Tomorrow @ Work
Tomorrow at work I'm going to be working the merchandising side of the business. Tomorrow at work I'm going to be in shoes that aren't quite as comfortable as I'd like. Tomorrow at work I'm going to be in a blindingly white shirt that would make a supernova blush with shame. Tomorrow at work I'm going to be thinking about one thing, and one thing only. Tomorrow at work, I'm going to be thinking about the day that will come, when I finally peel Boardwalk off the McDonald's fries and can send in for my winnings from the Monopoly Game.
-Jon
P.S. Can you guess where I'm getting my lunch?
Ok. What?
Ok. So. Well. Let me think about where, exactly to start.
Work was better today. I actually got to do stuff. Granted, I'm going through all the merchandising in the store and making sure it that it's right. That's a suck-ass job if ever there was one. But, that's Ok. I did that at the video store a lot too... I'm used to this particular suck-ass job, and I can get it done with aplomb. Tomorrow I get to finish that up, and the manager at the store I'm working at has told me I should just take that over when I get to my store... ... no, not because I'm some sort of merchandising magician... just because the manager at my store is "going to have her hands full..." Which, admittedly, is true. To explain why could very easily give away my employer, and I don't want to do that (if you want to know why, Check it -- it's on there, but a bit down). I also got to play with the computer and wear my White Shirt. I hate my White Shirt and want, badly, a shirt of another color. Even
So, I met a girl at work today who was really nice. I think she was a few years younger than me, and is going to get married soon. The thing is, when we were talking, she mentioned that she only worked here part time, for three years... I asked her if she did anything else like another job, or school... "Oh, no..." ... ... ... You're engaged, buying a house with your future husband, work part time and don't do school. I'm sorry, seriously, that sounds to me like you're marrying money and happen to be bored. Actually, it just doesn't make any sense to me what so ever. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have to work, and wasn't in school. I'd spontaneously combust; all my pent up energy would suddenly, and inexplicably, turn me into a giant ball of flames the likes of which the world has never seen.
Alright. I've gotta get to sleep. I have to drive back to the store in GR tomorrow to finish the merchandising. I'll probably end up staying there for 8 hours doing merchandising and whatever else. Really, honestly I can't wait to get to the point with this company that I'm actually able to do my job... or something like it. Also, not driving an hour to work sounds dreamy.
-Jon
This Place I Call Home
Alright. I've had a few complaints, and I've been irritated by this for too long. I'm going to fix the comments on this site. I'm not sure how. And I'm certainly not sure when. But I'm going to make you, the reader, this promise: I will, at some indeterminate point in the future have comments that work be they in a pop-up window or a dynamically generated archive page... ... ... Ok, I'm going to re-phrase my promise in a way that people might actually care about: I promise that the next thing I fix on my website will be comments and you wont need a 40 page instruction manual to figure them out. Take that Internet Gremlins. That's right. You can break my comments now -- but some day, some way I will exorcise you from my website.
Speaking of gremlins, I want to do some recording again. And I want to do recording with a good setup, with good songs, with some other musicians that are good. I will do this. I promise you, I will do this. Of course, I don't know when or how. But... that's gonna be the next thing that comes after the "Great Comments Fixing of '05.'
In other news, it's not quite 1:00am, and I'm about to pass out. Hurray for a job that gets me to bed at a quasi-resonable hour.
-Jon
I Learned Something
I learned something today. I really did. I learned that, while my Borne shoes are not as bad to stand in as I thought last week, I need better shoes for work. I learned some stuff in the computer systems. I learned that Internet Explorer for Windows Mobile doesn't do CSS as well as IE 6 (which is sad), and that I desperately need to throw together a style for when my site's viewed with a mobile device. I learned that bored employees have a tendency to act strangely (i.e.: they make stabbing motions with a stapler, they suddenly and spontaneously break out in song, they catch a big-ass grasshopper in a styrofoam cup and leave it on their boss's desk as a 'present,' they play with their phone's ringtones and have "ringtone wars"). I learned that I have it in me to stay at work for a good hour past when I was supposed to go home if there is something worthwhile happening; which brings us back to needing better shoes.
I have this feeling that I've been complaining about my new job as much as I complained about my old job. Actually, I know I have. But... really it's not the job. It's that I can't do the job yet. it's that I'm not being taught how to do the job, it's that all I get to do is stand around and do nothing... and that's never fun. I did, actually, get a lot more done today. Of course, by "done" what I mean is "I got to watch folks do more work." And my dislike of Larry the Cable Guy has increased about 3x. Which, ironically, is the same size as the shirt that I got today.
Speaking of the shirt I got today, it's white. Really white. I mean, blindingly white. But it's a short-sleeve polo with a company logo on it that I'm not ashamed to wear in public. Which rocks.
I'm thinking about trying to figure out something better to do with my time while at work. At this (ok, tangent. I was just typing "this" only, I didn't. I typed an anagram of "this" that just so happens to be a word I never put on this page with a * or two. Weird) point I think that I've learned about all I can without knowing any of the specific things about the phones, computer systems or processes that the company uses, and it's getting up to the point where it's a waste of my time and everyone else's that I'm standing around in my (while not the most comfortable for 8 hours straight) oh so stylish shoes.
Alright. That's all I want to say about work. By next week, I think that I'm going to be in a much better place with work, and I'm really excited about that. I want a chance to do my new job, and I want a chance to not feel like some stray dog that's just following someone around all day. I mean, if I'm going to be a stray, I want to follow them home, get a flea collar and some dinner.
-Jon
Drive Time
The good: The New Job is going to be good. The Bad: This week I have to drive to Grand Rapids (So far for two days, but since I don't know when I work tomorrow -- I'm guessing more than two days). The Ugly: I can't log on to any of the computer to do any training or learn anything this week. This week could end up being a very long, very boring week.
In about 25 minutes I'm going to hit the road for my morning commute. And yes, I have a morning commute that isn't the 5 minute drive to the old video store. Crazy. I don't know how people do the morning drive every day in big cities. I really don't. Taking a train from a NY suburb to the city -- I get it. You can read the paper, do a crossword, play with yourself under your newspaper. Whatever. Driving for an hour and a half... ick. I'll be glad when the drive thing is over. Actually, I think the big reason I'll be glad the drive thing is over is that that means I'll have my login and password so I can go to my store and start doing things that are useful. But -- that's a ways off. In the meantime, I do get quite a bit of time to wander the store and drool over phones, and that's neat. I even got one of the phones to go to my website yesterday. Although, it didn't have the broadband that it claimed -- apparently it hasn't rolled out in my area yet. Ahh well, soon enough.
Crap. I gotta run to the basement and find soap so I can shower and be clean. I'll talk to you folks later.
-Jon
T-Minus 12 Minutes
I just changed my shirt 4 times in the last 5 minutes. This job has somehow turned me into a woman going on a first date. Seriously, I have shirts all over my room on my bed and my chair. Next I'm going to need a hairdryer and "product."
Aight, I'm off to work. See ya on the flipside.
-Jon
T-Minus 50 Minutes
I start a new job in T-Minus 50 minutes. I didn't get nearly the amount of sleep that I wanted to, but... eh. That's par for the course these days, isn't it? I got upwards of 6.5-7 hours, so I'm not going to be hard of while at work, it's just that waking up is all sorts of a pain in the ass when I'm almost, but not quite, completely rested. It's like my body is saying, "For all that's good and holy, you stupid man. I'm almost there. Gimme another hour, and we'll both be so much better off."
That hour never comes, however, and today I got to wake up with the after effects of BW3's Blazin' wings. Not terrible after effects, not like the Afterburner wings from Cruiser's. Just, not total comfort. My body is, therefore, angry with me for 2 reasons -- wings and sleep. It'll be a good first day.
And, honestly, I'm not just saying that. I think it'll be a good day, but I won't know for sure for another little bit. So I'm off to shower and make myself pretty, I'll check back in with you, oh internet, tonight.
-Jon
Love Live the Presidents
The Presidents of the United States of America are back. That's right everyone, the boys who brought you Lump and Peaches are back.
They're playing some shows, and I don't think I'll be able to make it to any of them, and that makes me weep. I'm weeping like Homer Simpson. I've love the PUSA since I was in high school. The first time I saw the Peaches video was one of those life changing moments where I realized that a group could make (arguably) cool music and also be goofy and stupid and have fun while also being really quite witty and clever all at once. Also, they had ninjas in the video. And ninjas are cool.
The next CD I buy is going to be the new one from PotUSA (they use the acronym PUSA, I like PotUSA better -- it makes me laugh a little more), after that I'll probably finish off my Poltz collection, then I'll finish my Bob collection. Then I'll go back to Pandora to find some new folks.
Aight, the Cap should be here soon to pick me up for video games, beer and hot wings, so I'm going to go find my pants. I'll see ya'll later.
-Jon
Times They are A Changin'
Today I effectively stopped working at a video store... ... ... This is a weird day for me. I mean, hell, I've wanted to get out of there for a couple of years, but I didn't actually believe it would happen. Is it the belief that I cannot affect change in my life? Was it the belief that I didn't deserve to get out of there? Could it be that I didn't believe that there was much else? ... ... Who the hell knows? I certainly don't. It's been said that a person can have all sorts of insights into other people's lives, but none into their own. Is that what my life has become? An endless cycle of watching others while not being able to see, or at least believe, what people see in me? Yeah... I can see that. I bet you can too.
That's alright. Because I've managed to affect change in my life. I don't care if I deserve it, or have earned it. I'm moving forward, and damnit. I don't care how it happened.
I tried to play some guitar, to write something new, the other day. Yeah, that didn't really work. I sat out on my deck for an hour playing other peoples songs. I know that there are songs that I've written that are at least as good as the tunes that I was playing, but my stuff just seemed so... so... ... I don't know, stale. Yeah. Stale to me.
Joey told me I should write a song that isn't about some girl who can't see me. I told him I don't know how to do that, and that's sort of true. I've written plenty of tunes that don't have to do, explicitly, with a chica not being able to see me (i.e. Confessions of Love, You Say, For a Night, (Untitled), Me & Jimmy, etc...). Now, I can provide quite a few examples of tunes that aren't about a girl not being able to see me (in all my glory), but his point is actually quite valid. Most of my tunes are downers. Emo-like even. And that sucks, because I'm usually a happy go lucky dude. I just end up being all sorts of introspective and depressed when I start writing songs. I need to find my happy thought. That, along with some pixie dust, and I'll be able to fly like this dude Peter I might a few years ago.
Anyways, I don't know what the hell I'm writing about. I'm just rambling about my songs being depressing and my (new) job being quite a bit less so. Anyways, I get to go out with the guys tonight and drink some beer, eat some hot-wings, and play video games. Life is good... ... ... ... and tomorrow, I start a new job pushing cell phones. Wish me luck.
-Jon
When You Wish Upon a Star
It sometimes falls on your head and you dream of beautiful women... No... no it doesn't, I know it doesn't.
I worked on my Amazon.com Wish List today. It's a bit longer... lots of books that I want to read, one DVD set, a CD and some cooking gear. I'll add more later, but if you feel like spending a couple bucks and figure that I'm as good a recipient of your spending spree as anyone else, buy me a used book from my list...
I don't really expect anyone to do that, of course, but... hey. Maybe I'll get lucky.
In other news, I realized that I shouldn't pre-order the Buffy set right now... Amazon doesn't charge a fella until they ship the item, and that'd mess with my accounting. I'm gonna wait a few weeks, and then work something out. It'll be great. Buffy. Seven Seasons of Buffy.
I haven't had much to say lately, and I don't know why that is. But I promise, I'll get back into the whole, "Let's write my life on the internet" thing soon. Until then, I'll see you folks out there in the real world.
-Jon