Take this job and shove it, adios I'm a ghost
I am leaving for the coast and I'll never work for anyone again
--Kimya Dawson
Last Day of Muffinating Saturday, January 24, 2009
fo-ty fo inch brims. Friday, January 23, 2009
toothpastefordinner.com
lolz.
Bread was a rousing success. I now have two lovely loaves of wheat bread. It came out a little heavy, but hopefully it will be a little warmer the next time I bake bread, so it will rise better. And I think I'll change the balance of white and whole wheat flour.
I love public radio so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant!
Everyone knows how much I love NPR. (above figure of speech credited to Tracy Jordan). I got up early this morning to bake bread and the first two shows both centered on issues very near and dear to my heart.
Think Out Loud focused on Oregon unemployment, an issue that has become closer to me in the last week or so. I didn't get to listen as carefully as I would have liked to, since I had to go to Freddie's to buy yeast in the middle of the show. World Have Your Say, a show I rarely listen to because its frantic pace stresses me out, centered on Obama's use of the phrase "non-believers" in his inauguration address, and on the separation of church and state in United States politics. I felt so strongly on the issue that I posted to their blog -- and they read my comment on the air and discussed it! (ps: I'm a nerd)
But for now, my dough is rising in our coat closet (possibly the warmest place in the apartment, since it houses the hot water heater), I'm listening to Talk of the Nation, the kitchen is about to be cleaned (again), and tomorrow is my last day of work. Also, I'm going wine tasting tonight - the theme is 12 wines under $8. Whoa. Life might be a little good.
Because the whole point of playing an acoustic guitar is not to unplug. It's to get raw and draw blood. Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I have never been sadder that I don't live on the east coast.
I have two more shifts at work, and luckily the bad bosses in question will be GONE for both of them! So I get two more shifts of my favorite parts of that job, and then I won't work there any more. This time next week I will be unemployed. And so I have some goals for unemployment!
First, short term goals:
- -Figure out how filing for unemployment works. See if it's worth it, or if I even qualify for it.
- -Get details sorted out for being a vendor at the Annual General Meeting of the PNWD. Do I have to pay registration on top of my booth rental? When should I come to set up? What do I need to bring?
- -Email the facilitator of Uni-Uniques and find out the steps to selling my wares through their site and contacts.
- -Build my print inventory, find exciting ways to display said prints on a table.
- -Advertise my tutoring services through PCC and maybe Craig's List again.
- -Get up by 10 am every day, and be dressed by noon. (This means wearing underwear and NO PJ PANTS).
- -Shower at least every other day.
- -Keep living space clean and organized. When I have a job I use it as an excuse to be fairly messy. I don't do my dishes in a timely manner, I never wash the plastic bags, and I keep my room way too messy. And especially keep work space clean and organized. Right now it's a mess and it's driving me crazy.
- -Listen to NPR like a mad fiend again.
- -Keep track of personal and professional finances with an eagle eye (perhaps with the help of Excel?). Pay loan bills on time.
- -Get out of the house at least once a day, preferably for longer than it takes to check the mail.
- -Employ use of bicycle. (This goal might take a couple of months to meet, since it's cold as heck out right now).
- -COOK MORE. Plan meals, use the crock pot like whoa. Turns out crock pot recipes are really not necessary. Just throw a one-pot recipe's ingredients into the crock pot and turn it on. We made turkey chili on Monday and it's absolutely delicious.
- -Don't drown in coffee.
- -Don't lose track of what day it is. For serious.
I think I can meet these goals. I'm practicing right now. I got up at 10, I have Talk of the Nation in my ears, and it's 11:36 and I'm about to get dressed. Wish me luck!
It's begun. Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's now 9:53 AM Pacific. We got up early to watch the inauguration. Obama is our 44th president.
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. [...] But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
--President Barack Obama
On the edge of something Monday, January 19, 2009
I know I don't talk about my job very much, but this is important. Last Thursday I went in to work at my scheduled time. I took off my coat, put on my apron and name tag, clocked in, and said good morning to my bosses. They told me they need to have a staff meeting with all of us, but instead of having us all come in at 5 Friday afternoon, they're just going to talk to each of us individually as we come in, to save time. They let me know we've all been too slow completing orders, we haven't been giving good enough customer service, blah blah usual "you're not meeting our expectations" talk. They called me out on yelling "OH SHIT" in front of a crowd of customers the Saturday before when I dropped a pan of bagels on the floor. And then, out of seemingly no where, they tell me that, not because of the 'oh shit' or the customer service or anything, they're going to have to lay me off. They're having to go into savings to pay payroll and they just have to let one person go. They didn't want it to come to this. My last day is Saturday January 24th.
Ok whatever, so I'm laid off from the job I didn't like in the first place, (Ok to be fair, I loved the job, I just couldn't stand my employers). But here's what's messed up: I'm not the most recent hire. I've been there for at least 3 months longer than the most recent hire. I've been working there for 5 months now - as long as I've been living in Beaverton. But then again, I'm not really surprised that I'm the first to go. I've felt since my second week that they didn't like me, that they were looking for a reason to fire me. My job performance has been absolutely fine, I make bank tips, I'm great with customers, I'm fast enough to make customers happy. I haven't had any customer complaints since my first month (and that one was a customer complaining that I wouldn't give him a discount when we ran out of the blend of coffee he wanted. He was full of it.) I get along great with my co-workers, I'm friendly to the bosses who treat me like ass and only motivate with negativity.
So there it is. They can't afford to give one of us hours and I'm easily the least favorite. And there goes my employment. I've decided not to seek a new job at the moment. I'm going to try to get 7printciples off the ground, and get more tutoring jobs. Hopefully that can sustain me for a while.
We got up at 5:30 this morning to be part of the live studio audience of today's special broadcast of Think Out Loud in honor of MLK and Obama's inauguration tomorrow. We were informed space would be limited, so we got there at 7 for doors at 8. We were easily the first people there.
When we got into the studio there were pieces of paper and pens on each seat. The papers were to facilitate the conversation. I filled mine out, but didn't turn it in.
Name: Jessie
Where are you from? Beaverton (originally Corvallis)
Describe yourself briefly (Engineer from Portland, student from Hillsboro) Recent college graduate, recent minimum wage lay-off, disgruntled 20-something from Beaverton.
Question/Comment: I am at a turning point in history and in my life. In less than two weeks everything is going to change. I'll be 23 years old, unemployed (laid off from a minimum wage job I hated, but couldn't afford to quit), and we'll be under a brand new administration. I am so unsureabout what will happen in the next few months, not to mention the next four years. Really, all I can do is hope for the best.
Proposition 8 - The Musical Sunday, January 11, 2009
When prop 8 passed in November I was disappointed in our country. Not because there exist, within our country, people who think that homosexuality is wrong, and that marriage between two people of the same sex should be prohibited - because those people will always exist. It's awful that they voted to pass this proposition in California. Everyone else is ANGRY that it passed - Americans from all 50 states, celebrities, even Canadians - and they're angry for good reason. No rights should be restricted based on sexual orientation. But my question, and the basis for my disappointment in the US is this: Where were all these angry people when Constitutional Amendment 36 passed in Oregon in 2004? Where were the celebrities? The only people who seemed to care in 2004 were the liberal Oregonians. Is it because all the celebrities live in California anyways? Is it because it passed by a fairly narrow margin in California and a landslide in Oregon?
But I give up. I'm glad people are mad and speaking out now, and I'm sorry I'm not madder. Whatever. I found this video today regarding prop 8 that made me giggle. It's a month or so old.
How I left the ministry Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The last thing I saw before going unconscious
Was your right hand tracing a heart on my thigh
And I thought, "my god, what an infantile gesture,"
And I thought, "my god, what an indescribable high."
--The Extra Glenns
I don't know why the above lyrics always get all stuck up in my head. No one else seems to like that song like I do, even those who really love and appreciate John Darnielle's lyricism.
I'm in somewhat of a funk tonight and I don't know why. I keep navigating to facebook, only to discover that nothing's really changed since the last time I refreshed 5 minutes ago.
I did a lot of 7printciples work Sunday and Monday. I got new designs uploaded on my etsy site, made lots of prints, cut extra cards, made business cards. My next project is to make packets to send to UU congregations I'm somehow attached to, to ask if they would just pass my information and samples along. But that's scary. That's really putting myself out there. We'll see.
Holidays and the year in review Thursday, January 1, 2009
Highlights of Christmas/New Years:
- Gifts and cards sent to many friends far away
- An epic journey to Port Townsend
- A mellow Christmas with Rob's family
- Winning the Milk soundtrack on Christmas day because I knew that James Franco was in Pineapple Express, just prior to seeing Milk.
- An odd, late Christmas with my family
- A couple of days at home in Beaverton with Rob, PJ and Cubby
- Another, less epic drive to Port Townsend on December 30th
- A windstorm and power outage viewed from what felt like the top of Port Townsend
- New friends
- New Years Eve bonfire and explosives
- Not much sleep New Years night
- A very tired morning and ride back to Portland today
I think 2009 is going to be good. It's looking good so far. I'm excited.
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