Category: Entries

In case your curious, an affidavit is a written declaration made under oath before a notary public or other authorized officer. It was not as special as I thought it would be.

Work is going extremly well. I’m enjoying it. It is all research and argumentation.

This of course means drafting connections and investigating leads to hunt down medical records. I’m a pro on the phone now. I was shesitant the first couple times, but now it is a science.

This job will be interesting and fun, but also difficult and challanging. Oh well. Life is as it is.

I apparently have caught something. It is nasty. I’d like to let it go, but it is made of glue apparently.

bah

ok i’m done. I was just telling you i’m sick, swimming in my head… want to go home… people keep demanding things… DEMANDING I TELL YOU!

Mind Explosion.

Wow today is hectic. I’ve been in a crash course on new jersey court regulations. To make it better, i’ve also had a crash course in how the firm handles all of its cases etc.

To make this even better i’m operating on perhaps 5 hours of good sleep. I know that sounds like a lot, but it isn’t great. My brother gave me this awesome game for christmas called “world of warcraft: the board game” and it is fun as hell. Trey and I were playing it last night. I ended up getting to bed at around 1:00 and actually going to sleep around 2:00.

So i’m tired.

To make matters even better, i just found out that we are losing two more paralegals. OH JOY AND RAPTURE!!!!!! I’m so tickeled pink. I will have seniority on not one, but two other individuals and i’m not even done training ;).

This isn’t great, amp up the stress level… the auths go where and how and what? draft attoney’s response to rogs c and then whaa?!

bah

Movie discourse:
– Citizen Kane: *Rosebud* and all it’s glory.
– Paradise Now: Didn’t think the middle East was FUBAR? watch this movie.
– Butterfly: I finished it and it was *exactly* like every review describes it as. Ah the failed teachings of a child. Rebellious images and conformity to it’s extreme.
– Kolya: Another explemplification of the teacher/father son/learner relationship. This is a beautiful film about the czech society. When i watched this a long time ago i thought it was about the child and the man’s relationship, but after the second viewing i believe it has a lot of czech hisotrical writing going on in the background. A sort of here we are as a society.

Re-watched
– Lost in translation
– I heart Huckabees

future plans to see
– Munich
– Good night and Good luck.
– The Libertine

there are more, i forget my netflix que this second.

*due to confusion… the above title means the L stands for list and minor describes list because the list is not major, but minor. Ergo it is a movie update in minor list mode*

So today is my first work day of the first work week of 2006.
Interesting. I’m tickled pink. Honestly I am.

My brother is visiting. I’ve had a great time with him being here. We
joke around a lot. It is nice to have someone else in the house for me.
Our house is silent usually during the weekend or when I get off of
work, unless Mary and I decide to entertain each other with our witty
banter and flirtatious attitudes.

Interestingly enough, for some reason Mary and I have fought more now
since Trey came to visit then ever before. Some of it could be
attributed to me starting a new job and whatever stress there is to be
brought about due to this, but some could also say we have spent a lot
of time together which always inevitably leads to friction. (NOT to leave
out that the final reason such things occur, could be left up to the fact that
She is in a bad mood herself. She has snapped a lot at me lately. And she
nags…. whoah does she nag. But this is neither here nor there.)

It was not always this way.

Mary went home for the holidays and I was somewhat alone for 5 whole
days in our apartment. (alone meaning primarily me and kitties, except
for the oh so brief visit of stryx which was enjoyable for both parties
involved I believe) When I walked off the plane in Baton Rouge, Mary
and Trey were there to greet me. I was nauseous due to plane ride and
lack of food. Mary was very excited to see me, much like I was to see
her.

Life is what happens to you while you make plans.

Upon reaching “home” which is a luxurious house with three bedrooms, two
bathrooms (one of which includes a Jacuzzi bathtub), one four person
Jacuzzi, a living room/kitchen combination that is as long as ours in NY
but this one is about 8-9 feet wider, and a dining room.

My parents were not comfortable in it, I believe. For very
blatant reasons. They don’t own it, or even pay rent for it. It is
“someone” else’s. This makes them feel uncomfortable. It would make me
feel uncomfortable I believe.

Mary and I on the other hand were guests, and as guests were accustomed
to our surroundings not being ours. Something about second-tier
loanship. The pre-medicated concerns due to true ownership fades away.

We used the Jacuzzi/hot tub throughout our whole stay. It was enjoyable
and made us feel like we could do this one day, which brought up
questions. Difficult questions. About the future. AKA Stress
injectors into a relationship.

Christmas went without hitch. I discussed present giving practices.
Mom, Dad, and I didn’t hang out nearly as much as I’d have liked. I
always seemed to be doing something. It was annoying. We were always
around, we just didn’t talk much. I wanted to, but they were always
concerned with making us comfortable and showing us various things.

Time was short on all sides. Pre-Christmas activities involved present
purchasing and post-Christmas activities involved experiencing the
“hurricane” for the first time. Of course I wasn’t pushy. In fact to
be honest I did dread the conversation because I wasn’t sure how I could
help, or even if I could help. I need to go down there without Mary I
believe. The time we did in fact spend at the house attempting to fix
things, wasn’t enough for me. I think Mary was bored and I think my
family wasn’t interested in allowing me to work on the house either. I
don’t blame them. While at the house, there was a emotional funk in the
air, that is all I can do to describe it. It was like you could taste
the memories of the past flailing to be brought into the light, but yet
your conscious mind rejects the past as parts of something that never
will be.

They have made so much progress in re-building the place so that they
can move in. They still have a lot of work to do, and I want to help
more.

We will see. Life will be as it once was, it is just too soon. As fast
as life “seems” to be moving, I’m at a stage in which I wish it would
move faster. I swore I’d never want to “wish away my life”. But this
is one of those moments in which all preconceived rule sets are broken.

They will be repaired tomorrow.

I’m at work right now. I’m between training sessions, with a quick
moment to speak. I can’t say much about my job, other then it is
interesting.

I am wiped out though. I slept last night like a brick, when I actually
got up for work this morning my calf muscle pinched and tightened like a
brick. Pain was endured. IT hurt. doubling over in pain the cats eyed
me as I gave minor gasps of exasperation. They stared at me with a
concern for survival. not sure they knew what was going on.

tick tock.

I just got back from home. It certainly was interesting.

My parents enjoyed their gifts, and i believe my brother also enjoyed his.

Mary loved her gifts. Here is a summary of one scenario i am particularly proud of, even if the thieving skills necessary may have only been relevant for me. BTW, none of my family noticed the work i put into the gift/wrapping. Gift unwrapping was a bit chaotic this year.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
– I received David Bowie’s Scary Monsters in the mail from Barnes and Nobles gift wrapped.
– I purchased a silver tear necklace from Tiffany’s and co.
– Deftly unwrapping the DBSM cd wrapping paper, removing the cd case from its plastic encasement while maintaining the integrity of the plastic wrap, and maintaining even the security seal on the cd case, I replaced the cd with the necklace.
– Carefully re-wrapping the case as though untouched, I placed the cd under the tree.
– During some minor banter it came to my attention she knew exactly what was “supposed” to be in the wrapping paper – Scary Monsters.
– Christmas morning, Mary opens her present and nods placing the cd case on the table with a smile of satisfaction. I ponder briefly. I instruct her that she should open the case fully. She asks why? I try and skirt it off as though it would be good enough to play now. She cocks an eye brow and opens it up. After opening the box fully she sees the “tiffany’s and co” designer necklace holder. Her look reads complete perplexity and soft disappointment.

I was a mite bit dissappointed. I explained quickly the cd was in the back. She opened the necklace holder and smiled exclaiming that the necklace was beautiful.

Was it worth the effort hiding the necklace? No. Later of course she told me that she was very pleased with it. I’m still dissappointed with the lack of reaction. It is my own fault. I told her i broke the Christmas price limit drastically. I’m spontaneous.
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Gifts given:
– The Absolute Watchmen (Trey: Intention: To help begin his library of collections)
– G-Force Video Card (Trey: Intention: to give him access to a relaxing past-time)
– Microwave (Mom and Dad: Intention: Necessity? I know boring, but they did say they needed a microwave.)
– Chinese Checker Board (Mom and Dad: Intention: To help give them access to more family memories. I called them so many times and Mom, Dad, Amanda, and Trey would be playing Chinese Checkers. This is before Rita of course. I hope they can continue it again.)
– Dread Pirate Jup (Mary: Intention: to immortalize the little Fuc**r piece of sh*t cat.)
– Silver Tear Necklace (Mary: Intention: to replace a failure of the past, in marking the woman of my dreams.)

That’s all the big presents i gave. There were a few minor presents i gave to Mary for her stocking stuffer like a DVD of Galaxy Quest and a stuffed kitty, but nothing major.

Gifts I received:
– DVDs all Widescreen and beautifully chosen (Explanation of pleasure: These are going to be the beginning of a much wider collection of favorite films. I hope to have many films one day.)
= Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
= I ♥ Huckabees
= Finding Neverland
= Lost in Translation
– Batman’s first appearance comics in Detective issues. (Explanation: This means a lot to me. Mary and I have argued a great deal about comic art, and its role as a method of human expression, which i call Art. The argument has been heated at times. I take this gift as a token of love and acceptance. She may not like the art-form and she may believe it to not be a valid/worthy/important piece of human expression, but she accepts my enjoyment of it. She understands that i find the art form interesting and worth some attention. Lately she has allowed me to rattle off my beliefs about super-heroes without telling me they are trite, 2-dimensional, and, my favorite, cookie cutter. So hopefully this lasts. I hope to begin my own personal adventure into this territory soon.)
– 2 tickets to spamalot! SPAM SPAM SPAM!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Guard: What? A swallow carrying a coconut?
Arthur: It could grip it by the husk!
Guard: It’s not a question of where he grips it! It’s a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut.
Arthur: Well, it doesn’t matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here?
Guard: Listen. In order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right?
Arthur: Please!
Guard: Am I right?
This is just going to be funny as hell.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
– Mysterious sword rack (Explanation: No Clue. I remember saying, ” I do not want a sword rack for christmas…” But apparently that meant, “I do not think i could live without a sword rack for christmas.” I can see where the confusion lies. Explanation B: Mary was sick and tired of seeing my sword gather dust in a corner and so got me a rack. BTW did you know i bought a katana at the rennaisance fair? Not sure i told anyone.)
– Unknown gift from trey. (Explanation: Gift unknown. ETA for knowledge gained: Monday of next week.)
– Trey also gave me a Starcraft Zealot action Figurine. It is kewl.
– Far Side non-sequitur calandar. I hope it keeps me centered at my new job.
– Gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles. Awesome. I hear it is a kewl store.

I may have left some stuff off. I can’t remember exactly at this moment.

I feel tired, but i hate flying. I had a whole year of flight to learn that the experience isn’t enjoyable. It makes me feel physically ill.

I want to get a job where dropping 400 dollars on a round trip ticket doesn’t set me back. I’m tired of trying to find the 100 dollar fairs and building my life around them. Being forced on a three leg trip because it was all i could find on the way back. Buying tickets so far in advance that I have no real say in them.

buying tickets out of a city that has recently had an MTA strike. I’m worried i won’t be able to find a cab. I’m worried i’ll miss the plane. I’m so worried i can’t sleep.

I’ve flown way to much for it to be a novelty anymore. I want to make it less of a sink hole. And so, i vow now in front of everyone reading this that i will not be such a tight ass with my tickets next time. I will shell out the extra hundred dollars to go to newark instead. I will fly at decent times like 9:00 am. I will make it a 2 leg flight or less.

oh well… but thats neither here nor there… because i’m going tomorrow… i may need to catch a wink or so. hope i don’t forget anything… i got fred’s treat.

I’ve seen some pretty good movies, but one sticks out at this moment.

Donnie Darko.

I recently went to party this weekend and there was much discourse about this movie. It forced me to renew interest in the movie. Trey had told me how awesome the movie was, but he also alluded to how it was a bit thrillerish. I kept thinking of the movie IT and decided not to watch it.

Then i went to www.donniedarko.com and it made me think wtf is this movie. Then i watched it.

Great fucking movie. I told trey what i believe the movie is about and my arguments for why. IT is a good movie. I also love the sound track. Makes me think of my childhood.

Just an addendum, read my comment below. I wrote this blog entry incorrectly. I meant to say a lot more then i did, but it ended up just degrading into a discourse about the surplus and it’s effect

I’m stepping into the quagmire that is the MTA strike, and offering my opinion along with hopes and desires.

Today the TWU walked out creating the first strike since 1980. Wow i’ve memorized that date.

None the less
Demands as I know of them:
– 8% raise over next three years (correction i misunderstood this, it is 8% raise per year for three years)
– maintain healthcare coverage
– maintain pension plan

Repurcutions of the strike:
– All public transportation around Manhattan and other burrows shut down completly.
– 1 million dollar fine to the TWU per day strike continues
– For every day absent, 2 days pay will be docked from the worker.

The strike is unreal. I believe it stems from the recently announced 1 billion dollar budget surplus that was horribly mishandled. I think it is strange that a group of city employees that make 45,000-55,000 dollars annually are asking for a raise. Then it hit me. The reason they ask for a raise is becuase the money was there, and they have no real say in how the money was used.

The MTA ruled that they would be “Giving” the money back to the “people” by making it cost only 1.00 for weekend travel using the metro services. This only works for people who purchase pay per ride tickets, and not people who have unlimited tickets. In other words, it helps the tourists and the visitors but not the workers and New Yorkers. So in a roundabout manner they are giving the money to strangers.

What happened when this brilliant move occurs? The TWU says they are not respected and that the new contract is dishonorable to the transit employees as a whole. AND THEN the MTA blames the TWU for striking. I say the MTA shoulders half the blame for not seeing the repurcutions of their actions.

OH well. 45,000 is a lot of f-ing money if you ask me. But is it enough to be in traffic or a tunnel for 50% of my life? I don’t know. oh yeah they have a pension. That sounds nice. I’ve heard of one of those, but dind’t think they were real.