So as life spirals out of control, I continue to be strangely complacent and do nothing to fix it, well that's got to change. Writing right now is therapeutic, but hopefully it will result in something. Last night was a disaster and tomorrow I have to go to Ben Hem which is never fun. I still haven't found a job for the remainder of the summer and as everyone is enjoying their time back I'm left out...which for some reason isn't bothering me. The next month needs to turn things around or I'm going to drown in my own shortcomings and lack of direction. Call me when everything's been sorted out.
I need a title for what I'm working on, but I hate sharing things when they aren't finished.
Sunday night my cousin Matt who goes to Northeastern called me up to meet him to catch 28 Weeks Later at the Fenway theater, it was good to hang out with him for the first time in awhile, since a few months ago when we were supposed to catch a screening of Hot Fuzz at the Brattle, but it was full so we just wandered around Harvard for awhile and talked. I was very skeptical about a sequel to such an original movie, but at the very least the trailers looked to entertain even if it didn't have the depth or style of the original (given the director was absent). Which was the case, it was edge of your seat, hold on to your life action, with some topicality even if not as much, and shots of London just being empty are still chilling and mind boggling how they achieved them. One drawback was this one obviously went bigger budget than the dirt cheap original that was shot on DV cameras mostly handheld to achieve a freakish post-apocalyptic look and feel. In this one during attack scenes the camera is just completely out of control and really quick editing, and it's only in these scenes that it takes on a grainy filter that would "match" the look achieved by the original. Still, much better than I could have expected, although there was one character who literally should have been dead a lot sooner.
Monday was alright, kind of slow, more unpacking. Then headed over to the high school for what was supposed to be frisbee with Kelsea, Regina, and Sara, but in all my crap from school I couldn't find it, so we played soccer for awhile instead, then wandered over to Liberty's...both of them and had dinner then ice cream. Twas a good time.
Yesterday as well as most of this week was spent fixing my room and researching new schools (oh and the pool was opened yesterday meaning people can come swimming next week.) and then at around 4:30 I went off to the Red Sox game, which they blew but it was still a good time.
Speaking of schools these are the ones I'm considering at the moment among others:
Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) Drexel University (ditto) Chapman University (Orange, CA) University of Texas (Austin, TX) American University (DC) Thames Valley University (London, UK) University of the Arts London
So last night Ellen IMs me and since we've been talking about doing something for so long but are both busy at various different times haven't gotten to, but we're both done with school and she doesn't go back to Michigan for a week and a half we have a while to hang out, so we decide to meet up in Boston, the plan was to meet at Park Street at 2:30, I was running late and was in Newton so I hopped on at Eliot instead of Riverside, of all times Ellen was getting on too, so instead of riding alone listening to music we met up early, with her boyfriend Greg, who'd gone ice skating with us at Babson (since Olin students get to go for free) a few months back. So we still got off at Park and wandered over to Faniuel Hall and had food, they ran into some of their friends from Olin (mind you this extra special school only has a little over 300 students) then we wandered over to the waterfront for a bit but they complained because it was a bit windy (that's nothing compared to the day in february when I nearly had my face blown off walking through Boston to take a lot of pictures) so instead we walked back through the city and looked at some historic graveyards, a strange hobby of mine and through the Common and Public Garden through Copley, had ice cream at the Prudential then got on the B line to go see their friend at BC, I joked that we didn't blend in perfectly as we aren't preppy enough, although Greg was wearing a maroon and gold sweatshirt. Greg mostly wanted to mooch off people who had tons of money left on their dining plans, so his friend was going out and just left the card to us to go to the commons and shop, we dragged like $50 of snacks back to Olin where they were having a movie out on the lawn, Wet Hot American Summer (which is strange because Clark did the exact same thing a few weeks ago, same movie). The dorms at BC...weird considering the rooms have a keypad entry system.
It was a lot of random fun, didn't accomplish much but a nice diversion/social opportunity. LN and I are planning to go to Six Flags next saturday which is funny as I'm planning so many separate Six Flags trips, with them, Clarkies at some point and no doubt various trips with Natick people, that's why the season pass is so amazing.
Still considering shipping off the UK, I told LN she'd have to visit me.
So while summer has begun, and has earlier than most people I haven't really been able to enjoy it much, I wish our pool was open already.
I've worked the past three days and as any subbing day it's ups and downs where I enjoy it and we get things done, and it's hell and I just want to go home. Thursday I "floated" at Ben Hem, meaning they had meetings all day during school and movied people around, when I started they asked me the range of ages I would do, I said 2-8th, last week for part of the day I was in with a bratty first grade class and this week I got dealt an out of control Kindergarten group, it's always so much fun dealing with the one or two troubelmakers in every class, for the most time they make me feel in retrospect like it all sucked, when most of the kids make it enjoyable, these few just leave such a bad mark. Today I was in for Gym at Wilson, which I'd done before and the teacher doesn't have any classes after noon, so I thought I'd be able to leave then, later some woman from the office comes down to tell me they need me to cover the band class for 5th grade as the teacher was on a field trip, that's fine they have a right to tell me that especially since I'm getting paid for the full day, and at that point I still get out a period early, but it was a disappointment and awkward as I was dressed for gym so I certainly didn't look like I should be subbing in a classroom, but I knew most of the kids already. But they were disasterous so by the time I was finally done I was pretty bitter even though for the most part it was a free and easy day. Oh well, I'm not sure what to expect with MCAS next week, I may not get called at all which would be both a blessing and a curse.
Wednesday was OK, I went over to Chesnut Hill now that I could be rid of my laptop if it came to that, and they fixed the glitch that caused the computer to not recognize the battery, and replaced the battery as well, Apple Care's protection plan is pretty sweet, got a new iPod case and then went over to Jordan's to the IMAX.
I'm also scouring options for schools and I'm really considering going to school in London, which offers courses in 10 week time frames with rolling admission, and lots of options for film, that could be the change I need.
So the past two days have been hectic, I just got back from spending the day with fifth grade at Wilson, which was actually fun and not too much hassle, ran into Greg Mercuri on my way home, stopped and chatted for awhile. Tomorrow's not so good because I'm at Ben Hem, and those kids can get on my nerves easily and while they're still at the age of liking school, they're too energetic and don't respect substitutes in the least, which makes me look bad because I'm so young. While at Wilson, they're not yet hating school, they have fun with you and for the most part do as you say.
Yesterday I hung out with Chris and Tal for awhile for the first time in a long time, we played Wario Ware on Wii for awhile and enjoyed making fools out of ourselves with Bungee Buddies, then went to Panera for dinner, went to various stores in the area looking to buy Shaun of the Dead so we could watch it but inexplicably, none of them had it, and the one DVD I was going to get at Game Stop the guy couldn't find because they keep them out of the cases behind the counter, brilliance. So instead I bought th GC game Chibi-Robo which I haven't found time to play yet, and we came back here and watched Smokin' Aces (speaking of which, listening to some Clint Mansell at the moment...he's so amazing.) then I was planning on going to be almost as soon as they left so for once I could get the right amount of sleep, but it took me about an hour after that to go to bed, and then my usual long period of not falling asleep, still getting to bed by 11:30's an accomplishment I suppose.
Now I'm off to Chesnut Hill to take my laptop in to the Apple store as I've been living with problems with it for awhile, but their protection plans are excellent so I'm not worried, I've just got to back up all my files on my external hard drive in case, then I'm off to the IMAX.
So I'm done, it's all over. I regret that I didn't have a lot of time to hang out with people this week, but I think I took more time than I should have versus doing work as it was. Lots of people like Paul, Chris, Sune, etc will be able to hang out this summer since we all live in the area, but there's the international people, and Pauline/Kai way out in Hawaii, oh well, until August for them.
This week I'm working at least wednesday-friday at Wilson, maybe tuesday, but I'm taking tomorrow off to settle all my stuff back in. People should start arriving home soon/those that already did like Sargina...that's right I said it, so hopefully summer kicks off in a big way soon.
I've yet to find a job for after the middle of June...I should get on that, my classes at BU start May 22nd, but that's only two days a week so it shouldn't inhibit too many things.
Today most of my family got together at the Crown Plaza for brunch for my dad's birthday tomorrow. It was good to see some cousins, aunts, etc. I got uncomfortable when my future plans for school began to be discussed since I didn't really want that to be anybody's business.
I'm currently printing reams of paper to sift through to write two four page essays for my final assignment for anthropology, the sooner I finish the better that way I'll have one class out of the way. That leaves me 3 or 4 Shakespeare plays to read for my final on friday (at fucking 8:00 in the morning) two videos to edit, and some German to finish up, ugh I'm going to drown in work. Did I mention I'm also working during the day tuesday-thursday....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I've got my eye on a deal on a Sony camcorder, it's going for $750 on most sites (MSRP: $1,000) but this camera site has it for around $500, it shoots in HD and can do 24 frames per second (video shoots in 30fps, whereas film is 24, hence why video looks weird) and unlike most people I have the software and hardware on my computer to handle High Definition, sweet. It's just a matter of getting myself to spend that kind of money, whooo.
So today's assignment is certainly a strange one. I was told the other day they needed me to sub for fifth grade English for the second half of the day, 11-2, I show up and they're shuffling people all over the building, I was in one place doing very little from 11:20-12:00 and now I'm in a 7th grade class doing nothing as they work from 12:45-1:30, then I'm off. I knew it was only a half day, but I'm still being paid for a half day for what, 85 minutes of "work", doesn't seem like a good use of tax dollars haha.
Then it's home to work on all the final assignments I need to do for next week, and maybe hanging out with Chris if he comes back from the Aquarium...weirdo that he is, haha.
I feel like there's more to say but I'm really blanking at the moment, perhaps I'll update when I get home. This computer's keyboard is really dirty BTW.
So you know when you make a graph the looks like a wave, well that's how my mood has been lately, ridiculously up and down. I've been have a good time and a shit time this week on so many levels, I kind of need it to be over just for stability's sake. Next week I have to be here for the last day of class on monday, then I'll hopefully be subbing in Wilson from tuesday to thursday, and then I have to come back to hand in final assignments and take my only in-class final on friday, then it's outta Worcester, of course it still leaves me in waiting until early may...oh fun times.
If anyone has a suggestion for what to do for a tolerable summer job let me know.
On monday when Chris, Paul, Sune, Dave and I went to DHP (that's Dead Hooker Pond) to fly the shark kite we found a slightly retarded hamster wandering around up on the hill near a tree, it was kind of sad, Sune named him Humphrey even though Dave and I said naming something that'll probably be dead in a few hours isn't a good idea (she also named a weird looking goose O'Brien, she'd named a goose Winston a few weeks ago but he wasn't distinct enough to know who he was, so all geese there are named Winston except O'Brien) but surprisingly on a much needed stress-reliever walk there by myself yesterday I saw him wandering about still, but when Chris, Dave, Paul and I went walking today we found his half-eaten remains, we wanted to have a Viking funeral for him in the pond. Then we wandered through the rain in the cemetary for awhile and came back to Bullock, my shoes are fucked up on the soles and I wasn't wearing socks so now my feet hurt.
I'm searching out the best deal on a decent new video camera after the theft incident.
awake
amused
blah
confused