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July 9th, 2009
07:18 pm - Presidential lulz via ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gynocide
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04:25 pm - Good afternoon
Good thing I save my work frequently. An adjacent coworker pulled a plus to what he thought was his computer, but was actually mine. Don't ask why it was wired that way because I don't know.
I walked to work today, and would have walked to work all this week if not for various circumstances. Monday I just got out late, but Tuesday I had to come to the U District early due to my 4 pm interview and then Wednesday I had to jam to Rainier Valley for a follow-up at 9 am. I slept in today, waking up without the alarm at 9 am. I still cooked and ate breakfast, then got out around 11:45 and walked all 3.7 miles. I felt like a slug walking downhill but warmed up and got up to speed a little more than halfway there.
I have to go Downtown to honor an appointment, even though I now have another job lined up. I thought of canceling but I've already canceled on them once long ago and am sure if I do it again, they'll never bother with me again which would hurt if I wanted to work for them down the road.
It could fit my new schedule if they only want weekends and a night per week, plus if my new job is good about posting and honoring a work schedule in advance. However, jury's out on whether or not they'll be keen on bringing me in. I'm not worried either way: I'll just go in and give it a good shot.
Despite my general misgivings, I had considered dropping into Slog Happy this month. But with the appointment today and given I have yet to actually start that 2nd serious income stream, looks like I'll have to pass again, even if it was possible I could get there before dispersal. That said, if those hipsters would do one in Queen Anne I'd have little reason to avoid it ;P
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11:18 am - Also
One reason I try not to read Slog too often is because reading the posts and comments destroys my faith in the human race. No wonder all those Publicola writers defected.
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11:03 am - Another robbery on Capitol Hill near Volunteer Park
10th Ave E and Highland. Dude slashed her with a knife, grabbed her purse and ran off. It might even be the same guy that robbed that chick on 15th East last week.
Someone asked early in that thread why copters bother to fly around a crime scene. No one made any effort to answer the question, which is that they can search large areas and send cops to close in on an area once they find the criminal. Plus, they have to make every effort to find him if he's armed and loose. I won't say it's effective: Criminals typically have the sense to change clothes, lay low or even hide if necessary so a copter's not going to find him unless he's on a rampage (and Volunteer Park's a good place to lay low, especially if the lazy ass SPD didn't bother to block off and scour the park and nearby graveyard). But it does have a concrete purpose, and sometimes they do catch the guy still on the run.
Of course, no one on Slog knows that because they're all ignorant silver spoon hipsters who grew up in low-crime neighborhoods.
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July 8th, 2009
07:36 pm - Bottled water is basically tap water
Congress has begun to catch on.
I drink distilled water at home since that's evaporated and reconstituted into a container. It's far more 'purified' by default than general in-store bottled water, itself drawn from a municipal tap somewhere else in the country.
Sometimes I'll get electrolyte water for an excursion because the electrolytes contained therein are of use. It's better than Gatorade, which contains a bunch of excess sugar that gunks up your system.
As for the recycling issue, I live in Seattle which mandates recycling and I recycle all my bottles so huzzah. The nation should just mandate paper, compost and plastics recycling: The public works that the nation would require to do it would create jobs, and the recycled material could help states generate much needed revenue, whether they operate recycling centers directly or subsidiary agencies handle that and generate tax revenue.
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01:39 pm - More thoughts
You know what would be crazy? If, now that I have this grocery gig, a bunch of those queries came through and suddenly I had a bunch of offers for daytime office positions. The thought came to mind as I saw my resume forward to another UW department for another part time position similar to what I'm doing at the non-profit right now. The hiring process for those roles right now is glacial, and it may be weeks before I hear back on any of these, but now I've got the leverage to wait them out since there's no longer an imminent need to cover a gap. I'm not going to cease looking now that I've got another gig... but now I can be patient and more selective about possible opportunities.
To be fair, if Supermercado gave me 5-6 hour shifts and was willing to let me work, say, 6 to 11 on weeknights, I'd probably take one of those daytime UW offers and work all three jobs. It'd be like my previous three-job scenario, except way better circumstances. Of course, if Supermercado tried to play hardball and refused to adjust my schedule, I'd probably quit. But that's an unlikely situation, a red button I don't want to press unless I must.
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12:52 pm - After a long morning, we are all go
I arrived at work about 20 minutes ago. This morning's meeting took longer than I would have liked, but it appears I now have a job ringing up groceries near my home to go with my job auditing employee files and applications near the University. I'll probably start paid training early next week. Not sure how many hours they'll give me, given a 40 hour ceiling, but given the paperwork listed me as part time, I'll figure 2-3 days a week, something like 12-18 hours for now, and maybe more here and there depending on demand and my usefulness. I'd welcome more than 12-18 hours, but for budgetary reasons I have to estimate low in case that's what I get.
I didn't cook breakfast, electing instead to stay in bed an extra few minutes, then showering, dressing and heading down the block to catch the bus Downtown, then a connecting bus to the lovely south side (90% fewer bullets fired during daytime hours!) to get to the main office by 9 am.
I had to take a basic skills test, which of course I easily passed. The HR manager did a check to make sure everything I needed was on file after much ado, then sent me on my way sometime around 10:40 am.
I sprinted with a 48 in my sights to get to a stop beyond the corner of MLK/Rainier... only to find I sprinted down the wrong street to the wrong stop. I forgot that he didn't go down MLK but down Rainier. In defeat, I walked down an adjacent arterial to catch the next 7 up the road. From there, I hopped off at 23rd/Rainier and waited about 5-10 minutes for the next 48.
I thought I'd get to the U District by 10-11 and have about 2-3 hours to kill, but I got there shortly before noon and, after a stop-in lunch at Burger Hut (remember, I didn't really have breakfast), I walked up the Ave and just decided to go into work right then.
On the plus side, since I wouldn't start until next week, I now know I can go to Friday's game, which is Mariners Commercial DVD Night... one of the few giveaways I've actually looked forward to.
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07:26 am - Good morning
The FDA wants to cut down on acetaminophen content in OTC medication. They also want to eliminate acetaminophen-hydrocodone combo drugs, percocet and vicodin.
Personally, I never bothered with acetaminophen, which never really worked for me when I needed pain relief... and comes with side effects galore to boot.
I'm sure various people plan to throw a tizzy about this and other drugs scaling back and/or coming off the market, however. Like this. YMMV on the validity of the arguments.
******
This is way too early for me to get up :P Seriously, though, I'm not cooking breakfast, and will probably get by on a protein bar, 5 Hour Energy and whatever I scrounge up at Trader Joe's during the lunch hour.
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July 7th, 2009
11:11 pm - I am home
I am home after going to the game with butimaniceguy. The game sucked as the Mariners bullpen got wrecked, but it was cool to catch up and talk baseball and stuff with DC.
This was a long day. I'm liking the ORCA system so far. I loaded $20 on the pass, set it to Autoload if it runs out, and now I can catch buses without worrying about cash fare. I hopped a 10 am bus Downtown and connected to the 70 series in short order.
I worked early today and my work team was happy to hear that I finally completed my end of auditing the active employee files. They anticipated that part of the project taking a couple weeks, so for me to finish up in a week and two days was music to their ears. I'm developing better than average relations with the office despite still being a clear fish out of water, so good news all around.
I had an interview today with a supermarket chain. I applied late last week and was surprised to get called back late Monday for an interview at 4 pm today.
My biggest snag was the 48 getting hung up and coming in late after I left work at 3 pm. I had a 4 pm appointment, but with the 48s northbound backed up into clumps and my bus having yet to arrive, I got ahead and called the destination office to let them know I might run late. The next 48 arrived a bit after, but I was glad I called because I hopped off at what I thought was the destination block, only to find no supermarket. I checked my VM as I started walking southbound, only to discover I had misremembered the address number and I was actually several blocks north. D'OH.
I was already a bit late and I had to piss pretty bad. It took several blocks to pass a coffee joint, whose restrooms are generally accessible. I went in and ordered an espresso from a nice counter lady, and it cost me less than a buck. I used the restroom, quickly downed my shot and walked back out. Thankfully, I only walked a couple more blocks before I reached the supermarket.
I found the office in short order and before long I went in for a quick and basic interview. I got your typical critical-thought interview questions, so of course I had quick, succinct answers. I'm actually alarmed at how quickly and easily I answered questions like, "Tell us about a time you dealt with a difficult customer and how you handled the situation?" I mean, I answered it as quickly as if the question was, "How would you like your eggs cooked?" I think I've done too many interviews ;P Seriously, though, I've clearly got some sort of cred if I can answer such a question so quickly and clearly, let alone 10-15 of them all in a row, all in seconds, all in bang bang to the point fashion.
Before long, I was filling out entry paperwork, tax stuff and required forms. They took a drug swab (I know some of you loathe them but I can pass them and don't care so I take them), and told me to come in for some numbers testing tomorrow. They would have tested today but the test takes 45 minutes and they were about to close up for the day, so I agreed to come back at 9 am tomorrow. I figured what the heck, plus it helps re-set my sleep schedule to a morning schedule, which I'll need once I'm working a 2nd job. Yes, waking up this morning sucked (I'm still trying to readjust and even 8:30 am is real tough for me right now), but I have to do it. Plus I'll have dead time after 10 am and I can use the 2-3 hours between there and work to get caught up on some stuff.
The best part is that, of all the places they could have slotted me, they opted to put me at a Queen Anne store close to home. So getting home or getting there on a weekend will be very easy.
There is some retail attire rigmarole: I can only wear my best black slacks (I have 2-3 that fit the bill), I'll need to invest in some white dress shirts (probably 2-3 to start if I'm only working part time) because to my knowledge I don't have any (they're too easy to stain), and I'll have to stay clean shaven full time. The latter I don't care about, believe it or not: I've always kept my goatee out of habit more than anything else. Thankfully I have a black tie, other black ties are cheap and easy to get, and I just bought a new pair of black dress shoes so I'm set with those.
They'll probably start me early next week, from vague indications I received. Granted, any number of technicalities could come out of nowhere and sink this, but it's looking like I finally found my 2nd job. And the potential for good hours is there, enough to let me catch up on the debt that I spent the past couple months accruing, let alone remain on schedule to pay down my other debt.
I departed shortly after 5 pm and caught the next 7 up to the International District, which was closer than I thought, before stopping at Herfy's for a pregame meal and walking down to the stadium for the game.
Long day tomorrow, starting with an early rise and a trip back to the south side, before taking a trip north for work. Thankfully, it appears the day will conclude on time and I can spend tomorrow night chilling out. But you never know these days ;P
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09:08 am - I'm up (or was up half an hour ago)
If I had a choice between the tail end of hung over and the feeling of waking up too early... suddenly being hung over doesn't seem so bad :P
I could have stayed in bed until now but decided to try and walk in. Let's see if that gets the blood flowing before what will be a long day. I've taken to bringing a spare t-shirt and carrying it separately with my dress shirt. I let the sweat soak up my t-shirt while walking, and then change at work. That's worked out.
I'm going to the Mariners game tonight as well as going to the interview at 4. Like I said, this looks to be a long day.
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July 6th, 2009
11:30 pm - I didn't feel right but now I feel better
A day of work and cooking a meal at home while watching Jarrod Washburn's surprising one hitter against the Orioles did me good.
A sudden phone message later, I'm off to another job interview tomorrow. Seriously, I queried this company maybe two hours before the call came in, and that's how the solid leads have come. I either hear back quickly or don't hear back at all.
Thing is I have to leave home earlier tomorrow and get to work earlier so I can leave earlier and get to the interview by 4 pm. The interview's on the south end, but for a position at another location that would likely be close to home. More details should they flesh out, but if they don't you can just forget I said anything ;P Honestly, though, it could be serious hours, like 30-40, or part time, like 15-25, depending on where I'm slotted and what needs there are. It's beginner's work, but it's not fast food or cleaning toilets, and I'm willing to do it. Either way, it covers the current fiscal gap if we're all go.
More tomorrow. It's looking like a long day.
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06:39 pm - I am home and microwaving a shredded beef burrito
What say you, ladies and gentlemen? What's going on in your neck of the woods tonight?
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12:45 pm - Hooray, I come back to yet another UW crime alert!
On Thursday July 2, 2009, at 4:27 p.m., a lone employee at a coffee shop in the 5000 block of Brooklyn Ave NE was robbed at gunpoint. The suspects were two males in their 20s who fled westbound on foot on NE 52nd. A citizen followed the suspects and a short time later reported they were traveling westbound on N.E. Campus Parkway from N.E. Brooklyn.
Officers from the Seattle Police Department and the University of Washington Police Department responded to the area, but were unable to locate the suspects.
This incident was assigned Seattle Police incident #09-229032. If you have any information about this crime, please call the Seattle Police at 206.625.5011.
This notice is a follow-up to the UW text alert and outdoor alert sent out immediately after the incident occurred on 07/02/09.
My favorite part, as always:
In order to decrease the chances of becoming a victim of crime, you should:
- Walk with friends, especially late at night or early morning hours
- Be aware of your environment and alert for possible danger.
- Remove yourself from potentially dangerous situations as soon as possible.
- Call 911 to report suspicious activity or persons to the police.
However, if you're working behind a counter, you're just fucked because your law enforcement professionals are impotent enforcers. Sorry.
It's in that 'North of 45th, off the beaten path' danger zone, though, so I'm not too surprised.
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July 5th, 2009
11:09 pm - The internet moves fast
The WoW Freakout video has now become a meme:
And that original Freakout video is either fake or documenting a sociopath because there's been sequels, including this.
EDIT: OMG bahahahahaha:
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09:59 pm - The future is gonna cost more money
An actual sales call between a US customer and a Panamanian salesman who apparently cannot handle simple rejection... with pictorial dramatizations!
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09:23 pm - Home home on the range
So yeah, this is a day that needs to END! END! Physically, I feel better than I did this morning, though that's not saying much. I just rose from a short nap, and don't feel much the better for it. I did recover enough energy this afternoon to walk back up the drag, get some tea, stop at Trader Joe's for some peanut butter and walk back home, where I cooked and ate a quick dinner.
I could have done a better job of hydrating today (I downed a 33 oz bottle of water I got at 5 am while making change for the bus, but otherwise that's about it), so perhaps I can work on that for the next hour or so, then take an early bedtime and hopefully awake on Monday morning refreshed and ready to go. One plus from this weekend's adventure is that it will incidentally knock me back onto an early sleep schedule, which will help if/when I get myself another daytime position and need to get to work by 8-9 am.
I don't hate drinking, but I hate punting the day after. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way. Good thing I had no real plans for today: The jack and crap I got done today is about what I expected out of this Sunday pre-party, so call it a wash.
A friend named Newt test drove that drug Chaser for an article in a Vegas weekly years ago (obviously while I was still in Vegas, so I'd say 5-6 years ago), and he said it didn't work at all. And he didn't exactly have a massive amount of beer that night, probably 4-5 okay-ish beers, not enough to destroy you but enough to really feel it in the morning. Otherwise I'd test drive it myself. Really, the short answer is to just hydrate while you drink. While I did do that during my first stiff drink, I stopped abruptly.
The M's game took place early today and they got plowed in the late innings so no need to watch that. I'll probably catch up on minor league writing tomorrow and Tuesday night.
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04:00 pm - Live from ¡EL DIABLO!
I had a shredded beef burrito from the freezer, and managed to walk to the main drag in one piece. Irish Breakfast tea to follow down the hatch shortly.
I'm seriously considering taking a week off from covering the minors. Granted, I kind of did that by proxy on a couple occasions, and played catch up later, but being a little wiped, I'm considering seriously not bothering at all for a full week. Of course, that could be the hangover talking and I may jump back in head first by tomorrow.
Nights out are all about lost days the next day and this day appears lost. I'll be over here losing today if you need me :P
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02:21 pm - Okay
Today I've eaten a protein bar and an apple. I think it's time to eat something more substantial.
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10:27 am - Attempt #2 to face the world post-party
I always directly associated hangovers with headaches so I always figured that the crappy, life-hating lethargy I got the night after drinking was not a hangover because it wasn't accompanied by a headache and puke-inducing nausea. Well, I decided to look it up for a change, and it turns out it's all those shitty feelings you get the night after a lot of drinking.
- Dehydration
- Sensitivity to light/noise
- Lethargy
- Dysphoria: Sadness, anxiety and associated emotions
- Lingering bowel issues
- Difficulty concentrating
- Repulsion to the smell and taste of alcohol
So... yeah, guess I HAVE been hung over a fair share of times :P And this morning is no exception. I'm not tired enough to go back to sleep once I wake up, but I obviously don't have the energy to do much of anything once I drag myself out of bed.
( On getting drunk, things breaking and 5 am trips home. )
I know everyone wakes up the night after heavy drinking and says, "I'm never drinking again," and then they're back at it after a short while. But holy mackerel an experience like this shows me why I avoid drinking nowadays, and leaves me in no hurry to reprise the experience.
Funny thing is JC invited myself and a couple others over for beers this afternoon. I'm in no mood to do anything today other than eat comfort food, drink water and generally not face the world. If I go, I'm certainly not drinking... unless it's water. Incidentally, turns out JC had to cancel so that worked out.
Okay, I think I can face the world now. And don't get the idea that I didn't have fun, because until I started feeling ill, I quite was.
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06:37 am - I just got home
I crashed at Giffy's place until about 5 am and snuck off. I didn't sleep much, I remember puking at least once, I downed about 66 oz of water which didn't quite help, and right now I'm hydrating and not feeling too well. I will say it was fun, and then the slate kind of went blank for a couple hours. I drank quite a bit but didn't set any sort of record... I think I just drank too much too fast and it hit me hard. Next time I think I'm just going to nurse a light beer... I think Alex had the right idea :P
Off to bed soon. I appreciate Giffy hosting another blowout bash, even if I wasn't exactly as present as last year. Much more later.
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July 4th, 2009
02:43 pm - So... good thing I balked at that parking lot cashier job
This happened about a couple blocks away
Just before 1 a.m. this morning, police received a report of a shooting near 1st and James Street. At the scene, officers found a man in his twenties lying on the ground, bleeding from a head wound.
Police initially believed the man had been shot, but witnesses said the man had been in an altercation and had in fact been pistol-whipped by two other men. He was treated at the scene and transported to Harborview.
And this happened along what would have been my route home:
An hour later, in an unrelated incident, a patrol officer pulled over a driver near 1st Avenue and Lenora Street who, police say, was driving recklessly.
The officer pulled in behind the driver in a parking lot and boxed the car in. As the officer approached the car, police say the driver tried to flee, ramming the officer's patrol car. The officer attempted to pull the driver out of his vehicle but, police say, the driver threw the car into reverse and dragged the officer about 50 feet before hitting a parked car.
I mean... keep in mind, outsiders, this area (Belltown/Downtown/Pioneer Square) is usually safe during daylight hours, and even during evening hours when much of the world is still out and about. It's when midnight passes, most of the town goes to sleep and drunks start stumbling out of bars that these parts of town get shitty. However, I guess that's par for the course wherever you go :P
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01:39 pm - Here's an interesting student loan development
The Income Based Repayment plan (IBR). Unlike the Income Contingent Repayment plan, where your lender simply bases your payment amount on your income and your interest compounds accordingly... IBR is a more forgiving the lower your income, and takes into account whether or not you have dependents. Some may even get away with paying nothing... but the kicker is that after 25 years of timely payments... your remaining debt is completely forgiven.
Jury's out on the fine print. I've reduced my payment on a graduated plan to about $160, and it may come out about even if I qualify for IBR. I'm in a sticky position as, being a temp, there are times where I make great money and times where I make literally nothing, so it comes down to how the Feds would determine my income level. It could help me greatly or not help me at all.
I'll look into it later. It's a holiday and I'm heading out in a few hours for BBQ madness. But for anyone else sitting on a mountain of debt and a relatively menial job to repay it with, this may be your ticket.
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10:44 am - This is probably more common that we want to think
AZ Mom Led Sons on Crime Spree
Cynthia Mary Roberson is an unemployed mother who police say led her 12- and 14-year-old sons and their friends to commit at least 20 armed robberies and assaults, including the beating of a teenage boy who had nothing more than an orange lollipop.
Her motivation was purely financial — police said she needed money to pay rent and the loan on her gold Chevrolet. In every case, the mother drove the getaway car and once coached a kid during a robbery because he was having trouble stealing a cell phone from a victim, police said.
For one, it's not unprecedented by any means. The most famous example of this came during organized crime's hey day of the early 20th century, when Ma Barker worked with her four sons and as many as fifteen young men in all to rob people, stores and banks and eventually moved up convoluted hostage and ransom situations with rich people for money. So the precedent was there to indicate that had Roberson and her kids not gotten rung up, this not only would have continued but would have gotten much worse.
Secondly, this is a rare case of a family-run crime ring getting caught... but the ring of young thug criminals run by an elder statesperson has to be far more common than the context of this article implies. Certainly most gangs are run in this fashion, and I would not be surprised if thieves in many major cities, especially Seattle (many Seattle robberies tend to follow familiar patterns in familiar locations), were in fact working under a syndicate run by an elder leader who pocketed as much as he/she could and sold off any acquired goods. And the latter is easier than you think thanks to eBay, Craig's List and pawn shops. No one can trace anything.
So huzzah for ringing up a ringleader of troublemakers in Phoenix, one who clearly was taking advantage of the kids and using their criminal prowess to pay the bills. What a winner.
I don't think she's the only one. In fact, I'll go as far as to say there's probably a few like her living somewhere in the South end, sending kids to richer Seattle to fuck some kids up, pop a few cars and bring home some rent money.
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12:50 am - On today
I had no caffeine, no coffee, no tea, for the first time in a while. I didn't get a headache until I had a Hefeweizen I had bought with my groceries at Trader Joe's tonight.
For $35 I got a bunch of stuff, some beef burritos (the vegetarian burritos fulfilled me but aren't too palatable), a bunch of protein bars for work next week, CRUMPETS, frozen Coho salmon fillets, sliced mushrooms and granola. I also got a frozen pizza because why not. Maybe it was the pizza, the 90 degree heat, walking in said 90 degree heat with my golf clubs, and the beer in combination with the caffeine loss that brought on the headache.
All it means is that I should get to bed soon and continue to catch up on sleep. I slept a good 7-8 hours last night, took a midday nap today, and will probably get a bunch of sleep tonight.
Probably partytiming tomorrow.
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July 3rd, 2009
10:03 pm - Get Low
"Get Low" by Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz is one of the few songs whose clean version is actually better than the actual album track.
And it's amazing in hindsight that they got away with SKEET SKEET SKEET SKEET SKEET on the radio everyday given what it means. At the time it came out, I temped at a health insurance office in Summerlin where everyone in the dept was black, and they blasted the hip hop station every day.
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06:29 pm - Also
I fell asleep for two hours. It felt rather warm, and I wondered if maybe I had overexerted myself somehow.
Or maybe it was just damned hot today. The current temp is 87 degrees. Welcome back, Seattle heat wave!
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06:21 pm - I stumbled upon the Wikipedia entry for The Jim Rome Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jim_Rome_Show
Rome has stated on numerous occasions (especially when announcing new affiliate stations) that it can be difficult for new listeners to enjoy the show, as there is a steep learning curve before they can fully understand the format, content, and vernacular. He has also compared acquiring a taste for the show to acquiring a taste for beer, and recommends to new listeners: "Give it two weeks. If you still don't like it, give it two more weeks."
As a former listener, I can attest he also recommends that new listeners not call in during this grace period, to get used to the show and what's expected before they attempt to try.
That sounds awfully familiar, funny given a lot of LL members preach an active hatred for Jim Rome... without realizing that the writers nowadays are an awful lot like him.
To their credit, Rome's show is more commercialized and connected, but is as strong and popular as always. So precedent indicates the future is bright... as much as 210,000 visits a month do.
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02:12 pm - I am home
I am beat.
I did a horrible job with my clubs today. I didn't feel at all right.
But for now, I'm going to relax, cook and eat brown rice, and maybe go for tea or something later. I went straight to the course, no caffeine. That might not have been the best choice.
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10:48 am - Good morning
I'm going to go get tea and swing the clubs. More later.
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July 2nd, 2009
10:02 pm - The 4th of July
I've never been a big BBQ and Fireworks On The 4th of July guy, though I'm always up for an excuse to go to a BBQ, and seeing people react to fireworks is in itself a novelty. I'm not opposed to it... it's just not something I circle on my calendar... though then again there isn't much I circle on my calendar. I try to live in the present with what I've got a little more than most.
Some years my father brought some fireworks home and we'd play around with them. But most years we just stayed in and didn't do much. I didn't think much of it either way. Maybe that formed my perspective on the 4th... just as a childhood of watching fireworks and big family/friend BBQs formed yours.
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09:16 pm - A contrast in robbery attempts, and a contrast in perspectives
Submitted without further comment:
1. 24 year old Ashley Wolff was walking along 15th Ave E in Capitol Hill near Volunteer Park when a black man asked her for money. She declined, he asked for her iPod, she obviously declined, and he pulled out a gun. She ran, he caught up and tackled her, then took her iPod and ran off.
Look, people, if someone points a gun at you and demands you give them your iPod, just do it. No, it doesn't feel good, and it lets them "win" or something, but fucking around with a scared, desperate asshole with a handgun can get you killed really easily.
2. A would-be robber in Oxford wielding a knife broke into 72 year old Frank Corti's home and the robber got KO'd.
After sentencing, Mr Corti said: 'I was scared when he first drew the knife but most people would have acted in the same way. If you can't defend what's yours, where are we at?'
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08:04 pm - Whether or not I can wait for the weekend to begin, it's here, so....
Tonight I watched the Mariners game on TV, had an apple and went up to the park to swing the woods. Clearly I had big plans for the evening ;P
My plans for tomorrow morning are to carry my 1, 3, 5 wood and 3 iron to the range for some extended long club work, to get the hang of those clubs... which in turn will help swinging the shorter irons seem easier. Two tips for honing your swing that I found: 1) Give the ball a clock alignment, with 12 o'clock being the point on the ball away from your club, point at your target, and 6 o'clock being the point where you want to strike the ball. Aim for 7 o'clock, rather than 6 o'clock, and it tends to keep your swing level and leads you to hit the ball square. 2) Take a club cover and lay it just outside the ball. You will instinctively try to avoid the cover and, thus, keep your swing leveled and on the ball. Worth a thought tomorrow if I find I struggle, but those concepts helped me quickly find a knack for swinging the woods in the park tonight.
For a 10 am interview this morning, I woke up at 8 am to the alarm, too early for comfort and I didn't eat breakfast as a result (I felt nauseous from getting up so early) but I managed and I made up with protein bars during the 12:00 and 2:00 hour. We'll see what the interview bears next week: They informed me that follow ups will come around next Friday. I'll continue applying in the meantime.
Tentative plans for party time Saturday but we'll see.
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July 1st, 2009
08:13 pm - Good evening
There was a job posting for a retail job in Ballard, and on a whim I caught a commuter bus up there instead of heading home after work. But the guy at the counter didn't seem keen, and he took my resume and practically shooed me away. He wasn't unpleasant but not keen. "We'll call you," but I won't hold my breath. It happens, and stranger things have happened.
I walked through Ballard and, feeling inordinately hungry, decided to splurge for a meal at Taco Time, probably one of the few fast food chains whose food actually satisfies me without making me feel physically terrible. I got a soft burrito and some of their tater tots.
I decided to get crazy and walk all the way home via the Ballard Bridge. I walked down the hip Ballard drag to 15th Ave NW and the Ballard Bridge. I got halfway across when I realized I needed to buy shoes tonight! I have that bank interview tomorrow morning and I've been leaving my current dress shoes at work because they're so worn down that I don't want to commute in them... but we have storage at work so I didn't want to keep them in my bag (plus crushed with all my other stuff inside the bag, they might get more damaged). They were looking beat up enough that, facing an interview, I realized it was time to get some new shoes. Since I'm obviously not rich, the plan was to get a stopgap pair at Payless Downtown.
But with the interview in the AM, I needed to get to Payless tonight. So I continued my walk, but I cut along the hill and down Bertona to Seattle Pacific University, getting my first good look at an attractive campus I had only passed before. Say what you want about Christian private colleges, but this one's way prettier than Seattle U. I caught the 13 Downtown, and got to Payless just minutes before they closed. Rushed, I scanned the shoes my size and surprisingly found a perfect pair, decent look, $25+tax, and 10.5 wide, my size on the dot. I tried them on and they feet fine and look great. I walked them over, paid, walked out, dodged a crazy bum that was stumbling all over the sidewalk (film at 11... seriously, I walked out the front door and he was like a pinball all over the place), crossed the street and hopped on the 26 home.
I am worn from all that walking in the heat today, but I have new shoes and an interview, plus as I rode the 13 in I caught sight of a local establishment on the main drag with the NOW HIRING sign so I may pay them a visit tomorrow night or this weekend, depending on the sched. If they want afternoon or weekend help, I may be able to help them depending on how this bank interview goes.
We'll see how tomorrow's interview goes. Some research tells me that the hourly pay is a few cents above $10, which is a bit of a bonus... and then there are little sales bonuses if the bank does well on that end. Either way, I'm just going to keep firing until I receive some good offers, and by good I mean:
- Fits my current schedule and doesn't overextend me
- Close to my other job, close to home
- Comfortable work environment, colleagues, clientele, line of work, scope of work (sounds like a lot but not really: All these items tend to fit together)
Pay rate is irrelevant right now as long as I receive quality hours, either weekend hours that keep the door open for yet another gig, or 24+ hours that, in effect, cover the gap even if it's minimum wage.
Taco Time has kept me sated and I may opt to skip dinner. I have apples in the fridge, plus orange juice, plus soy milk. Did I mention I'm losing weight? I'm staying fed... but the stuff I'm feeding myself is leaner, and I'm getting better exercise lately.
And I just realized we get a three day weekend for the 4th. Sorry, my mind tends not to make those connections, and I'm industrious to the point where holidays make a blind spot for me. I may take the clubs out Friday, probably just the woods and the 3 iron because I really need to work on swinging the long clubs. I'll go Friday because I may meet friends on Saturday. We'll see!
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12:55 pm
Someone recently asked me if I was going to the Lookout Landing slash USSM event at Safeco Field. That's like asking if I'm gonna give $20 to a group of people who fucked me. I thought prostitution worked the other way around :P
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12:52 am - A note
As of today, I have lived in Seattle five years.
A lot has happened.
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June 30th, 2009
11:12 pm - Home front
Instead of boiling my asparagus, I've taken to baking it in the tin with my turkey or fish. It comes out with better flavor and retains its moisture so I think I'll do it that way from now on.
I try not to leave the window open unless I'm home, because open windows are how break-ins occur. And I don't leave the window open when I'm asleep. But every couple of days it gets warm enough in here that I have to open it and let some cool air in for a couple hours... like tonight.
I have interviews tomorrow and Thursday for part time positions I still have internal questions about taking. Both are low paying positions. Either one combined with my current job would pay the bills, though the net result would still be less than I previously made. I haven't discussed it publically but I'll spill some vague details for readers.
( Click for more information. For those I've discussed this with, you'll recognize most of this but there may be some new details. )
Part of me wants to take the plunge and do all three (my current job, which I'm keeping through December, and both possibilities) for the experience (and obviously the money). It would be about 64 hours, Thursday would be long, Fridays would really suck (even if I could negotiate Friday morning off), Saturdays might suck as well depending on the schedule, and I'd have Sunday to catch my breath. It seems like a neat idea during the day when I've had some tea... and it seems like a bad idea when I'm at home resting. And since the cashier job would hen me in a booth for 8 hours, I'd have to cut back on caffeine to avoid needing to piss. The non-tea sentiment seems to be the one I'd have more often.
I've been battling with the entire idea of these two positions for the last few days.
I'd rather it not have come to this. I'd have rather had my agency contacts come forward with a neat 20 hour office position or a 3-11 swing shift job of some sort... or have discovered such a position in my job search.
But my contacts have come up dry, there's not much else biting out there and this is what's in my face. I'd rather not look a gift horse in the mouth.
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10:20 pm - Here's an interesting study on human growth patterns by nation
http://www.divinecaroline.com/24133/77695-which-countries-tallest-shortest-people-
Height-inducing health, however, is more complicated than a full belly and vaccinations. If it were, Americans, once the tallest in the world, would not be looking up to western Europeans. Despite advances in technology and health care, the average American man—5 foot 9.5 inches—is just an inch taller than the average soldier was during the Revolutionary War. Americans have not inched up since 1955.
I'm going to go out on a limb with a two word answer: Processed food.
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June 29th, 2009
11:30 pm - I can refute the entire premise of this Stranger article on LED lights in one sentence
Shut the drapes or blinds on your window.
Did the quality of that paper's editorial direction sink once half their staff defected to Publicola, or did half their staff defect BECAUSE the quality of the editorial direction had sunk? The editorial leaders are the common denominator, but I could see either scenario.
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10:06 pm - On today
I'm not trying to wean myself from the internet or anything, but I do notice that I spend a lot of time away from the computer nowadays. My usage waxes and wanes, and right now it's waning, probably soon to wax again.
I set my alarm this morning for 8:30 am to try and restore a normal sleep cycle, and woke with it. I set it for 8:30 because I headed to bed around 2 am and figured six hours sleep would suffice. I didn't feel too wrecked, mainly because I allowed myself to lay in bed for a bit once ESPN radio came on, compared to before where I had to throw myself from bed to maintain a tight schedule.
I cooked breakfast, checked up on things and job search items, then set out around 11 am and walked all 3.7 miles to work. I had hopped a 26 all last week because I kept leaving so late that walking wasn't going to get me to work on time. With up to two hours to kill, however, I had plenty of time and got there after about 80-90 minutes. I don't know if it was the breeze, the temp actually being cooler than the 85 degrees I sweated through two weeks ago, or carrying a lighter load, but I didn't sweat as much for most of the trip, only pooling up once I got close to work. Perhaps the rigorous golf walks built up my stamina to where a three mile walk with no cargo isn't a big deal.
I had a quiet day at work. My entire department went cross country for a conference and left me with the front end of a project, so I had a quiet, self-directed day of digging up and auditing files. There's a strange paradox to sealing yourself off from the world like this: Time seems to drag in the moment, but the hours also go by quickly enough that, before you realize it, you're halfway through the day and then it's time to get out. I made significant headway through a pain-in-the-arse portion of the system, and now it's smooth sailing through more standard files... well, smooth sailing in the 'mile 1 of a 500 mile drive down I-5' sense, as there's a lot more of them than the others. It's still going to take a while.
I caught the commuter bus home, took a long walkabout down the Hill before stopping at QFC and getting water/apples for the week, plus some intriguing vanilla coconut milk ice cream on discount that I tried once I got home. Good stuff! I encourage you to look for it at QFC and get some for yourself.
I took a nap for about 45 minutes, wrote a couple of impromptu treatises for MC on guys named Ryan Langerhans and Wladimir Balentien, and now need to finish up yet another long Farm Report. I also engaged some correspondence on the work front and I'll get to that as more develops, should it.
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June 28th, 2009
11:48 pm - Home home on the range
So I did ultimately head up to the main drag and drink some tea, and I ultimately waded through a crowded Trader Joe's to get groceries for the week. But I never did get around to swinging the clubs in the park... which is fine because my body could probably use a day's rest from the process, akin to a relief pitcher in baseball who pitches one day and takes a day off to recover the next.
In shopping, I realized all of a sudden that, if it wasn't for the turkey, pork or fish that I consume for dinner most nights... my diet would be entirely vegetarian. My breakfast (brown rice with mushrooms, crushed garlic and egg whites) has no meat. My lunch can vary but whether an energy bar or a vegetable burrito, neither of those items contain meat. I get home and maybe eat some pita bread, or fruit, or corn chips. But it's only when I cook dinner that I consume meat, and only about 4 oz at that: A fish fillet or turkey breast, with white rice and a vegetable (or two).
I have no intentions of becoming a vegetarian, and obviously if someone were to offer me a (free) hot lunch with meat I'd usually go for it without a second thought. But it's interesting to think that if I ever did want to make the move, I'm far closer to making the transition than I would have been a year or even six months ago. It would simply take an adjustment to dinner. A year ago, I'd have faced a complete dietary overhaul that I would have thought insurmountable.
On the job front: It's a glacial process to go this route, but I applied for a couple of U.S. government jobs whose qualifications I can fit. None of these would pan out before fall, it they panned out at all. My mother suggested this route for years, but I didn't quite have the credentials to compete, the application process was long and arduous anyway, and I never gave it more than rudimentary thought. Well, now with a part time job slated for the next several months, a growing wealth of applicable work experience, and no real hurry to sidle into a career... I decided to give it a go.
I may apply for a few others down the line, and we'll see if it leads anywhere. As government jobs do, getting any of the above would pay exceptionally well, with full benefits.
Seriously, it wouldn't take much of a salary to solve all my problems. Some people have stretched to the point where $40K can't pay the bills, but $40K would practically set me for life. Even $32K would make my life a lot more comfortable. I just don't stretch my money all that far, with restaurant meals and the occasional excursion being as far as I go. I've spent years making $23K-25K work. A lot of you don't realize how good you have it: If you don't like your job, say the word and we can trade jobs (and salaries) at any time ;P
But for now, the simple goal is to get another position to go with my current one that, combined with my current position, will pay the bills and allow me to cut into the growing debt I'm accumulating to continue eating while keeping my bills and rent paid. Clock's ticking. I have something I'm meeting for later this week that might lead to a P/T position, but it's not an attractive option and I'd rather find something that's a better fit.
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04:22 pm - Good afternoon
I can't believe I never thought to get a peanut butter and jelly bagel from Noah's. I was looking around the main drag for cheap options, which is typically like looking for a dollar store in Laurelhurst... but here was Noah's right under my nose. The bagel cost less than $3 total after tax. Granted, the jelly makes it a bit too sticky for comfort, but I wasn't at all disappointed with the experience.
I'll probably do a bit of research over tea, get some groceries at Trader Joe's and head home, probably swing the clubs a bit at the park before the sun goes down. I'm curious how I'll go about getting tired enough to get to bed before 1 am, given I woke up at 11 this morning, but I'll give it a go. No caffeine (of course) and no alcohol!
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01:27 pm - Ah
No I didn't just wake up. I woke up at 11 am after going to sleep at four freaking am. I just didn't get tired and ultimately I just had to shut everything off and force myself to bed, wheere I ultimately got to sleep. I just need to set the alarm for some inoffensive time on Monday, like 8 am, drag myself out of bed on short sleep and get back into a daytime schedule.
We all tend to become night owls once we don't have to get up in the morning. The human body actually operates on a 25-26 hour day, rather than the 24 hours it takes for the Earth to rotate once. What happens is that, every night we don't have to get up early the next day, many of us often get to bed a little later, a little later... and wake up a little later, a little later.
On one hand, it's our archaic, civilized fixed schedules that lead us to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. On the other hand, man used to go to bed with the sun going down and rise with the sunrise. Our advent of lighting and computer screens keeps us up longer than usual because we can maintain a source of sense-awakening light indefinitely.
So anyway, I had breakfast and will shower before heading out for tea soon, because why not. I've spent very little money this weekend, a positive development as I need to conserve resources until another job arises, and maybe after that if the 2nd job I ultimately acquire doesn't pay well. Also, I'll probably take the clubs to the park once the shade fills in and work on my swing some more.
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02:36 am - On trying to get my sleep schedule back on track
Clearly that's not happening in the short term :P Way too much to work on tonight.
Maybe I can make some headway tomorrow night and get up a bit earlier than 10 freaking AM on Monday. We'll see.
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June 27th, 2009
07:29 pm - I have returned bearing golf wank
Once again, I carried the whole bag with me, though this time I carried only the golf bag, leaving my backpack at home.
( Today's trip to the driving range went better than last weekend. )
This time I won't go back out to the range tomorrow. Ideally, I'd rather just make one trip a week. Last week's double dip was a product of having felt a bit incomplete about the experience last Saturday, but I'm fairly satisfied with this trip. (At least before I tired) I felt much more comfortable hitting the ball and hit a much better ball more consistently. I've finally got a swing I'm comfortable with, that's mostly mechanically sound.
I'll probably walk them up to the park tomorrow and work on my swing some more. I would have worked on my swing this week but between resting after the double dip last weekend, the two games I went to and the work I had to get done Thursday night, I had no chance to do so. I thought that would be a negative factor but the adjustments to my swing I made while practicing Friday ended up improving things far more. Ideally I'll practice my mechanics in the park 3-4 days a week and then go to the range on the weekend to test drive them on the range.
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03:46 pm - Okay
I have spent all afternoon doing a bit of job hunting and sent a couple queries. There is a job or two one of my agencies posted that would suit my schedule perfectly, but jury's out until I get a hold of somebody on Monday.
I'm going to go swing the clubs now. I'm sure the driving range's daytime rush has cleared up a bit by now.
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12:13 pm - Commuting between jobs
One thing I make sure to do when considering a part time daytime job opening is to find out where it's located and then use Google Maps to determine how long it would take to get from my current job to that place during the 12:00-1:00 hour, and vice versa. Google Maps does take into account time walking to and from the stops. If it takes longer than 45 minutes from doorstep to doorstep by bus, I can't consider it because I won't physically be able to get there, or the margin of error is simply too small to trust I'll get to point B on time every day. Lunch itself is not a big deal because I can just eat at my current job if I need every minute of that hour to commute.
That does narrow down the possibilities. Gone is anything that doesn't end before 12 noon or that starts before 1 pm, since I need to commit at least a four hour block to the other job. Splitting days (i.e. working one job 3 days a week and the other for 2) doesn't quite work unless the other job includes weekends or is a 12-16 hour job that pays tremendously, since the workweek has an uneven number of days.
Now to the point... I find that West Seattle is unreachable. Some job postings came up for the area and I found that not only couldn't I get to the Admiral District from my current place within 55 minutes (let alone 30-45) but that the bus schedule doesn't coincide with the 12:00 hour. It tells me I would have to begin my commute either half an hour earlier or later.
Eastside gigs are all but out of the question. Few locales there are within an hour's reach by bus from my location, and even if so there's always the possibility that 520 could be bollocksed at any time, which immediately train wrecks the commute.
Much of North Seattle is within reach. It gets dicey once you pass Seattle city limits. Bothell/Woodinville is out of the question due to only a couple routes going that far and both being fairly long, one out of the way of my locale.
On the flip side, let's say I'm looking for a swing shift position from 3 to 11ish. That opens up my neighborhood options... technically. Keep in mind that I would then have to commute home by bus after 11 pm. You can't even do so from the Eastside after 11:45ish: You have to wait 2-3 hours for the 280 to come get you. And though the service is more functional on the South end... the south end is also dangerous. Drivers actually talk about how drivers on the 42 get physically attacked on a regular basis. If the citizenry's willing to rough up a bus driver over some bullshit, they'll have no problem taking out a gook with a backpack. So I have to be real careful about south end swing shift openings, even though most of the swing openings I've seen come from there.
So you can see how geographically narrowed my search becomes... which only compounds the difficulty in finding a position.
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11:13 am - Good morning
I woke up so late today. So instead of hurrying over and running into an inevitable crowd at the range, plus deal with the sun (it's supposed to be sunny and high 70's today) I'll just hold off until later this afternoon and get there around 4ish, when the crowds have dissipated a bit.
In case you're out of the loop and wondering why I'm spending money on the driving range when I'm trying not to spend money, that's a trick question. I prepaid for four buckets a couple weeks ago and I still have a couple buckets left.
Meanwhile, after eating breakfast (which is cooking), I'll probably spend the early afternoon querying more job possibilities and maybe writing Thursday's Wrap-Up (which is actually partially written).
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June 26th, 2009
09:28 pm - Via Josh Ellis
CNN's cost of living conversion calculator.
I was surprised when I entered Chicago and it told me it'd be cheaper to live there than here in Seattle. Obviously, it'd be cheaper most anywhere else than Seattle outside of the obvious premium locales like NYC, SF and LA.
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