The life and times of a geeky unsucessful college graduate - my thoughts and theories on the world around me.
"It is the quality of ones convictions that determines success, not the number of followers." - Remus Lupin
Well I finally got a new cell after I dropped my last one in a river while I was fishing. I had the choice between an android and an iphone and i picked the android. I hope it ends up being a good decision.
I also decided to sell my Rav4 and my Neon to get something newer. It was a hard decision for me because I've had my car since my first day of college so it will always have a place in my heart. It was also the first thing that ever won me a trophy - it won me 4 actually.
I am on my way to NYC so I will have an update later about how the trip went.
This will be quick because I have to leave for a work trip.
I went to the midnight showing of The Avengers. It was AWESOME. Everyone got a free comic book from the local comic shop and there was a raffle for a few other items. I really really wanted an Iron Man comic that was a raffle but I didn't win anything. The movie was so good though that I completely forgot about not winning. My favorite quote now (that keeps popping in my head) is from Tony Stark talking about Agent Coleson, "Phil? His first name's Agent."
Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day and I had to pick up balloons for my mom and brother's graduation party so I made an unscheduled stop at the comic shop. It was so crowded there were lines to the wall where the free comics were (on a normal day, there might be a total of 3-4 customers in there). Out of all the free comics, there were only a couple that were actually worth reading. I think this just depends on my preference but I really only enjoyed reading a few out of the giant stack of free comics. I'm also disappointed that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics are taking an entirely different direction from the television series. The comics now have parts that take place in space fighting aliens. A vampire slayer should not be fighting aliens in space, she should stick to killing vampires and demons on Earth. You don't see Sam and Dean in Supernatural flying out to space to fight aliens.
Yesterday we had a graduation party for my mom and my brother. My mom graduated from a two year college and my brother graduated from a four year college. The day party was filled with raunchy sex jokes from some of my mom's friends while the after-party had a bonfire encompassed by my brother's drunk friends. I actually ended up drinking 6 Seagrams and 1 Mike's Hard Lemonade. This was only the second time in my entire life that I have been drunk (the first time was on Saint Patrick's Day in Daytona Beach over Spring Break). I don't usually get hangovers but end up with an aching body and over tiredness (which is how I feel today).
Now about the trip for work. I am usually scheduled to work only 3-4 days a week. Yesterday during the party I got a call from a guy at work asking if I wanted to be put up in a hotel to work for a week at a site that's a couple hours away. I agreed because I need the money and I usually don't get that many chances to work extra days. It will take me about three hours to get to the middle of a national forest where I will have no cell service. I will be working days all week, staying in a hotel room, and getting paid to eat. It will be like a short vacation where I have to sit twelve hours in my car, reading or watching a movie while I make sure no one tries to steal or vandalise anything. I'm a little nervous but it's mixed with a little excitement too.
I'm not sure if I will have internet at the hotel or not so this may be my last post for a week.
Well I have had a hectic week. My awesome job called to let me know that the site I was suppose to keep secure this week was shut down so I didn't get to work at all this week. I had to apply for partial unemployment for this week but still won't get paid because there is a waiting week and this is it. I'm a little upset because I had just set up my budget to get my bills in order. Good news is that I worked 72 hours last week so it should help pay what is behind. If I'm not on the schedule next week, I might sell everything I own and move. My parents friends live down near Wilmington, North Carolina and if I move, that is probably where I will go. I know normal people would probably be panicking or freaking out right now over not working but I found inspiration from Sarah Centrella's blog. She was a stay at home mom of three when she found out her husband was having an affair. He left her with the three kids homeless with a car payment. She sold everything she could on craigslist, moved into a tiny apartment, and got a crappy job that barely paid the bills. She made something called a Vision Board where she put everything she truly wanted (a trip to NYC and Las Vegas, stay in the Paris Hotel, ride in a limo, etc). After a couple years, she realized that everything on her board had come true and she was finally doing well for herself. This is my plan. My motto is 'Life gets better'. I've always been an optimistic person and I think this helps me stay calm after losing a job or not having enough money to pay bills. I feel that worrying about everything is not going to help anything (other than if your constipated, you might be relieved of it). If I do start to get down, I try to find a movie or a cd that will put me in a better mood.
I've been eating salads and trying to go out walking to help me lose weight. My goal is to get into shape to join the military. I can't quite decide what branch I want to go into though. I've been looking into joining ever since I graduated high school but I've never had the determination to get into shape (I need to lose 50 lbs just to be within the weight limit for the army). My goal is to be in shape and joined before my 25th birthday next July. This gives me a little over a year to reach my targeted weight, build muscle, and figure out what branch I should join. It helps because I have a cousin join the Air Force, two friends from high school joined the Army, one friend from high school was trying to join the Marines, and one of my parents friends was in the Coast Guard. I am leaning toward the Army, Navy, or Coast Guard. I'm not really that interested in the Air Force and I would rather be a male joining the Marines than a female (females can't be snipers). The security/police sector is what I'm hoping to get into since it was my major in college and it's what I am doing now. At least I have plenty of time to decide.
I finally broke down and read The Hunger Games. I was surprised by how interesting I found the story (at first I thought a child fight-to-the-death was the dumbest idea ever but I found the author did a good job making it a possibility in this future country). I went to the drive-in and watched the movie after I read the first book. I think they could have had a better director; some of the camera shots are so shaky they make you dizzy with motion sickness. I also found there was a huge lack in character development and I think it's because there was so much to tell that some developmental prospects had to be left out. I can't wait to read the next two books but I have to wait until I'm working again before I have the money to splurge on them. I am also facinated by the town that was used for District 12 in the movie. Henry River Mill Village is a town in North Carolina that is privately owned and was used for Katniss's hometown in the movie. The owner is now trying to sell the 72 acre town for $1.4 million because so many people are visiting now that it's famous. I find the town kind of charming but the greater feeling of awe overcomes me when I think of people actually owning their own town. I think it would be the coolest thing in the world to own your own town. This is my new dream before I die, to own my own town.
In other movie news, when I went to the drive-in to see The Hunger Games, I also watched The Lorax (two movies for the price of one). I LOVED this movie. It was based on the story by Dr. Seuss and the music was amazing. The basic theme is the basis for Earth Day (Plant a Tree!). I liked how a movie for children is trying to get across such an important message instead of just another mind numbing movie. Also, The Avengers comes out tomorrow. I'm such a nerd that I am going to catch the midnight release tonight. I'm excited because I'm an Iron Man fan and so far the previews look amazing. More on that next time though.
Song of the Day: Let it Grow from The Lorax (sorry about the video but it had the best version of the song)
I think anyone who's read this blog knows that I am not a religious person. This is why it irritates me when I hit next blog on blogger and it continuously sends me to a religious site - usually Christian. It is either a site for a Christian family praising their god or it is for a ministry or church group. I really want to know how these sites are similar to mine. I see no resemblance to it in my ramblings about atheism, Harry Potter, family, and work. To Blogger: stop sending me to these sites, Thank you.
Because I work weird hours now and rarely have the time or money to get out and mingle with my peers, I have recently joined Eharmony - don't judge. I think it is kind of exciting to know that I could meet someone from anywhere in the world online while I'm stuck in this stupid little cow-town. I want to move but I have neither the money nor the job that would relocate me. My dream town would be near Wilmington, NC. I have a friend who lives in Shallotte, NC and from the pictures I've seen of it, the town looks really nice. The good thing is I am gaining experience at the job I currently hold and it will help me if and when I decide to move since security officers are needed everywhere. For now, I will just have to keep saving up my money until I can afford to move elsewhere.
In other news, I started working on my story again. I've been perfecting my map so that I have a reference to work from. I've also started working out a history timeline; it is more like a history of the planet but it provides a basis for me to know more about the world I'm writing about. I like how I started writing and then I felt like I was taking a history lesson, the history of the planet just fell out of my brain onto the page. By the time I finished up this morning, it looked like I'd copied parts of an actual history book. I found this approach the most helpful and easiest to work on so I may take the same approach to other aspects of my story, from the characters and animals to places and significant objects.
I got the inspiration to continue my story after J.K. Rowling's site Pottermore opened over the weekend. I was working the night shift Saturday when I got a text at about 4:30 am stating that Pottermore had opened to the public. When I got out of work at 5am, I was extremely excited. I rushed home and instead of catching up on sleep, I played on Pottermore until about 9 or 10 when the struggle to keep my eyes opened had reached an all time high and I fell asleep shortly after lying down. Pottermore is fun for about the first day. I loved reading J.K Rowling's notes but I felt that there should have been more for all the hype the site was getting. Not to mention that out of the 7 books, only the 1st one is currently available on the website. For the excruciating wait the fans have had to endure for the site, I was expecting more. More of what? I'm not sure exactly but after getting through the first book on the site, I felt after the hype it was very anticlimactic.
I probably won't have any more posts for the week because I've volunteered to take on more hours at work. And also my allergies are acting up making me very irritated with the world in general.
Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Song of the Day: Joey by Sugarland (DON'T drink and drive)
I noticed today that I forgot to leave a movie and song of the day on my last post. I decided I will give two songs and two movies today to make up for it.
Today, being the bright spring morning as it was, first it snowed then sleeted then heavy snow then rain and now sunshine. I mentioned before the odd weather we have here and now I am once again wishing I lived somewhere else. I would prefer a beach setting but I also love white winters (not to mention I've always been a sucker for lighthouses - rain, snow, or shine).
I tried knitting a scarf today because I want the practice so I can make a baby blanket for my brother's baby. I've been wanting to make a baby blanket to get the practice for when I have my own child but I haven't known anyone having a baby until now. I think I might be more excited for the baby than my brother is though because I can't go into a store now without looking at the baby department with a longing sensation. If I am to be honest with myself, I've been feeling like I am waiting for my life to happen instead of living. When I'm not working, I'm normally by myself with no other human interactions aside from my immediate family members. I think getting away from where I currently live might help but there is no possible way I could afford to move unless I did buy a house (because so far a house payment would be cheaper than paying rent). The only problem I have with buying a house is that I don't really feel comfortable that I have job security. Not to mention if I did ever find a job in my dream area (the area I really want to live: ie near Wilmington, NC) I would be stuck with a house in NY or PA that I would have to sell first before I could move. Problems like these are why most days I wish I had never gone to college. The debt that I am currently paying in college loans could pay for a really nice house and I would actually be paying less per month because the current student loans I have equal $800 a month for the next ten years - most mortgages are for at a minimum of fifteen years meaning the monthly payment would be far less than $800.
I try not to dwell on my problems because I know that owning a house, renting, living where I want, and student loans are petty problems compared to the real problems people across the globe face. I know there are young mothers who don't know how they're going to feed their kids or where they'll sleep tonight and I know somewhere there is a kid who is considering suicide today because he is being bullied so bad at school and no one understands. These people are the ones who have real problems that often don't have solutions and I know my problems are nothing but a small irksome that I really shouldn't be hovering on.
To lighten the mood a little before I depart:
Movie of the day 1: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Movie of the day 2: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Song of the day 1: O' Children by Nick Cave
Song of the day 2: This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars
I updated the site today to give it a new look. I like to change it up because even I get bored looking at the same site over and over and over. A new look is a simple way to change it up a little.
I found the house that I love but I will never be able to afford it. It cost a little over $100,000 and is a little smaller than my dream house but it was still really really nice.
I also found a practical house and it is only $35,000 on almost 3 acres of land but it needs a lot of work and it is in North Carolina. In perspective, I live in New York now and work in Pennsylvania. This house would have to be my weekend fixer-upper (and possibly allow my parents to rent it from me while I stayed in New York. This is a big decision and I am going to need a while to think about it. I would have to sell my truck to make the down payment but the mortgage would be $2 less than the truck payment is now. To be completely honest, I really don't think it's likely I will buy the place but it is nice to dream.
In other news, I finished the Harry Potter series of books again at work. This time it only took me 6 days to read all 7 books. I still cried when Sirius died in book 5 and Snape died in book 7 - I think I always will; ⏃ Always. It is still hard for me to grasp that there will never be another HP book and it makes me want to cry. I liked the movies but the books will forever be my cryptonite. My favorite in order are: The Order of the Phoenix, The Deathly Hallows, The Prisoner of Azcaban, The Sorcerer's Stone, The Half-Blood Prince, The Goblet of Fire, and the Chamber of Secrets.
My parents returned from their trip and they brought me back two cases of Ale8 from Kentucky. If you've never had it, it tastes like a Mellow Yellow flavored Root Beer. It is only made and sold in Kentucky and I had them make an unscheduled stop just to pick me up some. I recommend you try it at least once if you're ever in Kentucky.
I started a tumblr site today but it didn't live up to my standards so I closed my account already. I still think I prefer blogger's site, I just think tumblr is flashier. I also switched shifts today so that I could work more days. I am now on night shift and working 4 days a week instead of 3. I think having 3 days off a week will be plenty and if I want to take a vacation at any time, all I have to do is request the time off. I think working 4 days will give me enough money to catch up all my bills and hopefully pay off my truck sooner so that I can start saving up for a house or an apartment.
I think I will call it a night now so have a good one.
Hello all and sorry for my lapse in writing. I lost the urge to write for a while and have only just rediscovered its lure. I have been working for my new job at a security company contracted out to work for gas companies. We make sure that the sites are secure and safe while they drill for natural gas. I will say that I was unsure of the 'frac' process and the dangers it could possess to the community and the environment before I was hired but after I became more education on the subject I really learned the immensity of the safety precautions companies like Shell have in place to protect the community and the environment as well as its workers. I don't find the process as dangerous as I once did because I know more about it and I think this is true for many people. I think the majority of people against fracking don't really understand the process and have no idea of the ways companies are protecting people from the potential dangers. Someone really can't complain that their water is contaminated if it was already found to be contaminated 50 years ago when fracking wasn't even in the area. (On a side note, I found the use of the word frac to be hilarious in this industry because it was used in place of a curse word on the popular television series Battlestar Galactica [spelled frak]).
April 1st or April Fools Day if you prefer was the first day of trout and salmon fishing in NY State (and also Fred and George Weasley's Birthday!). I had to work so I went Monday morning. I froze my behind off (almost literally). My fingers were so frozen they felt like they were on fire and I still didn't catch anything. I adopted a dog from the local Humane Society. She is a 7 year old pitbull named Lilly (like Lilly Potter from the Harry Potter series). She loves to play and cuddle.
At work, I have a lot of down time. My superiors tell us that we can do anything we want to keep us awake as long as we don't fall asleep on the job. To keep myself awake, I've been reading the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. I read all 7 books in 7 days and watched all 8 movies in a day and a half. This has hardly held me over at work because I am now reading the books again and will probably watch the movies again as well. I grew up on these books. I was in 6th grade when I read the first one and I had to catch up but I was one who waited for each new book to come out at Borders or Barnes and Nobles. I went to the midnight showing of all but the first two movies and I cried when the credits rolled for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I think this series of books helped raise one of the most knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful kids of a generation and I am saddened to know that kids today don't have the morals and anticipation that the Harry Potter Series brought out in us. When I actually think about what kids these days have to look forward to (Twilight, the Hunger Games, etc) I am actually fearful because these books cannot compare to the HP books. One of my favorite things I found online was this quote, "Twilight has Forks but Harry Potter has a theme park in Orlando." (I sooooo want to go to The Wonderful World of Harry Potter).
I've also started making videos on Youtube again now that I have the time. I am getting better at using my Sony Vegas which is allowing better quality videos (even though my personal appearance needs a better quality still). I've been doing a lot of stuff online to pass my time and I found a site called Stealth Operatives which is a rpg sort of like Mob Wars except you are a spy and you fight the bad guys. I am also waiting for Pottermore to open up. The website says it will be open the beginning of April (I think they need to hurry up). I was hoping it would be a mmorpg like Lord of the Rings online or World of Warcraft but I think it's just going to be a forum/reading type of thing which is still cool just not amazingly cool.
I was also watching a new series called the River on ABC. I found it because Bruce Greenwood is in it and I really like him as an actor. It mixes the action horror genre very well and it is a nice escape to lose myself in. It is also a relief that new shows can be made well considering shows that I use to watch like Eureka and One Tree Hill are in their final seasons. I know Grey's Anatomy and NCIS will probably be packing in withing the next few years as well just because they have been around so long (because they're AWESOME).
I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start up my outdoor activities again. I found some trails in my area I want to hike and my tent is still ready for camping. I am excited now because I found that Letchworth State Park in New York is only $20 to camp at night and that park is beautiful in the summer. I will have to let Lilly get a little practice before we tackle anything too difficult but I am excited anyway.
With that, I will leave you (sorry it was so long today - lots on my mind)
Song of the Day: 9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
