i just realized

that last post, the one where i'm shilling for money for Paste Magazine, was my 22nd post of the year. a feeble effort so far, yes (except for january), but also the same number of posts that I made all of last year. and now i've beat last year's total.

SUCK IT, 2008.

just do it

boldly

Incantations and Exaltations

when i was in symphonic band in high school, one year we played two songs called 'incantations' and 'exaltations.' they were really awesome. i wish i knew how to find them and listen to them, because i haven't heard them since then, and they were really good.

the last month has been pretty eventful. on march 31st, i got laid off from my job at Organization Automobile (that's not the real name, but a clue as to what the name is). it was actually kind of funny, because i had been planning on leaving, and if they had let me go, they wouldn't have had to pay me severance. as it was, they DID pay me severance, and as a bonus, taxed the hell out of it so it wouldn't last NEARLY as long as it should have. not only that, but i can't file for unemployment until my severance agreement is over, which will be two mondays from yesterday. oh and my severance money is WAY already almost gone.

well, randomly, about two weeks after getting laid off, i got a call from my old job at workforce development in thomson. i worked there for three-and-a-half months from november '03 to february '04, before getting laid off due to budget cuts. they called me out of the blue and said "we don't know if you are working or not, but we've got some stimulus money and could use some help." so, as of april 16th, i've been working there. basically, i'm helping "at risk" yutes (youTHs) get job skills, get their GEDs, and get into the workforce. it's pretty crazy, and a 40 minute commute, and right now it's only temporary (90 days). after that, we'll see.

so, when i got laid off, i was thinking, "hey, this could be my opportunity to leave for chicago." it just so happened that, the week i was laid off, i had been fasting a lot of my distractions (tv, dvd's, music, facebook) in order to pray and figure out what i was doing. i thought my being laid off may have been a clear signal, but that wouldn't be the case. we found out the day i got laid off that my mom's melanoma had come back. that's why, when the call came for this new job, i decided to take the 90 days and figure out what's going on with her. currently, she's just had a biopsy on a second spot, which came back benign. so she will have an extraction of the melanoma spot on her back on may 29th. keep her in your prayers.

i've still got my nose pointed at chicago, but i really don't know what's going to happen. it's been a long, very difficult month, but here we are.

cheers!

I think they knew I needed to laugh

While at home in Athens this weekend, my dog Hobbes treed a squirrel. But he treed it on a telephone pole. The squirrel tried to come back down, but Hobbes was relentless. So the squirrel scrambled to the very tip top of the pole and sat there. I found it odd that he never tried to run across one of the eight wires on the pole when he J U M P E D off of the pole all the way to the ground. But Hobbes, tracker that he is followed him down and dove on him. But just like in a cartoon, the squirrel got away and SCRAMBLED BACK UP THE POLE! By then my mom had come out to watch, just in time to see him do it again! I guess Hobbes couldn't believe it either, because somehow the little guy got away. Hobbes came trotting back over, not really bothered by it and I was like, "dude, seriously. how'd you let him get away." Hobbes was like, "that guy jumped off the top of a telephone pole TWICE and LIVED. Catch him yourself."

But I didn't.

Relaxing in Statesboro...

It's noon on Saturday and I'm sitting in Statesboro waiting on Andy Park. Andy is a songwriter that wrote one of my favorite worship songs. He is speaking at a conference in Augusta this weekend, but because of flight delays, he's a day late.

Life has been pretty hectic for the last month. Work has been one gigantic stressball, and I lost almost all of my employees. I only have two of my original people left. Plus they cut out all of our overtime, so I've been pinching pennies. Yay for me.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying a Vanilla Italian Cream Soda at a cool little place called Latte Da, right next to Georgia Southern. Cheers!

one year later

last year, DC comics had an event called "one year later" where they had this huge event and then moved forward one year in the next issue without saying what had happened over the year. i wish i could just snap my fingers and it be one year later, maybe just to see where i am.

the thing that's been happening at work just continues to get worse. i'm down to three people, and i expect to lose one more before the week is over. this is just infuriating and it's taking my frustration to new levels.

so, it's been a year. one hellish year. i didn't even have a spare moment to think about it today, until i was at my bible study tonight. i'm too busy to take five minutes and remember my dad. oh well. i'm thinking about him right now, and it's actually making me feel better. nice.

cheers, Pop.

ps - everyone wish me luck at the gastroenterologist's office next week.

of COURSE

as soon as i say something about it, it happens even more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
being the boss at work it not fun. last week i had 15 people reporting to me. now i have nine. two weeks from now i'll have eight, maybe six. it's nice to be on top, but you soon realize you're only on top of your own little pile, which is at the foot of a much larger pile. ironically, being on top also means feeling the weight of everything. maybe it's just me.

i do know i could do without the stress.



UPDATE: make that possibly four people X(

my number 2 worst fear realized

(and no, i don't mean my "poop" worst fear. haha. number 2.)

(i really am 30, y'all.)

so, in leaving town for two days this weekend, i missed two parties and a bunch of games and hanging out. i hate missing out on things. i hate it i hate it i hate it. i hate even FEELING like i'm missing out. so knowing ahead of time is 10 times worse. grrrgh!

(oh snap. apparently morgan freeman and kenny chesney are friends. don't reread that sentence. you read it right the first time.)

so this weekend, i went to my mom again. this time, my brother painted her bathroom while i hung shelves over the new washer and dryer. we are good sons, i know.

before i go, here's why the grammys suck:
1. they don't acknowledge that leroi moore passed away this year in the long tribute.
2. taylor swift/miley cyrus duet.
3. thinking that the jonas bros should be on stage with stevie wonder.
4. nominating kid rock for ANYTHING.
5. allowing green day or blink 182 on the stage.
6. giving album of the year and record of the year to allison krauss and robert plant. that crap SUCKED.

why the grammys should continue on forever:
1. b.b. king, john mayer, buddy guy, and keith urban (yes, i said it. no, i won't take it back) jamming onstage together.
2. dave grohl playing drums with sir paul.
3. a very pregnant m.i.a. doing her awesome song with kanye, lil wayne, t.i., and jay-z.
4. alan toussaint and a new orleans jazz band jamming with lil wayne and robin thicke.
5. leona lewis. purrr.

and probably the best thing i've seen in a long time:
6. RADIOHEAD doing '15 Steps' with the U of Southern Cal marching band. amazing!!

so, my taxes are done, my car is fixed. hopefully i'll sell my camper soon and find a job, and it will be time to fly the coop.

creativity

Her Morning Elegance/Oren Lavie