So for this week I have to be at work at 7am, which means I'm waking up before 6am. Which means I'll be going to bed early every night this week. I am hanging out with a few people this week, but for the most part I'm disappearing into my bed.
I also might have to take over time hours next week. For me to earn my Bonus, I have to take X amount of calls with Y amount of customers loving me. I have the Y, but due to training, I'm going to be under the number of calls I need. The additional hours that I can sign up for are either work on my weekend (fuck that), or work 2 hours early before through my shift. So I might lose sleep next week, too. Before I sign up and do that though, I will be making sure I will be getting big bucks for it.
Its sad that I used to get paid the same, and never ever had to talk to a single soul. I miss that. These humans, they bore and stress me.
Basically, what I'm saying is, I don't expect this week to be good. I'll survive it, and next week I'll try my best to make my week better. Friends, sleep, maybe finally get that date. Until then, I just survive.
Luckily my random morning music playlist is matching my mood: Soulfly, System of a Down, Korn, Tool, etc.
Obligatory, READ MY COMIC BOOK! plug.
I joined a Bowling League. Its fun. I'm now consistently bowling over 100, and hoping to continue to get consistently better. Before I could have a massive game, followed by a game of under 60. I want to be able to bowl and know I'll break 100 (unless I'm half a bottle of vodka in).
My job has given me some extra benefits which makes it more manageable. If I do well at something I used to train people at, I can make bonus money. I still hate customer service, and I hate the fact that I have this awesome degree and I'm not using it. But, I might start making $50k/year, or just about, and that's one of those life goal kind of things Adults aim for and stuff.
I'm still doing my comic book. I like it. If you are on the facebooks, like the Facebook page or follow @DameonStrykes on twitter. Or just read my comic book.. I just released my favorite page so far. Image was too big to link.
For physical health, right now I feel cruddy. The sickness hasn't knocked me out, but its making breathing fun. As an asthmatic, breathing is always fun. But, I have a race tomorrow (12k, or just about 7.5 miles), and I have a race nearly every month this year. YAY racing. Also, I've started the p90x work outs, so I can start kicking my ass doing that.
I finished my tattoo last night. A total of 6-8 hours went into this baby.
My living situation is awesome, but my roommate is planning on potentially making some big life changes. Every other month, I get told "in a few months I might be moving. I'll let you know." The opposite months, "All is well, I'm staying!" Personally, she's the best roommate I've had (that hasn't been a GF), so I'll stay as long as possible. I'd like to try to live somewhere for more than a year. I haven't done that since I was in High School.
I was going on dates with this girl, but that kind of flopped. The first night she was on, flirty, and into me. Since then she's kind of been meh. We've gone on 3 or 4, and I invite her to join me on things I go to, and sometimes she shows, sometimes she doesn't. *shrug*
In more positive news, there's this bartender I've been crushing on for over a year. She's an awesome person, works at my favorite bar, hosts my favorite night, and when the bar is empty we'll just chat it up. While I think dating her would be awesome, just being her friend would be a pleasure. She's the Bees Knees , if you will.
I had asked her out once. We never could get plans together, and after awhile she decided she "shouldn't mix business with pleasure."
Well, I asked her out again recently, and she gave me her phone number. I'm super excited and happy. Its awesome that she trusts me with that. But now... not sure how to proceed. I'm not sure if I did something last time that made her change her mind from "Yes" to "I shouldn't hang out with patrons," or if there were outside factors. I don't want to abuse the power of having a phone number, but neither do I want to give up after a few "Sorry, I'm busy"s. So far all I've done is made sure her number worked, made sure texting was cool, and let her know what my schedule is.
Again, she's a cool person. I've had some good conversations with her, we're into similar things. I'd like to get to hang out with her, see if anything happens, and if not...I'd be happy either way. But I do want a shot, and I want to make sure when I take that shot I don't blow my foot off!
It'd also just be nice to broaden my horizon of friends. All my friends in Portland are of the LGBTQ group. I fucking love them, its great. But, I'm not super into gay dance parties, It'll be really hard for me to meet someone in that crowd*, and some people in the LGBTQ crowd don't like hanging out with guys that are obviously straight. It makes them uncomfortable, and that discomfort makes me uncomfortable as well. I understand why, and most of the time its cool. Still, it'd be nice to get to hang out with people outside of that group, such as have friends who want to go to rock / metal shows with me, or go to bars that play industrial and goth music.
*On a note, I don't go or hang out with those friends with that intention, and when I'm hanging out with them its rarely on my mind. But, it is on my mind when I'm bored.
so instead:
I'm not going to go into detail about December, just that a lot happened. I got trained for a new job, which is "The most stressful, and technically complicated job of the company." Its very bleh, But, this month I get trained for an easier job, and I have the potential of getting paid more for it. YAY.
My parents got a new puppy!
Christmas was spent the weekend before with my best friend. It was great, and felt like family. One of the nights also ended with me cleaning my friends vomit off the floor while covered in my own blood. That was fun. There is also a video somewhere of my singing "Soft Kitty" to my friend while I dye her hair (that occurred while sober).
Currently in the process of getting a new tattoo. First Session:
My comic book is still going well. Check it out.
And you can read my blog, which generally reviews books and movies, but occasionally has snippets of my real life in there (such as a review of the year 2012). That is located...um... here!
I'd like to point out that I said web-comic book, and not web-comic. This isn't Penny Arcade or any of those other series where its like reading the comics in your newspaper. I'll eventually publish a physical comic book, and then a hard back graphic novel. This is a comic book, that is online. It is horror themed.
I am the writer and producer, but I did not draw the art.
Enjoy, and give me any feedback. I'll take any / all feedback, positive and negative.
...so yeah, Thanksgiving wasn't the best this year. After having read other people's horrible Thanksgivings, I'm not going to say mine sucked...but.
To start, I'm currently in a predicament. All the job opportunities that are opening up for me are in my home city, the city I moved out of on purpose. I also really like where I'm living now, but its too far of a commute to stay here and drive down there. I also haven't applied for a job in a long time, and these are real good opportunities. Part of my wants to fuck it up so I don't have to choose career > city I love, other parts of me wants to get a good career. So I had a little anxiety-freak out in the middle of the week. Despite my best friend spending much of the week with her BF, she still spent some time helping me out...so that was cool. But a stressful way to start the week.
Thanksgiving came. Generally, I like having that my family feels small...but Thanksgiving is the exception. Every year of my life, even when I lived on the other side of the country, I've had big Thanksgiving dinners. This year was just me and my parents. My aunt and cousin decided to go celebrate in Canada, my brother is a chef and has to work Thanksgiving, much of my paternal family is dead, my maternal side lives away and is very good at making me uncomfortable, and my friend was busy. So it was just us. We still had a big feast, but... we could all tell it was small, and it was definitely felt. My parents were just overjoyed I was there. That's what there life has become... just happy to have one of their sons show, as opposed to having huge Thanksgivings.
Those who read this blog may know that my dog got sick, but was recovering from appeared to be partial paralysis. Was. When I got in, she was just sitting funny, but could still move. She quickly declined while I was there. Before I left, I had to carry my dog to where-ever she wanted to go because she couldn't even stand. She stopped eating. She died on Monday.
So yeah... I then did some things to cheer myself up after the stressful week. I went to the Dethklok concert, an then went and saw Twilight with my best friend. I'd normally talk more about those, but I'm still in a somber mood. Yep.
I've been writing critiques of books, or like they are called in high school, book reports. I do it because its fun, quick, and gets me writing. My blog currently has reviews for the entire Fire and Ice series, the Hunger Games, Babylon 5, a Gwar concert, and making sushi. Enjoy.
Oh yeah, wasn't I like...working on a comic book or something like that? I think so. I begin advertising it soon, and I'm sure I'll be posting it here for you guys to click on over and read.
So I went on 2 vacations.
Eugene Vacation:
I ran a half Marathon.
I then went on a second vacation, to Asheville, NC.
There was an election, and a rant:
And then my job search:
So yeah...that catches you up in a quick fashion.
On my vacation, I'm going to...
...take care of my dog.
...get drunk and go to a haunted maze.
...have a meeting with my artist and partner and plan how to advertise the comic.
I bought Mass Effect 3.
...play that. A lot.
I have been reading A Dance with Dragons (5th book of the Fire and Ice series AKA Game of Thrones)
...finish that.
Someone gave me the Hunger Games to read.
...read that.
Perhaps I'll get a date or two?
...stab some pumpkins.
...eat some cake.
...not do any running, so I can rest up for the race on the 27th. I'm probably going to be horrible on that race.
...play Guild Wars 2 with my brother (if he buys it for me).
...not think about work if I can.
...teach myself how to sew and modify a jacket I bought so it works for a Steampunk outfit.
...buy some Steampunk accessories.
...think that covers everything.
Tonight I'm drinking with my Portland friends. Unfortunately, my ride home dropped out last minute due to an emergency, so I might be driving myself, which means I might be staying sober tonight. Probably. Not that bad. I'll have another nights to drink
Like tomorrow, which I'm travelling to Corvallis to spend it with my BFF and that's where I'll be spending my birthday. I think we're going Mexican and Margaritas and TV watching. Should be awesome.
I'm not actually celebrating with my parents. I'll do that next week. Which reminds me...the week after this (the 22-26)... I don't work. I have to dog sit. Hopefully my Eugene friends will come and play with me that week.
Um...yeah. Happy Birthday me and all that. I'll be 28 as of tomorrow.
