I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me
I am home for Christmas; I just drove in to Lake Stevens today. Yesterday was my last day working as a Driver Helper with the UPS, and boy am I glad to be done. I worked 28 hours this week (not counting Tuesday because I was sick) running packages to businesses and doorsteps. Wednesday and Thursday were 9-hour days that both ended in delivering packages in the dark with 30 mph wind gusts and lots of rain and even some lightning. After all of that, I'm excited to just sit around all weekend listening to Christmas music and eating all sorts of sweet and fattening foods. Ho Ho Ho = Munch Munch Munch.
Since Kira posted a whole bunch of really cool pictures, I got jealous and decided to post a few of my own. I added a few to the Random Album. You can find my pics and Kira's in the links to the left. (Although hers are definitely way cooler than mine. She's an artist, you know. I'm just a guy with a camera.)
To all of you who sent me Christmas cards: Thank you very much. You brighten my days. And I'm sorry I haven't sent any back; you'll be getting "Happy New Year" cards soonish. Maybe.
Lastly, if you don't listen to the radio much, you should. In fact, the world would be a better place if everybody listened to at least one hour of NPR per day. If you think NPR is just boring people talking about boring news, then you should go eat that Christmas coal Santa brought you. And after that, you should go to www.npr.org and find out when the following shows are playing on your local NPR station: Car Talk, This American Life (highly reccommended), Market Place, and Fresh Air. Around here, you can find NPR at 88.5 FM and 94.9 FM. If you are truly patriotic and truly believe that democracy can work with humans, then you need to listen to NPR because no other media source so broadly yet accurately covers all aspects of life, from news to music to business to entertainment.
And now for my rant about GW and his ensuing Right Wing Rebellion: George Bush apparantly hates democracy because he doesn't like NPR. In fact, he cut their funding this year and placed a very right wing CEO at the top of the organization all because he thinks accurate and unbiased news is proof of the "Liberal bias in the media." He's just mad that NPR doesn't fall for all of his propagnada tricks and give him all the spin he wants. Rather, NPR plays uncut sounds bites of his speeches and lets the audience determine for themselves that this man is just a bad used car salesman (not to bash on used car salesman, who do better business than GW). If GW really cared about upholding democracy in this country and not just $Iraq$, he would recognize the important role that PUBLIC media has in this country and seek to expand it rather than control (like the dictator he is). But GW is too busy wiretapping all those godless liberals who call in to NPR shows to voice their political freedom.
Ok, enough of that. Merry Christmas to all, even George W. Bush.
Ike
My life, as of late...
My life, as of late, has had a different feel to it. I still have to wake up at 7:30 though, so that's not different. I still eat oatmeal for breakfast almost every morning, so that's not different either. The different part is that I am working during the day (when I am normally at school). And since I spent Fall Quarter getting used to "My Life as a Student at Western"--I joined the frisbee team and the fencing club, I studied in the library, I ate lunch at the VU...my life pretty much happened at school--it is odd now that I am still in Bellingham and not living at school. I actually have to find stuff to do. Don't worry, it's not that hard.
Thankfully, the campus library is still open, or otherwise I wouldn't be posting (no internet at home, remember?). I have also been browsing the library's video collection and catching up on movies that I wanted to see but never got around to actually watching. And since movies don't always interest me, I have been trying to get more creative with my cooking. I'm tired of eating simple dinners. Tonight: green curry vegetables on rice.
I don't feel as anxious to go out and have some "CrazyFun" anymore, mostly because I've been snowboarding twice now, the snow report isn't anything to be happy about, and I have a job to keep me busy and tired. But I would like to try some winter hiking sometime during the week after Christmas. Anybody interested?
This weeks musical lyrics:
Wake up, step up, get your head in the game, ignore the pain, realize the prize is all there is to gain.
Wake up, step up, take control of your mind, define the line this time and find you won't be left behind.
Ike--who actually kind of likes wearing all that brown
Isaac The Conquerer
I came. I fought. And I won. Added to my list of fallen foes are the likes of Journ 190 Mass Media, ESCI 302 Environmental Disturbances, and Statistics 240. They have all succumb to the test-taking, pencil-breaking mani ac that I am. I am Student, hear me roar!
Ok, enough of that. The quarter is officially over and I can officially start enjoying Christmas music. It just didn't sound right earlier in the week, but now it sounds joyful. Perhaps because I have a good reason to rejoice: I'm done! And even better than that: I have an interview with the UPS today! I am contemplating whether or not to wear brown to the interview, but that could go two ways. They would either say "This guy was born to wear brown. Give him a job." Or they would say "This guy is trying too hard. He must be desperate." Maybe I'll skip the brown.
In Music News, I have been expanding my vinyl colletion lately. Over Thanksgiving I found a Vivaldi record and the soundtrack to Fiddler on the Roof at the Everett Goodwill. Both were only $1 and are in great condition. So to round out my collection, I picked up a couple of U2 albums at Half Price Books. I got the Joshua Tree album and Under a Blood Red Sky (live album) for only $4. If for no other reason, I love vinyl simply because it is so cheap.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find this UPS place where the streets have no name.
Finals week
I just want this quarter to be done. I think I left all of my motivation in the parking lot up at Mt Baker on Sunday. That's right, I finally got to go snowboarding. It was a glorious return to my normal self, my snowboarding self. It was snowing and the re was about 6 inches of dry powder leftover from a storm on Wednesday and I had a fresh wax and...and...it was great. You should have been there. All y'all.
So, after my winter homecoming, I had two realiations: I want to snowboard for the rest of my life, and that means I need to get a job. I don't really want to get a steady job yet--not even one on-campus--because I want to focus on my school work. And I'm still holding out for an editor position on one of the student pubications, preferrably The Planet (the student environmental magazine published by Huxley College of the Environment). But that has to wait until I can get into the class, which is going to have to wait until Spring or even next Fall. So that still leaves me with a limited buget for my winter escapades (which will probably be limited by time more than lack of funds).
Through my good camp friend Frog I heard about a seasonal job helping UPS carriers deliver all of those extra holiday packages. First I looked around to see what other types of seasonal jobs I could get over Winter Break; almost all of them involve selling stuff, which I am not particularly good at nor have any desire to do. So I applied online for the UPS job. There was no indication whether or not the positions had been filled yet, but I figured it was worth a try. Since I would like to stay up in Bellingham for awhile during break, why not make some snowbording money lifting boxes and wearing brown? I'll keep you posted if it works out.
In other news: I had fast food for the first time in about a two months yesterday. I had two Jumbo Jacks and a small curly fry and it made me sick. It was nice and tasty going down but it didn't do so well once it all got down there. Hence I spent an hour laying on the couch after dinner pondering whether to ever eat fast food again. I think I'll play that ear because sometimes fast food is just unavoidable. Perhaps I'll just stick to the "mechanically separated chicken parts" menu and make my own hamburgers at home.
"What can brown do for you?"
"How about a give me a job?"
~Ike~