updates long overdue

I know, I know. It's been AGES since I last posted. Never mind that my being back stopped being true almost immediately...which is why I won't make any promises about sticking around this time.

So what have I been up to for the past year? Well, if you haven't already guessed it, I finally managed to escape from the clutches of Boss and launched myself into...the black abyss of unemployment. Luckily, that state was only temporary, but so was the arrangement that landed me in San Diego for six months. It's okay though, because, although short-lived, it meant I got to be closer to J and had the chance to move towards a career change.

Now I'm back in LA as a full-time student (once again) and in the clutches of another potentially crazy employer (once again), to hear the way my new coworkers tell it. At least that'll guarantee a constant stream of blogging material, eh? And just to keep adding to the parallelism, J is moving to DC for law school in less than two months. Fuck me, right?

But seriously, aside from some hiccups, life's been pretty swell. I've learned so much in the time I spent away from home, and I'm grateful for all the wonderful people I've met and enriching experiences I've had since then. On that note, I leave you with my feel-good song from the past few days:

"The Queen" by Lady Gaga

breathtaking

Sailor Lake, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

Photo by unknown

 Southern Oregon Coast

Photo by Jesse Estes

 Maelstrom in Kauai, Hawaii

Photo by PatrickSmithPhotography

i'm baaack

I wish I had a compelling reason for the lack of updates, but I don't. A stubborn case of the winter doldrums just had me really down for a while, and no amount of food or holiday cheer could bring me out of it. But now that it's still bright outside by the time I get off work and the second season of Game of Thrones is in full swing and J IS BACK IN THE COUNTRY, I find that there isn't much to be down about these days. However...

I am still as much of a doormat as I was three months ago. Yes, I'm STILL toiling away at the same job, but in my defense, the quality of the work environment has shown a marked improvement since I turned in my resignation. At one point, Boss's behavior was even bordering on saccharine. I remain skeptical about the sincerity behind this treatment, but it seems like Boss may finally be catching on to the fact that people value their eardrums and tend to harbor less resentment when things are asked and not demanded of them.

Though progress is being made on that front, we haven't had much luck in finding a replacement for me. We have interviewed some candidates for my position, but it seems the forces are working against Boss (or me?) as none of them have accepted the job despite it being offered to each and every one of them. They must've sensed that something was amiss. I think most people would when a prospective employer's loquaciousness drags out a first interview for four grueling hours. (For the record, I had the (mis)fortune of interviewing with someone else when I was hired.)

So when will I ever leave this accursed position, you ask? Well, I'm aiming to leave by the end of May. Seriously this time. After all, the velvety beaches of San Diego await me for Memorial Day weekend...

the end is near

I finally turned in my letter of resignation. Being the magnanimous person that I am, I gave four weeks' notice. This would have been ample time at any other company. But remember, mine is not your typical company where a resignation goes unquestioned. No, there is MANIPULATION at work here!

Boss tried to convince me to stay triple that time because "losing so many staff at the same time would be too crazy." Well, is that really my fault? But being the stupid person that I am, I will probably stay for two more months. Ugh, somebody slap me.

heaven is a place on earth with you

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey

full circle

It's funny. Ever since they tried to put their moves on me, DfmB and Food Dude seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. I wonder if it's just a coincidence or if they actually had a secret mission to get a date and failure to do so could only end in termination.

Whatever it was that happened, it's left things in a pretty sorry state at work now, with Boss as my only form of "entertainment." However, the company is throwing a holiday party, and it just so happens that it'll be held at the venue where I met Sketchy.

I thought the worse that could happen was running into him there, but the phone rang today and you'll never guess who called to hash out event details with me. The best part was when he did the verbal version of a double take. After asking me to repeat my name, recognition seemed to dawn on him in that split second of hesitation before he pointedly asked, "How are you?"

blown away

December started off with a freak windstorm that knocked out power for over 250,000 residences in LA. The night it happened was pretty exhilarating--the wind began as a howl that steadily turned into a roar outside, rattling the windows and distorting the sounds of passing helicopters and sirens that never seemed to be too far away...

I didn't realize just how strong it had been until I went outside the next morning and saw that two trunks had been snapped off the neighbor's tree and flung onto my driveway. Some less fortunate trees around my area even got uprooted. On my way to work, streets were lined with debris.

Going 24+ hours without power was kind of a cool, albeit inconvenient, experience. Not having internet access gave me a reason to do things I had been putting off, and then I actually went to bed early for the first time in years.

It's one of those things that you don't regret happened, but you also wouldn't want to do it again.