New Year's and I am Getting Old....

I am really startng to feel my age. I am six months to the day away from my 30th birthday. Besides my knees hurting, my back always wrenched from my god awful chair at my office, and my complete loss of memory, I am really cool with the idea of staying in on New Year's Eve and watching Northwest, a documentary on skate parks built in the Pacific Northwest by Grindline. Doesn't sound half bad if you ask me. A documentary, a large bottle of wine, and the boy... sounds like one hell of a New Year's. There are things going on tonight but nohting I am really compelled to do. Pylon is playing tonight but it is part of a 40 watt extravaganza which includes the Krush Girls (our local "DJ" duo that don't exactly "DJ" but really only press play on the CD player...it's a small town...gotta take what you can get). I am just not into the 18 year old dance pary scene. If it were just Pylon you could count me in,that is to say if it were just Pylon and only 10 bucks, but that is not the case so I have to say "I'm out." Y'all have fun now and call me if you need a ride home.

Alright...I am back

Ok. First thing is first. The earth MAY HAVE wobbled off it's axis, places inland in Sri Lanka MAY HAVE changed elevations up to 5 meters, and we MAY HAVE lost three seconds in the day not to mention the 10 meter tsunami that pumbled the Asian islands. Alright people, stop bitching about not getting your iPod for Christmas and reckognize....crazy shit is going on and up to 40,000 people lost their lives.

Christmas is over and I need a vacation from it all. I am so exhausted from working over time, drinking too much, and trying desperately to keep commitments with my friends (failing miserably) that I slept last night for twelve hours and I was tired again by about 4 p.m. today. I have driven back and forth to the ATL three times in the last week (P.S. the new/used car engine is running like a champ). All that being said, I like the holidays but they tend to drain me. Having escaped retail holidays last year, I had forgotten how crazy and tiring they can be. I am finished with retail hell and have a week off of work (no pay) before I resume my shitty job which becomes increasingly more shitty because I go on call seven days a week and could be potentially ripped out of the real world everyday between 4 and 5 p.m. to travel to the podunk town of Aiken, SC in order to monitor smoke during prescribed forest fires on a nuclear facility (more details to follow...criptick details though due to breaches in security...no I am not kidding). Anyway, I hope all had a fine holiday season. If you need a ride home on New Year's give me a call. I have volunteered to be the D.D. I need a break from the sauce.

drunk...christmas party...home..mythbusters...

Hangovers, Coffee, and Dawson's Creek....

My retail boss showed up to work last night with two very large bottles of red wine that six of us polished off. Needlesstosay, I have one heck of a wine hangover. I am hoping to shake it by the afternoon but right now I am soothing it with two hours of Dawson's Creek and a very large cup of coffee. So far so good.

I have decided that days off during the week kick ass! I find myself to be twice as lazy and 100 times less motivated. On the weekends I always feel pressure to clean my house top to bottom, wash my car, run around like a maniac. The two days I've had off this week have led to the least amount of energy exersion kown to man and it rules.

I am in training for a triathlon. Yesterday, I woke up at 8 am and went running in 22 degree freezing cold weather. It was a bit of a shock to the system but I sort of just did it to see if I could run four miles in the cold. Mission accomplished.

The biggest concern I have today...Will Pacey beat Dawson in the sailing regatta? I always liked Pacey better.

Listening to: my dog snore and some crappy WB soundtrack on Dawson's

A Day Off and a Dollar Short....

Yesterday at my I've-got-vacation- time-off-from-my-real-job-so-I-am- workin'-retai-job, I got the first of what I expect to be many "Oh, my god!! You are STILL working here." Alright people, going back to the job that funded two college degrees is a bit of a tough pill to swallow so let's not rub salt in the wound, please. It's not a career choice. It's a financial obligation. I have a $2300 car bill to pay off before interest ecrews and I don't need you all making me feel like a big fat loser because my other job pays peanuts and has forced me into putting a very large fake smile on my face and pretending like I like you. And by the way missy, I know you are waitin' tables in Atlanta so let's not throw stones. One good thing out of yesterdays gaunt through retail hell, I found a new place to get a haircut in a combonation tattoo parlor/hair salon. That's enough to put a smile onto anyone's face. Especially mine.

Listening to: General Public

Grandpa...

My grandfather was awesome. He lived to be 93 and was super active up until the days before his death. He was a professional photographer and was so talented he photographed with Ansel Adams. He fell out of a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta when he was 85 because he was leaning so far out of the basket trying to get the perfect shot. The only injury he incurred was a bruised hip bone and a broken arm. He flew 150 unaborted missions during WWII in a B52 bomber. He was at Normandy. My grandfather was a cartographer and was the only member of my family that understood why I was so interested in geography. Basically, my grandfather is my idol and he totally kicked ass.

Why this homage to my grandpa, you ask? Well, the janitor in my building, Terry, smells like my grandfather (a combination of hair tonic and cologne) and it kind of freaks me out. See Terry is one weird dude. He's one of those guys that seems to always back you into long drawn out conversations about football games and movies. Terry goes to Dragon Con festivals and raises pet Burmese pythons. Terry has never flown a B52 bomber and definitely is not into photography. When I told him I had a M.S. in geography, he started quizzing me on the state capitals. Terry is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and it freaks me out that his sent reminds me of one of the most fantastic people I will ever meet in my life.

That One (tap tap) That One Right There (tap tap)...

I spent my formative college years working at a retail establishment in downtown Athens. I worked full time and financed my education. Recently, I have returned to said retail establishment on the weekends to help out during the holidays and will work full time starting next week through the end of the holidays. Since I am on contract at my science job with the ivy leagurer I need to use up my vacation time before my contract is up and what a better way to spend a vacation than working retail at Christmas. I have worked the past two weekends and all of the little things that some people do when shopping that drive me crazy have already resurfaced:

Sorority girl: I want to see that one...tap tap at the glass on the jewelery case
Me: :Which one?
Sorority girl: That one...tapping on the case and pointing at approximately 100 necklaces, 20 rings, and 300 pairs of earrings
Me: I can't tell which one you are pointing at. Is it a ring, necklace?
Sorority girl: huff and puff...That silver necklace right there... tap tap tap.
Me: that's really fucking helpful...What color stones does it have?
Sorority girl: It's that....Hello!!...answering her cell phone and tap tap tap on the glass at the same time...Oh my god. I was so hung over. Did you see what Buffy had on? She looked so fat...speaking at the top of her lungs...customers are turning around looking at her while she is totally oblivious to how fucking rude she is...Hang on...very condecending tone...this sales person is asking me something...that green one right there...tap tap tap...pointing at a section of the case that is full of green toned jewelery... I know...back on the cellphone...He's so hot. I totally made out with him on the top of the bar at Flanagan's last night.
Me: stumbling through the jewelery case and finally figuring out which necklace/earrings/rings she is talking about...It's $75.00.
Sorority Girl: Oh my god! I know! I can't wait for our Pimps and Hoes social at General Boregaurds...still on cellphone ...Hang on...talking to me now...Uh, Yeah I'll take it...throwing her credit card at me even though I am standing nowhere near a cash register and there is a line of about 10 people actually waiting for the register
Me: If you wouldn't mind jumping in line so and so will ring you up
Sorority Girl: uuuhhh...fine!...back on the cellphone...those (fill in name of retail establishment here) girls have such an attitude! I am so sure!

Merry Fucking Christmas!

Ms. Comrade is Divine...

One of my nearest and dearest and oldest friends in town recently received accolades for her witty banter. Ms. Comrade is charming and wonderful and I too like to sit at Happy hour with her just to hear what she'll say. She's a peach! Check it out.

Hip Hop Dance Instructor...

Today, I received a job posting for a job list I am on. These lists normally let you choose criteria for potential posts you would be interested in. I normally select options such as....environmental--scientist--researcher--geographer. I don't know maybe it's a sign. Maybe I should try this instead. I think all of those years as a child watching New Zoo Review may pay out. My favorite was always the dancing hippo.

Listening to: Iron and Wine

So Far Today...

I over slept and was a bit late to work

I have torn a hole in the butt of my jeans

I have scoured the internet trying to find these synthetic/vegan Asics that I saw in the mall the other day. I like to bargain hunt. Sue me!

My co-worker and I have talked about the soul searching we are experience and questioned weather or not we should abandon the sciences for construction work.

I super glued my glasses again that I broke exiting a bus on campus. Yep, smacked my big ass amazonian head on the top of the door during my not so graceful exit. Have I mentioned I am 6 ft. tall? Anyway, a little bit of the super glue has gotten on the top of my right lens and is very distracting.

I have eaten a garden burger, drank orange juice, coffee, and water and have peed like fifteen times.

I have procrastinated....lots of procrastinating.

I have badgered the boy via instant messenger today,repeatedly, about adopting this dog. He doesn't seem to understand that "I want him real bad" overrides "wait until we move out of our tiny 800 square foot apartment and into a house with a yard."

I have job hunted.

Nativity Scences and Legos!!!!
It's about Damn Time!