The beach was totally worth it

I was debating on going to the beach today. I made it out there after the gym. And it was not a disappointment that's for sure. It was beautiful out there. Also, the pictures aren't half bad considering I took them with my G1.

Jacksonville NC, I loathe you

So, I've been down here a week. It has been a very lame, long week. I can't believe how much I don't miss any of this crap down here. The traffic is always so terrible, and fixing the streets is nearly impossible because of so much traffic.

One thing about the traffic that has not changed is how people sit at stop lights. When I learned how to drive I was told to move into the intersection while waiting to turn left on a green light. Most of the people here sit right at white line that signifies where to stop when the light is red. Obviously this makes a left turn a whole lot longer than it would if you were already in the intersection and only have to cross the lanes of oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, not a lot of people know this. So they just sit there patiently waiting for next green arrow. How lame...

The other thing that bothers me about being out here is you can't just go to a shop to have your oil changed. I walk into Jiffy Lube and they say I could make an appointment. I didn't realize Jiffy Lube is in the appointment business. Oh well, I just get to do it myself.

The other thing I knew but didn't take into account was paydays. I went to Wal-Mart for granola. That's it. Granola. I stood in line for nearly 20 minutes just to use the self-checkout, express lane. Outrageous, friends. It was amazing to see how many people were in line at the express lane with a cart full of groceries. I had granola and Powerade. I had two items and was forced to watch people attempt to use the express lane for upwards of 90 items.

This is just some of the things that make me angry about being in Jacksonville, NC. I guess I shouldn't be so grumpy about it. It isn't the town's fault. Literally, the town was here and Camp Lejeune unleashed hell on the town. And now there's just so many Marines living here there's barely the infrastructure needed to support the amount of people.

Out of the Suitcase

Well, I'm finally out of the suitcase and into a hotel room. I was sleeping at a friends place for the weekend. I was on the couch and in a house full of people. We were at maximum capacity. It feels good to finally be out of there and into a room where I can get comfortable.

The good news is I was able to mostly unpack. I'm still holding out for a beach house to open up so I can stay out by the beach. If that doesn't happen I won't be terribly disappointed. It would be cool if I got to stay out there, but a trip should suffice.

The bad news is I packed one green t-shirt that fits. I packed two smalls, one medium and one extra large. I would be happy if they were all larges, but whatever. I can't believe I have small t-shirts, and I can only imagine they were from my time in Iraq.

I guess I just get to buy a couple more green t-shirts. Even though I have a pile of 35 at my house.

I'm about to venture out to the mall because I should get a decent haircut and some Tony's Pizza. Probably some of the best pizza ever. Seriously...

Out here

NC barely

Well, I made it to NC. I left in the middle of a blizzard. There was 10 inches of snow on the ground for the entire drive across WI. It was pretty unnerving. I followed semi-trucks. That helped. They cleared a little path for my tires. It was definitely rough going. I stopped for gas and the attendant warned they were closing I-94. That wasn't a good thing to hear. I needed as much time as possible on the road. Just in case the weather was bad the whole way down here. I made it to I-39 south, in no less than eight hours. It was pretty damn terrible. I wasn't happy at all.

I got up after sleeping for two hours and started back on the trek. I was only on the road for about an hour before I managed to slide the truck sideways. I was going from the left lane, across an overpass and onto the on-ramp as I tried to regain control. Not really fun at all. The wind was blowing harder than I've felt. I was getting pushed all over the road.

As soon as I made it to the east side of Indianapolis the weather was perfect. Well, better than before.

I made it to OH, for a little sleep, but only got another 2.5 hours after I ate dinner and visited with the family. It was good to see them, especially right before the holidays. I should get to see them on my way home, too. Hopefully, this time I'll get to see Jesus in the lake. If you haven't seen it, you should really do yourself a favor and google it! It is awesome!

So far, it has been uneventful here in J-Actionville. It still sucks that's for sure. I went to the bar Friday night with friends and forgot how crappy everything is. The service is terrible and everybody thinks they're the king. Testosterone-charged drunk Marines is bad. I am amazed at how so many people can think they're so awesome in a room filled with peers. Oh well. I don't have that much longer to deal with them. It's only two weeks, and I'm home for Christmas.

the first day at hyland...

well it's that time of year and hyland hills is opening again. today is the first shift. it will probably be a long four months. at least there is some free snowboarding, and skiing, to look forward to. i will miss that if i ever quit working there. i cant believe how many employees don't take advantage of that. anyways, i'm off to hyland. hope it's a good start to the season.

Pistols and the stigma

Why is there such a terrible stigma when it comes to pistols?

I hear people say things like, "Why do you want a pistol? Aren't they dangerous?"

Well, yeah, they are, but isn't a car dangerous with the wrong person behind the steering wheel? Or, what about shotguns? They're just as dangerous.

I am the owner of a brand new Taurus PT1911 .45ACP. The wife put up a big stink about it when I told her I was going to buy it. She just doesn't understand my want to exercise my right to keep and bear arms. I'm just doing my civic duty and supporting the Bill of Rights.

A couple nights ago, she was out with friends, some of which just had a baby. She told them I had bought the gun, and was obviously not thrilled about it.

The mother of the six-month-old baby said, "I don't want him in that house with a pistol there."

I find that odd, as she's grown up around guns. I guess what it means is that I'm going to accidentally shoot the baby. Because obviously, when he's in my house I'm going to have the gun out, loaded, cocked and off safe while he's playing near me.

That sounds absurd, right? I thought so, too.

Honestly, how many people would believe that's even a real situation. First of all, I've been trained to handle, shoot and clean weapons systems of all sizes. Respect and a small bit of fear is also taught. If you don't have a little fear, you won't respect it.

Yes, I'm afraid of what they're capable of, but I know how to handle a pistol with confidence and control.

With that being said, I love my pistol. Will I have it out around a baby? Absolutely not. Will I use good judgment when it comes to handling it? Of course. I accept the responsibility that comes with owning a pistol.

Here it is, a beautiful piece of steel.

The news is in...

I have the permit to purchase. I got it in the mail today, and I'm going to check a couple shops around here to see if they have the gun in stock. If they don't, I'm going to order it online, and have it sent to my local dealer.

I guess I should look for a good holster as well. I'll need that, and rounds for it.

Pistola

Here it is. I'm a big fan of this pistol right here. So, as soon as I get my permit to purchase I will be ordering this one, and having it shipped to Cabela's to pick it up. Next up is my conceal/carry permit course.

Too good not to post

Tonight at The W, I had some very interesting conversations with people.

Conversation #1: Woman with pink hair

A woman pulls up in the valet lane and I walk out to talk to her. She rolls down her window and asks, "How much for valet parking?"

I responded, "Eight dollars for Manny's and 13 for The W."

My supervisor had walked up at this point, just in case she needed to exchange money for services. Well, the next thing this lady says has kept us entertained the rest of the night.

"How do I know where I'm going," she inquired. Which really seems like a self-explanatory and rhetorical question. She was serious, though, and waited for me to prompt her for the answer.

Naturally, the only question I can say without losing it is, "Are you going to Manny's for dinner?"

What I really wanted to ask was, "Are you English, or retarded?"

"No," she said. Now my supervisor is cracking up walking away, and I have to stand there and tell her it will be 13 dollars, without laughing myself. Needless to say, she didn't park there, because she wanted to find someplace easier, but what she meant was cheaper.

As she drove away, I look at my supervisor and said, "At this point should she legally be allowed to have a license?"

We both laughed and went on with mocking and imitations of her lack of intelligence.

Conversation #2: Valet with attitude

I noticed a valet's car in the ramp where we aren't supposed to be parking. We have a free ramp to park in, and all valets park there. This valet is obviously special, as he is a refugee seeking political asylum, who by the way, drives a Jeep Commander. Not really sure how he can afford that...

I walk up to him and say, "Can you please start parking at TCF?"

And he assumes I am speaking about the cars we're parking for the guests, and I have to clarify for him. Obviously, English isn't his native language, so yelling at him really won't do any good.

He says, "Nobody has ever told me I can't park there."

"Well, how long have you worked here? I know it is off and on, but how long have you been parking cars here?"

"Longer than you," he replied. This pretty much gets my blood boiling because I put in 40 hours a week there, and he might work a total of 40 hours in a month. Not to mention, I'm about to be promoted to the third supervisor.

So, I say, "Well, I'm telling you right now, you don't park your own vehicle down there anymore. You need to park in the ramp like everybody else."

"No, somebody other than you needs to tell me that," he retorted.

"Really? You're telling me you need somebody else to say that? I can arrange that, right now, if that's really what you need," I snapped at him. Really, what I wanted to do was punch him in the face.

I turn to my left, and said to Justin, the other supervisor who was working tonight, "Justin, could you please tell Seifu (Say-fu) that he should not park his vehicle in the Foshay ramp, but in TCF like all the other valets?"

Justin looked at Seifu and said, "Seifu, park your car in TCF, not in Foshay, just like all the other valets. If you don't, you'll be written up."

I laughed and walked away. Then the three of us, Justin, Rachel (other supervisor) and I had a quick talk about it. Most of which included us mocking him and laughing at how upset he got.

It's a good thing I can laugh about my job otherwise I would hate it. Oh, wait, I do hate it quite a bit. Especially, since the first of the year, I've made a total of $51 in tips. That's usually what I would make on the slow nights. How lame...

I met a guy about two weeks ago, who said if I wanted a job to call him. I call him, sent him an email and his response was: Let's touch base in Feb. I've implemented a hiring freeze until then.

What the F. Oh well, I guess everyday above ground is a good one, right?