Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Erratica

Hey, didn't you used to be Hillary Clinton?

******************

I didn't have a PC at work for most of the day today- I forgot to move the mouse every 15 minutes and the screen locked up-my boss was gone until nearly closing time, so I didn't have much to do at all, save for a brief but savage battle of wills with my latest nemesis, the Ikon 200-something Copier. It had a desperate need to jam that is seldom seen outside of Guitar Hero addicts, but in the end it was no match for me.
I managed to fix it with positive thinking.
Seriously.
Actually, I turned it off.
Then I turned it on.
This trick fixes more things than you'd think, and the Ikon proved to be no exception.

Tsk. I am such a geek, I actually enjoy fixing office equipment. It's a chance to show off. The last time I had a workplace girlfriend, she said it was because she liked the way I could shred paper without getting my tie caught in the machine.

Anyway, two days in and I'm still liking the new job. It sounds corny, but I feel much, much better about myself now that I have a steady income- things are looking up. In a fit of optimism, I paid the entire balance of my phone/interweb bill...after spending a day alone in a room with no PC, I decided I didn't want to risk the same thing at home and the last bill arrived in a red-bordered envelope, not a good sign.

I took a book to work. Coffee was already there. What a fantastic combo those are, books and coffee... I read for a while, made some copies, read some more, made some coffee...there is a "coffee station" (four flavors!) on one side of my file room and a rest room on the other...it's a banal but welcome dream come true.

I've really wanted a boring day job with decent pay, air-conditioning , broadband access and no homework- and that's what I got. Woo! Took long enough, too- I have never had so much trouble finding work - I really was starting to wonder where I was gonna live...is a 9-5, rent-paying job too much to ask for? It was seeming so...

I get plenty of technical challenges and creative rewards at the radio station and during my increasingly frequent non-paper musical jam sessions, which are looking up too...I even feel like writing again! I recently had severe writer's block for the first time, ever. I wasn't sure if it would ever end, but I can feel the buzz returning.

Yesterday,I met a girl at work who said (reason unspecified) that she went from living in a crowded building to a large empty house in the sticks, so she decided to buy a drum set and start playing drums again after a long period of not playing, why not, right?...to me, that's about the sanest approach to solitude I can imagine. I liked her right away.
I'm not used to working in offices with people who seem sane to me. My idea of a good time would be banging the hell out of drumkit in the middle of nowhere-for hours. What's not to love about that?

********************************

My best friend's wife finally got her U.S. Citizenship! Six years and two kids is all it took...she will be able to vote this year! Welcome to what I hope will be an improved America!

**********************************

My dad called, which means he's alive and sober. I didn't ask how long he'd been dry, but it was good to be able to tell him I had a job. He had some bad news about the family house, but not bad enough to offset the generally good mood I brought home from work.

I brought a good mood home from work?
Man, I better enjoy that while I can.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was commenting on yourlast post when this appear. Here's to a little boring normalcy in your life!!

Romeo Morningwood said...

YOWZA!
Here is to you and the reward of a job, well done!

I am delighted to see that a good thing happened to a good person.
It gives me hope too.

yellowdoggranny said...

well, it's about fucking time you had some good news coming your way...I'm hoping this job will last forever...you deserve it..

schlep said...

"Me and a book are a party. Me and a book and a cup of coffee are an orgy."
Robert Fripp

Craig D said...

In a rut = In the groove

Congrats on obtaining your dream job.

Anonymous said...

Woohoo! (clicks heels) Couldn't happen to a nicer geek!

Romeo Morningwood said...

After last night's meeting with Hillary, hopefully Obama offered to make her the Ambassador (for life) to Tuvalu, and put her on the first available flight.

AngelConradie said...

YEEHAH!!! ALLAN HAS A DAY JOB AND A STEADY INCOME!!!

doing the dance of joy for you here dude...

wow, i am so so happy for you!!!