Oh Fridays, How I Love You

Fridays have come to be a beautiful thing.  Semesters past I was always one of those poor saps that Fridays meant absolutely nothing other that more work because it and the occasional evening were the only times I had that I was able to work.  It sucked and I don't miss it at all.  I still have a small shift on the weekend but it's nothing like it used to be.  It feels good to finally be one of those people that can scream TGIF at the end of the weekdays.

So I'm slowly finishing up some editing from past shoots.  Damn photo manipulations class made me such a perfectionist, haha.  That's good until you're trying to get stuff done so you can move on and I feel like I can't move on until I'm done with these photos.  I feel like I gotta get these done so I can left them behind and get to work on what I'm excited to work on, which is putting more me into my photography.  I have an attitude and I need to portray that in my photography.  I get called a bitch a lot but since high school I've been like "you say that like it's a bad thing" and yeah a lot of the time I'm a bitch in the bad sense but I'm working on that.

[Though days when I lose my seat in class and end up having to sit up front, directly in front of some jerk who thinks my chair is theirs to tap on or someone who sits right next to me in a totally open lab, and then precedes to make disgusting noises as they blow their nose and hack all over the place or that guy that has to go HA! every time the professor says something even REMOTELY funny and then HAHAHAHA! when she says something chuckle worthy... (oh & did I mention he's had a cold for a week so I get to hear *cough*HA!*sniff, sniff sniff sniff sniff*HA*coughcough**sniffle*HAHAHAHA!) make it really hard]

Sorry went on a bit of a rant there for a second.  I just don't understand people, I guess.  Or at least the ones who insist on walking next to their friend down a narrow staircase so you have to hugs the railing in order not to be taken out but I digress.  I'm really excited to burst into this new direction.  What my advisor said really hit me and I'm excited to get people together.  Now it's just getting models.  Yeah, yeah, I know try places like Model Mayhem, well the problem with that is that all my photos are my old style (or rather lack of a style altogether) and so there's that problem but yes I will go there and put in my bio what I'm working on, so hush.

(Sorry people keep reminding me of things I need to or should do too and it's starting to wear on me a bit)

I do have a couple friends around here I can start with though, it's just that I'd like to do what even in my head sounds like a ridiculous amount of shooting, but then that's what I need to do as I need to get an entire portfolio of my photography together by like mid-April or so.

*hyperventilates*

Okay, on to other things.  I've decided that I'm going to start doing my manga reviews in blog form only because people on YouTube are dicks and I'm not in the mood for their bs.  Cause you know, no one else has ever made a pronunciation mistake in their freaking lives.  *rolls eyes*  plus I get more done and it gets done and actually posted.  I hate editing video of myself.  My voice on tape or video drives me insane so it takes me forever to edit, if I don't just scrap the whole dang thing.  So Mondays will be my review days as I've promised myself to read more manga this year, but we'll see how long after May that lasts, hahaha!

Speaking of babeh... I could sit and watch my stomach move from D's movements for hours.  It still makes me giggle and yesterday he was going half crazy and I discovered that if I yell, which I tend to do a lot of when driving in this shithole of a city, he gets all sorts of upset or something and tumbles around and punches and kicks.  So there's that.  Now he's not only determined to make me eat healthier but also determined to make me calm down.  He's gonna be just like his father...

Anyway, I really didn't have much to say today, sorry, but the pictures I have that I would post aren't here with me so that post will have to wait until next week or something.  Hope everyone has a glorious weekend and I hope at least one of you is looking forward to manga reviews, though I'm probably kidding myself.  And ya know if all you wanna hear about is the family stuff and you don't want to read posts where I cuss all the time and stuff you can always hop on over to the Family Blog and follow me there.  I wouldn't blame you one bit as I'm as foul-mouthed as a sailor and am well aware that I offend people on a daily basis.  It's kinda my thing.  ^w~

^w^

City vs. Podunk (Rant)

So I try not to rant on here anymore because it's depressing for my followers but here is a quick rant.

Here's a #RandomFact about me.  I get really riled up about people calling the city a small town or podunk.  So here are some things that I consider make a place a small city rather than a small town or podunk.  

I grew up in a town of 660 people.  My graduating class?  28.  And we were such a big class they had to split us up (well that and we were a bit crazy altogether. :P) and I think we were like the 3rd largest class the school had ever had.

Unless you've partied in a field... you didn't grow up in podunk. :P  Well that or you were a good kid or had too strict of parents to get away with such things.  Have you dived into a sunflower field because you thought the cops were coming up the road?  I have.

If you have anything more than a community college (2 year) it's not a small town.  You can possibly have a Walmart but if you have two, you're definitely not a small town.  More than one school (meaning more than 1 of each level like elementary)?  No.

More than 1 of the same fast food chain or Starbucks, or theaters?  So not a small town.

Sorry but you may be in a small city but it's not a town.  Yeah, yeah... details, details but this is one of my pet peeves.  I have no idea why I get so riled up about it but I do.

My town?  2 gas stations (1 Co-op owned as is our hardware store & mechanic), 1 store that's not a major chain, 2 bars (hey gotta have lots of the important stuff true- but one is part of the American Legion), a post office and an elementary school & middle/high school, 1 restaurant/motel & 1 no name fast food-ish place.  Oh wait and 1 ridic over priced hotel for people looking to get away from the city.  We had a theater at one time but it's abandoned (well the owner lives above it but it's not in use & equip is WAY old) with the exception of the 1 movie that will play in it next weekend (the first time it's been used in about 20 years).

Oh and if you think my town is small... My husband's hometown has a post office & a school (all grades in 1 building) & maybe 200 people...

Ummm.  End rant.

A Guide to Gas Stations

So for those who don't know, I'm a gas jockey, aka I work in a gas station. (No, I will not tell you what one, or even what chain. As much as I may whine, I like my job and most definitely need it). At work today (in between the endless mopping sessions- it snowed today) I was thinking about if I were to write a blog about advice for patrons to gas stations, which is pretty much everyone unless you have someone that does that for you, in which case- SHARE THE WEALTH. So here it is, mostly so I can vent for a moment. Disclaimer- while these are valid points I try for the most part to not be too bitchy about it, but we'll see if that comes across.

1. Do NOT bitch about being ID'd for Ciggs, lotto, or booze. Seriously. Now, honestly, I used to be one of those people but you must realize that these places have people who are underage come in and attempt to buy these items with the intention of tricking us into not IDing them and then bam- red card. What does that mean? Well most places your first red card mean a nice big boot out the door. "Thanks for working here, don't come back for your next shift." Yeah that's right most places FIRE their associates for the first red card and if it's not the first it IS the second that gets you the boot. Just take it as a compliment (it's hard to do, I know- I look 12 so I get carded for lottery tix) and go on about your day. Note: ID means a GOVERMENT ISSUED ID- military ID, license or state ID, Green card or Passport. NOTHING ELSE. I also believe it is state law to not accept expired IDs either (it IS ok though if you have your old, hole punched ID AND the paper they give you, but not just one of the two). OH! Most importantly, don't throw your ID at me either- someday I may throw it back.

2. Gas Pumps, oh gas pumps. Those tricky things that you apparently need a degree in rocket science to use. Yeah... most of those things give instructions, either via the screen or a note pasted to the pump, and if you are having trouble DO NOT act like the station attendant is too dumb to help you. We have been trained to work AND troubleshoot almost any problem you may have and the chances of it being an ID-10-T error on your part is much higher than you would like to know.

3. Signs. Specifically: Out Of Order. These signs are self explanatory. No, really. I'm not kidding, if it has those words posted on it, I'm not just selecting things to hang them on randomly just for fun. It. just. doesn't. work. and arguing or pleading doesn't help, trust me, I tried so I wouldn't have to listen to you do it.

4. Those who chew. You will get the date I give you. Whining about what date is on the bottom of the can will only irritate me AND the customers waiting for you to get your shit and get out. If I gave everyone that complained the freshest chew, I would still have chew from 1999.

5. Winning ticket. Yeah. a- I wouldn't work here anymore if I could pick winning numbers. I would be living on my own exotic island drinking something with an umbrella in it. b- I hear this joke a million times a day and it lost it's funny after the 2nd time.

All I ask is for you to keep these in mind the next time you get gas. ^w~ I joke (or at least I attempt) but for the most part these are things that irritate most gas station attendants (I've worked at 2 gas stations) so please, be kind and in the words of Wil Wheaton- "Don't be a dick".