Since I started this Blog there have now been 4000 visitors to the site. I find it amazing that so many people have read my writing--granted most of them were looking for pornography or Osama Bin Laden but hey whatever packs the theatre.

It is cloudy and nasty again today. I bitched because it didn't rain for about 50 days but now I am bitching because, well just because.

Time to go find something to occupy my time. I need to go out this weekend and look for restaurants that I might want to work at.

I am officially a student again. I am taking: Web Design 1 & Introduction to Graphic Design. It was an amzingly easy process. I downloaded the application and the course selection sheet filled them out and went to the admissions office. I gave her my forms answered a couple of questions and was then told to go to the cashier to pay. I paid my whopping $252 dollars and am now enrolled in two 3 credit classes. I feel better than I have in years. Working towards something again feels really good. The big difference between this and my four year college experience is that this time I know what I want to do and I am taking classes I will enjoy. This will be a change.

I am in the process of registering for classes at the very fine Richmond Virginia institution of higher learning known as J.Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Soon I will be able to attend classes with the upper crust of Richmond Society. I will be able to walk down the fine gravel pathways next to gentleman named Bubba discussing the best places to go 'Coon Hunting', and their female companions discussing the merits of various brands of hairspray. As soon as I get my classes straight I can start looking for a job waiting tables. I have decided that the best thing for me to actually do right now would be to take classes in the area in which I want to pursue a career (Animal Husbandry), and wait tables while I take classes. Actually I will be taking classes in Graphic Design and Web Design. Amazingly enough folks, Scott is actually putting his life back on track. It only took 4 1/2 years drifting around after college. I'll post more later after I am done getting pissed off at the actual college.

So much going on but I don't feel like telling you any of it. Now you will have to spend the whole day wondering what the hell I could possibly be talking about. How does that make you feel? Dirty I hope.

As expected the interview was total bullshit. I get in there sit down after filling out an extensive application, and the lady starts looking over my resume. She reads it out loud and then says "Let me back up a second. This particular company has given us instructions that any applicants we send them must not have hads more than 2 jobs in the last 5 years". I have had considerably more than that, most of which is due to gepgraphic relocation. She received my resume yesterday and could clearly see that I did not meet the company's standards. Why the fuck did she call me? I wasted my time to go out there and get told how much movement I have on my resume and how bad it is. I know lady, but its too late now. I almost looked at her and said: Fuck You! The whole thing was ridiculous. Its a good thing I have learned to brush these interviews aside or I would be really depressed right now.

Almost time to stop watching Mallrats and get ready for the old interview. Kind of nervous but I really don't care anymore, whatever happens...happens. I have now taken a very zen-like approach to life. It takes too much energy to be worked up all the time.

I tell you one thing, I look damn good in my new glasses. Next time I go to a show, all the 16 year olds will be checking me out. In reality that happens anyway, not because I am 'hot' but because I am way older than most of the kids at the show-and half the time people think I am in one of the bands that is playing. I once almost got free food at a Get Up Kids show. The kid at the 'concession stand' thought I was in one of the bands, probably because the bands, Thomas, Kim and myself were the only people in the room above the age of sixteen. It's hard to be an indie-rock-god.

My glasses finally showed up today and I picked them up. Pretty cool. I also got an email from the “House by the Cemetary” dude and he had to say the following: “payment received and item shipped on 11/24”. Well thank God that he is not verbose. I honestly think that the guy is pissed that his DVD went for so cheap. I guess he should have set a reserve. Sucker.

I have also decided that I really need to vastly decrease the amount of contact that I have with my parents. I realize that my Father was shitty when I was younger but is pretty cool now, and now my Mother has become a control freak. No matter what I do it is not good enough and they never seem to be proud of me regardless of what I do. Before you say “Oh Scott I’m sure that they are proud of you.” I would like to state that my Father actually told me a couple of years ago that he was in fact not proud of me. It is hard to have lived 26 years and feel that I always tried to live up to their expectations and have failed. I can say that I have officially had it with them. They can be proud of me or they can be ashamed of me—I don’t care. I have lived long enough trying to “make them proud” and I can’t. I can’t not because I am a failure but because their old-fashioned expectations are at a level that I cannot possibly live up to. I guess I am just really happy that Kim’s parents treat me the way that I always wish that my parents would have. At least I have cool “parents” in that respect. I have spent years battling extreme depression, which has been brought on mostly by the way people close to me have treated me. This is a fucked up way to live and I’ve had it. I live for me now. If anyone has anything negative to say about me then let them say it but I am fucking content. I may be unemployed but that means fuck-all. I’d rather be unemployed than in some job I can’t stand just because my parents think that would be good. You know what Mom and Dad I am happy. You raised a kid who is now a man and you need to realize that I am an adult and you can’t micro-manage my life anymore. From now on if someone doesn’t like what I am doing---but I can honestly say that I am cool with it—they can kiss my ass.

I have a job interview tomorrow---another Insurance Claims Adjuster position. Sounds promising in so much as I am qualified and the interview is with a head-hunter so it will be easier to get through that. Funny how even though my Mother was kind of down on my work history earlier today, without the jobs I have worked in the past I would not be qualified for this position. They actually want retail/restaurant management experience—and 2 years of it no-less. Maybe it was all for a reason. Maybe not, but I am sick of looking back and thinking I fucked up. I am not happy with all of the decisions I have made but nobody is happy with all of their decisions. I did what I did and I am moving on from here. The past is over and living in it has gotten me nowhere. The past 26 years have been for other people. With a little luck I’ve got another 50 years or more ahead of me. I’m going to live those for me.

Just got done sending out a bunch of resumes including one to the Temp Agency I really want to go through. They pay well and treated Thomas' room-mate Chris really well while he was working for them. With a little luck they will give me a call.

Left some feedback for some folks over at Ebay and if I don't hear from the dude who I won the House by the Cemetary DVD from pretty soon, he's going to get some negative feedback. Won the auction last Thursday and sent the payment (via PayPal) last Thursday. I have not heard anything since. I just sent an email pretty much being like "Hello.....do you intend to ship the item?????" I was nice about it but I am kind of getting pissy. If you already have the cash then you should at least send me an email stating when you will be shipping the item or something. I am also waiting to receive this music box I bought for my Mom for Christmas then I will most certainly be giving negative feedback for that company too. It is essentially a store that sells through Ebay as well and they received my payment via PayPal, and then proceeded to send me 4 more emails after I got confimation that they received my payment, asking me to pay. What the fuck??? Get with the fucking program jackasses.

I ordered new glasses 9 days ago. Do I have them? No. (They told me they would be there in 5 days.)

I am in a fucking pissy mood in case you can't tell.

Corey and I have a mutual friend named Krista. She is currently married to another mutual friend named Elmer, however when we all lived in Fredericksburg she used to date a guy named Tim. Krista, Tim and I all worked together at a restaurant called Carlos O'Kelley's. Tim lived with his brother Jerry and his wife whose name I cannot remember. Jerry and his wife had two children (one was named Nicholas and I regretfully cannot remember the name of the other little boy either). The new header graphic is a picture of yours truly riding one of the children's Playschool tricycles in Jerry's backyard at a graduation party that was thrown there for Krista. For those of you who always wondered what I looked like and have never hade the oppurtunity to see me in the flesh, enjoy. Thanks again to Corey for re-designing the header for me, also please go check out his brand-new site design. Pretty damn cool.

Another rainy sunday morning. I have not left the house since early Friday afternoon. Will the shut-ins be able to make it to Target today or will they run back inside and cower at the harsh cruel outside world?

Yesterday I got my copy of the first Sandman collection and my copy of Suspiria on DVD. We watched Suspiria last night, and I must say that the DVD transfer of the film kicks ace. I dig it lots and lots. I just watched the documentary which also kicked the ace. It is raining in Richmond today for the first time in over 50 days. It is cloudy and nasty. It makes me want to spend the entire day listening to Morrissey. Actually that it is not what I want to do today--we were planning on going to see Harry Potter but due to the crowds factor we have decided to postpone the expedition until next weekend. While we definitely think that this is a smart move we are now lacking in plans for the day. I am confident that we will figure out something. Perhaps today is the day we finally go to the library and check out all those taxidermy books we have been wanting to read or perhaps just join a cult.

I just won House by the Cemetary new on DVD for $5.99 over at Ebay. I rock. I hate the holidays. Today kind of sucked. I just got a message from the seller so I have to go look at that. Hang on. About to go to Paypal and complete this shit. Later Ya'll.

Enjoy Giving Thanks. (or) Happy Thanksgiving.

I had a dream last night that I was the new lead singer of Poison. Bett Michaels was still in the band though he just took over lead guitar duties and then sang backup for me. I became very good friends with Rikki Rocket and spent most of every show crouching near his drum riser talking to him while I sort of slowly took over for Brett. The crowds loved me.

I took the emo test, enjoy laughing at the results:

I am 56% EMO.

Emo Kid. Well.. I've made the cut! Now I'll go buy some promise rings and knit myself a sweater.

Man, vegan pumpkin pie is always a bitch. 3 times I have attempted to make this dessert and while this years is considerably more successful than the previous efforts (i.e. it is edible), it is still not the same as standard pumpkin pie. I can never get the pie filling to congeal properly. Maybe next year. I have this years in the fridge and am hoping that it will set up more when it cools. The gazpacho came out great though.

Listening to The Guess Who and they just went into a little "funky flute". I say yet again---I hate that fucking instrument. I was watching Snatch with the commentary earlier and Guy Ritchie was saying that he really likes the flute. My opinion of him has been lowered a bit, then again the soundtracks to Snatch and Lock, Stock... both kick ace so I guess enjoying the soothing sounds of the flute is acceptable. I wish that Zamfir would make a comeback.

I woke up at 8 this morning. I have already built a DVD rack and made Gazpacho for tommorrow's Thanksgiving feast at the Cas de Scott's Parents. We are bringing a 6 pack of Pete's Wicked Oktoberfest beer, the Gazpacho I just made, a vegan pumpkin pie, and the tofurkey of course. Exciting. The tofurkey is in thaw mode in the fridge. The pumpkin pie is next on my list of things to conquer. More updates as the day progresses. Back to the kitchen.

I tend to receive a lot of pornography related emails, and not necessarily at my request I may add. The last couple of days all the ones I have gotten have been related to bestiality---specifically teen girls with animals. How the hell do the people who own these sites get very pretty girls to participate in these acts. What exactly happens in the year since graduating high school that makes the former homecoming queen think; "I would really like to feel a goats horn inserted into my vagina. I bet that would feel really good." or perhaps "I once saw two pitbulls going at it and the female looked like she was having a good time. I'de really like to get screwed by a bitbull." Christ. Parents find out what your daughters are up to, find them a decent guy who will not mind their sordid past, and for God's sake get them to stop having sexual relations with animals.

I think I am becoming a hippie. Last night I watched the Wizard of Oz while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I would like to say that it is pretty damn cool. Make fun of me if you must.

I wish my God-damn glasses would show up. 2 nights ago I won "The Suspiria Limited Edition 3 disc set" on Ebay (brand new for $17.50)--I went in at the last minute and outbid some dude. Last night I was about to win Lucio Fulci's "House by the Cemetary (DVD)" when the same person I outbid for Suspiria outbid me with 30 seconds left. I think this is called "Ebay Revenge". I of course got the better deal. Plus there is another copy of that same disc("House...") by the same seller up there right now. I am checking it out. Do I want to bid? It still has 2 days and 12 hours left so I will think about it. The dude won it last night for $7.50 I want it for less.

Business Manager--

My parents just called me because my dad wanted to tell me that he supported my decision to quit the job and thought that it was a good idea. How times change. 3 years ago he came down on me for eveything I did. I prefer this newer support atmosphere. Kind of hard to get used to. Everyone out there reading this who have heard some of the stories will probably be as amazed as I am. Its a good day. Nothing in the paper yesterday job-wise which kind of sucks. I think I will call next week to make an appointment with a temp agency.

I found a really great way to describe my former job:

It was like when you are waiting tables and it 6:30 on a friday night, the kitchen is working slower than usual, you just got triple-sat, the restaurant is on a 45 minute wait, the manager on duty hates your fucking guts and you are stoned out of your mind on trucker speed (this last one may only apply to myself and a couple of others though---I think that you can understand how that might make it worse regardless).

In other words you are unbelievably busy and you're pretty much getting fucked up the ass constantly.

I just told my parents (well actually just my Mom) that I quit that fucking job. She was pretty cool about it. All she said was that she wished that I would have found another job first and I basically agree. Unfortunately in the grand scheme of things being unemployed, safe and feeling well is much better.

I have been thinking a lot about the big "What do I want to do with my life?" question. I still don't know--the MCSE stuff is cool but it is kind of tedious and annoying (to me anyway) so I am not sure that is the direction I want to head in anymore. I know I really like doing everything for my site so maybe it is a sign that I should pursue something to do with web-design. It makes me happy and it is something that one can actually get paid to do so I figure that might be a good idea. I have been thinking of going in that direction for a long time and I realize that I know something about it (from putting this here site together) and that I know enough to know that I enjoy doing it.

What do you guys/gals think?

Well I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice on the whole job situation. I just called my boss and left a message in which I gave my resignation. After hitting my head last week I have become more and more concerned for my safety at that company. I knew that the boss was coming back from a convention and that I would have to put a bunch of convention materials back in the attic today. I usually enjoy attics and the like but I was scared of this one (especially when carrying large bulky objects). One thing I left out in relation to the attic stairs is that you cannot actually climb to the top of the stairs. A hot water pipe blocks the actual top of the stairs so you kind of have to climb up on to the side instead of taking the stairs to the top. Bascially if you are having a hard time imagining this, you climb about 8 of 12 steps and then in order to not hit the pipe and burn yourself you have to hoist yourself from step 8 into the attic. I woke up this morning and realized that I was scared that today I would end up breaking my back falling down from the attic.

I have a college education and enough office skills that I should be able to get a temp job of some kind relatively soon (plus I still have a bunch of cash saved). The money was good at "Da Train" but not worth getting fucked up for life. One of my greatest fears is paralysis and a fall from an attic seemed like a easy way for that to happen. I know that I have a bad stomach but in all honesty I have gotten sick every morning for about a half an hour straight since I started that job. All new jobs make me nervous and I usually get sick for the first couple of days but I have never worked a job that made me sick like this. Most of my friends know that I believe in intuition etc... and I can't help but think that something within me kept trying to tell me to quit that job. I mean I was really scared that something was about to happen. Every day I kept wondering what outlandish task they were going to ask me to perform that was going to end with me being seriously hurt. I genuinely wanted to stick the job out until I found another position but when your safety is at stake you have to think about that first and foremost. A word to the wise, when in Richmond don't work for "Da Train".

Thanks agin to everyone who has supported me and offered their advice---Thomas, Corey, Lex, Stephen, and Robert.

The biggest thank you (of course) goes out to Kim.

I had to buy new glasses. I fucked up the other ones way too bad. The dude hooked me up with an earpiece for the old ones, which I am currently wearing. Before you ask, no the new piece is nowhere close to matching the other earpiece which was still intact. I am happy with my current prescription so the new glasses only cost me $123. The frames were $68 and the lenses were $55 (including the anti-glare protection). A good deal. I had been wanting new galsses for a while and I kind of figured that breaking my old ones was a good reason to get new ones. Kind of sucks to spend the money but at least the glasses were already 4 years old and kind of messed up--one of the ends of the earpiece has been broken off for 3 1/2 years etc... I am happy. They should be ready in 5 days, until then I will learn to enjoy my non-matching earpieces.

Check out this google search:
"when Kim and Scott are going to get married"

I broke one of the earpieces off of my glasses last night and as a result I cannot wear them until I get them fixed later today. I hope that they can actually just replace the earpieces without getting completely new frames. Fortunately the design of the broken piece is pretty standard so while I realize that I won't be able to get the same ones I am hoping that they will have ones that are similar. I really do not want to drop the cash on a new pair of glasses right now. I can't believe I broke the fucking thing. I bought them at Wal-Mart's Vision Center 4 years ago so I figure I can at the very least scream and yell that the glasses were defective and probably obtain a partial refund--I'm kidding of course but it would probably work. One of the best things about Wal-Mart is their overwhelming desire for customer satisfaction, hopefully they will be able to help me out. If not I intend to start a vicious rumor about Sam Walton. Here are the front-runners:

**Sam Walton was a close personal friend of Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden has even been known to make use of a Parker Brothers Ouija Board in an attempt to make contact with his deceased friend. Rumor has it that it is in fact Sam Walton who personally selected the cave that Bin Laden has been hiding in and is also advising him daily on how to avoid those dirty capitalist Americans. (Oh the irony.)

**Sam Walton was a bestiality enthusiast. He once went on safari in Africa because he felt he really had to get a piece of that "zebra-tail" he had been hearing so much about. In the back of every Wal-Mart there is a "petting zoo", all you need to gain access to "Sam's Choice Little Pen of Fun" is to know the correct password. The password is actually a reference to Sam's first homosexual experience. For those of you who need to know the password it is: "Rupert the large lifeguard."

**Sam Walton ran a famous Las Vegas style Brothel in southern Idaho. This house of ill repute was frequented by Wal-Mart shoppers throughout the mid-west. Featured at this brothel were prostitutes of all shapes, sizes, races, ages, creeds etc... It is a little known fact that Sam even put his own Grandmother to work at "Sam's Choice" (this is the actual origin of the Wal-Mart brand name). He had Grandma Josephine billed as "The Deep Throat Granny", and it is said that truckers from around the country would drive hundreds of miles out of their way to experience her "denture-free love".

You better help me Wal-Mart or I will start spreading these rumors like wild.

**Please feel free to utilize the comments section to vote for your favorite rumor.**

No nails in the head today, how about a chunk of carrot instead?

So it is unanimous that I need to quit this job. I agree. As I need the income I am planning on basically looking for a job with the same fervor that I did when I was unemployed. I want out of that dive but unfortunately I can't just quit without something else lined up. I am looking forward to quitting at some point hopefully soon though. Today was not as bad as usual but it still sucked a bunch. No nails in the head just tons and tons of work with virtually no instruction, however I would like to commend my boss for making an unbelievable amount of phone calls regarding her 13 year old daughter. Her daughter is very "bright" (I have already heard this enough times to make me puke), she is currently trying to decide on which advanced high school program she wants to attend. The junior high where she currently goes is for the "cream of the crop" or if you prefer "the best of the best" and she wants to go to a high school of the same level---like I or anyone else gives a fuck. Anyhoo so my boss spent what seemed like the whole day on the phone telling people about this. Oddly enough I really could have used some help when she was busy making these calls.

At one point today I needed help so she was helping me while she ate soup. Actually it was technically stew, a stew which is made by her mother's boyfriend who is apparently 86. He sells the stew through his church. If this is not enough, I have one of those neat roll-out keyboard trays and while she was eating the soup some fell out of her mouth and landed on my keyboard tray. A chunk of carrot and a half a pea. She didn't notice ao I had to clean it up after she left. What the fuck? Keep the fucking stew in your mouth for crying out loud. This is what my fucking life is like right now.

Kim is making dinner again. I am doing this. I am going to go now.

I have decided that I am either going to:

a. Quit my job and get a temp job
b. Continue to work my job but send out resumes as if I am unemployed.

These two courses of action may seem a bit extreme but here are some of the reasons:
--I am expected to offer technical support for the software we sell. I have wroked with the company for 4 days and I am now in charge of answering all of the support emails that we receive. This doesn't sound so bad right? Wrong. I have never even seen the software much less utilized the software. I have had no training regarding any sort of trouble-shooting. Essentially I have absolutely no way of answering customer's questions. How can I go into a place and feel comfortable when I am suppossed to be providing answers to people who have spent thousands of dollars and are very upset, when I have no idea what their problem could possibly be?
--The job entails me to move things around the office--this includes a 100 pound sign case that is used for conventions. In all honesty this case weighs almost as much as I do. I also have to move around 50 lb boxes of paper. I had a job that required me to do things like this once before and I hurt my back badly. My back still gives me trouble as a result. That was 3 years ago.
--My job requires me to put things in the attic. The attic has it's own set of pull-down stairs. I actually had to tighten the stairs myself before I would climb the ladder. All of the bolts were loose and some were ready to actually fall out. Very dangerous.
--Yesterday when they had me putting things in the attic, I hurt myself. The attic is essentially a crawl space about 3 feet tall and kind of difficult to see. There were 2 3" nails sticking out of the ceiling and I hit my head on 1. It hurt a lot. I think I only bled a little bit but still I was still bleeding and in pain.
--Here is a list of the job tasks I am suppossed to complete everyday:
1. Answer Support emails.
2. Complete all tasks in my in-box (generally letters to fax etc...)---- not a big deal
3. Enter all invoices into Quickbooks.
4. Scan everyone's credit cards and enter all payments into Quickbooks.
5. Deposit all payments in quickbooks.
6. Assemble all shipments.
7. Relieve the receptionist when she goes to lunch.
8. Keep track of all inventory.
9. Actually go to the store and purchase any items that need to be purchased (using my vehicle of course).
10. Assist the receptionist with the outgoing mail.
There are many other duties but I think that you get the picture. I feel like I am whining but it's just too much. There is no way that one person can actually complete all of these tasks by themselves. In addition my boss is kind of a bitch. She is the type that watches over your shoulder constantly and then picks apart whatever you do. I have been through that before and I am the type of person who does a good job, but I honestly need some type of freedom. Also, I must admit that I am very scared of being hurt. It seems that this job is truly an accident waiting to happen. I truly feel that my safety and health are at stake. I just don't know what to do.

Please feel free to comment with your opinions in fact I am asking for your advice.

As it stands right now, I think Kim and I have decided that for the sake of my safety I might need to find another job. How I go about this is a different story. I want to try and stick it out but honestly I could get badly hurt between now and then. If I get in an accident with my car when I am on a comapny errand--my insurance won't pay. I guess I am just really scared and confused.

Work was OK today. Christ they expect a lot and there is virtually no training. I receive minimal instruction and have to figure out the rest. My boss reminds me of a much nicer version of my old boss Sharon who I completely fucking hated. This job will get much easier to deal with as I figure out how to teach myself everything I need to know. How will I teach myself all of this you ask? I have absolutely no clue I answer. What's the worst that can happen they fire me? That is not really a threat. I am working as hard as I can and if that isn't good enough than that is not my problem. I am being incredibly honest when I say that I am truly working as hard as I can. I tend to think I am working really hard even when I am not, but this time it is legit. One last thing: I do all the bookeeping, you think they would want to make damn sure that the guy who controls the money has a lot of instruction. Guess not.

Dinner soon. Black Beans and rice and yummy seasoned fries. I think I will have a drink (or maybe 17).

To the person who got to my site by searching for "OBX FRAT" on google; do yourself a favor develop the ability to think for yourself . Fucking clone.

I just changed my "About the Author:" section on the right and I would like to say that in the "Occupation?" heading, having Business Manager feels much better on the old-self esteem than all of my previous job titles. The following are a few of the job titles I have held:

--Ice Cream Store Counterperson (The only job I have ever been fired from and wrongly I may add--another kid was the one who was actually fucking up.)
--Ride Attendant at Busch Gardens
--Ride Supervisor at Busch Gardens
--Sales Associate
--Assistant Manager for Sam Goody
--Server/Bartender
--Debt Collector (worked with the company for 6 weeks)
--Management Trainee for Hollywood Video (Worked with the company for 2 days)
--Shoe Salesman (worked with the company for yet another 6 weeks)

All things considered I feel that "Business Manager" is a large step up. Before any of you ask, all of the above are jobs are ones which I have actually performed and the titles are completely accurate. Kind of sad.

I tried to post last night and this morning and Blogger was having trouble both times. Hey it is free. Anyhoo, work is still going well. I am not as stressed out by it as I initially was. I have a ton of new stuff to learn though. I know I learn quickly but I feel like they expect to learn even more quickly than I already am. Looks like I am still going to be talking to customers at least part of the day--fortunately it is in a straight-forward software trouble-shooting capacity. Nice experience even though it kind of sucks. The worst part is that they really don't have any traing for this part of the job (Damn small companies). I am going to have to learn the software and some basic PC troubleshooting techniques pretty much on my own. That should be interesting. I think I will try to get Thomas to help me with that. The phones are also way slower than they were at Circuit C*ty so I figure that its ok.

Kim and I are heading out to the library later to get some reading materials. Kim is actually making dinner tonight--smells damn good too. She is getting to be a much better cook then she used to be. She once set a plastic spoon on fire while making pasta---if that is an indication of her previous culinary talents.

Wal-Mart's fake V-8 splash fruit beverage is actually pretty damn good. Lots of strwberry flavoring. I am drinking some now.

Thomas is having a party this weekend. Are you coming?

Sorry, you're not invited.

Four people have visited this site today. Its a good thing that one of the main reasons I do this thing is for my own personal edification. At least Robert still reads it. Check the comments from yesterday to hear his reasons for continuing to read this little corner of the web. Perhaps you too should read my writing more.

I have noticed that my site traffic has dropped considerably in the last few days. I am hurt and offended that the people who are not reading this, are not reading this.

Went to bed at 9:30 last night so I am sort of caught up on sleep. Not too nervous about today but still a bit on the nervous side of things. It doesn't seem like there is any way for me to update my site or check email from work. Kind of sucks. The office is really small (only 10 people) and my boss sits right behind me. If and when I figure out a way to get on-line without anyone noticing (the bosses son sits next to me as well) you can expect more from me otherwise you will just have to learn to enjoy these early moring and evening posts. I guess you always have the option of not reading at all anymore, but remember I can find you and hunt you down and make you read this thing.

The new job is cool. I have been up since 3 AM--too nervous to sleep. I am still going strong. No caffeine either. I am a fucking rock. I will write more later when I have the desire. I won my first EBAY auction last night---a graphic novel the first Sandman collection (First pressing $10 including shipping). I kick ass. My vision is blurry. Lack of sleep is catching up with me. Dinner is almost ready. I am going to go eat soon. I think I am having a hard time focusing. I think this is normal considering I have slept 3 hours in the last 35. I hope that all of you are enjoying reading this. I am wearing boxers and a t-shirt. We have to go to Wal-Mart in a little while. My left nipple just itched so I scratched it.

Check out this awesome website: Found Magazine. Pay careful attention to the note that the dude found titled "can't see the humor". This is a pretty damn funny site.

Tater tots and Boca Burgers for dinner. Peas on the side.

I am laughing and I don't know why.

So I start my new job tommorrow. I am pretty darn nervous--I know that I shouldn't be but I am. I will probably barely sleep and will spend the early part of the moring getting sick to my stomach. Sounds like fun, heh? Anyway my new office is on the south side of Richmond right near the Clover Leaf Mall for those of you who know Richmond, and to get to it (and home) I have to pay a toll $.50 each way. No big deal. Well we've got one of those Smart Tag things on the toll roads now which I intend to take advantage of. Last month we sent out some Spies to the North. The individuals sent had the amazing ability to look and sound like those damn Yankees up there. When they got back they brought many useful inventions. We like to think of this mission as being similar to that of Columbus visiting China, unfortunately nothing as exciting as modern-day "Pasta" was brought back. One of the things that these brave individuals did bring back was the Smart Tag system. For a while signs were just being given out that said "I Already Paid", which were then taped to the driver's side window. After a few years, some people figured out how to replicate the signs without actually paying for the tolls in advance, and then the city fathers knew something had to be done---thus the "Mission". Now we've got the actual Smart Tag system and I've got to go sign up.

My new company is really strict about Internet access at work so regretfully my posts will only be coming in the evenings until I figure out how to do it from work on the sly.

Comment on this post and see the lovely new and improved "Comments" section. It will astound you. Well maybe not, but it looks pretty damn good anyway. It is hosted by Blogback and works and looks way better than Re-Blogger. I mean it actually works so that is a heck of an improvement.

Not much going on here. Blockbuster is having a "Previously Viewed" movies sale and I picked up Snatch ($13) and Unbreakable ($11) last night. DVD format of course. Come to think about it, either of those prices would really suck for a used VHS copy of either of those films. Kim is still feeling under the weather and I cannot say that I am feeling all that great myself. I hope that by resting this weekend (I just got up from a nap.) my first week of work at the new job will be illness free. We bought a Tofurkey for Thanksgiving the other night and I told my Mom and Dad. The new joke is referring to it as a "Tofuckey" as that his how my Mom initially pronounced it. Go and get your "Tofuckies" soon kids before your area health food store sells out. Elwood Thompson's had the bastard on sale for $18. Sounds expensive but they are usually $26 down here.

Sorry that there have not been too many posts recently. I have been really busy the last few days. I sent out a bunch of resumes on Monday and got a call on Tuesday while I was in Williamsburg. I called the woman back yesterday and had a phone interview. She asked me to come in for an interview this morning and then she called and offered me the job at 1:30 PM. I am now officially employed again. I am working for a company called Brain Train who develops software to assist children with ADD and other learning problems. The software has also been proven effective in aiding adults with serious brain injuries. I will be working there primarily as the Business manager---bookkeeping etc.... Nice rate of pay too. I am very excited. Ginger, my boss currently does their website and is looking to get out of that---and I think I will be the one moving in to that task. Yesterday I designed an entirely un-offensive "Paint A Vulgar Picture" and set it up over at my Angelfire site. I showed that to her today and she seemed suitably impressed. It was pretty basic but I think it gave me a big edge. When I got there I also discovered that my friend's wife worked there---she promised she would put in a good word for me and I guess she did. Some other highlights of the job are that the hours for the position are normal business hours, the dress is actually closer to casual than business casual and Ginger my boss brings her dog Josh to work with her. I knew I fit in today because this was the only job interview I have ever had where my prospective boss' dog was asleep on the couch next to me throughout the interview. I am in a good mood again. I want to buy stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have had to be careful with money for so long that now I want to fill my role as an American and consume.

Fuck this shit.

I just took the Are You a Blogaholic? quiz, and scored 48/100. This apparently means the following:

"You are a casual weblogger. You only blog when you have nothing better to do, which is not very often. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you'd post a little more often, you'd make your readers very happy."

I did not post today because I was down in Williamsburg dubbing some horror videos from the sweet video store near my parents' house. I taped:

--Dario Argento's House of Horror
--Terror at the Opera
--Zombie
--Plan 9 from Outer Space

On Tuesdays catalog titles like these are 2/$.99 at that store. What a deal. When I say that I taped these I mean that I imagined taping these. I would never violate US Copyright laws.

Just went to the grocery and I would like to share something I discovered today:

Pillsbury's canned "Big Country Buttermilk Biscuits" are vegan. That's right no animal products in them at all. If I wasn't vegan and I bought these I would feel ripped off.

I was suppossed to receive my Worker's Relief $300 government check about 10 weeks ago but I never received it. Four weeks ago I called up the government and told them I never got it. They said they would run a trace on it.

Today in the mail I received notification that my name was forged and my check was cashed. The signature looks absolutely nothing like mine. I have to fill out these forms and send them back to the government and then they should issue me my check. I would also like to say that the person who forged my name is a complete moron. The jack-ass deposited my $300 check into their own bank account. The government took the liberty of sending me a copy of the cancelled check which was cashed at Nations Bank, whom I have never done business with. You have to be a real idiot to forge a government check and then deposit it into a bank account. They can actually trace these things you know. I actually have the moron's account number if anyone is interested.....and criminals wonder why they get caught.

I looked through the paper this morning and there were some interesting things in terms of jobs. I am actually dressed for an interview as I write this. About 30 seconds ago I decided not to attend the information session/interview I was planning on attending at 1 PM. The job was for Temporary Seasonal Help with the US Postal Service. The pay is really good but then I started thinking that the hours would probably be night-time hours since they usually are for positions of this nature, and then I statred thinking about Anthrax. I am generally not too paranoid about the current Afghanistan Offensive but the thought of coming in contact with some sort of bio-chemical weapon really made me stop and think. I realize that the possibility is incredibly remote but unfortunately it is still a possibility. I think I have decided not to go. If I change my mind there is another information session on Friday. Between the thought of never seeing Kim due to the shifts which are most likely involved, and the possible risks I might be better off just getting a more standard Temp job. In an office perhaps. I need to go change now, but damn I look fucking good. I look like a cross between Ron Howard and that red-headed guy who used to be on NYPD Blue. Ok I just look like me----kind of funny looking, but better dressed than usual.

Just a couple of things:

1. Please check out the awesome new title graphic that Corey designed and has uploaded. I gave him full permission to change the picture any time he wanted as he is designining the pictures and hosting them for me. I was pleased to see that he took full advantage of the situation and changed it this morning. Thank you Corey.

2. I saw Alex this afternoon and he brought me the new Fugazi Furniture EP as an unexpected birthday present. I just spun it up and it is awesome. The strangest thing is that the song Furniture is about 13 years old. They perform this song in the Instrument film. Great song that I always wondered where the hell it came from. The rest of the disc is great as well. Thanks a whole bunch Alex! It was really great to see him, as I don't get to see most of my DC friends very often. One last thing that none of you will care about, it was also nice to finally figure out who the "Allison T." that everyone was always talking about is. Turns out I see her around all the time and actually even saw her at the show on Friday. I kind of figured out who she was when Hey Mercedes was playing the other night. Mathias said something about her being Allison T. and then I realized that was who Alex was coming to visit. A light went on over my head. Her boyfriend Josh is also super cool, plus they have a pug puppie who is absolutely adorable. It was a good day.

Alex, I hope that you enjoyed your first Panda Garden experience. We tend to think it is one of the best vegetarian restaurants we've ever been to. Their mock ham is amazing.

Didn't do much yesterday, we just kind of hung around and ran a few errands. For your reading pleasure, here is my review of Friday night's show. First off the show was at the University of Richmond. This institution of higher learning is generally associated more with white baseball hats and J Crew clothing than with the indie rock, but their radio station assembled this show. We got there at a little after 7 and Naht was already playing. The first thing we noticed was that the room was indeed an old gymnasium with brick walls and a thirty-foot high ceiling. The sound was absolutely horrible. The second thing we noticed is that there was not a stage. The band was set up on the floor. I am not the tallest drink of water so that meant I was going to spend the evening struggling to see anything. The third thing we noticed is that multiple members of the crowd seemed as though they would fit in better at a frat party than at a rock show. We're talking every girl there was wearing skintight pants, they all seemed to have long blond hair and an attitude. Now on to the bands: Naht was OK. They were "emo" I guess. They are apparently from Japan which at least makes them really stick out as the first Japanese Emo band I have ever seen. As opening bands go on a six-band bill they were pretty damn good. I wouldn't buy any of their stuff but they were at least good at what they do. In a surprise change of line-up Burning Airlines went on next. I love J. Robbins' production and I loved Jawbox, but I just do not like this band. Every time I see them I just want to listen to Jawbox and spend their set praying for a Jawbox reunion. They are really tight and all are excellent musicians but I still just don't like the music. I watched and clapped out of respect for Mr. Robbins but I would rather have been sitting in the rear corner of the gym where I came from. Not to bash on the band too much but it also seems like the energy level has dropped quite a bit. Last time I saw them it seemed like they got into it a whole lot more. Regretfully I have very little to say regarding The Prom who played next. I ran into an old friend and spent their set talking to him. I know I always bitch about people who pay no attention to the bands and talk to their friends, but on this large a bill it is impossible to watch every band and not get burnt out. Thomas watched their whole set and said they were pretty damn good though. Lots of piano in the music. What I heard kind of sounded like Brad to me. Yes,I just compared a band to a Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam fame) side project.

As New End Original was about to take the stage I decided to stroll up front and begin my struggle to actually see the band. They are kind of an indie-rock super-group. Think Humble Pie without any of the actual fame or fortune. The drummer was in Chamberlin, the singer from Far, and the bass player and guitarist used to be in a little band called Texas is the Reason. These guys were great. They are kind of standard "emo" but still really good at what they do. My comparisons would lean towards The Gloria Record in terms of the slower songs and perhaps the first Mineral record for the faster stuff. Of course similarities to all of the member's previous bands can also easily be drawn. A great band who I am sure will break up soon, I only say this because it always seems to happen that when a good new band comes along they are doomed to put out a full-length and an EP and then break-up. Check these guys out if you get a chance. All the set changes went quickly throughout the evening and after about 20 minutes Hey Mercedes took the stage. They were great. All the energy of Braid with slightly different song structure. Their set featured tracks mostly off the new record with a couple of songs from the EP thrown in. Great show, the band was super tight with lots of stage presence. Closing the show was Death Cab for Cutie. These guys were excellent. I won't go as far as to say that anything they are doing is "fresh", but they are all excellent musicians who wrote really great songs. Their music is melodic while intense. I don't mean intense because they have distortion pedals either, the music is intense without being loud. Kind of cool.

Anyway that's about it. The show was really well run all in all—Thomas and I were pleasantly surprised. $.50 cans of soda, they ordered pizza and then sold it by the slice, and most importantly a show that began at 7 was over by 12:30--normally this is to be expected but when there are 6 bands playing (especially in Richmond) I was expecting more along the lines of 2 AM. Old men like me need to get to get to bed.

You'll hear about the Indie-Rock Extravaganza last night when I'm damn well ready to tell you about it. All I have to say now is that it was one of the longer shows I have been to in a while. 6 bands (all with some level of noteriety). A preview follows:
The lineup (in order of appearence)-----Naht, Burning Airlines, The Prom, New End Original, Hey Mercedes, and Death Cab For Cutie. Cost was $12 but hey that's a lot of indie-rock for $12, considering going to check out a band like Pearl Jam will cost you $40 it's a pretty good deal. More when I get good and ready to give it or when I have more time to sit in front of the computer.

Our DVD player is not the greatest (the Apex 660) but it works well enough. Last night I went over to Plan 9 to purchase tickets for the Death Cab for Cutie show tonight and also had a couple of great used DVD finds. Dario Argento's Opera ($12) and also his Phantom of the Opera ($10). I was really excited until I got home. It appears that these DVDs were for the wrong region. Neither DVD would play. At first I thought the player was messing up but then I realized that I had been watching DVDs all day without any problem. Plan 9 is notorious for being pains in the ass if you need to return something, so I went right back and returned them. They still asked me if I just wanted store credit. I just wanted my charge credited, which they did after dragging their feet a bit. After all I was returning the items about an hour after I bought them. Needless to say I am still jammed up because I really wanted both of these films. Kind of sucks.

Lex is coming to visit on Sunday. Time to get out the bondage gear.

No time for a long post today. I am way too busy watching the DVDs I got for my birthday.

--Best in Show
--The Big Lebowski
--Shawshank Redmption
--The Simpsons Complete First Season
I also bought Dario Argento's Tenebre for myself the other day.