1. Easy (all I do is walk around)
2. Exercise (8 hours of walking and climbing stairs)
3. Money ($10.50 an hour, $15.75 overtime)
4. I don't have to deal with anyone
Cons of my new job:
1. Blisters on my feet (full of blood)
2. I spoke 3 times last night...
3. Creepy, giant buildings
4. I spend most of the night making sure no one breaks into my car
The best part is also the worst part--I don't have to deal with anyone. Not a soul. I spend 8 hours with me, myself, and I. This is good because, I don't have anyone breathing down my neck/watching me. This is bad, because like I told Leah tonight, "At 4:00am...when you're all alone, all you can do is think..." And let me tell you, at 4:00am you really don't think of anything good. At least, I don't.
So, rather than agonize over my career choices/options...and my impending graduation/marriage...I'm taking a pocket radio. Back in 2003-2004 when I worked the graveyard shift I found solace in talk radio. I guess the voices are comforting...like there's someone there with me. There's a show on 710AM called "Coast to Coast AM" that's really good at sucking away time. It's a UFO/conspiracy/end-of-the-world show. Crackpots call in/come one and talk about Big Foot and how he masterminded 9/11. Good times.
Next time you find yourself awake at 3:00am, think of me.
I should be reading/writing...but I'm so damn tired, I don't feel like doing anything. Anything, that is, but play some Guitar Hero. It's great for that 1/2 hour I have between my 9:30pm shower and my 10:00pm commute downtown. As I've stated previously, my save file became corrupt, so I've been replaying the game. Today I finished the "Medium" difficulty (I tired finishing the game on "Hard" but it got impossible 24 songs in). I played "Free Bird" and damn near broke my wrist at an attempt at 100% (didn't make it, Leah called and Bo-bo (my cat) distracted me). Still, anyone who's played it will tell you--"Free Bird" is tough, and I'm proud of this score:
Damn near hit 300,000 points...next time!!!
10 comments:
Not only is free bird hard, it's also LONG. In the original, there was a loading screen that said "They don't really want you to play free bird, they're just heckling you."
One of these nights, I'm fairly certain you can call me up and chitchat.
And the blisters should go away eventually, once you get your calluses back.
Yes!!! The first time you play it, you're like "what? This ain't so bad" then the solos start comin' at you. That song must be CRAZY on Hard and Expert.
Yeah, Leah says the same thing...but I hate talking to people on the job--me and my Buddy Steve used to call each other from different posts...the problem is at any moment I might have to hang up (for whatever reason: I see a problem or my boss randomly shows up). For that reason I can never really enjoy the conversation.
Oh yeah, only another week or so and those puppies will be back. Black socks+sweat+my feet=gross.
By the way, how is your brother spending his time? Did he ever finish those papers for school?
I've got to ask.
Eight hours without anyone bugging you.
Why aren't you writing during that time?
Oh, Terri said to beg, plead and grovel for your attendance at my reading. She said you had a camcorder and could record it, which my Editor in the UK would be thrilled to have.
How thrilled? Don't know. Might be something in it, might not.
Respects,
Murph
Escaping to Texas Soon
Well, yeah... Of course you might have to hang up at any moment... But you can rest easy knowing we'll assume you had to catch a bad guy. An aside: "Catch a bad guy" should be a euphemism for something. Something dirty.
Murph--It's late at night and I'm a rover...I dunno...not my ideal writing conditions. Back when it was my regular shift I'd come up with ideas as I wandered, sometimes I'd pull out a pad and take a few pages of notes.
I work a LOT of O.T. (just did two 16 hour shifts) right now my brain is mush...not good for writing.
BTW, no need to beg...I'll be at your reading. I use a $250 digital camera for my videos...but my PARENTS have a really nice/slightly expensive digital CAMCORDER. I've been wanting a chance to play with it, I'll see about getting "trained" with it next week. I can burn you a couple of DVD's if that's what you want.
David--by "catch a bad guy" you mean "not get caught by my boss" right? BTW I don't get paid enough to "catch" anyone.
Jason, I think if you can just load it onto YouTube, that'd be great. Further, I'd be thrilled if you'd share the stage with me. Surely you have something available.
Per roving and writing, well, that was the final straw for me in many ways. You can edit stuff that you've printed while roving and it looks like you are looking at training material or a report or some shit. But actually get anything creative done? Not a stitch. I lost three weeks myself.
Nice to hear that someone can get some overtime out of the tight fisted fuckers!
Look forward to meeting/seeing you there.
Respects,
Murph
Yeah, back when I had Terri's class, I used edit while I walked. I'm surprised you had trouble getting overtime, I got 36 hours of it this week (and I turned down a shift!!!). Still, I know there are times when they have it...and times when they don't. Plus, I work on a different account.
Yeah, I'll be there! How long will you be reading? YouTube only lets people post 10 minutes at a time (for free, if you want to post something longer you have to get a paying account). I'll see about getting that other camcorder...the quality is better (and someday you'll be glad you have on it on DVD).
Jason, I was getting $11 an hour and anyone earning that much pretty much was told, "Forget it."
The other thing, frankly, is that I think it was simply time to go. They weren't willing to pay me for my ability to cover multiple posts at Commerce. They weren't willing to accomodate my repeated requests for shift transfers. They weren't willing to listen to my complaints about my coworkers (while they were perfectly prepared to believe anything one of my coworkers said about me).
It was like high school. I had to leave.
Anyway, looking foward to being elsewhere.
Reading. Gee, I don't know, Jason. I figure I'll read a scene from Tearing Down Tuesday, which surely won't take long as I'm chosing one without a lot of dialogue in it. Then I'm drafting Terri into reading a section of her choice from the as yet unsold The Limb Knitter.
It doesn't need to cover everything that happens, I guess. Just the main bit.
Whatever you can get is fine, man. Beggars can't be bitchers.
Respects,
Murph
Escaping to Texas on Tuesday (if only briefly)
Murph--
I know what you mean about these posts being like High School. About three years ago I got caught up in the rumor mill...all those old farts like to do is sit and gossip, so I know what you're talking about.
My captain was talking to me last night about the pay problem...he says the company as a whole is really hurting badly for guards (thus all the O.T. for me) and that the lack of a proper raise is the cheif reason. I'm glad you got out, I can't WAIT for August to hurry up and get here so I can quit(hopefully for good).
When and where is your reading? I'd like to know so I don't accept any extra shifts for that time.
Jason, the reading is at Magazines and Coffee on 1722 Main Street this Thursday, 14 June, at 7 pm. It is listed in the Arts section of the Sunday Paper and it should be listed in the Pitch.
Funny that Uni-Guard is hurting for guards. Their attitude continues to be, when I talked to management, "We can always get replacements."
From where? Sooner or later, you run out of a pool from which to draw on. There are only so many ex-mil former cop types. And college students certainly won't put up with a lot of crap for long.
I wouldn't have minded not having a pay raise if they had simply left me in my dock office to work on my writing. That is all they had to do and I TOLD them that but they wouldn't listen.
So fuck 'em.
Now we get to see if they screwed me on my last check.
Respects,
Murph
Northtown, Missouri
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