedied at tax-return time, hopefully. However, I have a good, thick, Penn State sweatshirt on. It's carrying the warmth of my body from all of the movings-around I did earlier, but don't tell the sweater maker. If you do, he might not tell anyone else and actually make it colder in here. (Bad joke, but it was the best I could do at the time...wait...is it still too soon to make Penn St. jokes?) Ugh, have I disrupted the cats by moving the basement around. Lily's licking the painted spots on the floor, and Butterscotch probably won't be back down here for weeks. Unless I spend some time upstairs. Butters is the puppy I don't have...as soon as I come downstairs he'll beeline as if he's trying to trip me and beat me at the race toward his food dish. Lily is the little selfish princess of the house. They're the reason the bedroom door gets shut at night, lest they pin me in on either side. This is the last movie I've seen in a theater. You know...one that sells overpriced popcorn and oversized sodas? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424345/ I'm more looking forward to paying lots and lots of money this week to see this instead: http://disney.go.com/muppets/. Just don't tell Jess the CWC. And don't ask me when. Saturday and Sunday are concert-filled.And that's it, friends. Time to get the most out of what's left of this night (and time off), and I suggest you do as well. Thanks for wasting a little of your time right about here. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! #donthate |
| What's up everybody? Not too much here...unless you're a part of the world that is known as Twitter. I'm coming to you with an admission...please forgive me, for last week I broke down and created my very first Twitter account. And what can I tell you about it? It's exactly what I thought about it so far...a total waste of my time. Quick! It's time for a statistical breakdown of my Twitter usage:  Tweets I've sent: 1 Tweets I've retweeted: 0 Times I've been retweeted: 0 Number of people I follow: 124 Number of people who follow me: 5 Actual minutes I've spent on https://www.twitter.com in the past week, not including the set-up of my account or checking to see just now how many people I follow: 0 Actual minutes I've used Twitter on my Blackberry: <5So far, it seems pretty pointless to me. I guess I could use it in the same fashion my boss does, which is basically to follow (stalk) people you might get a little bit of news from, and get that news about 3 minutes faster than the non-Twitterers. Seems a little ridiculous to me. Of course, maybe if I actually learned how to use the stupid Twitter, maybe I'd be a little more inclined to waste more of my life on it. The worst part of this? I never fully did a MySpace page. I was probably one of the last people in my family (around my age) to join Facebook. Yet now that I've joined Twitter, I've not heard the end of it from Jess the CWC (Miss "I'm on my computer once a week for 20 minutes"). I'll go on my laptop, open https://www.msn.com, browse the headlines, and say, "Hey, did you hear about this?" or "Did you see the article about...?" and her response? "Oh, no, but I'm not on Twitter so I wouldn't know...guess I'll always be behind ." Yup, that's my girl.Actually, that's not the worst part of this. After I joined, I stayed up a little later than normal and typed an entire blog entry about "how I was taking this great technological feat" and "how awesome that I'm on Twitter" and whatnot. And then fell asleep before I saved it. And then thought I copied it to a file on my laptop the next day so I could edit it. And tried to find it today so I could use funny little reference points from it for this entry. And yup, it's nowhere to be found. Other technological failures today:  As I'm typing this, I'm listening to the Sabres game online through http://www.wgr550.com/ instead of watching it on the Versus Network. See, normally, Sabres games are televised on the MSG Network. But this is a nationally televised game that Versus owns the broadcasting rights to. And after hockey season last year, we downgraded our DirecTv package because the only reason we upgraded in the first place was to get Versus. And we never upgraded it because last year, most of the Versus-aired Sabres games were on a Tuesday night, which happens to be my late night at work. Hence, no need to up the package until the playoff start, right? Yeah, until I missed Monday night's and tonight's games. Even if their announcers do suck. I came home from work to find that our internet was not working. No big deal...kinda expected it because of a billing issue we had a few weeks ago. All I had to do was call Time Warner, let them know what the situation was, and they'd have it back on in five minutes. Which they did...but they change your homepage to thiers when they do that. And then, you have to register with them and download some toolbars and jump through some hoops I didn't want to jump through. Another phone call, this time escalated to the tech support people, who can actually turn this unecessary feature off. All good, right? Well, not so much. I have internet accesss now...but my network icon in the lower right corner (the one with the two monitors that has a tiny globe on it when you have access) doesn't have the stupid little globe thing. And that kinda bugs me.INTERMISSION MUSICAL BREAK: A couple concerts coming up at Buffalo's legendary http://www.themohawkplace.com/ this month that I'm hoping to catch... the singer in the first part of this video is Mark Norris (formerly of Girlpope and now of Mark Norris and the Backpeddlers). It's worth noting that the guitarist who sings is Clark from another legendary local band, Doombuggy. {link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fit96J7sWPk This band is new (to me) and I've started kinda liking them, and they're also playing the same Mohawk stage a few days later...ladies and gentlemen, if you don't mind some (tasteful) random boob shots in your funk/guitar/rap video, allow me to introduce to you (via my boy Adam) The Knux... http://www.theknux.com/media/default.aspx?meid=7008 VITAL STATS:  "Play Button" bullet points it is!  So apparently now at work, every day until the end of the holiday massacre season, each shift has to have a "Five Minute Meeting" briefing the staff of anything note-worthy, recognizing good work, customer service issues, etc. Any other time of the year we might have 2-3 a month, run by the store manager. Now, we're having two a day (morning shift/night shift). And they're not being run by the store manager. Nor the executive assistant manager. Regular assistant managers aren't even running these meetings. The low man on the totem pole of keys to the store gets the pleasure of holding these informative and delightful sessions. And who would that be?  This guy. Yup, Ten more minutes of my day that nothing will get done.Sure, I could be excited about this...the whole "other members of management trust me enough to get the word out about important stuff to other employees" and whatnot. Kinda cool. But I'm not. Maybe it's because I heard my boss tell the district trainer that she was glad she didn't have to be the one doing it twice a day. Maybe because I'd rather be doing my work, so I don't hear that I'm not getting more accomplished. And maybe, just maybe, the reward for wearing button-down shirts instead of the standard-issue blue polo and basically getting your work done is, simply, more responsibility (which in these days of American Retail, is the closest thing to a raise that anyone's gonna see ). On the topic of work, go read Julie D - PUBLISHED! 's entry about loving her job...that is how a company takes care of their employees!  If you're really that interested, @fivesixer on Twitter. Tweet away!Well, it's back to listening tohockey for me. At least some of this technology is working semi-well. Peace out... #GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| Good evening everyone! Just stopping by to say hi and let you know I'm still alive and whatnot. It's getting into a busy time of year for me, and my exhaustion tolerance is shortening even faster than past years . If I stay in retail a few more years, by the time I'm 50 I'll be one of those people who's in bed by 7:30pm and up by 4am, just to get to my 8am job...and if I'm lucky, the local senior shuttle will take pity on me and my bad knees and cart my ass around a few years earlier than my eligibility allows. Speaking of life in retail, I found a website that creates videos for you, which is really neat. It's https://www.xtranormal.com and it's pretty simple to use. Basically you type the dialogue, add in some actions and angles and expressions, and you've got your own short clip. You've probably seen their work before...my first experience was a pharmacist at more store posting videos on Facebook someone made about what a pharmacist deals with daily. It was hilarious!! I checked out the site, figured, "why not?", and fueled by a personal experience I had being the manager-on-duty the other night, I made my own movie. If you've already seen it on my Facebook page, thanks! And if you haven't, watch it and, by all means friends of the retailers, share it. Share share share! Sharing, nowadays, moreso than knowledge it seems, is power. http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12662736/drug-store-return-policy?page=1 It's my first try, and it's not perfect (a few bugs with the dialogue), but it had a few of my bosses in laughter-tears this afternoon when they watched it. I can't wait to do more down the road! MUSICAL BREAK: Let's see what the iPod cues up... Never mind. Out of 14,266 songs, nothing excites me. What does the wonder that YouTube is recommend for me? Ugh. Katy Perry? No thank you. Rihanna? Does my YouTube account even know me? Unfathomable. You get this instead... and not because I do this, but because it's an interesting indie, sorta one-hit-wonder kinda song, and would make work a lot more fun I think. And I know you conspiracy theorists out there, both camps...you're wrong. Camp 1 thinks I already do (and maybe I have once or twice or more at other jobs, but I'm not so stupid to do so at this current job at any time); and Camp 2 would push for this as a change in the Constitution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv1BHv_NlJQ I can only imagine how much better life would be for those in retail if they were allowed beer breaks. I mean, I get a smoke break (as defined by the legal term "15 minute break") once a day. I could probably take two "fifteens", but I don't. That'd just be doubling my intake during the work day. But a fifteen minute beer break? Shit, even if all I was allowed this swill http://www.chicagonow.com/the-beeronaut/2011/01/walgreens-big-flats-1901-beer/, I'd still make sure I set my break time appropriately and stuck to it...who knows how relaxed I'd be for people's shit and nonsense after that kind of break? Cuz if y'all know me, you know one thing: Peoples is scumbags. VITAL STATS:  The views keep pumpin' in, even though I write about as often as I have a good day at work. Strictly for the astute readers: Notice anything new? Since "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" is on hiatus for awhile, I replaced their image with another at the top of the very page you're reading. Be a good scholar and scroll back up to take another look. It's ok, I'll wait for ya...OK, I'm done waiting. One of the spoils of winning was a new image courtesy of Legerdemain  , and I commissioned Leger to provide me that composition book image. I'm pretty pleased with it. And I'm trying to think of another that I've earned from kiyasama that I can work in up there as well. I have a hidden blog entry...it was nothing great, but it felt like it at the time, until I fell asleep in the midst of editing it. I'll get it up soon...it's just more fuel for the jet engine this leisurely pilot likes to run. The Sabres had a winning weekend last weekend! Break up the Sabres! No...not yet. Just get Miller's head screwed back on straight and let Enroth play a little more and we'll be ok. So want to be watching football right now, but a kid's got Netflix on crack up there watching The Cleveland Show, which is ok by me and my shallow standards. Plus, I need to go to bed early anyway. It's always awesome when you find out through the deduction of evidence at around 1pm (and more than halfway through your workday) that your next morning shift will start at 5:45am and not 8am. FML. On the plus side, I'll be out at 1:45pm and will have the evening damn near to myself to watch the Sabres (and hopefully be so stupidly unconscious when I get out to take a nap; similar to today, yet I am running without a nap on this internet treadmill...fantastic choices life makes for us, no?). Another plus? I can get another night of sleep that I'll need heading into work on Saturday. Besides, it's not often that I get to fall asleep to football . I just hope the ballers on my fantasy team ball up and make me proud for selecting them.BONUS BEATS!!: Songs stuck in my head: Nirvana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv96yJYhk3M&ob=av2e Smashing Pumpkins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8th9vUA48 Butthole Surfers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rz2cepixjI (And you have to turn your volume up for this) Just some stuff I've heard recently that I'd like to share And that all being said, I bid you away for now so as I can try to make a little sense of my life before I take an early sleep. Listening to football. Smashing boxes around at 5:45am. Read, review, comment, and share, friends. Peace! GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| Good afternoon everyone...so this it what it's like to blog while the sun's still shining ? A very happy Halloween to you you all! I'll put my feelings for this day aside other than to say it's all about two things: 1) Kids getting candy; and 2) It's an excuse for lots of grown women to dress out of character (ie: sluttily). And those things are pretty much ok. I've never really been into the fall season in general (save for football and hockey season). It's generally a depressive time of year actually...leaves dying, temperatures dropping, the end of summer, etc. It makes it difficult for me to enjoy myself...I'm freezing in the basement while I'm banging this out actually. Needless to say, we didn't dress up this year or do anything fun. Actually, we did manage to go to a party this weekend, but it was a surprise party for my boy Adam's mom...the gig was telling her it was a costume party at his friend's house, but she was pretty much the only one in costume . That was a really good time! Happy 45th (for the 15th straight year), Cooper!Jess the CWC and I did, however, dress up the last two years, and it was a blast! See, I don't wanna have the same boring, ordinary costumes as everyone else. Anyone can be a witch or a ghost or a slutty nurse or a vampire, but not me. I have to have the jaw-dropping, WTF, laughter inducing, amazing costume that everyone talks about and nobody else thinks of. So last year, we went as two of the lesser-known contestants that were running for governor of the state of New York. I was Jimmy McMillan, a black activist from NYC, and Jess was Kristin Davis, a former prostitute. Here's Jimmy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0 And Kristin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tULKI5Ie2iU We pulled it off pretty well...(and I apologize for WDC's limits on image sizing...I've got more pics on Facebook. Message me and you'll be able to see more). ** Image ID #1822825 Unavailable ** The year before we went as Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. Again, another excellent creation on my part. And again, sorry for the crappy image quality (and yes, that's a bullet hole in my temple). ** Image ID #1822824 Unavailable ** But I think my most favorite costume was about 15 years or so ago, when I went as a priest (a priest sorta modeled after this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8x8eoU3L4). I bought a basic priest costume, a silly preacher hat and a plastic cross. I bought a copy of Penthouse Letters magazine, put sheets of paper over the front and back covers and wrote "Holy Bible" on them, tucked a cigarette in my ear and a flask of Crown Royal in my pocket, and read a passage from the book of Lonely Housewife Seduces Pool Boy (or something like that). Best. Costume. Ever. I wish I had a picture of it...I'm sure some of my old co-workers from back then probably do somewhere. So this year it's pretty low-key. Jess is working and I'll pass out some treats. We were invited to a party but I couldn't be creative enough to come up with a good costume on the cheap (the costumes from the last two years were very inexpensive, and came to me almost at the last minute). I'm fine with that...but I'm already thinking about next year. Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone! MUSICAL BREAK: I couldn't think of anything good, so you'll get this from the ultimate master-of-disguise on stage, Reggie and the Full Effect. I saw him once, and it was them the entire night playing three sets. Each set was an alter-ego of their different styles of music. I love them...they're for fans of hardcore, pop punk, techno, whatever. They'll play it. And once the screaming ends, this song is really awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XemiwnR4pHA VITAL STATS:  Pumpkin bullet points? No effin' way! Tomorrow starts the next "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" . I don't remember if I signed up for it or not. I should probably look into that, huh? Even after their 23-0 decimation of the Washington Redskins, I'm not yet ready to proclaim my Buffalo Bills as fully legit. But I like where they're going so far. As for the Sabres, don't get me started. I think we set our expectations a little too high for this team, but we're barely a month into the season. The jury's still out on both my teams, as far as I'm concerned. BONUS TRACK!! I'll go a little obvious on this one...it's probably my favorite song by this band. It feels a little biographical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JBRN0jqJU How many black t-shirts that say "ZERO" on them does Billy Corgan really own? Every time I see a live clip of them from, like, 1995 or so, he's got one on.  That's it for today...no tricks, just treats. Peace and love to all y'all...GOOD DAY NOW!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tIhwITwhSg  |
| Hey everyone...just popping in for a quick hello while my fantasy football team dies on Monday Night Football.... I won't go into detail about how bad of a day I had at work...it was awful, and that's all I have to say about it. We were also without internet for a brief period of time today, but I got that straightened out. And it's a good thing that I did. See, I've been waiting on the results of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" , and today, they arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the second round of The 30-Day Blogging Challenge is....ME!! Yup, the judges have decided, and I took the first prize. I know it won't mean a lot to most who read this (as I'm convinced most of my views come from Facebook and not WDC), but this is what I actually won: Merit Badge & 1 Journal/Blog MB for a friend 25k Awardicon Major Shower from "Showering Acts of Joy Group " - 28,000 GPs will bestow the following: Port raid with 10 reviews + A Merit Badge or Awardicon + Raffle tickets and/or a Gift Certificate to sig shop ~ 4k cNotes are included 5k Gift Certificate to kiyasama's Shoppe 1 year FREE Premium Plan (valued at $62.75) from http://wevahost.com/All of that is cool and all, and it will just pimp out my WDC-ness a little bit. But what intrigues me is that last option. What the hell is https://www.wevahost.com, why would I like a year of it, and it's valued at $62.75??  Whatever it is, I'm down for it. It's probably one of those things I'd be fine not having, until I start playing with it and realize I'll never be able to live without it.MUSICAL BREAK: I just couldn't resist... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY&ob=av2e SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS: There's a few people I need to thank for their support and appreciation on the Blog Challenge journey... All of the entrants...you guys all did a great job. It was nice to see all the different takes on the prompts. Congrats to all of the winners! The judges...man, to have to read all of the entries over an entire month, that's a job, not a hobby. Your dedication to a contest of this magnitude is commendable. Every single person who read any of the entries in this contest, be it mine or any of the other bloggers. I think I can safely say I speak for all of the entrants when I say that if nobody reads us, we've got nothing to write about. Sure, we do it mostly for ourselves and our interests, but to be acknowledged for it and know that people are paying attention to it, well, that makes us all winners in the Blog Challenge. Most importantly, I owe this award to one person in particular. Almost a year ago, I was done with Blogville and was about to let my upgraded WDC membership lapse. I wasn't enjoying myself anymore, and I figured it was time to let it go. In fact, I did let it lapse. There was a lot going on in life, my confidence in my ability was shot, and I'd ran out of ideas. But around Christmastime, I was getting some kind of itch to write. One person thought it'd be a good investment if I re-upped my account and got back into the game. Without her insight, encouragement and wherewithal (not to mention her Visa bank card), I'd have nobody to thank for a contest I wouldn't have won. It's been a wild ride on WDC not only this month or the last year, but the last 10+ years for me, and this is by far the greatest accolade I've received on this site. I owe that to the one and only Jess the CWC. VITAL STATS: There is only one necessary stat tonight...the color of the ribbon added to the header of this blog after the winner was picked. One first place winner. I won't cite all the quotes out there about winning and whatever; it's not like that. But this feels really good. Really, really good.Ok folks, the victory lap is in the final stretch and the time for relishing it will soon be over. Round three opens up in November and I'm already kinda tossing it around in my head as to whether or not I wanna give it a go. I mean, I do have a title to defend now, no? We'll see. As for now, it's back to Monday Night Football for me. Whatever you're up to, I hope it's nice and fulfilling. I'll see ya soon y'all...GOODNIGHT NOW!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSF0Gi7oM0&feature=related |
| Good evening everyone...I'm back from a little break after September's "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" , waiting patiently for them to select the winners. Wish this guy some luck! Anyway, it's also been a slow couple of weeks since I last got on here. Slow that is, until today. See, your friend here managed to get himself on local radio for a short interview  .It wasn't about the recent trend of elderly people driving their cars into buildings (no, that's another topic for another time). It wasn't merely me calling in to voice my opinion on something sports- or politically-related. I felt compelled to lend my expertise on a certain individual. He is known as "The Mannequin Man". The Mannequin Man lives a few minutes away from me, and one of the local radio stations, https://www.wedg.com is doing a feature where they visit 10 towns in the area and are asking listeners to submit restaurants, people and places of interest. The drive-time crew is coming to my town this week, and they were apparently inundated with calls suggesting they check out Mannequin Man's house. Jess the CWC texted me while I was shopping for dinner and said I needed to call The Edge and tell them of my dealings with him. Here's his back-story...there's not a lot of info out there about him. http://maryniewski11.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/story-idea-2/ Basically, he has all these mannequins all around the house that he dresses up for holidays and whatnot, and he displays them in a large window in the front of his house. It's a nice story. But I know you're asking yourself, "Why did he call this radio station about this guy?" Because I know there's a lot more to his story. He's a regular at my Walgreens. In the two-and-a-half years I've been there, I've developed at least 30 rolls of his 35mm film. He's in nearly every holiday. And yup, those pics are of his mannequins. Posed. Sometimes they're holding a cigarette or a glass of wine. Sometimes there's two or three of them. And sometimes, they're naked. Now, that's not much of a big deal. You can go to any store and see naked mannequins anywhere. But he's gone through the trouble of, ahem, decorating the areas of their private regions, to seemingly make them more life-like. He painted boobs and vaginas on them. One even has what appears to be a small piece of carpet pasted on her, simulating the pubic region. To his credit, 99% of his pictures are tasteful. The models are posing in various shades of nudity. They're not simulating sex acts or appearing in pornographic gestures. I guess it toes the fine line between art and porn. He's more Playboy than Penthouse when it comes to his "work". But you have to admit, there's a sort of "ick factor" when it comes down to it. What kind of guy adorns mannequins with adult genitalia? I'm not a person who is easily bothered by much, but this is kinda creepy in a funny way. I don't mind doing his pictures, but I know some employees over the years have refused and left them for other people to do, and I understand. Here's a 2-page forum posting about him. Sadly, it's really all the other information I could find about him... http://www.speakupwny.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29400 So how did I end up on the radio? I had to be the jerk that blew him in. Click on the link below to open a flash player from WEDG's website that has an interview with a reporter that did a story on him (that I haven't been able to find). Skip to about the 12:15 mark to hear what she had to say about him. I follow her segment at about the 17:50 mark (under the name "Photo Tech X") with my take on him. It's about three minutes long, and quite informative. Plus, I'm on the radio!! http://www.wedg.com/FlashPlayer/default.asp?SPID=22412&nID=0 So now you know what goes on at Mannequin Man's house when the curtains are closed. MUSICAL BREAK: I don't want to know who sings this song, or what the title is. Or what a young Kim Catrall is doing in this cheesy '80's movie about a guy who falls in love with a mannequin. I just want to play it one time and forget this trash ever existed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pt5M5Ls2z4 VITAL STATS: Bullet points...my how I've missed you! Like I said, still waiting on those blog contest results. One way or another, I'll probably enter again when it opens up in November. And like I said, probably. If the NFL season ended today, the Buffalo Bills would own the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. Nice thought in October...let's see how they look in January. Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of a weather event around here known as "The October Storm", a huge wind/rain fest that turned into a lot of snow and left people without power for days; some almost a week. There's a nice little story about it here: http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/erie/WNYers-remember-October-2006-storm. It's one of those things that you'll always remember where you were and what you did during it.That's all for tonight folks. I'll try to be around a little more often; now that I don't have people telling me what to write about, it's a little more challenging to come up with things to write about. Oh well, I'll manage. Take care, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| THE PROMPT: "VIP Pass or Hall Pass? Write whatever comes into your mind." Hold on a second while I cue this up, and there's your mood music so you can get a feel for which way I'm headin'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8xq4vAqYjo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list... What? Huh? Ok. If you're a little confused about this prompt, well, so am I (and are you really that surprised by now? ). So I'm gonna speak to it as it is. Nothing more and nothing less.VIP all the way, baby! It's plain and simple...why settle? Why not have preferrential treatment over a standard experience? You know it's a big deal to ride in a limo, so why not ride in one every day on the way to work? Why sweat with the rest of the crowd when you can watch your favorite musicians from the other side of the velvet rope? Who doesn't think they're a bigger fan of <you name your fun here> than anyone else and deserves the next opportunity at its next big thing before the masses? Damn right! And before you haters wanna get your Debbie Downer on and try to tell me "Well, won't you get sick of it?", let me respond with a big HELL NO! It's not my favorite food we're talking about. The extra-special things are never mundane. The perks in life are always perks, and so what if you always get to enjoy them? Your experience is enhanced at a rate far beyond the regular experience. Who wouldn't want that? Compare that to the virtues of a hall pass, if you must, and I will just for the sake of discussion. Considering you're basically still in school to obtain a hall pass, I'll, ahem, pass. Do you really still want to be able to claim that distinction and glory today? No, I think I speak for most when I say so. And by school, I mean high school...not college, where by enrollment you're essentially given a hall pass on day one. Getting a hall pass to use the hallways when you're not supposed to be in them is pretty lame. You're basically on your way to another destination (bathroom, principal's office, nurse's office, or some other unenjoyable location) and it's a less-crowded journey; 99.5% of everyone else in the building is stuck behind a desk, and the rest of the people in the halls are there only to make sure you have a pass. What in the hell kinda fun is that? Shit, it was more fun trying to roam the halls without a hall pass and not get caught, just for the mini thrill factor. And when you could pull that off, you pretty much felt like a VIP. There you have it. Day 30's entry. September is signed, sealed and soon to be delivered. VIP! MUSICAL BREAK: This entry is a bit of a celebration of sorts...celebrating the end of September's "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" . Congrats to all of those who finished, and most importantly, thanks to all of you who've had to put up with me and my bullshit for an entire month ! If not for the support of the people who read us, what do we have? I'm very appreciative of all the encouragement I've received along the way this past month. Thank you...it means so much.  Get your mellow groove on while we celebrate the end of this month's competition...good luck Bloggists! It was a race run well... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9myoXFk-O4U VITAL STATS: My main goal of this was to achieve what it known to some in WDC as a "Blue Month". That's a month when all the days in your Blog Calendar are highlighted in blue. I haven't had a Blue Month in a few years, and it looks like I won't again, even though I'll have completed all thirty-day's worth of entries. Some slipped in just past midnight on WDC's servers, and then there's the whole "Day 28 issue"...I'm still a little bitter about that, but I'm not gonna ruin the party. VIP Posse...let's kick it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE&ob=av2e Mad overtime this week at work, kids. In the era of tied-down budgets, that means about 3-4 hours. All approved also. I'mma take it and not look back...not my problem when people don't show up and we have nobody else to replace them with. A great 30 days...again, congrats to challengers in "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" that made it to the end, and to all the followers who inspire us. Bless the judges, who have a lot of decisions to make by undertaking their role, not to mention a lot of reading to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKax7euEM5QThat's it for this month, y'all. You've been a wonderful audience. Thanks for putting up with me. I'mma go play some Rockband in an empty house now and slowly wonder if I'll write tomorrow. We'll see. Thanks again, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHa16644e-k |
| THE PROMPT: "Day 28 is really leave it to you prompt." Thanks. That clears things up. Perhaps a little unfairly, I did some bitching and whining about not having a prompt on day 28 nor being told we could write whatever. I was a little miffed when I saw people posting entries anyway...and of course, as soon as I saw day 29's prompt later on, I completed it while wondering what was gonna happen if I skipped the day completely. Being that this is a challenge, I assume the role of competitor, and take my role to heart. I was worried I might cede some form of advantage. Then I got to thinking...this challenge is to write an entry based on a prompt...I get that. But most blogs are generally a free-for-all, "anything goes" proposition. Even in your more topical blogs, entries are still of the author's discretion and without the constraints of having to nail certain words to others to essentially construct similar projects. Sure, we might pound the square block into the round hole with any given prompt, and all of our enties on any given day look and sound different, but the idea is the same. It sort of compromises the uniqueness of an individual's blog, knowing that 20 others (give or take) are writing about the same thing. After 27 days of being told the entire class has an assignment to write about a specific topic, an exercise I found difficult at first because I don't feel like that fits with what I do, I started to get a little more comfortable with it. Were there days I felt like it wasn't worth it? Of course. Did I just tell the world something I really felt should've been left unsaid? Absolutely. I had a pocket full of skepticism heading into this journey. I finally felt like I was starting get the hang of it, and really ease into whatever the next prompt brought. And then, day 28. It came like the repo man. No prompt, no notification, no nothing. Like your lover leaving you with about as much of a thank-you as an explanation rather than a satisfactory explanation. Or more simply put: If the blog is the free expression to write whatever you'd like about anything you want, a blog challenge almost feels like it's the blog being regulated by a higher industry/government/power. That last sentence in itself had to be the biggest obstacle for me to overcome before I decided to join the fun. And then to turn it around at the end and say "Open Prompt! Say what you want!" sounds kind of like preparing the students all month for a test every day, and then one day the teacher turns around and, sans preparation, says "Come up with your test." Admit it...it feels a little weird. At least to me it does. This isn't meant to be critical. Everyone who's a part of this challenge, from the creators to the judges to the bloggists to even the people that feed into our creative urges by reading us, plays a huge part and does a lot of work to get from their own personal Point A to Point B (that being the judges having to sift through the entries and create prompts, the writers working out their entries, and the casual readers who have their favorites and find time to make some new ones along the way). That's not lost on me. I'm thankful for this opportunity to build my own fanbase and spread my words around in a way that I may normally not have otherwise. I'm glad I did this. And that's all I'm going to say about it. Thanks for stopping by. DAY 30'S ENTRY TO FOLLOW SHORTLY!! |
| THE PROMPT: "You remember the old days of the web? How the sites looked like with only html coding and/or old levels of flash? When blogs were limited? Aside the web there were cassette tapes, floppy discs, VCDs and LDs and we used to make mixes on the tapes to listen in our car as the CD players were unavailable or expensive. And of course the CRT monitors which were really small compared to the monitors we have today. Write about this past in many paragraphs if need be. Write about vinyl records, the walkmans that were the predecessors to the iPOD, the first mobile phones, etcetera. Write your memories about them and how much they mean to you. Even if you were born in the late 90's or so I bet technology still has progressed and you might have seen your parents' old things. So, write on the nascent years of the tech generation ^_^" This makes me feel old in so many ways...I remember a complete internet-free experience. Families did this thing where they had dinner together and actually spoke to one another, using voices. What a concept! I didn't get my first cd player until I turned 19 I think, which was still pretty early in the '90's. I was excited to finally join one of those "record clubs"...you remember those! Buy 12 cd's for a penny! It was a great way to start a cd collection, until you realized you had to actually buy more cd's, at damn near double what your local record store was charging. And speaking of which, the "local" record stores were the places to go...they always had the newest stuff, the best posters, and the sweetest dudes and chicks behind the counter. And these shops were in every neighborhood. Now, it's Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart or some other big-box scumbag retailer, and that's it. Sad. My first introduction to computers? Fourth grade...in 1984 . Everyone knows about Apple...the iPod, iPad, Mac, etc...but who remembers the Apple IIe?? Peep this stellar device here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe This machine had the capability to let you type in upper- and lower-case letters! The monitor could display 16 colors! It was badass for its time! And you knew which kids had money, cuz they actually had one in their home! Who needed internet? You could make banners and flyers with Print Shop or play Oregon Trail and Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? Fun for hours! Having used the Apple IIe all throughout high school and graduation, three things amaze me: 1) When did technology start to move so fast? I don't log in to Facebook one day and all of the sudden my Blackberry is outdated ; 2) How did I learn anything back in the day, having to use that monstrosity?; and 3) In a backpack crammed with actual books that we studied from, how did I never once manage to wreck the item of storage, the soft floppy disk...I mean that thing was 5.5"x5.5" (approx.) and 1/4" thick, and actually floppy.There's my little technological rant...I could go on for hours about when I worked for the local consumer electronics retailer in the late '90's and early 2000's...my first digital camera was the second-to-top-of-the-line Sony 2.1 megapixel that cost me over $400 after buying all the accessories. Isn't that insane how far we've come? MUSICAL BREAK: Now that I'm feeling really old, I need something to lighten myself up back to normal... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZioV5d3osg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=... Yup. Naked dudes. In my blog. It's been that kind of day. VITAL STATS: Holy long day at work...two people call in on the night shift, so I volunteer to leave early and come back. "No, no, no, it's ok." Ok my ass...then don't pull an Office Space on me, call me into the office at 4pm when my shift is over, and ask me if I'll come back and close from like, 7:30-10:30, because it's me or the store manager who has to come back. It's great that I've been assured by the district manager that overtime pay is acceptable in this circumstance (the company is very stingy when it comes to OT pay), but don't pull the same bullshit you've pulled on me in the past where I've helped out for extra hours and then later on in the week you tell me to leave early. Nope. I've sacrificed my time to help, and you're gonna pay me appropriately. Oh, and you're gonna ask me to come back to work when I've been offended by an a-hole customer? Who's confused still after three months out of being renovated and moving aisles to other sections of the store? "Geez you've moved everything! Everything's changed! You even changed your hair!" Lady, I get it...I've listened to you for an hour now as I've been your own personal shopping assistant, but your whining is offensive. Not only was Jess the CWC on the remodelling team, but the week they did our store, I worked on the remodelling team as well. So I have a vested interest, and while we moved your precious toilet paper and toothpaste over an aisle or two, there's no need to carry on as if I personally just repossessed your house. We worked really hard to make your shopping experience easier. Pissing and moaning, and then having the balls to tell me you knew I'd be happier if I didn't take my promotion, will not make your shopping experience any more enjoyable when I find the products you're too lazy to find on your own and shove them someplace I'd rather not mention in a very public forum. Oh, and yeah, thanks boss, I'll take three more hours of this! All complaining aside, at least that three hours was pretty much event-free. So yeah, I'm beat. Gonna kick back and relax for a little bit, and do pretty much the same thing all over again tomorrow. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf4veA65G-k&feature=related |
| THE PROMPT: "What was the best advice you were ever given? And did you take it??" Let it be said here that I am notorious for giving excellent advice that I myself would rarely take. I'm good for helping you out while simultaneously laying waste to the existing world surrounding me. I never put myself in a position where I have to ask for advice; at least, in my head I'm not. And it's not often that I do...no, advice usually comes in the form of unsolicited concern. I can honestly say that 90% of the time I don't mind, but it's the 10% that's unneccesary, or (in extreme circumstances) it's something I'm so jaded and blind to or unaware of that really pisses me off. But back to the heart of the prompt for a moment. In all my years spent needing others to chime in on what I should do or not do in times of question, there really is one singular moment very big situation that stands out where I was almost shoved advice on a daily basis. Most of it I took...mainly for the simple fact that it was encouragement almost as much as it was advice. I had already had an established, semi-popular blog on WDC with a small legion of followers, "I'm Studying You" . I had made some blogger friends during that interesting time of my life...people who liked what I had to say and how I said it (for the most part). For all those interested, the story starts around entry #166 and rolls on of about 150 entries or so, for all intents and purposes. Not that the other stuff before then isn't interesting, but from around there on out, it details my courting of the daily reminder of some of the best advice and encouragement I ever received...my pursuit of the one and only Jess the CWC. On days where my spirit was broken, the people that read about it were able to lift me up. Their advice and encouragement was something I looked forward to, just as much as they wanted to know about how the pursuit was going. The way we all fed off of each other was very gratifying, and three years into a wonderful relationship, I still can't thank them enough. Noe, Lisa, Hailey, Dee, Cat, Ash, Gaby, Zack, and even Kare (and everyone else...can't remember you all), your words provided a lot of the strength I needed to help me get to where we are today. So, long story short, the best advice I got was advice well taken...if only I could say the same about all the other tidbits of advice. And short story long, well, you know where you can read all about it. MUSICAL BREAK: Here's some advice for you... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFW2ZlyVXEw&feature=feedu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1k8tk6OZ3w (A most bizarre piece of advice set to an almost ridiculously hilarious video.) And here's the outcome of the advice-giving toward others versus how it relates to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc5iTNVEOAg&ob=av2e VITAL STATS: Can't wait to see how this "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" pans out. I'm already thinking about doing it again if I'm eligible next month. The key to views is to read and interact with other bloggers. I'll admit I don't do that nearly as much as I used to (there's a friggin' piece of advice if I ever gave one ). Maybe I'll get better at that. I doubt I was at this many views by time I hit over 50 entries in the last one, but I wasn't in any competition either. I had a good concept, I interacted, and people liked it. Whatever...writers by nature tend to be a fickle bunch, I believe. I think I need to go see a really good concert, really soon. Any ideas?That's all for tonight...blame it on the Tuesday/Wednesday turnaround at the shop. Need advice? Have a question or concern? Point your mouse over to that blue "Leave a comment" area and have at it. Your concerns and queries will be answered promptly. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
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