My week is getting progressively worse. My last day at the bakery was Saturday (yay! Wait...yay?). I was so glad to leave. But now, I'd almost give anything to be back there, however much I despised my job. You see, now I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I'm supposed to start my new job Thursday. Great! You say, What's the problem?

What's the problem, indeed? I'll be making a pretty penny, and I'll likely be able to afford 'net. The problem, my friends, is that I might not *have* the job. Well, why the heck not? Ah, because I have been trying, since Sunday morning (when I missed church, so I wouldn't miss the important phone call that never came) to get hold of my to-be-boss, to no avail. Oh, I saw him once. Sunday afternoon. When he told me he lost my phone number. And so I gave it to him, and he said he'd call me the next morning. Next morning rolls around, and then comes afternoon. So I go back. Oh, he's not here today, he's skiing, and apparently his cell phone is off. But he'll be here tomorrow. Okay! So I come in today. Oh, he's not here today either. I don't know what his excuse is this time, maybe I should ask. But I sure am getting tired of not knowing what my hours will be. If I can't get hold of him by tomorrow evening, I'm going to show up bright and early Thursday morning, ready to work. Meantime, I'm going to spend tomorrow job-hunting and checking back here periodically to see if he's here. Oh boy...

In other news, someone I'd really rather not see is trying to make plans to come visit me.

Still working on my 'net problem. Apparently, it'll be cheaper for me (and easier) if I get cable TV, and then add 'net to the service. About ten dollars a month cheaper, in fact. Can't get DSL or dial-up, 'cause I'm sans phone line, and I wouldn't *use* the phone, so no point in getting one. 'Sides, the phone line plus the 'net service would end up being about the same as the cable TV plus the 'net service. Woot for businesses trying to get every last cent outta ya, eh?

Anyway, what all this means is that I'm stuck waiting for my TV set to be delivered, then I call the cable guys, and wait for them to be able to come in, *then* I will have internet back. Oh boy....

In other news, my new years resolution is to be happier, so I've managed to maintain a mostly joking tone throughout this blog (though I bet y'all can't tell ^.^). At least I am still smiling, though.

Be well, all, and be happy. Smiles make the world go 'round, and they keep anger at bay.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope all is well with y'all, and I'd like to take this chance to mention that I *may* be getting 'net access in my home by the middle of next month. Whoo! We've gotta see when my checks go through, and how soon I can get a guy out to my apartment to install the 'net. Things are looking good! I mean, it only took me an hour and a half to find an internet provider that said, "Sure! We can install 'net access through linux. No problem!" $50 a month, though....So less eating out, and probably a little more ramen. ^^

-dances about cheerfully- I got the job! I am not an employee of a sandwich shop with excellent food, and nice people. I start work tomorrow morning. Happy days!

Yeah, I know it's quick. A small shop, so they had few applicants (I assume), and he hired me on the spot. So, I go in tomorrow morning at 9, an hour before they open, to be trained, and then I start work at opening. Woot! I'll be working about 20 hours a week, at min. wage, plus a share of the tips. Happy, happy.

Still haven't figured out what happened with my phone. On another note, I found out that banking with USAA is a bit of a pain. And my mother said that it would be easy. -.- Soooo, I'm going to start an account at one of the local banks, too. It's great, innit? Yeah, I love my mom and her wonderful, so useful advice. I bet she knew that the only way I'd be able to deposit into my bank account with USAA would be to go through her. This way, she can keep track of my funds. Of course, there's no branch in Merced, either, so she has to do the same thing. -insert gnashing of teeth here- I'm not independent. I'm still entirely dependent on my mother. Of course. That's the way she wanted it. She couldn't stand it when my sister left, and disconnected herself from our mom, so she made sure I wouldn't be able to do the same thing. I am attatched to her, and I'll have to work damn hard to make it otherwise.

So, today, I discovered that my cell phone is possessed. Yes.

I was sitting in the truck, we were coming home, and suddenly my phone started talking--it was on speakerphone. Apparently, it called USAA for me (they were the last people I'd called), and got the automated answering system. I hung up (what was I supposed to do? It was a machine, not a person, so I couldn't really say I was sorry), and checked the key guard. It was on. So, no buttons were pressed that would have possibly dialed the last number called, and it was in its little sock, so it couldn't have opened. I have no idea what happened, and neither do CJ or his sister (who were both in the truck).

On a different note, I have a job interview tomorrow! Whoo! I will be interviewing for a position (any position, they didn't give me an application, and I don't know what they're hiring for, probably a cashier) at a place called "The Kultured Kitchen". They look like a little mom and pop place, but they hire outside the family (obviously). And they have good food. I'm pretty excited about it, as it's within walking distance of the house I'm living in now, it's got good hours, good food, and nice people. And, I really need a job, if I'm to continue living here. Wish me luck!

Raaaah! I have found a new toy! The WritersCo status bar on the right can be hidden and unhidden. So cool!

It's like, Whoosh! It's gone! and Whoosh! It's back! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

-Toy not intended for small children (baby drool might damage the keyboard) or adults with no sense of humor (you must be easily amused). Requires one mouth for sound effects and one finger to click the button.-

This new look is...interesting. Apparently, I'm taking it better than most people, though, since others I've talked to about it have varried from disliking it to flat hating it. Granted, I'm not very fond of the look, myself, but I could live with it, if I had to. The hardest part to live with would be this grey-blue back-ground. Yeah. That hurts my eyes. It's like a somewhat cloudy day, staring at that "white" cement, that makes you start seeing spots if you look at it too long, even in the gloom. But, my eyes'll adjust, eventually.

I think, actually, that I've seen this stylesheet before. Don't recall being overly fond of it then, either, if I'm thinking of the right thing.

On the other hand, I far prefer this to that horrid "green" choice in the dropdown stylesheet list, so I'll stick with this one until I can get the old look back. No offense meant to whomever came up with the "green" stylesheet. It just gives me a headache, is all. Much like the "Shrooms" stylesheet of ET (and several of the others there...).

I'm back, mostly. I'm still getting settled here, but I have 'net again. Happy days, ne?

I'm going to be gone for an indeterminate amount of time (for those of you who don't already know). I'm moving to southern California on Wednesday, and don't know when I will have regular 'net access again. Hope you're all well.

This storm in the sea of my life has had one good side-effect. I am now suddenly driven to do things. I can't stand to just sit here anymore. I must be up, and about, and doing something. I'm turning this new energy and drive to cleaning up my mom's house while I'm living here, getting in to see my dad, finding a job and an apartment in southern Cali, and visiting people I haven't seen in far too long.

Some time soon, I will disappear for about a week. Don't worry, I'll be back to keep up with my obligations here. But I won't be hanging around much, just long enough to do what I need to, and then I'll be gone again. This is because I'll be down in southern California, dedicating myself to searching out a job and an apartment, and hanging out with my boyfriend's family (the last one when I can't be out searching; the Hunt is my first priority).

Absolutely nothing has gone right today. I may never get to see my dad again.

Note to any staff who may be reading my blog entries:

The below is me venting. I have spoken with [Font] since writing it, and my views have changed somewhat. Also, some things have changed, and are no longer factual (aside from what was already not factual, and my own views). This is simply how I saw the problem at the time I wrote it. Please refrain from messaging me with corrections to any mistakes you might see, or patronizing me.

I do understand that the blog is in poor taste, and I would probably be better removing it. However, telling me what's wrong with it will not make me remove or change it in any way. Thank you for your time.

I have a friend who did nothing more than try to help out a community that he saw lagging. For this, he was banned.

Let us share a moment of silence for this man, and for the administrators who banned him.

While my friend's efforts did not seem a rebellion to me, and I'm sure that they did not seem a rebellion to the other members who joined in the effort, thoughts of rebellion against the unfairness of this entire thing have been growing in my mind (gasp! Better not let them see this, for it will soon be me banned, for my own thoughts that this was an unfair action on their part). I am not trying to stir up trouble (think they'll believe me? They didn't believe him), but I would like to know why, exactly, they found my friend a threat.

I guess that voicing my thoughts on this whole thing will get me sent off with my friend, but in reality, he was the most active member here, aside from the administrators and possibly some of the staff. He is the one that made this community known to me. He is the one that made sure I came back, with his wonderful writings and his contest ideas. He is the reason I didn't leave this site entirely when I saw how dead a place it was. He is not, however, the reason that I will be leaving this site entirely very soon. No, the reason for that is the administrators. I had thoughts of leaving, even before my friend was banned. They were stuck on the idea that he was leading an overt rebellion against him, when all he was really doing was trying to wake up a community that had been sleeping. He was on their side, yet they refused to see it because of his statement that he wanted no 'official' contests in his contest section. I wonder if they ever bothered to ask why.

In case they didn't, here is what I have gleaned: the 'official' contests were not working. There were fees, questions of copyrights, and other problems. He did not want those problems in his own attempt to awaken the community, so he specifically said they were not to be in his contest section. And anyway, the 'official' contests had their own section.

If that sounds like a rebellion to you, please be sure to tell me how. I fail to see it.

Thank you for your time. You may have your ears back now.