worked today. seemed everything went wrong the first couple hrs. you know... those days... but i had my favorite boss working with me today, so it got better.
after work, the boss, this chic who works U-scan, and the 40 - 50 something single guy who works the desk set out with yours truely to some late-night grub at shari's.
had some tasty cheese sticks and a milkshake. and i got to drive the boss' car back to freds. its only like 2 or 3 blocks. we came back around 1ish and had an ice-scraping party for the other 3 cars that had been there all night. after that was done, i busted out of there and waited at that light at wendys.
when the lights changed, lights immediately flipped on behind me. fucked.
pulled over. amazingly i found my license, registration, and proof of insurance with ease. he said my license plate light was out. fuck my lights are always burning out. he checked my shit and after a few minutes left me on my way.
but as i was about to leave the parking lot (i had pulled into the 76 station lot) the next car that passed me was also pulled over. maybe they were looking to make a drug bust from the fred's parking lot and mistakenly nabbed me. oh well. i don't really care. i don't think i was even wearing my seat belt.
no click it, no ticket!
anyway. cool to get out with new people.

on other work-related news, tuesday and friday might have to suck.
10 - 3 at fred's, 3:30 - 9 pm at the pool. the shitty part isn't only that that's 11 hrs, but that it takes half an hour to go from my house to the pool, so i'll have exactly no free time between jobs. i swear i had a restriction on tues/thurs that said i couldn't work past 2 or 2:30. fuckers. already "forgetting".
friday actually isn't that bad. i forgot that i only work 6:30 - 10 at the pool rather than 3:30 - 10. other wise that would be a 13 hr day. i'm sure i'll see that sometime in the near future.
in 18 days i get 2 days off. could be more. woot!

this woman in line today was whining about going back to work after having for days off. i seriously wanted to bitchslap her, or at least make some lude comment about it, but i didn't. then she goes on to say how somebody's coffee smells so good. she really knows how to push my buttons.
coffee smells like ass to me. i hate when it comes through my line.

now i'm just rambling. i would read, but i just finished my book the other night.
need a new one. maybe i'll actually start Rigoberta. but right now it's in the car.
too far and cold for me to fetch it now.

oh. speaking of cold. it reminded me. i thought having a little bit of muscle would be kinda cool, but it's backfired some.
people think you're trying to be arrogant when you're just standing around minding your own business.

at jason's party when i first showed up, i was standing near the card table surveying the scene. i had my arms crossed as i watch the cards go out. someone asked my if i was cold. before i could answer, kevin blurts out, "nah, he's just trying to show his muscle." i was actually just trying to stay out of everyone's way, and i guess that's how i stand when i do that.

tonight when we went to shari's i took off my fred's shirt and had my new york shirt on underneath. i didn't get the chance to go to my car, so i couldn't get a jacket. we get to shari's and the two girl's i'm with mention my lack of jacket. again, before i had the chance to defend myself, they chalk it up to the fact that i just wanted to show off my muscles. for one, no, i wasn't i just didn't want to sport that fred's shirt around and had no other option, and 2, i don't think that the muscles are that impressive in the first place. they're kinda bulky, but that's about it. no real definition.

would have no work tomorrow, but my coworker friend is still in vegas =P
oh well. she covered my ass for like two or 3 friday's in a row, i guess i could cover her ass some. i did saturday for her too, which also would have been a day off from both jobs.

that's all the bitching i can muster right now.
when i have more time and patience (maybe sometime around the new year) i'll finish up the yellowstone pics. it's sad, cuz there really aren't that many left. i'm just not feeling up to the task. there's some cool buffalo pictures in there. maybe i'll just do those and save you all the boredom. nah. there's some cool scenery pictures too. shit called the yellowstone grand canyon.

sarah, wife of chris, came into my place of bidness today.
she told me of a party jason was throwing, so i thought i'd check it out since i'm in the neighborhood.
come to find out, they redid his house and it actually looks pretty damn nice.
i only saw the downstairs, but they got rid of that shitty puke-stained carpet and put in some nicer carpet and limoleum. there's also a bar now, which we put to good use tonight. did the same old crap that we used to do there, but stuff that i missed: the great del mudy (sp?), kings, and texas hold'em.
got a chance to play halo 2 as well, but i sucked balls. haven't kept up on my bond/half life skills in a while.
some of the same old faces were there, tony, christenson, beck, jodie, chrissy, chris and sarah. but also a lot of new faces. i guess some from bowling, some from kid valley.

we had a political discussion. really opened my eyes on how people actually involved in the fighting think about what's going on over there. voices were raised and it was 3 in the morning, so we had to end it. too bad. i'm always open to new opinions. but emotions were starting to be put behind statements.
all in all, good to see everyone. hadn't been to jason's house in maybe 4 or 5 years. i think some random 4th of july was my last visit there.

some things stay the same when you move back home. i know fucking fred meyer is a continual high school reunion. sometimes the past was nice left behind. other times i don't really give a shit. most of the time i just like making it through a meeting where i don't have to explain myself and my path through life to someone.

--anthro, eh?

--what does that degree do for you? dick?

--yeah.
i'm looking into grad school though.

--oh yeah? for what?

--archaeology.

--(not really listening)
oh yeah. thats cool. good luck, later.

living at home aint so bad though. having pets around is cool, but i also kinda wish i had people to hang out with when i got home from work. hanging out with jason and them was cool. also i should see what cooter is up to more often.

anyway. happy thanksgiving.
hopefully i can drag my ass outta bed to get in some football.
BAG BOWL, fuck yeah!

i don't get to see chance three times a day anymore.
it was kinda a pain, but i enjoyed every moment.
it's sad.
i do have a dog of my own, but i'm not forced to make time for it. maybe i should.

i gotta work tomorrow.
6 - 10. wait. thats not right.
10 - 6. thats right.
i want to get my personal statement shit done so i can get things going.
i better work on it harder than usual. put aside all distractions.

po's psuedo birthday tonight. haven't been drunk in a while.
come on, irene. no, not ilene tonight.
the new year needs to pass, so i won't be so busy at work.
someone asked me what christmas means to me.
right now it means work.
jesus is not the reason for the season, commericalism is. fuck the trees, fuck the bulbs, fuck the toys, fuck the wreaths, fuck it all.
i guess you can't fuck too hard, cuz then i'd be out of a job.
whatever.
goodnight, megan.

i guess you can't comment. oh well.

anyway. i hate how people are trying to be nice by wishing me a good weekend.
yeah. i don't get those. i've been getting one day a week, usually. shit always comes up on that day, but whatever. it's all good.
i've been getting up early. becuase of work, but also because of chance the chow.

i gotta tell you about that dog. its gotten a bad wrap cuz everytime anyone sees it, it tries to tear your head off. but now that i've been hanging out with him for a couple days, he's gotten to like me. he'll bark at the door until he sees its me, then he shuts the hell up. very cool. i've never seen that dog quiet until recently.
yesterday i got out his leash. he hopped around like a playful puppy. the first i've seen of a personality in the dog.
today i stopped by and noticed his big fluffy ball-on-a-rope toy had moved. so i picked it up and played with him for a while. there's not much room in that living room, but he was tearing it up. running between chair and couch then fireplace and stairs, then fireplace and couch. a continual 3-point pattern. now i can see why chris keeps him around. he's not just a mean ball of fuzz.
he prods you to smack his ass (something he actually feels through all that fur.
he delicately takes food from your hand (sorry if that's not supposed to happen, chris), and he beats against the upstairs window when he sees other dogs walking up the trail to juanita.
this purple-tongued puff has a collar that's the size of a basketball hoop. he barely fits into it. thought i'd throw that out. i lost my flow.
alls i gots to say is: that dog's cool.
although i am scared to see how he reacts if i get him out of the house and into the presence of other people he should know.

can you comment?

i'm dog, cat, and fish sitting.
i'm thinking about taking Chance the chow out for a little excitement.
but the last two times i've tried to entertain a dog have turned to tragedy.

Disco Stu, the pitbull/lab, took me for a run in edmonds. i tripped in a hidden driveway, ate shit, and tore a chunk of my thumb off.

i took my parent's dog, Boo, the chihuahua/lab, over to air and po's place.
i took my eye off her and she booked outside. got lost for a bit (20 mins or longer) where i was driving around the neighborhood looking for the little shit.
i found her being walked by a kind neighbor who was out looking for the dog's owner. somehow she had gotten across the main street, 5th ave, and up a few blocks. (oh yeah, don't tell my parents about this one...)

i don't know if i should test my luck with that chow. at least if it gets hit by a car it will have a foot of padding.
but will it attract the ladies? everytime i've seen it interact with a new person, it tries to take their head off. its a good thing he can't see through all that fur or he might be a bit more dangerous.

fuckingass jobs!!
they both called me today.

one: can you work sunday and another day?
no, i work the other job then.

other: can you work today?
no. i work the other job today.

quit calling me!
there's only one day where i don't work either of you and i'd like to keep it that way!!!!
i gave you both my hours, why do you think you should bother to ask if i can work? you think i'm lying to you? you think i'm stupid? what?

LET ME SLEEP!

there's actually some decent pictures to check out on my sister's blog.
see that link there at the top: Dork.

after work tonight, i stuck around and did my first intense weightlifting session.
it was just me and the guy that works the front desk.
we were both eyeballing the biggest fucking dumbells at the end of the rack.
so this guy, who's been training for about a year and is insanely ripped, picks them up and tries to bench them.
no go.
minutes later, i'm like, fuck it. i'll try it.
i pull off four reps. how the hell is this possible?!?

also. i swam on monday, having not swam (for excersize/intensively) for at least 3 months (and that 3 months ago was only a two-time deal). when i went on monday, one of the patrons said he'd time my 50 (down and back). in high school i did about a 27. here, somehow i pulled off a 25 second lap. granted, its not stopwatch time, but still. what the fuck is going on?!? my lazy ass hasn't moved in a long while, but i'm doing better than what i ever could in high school.
what can i say,
i'm all growns up.

meh.
maybe its not so bad afterall.
i just need to get out more.
many a conflict resolved today.

i am a drone -- a machine, a la andy warhol.
i go to one place and sit for 5 hours until i go to another place and rhythmically sweep my arms and periodically typing 4-digit codes onto a keyboard for a few more hours.
i have no real life when i am outside of these places. the hours that i am home, the three other people here are sleeping, while i am wide awake. my only comfort is my incessantly purring cat that occasionally barfs on some of my more treasured belongings, or a nice note that lets me know some dinner is getting cold in the fridge. this is a big change from coming home to at least one of five faces, to a house that almost never slept.

but i guess its ok. i have no girlfriend to satiate, and i'm finding myself more open to conversation in the workplace. there is where i can enjoy my life and then retire to a veritably empty home.

look at me sulking and its only my third week of two jobs.
if only i had a day job. then i could enjoy some of the day on my own time.
i had two days off in a row last week. that was fairly awesome.
i don't see that happening again any time soon.
dear god i want to get into grad school.
this will definitely get my ass motivated. . .

ok. i have the life and times of this yellowstone park bull elk.
ok, not really, but there are a crapload of pictures of it.
we stopped when we noticed it feeding on the opposite side of the river.
but then it starts heading north.
normally there wouldn't be a problem, but in this instance, there was
a steamy river of geyser lying in its path.
he reached as far as he wanted to go, exclaiming, "FUCK".
undaunted, he turned back and inched his way down with careful steps, apprehensively down to the riverbank and eventually (did i mention eventually?) made its way down to the goddamned river.

could i stretch that sentence out any longer?

anyway. all the onlookers thought we were going to witness this guy washing down all that herbage he'd been eating, but on the contrary, he came down that steep bank to ford the river.
this kind of put everyone on edge. before we had a whole river as a buffer between us, but now the bull elk is tredging through our buffer zone to come greet us.

enter: dumbass.
this guy wanted his closeup, to which the bull elk responded by rearing down its horns and forcing the guy to hide behind that dead stump that you can see between them now.
this is how close my dumbass got to him.

after he had our fill of the bull elk, it was on to more geyserness.
you don't quite get the perspective on "film" here, but this is a very subtle waterfall. in the back there is the boardwalk, and the steam coming from the geyser itself. the water trickles down under the boardwalk and eventually ends up in that river the elk crossed. actually that steam you saw in some of those pictures was from this geyser. the geyser itself was too steamy to photo. that and by this time i thought i had seen it all when i comes to geysers.
but i was wrong.
this next lot of geysers is known as the painter's cauldera. can you guess why?
whatever substance that is in there, my guess is calcium carbonate (?) makes the liquid in this geyser very viscous. in the winter, instead of bubbling like it is in the summer, on the surface there forms a film, like on soup or in a paint can that solidifies in bubble form or whatever designs are created from stuff pooping up from beneath.
there were some sideshoot geysers adjacent to this big cauldera that was less thick, but still colored and highly noisy from the water evaporating off the rocks. it almost sounded like traffic, oddly enough.

on the other side of this little knoll that held the oddity, was plains that spelled out the extent of the geysers.
the last hoorah in what is probably in the middle of a giant cauldera bounded by the hills seen in the background.
the steam from this geyser was actually soothing and lacking that potent sulfuric smell. it was also spurting water at least 15 feet in the air the whole time my dad and i were there, and its bubbling waters would splash on us and not burn. i guess the water splashed was small enough to cool before it reached our skin.

well, i leave you here for tonight. the voyage is about to come to an end. i think i quoted that i'd be done in this round, but i will most definitely be done the next time i bother to sit down and do this.
. . . maybe the next time i don't want to do personal statements.

don't talk about it.
you don't want to know.
you'll just want to barf like my cat.

everyone else is doing it.
test...

yar. halloween has passed and i'm reluctant to work on my personal statements for grad school.
damn those.

so to pass a little time, i thought i'd get back to finishing up with the pictures from my trip to the east coast and back. we left off in yellowstone, so we'll pick up there and virtually end there, with a few extra miscellaneous pics. so here we go. . .

this may get a little monotonous, or maybe i'll filter out a few, but here's what we got of old faithful. it was sitting there a while. its a little less faithful than it used to be, but they got it down to how long the 'eruption' is will tell how long until the next one. if its short, then the next one will be in about 40 minutes. if it was longer, like 30 - 50 seconds long, then it will be an hour and a half til the next eruption. i don't remember it being that complicated the last time i went. but, of course, i was really young and don't remember much from 15 years ago.
that picture i showed actually wasn't old faithful, but the one immediately to the left (north) of it. old faithful is actually that little guy to the right that's only smoking and not spitting up hot water.
so here's the bitch in all her glory.
she kept going! oh wait. subdued.

behind old faithful was a mound of smokey goodness. heated water flowed down to the river leaving a visible stain on the slope. now comes the cool shit.

geysers all along the river formed leaving clear blue pool's of boiled water. check out how it builds up a lip to contain the water. others are still working on it and bubble over into the river.
before we move on, since it was in the lineup, here is the backside of old faithful. it's that little puff up there. the river is behind me.
now onto one of the coolest geysers because you can actually see the topography of it through the crystal blue water. i believe they call it the starfish geyser. wonder why. . .
see it drop off into the void!?!
we dropped off at the old ass lodge by old faithful which used to be the only building on the park. not no more. theres more building now for tourism and those who can't quite 'rough it'.

further north from old faithful was a row of more geysers. they have boardwalks that go through these random geysers. sometimes the smoke wafts your way. its refreshing on the lungs and sinuses like my steam room at work, but when you actually smell it, it reeks of sulfur. you can tell the high amount of sulfur in this one small stream finding its way down to the main river. it is indicated by its electric yellow color.
other brilliant colors mark the drop offs into the heated unknown.
unfortunately, sometimes the smoke gets in the way of what might otherwise be a really good view. other times, the smoke can't even hinder the geyser's beauty.
here we got a geyser that almost looks manmade along the river where all the other geysers dump their water.
holy crap! how is this natural!?!
this is the beginnings of that gatorade-colored water, and the large geyser that feeds it.
other geysers look like they have recently broken its way to the surface.
you couldn't leave the boardwalk the park service provided for you because of the hazard where you may fall through the fragile, thin-crusted areas and get scalded by the boiling waters below, so i couldn't get a very good picture of what looked like a 'geyser river' with a couple of piled-on landbridges there on the right.

moving more north, to more geysers, we come to my favorite picture of the trip.
with nothing between me and my subjects but a small fallen tree, i snapped this shot.
buffalo happily grazing. that burly-looking dude by that first tree on the left in the forefront was checking me out for a few seconds, but then returned to his business, sensing no threat.
further up the river were more buffalo. you can barely see them at the foot of that hill. i guess just take in the scenery of the river and the geysers outlining it. this picture better illustrates the amount of buffalo that can be seen around yellowstone.

there are more fantastic buffalo pictures to come, along with an exuberant amount of a river-crossing bull elk, but those are going to have to wait until a later date. i have to work a full shift at fred's tomorrow, then celebrate my birthday with my family some 11 days late.
i guess that's what happens when you pull 12 hour days once in a while.
poor me.
who'm i kidding. free dinner, woot!

did anyone hear on NPR about how in ohio one machine had 600 votes for bush, but the machine counted 4,200? they said that it wouldn't have changed the 'bush' vote at all, so it's no bother.
um. right. if it happened there, i'm sure it could have happened elsewhere. . .

it's amazing how everyone has been taking this travesty sitting down.
i guess this time around there's really nothing to openly debate.
jeb had 4 years to get his shit together to help florida fly under the radar.
or did all the geriatrics just say, "fuck medicare, we don't want no goddamned abortions or fags", and actually vote for bush?
who the hell knows. at least we'll all now be safe from terrorism. . . and jobs. . . and the environment.
go bush! 4 more years!!!

halloween was awesome, indeed. the tradition lives on. had to admit, i was a bit skeptical. my bad.
i also would have never believed that i could capture the attention of both a playboy bunny AND a wet t-shirt contest winner. but hey, weird shit happens on halloween.

dan already linked to them, but i'll put them out too:
kevin's halloween pix.
the one up til here, is from kevin's pumpkin carving contest, which i hear dan was the winner.
the rest, well, ¡la fiesta!

ok maybe not. then they went somewherez else.