It's Thursday afternoon and I really think I've done more living in the last five days than some people do in two weeks.
Saturday
1) Drive to Villa Park, help Jason load up the moving truck.
2) Drive to Downers Grove to where his roommate lives, load his stuff.
3) Drive to Arlington Heights, the site of their new apartment
4) Spent 25 minutes with Rockstar, Hari, Joe, and Jason, trying to get a couch into the apartment.
5) Drive straight to Hart's house in Wheaton
6) Drive to Cracker Barrel for dinner
7) Fried apples are so good!
8) Demolition derby in Joliet
9) Vodka/fresh lemonade
10) Throwing footballs around in parking lot
Sunday
1) Church
2) Outdoor baptisms
3) Trying to get away from the stalker
4) Run 30 minutes outside
5) Skype with Nona
6) Made chicken thighs, Mexican corn, and salad
Monday
1) Up at 5 am
2) Drive 45 minutes to Cumberland
3) 45 minutes on the blue line to work
4) Work 9 hours
5) Mom's plane from San Francisco gets delayed six hours
6) Fifty/50 for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals
7) Chicago wins the Cup
8) Blue line home
9) Arrive around 11:45
Tuesday
1) Up at 5 am
2) Drive 45 minutes to Cumberland
3) 45 minutes on the blue line to work
4) Work 9 hours
5) Blue line to the Cell
6) Mets vs White Sox
7) Guest services won't allow me to watch batting practice near the field. Pricks.
8) Chicken nachos
9) Mets lose 5-4
10) Home around 11:45
Wednesday
1) Up at 5 am
2) Drive 45 minutes to Cumberland
3) 45 minutes on the blue line to work
4) Work 9 hours
5) Blue line to the Cell
6) Comiskey burger (Triple patties with Chicago pico and celery salt on a poppy bun) Stupid!
7) Beef nachos
8) Mets win 3-0
9) Red and blue lines back to the car
10) Home at 11:45
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Is this working?
I'm just mortified. I was considering heading to Fifty/50 or maybe some other bar to watch the hockey game tonight. Or with the beautiful weather tonight, maybe I'd go play disc golf or run outside. I really had no idea what my plans for after work held, but I had a lot of ideas and make the evening fun.
Well that got shot to hell around 4:40, when my daily review came in. I got 16 errors at work out of 50 files reviewed, which is nowhere near company standards or mine. Meanwhile, my peers never seem to to get more than two or three errors a day. Now I'm back on the train, feeling disgusted and just wondering if I'm worth anything at this damn job. I know I have tomorrow and we get a for week grace period as new his, but the face is running out fast. I think my rates start counting next week or maybe the following week. But the fact is I cannot go on like this. Dammit, I an better than that. Maybe I need to slow down, I don't know. But when they emphasize doing 70 student files a day plus having an accuracy rate over 97 percent, well that's walking a tightrope over Niagra Falls. I don't know right now if I'm capable of both.
During training and my first two weeks on the floor, my goal was to learn something each day and keep getting better. I really wonder if I'm improving at all now...
Sunday, June 16, 2013
No means no
I never imagined myself in this twisting a situation. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but here's what I have been learning over the last six weeks through this situation.
1) Some people can't accept that no means no. And when I have to be assertive and put my foot down, I feel like the bad guy for refusing or rejecting something or someone. But you know, it can save me from a whole lot more chaos and frustration that would come if I chose to not be assertive.
2) And I have been abandoned by people I liked and even loved. So now I'm in the role I'm not used to. Telling someone I can't give them what they want when I still genuinely care...it's a hard call.
3) I don't want to destroy anyone emotionally, but then again, they need to be strong enough to handle it. All I can do is explain myself with class and respect and the reaction...well, that's up to the recipient. I have responsibility, but only to a point.
4) Why do so many people want exactly what they can't have. It's refreshing to know people who aren't like that.
5) Oh yeah, Kirk Nieuwenhuis! Walk-off home run! Mets beat the Cubs!!!! Thank you Carlos Marmol for stinking!!!!
1) Some people can't accept that no means no. And when I have to be assertive and put my foot down, I feel like the bad guy for refusing or rejecting something or someone. But you know, it can save me from a whole lot more chaos and frustration that would come if I chose to not be assertive.
2) And I have been abandoned by people I liked and even loved. So now I'm in the role I'm not used to. Telling someone I can't give them what they want when I still genuinely care...it's a hard call.
3) I don't want to destroy anyone emotionally, but then again, they need to be strong enough to handle it. All I can do is explain myself with class and respect and the reaction...well, that's up to the recipient. I have responsibility, but only to a point.
4) Why do so many people want exactly what they can't have. It's refreshing to know people who aren't like that.
5) Oh yeah, Kirk Nieuwenhuis! Walk-off home run! Mets beat the Cubs!!!! Thank you Carlos Marmol for stinking!!!!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
NY recap
OK, I'm overdue on this and I didn't even bother to keep a journal, so let's just go with bullet points for this trip recap.
Two flights to NY the night before had been cancelled
I barely made a flight
Was prepared to drive to LGA
Flew to JFK instead
Air Train
Arturo's Pizza
Met with Pete and Nicole
Fiesta pizza
Bacon and roasted peppers
Watched new 1994 NY Rangers DVD
Bedtime
Trattoria in Astoria for graduation party
Felt like an old family party
Met Rob Herer
Table #5
Clams, calamari, fried eggplant
Hugest shrimp ever
Awesome lamb
Red wine kept flowing
Back to house to change clothes
Over to Citi Field
Mets lose both games
Katz's
Saw my father
Corned beef/pastrami and a knoblewurst sandwich
Staten Island Ferry
Awesome view of Statue of Liberty
Coney Island
Bad restaurant
Sitting in lifeguard chairs
Wonder Wheel
Two flights to NY the night before had been cancelled
I barely made a flight
Was prepared to drive to LGA
Flew to JFK instead
Air Train
Arturo's Pizza
Met with Pete and Nicole
Fiesta pizza
Bacon and roasted peppers
Watched new 1994 NY Rangers DVD
Bedtime
Trattoria in Astoria for graduation party
Felt like an old family party
Met Rob Herer
Table #5
Clams, calamari, fried eggplant
Hugest shrimp ever
Awesome lamb
Red wine kept flowing
Back to house to change clothes
Over to Citi Field
Mets lose both games
Katz's
Saw my father
Corned beef/pastrami and a knoblewurst sandwich
Staten Island Ferry
Awesome view of Statue of Liberty
Coney Island
Bad restaurant
Sitting in lifeguard chairs
Wonder Wheel
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Top 15 George Jones songs
As big a fan I am of country music (and older music, right Julie?), I just realized I didn't write a tribute to George Jones, perhaps the greatest country music singer of all-time, who passed away on April 26. So in his honor, I'm counting down my 15 favorite Possum songs I've ever heard. Ten just wouldn't be enough to do the man justice.
15) Two Story House
"I've got my story, and I've got mine too. How sad it is we now live in a two story house."
A tale about a young, married couple seeking fortune, fame, and the finer things in life. They achieve it and buy a two story house, only to realize that they "left love out".
14) Bartender's Blues
"Well, I'm just a bartender, And I don't like my work, But I don't mind the money at all."
An absolute jukebox staple. Penned by the legendary soft rock singer/songwriter James Taylor, who also sang backup on the record.
13) Walk Through This World With Me
"In life we search and some of us find. I've looked for you a long, long time"
The title pretty is pretty much all we need to know. Not too many lyrics, not many are needed. A man asking the woman of his dreams to stand by him for the rest of his life.
12) Golden Ring w/ Tammy Wynette
"By itself, it's just a cold metallic thing. Only love can make a golden wedding ring"
Ironically, for the First Couple, the song was a hit one year after their divorce.
11) The Grand Tour
"As you leave, you'll see the nursery. Oh, she left me without mercy, taking nothing but our baby and my heart."
I really prefer Aaron Neville's version, probably because it was the first version I heard of this absolute tear-jerker. George recorded this song about a broken relationship in 1974, the same year he and Tammy divorced. Is it a coincidence that the song was co-written by Tammy’s future husband, George Richey?
10) Finally Friday
"It's finally Friday, I'm outta control. Forget the working blues and let the good times roll."
It may be the best after-work song of all time. It's fun, it's happy, it makes you want to just stand up and cheer so loud!
9) White Lightning
"I took a little sip and right away I knew. And my eyes bugged out and my face turned blue"
Just a fun song about moonshine. The moan George gives before he gasps the title of the song have to make you chuckle.
8) She Thinks I Still Care
"Just because I saw her then went all to pieces, she thinks I still care."
Brilliant songwriting. A man putting on a brave face that he doesn't care about his ex, while all the while, it's breaking his heart.
7) If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)
"Lord it's been ten bottles since I tried to forget her. But the memory still lingers lying here on the ground."
It's a picture of the hell that comes from medicating by alcohol. This guy is dangerously desperate. He can't bear to live anymore because of the excrutiating pain of his woman leaving. Drinking appears to be an easier path to him.
6) High-Tech Redneck
"He ain't into hip hop, he ain't into rap. He likes to rattle them speakers with Ronnie Milsap"
One of George's last singles that hit the Top 30. Just a fun song, with a catchy riff that somehow combines a rural, blue-collar dude with the latest technology, such as cell phones, CD, picture-in-picture, and get ready for it...VCR's! Folks, we've come a long way since 1993!
5) A Good Year For the Roses (w/ Alan Jackson)
"A lip print on a half-filled cup of coffee that you poured and didn't drink. But at least you thought you wanted it, that's so much more than I can say for me."
15) Two Story House
"I've got my story, and I've got mine too. How sad it is we now live in a two story house."
A tale about a young, married couple seeking fortune, fame, and the finer things in life. They achieve it and buy a two story house, only to realize that they "left love out".
14) Bartender's Blues
"Well, I'm just a bartender, And I don't like my work, But I don't mind the money at all."
An absolute jukebox staple. Penned by the legendary soft rock singer/songwriter James Taylor, who also sang backup on the record.
13) Walk Through This World With Me
"In life we search and some of us find. I've looked for you a long, long time"
The title pretty is pretty much all we need to know. Not too many lyrics, not many are needed. A man asking the woman of his dreams to stand by him for the rest of his life.
12) Golden Ring w/ Tammy Wynette
"By itself, it's just a cold metallic thing. Only love can make a golden wedding ring"
Ironically, for the First Couple, the song was a hit one year after their divorce.
11) The Grand Tour
"As you leave, you'll see the nursery. Oh, she left me without mercy, taking nothing but our baby and my heart."
I really prefer Aaron Neville's version, probably because it was the first version I heard of this absolute tear-jerker. George recorded this song about a broken relationship in 1974, the same year he and Tammy divorced. Is it a coincidence that the song was co-written by Tammy’s future husband, George Richey?
10) Finally Friday
"It's finally Friday, I'm outta control. Forget the working blues and let the good times roll."
It may be the best after-work song of all time. It's fun, it's happy, it makes you want to just stand up and cheer so loud!
9) White Lightning
"I took a little sip and right away I knew. And my eyes bugged out and my face turned blue"
Just a fun song about moonshine. The moan George gives before he gasps the title of the song have to make you chuckle.
8) She Thinks I Still Care
"Just because I saw her then went all to pieces, she thinks I still care."
Brilliant songwriting. A man putting on a brave face that he doesn't care about his ex, while all the while, it's breaking his heart.
7) If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)
"Lord it's been ten bottles since I tried to forget her. But the memory still lingers lying here on the ground."
It's a picture of the hell that comes from medicating by alcohol. This guy is dangerously desperate. He can't bear to live anymore because of the excrutiating pain of his woman leaving. Drinking appears to be an easier path to him.
6) High-Tech Redneck
"He ain't into hip hop, he ain't into rap. He likes to rattle them speakers with Ronnie Milsap"
One of George's last singles that hit the Top 30. Just a fun song, with a catchy riff that somehow combines a rural, blue-collar dude with the latest technology, such as cell phones, CD, picture-in-picture, and get ready for it...VCR's! Folks, we've come a long way since 1993!
5) A Good Year For the Roses (w/ Alan Jackson)
"A lip print on a half-filled cup of coffee that you poured and didn't drink. But at least you thought you wanted it, that's so much more than I can say for me."
Rarely is a re-made version of a song better than the original, but I adore this recording that leaves out the orchestra and includes steel guitar and dobro. Not to mention the melancholy vocals of the great Alan Jackson. Even Elvis Costello covered this track in the early 1980's.
4) The Window Up Above
I've posted the lyrics before, there's no need to do it again. But it's simply one of the best cheating songs ever, and I love it because it's the guy getting screwed over, I might know something about that. As the man confronts his wife, he tries to maintain control, but his voice betrays his pain. The background vocals become a funeral choir as his marriage dies before his eyes.
3) Choices
"If I had listened, no I wouldn't be here today living and dying with the choices I've made."
George's last Top 30 single that also earned a Grammy award. It's his swan song in a way. Anyone can relate to the lyrics, but since it's George Jones singing it, the lyrics feel that much more vibrant and that much more chilling. They're humbling and they're striking.
2) Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes
"Who's gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you? Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes?"
Recorded in 1986, this is pure truth. Who will rise up and assume the mantle left by the Waylon's, the Cash's, the Marty's, the Acuff's, etc. Now it begs a new question. Who could ever take the place of the Possum. The answer is easy. No one.
1) He Stopped Loving Her Today
"You know, she came to see him one last time. Oh, we all wondered if she would. And it kept running through my mind, this time he's over her for good.
Perhaps it is the quintessential country music song. Maybe the most painful love song ever written. The morbid story of a man who has to pass away to finally stop loving his ex was not a favorite of Jones at first as he thought it was too sad. And after years of substance abuse, he had no desire to record the song, but did so at the insistence of producer Billy Sherrill. And the song only earned him Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards and CMA Male Vocalist honors in 1980 and 1981. As Jones put it in his autobiography, “a four-decade career had been salvaged by a three-minute song.”
4) The Window Up Above
I've posted the lyrics before, there's no need to do it again. But it's simply one of the best cheating songs ever, and I love it because it's the guy getting screwed over, I might know something about that. As the man confronts his wife, he tries to maintain control, but his voice betrays his pain. The background vocals become a funeral choir as his marriage dies before his eyes.
3) Choices
"If I had listened, no I wouldn't be here today living and dying with the choices I've made."
George's last Top 30 single that also earned a Grammy award. It's his swan song in a way. Anyone can relate to the lyrics, but since it's George Jones singing it, the lyrics feel that much more vibrant and that much more chilling. They're humbling and they're striking.
2) Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes
"Who's gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you? Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes?"
Recorded in 1986, this is pure truth. Who will rise up and assume the mantle left by the Waylon's, the Cash's, the Marty's, the Acuff's, etc. Now it begs a new question. Who could ever take the place of the Possum. The answer is easy. No one.
1) He Stopped Loving Her Today
"You know, she came to see him one last time. Oh, we all wondered if she would. And it kept running through my mind, this time he's over her for good.
Perhaps it is the quintessential country music song. Maybe the most painful love song ever written. The morbid story of a man who has to pass away to finally stop loving his ex was not a favorite of Jones at first as he thought it was too sad. And after years of substance abuse, he had no desire to record the song, but did so at the insistence of producer Billy Sherrill. And the song only earned him Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards and CMA Male Vocalist honors in 1980 and 1981. As Jones put it in his autobiography, “a four-decade career had been salvaged by a three-minute song.”
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