Friday
August 4, 2000

I have been thinking about what I would write on my update. I scribble little notes to myself while at work or when I'm home with a pen handy.

The first thing that comes up is my Pulled Leg Muscle Story. I woke up a few weeks ago, stretched in bed and then the most intense pain ever came over me. My leg muscle literally "popped." While I was screaming in pain, Lar was out of bed stretching himself. I tried to reach down and massage it, but it was too painful. I screamed for help. Lar, still waking up, just put his hand on my leg. ON my leg, the TOP of my leg, and I yelled to move it and massage!

It was terrible. I lay in bed an extra 45mins, hoping that when I got up things would be okay. Not so, I was limping around like a dork. I limped around as I got dressed and even worse, I had to go down the stairs by stepping down with each foot on one stair and so forth.

At work I limped around and no one really noticed. The intensity had gone down but the dull ache was still there.

Later that same week, I had some strange attack and left me feeling blind, almost. I had been doing something on the computer for a few hours. Just goofing off, reading some online journals when I wondered why I was having such a hard time reading. I realized that there was a big spot on my left eye that entirely blocked out the beginning of everything I was reading.

I slowly began to freak out in my back cubicle. I was testing myself by staring straight ahead with my arms outstretched at my sides. I would bring my fingertips in until I could start to see them and then stop. My left side was pretty bad. I was freaked out.

I looked away from the monitor in hopes that that swirling spot would go away--it just reappeared on the wall. I took my glasses off and stared at nothing, Hello Mr.Spot! Then I also noticed a sharp headache around my right eye.

I was not happy. I rushed home feeling dazed and threw myself into bed. I hoped a nap would cure me. Nope. I called in sick and just lay in bed all day. Thankfully things were better the next day.

That week was the worst week ever. In addition to that shit above, it was also freaking hot and my building doesn't have air conditioning.

On one of my trips home, my friends and I decided to go to Ocean Shores. Sure, we decided to go at 9.30 and it takes about an hour to get there...but we went. The drive was exhausting. I actually was getting carsick. It was even more trying because Josh's windows had automatic lock. I was also hungry. I hadn't eaten that day because I was sure we'd go somewhere to eat.

Not so! Oh well...we arrived at the beach and it was beautiful. It was dark except from the lights of the nearby Shilo Inn and the occasional carlights. We all ran up to the water and touched it. I realized why I felt so strange there--everything was black and white. Jennifer was standing next to me wearing a hot pink shirt and all I saw was grey. I was wearing a pale blue shirt and it was grey as well, my blue jacket was black and my pants were white. It was very weird. Like in a living film.

After playing with a few sparklers, we went to the Inn to clean up and onto home. Jennifer was nice enough to let me sit in the front. I felt MUCH better this time. Whew. Everyone was home by midnight, but it was such a long night...fun though.

Another morning, I woke up and Lost My Barbell. Well, just the little screw-in ballie at the top. So I had to go and buy another one, which was fine. But they didn't have the exact length I wanted. And out of habit I handed over my debit card when I was running really LOW on money. Pay day was just a few days away at the 25th.

A couple weekends ago, Jennifer came up and we went to the Bite of Seattle. It takes place in the Seattle Center, lots of food booths and most of them have a "$2 taste" you can try. We had pad thai, dessert, and some other stuff. She won a bunch of stuffed animals with that grabber machine and it was just fun.

We also went to Uwajimaya and bought lotsa snacks and toys. She went home later that day, but it was okay cuz we had a good time. This time she slept in a bed rather than the beanbag so I felt better about being a good host. I had to seriously CLEAN before she came though. But hey, might as well, since we are Moving.

So we finally decided to leave this place. It sucks. I hate it here. And it's just time to leave. We got Michelle to join us, though right now I'm not sure which way she's gonna go. She has an offer to stay with some other people. But Lar and I have an appointment to see this place in Northgate which sounds really nice. I hope it works out cuz I want to know where I'm living!

Anyways, Pay Day came and no check arrived for me. I was panicking because I was gonna be overdrawn! See, when I started work a month ago I handed over a $15 deposit for my work keys. It hadn't been cashed since then, so I figured they just held it until I returned the keys at the end of summer. But nope! They cashed it FIVE WEEKS after I gave it to them. I obviously stopped making allowances for it and now with my barbell, I was gonna be short.

But I had this hope that my check would be given to me and I could deposit it quickly, you know? All day long I called in to check my balance, still the same. So when I went home for lunch I scrounged around for some money and came up with $9.50, mostly in change. I went to the bank to deposit it and the girl had the worst time counting everything. :P But at least now I was safe.

Realizing that no one at work was gonna tell me where my check was, I took it upon myself to email the payroll woman and later she told me it was upstairs in the mailroom. That is just bullshit! I was up there that day and actually talked to the guy who has my check, and he didn't bother to say anything!

That fucking pissed me off! Does no one care about me here? So I decided that it would just be up to me from now on in there.

So this brings me to work. I have Issues working here and I'll just work around them for the time being. I am pretty sure that I won't stay on with them during the school year. I know they want me to, but I don't want to and it's also a work study position. Oh well!

Anyways, I just have these feelings of alienation and exclusion here. A few weeks ago they had a birthday lunch. Everyone was invited to go but me, of course not me! I was hired to cover for everyone. That's fine, I accept that. But after weeks of whisperings about this lunch, I get an email the Sunday before to say that I'll be watching the phones from X to Y, included at the bottom of the email was the message that there was gonna be a birthday dinner.

Nice.

Something that also came up was that I was making $7, instead of $7.50, like they've been telling me. I brought it up and they said I'd go to $7.50 after 30 days. Nowhere in my interview did they say this "30 days" bit, so that pissed me off. I started to work less. I will only work the amount appropriate for what I'm getting paid.

Since then, since the 1st, I am now officially making $7.50. I think I'll just keep asking every day and maybe by the end of the summer I'll be at $8.50 or something. Like anyone is watching out for me there. :P

I also have another job lined up, being a conversation partner for some exchange student. It begins at the end of this month. I just hope my person is cool and that I can understand them enough and shit, we'd have to become best friends after this, since it goes until November. I think I'll be making $50/wk. It's money under the table! And it's all going to my LA Fund.

I will be going back there the same time as last year. I'm getting excited. I know it's still a long ways off.

Also heard of another job too, there is some research project about the WTO riots. I applied for the position of transcriber. I wonder if I'll get it. It's cool because I'll have to work at home and they'll lend me a transcription machine and I hope the tapes are coherent and that they don't have high expectations of me. I'll just put in a few hours each day after work and make up the rest on the weekends. That job pays $8/hr and it's part-time. They told me they'd let me know at the end of the week or else next week. One strike I know I have is not being work study. But I'm thinking, "Who the hell learns how to do machine transcription nowadays?" Oh well. I tried, and extra money is always very very good.

I went home this past weekend and it was cool because Wilson tagged along. On the first night we just went over to Jen's to talk. But everyone was tired and we were home by midnight. The next day we had sandwiches at Mecconi's...and visited Jennifer since she got sick! She's been sick off and on for the longest time. But lately, it sounds like she's getting better. *whew*

Wilson left and I spent the day with Annie. We were supposed to go ice skating (where? i don't know) but that didn't happen. Went to Target and I bought some nailpolish then visited her sister. Later that night we called Brian over and watched "Bowfinger." It was a nice relaxing weekend.

Then last night, my sister and I went out. I was starving because I didn't eat lunch that day. I was soooo hungry I almost cried. *L* But we ate at Azteca and I was in the mood for cheap Mexican and I ate everything! Then we went downtown to get tickets for "Loser." Since we were there early, I purchased a new keyboard for $8! So far it's been difficult to use, because 1) the "enter" key is too far away and 2) the keys make clicking sounds. Oh well, $8 to tide us over until we get a new computer. The movie was good, cute, in that way..you KNOW what way. So then I got home after 9pm.

So today, I didn't go into work. I just needed some time to myself. Lar also had today off to do stuff, namely try out for College Jeopardy! The other day he secured an audition by calling into the radio station and playing "Beat the Producer." This way, he doesn't have to stand in line like everyone else! Hee hee!

We had a speedy breakfast at IHOP. I bet we were only there 15mins. I went home and actually hung out with Darryl, cuz he was moving out this morning. I actually SAW his apartment. Boy, I'm glad he's leaving because apartment is depressing! I also wrote out our last month's rent because I didn't want the owner to bug me on my weekend. :P

So yeah. I was kind of sad to see Darryl go. But he's doing better things now and he'll be happier! We'll probably still keep in touch, just by having him as our reference and stuff like that. But he will be easy to find.

Jim is also trying out for Jeopardy! I wonder how it went. He actually visited me at work yesterday which was a very nice surprise. We agreed to meet up after I got off work to go over to Wilson's and hang out a bit. It was nice. I thought it was funny how he kept checking my page for updates and thought I was "in trouble" because I hadn't done anything in so long. Hee hee!

But I'm tired now, so here's an update. I hope it's long enough. It included everything I wanted to talk about, so until next time. :)