Bless her heart. That just popped out of my mouth today when my mom told me what one of her special ed students did for her for Christmas. She colored an empty toilet paper roll and gave it to my mom wrapped in a kitchen towel. And my reaction to this is "Bless her heart". Ye gods, I'm more Southern than I thought.

The job interview went well, but...they don't want to hire me until after Christmas.

Bah. Humbug.

yurnewbff is being such a brat. I asked her to please get me a can of Dr. Pepper and she won't do it. Meanie. What's the point of having a younger sister if you can't boss her around....

I hate football season. *puts fingers in ears*

I have a job interview on Monday! At a deli-slash-catering company! Wish me luck everyone!

So here I am. Again. Living with my parents. Stupid economy.

My god, this house is falling apart. They live in a mobile home and it's just a piece of crap. And they're still paying off the mortgage. There are spots in the floor where the wood is rotting through--there's a place in the kitchen where one of my cousins actually stepped through the floor! The carpet is worn almost completely through in places (they've been covered with rugs), and the linoleum in the kitchen is peeling away. The bathroom--dear god, the bathroom. The bathtub is separating from the wall and the wall paper is peeling off the walls, and there's mold and mildew on the walls because the fan doesn't work, plus it's always humid here, anyway. Oh yes, and the septic tank likes to act up now and then--lovely, that.

They never meant to live here permantly. When they bought this land they were planning to build on it, but they never had the money. Finally the place we were renting was sold and we had to move. So they bough this trailer (used, from the repo place) and put it out here. Of course they're teachers, so they don't make much money, and now they've declared bankruptcy. Who knows how much longer they'll have to live in this dump.

Jobs are proving a little harder to come by. No one wants to hire me now, they want to wait until after New Year. Ugh. I need a job now, dammit, not in another month. But at least I know of people who actually want to hire me. Actually I seem to be a desirable job candidate, because of my experience at the Beach Club catering banquets. I'm not exactly thrilled at the thought of doing that again, but whatever, I'm not picky.

And to top it all off, I had to leave my books in storage. There just wasn't room in my car. *sob*

Going home Wednesday for Thanksgiving. Coming back Friday, with yurnewbffin tow to be my slave help me pack my shit. And then we throw it all in storage. And then I hopefully get a lead on any of the possible jobs I may have, save me some cash, get a new apartment, and then I'm good (In my wildest dreams, I get a job that pays so much I can get rid of my old crap and buy new, well, not necessarily new, furniture that is actually comfortable, and to my taste). Also I'm thinking about getting a roommate this time. But I'm hesitant to ask a stranger to move in with me, but no one I know is looking for a roommate.

Hell, at least rent's cheaper up there.

Instead I'm doing a meme.

1. You have $10 and need to buy snacks at a gas station; what do you buy?
Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke, a bag of Chex Mix and a Snickers. And gum. The cheap stick kind, not that expensive shit in the blister packs (jeez man).

2. If you had to be reincarnated as some sort of sea-dwelling creature, what would you be?
Sebastion from The Little Mermaid.

3. Who's your favorite redhead?
I actually do not know any redheads well enough to have a favorite--my best friend in high school had red hair but we aren't close anymore.

4. What do you order when you're at a pancake house?
I never eat those places. I was at an IHOP once, years ago...I think I ordered some type of omellete.

5. Do you own any... naughty toys?
Nope.

6. Have you made out with anyone on your friends list?
Nope.

7. Describe your favorite pair of underwear:
Uh, giving a broad definition to "underwear"--that would my black and white striped ankle socks. And my sports bra (comfy!).

8. Describe the last time you were injured:
I burned my upper arm taking a pan out of the oven at my (former) job. I probably should have gone to the doctor, since it took forever to heal and left a helluva scar, but alas I am uninsured.

9. Are there any odd things that make you feel comfortable?
Odd? Hmmm. The smell of rain on hot concrete. I distinctly remember being three years old, when my family lived briefly in North Carolina, and noticing that smell after an afternoon shower, and thinking it smelled nice.

11. Tell me a weird story from your high school years:
A guy I knew (really a friend of a friend) shot his eye out while cleaning a gun. He was in the hospital for a long time but amazingly, he didn't have any brain damage. He refused to get a prostethic eye, prefering instead an eye patch. Don't even remember the guy's name.

12. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
Waste of money if you ask me. Whatever was already on the phone when I bought it.

13. Soda?
Dr. Pepper.

14. Flavor of pudding?
Pistachio.

15. What type of shirt are you wearing?
Brown tee shirt with a tree on it.

16. Prescription medication?
None.

17. If you could use only one form of transportation for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oh jeez--toss a coin: either Serenity or Temeraire from His Majesty's Dragon.

18. How many people are on your friends list?
20? 25? I haven't ever counted it.

19. How many people on your list do you know in real life?
Only 2.

20. What are you listening to right now?
Nothing.

21. Most recent movie you watched?
Pan's Labyrinth.

22. Name 5 things you have with you at all times:
Cell phone, chapstick, keys, a book, wallet.

23. Would you rather give or receive a foot massage?
Recieve! I'm a sensualist.

24. Name a teacher you had the hots for:
I actually never had a crush on any teacher. Possibly because I had a lot more female teachers than male. And they were mostly older men.

25. What is a saying that you use a lot?
Fan-fucking-tastic.

26. What's one piece of advice that you think should be passed on to every child?
At some point, stop blindly accepting what adults tell you to believe and think things through for yourself.

Jesus fuck. I just paid 300 dollars in car repairs. :/

So. Now that I am unemployed, that opens up some possibilities for me.

My mom, of course, is all for me moving back home. I am adamantly oposed to this. But it occurs to me that I could, maybe, meet her halfway on this. I know a number of people who live in Columbus, GA (which is only about 80 miles from Atlanta), and one of them is a cousin of mine, who, it turns out, knows a bunch of people in the restaurant biz up there. So, thanks to the wonders of nepotism, I can get my foot in the door to an array of establishments. She works for the Marriot, and they have four properties, all with restaurants, and she's also friends with the chefs at a couple of country clubs. Also, double plus bonus, she said that they really haven't noticed any kind of decline in business. Shockingly, aside from the uber rich on Wall Street, the only other other people being affected by the recession are people like me and my family. All the "regular" rich people are doin' okay. Okay enough that they can still keep their country club memberships, apparently.

I feel that Columbus is a good (albeit temporary) compromise. I'll be close to home, and close to Atlanta--all the better for when I actually move to Atlanta. A move of one and a half hours is much better than a move of seven hours, I do feel. Plus, one and a half hours isn't all that bad a commute. If I get money for AI, and can get my schedule worked out so I would only have classes on one or two days a week, I wouldn't even have to move until I was ready to graduate and start an internship. Huh. Plus, I know Columbus, and there's stuff to do in Columbus. In Gulf Shores the only thing to do is go to bars. That's it. That's absolutely it. Oh, alright, there's Bayfest (music festival) and Shrimp Fest in October. Big whoop.

Anyway. That's what's happening.

Guess who just got fired?

*sigh* At least retail's hiring for the holiday shopping season.

ShitFuckDamn.

I have another blog idea.  Last night I was thinking about how absolutely shitty it is that my hours are getting cut, how am I supposed to live like this?  Until I recalled that at this time last year, I was working the same amount of hours for far less pay in a fast food joint, and even then, I was able to make a budget, stay on budget, and have enough money to buy one or two "extravagences" when I went grocery shopping so I could keep cooking and experiementing.  Because the truth is, I hate ramen.  I actually did end up using it--actually I should say utilizing, I certainly didn't eat more than two or three bowls as soup!  But, since I will now be having plenty of time on my hands, I thought that would be a cool idea.  Just compiling all the little tricks I learned about how to keep myself (well) fed on a very extremely limited (I'm talking no more than seventy-five dollars maximum every two weeks) food budget. 

Anyway.  I have some updates at midnightbaker if anyone cares to look.   

It is a continual source of fascination to me that the Wedge of Lettuce is the most popular salad on our menu.  Yes, it's the cheapest one, too, but only by a dollar.  I mean, really, you're going to come to a fine dining restaurant and pay six bucks for a fucking chunk of iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and dill, all swimming in a lake of blue cheese dressing? 

And what kills me is when people order it to go.  Jesus Murphy, if you aren't even going to eat it here then why don't you go to Winn Dixie or The Pig and buy a whole head of iceberg lettuce for less that $2.00?  

And all you assholes who sub ranch dressing on your salads--that is just wrong.  Sick and wrong.  Repent now of your wicked ways, or reap the wrath of the culinary gods, who will doom you in the afterlife to crunchy rice, steaks that are 90% gristle and Just One! Lay's potato chip.

Saw this on a church's sign board:

"Prophecy class cancelled due to unforseen circumstances."

......

What?

I get the irony, prophecy, unforseen, haha--but why is a church saying this?  Think about it for a minute...

This is also the same church that had a sign that said "We have a great prophet sharing plan.  Details inside."  I'm still stumped as to what the hell they meant by that one.

Full dose of medication is effective (thank god).  It also appears to knock me out cold--better than Benedryl.  x.x

Boss is still an asshat--but when is that not the case?

I always thought restless leg syndrome sounded like a bullshit disease.  I mean really, restless legs as an illness? 

But then I could not sleep for the last two nights because of sharp, stinging sensations on my feet and legs, and involuntary leg jerks.  The night before last I finally drifted off, and then woke up suddenly with a feeling like fireants were biting the top of my right foot.  Naturally I called my mom and was telling her about it and she said, "Oh, you've got the restless leg, too."

I was like, "Too?" and she told me that she and my aunt have it. 

Figures I would get the bullshit disease.  There's an over the counter drug for it, and I tried it last night, but to no avail.  I used the lowest dose so that may have been it.  At least last night was more of a tingly sensation rather than outright painful, but my feet still jerked.  

Gah.  And on top of it our new general manager is an absolute ass.  He has told us he wants us to stop using profanity because it is "unprofessional".  Unprofessional, what the fuck?  How many restaurants has this guy worked in, jesus?  Being able to cuss creatively and fluently is practically a job requirement.

What really pisses me off is he spoke to one of the other cooks, and told him that if he stopped swearing, I would stop swearing.  Because, apparently, I need him to set an example for me. 

Set a fucking example?  I am grown, for god's sake, I don't need a motherfucking example of how I am supposed to speak.  And why exactly didn't the manager speak to me about my language?  At any rate, I have had this mouth for a long damned time--starting when I was five or so and said (in front of my parents and grandparents), "What the hell is that dog barking at?"  And on to two instances in high school when my mom found a notes I'd written to friends in the pocket of my jeans.  I was cussin' long before I came to the Beach Club, alright? 

If he even did his job worth half a damn it wouldn't be so bad.  I thought our old manager was bad about "the customer is always right", this guy is really old school about it.  if you come to the restaurant thirty minutes before we open, why, go right ahead and order lunch at ten-thirty!  Fucking idiot!!!  Who eats lunch at ten-thirty, anyway?!

Scott Lynch's online serial, Queen of the Iron Sands, is amazing.  Just.  Wow.  I read the fist chapter when he started the thing last month, and then got busy and did other things, but there's three more chapters up, and holy crap, that's all I can say.  What he's done is given pulp science fiction of the '30s, '40s, and '50s an extreme makeover: genre edition.  You can read it here. 

Back to reading!  I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to update again today, since I don't have internet access at home, I rely on the library, and they close at five today and all day Sunday. 

My cats definately keep me company when I read--Oz (the ginger) likes to sit on my chest if I'm reading in bed, and Toby (siamese) curls up next to my head.