off-topics

Today i wrestled with a stamp machine for nearly ten minutes. 10! Stamps were $4.95, and i only had dollars in my wallet. I fed two semi-new dollars into the machine without incident, but the next two were rejected repeatedly despite my heroic efforts to flatten and smooth them. I tried to get my first two dollars back only to be informed by the machine that no change would be given without a purchase. Flustered, i mounted another assault on the dollar slot and it finally accepted dollars 3 and 4. Now i was down to my last dollar, and it would have to go into the machine. However, the machine seemed rather set against this. After spending three minutes trying every method i could think of with my last good dollar, i desperately turned to ask passers-by for a crisper dollar than mine. While i did this, the stamp dispensing machine began beeping madly. I spun on it and was informed that my four dollars would be forfeited if i did not immediately buy something, insert more money, or press the ‘yes’ button. Not trusting my dollar to save its four friends i lunged for the ‘yes’ button after searching for it for a few nervous seconds. Several more tries with my dollar were unsuccessful, but finally the nicest woman i’ve ever met offered me a crisp new one dollar bill that worked on the first try. I gave her my slightly-crinkled dollar and my profuse thanx before turning back to the machine to select a fetching book of a stamps adorned with berries.

In the best news i’ve recieved in years, it turns out that getting an apartment turned the frown created by my financial aid situation upside down. Without delving too deeply into my own personal finances, i can say that my tuition bill is now low enough (after various grants and scholarships) that i could pay it with half a year’s tips from the coffee shop. Of course, i don’t have to do that, since i’ve got a bit more than half a year’s tips in my bank account (which isn’t really all that much). This means no post college debt, aside from my first year loans!!! Never have i been happier to not be at an Ivy! Now all i need to do is keep up my 3.5 (actually, a bit higher) GPA so i don’t let any wonderful awards slip away… who would have ever thought that my family wasn’t lying when they dotingly told me i would pay for college with scholarships when i brought home A’s in second grade.

You know those signs outside of new apartment buildings that read “If you lived here you would be home now”? I hate them. I wish i could smack whoever thought of them in the face. More blogs to come.

Just got done recording this week’s Trio, and it doesn’t rock quite as hard as the first one, but that’s what you get for missing out on the first one! The glorious songs i play are Madonna’s “Lucky Star,” and my “Crashing” & “Deadweight” (in which i barely stumble across the finish line). It’ll be up for your enjoyment in an hour, so that’s all the time you’ve got left with last week’s Trio. Love it while you can!!!

Dude, can i tell you how much i love my job with NSW? Let my try… today, the alpha-team met at our director’s house in the ‘burbs where we worked on the schedule for Freshmen all day while intermittently sunbathing, eating fresh vegetables, going for a swim, and barbecuing. The day wasn’t incredibly productive on the results end of things, but very productive in terms of planning for things that will lead to results. Err… anyway, i swam lightly in accordance to doctors orders. I get a new set of x-rays of my collar tomorrow, so we’ll see how much additional damage i’ve managed to put onto it within the last month. Anyhow, how much does my job rock? Of course, now i have to commit the next two weeks of my life to NSW without pause (or much sleep), but they’re gonna keep feeding me, so i’m cool with it.