Since I don't know what to do with my hair it figures that somehow it would look awesome when it's unwashed and it's almost midnight. To mark the occasion of awesome hair (because I can never get it to do this when I want to) I marked the occasion by taking a shitty cell phone picture. I kind of love this picture of me.



I don't think I actually look like this (do I?). It's also interesting that I'm starting to not hate pictures of me the way that I used to. I wonder what's changed. My face hasn't changed, so my perception must have.

There's a discussion on a forum that I use about whether or not cashiering can be a physically difficult job. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this is a job that's super duper hard but there are some people who are asserting that cashiers don't risk any sort of injury or strain to their backs from lifting "a few gallons of milk." So today I kept a little tally of the heavy stuff I lifted at work and then when I came home (after obsessing about college) I did some Googling for weights and then I did the math.

Over a 5 and 1/2 hour shift with one 15 minute break I lifted nearly 2,300 pounds of heavy stuff (not including small items like cans or bread or anything). That's over one ton. 

Also there's a guy who works here who used to be a stocker who was apparently permanently injured and was moved to the door greeter position, as it's one that's less physically trying. Well, from what he told me he's suing Wal*Mart over their care of his injuries (which occurred on the job) and they're now trying to force him to quit. Seems that they told him recently that unless he moves to a cashier position that he'll be fired. So now he's cashier with a seriously fucked up leg (in a brace that he can barely walk on without the aid of a cane). If what he asserts is true then really, I do work for the best company in the world. </sarcasm>

Because I completely forgot about it...

Do you remember how last year and early this year I worked for a gas station, and that one of the things I hated about this job were the lacks of breaks (either lunch or 15 minute) as required by law? (I posted about it here.)

Weeeeellllllll it turns out some intrepid souls sued the company and there's been a settlement and I am eligible for part of the damages being paid by the company for not paying over time or providing breaks. It won't be much, that's for sure but still WOOOO!

I'm so fucking proud that some one had the balls to do something about it. There are people who fought long and hard for labor laws and it was infuriating that a fairly large company decided that they didn't really need to follow the laws.

Apparently I didn't have to wait too terribly much longer. The financial aid award letter came in the mail today. $3,600 for the year with an award of $1,800 per semester. That's more than double the cost of taking 4 3 credit classes at $70 per credit. Hell if I were feeling ambitious I could even afford 5 classes and go full time (though one would have to be one with a very light homework load since I'm all... you know.. also working full time).

I still haven't heard from the English Department head in regards to swapping out French or German for a feasible language (Spanish). But that aside systems are mother fucking GO BABY GO!!! Also I have Monday off so I can go in and actually get myself scheduled for some of these here classes.

The interesting thing to note is that of all the programs offered by the English department Library and Information Science is the only program (except Lib Art which is catch-all) that doesn't have any specific courses geared to the eventual degree.

Here's the program's schedule: (strike through indicates a class I've already taken)
Here (for my reference) is a list of required classes for the LIS program that I need:
And then there are the classes that I'd like to take:

Of course this all depends on whether or not I'll be allowed to even substitute the French or German requirement. If I'm not allowed to then I'll have to come up with a different program to follow... And then there's the problem of the classes themselves, which is to say that some of the classes listed on the programs don't appear to be offered. I can't find Introduction to Computers or the Advanced Speech class in the schedule at all.

Having spent the past four hours now going over this stuff I can remember exactly why I wanted to be a professional student before I dropped out.

Yep.

Incidentally, I wonder how many of my posts start with 'Yep'. Thank you for not counting.

I also wonder about 'internet presence'. I've got a fair idea that I should hammer together at least a presentable couple of minutes' worth of me doing comedy. Plans on this are afoot.

Bah. Tired. Motivation for introspective post detailing pros and cons of these days fading.

It's an eternal thing, keeping tabs of how much energy one thinks one has, and how much one actually has.

On the cons side: I have no certainty of income from September onwards. And that's about it. There are other things that I could mew about because I'm tired, I've fed myself poorly recently and am apprehensive about my next project - but that would be self-pitying crap, and we do not cater to that sort of behaviour. So - on to the pros.

The novel is fairly flying. Powers are growing rather rapidly, and I've found out that there is a secret to increasing one's productivity about 380%. No internet. I've been writing in café Nero the last couple of weeks - gets me out of the house and away from internet/Warcraft, which is good (but close to cakes and coke, which is BAD. Every silver lining has a cloud). I almost have the confidence to plow on without feedback, but not quite. I look forward to slamming down half a novel for the big guns (i.e. mum and dad) to read, and am hoping that that might happen before July is over and done with. As it stands I have three quarter-readers, who are working selflessly on all corners of the North Atlantic. The goal of finishing in August still stands.

Actually, my life is fairly simple these days.

a) survive on no money plzkthx.
b) finish - in order - standup gig tomorrow, trip to Edinburgh via York (research, see. I'm well good, me) on Monday, then from Tuesday onwards work on the Baxterbear stage show with Nick + writing somewhere + traipsing about with Morag in her home town. And about Morag. I haven't written too much about her here, because I've been too busy in her company. But life - is good. I shan't bore you with the details - but I've smiled more in the last two months and change than I've done for a long time.
c) finish novel. This would ideally happen in Edinburgh.
d) finish BA Thesis, 5-9 years overdue. Basically, it's time. Also, it will by all accounts help greatly with procuring any type of other work.

The plan, in short, is to go into my 35th year on the planet with 1x finished novel, 2x acting credits, somewhere between 60 and 100 comedy gigs and a degree to show for the year. Oh yeah - and weighing in under 100kg, which last happened in 1999.

Actually, that's fairly insane. Do I always do this? I guess I do. So, there's that. And now - sleep. I have any number of things to do tomorrow.

It's all in the ride.

What an oddly fitting song for this post.

I'm waiting on my FAFSA reward information still. I've come to some hard decisions about that but good decisions I think. Essentially if the reward isn't enough to go to school mostly paid for at least 1/2 time then I'm not going to enroll. I'll just devote time and money to saving money to leave.

The point of staying is for school but I refuse to go into debt for practice college. And I'm not spending three years here taking one or two classes each semester.

College or bust.

Seriously, it's so ridiculously easy for my sleep pattern to go from normal to "hmm, it's almost 5am. I should probably go to sleep..." Not cool.

I've even gotten up early for a few days in a row now, hoping the sleep depro would kick in and make me tired earlier... Nope. Is this really going to be something I struggle with for the rest of my life? Fuck you circadian rhythm.

I'm at a loss, don't want to use drugs to regulate but I may have to. Grrr.

Also wtf fire works? It's four thirty in the morning. Assholes. Some of us are trying to try to go to sleep.

Best moment of the night, well.. one of the best. That's Donnie tearing his shirt off.

I don't know if guys can relate to this but I'm sure every girl reading this can relate to this, though maybe not about Donnie or NKOTB in general, but there was one boy (probably famous) they had a mad crush on when they were just becoming aware of boys and feelings.

Donnie was mine. Oh boy oh boy Donnie was mine and he still does it for me. STILL. It doesn't matter that he's old now and balding. He's still super fucking hot.

( Cut for those that dont give a crap )

Much like Logan Ninefingers, I am still alive.

Just finished Joe Abercrombie's 'Best Served Cold', which is just about as good as fantasy gets these days. Highly pleasant, visceral, well crafted and above all very, very instructive. I suspect cogs are being added to my brain at a relatively frightening rate, much like OJ's cannon in Naked Gun.

Writing goes as it goes. Monday and Tuesday were flying days, Wednesday turned into Editing Day and yesterday was ho-hum. I've taken to going to coffee shops to write - yes, I am now that guy. Between 1300 and 1600 there's a relatively high likelihood of seeing me at Cafe Nero on Piccadilly, for all you crazed Snorri fans that just can't get enough of me.

But not today, though - for today I am working from home. Which is also good, because Cafe Nero has ECC's - Evil Chocolate Cakes. Mmm. I've not been paying any attention whatsoever to my diet or lack thereof since moving out of North Drive, but I still fit (relatively) into 36'' jeans, so I'm not putting it all back on. I look to Edinburgh to help me slim down - lots of walking. Loooots of walking. Might spring for an actual raincoat, though.

And that's /blather for me.

Poll #1424548 Should I....
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

get this hair cut?

Can I skip it entirely? There's pretty much nothing that I want out of this month except for it to end.
August is New York City and August is school. July is... meh.