EMPLOYED!

i got a job!!!

i mean, its at chuck e. cheese, but its a paycheck. im excited because its like ill be able to pick up where i left off 3 years ago. its funny that im back where i started when i was 16, i guess that just shows how good (or desperate) i am... the manager has already told me he plans to promote me pretty quickly, so thats really the exciting part. i mean, i would be doing something that i have already done, just never had the title. so... yeah for me!

and... i found a dress for my formal. its in a little over 2 weeks, and it is going to be so much fun. i just cant wait. im working at the gym to help with the homecoming concert and step show, so i will have a few extra bucks in my pocket to throw down when i get there. dont worry, i wont fall too hard on my face, i have to babysit for 24 straight hours the next day...

on another note... i still hate school. and i still havent heard back from the internship i applied for (they said i would hear back in 2 weeks... its been 3)...

i did fill my gas tank for $2.75 this weekend. when i was on fall break, i was really excited that it had dropped from $4.19 to $3.39, but when i hit kentucky... i was depressed when it was $2.97... i could have definitely made it to that gas station... now i know for next time. so, when i was in missouri, i saw it for like $2.50 and swore that i wouldnt pay more than $2.75 the next time i had to fill up. so when i got to the top of the hill and saw the price per gallon, i was very excited. it just annoys me. why was gas $4 all summer, but now its half that? i get the hurricanes messing up shit in the gulf so prices went up here, but its almost $1.50 less today than it was 3 weeks ago... i remember when gas was $1.50. it wasnt that long ago.

so, when i got my obama biden car magnet the other day, i put it on my gas tank. hoping to see $1.50 gas again in the next 4 years

redesign?

im thinking about redesigning my blog... im learning a lot about it, so i might use this to experiment. expect a little more action in the coming days.

oh, and i had an interview for that job i was hoping for but never got this summer. ive had about a million interviews at other places over the last week or so, and just dear john calls...

wish me luck.

im alive, i promise

im alive. dont worry.

the last few weeks have been pretty hectic. i dont believe i even saw my bed before 1 am.

but, at least we were successful in all of the laboring!

over the next few weeks, i hope to keep an updated review of the presidential race, and a little about my life. there has been plenty of good material, but the time for that has come and gone.

glad im here. but it was a little fun there, too

i finally made it home. about two weeks ago...

no work... its about time. ive gotten to see some friends, and have yet to catch up with a few more, but oh, its so sweet to be back.

school starts in like 3 weeks, and i do not want to go. not knowing when graduation will get here is such a non-motivator... 

vacation

my moose and i got to sneak in a little vacation last week. we flew (direct) to newark, nj ("nastiest city on the face of the planet," --stepher) and took a little shuttle into the city.

now, ive never been to NYC, and the only time i ever see "real city" is when im downtown at home, like to catch a game at the local pro sports arena, or like that time we went to st louis for the first "family vacation" and got that promise to one day see real skyscrapers in NYC... needless to say, that was 10 years ago, and this is the first time ive been.

we walked through central park, saw some real shopping on 5th ave., climbed (from floor 80- floor 86) to the top of the empire state building. saw time square ("you should see it at night," --everyone), rockefeller center, NBC studios (brian williams= LOML). you know, the typical tourist day in manhattan. and took in a little baseball at ye ol' yankee stadium.

the trip back (also from newark) was by far one of the worst days of my life. 7 hours in the grossest airport in the world, and ive been to eastern europe... who ever thought that putting all the food and shops outside security does not like his job, or other people for that matter. there were these two nasty looking (and tasting) "restaurants" and one souvenir/book "shop".

if i had $300 more, we could have been waiting in JFK with computer-related luggage-checking issues for our carry on size vacation... i guess the trade off isnt really noticeable until you are right up on it.

so, after a chipotle chicken sandwich (haha) we waited like 4 more hours before we were actually in the air. that includes the additional hour on the tarmac. american airlines did not give me a free voucher, or meal ticket, or even a complimentary cocktail on this flight. ooh, they owe me... they just dont know it yet. (the letter is still in the pre-drafting stages...)

on the other hand...

so, my sister is a fan of a local university sports program, and there is a mall store that has started carrying merchandise for this, and other, major universities with powerhouse sports. i go to the local store (and this team is only in stores, otherwise she would be ordering it online) and i dig through their entire stock only to find they have every size but the on i need. in both colors... annoying. i gave her the number and told her to call herself and put them on hold, but ill still pick them up... will she call? who knows... all i know is i got mine in a different team, and thats all i care about.

like i said before, school starts in a few weeks. i swear, the fall semester is ridiculous. it should only count for half of what it does, that way its easier to make up the terrible 3.5 months of hell.

oh, and one of my friends is making the newsletter for a bunch of us who used to work together, but have mostly all parted ways for whatever reason. so last month was the first issue, and it went pretty well, with a few stragglers. but this month, its like everyone who was on board before suddenly jumped ship on the idea and totally blew her off. bitches, i told her, theyre all bitches.

the waiting game...

im still working a crap job. ugh. minimum wage is about to go up, so that means a "raise", but im about to go home (finally) and wont really be working at all under the new pay rate... what a bummer.

but, i get to go home finally! im so excited. my moose and i are getting to go see a game in yankee stadium the first weekend of august, it will be like a mini vacation for both of us. i wont really be working while im there, so plenty of free time, which im not sure i know what to do with anymore since i work all day and read at night... i've read 7 books this summer so far... i strongly recommend the glass castle by jeannette walls

im sure ill find something on the movie channels or the tivo.

though its been a while, theres not much to report... but, im trying to get a job at my apartment, and if i get it, i hope to start a recycling program there.

just trying to make it one day at a time, and survive...

waiting, waiting and we'll keep the change.

$90,000: what travelers through LAX airport have left at security over the last 3 years.

$600: whats left at JFK.

this is according to my most favored newsman, brian williams.

this just goes to show how careless and rushed people are. i know ive left stuff at security at LAX, but i remember to go back for it. over christmas break, i forgot my vest and scarf. 2 of my favorite things.

meanwhile, im waiting impatiently for my friends' baby to be born!

im alive, i promise

it has been three weeks since i have posted anything. i have been so busy with my new ventures that i havent even had the time to check my email regularly. they just stack up in my inbox waiting to be deleted. i have even neglected facebook, something i never saw coming.

just a few things:

i took a big step toward the future today. positive or negative result, it was an amazing opportunity to get at my stage in life, and school.

i have been stressed about finances, like most college kids in the summer, but i have a very special person in my life to make things go a little smoother. (ka-stamp)

the summer job is probably what is driving me the most bonkers. i just cant handle it right now. i really dont like it. at all. but if all goes well, i will, hopefully, not be required (by the bank) to sit behind that desk much longer.

i have accomplished a few things in my absence:

i finished 100 ways, i highly recommend it, i love that book!

i read the ap stylebook cover to cover, one of my friends told me to day that im a total dork for doing it.

i have made a significant dent -- like its hard -- in strunk and white's elements of style fourth edition. (get a new one moose... i will still love you if you keep your third edition though...)

i have put augusten burroughs' dry on hold for now as i am filling my brain with tips to be a better editor. but, as soon as i finish the elements, its back to the crazy life of the author of running with scissors! (i recommend the book and the movie.)

i have the first disk of sex and the city in my entertainment center as i write this, but in my book obsession, if thats what you would call it, i have watched little to no TV. except for brian williams, mmm. haha.

i hope all is well with everyone.

and if there is one thing i can say of my time away, its this:

no matter how bad it is, something will come along and brighten your day.

you can quote me on that later if you want...

sex and the city

so, i went to see sex and the city (the movie) with some sisters tonight. it was really good, i really enjoyed it! ive actually never watched the show, but i kind of feel like it didnt matter.

but dont worry, i added the complete series to my amazon wish list!!

now hiring, inquire within

so, day off=applying for jobs.

all day, ive watched movies and tv in my pjs and applied for jobs online. it is so easy to be productive and lazy at the same time.

a little after 7:30 this morning, i woke up to the sound of super loud thunder. i fell back asleep and slept in until noon. it was so good. i didnt even want to open my eyes i was sleeping so well.

i saw on the news that china is letting couples have a second child if their first was killed or disabled in the earthquakes. im glad they are finally making some smart decisions.

i want to patrol the borders

im watching the evening news (the 10:00 broadcast) and i remember why i stopped watching local news... the border patrol is in nashville recruiting... and this girl said she didnt realize there was a 55 day training period. she said she didnt want to be away from her family for that long... that begs the question, what will she do when she hits the border? i dont think she can commute from nashville to the mexico/U.S. border...

the mariners are the worst team in baseball right now. and if not, they are the worst in the american league... ugh, its so frustrating. it was just 7 years ago they won 116 games. they have barely won 16 this season. the rangers and royals are doing better right now, imagine that!

gas is $3.77 here. two weeks ago, i filled up for $3.57, and just over two weeks before that, $3.19... i just cant wait until it hits $5 later this summer. it was just 10 years ago when a gallon was under $1, remember? in saudi arabia, it is $.45... but in the netherlands, its $10+. its disgusting. im glad i have a honda, but i wish it were a hybrid or i had a bike i could ride to work. i just cant stand it.

im so excited for minimum wage to go up $.70 this summer, oh, it will make my life so much easier. ha, not. i can barely even afford beer, what am i supposed to do this summer when i cant afford to go out anymore because i cant afford the gas, much less the food.

have i mentioned the pool at the apartment? and that it should be done by the end of june? and that they havent been out there in 3 weeks? im so excited to be paying to have a huge hole in the ground with nothing in it, much less the water to swim in.

i was hoping to visit my sister and her family this weekend, but again, wages and gas, well, need i say more?

some good news, maybe not for you: american is charging for checked bags. starting next month, $15 for the first bag (one way) and $25 for the second (again one way). but, its still free for me, and anyone traveling on my itinerary.

happy flying.

another episode? i didnt think so either...

im listening to the he score, he shoot podcast. the second one. apparently i have to step up my game on this web-log. (ill just say that i love hearing all of the stories that ive heard a million times, but this time, they are online.)

but i must take a break to talk about something a little more interesting... so, im reading this book called 100 ways america is screwing up the world and ill say, not one have i really disagreed with yet (but im not gonna lie and say i completely understand all of the jargon associated with some of it). in the top 10 is wal-mart, global warming, oil, agribusiness,tv, vietnam, to name a few. i knew stuff like this could make me mad, but wow, im impressed at what a good job john tirman is doing here.

another thing, you know when you put in the time and energy and you really work hard and you feel like you deserve that promotion, or open position at work, but they give it to that girl you dont like who wasnt even qualified for the last job they gave her... like i said to one of my good friends today, i feel like loyalty and time spent means nothing anymore. i was so mad earlier, the only thing i could compare to how i felt was being stabbed in the back. but, the good thing, i suppose, is that im being "recommended" for an assistant position. and not the cool well paid executive assistant part either.

i just want to move home and send my resumes to all of those lame jobs that i know i could do better than and just sit behind a big desk beyond big, fancy, glass doors and play receptionist. at least ill get a pay check that i might be able to pay some of my bills with. who knows, as long as its not for wal-mart, perhaps even some benefits.

thanks greener for linking me to he score, he shoot. maybe someone will read me now.

and ps. no, she wont listen to your podcast until i send it to her...

and i almost forgot, there were some dumb people at a school board in tennessee who openly broke sunshine laws... on the news! try to get out of that one.

you call that entertaining?

my boyfriend (some of you out there may know him as his alter ego: moose) and his friends have a hockey blog. so, he and one of the guys (greener) decided they wanted to start podcasting. haha. the f-word flowed from greener's mouth like water from a well. any other day, id say clean it up, but hey, like they said, its what they do all the time, and that just wouldnt be them...

so far, work is ok. the pool opened last monday, but its supposed to rain for the next week, and the new pool at the apartment wont be done until the end of june... then why even plan for it to exist this summer? ugh.

life around here is pretty plain. a baseball game here, and a trip to the market there.

im tired of everyone saying big brown this and big brown that. some of my friends and i are hoping he wins in 3 weeks so the next few years are free of coulda, woulda, shouldas. either way, congratulations to the connections.

i hope the weather will clear up more this week so i can enjoy the pool...

a long, tumultuous journey

this last month has been pretty suck.

i realized im dead broke. and that i have to spend the summer not at home.

finals week kicked my ass, but in hindsight, maybe if i had done any of my work during the semester... yeah. ill get on that for next year. ha!

my little brother got married and i couldnt go.

i forgot to do the important things like meet deadlines. there goes that procrastinating again...

a few good things: one of my very good friends came in from New York to visit. the semester is finally over! and, well, they are finally digging the pool at my apartments (and the one on campus is open next week). i got to see some other good friends this weekend. and a ton of my bitches graduated friday.

im attempting a new venture in the morning, no details will be released until a decision is made... aka: ill let you know more later...

oh, and im getting a new roommate in the fall! i love her and she is the best. i just hope i dont corrupt her in my evil ways. haha!!

i reached the first milestone on the beer tour: i got a deck of cards. needless to say, it was well worth it!

the summer is upon us, i guess it officially started wednesday night for me though.

i hope to be more regular in my posting as i wont have school to "distract" me. ha! school... distract me... haha!

and to eight belles and all of the wonderful, beautiful animals who we lose after a big win, may you rest in peace and come back to us in another life.

shady-pi

friends come and go, but sisters are forever... i am really feeling that one right now...

oh, and boys worry me. especially one in particular. (thanks for being so understanding... you can still send me flowers though...)

i went out the other night to world beer tour and i had lots of fun. one of my neighbors ended up leaving with two italian guys' numbers. then she has to pay 25 cents to send and 15 to receive their texts... haha..

and, i havent watched any baseball all season so far. depressing. maybe that would help my quality of life. too bad i work every night or have class or another obligation... but at least half of the games start at like 9 my time...

oh, the invitations git rave reviews. yeah!

ps. im over you.

i love my job!

can i just say that im so glad i have the ability to do design and stuff? it is so much fun to be able to show my skills even though im not working for the paper this semester.

it just makes me happy, and i get to have my ideas at the forefront because im the one who is making them! i love it because no one is submitting and sending ugly and crappy invitations and fliers and stuff.

i got a reply about that magazine article. even though i was a day late sending the pictures, the editor was glad that i worked with my situation even though my situation (the weather) wasnt working for me.

anyway. im just excited.

ugh! im over it...

my brain is gone! i had to do about 60 pages of paperwork for my organization that was due yesterday. it took me about 4 straight days, but i finally got it finished. i got to the point where i started having dreams about it! then, yesterday i started losing my mind! haha.

i left my purse at work...

my e-mail wouldnt send... then i was up all night trying to get it to work...

my phone woke me up this morning, but it was more welcome than the alarm that went off about 2 minutes later...

the smoke alarms in my apartment are going out, so they are starting to beep randomly. ugh, its annoying.

i was in a bad mood and mean to my boyfriend last night...

but i will say, i was laughing, then i took a drink, and started laughing again... newcastle almost came out my nose! ooh, it burned...

the good thing is that my university inaugurated its new president so classes were canceled this morning. so, i did get to sleep in a little... until the phone rang...

i did get to climb the other day. it was a really good time. my friends took some pictures to send to a magazine im going to be in this summer. yeah!

tonight my intramural softball team has a double header! we are 2-0 right now, undefeated! unlike my favorite MLB team... 1-1...

its been a pretty hectic last week or so. i hope i can get some real relaxing time pretty soon...

Jess is a Mess

im jess. everyone, coincidently, calls me a mess. i guess im just that goofy that everyone thinks of me the same way. and its convenient that its a lot like my name, jess...

im not that much of a mess though. im a pretty neat person, i like to keep a clean house and all. but i guess my life could be a little less messy. i mean, im not into illicit activities or anything, i just like to procrastinate and, well, put forth as little effort as i can get away with a lot of the time. well, that is when i dont really want to.

like school. im over school. im pretty sure that mindset has been in place since the fourth grade when i didnt want to do my spelling homework on days i had my gifted class. if i ever had to go back to my regular class and the teacher asked where it was, i always said it was in the other class. she knew i was full of shit.

and work. i love my job. but i also love sitting on my ass. i work at a rock climbing wall. my boss says we are really there to supervise, not necessarily do anything, and im gonna go ahead and go with that one. i love to just sit there and watch people climb and be fools. dont get me wrong, i like climbing too, im just not always in the mood.

as for my extracurriculars. well, i do most of what im supposed to on that front. i have a huge stack of paperwork due tuesday, and its pretty much done. i just have to finish it... like i said, pretty much...

oh well. im sure there are plenty of other constructive things i could be doing other than creating a new blog, but ive been planning on doing this for a little while now. see, always procrastinating...