The Mind Gone Mad

You know, I had a really good idea of what I wanted to talk about yesterday and can no longer remember it now. I’d blame it on the lack of sleep, but my memory always sucks like this. It is why I keep the index cards around. It has been a bit since my last entry, but I am still tired so I’m going to make this short and sweet.

Started my new job as a transport aid at the hospital. It’s been four days and I’ve been training with a dude who has been doing it for almost 14 years. He’s patient with me and I guess you gotta be when you’ve been at the same job for that long no matter what it is you’re doing. But I’m learning it fast and the pay is great so I can see this sticking. Down side? To train with this guy I have to work on his shift which is weekdays 7am-3pm. Ask anyone who knows me. I despise the morning hours. I am not a morning person. I am a fucking vampire. I have been sleepy and cranky this week. My only real burst of energy came Wednesday out of nowhere when I went to see Ocean’s 13 (which is entertaining and way better than the second movie).

Moon is a dick. No, not the floating rock in the sky at night. The Jawa kid from Colorado. He calls me last night at 12:47am as I am completely unconscious and trying to get some sleep and asks me to play JKA. Dude, I’m asleep! I very much love that you’re getting back into things, but let me sleep! I demand it!

Lastly! I miss my Wii already. Joe went to Speculator for the weekend and took it.

Stupid people. There are too many of them. In fact I would not be opposed to creating a series of tests that gauge a person’s common sense and everyday intelligence then take all those who fail and just shoot them out of a canon onto a bed of nails.

What would these tests be? Just off the top of my head:

-How fast does a person drive on the highway? Doing 40 in a 55 (and everyone else is doing at least 65) deserves being sent to the canon.
-Working in at a Subway Sandwich restaurant and not knowing what a chicken parm is even though it is on your menu.
-Being a college professor and having absolutely no clue how to write a letter of recommendation.
-Human Resources. You people suck.

Allow me to elaborate on each.

This first one is something we all have gone through at least once. I’m putting it in here just so we all have some common ground, but also because it does make me go a little nuts. Why is it that each time I get on the highway, the parkway, or the whatever way, there is the moron who is clearly lost, knows their exit is coming up, but not when exactly, so to make sure they don’t miss it they drop a good 10 miles under the limit. Oh yeah, and they always end up in front of me! Why can’t I have passed this person without ever realizing they were there?! And dude, its not at all hard to find your exit. They all get displayed like half a mile before you come up to it. Pull your head out of your ass, look at the neatly displayed signs, and gooooo! And if not for my sanity then at least for DD’s. Her head is about to explode. Which would be hilarious, but I ride shotgun in her car far too often. I don’t want to be in the car when it goes spiraling off. Not good times.

Now for all those who have indeed experienced this, I want you to stop for a moment. Turn away from your computer and find the biggest pillow near you. Seriously, go do it. Now. Right now. I’m not fucking kidding. Pick it up, hold it in front of your body, drop it and kick! Did it? Good! This won’t actually change anything and you will still have to deal with these fucktard drivers, but hey… you did get to kick something.

This thing about Subway is not only true, but happened to me just last night. I’m hungry, have money, and think “Oh a chicken parm would be really good right about now.” And the good ‘ol chicken parm song starts playing in my head, the old days of creating our own nation with the chicken parm flag starts to resurface and its at this point I know I want one. And Subway makes them. And they make them pretty good too. I have had them before and I liked it.

So I go. I’m happy. I get there and the girl behind the counter asks what I want. “Foot long, chicken parm on Italin.” Clear, simple, awesome. She gets the bread. Asks me what I wanted again because apparently after5 seconds of bread getting its flown out of her head. I repeat “Chicken parm.” She grabs some chicken, heats it up, comes back and asks what I want on it. What? It’s a chicken parm! I want the chicken and the parm on it! Anything else added no longer makes it a chicken parm. But…I give her the benefit of the doubt because I know they have more than one type of cheese and that is probably what she meant. I ask for American. She plops some cheese on there and says “Want anything else on it?” Now I am confused. “Just the chicken, cheese, and tomato sauce,” is my reply. And do you know why? Because that’s how you make a fecking chicken parm! You don’t put anything else on it. That would no longer make it a chicken parm! It would be some other…thing. So I just kept saying just tomato sauce. And she asks me if I want ketchup on it. What!? Apparently that’s what tomato sauce is at Subway. Now the only people working that night were this young girl and I guess her dumbass mother who was the one saying tomato sauce is ketchup. I’m confused and realize I am dealing with people who are so stupid they don’t know what is on THEIR menu. I say just the chicken and cheese then because at this point I want out. I pay, leave, get home, add my own sauce, and it’s at this point i realize she didn’t even give me the right chicken. It’s not like a chicken breast or cutlet like it should be. It’s pieces of chicken teriyaki. Holy shit……….. did I eat it? Yes. I payed for it, I’m eating it. But don’t worry, it didn’t taste bad. It actually didn’t have much of any taste. All I know is I am never going back to Subway ever again. Fuck you, Jared!

The college professor? Yeah I asked a professor, one of the few I could tolerate (it’s a short list), to write me a letter of recommendation for graduate school even though I am not going to need it for a while, but I figured do it now rather than wait several months. This woman agreed and was more than happy to help.Although now I think I am the first person who ever ask her to do this. She asked me to e-mail her what I consider are my best qualities that she can include in this letter. Cool, no problem, I expected that. I send it. Five days later I get a response saying what is this letter for. Umm…we went over this already right? I say again: letter of recommendation to graduate school. Few more days pass and she asks me who she should address it to. Now I’ve already told her I would like multiple copies because I do plan on applying to multiple schools. So addressing it to a particular person might not make a whole lot of sense. I say to make it a generic addressing. Few more days goes by and she again asks if I could send a list of my best qualities. OK, what twilight zone time loop have I entered and can I send this lady to the corn fields?

As of right now the letter is being written…I think. I sent her the list again and she will get back to me when she has it finished. Which is who knows when. *Bashes head against wall*

OK. Last one. I gotta admit this is taking a little out of me. Not only did I have to deal with all these stupid peopl, but now I’m reliving it all. My brain cells aren’t just dying, they are committing suicide.

So I get my shiny new job at the hospital. I have to visit with Human Resources for liability reasons. I was called by some woman on a Thursday at 9:45am asking if I can be there for my interview and mandatory physical the following day at 8am. Now the next day I have to get my passport with a friend at 10am. Can I really get there for an interview, physical, and drive back in time? Possibly, but I really did not want to risk it. I tell them no, I can’t be there. I’m sure I just risked my new job, but fuck it. This woman then asks me why I can’t be there. I explain very calmly that I have to get my passport the next day (I’ve been putting it off too long as it was and wasn’t going to again). She says it’s at 8am I have to be there. Well no, but just to end this dumb conversation I say yes and that it was also an appointment I had. Which also wasn’t true, but I really needed to get it done and didn’t want this woman’s shit anymore. Then she asks all upset and says that she is doing me a favor by giving me this appointment so soon. What kind of favor is given in LESS than 24 hours notice? Fuck you, lady. That’s bullshit and you know it. I was told a week earlier that I would get a call from you and you decide to wait the day before to actually do it and that is a favor to me? I’m sorry, but I do actually have shit to do with my day. Take your favor and shove it up your ass. Yeah….I wish I said that….

So I get an appoint for a week and a half later because apparently that’s the best they got. I don’t give a shit. I go for the Human Resources interview. They then ask for two proofs of ID. Come again? Um, no one told me about this. Not even favor lady. You figure that is something you would give a person a heads up for! I have my driver’s license of course, but that’s it. They say “Do you have your birth certificate or social security card?” Yeah, princess, I carry those with me where ever I go. How stupid of me. *PUNT* They finish the interview and tell me I can come back with my second one. Long story short, I bring them a copy of my birth certificate because the original is out getting my passport and my social security card…I don’t know where it is. It’s supposed to be in a box I keep in my closet with all the other important things of mine, but its not. So I have no clue where it could be.

So next time, Human Resources, it might be a good idea to let a person know that you are going to be deuche bags.

In fact, it would have been nice to have warned that about the world at around the age of 10. That’s when we should just kill the innocence in small children. Walk into school one day, they sit you down, and they tell you of all the shit you are going to deal with. It’s stupid people 101. Enjoy, fuckers!

I retract my statement that I consider the season over even though I did leave myself an out when I said they could turn it around if they just started playing with some emotion (and they have), but I retract it nonetheless.

This Yankee team has come to life like never before this season. A-Rod is leading the pack with his bat and with his heart. He showed more fire AGAIN tonight with a called third strike. He didn’t go nuts and he didn’t yell, but he certainly let the umpire know that he strongly disagreed with the call by dropping his bat, staring at the guy, then having a few words. Next at bat? Boom! That ball hasn’t landed yet.

But why the title for this entry? For those who don’t know, the 1978 Yankees were out of first place by 14 games trailing the Boston Red Sox. Earlier this season (a week ago in fact), the Yankees trailed Boston by 14.5 games. Today they have won 8 in a row and are now only 8.5 games back. That is a 6 game difference in about 11 days. But that isn’t why I compare it to ‘78. You see, I know my history. In 1978 the Yankees had a horrible start because a lot of important players were hurt and the ones who weren’t, were playing horribly. At the same time, the Red Sox were off to an amazing start. As the season progressed, The Yankees’ players got healthy, they had their normal lineup, pitching rotation, and bullpen. Then it all went south for the Sox and when the season came to a close the two finished with identical records and had a one game playoff resulting in the Yankees winning it courtesy of Bucky Dent.

Aside from the end of the season but, does that sound familiar? This is history repeating itself. The Yankees had a shitty start. Everyone was hurt. Now everyone is getting healthy. Meanwhile the Sox are not playing like they were a few weeks ago. All it takes is for a major injury to hit them and the tables are completely turned.

Now could it just do the opposite and the Yankees fall flat on their faces? Of course. But the season ain’t over. In fact, it’s just getting warmed up.

I’m out. And the next entry is going to be a long overdue rant about some stupid people.

There it was! I saw it! It’s there!

Last week, Alex Rodriguez tries to stretch a single into a double. He was called out at second even though the replay showed he was safe. Now A-Rod did watch the ball because he thought it was going to be a home run and did not hustle right out of the box which is not what he should be doing. However, that does not change the fact that the umpire was wrong. Doesn’t matter though. It was kind of important that he was called out because it pissed him off and he showed it. He shot right up, got in that umpire’s face, argued the call, and had to be pushed away by the team’s first base coach.

I’ve been saying it all year: the team has no player that is willing to wear his emotions on his sleeve and just play hard, but the closest they got to a player like that is Alex Rodriguez. Last week he went all the way with that attitude. Only a few days before that, Joe Torre ran out of the dugout to argue a call and got his ass tossed from the game. He really let the umpire have it that night. Then two days ago the ultimate emotional player, Roger Clemens, returned to the team and brought all his fire to the table. Could this be the turn around they need? Is there hope?

I’ll say it again: if there is hope for this team it lies within the players who are willing to get their hands dirty. Let A-Rod lead the way!

We got ups and we got downs:

Up – New Stroke 9 album!

Came out on the 5th, and I’ve been waiting for it since they announced they were in the studio recording and that was in November. Stroke 9 is easily my second favorite band trailing only Green Day and it is not by a wider margin at all.

So I go get the album on Tuesday once I was done with worked, showered, and had a sandwich (turkey and cheese with mustard has become my new self made love ). I get it, buy it, head to my car, have a mini battle with the damn tape they put on all CD cases because they are wankers, pop it in, and enjoy. I’ve listened to the album several times through since then. My thoughts of it is that it is good, but not great. It is a lot lighter than albums they’ve done in the past and several of the songs feel the same. However, there are 4 or 5 out of the 11 that really stick out to me. Most notably the song So Good. You can listen to that one on my Myspace in fact. Bottom line: I like it.

Down – Social Security card?

Yeah I have no idea where mine is. About a month ago I KNOW I put it in the box I keep in my closet where I keep all my important documents (IE my birth certificate). Went looking for it the other day because I needed two proofs of ID for my job and a SS card counts as one and it wasn’t there. I had a bit of a panic attack, tore my closet apart, didn’t find it, and still have no clue where it is. Now I already used my driver’s license as one proof of ID. Now I’m not allowed to use any other photo issued ID such as a student ID. Why? Because homeland security made up these rules and they are wankers too! Now I could have used my birth certificate as a second ID. But hey that thing had to be taken so I could get my passport and will return to me with the passport. So now I need to go get an official copy of my birth certificate before the 18th. Which I can do. It’s just annoying.

Up – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

I liked it. Yes, it was long, but I don’t care. It flowed well. It was really epic, had a good story, and all the loose ends tied off nicely. And several things happen that you don’t see coming. Especially the ending, which even though I didn’t see coming and is a bit sad, I did like it. Now I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say this: when they showed Davy Jones’ locker it was really cool. That version of the after life was fucked up and would be hell for anyone.

Down – My knees and back hurting recently. Don’t even know why. But it’s been keeping me from going running each night. Sucks. Blehh

So a week ago the Yankees were 14.5 games out and now they are 10.5 games out. Granted that is still a way was back and they aren’t even in second place, but…well…but nothing. I’m not going to say anything at this point. Let’s just say it is interesting. Nothing more.

So I was out the other day because I was getting a little stir crazy and just needed to go. So I pick up DD and we make our way to Best Buy. I browse the DVDs for a bit and pick out a few things. Then I decide to look around the Wii video games even though I know there is nothing out that I want, but I didn’t want to leave the store yet. Then I see a plastic security box that has a small, credit card sized piece of paper in it. It was a card of Wii points.

Now let’s break for a moment to explain what these Wii points are. On the Wii console, users can hook it up to the internet through a WiFi adapter. Once this happens you can access an online store known as the Shop Channel (sooooo original). From there you can access the virtual console. Here is where it gets fun. You are able to purchase old video games from NES, SNES, N64, Sega, and TurboGrafx-16. Each game is worth its own amount of Wii points. NES games are 500 each, SNES 800 each, N64 1000 each, Sega 800 each, and TurboGrafx-16 600 each. Now not every single game from those systems is out there. They have been uploaded them little by little by Nintendo. So far between the 5 systems there are about 100 games. Not many when you consider that the NES had more than 800 games by itself. But that’s not the point. The point is they do have some really sweet games.

So I decide, what the Hell, and I buy the Wii Points. There were 2,000 and it cost 20 bucks. I get home later that night and search around for some games. I get Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Ninja Gaiden (all NES titles). Right away I became hooked. I went out the next day and bought 4,000 more Wii points and downloaded Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter II, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have more than 1,000 points left over as there is nothing else available that I am overly interested in. But from the 7 games I’ve downloaded so far….me happy.

They haven’t released it yet nor is it even rumored to be released anytime soon, but I want them to put EarthBound up there and now! In the meantime someone come play Street Fighter with me!