Cape
How did February get the short end of the stick? Even in a leap year like 2012, it only has 29 days. Would it have really been so much of a sacrifice for May and March to chop off their thirty-first day? February is underprivileged. In this era of everyone behaving civilly towards each other with suspiciously fair and open-minded treatment, it seems backward to have any situation where anyone or anything is disadvantaged (from a strictly speaking idealistic perspective, anyway). So while the other eleven months have thirty days or more, poor February can't even reach that bare minimum with an extra day tacked on every four years due to the slightly imperfect orbit of the planet. So, the imperfect month gets the imperfect extra day and still can't tell you what ten times three is. I'll tell you one thing, though. Having a birthday on February 29 must be the best conversation starter in the world. Here we normal people are enjoying our samey once-per-year celebrations never truly appreciating them. An individual with a birthday on February 29 gains a calendar year once per our four, so their celebrations are almost certainly bound to be wild celebrations for the full 24 hours to cram in all the partying they missed over the past three years. Unfortunately, they won't be able to drive a car until someone born on March 1 turns 68. And they won't be legally allowed to drink alcohol until that same other person turns 84. Although in both of those cases, the leap year baby is probably better off riding a bicycle and sticking to prune juice at those points. But seriously, does anybody know WHY February has so few days?
Anyway, I just came back from a birthday celebration a few hours ago. Yes, my co-worker Sean turned 26 about a week ago and Saturday night the 25 was the celebration at Alstarz Bar and Grill, which you should probably check out if you live anywhere near the area because the bar section was large, the dining areas surrounding the bar were spacious and accommodating, and they have a very respectable selection of beers. Plus, the place smelled like it cooks some pretty delicious grub. I didn't get any myself because it was too late, but something tells me the food is great, too.
Well, I didn't JUST come back. I've been back since about 12:30 this morning. But it was a fun time. I arrived there at about 8:45 and made a long trip around the bar where I found Sean, Sean's girlfriend Tamra, Ben, and Joel- all Scholastic employees except for Joel who left the company several months ago. It was fairly simple to get there. I just took Route 130 south for waaaaaay longer than I thought I would and found it directly on the right. There, we had some beers while we talked about work, Ben's ex-girlfriend (He's happy and sad about it but mostly happy.), tickets from police officers (With nothing to contribute to that topic, I just listened for that one.), and other randomly insubstantial chatter. As time went on, more of Sean's friends arrived. Elliot is another former Scholastic employee. And the other two who arrived at the same time and in the same car were friends from his hometown of Spotswood, I'm guessing. I really don't know and the whole time at Alstarz, they were sitting far away from me.
We didn't stay there for too long, though. At about 10:30, I think, we decided to leave and meet back at Sean's apartment. It was getting pretty crowded in there, anyway. I had to lean way over to Ben, who was sitting right next to me, just to hear what he was saying. And I guess it wasn't meant to be a night of heavy intoxication in the first place. I accidentally ordered two beers when I first got there. Since I was closest to the bartenders, Joel handed me his bank card and wanted me to order for him a Bud Light Platinum. Over the noise of the crowd, I ordered my own Miller Light as well as Joel's beer. Well, I got my Miller and a Bud Light Lime... okay? Then I asked about a Bud Light Platinum. They didn't have it. Joel took his card back and there I was with two beers. They weren't terrible, and I could have spent $7 on worse things, definitely.
So, we all departed for our cars and left for Sean's apartment. Originally, I was going to follow one of them and trust them to guide me back to our destination. After all, I knew almost nothing about the geography of this area of New Jersey. I was in the general vicinity once or twice, but I'm no globe trekker. So, I set out how I intended and followed the blue car that the two mystery guys arrived in. And then I somehow lost them. I should have waited until more people from our party were on the way and going. But no, gung-ho Bryan wanted to seem like an assertively carefree guy who grabs life by the horns and dashes off in his `99 Saturn into the great unknown... and so he did just that and got himself lost. For at least half an hour, I was going up and down Route 130 trying to find the one magical turn that would lead to success. I felt like an idiot the entire time. I could almost hear the roars of laughter coming from the rest of the group once they learned that I got myself lost on what was supposed to be a simple 5-minute drive. But it was a damned good thing that I put $20 worth of gasoline in the car during the initial trip down because all of that pointless puttering I did while trying to find Sean's place would have definitely drained the tank completely!
I did eventually find my way there and was greeted by the others who were scattered about Sean's living room in chairs. An odd silence prevailed throughout the room. It felt as if an argument or disagreement had taken place not a minute ago and I was just arriving to add some naivety to the tension. Or it could have just been a new social situation for us and we were now in that awkward 'how do we get to know one another?' phase. After all, we were two sides of Sean's social world in one place for the first time without alcohol or a boisterous social setting to fuel the conversation. It was only us, our personalities, and whatever Tamra was looking up on the Internet for Ben.
I have a funny tendency to start the social interaction if NOBODY else is talking or doing anything of consequence. After I found a spot on the couch (very comfortable), the silence was still looming overhead like an inch-thick layer of social ice that froze our brains and mouths. I'm a naturally quiet person, but when I'm around other people, I like for there to be chatter. So, I asked what Tamra was helping Ben find on the Internet. Sean answered that she was taking him through pictures of her friends for a potential new girlfriend for him. And from that little spark, the conversation took on new forms until it somehow evolved into a group discussion of weird obsessions (of other people, of course). That, in turn, lead to us watching two episodes of TLC's television show "My Strange Addiction." Holy crap! I had never seen that show before and was blown away. Some of them I have trouble believing as real. One episode had a lady who eats cat food and another lady who is addicted to the smell of moth balls. The other episode we saw had a guy who was addicted to his car to the point where he would take it out on dates and become intimate with it and also a woman who loved the smell of baby powder so much that she shoves it up her nose.
Sean, Ben, and I were sitting on the couch making funny commentaries whenever dramatically sappy music wasn't playing. That served to encourage the chatter and group cohesion even more. The three of us were the MVPs (Most Vocal Person) by far for that second half of the night. For the first half, Sean, Ben, and Elliot were the MVP's. I was sitting in front of the two guys whose names I forgot and got into half conversations with them regarding the dangers and what not of whatever we were watching on the screen. It was pretty enjoyable.
And then at about 11:45 EST, Sean announced that he was thinking about going to bed soon. So Ben and I took that as out cue to leave. He and I had at least a half hour drive back to Jackson and Jamesburg, respectively, and wanted to get a jump on it before the hour became too late. So, Ben, Joel, Elliot, and I left the apartamento de Sean and the rest is history. On the way back, I listened to more of the CD that arrived in the mail for me today. Over the past few months, I've become a fan of the music group Mutemath and ordered two of their albums a few days ago. Armistice arrived today. Mutemath will arrive later in the week, most likely. But about Armistice, I love the combination of rock, jazz, and alternative rock I hear all throughout. Or at least, that's what I feel like I hear. To be honest, I don't know how to describe it. My brain understands it to be 'rock,' but beyond that, I do not know how to further classify it. It sounds very good to me, though, and is now a staple in my car's CD party.
Lastly tonight, I would like to ask if you would rather get a deep paper cut on your nostril or a deep pinprick on your nipple? Ouch either way, but I think I'd go for the nipple pinprick because the pain from a paper cut tends to linger after the paper is angrily torn apart and burned. The pinprick might draw more blood and is in a way more sensitive area, but I really hate getting paper cuts... really really really hate getting paper cuts. What's your take?
I really hate getting paper cuts.-
Bryan
t- B12 - p. 179
Anyway, I just came back from a birthday celebration a few hours ago. Yes, my co-worker Sean turned 26 about a week ago and Saturday night the 25 was the celebration at Alstarz Bar and Grill, which you should probably check out if you live anywhere near the area because the bar section was large, the dining areas surrounding the bar were spacious and accommodating, and they have a very respectable selection of beers. Plus, the place smelled like it cooks some pretty delicious grub. I didn't get any myself because it was too late, but something tells me the food is great, too.
Well, I didn't JUST come back. I've been back since about 12:30 this morning. But it was a fun time. I arrived there at about 8:45 and made a long trip around the bar where I found Sean, Sean's girlfriend Tamra, Ben, and Joel- all Scholastic employees except for Joel who left the company several months ago. It was fairly simple to get there. I just took Route 130 south for waaaaaay longer than I thought I would and found it directly on the right. There, we had some beers while we talked about work, Ben's ex-girlfriend (He's happy and sad about it but mostly happy.), tickets from police officers (With nothing to contribute to that topic, I just listened for that one.), and other randomly insubstantial chatter. As time went on, more of Sean's friends arrived. Elliot is another former Scholastic employee. And the other two who arrived at the same time and in the same car were friends from his hometown of Spotswood, I'm guessing. I really don't know and the whole time at Alstarz, they were sitting far away from me.
We didn't stay there for too long, though. At about 10:30, I think, we decided to leave and meet back at Sean's apartment. It was getting pretty crowded in there, anyway. I had to lean way over to Ben, who was sitting right next to me, just to hear what he was saying. And I guess it wasn't meant to be a night of heavy intoxication in the first place. I accidentally ordered two beers when I first got there. Since I was closest to the bartenders, Joel handed me his bank card and wanted me to order for him a Bud Light Platinum. Over the noise of the crowd, I ordered my own Miller Light as well as Joel's beer. Well, I got my Miller and a Bud Light Lime... okay? Then I asked about a Bud Light Platinum. They didn't have it. Joel took his card back and there I was with two beers. They weren't terrible, and I could have spent $7 on worse things, definitely.
So, we all departed for our cars and left for Sean's apartment. Originally, I was going to follow one of them and trust them to guide me back to our destination. After all, I knew almost nothing about the geography of this area of New Jersey. I was in the general vicinity once or twice, but I'm no globe trekker. So, I set out how I intended and followed the blue car that the two mystery guys arrived in. And then I somehow lost them. I should have waited until more people from our party were on the way and going. But no, gung-ho Bryan wanted to seem like an assertively carefree guy who grabs life by the horns and dashes off in his `99 Saturn into the great unknown... and so he did just that and got himself lost. For at least half an hour, I was going up and down Route 130 trying to find the one magical turn that would lead to success. I felt like an idiot the entire time. I could almost hear the roars of laughter coming from the rest of the group once they learned that I got myself lost on what was supposed to be a simple 5-minute drive. But it was a damned good thing that I put $20 worth of gasoline in the car during the initial trip down because all of that pointless puttering I did while trying to find Sean's place would have definitely drained the tank completely!
I did eventually find my way there and was greeted by the others who were scattered about Sean's living room in chairs. An odd silence prevailed throughout the room. It felt as if an argument or disagreement had taken place not a minute ago and I was just arriving to add some naivety to the tension. Or it could have just been a new social situation for us and we were now in that awkward 'how do we get to know one another?' phase. After all, we were two sides of Sean's social world in one place for the first time without alcohol or a boisterous social setting to fuel the conversation. It was only us, our personalities, and whatever Tamra was looking up on the Internet for Ben.
I have a funny tendency to start the social interaction if NOBODY else is talking or doing anything of consequence. After I found a spot on the couch (very comfortable), the silence was still looming overhead like an inch-thick layer of social ice that froze our brains and mouths. I'm a naturally quiet person, but when I'm around other people, I like for there to be chatter. So, I asked what Tamra was helping Ben find on the Internet. Sean answered that she was taking him through pictures of her friends for a potential new girlfriend for him. And from that little spark, the conversation took on new forms until it somehow evolved into a group discussion of weird obsessions (of other people, of course). That, in turn, lead to us watching two episodes of TLC's television show "My Strange Addiction." Holy crap! I had never seen that show before and was blown away. Some of them I have trouble believing as real. One episode had a lady who eats cat food and another lady who is addicted to the smell of moth balls. The other episode we saw had a guy who was addicted to his car to the point where he would take it out on dates and become intimate with it and also a woman who loved the smell of baby powder so much that she shoves it up her nose.
Sean, Ben, and I were sitting on the couch making funny commentaries whenever dramatically sappy music wasn't playing. That served to encourage the chatter and group cohesion even more. The three of us were the MVPs (Most Vocal Person) by far for that second half of the night. For the first half, Sean, Ben, and Elliot were the MVP's. I was sitting in front of the two guys whose names I forgot and got into half conversations with them regarding the dangers and what not of whatever we were watching on the screen. It was pretty enjoyable.
And then at about 11:45 EST, Sean announced that he was thinking about going to bed soon. So Ben and I took that as out cue to leave. He and I had at least a half hour drive back to Jackson and Jamesburg, respectively, and wanted to get a jump on it before the hour became too late. So, Ben, Joel, Elliot, and I left the apartamento de Sean and the rest is history. On the way back, I listened to more of the CD that arrived in the mail for me today. Over the past few months, I've become a fan of the music group Mutemath and ordered two of their albums a few days ago. Armistice arrived today. Mutemath will arrive later in the week, most likely. But about Armistice, I love the combination of rock, jazz, and alternative rock I hear all throughout. Or at least, that's what I feel like I hear. To be honest, I don't know how to describe it. My brain understands it to be 'rock,' but beyond that, I do not know how to further classify it. It sounds very good to me, though, and is now a staple in my car's CD party.
Lastly tonight, I would like to ask if you would rather get a deep paper cut on your nostril or a deep pinprick on your nipple? Ouch either way, but I think I'd go for the nipple pinprick because the pain from a paper cut tends to linger after the paper is angrily torn apart and burned. The pinprick might draw more blood and is in a way more sensitive area, but I really hate getting paper cuts... really really really hate getting paper cuts. What's your take?
I really hate getting paper cuts.-
Bryan
t- B12 - p. 179