it's stupid to think of a title for this entry

So, my financial plan for this fall is going to be drastically different than the one I've been going with. Maybe even earlier, after June 15 when I transfer the last lump sum into my savings account. Because honestly, I always feel like I'm like scrimping and saving for no good reason. Once my rent goes down, my fixed expenses will be a mere $450, and my conservative income will be $800. So, I figure if I just save all the excess income over and above $800 every month (or whatever my pay check is over $200 every week) then I'll still be saving, and still have quite a bit of discretionary income to put toward, I don't know, good food. I'm kind of sick off of living off of pasta. Then, I can save the excess as usual, until it reaches a certain point and then transfer half of it into savings. That way, I'm not so hard pressed to save anymore since I won't have an actual "goal" of how much to save like I've been doing. After all, I'm still frugal to the point of being cheap, so unless I start eating out all the time (which I won't do unless like dollar menu from Wendy's or something) then it should be fine.

If I had a dollar for every time the boys cussed while playing Super Smash Brawl, I wouldn't need a second job.

I thought about going back to Jason's Deli today. That would be fun, except I'd be taking a $1 pay cut and up the hours to not getting out until 10:30 and smelling like Jason's Deli. Still, maybe it'd be fun, and I'd get my discount back.

Maybe I'm just looking for a change. Any change. I think this schedule is burning me out right now. Still, I'd like to go up and better instead of down and not better. It might be better at first, but then I'd probably regret it.

I sort of wish I didn't have to work. That'd be nice. Then I could do crew, or just pick up a part time job like a few times a week just for fun money or something. And if I didn't like the job, it wouldn't matter, I could just not do it, so I could get a part time job that was good and fun. I think the mentality would be different if I knew I was working for pleasure because I enjoy working as apposed to I'm working to pay bills and eat. Different motivator. I'm thinking once I get out of the death grip of wanting to save all the frickin time, it's like an obsession or some kind of OCD really at this point, then I might actually have a good time. Maybe if food and gas wasn't so expensive. $350 discretionary income goes by quite quickly after paying for food and gas at the end of the month. Not that I really buy anything else. Good living for me would be for me to afford steak and roast beef on a fairly regular basis, not going out and buying.... what? Clothes and jewelry? Yeah, so, new savings plan will be activated after I get my savings to a healthy $3000 and then I think I'll be done with the intense savings and live a little.... buy meat. Wooooo.

It always seems like these are the main topics of my life doesnt it? Work, school, and the status of my finances. Kind of sad really. I do have a life. Honestly. It just doesn't seem like there's much to talk about. Hang out, play smash brawl, smoke hookah, watch episodes of Arrested Development curled on the couch with my roommate John, Thursday night movie nights, an occasional smattering of parties. The bbq day was fun. Now that I have a grill we should try to do that more often.

Oh, speaking of parties, I think it's Michael Will's birthday party tonight. I think John wanted to go. All he's got is a keg, ew beer, carbonated, so I'll end up being DD. Which is going to make it lame, since Michael Will is lame, and the only reason John wants to go is the free beer. Maybe he won't want to go. He's got a few friends over right now, and I don't feel like being out there watching them play smash, as it's terribly one sided because John is good and everyone else sucks. The only good part is I get to take pot shots at how miserable a player Franqui is. That's probably not really fair because Nick plays too and he's pretty bad, and I'm pretty bad too. Still, I have to live with Nick, so Franqui it is. Last time they played, there were on team play and playing intense and there was one level they couldn't get past... and of course Franqui kept dying within seconds, and so finally, they'd almost beat the boss, Franqui died and it was just John left and the boss had like two more hits till he was dead, and (mind you, there are other people around watching this as they started yelling and screaming at the TV and drawing attention) and Franqui screams out "oh my god, if you do this, I'll totally suck your dick!" This is seconds before John beats the boss. So, yeah, pot shots at Franqui are pretty easy, seeming as he sets himself up, and that joke did not die down all night after he said that.

I guess I'm going to go feed myself and get my laundry out of the washer.

memorial day

So, it's movie night. Again. I'm supposed to probably be writing more in here. I had some good material actually, but now I just don't remember. It's Ghostbusters right now. I invited this guy from my drama class who lives down the street. I don't know if he's coming over. Pot luck, that means I don't have to cook dinner or clean tonight and there will be plenty of food.

The drama writing is going well.

My mother came to my apartment and stayed the night on Memorial Day. Me and my friends, John, Nick, and Franqui were grilling. I went out and bought a $20 grill. It's my first grill. It's so awesome. I look out there in the balcony and I'm so proud of it. It's amazing. *smile* Oh, but yeah, so mom came by. It didn't turn out as awkward as I thought it was going to be. She mingled well with people. Didn't say anything too embarrassing, or anything I wouldn't say myself, which was creepy because I was worried my friends might notice that were were alike. (No offense). I actually thought there'd be more of a story behind her coming here. Turns out Franqui is pretty good at grilling steak. I'm going to start grilling more. Maybe next Thursday Movie Night we can just grill hamburgers or something. That'd be cheap and easy to feed a lot of people.

In general, I'm doing pretty good. My golf class starts on June 5th. That should be fun, except it's like middle of the day so it's going to be pretty hot out some days I think.

crew

So, I've been recently thinking about the probability of me being able to do UGA Crew again this fall. I was talking to this girl named KJ in my class, who I knew from Crew last year, and she was telling me all about the problems of the coxes (I honestly don't know how to make that word plural) It just sounds like they're in such need of someone that actually knows what the hell they're doing, or at the very least, how to do it well. Not to mention, I really, really, really loved doing it. It was perfect for me. I also think I'm a little bit more outgoing than I was back then when I tried it, probably because I'm not a lowly freshman anymore. Regardless. It'd be a big decision. I'd have to quit one of my jobs and take an hours cut as well as an income cut per month. Monetary wise however, I've done the math, keeping my other job and working a minimum of 16 hours a week (not including any extra time I can put in on the weekends I wouldn't have to go to a regatta) That's like $500 a month income and cash outflow, calculating in more driving (to and from Yargo Park for practices), and crew dues and accessories, would only be at maximum $700. That's taking it very conservative on income and very generous on outflow as well. So, by the end of the summer if savings continues as planned, I should have about 4k in savings, which is well enough to sustain myself for a semester on only one job.

The problem isn't that. It's the fact that I wonder if I'll have time to do homework, or how intense my classes are going to be. I know one of them is heavy in writing assignments. One more good reason that I finally bought a printer -- crap I forgot to get a USB cable to go with it. Anyway, but yeah, and the other two are journalism classes, which I can only assume have something to do with writing. Regardless, they're major classes which means that I have to do well in them. On top of that, it'd be Piercing Pagoda that gets the ax, since my other job is a lot more flexible with hours, and at this point, I'm getting paid the same if not more at UTS anyway. I really like Piercing Pagoda though, I mean now, not so much the people that work there with me. I feel like a minority now because they've hired all African American people. Still, I love the store itself. I can't decide which is more important to me, I know if I leave Piercing Pagoda, there won't be any coming back. That's just how it goes. The security guys had to escort some dweebs off the mall premise for harassing me today. It was pretty funny actually. They didn't come back. I might miss all that stupid mall stuff that happens. Or the mall people that work in Perfume Place or the kiosk next to mine, or the Chinese massage people. *sigh* It's so hard.

Work wouldn't let me off Sunday to go see my little brother. I told them it was a family emergency, but my boss was like "Tera and Jessica are out of town and I *mumble mumble mumble*. Sorry." I don't know what her excuse was for not taking my shift. Honestly, I really think it's because she doesn't give a f*** because she's transferring to Towncenter Mall on Tuesday and adios Georgia Square Mall. They'd just better feel lucky that I love working there so much. I've just grown attached to that little kiosk box in the middle of the mall.

On the bright side. I finally figured out what my screen play is going to be about. I worked it out at work on a very brainstormed looking piece of paper, so now all I have to do is write two more scenes and tweak some of the dialogue that I've already written, like the monologue. When it's done, if it ends up being any good, I'll probably post it here in sections.

My tattoo itches like some kind of crazy huge mosquito bite, and everyone tells me not to itch it, but it's like killing me. I think I would prefer pain to itching really. They did tell me to like smack it, but I tried that and even though, for a second the pain did cover up the itch, eventually it just made it itch more. John told me to get calamine lotion or benadryl. That would have been smart.

hmm day off

I need to clean my keyboard on my laptop. There's all sorts of crap in it and now the N key is being a pain in the butt to press down cuz I think something is stuck under it.

So, I was talking on Facebook to some people from high school. People who weren't even really good friends, they just wrote on my wall and asked how life was going for me, so I replied. And from there I sort of Facebooked hopped around to other people I have on Facebook from like middle school and whatnot, and it's weird. I mean, my memories of them stop you know after I left and moved. So, when I look at them or talk to them online, I am only thinking of them still at that time. Yet, here they are, the same age as me, probably different than when I knew them before. It's just a weird thing. I know that time passes, but I don't have memory of them being older, so it's just.... I don't know how to even explain it. So, I started thinking about how weird it's going to be to go to my 10 year high school reunion, because all those people I'll have memories of them just being in high school and immature, juvenile, young people, but by the 10 year reunion, a lot of them will be newly weds, started off in their careers, some with kids. It's just going to be like time travel, as if there was nothing in between.

So, I have today off. It's the first Sunday I've had off in a while. I'm going to go to Walmart and buy a printer and probably some food. I should also clean my room and do laundry today too. Yeah, that's what I do on my days off, no relaxing. I know I have some assignment for class tomorrow too. Hence the need of a printer. I'm hoping I can just find a cheap one that hooks up with USB and only prints black and white. Super basic, that's all I need. If it wasn't so windy I might go up to the pool. I can't go in though because of my tattoo.

There was something else I needed at Walmart too... I should probably make a list. Eggs, bread, and butter. Yeah, that was it.

I got the N key fixed. And Nick said he'd join me and Eric to go to Walmart. At least this way I feel like I'm not wasting gas because I'm carpooling. Nick's using the washer/dryer, so I guess I'll have to wait on that laundry until later.

Guess that's it.

recent days

Today was shaping up to be an okay sort of day. I really like my dramatic writing class. There's definitely some fun characters in class, and reading other people's work really shows you a thing or two about them. A couple of cute guys.

So, the monologue I wrote was a bit too literary. I have to turn in a revised draft today. I should probably try and do that.

I am dog tired from not going to bed until 2am last night because it was "Thursday Night Movie Night" and so we had like a bajillion people over at the house watching Sci Fi movies. It was a good time, but still.

I decided I need to invest in a printer. I've been having a hard time finding one to use now that school is out and all the computer labs are closed. The one up at the my apartment complexes computer lab is always broke.

So, today, I went to class, then got out at 12:15 and headed to work. Except when I got to work, it was soooo horrible. It was taking me three times as long to type a recording. I just thought I was going to die. It was too cold and overall, I was just beat from the early morning and the night before. So, I decided to just get out early. I mean, we only have to put a minimum of 16 hours in a week and for the last few weeks I've been putting in between 24-30. So, I figure, you know, I deserve to get out, I'd already put in 21 hours for the week anyway. I had done three of my six scheduled hours before I decided I couldn't handle it anymore for that day. So, I went home. Then I get home and checked my email and I get one from UTS that says something about how they're backlogged due to higher than normal schedule deviations and that it's imperative that we work the full hours we're scheduled to work on Friday, and if we can to come in on Saturday/Sunday to catch up. So, now, darn, I feel bad, but at the same time, I'm like, I'm beat. So, I don't know.

Oh, other thing. When I got home, my roommate John had used my computer to play the projector. So, I gathered it out of the living room and brought it in my room. Only to get in here and find that he burned a huge hole in the Alt key and a hole between the period key and the question mark key because he dropped a hookah coal on it!! So, I had to call and cuss him out, which might have worked better except that I was too tired to care, and who really uses the Alt key anyway. So, he owes me and when it's well and good for me to collect on that favor, I will.

Yesterday night I was at work at Piercing Pagoda, they just hired a new girl, another one of Nessa's friends. She cut my hours down to 10, and is giving her two friends 17 and 19 respectively. Helloooo.... I've worked longer there at Piercing Pagoda than ALL THREE of them combined and there she goes cutting my hours. It's ridiculous. Apparently Children's Place is having the same problems. The girl they fired over at Piercing Pagoda went to work over there at C.P. So, I get the gossip on all that too. I really think it's just the retail business. Honeslty, you don't manage a retail mall store if you have a degree in managment. It's too clear, because if you did, you woudln't have some of these juvenile issues and shoddy practices that seem to go on.

I got out of work early to come home, and got out to the car, (it was raining) just to find that I'd left my lights on. Dead battery. In my defense, it was rainy when I left for work, and when I arrived at work it was sunny, so I had completely forgotten my lights were on in the first place. I only know two people in Athens still who have cars, and one wasn't picking up their phone. Luckily, the mall security jumped me, and all was well. Still. Hasn't been the best few days, save for going to class. It's a great class.

The boys are going to dinner tonight, so I'm going to try to catch a nap so I can go with them and be awake enough to turn in my revised assignment later tonight.

tattoo pictures

So, there are the pictures of my tattoo. Keeping in mind that the swelling and red are all part of the healing process. These were taken a few days ago. Today however, it looks all back to normal, no longer hurts to touch it either. It does still feel a little bit like a sticker, but apparently it doesn't settle in until four weeks from when I got it done. I can already tell after it heals I'm going to have to get it touched up. The good thing is, they do touch ups for free.

first day of drama writing class

So, it was my first day of class today in my Intro to Dramatic Writing. This being a class not on writing "dramatically" but writing for drama, theater, or screenplays. Well, seeming as this is an abridged version of the class, he's not having us write a theater script (which is good because I wouldn't want to do that), but instead having our final be us writing a tele-play for a sitcom or other TV show. So, now my big problem is coming up with an idea that's good enough. The class is comprised mainly of film studies majors, and I'm the only one in there that's a publication management major. Ironically, there are a finance major and an accounting major. Well, anyway. So, the first assignment was for us to write a monologue. I've never written a monologue before in my life. What I did come up with is as follows::

Well, maybe you could say I'm bitter. Maybe, but I'd probably attribute my scowl more to the problem of this itchy, cheap, fru-fru netting that some designer thought would be an excellent under piece for a skin-tight-in-all-the-wrong places sort of dress. Let's face it, I look like an angry traffic cone. Right next to my fellow traffic cones all lined up just so, shortest to tallest, so hopefully the bride will be sure not to veer off the straight path toward certain doom. How long have we been standing here? If the groom sweats any more through his rented tux they'll probably not let him return it. An outdoor wedding she said. Oh lovely he said. Now he's regretting it. Perhaps he thought outdoors in the early spring? No no. Definitely not summer he thought. Wrong. If only I could drop these stinkin' flowers and wipe my hands on this dress at the risk of leaving a large sweaty handprint in the silk. If I shift my weight from foot to foot just slightly I might be able to catch a breeze from my own swaying. The itch from the back of my leg inches it way up like a caterpillar crawling up the stalk of a flower, just as a drizzle of sweat slides down my back. Great, that is the last thing I need to to deal with. Ah, and there she is the blushing bride, more likely sun burn than blush. Five minutes late and as on time as it gets, as usual. I got her a watch for her bachelorette party. Of course my other sweaty comrades to my right got her more naughty things for the night after this shindig is finally over. How much do I want to bet she's wearing the black lace teddy under that perfectly white dress instead of my watch? How much? Clearly there's no accounting for practicalness. She takes those measured steps, so precise... so... rigid? Yeah, she's freaking out. I watched her practice this walk for days. Yet here she is worried about tripping over a petal. And the groom is tearing up. It might be a bit touching if it wasn't for the fact that he definitely does not need more moisture added to his face as his brow is wet enough to be a slip and slide for ants. She arrives. At long last, and adoringly looks at her drenched and sticky fiancée with all the love in the world. Ugh. Sort of makes me want to gag. You could say it's because I'm bitter. Maybe, but it's more due to the dry mouth that's causing me to nearly choke on my own tongue. It's not that I'm anti-wedding or anything, it's really just that the bride's choice of establishment under the eye of mother nature completely disregarded the evil step-child, you know, her son. Yeh, it's corny, but give me a break. I'm the one dying out here in hell's wedding procession. Well, that's all well and good. Let her have her musky man and her tempting teddy. That's fine. I don't even care. I'm just a traffic cone in the parking lot of life. And who is she? She's the "just married" car. Of course. I'm bitter.

So that's what I've managed to come up with. Tomorrow we present them to the class (it's a workshop oriented type structure). We'll see how everyone else likes it. I think it's fabulous, considering I've never written one before. Who knows, maybe I completely missed the mark on what a monologue is supposed to be. We'll find out tomorrow.