Coming home from college for the holidays are always a love/hate experience.  On the one hand, I always miss my mom when I’m gone, and I miss things like having a large kitchen to use, or a long couch to stretch out on, or easily movable task lighting.  But by the same token, moving back into a family after living on my own for so long is hard.  Very hard.

Take today, for example.  Today was the first day since Christmas that the entire family was to be out of the house.  I was ECSTATIC!  Not that I don’t love my family (though, if my dad’s out of the house, I’m not going to cry), but just that for the past 19 days I have been a part of a unit.  And going from a singleton to a unit in the span of 2 domestic flights is hard.  I have to wait to eat to make sure that the rest of the unit is available, sleep happens when the unit is sleeping – not when I’m tired, and things have had to get done, for which I had to work with the unit.  And 19 days of it in a row without reprieve is trying.  So it was with great rejoicing that I planned out my day today.  Sleep in late, watch “Say Yes to the Dress” for a bit, cook a tasty brunch, take a bath, start sorting my life out for packing, get dinner on the marinade, and then excitedly await the return of my family.

I woke up at 10:00 in order to not still be asleep when mom would come home for break.  I wasn’t quite rested, but it didn’t matter – MY DAY had begun.  I lumbered down the stairs, cracked open a can of cola for some caffeine, and sat down to my show, excited to watch brides pick out their fantasy gowns.  Twenty minutes into the program, however, I found that it wasn’t meant to be, because aparrently today is the day that they needed to test the Emergency Broadcasting System… from 10:30 to 11:30 am.  “No worries,” I said to myself, and instead went up to my room to change the sheets on my bed – something that I’ve been meaning to do for the past few days but haven’t done yet.  I hadn’t figured it into the day’s agenda, but that’s why its MY DAY.  I can change whatever I want to.  It has not been taken from me.

So I head up to change my sheets and brush my teeth and hair, and return downstairs a new woman.  I start making the marinade for our steaks for dinner, and throw some sausage and potatoes in a skillet for my dream brunch.  Its great to be in a kitchen, you know?  The entire world can go to hell while I play with spices and knives and starches…  So long as I’m making something tasty, I really don’t care!

I sit down to my brunch and my computer, and just as I’m finished eating, its 12:30 and mom waltzes into the house.  She sees that I’ve picked up a bit, that I’ve got the steaks on the marinade, and that I’m all happy and things are good.  She leaves, and a I spend a bit of time on the internet, followed by heading up the stairs to dig my suitcase out of the storage closet and start separating things to be packed for my trip back to New Orleans.

The phone rings.  Its mom.  I don’t know why she’s calling – what could I possibly have forgotten to do, or what does she need from me?  I can’t go anywhere, I can’t do anything.  What’s happening.

“Hey Jess.  Your grandma isn’t feeling well, she needs to go to the hospital to get some work done.  Do you have time to drive her?  I know you want to pack…”

How do you say ‘no, I don’t want to help grandma,’ ?  So, away we went.

And grandma is the worst patient in the entire history of people who need an EKG at the hospital.  We had a hard time finding anyone in cardiology (it appears they all disappeared in a puff of smoke by 3:00) and she’s bordering on going postal on anyone who so much as thinks too loudly in her direction.  All the time she shifts from “I’m so tired, I don’t feel good,” to “I hate doctors, I don’t know why we’re here,” to “*tear* I just want to go home.”

I got home at 6:45.  Dinner needed to be put on the table, and the house needed picked up again, because somewhere in the middle of my interrupted day, the rest of the family came home and took over.  We had supper finished by 7:30, and dad went upstairs to go to bed, meaning that I can’t go turn on my music and pack, else I’ll keep him up and make him mad at me.  MY DAY has simply turned into “another day.”

What about tomorrow, you might ask?  Grandma wants to come over and “hang out.”  From 9:00 to 3:00.  No sleeping in.  No time for packing.  No relaxing.

But that’s ok, I guess…  If the family’s happy, I’ve done my job.

Me and my 2010 snowman

This is a photo of what I did today and all thanks to this wonderful whitestuff as it stopped half of teachers and pupils getting into college even though I got in for 8am as usual (typical really) so we closed before nine and we’re closed tomorrow too!

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be.
The future’s not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera

So, it looks like that my time at my Christmas job will be ending this week.

While it’s a shame to have to leave the job that I rather enjoyed, what I will miss is the friends that I have made there. It’s the folks that you work and serve with that makes a job fun (and certainly there has been a lot of fun, and help when I needed it). It’s hard not to be sad when you realise that your time discussing the complexities of Peppa Pig with 5 year olds, piling stuff really high and solving a multitude of present problems in a short amount of time is coming to an end.

I’m keeping my hopes up that things may change, and trying to cover all of the bases that I can, when you can’t (legally) drive (on your own) and in an area where people could walk about in period costume without anyone batting an eyelid. In fact, I should be updating my CV while I am writing this.

When it comes to  the job-hunting, form filling and all that jazz, I don’t believe in luck anymore. In fact, people saying ‘Good Luck’, even if they are being genuinely sincere can grate with me now, as I somehow expect myself to do the opposite.

I don’t believe that there is luck when it comes to finding work now, but I find it hard to think where such a concept could be put into the process. Someone thinks you are capable and puts the CV in the ‘not bonkers’ pile, or it is sent a pre-written rejection form. You either get the job, or someone else gets it.

After a year of applying for things and then feeling happy to just receive a response (even if it wasn’t the one that I was actually looking for), I find it hard to accept that luck, karma or anything else of that nature is a factor towards getting a P60 (or, indeed will make public transport run on time).

I’m not depressed or anything (though my cynicism needs an occasional backhand). I now am a proactive Employment Darwinist.

The plan, if I choose to accept it, is to now find a local PT/FT job, raise some money and then explore the southern hemisphere/the northern hemisphere. The graduate job will hopefully raise its head again, as I hope to still apply while earning money.

My Christmas was a lot of fun, thank you for asking. My family has an ‘open house’ policy to other family and friends, which meant we had 9 for Christmas Day, including the siblings I don’t see so often. I also got what I was asking for (A WII!!!!!! ), ate far too much and discovered a taste for wine that previously had never been explored. The odd thing was how Christmas was not relaxing. Working in retail, you are serving hundreds of people  a day, who can range from being courteous and pleasant (such as the nice man who actually stopped his phone conversation at the till or the old man who took his  hat when I greeted him), or highly strung. It was interesting how many customers decided that the best way to get a staff member to help them is to forget to say please or thank you, and instead just shout  what they needed, such as “DICTIONARIES?!” in a voice that suggested that they were only a ‘Customer Number 1 please’ away from crying from frustration.

In many ways, it felt like Christmas was delayed for me. The shop floor is mentally exhausting if you do it for long enough (and it is not helped by hearing ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ when it’s really busy), and so I relied on listening to Christmas tunes on the ipod on the bus to psych me up. I wasn’t home from work until 8pm on the 24th (because once the shop shuts, you have to get the offers ready for Boxing day), and it took me a few glasses of wine and an enormous helping of stew to stop from wanting to reply to every question with “Do you have a loyalty card?” It was only the days off after Christmas, where I was able to go to the cinema and catch up with siblings, that I properly unwound myself.

So, I can’t help but wonder that if next Christmas will find me in the same situation again, but stuff is working out, and I’m hopeful.

“After a visit to the beach, it’s hard to believe that we live in a material world.” – Pam Shaw

I went to the beach this morning with my sister before leaving Tampa, Florida with the rest of my family.  We found a dead shrimp.  Sucks to be the shrimp.

things I did today

slept in

drove out into the desert

Climbed a mountain

had lunch on a yellow, red, pink, white, orange and purple sandstone mountain with Drew and some bee’s.

took 300 pictures

smelled flowers

sang along with the music

I think I’m fully recovered. I’ve been working out pretty hard and don’t have that sharp pain at the odd angles anymore.

My weight remains about the same so that’s a good thing.

It’s technically Jan 1 already, but I’ll post again tomorrow.

I went to Busch Gardens at Tampa Bay for New Year’s Eve.  I went on Sheikra, which is a floorless diving rollercoaster with a 90 degree 200ft drop.  It was pretty fucking intense.  Then I went on Kumba, which is a steel sit down rollercoaster with 7 inversions.  The last one I went on was Gwazi, an extremely uncomfortable dueling wooden rollercoaster that felt like riding a jackhammer.  There was no time to go on Montu, which I believe still holds the record for number of inversions on an inverted roller coaster.  No problem though, I’ve already been on it in the past.

At night, I went with immediate and related family to Don Cesar at St. Pete’s Beach for one of the best dinners in recent memory.  This resort is gorgeous on the outside and inside, evoking a grand hotel design from the 1920s.  There was free champagne at the party.  On the way out after dinner and the ball drop, EMT showed up to help a lady who cracked her head open because she failed at life.  LMAO congrats, what a great way to start out the New Year.

http://www.loewshotels.com/en/hotels/st-pete-beach-resort/overview.aspx

I went to shoot fireworks on the beach.  As I was lighting up sparklers and rockets, I thought back to last January when I helped set up fires and blew up a can of waffle mix, WD-40, Wheel & Tire cleaner, Airwick, and a giant tank of propane with some people who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons.

It was an amazing day when I took this photo earlier this year.  The weather was perfect: the air was crisp and cool, the sun was bright and the people walking about in the City were in excellent spirits.  I had a rare day off from work mid-week so I took advantage of the time away from my desk and hit the pavement to get some shots of Boston while the sun was out.  I had a great time exploring the city on foot and looking for more exciting angles for some ordinary photos.  The result was me standing the in middle of streets, heading under bridges and more!

I was finally able to order the next 4 books in the Roger Zelazny Collection. I want 7-14 business days for delivery to go by… right now!

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It’s nice and overcast today. The leaves are finally off the trees here this past week.

I’m ill of all sorts today and to lazy to go to the kitchen for breakfast… I’ll just gnaw on this stale gram cracker I’ve got here…

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My computer has been acting up. I blame everything on Google Chrome. My computer was running perfectly fine. Now everything’s all out of whack.

Where exactly is whack? What exactly is whack?

When have I ever heard of something be in whack?

According to Dictionary.com…

“out of whack, Informal. out of order or alignment; not in proper condition.”

I think I’ve exceeded/passed some mark/measure or other form of indication that pertains to delerium/illness and should probably go lie down for a while…

Jesus gave us gifts by His birth and so far I found two.

One is salvation and the other is a day off.

예수님께서 당신의 탄생으로 인류에 선물을 주셨는데, 나는 여지껏 두 가지를 발견했다.

하나는 구원이고, 나머지는 하루 휴일.

… until I have to start the balancing act all over again …
::: well, for a a day or two anyway – but then it’s all PARTYPARTYPARTY OUTBACKBOWLAUBURNVERSUSNORTHWESTERN PARTYPARTYPARTY
WOO HOO for a few more ;)  and then, ok, yeah - I really and for serious have to start the balancing act all over again … :::

How ’bout you?

Working in a call center can be so ironic, sometimes. I have to work when everyone’s resting while I rest when everybody’s working. Just like today, I can’t seem to find my off-call center friends because it’s a working day today — and it’s my day off. It’s so frustrating!

Good thing, I get to hang out later tonight. Videoke and chit chat galore! The barkada agreed to meet after their shifts so we can gather with me. I feel so loved!

It’s my day off, finally so I’m blogging right now. What happened last Christmas? It was a little touchy this year, no thanks to that probee who I caught sobbing in the pantry.

She’s Lynette and I got to know her when I was floor support during the online training of their batch. She’s cool… a little on the slow side… but overall kind. Oh, and fashionable by the way. I loved her red boots during the company Christmas party.

So anyway, on Christmas eve, I saw her sobbing over her lunch at 1am. I approached her, “Ay hindi yata merry and Christmas mo ‘te!  I bet it’s your first time, no?”

She just nodded and told me how it’s her first time to celebrate Christmas away from her family. She likewise whined about not being able see her boyfriend (I didn’t know that juicy bit). Apparently, her mama cried and that set her off, too. My, my… mothers can be so dramatic.

“Hay nako, girl” I told her like a big sister that I am, “Christmas isn’t the only day when you should be with your family. You can see them later and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow! Like they say, we should make everyday like Christmas day. It’s no big deal!” Except for barkada reunions, school reunions, ex’s reunions… scratch that last one.

“Yeah, well I guess you have a point there,” she said while dabbing her tears with tissue.

“I do, really. Stop crying! Sayang ang beauty mo, pasko pa naman!”

I thought about the first time I had to work on Christmas eve. I was also really sad like that poor girl minus the pantry drama. I guess I just felt really bad then, thinking that everyone’s on a vacation except me (and other on the shift). I thought that I should be home, eating noche buena, opening gifts then out to see friends around the neighborhood for the holiday booze.

Enough already of reminiscing much. I’ll just go get a haircut!

P.S I definitely have to see ‘I Love you, Goodbye’. I must support MY Derek Ramsey!

It’s about 8 a.m. on Sunday.

I just put a 13lb turkey in the oven.  Now you may be asking yourself, “Isn’t he supposed to be on stage in just a few minutes?”  And the answer to that question would normally be, “Yes!”  But today is the one Sunday of the year that we take a break at Crossroads.

We have lots of volunteers who work hard each Sunday and since most of us are busy with family and friends and all of the holiday festivities, then we thought it was a great idea to give everyone a Sunday off.  This is something we’ve been doing for the three years that Crossroads has been up and going.

For me its a time to spend at home with my family….no, I didn’t go to church.  After speaking nearly 200 times this past year, I slept late and I’m not preparing a little lunch.

Have a great day and I will see you next Sunday as we begin our new series “Pursuit”.

For non-Christians the 25^th of December can be a very boring and uninteresting day, since almost every American has the day off and as a result there are few establishments open. That is why most Jews spend Christmas Day one of the following three ways.

The first way that some Jews spend Christmas is by sitting around their homes simply relaxing and enjoying their day off. This is a pretty popular way for singles and young people to spend the day since it requires little work or planning. However, it is by far the least interesting and I feel as though it’s a cop-out way to spend the holiday, but too each their own.

The second way that many Jews choose to spend the Christmas holiday is by using the day as an opportunity to have a nice occasion with family and friends. Many Jews see this “bonus” day off as a reason to celebrate and spend time with the people they care about. This is a typical way for families to spend the holiday, and in my opinion is a very nice way to spend Christmas since it lines up nicely with the spirit of the day.

The third way for Jews to spend the holiday is by combining the only two things that are guaranteed to be available to them on Christmas despite the fact that everything is seemingly closed. These two establishments that can be counted on for their willingness to stay open in spite of the holiday are movie theatres and Chinese Restaurants. That is why, as strange as it may seem, on the 25^th of December the Chosen People can often be seen flooding local movie theatres and then following it up by eating mongolian beef, chicken fried rice and pot stickers.

I guess over time Jews have adapted to the fact that pretty much nothing is open on Christmas and therefore they had limited options as to how to spend the day off. In my lifetime I have had the opportunity to spend Christmas Day each of those three ways and I’ve got to admit they all have their individual merits.

It all pretty much depends on how far you are willing to go to overcome the fact that pickings are slim on Christmas and therefore you have to either go the extra mile in your preparation for the day, or succumb to the fact that your options are limited and take what the day gives you.

In the end I suppose it comes down to the individual and whether they let themselves be bored instead of making the most of their day off. Personally, I was very excited about the prospects of going to the movies yesterday and then eating some msg laden Chinese food before passing out early, and let me tell you based on the fact that the movie theatre where I went to see a matinée showing of “Sherlock Holmes” was filled I have sneaking suspicion I wasn’t the only Jew with this idea of how to spend Christmas Day.

After selling Colonel Mustard we were able to catch up on things. So my power is not going to be shut off and I wont have to say goodbye to internet and having food to eat is extremely nice.

Aside from that me and Drew were able to exchange Anniversary gifts. After some thought I believe this is our 7th anniversary. On my end I got enough memory to run my computer without needing the thumb drive, Astronaut Ice Cream, 1 Dozen roses, lip gloss, a clean house and candle lit dinner with a bottle of wine.  Also I was able to put a little towards our “moving/oh shit” fund which was almost non-existent.

Drew got C.O. Bigelow Cologne and Premium Shaving Cream from Italy and other accessories. Seriously try this stuff! They hide it in the back corner of Bath and Body works. If you know Drew and his facial hair … he has had a clean shave for two days before he started getting stubble. Normally he will shave one side of his face and it will have stubble before he finishes shaving the other side of his face. By noon it would look like he hadn’t shaved in three days…

He also got a cheeseburger and a Wii.

I signed the loan paperwork for my car. My debt is significantly lower than most people’s as I hate credit cards and bank accounts… but it’s also more debt than I’ve ever owed as well. We brought my mom a Snuggie because it get’s cold where she lives and she just has a fireplace to heat her home.  She called me that evening from by the fire and said she had her Snuggie on, a beer in her hand and she was watching snow come down outside through her sliding glass door. Good thing I had Drew bring in some firewood.

In the spring I am hoping to sell the Harley. If that were to happen I could move to where I want to, pay off all of my debt and have savings and good credit. That’s what my dad meant for me to have by giving me his Harley.  The years of taking care of him really took a a mental and financial toll on us and we’ve been really struggling to pay bills since he died. The time Drew spent taking care of him has left him even more unable to find employment. I’m glad my wage just covers all of our bills.. It only leaves us with about $40-60 for the grocery store per week which is difficult when you need food and say… laundry soap. The fact that I can make it all work is great.

All in all we’ve had a good December to end this terrible year for us.

The end of the guide season, for all practical purposes, has arrived as the vast majority of folks have no desire to tough it out in the elements that go hand in hand with the winter trout game.  I don’t really blame people for this attitude, as more often then not December, January, and February mean freezing your guides, hands, feet, and ass off chasing trout that most days feed in very narrow windows and spend the rest of the day in a general state of apathy that closely resembles my senior year of college (solid 2.0…the definition of a Mendoza mindset).  It was with these odds in mind that I kicked off my fishing season last week with a couple of Tennessee floats.

The South Holston was my first stop with Murphy, Ryan, and our new Panga Boat Captain Jamie (he’s cool…just don’t get your hands to close to his mouth).   The fishing was decent all the way down to Jack’s place with fish and fun being had by all.  Murphy takes the prize for biggest fish of the day with a nice 16″ Brown that smacked a WMD, wrapped Murphy around a tree for two minutes, freed himself, and was nice enough to come boat side for this lovely photo op.

After we got past Jack’s place the fishing turned off due to water clarity that can best be described as defecating in a plastic bag and trying to tell me how many fingers I am holding up whilst looking through the aforementioned bag of feces.  Murphy was supposed to stick around for another couple of days and float with me and Ryan but after a day in the  frozen tundra with less than banner prospects for the future, Murphy turned tail and ran back to West Virginia without so much as hug or an awkward glance.

So with a brief interlude of shop duty I once again braved the elements and met Ryan and Jamie on the Watauga for a day of non-generation grab ass.  We got into fish right off the bat and consistently if not quickly put fish on the boat the rest of the day.  The pescatorial bugs de jour (bugs of the day for you non french speaking red blooded Americans out there) were a variety of midges and mayfly nymphs.  Ryan wound up catching the fish of the day early, and with only a brief yet memorable challenge by yours truly resulting in a lost 17″ Rainbow, Ryan proceeded to let me know about it the rest of the day.  This is pretty typical for Ryan as the only way he can make his candle burn brighter is by blowing other people’s candles out…sad really…a desperate cry for help from a frightened little boy..if you see Ryan give him a big hug and tell him that he’s not alone.

Two days in Tennessee have gone by the wayside and I am not the winner of a chicken dinner on either.  This my friends is troublesome and not the way I had hoped to kick off my season.  My only hope at this point is to sit back down at the vise, crank out some new killer patterns, and start fishing by myself so that I am guaranteed to be the big fish guy every day.

Always Poppin’ and Lockin’,

- Nymph-o

A snow day forces a pause in our too busy lives – and we find that just stopping for one day is not the end of the world – in fact it is quite wonderful and natural almost as if by design. So next time why not choose your “snow day” – maybe once a week – oh, right, we already have one as part of the ten commandments, it’s called the sabbath.

It’s amazing what sleep do to your recovery. I slept 10+ hrs today and felt much better. Although there’s still some residual pain when I perform stretching but it’s much better since Friday. Hopefully, I’m 90% recovered by Monday.

I ache ALL over.  My legs hurt (especially thanks to those one-legged squats), my shoulders hurt (thanks to push presses), and my core huts thanks to pretty much every exercises I did yesterday.  Oddly enough, otherwise I feel great.   I have plenty of energy, my guts doesn’t quite feel as annoying (even though its only slightly less noticeable visually), and even when I wince with pain when I stand up or shift in my seat it is a good reminder of a workout that went better than expected.

I am not going to push myself too hard as I get back into the swing of things.  For the next three weeks I will stick to about 3 days of heavy training per week with one day off between workouts (and one day day off period each week).

But today is anything but a “day off.”  I almost titled this post something like “first day off,” but i deleted that title.  I deleted it for a reason.  There are no day offs in fitness.  While I won’t be lifting any weights today (with the possible exception of tossing my daughter around) I am working very hard on my nutritional intake.     Today’s meals include:

• Breakfast: 12-hour Elite Protein Shake
• Snack: Protein Bar with an Apple
• Lunch: 2 slices of whole wheat toast with roast beef, turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, spicy mustard, and spinach.
• Snack: walnuts, unsweetened shredded coconut, and dark chocolate.
• Dinner:  Function at church, so I have no clue what will be offered.   This will be my first real challenge.
• Before Bed: 12-hour elite protein shake with milled flax seed
• ***NOTE: Water is consumed in large quantities throughout the day with and between meals.

I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s meals.  I bought a bunch of turkey drumsticks and I will be putting them in the rotisserie with some herbs and spices.

Because of the extreme snow conditions that’s hitting the east coast, I didn’t bother going in today.  It would have been a huge mistake.  I look out my window now and it’s a wreck out there.

Spent this whole day catching up on news.  Tried to goto the dry cleaners but they were closed due to the weather.

My shoulder feeling much better after icing and stretching. I iced my shoulder again this morning and felt a bit better. I have some mobility back but it still hurts in certain angle when I raise my hand.

Today’s my rest/recovery day. The dead lift that I performed yesterday was just about right. My lower back is a bit sore but I’m feeling good.

I finally got a day off! I’ve been working a lot lately, working split shifts and whatnot. So when I wasn’t working, I was sleeping, or watching movies as I fell asleep, heh.

I think I am going to do a mini photoshoot with people. If you may be interested and live in the Pennsylvania area feel free to contact me on Twitter, or E-Mail me at CoryWho@yahoo.com.

Well, have a good day everyone.

I have tomorrow off with my wife.

What will we do?

First, as you see above, we will get dressed up. We are quite formal people.

Then, we are going to go to the U.S. Post Office to mail off some holiday gifts.

My father-in-law worked at the U.S. Post Office for many years. His work helped my wife be able to attend college.

Please support your local post office.

Here is the link to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. The wife and I once went there.

After the post office, I regret to say that we must go to the Apple Computer Store in the Houston Galleria.

You see that iphone in my hand in the picture above?

I dropped it last night and shattered the screen.

I’m not so pleased with this fact.

I do not want to go to the crowded Galleria nine days before Christmas, but hopefully it will be early enough in the morning to beat most of the crowds.

After the Apple Store, the wife and I will have lunch at a Japanese restaurant.

We use forks. Neither of us can handle chopsticks.

When the wife and I go out to eat, we bring newspapers and magazines to read.

We read and we talk to each other.  It goes quite well.

After lunch, we are going to go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The wife and I will see an exhibit called Faberge–Imperial Jeweler to the Tsars.

After the museum, the wife and I may—or may not—take a walk in Houston’s Hermann Park.

The walk will depend on the weather and what time of day we are done with all we plan to do.

My wife and I will have a great day off together.

Take some time to be with the people you value in life.

At the same time, be sure to spend some time alone.

A balance of time with people you care about and time spent alone makes for a well-adjusted personality.

That is my theory at least.

Flying Jetblue is awesome.  Free bag check.  Television for every seat.  No Nazis with the airline snacks.

The airline security check took forever.  I think things were tighter than usual because of that recent terrorist attack.  My flight was also delayed by over an hour due to some difficulties getting the plane ready.  I always think about Final Destination whenever I fly, but I know there’s no possible way that getting killed on an airplane is my way to go out.  I have way too much shit to accomplish in this life.

I arrived at Tampa International Airport at around 7:30pm.  Back to jeans and a t-shirt.