my moral standing is lying down

Ahaha, so I've been back in NYC for almost three weeks now. It has felt simultaneously much shorter and much longer than that. I've been mostly helping out my mom with my father who's been sick (in and out of the hospital for the last 6 weeks). He's home now and doing a lot better but there are still moments where his stubbornness overrides what little good sense he has and it basically creates a lot of problems for all the rest of us. =/

My first week back I interviewed at the headquarters of the company I was working for in LA. It wasn't an interview for a specific job at first, but the head of Research was looking to create an Audit & Compliance department and because of the apparently glowing recommendations from my boss and the head broker in LA, I'm going to be doing that for them come April 8th.

This is going to be a step up in responsibilities, though -- it's much more of a career-type job than just a work-to-make-money type job. So I'm kind of scared and nervous about it because I'm somewhat of a slacker even though I try not to be. But I'm going to be hired as a consultant for the first few months, which will give us all a chance to see how this works out, on both sides.

So that does sort of throw my Philly plans up in the air for now -- if the job doesn't work out then I can still go to Philly but if it does actually work out... well, it may turn out to be worth staying in NYC for anyway. I definitely have mixed feelings because I really wasn't ready to be back in NYC quite yet. But there's also living with Rich which has been pretty awesome so far. <3

When did my life get so complicated?

I miss LA though.

PAX East in Boston is only 5 days away now. I'm pretty excited to be going to a con with so many friends again. It's been a while. There are a few panels I wouldn't mind attending but you know me, what I'm really looking forward to is the drinking/partying! =DDD It's kind of ridic that Muskrat Jamboree (which I'm not going to, sadly) is going to be like a mile away. I'm going to try to drop by and say hi to people if possible.

Part of the reason I haven't updated much is that I'm doing mostly nothing so I have nothing to talk about. I have another job interview on Monday which I'm hoping will be the last because jesus FUCK I need a job right now.

I went into downtown LA today to take a walk around the fashion district. 'Cause I can't afford to buy anything anyway, and it's something to do that's free (aside, of course, from parking and the cost of gas). It was sort of a cross between NYC's Chinatown, garment district, wholesale district, and London's Camden Town. Thankfully, I was able to successfully resist buying anything. Mostly because there wasn't anything as interesting as what's in Camden Town, ahaha.

I parked at a lot a bit farther away than I thought I was, for a $3 flat rate (after 4pm), which was great! What wasn't so great is that I started walking in the wrong direction and ended up walking through a bad neighborhood. LOL, go me! There were a lot of homeless people lining the streets in this area; I think I walked past a shelter on one block. But wow, waaaaay more homeless people than I'd ever seen before all in one area. Plus shady-looking characters who weren't homeless.

I'm absolutely sure I walked past a car-side drug deal going down.

As I was approaching the corner of the block were I'd be mostly getting out of the area (finally), I saw two policemen patting a guy down. Hoo boy.

I told Rich and he said "almost like being back home, then", but honestly I was more worried, and much more aware of sticking out like a sore thumb than I ever have been in NYC-- including the bad areas of NYC. Part of that is familiarity maybe, but most of it is that in the area I walked through there were very very very FEW other non-homeless/non-creepy/non-shady people walking on the street. Extremely disconcerting.

And just to clarify, it really has nothing to do with race. I'm way more comfortable in non-white neighborhoods than I am in white neighborhoods.

Anyway, all's well that ends well, but it was a good long five minutes of mental tension.

On a completely different note, I've discovered a couple of iTunes (metal & hard rock) radio stations that I really like and have figured out how to play them on my iPhone! \o/ So I've been listening to those at home and in my car sort of non-stop lately. It's an about-face from what I'd been doing before-- though even if I'd discovered them in NYC I wouldn't have been able to listen to the stations during my (subway) commute, so I suppose it's moot.

And because of the new radio stations I've been listening to I've sort of rediscovered Chevelle. Downloaded their new album and am enjoying it though only one song has stood out for me so far. I'm considering going to their show (with Dead Sara, to whom I'm pretty indifferent, but whose name I adore for obvious reasons) here on April 25th, but we'll see.

I'm EXTREMELY bummed I wasn't able to get a ticket to the Primus show in June. General admission tickets were gone within the first few minutes. A lot of them are up on stubhub, but I'm too broke to justify the hiked up prices. I'll check back again when it gets closer to the show date, or if I get a job soon and can afford it. But still, WILL I EVER GET TO SEE THEM LIVE BEFORE I DIE? T_T

THIS is why I will always love Ed Sheeran, even when most of his stuff is just waaaaay too light for me. Check it out at 2:40 when he goes right into Tinie Tempah's Pass Out. =DDD



Rizzle Kicks is touring with Professor Green; I wish I could be there. =/ ONE DAY I WILL SEE THEM LIVE. ONE DAY.

BUT! I will, at least, be seeing SIX CONCERTS within the 11 days right after I get back to NYC from Indonesia. I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED. Here's what that looks like:

Mon 10/24 - return to NYC mid-day
Tue 10/25 - sew Halloween costume?
Wed 10/26 - sew Halloween costume?
Thu 10/27 - P!ATD in Clifton Park with akamine_chan
Fri 10/28 - New Found Glory in NYC with thedreamerworld
Sat 10/29 - MY HALLOWEEN/WELCOME BACK/ROOMIE'S BDAY PARTY!
Sun 10/30 - recover from said party, likely with hangover
Mon 10/31 - P!ATD in DC with sansets
Tue 11/01 - lol, possibly sleep all day?
Wed 11/02 - Empires in NYC with Katie & la_dissonance?
Thu 11/03 - P!ATD in Philly with Katie and chaneen
Fri 11/04 - dubstep!KORN in NYC with ???

Sat 11/05 - COLLAPSE FROM EXHAUSTION
Sun 11/06 - RESIGN MYSELF TO A FUTURE WITHOUT FUN to make up for all the fun I just had... and also the money I need to save seeing as how I'm JOBLESS.

Mon 11/07 - Hahah, hopefully interviews for potential jobs I will have contacted in the previous two weeks?

*I don't even like P!ATD this much, I'm just suuuuuper excited to see the shows with friends! Also: SPENCERRRRRRRRRRRRRR. (But thank fuck I'm ending my wannabe-groupie-endeavor on a bass-heavy dubstep note!)

So while LJ was indisposed I decided to pretend it didn't exist and pretty much ignored the situation altogether. It seems to be back (or close) to normal now, so here I am. I've been in this weird limbo of unemployed with lots of free time.... and somehow finding myself sort of busy. And ffs, spending too much time with my parents. I spent 10 hours with them yesterday, helping my father buy and set up an awesome new laptop. But. TEN HOURS. =/

Just saw this movie from 2007 called Shelter, which was just great. It's about a guy named Zack, an artist in the ghetto of some SoCal city, with a sister who's a big flake and a 5-year old nephew who has clearly hung the moon and all because Zack is holding the ladder steady beneath him. His best friend goes out of town for a while and his brother stays there, and he and Zack end up hanging out, surfing a lot, and falling for each other.

Of course there's more to it, but it's pretty typical and straightforward -- nothing happens that you couldn't see coming a mile away, but it's sweet, and it's just-- nice to see this sort of romance/drama with a gay couple. =D I recommend it if you're looking for an easy, pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. <3

So now is where I'm going to get all fannish and say I WANT THE SPENCER/BRENDON AU! FIC FOR THIS MOVIE! They're surfer dudes! In southern California! The artist (~musician?) angle with family troubles is ALREADY THERE! There's an adorable kid! What more do we need? And really, WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN WRITTEN ALREADY? =(

And so I leave you with this, one of my favorites from the 8/09 Chicago M&G, from what I refer to in my head as Surfer-era!Panic. <3

I haven't read my flist in about a week, so I have no idea what's going on with anyone and I feel really guitly because I'm usually unable to update unless I'm actually up to date on my flist, but I want to post and I don't want to read. So there.

So. A couple of things. Today will be my last Japanese class until the end of September. I registered last Wednesday for the Japanese level 3-4 (twice a week) night class. Margaret went on Thursday to register, but it was completely filled. She's number 3 on the waiting list. =( We're both really pissed and disappointed 'cause we really wanted to take that class together.

In the meantime, she's signed up for the level 3 (once a week) class. It really sucks, but I told her I'd be more than happy to go over what is being taught in the 3-4 class with her, in case a spot opens up, so she wouldn't be behind the rest of the class. Even besides that, if no spots open up, maybe she can go straight to the 5-6 class with me in the session after that, instead of taking the level 4 class.

She said the director said that people don't usually drop out of the 3-4 class, but there's one guy in our 1-2 class right now that came into it halfway because he dropped out of the 3-4 class. But I don't think he's really improved enough to keep up in the 3-4 class anyway. When the sensei asks something, he usually kind of says a word, then waits for the sensei's prompt, then repeats what she says, then waits for her to finish the answer, then repeats what she says. I don't know if he just doesn't have time to study (there are quite a few business people in the class), or if the language is difficult for him or what, but I think it's a waste of time for him to have signed up for the 3-4 class. He should definitely be in the level 3 class. Argh!

So, in other news. One of the places I at which I interviewed on Monday called me back. It's data entry with some other duties with just what I was making before, so I'm accepting it and starting tomorrow. Though I'm going to keep looking for something better while I'm working there. The hours (8:15am til 4:30pm) will still leave open the possibility of having work-day interviews. More news on that later, I guess.

This weekend was one of the most awesome weekends I've had in a long time! Judy, Maryann, Juliet, Liz and I all hung out on Friday night. Stayed over at Judy's new apartment in the financial district (that kitchen is freaking amazing, btw) -- then went to Queens and did a power-shop marathon -- EIGHT HOURS OF NONSTOP SHOPPING OMGWTFBBQ!11!!1

I was so very good -- I DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING! I got an excellent top out of it, but I didn't actually have to pay for it (thank you Maryann & Liz)! <3

Today.

The contractor started working on the walkway today, and needs the garage cleared out for tomorrow (even though he won't start on the garage until next week!). Maryann is going to come over and help move stuff out of there later tonight.

At 6pm, I have an appointment with Russell (that ebay drop-off store guy).

Maryann wanted to open up her bank account today, so that's more of a delay (but a happy one 'cause I've been bugging her to open a bank account for a year, at least).

It's Liz's birthday today -- she and her friends went to Coney Island/Astroland! (I'm *so* jealous!) So she won't be back until a bit later also -- I think she might be meeting me/us to go home. (I can't wait to give her birthday punches~!) Angelica and I got her a paid LJ account for 18 months. (When it expires, she'll be in college -- she'll just have to renew on her own!) ^^

I just found out that Victor will be moving to Florida, possibly very soon. =( And then Maryann told me that Eric might (almost definitely?) be moving to Arizona, not sure when though.

What the hell is going on here?!

And to top it off, for the past two weeks Angelica, Maryann and I have been calling each other at the same time, every single time we call. Obviously, we should pool money and play a lotto ticket or something, because the universe is trying to tell us something. ^_~;

But it's good news. The internet company called me back and wants me to take the job. I said yes. =D I'd start the first Monday of August.

However, I already signed that contract with the UN for the month of August. It shouldn't be a problem considering I'm giving them more than two weeks' notice, but it's going to worry me until it's all cleared up.

The reason I'm not telling them today, though, is:

1. I want to go on my Monday interview first ~ it's the eBay company guy ~ to see what he's offering.
   
2. I need to call back the internet company (GoGoTech) and let them know that I'd planned a trip in late August, and would it be alright for me to be out that Thursday and Friday for Otakon. If they say no, I'll try to wheedle for Friday, at least. If they still say no. I guess I'm going to have to take the job anyway, but I will be heartbroken.

Then I will tell Ove about getting the job and see what happens. I guess if it means ruining my rep, it'll just have to suffer because I need this job more than I need a good rep at the UN, especially since I made it clear that I've been interviewing already. Yeah. So there.

But!!!! OMG! I got the job! Yay, money~! *does a happy money dance* $_$!!!

Oh, wait. Even besides the money -- BENEFITS!!! oH yEAH!

(Does anyone else think I should have made the subject something like, "I GOT THE JOB OMGWTFBBQ!!!!1111"? LOLOL.)

Well, the HR assistant (Melinda) told the boss of the divison (Ove), so then he called me in to speak with him about signing the contract. I told him that I'd been looking for another job, something more permanent and that my reluctance in signing the contract stemmed from my concern in taking a job that might be offered to me. He said that they could do with a week's notice, possibly even less. So that's taken care of. Although I told the people I was interviewed by yesterday that I could start on the first monday of August, and that might be a bit inaccurate now. But I guess I don't really have to worry unless/until they decide to hire me. And then I suppose either they'll wait for a couple of days for me, or they won't.

Maybe Cecilia (the HR Coordinator) just assumed I would agree to extend my contract because I have every other time in the past when I've worked for them. But still. It's kind of a silly thing to assume. Or maybe she thought that whoever requested to extend my contract (either Juha from M&E or Frank) might have said something to me. Whatever.

So I have to leave for another interview in less than an hour. Starting to get nervous again. ^_~;

Last night I got to hang out with Angelica for a little while. We went to the mall to eat and had just enough time to go into JC Penney's. I thought I'd see if there was anything that I could get 'cause they're having a sale (see post about my weakness for a sale). I tried on a couple of things, but nothing fit right. I know I've complained before that all the regular sizes are too small, but the "plus" sizes are often too big. (Which is why I always spend so much when I go to Lane Bryant -- 'cause their stuff actually fits me properly.) But, yes, I'm sure you don't care about all that.

The amazing part was that while I didn't buy anything, Angelica ended up getting two pairs of jeans AND two button-down shirts for work. LOLOL! Heehee! It's fun when that happens 'cause usually it's the other way around: I spend lotsa money while she watches and laughs with her still-full wallet!

Liz is coming home today, yay! Her plane lands at around 5:15pm, so I won't be there to pick her up 'cause my interview is at 5:30. And I think she might be going practically from the airport to her friend's sleepover/party thing. So I won't really be able to see her. But it'll still be nice to know she's back in NY. You know, it's odd, but I think I missed her more these last 6 days than I did when she was gone for 10 to Italy. I think it might have to do with the fact that I talked/LJ-commented with her more often than I did when she was in Italy. I dunno.

You know, I'm never nervous for interviews until the day of. It really sucks.

Well, I'm pretty sure I won't be keeping this job after the end of July. I had already started to act (at least in my mind) like I wouldn't have it, but today I was analyzing data from CVs from the people who will be competing for the post and they're much more overqualified than I am, with years and years of experience. =/

Like I said, I'm not so broken up about this or anything, because I was already thinking stuff like, "Just wait til the end of July~ when I can dye my hair pretty colors again, and cut it so that my pretty piercings show!" So, yeah.

But I will definitely miss the pay (once I fucking get paid, but that's a whole 'nother story).

I was looking online at job ads, but all the stuff I have experience in (office-type stuff)... well, they're not exactly posting ads like, "We want you if you can type ##wpm, have clerical/admin experience and blue hair!" =( It would make my life a lot easier if they did.