Holy Crap!

Yesterday, I started filling out an online application for employment at Cendant. I didn't have time to fill out the whole application, because I had to go teach my dance class. So I didn't get around to filling out any of the work experience or education background. I was just about to do that when the phone rang. It was a representative from Cendant asking me to come in for an information session. I guess they're desperate, if they couldn't wait for me to fill everything in! That's fine by me, because filling in all those fields is a total pain in the arse. Now, they won't be hiring until January, so I still need to find a way to make it through December. I guess I'll put some more stuff for sale up on eBay.

On the same day as my information session, I'll be attending a meeting with a case worker at an employment centre. Unfortunately, this means I'll have to eschew the bus in favour for a much more expensive cab ride. It's a vicious circle that I must spend money I don't have in order to potentially earn money.

What is it about December that always makes it the most difficult month, financially speaking? I can't blame Christmas, because I when I do purchase gifts, it's throughout the year and done very, very frugally (thrift stores with new/rare merchandise are my friends). Anything more than seven bucks is out of my price range.

I received yet another cryptic telephone call about my upcoming dance performance at the AIDS/HIV fundraiser event. Without any preamble, I was asked without merit of a question mark sound, "Is your act ten or fifteen minutes." "Er, put me down as closer to ten," I answered. And so I have been scheduled to dance from 8:00 until 8:10. Right. I'll believe it when I see it. They still don't even know what I'm going to do, and have expressed no interest. Neither have they asked for my music in any particular format. I found out inadvertently that Stacey Macklem will also be dancing at this event, and that she has no more clue as to what's expected of her than do I. So knowing that she'll be dancing there, I'll do something different in terms of costuming and dance style than what she does. My bedlah aren't anywhere near as glitzy as her custom-made Egyptian and Turkish jobbies, so I think I'll go with a more tribal look. I think I'll don the giant gold and black skirt outfit and dance to music by Ofra Haza and Peter Gabriel. I'd better reacquaint myself with the music since I haven't performed this part of my repertoire in over a year.

And now, lest this entry becomes too goddamned whingey, introspective, and boring, here's what Adnan recommends regarding my website: "you should give the dictionary we have could find out words".

Sure. I'll get right on that....

Here are your links du jour:

Paralyzed woman walks again after stem cell therapy: Excellent news!

Jimmy Olsen: Superman is a dick, and Jimmy is a transvestite (thanks, digby_tantrum).

2003 All Breed BIS and RIS: Tribbles are real.

Partially Clips: Wombs as weapons. Realization dawns....

Japanese Toilet: Useful information for visiting gaijin. Make sure you check out this toilet advertisement.

Michaela Romanini: If it weren't for the collagen abuse, I think she'd be an attractive woman. But with those lips, she looks like a plecostamus!

Harold Edgerton Atomic Blast Photos: I'm not sure how I'd escaped seeing these particular photos. They're fascinating. I'm much more familiar with these images.

Superman is a Dick: Part IV

Sometimes he's not entirely dickish, though. ( Every now and then, he just likes to get silly. )

Gothic Gay-Bashing Grannies

( I think this is possibly the most confusing hatemail I've yet received. )

That's Not Right!

So far, I've applied for work at two call centres (Cendant and Delta), despite having a healthy case of the horrors when I contemplate working at such a place. I also applied for work at a local game/comic shop, and it was awfully familiar. I know one of the employees, and asked him if they're hiring. That's when a stereotypical comics nerd snorted, pushed his glasses up with a finger, and said, "If they were hiring, I'd be handing in TEN résumés." I struck up a conversation with the guy I know, and the comics groupie kept interjecting with inane comments. I'll betcha he's one of the fellows whose greatest joy in life is reciting schematical differences between the USS-Enterprise and the Millenium Falcon. I kinda miss these sort of guys. I'm almost misting up.

...

Last night, snowy_kathryn and zero_design had me over to visit. They're housesitting for a friend who gave them full access to the house and all its contents, including a generously-stocked bar. When I say generously-stocked, I'm talking about a selection which rivals anything I've seen at licensed establishments. So after we had supper, we decided we would sample a few of the more esoteric spirits. Kathryn and f00dave wanted to try Tia Maria (an old favourite of mine), and I was intrigued by a Dutch cream liqueur. We were going to try a bottle of South African port, but it smelled a bit suspect, and we instead selected a bottle of Bailey's Cream and went back to the dining room. Something went horribly awry, though. When f00 went to pour the Dutch liqueur, only a thin trickle came out of the bottle, and this despite the bottle being three-quarters full! f00 stared down the neck and said with horror, "It's solid! And chunky!"

Kathryn dumped the creamed brown liqueur piss down the sink and rinsed out the glass, and we decided to have a go at the Bailey's. Not even a trickle came out of this one. It was absolutely solid. We were getting rather worried, but the Tia Maria was fine. Kathryn and I took the ex-liquids back downstairs and looked for something else. Most of the bottles appeared to be filled with solids. One woobled and wobbled like it was filled with Jello. The mint liqueur, tequila, and Tia Maria were all that seemed normal. Egads! So I had a Tia Maria with milk, and later, had a glass of chocolate milk with mint liqueur. It tasted like a mint Aero bar, but looked like guacamole mould.

The whole experience is almost enough to put me off liquor. At the very least, I'll be much more cautious before drinking whatever comes from hooch bottles!

( In other news, I want this book: )