for all the years I've wished for a home with multitudes of trick-or-treaters, I have NEVER met my match as I just did at my house in Newnan, GA.
holy monsters! at one point I opened the door and before i even saw a masked face i heard a parent say "wait jacob, theres a line, wait your turn"....i peeked around the corner of my door to see about 30 costumed children. all muttering and yelping "trick or treat!" --down the road, crowds and crowds of children ventured from house to house to gather treats. it was fantastic!
and a little overwhelming. i ran out of $30 worth of candy before dark, and flipped off the porch light before i had to give bad news to the next round of spidermen, storm troopers, cinderellas, pirates, fairy princesses and gypsies....better luck next year.
the big victorian home across the street had a great display, with lights and spooky music playing until 7pm.
after scraping the bottom of the candy cauldron, i snuck upstairs to watch the late evening halloween goers (the ones i wish i still had candy for, because halloween is only really fun after dark) next year i'll play up a big shabang, and hopefully have a pumpkin carving party for all the friends who still dont mind driving way down (or up, or over) to newnan.
on my way home from work, i saw one house where the owners were dressed up like the adams family. face paint and all. and at first i felt bad that i didn't put that much effort into halloween. but then i though. shoot, when you're retired you can do that sort of thing!" and settled on being a good treater just for having some candy.
and i stress "candy" because during our visit to "wal-fart" as it is so endearingly called by beaux kev, i stated that i wanted to give "healthy" treats. like apples and granola bars. and was immediately corrected and stood so as i realized i was verging on becoming "one of those" who seem to RUIN halloween by giving such "treats" that totally evade the purpose of children gaining as much chocolate and sugar as possible. i remembered dumping my pumpkin bucket out in the living room floor and being entirely too excited about milky way bars and kit kats, and only caring for the boxes of raisins because when empty you could make deafening whistles and squeals with them. haha. so i bought bags and bags of CANDY. good old mini candy bars, goobers, pixie stix!, warheads, doublebubble, malted balls and sugar daddys.
right before i ran out, i was sitting on the front porch with my bowl of goodies, and i heard a little boy yell from down the street "hey daddy, a light! yay! a porch light!" because most of the houses around here had resigned themselves for the night. and i giddily wished them all a happy halloween and dumped the rest of my sugary bounty into their orange cellophane bags.
a few "good" parents made sure their kids said "thank you" and i heard threats to take away some treat bags if their kiddies weren't saying it. hilarious. some little kids were so terrified by the really scary costumes that they were already crying by the time they got to my porch. hah. i didn't even have time to dress up so it wasn't me. but there were a few masks that even spooked me!
and so a good time was had by myself and my terribly inquisitive kitties, who, being black, made a feast of being the great center of attention this time of year.
so Happy Halloween to all. and to all a good night.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
yesterday
i remembered that there were several occasions that my dad would pick me up from school to take me to the orthodontist. or the dentist maybe. but i only remember it was just him and me. and on the way home we almost always stopped by the TCBY in spartanburg because i seem to remember it was a ritual of ours. and i would always get the rasberry yogurt and dad got the cookie dough ice cream though he preferred neopolitan at home. but then they stopped making the rasberry, so we both would get the cookie dough soft icecream in a big cup.
come to think of it it's pretty funny that my father took us to an ice cream parlor after leaving the dentist. it must've been the ortho. i just dont think dads psychosis would have allowed him to buy his child ice cream after the "fluoride treatment"
anyway it was one day we stopped and i dont know why i was with him because we had definitly gone to the dentist for him to have a tooth pulled. maybe i really had had my teeth cleaned. and maybe mom had met us there and stefan had ridden home with her. i just dont remember much about those things. but i would only go to dr. wynn if dad was there because i never wanted to sit in the chair by myself i always had to sit on top of dad. hah. i mean, i was a serious daddys girl. no wonder mom didn't like me that much.
but i remembered this one occasion that on the way home (and after getting icecream) we had stopped in traffic and i was laughing because he had been given novacaine so his face was numb and he kept drooling out of the corner of his mouth and had opened the door to spit (in case you're wondering, not "to spit" like a redneck with chew, but to spit, like, out of necessity...okay whatever). But he couldn't really spit well because his mouth was so numb and he ended up getting more saliva on his face anyway. And he was trying to give me the "scientific" reasons why his face was numb and telling me if i ever had my mouth numbed at the dentist to be careful that i not bite my lip because it would swell up and be injured even though i woudlnt feel it (of course, this i simply thought was absolutely cool and always planned to bite my lip if i ever had it numbed. and i think i actually did once and had a "busted" lip for a week or so) and then he bit his lip accidentally. it was pretty funny.
"the lion sleeps tonight" is always in the background of these memories because it was one of our favorite songs to sing. and he always sang the high parts. haha.
so as you probably already know. these times we were in the car, we always listened to oldies. 93.3 to be exact. when they were an oldies station. it was like an addiction. so we were almost back to wdf and i dont remember why. it seems that there were always understood reasons that were never spoken about. but instead of going home or back to school or wherever it was that i guess we were supposed to have gone. we drove past the wdf house and down to van patton shoals and we got out of the jeep and walked down to the bridge and looked over at the water and finished eating the cookie dough smoothies.
i just remembered that a few weeks ago. i dont know why.
and last time time i was in SC i cleaned out my bedroom closet and threw a ton of crap away. and i came across a program to this concert dad took me to. it must have been in 1992 or 93. about 4 or 5 groups of "oldies" singers reunited at the spartanburg memorial auditorium. and i wore a kelly green notre dam sweatshirt and some cheap imposter perfume i'd gotten at rite aid that i thought smelled really good. it was one of those "if you like Emerald, you'll love _________" in the little mini aerosol cans.
i remember being slighly terrified. but it was probably one of the best experiences of my childhood.
and thumbing through the pages of that program, i realized almost every single member of each group that was there had autographed it and written little things to me. you know, like "best wishes to Rachel" and "Dear Rachel, keep on rockin!" though i can't remember getting all of them. i do remember being afraid of all the grown ups there. some of them were drunk. and most of that night is naturally pretty fuzzy just from years that have passed adn clouded that occasion.
but i remember dancing in the aisle. and i remember the Platters and singing "peppermint twist" at the top of my lungs and knowing it was okay to yell because dad was doing it too.
these are things i remember that made my childhood really, really good.
so to all the dads out there who do stuff like this with your kids.
thank you.
come to think of it it's pretty funny that my father took us to an ice cream parlor after leaving the dentist. it must've been the ortho. i just dont think dads psychosis would have allowed him to buy his child ice cream after the "fluoride treatment"
anyway it was one day we stopped and i dont know why i was with him because we had definitly gone to the dentist for him to have a tooth pulled. maybe i really had had my teeth cleaned. and maybe mom had met us there and stefan had ridden home with her. i just dont remember much about those things. but i would only go to dr. wynn if dad was there because i never wanted to sit in the chair by myself i always had to sit on top of dad. hah. i mean, i was a serious daddys girl. no wonder mom didn't like me that much.
but i remembered this one occasion that on the way home (and after getting icecream) we had stopped in traffic and i was laughing because he had been given novacaine so his face was numb and he kept drooling out of the corner of his mouth and had opened the door to spit (in case you're wondering, not "to spit" like a redneck with chew, but to spit, like, out of necessity...okay whatever). But he couldn't really spit well because his mouth was so numb and he ended up getting more saliva on his face anyway. And he was trying to give me the "scientific" reasons why his face was numb and telling me if i ever had my mouth numbed at the dentist to be careful that i not bite my lip because it would swell up and be injured even though i woudlnt feel it (of course, this i simply thought was absolutely cool and always planned to bite my lip if i ever had it numbed. and i think i actually did once and had a "busted" lip for a week or so) and then he bit his lip accidentally. it was pretty funny.
"the lion sleeps tonight" is always in the background of these memories because it was one of our favorite songs to sing. and he always sang the high parts. haha.
so as you probably already know. these times we were in the car, we always listened to oldies. 93.3 to be exact. when they were an oldies station. it was like an addiction. so we were almost back to wdf and i dont remember why. it seems that there were always understood reasons that were never spoken about. but instead of going home or back to school or wherever it was that i guess we were supposed to have gone. we drove past the wdf house and down to van patton shoals and we got out of the jeep and walked down to the bridge and looked over at the water and finished eating the cookie dough smoothies.
i just remembered that a few weeks ago. i dont know why.
and last time time i was in SC i cleaned out my bedroom closet and threw a ton of crap away. and i came across a program to this concert dad took me to. it must have been in 1992 or 93. about 4 or 5 groups of "oldies" singers reunited at the spartanburg memorial auditorium. and i wore a kelly green notre dam sweatshirt and some cheap imposter perfume i'd gotten at rite aid that i thought smelled really good. it was one of those "if you like Emerald, you'll love _________" in the little mini aerosol cans.
i remember being slighly terrified. but it was probably one of the best experiences of my childhood.
and thumbing through the pages of that program, i realized almost every single member of each group that was there had autographed it and written little things to me. you know, like "best wishes to Rachel" and "Dear Rachel, keep on rockin!" though i can't remember getting all of them. i do remember being afraid of all the grown ups there. some of them were drunk. and most of that night is naturally pretty fuzzy just from years that have passed adn clouded that occasion.
but i remember dancing in the aisle. and i remember the Platters and singing "peppermint twist" at the top of my lungs and knowing it was okay to yell because dad was doing it too.
these are things i remember that made my childhood really, really good.
so to all the dads out there who do stuff like this with your kids.
thank you.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Better Late than Never
On Sept. 9th Mom and Wayne celebrated their first anniversary together. They went to Atlanta and stayed at the Marriot for a week--snooped around all the museums and swanky resturants they could find.
They managed this little adventure despite the fact that Wayne suffered a heart arrythmia on the preceding Wednesday. Doctors suspected a heart attack, but luckily it wasn't quite as serious. Think good thoughts for him as he begins to whip back into shape and keep an eye on his fluttering heart.
They managed this little adventure despite the fact that Wayne suffered a heart arrythmia on the preceding Wednesday. Doctors suspected a heart attack, but luckily it wasn't quite as serious. Think good thoughts for him as he begins to whip back into shape and keep an eye on his fluttering heart.
Heard it in a song
this morning on my way home from oil change, coffee and amusing myself in our palmetto garden, and, as i listened to my favorite country music station, i heard a song that helped me nail down a few ofthe reasons why i love my job, and particularly, why i love working with teenagers, when so many people toss their hands in the air. the chorus is some part of an explanation:
can't think of the singer at the moment. but he summed it up nicely.
we were wanna be rebels that didn't have a clue
with our rock-n-roll t-shirts and a typically bad attitude
didn't have exucuses for the things we had done
we were brave we were crazy we were mostly
young
i love the bad attitude of teenagers. why? because they deserve to have one, and if they dont, i wonder what is wrong. because teenagers get a raw deal from society. and especially from adults. which is ridiculous. because can't anyone remember what it felt like to wake up in the morning at 15 years old. how about 17.
now. imagine you're in foster care.
right. bad attitude. and i'm right there to soak it up and let them know it's okay! have a bad attitude, because it'll pull you through all the hurt that people put on you at this age. it's a tricky game. and i'll show them how to play it. that could be dangerous..... but hey, i turned out okay......mwahahah
a beautiful day! fall is creepin in.
can't think of the singer at the moment. but he summed it up nicely.
we were wanna be rebels that didn't have a clue
with our rock-n-roll t-shirts and a typically bad attitude
didn't have exucuses for the things we had done
we were brave we were crazy we were mostly
young
i love the bad attitude of teenagers. why? because they deserve to have one, and if they dont, i wonder what is wrong. because teenagers get a raw deal from society. and especially from adults. which is ridiculous. because can't anyone remember what it felt like to wake up in the morning at 15 years old. how about 17.
now. imagine you're in foster care.
right. bad attitude. and i'm right there to soak it up and let them know it's okay! have a bad attitude, because it'll pull you through all the hurt that people put on you at this age. it's a tricky game. and i'll show them how to play it. that could be dangerous..... but hey, i turned out okay......mwahahah
a beautiful day! fall is creepin in.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
this afternoon, 50,000 people sat on my neighborhood.
that is my next short bug-story. because midway through the allman bros, I squashed a spider that undoubtedly did not get the memo, and was stuck in the middle of piedmont park as crazy fans rushed in to cover the ground with blankets.
my friends and i were appalled at how many people were upset that other people stepped on their blanket. it became rather annoying actually. did you bring your best blanket? did you remember it was a huge field where thousands of people would squash together to hear music? so why do you give a hell if someone steps on your beloved blanket! bring an old sheet next time and quit yer bitchin. hah. so jess, stephen, brandon and i began ushering people across our blanket. just as a point. and literally, there were many who still refused to step on our blanket. that's how traumatized everyone was from the meanies. I was just there for the music and people-watching. and both were great of course.
Jess and I went to the bathroom that was of course swamped with people, and finally when pee almost started running down my leg, we bribed a guy with $10 (although he didn't take it) to let us in front of him and we both went in and used it at the same time. dont ask how but we did it, and we were in and out in less than 60 seconds. no joke. people who go to concerts need to learn to pee under pressure. then we stood in an equally long but more quickly moving beer line to buy up for our group of six, had the bright idea of seeing if we could make a buck. bought 8beers, and sold the two we didn't need to desperate end-of-the-liners for $20. so we earned 8 bucks. and the buyers didn't seem to give a hoot. so i'm sure between the pee bribe and the beer con we just screwed up our good karma for a solid month. but it was fun while it lasted.
i was wiped out by the end and needed food. so brandon and i go to joes on juniper for a burger, and waited a YEAR for our food. but it was so good when it finally came. so good i forgot to get my sunglasses off the table and now i have to wear my sport glasses until i find a new pair.
kevin and i are going to see Crowded House next week. So i'm going to be musically saturated here soon.
i wonder how many other people have or are going to blog about the concert today or sometime this week. i'm sure i'm one in a thousand. it's like when you were in high school and went to a concert, you want SO badly to wear that shirt the very next day, but you feel like a cheech for doing it. and you do it anyway. hah.
more to come, as i've had an eventful few months since my last post. the newest member, Lupo, is getting bigger and will turn 5mos on the 14th. stella is officially the fat cat i've always wanted her to be. mom and wayne celebrated their 1st anniversay today. i finally went to the beach this summer with my best friends lapo and heifer. my case load at work has quieted (be it only for a week or a few days) to a dull roar. i scavenged a junked miniature antique greenhouse off the side of the road in oakhurst yeserday on the way to see the show. and the jellyfish sting on my foot finally looks a little less gross today. so all is well.
sigh.
peace love and bugs
(and joseph, go ahead and comment on my blog b/c you're a horrible emailer! haha. jk. like i'm any better- and i want an invitation!)
tootle-oo y'all.
my friends and i were appalled at how many people were upset that other people stepped on their blanket. it became rather annoying actually. did you bring your best blanket? did you remember it was a huge field where thousands of people would squash together to hear music? so why do you give a hell if someone steps on your beloved blanket! bring an old sheet next time and quit yer bitchin. hah. so jess, stephen, brandon and i began ushering people across our blanket. just as a point. and literally, there were many who still refused to step on our blanket. that's how traumatized everyone was from the meanies. I was just there for the music and people-watching. and both were great of course.
Jess and I went to the bathroom that was of course swamped with people, and finally when pee almost started running down my leg, we bribed a guy with $10 (although he didn't take it) to let us in front of him and we both went in and used it at the same time. dont ask how but we did it, and we were in and out in less than 60 seconds. no joke. people who go to concerts need to learn to pee under pressure. then we stood in an equally long but more quickly moving beer line to buy up for our group of six, had the bright idea of seeing if we could make a buck. bought 8beers, and sold the two we didn't need to desperate end-of-the-liners for $20. so we earned 8 bucks. and the buyers didn't seem to give a hoot. so i'm sure between the pee bribe and the beer con we just screwed up our good karma for a solid month. but it was fun while it lasted.
i was wiped out by the end and needed food. so brandon and i go to joes on juniper for a burger, and waited a YEAR for our food. but it was so good when it finally came. so good i forgot to get my sunglasses off the table and now i have to wear my sport glasses until i find a new pair.
kevin and i are going to see Crowded House next week. So i'm going to be musically saturated here soon.
i wonder how many other people have or are going to blog about the concert today or sometime this week. i'm sure i'm one in a thousand. it's like when you were in high school and went to a concert, you want SO badly to wear that shirt the very next day, but you feel like a cheech for doing it. and you do it anyway. hah.
more to come, as i've had an eventful few months since my last post. the newest member, Lupo, is getting bigger and will turn 5mos on the 14th. stella is officially the fat cat i've always wanted her to be. mom and wayne celebrated their 1st anniversay today. i finally went to the beach this summer with my best friends lapo and heifer. my case load at work has quieted (be it only for a week or a few days) to a dull roar. i scavenged a junked miniature antique greenhouse off the side of the road in oakhurst yeserday on the way to see the show. and the jellyfish sting on my foot finally looks a little less gross today. so all is well.
sigh.
peace love and bugs
(and joseph, go ahead and comment on my blog b/c you're a horrible emailer! haha. jk. like i'm any better- and i want an invitation!)
tootle-oo y'all.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
we've adopted!
it's a boy!
VONNIE LUPO
of course that would have been a perfect shot but i was meticulously sprawled on the kitchen floor trying to get...what else...the perfect shot.
and Stella....well, lets just say she's slowly warming to the idea of a babe in the crib- note enthusiasm below
VONNIE LUPO
of course that would have been a perfect shot but i was meticulously sprawled on the kitchen floor trying to get...what else...the perfect shot.
and Stella....well, lets just say she's slowly warming to the idea of a babe in the crib- note enthusiasm below
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Hiss, with a smile-
oh the short weeks of holiday layovers. i still haven't wholley realized that tomorrow, or, today, i should say, is wednesday. this weeks list of "to dos," which is usually long anyway, was hastily carved and whittled into what essentially consists of a three day work week. because, no matter how great my intentions are, theres simply no way for me, at this point, to jump right back on the productive band wagon i fell off of last friday. and in a hurry i might add.
the weekend was a nice time spent in south carolina at our "cabin," as it is so lovingly called....and such a delightful expression considering this quaint hand-carved spectacle of a residence, while padded on all sides by truly old and wonderful wilderness, is also nestled cozily into the very armpit of what may be the closest earthly thing to hell i've ever known. yes, i still call it hell, because when i do acknowledge it, or when it forces me to acknowledge it, it's my very own hell, with my name engraved on it an everything.....and i hope that by my dying day i've either been enlightened into nothingness, or i've found something equally despicable to destest for the end of my years on earth. and c'mon, for all the wonderful things we enjoy in this world, it's simply the balance of life to have a good seething apathy for something.....for some humans its cell phones, noisey people at graduation ceremonies, cars without mufflers....but for me, it's woodruff.
nuff said. kev and i avoided the inner city limits of there, and saturday AND sunday drove out to what still ranks high on my list of great mountain bike trails. saturday we did two laps, and sunday i eeked out one, because i've been a riding slacker. running mostly, but not much of anything this month as i try to rid myself of a cold virus i swear must have been nesting in my left big toe since junior high, because thats the last time i ever had anything so consuming. i lost my voice and everything, which, besides the pain, is pretty cool. i can't sing a damned thing but fleetwood mac. with enough advil and cough syrup, it's probably one of the best side effects i could get from a cold. haha.
okay, enough with the smart-assedness. the point of this blog was a confession.
sometimes. and i do mean sometimes, i buy things based on the uniqueness of their packaging. i figure, well hell, they did a bang up job on that label, who cares if it tastes like crap, it'll look great in my cabinet.....
yea, that's stupid.
anyway, but i do. and tonight i did something i RARELY ever do, and bought some wine based on a cool label. but honestly i did read the back and it sounds good. for all the wine i've tried and narrowed down, i still dont know how to pick out a good zinfandel (and, umm....that'd be the red kind)
so while putting away the assortment of fruits and veggies i bought at the brand spanking new publix that's literally hidden amongst the bushes about 5 miles from my house like something out of a dream. COOL. (i know, so lame) i considered my choices in mother natures bounty.
zucchini. ah yes. a favorite. grapes, pears. ah hah, my daily fruit group. cucumbers. herb salad (buy 2 get $1 off with secret coupons), sweet peppers (red, yellow, and green) chives, limes, garlic, and...then
eggplant
eggplant. that mysterious fruit that i refuse to give up on. sure that one day i'll find a recipe that brings out the secret hidden magnificent flavor. thinking, surely this plant isn't as pallid and tasteless as it has always been every single time i've eaten it. and tried and true, i have yet to find an eggplant recipe that doesn't simply make the eggplant take on the flavor of the seasoning. the texture is okay, but you know, not great enough to make up for a complete lack of robustness that it's exterior boastfully insinuates.
and i realized, with a small gasp, that the eggplant is one of those items i buy because....well.....it looks cool.
so. heres to eggplants and zinfandel.
night night.
the weekend was a nice time spent in south carolina at our "cabin," as it is so lovingly called....and such a delightful expression considering this quaint hand-carved spectacle of a residence, while padded on all sides by truly old and wonderful wilderness, is also nestled cozily into the very armpit of what may be the closest earthly thing to hell i've ever known. yes, i still call it hell, because when i do acknowledge it, or when it forces me to acknowledge it, it's my very own hell, with my name engraved on it an everything.....and i hope that by my dying day i've either been enlightened into nothingness, or i've found something equally despicable to destest for the end of my years on earth. and c'mon, for all the wonderful things we enjoy in this world, it's simply the balance of life to have a good seething apathy for something.....for some humans its cell phones, noisey people at graduation ceremonies, cars without mufflers....but for me, it's woodruff.
nuff said. kev and i avoided the inner city limits of there, and saturday AND sunday drove out to what still ranks high on my list of great mountain bike trails. saturday we did two laps, and sunday i eeked out one, because i've been a riding slacker. running mostly, but not much of anything this month as i try to rid myself of a cold virus i swear must have been nesting in my left big toe since junior high, because thats the last time i ever had anything so consuming. i lost my voice and everything, which, besides the pain, is pretty cool. i can't sing a damned thing but fleetwood mac. with enough advil and cough syrup, it's probably one of the best side effects i could get from a cold. haha.
okay, enough with the smart-assedness. the point of this blog was a confession.
sometimes. and i do mean sometimes, i buy things based on the uniqueness of their packaging. i figure, well hell, they did a bang up job on that label, who cares if it tastes like crap, it'll look great in my cabinet.....
yea, that's stupid.
anyway, but i do. and tonight i did something i RARELY ever do, and bought some wine based on a cool label. but honestly i did read the back and it sounds good. for all the wine i've tried and narrowed down, i still dont know how to pick out a good zinfandel (and, umm....that'd be the red kind)
so while putting away the assortment of fruits and veggies i bought at the brand spanking new publix that's literally hidden amongst the bushes about 5 miles from my house like something out of a dream. COOL. (i know, so lame) i considered my choices in mother natures bounty.
zucchini. ah yes. a favorite. grapes, pears. ah hah, my daily fruit group. cucumbers. herb salad (buy 2 get $1 off with secret coupons), sweet peppers (red, yellow, and green) chives, limes, garlic, and...then
eggplant
eggplant. that mysterious fruit that i refuse to give up on. sure that one day i'll find a recipe that brings out the secret hidden magnificent flavor. thinking, surely this plant isn't as pallid and tasteless as it has always been every single time i've eaten it. and tried and true, i have yet to find an eggplant recipe that doesn't simply make the eggplant take on the flavor of the seasoning. the texture is okay, but you know, not great enough to make up for a complete lack of robustness that it's exterior boastfully insinuates.
and i realized, with a small gasp, that the eggplant is one of those items i buy because....well.....it looks cool.
so. heres to eggplants and zinfandel.
night night.
Friday, May 18, 2007
POM 400
year after year, the toilet stories continue.
the side of the building where my office is located has one restroom. a nice big one at that. and this morning i went in to get a handful of toilet tissue because my cold is at the rudolph the red and runny nosed phase (it seems to have been moving downward b/c first it was my eyes, now my nose, and i'm noticing a myserious pink tinge coming from my chin...or maybe that's just acne...damn)
so anyway, as i leaned down to grab some toilet paper, which, i might add, is ALWAYS on the wrong way so that you have to unroll it backwards, which is a real pain....seriously, i noticed the roll was getting low so i raised an eyebrow towards the back of the toilet where sometimes extra rolls are stashed, and the side-of-the-eye glance read "M4 POM," but it registered in my head as "NA PALM" and for a brief second i thought, with a combination of disgust and horror, "who the hell would name toilet paper after jellied gasoline explosives....."
well, if you think about it it's a pretty uncomfortable thought. and then, if you are really bored and you think about it a little bit more, it could, in extreme cases, be quite appropriate....which is, i suppose, equally uncomfortable.
ah so the week is drawing to a SLLLLLOOOOOW close. it has seemed, since i took this job, that my weeks take off to a roaring start, inundated with work and phone calls and reviews and meetings and travel....and by thursday the last little farts of business (just to keep with the motif) sputter out, and friday is quite a bit of a decompressor. i think i like it. friday is also casual day at the office. which i really like. because i'm a goober. that's why.
heres to a great weekend. hoping for some sun and some cycling. cheerio!
the side of the building where my office is located has one restroom. a nice big one at that. and this morning i went in to get a handful of toilet tissue because my cold is at the rudolph the red and runny nosed phase (it seems to have been moving downward b/c first it was my eyes, now my nose, and i'm noticing a myserious pink tinge coming from my chin...or maybe that's just acne...damn)
so anyway, as i leaned down to grab some toilet paper, which, i might add, is ALWAYS on the wrong way so that you have to unroll it backwards, which is a real pain....seriously, i noticed the roll was getting low so i raised an eyebrow towards the back of the toilet where sometimes extra rolls are stashed, and the side-of-the-eye glance read "M4 POM," but it registered in my head as "NA PALM" and for a brief second i thought, with a combination of disgust and horror, "who the hell would name toilet paper after jellied gasoline explosives....."
well, if you think about it it's a pretty uncomfortable thought. and then, if you are really bored and you think about it a little bit more, it could, in extreme cases, be quite appropriate....which is, i suppose, equally uncomfortable.
ah so the week is drawing to a SLLLLLOOOOOW close. it has seemed, since i took this job, that my weeks take off to a roaring start, inundated with work and phone calls and reviews and meetings and travel....and by thursday the last little farts of business (just to keep with the motif) sputter out, and friday is quite a bit of a decompressor. i think i like it. friday is also casual day at the office. which i really like. because i'm a goober. that's why.
heres to a great weekend. hoping for some sun and some cycling. cheerio!
Monday, May 07, 2007
things of late
holy mother.
today was the first day i can plan to be home for longer than a few days. funny i GOT this job because i was tired of being gone all the time. lucky for me the worst of my travels is over. but the first tang and bite of what's yet to come welcomed itself into my office at a bright and shiney (and a wee bit chilly) 10am this morning.
but. before diving into all that.
i spent one of my favorite holidays, it being Cinco de Mayo, at Mexico Beach, Florida. a little strip of pseudo islandish land off the gulf coast between appalachacola and destin. a dear friend of mine was married on the beach on saturday and i went down friday night and stayed until sunday. saturday i managed to get a little too much sunshine but it didn't really burst into color until later sunday (post shower, which seems to be the time in which sunburns always rear their ugly side) and saturday night had a damned fine time at an outdoor fiesta style reception, followed by a full wedding party take-over at the local (and only, i might add) bar, called Toucans. wee! it was a much needed vacation after 6 weeks of mind numbing training and travel for work.
ah work. okay. i actually do still feel very niched, if i may be so bold. but if there was a little book called "worst case scenarios for foster care case managers" i would be reading "what to do if..." on pg23. twenty three being the NUMBER OF CASES i was gifted with this morning. that would also be exactly 17 more than good old georgy policy states i should receive upon immediate completion of training. and i am flattered my supervisor thinks i can handle it, but i'm TERRIFIED she actually gave that many to me. well, that's not the real problem. the real problem is that she hasn't offered much help, and discourages consulting coworkers for advice/suggesstions...which, while i understand the reasoning behind, also think it's a little on the control-freque side. so i'm like that little kid who REALLY wants to learn to swim and just wants her parent to go beside her into the water. and all seems to be going well..........when along comes uncle bob......who tosses her into the deep end of the dock before she can even hold her nose.
damn you uncle bob.
to illustrate, and slather on another layer of self pity--One case. that's one child (which i have 23 of right now, alone, by myself, solo...you get the picture) one child usually has about three or four 3.5inch binders crammed slap damned full of pages and pages of information. all of them together take up about 4 shelves on my extra large industrial grade metal bookcase. and i've leafed through all of two. binders, that is. because today was the first day i could. because today was the first day i saw any of them.
but i did manage to make a few phone calls to foster family of one of my clients.
one.
of 23.
teenagers.
who i am now officially the Legal Guardian of.
yes.
legal.
guardian.
(gasp....)
(...thud)
today was the first day i can plan to be home for longer than a few days. funny i GOT this job because i was tired of being gone all the time. lucky for me the worst of my travels is over. but the first tang and bite of what's yet to come welcomed itself into my office at a bright and shiney (and a wee bit chilly) 10am this morning.
but. before diving into all that.
i spent one of my favorite holidays, it being Cinco de Mayo, at Mexico Beach, Florida. a little strip of pseudo islandish land off the gulf coast between appalachacola and destin. a dear friend of mine was married on the beach on saturday and i went down friday night and stayed until sunday. saturday i managed to get a little too much sunshine but it didn't really burst into color until later sunday (post shower, which seems to be the time in which sunburns always rear their ugly side) and saturday night had a damned fine time at an outdoor fiesta style reception, followed by a full wedding party take-over at the local (and only, i might add) bar, called Toucans. wee! it was a much needed vacation after 6 weeks of mind numbing training and travel for work.
ah work. okay. i actually do still feel very niched, if i may be so bold. but if there was a little book called "worst case scenarios for foster care case managers" i would be reading "what to do if..." on pg23. twenty three being the NUMBER OF CASES i was gifted with this morning. that would also be exactly 17 more than good old georgy policy states i should receive upon immediate completion of training. and i am flattered my supervisor thinks i can handle it, but i'm TERRIFIED she actually gave that many to me. well, that's not the real problem. the real problem is that she hasn't offered much help, and discourages consulting coworkers for advice/suggesstions...which, while i understand the reasoning behind, also think it's a little on the control-freque side. so i'm like that little kid who REALLY wants to learn to swim and just wants her parent to go beside her into the water. and all seems to be going well..........when along comes uncle bob......who tosses her into the deep end of the dock before she can even hold her nose.
damn you uncle bob.
to illustrate, and slather on another layer of self pity--One case. that's one child (which i have 23 of right now, alone, by myself, solo...you get the picture) one child usually has about three or four 3.5inch binders crammed slap damned full of pages and pages of information. all of them together take up about 4 shelves on my extra large industrial grade metal bookcase. and i've leafed through all of two. binders, that is. because today was the first day i could. because today was the first day i saw any of them.
but i did manage to make a few phone calls to foster family of one of my clients.
one.
of 23.
teenagers.
who i am now officially the Legal Guardian of.
yes.
legal.
guardian.
(gasp....)
(...thud)
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Samson
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonder bread and
Went right back to bed
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and
Came into my bed
Oh I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of old scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me till the morning light
And kissed me till the morning light
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonder bread and
went right back to bed
Oh we couldn't bring the columns down
Yea we couldn't destroy a single one
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
-Regina Spektor
I loved you first
I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonder bread and
Went right back to bed
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and
Came into my bed
Oh I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of old scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me till the morning light
And kissed me till the morning light
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonder bread and
went right back to bed
Oh we couldn't bring the columns down
Yea we couldn't destroy a single one
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
-Regina Spektor
Thursday, March 29, 2007
A cat comes and goes without ever leaving.
-Curtis B. Johnson-
2004 - 2007
My furry child
My faithful friend
My mischevious beloved cat.
You are so missed.
The cat went here and there
and the moon spun round like a top
and the nearest kin of the moon,
the creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
for wander and wail as he would,
the pure cold light in the sky
troubled his animal blood
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
lifting his delicate feet
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet?
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the Moon may learn
tired of that courtly fashion
A new dance turn
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
from moonlit place to place
The sacred moon overhead
has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
will pass from change to change
And from round to cresent
from cresent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise.
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.
-W.B.Yeats
2004 - 2007
My furry child
My faithful friend
My mischevious beloved cat.
You are so missed.
The cat went here and there
and the moon spun round like a top
and the nearest kin of the moon,
the creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
for wander and wail as he would,
the pure cold light in the sky
troubled his animal blood
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
lifting his delicate feet
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet?
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the Moon may learn
tired of that courtly fashion
A new dance turn
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
from moonlit place to place
The sacred moon overhead
has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
will pass from change to change
And from round to cresent
from cresent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise.
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.
-W.B.Yeats
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
through ancient glass
well its been a while since i posted. but things have happened since last time that are funny.
like falling out of the bus in new york city because my suitcase was jacked from the flight and as i jumped from the platform onto the sidewalk, discovered my boots weren't the best for gripping the huge mound of ice lining the streets at 2am. lets just say hauling luggage through upper manhattan after a good snow is a workout. the temps weren't so bothersome, but it was damned cold the whole time. i hope to post some pictures soon.
i've been riding a running more lately. trying to get back into shape for the cycling season. i'm ready to take trips to the mountains with the warm weather, and i'm ready to go to savannah.
so 2007 has improved since i just accepted a job offer for a higher up position in social services. yes, a social worker, but paid more, and now that i'm IN it's so easy to move up. oh yea. i decided that a good 5 year plan for me is to start heading toward the school counseling by my early thirties. and until then get as much experience as i possibly can. the real world is so much different that what you learn in college. and it's beneficial to learnd about the red tape that keeps us from helping kids as much as possible.
that's it for tonight. ijust wanted to post again, hoping my postabilities start coming back to me more and more.
and for the record: i really appreciate all my friends. so here i say "thank you" for your support and encouragment over the years.
peace, love, and bugs.
like falling out of the bus in new york city because my suitcase was jacked from the flight and as i jumped from the platform onto the sidewalk, discovered my boots weren't the best for gripping the huge mound of ice lining the streets at 2am. lets just say hauling luggage through upper manhattan after a good snow is a workout. the temps weren't so bothersome, but it was damned cold the whole time. i hope to post some pictures soon.
i've been riding a running more lately. trying to get back into shape for the cycling season. i'm ready to take trips to the mountains with the warm weather, and i'm ready to go to savannah.
so 2007 has improved since i just accepted a job offer for a higher up position in social services. yes, a social worker, but paid more, and now that i'm IN it's so easy to move up. oh yea. i decided that a good 5 year plan for me is to start heading toward the school counseling by my early thirties. and until then get as much experience as i possibly can. the real world is so much different that what you learn in college. and it's beneficial to learnd about the red tape that keeps us from helping kids as much as possible.
that's it for tonight. ijust wanted to post again, hoping my postabilities start coming back to me more and more.
and for the record: i really appreciate all my friends. so here i say "thank you" for your support and encouragment over the years.
peace, love, and bugs.
Friday, December 15, 2006
oh bother.
so i've been home from work for about an hour. i forced curtis to play with me for at least 10 minutes after i walked in and before he went out so that he wouldn't leave angry and maybe not come back...this is what i worry about. of course, only after i saw that the house wasn't burned to the ground. i was sure the c'mas tree would go down and the lights, on a timer (b/c i like to enjoy the thought of it) would set the carpet on fire....but only one glass ornament was sacrificed to this shift. i buried it and said a few words...
and there is always something to bury when i get home. shreds of newspaper, hole-y plastic bags, a pottery barn catalogue they evidently determined i perused too much....you know, that sort of thing. "they" being my cats.
and upon sitting down at the computer i found cat hair meticulously stuck to the bottom of my laptop screen (i could've swore i closed it before leaving monday)...and stella is the culprit b/c only she has a truly white coat of fur disguised by black tipped hairs, and only she takes obsessive interst in talking to my computer screen.
anyway, i really have missed the blogging scene. i dont really read or write blogs that often anyway, but i do miss writing them. and i've commented a few times to beaux kevin, and finally (after i edited the hell out of my blog to make sure it was presentable) i gave in to yet another request, and handed over the address
he'd kill me, but this is his email response. verbatim.
I'm not sure how people put themselves out there like this! But, I now know what your basement apartment looked like, you have a thing for latin men and you used to write a lot more than you do now. Do you miss it?
Love,
Caucasian Kev
"hmm. well could be worse!" i thought...but of course this also sent me on a wild goose chase to find the conversation i must have posted that flaunted an attraction to latin men...
not that i could get away with denying a slight interest in oggling nice-looking men of latino descent...i just can't find the dang posting...
(and for the record i actually prefer Greek or the ever-so droolable Italiano--help me out here LAPO! haha)
ok geez. i'm cutting myself off. fresh on the blogger and already i can tell this could get me into trouble! hah.
have a nice weekend everyone. ciao-
and there is always something to bury when i get home. shreds of newspaper, hole-y plastic bags, a pottery barn catalogue they evidently determined i perused too much....you know, that sort of thing. "they" being my cats.
and upon sitting down at the computer i found cat hair meticulously stuck to the bottom of my laptop screen (i could've swore i closed it before leaving monday)...and stella is the culprit b/c only she has a truly white coat of fur disguised by black tipped hairs, and only she takes obsessive interst in talking to my computer screen.
anyway, i really have missed the blogging scene. i dont really read or write blogs that often anyway, but i do miss writing them. and i've commented a few times to beaux kevin, and finally (after i edited the hell out of my blog to make sure it was presentable) i gave in to yet another request, and handed over the address
he'd kill me, but this is his email response. verbatim.
I'm not sure how people put themselves out there like this! But, I now know what your basement apartment looked like, you have a thing for latin men and you used to write a lot more than you do now. Do you miss it?
Love,
Caucasian Kev
"hmm. well could be worse!" i thought...but of course this also sent me on a wild goose chase to find the conversation i must have posted that flaunted an attraction to latin men...
not that i could get away with denying a slight interest in oggling nice-looking men of latino descent...i just can't find the dang posting...
(and for the record i actually prefer Greek or the ever-so droolable Italiano--help me out here LAPO! haha)
ok geez. i'm cutting myself off. fresh on the blogger and already i can tell this could get me into trouble! hah.
have a nice weekend everyone. ciao-
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Moo
Yes, I am aware I am not a high performance blogger!
Sometimes we use "picture feelings" at work when the girls have a hard time expressing their feelings.
This one just about sums it up for me today :)
Thursday, May 18, 2006
rain or shine
my little indulgence for the year. a weekend in the tennessee mountains with two great friends and a gorgeous view of the valley. it's beautiful here in the upstate carolina hidden treasure of laurens house....the weather channel says seveirville is not so beautiful. but it doesn't really matter. we're "getting away"...and that's all we've got on the brain.
still in pajamas, i'm hunkered into a living room chair watching lauren and heith run around getting ready to leave. i should be getting ready too, but here i am. i brought my heafy suitcase in to "organize" since last night was a little bit of a crazy-lady packing job. heith swears he's not going to wear the black converse shoes lauren put out for him, and every so often reminds her shes wearing "bermudas," and only really wants to find one more pair of low-cut socks...lauren made muffins and coffee, and we're all taking way more than we need. "just in case"
it's fun. i'm very happy :)
shoes
socks
underwear
bathing suit
raincoat
camera
laptop
sunglasses
and seven billion other things i really dont need. in multiples of 3. at least.
and a bike.
playing cards! how could we forget! they're promptly going into the "game bag"
ready for a nice weekend. pictures soon.
still in pajamas, i'm hunkered into a living room chair watching lauren and heith run around getting ready to leave. i should be getting ready too, but here i am. i brought my heafy suitcase in to "organize" since last night was a little bit of a crazy-lady packing job. heith swears he's not going to wear the black converse shoes lauren put out for him, and every so often reminds her shes wearing "bermudas," and only really wants to find one more pair of low-cut socks...lauren made muffins and coffee, and we're all taking way more than we need. "just in case"
it's fun. i'm very happy :)
shoes
socks
underwear
bathing suit
raincoat
camera
laptop
sunglasses
and seven billion other things i really dont need. in multiples of 3. at least.
and a bike.
playing cards! how could we forget! they're promptly going into the "game bag"
ready for a nice weekend. pictures soon.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I sat silent, five commercials
every so often, someone comes up with a really great commercial. i, for one, am a "laughingly good commercial" fan. and i have been known to watch a relatively bad channel if they air the same good commercial a few times every 30 mins. it's how i get some of my more satisfying kicks.
congratulations to the writers for the following companies. they are, frankly, hilarious.
Milky Way
KMart
Vonage
in that order. but vonage has had the lead for a while, for the record.
geico, on the other hand...FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH! NO MORE TALKING GECKO!
congratulations to the writers for the following companies. they are, frankly, hilarious.
Milky Way
KMart
Vonage
in that order. but vonage has had the lead for a while, for the record.
geico, on the other hand...FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH! NO MORE TALKING GECKO!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
"fly high--be my getaway--gotta get away"
well, i feel compelled to make a brief appearance here. haha. i am now 24 years and 15 minutes old. WOO. yea.
and just as i accepted a low-pay job at REI, ms. muroff calls me from the cumming, ga DHR and wants to know, do i want to interview for a 30k/yr job?
oh lord. is it wrong to be torn? i just want to go back to school. just let me go back to school. i want to be the psychologist, not her secretary. but the salary still raises an eyebrow.
thank you for everyone who has already wished me a happy day. my brother even graced me with a serenade! haha. love the stef-man. I hope everyone has a great day. i'm doing some last minute cleaning and then heading to columbus so the parents will feel "involved" by taking jeff and me to dinner ;) love the parents. they are so sweet. and jeff gave me an ipod shuffle for my birthday ! sweet! it's definitly what I NEED! and now i can give him his little mp3 player back...haha...i think there were ulterior motives there
"Hide and seek, kissing and running
Till you were out of breath
In the late night day sun
Until your Mamma called you home... and you didn't wanna go"
-stereophonics
and just as i accepted a low-pay job at REI, ms. muroff calls me from the cumming, ga DHR and wants to know, do i want to interview for a 30k/yr job?
oh lord. is it wrong to be torn? i just want to go back to school. just let me go back to school. i want to be the psychologist, not her secretary. but the salary still raises an eyebrow.
thank you for everyone who has already wished me a happy day. my brother even graced me with a serenade! haha. love the stef-man. I hope everyone has a great day. i'm doing some last minute cleaning and then heading to columbus so the parents will feel "involved" by taking jeff and me to dinner ;) love the parents. they are so sweet. and jeff gave me an ipod shuffle for my birthday ! sweet! it's definitly what I NEED! and now i can give him his little mp3 player back...haha...i think there were ulterior motives there
"Hide and seek, kissing and running
Till you were out of breath
In the late night day sun
Until your Mamma called you home... and you didn't wanna go"
-stereophonics
Monday, March 13, 2006
karma police, arrest this girl
as monday wanes on, the weekend loosens it's grip and hands over the reigns to yet another business week, and our columbia pal, here since thursday, is on his way back home...but not before squeaking out one last tennis game (pictures courtesy of Rob, to be posted later today or tomorrow)...so it was a weekend of severe indulgences, but, fun to say the least. and this week should be great too...jeff and i are celebrating a happy 365day marker on wednesday, and i will celebrate becoming six years shy of 30 on thursday! woo. so we'll be heading to columbus for dinner with my folks, and then...THEN, friday and saturday i'm training for my JOB. yay.
okay, the job front has been grim for quite some time now, and i, having left a discouraged dent in THE Rock-Bottom and begun an equally gloomy journey along the plateau of unemployed depression (all the while keeping my poo-eating grin and sophisticated cover letter crafting at a convincing-yet-false-positive) finally began narrowing down my "part-time" options. on an optimistic whim, i applied at REI here in ATL; a place that I appreciate as the closest outdoor retail supplier in the area--and since i can recall having been labeled "the outdoorsy type" in my day, I dropped in and queried the friendly customer service woman for an application, and happily interviewed the same day. of course it went very well, i'm experienced in the outdoors, i'm fairly experienced in the how-tos of cycling, and i'm experienced in retail (not to mention, obviously yet another well-educated, desperate college graduate) and possess what i would call, polished "interpersonal skills"...with a degree to back it up. so i was pretty confidant (and kept a keen eye out for any snobbery my pride might fling at the interviewing manager) but then again, several interviews have gone "well" and resulted in kindly rejection letters (if anything) so my hopes were in neutral, as they have been for some time now (my conscience no doubt conserving the very last scrapings of a tattered self worth)
in the process of prepping myself for a possible turn-down from a mere retail position (because in Atlanta, anything is possible, especially rejection and poverty) I received a call and an attractive offer just two days later--the better part is that the position is with the department of my preference: Action Sports...which includes kayaks/canoes, climbing equip--and cycling--which includes mountainbikes. and mid-interview, a friendly lady who i later learned is the head honcho of this dept (and who probably snagged my resume to boost the female gender count in this area) sympathetically patted me on the back for potentially having to learn and sell not only Cannondale, but also several brands of what I kindly refer to as "comfort cycles"...this is a really difficult thing to explain to someone who isn't really into real mountainbiking. and i, along with many of my trail goers, have perfected the answer to the ever so frequent question "so, what's a good bike to buy?"...to which one replies "well, what do you consider 'good'"...this is an 'inside' retort that i will promptly have to UNlearn and replace with a sincere smile and something like "what sort of riding are you planning to do?" OR "what do you feel you will need in your future bike"...then, and perhaps more importantly, "how much are you willing to spend"
(sneeze) and with springish weather comes springish allergens
the hard part is tactfully guiding people to understand their capabilities. a few acquaintances have naively scoffed at a favorite film (The Collective) that wonderfully flaunts the craft of "sponsored" free-ride cyclists. which is an entirely different type of riding from cross country mountain biking--i've heard things like "yea that's what i do or "heh, I can do that"...and of course one can do a lot of things if they put their mind to it, but, willingness and ability go hand in hand...along with endurance, actual SKILL, and a (somewhat heavy) touch of masochism. not even i would dare set an intent foot on a freeride/downhill cycle...tho i'm rather envious. but if tubby comes in determined to drop two-grand on a bike that he'll never really use to it's full worth, so be it, big-boy. i dont make commission, but i understand the value of sales and marketing. and if i have to take a retail job, i'll be derned if i dont make it a point to be one who is promoted as soon as possible. anywho. so that's my story as of late. i am now employed. and i might add, by #7 of fortune 100s best companies to work for.
and i hear an old riding buddy of mine, joseph, is making a swell move to a bike shop in boone, nc. and i wish him (and his karma) all the best...mwah ha. a tribute pic to old rides below-
that's all for now.
cheerio.
okay, the job front has been grim for quite some time now, and i, having left a discouraged dent in THE Rock-Bottom and begun an equally gloomy journey along the plateau of unemployed depression (all the while keeping my poo-eating grin and sophisticated cover letter crafting at a convincing-yet-false-positive) finally began narrowing down my "part-time" options. on an optimistic whim, i applied at REI here in ATL; a place that I appreciate as the closest outdoor retail supplier in the area--and since i can recall having been labeled "the outdoorsy type" in my day, I dropped in and queried the friendly customer service woman for an application, and happily interviewed the same day. of course it went very well, i'm experienced in the outdoors, i'm fairly experienced in the how-tos of cycling, and i'm experienced in retail (not to mention, obviously yet another well-educated, desperate college graduate) and possess what i would call, polished "interpersonal skills"...with a degree to back it up. so i was pretty confidant (and kept a keen eye out for any snobbery my pride might fling at the interviewing manager) but then again, several interviews have gone "well" and resulted in kindly rejection letters (if anything) so my hopes were in neutral, as they have been for some time now (my conscience no doubt conserving the very last scrapings of a tattered self worth)
in the process of prepping myself for a possible turn-down from a mere retail position (because in Atlanta, anything is possible, especially rejection and poverty) I received a call and an attractive offer just two days later--the better part is that the position is with the department of my preference: Action Sports...which includes kayaks/canoes, climbing equip--and cycling--which includes mountainbikes. and mid-interview, a friendly lady who i later learned is the head honcho of this dept (and who probably snagged my resume to boost the female gender count in this area) sympathetically patted me on the back for potentially having to learn and sell not only Cannondale, but also several brands of what I kindly refer to as "comfort cycles"...this is a really difficult thing to explain to someone who isn't really into real mountainbiking. and i, along with many of my trail goers, have perfected the answer to the ever so frequent question "so, what's a good bike to buy?"...to which one replies "well, what do you consider 'good'"...this is an 'inside' retort that i will promptly have to UNlearn and replace with a sincere smile and something like "what sort of riding are you planning to do?" OR "what do you feel you will need in your future bike"...then, and perhaps more importantly, "how much are you willing to spend"
(sneeze) and with springish weather comes springish allergens
the hard part is tactfully guiding people to understand their capabilities. a few acquaintances have naively scoffed at a favorite film (The Collective) that wonderfully flaunts the craft of "sponsored" free-ride cyclists. which is an entirely different type of riding from cross country mountain biking--i've heard things like "yea that's what i do or "heh, I can do that"...and of course one can do a lot of things if they put their mind to it, but, willingness and ability go hand in hand...along with endurance, actual SKILL, and a (somewhat heavy) touch of masochism. not even i would dare set an intent foot on a freeride/downhill cycle...tho i'm rather envious. but if tubby comes in determined to drop two-grand on a bike that he'll never really use to it's full worth, so be it, big-boy. i dont make commission, but i understand the value of sales and marketing. and if i have to take a retail job, i'll be derned if i dont make it a point to be one who is promoted as soon as possible. anywho. so that's my story as of late. i am now employed. and i might add, by #7 of fortune 100s best companies to work for.
and i hear an old riding buddy of mine, joseph, is making a swell move to a bike shop in boone, nc. and i wish him (and his karma) all the best...mwah ha. a tribute pic to old rides below-
that's all for now.
cheerio.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
"in a world"
Last night I watched David Lynchs "Eraserhead" with Jeff. He'd already seen most of it, and warned me it was "typical Lynch"...and maybe I wasn't completely prepared ? but then, how do you prepare for a man who creates films like Lost Highways and Mullholland Drive...so, Eraserhead. I made it 3/4 of the way through before retiring for the night. And so the dreams began.
I have a family, as in mother/father/brothers/sisters/grandparents. and we live in a big house, with a large indoor pool in the basement (me? a dream involving water? surely not)...anyway, for some reason there are fish in the pool? I think, and over breakfast I say maybe we need a few more fish...so that evening, I hear my parents drive up, and yell "open the door"...well, that day I had come across a baby nurse shark...a small animal that would be comfortable in a pool that size. Granted, I have no idea why I want fish or a shark in this pool, but whatever. The more important part is from outside in the yard I hear this father figure (I have no idea who any of the people are) say "well, we have a whale!"...and in they march with a small gray colored whale....A WHALE? oh, not only a whale, they also have a young tiger, two monkeys, a parrot, and a few other wild species better found (or left) in the forests and jungles of elsewhere, certainly not our basement.
My first reaction is of bewilderment, then I move to attempting reasonable discussion with the memebers of my family, who seem to see no problem with the fact that a dozen wild animals were living in our home, and were going to grow up to be LARGE animals. hmmm...so, the first whacked out thing to happen is the tiger eats grandpa. yep. the tiger got into the ductwork and jumped on grandpa while he slept in a hospital bed in the back corner of the basement. This is like a combination of some bizarre cartoon and The Ghost And The Darkness...as in, it seems ridiculous, but it was really like, scary, evil stuff. After that happened I woke up, and drifted in and out of the same dream, which turned into something more scifi than what it had been, until the alarm clock went off at 8:30, afterwhich I snoozed in another weird dream until around 9. All I'm sayin is, and I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin...watching Lynch before bed has to be about the equivalent of doing some crazy drug right before you go into a house of mirrors.
And today was supposed to be sunny, in my fantasy world. But, tut tut, it looks like rain. No pioneering the pool deck today!
tootles
I have a family, as in mother/father/brothers/sisters/grandparents. and we live in a big house, with a large indoor pool in the basement (me? a dream involving water? surely not)...anyway, for some reason there are fish in the pool? I think, and over breakfast I say maybe we need a few more fish...so that evening, I hear my parents drive up, and yell "open the door"...well, that day I had come across a baby nurse shark...a small animal that would be comfortable in a pool that size. Granted, I have no idea why I want fish or a shark in this pool, but whatever. The more important part is from outside in the yard I hear this father figure (I have no idea who any of the people are) say "well, we have a whale!"...and in they march with a small gray colored whale....A WHALE? oh, not only a whale, they also have a young tiger, two monkeys, a parrot, and a few other wild species better found (or left) in the forests and jungles of elsewhere, certainly not our basement.
My first reaction is of bewilderment, then I move to attempting reasonable discussion with the memebers of my family, who seem to see no problem with the fact that a dozen wild animals were living in our home, and were going to grow up to be LARGE animals. hmmm...so, the first whacked out thing to happen is the tiger eats grandpa. yep. the tiger got into the ductwork and jumped on grandpa while he slept in a hospital bed in the back corner of the basement. This is like a combination of some bizarre cartoon and The Ghost And The Darkness...as in, it seems ridiculous, but it was really like, scary, evil stuff. After that happened I woke up, and drifted in and out of the same dream, which turned into something more scifi than what it had been, until the alarm clock went off at 8:30, afterwhich I snoozed in another weird dream until around 9. All I'm sayin is, and I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin...watching Lynch before bed has to be about the equivalent of doing some crazy drug right before you go into a house of mirrors.
And today was supposed to be sunny, in my fantasy world. But, tut tut, it looks like rain. No pioneering the pool deck today!
tootles
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