Hmm...
So, the week has been extremely slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I don't know yet if I'm even going to like the job itself, because this week has been a lot of bullshit thus far. Monday and Tuesday were company training (very boring. Tuesday not as bad as Monday, but still very long AND we started a half-hour earlier). Wednesday and today were sort-of department training (and by department training I mean we went over departmental stuff for about 15 minutes with the supervisors for one of the buildings in GB as well as the supervisor whose department will have all of us when we're done with training and the rest of the day we kind of dorked around and didn't accomplish much). Today we spent the morning taking ethical training bullshit and I almost fell asleep multiple times.
I was thinking about going to Ripon tomorrow night but I have to go back to Milwaukee to pack up my stuff to move to Appleton on Saturday. I'm so bummed!! I've always wanted to see the Wingra Wind Quintet (faculty woodwind quintet from Madison) - just goes to prove that even after I graduate Ripon manages to suck. :) But I've freed my calendar for February 24 (and I even have a date for the occasion - none other than Ms. Vidal!) to see the something-or-other string trio PLUS OBOE! WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! (yeah, I'm a big dork, but oh well). Except they might play the Mozart quartet about a million times better than my recital, but who cares? :)
Anyway, so the good news is that I've met a lot of nice people in training. I think everyone is older than me - a lot of them with kids and such. After spending 4 years in the college atmosphere, it's weird hearing about people who don't seem all that much older than me talking about their kids. There's one girl in our group from Phoenix who has never really seen snow, much less driven in it. Haha! We're going to have fun with her reactions to snow, or heck, even the weather we've been having lately (50s)....
I have to call my apartment complex tomorrow to let them know a number to call to confirm that I am indeed an employee of xyz company...because that is the only thing standing between me and my own apartment!!! Score!
Facebook has lost some of its amusement, but I did form the Kurt Dietrich Fan Club. We're kicking the ass (member-wise) of the Professor Blake Fan Club...(which I am also a member of!).
Anyway, it's going to be a long day tomorrow and I have to drive home after work. Ta-ta for now, kiddies!
- posted by L. @ 11:03 PM

 
Update on that whole work-thing...
So, today was day two. I'm just going to say right off the bat that I hate orientation, especially large company orientations. I had to sit through a shortened, condensed version of orientation for Columbia (back in the day) that was only like, 45 minutes long, and THAT was boring. THIS has been two days of sheer boredom! Blah!
I already have an aversion to getting up early (but does that surprise anyone??? haha). I've gotten up at 7am for the past two days (well, 6:40 on Monday), but probably 7am from now on...boo!!!
Anyway, so Monday, we had to check in by 8:15 (we started at 8:30). We were supposed to bring a form of ID that shows that we are eligible for work in the United States, and our options were to bring a state-issued ID and a social security card OR a passport. Not having a passport, I opted for bringing my driver's license and my social security card - which has been in my wallet for the last four years ... or so I thought. Upon getting to work, I found out that my social security card was not in my wallet - realizing that I took it out and put it in the firesafe at home when I went to Ohio in order to not lose it. Having done that in May, I didn't remember it wasn't in there. Needless to say, the woman checking people in was not forgiving. You can go get your picture taken, she tells me, but then you must leave the building and you are not allowed to return until you have a social security card. But, my card is in Milwaukee, I tell her, and she replies by telling me that is too bad, and that I have to go to the social security office in Green Bay and get a new one. Well, actually, not a new card, but proof that I'm getting a new card. The social security office doesn't even OPEN until 9am...so I go to the office, wait for my half hour, get my little piece of paper that says I've applied for a new card, and leave. I get back to work at 10am, an hour and a half late. The morning orientation was boring, and for lunch we got to meet with our trainers and our department supervisors. Our trainer was just generally unfriendly to the group, and declared that rather than sitting and watching us eat lunch, she would sit away from us and then we could ask her questions if any came up (if you're not sitting with us, how are we going to come up with questions? and are you really approachable if you're not even willing to sit with the group?). Then we got to meet another supervisor for one of the other offices who wanted to recruit some of us to go to her office (and I totally would have - she was really nice and friendly, but her office was another 20-25 minutes further and I think a 45 minute drive would be a bitch). After meeting her, we got to meet our own supervisor. Our trainer introduced him to the group and he was like "Hi, I'll be your supervisor. Well. I know which one Travis is. Haha." (there was only one male in the group). Then he went to go sit with the trainer and they didn't speak to us during lunch. Great, huh??
The afternoon was really boring, today was really boring, I hate getting up early, but hopefully the trainer and supervisor won't be as terrible tomorrow when we meet with them again...
I love the corporate world already...
- posted by L. @ 5:25 PM

 
Ho hum.
So, life has been a whirlwind of events lately - getting a job, looking for an apartment, putting down a deposit on my apartment this afternoon, facing the reality that I have to apartment shop and clothes shop tomorrow before heading back to Appleton on Sunday before (gulp) work on Monday.
In the midst of all this, I'm facing a personal crisis.
My cat is dying.
For all of you who think that this may be so over dramatic, that it's just a cat, fuck off.
I've had my cat, Bear, since I was 6. It was a promise gone wrong on the part of my parents, but now I think all of us are glad that they made a promise to a 3-year-old that she could get a cat when she was 6 (they hoped I would forget, but I didn't).
My cat had a growth, a benign growth in her mouth about six years ago. We took her to the vet, the vet cut it out, and it was gone, until August of this year. Now that benign growth is cancer, and since I've been home for just over a month, the tumor has gone from looking like a bee sting to a full blown tumor. On my scrawny, 16-year-old Bear, it looks huge. And it got bigger just since Monday.
And now the vet says that we need to take her in, that it's most likely gotten infected, that it's painful, and that soon she won't be able to eat or drink.
And now my family has to decide whether to take her in on Saturday (tomorrow), or sometime next week. For me that means that either I have to say goodbye to my cat tomorrow, or I have to leave for Appleton on Sunday knowing that I'll never get to see my cat again.
I almost wish that I would wake up tomorrow and find that she has died in her sleep. I don't want to have to take her to the vet to have them put her down - she hates the vet and cries whenever she has to go. But I don't want her to be in pain anymore either.
Decisions like this totally suck. And I suck at making decisions, too.
And on that note, I'm going to wrap this up.
- posted by L. @ 11:58 PM

 
Apartment hunting!
I went apartment hunting today which was a great deal of fun...well, not really. But, all things considered, it was much better than expected, and I put in my application for my apartment today...I'm really excited! Now, let the giddiness ensue...huzzah! I don't have the apartment yet, but hopefully *crosses fingers* I will be able to move into my very own apartment on Oct 1. Yeah, can you tell I'm excited, 'cause I'm excited! I don't quite have enough stuff to fill my apartment yet - especially since I have a living room AND a den, as well as a bedroom...yikes. Yup, that's right, the extent of my furniture is a bed, a futon frame (no mattress), and a papasan chair. But hopefully I will be able to find some stuff - I found a potential couch at the thrift store that my mom's friend volunteers at for pretty cheap. It's not like I'm buying anything permanent, I just need to find something to fill the apartment (because only one person can sit on the papasan chair, lol).
Anyway, wish me luck on getting my apartment!! :)
P.S. Happy 22nd birthday to Mr. Wilburmeister!!
- posted by L. @ 7:33 PM

 
Caaaaaaaaan't waaaaaaaaait!
Oh-my-GOD. I can't wait until this whole working then moving ordeal is OVER!! It's not even that my family is driving me insane, but I really don't want to even THINK about packing (didn't I JUST pack?? like, my entire existance fit into one dorm room? ack). Oh, there is so much to do.
You know what pisses me off? Republicans. The election was like, ten months ago. I think we can drop the commentary about Bush and how great he is, thanks. If Jeb Bush runs in 2008 and wins, god damnit, I am hightailing it out of this country and moving to Canada. No joke. Toronto is a lovely city. :)
I am so boring. I went out to dinner and a movie with Adam tonight, that was fun. Other than that, I have spent much of my time packing, or pretending to pack, as well as spending time with my kitty, who is, according to my sister, on her death bed (whatever). She's old and sick, but she's not dying! It's not like I want her to live while she's in pain, and if she gets to be in very evident pain, we'll take her in.
Well, what a note to end on. Yay bed. :)
- posted by L. @ 1:09 AM

 
STILL too much to do...
But then again, I've been lax in my actually doing any of it. In the meantime of doing nothing, I'm trying to figure out how to upload an mp3 file to my blog, somehow, because really, it's quite entertaining. For now, I'm going to refrain from elaborating in case this actually happens. :)
So, I've realized that my life has felt somewhat empty since the loss of Cingular. I could always guarantee Cingular to give me an entertaining yet frustrating story to tell (or multiple stories to tell!). Somehow, though I'm more than happy with Verizon (according to them, I don't live in Arkansas!), I grew so accustomed to bitching about Cingular that I feel lost without it.
Well, on to bigger and better things. I have a feeling that customer service will lead to more idiots. I'll set up another anonymous blog later to recount those ideas.
In the meantime, I hate my car. Stupid, stupid STUPID car. I probably shouldn't hate it so much, but I do. Oh car, why must you be the death of me?? I bought you brand new tires and now you hate me. Let's do an impression of my car driving on the on-ramp to 41.
*putt-putt-putt-putt-putt-putt-ZOOM*
(might I add that the 'putt's' equal 40 mph, and the ZOOM equals about 70...)
Oh well. I can't complain *too* much...but I don't have anything else to complain about....I *can* however, complain about the way that hunk of metal on wheels eats gas though. Hello?? I don't drive an Astro. I don't drive a truck. I drive a Mazda. That's right, a 626 Mazda. STOP EATING GAS!!! It should not take 6-7 gallons to drive from Appleton to Milwaukee (about 100 hwy miles). GOT IT???
I'm not going to complain about gas prices, because they *are* going down and I never had to pay $3.49 for a gallon of gas. Drive to northern Wisconsin kids, it's cheaper there.
Oh, and to further stimulate my mind, I signed up for a course online about the Civil War at Barnes & Noble. Not surprisingly, I've already fallen behind on my reading and consequently given up. :) An interesting topic though, I might print out the lectures/reading assignments and do the stuff on my own over the next 10 years or so until I go back to school. If I go back to school. We shall see.
My kitty has a huge ass tumor in her mouth. It breaks my heart every time I see her. They think it's cancer, but there's not much to do for her. Surgery might just kill her 'cause she's so old. Then again, I've had my kitty for 16 years now, I just don't want to admit she's old!!
Anyway, I think I'm going to go to bed. I have to call some apartment places tomorrow to possibly look at for later. My logic there is that if I have a definite destination, I might be more inclined to pack my stuff. Or at least look for it. :)
- posted by L. @ 12:47 AM

 
Things to do, things to do...
Ack, so much to do, and only two weeks in which to do so!! Right now it's too late/hot to go upstairs and do the main thing that I should do: that being clean/sort/pack my room.
I suppose I should find an apartment first...but I haven't decided where I want to live yet!!
My job is located in DePere, so by all practicalities, I should really go live in Green Bay or DePere, but those may be some of the most boring cities on the face of the planet. So, I would rather live in Appleton, but that's a 20-30 minute drive every morning, which wouldn't be so terrible once my regular hours start (11:30-8 or 10-6:30), but my training hours are something like 8:30-5 or something ungodly like that....:) But that's only for like two months (okay, so two months is a while...ick).
I guess what I'm going to do is look at some apartments in both cities and figure out rent & such, and then maybe make my decision. Of course, finding an awesome apartment might solve the dilemma for myself!! :)
So the latest delayed craze for me isn't blogger or livejournal or anything, but rather it's The Facebook!! *sigh*
I'm now addicted to Facebook (and for once, I love Ripon for not closing my school account because now I have Facebook!)...so if you're addicted to Facebook and I don't have you on my friends list, add me! Ripon JUST got on the bandwagon and got Facebook, hence the delay. But it's been pretty cool so far, I've found a couple of long-lost friends from HS (like f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-RODNEY!) and seen some really funny pictures of others (*cough - Adam - cough*) :)
So, on the agenda for this week:
**apartment hunting!
**going to Appleton
**shopping for work-type clothes
**taking a drug test
**enjoying the first of my last two weeks off...
**compulsively checking Facebook while it's still a novelty ;)
- posted by L. @ 11:03 PM

 
Life of the unemployed...
...wait, I guess that's not me!!! :) Anyway, I just got hired today, which is super exciting, and a little impressive!! I'll be working in DePere, which my mom thinks is just hilarious considering that she moved from DePere to Milwaukee, and I'll be moving from Milwaukee to the Fox Cities (I hope not DePere...no offense Leah Ann!). So, yay! I'm no longer unemployed, and I still have another week to chill and screw around...well, actually that will be apartment-hunting and then sifting through the layers of crap that is my room, the basement, and the garage....
But yay! I have a job! :)
- posted by L. @ 8:16 PM

 
Just because I'm up...yikes...
I have had the wonderful privilege of living with my family for the past few weeks...well on and off in between trips to A-town. And while the free food has been great, and for the most part, the 'rents and I stay out of each other's hair, and I get to spend lots of time outside with my aging cat, all of this homeliness has another amusement. Yes, folks, I'm talking about my younger sister.
Now, for anyone who knows me and my sister, we look semi-alike until you see us both together, in person. So, picture resemblences are about where it stops....
My sister while watching Annie, "why is he doing that? who is that guy? what about that girl? why are they dancing together? etc...etc...etc...."
On boys: "Adam & I are just so in love....wait, is Joe built? I mean, is he like, ripped and stuff....I love Adam, he's the best!....I'm going to run off with your brother!" (Adam is her boyfriend, Joe is my boyfriend's younger brother).
On her relationship: "I've taken to smacking him in the face. I don't think he likes that very much."
On herself: "I'm like, a beast!"
And, finally, a conversation about sarcasm:
Setting- Living room...I'm sitting on the couch reading Cosmo. I get very involved in reading, and tend not to pay attention to anything around me.
Katie: Okay, I'll see you later.
Lauren (half-enthused): Bye.
Katie: What's wrong?
Lauren: Huhwhat?
Katie: You seem...sad.
Lauren: Uh, I'm fine. According to you, I *always* seem sad, but that's 'cause you always get me when I'm busy.
Katie: You're not very talkative, either!
Lauren (laughs): That's just because when I'm with you, I'm trying to refrain from being sarcastic because I know you won't understand it.
*pause*
Katie: Why are you so mean to me!?!?!?!?
Lauren: Katie, you've totally illustrated my point.

Yes, that's right, I live with Jessica Simpson version 2.0. :)

I suppose I should go to bed 'cause I have to leave tomorrow at 10am to go to Green Bay for a job interview. Blah! Wish me luck :)
- posted by L. @ 2:28 AM

 
September 3, 2005 - a monumental, WONDERFUL day...
So the post is a few days late, but I didn't realize the wonderfulness of September 3 until today...I went to check my voice mail messages on my old cell phone and found out that the phone was disconnected!!!
hooray!!!!!!!!
And you know what that means??? It means NO MORE CINGULAR!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! On the sad side, though, it means no more amusing phone call transcriptions/rants about how fucking stupid all the Cingular people are. Oh well. I'm over it. If I had regular computer access during my last frustration with Cingular, there would have been rants, but alas, I could only audio blog (and, I didn't....many thanks to Cingular for making my phone calls useless...bastards).
Though there is something quasi-amusing about having to sit on a picnic table with four bars of service (out of four) and have to make a complete circle before being able to make a phone call - that inevitably wouldn't allow the person on the other end to hear me anyway. :) Charming!
Oh, and it officially means no more 731 number too...so email me, comment for me, IM me, whatever to get my new number if you want!! :)
But, just to enunciate my joy - NO MORE CINGULAR! HAHA!!!!!!!! Life is good. :)
- posted by L. @ 10:40 PM

 
Wisconsin Fun!!
Okay, since I'm super bored these days, and I'm just job-hunting, and so far there's nothing exciting to report (still waiting, still crossing fingers!)...so in the meantime, some Wisconsin (more specifically Milwaukee - w00t) fun! :)

Things NOT to do in Milwaukee:
1. Order a Budweiser
2. Ride a Kawasaki
3. Drive a semi or other heavy vehicle across the Hoan Bridge.
4. Ask for turkey sausage at Usinger's.
5. Drive less than 85 mph to Chicago.
6. Bet on the Brewers winning the World Series.
7. Criticize the Packers when they're winning.
8. Criticize the Packers when they're losing.
9. Give away the password to the Safe House.
10. Be pregnant and wear a bikini at Summerfest.
11. Ask someone in Door County or Lake Geneva (or Green Lake...lol), "What's a FIB?"
12. Order a beer at Bryant's or At Random.
13. Wear "No Fat Chicks" shirt at local mall.
14. Order a hamburge on Friday at Serb Hall.
15. Wear Vikings hat in public.
16. Take "Touch TMJ4" slogan too literally and assault Mike Gousha..."the TV told me to"
17. Shout Bingo for fun in crowded casino.
18. Take an afternoon swim in the Milwaukee River.
19. Ask about the clocks at George Webb.
20. Be surprised when a Milwaukee sports failure becomes a superstar after being traded.
21. Trust the weatherman.
22. Expect that renewing your drivers' license will only take 10 minutes.
23. Hail "God Mobile" as it drives down Wisconsin Ave, attempt to confess sins to driver.
24. Invite Mark Chmura to your teenage daughter's birthday party.
25. Throw rocks at the Domes.
26. Make Sopranos references at Giovanni's, Vitucci's, or Victor's.
27. Say "It's too cold to go to Lambeau"
28. Wear a "Cryptosporidium Rules" t-shirt.
29. Leave voice mail for Bob Reitman, asking, "What's with the vest?"
30. Eat at Sizzler.
31. Wear sandals in the Summerfest men's room.
- posted by L. @ 11:55 AM