EXAMPLES

since i have lived in utah i have seen some of the crappiest drivers in my life. oh, they top anything i ever saw over seas. other countries may be aggressive and angry when they drive, but at least they are paying attention. most of utah's drivers are either on cell phones or talking to a passenger or having their own sing-along (gotta keep the chops up to par for men's chorus).

time for some examples. one time i was trying to turn left in an intersection in my car and the light turns yellow. since i am in the middle of the intersection waiting i expect to be able to turn before the cross traffic starts coming. but wait, there is an idiot in a roll cage on wheels gunning it through the intersection. luckily, i see him/her before i start turning and they run the red by about 2 seconds. as you may know, 2 seconds is considerably longer than the pause between red lights and the next green lights. as he/she clears the intersection cross traffic starts coming (apparently they are all idiots too since they didnt see my car sitting in the middle). so i did the only thing i could to avoid an accident--i gunned it and almost hit the cross traffic. and guess who everyone honks at....

the worst one i ever saw, though, involved a pedestrian. it was after dark and i was waiting to go straight through an intersection. to my right was a pedestrian also waiting. when the light turns green a car in the left turn lane guns it through the intersection trying to beat myself and the pedestrian. we both let him win.

now, it could be that the bubble is the source of all this stupidity since there are about 30,000 students in about a 5 mile radius. in fact, i was absolutely sure that this was the main reason for the chaos. until this morning.

on my way to work i was just riding my motorcycle, minding my own business, when along comes a dodge charger police vehicle trying to merge into my lane with ME still occupying it. he didnt even use his blinker!

it must be the water.

/WRIST

i just finished an ELEVEN hour work day on this many (/holds up five fingers) hours of sleep. i cant decide whether im more hungry or more sleepy or more achy-breaky.

***NEW POST***

i assume most of you know my current working situation. for those who dont know, here is the scoop. in the mornings i work at a high school/hospital teaching computer classes and in the afternoons i work at best buy in the geek squad. i have two name tags that qualify me as a geek. that doesnt mean that im actually good at what i do. but i dont let that stop me from doing it. in fact, i have had some pretty good blunders at both jobs.

really, having two jobs isnt that terrible. im constantly busy and, therefore, constantly getting paid to either fix computers or teenagers. for example, this week and next will put me at about 100 hours! 73 of which will come between tuesdays (73 hours / 8 days = 9 hours/day -- and thats just the average!). not to mention i dont get any real days off for at least two weeks ("free-days" are for whimps and commies) whats not to like? i mean, this sunday i get to go to best buy to help count inventory from 6pm to 1am. (counting stock software is the best, it is constant and easy to handle) and then i get to get up to teach at 8am! awesome! additionally, i really get to stay on my toes all the time (and feet) since i rarely know what im doing well enough to actually do it with confidence. it's the challenge that drives me. and who doesnt like constant correction or always asking for help with anything and everything. at least they are paying attention to me.


well, i got a very interesting phone call today from my boss at the school. he called me at the end of one of my classes and i didnt have time to ask a bunch of questions but this much he did tell me: "we would like to extend to you a full time position with benefits."


i have weighed the options very carefully all day (i even took the "extra-long way home" from work to think about it) and based on the info i have it comes down to this: taking the job would be best for me in almost every way, but it would completely screw over the geek squad (which i would really hate to do, since i am the only one with my job title at the moment, they are already short-handed, and they just invested lots of time to train me, and the clincher--my roommate helped me get the job).


i honestly dont know what to do.

A PATHETIC

some say im laid back and easy going. they say i roll with the punches (occasionally i punch back) and i dont let stuff bother me. eh, i say im just apathetic.

honestly, there are few things that really irritate me enough to get an immediate reaction. most of the time when some one does something to really piss me off i get so frustrated that i have a hard time formulating my rage into a coherent sentence. the result is that i appear to either not care or not have a spine. but in reality i just need some time to process the situation a little bit and cool down before i lay into them.

"does that mean you are a little slow?" no. it is all about context. to be slow i would have to react this way to all external stimuli. but those of you who have had the pleasure (or misfortune for some) to hang out with me know that i thrive on spur-of-the-moment wise cracks at anyone or anything around me.

case and point. the other day a friend was visiting us and was playing the new zelda game on the wii. (he was married a year ago, moved away for a while, then moved back. apparently certain majors are dead ends in and of themselves. so they are working towards masters degrees.) he commented that he would need to pick up his wife soon. and then my roommate commented on a creature in the game, to which he responded "it is so annoying and ugly." to which i replied, "so, why are you going to pick her up?" he let out a single laugh and said "i hate you."

where was i? oh ya, apathy. you see, i used to care about stuff and get all worked up over things but i decided it was better for my health (and the health of those around me) to not care.

TWO THINGS

FIRST: i just watched transformers. awesome. great solid movie with good action, good characters, ample humor (including witty references to the original cartoon series (im going to start using "i think there is more than meets the eye with you" as a pickup line)), and the first time i can ever recall an emotional attachment to a camaro being pinned down by multiple helicopters with giant harpoons. this movie seriously rocked.

however, i am thoroughly disappointed that the toy industry completely botched it. plastic? who the crap wants a plastic optimus prime, or bumble bee, or even jazz? seriously? is the war in iraq so bad that we have to collect all the metal we can for bullet shells? the best christmas present i ever received as a kid was a solid metal transformer (i dont even remember which one it was; i remember it was a red sports car). i played with that thing for hours a day for years. it was the best toy i ever had. there is no way a plastic replica could possibly withstand the abuse my metal one went through.

but the movie is still great.

SECOND: i hate flaky people.

BOOK-O-SUPPLEMENTS

i have a book of random stuff i dont want to loose. it is blue and weathered and water-logged. i did loose it once. it happened during my last move, but i found it a few weeks ago. as much as i like my book-o-supplements there is only one thing inside of it that i actually care about. everything else is just kinda cool to read every once in a while.

when i was in high school i took an english composition class. it was supposed to be college level or something. anyway, i struggled in that class mostly because i was a very inconsistent writer. when i was interested in the topic i would actually try and do really well. otherwise, i just sucked it up. well, we were given an assignment to describe a life-changing moment in our youth. something pivotal. something that developed character or interests. well, i wrote my paper the night before it was due (i stayed up pretty late too. maybe that's why it was a "college level" class...) and had a friend proof-read it at a party. she said it was one of the best papers she had read in a while and started quoting it. weird.

so i turned it in, and the teacher reacted in much the same way. i thought it was cool because i would finally get an 'A' on an assignment. but it really pissed off a girl in my class. she was a book-worm and worked really hard on every assignment, yet she managed to get a worse grade than me. one of those 'prodigal son's older brother' situations.

anyway, im going to post the paper below because im afraid i might loose my book again and im sure some of you will like it. i dont expect any great reviews since im no longer in high school. also, i appologize in advance for the use of the phrase "all the vigor of my being" (i did actually think it was an original thought. at least it isnt "fiber of my being"). enjoy.

THE HUNT

Stealthily, I hunted my victim. I sprang into the air with the force of a tiger, tackling my prey, bear-hugging him with a vengence. He had entered my territory--my realm. Strapping my paws around his torso, I felt him quiver with the realization of my attack. I could not let him go--not this time. He squirmed viciously in an attempt to be rid of me, but to no avail. We struggled our way to the ground; rolling in chaotic patterns across the marked-off expanse. I grabbed ahold of his leg and threw him with all the vigor of my being. His weakened body hit with a sickening thud. I pounced again. Having my arms wrapped around his head and arm, I squeezed the remaining thoughts of escape from his mind. Losing all hope of regaining strength, he slowly lowered his shoulders to the ground.

Slam!

What happened? I looked around. Next to us was the referee, anxious to get us off of the mat. I jumped up, helped my opponent to his feet and awaited for my hand to be raised. Sweat poured off of my 105 pound, 5th grade body, boiling like a natural hot spring, muscles tensed with adrenaline. Confused with the thoughts and emotions that had possessed my mind only moments before, i walked toward the judges' table and loosely signed the bout sheet with my trembling hand.

A husky body approached with burning eagerness. He had been yelling at the top of his lungs on the sideline trying to wrestle for me, but I had become oblivious to his cries. He put his steel-framed hands on my tingling, scrawny shoulders, his forehead slick with perspiration. Staring into his deep brown eyes--as I had done so many time before in hopes for approval--I nervously awaited his response to my match. In a solid, satisfied voice he said, "That's it. That's how you wrestle."

COCKED

i just figured something out. i dont write much anymore and i think it is because over time my posts have been aimed at entertaining people who might read this. that's not to say i dont like it when people read my blog, i have just noticed that i have slowly started writing for the readers and not myself. so what is the difference? i rant a lot more when i dont think people will read something.

so, here i go.

i played my trumpet today for the first time in about six months. i stopped playing regularly last summer because i got tired of people complimenting me on my 'incredible ability to improvise' when they dont know the first thing about it.* ignorance is bliss. apparently they didnt notice what the byu music program did when i auditioned for the jazz band and didnt make it. the fact is, im not that good. shut up, i mean it. my technique sucks, i have a crappy armature, and i cant play very high. i have a decent sense of rhythm and style, but im sloppy. i have developed a technique over the years of guessing the chords rather than taking the time to actually figure them out. in other words, i got pretty good at playing by ear.

i know how to read music and chord progressions very well. im just lazy. you see, when i first got into jazz (8th grade) i got some play-a-long cds and just played the same thing over and over for hours. i would simply figure out the root chord and only play that. i had a great time just playing whatever the crap i wanted. but it didnt help me get any better. long story short, i use a more sophisticated version of that same model.

well, today just reaffirmed the effectiveness of that system so long as i only play along with cds. i suppose it is enough to impress those who dont know any better.**

for most of my life i have struggled with accepting compliments. i used to fight it. i would actually argue with the person and downplay anything nice they might have to say about me. this brings me to the one personality i truly hate. and i mean hate.

cocky people.

i knew a kid in high school, named brandon, who was just that. he was the lead sax in the jazz band and had a passionate romp with a very popular girl. so naturally he thought he was god's gift to anything and everything. that's all im going to say about him. he was the second person i ever hated.

the first person was a basketball player in 6th grade, named adam. he actually tried to convince me that basketball was a full contact sport. me!?! i was a freaking wrestler. i know what full contact is and i refuse to believe that a sport that penalizes you for touching some one's hand is great. sorry, paige. basketball sucks.

anyways, because i loath cocky people i often try to do the opposite. not because im humble. hardly. im a pretty cocky bastard myself. and it is one of the things i hate most about myself.

so, im sure i have offended some of you. if i have, eh, you'll probably get over it. if you dont get over it, then stop reading my blog.

* jazz is a lost art. im sorry for those of you who read this thinking "i know what jazz is. i love jazz. big bad voodoo daddy is awesome. nora jones has an amazing voice. swing dancing if fun." the fact is, most people who like "swing" are dorks that dont know the first thing about it. just take a walk through the HFAC and you'll see what i mean. if you can tell the difference between maynard ferguson and jon faddis then you might know what you are talking about. anyone ever heard of sammy nestico? buddy rich? mingus? the duke? didnt think so.

** dont even get me started on vocalists.