Snow!
I've decided to keep up the journal for now, and want to catch up on life so far.
My return has been excellent, as comfortable, easy, and satisfying as I had expected. Everyone has accepted my return quite well and life resumes, though not quite where it left off. That is fine by me, as I have plans and ambitions and won't settle for less than what I want, which is a realistic hope of a tolerable job that will allow me enough time and funds to set up my life with Celeste and work on my major movie project, "Yoshitsune."
However, before any of this can be, I need a job. I'm admittedly nervous, since I have a limited time frame in which to find one and am already $900 in debt because of my stupid car. Though these are real worries, they are financial worries, meaning they are superficial and transient. In other words, though my anxiety over them is real, it need not be long-lived or severe since all will be well in time.
I went to WPS the other day and it fantastic to see my old friends, some of whom mean very much to me. I wish I had more time with them and need to set up a time to meet them at lunch or a weekendnight where we go out. Ben, get on that! Two other notable experiences from my WPS visit:
1) Bill Bathke. Big BB is a fantastic guy, very focused and driven, but never so much that he doesn't have time to chat it up with the little guy, enjoy time with his family, or look at pictures from a weary world traveler. Not only is he a sincerely nice person, he's also giving me much job help, so I like him and thank him.
2) Carla Nolden. On the other end of the spectrum is my old supervisor, who continues to be a soulless cog in the machine, and made sure to use up valuable work time to repeatedly ask me to leave the floor while I was on my way out. Our interaction, which occurred while I was saying goodbye to Ben, went something like this:
Me: Well man, we'll have to get together some time.
Ben: Yeah, we'll work on setting it up.
Carla: Rick, you need to leave, it's company policy that we not allow you up on the floor.
Me: Yup, I know, I'm on my way out.
Carla: We really need you to go, I can't have you up here with Hippa compliance rules and all.
Me: Yes, I'm aware, I'm heading off.
Carla: Rick, you need to leave, you no longer work here.
Me: I realize this and am in the process of leaving.
Carla: Rick, you need to go, you're using company time.
Ben: Man, that's harsh, he used to work here. How can you just give him a "Welcome back" and then "Leave?"
Me: Actually, she didn't say welcome back.
And then she left. The continuing irony, of course, is that she always wastes tons of time telling me how I am wasting time. Though I could rant for hours on what a terrible supervisor she was in all aspects, not least of all her biased and poor treatment of me, I think the correct thing to rant about is The Corporation as an organism.
See, The Corporation is like an all-consuming alien life form with an Overmind will, like the Borg or the Zerg, consuming all who come in its path and sucking dry any humanity they had, firmly implanting their tentacles inside the hollow shell of the erstwhile human, replacing heart and soul with beauracracy and policy. Some people, like Ben, manage to keep their free will, maintaining their humanity even whilst suffering under its cruel regime. Others, like Carla, were just barely human to begin with, so make a perfect host for the ubiqituous intruder. I recommend combating this with Siege Tanks and fully upgraded Ghosts with armed nukes.
All things considered, I am very happy. I have some job prospects and will keep looking for more, I have had much time with my friends and family and will have yet more, things with Celeste are as wonderful as always, and it's snowing. Snow has a fantastic quality about it, and 'twould be thoroughly magical had we not spent all our lives with it. It falls from the heavens and blankets the world, giving it a look of serenity and purity.
The world may not be pure, but there's enough good in it to keep me living here.
My return has been excellent, as comfortable, easy, and satisfying as I had expected. Everyone has accepted my return quite well and life resumes, though not quite where it left off. That is fine by me, as I have plans and ambitions and won't settle for less than what I want, which is a realistic hope of a tolerable job that will allow me enough time and funds to set up my life with Celeste and work on my major movie project, "Yoshitsune."
However, before any of this can be, I need a job. I'm admittedly nervous, since I have a limited time frame in which to find one and am already $900 in debt because of my stupid car. Though these are real worries, they are financial worries, meaning they are superficial and transient. In other words, though my anxiety over them is real, it need not be long-lived or severe since all will be well in time.
I went to WPS the other day and it fantastic to see my old friends, some of whom mean very much to me. I wish I had more time with them and need to set up a time to meet them at lunch or a weekendnight where we go out. Ben, get on that! Two other notable experiences from my WPS visit:
1) Bill Bathke. Big BB is a fantastic guy, very focused and driven, but never so much that he doesn't have time to chat it up with the little guy, enjoy time with his family, or look at pictures from a weary world traveler. Not only is he a sincerely nice person, he's also giving me much job help, so I like him and thank him.
2) Carla Nolden. On the other end of the spectrum is my old supervisor, who continues to be a soulless cog in the machine, and made sure to use up valuable work time to repeatedly ask me to leave the floor while I was on my way out. Our interaction, which occurred while I was saying goodbye to Ben, went something like this:
Me: Well man, we'll have to get together some time.
Ben: Yeah, we'll work on setting it up.
Carla: Rick, you need to leave, it's company policy that we not allow you up on the floor.
Me: Yup, I know, I'm on my way out.
Carla: We really need you to go, I can't have you up here with Hippa compliance rules and all.
Me: Yes, I'm aware, I'm heading off.
Carla: Rick, you need to leave, you no longer work here.
Me: I realize this and am in the process of leaving.
Carla: Rick, you need to go, you're using company time.
Ben: Man, that's harsh, he used to work here. How can you just give him a "Welcome back" and then "Leave?"
Me: Actually, she didn't say welcome back.
And then she left. The continuing irony, of course, is that she always wastes tons of time telling me how I am wasting time. Though I could rant for hours on what a terrible supervisor she was in all aspects, not least of all her biased and poor treatment of me, I think the correct thing to rant about is The Corporation as an organism.
See, The Corporation is like an all-consuming alien life form with an Overmind will, like the Borg or the Zerg, consuming all who come in its path and sucking dry any humanity they had, firmly implanting their tentacles inside the hollow shell of the erstwhile human, replacing heart and soul with beauracracy and policy. Some people, like Ben, manage to keep their free will, maintaining their humanity even whilst suffering under its cruel regime. Others, like Carla, were just barely human to begin with, so make a perfect host for the ubiqituous intruder. I recommend combating this with Siege Tanks and fully upgraded Ghosts with armed nukes.
All things considered, I am very happy. I have some job prospects and will keep looking for more, I have had much time with my friends and family and will have yet more, things with Celeste are as wonderful as always, and it's snowing. Snow has a fantastic quality about it, and 'twould be thoroughly magical had we not spent all our lives with it. It falls from the heavens and blankets the world, giving it a look of serenity and purity.
The world may not be pure, but there's enough good in it to keep me living here.