Oct 14, 2013

Since we had the day off work I was up early and trying to be productive. I had to play with Aiden for a while since he and Sarah were here when I got up. I went to T & F to drop off photos to be printed and then went to Five Below looking for headphones. Unfortunately the pair I got were terrible so I took them back and exchanged them for another terrible pair. Looks like I will need to get my headphones somewhere else. I met Ryan at the course for a game. We both played pretty well, and the weather was perfect for being outside.

I had a phone meeting with the guy I'm shooting a wedding with this coming weekend. He just wanted to talk about details and make sure I'm right for the job. He thinks I am so I'm hired. I was still wired and wanting to enjoy the weather so I went for a run at Silver Run. I ran all the trails in a few loops and finished around sunset. What a nice day. I spent the rest of the evening mostly watching Burn Notice and looking up marketing strategies for my work.

Oct 13, 2013

It was a nice day for sleeping in. When I finally got around to leaving the house I went to Parvin for a run around the lake. Despite knowing the trail so well, it never gets boring running there. Later in the afternoon I went and played a round of disc golf with Kate at the park. As the days get shorter I just want to be outside as much as I can, but there still isn't that much to do around here that doesn't get old fast.

Later I went to Kate's where we broke open the Anchor Brewing sampler pack. The Anchor Wheat is really amazing, but unfortunately it's only available in the sampler. I'd definitely like a six pack of that. The Anchor Steam, Porter, and Liberty Ale are all great as well. I'd really like to visit Anchor next time I'm in the Bay area.

Oct 12, 2013

 

Before doing anything I had to go to get my PPD checked by the doctor in Vineland. He was nice enough to open the back door before the place opened and sign off for me. My drive down to Wildwood in the morning started off very hopeful because the weather was great in Millville. The closer I got to the shore, however, the darker the clouds got. By the time I parked near the pier it was raining pretty good. I walked through the rain to meet Charles by the far pier where he was shooting. I had rigged a plastic bag to cover my camera and took my position near a jumping obstacle to catch the racers in the air.

The rain came and went, as did the runners. I made friends with zombies nearby and talked about the weather and the race. One cool thing was that they got to go down the big water slide that's part of the water park along the race. It seemed like it was probably a fun run. The last couple of hours seemed to go on forever and it was getting cold. I was happy when it was finally done. I gave Charles his card, he paid me, and I went quickly on my way home.

That night, Ian and I went up to Starland Ballroom to see AFI. Once again, they put on a crazy awesome show. Davey is such a fantastic frontman. During the first song's breakdown, he did a front flip into the crowd and went right on singing. Regardless of how much I enjoy most of their music, I'd go see them just for his theatrics. After the show we met two of Ian's friends and went to a diner on Rt. 18 for some post-show treats and conversation. We had a good time, but I was ready to gooooooo. I was so tired when I got home that there was no waiting before I laid down and passed out.

Oct 11, 2013

I worked ACI at Memorial today. I only had a couple of kids throughout the day so it was quite easy. I did some reading and some internet surfing. The biggest problem with that job is that there is really so little to do that it goes slowly and you need to have something to occupy your time. After work I got an oil change that I needed badly and then went home to eat.

We decided to have a game night at Kate's so a bunch of people came over to play. My sister, Chuck, Alex, Ryan, Erika, and Steve. We opened some beers, including the Forever Unloved Sandy by Flying Fish. It's really good and I guess it's doing well since I thought they were done producing it a while ago. We played a game of Cranium, which was fun for the most part, but a bit crazy, as it can get with that many people. After that we played Telestrations, which can also get ridiculous with a lot of people, but it tends to be the good kind of ridiculous. After a few crazy rounds we were all ready to disperse and head home. It was a lot of fun getting a group together for games again though. 

Oct 10, 2013

I had a history job for Memorial in the morning. I just showed a video for most of the class. I was supposed to travel to the senior high for the last block of the day, but I got a call telling me I was taken off because they still don't want me to work there after the "incident" last year. First, it's shitty that it's still a thing that I can't work that after that bullshit happened, and second, it sucks that I was able to take the job and then get screwed in the middle of the day because of that.

After I finished my half day I went to the doctor in Vineland and got my physical taken care of for employment at Vineland Public Schools. The doctor had me in and out really quickly. He was a jovial and friendly guy so I enjoyed the visit. I came home and watched TV and had a nice nap to make up for some lost sleep from last night. When I got up I wanted to go for a run, but it was raining too hard. I had a couple beers and watched Big Bang Theory and then other shows before going to bed for real. It was a good night.

Oct 9, 2013

I worked at Lakeside in a Gifted & Talented class. The best part of those classes is that I only have about 3 classes all day since the others are all special groups that come in when they're called. So I had a lot of time to watch Burn Notice and look up photo jobs online. After work, I spent some time lounging at home before I had to head to Baltimore. The sunset on the drive down was gorgeous, reflecting off the clouds and setting the sky on fire. It seemed like such a crazy, mundane thing to be driving on highway when such amazing beauty was burning overhead.

When I got to the show I stood outside trying to sell the extra ticket, but I went inside to see What's Eating Gilbert. They are pretty good, but I'm not their biggest fan. Not at Ram's Head anyway. I went back outside after they finished, coming back in for Bayside, who played their usual great set. A few songs were left out that I wanted to hear, but they still have such a fun energy that it didn't matter. Justin Pierre came out to sing Megan, which was a sweet surprise.

I went to the bar next door and had a Resurrection by Brewer's Art between bands. It was pretty good but overpriced. I went in to see Motion City Soundtrack play a really different and awesome set. It seemed like the crowd wasn't as into them, but after Bayside it's hard to get that energy back I suppose. They played a few songs I haven't heard in a while so that was cool. While I do love this band, it was a bit of a lackluster ending to the show. Still very enjoyable, but it just lost something after the switch. The drive home was long, dark, and sleepy. I saw strange things like a family walking along a dark two lane road by the river. It was weird. But I got home and in bed.

Oct 8, 2013

I woke up in the night feeling strangely dizzy and disoriented. I was worried, and I don't get worried. I went back to sleep hoping that would fix it, but I still felt that way in the morning. I decided to push through it and go to work without eating anything. I just drank a bunch of water. Once I got to my car, I threw up, prompting me to think I'd stay home, but once I came inside I felt better so I went for it. I started feeling bad again and awkwardly sat through my first full English class, looking and feeling like I was going to vomit at any moment. I ate a banana, but it didn't help. Eventually, I slowly started feeling better, and by midday I was back to normal somehow. I have no idea what that was or why I felt it.

I felt good enough to take a half day job at Alternative School. I was an art teacher, which is about the same as the other jobs at Alternative but even easier. They just drew and worked on previous projects while I looked over them and casually browsed the internet. When I got home late I spent the night watching Brew Dogs and hanging out until bedtime.