And So It Begins

My Intro to Software Applications class is going to be challenging. The professors (there appears to be two of them) have already started posting assignments and expectations, though school doesn't begin until Tuesday. I also have to buy software- Microsoft Office- which, according to earlier posted sources, wouldn't be necessary. Luckily, I can get the 2007 Professional Plus suite for hundreds less due to my status as a student.

I would write more, but apparently I'd better get reading instead! :0P

Inflation

Other than charging one person over $19,000 for gas, and another over $2000 for a drink and cigarettes, I can't say that much happened today.

Yes, I corrected the prices before the customers paid. Boy, you thought your gasoline station prices were high! *G*

Furniture Shopping Spree

You know, I really don't have the money for this sort of thing; it needs to be budgeted elsewhere. But the thought of living with this sofa until I've finished college is too appalling to consider. True, it's comfy. But it's raggedy and beaten up by time and animals past and present. I really need a new one for new critters to destroy, you know? Anyway, I'll scotchguard this one, and maybe even buy a slipcover. I don't really want to do the latter, though. I mean, what's the point of picking out a new sofa that you really like if you're just going to cover it up?

Things to consider.

My house has other needs as well, but these have been achieved with very little expense thanks to loving relatives and their gift cards. I bought a new t.v. stand- a simple and elegant Mission-style stand which matches my other living room furniture. This means I can get rid of the bulky entertainment center I've had for 12 years. I honestly might just put that out on my lawn with a "free" sign; there's a lot of people who can't afford to buy furniture, not unlike myself. But I digress.

In addition to the new stand, I also found a lovely credenza/bookcase thingy, a large chest to put at the foot of my bed to keep linens in, and a new mattress. The old one was about 20 years old and was like sleeping on a boulder; I'd had enough. But I followed a tip my mother gave me and found a brand-new mattress for only $269, including the cost of delivery!

So let's take a look after gift cards:

$ 20 (tv stand)
$ 81 (credenza thingy)
$ 56 (chest)
$ 269 (mattress)
$ 426 total

...which, for all of those things, is really not bad.

Having saved close to $300 off of original prices, I think I deserve a new sofa. At about $490, it's a steal.

When I set my mind to it, I'm a good shopper.

Why Reading is Bad for your Health

It started off innocently enough.

I received a package which I knew would contain the next Redwall books; I'm almost finished with Mariel and am on to Salamandastron. Unable to find any of Randy's box cutters- which is strange because I'm usually surrounded by the things- I decided to use a pair of scissors to cut through the tape. All went well until, in my excitement to retrieve the books, I took my eyes off of the scissors, which I was closing rather clumsily with one hand. Can you see where this is going?

I almost cut the fleshy pad off of my little finger.

Luckily, I realized what I was doing to myself in time, but I have a nice, neat cut where none should be. There was much bleeding accompanied by a distinctly woozy feeling, and visions of an emergency room visit danced through my head. But how would I get there? Randy is on ambulance duty in another town, my brother left for Cape Cod for the week with his girlfriend (her birthday present to him) and both my mother and sister are working today. I would have to drive myself, holding my injured paw in the air with blood trickling down as I tried to make my way there...

Just as I had resigned myself to this inevitability, the bleeding stopped and I was able to treat it and bandage it. I'm hoping it has finished misbehaving and that, though deep and painful, a hospital visit is not necessary after all. At least the need to lose my lunch has passed and, miraculously enough, I didn't get any blood on my white shirt. I can't drink coffee without spilling on my whites, but I guess blood follows its own set of rules. Which is a good thing, really.

See what a love of books leads to?

Gifts

Yesterday, Randy and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. After a day spent together, we went to dinner and then saw Stardust. It was a sweet movie, predictable but occasionally very funny. Robert De Niro and Peter O' Toole were both excellent.

Now, today, it is my brother's 21st birthday, and there's a family dinner tonight.

Life is full of many gifts.

Scene on a Boulder

Shadows and light.

California Justice

I don't have much to say tonight, other than to say that I think the justice system in California is a joke.

This time Nicole Ritchie never even made it to her cell. She was booked, photographed, and released for time served!

Do you think they'll be sorry when Paris, Nicole or one of these other drugged-out, drunken but rich bimbos kills somebody?

If they're not going to have to face the consequences of their actions, then why bother with them to begin with?

Media attention.

Bathroom Blues

We have a sign on the door, "No Public Restrooms." However, it is my boss' policy that as long as the person isn't gross-looking (i.e. would you let them use your bathroom?) they can use it.

Tonight a clean, presentable woman with a car full of kids came in and, in a desperate tone of voice, said "Do you really not have a public restroom?"

Taking pity on her, I pointed at the door in the back and told her that she could use it.

"Well then why do you have a sign on the door saying 'No Public Restrooms' then?! You should take that sign down. Really, why is it there if you let people use it? You should take it down!"

She was really angry with me because I was going to let her and her children use the bathroom!

Some people are just plain messed up.

Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic

Let's see, what's going on...

Yesterday I received a phone call from someone at the college, offering me a job as a note taker in one of my classes- Intro to Human Services. This means that I will take clear, detailed notes during class and then make a copy available to a student who has special needs. I'll be paid for doing so- the school takes care of that- and by the end of the semester I will have earned back the money I spent to take the class in the first place; in essence, I'll be taking the class for free. Not bad, eh? I filled out the paperwork this afternoon, and took the free 90 minute online certification course. I'm good to go.

I also bought my textbooks today. They didn't have the book I needed for one class- Psychology of Adjustment. In fact, they had never even heard of the class! They said they would get in touch with the professor and let me know what they found out. But I was sure I had seen it listed somewhere on the school site, so when I got home I looked it up and found it quickly. Then I went to B&N to check the price, and located a "used" copy, never taken out of the plastic, for half the price it would have cost "new!" Very cool.

In case you're wondering, this is what I'm taking this semester, which begins on Sept. 04:

- Introduction to Software Applications. This is about using Excel, Access and Powerpoint mainly.

- Introduction to Human Services. Which is pretty much what it sounds like. It addresses the issues people face today, how they were dealt with historically, how they are dealt with now, how the population views these issues and assistance, from both conservative and liberal viewpoints, and how it all may develop in the future. There's more, but that's it in a nutshell.

- Elementary Algebra and Geometry. Again, just what it sounds like. This is the last math course I have to take before I can take one that will count towards graduation credits; it's a review class. And I need to review, especially geometry. Anything much beyond identifying a circle, rectangle, or octagon, and I'm lost. Well, I'm not quite that bad, but it's close.

- The Psychology of Adjustment. This seems to be about how people adapt to life situations, such as stress, coping mechanisms, personalities, relationships, gender issues, etc. It sounds really interesting!

It's recently been suggested to me that I should consider transferring to Vassar, which provides excellent financial aid services. If I maintain my current GPA, I might well do so. It's also only about an hour's drive from home and is quite prestigious. A degree from there would most likely pay for itself in no time. I have to do some more research, but as of now it's a possibility.

Warmth on a Rainy Day

Sweet

There is something so wonderful about coming home from work on a night when nothing has gone wrong. There's a soft, misty drizzle and the warm light from the house created the silhouette of a cat in the window, waiting for my return.

It's good to feel good, and it's good to be home!

Checking In Briefly

I spent the whole day in the garden. I weeded, edged, cut off the dead heads of the flowers and watered.

I almost took the day off from blogging, but got this in just under the wire. Now I'm tired out, though.

G'night.

Hell Day

Two of the four gas pumps malfunctioned, but not before they aggravated several customers trying to buy gas. One guy was nice while I was trying to figure out what was wrong, but then his girlfriend came in and started yelling. She was not the only one to yell at me today, always about things out of my control. It's a race weekend at Limerock Racetrack; I was very, very busy while the pumps decided to take the day off.

Because they did. Those two pumps took the day off.

I had to put "Out of Order" signs on them. Once more, it wasn't anything I did; something short-circuited. It didn't make things any better. On the plus side, the lottery machine behaved.

Then there was the woman who threw a danish at me because it cost more than she thought it should.

Or the guy who prepaid $10.00 worth of gas. However, he stopped pumping at $7.59. Then he wanted top off the tank with a different grade of fuel. This meant having to refund the $2.41, then reprogramming the pump to pump $2.41 at the premium price.

Grr.

By the time I left, I was ready to leave. I took deep breaths and decided to just start my day over from that point, so after vegging for a bit, I took a drive. I was driving the speed limit, but some guy mowing his lawn started yelling at me to slow down.

"Fuck you." I said, though I knew he couldn't hear me. It just made me feel better.

So then I went to a meeting, and started to chill. It was at that point that I started my day over again. It seems to have finally stuck, though I am a little wired from all of the coffee and tea I drank today to keep me going.

I have tomorrow off.

This is a good thing.

And Then...

...there's the couple who asked me for a semi-public place where they could park their car and have sex.

They're touring the U.S., having sex in their car in every state, as a way of keeping their relationship fresh. It was almost dark, so I sent them to a free parking lot in another town.

My job is not boring.

Triumph!

I finally got through a shift without needing to call my boss- or anyone else for that matter- for help! The lottery machine even behaved itself for once, which is a miracle. You know how some people have a funky electro-magnetic field which makes it impossible for them to wear watches, or be near electronic devices without shorting them out? Well, I seem to have that effect on the lottery machine. It's not something I do; the machine just tends to go offline on my shift. So you see, getting through tonight was a real milestone in more ways than one.

There's this weird guy who comes in sometimes, and I'm less thrilled about him. He's dirty and it's easy to tell that he's on something. From the first time he came in, he keeps insisting that I'm beautiful, hot, if anyone doesn't think so they must be blind (not that anyone had said differently, he was just covering all bases I guess), and tonight he insisted that I look like Catherine Willows from CSI (inaccurate). While compliments are all very nice, the way he does it makes my skin crawl. If something happens to me, tell them it was the tall, skinny, dirty guy with the long, wavy blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.

On the positive side, I see lots of friends while working there, and I've made new ones. Can't beat that.

Writer's Block

Witty.

Intelligent.

Profound.

Thought-provoking.

Compelling.

Creative.

Writing those words is as close as I'm going to come to any of these things on my blog tonight.

A Pain to Stain

I've spent the day pressure-washing my mother's house. You might be interested to know that 20 years worth of stain, dirt and mold/mildew tastes salty.

Yeah, I didn't want to know either.

By the time I was done, there wasn't a dry, clean spot on me. When I paused for a bathroom break (yup, back to the toilet again for a moment), I was reminded of that unpleasant feeling of pulling a cold, damp, sandy bathing suit back on after a day at the beach. That's all I've got to say about that.

I took a very long, hot shower when I got home; I was completely justified. I had been wearing my hair up to keep it out of my way. When I removed the clip holding it... my hair didn't move! It stayed up in its little bun until I pulled it down.

Now that's grime for you. I wonder when beauty products will catch on to this fact and incorporate it in their hairspray formulas?

Or do they already?

At any rate, I am now clean and sweet-smelling, and my mother's house is ready to be stained once more.

My work is done.

Here's a Question for You

There are bathrooms made of one-way glass. As you sit on the toilet, you can see everyone in the restaurant (or room) around you, but they can't see you.

Would you use it, or would it just be too freaky?

Now I'm Cooking!

Prime rib in the oven, home-fried potatoes cooking. Sizzle. Sizzle. Sizzle.

And none of it for me!

We are cooking a dinner for my mother, to be delivered tomorrow afternoon, as a thank-you for all of the gardening and landscaping help she has been giving me. I would cook it tomorrow, but I have to work. Besides, the potatoes tend to taste better the second day anyway; the onion and garlic used in my recipe have a chance to really become One With The Potato.

My house smells delicious, and I can't have any of it!

But she's done so much for me, so I can't begrudge a morsel.

I might anyway, though.

Green

Success! Sort of.

This second night by myself went much better. Without a hitch, even. Until after I closed. Then one of the machines wouldn't close down, and the alarm kept telling me one of the doors was open. So I had to call my boss a couple of times for that, but it was fine.

Best of all, I wasn't robbed. That's a good thing, I think.

I don't have to work again until Monday, so you'll be spared anymore Craziness from the Convenience Store until then.

As you were.

Yes, We Have No Gas

I worked my first shift alone tonight. Naturally, I had a crisis.

The first part of the shift went well. The last part of the shift went well. But somewhere in the middle, it all went terribly, terribly wrong.

Someone wanted to buy gas with their credit card, paying outside. But for some reason, the pump kept telling him he had to come in and see me. So I ran his card inside. But after he left, the pump kept insisting that he should get a refund, but of an amount that made no sense whatsoever, having no relation to the gas he bought. As I tried to clear that, the machine locked me out. Not just out of that pump, but out of all four of them.

You know how Murphy's Law works, right?

I wound up with about 15 people, inside and out, trying to buy gas, lottery tickets and groceries while I was trying to get the gas register to work. Groceries were easy; they use a different register. Lottery was a little more complicated, but not bad. But people kept pumping gas before I could clear the pump, adding the previous buyer's total to theirs, etc. I tried calling my boss, but I couldn't reach her. I was ready to cry, when the previous owner walked in to buy a paper. I asked- no, begged- her to help me. She was kind and patient, taking pity on this desperate soul you know as Aravis. She pressed 4 buttons, and everything was back online again, as simple as you please.

I felt so stupid.

I had kept notes to myself on a pad of paper so I knew what I had to enter or remove, and the cash register should be right even if the gas one is wonky. I hope. But I was feeling shaky afterwards. I still am a little. I would be worse, except that when my boss showed up tonight to help me shut the place down, there was a problem with a pump again which locked her out in the same way it locked me out. She had as much trouble as I did getting it straightened out, so I don't look so bad now.

But I'll tell you, at one point all I wanted to do was come home, change into my PJs, curl up in a fetal position on the couch, and suck my thumb as I stared off into space. The fact that things quieted down and I was able to handle everything else for the rest of the shift saved me from this undignified state of being.

Just think, I get to do it all again tomorrow!

That couch is beginning to look good again. *G*

Growing Wild

The farm has been abandoned, the house for sale. Yet the corn is still coming up around the old dairy barn.

Posted by AravisArwen at 10:29 PM | Comments (1)

Limbo

I'm in that in-between state in which I want to work on my home and get it finished, but I'm not yet motivated enough to get off my butt and do it. The heat doesn't help.

Does anyone have a magic wand?

Can I borrow it?

And if I pass it on to you when I'm done with it, what would you use it for?

At Peace

The crickets are chirping, and my other neighbor is having a party. Cheerful Mexican music has given way to someone playing the piano. Laughter wafts over on the warm, summer air. I've just come home from work and watered my garden. I sit here now, cats at my feet, simply enjoying this moment in my life.

All is quiet inside of me.

All is well.

What Game Did You Like?

I feel like playing kickball. Any takers?

My Own Day of the Dead

I'm sitting here, listening to a live band warm up across the street at my neighbors' house. My brother has parked the car in my driveway and gone over there. He was invited; I wasn't. Not that I wanted to go. And in fact I know that I'm welcome there anytime. I just think it's funny somehow, especially at the end of a long, strange day.

This morning Randy and I had to go to the memorial service of his mother's cousin. I hadn't seen her in years, and she turned ugly mean in the last few years of her life from what I've heard. Still, there were a lot of people there who loved her, which was nice to see.

After that we had to go to the graveside memorial service for my father and grandfather. My father, as you may recall, killed himself a little over 3 years ago. The last of his estate is finally settled and his ashes have been released for burial. My grandfather's ashes also finally arrived from Mexico. So we had a burial ceremony for the both of them at once. My grandfather had an honor guard, having served in the navy in WWII, stationed in Europe. He got the gun salute, and the flag was presented to his wife, Alma. It was beautifully done.

There was a church service for my grandfather afterwards, but I didn't go. Three memorials in one day was enough, and it was scheduled for the same time as my AA meeting. After the day I had, the meeting was more important.

Since then, I've been sitting in the dark watching movies. I just finished watching "When a Stranger Calls," which I knew would be pretty cheesy and lame, but I watched anyway. It's such an old story, done too many times. The funny part, though, is the fact that while I'm watching this babysitter being stalked by a caller, my own phone kept ringing. One time it was a hang up, but the rest of the time it was people I know. So I guess I won't be turned into puree tonight.

Next up, I'm watching Final Destination 3. After all, if this week's all about death- and it seems it was- I might as well embrace the motif.

Oops! Movie's starting...

Feeling Zen on the Mountain

A Colorful Life, Blurred

Good-bye, Ty

Tyler died tonight; she was diagnosed with lung cancer last Thursday. We've spent the last few days saying our good-byes. Mom was giving Tyler injections of steroids and pain-killer, but we could see that she got worse every day. Her breathing had been labored, but yesterday it started sounding wet as well. Ashley wanted me to be there with her, Mom and Andrew, and there was really nowhere else I wanted to be more. Tyler was my canine comfort when Sam died almost exactly 3 months ago, and I wanted to be with her at the end.

I hate knowing exactly when someone I love is going to die, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. But it was definitely time to let her go, before she really started to suffer.

Good-bye, Miss Tyler.