Random Update
Work currently has me in a hotel which seems reluctant to give my computer internet, and of course I don't have it at all at home. I'm currently working ten-hour days, ten days in a row, which means I don't have the time or the inclination to do much apart from shower and feed myself after work. It stinks. I want to go to both a post office and a bank, but these institutions are not open during my free hours. I only get 3.5 days off for "weekends", which doesn't give me much time to get things done at home.
Hopefully this insane schedule will be over with by the second week of November, and I can go back to "normal": Afternoons wherein post offices are open after work gets out, and long weekends with copious time for both running errands and lounging around my house.
So, a week and a half before the election, my boss has switched schedules on us. Originally, I was supposed to get off work at noon on Friday before election day, and drive seven hours home to Virginia. On Saturday morning, I was planning to drive up to Charlottesville and stand in line for ages to get my drivers license changed (for which I need a birth certificate which is on its way to me by mail at the moment) and my truck registered with new plates. Once I have my new license, I will be able to vote on that Tuesday (though I can go into the courthouse and vote on Saturday afternoon or Monday). This was fine on my original schedule, which would have had me driving back to Ohio on Tuesday evening to work on Wednesday.
But now, my boss wants us to work a full day (until 6:00 pm) on the Friday, and then only take Saturday and Sunday off before working again on Monday. We were told this yesterday. Virginia does not offer absentee ballots to first-time voters except under very specific circumstances, which I did not meet at the time I applied. It is now too late to get an absentee ballot. So I emailed my boss and very calmly and politely informed him that I cannot comply with the new schedule at this time, and I'm sure he understands (which is my way of saying "you f***ed up and it's not my problem"). Found out today that he's gone on vacation for a couple of weeks. Nice timing, dude.
We were also informed this morning that the next person at work caught without their hardhat and safety glasses on will be fired. Why do we need hardhats and safety glasses? Beats me. It's all regulations and the pipeline covering its own ass. We are out in an open field. There is nothing to hit us on the head, and nothing but he occasional speck of dirt flying into our eyes. The hardhats and glasses really interfere with our ability to do our job well, but apparently no one cares about that.
I hate this job right now. I hate my boss. His name is Colby Child, and he can suck a dick as far as I am concerned. Everyone on our crew feels about the same way. Our field supervisor has even told the company owner that he refuses to work on any more projects run by this guy. Everything he touches turns to a clusterf***. He is an incompetent moron with a Napoleon complex. Someday I would like very much to tell him all this.
My house has mice. They get into cupboards and eat my walnuts and my sugar and leave their droppings everywhere. I don't know where they are coming from. It's an old house and doubtless has lots of cozy nooks and crannies for them to shack up in. I didn't have time last weekend to deal with them properly, but I put the foods that they are likely to get into in a high up cupboard this time. I don't want to lay down traps, first of all because I hate to kill the little buggers, and second of all because I don't want their tiny festering corpses lying around my house for ten days while I'm at work. I've ordered some stuff online that apparently has bobcat pee in it and is supposed to drive mice off. We shall see if it works. My cat seems sublimely disinterested in doing anything about the problem. Spoiled princess.
I love my house. It's big and gorgeous and is starting to have all the sorts of things a house is supposed to have in it. It still needs many bits of furniture, and the heat does not seem to be working at the moment, but it's my house and I love it. I wish I had a job that would allow me to spend more time there. Say, best-selling author?
We are planning to have a big Thanksgiving dinner there, hopefully on the Saturday following Thanksgiving itself. We would love to open our home and invite anyone who would like to join us to come crash at our place for the weekend. If you are interested, you might want to bring along a sleeping bag or a blanket, since we are not quite fully stocked on those yet. We are working on it.
There are idle dreams about buying the house and maybe some of the land behind it, planting fruit trees and a garden, opening a winery, making the place self-sufficient, establishing a little hippy-archaeologist-commune-thingy. You know the type. If I could get some good people in on it, I think it would be do-able. Anyone interested?
I don't really have a plan right now. I sort of feel like I am drifting. Sometimes I think that's okay, but sometimes I feel like I am wasting my time in the job when there is so much else I could be doing. But the job is *safe*. It brings in a steady paycheck. It's not an awesome amount of money, but it's not nothing either. I can live with it. I just don't get much (any) satisfaction out of it.
I want to travel, but I also want to save up money and buy this house. I want to see about living overseas again, but I want a safe homebase to come back to, and I already mentioned the winery-commune thingy. I shouldn't be scared to take risks for fear I might fail. Really, what's the worst that can happen? I'll be okay. I have friends and family who have my back. I have a little money in the bank to cushion me. I'm fairly smart and resourceful. What's to be scared of?
Still working on that whole "what do I want?" thing, though. That's a tough one, and the answer can change with my mood.
I've been taking more of an interest in politics recently. I've been politically apathetic to an embarrassing degree since high school. I know I should care about this stuff. I *do* care about this stuff. But I'm no good at debate, and I've felt like I'd fallen so far behind on world affairs that I could never catch up. But I've been watching the news. As much of it as I possibly can. I'm not picky about which stations (though I have developed a fondness for CNN); I'll watch anything. I love hearing from different people and different points of view, though I am most interested in hearing what the candidates have to say for themselves, unfiltered through any news media.
Here are the conclusions I've come to: I actually do like John McCain. I think he could make a decent president. However, his age and his health worry me, especially considering his VP choice. Sarah Palin scares the living s*** out of me. Nothing I have heard about her or from her own mouth has inspired any kind of confidence in me at all. She seems to make rash decisions without consulting anyone. She seems uninformed and disinterested in world affairs. Hell, even the way she runs her own family frightens me. She chose to have a child with Downs Syndrome, the raising of whom is going to be a full-time job for someone. Is the First Dude going to be taking on this task all by himself? She also, I might add, boarded a plane *while she was in labour* because she wanted the kid to be born in Alaska. She is not someone I want making important decisions on my behalf. I don't want to see her anywhere near the Oval Office.
Barak Obama, on the other hand, continues to impress me more every time I hear him speak. His policies appeal to me. I would love to see some fresh ideas injected into American politics. Things have gotten a little stale and a little too comfortable for some people. Joe Biden, too, despite his reputation for gaffes, is someone I have grown to respect. This is really the first election where I feel I am really voting for someone I have confidence in. That gives me a bit of hope for the future. Of course, I am not naive enough to think everything will be sunshine and roses, but I think an Obama presidency would be a good thing for America, and maybe for the rest of the world too.
Everyone is talking about the global financial meltdown, taxation and that filthy s-word *whispers* socialism. I just want to put in my two cents here (as if it matters).
In some ways, I feel like the financial mess is a good thing. I know a lot of people (including a large number of retirees) are losing a lot of money and people's houses are being foreclosed on, but is it all bad? I think America has been getting a little too comfortable. People live beyond their means and feel entitled to things that really are luxury items. A reality check like this forces people to examine their priorities. It shakes things up, and it promotes change, which is something we really need.
Why is socialism such a dirty word in this country? The arguement I see a lot of Conservatives and Republicans making on the news is that we can't have socialism because...we just can't. But here's the problem: We want this country to be the best and most advanced country in the world, on all fronts if possible, and yet no one seems to want to pay for it. Oooh! Obama is going to raise taxes to fund all kinds of nasty liberal programs like education! Can't have that! There's no such thing as a free lunch, people. I'm prepared to dig a bit deeper if it means a better life for all of us. Health care only for people who can afford it? A "we have to play by my God's rules" attitude about choice and gay marriage? *pbbbbbtttttth* And they call *liberals* elitist!
Apparently I had some things I wanted to get off my chest there. Sorry about that. Wait; no I'm not. That's how I feel, and anyone who disagrees is just going to have to live with it.
Hopefully this insane schedule will be over with by the second week of November, and I can go back to "normal": Afternoons wherein post offices are open after work gets out, and long weekends with copious time for both running errands and lounging around my house.
So, a week and a half before the election, my boss has switched schedules on us. Originally, I was supposed to get off work at noon on Friday before election day, and drive seven hours home to Virginia. On Saturday morning, I was planning to drive up to Charlottesville and stand in line for ages to get my drivers license changed (for which I need a birth certificate which is on its way to me by mail at the moment) and my truck registered with new plates. Once I have my new license, I will be able to vote on that Tuesday (though I can go into the courthouse and vote on Saturday afternoon or Monday). This was fine on my original schedule, which would have had me driving back to Ohio on Tuesday evening to work on Wednesday.
But now, my boss wants us to work a full day (until 6:00 pm) on the Friday, and then only take Saturday and Sunday off before working again on Monday. We were told this yesterday. Virginia does not offer absentee ballots to first-time voters except under very specific circumstances, which I did not meet at the time I applied. It is now too late to get an absentee ballot. So I emailed my boss and very calmly and politely informed him that I cannot comply with the new schedule at this time, and I'm sure he understands (which is my way of saying "you f***ed up and it's not my problem"). Found out today that he's gone on vacation for a couple of weeks. Nice timing, dude.
We were also informed this morning that the next person at work caught without their hardhat and safety glasses on will be fired. Why do we need hardhats and safety glasses? Beats me. It's all regulations and the pipeline covering its own ass. We are out in an open field. There is nothing to hit us on the head, and nothing but he occasional speck of dirt flying into our eyes. The hardhats and glasses really interfere with our ability to do our job well, but apparently no one cares about that.
I hate this job right now. I hate my boss. His name is Colby Child, and he can suck a dick as far as I am concerned. Everyone on our crew feels about the same way. Our field supervisor has even told the company owner that he refuses to work on any more projects run by this guy. Everything he touches turns to a clusterf***. He is an incompetent moron with a Napoleon complex. Someday I would like very much to tell him all this.
My house has mice. They get into cupboards and eat my walnuts and my sugar and leave their droppings everywhere. I don't know where they are coming from. It's an old house and doubtless has lots of cozy nooks and crannies for them to shack up in. I didn't have time last weekend to deal with them properly, but I put the foods that they are likely to get into in a high up cupboard this time. I don't want to lay down traps, first of all because I hate to kill the little buggers, and second of all because I don't want their tiny festering corpses lying around my house for ten days while I'm at work. I've ordered some stuff online that apparently has bobcat pee in it and is supposed to drive mice off. We shall see if it works. My cat seems sublimely disinterested in doing anything about the problem. Spoiled princess.
I love my house. It's big and gorgeous and is starting to have all the sorts of things a house is supposed to have in it. It still needs many bits of furniture, and the heat does not seem to be working at the moment, but it's my house and I love it. I wish I had a job that would allow me to spend more time there. Say, best-selling author?
We are planning to have a big Thanksgiving dinner there, hopefully on the Saturday following Thanksgiving itself. We would love to open our home and invite anyone who would like to join us to come crash at our place for the weekend. If you are interested, you might want to bring along a sleeping bag or a blanket, since we are not quite fully stocked on those yet. We are working on it.
There are idle dreams about buying the house and maybe some of the land behind it, planting fruit trees and a garden, opening a winery, making the place self-sufficient, establishing a little hippy-archaeologist-commune-thingy. You know the type. If I could get some good people in on it, I think it would be do-able. Anyone interested?
I don't really have a plan right now. I sort of feel like I am drifting. Sometimes I think that's okay, but sometimes I feel like I am wasting my time in the job when there is so much else I could be doing. But the job is *safe*. It brings in a steady paycheck. It's not an awesome amount of money, but it's not nothing either. I can live with it. I just don't get much (any) satisfaction out of it.
I want to travel, but I also want to save up money and buy this house. I want to see about living overseas again, but I want a safe homebase to come back to, and I already mentioned the winery-commune thingy. I shouldn't be scared to take risks for fear I might fail. Really, what's the worst that can happen? I'll be okay. I have friends and family who have my back. I have a little money in the bank to cushion me. I'm fairly smart and resourceful. What's to be scared of?
Still working on that whole "what do I want?" thing, though. That's a tough one, and the answer can change with my mood.
I've been taking more of an interest in politics recently. I've been politically apathetic to an embarrassing degree since high school. I know I should care about this stuff. I *do* care about this stuff. But I'm no good at debate, and I've felt like I'd fallen so far behind on world affairs that I could never catch up. But I've been watching the news. As much of it as I possibly can. I'm not picky about which stations (though I have developed a fondness for CNN); I'll watch anything. I love hearing from different people and different points of view, though I am most interested in hearing what the candidates have to say for themselves, unfiltered through any news media.
Here are the conclusions I've come to: I actually do like John McCain. I think he could make a decent president. However, his age and his health worry me, especially considering his VP choice. Sarah Palin scares the living s*** out of me. Nothing I have heard about her or from her own mouth has inspired any kind of confidence in me at all. She seems to make rash decisions without consulting anyone. She seems uninformed and disinterested in world affairs. Hell, even the way she runs her own family frightens me. She chose to have a child with Downs Syndrome, the raising of whom is going to be a full-time job for someone. Is the First Dude going to be taking on this task all by himself? She also, I might add, boarded a plane *while she was in labour* because she wanted the kid to be born in Alaska. She is not someone I want making important decisions on my behalf. I don't want to see her anywhere near the Oval Office.
Barak Obama, on the other hand, continues to impress me more every time I hear him speak. His policies appeal to me. I would love to see some fresh ideas injected into American politics. Things have gotten a little stale and a little too comfortable for some people. Joe Biden, too, despite his reputation for gaffes, is someone I have grown to respect. This is really the first election where I feel I am really voting for someone I have confidence in. That gives me a bit of hope for the future. Of course, I am not naive enough to think everything will be sunshine and roses, but I think an Obama presidency would be a good thing for America, and maybe for the rest of the world too.
Everyone is talking about the global financial meltdown, taxation and that filthy s-word *whispers* socialism. I just want to put in my two cents here (as if it matters).
In some ways, I feel like the financial mess is a good thing. I know a lot of people (including a large number of retirees) are losing a lot of money and people's houses are being foreclosed on, but is it all bad? I think America has been getting a little too comfortable. People live beyond their means and feel entitled to things that really are luxury items. A reality check like this forces people to examine their priorities. It shakes things up, and it promotes change, which is something we really need.
Why is socialism such a dirty word in this country? The arguement I see a lot of Conservatives and Republicans making on the news is that we can't have socialism because...we just can't. But here's the problem: We want this country to be the best and most advanced country in the world, on all fronts if possible, and yet no one seems to want to pay for it. Oooh! Obama is going to raise taxes to fund all kinds of nasty liberal programs like education! Can't have that! There's no such thing as a free lunch, people. I'm prepared to dig a bit deeper if it means a better life for all of us. Health care only for people who can afford it? A "we have to play by my God's rules" attitude about choice and gay marriage? *pbbbbbtttttth* And they call *liberals* elitist!
Apparently I had some things I wanted to get off my chest there. Sorry about that. Wait; no I'm not. That's how I feel, and anyone who disagrees is just going to have to live with it.