No Rest For The Wicked

I feel like I have constantly been on the go lately. Getting into a new job, a whirlwind weekend of company and concerts, and the usual day to day stuff that seems to take up whole days on its own. All in all, it's been a good couple of weeks, but I'm SO glad that I have this weekend off, so I can just sit back and relax a little.

Today has been fairly busy. I ran a bunch of errands, did some laundry, cleaned my apartment. That means that tomorrow, I have a whole day, just to chill and relax. In any case though, here are the highlights of the past week and a half:

~A bunch of us almost got kicked out of Zebb's. (You know you're in trouble when the manager asks if you called him over to the table just to abuse him... and then you later discover that he's the owner's son...)

~Mom and Sarah came to visit for the weekend, and we did all sorts of stuff. Set Sarah up with a cell phone, saw where the townhouse she's renting next semester is, did a *bunch* of shopping, and of course, went to Sarah's birthday concert. The concert was totally awesome (although sorely lacking a much desired tapestry :-( ), and then we got up nice and early the next morning so everyone could head out.

~I got the next installment in my family's dysfunction. Every time I think that I've gotten to the point where nothing can surprise me, I manage to be proven wrong yet again. I guess it's good that something in my life can exceed my expectations, huh?

~After everyone left, I ended up getting called in early to work a ten hour shift. Between a very busy weekend, and a long shift at work, I spent most of Tuesday catching up on some much needed sleep.

~Wednesday and Thursday, the network was down *again*. Thankfully, I was working enough to where it didn't really matter.

~Friday was a long day at work, but lead into a full two days off, which I'm enjoying very much.

And now I'm just waiting until Monday, so the whole pattern can start all over again...

One Surprise After Another

It's been a busy couple of days. I didn't really have much planned--a couple of short shifts at work was really all that was in the works. Somehow though, I ended up getting thrown a lot more than that--not in a bad way at all, which is a welcome change.

It started off with a phone call from Tim yesterday morning. We ended up getting together for lunch, and then playing Nintendo for a few hours, slowly adding on to our Super Mario World progress. That lasted until I had to go into work to learn the new computer system-- and how thrilling was that? ::rolls eyes:: Anyway, after work, I ended up going out to dinner with some coworkers, and then did some shopping. After that, we ended up playing chess for a couple of hours. Then I got home... literally just in time for company. Nicole decided that since her summer class was cancelled on Thursday, and her parents were out of town, she would come up and visit for a couple of days. Thankfully, my apartment has not reacted as badly to company this time as it did the first time. ::knocks on wood::

So, we watched a movie and hung out for a while, before I turned in early. It's a good thing that I did go to sleep reasonably early (translation: 1:00 AM), because I was wide awake at 6:00, and had no way of returning to sleep. I ended up lying around for a while, and then turning off my alarm before it could go off at 7:30. I got up, and went into work for the fun of trainer certification class. That was actually quite entertaining, all things considered. On my way home, Tim called, and he ended up coming over for another bit of Mario. I seriously think this may be turning into a dangerous addiction, although we have already defeated the game, and are now working our way through finding every single world that exists. Eh. At least we're entertaining to watch when we're playing, according to Nicole. I think she may have been a little scared when we started swearing at the game. I couldn't imagine *why* that would disturb her. (Bleck-bleck! Where's the bleck-bleck?!)

After Tim left to go to work, Nicole and I went to Uptown and saw "Shrek 2". It was a really cute movie. I think I found the first one funnier, because of the originality at that point, but there were some hysterical one liners in the second one too. I definitely laughed a LOT. After the movie, we went to Barnes and Noble for a while, which was *extremely* tempting, but I was very proud of myself for leaving with nothing. We ended up grabbing some dinner and coming back to the apartment, where we both just... sat and read all night. All said, it's been a great couple of days, with some very nice unexpected surprises.

Tomorrow, I'm working all afternoon, so Nicole's going to head out when I go into work. Then I work a long shift on Friday, and I have the weekend off, just in time for Mom and Sarah to visit. I'm not sure what we're doing on Saturday once they get here (besides a very belated birthday celebration for Sarah), but Sunday, we're heading out to the concert for Sarah's birthday. All said, this is shaping up to be a pretty great week. :-)

Catching Up

Kris and I got together today after she ran the Boilermaker, and it was so nice to see her. It's weird. She's one of those people that I see once, maybe twice a year, but as soon as we see each other, it's like no time has passed at all. When she got here, we went out for some food. In honor of old traditions, we went to Ponderosa for brunch. We sat and talked for so long that our server was getting annoyed, so then we came back to my apartment. We caught up on all sorts of stuff, and filled each other in on any gossip that we had heard. It was just so nice to relax and hang out.

After she left, I sat down to read, and passed out on the couch for a couple of hours. After only being able to sleep for about three hours last night though, it was nice to get in a little more sleep. Now I'm just hoping that I'll be able to fall asleep tonight. I've been sleeping well for almost two weeks now, and I would prefer to keep it that way.

A Day In The Life

Today was a day of... I don't know what.

It started off normally enough. I went out and ran some errands, including buying a new pair of glasses. Ouch to my bank account on that one, but it was one of those necessary evils, particularly with the way that my allergies have been acting up lately. My contacts don't feel so great when my eyes are red, watery, and itching before I even put them in. Hopefully, having new glasses will help that situation.

When I got home, I ended up on the phone most of the night. Doreen and I ended up talking for an hour and a half, and I got filled in on all of the amusing Jersey gossip. Good to know that some things never change. Then Sarah called, and we talked for over an hour. She had all sorts of exciting news to share. She and a friend of hers are renting a townhouse next semester. Just the two of them, renting a townhouse. I am actually kind of blown away. My baby sister is going to be living a bigger place than I am--and she hasn't even graduated college yet! lol. She also had some nice interesting information to share with me that managed to get me completely pissed off at my father. Granted, that's not all that hard to do, but this one was right up there in the top five times I've been pissed off at him, and THAT is quite the accomplishment. I was also beyond livid that it was my sister who had to tell me this information, putting her in the middle of the situation that she had no part of, and yet got pulled in to. God, he pisses me off!!!

The good news is, tomorrow is the Boilermaker, and so Kris is in town for the weekend. She's running tomorrow morning, and then we're going to spend the day together. I haven't seen her since I stopped at her place on the way down to New Orleans in February, so it will be nice to have an afternoon to catch up.

Decisions, Decisions

I was out running errands today, when I got an unexpected job offer. There is a good side to this, and a bad side to this. The good side: without even knowing that I was looking, someone offered me a job in which I can make a pretty good amount of money. The bad side: the job is at Friendly's. Ugh. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I said that I would think it over and get back to them in a few days. On one hand, I need a job, and this one has kind of fallen into my lap. On the other hand, I swore to myself that I did not want to go back to Friendly's.

I was actually offered a position as a supervisor, but I turned that down immediately. I don't want that kind of responsibility, and I don't need a position like that for my resume anymore. Then, I was offered a server position, with whatever kinds of hours I want. That one is a little more tempting. I made more money as a server than I ever did as a supervisor, and if I could get the hours I wanted, it really would be a good job to have.

So, I told them that I would think about it for a few days, and they were quick to ensure that I left with an application in hand. I had to laugh when I looked it over. First, there was the normal application, like what you would fill out for any job similar to that. Then, there's the second half. Apparently, Friendly's now administers an "interest survey" along with their applications. In looking it over, it almost seems like more of a psych evaluation... although after working there for a year and a half, I guess I can understand why they would resort to that.

I guess for the time being, I'm kind of biding my time for a few more days to see if any of the other places I applied to call me back, and I'll take things from there.

Growing Up

In the past few days, I've been feeling very old. It started the other night, when I was talking to Kristen. We were talking about all sorts of things when she mentioned that she had been house hunting. As in she's looking to buy a house. That just stopped me dead in my tracks. Now, I feel like I've really been making some good steps in my life lately. I'm settling into a job that I like, I'm looking at starting my Master's Degree, and I'm just feeling very comfortable about where things stand in my life. But the idea of buying a house?! That's just so... Inconceivable to me. I can't even imagine *thinking* about buying a house.

Then today, Erin called. As we were talking, she was telling me about all of the things that she's planning for her wedding next summer. That, in and of itself, didn't faze me, because she's been planning this wedding for what seems like a decade. They've literally been engaged for at least four years, However, when it really hit me that she was getting married next summer, and not at some distant "someday" date, I was suddenly amazed.

It's not just people who I knew that were a few years older than me settling down in their lives anymore. Now it's my friends--people the same age as me. They're getting married, and buying houses, and generally establishing themselves. And that gets me wondering how I feel about doing that in my own life. Just how content am I about where I am right now? Hmm... definitely something to think about.

Good and Bad of the Day

When I worked in NJ, I always started my staff meetings off with a good and bad for the week. It's something that one of my RD's used to do, and I just liked the way it got the staff to share some things. Today was one of those days that would have made both at my weekly meeting.

Today's bad: Around 6:00, my phone rang. It was Tim, and he asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner with him. I said sure, and he said that he would be there in five minutes, which struck me as a little weird, since he lives a half hour away. In any case, we ended up going to Friendly's for dinner, and he told me that his grandfather had died this morning. I felt so bad. Tim didn't really seem to be that upset, and he said that he and his grandfather weren't that close, but still... I hate it when there is just nothing to say.

Today's good: In other news, I got a fantastic check in the mail today from the IRS. You have to love getting money that you never thought you'd see. Plus, I managed to get a ton of errands run today, which means that this weekend is going to be a nice, relaxing holiday weekend. Now I just have to hope that I hear from one of the applications I submitted today...

Crafts, Thomas, and Harry Potter

It's been a week since I posted, and what a week it has been. Here's the recap:

Thursday: 70 kids, 150 feet of paper, and a LOT of paint. Afterwards, Megan and I cleaned up one hell of a mess, but the mural turned out great.

Friday: Door hangers and visors with the kids, followed by a shift at my "new" job. Katie got me hired working with the "Thomas the Train" extravaganza this weekend at the train station. I got paid $10 an hour to sit and ring up orders at the gift shop for the Adirondack railroad. It made for a long day, but hey-- the pay was great!

Saturday: All morning working the Thomas gig. Back to the museum to make light switch covers with the kids. Back to Thomas for another four hours. Long day.

Sunday: 12 hours of ringing up Thomas orders. Then another few hours of packing up Thomas stuff, so it could be moved on to the next town.

Monday: Sleep. Sleep. Started a new book. Slept some more. Caught up on the sleep that I had been missing for the past week.

Tuesday: Tim and I got together for the afternoon. We walked around the mall for a while, and then came back to my apartment. We spent hours playing Super Nintendo, laughing and swearing at the TV. It was actually pretty amusing--I felt like I was about 10 years old again. Then we went to the Grand Opening of the new movie theater. Tim had some free tickets from work. The plan was to go early, grab some food, and then enjoy a free movie. When we got there, the place was *packed* and although they had 14 movies to choose from, there were quite a few of them that weren't new at all. They were already out on video. And none of them really grabbed our attention. So instead, we went and hung out at Barnes and Noble for a while, where I had to use a high level of restraint to keep from buying the new Lincoln Rhyme novel, just out in paperback. Once I get paid at the end of the week though, I make no promises.

The most exciting news I heard today: The name of the sixth Harry Potter book has been announced: "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." Now if it could just be published already!

Kids, Kids, and More Kids

After the past two days, I know why even when I considered teaching, it was never elementary. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun with the kid's crafts this week, but wow is it exhausting.

Yesterday was a lousy way to start the week. It poured all day, which didn't really lend itself to outdoor story hours and kid's crafts. We made due though, and had a surprising turn out, considering. I ended up with about 30 kids there for the story hour. Reading books to 30 children, all under the age of six is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life. The patience and determination it takes to actually get through the books is amazing. But I have to say, I love reading to kids, and they get *so* into the stories.

Yesterday's craft was paper bag puppets, and that went fairly well. Sometimes, I think that things would go even better if the freakin parents would just leave! While the kids can be trying at times, they really aren't the worst part. Some of the parents are just utterly impossible. The idea of waiting 30 seconds for me to help with something is fine with the kids, but the parents have a fit. It didn't help that none of the three volunteers lined up showed up to help. They all thought that the event was off because of the weather. The didn't realize that we were under a full tent.

Today went better. Story hour was not as well attended-only about 15 kids. But the craft today was making edible necklaces. Fairly simple, and the kids loved it. My volunteers showed up, which was a blessing in and of itself when, upon allowing in the first wave of kids, 50 children walked into the tent. All said, we had 70 kids make necklaces in an hour. We definitely had our hands full. Then we had sidewalk chalk art this afternoon. That was awesome. I love seeing just how creative kids can be when left to their own devices. We gave them buckets of sidewalk chalk, and as much space as they could possibly want. The sidewalks ended up looking freakin awesome.

However, both days I have gotten home, sat down on the couch, and fallen asleep. I am just *beat* after spending all day with children that young. I have to say, I will be kind of happy when this week is over. Hopefully, it will just continue to go well. In the meantime, some random thoughts:

~It's really sad how suspicious people have to be today. A lot of the kids wrote their names next to their sidewalk chalk art. One kid was writing her name, when her mother came over and made her stop. Finally, she let her write her first name, but absolutely refused to let her write her last name. It's sidewalk chalk. As soon as it rains, or enough people walk over it, it's going to be gone, and yet... this woman wasn't willing to have her child's name written. And unfortunately, she's probably right to feel that way.

~I do not know *how* elementary school teachers do it. It's September. Let's go walk into a classroom full of 25 six year olds. By June, they must know ALL of this information, or they cannot continue. After spending two days with young children, I wonder if the real goal shouldn't be the teacher making it to June with his or her complete sanity.

~The mother's curse lives. My mom was terribly amused when, after only two hours of working with young kids, I called her up and immediately asked, "How on *earth* did you watch that many kids for that long?!" She found the question much more amusing than I did. Yep. Mmhmm.

Busy Day

Today was a busy day. Tim and I got together for lunch, and then I went out to buy supplies for this week's crafts. I lucked out in that half the stuff I needed was on sale, and managed to save over $60. Go me!

I also went to the library to take out some children's books for the story hours that start tomorrow. Or at least, that was the plan. However, the children's room was closed. I asked the librarian, and was told that it had been closed for two weeks because the children's librarian was on vacation. Why no one else could work down there to keep access to children's books available, I have no idea. The good news is, she starts back tomorrow, and since the library opens at 8:30, and story hour isn't until 11:00, I can just run over there before I go to set up at the museum.

After running around for a while, Tim and I came back to my apartment. The goal was to install my air conditioner, but things didn't go as planned. My screens in my window can only be removed with an 6 foot ladder, which I do not have. Even if I did have one, it would attract quite a bit of attention. So I guess I'm stuck actually asking permission to have an air conditioner. If they say yes (which is unlikely) I can just put in a work order to have the screen taken out. If they say no (which is much more likely), then I'll be glad that I held on to the receipt, and didn't open the box yet.

In other news, I'm just watching the end of "Salem's Lot" and I'm very impressed by the job they've done on it. It's been a few years since I read the book, but from what I remember, they are doing a very accurate portrayal of it. Now I'm going to have to make sure that rereading it becomes part of my Stephen King kick.

Anyway, I've got to finish putting everything together for tomorrow's crafts. That, and cross my fingers for some nice weather.