Last Wednesday
Been meaning to post about a day last week, but hadn't taken the chance to, but something that occurred today has brought it full circle, kind of put the ending on the story if you will, so I've decided to sit down now and write.
Last Wednesday was much like any other Wednesday. I think I had crashed at Cathy's place the night before and had gotten to my classes on time that morning. That seems to happen a lot more when I am in Salt Lake as opposed to Highland. Something about a 5 minute commute, most of which is trying to find parking, versus a 50 minute commute. I was scheduled to meet a guy to have the plumbing inspected at Dad's new office we're building so we could have concrete put back in and finish as wall that was supposed to go there. I went down and pretty much just read my Evolution textbook for an hour while eating Taco Bell and fighting the urge to take an afternoon nap in my car. He showed up, checked that the pressure was at 5 psi, signed a sheet of paper and was off. After that I worked on filling in the trench until I figured it was about time to go to get to my next destination.
I had to go back home to Highland to pick up the tickets for the Jazz game that night. I had turned down Monday's game tickets in favor of Wednesday thinking that I might be able to take Cathy. Dad bought a big pack of game tickets earlier in the season for the business and sometimes they find their way to me. Cathy however also worked Wednesday so I was still trying to figure out who I could use the second ticket for. Anyway, that comes later. The real next destination was a job interview up in West Valley. A few weeks back I had found a listing in the paper for a lab job doing a lot of chemistry for a detergent company, basically checking that the stuff is made of what it is supposed to be made of. The shifts were 12 hours, 3 a week and I initially thought that I could make that work well with my schedule, working a 12 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In the mean time though, before I heard back, I had picked up a Tuesday-Thursday class. It was a class on Evolutionary Biology, taught by the professor who is over that field at the U and in a small, 10 person class setting in a conference room. While it would make working difficult there is no way I could not take this class. I don't need it for any credit, it doesn't fulfill any requirements, but it's possibly a big inroad to grad school at the U or at least a good letter of recommendation for another school. So I went to this interview today thinking that I'd at least see what it was all about and if they could maybe find some other position or shift that would work for me. It wasn't a problem though. The shifts are 12 hours, but they are 7pm to 7am. Graveyards. And I am ok with this. I get to work full time and not have to force it around school and do retarded stuff like going to work for two hours, then going to an hour of class, then back to work with a half hour driving each way like I used to do before. I just have to sleep like noon to 6 3 days a week. It pays well and there's shift differential because it is a night shift. There's a 4th 12 hour shift every other week, so that's 36 hours then 48, of which those 8 should be overtime I think. The interview went well I thought and they said they'd let me know.
After that I went to Cathy's for a little till it was time to get leaving for the game. I had a few people I'd talked to about going or had Cathy ask, but turns out that none could make it. I know that there were probably other people that could have, but by the time I knew that no one else would it was almost game time anyway. I rode Trax from 9th E to the Delta Center (sorry, I refuse to call it by the new name) and tried to think of what I would do. I could just go by myself, enjoy the game, and let the other ticket go to waste. There are also always guys outside the arena scalping tickets basically and maybe I could get some money for the spare one. But it was also just a single ticket and the opponent wasn't that good so they might not give me much for it anyway. Plus there's that whole questionable legality bit, though I wasn't so concerned about that. But halfway there on the train I realized what I should do with the tickets. If I was just by myself I really don't care so much where I sit, I can just enjoy the game anyway. I should give someone else a chance to use the lower bowl tickets that otherwise may not ever get there. And I figured I should find someone who would really appreciate them and I knew then that I should find a father and son, someone kinda like me and my dad when we use to go enjoy games from the nosebleeds, who were just out to enjoy the game in the upper bowl and trade them tickets. When I got there I didn't know exactly how I'd find them. I'd feel bad if I found two people and offered, then turned out they were just waiting on a 3rd person and they couldn't use them, or if I asked someone to trade and they had better seats then I had to offer anyway I'd feel kinda silly. I figured I'd just head up the stairs and look for someone I could give them to. As I sat there and thought about this standing in line to get in the building, I noticed that I was actually right behind a father and son. When we got in the doors I followed them and as they started up the stairs I called out and told him he was heading the wrong way and offered to exchange my tickets. He was understandably stunned and asked if I was serious. Sure, I said, I don't care where I'm at since I'm by myself, go enjoy the game. We traded and they headed off. Off I went to the 15th row of the upper bowl. I wished I'd had my binoculars to try and find find them from up above. I got a (overpriced) beer and enjoyed the game with the upper bowl crowd. I guess my seat trading karma didn't pay off though as the Jazz lost, though exciting, in overtime by two points.
It's kinda weird to talk about those kind of things though. It seems like telling other people about it somehow diminishes the value of the act. As though we didn't just do it because we thought it would be a nice thing to do but to instead make ourselves look better to others. Maybe there's a curve to it, like if you tell X number of people about it then it remains just a random kind act but there's a peak and after that you are a pompous jackass just trying to boost your image. It could be the subject of an XKCD comic strip. It just felt right to do though and once I'd thought of doing it I knew I couldn't not do it. What are your thoughts on that?
I ended the night by going over to Cathy's work after the game and brought, at her request, hot chocolate. When she got off a little bit of time later we went down to see my cousin. Though she was due on February 12th, I think, I had received a text message from her earlier in the day on my way back from school saying it was looking like this was it. She had her baby about 8 o'clock that night. Joshua Drake Andra is 6 lbs, 8 oz and just absolutely adorable. Nicole is doing fine. Drake is the first baby of the new generation in our family. It doesn't really seem that way as I do have a cousin who is only 13 months old right now but uncle Greg got started late. We then went back to Cathy's and I crashed there for the night again.
Today when I pulled into the parking lot at the U and finally found a spot I got a phone call. It was from the job and they are offering it to me. Tomorrow I go in to fill out the paper work and all that business. I'm not sure when I will actually start, either this week or next, but the process for me to be back in the workforce has begun. As the job is in West Valley, about 32nd W and 18th S I will be looking to move back up north again. I may just have to suck it up for the first few weeks and commute till I get the first paycheck and can actually pay a first month's rent somewhere. Craigslist and I shall soon become good friends, I think.
Last Wednesday was much like any other Wednesday. I think I had crashed at Cathy's place the night before and had gotten to my classes on time that morning. That seems to happen a lot more when I am in Salt Lake as opposed to Highland. Something about a 5 minute commute, most of which is trying to find parking, versus a 50 minute commute. I was scheduled to meet a guy to have the plumbing inspected at Dad's new office we're building so we could have concrete put back in and finish as wall that was supposed to go there. I went down and pretty much just read my Evolution textbook for an hour while eating Taco Bell and fighting the urge to take an afternoon nap in my car. He showed up, checked that the pressure was at 5 psi, signed a sheet of paper and was off. After that I worked on filling in the trench until I figured it was about time to go to get to my next destination.
I had to go back home to Highland to pick up the tickets for the Jazz game that night. I had turned down Monday's game tickets in favor of Wednesday thinking that I might be able to take Cathy. Dad bought a big pack of game tickets earlier in the season for the business and sometimes they find their way to me. Cathy however also worked Wednesday so I was still trying to figure out who I could use the second ticket for. Anyway, that comes later. The real next destination was a job interview up in West Valley. A few weeks back I had found a listing in the paper for a lab job doing a lot of chemistry for a detergent company, basically checking that the stuff is made of what it is supposed to be made of. The shifts were 12 hours, 3 a week and I initially thought that I could make that work well with my schedule, working a 12 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In the mean time though, before I heard back, I had picked up a Tuesday-Thursday class. It was a class on Evolutionary Biology, taught by the professor who is over that field at the U and in a small, 10 person class setting in a conference room. While it would make working difficult there is no way I could not take this class. I don't need it for any credit, it doesn't fulfill any requirements, but it's possibly a big inroad to grad school at the U or at least a good letter of recommendation for another school. So I went to this interview today thinking that I'd at least see what it was all about and if they could maybe find some other position or shift that would work for me. It wasn't a problem though. The shifts are 12 hours, but they are 7pm to 7am. Graveyards. And I am ok with this. I get to work full time and not have to force it around school and do retarded stuff like going to work for two hours, then going to an hour of class, then back to work with a half hour driving each way like I used to do before. I just have to sleep like noon to 6 3 days a week. It pays well and there's shift differential because it is a night shift. There's a 4th 12 hour shift every other week, so that's 36 hours then 48, of which those 8 should be overtime I think. The interview went well I thought and they said they'd let me know.
After that I went to Cathy's for a little till it was time to get leaving for the game. I had a few people I'd talked to about going or had Cathy ask, but turns out that none could make it. I know that there were probably other people that could have, but by the time I knew that no one else would it was almost game time anyway. I rode Trax from 9th E to the Delta Center (sorry, I refuse to call it by the new name) and tried to think of what I would do. I could just go by myself, enjoy the game, and let the other ticket go to waste. There are also always guys outside the arena scalping tickets basically and maybe I could get some money for the spare one. But it was also just a single ticket and the opponent wasn't that good so they might not give me much for it anyway. Plus there's that whole questionable legality bit, though I wasn't so concerned about that. But halfway there on the train I realized what I should do with the tickets. If I was just by myself I really don't care so much where I sit, I can just enjoy the game anyway. I should give someone else a chance to use the lower bowl tickets that otherwise may not ever get there. And I figured I should find someone who would really appreciate them and I knew then that I should find a father and son, someone kinda like me and my dad when we use to go enjoy games from the nosebleeds, who were just out to enjoy the game in the upper bowl and trade them tickets. When I got there I didn't know exactly how I'd find them. I'd feel bad if I found two people and offered, then turned out they were just waiting on a 3rd person and they couldn't use them, or if I asked someone to trade and they had better seats then I had to offer anyway I'd feel kinda silly. I figured I'd just head up the stairs and look for someone I could give them to. As I sat there and thought about this standing in line to get in the building, I noticed that I was actually right behind a father and son. When we got in the doors I followed them and as they started up the stairs I called out and told him he was heading the wrong way and offered to exchange my tickets. He was understandably stunned and asked if I was serious. Sure, I said, I don't care where I'm at since I'm by myself, go enjoy the game. We traded and they headed off. Off I went to the 15th row of the upper bowl. I wished I'd had my binoculars to try and find find them from up above. I got a (overpriced) beer and enjoyed the game with the upper bowl crowd. I guess my seat trading karma didn't pay off though as the Jazz lost, though exciting, in overtime by two points.
It's kinda weird to talk about those kind of things though. It seems like telling other people about it somehow diminishes the value of the act. As though we didn't just do it because we thought it would be a nice thing to do but to instead make ourselves look better to others. Maybe there's a curve to it, like if you tell X number of people about it then it remains just a random kind act but there's a peak and after that you are a pompous jackass just trying to boost your image. It could be the subject of an XKCD comic strip. It just felt right to do though and once I'd thought of doing it I knew I couldn't not do it. What are your thoughts on that?
I ended the night by going over to Cathy's work after the game and brought, at her request, hot chocolate. When she got off a little bit of time later we went down to see my cousin. Though she was due on February 12th, I think, I had received a text message from her earlier in the day on my way back from school saying it was looking like this was it. She had her baby about 8 o'clock that night. Joshua Drake Andra is 6 lbs, 8 oz and just absolutely adorable. Nicole is doing fine. Drake is the first baby of the new generation in our family. It doesn't really seem that way as I do have a cousin who is only 13 months old right now but uncle Greg got started late. We then went back to Cathy's and I crashed there for the night again.
Today when I pulled into the parking lot at the U and finally found a spot I got a phone call. It was from the job and they are offering it to me. Tomorrow I go in to fill out the paper work and all that business. I'm not sure when I will actually start, either this week or next, but the process for me to be back in the workforce has begun. As the job is in West Valley, about 32nd W and 18th S I will be looking to move back up north again. I may just have to suck it up for the first few weeks and commute till I get the first paycheck and can actually pay a first month's rent somewhere. Craigslist and I shall soon become good friends, I think.