For the first time in a year, my cellphone just freaked out on me.
I was writing a text to Asma and before I could finish the first sentence, it kept beeping and the keypad wouldn't respond and I was shocked that this phone had never once failed me or locked up on me or anything.
Fluke? Or the beginning of the end?
When I asked for a shot of irish creme in my mocha, I meant the flavored syrup and not the $5.50 alcoholic kind. Damn waitress for not asking me to clarify.
I'm going to try and not spend anymore money on eating out for the next week or two, because it's really killing the money I have.
$5.50 for a shot. What the hell.
I am bored.
When you reformatted your hard drive, you forgot to backup some things: bookmarks and YZdock. Puh.
Setting up all your programs is a hassle, especially when most of your CDs are in Illinois.
You are also craving sweets, and need sugar to put in your tea and coffee. That is one of your goals for the evening.
Hi everybody.
I would first like to thank all of you for your birthday well-wishing, and each of you has a raincheck for a hug whenever we cross paths.
So, I am in this nation's capital and things are going excellently, minus sleep. I have been out and about with Asma, collecting supplies and such, eating out, catching crickets, and wondering why Shirin is so restless here (she's wasting a lot of her food just by knocking the feeding dish around after first prying it from a supposedly secure place).
In fact, Shirin scared me twice when she squeezed out of the cage entrance while I was trying to fix something inside. She darted off and disappeared into the kitchen once, and once at night while I kept the cage open in the walk-in closet (she jumped over the barrier I set). Fearing that she'd disappeared behind the refrigerator area (there's a big opening around it at Asma's place), she turned out to be under the sofa both times.
Panic attack.
Things are going good. Asma conspired with her mom to buy me gifts and take me out to dinner for my birthday – evil. I feel a bit embarassed that they went to that trouble for me. Or that anyone would make a big deal out of it.
(And if you ever go to Legal Sea Foods, don't admit that it's your first time there unless you want to hear what makes Legal Sea Foods a special place.)
Had a job interview yesterday. Having another one tomorrow. And a couple more in the works. And a few more to apply to. Something is bound to work out?
I miss my family. Hopefully I can visit them soon.
Moosh.
(As a sidenote:
It's sunny and breezy, the sky spotted with light clouds. Meat and vegetables are being are being grilled. (The steaks turned out perfectly, I think.) Family is in good spirits. Shirin is having one last hide-out in the dresser drawer before I lure her into the pet carrier.
Things feel good.)
In less than twenty four hours, I will make my new home in or around the nation's capitol.
I went to campus today, partly to battle my security deposit (more on that in a few days), and to say farewell to some folks.
First among the last remaining friends was Klara. We had a nice talk on the quad, and maybe it was the first even-sided [?] conversation we've had in the two years of knowing each other (in that I wasn't 99% quiet). I might not look at spheres the same way anymore now. Hrmpf. But she made me a [potentially spiff] mix CD as a going away present. All I had to give back was a YesPakistan.com flag. Fair trade.
And then I met up with Dan, who accompanied me for the remainder of my stay. We had dinner with Carol and Susie at Empire, and had a good amount of laughs at the expense of JOE MARTIN. It was fantastic.
(I'd like to declare Dan as a ‘good damn man’. And a godfather candidate to one of my future children.)
Afterwards, we stopped by Rentertainment so I could say goodbye to Eric and Shannon (the latter being someone who I never actually got a chance to hang out with in the last three years).
All in all, I had a great time today. But I felt a bit sad knowing that I won't get to see these people much anymore.
I feel even worse that I didn't see them much to begin with when I was on campus. I wasted a lot of chances, like I won't make a real effort to see these people until I know that I won't have a chance to see them. I dunno.
I feel like I took them for granted, in a way. But no time for regrets. We will just keep in touch through electronic socialization and interface face-to-face during visits. And I will be thankful for having met and befriending good, interesting, funny people.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see Paige, because she has been stricken with a bad cold. Nor Andrew, because Osco stole his soul for the day. Nor Tiffany, because…I blocked her on AIM. (Sorry!) Nor Ryan, because he's far away.
Etc. Three boxes have been shipped off to Asma's house. I have two nearly fully suitcases, and pretty much everything I need to take is ready to be packed.
I can't lie: as much as I've been waiting to get out of school and central Illinois, I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss my parents and brother and friends and pretty campus.
But bigger things await.
Like writing checks for the last utility bills, and sleeping. And seeing koochooloojoojoopoopooloo mooshmooshiam.
Signing off from Springfield. God bless.
$60 total in overtime minutes.
Yeah. I'm thinking about possibly renting a minivan for a future weekend and driving back home to get my things, because I'm not sure how much it's going to cost to ship them. The challenge is in taking only the most essential, and tucking the rest away in the basement until another time.
Ok.
A show on National Geographic just finished that talked about the phenomena of lightning and the possible dangers of it. The focus of the show was mainly on mega lightning.
Sprites were the first to be discussed, but what really got my attention was something called blue jets, of which pretty much nothing is known.
They showed a blue jet that went 50 miles high.
Holy shit.
I'd have a better televisual presence than that turd.
Either it's coincedence, or my body does not want any help. Because my sleep has been consistently worse than prior to the nights of taking the medicine.
I'll shut up about my sleep dysfunctions. And continue watching Starting Over.
Everytime I've heard a bird chirp recently, I always keep thinking of Brotha Lynch's ‘One a Da Las Sicc Niggaz’.
I'm one of the last sicc niggaz that you've heard thus far / you can bump me at your crib or while you're off that nitrous in your car.
Tapas.
Billy Murray has five brothers (of which Joel would be the second most recognizable to the public, as an actor, if nothing else) and three sisters. He and his brothers have a restaurant called Caddy Shack. I would like to eat there.
And there's a place called Katana, of which Ryan Seacrest is an investor [?], and I would like to eat there too.
I had to stop the lawn mower today when I spotted a baby bunny at the edge of my garbage. Its hop was wobbly and slow, and it was tiny. Perhaps it was traumatized?
I managed to direct it into the garage, where it found its way behind a shelf. I moved the shelf a little and picked up the bunny. Its cuteness went up like 1000 times.
Why would I think it was traumatized?
Well.
While mowing the front yard, a bunny dashed away from near the lawn mower. I stopped it immediately and pulled it opposite of the way the bunny dashed.
There, under the blades, was one of its siblings.
Yes, I accidentally killed a baby bunny. On September 11th, of all days. The sight was not pretty. (Luckily, it wasn't messy, either. I managed to stop before the blade could really go to work.)
So after carrying it [the live one] around for a bit and talking to Asma about what I should do with it, she asked me to check its sex/gender. Just as I began turning it around, it squirmed out of my hand and took off. This was not the feeble little cutie pie in my garage, which makes me think that it was, in fact, traumatized at the time. I killed its sibling, after all.
Did I learn anything from this? Yes.
First, I have bad luck when it comes to baby bunnies living in my yard.
Second – and unrelated – I learned to properly use gas containers after witnessing the accidental extension of a hose as I poured last week. You'd think after years of mowing the lawn I'd try to use gas containers properly (the one time I tried, the outcome was still a bit messy, hence, no more trying again).
So yeah, pouring gasoline today was not as wasteful as usual. I was mindful of the container's built-in functionality.
Gasoline and death.
Today.
tempestinateacup: <----- <3 <3 <3 bunny? :-[
express kaiser: bunny bunny
tempestinateacup: =-O bunny! BUNNYYY
tempestinateacup: bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny bunny
express kaiser: baaaabe
express kaiser: stop being so adorable
express kaiser: it makes me miss you too much
express kaiser: 
:-(:-(
tempestinateacup: bunny >___<
express kaiser: awwww
express kaiser: no more :-[
tempestinateacup: gimme bunny
tempestinateacup wants to directly connect.
tempestinateacup: bunny?
No, it's not working.
Had to pee 5 times (culprit: drinking two cups of Arizona Diet Green Tea?). Tossing and turning all night.
Got out of bed belatedly. Had tired eyes. But not tired everything.
Um. Am I immune to sleep aids?
Watching ‘Throwback Thursday’ on Rap City and seeing Tupac's ‘I get around’, I can't help but be disgusted by every single video that comes out nowadays copying it (213's ‘Groupie Love’ comes immediately to mind).
There's just a sense of authenticity because, firstly, there were a handful of videos from back then that portrayed a similar thing. (If you're not familiar with it, I'm talking about attractive girls in bikinis around a pool and whatnot.) The humor felt sincere. And that should be obvious because the stress is on making hits, and hits tend to follow a formula.
Secondly, the music was good. No contrived, recycled, gimmicky lyrics or beats. It didn't have to copy a trend. It was original.
In short, the airwaves weren't cluttered with the shitty hip-hop that's being put out now. And I will forever continue to rant from time to time and carry a grudge against the music industry and everyone wanting to make a quick million.
We know there's an audience for creativity, because that's how hip-hop survived the early 1990s. Is it the white, Jewish man's meddling that dumbed things down?
Outtie 5000. Sigh.
Valerian root is an herbal sleep remedy suggested to me by Asma, which I tried last night.
Normally, I pee twice during my bedtime (which includes the morning hours if I've decided not to start the day yet). And one of those times is generally two to four hours after I go to bed.
Last night, I went six hours before having to use the bathroom. My sleep was uninterrupted for the most part.
However, I went to the bathroom with a bad headache. And when I went back to bed, I couldn't fall back asleep restfully and finally gave up after three hours, still with a headache.
I have been feeling tired since then, though that could probably be fixed with a shower and a trip outside (to the park [with a book]?).
It's too early to tell how effectively this will work. My sleep has been so irregular for the past eight years that it's going to take time to adjust.
The guy at the natural food stores (yeah, I'm surprised Springfield has one), said that a vitamin B-complex can be very effective. And I read in an herbal remedy book at the store that calcium is important (I've gotten less than average in the last 15–20 years).
And then there's the whole feeling mentally and physically active, which has also been lacking.
So, let's see where this all goes.
PS – I was pretty much offered a job yesterday. The caveat is that he needed someone immediately and will continue to look for people that are available now. And should the position still be available when I get there, it will more than likely be mine. Because I have a wide assortment of skills, and he wants someone like me. (Well, he wants two people like me.)
I could die in peace right now.
Maybe I'm totally biased, but I see nothing wrong in wanting to close a 700-mile gap between me and the lady I want to marry. Even if I don't have a job waiting for me.
My theory that a local address and/or a definite moving date will have more companies interested in me seems to be working so far, in that I have three companies wanting to interview me, and all of them getting back to me within the span of a week.
The distance is taking its toll on me and Asma; many people don't quite understand how tough it can be. It's a gamble I'll gladly take. Time to be a little more aggressive in having things my way.
It's stressing my parents, no doubt. But they're taking it quite well. I even approached my dad about co-signing a loan for me so that I can consolidate all my credit card payments. He wasn't happy with how much I have to pay off (it's less than $6000, if you're curious). But he offered to help in the end. The lecturing wasn't as long as it could've been.
So yeah, I'm leaving Springfield on September 18. I'll hopefully find a job there within a month or so. Otherwise it's back to central Illinois. Wish me luck?
aaah aaah aaaaaaaaaah
aaah aaah aaaaaaaaaah
aaah aaah aaaaaaaaaah
i am home.
kyuss, ‘whitewater’
i'm actually leaving home in two weeks.
today, though, it's accompanying my brother to isna, and maybe some wandering around the city. or hang out in my hotel room doing work.
i feel eh.