I'm Such a Loser!

Web-comics have struck again, I'm afraid.

A while ago, I found a web-comic that I can't stop reading and it's all because of this stupid little cat in the comic, that for some strange reason, I find totally frigging adorable. The comic itself is pretty crass, and is full of foul language. I find the only reason I like it at all is because of that damn cat!

www.somethingpositive.net

Help me! I don't know what's wrong with me!

So, It's Finally Happened

I got a job!!!

The other day, when I was half-heartedly throwing resumes out and about the streets of Victoria, I got an unexpected call from one of the companies I applied at. The manager asked me to come in that evening, so we could talk. As soon as I showed up, he pretty much said, "So I'll schedule you for tommorow morning to train with Roger." And that was that.

Where's the job, you ask? Why, I am now a brand new employee at Petro-Canada. That's right, I am a vendor of death; Gasoline and cigarettes. I'm also a vendor of broken dreams, also known as the lottery.

The two first days have been pretty damn easy. But I haven't actually worked on my own yet, and from the sounds of things, the new manager is a bit of a slave-driver. We're talking 9 and a half hour shifts without any kind of break. I've been told that I get paid for all of the time I'm there, but they don't even let you sit down. In fact, I was told by my trainer, Roger, that they used to have a chair to sit in, but the new manager took it away.

I can handle not getting a break. I can eat when it's not busy. But I don't think it's physically possible for me to stand for 9 hours strait. I don't see why having a chair would affect my productivity either. So far, my sister and my mom have said it'll be something I'll just have to get used to. That after a while, my feet will be fine. But I've already had jobs where I have to stand for 8 hours at a time (and that was with breaks) and my feet still made me want to cry in pain. That's after years of doing the same job.

I'm going to look for another job anyway. I would really like it if the library called me and offered me a job as a page or something (the libraries in Victoria pay really well). I swear, I never enjoyed any of my other jobs as much as I did being a page at the library. It was so easy, and I always had access to interesting books. Plus the library in Victoria pays a full dollar-and-some more than any other job I've ever had.

But in the mean-time... I have money again!! Thank God, cuz I was beginning to feel like a slob. Oh, wait...
;)

There, this one should enlarge once you click on it. I don't know why the other one didn't.

A Comic that Mirrors my Thoughts and Emotions?

I found another comic that I'm sure Kerrie (I'm not sure which blog to link, so here: one, two, three) will obsess over for the next little while.

www.queenofwands.net

Example:


This here? This is my life right now. Just dye my hair red! I laughed my ass right off when I read this.

Library.........Science?

Did you know that in order to become a Librarian in Victoria (and I'm going to assume, everywhere else) you need a Masters in Library Science? Did any of you even know that there was a "Library Science"?

The only reason I know this is because I was looking up some information on the local Public library, looking for a job. I thought, "Hey, I loved working at the library in Nanaimo. I bet it would be cool to work at another one. I wonder what you need to be a librarian?" That's when I came across the Greater Victoria Public Library site and found this:

Librarian Positions
To provide information services and readers' advisory assistance, to select library material, and to promote and interpret the collection.

Qualifications include a Master of Library Science degree from an accredited library school. May be required to possess courses in serving special publics such as children and/or have knowledge of special areas such as the sciences or children's literature. Previous library experience in a public service capacity with responsibility for collection development or promotion of library service an asset.

Huh...and here, I've worked at a library, and I never thought that being a librarian would ever require that much schooling. I just thought you had to have a good knowledge of the dewey decimal system, and maybe have a love of books.

This is an article I found while looking for some kind of description on what a Master in Library Science is. While I'm aware it's not the most "educated" of articles on the subject, it kinda sums up my thoughts on it.

Here's one of the pictures from my cousin's wedding at the end of July. Stacey and Jack are obviously in the middle, while Stacey's sister, Kelsy is the young lady standing furthest to the left. My second cousin, Anders is the Ring Barer (sp?). I don't know what happened to the flower girl in this picture. Kinda creepy if you look at the full sized version (click on the picture for full size).

I'll try to get a couple more shots of the wedding out later.

"Sweet Zombie Jesus!"

~Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
So I had a good weekend.

I took off to good ol' Nanaimo on Friday, and found my way back on Sunday. Apologies to those I was supposed to hang out with on Saturday night, I was feeling really awful by the time I had thought to give you a call. I just ended up going to sleep instead.

Anyway, as per usual when I get to town on Friday nights, everyone was busy by the time I got to town and couldn't hang out. So I did a little laundry that I had brought up with me. Then I went to bed. I know...My life is so exciting, that I just passed out.

On Saturday, I got a call from Ward, and we made some plans for the day. As he had a few things to do before he was free for the day, he said he would call me a few hours later. I then called sister Robyn, in order to see what she was up to. As Ward and Robyn get along fairly well, I thought that we could all hang out together.

No one got back to me until around noon, so I went and helped my mom with a couple of errands that she needed done. Robyn came over to the house, and then we went to pick up Ward. We then went to Kelsey's for some lunch, and I received what everyone thought to be basically an entire fish just thrown into a deep fryer. That sucker was HUGE!

After lunch, I hung out with Ward for a while, and Robyn took off to do some things. We talked about lots of stuff, but I can't seem to remember most of the conversation now. I seem to remember talk of TV series and movies. And something about Ward's roommate’s cat, who hates Ward for no apparent reason.

We soon had to leave, because Ward was participating in a musical in Qualicum. He was playing guitar for Jesus Christ Superstar. Robyn came and picked us up, and we headed out.

When we got there, I saw way more people I knew than I really ever expected to see. Mostly people I went to high school with, and I knew were into acting (so I don't know why I was so surprised to see them). But honestly, some of these people, I had never expected to see again! And all before the show had even started!

On old friend, Darryn (who was playing synthesizer for the show) found me and we chatted. Somehow we got into a discussion of how I was the Good Child of the three sisters, while Robyn was the Evil Child of us. I disagreed saying that Bonnie was obviously the Evil Child. We eventually settled on Bonnie being more of a Satan Evil, while Robyn was more of a Petty Crime Evil. But 'twas all in good fun.

The play itself was excellent. I knew from friend Robyn's Live Journal, that another person I've know for a long time was in it as well. Richard, whom I haven't seen in years, did a great job. But for the longest time, I couldn't figure out where he was. Only after about 15 minutes into the show, did I realize that he was one of the bad guys who was beating the ever-loving crap out of Apostles and Jesus himself.

After the show, we all went back to town, and Ward rented the movie, 21 Grams. I tried calling friend Robyn, but she was way out of town and told me to call her back later. Instead, we all went over to my parents’ house, and watched the movie Ward had rented. It's a good movie, but make sure when you watch it, you don't watch it with some one who like to talk during movies. The plot is hard enough to follow without any interruptions.

By the time the movie was done, I had one of the worst headaches I ever had, and I was starting to feel nauseous. Ward and sister Robyn went home, and I had to go to bed before I fell over.

I didn't wake up until almost noon on Sunday, and my parents were going to give me a ride at around 3. Instead, they took me out for lunch, and headed back to Victoria earlier than predicted.

It was a nice weekend, but I wish I could have stayed longer. Maybe I'll be able to get back again before everyone takes off for school. We'll see.

Ah HAHAHAHAHAHA!

This is a picture of Gordon Campbell getting a Pineapple enima. This picture comes courtesy of Jon, a friend of Friend Robyn's I had the pleasure of meeting on my birthday. A very nice fellow indeed.

Oops!

I spelled "Blenz Coffee" wrong. Sorry, coffee fans.

It's like Subway for Ice Cream

So I didn't get the Chapters job due to the fact that they found someone "better suited to the job". It sucks a lot when you begin to suspect that everyone's better than you. In every way!

Anyway, the day after I found out that I wouldn't be working with prestigious Chapters, I got a phone call from an ice cream shop that I'd faxed my resume to. It's called Marble Slab Creamery, and it's not actually open yet. So when they called, they asked me to meet them at the Blendz Coffee. However, there are like 5 Blendz Coffees downtown, and I went to the wrong one at first. You know how people make fun of there being a Starbucks on every corner? That's Blendz Coffee in downtown Victoria.

So anyway, I realize I'm at the wrong coffee shop about 10 minutes before the interview is supposed to start, so I boot it down to the one that's practically on top to the soon-to-be ice cream store. I wait, and wait, and wait.....and wait....and at exactly 2:00 (the time of the interview) a guy drives up in his van and gets my attention. He calls my name and then tells me he's gotta go find someone first. Then he asks if I want to get in the van with him. I politely declined while thinking, "My momma didn't raise no fool".

So he drives away, and I sit there, and wait, and wait, and wait....Just when I was starting to think that I was part of some failed abduction plot, the guy shows up again, and sits down like nothing happened. This is 15 minutes after the time we were supposed to have started the interview.

When he finally starts the interview, all he says is, "Tell me about yourself" he doesn't actually ask me any questions, he just wants to hear what I have to say about myself. He then tells me that he'll be paying me $6.50 and hour (as per the training wages) and that if I want to make more, I'll have to work at it. If somebody knows the deal with the training wages, can you please fill me in, cuz I was under the impression that that after a certain amount of work experience in any job, they couldn't pay you the training wages any more.

And throughout the entire "interview" this guy mumbled, and kept looking off to the side as if there was somebody behind the pillar giving him cues or something. It didn't help that we were outside, and therefore, also had to deal with the street noise. It was a really weird interview in general.

It was a neat idea for an ice cream store though. What happens is the customer chooses their ice cream. Then the ice cream artist (?) takes the ice cream to a marble slab, and the customer asks for what they want in it (as in Smarties, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc). Then it's all folded into the ice cream, and put in a cone.

It's a cool idea, but I don't think I'd work there for $6.50 and hour. And I'm not even guaranteed the job yet.

It's pooring rain today. I'm gonna end up completely soaked before I even get downtown for the interview!

Reading is Fun!

I've got a second interview at Chapters today. It's at 2:00 today and I'm getting a little antsy. I really need this job.

I like the idea of selling books. It seems like an intelligent thing to sell. It's not clothes. It's not something "fashionable". People either read, or they don't. And if they don't, they won't be coming into a book store. I'm hoping this will weed out some of the bigger idiots that like to go shopping and make my life Hell. Though I'm sure I'll still get people who aren't happy with that tiny tear on page 87 and want a discount. That's saying I even get the job, of course.

I seem to remember some people saying that Chapters wasn't the greatest place to work, and I wonder how true that is. I know it held true with Addition-Elle, but in my first interview with Chapters, the guy listed off a ton of benefits for themselves. First of all, the employees are all paid more than minimum wage (a lot like Winners). They also get a 30% discount on their books, something like 10% on their DVD's and CD's, and like 20% on Starbucks (conveniently located on the upper floor). I also seem to remember something about health benefits and such, being offered to all employees (incuding part-timers) after a certain number of months...not years, but months.

I really hope this works out for me. I'm sick of being unemployed. I've done nothing all summer (with the exception of last week's trip, of course). I've played an ungodly number of video games, and once again, I seemed to have gained weight instead of lose it, like I had planned. All in all, it's been a fairly depressing summer, and I really can't wait for it to be over.

But here's a spot of good news. Sam is up an walking properly on at least one foot. His other one's still coming along, but he's doing so much better now. It's really exciting. I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be his old rambunctious self, but he seems to be just as crazy as ever thses days.

Yay for Sam!

Here Comes the Bride

So I'm back from my adventure to Prince George. Hopefully I can link some pictures if Dan ever decides to put them on his computer. I can't believe how many pictures we took! I swear, here's like almost 90 pictures on that digital camera right now!

Anyway, there's too many things for me to write about in story format, so I'm gonna pull a Robyn, and just list off some memorable points about the trip.

~ Rented an SUV that held 7, and still ended up cramped up in the very back seat.

~ Made it to Prince George (hereafter known as "PG") in one day at the cost of sleep and nerves.

~ Watched my oldest female cousin get married to someone she loves so much, they are barely ever apart (almost including her stagette/his stag party), and look absolutely beautiful doing it.

~ Got Dan drunk and dancing all night long (I'm told that's a rarity, especially the dancing).

~ Dragged Dan to bed, where he quickly fell asleep.

~ Watched most of my family get up and dance like fools (myself included), and saw that my Uncle Mark knew all the words to Eminem songs.

~ Watched one of the sweetest little old ladies I know, swing the groom's vest around her head like she was at a strip club

~ Visited with so many relatives, my head is still spinning.

~ Introduced Dan to so many relatives, his head is still spinning.

~ Spilled food on my outfit for the wedding just before the reception.

~ Had brunch with my mom's side of the family, and then quickly went out to Jack and Stacey's (the newlyweds) for a barbeque the gift opening, and the airshow that was happening practically in their back yard.

~ Dan was bitten by Stacey and Jack's rottweiler when he tried to keep her from eating a chicken bone. It was a little nip on the finger, but those are still sharp teeth!

~ We started home after the barbeque and stopped in 100 Mile to sleep. Got up today at 6:15 and left for home at 7:00.

~ Got home at about 4:00.

~ Generally laughed and had an excellent time!

I'm so glad I got to go to this. And I'm so glad Dan could come as well. I'm probably gonna have to remind him of most of the names that were flung at him over the weekend. But at least now he has some faces to put to the people I'm talking about.