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Jul 16
The Driving While Tired Blog
Wow, sucky day at work last night. Work itself wasn't horrible (but it backs up the fact that customers REALLY are out there to annoy me for absolutely no reason), but driving home was interesting. Since I got absolutely no sleep yesterday, and already spent over 8 hours at my internship before working all night, I just wanted to get home. First, when trying to make left onto the highway, I didn't wait for the car on the other side to go straight, and basically cut in front of him. So he had to swerve out of the way in order to not hit me. It was totally my fault. I saw a line of cars behind me so I was just trying to make the left by following the car right in front of me rather than waiting and seeing if there were cars trying to come in from the other side as well.
Second, while on the highway stopping at a red light, the car behind me stopped (like they should). BUT, the person behind them did not, and rear-ended the guy behind me. I heard the smash and was trying to figure out by looking in the rear-view mirror whether they hit my car (I didn't feel a thing), but when I drove off, I saw both their door, and the person behind them, open. I highly doubt I was the cause of it because I didn't really stop short or anything (it was a harder brake than usual because the line of cars just suddenly stopped), but obviously the person behind was trailing too close to the person they hit.
And thirdly, the battle of the curves continue. I mentioned a few months ago about how I really hate it when I'm near people while driving through a curve, because a lot of people don't realize that you have to stay IN YOUR LANE and not cut into the lane next to you. So when going through one of these curves (two lanes on each side), where I was in the left lane and this person was in the right lane, I gave the person in front of me a bunch of room because they were behind a tractor trailer cab and I wanted to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. So we make the slight right on the curve, and for some reason this lady (who was in a car half my size) was going into my lane. My hood was close to the lady's bumper, so I was trying to brake. I couldn't go to the left to avoid, because there were cars coming on the other side in the closest lane to the yellow lines in the center.
This was also where my road rage as a driver began. After all the stuff I did/witnessed while driving already, I began shouting "STAY IN YOUR GODDAMN LANE! STAY IN YOUR FUCKING LANE!!!" The windows were closed so they didn't hear me. But when we then make the slight left, she does it AGAIN! If she sees a car on the left side near her, why the heck do you cut the lane? My car is twice the damn size and I could stay in the same lane going twice the speed! So in the middle of the curve I just said "screw it," and hit the gas to pass her with half my car over the center line.
Although the first one was definitely my fault (and gladly nothing came out of it), I think the other two just show how bad drivers are. The last one really pissed me off, as you could probably tell in my writing.
Jul 02
A Blog About Imagination
So many crazy things going on since the last time I wrote a blog. I'm not even sure why I've slacked this long because I don't usually do this, even when I'm really busy. Maybe I just haven't found anything to talk about.
So I'll just ramble on right now until I find a point worth talking about.
I saw Toy Story 3 on Monday and it really was as good as they say. I laughed, I nearly cried, and everything. I think for me, though, the movie wasn't emotional due to it being "the last Toy Story" or something like that. It really had to do with this being an extension of my childhood, and going through the same painstaking process that was going on during the movie (the fight between whether you should get rid of your toys or not when you get older). It really hit me hard like no movie since The Lion King has, and that's saying something. I mean Toy Story was my life as a kid. I would spend countless hours playing with the toys, imitating each character, yelling "run like the wind, bullseye!" to my friends when they were running (before I watched Forrest Gump for the first time and started screaming "Run Forrest, run!"), and basically enjoying all that stuff. It really was a big part of my life at that time, during a childhood that I'm not afraid to say was very good. Really, I can't think of many people who had a better childhood than I did, and I think Toy Story was a big part of that. I also remember watching the VHS 1,000 times as well.
But I think what this newest movie did to me was not just bring me back to a time and a place when I felt the EXACT same way Andy (the kid in the movie) does, but also bring me to a time when I actually used my imagination. Just to say, I believe using your imagination is a big theme of all of these movies for obvious reasons, and I really hope more people get that point.
As a kid, I always used my imagination. I would build using EVERY type of building block, from Legos to Lincoln Logs. I would create wrestling matches using my action figures, with entire storylines and custom made stages for the PPV events. I even had a Battle Bots collection where I would bring the wrestlers into the battle bots area (you know, the arena where the saw comes up from the ground, has a hammer sticking out and stuff) and have them fight it out. I would have races with my cars, causing accidents and throwing them as hard as I could to see if I could cause damage to them just like on TV (looking at my collection now, which I am in the process of giving away after finding them in my closet, I think I did an okay job). I would be outside playing baseball, imagining myself in situations like Game 7 of the World Series. I would play with friends and cousins, imagining we were different characters. I would spend literally ALL DAY playing computer games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Zeus (which is a game based on ancient cities) where I would build cities and theme parks. There is so much more I can list here, I'm sure.
Sure, I played a lot of video games and watched a lot of TV (no restrictions on either from my parents, I should add). But somehow I was able to do it ALL. Not only could I be on the computer all day, but I could play video games all day, watch TV all day, play with my toys all day, and play outside all day. It seems weird, but that's how it was.
My point is, I think this kind of stuff is lost today. We're now in a society where cell phones rule all, which is very unfortunate. I know when I was a kid it was around the time the internet got BIG big (I'd say in about '99 when I was 9), but we used the internet to play games from the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network sites, and IM each other with ideas for what we can do the next time we hang out. I just think it's ridiculous that all kids today need a cell phone to survive.
All of us with a cell phone are completely guilty of overusing it at some points (especially my case when I have 20 people texting me during the Yankee game either asking for me to give them updates or spewing John Sterling's catchphrases when someone hits a home run), but I honestly think it has to ruin a kid's childhood if they spend so much time on it. Seriously, what kind of constructive stuff are you doing by spending your glory years texting? My theory is that you're not going to remember who or what you texted last week, but you WILL certainly remember the game of baseball you played with friends.
I'm not against kids playing video games at all, because I was one of those kids. But I guess I got into the whole "going outside" thing before I found games, because I had no problem like kids today do with dropping my game and going to a friend's house whenever they called.
I just feel that imagination is almost a lost art today. Although we were told what to do and what to wear as kids, we were all completely unique, and had our own fun thing going. For example, my best friend at the time was tremendous at drawing (actually I was too for a time), and also played the saxaphone. Today, he's in a rock band and is just as good at coming up with lyrics. I don't talk to him much now, but he's still just as cool as he was when we were kids.
Today just seems too one-dimensional. I'm sure more than one instant today a plethora of text conversations went like this:
"yo!"
"sup?"
"nm u?"
"nm same"
(this is actually how most of my AIM conversations start
"hey u wanna go to da mall 2day"
"yea wht time"
"idk whnever"
"how bout 4?"
"yea"
"k meet u at ur house"
"aight"
I remember being at the time when your friend called first, and asked whether you wanted to do something. When you said yes (you always said yes), you had to ask your mother for permission. Your mother then asks to put the friend's mother on the line, and they talk for about a minute finalizing all the details. Then they begin talking about the weather and current events, until you signal them off the phone due to embarrassment.
I'll give myself the wrap signal now. I just want to say that I had a great childhood and I think it was due to me using my imagination. That's probably the part I missed most about my childhood, working out my brain daily with new challenges. I just wish I could do that more today, but especially nearing adulthood (I'm 20 now) it's very difficult. I'm probably going to buy a lego set for 16+ people, and start from there. Maybe I'll try to get into drawing again (which I was also good at), as well as playing some sort of instrument. Then maybe I will buy all the toys I had as a kid, and begin playing with them once more, creating new adventures for them...
Okay, maybe not the last one. But I feel that I need to start doing at least one of those things again to feel complete. It's not arbitrary; the movie told me to do it!
Guess that's it for now...
May 03
We Have Just Hit The Surreal Here At CVS...
Okay, so over the past six and a half months at CVS, I have told a number of stories that are either really funny, really annoying, or just downright gross.
This one tops them all. By far.
On Sunday night, I went to work for the fourth straight night, because I had to cover for somebody who called out (and also called out tonight too). I don't usually work Sunday nights, but whatever.
At around 2:50-2:55, somebody came into the store and went to aisle 5, which is where they keep all the hair dryers. I was in aisle 10, and heard the person continually dropping stuff. So I went over, and saw the person, who kept trying to put the dryer back on the shelf. I told them if they needed any help, and in a really slurred voice, said "I'm just looking." So I told him to put the dryer on the top shelf (it doesn't go there, but it'll at least stop the dropping crap), and asked him if he needed anything else. Then he said, again, in a slurred voice, "I'm going to look around."
At this point I wasn't sure what to think, because the way he was walking (not really stumbling, but hunched over), and talking (sort of coherent, but absolutely impossible to understand) made me think he was a person with some sort of mental defect.
Just in case that was true, I went back to my aisle, as he went over to aisle 19, which is where the liquid soaps and stuff are. All I cared about was how I did a really good job facing that aisle, and didn't want it to get ruined by him (which I still felt was my biggest priority, even now). I heard more things dropping, and cringed each time I heard something fall knowing that was about 1-5 seconds of my life wasted with each drop.
So eventually he found his way back to the hair dryers, and dropped some more stuff. He then went into the middle of the aisle, and began pushing a cart that I had put out there with some overstock on it. They were four items of body wash that I took off the shelf, and obviously put on the cart. So he eventually found his way near the register, and I went around to ring him up.
I asked him whether he was buying the stuff (clearly at this point something was wrong because not even my worst customers buy stuff lying in a random cart in the middle of the store), and he said "yeah." First, he put the stuff at the wrong register, and I eventually moved the items over to my register. He came over, and I told him the total (I can't recall whether I asked him for his CVS card).
He then proceeds to take his boots off.
So at this point, I noticed how offbeat this was getting, but I decided to roll with it just in case he actually did have money in his socks, paid me, and left the store.
DISCLAIMER: As I told the pharmacist afterward, I'm not exactly sure how I was going to take the money from him if he did have it. But yes, that's what I was thinking as he took his boots off.
Let me mention that his hair was soaking wet, he had a bunch of cuts on him (he was in a tank top and sweats cut into shorts). I'm not sure whether the hair and body was from really bad sweat, or from the fact that it was raining really bad outside (or both).
So he takes both of his shoes off really slowly, and looks like he looks in his socks for something. He then asks me "how much?" again, and I tell him. After a few more seconds, he said "I'll look around." It took me about four times to catch that one too.
He then puts his boots in the cart, and goes over into the next aisle where the cereal is.
At this point, I went and got my shift, who was in the back room. I explained what was going on (and he even made a joke about whether the customer was someone we knew, which would make more sense if you read some previous blogs). He then told the guy that he had to put his boots on. And in his words, and he said about 5 times after to everybody he told the story to, "you don't even have to tie the laces; just put the shoes on."
So the guy does a really bad sit-down movement in the aisle, and, again, in his words, "landed so hard he almost did a backwards somersault." My shift then called the Edison PD, and about a minute or two later, two officers come into the store.
The funny part was that both of these officers were in the store a few hours prior, one getting a prescription and the other I had to ring up.
So this began the running joke of the night, when the two, then later third, officer, me, and my shift, then the three paramedics, all watched the guy for about 15 minutes try to tie one of his shoes. The officers were obviously making fun of him, to which I felt like I had the best line of the night:
"Hey, don't harass my customers!"
He eventually went out on a stretcher, and I thanked the officers and ambulance workers on a job well done. Me and my shift manager then went up to the office, watched the video (where we saw him put something down by the ATM between the entrance and the second entrance door that actually turned out to be the Star Ledger shipment!), and watched the guy's face plant in front of my register over and over when he was taking off his shoes.
After that, I then decided it would be a great time to go on break, even though I hadn't technically been working for 45 minutes at that point (tell me how you can work when you have something so amazing going on like this). I then told the pharmacist what happened because for some reason she didn't hear a thing, and I went to the front to clock out.
Then it got weird.
My shift just rang me up for the items to eat on my break, and was walking behind the register to get out of the area. He then passed by the broken change drawer, and noticed the ID that I had noticed earlier in the night but thought nothing of. He went to it, had a really shocked reaction, then put it up and showed it to me, asking "do you recognize this man?"
All I could say was "What the fuck?" for about a minute.
IT WAS THE SAME GUY'S ID!
The guy on him DID had an ID, and the paramedics pulled it out of his sock while he was tying his shoe. So when I went to my car on break, I spent a good 5 minutes just laughing my ass off.
I'll be honest, the ID thing was one of the freakiest things I ever saw in my life. That's when I told my shift, "It borders on the surreal here at CVS."
So yeah, it took me awhile to get back in work mode after that one. Truly one of the craziest things I've ever seen, and at the same time, one of the craziest.
Guess that's it for now.
P.S: Yes, the "craziest" line was intentional the way I wrote it.
Apr 26
The Retail Quotes Blog!
I've been working at CVS for over 6 months, and although I really enjoy the experience, there have been times where I go "What the fuck are these people smoking?" after dealing with them. Anybody who works retail knows about these people, but it seems so much worse at CVS because we have all of those extra bucks coupons and crap to deal with. But here are some of my more memorable things that both specifically happen, and have happened so many times it's almost a generalization.
--
Customer: Do you work here?
--
Me: Do you have a CVS card?
Customer: I do not.
*rings items up*
Customer: Wait, aren't those supposed to be on sale?
Me: Oh, so you don't have a card but you want the sale products?
Customer: YEAH!
---
Me: Your change is $16.62 but I'm all out of pennies at this moment. Would you mind it if I just gave you back .60?
Customer: No!
*5 seconds pass and she looks at the receipt*
Customer: Yes, I guess it's fine.
--
Customer: *takes a thing of detergent while standing right next to me, looks at it, and throws it back in a completely different spot*
Me (half jokingly): You do realize I'm standing right here putting thing back where they belong, right?
About a minute later, after walking down the aisle putting a few sale signs back up, I walk back and see all of the detergents moved around. This is one of the few times I laughed out loud at one of these, because it was pretty funny.
--
Me: Do you have a CVS card?
Customer: Yes, let me find it in my purse...
*About a minute later*
Customer: I can't find my card. Don't worry about it!
--
Me: Do you have a CVS card?
Customer: No I don't. Do you have a card you can put in for me?
--
Me: Do you have a CVS card?
Customer: I don't. Can you put in your discount for me?
--
This one is good, especially during the night when I'm not behind the register and there are "next register please" signs out on all registers except the first one
Me: Next register, please.
--
Customer: Is anybody working?
*I come from one of the aisles and go behind the register. The guy then puts out his card, while I'm hitting the register screen to turn it on*
Customer: Here's my thing.
Me: Hold on, I'm waiting for the register to turn on.
Customer: Well you should have thought of that before!
(this was in a serious tone too)
--
Customer (looking at stuff behind the register): Can I see that one to see if it fits my phone?
Me: Sure (and hands it to them)
Customer: Can I open it?
Me: No, unless you're going to buy it. You can tell right by the box whether it will fit your phone.
Customer then half opens the box.
--
Me: I'm sorry, we can't take this coupon. It's expired.
Customer: What do you mean? I want to speak to the manager!
Me: *whoever is working with me* to the front, please?
Shift: We can't take the coupon. It's expired.
Customer: Fine.
--
Or:
Me: We can't take the coupon.
Customer: But I thought you guys took it past the expiration! Can't you let it slide?
--
Or:
Me: We can't take that coupon.
Customer: Fine, then I don't want the product (especially irritating if it's regarding 50 cents)
--
Me: CVS card?
Customer: Yeah, it's 732-...
(can't give me any warning that I'm going to have to put something in?)
--
(this is in reference to how when you have extra bucks you want to use, you have to use the exact same card you got it from or else it won't work).
Me: CVS card?
Customer: Yeah, the number is 732-...
Me: The coupon won't work because it's not the same card you used it with.
Customer: Try 732-...
Me: That's the same one you gave me the first time.
Customer: 732-...
Me: No, not that one either.
Customer: Neither of them?
Me: No.
Customer: Fine, what about 908-...
Me: No, not that one.
Customer: Well I have a coupon here that I GOT, meaning it's a problem on your end, and not mine.
Me: If the numbers don't match, we can't do anything about it...let me get the manager to help you.
*5 minutes later they're still arguing over it*
--
Me: That'll be $50.26
Customer then proceeds to take out a check and begins to write it out.
Me: We don't accept checks after 10 PM.
Customer: Really? Why didn't you tell me that?
Me: Honestly, I've never had somebody ever write a check before so I don't go up to every customer and say "you aren't giving us a check, are you?"
--
And the worst customers I have ever faced, like my second or third week on the job...
(right when I walked in)
Manager: Watch out for those two by the magazine rack, they've been there for awhile and I'm not sure what they're up to.
Customers, after a half hour, bring about 50 different pieces of cosmetics to the register, all gotten from the dollar bin (which means unless you're an idiot, you know they're a dollar)
So I start ringing them up, and put each one I ring up in the bag to make sure I don't get any of them wrong.
Customer: Hold on, can you take some of those off?
Me: Sure, which ones?
Customers then take the bag, and throw the ones they don't want on the counter for me to void out
After I do this for like a minute, I begin ringing other items up. I then take another item (that was more expensive from the others) and ring it up.
Customer: What are you doing? You already rang that one up!
Me: No I didn't!
I then look at the screen to confirm what I said, just to make sure since there were so many damn items I was ringing up
Customer: Are you calling me a liar?
Me: No, I'm not
NOTE: What I SHOULD have said, and said in my head at the time, was "no, the computer is calling you a liar."
Customer: Call the manager.
Me: No problem!
*after the shift takes over*
Customer: Come on, I have to get going and you guys are taking forever!
At this point I had to leave the register area and take a breather, because I was really pissed off; this was my first encounter with a bad customer, and I hated it. But about 5 minutes later I saw a line forming and went to another register to help the others. They were STILL arguing with him about the stuff. I then later questioned, after they left, how if they were in such a rush why were they standing by the magazine rack looking at magazines for at least a half an hour?
Guess that's it for now...
Apr 23
Crash! Bang! Boom!
First, I have to mention that in my past day I feel like I lost the complete will to succeed. It's really weird, because when I go to work at night I usually want to do the most I can, but all I really wanted to do was stall and try to find other things to do besides work on truck and stocking shelves. It's almost as if I'm really bored of it, and want to make my job more interesting.
And while I was sleeping this afternoon, my college left me a voicemail about something, but I really don't care one bit if I call them back or even listen to the message. Same thing with my internship. I have to take an internship starting in July, and I haven't even looked for one yet. And the class I'm taking now that helps prepare us for it (we have meetings to discuss what we want to do, resumes, etc.), is something I don't care about either. Same thing with figuring my financial aid for the summer, which will be a part-time quarter for me. That probably means I won't get financial aid anyway...splendid.
I think work is fine because I do get like that sometimes (although rarely do I admit that I do less work than the other guy I work with, which I did last night), but I can't understand why I feel that way about school. I know I'm still questioning my major two years after the fact, but if this REALLY is going to be happening soon, I thought I would do something better to make it work.
Maybe I'm just not motivated enough. Maybe in that case I should set some goals for myself. Does that ever work though?
--20 MINUTES TURNS TO AN HOUR AND A HALF--
So for the first time while driving, I hit serious traffic. It really came out of nowhere, too. I was driving home from work after 7 in the morning, happy that I actually left work and am getting home faster than I have been in a few weeks. It also seems like there was a bit less traffic on the road, either that, or I was going too fast to notice.
Then about halfway through my time on the highway, I stopped at a red light. That's completely normal, since there are lights like 50 feet here. But then a minute or two passes, and the traffic still isn't moving.
Three minutes.
Four minutes.
Oh fuck...
At this point since it was 7:30, I was listening to the commercial radio since I love hearing the phone scams on Friday morning. I also waited for the traffic report, since they usually have one right after. That's when I get this awesome piece of news:
"Routes 1 & 9 near Linden, all lanes are closed north-bound to A REALLY BAD ACCIDENT. There are two fatalities in the accident, and even though it happened overnight, there is an investigation going. Take alternate means."
FUCK!!!
I don't usually mind traffic, but I mind it after pulling legitimate all-nighters Thursdays into Friday. While me falling asleep didn't come into play during the night, me keeping my cool and trying to make sure I take the right turns and stuff, did. I took the next left that I found, and got stuck in more traffic. I didn't know the exact streets I was on, but I knew the one street I had to get on in order to get to my house without using the highway. So instead of following that, I make a right, then another right, which led me to the highway again. This time I made it around the part of the highway that was closed off, which I thought the crash took place (apparently to where I was, it had to take place like a mile more down). So I cross the highway, make a left, and...make a left.
I'm starting to figure out why I'm not the best at directions. Although I do feel justified in crossing the highway again, mainly because at that point I didn't know where the crash was and though that if I go down a bit then cross the highway again, I would be able to make a right back onto it. Not so, however.
All in all, what is usually a 25-30 minute drive on Fridays turned into an hour and 15 minutes, time I could have spent sleeping or something. I've never experienced anything like that before. I've been in traffic because of accidents (I might have mentioned the time when driving on the same highway only one lane was open because some idiot hit a telephone pole and knocked it down into the road), but never while driving home from work, the one time I'm probably more aggressive on the roadways than I usually am (besides when I drive on the Turnpike).
Apr 12
One Day!
I'm currently writing this blog waiting to go to class at 12:35. I currently like my schedule, as I thought I would, mostly since I have a car and can now do these later hours. I would never do a college schedule with classes that end later than 3:15 because I'm not taking the train and subsequently walking home when all of the kids in the high school getting out.
Last week had a complete summery feel on Tuesday and Wednesday, giving me a taste of how awesome summer would be. I think Tuesday was the best part of it because the entire day was me going back and forth from school, and the fact that I enjoyed it that much was a good sign.
Last weekend was also my birthday, and it was awesome from a work perspective. Since I work overnights, even though there are customers, it's mostly a no holds barred night where you do pretty much anything as long as you finish work. On Saturday morning, the pharmacist decided it would be neat to put his Pandora radio over the entire store. So for the next two hours, we heard polka and what my co-worker called "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" music over the pager. Very interesting.
Also in that light, me and aforementioned co-worker use walkie talkies, and are the only two in the entire store that use them. So when I was ringing up somebody in the front, in my talkie I continually hear "just give them the money! Open the register and give them the money!" Oh, so now my customers were bank robbers. The obvious joke (which l of course said) was giving them their change back and yelling "TAKE THE MONEY! JUST TAKE IT AND DON'T HURT ME!" Then the guy asked if we had a bathroom, and I decided it would be a great time to jump over the counter and give him a fake elbow to the head. I'm still wondering about that one...
But yeah, while walking to the back I kept mentioning how "the safe is in the back. Don't worry, it is NOT a trap; we are not going to lock you in the bathroom and call the police as you take the money!"
Sunday morning was also fun. The pharmacist bought cupcakes for me, with was a very nice gesture. It was almost as cool as me driving into the drive thru 4:00 in the morning asking him if he had the one I promised to hold for him. What, I take my breaks in my car when it's warm out, and I was too lazy to go back in!
Anyway, tomorrow is the big day...OPENING DAY!!! Again, I wished I could have gone with somebody else. The prices dropped drastically since the last time I checked, and so I even asked my cousin (who I asked the first time) whether he wanted to go. Saturday, he said he'll get back to me. He hasn't so far. I don't even care anymore because I'm going!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Guess that's it for now...
Apr 05
Spring 2010!
Life is awesome right now. I'm going to the Woodbridge Berkeley College campus again, which means I can drive to school again. It is nice and warm outside. Baseball season has started. Next Tuesday, I'll be at Yankee Stadium for opening day ceremonies, which may or may not include giving out the rings, raising the WS banner, and of course, the announcing of the lineup for the first time in front of the Stadium crowd this season. Then the Monday after that (two weeks from this post) I'll be at the IZOD Center for Monday Night Raw.
I wrote in a previous post how warm weather really wakes me up in both a physical and a mental state. Well, although that is true, it just seems like there is a ton more to do when it's warm out, and I want to do everything instead of just sitting home 24/7. Even on days I work, which was a no-no during the winter. I wouldn't let anybody bother me on a Friday or a Saturday. Now, I go out myself to do random and somewhat useless things.
It was funny today, my first day back. After my class, I went to see the student development guy, who I would talk to basically every day during baseball season. Before I left, I told him "you know, I'm going to opening day." After calling me a bastard, he basically told me how awesome it will be and how he wished he could go. Then I asked him if he can write me a note to get out of all the classes I will be missing (3 of the 5 classes I take are on Tuesday), he told me "Actually, I probably could write you a note for a reason like that." Gotta love the guy.
Also, my Satelite radio is getting a good workout. Besides the fact that I'm now figuring that maybe leaving it on the dash all day in 80-degree weather is not the smartest idea, they re-branded MLB Home Plate as MLB Network Radio, so now I can hear the simulcast of MLB Tonight on the radio which is awesome.
Overall, it's just weird driving during the day. Out of all the miles I've put on the car so far, it would have to be 3:1 ratio of night driving to day driving. That will start to even out now that I'm driving to school every day, but I still have a bunch of nighttime experience that I don't think many people my age have. Before I got the car, night driving was my weakness; now it's my strength.
Still haven't gotten my Great Adventure season pass yet. I should get on that soon.
Guess that's it for now...
Mar 25
Sweet 60!
Very exciting day today.
First of all, I FINALLY finished classes in Newark. It's not just that I finished my finals and have off all of next week, it's that I now can drive to school starting April 5. I was able to for two weeks in December between the time I got my car and Christmas break, but of course since I had to take classes at the Newark campus, it was impossible to drive there without either getting stuck in traffic or paying 10 bucks for parking. So it's something I am very excited for.
I'm really thankful for my choice to go to Berkeley College. Although I question daily the major I chose (justice studies), I can't question the teaching and classes that I've been taking so far. The professors I have are real class acts, and are a joy to listen to every day because they have such awesome insights into the classes that they teach. So I'm still happy for that choice, even if I'm not totally sold on my major.
Also, besides Police and Society (which I'm starting to get worried about because I didn't do one assignment and may have bombed the final), I know I have A's in all of my classes. That's always good.
In other news...
I finally finished work on a calender I've wanted to make since before I had a job with pictures I've taken at various events. It came out pretty cool, and even better because I got it free via cashing in my Coke Rewards points.
I'm also kind of depressed because I have no plans for my spring break next week. I thought because now that I have a car I'm entitled to do stuff, but the sight of bad weather (cold and rainy) and my lack of money (due to the expensive Yankees ticket, and with my next check going towards paying for school books) kind of kills it. Oh well, at least now I have time to get through some of my Netflix list...
Oh, and Yankees start playing for real in 10 days! And I go to Opening Day in 19 days!
Guess that's it for now...
Mar 13
Please Do Stop the Muzak...
So I'm prepared to write a quick blog that will probably turn into a longer blog about music.
First, quick shout-out to Purps: if you didn't read his latest blog, do so now. Some things are obviously more important than a stupid blog like this, so I just want to acknowledge that.
Now onto this. If you've read one of my more recent Facebook statuses and some of my spam thread posts, I mentioned how I've recently realized how music in many of the department stores are the same. I have come to realize that this is due to the Muzak service, which has been around for a long time coming up with music mixes for businesses.
I have to say, I really don't hate the service. I find myself many a time during the night using my V Cast Song ID on my phone to get the info on a song I've never heard about, especially in the beginning of quarters when they switch the music up. However, the biggest issue is that they play the same crap EVERY NIGHT.
And it's not like they change it up either. Maybe some nights you want to come in, after driving to work listening to some classic rock, wanting to hear some rock over the radio. You can't do that; you're stuck with the pop music. And I didn't even think about this until last night when I went into the back room to get some boxes during truck and they had a boom box set up with Q104.3 on it, a.k.a. the NYC metro classic rock station. It's definitely one of my favorite over-the-air radio stations, and it was such an awesome change of pace. Each time I walked back there I would hear something different. Maybe one minute I would go back and hear some CCR. The next time, I would hear "We Are the Champions."
It was just plain better. When you're working all night, at least in my opinion, music is a huge motivator. I always joked that the reason I always crash (meaning lose all my energy, not fall down and start sleeping in the aisle; just the feeling of wanting to) while vacuuming was because I can't hear the music. It may be true.
But it's a totally different atmosphere when you have different music playing. I think if they played more classic rock on the air besides the inevitable covers of bands such as The Beatles (which gets extremely ridiculous sometimes) I would be a bit more motivated to work. Not saying I'm not going to work because of the music (since nobody who has power until probably Tom Ryan, the CEO, actually has the power to change this), but I think it will certainly help.
On top of that, I'd like to mention my way of listening to music on the computer. Besides listening to my freakin' awesome XM widget (that plays every station you are signed up for under your package and is even easier to figure out than the actual system in the car), I like to bookmark YouTube videos of songs I like and listen to them that way. I'm not sure if many others do that, but I was never a huge fan of listening music through iTunes, especially because until I got my new computer I never had the library in my iPod downloaded to my computer. It was always easier just going to my bookmarks and clicking on the link to a song.
One more thing: I feel that once I stop commuting to school every day, my iPod will become useless. As some may recall, between December 4 and January 4, I was able to drive everywhere, and not worry about taking the train and stuff to school. During that time, I probably listened to my iPod twice. I'm not one who listens to it much at home besides times where I REALLY want to hear a song (and most of the time I just do what I mentioned before and do the whole bookmark thing anyway), so it just sits there. Actually one of the first things I wanted to do when I got a job was get a new iPod since mine is over 4 years old now, but once I got a car, I realized the cost wouldn't be worth the benefit because I'd never use it.
Guess that's it for now...
Mar 08
Bloggeriffic!
Okay, so some developments. Nothing major, but I feel like writing a blog so I'll hype everything up as much as possible.
-I'm currently writing my first paper of the Winter quarter. As those who read my blog in the beginning know, I LOVE writing papers. I think that's what makes me so much different from all of the students at Berkeley College (besides the fact that I'm white); I can write papers better than almost anybody else. This one is about homicide, and basically our POV of this movie we watched in class regarding a detective's first homicide case. It's a good way to go, because it makes you think about what you saw and some of the things you have to experience as an officer or detective. Of course that also makes it entertaining enough to keep my interest throughout. I have over a page written right now and it's due tomorrow night, so I'll be fine. Come on, you're talking about the guy who started an 8-page paper the afternoon before it was due and basically completed it on only two hours' sleep. And got an A on it from a pretty strict professor!
-In the case of my other classes, it's the same ol'. Test here, pop quiz there, a professor talking about how bright I am here, another professor joking about how I ramble on when I'm trying to make a point--but don't actually get to the point---there.
-From the car department, got my oil changed last Thursday. In the process, the mechanics performed a free brake inspection and told me that the front brakes are shot. They said that it would have to be addressed in less than a month, and would cost $300. So I did what anybody would naturally do, and called my uncle who gave me the car, since he knows a thing or two about maintaining a car (also driving like a crazy person; it's amazing how I turned out to be a good driver). So we arranged for me to go over his house Sunday morning after work. I somehow made it there without falling asleep (according to my GPS it takes 35 minutes to get to his house from my job), and waiting for his neigbor's son to look on, AND breakfast, AND for him to tell me the brakes are fine...oh wait, what was that? Yes, the brakes were fine. I don't know if they were trying to make money or were just plain stupid, but neither my uncle or the son found any issues with my brakes. I kind of assumed because if my brakes were that bad I would have noticed myself screaming because my car won't stop and was about to run into somebody once or twice. So then I got two hours' sleep and went home.
-It is B-E-A-UTIFUL right now. It was around 65 today, which is awesome for early March. It will be similar tomorrow, which is great. I can't wait until it's like this almost every day. I seriously can't figure out how I can get through Winter when weather like this is so amazing. Makes me want to do something with myself...
-I am loving my XM widget right now. I mean who wouldn't?
-Oh, and three more weeks going to school in Newark (technically two calendar weeks). I can't wait to get out of here and go to school where I originally was again, so I can actually drive there and not take public transportation anymore. Basically what happened is that December 4th was the last day I believed I ever had to take the train (besides sporting events), and January 4th was the day I began taking it again to go to school. So I can't wait.
Now for all the news you've been waiting for:
-I have bought and recieved my tickets for the April 19 Raw. I'm not going to disclose how much they cost, but they are in Row 3 in the seats right when they start to rise, about two sections from center ring. So if I get lucky, I might be able to get on TV once or twice. It won't be hard to find that weird kid wearing the Y2J shirt, would it?
-And even bigger news is that I'm still working on Yankees opening day tickets. I'm not sure what is going on, but I'm now under the impression that the Yankees are not selling single-game tickets because most teams have already put theirs on sale. So this gives me even more justification to my regular plan, which was buying them off StubHub. Now I'm not disclosing these ticket prices either, but the ones I want are in the upper deck right behind home plate, in a similar spot that I was in last July. So far it was originally going to be me and a friend, until my uncle called me after hearing that I was buying tickets and wanted in. So he said he wanted two (him and my older cousin who I went to the exhibition game with last year), bringing the total up to four. So then I texted the friend I was going to go with and make sure he was still in, and he said he wasn't for some reason or another. So that brought it down to three. Then my uncle said he talked to my cousin and he said the tickets were way too expensive (which I know I'm going to have to hear about from my other uncle, a.k.a. my cousin's father, the next time I see him), so I'm under the assumption that it will just be me and my uncle.
I don't care who I go with, I just want to go to Opening Day. Just thinking back to when I first got my job, one of the main reasons was so I can afford to go to the more expensive Yankee games, and I believe this would count as such.
Guess that's it for now...
 5:34 PM Jul 29
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