Let's see if and/or how this works...
-- iPhone'd
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
careful what you eat
why is it that the simplest things often tend to be so profoundly true?
i think i need to start blogging more often. its a nice way for me to constructively get some things out of my head, or at the very least helps me to sort out the things in my head...even if they don't end up here. i forgot how nice it feels to get into a good post, vent a little, unburden the mind, and just kind of forget about the stresses of life for a short while...as i type away at my computer.
its been almost three weeks since my last post, and most of that time has been spent working. three weeks back, and i definitely feel like i have things pretty much wired again...which is good. i'm comfortable again in an old, familiar role that had changed or "updated" since the last time i been part of it. i've also built up a pretty good rapport with my fellow co-workers, to the point where i can let the naturally flowing sarcasm and humor roll out (for the most part) without the need for editing/censoring/toning down/etc. so work has been pretty good, but sadly just as i start to get comfortable and confident again...things are about to change. for everyone. but change nonetheless. we'll be shifting over to chase soon, so in addition to wearing chase shirts, having chase business cards, chase signage, pamphlets, etc...we'll also be learning the new chase systems. kind of begs the question - why did i just go to wamu training if chase training is literally right around the corner? oh well. not going to fight the bureaucracy of corporate america, but sometimes i wish we could be more self-governing within our own respective branches.
so while work is good, its still work. still means getting up earlier than i want...to go stand for eight hours, then come home and be too tired to do much of anything constructive at home. i always seems to have energy for going out to the bar, for trivia, or meeting up with friends for this or that...but never any energy to clean my room, do some much needed laundry, do the dishes, or even take out the recycling. it all just seems so exhausting. i hope this fades soon, and i don't get home from work and act completely useless until bedtime. its irritating and only helps to enhance my already large propensity for being lazy. bleh.
then on top of still adjusting to working full time, and as a result always being tired, it feels like a lot of the other areas of my life are causing me undue stress. i'll start feeling less tired as i work more, and my body readjusts to less sleep during the week, as well as being at work for 40 hours...so that at least has a positive upswing. it almost feels like i've somehow worked myself into a routine that's more or less meh. i actually like having regular events and things scheduled on a weekly basis...but i also like having things go my way. big surprise there, right? i've never heard of someone wanting things to go their way. :P so i realize that's nothing prophetic or unnatural, but it doesn't make it any less true.
ok so i've completely lost my train of thought here...but i do need something to go my way here sooner than later. and when i mean something, i'm really only thinking of one thing which is more often than not the source of my frustration with the status quo. as much as i do enjoy being single, and the complete freedom it brings (to do whatever i want, whenever i want), at the end of the day its lonely. so while i do enjoy going out, and going to the occasional party, i'm more or less over that whole scene. i'll always enjoy going to trivia, or going out with the guys for beers, but i would much rather snuggle up on the couch with someone special and watch a movie, go out and enjoy a casual dinner, have a couple's game night, or just go for a walk, hand in hand, and talk about our days. it also doesn't help that i'm a hopeless romantic, more or less wear my heart on my sleeve...and most of my closest friends are married, or dating someone. its always been fun to joke about, especially how this seems to be the summer of getting married/having babies...but apparently its affecting me more now.
idk. maybe i heard a song, or saw something on tv that triggered this because at the start of the week i felt good. great actually. i was pumped that this last week was going to rock. and the week wasn't bad at all. had a pretty fine week...which makes this all the more puzzling. this week will be different tho. took thursday and friday off, and have a friend coming into town...so that'll be fun. so maybe this is the week i thought last week was going to be. guess we'll have to wait and see. whatever this week brings tho, i hope that it + awesome ;)
i think i need to start blogging more often. its a nice way for me to constructively get some things out of my head, or at the very least helps me to sort out the things in my head...even if they don't end up here. i forgot how nice it feels to get into a good post, vent a little, unburden the mind, and just kind of forget about the stresses of life for a short while...as i type away at my computer.
its been almost three weeks since my last post, and most of that time has been spent working. three weeks back, and i definitely feel like i have things pretty much wired again...which is good. i'm comfortable again in an old, familiar role that had changed or "updated" since the last time i been part of it. i've also built up a pretty good rapport with my fellow co-workers, to the point where i can let the naturally flowing sarcasm and humor roll out (for the most part) without the need for editing/censoring/toning down/etc. so work has been pretty good, but sadly just as i start to get comfortable and confident again...things are about to change. for everyone. but change nonetheless. we'll be shifting over to chase soon, so in addition to wearing chase shirts, having chase business cards, chase signage, pamphlets, etc...we'll also be learning the new chase systems. kind of begs the question - why did i just go to wamu training if chase training is literally right around the corner? oh well. not going to fight the bureaucracy of corporate america, but sometimes i wish we could be more self-governing within our own respective branches.
so while work is good, its still work. still means getting up earlier than i want...to go stand for eight hours, then come home and be too tired to do much of anything constructive at home. i always seems to have energy for going out to the bar, for trivia, or meeting up with friends for this or that...but never any energy to clean my room, do some much needed laundry, do the dishes, or even take out the recycling. it all just seems so exhausting. i hope this fades soon, and i don't get home from work and act completely useless until bedtime. its irritating and only helps to enhance my already large propensity for being lazy. bleh.
then on top of still adjusting to working full time, and as a result always being tired, it feels like a lot of the other areas of my life are causing me undue stress. i'll start feeling less tired as i work more, and my body readjusts to less sleep during the week, as well as being at work for 40 hours...so that at least has a positive upswing. it almost feels like i've somehow worked myself into a routine that's more or less meh. i actually like having regular events and things scheduled on a weekly basis...but i also like having things go my way. big surprise there, right? i've never heard of someone wanting things to go their way. :P so i realize that's nothing prophetic or unnatural, but it doesn't make it any less true.
ok so i've completely lost my train of thought here...but i do need something to go my way here sooner than later. and when i mean something, i'm really only thinking of one thing which is more often than not the source of my frustration with the status quo. as much as i do enjoy being single, and the complete freedom it brings (to do whatever i want, whenever i want), at the end of the day its lonely. so while i do enjoy going out, and going to the occasional party, i'm more or less over that whole scene. i'll always enjoy going to trivia, or going out with the guys for beers, but i would much rather snuggle up on the couch with someone special and watch a movie, go out and enjoy a casual dinner, have a couple's game night, or just go for a walk, hand in hand, and talk about our days. it also doesn't help that i'm a hopeless romantic, more or less wear my heart on my sleeve...and most of my closest friends are married, or dating someone. its always been fun to joke about, especially how this seems to be the summer of getting married/having babies...but apparently its affecting me more now.
idk. maybe i heard a song, or saw something on tv that triggered this because at the start of the week i felt good. great actually. i was pumped that this last week was going to rock. and the week wasn't bad at all. had a pretty fine week...which makes this all the more puzzling. this week will be different tho. took thursday and friday off, and have a friend coming into town...so that'll be fun. so maybe this is the week i thought last week was going to be. guess we'll have to wait and see. whatever this week brings tho, i hope that it + awesome ;)
Monday, March 9, 2009
wamu dejavu
i really wanted to blog throughout my first day, but wasn't sure if i was going to have computer access so i decided that idea was no good. as it turns out i've had computer access almost all day, with nearly all of it being completely unsupervised...so i totally could blogged something like this:
9:18am - attempt first log on
9:19am - everything looks good
9:21am - i can log into windows but nothing else
9:22am - restart computer
9:25am - still can't log into anything
9:26am - try to reset password...but my user ID is wrong...wtf?
9:38am - figure out how to log in, reset password and get the ball rolling
9:42am - restart different computer
9:55am - still not restarted yet
...you get the idea. that was more or less how my first hour went too. oh the joys of starting a new job.
instead of blogging all day i've been doing online training modules. ugh. its tiring. i did have lunch with Jacey & JdL. Stupid Cheeasecake Factory had a super long wait, and then the service is never stellar...so i was five minutes late getting back to work. AWESOME! My immediate boss, the Operations Supervisor, called me on it and was like...you need to let me know when you're going to be late. Meh...i didn't take a morning break so whatever...it just won't happen again so it won't ever be an issue.
i think i need to slow down a little on these modules...i barely passed the last one. i think its bc i didn't click on extra links bc i didn't have the slightest clue what color the numerical amount on a wal*mart money order is...rawr.
i also can't believe its after 4pm already. this is great. i've also been sitting most of the day (doing these stupid training modules), which has helped ease me back into the working world. i think i'm gonna pop next door to grab some starbucks (iced black tea!) and then do a few more modules and see if i can't get in a few transactions up on the line before the day is over. gotta earn those dollahs...like the great Chi City (as in Chicago...so say it like shy) said, "get money...get paid" :)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
that changed quick
as of monday afternoon i was all set to start working for comcast...to enjoy free deluxe cable...and drive to everett for work everyday. i spent the morning filling out the last bit of paperwork and going to a local clinic for a drug screening (yep...peeing in a cup!). shortly after my comcastic morning, i got a call from the recruiter/hiring manager dude from wamu/chase. i thought this was some sort of "sorry you weren't chosen" phone call formality because on friday i got an email saying the position i had applied for had been filled. turns it i was the one filling the position, only i didn't know it yet. so at this point i had an offer from comcast and wamu/chase on the table and had to pick which one i was actually going to work for.
wamu/chase won...and it really wasn't even that close for comcast. w/c is paying better, is easier to get to (bus vs. driving), is DOWNTOWN!, and consistently regular hours. at the bank i know its 9-6, M-F...whereas comcast could've been anywhere from a 6am start, to my shift ending at 2am. without a regular 9-5 on the table...i couldn't turn it down simply because i might not have "normal" working hours. i start march 9th, and find it quite hilarious that i'm going back to a branch...and going back to wamu. after being laid off by wells, i said i was done with banking and would never work in a branch again...my how times change. i guess that's what five months of unemployment will do to you. i am excited to be back in the branch tho...i did really enjoy it...i just didn't think i would be back. i'll be at the pacific place branch...right across from nordstrom on 6th avenue. so if you're ever downtown...come say hi.
on a different note...
today is ash wednesday. the start of lent. i've decided to give up three things in hopes that the next 40 days will serve as a starting point to give them up for good...or at least start limiting how frequently i consume there three things. i'm giving up pop and/or carbonated beverages for lent and hopefully for good. realistically i'll probably still have the occasional mt. dew or jack & coke here and there, but for the most part i'm hoping to do away with pop for good. secondly, and somewhat in connection with the first, i'm giving up fast food for lent...and hopefully for good. eh. we'll see. taco bell is right across the street. for lent tho, its out. and my definition of fast food is probably kind of uniquely mine...but then again i am the one giving it up. so for me, fast food is anything with a drive-thru or anything that you can't reasonably call a restaurant...and yet already there are exceptions. subway is ok, so is teriyaki & thai. i think taco del mar is out too, along with quiznos & red mill. and third, no beer. i was gonna say no booze, but by giving up beer and pop that eliminates most of the alcoholic choices i prefer. this way i can also still celebrate a little at our house warming/matty finally got a job party.
so the first two i'm hoping to continue after lent, and with the beer i'm just going to drink it less often. i've already started doing that. only having one beer instead of two or three. its a win-win because it saves me money and hopefully helps shed a few pounds. that's the real point behind the things i'm giving up. i think those three things are contributing the most, at least food and beverage-wise, to my "unsatisfactory weight." haha...we'll call it my "uw." in addition i need to start eating better (on top of giving up fast food), exercising more and getting better sleep...aka keeping a regular sleep schedule and going to bed sooner. by having a job again, getting to sleep sooner and keeping a regular sleep schedule will be easier because i'll have to be getting up in the mornings instead of just sleeping until whenever...and as a result getting to bed whenever.
so that's what's new since monday. i guess i also bought an iPhone today so that's new :) i'll be sending out texts and/or emails with the new number. since my old phone is with verizon it still work and i'll probably keep it up and running for another couple of days to make sure people can contact me if they only have the old number. needless to say...today's been a good day :)
wamu/chase won...and it really wasn't even that close for comcast. w/c is paying better, is easier to get to (bus vs. driving), is DOWNTOWN!, and consistently regular hours. at the bank i know its 9-6, M-F...whereas comcast could've been anywhere from a 6am start, to my shift ending at 2am. without a regular 9-5 on the table...i couldn't turn it down simply because i might not have "normal" working hours. i start march 9th, and find it quite hilarious that i'm going back to a branch...and going back to wamu. after being laid off by wells, i said i was done with banking and would never work in a branch again...my how times change. i guess that's what five months of unemployment will do to you. i am excited to be back in the branch tho...i did really enjoy it...i just didn't think i would be back. i'll be at the pacific place branch...right across from nordstrom on 6th avenue. so if you're ever downtown...come say hi.
on a different note...
today is ash wednesday. the start of lent. i've decided to give up three things in hopes that the next 40 days will serve as a starting point to give them up for good...or at least start limiting how frequently i consume there three things. i'm giving up pop and/or carbonated beverages for lent and hopefully for good. realistically i'll probably still have the occasional mt. dew or jack & coke here and there, but for the most part i'm hoping to do away with pop for good. secondly, and somewhat in connection with the first, i'm giving up fast food for lent...and hopefully for good. eh. we'll see. taco bell is right across the street. for lent tho, its out. and my definition of fast food is probably kind of uniquely mine...but then again i am the one giving it up. so for me, fast food is anything with a drive-thru or anything that you can't reasonably call a restaurant...and yet already there are exceptions. subway is ok, so is teriyaki & thai. i think taco del mar is out too, along with quiznos & red mill. and third, no beer. i was gonna say no booze, but by giving up beer and pop that eliminates most of the alcoholic choices i prefer. this way i can also still celebrate a little at our house warming/matty finally got a job party.
so the first two i'm hoping to continue after lent, and with the beer i'm just going to drink it less often. i've already started doing that. only having one beer instead of two or three. its a win-win because it saves me money and hopefully helps shed a few pounds. that's the real point behind the things i'm giving up. i think those three things are contributing the most, at least food and beverage-wise, to my "unsatisfactory weight." haha...we'll call it my "uw." in addition i need to start eating better (on top of giving up fast food), exercising more and getting better sleep...aka keeping a regular sleep schedule and going to bed sooner. by having a job again, getting to sleep sooner and keeping a regular sleep schedule will be easier because i'll have to be getting up in the mornings instead of just sleeping until whenever...and as a result getting to bed whenever.
so that's what's new since monday. i guess i also bought an iPhone today so that's new :) i'll be sending out texts and/or emails with the new number. since my old phone is with verizon it still work and i'll probably keep it up and running for another couple of days to make sure people can contact me if they only have the old number. needless to say...today's been a good day :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
a clutteration of thoughts
making up words is fun...and that's pretty much all i have to say about that.
i was a bit surprised to find out its been nearly four weeks since my last post. i really felt as tho i had posted within the last week or two. wow. time flies when you're sitting on the couch everyday watching movies and playing video games...errr kinda. its now been roughly five months since i stopped working at wells fargo. five months is almost half a year. that's a long freaking time to not be working, to have any regularity with your daily and weekly life, to not have steady income. its been an interesting journey to say the least...and definitely one i don't ever want to experience again.
i also can't believe i haven't been blogging more. i mean...its not like i really had anything else going. and i really do enjoy the ol' blog. my mind is almost constantly on...which makes rarely remembering my dreams all the more bizarre. often my mind overflows with ideas, thoughts and whatnot...and the blog is a welcome relief to let some of that mindflow (hooray again for made up words!) out in a constructive and comforting way. as of late this has been very true.
so i'm finally sitting down in an attempt to put all the traffic in head into some sort of coherent post for my e-audience to read. the biggest burden, or mental traffic jam, has been being unemployed but i'm quite certain that burden has been put to rest. i'm not 100% certain, because i go in tomorrow for background check stuff (which will not be a problem to pass) but until i hear something along the lines of "you're hired" i'm keeping this pretty low key. i haven't even told my mother...and when she (or most likely when my sister reads this and tells my mother) hears of this she'll be excited for probably throw in a "why didn't you tell me sooner" comment as well. the words "we'd like to offer you a position" have been extended, which is great, but there are still more steps to finalize the process. plus the job isn't exactly thrilling or a compelling use of my degree so it hasn't been hard to temper my enthusiasm. also...don't you love how i've most likely built your excitement up about this job but haven't given even the slightest hint as to what the job actually is? :P
as i said above, the position is nothing spectacular but in this current economic environment i guess any job is better than no job. i will (so long as everything goes according to plan) be working in a call center for comcast. basically i'll be "that guy" you call when your TV/internet/phone service(s) go kaput and you want them fixed. i will be the guy who asks you if your cable box is plugged in and turned on. omg...i hate when service techs ask me that question and now that is going to be my job. that's the bad...the good is that its a steady paycheck, i like to problem solve and genuinely enjoy helping people. also, working for comcast will definitely have its perks - as in free high speed internet and free cable. and when i say free cable i mean everything short of pay per view and apparently some international channels. free hbo, showtime, starz, espn, mtv, mtv 2, mtv tres, and every other crappy channel filled with addicting reality tv...the works. perfect. now i'll have a job where i sit on my ass all day then can come home and keep it up. maybe free cable isn't so great...psych! this now means dexter parties and vh1 reality show marathons at my house. booyah!!
so it looks like the whole job thing is taken care of. depending on what shifts i get stuck with (low man on the totem pole!!) i may also look to pick up a serving/bartending job somewhere for some extra cash. we'll see. one thing at a time i suppose. its just nice to finally feel like things are starting to go my way. before i went to vegas last weekend i managed to set up two interviews for when i returned. i remember thinking, "sweet...maybe things are starting to look up...we'll see how vegas goes." needless to say vegas was awesome, but i also managed to win a few bucks playing blackjack. things were indeed looking up...as was i as i laid on my back, under the sink, in the bathroom, after drinking too much the first day in vegas and effectively passing out by 8pm. yea. good times in vegas...
needless to say the interviews i set up went well...at least the one with comcast. i felt good about the other one, but apparently not good enough because i have yet to hear back from them and they said i would know by friday. comcast said i'd know by monday, then called to offer me a job on friday. so my weekend started off on a good note and not even finding out bob saget was sold out could dampen my good spirits. then, later friday night i found out my good friends are having a baby boy. BABY BOY CROUCH '09!!! i've been a strong advocate of these two having a kid for a good two years now maybe (awhile anyway)...so needless to say i was super excited when they told me they were going to start trying, even more excited when i found out they were pregnant, and then freaking ecstatic to find out i was right in my prediction that they're having a boy. well i'm super excited for the little dude, not that i was right (tho that's always a good feeling too :D).
the rest of the weekend was nothing too exciting, tho i did enjoy the oscars tonight. quite a bit actually. as much as really don't care for hugh jackman, he was a very good host...and a much better singer than i would've ever imagined. kudos to you hugh. ugh. i mean really. how much can you like someone named hugh? such a ridiculous name. hugh grant is even worse...tho he's hilarious in love actually. that movie is just plain awesome. serious. not sure how this went from my job with comcast to love actually but it did...so deal. i remembered, from the bits and pieces i had previously seen, that love actually was some crappy chick flick...wrong. its fabulous...even if you just watch it for bill nighy its totally worth it. trust me. go watch it if you don't believe me and then try and tell me its not worth owning. i dare you. (challenging look of intimidation...rawr)
i have plenty of other things i could, and probably will blog about but after bringing up love actually its got me thinking about second chances. it is so easy to write something or someone off after one encounter...or a partial one or whatever. too easy. a friend of mine has a "try it five times" rule. i think its mostly applied to restaurants (bless your heart for continuing to go to greenwood mandarin with us) but perhaps its applied to life in general. not sure why i felt like a parenthetical "apologetic/pity shout out" was necessary there bc i doubt he reads my blog...meh.
so. second chances. sometimes third, fourth and fifth chances. unless you completely botch the first chance, chances are you still have at least one more shot. this applies to life in general...whether its meeting new people, impressing a superior, making new friends, pursuing a love interest, a movie, music, food, anything. this doesn't mean your first impression or snap judgements are always wrong, because they often remain unchanged even after several more chances. i just think life, and everything that comprises it, deserves at least a second look. like ferris bueller said, "life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." you'll miss it, or miss out on it because you discounted it too soon.
not sure why i suddenly felt so strongly about second chances and due consideration. in part because i recently watched love actually...in part because i just read a friend's blog entry and she touched on giving things, specifically music, a second listen before discounting it...in part because i just realized i applied for this same position with comcast a few months ago and got nowhere, then gave it another shot and now i'm gonna get free comcast (neener neener...sorry i couldn't resist a good neener neener opportunity). i was also just thinking about a quote a friend of mine has at the bottom of her email: "you've got your whole life to do something, and that's not very long." the quote, or perhaps song lyric, comes from ani difranco, and ties in quite well with my 'more than one look/chance' tangent i'm on right now. people always say you have your whole life to do this or that, but that's really not that long. i guess what i'm trying to advocate is that by giving things a second chance, you're going to be pleasantly surprised by how many more things in life you actually enjoy, but would've never known if you hadn't given it its due diligence.
ok i have to get up and be a functional human tomorrow so that comcast will still want to hire me...that means i need to get to bed here shortly. i wanted to conclude with one last mantra if you will. at some point in my four years at whitworth college, i belive it was during a class, someone who was most likely the professor said something that has stuck with me rather vividly...and it fits in too well for me not to share it with you. the professor talked of how people always said "take it easy" when they were finished talking to friends, or acquaintances they bump into in the halls. instead the professor suggested that we do away with "take it easy" and replace it with "be diligent." really think about it. i promise if you say that to someone instead of take it easy its going to catch them off guard...and hopefully make them think about what you said. its taken me 25+ years and five months of being unemployed to fully realize something so simple, but we do "take it easy" far too often. i know i have.
so in conclusion i guess i'm challenging anyone who reads this to be more diligent...however you can apply that to your life...which i'm guessing is in more ways than you care to admit. at the very least replace "take it easy" with "be diligent" and enjoy how it catches people off guard, and just maybe the phrase will find a way to work a little more diligence into your life...or at least make you watch love actually [again] so you know why "eight is a lot of legs...david" is so funny :)
i was a bit surprised to find out its been nearly four weeks since my last post. i really felt as tho i had posted within the last week or two. wow. time flies when you're sitting on the couch everyday watching movies and playing video games...errr kinda. its now been roughly five months since i stopped working at wells fargo. five months is almost half a year. that's a long freaking time to not be working, to have any regularity with your daily and weekly life, to not have steady income. its been an interesting journey to say the least...and definitely one i don't ever want to experience again.
i also can't believe i haven't been blogging more. i mean...its not like i really had anything else going. and i really do enjoy the ol' blog. my mind is almost constantly on...which makes rarely remembering my dreams all the more bizarre. often my mind overflows with ideas, thoughts and whatnot...and the blog is a welcome relief to let some of that mindflow (hooray again for made up words!) out in a constructive and comforting way. as of late this has been very true.
so i'm finally sitting down in an attempt to put all the traffic in head into some sort of coherent post for my e-audience to read. the biggest burden, or mental traffic jam, has been being unemployed but i'm quite certain that burden has been put to rest. i'm not 100% certain, because i go in tomorrow for background check stuff (which will not be a problem to pass) but until i hear something along the lines of "you're hired" i'm keeping this pretty low key. i haven't even told my mother...and when she (or most likely when my sister reads this and tells my mother) hears of this she'll be excited for probably throw in a "why didn't you tell me sooner" comment as well. the words "we'd like to offer you a position" have been extended, which is great, but there are still more steps to finalize the process. plus the job isn't exactly thrilling or a compelling use of my degree so it hasn't been hard to temper my enthusiasm. also...don't you love how i've most likely built your excitement up about this job but haven't given even the slightest hint as to what the job actually is? :P
as i said above, the position is nothing spectacular but in this current economic environment i guess any job is better than no job. i will (so long as everything goes according to plan) be working in a call center for comcast. basically i'll be "that guy" you call when your TV/internet/phone service(s) go kaput and you want them fixed. i will be the guy who asks you if your cable box is plugged in and turned on. omg...i hate when service techs ask me that question and now that is going to be my job. that's the bad...the good is that its a steady paycheck, i like to problem solve and genuinely enjoy helping people. also, working for comcast will definitely have its perks - as in free high speed internet and free cable. and when i say free cable i mean everything short of pay per view and apparently some international channels. free hbo, showtime, starz, espn, mtv, mtv 2, mtv tres, and every other crappy channel filled with addicting reality tv...the works. perfect. now i'll have a job where i sit on my ass all day then can come home and keep it up. maybe free cable isn't so great...psych! this now means dexter parties and vh1 reality show marathons at my house. booyah!!
so it looks like the whole job thing is taken care of. depending on what shifts i get stuck with (low man on the totem pole!!) i may also look to pick up a serving/bartending job somewhere for some extra cash. we'll see. one thing at a time i suppose. its just nice to finally feel like things are starting to go my way. before i went to vegas last weekend i managed to set up two interviews for when i returned. i remember thinking, "sweet...maybe things are starting to look up...we'll see how vegas goes." needless to say vegas was awesome, but i also managed to win a few bucks playing blackjack. things were indeed looking up...as was i as i laid on my back, under the sink, in the bathroom, after drinking too much the first day in vegas and effectively passing out by 8pm. yea. good times in vegas...
needless to say the interviews i set up went well...at least the one with comcast. i felt good about the other one, but apparently not good enough because i have yet to hear back from them and they said i would know by friday. comcast said i'd know by monday, then called to offer me a job on friday. so my weekend started off on a good note and not even finding out bob saget was sold out could dampen my good spirits. then, later friday night i found out my good friends are having a baby boy. BABY BOY CROUCH '09!!! i've been a strong advocate of these two having a kid for a good two years now maybe (awhile anyway)...so needless to say i was super excited when they told me they were going to start trying, even more excited when i found out they were pregnant, and then freaking ecstatic to find out i was right in my prediction that they're having a boy. well i'm super excited for the little dude, not that i was right (tho that's always a good feeling too :D).
the rest of the weekend was nothing too exciting, tho i did enjoy the oscars tonight. quite a bit actually. as much as really don't care for hugh jackman, he was a very good host...and a much better singer than i would've ever imagined. kudos to you hugh. ugh. i mean really. how much can you like someone named hugh? such a ridiculous name. hugh grant is even worse...tho he's hilarious in love actually. that movie is just plain awesome. serious. not sure how this went from my job with comcast to love actually but it did...so deal. i remembered, from the bits and pieces i had previously seen, that love actually was some crappy chick flick...wrong. its fabulous...even if you just watch it for bill nighy its totally worth it. trust me. go watch it if you don't believe me and then try and tell me its not worth owning. i dare you. (challenging look of intimidation...rawr)
i have plenty of other things i could, and probably will blog about but after bringing up love actually its got me thinking about second chances. it is so easy to write something or someone off after one encounter...or a partial one or whatever. too easy. a friend of mine has a "try it five times" rule. i think its mostly applied to restaurants (bless your heart for continuing to go to greenwood mandarin with us) but perhaps its applied to life in general. not sure why i felt like a parenthetical "apologetic/pity shout out" was necessary there bc i doubt he reads my blog...meh.
so. second chances. sometimes third, fourth and fifth chances. unless you completely botch the first chance, chances are you still have at least one more shot. this applies to life in general...whether its meeting new people, impressing a superior, making new friends, pursuing a love interest, a movie, music, food, anything. this doesn't mean your first impression or snap judgements are always wrong, because they often remain unchanged even after several more chances. i just think life, and everything that comprises it, deserves at least a second look. like ferris bueller said, "life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." you'll miss it, or miss out on it because you discounted it too soon.
not sure why i suddenly felt so strongly about second chances and due consideration. in part because i recently watched love actually...in part because i just read a friend's blog entry and she touched on giving things, specifically music, a second listen before discounting it...in part because i just realized i applied for this same position with comcast a few months ago and got nowhere, then gave it another shot and now i'm gonna get free comcast (neener neener...sorry i couldn't resist a good neener neener opportunity). i was also just thinking about a quote a friend of mine has at the bottom of her email: "you've got your whole life to do something, and that's not very long." the quote, or perhaps song lyric, comes from ani difranco, and ties in quite well with my 'more than one look/chance' tangent i'm on right now. people always say you have your whole life to do this or that, but that's really not that long. i guess what i'm trying to advocate is that by giving things a second chance, you're going to be pleasantly surprised by how many more things in life you actually enjoy, but would've never known if you hadn't given it its due diligence.
ok i have to get up and be a functional human tomorrow so that comcast will still want to hire me...that means i need to get to bed here shortly. i wanted to conclude with one last mantra if you will. at some point in my four years at whitworth college, i belive it was during a class, someone who was most likely the professor said something that has stuck with me rather vividly...and it fits in too well for me not to share it with you. the professor talked of how people always said "take it easy" when they were finished talking to friends, or acquaintances they bump into in the halls. instead the professor suggested that we do away with "take it easy" and replace it with "be diligent." really think about it. i promise if you say that to someone instead of take it easy its going to catch them off guard...and hopefully make them think about what you said. its taken me 25+ years and five months of being unemployed to fully realize something so simple, but we do "take it easy" far too often. i know i have.
so in conclusion i guess i'm challenging anyone who reads this to be more diligent...however you can apply that to your life...which i'm guessing is in more ways than you care to admit. at the very least replace "take it easy" with "be diligent" and enjoy how it catches people off guard, and just maybe the phrase will find a way to work a little more diligence into your life...or at least make you watch love actually [again] so you know why "eight is a lot of legs...david" is so funny :)
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