My palms are getting sweaty….

I have a lot of jobs, but at the moment only 5 main, absorbing my life, killing my sleep part-time gigs that carry the weight and equal title of employment. I wouldn’t exactly call it hustle, just an intense desperation not to be jobless, homeless, bored out of my mind, and unable to save [cash] for my future. So when I’m talking to my friends or associates about a position I [currently] have, I usually refer to my jobs by numbers.

[Currently] Job #2, is one of my better paying gigs, and has a lot of unusual benefits. It’s a lot of high pressure, and if I weren’t in the situation I’m in, I probably wouldn’t have taken it, but it’s really easy. Coming into this job, my boss was a little nervous about hiring me, because my last boss gave me a biased review (Not unfair mind you, I’m not a sore loser; but she did judge me on 20% of my year-long work performance). Since hiring me however, she has received nothing short of outstanding workmanship, and continues to receive consistent, glowing compliments from customers & peers alike. I know I haven’t had this job for long, but I figured I was making a good impression all things considered.

Turns out, I’m a delirious dumbass! Because I spent half an hour yesterday trying to convince the same boss who hadn’t had a problem with me yet, and was being told by everyone how great an employee I was, not to fire me (over the phone, no less) and let me come into work that day. I don’t even know what prompted this whole thing, it’s not like I’m a problem employee or anything, and if there’s been any long-standing issue, she’s all the time in the world to address me about it. She eventually caved, but made no bones about letting me know that she’s looking for any reason to fire me at this point. I am under government-level surveillance now, and this job was stressful enough as it was.

That was a long time to tell a 2-minute story, but I really wanted to ask the readers, if it was you? If you knew for a second, by mistake, or even by accident, if you knew that your [well-paying job] was in danger (for any reason, really), would you stick around and hold out? Hope against all odds? Or would you start looking for a new job? Something that pays more, less? Closer to home, farther away? I’ve done all I plan to do about the matter, but I do wana hear what others have to say about it.

When we talk about the Recession, and lack of jobs, and so on & so forth, are we talking about these sorts of factors, or are we looking at numbers & going, “Oh, we’re fucked?”

You’ve sat through parts 1-3. This is it! The official Otakon 2010 Convention Report, through my old tired eyes.

Otakon was a big deal for me this year. Even if it was my very last Otakon, it was still the first time I got a real chance to be around people (aside from work) and enjoy what was my first anime convention and rave on a good leg. After the whole getting shot thing, it was really hard to say whether or not I’d ever return to the world I love. (Eventually however, that didn‘t turn out to be the case, thanks to Anime Matsuri & the fact that I couldn‘t go to the rave anyway.)

Thursday was fraught with hobos and asshats. Even though the line had started the Wednesday prior(!), there was a couple of last-minute line waiting directives that weren’t delivered until, well, the last minute. There was a lot of last minute stuff at the con, like the artists, panelist, and dealers who got pulled in last second, or the events that got postponed or canceled. Pre-reg Thursday’s usually a good indicator of what the weekend attendance is going to look like, and when the hobos are saying that the line looks slim, perhaps it’s not your best year of attendance.

*It should be noted that Pre-reg Thursday (the Thursday before the event actually starts in which attendees grab their passes for said event) is not an exact predictor for how attendance plays out, the crowd did feel slimmer this year & there were a lot less cosplayers floating around, and while [at time of writing] there was an estimated 30,000 in attendance, Otakon was offering replacement badges for anyone that lost their original; so unless there’s some way to distinguish the replacement badges vs. original sold, Otakon could very easily inflate their final numbers.*

Thursday marched on with little excitement until 12 noon. Maryland has been suffering a pretty wicked heat wave all summer and while most of the attendees hadn’t bothered to check the local weather, the little Dark Angel that could managed to snag a look the night before. In fact the whole week building up to Ota, every weatherman had been proclaiming rain for that Thursday, with child-like giddy. So while I was happy I’d packed an umbrella, it was still not less of a surprise when the rain came. In the span of 20 mins Baltimore’s Inner Harbor was terra-formed from a desert into monsoon wetland. And it was cool too (everyone played in the rain), until the winds picked up. It evolved like a Pokemon in the span of minutes. Light rain, to thunderstorm, to heavy storm surge. Anything that wasn’t attached to your body or bolted to the ground, went flying away like a kite. And if you didn’t have an umbrella, you might as well have been naked in the shower. Logically, the staff let us in. The good news was, we now had shelter (most of us), the bad news was, the BCC (Baltimore Convention Center) has a convention practically every weekend, so the A/C never stops running; essentially it’s the coolest place in Baltimore all Summer. A couple hundred soaking wet anime fans, crammed into arguably the coldest building in the city, does not make for an awesome beach party. Though that didn’t stop some fans from stripping down to the bare essentials. We weren’t soaked, we were “if I squeeze my shirt, I have 2 buckets of water now“ drenched. Once pre-reg started, everyone was accommodated briskly. And that kids, was the day the ‘Hurricane of Otakon 2010’ took place. That was also the day IT came, the arrival of the Buttscratcher.

If Otakon was my anniversary con, it was certainly a throwback. This was the first year in a long time that I couldn’t stick around over night for a convention. I missed all the parties, all the raves, all the crazy that went down as soon as the sun did. If I had to break my 2010 experience into themes, Thursday would have been water (clearly), and Friday, regret. It felt terrible, because no matter how many people I got to see [again], how many things I got to do, how much fun it was to be back on the scene (and not walk around after hurting my legs), the experience never felt complete. Regret also sprang from the loss of my camera, which was stolen earlier this year. I’d had that thing for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to not have one; I felt so naked. You could tell the Buttscratchers were multiplying by mid-Friday.

Saturday, July 31st, 2010. A day that will not be forgotten anytime soon. A day that will go down in Otakon’s chronicles as it’s greatest day of infamy. This was the day the fire alarm got pulled. But before all those crazy shenanigans, it seemed like a perfectly normal day at Otakon. Costumed characters walking rampant through Baltimore’s streets. Lines for everything longer than the DMV. People from all over the world celebrating anime. I spent today getting things done. I went to panels, I (pardon the 90s) got my game on, I got to meet many influential artist like Mookie & Garth. I met up & hung out with friends; it felt great, and yet so alien. Ever since the big Recession, I hadn’t really gotten a chance to relax and be me, I’d just been so busy working, and dealing with regulars, and making sure my bosses were happy, and it never felt like I was ever taking a minute to just chill; so it was weird doing so now. I somehow wound up working at one of the booths in the Dealer’s Room – Anime Pavilion. That was a different experience to say the least; it was nice to add the experience to my con scene resume. 1/2way through my 1st shift the fire alarm goes off, and at first, everyone ignores it. Then the Fire Marshall starts clearing us out. Everyone! Fans, staff, guests, etc. Fire drills were never like this in high school, and the amount of people was sheer MASSIVE. If the 30,000 estimate is to be believed, then there were at least 18,000 cleared out of the convention center. All of them seemingly packed onto Pratt Street, in Baltimore‘s Inner Harbor. It was like watching an epidemic break out, or the makings of a zombie apocalypse. So many people….and at first no one was moving, everyone just kinda congregated in the same area. Just this massive outbreak of anime fans. After this little stunt, I think it’s safe to say that Anime Expo will never have ANYTHING that will ever come close to that exciting; and it’s amazing to have been part of it. Now rumor has it that the culprit(s) range from a faulty stove to Rastafarians to 4chan. Course I’m inclined to agree with those who think it was Charmander. Or maybe Vic Mignogna actually picked up some tricks from all those recordings of FMA & Brotherhood. Fortunately (or unfortunately) however, according to the big cheese running the show, there was no actual fire.. The evacuation was definitive testament to the staff’s organization, because if there was actually something wrong, then they did a great job of getting us out of danger. Once the commotion died down, I went back to roaming with old friends, got back to work, and made some new friends. It still sucked that I couldn’t stay, but it was overall, a pretty good day. And you realize at this point that the viral buttscratrer meme has simply multiplied out of hand. It started as a rave, but within the first few days it had grown to something I think no one could control. I had a friend suggest that vuvuzelas (which had been preemptively banned this year) be allowed to combat the septic beast; however I countered in that his solution would be tantamount to trying to use the Aliens to fight the Predators; everyone loses as the problem gets worse. What amazed me the most was not the stamina in which this idea virus spread, but rather the various strains that derived from the original bug, seemingly all in one weekend, in the same building. You had opt-in buttscratcher, passing buttscratcher, Vendor buttscratcher, Buttscratcher cosplay, and even a couple of [people literally] running buttscratchers. Notably the Dealer’s Room was packed as always, and they weren‘t selling 3-month old merch (for the most part, and as far as I could tell). A lot of the vendors really seemed pressed to try to bring up the bottom line with some outstanding lineups, but even in a recession I think most have discovered they are still losing to the Internet. I think there’s got to be a new business model if those guys are going to survive.

In all the years I’ve spent going to cons, researching cons, and working (at) cons I’d never seen anything like Otakon 2010 to date. Hurricanes, no parties, fire alarms; it was starting to pre-qualify for free range pandemonium. It only felt slightly normal because it was all happening in Baltimore. So even though I shouldn’t have been, I was really surprised at what went down Sunday. See it was bad enough not being able to stay for any of the overnight chaos, but on top of that I had to run back to town to work (about an hour away) with no car, which essentially made my commute about 2.5 hours (because we all know how reliable public transportation is). So imagine my unnecessary surprise when I got to the train stop Sunday only to find out that they were all running about hour late. Bad enough it’d take an hour to get into the city, but an hr late for these things to boot, would mean I probably wouldn’t get there until noon; just as everyone started going home. Pissed as usual, I randomly relayed the bad news to a small group of cosplayers. A chance encounter really, because they then offered to take me to the show. Hitchiking to Otakon, what a way to travel! I made it in around 10, got a chance to say goodbye to some old friends, new friends, do a little last minute networking. And as the last of the festivities began to wind down I got a chance to go to my 1st anime convention wedding. The couple are friends of mine who you may remember from Otakon 2009. The groom proposed to his bride in the middle of the rave last year. This ceremony was more a recap than the actual ceremony , but it was still cool. Nowhere near as cool as my wedding will be, but awesome nonetheless.

So that was my Otakon 2010. Nothing at all like I was expecting, but hey, is it ever? But it’s the end of the ride for this old cowboy, no more Otakons. To quote myself, “I, Dark Angel, will never, ever again, as of the end of Otakon 2010, attend the Otakon convention ever again.” What’s next for the future? I’m the wrong person to ask, but I’m sure it’s gonna be crazy.

Parts 1, 2, 3

Anime Conventions, huh? What can I say that Team XP’s book already hasn’t? I’ve been going to anime conventions since 2004. My 1st was Otakon. I [honest to goodness] can’t remember a damn thing about that show (even though I‘ve got a whole freaking cache of swag from it), but I know it compelled me enough to keep coming back year after year.

I typically write epic jaunts about anime cons, but this time, I thought I’d try to break it up into pieces; so maybe you too can savor the last few moments I’ve come to reflect and experience with the Otakon convention.

It’s been one Hell of a ride; I still can’t believe how far it’s taken me.

So for the unaffiliated, Otakon’s this MASSIVE anime convention out here on the East Coast, in good ol’ Baltimore, MD. People get together for a few days to celebrate Japanese culture and all things inspired by it. Did I mention it’s the 2nd biggest show of it’s kind in North America, to include Mexico & Canada? 1st biggest on the East Coast.

This was my 5th and final Otakon. I’ve already written extensively about it, but it really was a significant year for me, all things considered. It was kinda like a big anniversary for yours truly. A culmination of old choices; decisions I’d made in passion or had been thrusted into in my quick lesson in adulthood, all coming together. Their consequences and ramifications echoing louder still, after all these years.

I seriously can’t remember anything about Ota ‘04, but I still marvel at all the swag I have left over from that show. ‘05 is one show many of the regulars will tell you was the best to date. A lot of great things came out of the convention that year. That’s when I 1st started looking into voice acting. ‘07 was the year I made it a personal goal to have the greatest Otakon EVER; in efforts to make up for missing ‘06. Talk about an anime convention! Guns, booze, rave, friends, massive hikes to 7/11, hookers, drunk kids who thought I was God. This con had everything! And for all the friends I made that year, this was the 1st year I got a chance to meet the lovely Amber, The Hentai Pirate & Light It Up’s own Xavier, probably the only other person around I know as badass as Dark Angel. Had I known the impact(s) they (and other good friends I made that year) would have had, we’da been friends so much, much sooner. Not to mention, the greatest book ever written was kinda born here, in a line, waiting to meet THE legendary Steve Blum. Damn, ’07 was a fucking epic year! ’08 was the 1st real time Team XP got a chance to meet up in person. You might not think so, but the fact that we’d come from all over the country (Cali, NYC, Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina) just to take one picture, or merely talk about one project that no one believed would ever see the light of day, astounding. Simply astounding. Amazing how far things came along still. ‘08 was the year I started really looking at out-of-state cons, as opposed to just out-of-state travel. Otakon was big that year too. Otakon ‘09, my 1st time working the Dealer’s Room. For the first time at any con, I got the chance to work and see a lot of the behind the scenes. I was privilege to Dealer’s Room setup before Otakon put it all over their website. This was also primetime spotlight time for Team XP, and pulling it all off required nothing short of giving the cool katz of Ota a show they’d never forget. And [all of] Team XP pulled that off to the tune of still remembered at this year’s Otakon. It’s been a roller coaster to be sure, never once as easy as expected, but Otakon has always been worth it. And 2010 was just the icing on the cake I needed to bow out gracefully. But more on that later.

And despite all that crazy history in good old Baltimore, I decided now was the best time to say goodbye. There have been a lot of mixed opinions about my (apparently) controversial decision, some people say I’ll be back, others are unable to fathom the words “Last Otakon” in the same sentence, so I’d like to take the time to document a little “for the record” quote.

I, Dark Angel, will never, ever again, as of the end of Otakon 2010, attend the Otakon convention, ever again.

Am I open to guest paneling, assisting in the Dealer’s or Artist spaces, staffing, or autograph signings? Of course. But I’m not going to be doing it at Otakon anymore. I’m glad for all the things I’ve gotten a chance to experience through this event. If I could go back, I don’t think I could bring myself to change anything. 2010 wasn’t the best con I’ve ever had, but for this Angel’s closing ceremony, things ended things on a high note.

Parts 2, 3, 4

Hell, even if you don’t read the blog, it’s no secret I’ve got a history with debt. I’m not so special in that regard though; welcome to America, kids. This year I’ve been busting ass every single day to pay mine’s off and be done with it all, for good! I’ve been lucky enough to keep landing jobs so often (8 since The Great Recession started), and finding extra income I never knew even existed.

I set the target for termination at September of this year, but after the snow, it got pushed back a month. This past week however, I put away about 60% of my remaining commercial debt! Now I still have some personal bits to pay back, and my students loans are going nowhere fast, but man, talk about progress! With only 40% of my credit-score, damaging debt left, I’m more pumped than ever to finish this fight.

And while this was a big win, there’s no way I’m taking a break to celebrate. It’s time to end this once & for all!

(Photo by ElDave/flickr)

Something might be wrong with my heart. No, literally.

Last night was probably one of the few times I’ve ever felt, “sick”? My wording’s so particular because I hardly ever get sick. I’ve only once taken a day off from work because I was “sick”, and that was only because the previous day I’d been gagging off of chemicals the manager decided to spray around the work area. So having a cold, or fighting the flu, not really things I’m used to as it were.

So imagine my surprise last night (at 4am) when I was jolted awake by a feeling of extreme nauseous. My body continued to go between chills and hot for the next 5 hours. I had a throbbing headache, congestion in my chest, shoulders, and base of my neck. And everything hurt. I was gonna just sleep it off, but wound up going to the local clinic to get a look over. Which is all the more ironic because I wound up dozing off as I waited for my appointment & felt 10 times better than I did prior to the extra sleep. The docs told me my blood sugar was low; more than likely due to me missing dinner last night. But they also heard some strange heart murmur; perhaps potential for heart damage. They can’t figure out what it is, so I have to go to the big hospital down town to have them look over me to make sure the murmur is just a murmur, and nothing else. Wouldn’t want anything to be wrong with Angel’s heart now.

So what’s wrong? Who knows? But $50 bucks says I’m too stressed for my little old heart to handle.

Update: The condition I have is called “Valvular Regurgitation”. I won’t know why it’s there, how bad it is, or how to fix it until July. Hope it doesn’t kill me before then, lol; not really….

(Photo By Bob.Fornal/flickr)

(dianeham/flickr)

You know, I can’t spell ‘squirrel’. I don’t know why I can’t, I just can’t. Totally spellchecked; you’ve caught me red-handed.

Squirrels are interesting. One of the most cleaver animals around, and (though I may be the only one who thinks this) arguably one of the most financially smart creatures known to man. Think about it, this guy is all about the hustle! When have you ever seen a squirrel sitting still? They’re ALWAYS moving, and they’re NEVER wasting time. Squirrels spend most of their time looking for, harvesting (saving), and investing nuts. If nuts were money the little bastards’d be richer than all of us. It’s practically their entire day. Find a nut, repeat until you have a full load, store nuts for later. Repeat all day; break up the routine with an occasional snack. Such dedication. It’s the type of discipline you have to apply to personal finance. And what do they get for all that hard work? From what I’ve seen, some decent free time to relax, and quite a lot of sex. You ever see a squirrel not looking for food, chances are it’s racing through the trees or over a building with other squirrely buds just chillen. You ever see a squirrel having sex? Probably not, but take a look outside just for kicks; that population isn’t going down anytime soon. While you’re sleeping Mr. Squirrel is gettin’ it in & yea, the neighbors know his name. What a great life. Be financially prosperous, hang out with your boys, and sex it up. Squirrels have it too easy.

Dark Angel on the other hand…well I don’t know if interesting is the word we should use. Complicated, maybe? And no one understands him but his…oh wait, that’s another story. Dark overdrafted his account in April. The overdraft happened on account of Paypal refusing to believe his name was real; DESPITE having sorted out any identity issues well early into the start of his 2.5 year tenure with the company. The Paypal flag [stopping an automatic payment to one of his bills] triggered a flag at his brick-and-motor bank. A hold up that’s costs more than Dark has ever needed to spend; seeing how it wasn’t his fault. But while most of the damage was undone, not enough to keep the brick-and-motor account out of the negative zone. No big though, he could probably handle this. He’s going to be a finance major afterall, remember. Dark went to see the wonderful HR wizard of Oz about changing his direct deposit from his negative account to his positive account. 3 Times! 3 times the wizard acknowledged his request & 3 times ignored it all the same. The last request would have been a magical blessing for Dark’s [positive] bank account and overall finances, but upon the day anticipated, there was only disappointment. There was a lot of rage too, but anger is so very tiring for The Dark these days. His old bones simply yearn for a simpler time. So Dark watched his phone payment (along with everything else) float away like a cloud. Which normally wouldn’t have been that big an issue, but unknown to The Dark, the wicked witch of the border sent some Mexcian hacker-monkey to cripple Dark’s email. Dark was allowed to retrieve access to his email, on one condition, the meager expense of verifying a text or phone call to the phone number on file; which would be possible if not for the the fact that his phone can’t be used until the phone bill is paid, which never happened because the wonderful wizard of HR never transfered his direct deposit!

RESIDUAL RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…sigh…Leaving Dark with virtually no possible way to get in touch with almost anyone and vice versa. Money mismanagement for the fucking win. And what does Dark get for his hard work? He gets to work 3 jobs, just to break even and cover his bills. He gets a bunch of rowdy roommates who never go to sleep & when they do they snore so loud you can hear them from anywhere in the house. He gets tired beyond recover, in addition to clients, classmates, and 3 sets of co-workers all telling him he looks dead on arrival and far too tired for someone his age. Course it’s a lot more sobering when he hears the same thing from the homeless community. He gets to come home every night and see his eyes so bloodshot you’d swear he was jacked up on something he conjured up special that you can’t find on the streets. He gets to spend a lot of time thinking about things he doesn’t get, things he can’t have, and things he’ll probably never have, no matter how bad he may need them. And he gets no support; though he’s not sure he’d even take it if he had the option. And that’s just the stuff on the surface.

After everything I’ve had to deal with this month, I think it’s time to get my squirrel on.

pixn8tr/flickr

If you’ve never reloacted, then you could never fathom what it’s like to have to your life shaken up and/or to have to restart all over again (in that retrospect). For some people it can be rather jarring. For someone like me, it’s a way of life. A gut-wrentching feeling of ‘WOW, Mama!’ that hits you like a brickwall everytime.

Or in my case, every 6 to 9 months.

I’ve probably stayed somewhere for longer than a year at SOMEPOINT in my life. But truth be told, I can’t remember it. I was origianlly born in Arizonia; it snowed that week according to an old photo. Ironic if I do say so myself.

I’ve moved around so much I can’t even remember everywhere I’ve been too. I say roughly 24-25 states, but I started the 50 State Challenge* to back those claims up. It’s one thing to brag about a trip, but a picture says 1,000 words without you even speaking.

What you gain, being on the road, it’s, it’s indescribible. And yet, quite absolutely invaluable all the same. You gain a real sense of culture (that of yourself & others), you learn things about yourself you never knew, and for better or worse you grow in ways you can NEVER unsee. It’s intense, surreal, powerful. Two sides to every coin though. You tend to lose friends when you move, it can be hard to readjust sometimes, and moving (or any form of travel) can be costly.

To a decent extent technology has taken a lot of difficultly out of moving. Search engines let you scope out the new pad before you even step outside. Social networks let you stay in contact with old/good friends. Deal & coupon sites let you book massive savings on travel (or travel back). But it’s still a game changer, every single time.

Having done it so much, I’ve gotten everything down to more or less a routine.

Step 1-Go to new area. Step 2-Get instantly famous because everyone in a 200-ft radius can’t stop gossiping about name.

That’s not really it, just what ends up happening. I tend to go where my business takes me. Feels a lot like being a cowboy. I try to stay out of trouble & never get too far with that one. I try as hard and as long as possible to stay standoffish, offensive & unbarable. See I have this guilty pleasure. I love to meet new people, and like, interact with them. And friends are the best new people. Certainly better than the cops. But I hate it when I make new friends, because it’s always the same. At some point I will leave, and at some point it’ll feel like all the time we spent together (especially if she’s a cute friend) will have been for nothing. Everyone wants to talk you out of leaving, even if they know there’s nothing they can do to stop you. It’s harder on the person moving because they’ve got to constantly be reminded that everything’s about to change. For reals, for reals. I make the best use of my surroundings, and if I ever run into trouble, I try to rely on what I’ve learned in other cities. I’m still horrible with directions, but I always try to commit the local [insert whatever] scene to memory. Never know when it will come in handy. If I’m returning, I try to revisit old locales, not out of nostaliga, but rather to refresh the memory. Again, never know when I’ll need to know where anything is.

Moving’s [to or fro] far less complicated. It’s just become so 2nd-nature to make plans, and aquire whatever means I need to get out & go. But all to often it usually comes down to the best option that can get me out of town at the last minute. I often joke, give me a smartphone & $50 and I’ll have a place to stay in less than a week. You usally try to pack light, but sometimes you collect more than you think. Both physically & mentally. My intent is never to come in & wreck and good thing for anyone, but I’ve broken my share of hearts. I’m sure that trend will continue. Living so unstably, you really see life from so many other perspectives, which can be good sometimes. Though for someone like me, it’s the only constant.

*There are various forms of ‘The 50 State Challenge’ & you can no doubt find countless individuals & groups devoted to it online. I simply used that name because it made the most sense at the time.

I vaguely remeber a rare time where nobody cared what I wore to an anime convention; or any other random gathering for that matter. Yet as the years have gone by, my colleagues have grown increasingly more and more fond of [what is known as] cosplaying.

Cosplaying is essentially dressing up as a character or pop icon of some sort. You get points for really making an effort to act like the character. People cosplay at conventions & trade shows. There’s even cosplay porn (not a typo & not cosplay hentai, though there is cosplay hentai; yes, actual cosplay porn; between two people). (There’s A LOT more to it than that, but I want to distill the definition for all the readers who’ve no association & I don’t cosplay, so I’m none too qualified to be telling you lot anything about it with any authority).

Now historically, I’ve never cosplayed. And I have no intention whatsoever about picking up said habit. However, as more and more associates get into cosplay, or get better at it, I am increasingly asked, “Dark, why don’t you cosplay?” So I figured I’d write this, to go on the record, at least once.

I don’t cosplay, because I don’t want the attention. It’s not that I can’t make a costume or get into character. I’m in college studying Theatre; that’s 80% of what I do. I can handle the attention, I get it everday. But that’s the crook kids. I like the idea that for a few days out the year not every one has to shower me with attention. So that’s why I don’t cosplay.

#fail, #fluke, #willneverhappenagaininthislifetime

Hey gang, someone swiped my laptop a few days ago, so don’t expect anything here (new or otherwise) for a while. Sorry for the buzzkill.

RANT! RANT! RANT! Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. Everything’s going crazy and getting seriously off track. Instead of writing several odd bits, I thought 1 long blurb would suffice. Hell, I’ve been so busy with everything I shouldn’t be, I’ve actually stopped using twitter for a while.

Snowerdraft. That’s what I’m officially naming the blizzard that kicked Maryland’s ass this year. Somewhere in the eye of this beast I managed to get myself stranded in the cold & before I could cut any funds into my account, all the banks (along with the rest of the state) had shut down. I’da tried to drop it sooner if not for the fact that I didn’t find out about said deposit until 4 hours before the storm touched down. My 1 purchase [to keep warm] from my 5 hour lockout has since resulted in my worst overdraft of all time, at a little over $350. This slip up has continued to get even better for me as I’ve been eating all sorts of fees because of the snow. Check cashing fees to get eagerly needed funds, late fees from not having monies in the bank to pay bills due during the storm, and even relocating fees because the damn storm added 2 new trees to my old place, so I’ve had to find somewhere new. As of writing I’ve eaten a little over $800 in all sorts of fees ( just fees!) that never would’ve happened if not for that mo@@!@$@!@!@%ing blizzard! None of that even takes into account bills or living expenses. SMH, FML, is there anything for Kill Me Now?!

[Insert Red Lantern Ring]

$800 would’ve been great to help with the debt, but worse yet, I’ve missed out on quite a few infrastructure plays & guilty pleasures. Like upgrading the blog (as I’ve been planning for months), picking up the Camo & Krooked album ‘Above & Beyond‘, and even missing out on an absolute dream that is the Adventures in Voice Acting workshop.

This wouldn’t be such a big hassle if I were working, and for someone that now has 3 jobs, there in lies the rub. It’s a ‘happy’, little coincidence I like to call ‘Employed, but not working’.

I moved up North as a transfer from my old job, but didn’t get any hours. Found a 2nd job, still couldn’t not get any hours. Applied for 3rd job & I’m really not fond of this pattern anymore.

Still, couldn’t a tax return serve as a lovely influx of money? But what should’ve been a simple process turned into me calling corporate because my old job wouldn’t hand over my W-2 & going as far as to call the IRS for help. Luckily I wound up getting my taxes done (for free even), but the return is scheduled to bank until later.

I’ve been doing some moderately massive networking as of late. Many of the new friends are actually reading this (when I manage to post, lol)(Hi Guys!). My very essence is starting to mold into this kind of ideavirus, and I’m giddy with excitement as to the fallout from this over the next few months. It’s been fun meeting all these new people. None of them seem as boring as the rest of Maryland; the bulk of these kats just feel cut from a different cloth. It might make this month a tad more bearable if it didn’t feel like I was jobless, homeless, and broke.

I usually write a primer at the start of each month, about goals & aspirations I generally have for those 30 days. This is definitely one real world logistic on expectations meeting reality. Learning experience as it may be, I think I’m good & ready for March to start..like ASAP!

velo_city/flickr

I’m not the biggest fan of scholarships. I’ve spoken/written bout this disdain at length. They simply don’t seem effective. However, since I am of a firm belief that there is very little I cannot do, I decided to challenge myself. I decided to not only get a scholarship, but to find a way to receive $15,000 in scholarship funds this year. All For college…of course…

Why so much? Why not? Little risk, MASSIVE reward. I’d like to think this can work, at least a little bit. and if it does (and I’m pretty sure it will) I’ll definitely be well on my way to bigger better things in regards to my college education.

Edit: I still don’t trust scholarships, but I’m cocky as hell, and I’d like to see where this goes. Because at the end of the day this is a learning experience, and anything I can learn from makes me stronger.

So somehow I got roped into taking care of my sick friend in Baltimore, even though I’m supposed to be in Annapolis & somewhere in-between those facts I have found myself to take residency in Maryland’s 2 biggest cities – at the same time. But that’s another post, for another day.

So I’m in Downtown Baltimore, on my way to see my sick friend and right as I turn the corner I hear this light rumbling. I look up only to see roughly 30-50 pounds of snow collapse on what would’ve been my next 2 feet. Amazing. Days like today I wonder how I get so lucky.

I’m not proud of it, but I’ve more debt than I’d like right now. Then again any debt is too much debt. I started writing about it last year, as well as my turning point, where I started to fight back and take control of my life. The rules & disciplines implemented have only really started gaining traction in the last 6 months, but oh what a difference they’ve made. In the course of several months, I’ve paid down over 1/2 of my commercial & personal debt. Assuming my plan continues unobstructed, I’ll have anywhere from 80%-100% of all of that taken care of by summer. And then I can tackle the dreaded student loans….

alancleaver_2000/flickr

Reporter: THIS WAS THE SCENE as [1] Dark Angel was seen inhaling a platter of shangai chow mein. God help us if these words come to pass.

There was once a beautiful princess I loved more than anything. We were inseparable as friends, and as lovers, we were the make of fairy tales. We weathered everything, except what came next.

One day I had to move. I didn’t want to. I didn’t have [much of] a choice. I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. So I did the single-handed most painful things I’ve ever had to do in my life; I broke up with her. For a really long time we were out of each other’s lives. It was weird, but worse yet painful. Nothing’s ever hurt so much.

At this point, we’d stopped communicating all together. She’d even moved on; I don’t blame her, I would too. I’m pretty lousy, lol. We did however have 3 brief conversations in our time apart.

The 1st was in regard to something she said to me back when we were dating. A proposition that would have changed our lives forever. I was already planning on coming back (even if we weren’t going to date again), but I needed to know if she really felt that way, because I didn’t want things top be awkward or anything. She said no. She was simply ‘caught up in the moment’. I say she’s lying. And if she ever lays eyes on this, she knows, I know she’s lying. What she said sent a chill down her spine & stopped my ass dead in my tracks (which is a resume-worthy talent, if you can pull it off). The look in her eyes, the night she said it, I’ll never forget. Your eyes can’t lie…not about something like that. I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Clearly she was happier with the new guy. The 2nd time was the night I got shot. At that point I was fading fast, but I told her I loved her & that I hoped I’d be able to tell her that again soon. Of course I wasn’t exactly betting on myself at that point, but hey I made it. Lucky me. What transpired [between us] in the next 24 hrs is as madding as it is confusing, but suffice to say, the exchange was as short-lived as the 1st. Lastly was her untimely withdrawal from a small project we’d collaborated on. No reason given, just gone. At this point I’d given up & decided to devote my life to greed. Ahh money, the one force more powerful and seductive than any female. The perfect motivator.

Now bare in mind, all of this is over the course of a few years, from friends to breakup. The aforementioned convos however, are all ’09.

Eventually I moved back to her neck of the woods, in hopes of clearing up some of the confusions bestowed. But she’s gone to great lengths to avoid me & won’t return any messages. Further adding to this complex, her family is still really cool with me (with stated intents to visit me at work), we work for the same company (though at different branches), we still have a lot of mutual acquaintances, and assuming she hasn’t changed that much, many similar hobbies & hangouts.

It’s like nothing changed….except us…..

Sometime between writing this and posting this, I saw the movie (500) Days of Summer. Wonderful little movie; you should rent it. The movie said a lot of things I’d wish I’d heard after we broke up. I think it would’ve lessened the pain considerably. I watched the movie and saw how all of this could be applied to someone going through a breakup, and thought how wonderful all the bits & pieces were. But that’s not my problem. I’m out a very close, personal friend, at a time where those are very hard to come by.

Some friends have told me to move on. Others have been left as stomped as I; their words, her words would explain her actions. Others still have said she’s lying and/or feels particular about me. But no one friend has been able to put my mind at rest. So I decided to get intimate with myself; quiet hopes of finding peace by looking in. I mean, I don’t need someone to hold my hand, but there has to be a way to get some sort of closure on this thing.

Let me be clear. I DON’T feel like the super-innocent victim. I don’t hate her & I’m not bitter. I just feel confused. Really, really fucking confused. We don’t have to hang out, we don’t have to re-love, but to lose someone so close to you? And for what? What the fuck could I have possibly done to deserve this?! I haven’t seen her in over a year. Idk, Maybe there’s something I did to piss her off for good, but I have no way of knowing, and of all the factors in this new complex, that probably hits the hardest.

…Another scar, another day in the life….

Edit 1/25/10: While unnecessary, a pinch of emo spice to really complete the agony baked into this post.

rsgranne/Flickr

This one has to be filed under utterly ridiculous….I just think it’s gotten way out hand at this point.

So in case you missed it, I was shot at the end of September ’09. Surprising when you consider I’ve been shot at (and never once hit) in some of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. Not so much when you consider the crazy run-up in crime the Atlanta-area has seen in the last 2 months.

This has been quite a stressful ordeal for me, and clearly one of the key things I wanted to leave in 2009, but alas I find myself still paying hospital bills more than 3 months after my shooting.

At time of my incident I couldn’t cover the bills, but found a 3rd party who would. They asked for my police report & medical bills (a whole nother nightmare entirely) to confirm my grievances. After dealing with the aforementioned nightmare of collecting my data, I was more than happy to report a grand total of $1,146 – for 1 gunshot wound…..

….unbefuckinglievable….But hey! Why complain if some else will pay it? Right?

Then, today, I find out that I’m being charged an additional, yes, an additional….wait, don’t even let me finish that; let it marinate. There’s no reason for me to paying an additional anything, I’m the freaking victim here! Worse yet? I’m just finding out about these additional charges, today. I was shot on the 27th of September of LAST YEAR. The added extra? $10,750.88, bringing our wonderful total to, $11,896.88. This of course not counting anything I’ve had to replace or things needed to assist my rehab.

$11,896.88?!?! That’s a new car, a semester at college, every major con of every geek genre possible, funding for an anime convention, a year’s worth of house repairs, more money than I’ve made working in the last 3 years, a trip around all of North America, an IRA contribution, an emergency fund, a comicbook studio, a student loan payment, and in this economy, depending on where you buy, a house, with a tax credit!

….unbefuckinglievable….

Now bare in mind, we’re talking about ONE bullet here. And while that’s all it takes, this shot didn’t put me in a coma, didn’t paralyze me, & [thankfully] didn’t put me through more than a few weeks of rehab. My life might be priceless, but one bullet is not worth $10,000+.

And to add insult to injury, the cops know exactly who assaulted me, but they won’t arrest him, because they want him tried by a grand jury on 8 separate counts of assault from that night (mine included), as opposed to putting the guy away so he can’t hurt anyone else. Let me be crystal, I’m very happy the medical personnel did their jobs, because I almost didn’t make it. I mean, it was almost the end of D-2-da-A; and that would’ve been a sad day for everyone. But if it costs this much to live, the alternative might have been better.

Brief highlights of 2009 in no particular order…

-Otakon ’09.
-I upgraded from Blogger to WordPress, and donned myself the social media otaku. I’ve no idea what type of blogger I’m evolving into, but I’m learning a ton and plan on serious growth in 2010.
-I got shot; talk about a losy day.
-I got invited to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s 1st ever town hall meeting.
-I was banned from Facebook (for a 2nd time) & managed to get my account back (again).
-I got a car, FINALLY!
-I moved from Maryland to Georgia.
-How To Avoid Hara-kiri turned out to be a hit; distribution however has been difficult. So I embarked on finding XenoPhoenix a publisher.
-I closed the last of my old storage hideouts.
-My group, XenoPhoenix, got nominated for Best Anime On Twitter.
-I started a new podcast. This one’s about anime conventions.
-I got accepted into college again. Classes set for Spring 2010.
-In the mist of the greatest recession of my time, I’m getting back to even, paying for college & getting rich slowly.
-I managed to get 5, yes 5 jobs in this recession! Better still, I miraculously called the 5th!
-I’m single again & hating it.
-I lost all my old podcasts! Not cool…
-Otaku Variable has [sadly] been put on hiatus. Sorry guys.
-I finally learned how to play stocks & I’m quite addicted.
-I won a free cruise. Vacay time for sure 2010.
-I met Zane, yea THE Zane.

Not much of a year, but things came up better than expected. While I’ve been distracted, held back & jacked up, I’ve also been plotting, planing & patiently waiting for 2010. Cause when it gets here, I plan on making quite the impact.

Contrary to my aspirations to be a great blogger, I don’t really know how to blog. Hell, up until 6 months ago, I never even knew what a ‘WordPress’ was; let alone how to use it. Yet, as with any hobby, there are protips that you’ll eventually pick up & pass along. The other day my friend asked me for ideas on how to drive more traffic to his blog.

Most modest bloggers’ll tell ya that you just need good content, most profit-driven blog-kats will preach the gospel of SEO. My solution however, is far more entertaining & considerably lazier.

All to often I’ll run into someone who has a BAJILLION questions about my name. What can I say? My name is the greatest pick up line known to modern man. I just give em a business card w/my web addy and tell them to check out my F.A.Q. This isn’t the heaviest traffic booster, but its great at shutting down the curious jackrabbits and the few genuine visitors I do manage, always seem to return occasionally. Which in turn helps me, not because it drives traffic (which it does), but because it gives me a reason to keep at my blog. I know people have a vested interest now.

Flickr/aloshbennett

As I continue my journey to experience the immensity that is the United States, I’m also bracing for a far more compelling odyssey to see the world, one destination at a time. I’ve a list of locales & I hope to see them all once before I die.

-Amsterdam
-Australia
-Austria
-Bahamas
-Brazil
-Canada *5/23/08-Ontario
-China
-Christmas Island
-Egypt
-Easter Island
-Fiji
-Germany
-Greece
-Ibiza
-Italy
-!!!!! JAPAN !!!!!
-Kyoto
-London/UK
-New Zealand
-Osaka
-Paris
-Philippines
-Prague
-Rome
-Russia
-Sweden
-Switzerland
-Thailand
-Tokyo
-Vatican City

So, the other night I was shot. As a result, Georgia is definitely losing brownie points in my book. Since I’ve been lucky enough to tell the tale, I figured I’d construct a list of things you should address if you ever find yourself w/one hole too many.

1-Don’t Panic: You’ve got to be able to think clearly & not lose your cool. Otherwise you’ll make the situation worse than it already is. Now I didn’t panic, but I did get depressed good & quick, as the people I called 1st did not pick up & at the rate/amount of blood I was losing at that time, my hands did not have the strength to make another call. Which brings us to point #2.

2-Call 911/Your Loved Ones: 911 is there for a reason, so call them. I didn’t though, cause I was on a backroad to begin w/and honestly did not think any ambulance could get to me soon enough, plus I didn’t know the name of the street, so it’s not like I could tell anyone where to find me. So I called my roommates (who were down the street, but never picked up) & then I called my family (who were in town for a funeral; whom did not call back until the cops hit the scene). Had the shot been more critical, I may not have made it, no matter who I called. But an ambulance did manage to show up fairly quickly, only after some total strangers helped me out.

3-Find People/Be Around People: You don’t want to be shot in dark alley, in a secluded field, or in my case, a graveyard. You want to be relatively close to people, so that way, even if you get shot, you can still be near someone who might be able to help you. Guy could’ve easily smoked me & left me to rot, with nary a witness to be found in sight. But I lucked out, and actually managed to get a few people to see it as the perp made his getaway. Of course most of them (to the tune of about 14 cars) drove right past/around me. There were only about 3 cars that stopped to help me as far as I could tell. They called the cops (who in turn called the hospital) when I barely had the strength to move. Course if you think you’re about to die, you might want to say your final peace….

4-Keep Talking: That’s right, keep talking. Don’t even think about shutting up. Just keep yammering away. You want to be as conscious as possible; that makes it easier for doctors to operate & helps distract from the pain. And trust me, there will be pain. I remember slowly slipping away & telling the ambulance medics to keep me talking so I wouldn’t blackout or anything. I think they said the ride was about 15 mins. In that short time I preached the gospel that is my awesomeness, told the medics about all my friends that I had to see still, and rambled something about the family I wanted to have one day.

5-Stabilize: This is what the Paramedics & Doctors are for. Stabilize the patient and do what they can to fix the situation; or at least stop the problem. If you make it this far, congrats. You may just live to see tomorrow.

6-Prepare To Be Going Nowhere, & Fast: After you’re stabilized, you’ll probably get some antibiotics, a shot or 2, & you’ve got to get some rest. Trust me, the body will need it. Then there’s the questions, oh the questions. Cops, doctors, nurses, family, friends; everyone wants to know every little detail. Be prepared for buttcramps, cause if you’re lucky like me, you won’t be going anywhere for at least quite a few of hours, but if you’re anything like the others who were wheeled into ‘Trauma’ with me, then you’re going to stay put for at least a week.

7-Don’t Get Shot: This MASSIVE, is the easiest way I know to avoid worrying about what you should or shouldn’t do if you get shot. Of course as I found out the hard way, we aren’t always so lucky….

[pic via PxRxSxRx]

I will provide a full description in due time, until then we’ll let your imagination toil.

-Rule #1 – The #1 Rule
-Rule #2 – No Contest
-Rule #3 – Save 4 Tomorrow
-Rule #4 – Work Harder
-Rule #5 – The Fabulous Life
-Rule #6 – Burden
-Rule #7 – Procrastination
-Rule #8 – Perseverance
-Rule #9 – Inconvenience Max
-Rule #10 – Bad Advice
-Rule #11 – The Horrible Truth

[Financial Journey Chronicle]

1st & foremost, BIG UPS to the F/R/S MASSIVE! This trip was indeed brought to you by readers like yourself. So thank you, everyone (anon or otherwise) who sent in donations over the last few weeks, because this trip was an absolute blast.

—————————————-

If I had to describe my most recent misadventure in 2 words, they would be, ‘Good Trip’. Which is really weird considering just how warped my 2009 has been so far.

It all started before I got started with my most recent (fixed-income) job. I happened upon a random chance drawing to meet Secretary of Treasury, Tim Geithner. For those of you who don’t know, he’s the guy in change of making sure we don’t go into another recession, and is arguably more important that President Obama. CNBC put a spot up on the air and said if you wrote in, you’d get a shot to ask the boss C.F.O. himself one question. I entered on impulse; figured I’d never get picked for the event. So imagine my surprise when the producers told me I’d been picked for T.G.’s (1st ever) town hall meeting. That’s right, this was Geithner’s FIRST EVER town hall, and I got to be there when he made history. I’d say I lucked out, but we all know this is why they call me D-2-da-A!

This thing came really close to not happening though, and I’m so glad it didn’t. Everything was mad, last minute, but I managed to pull it off; just barely. I also told no one about my trip (with the exception of my boss, who was really freaking cool for letting me off like that out of the blue practically right after I’d gotten my foot in the door). As wonky as some of this year had been for me, I didn’t wanna jinx anything.

I spent a few hours playin in Atlanta pre-trip; snagging some very nice pix for the collection.

South Carolina was the 1st priority as I took to the road, as it has officially been entered into the ‘Challenge’!

I brought some really great reading material, but barely got a chance to touch it because I couldn’t stop working on my new book. I got this ‘writer’s rush’; the type of inspiration writers die for. It was so cool too, cause I hadn’t been this pumped about writing a book, well, since my 1st.

Spent a spell in Charlotte, North Carolina to rest overnight & instead of going to sleep and resting (the smart thing to do), I went to go play in the city. It’d been some time since I’d been there and I’d forgotten the look and feel. It was refreshing to say the least, but I’d be back for one more surprise before the trip was over.

Got to D.C. & headed for Union Station, the massive train station/movie theater/mall. As I entered the station, I literally walked into a station-wide tourist exhibit on Colombia. It was completely free; there was free coffee, and music, and all sorts of fun facts about the country. Without a doubt, one of the most pleasant surprises of the trip.

And going from one surprise to the next, I found myself walking into Fantom Comics, this wicked little comic shop at the end of the station. I had absolutely no idea this place even existed. Points all around! The shop was not too big or small, had tons of of the latest, most recent releases (including an entire section for these copies), had a friendly, knowledgeable staff who not only knew what they were talking about, but were spot on w/recommendations for several customers-myself included. Not to mention they had a vast (That’s right, vast; not mediocre, not decent, vast) selection of indie comics *gush* & manga *faint*. MASSIVE…I was so blown away by this place that I literally stood in the doorway for 2 minutes, dazed; as if I were living a dream. And this says nothing to the EPIC effect they produce on promoting comics as an art form & an industry. A Grade-A comicshop in the heart of D.C.? I don’t even have to tell you the type of publicity & fostering that comes with that kind of territory. But ask the staff and they’ll be more than happy to regale you with tale after tale of travelers who come in curious about the comics. The cherry on top? Apparently they let a good deal of up-in-comers come and promote their works. This is actually how I ran into Barry Wernick, whom among many talents, is the writer and co-creator of ‘Bad Kids Go To Hell’. I was able to grab a signed copy of BKGTH #2 & some keen advice from him, much to my delight. I would’ve loved to do an interview with the owner of Fantom Comics, but he wasn’t around at the time & time was of the essence.

I decided against going to see a movie in favor of getting something to eat. Which was good all things considering, cause if I’d gone to change before I’d eaten [as opposed to vice versa], I would’ve lost my appetite VERY quickly. Getting prepped in the bathroom for the Town Hall, I found a boom of cockroaches in the guy’s bathroom. Absolutely sickening.

Yes MASSIVE, our nation’s finest roaches skittering around for dear life. Moving on, very quickly, I got some eats, a [marvelous] massage, and did some touring of good ol D.C.

Being in line for the Town Hall was a little weird, because for the 1st time, in a LONG time, I’d felt like I was at an anime convention. Yes, being around a bunch of rich stiffs and homely retired folks (who make or collect more this year than you’ll probably make in the next 2) made me feel like I was at an anime convention; sadly, more so than the past several I’ve been to. Everyone was dressed up, just like cosplayers, albeit in suits. The masses where impatient and didn’t want to wait in line for an hour w/an estimated 400 others. Let me tell you something MASSIVE, if all I had to do was wait an hour to get to my event at a con like Otakon or Anime North, I’d be a fucking happy camper. Do you know how joyous it would be if pre-reg for AnimeNEXT only took 1 hour?!?! Staff herded us around, only none of the staff on hand were really, how shall we say, moody. The line started to wrap around the venue. Sound familiar? And all the tourist that weren’t in line stopped (or at least slowed down) to stare at us. Which actually got one of these guys [in line] to say something that really kinda grinded my gears. 2 gentlemen behind the offender [in particular] were making remarks about what they thought the tourists (staring at our group) thought about our line. The offender turns around (just completely jumps into the conversation uninvited) and says, “You never know. Nowadays, it might be unemployment.” Ha Ha Ha! Laughs all around. I just wanted to punch that guy in the face right then and there. I mean, just because you don’t have to worry about losing your job, doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t.

But little things like that I really noticed around these individuals, whose culture is so alien to so many. It was such a culture shift, because I’m in the mist of rebuilding most of my financial base as it is, and I talked to a dozen individuals whom were making business deals (in that line), planning to take a cruise the following weekend, talking about options and commodity trading (think more advanced versions of the stock market), and just overall seemed better off in life than most Americans we hear, see, read about and/or meet nowadays. I shouldn’t sit here and assume everyone in that line was loaded, but suffice to say, my net worth felt so outta place. As the line started to move inside, we were led to a holding area (where we were feed) through a cryptic maze of walkways-just like the pre-tournament ch/ep of EVERY Shonen Jump title-EVER! Maybe I do watch too much anime, but I can’t help but notice the similarities….

Now, for the most part, this thing was very last minute on everyone’s part. So I don’t think there’s anyone who’d say this went as planned, but the finished product looks about as good as it can all things considered. Geithner just happened to have a free day, and CNBC just happened to find a studio. The questions were all pre-screened, and picked (as far as I can tell, though I could be entirely wrong) based on what hit closest on the criteria Geithner was going to be asked. So did I get to ask my question? No. Did I at least get to meet Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner in person? No. But all things considered, given that he (and I suppose the CNBC producers who put this together) was the main reason I went on this trip in the 1st place, it was still nice just to be there. I would’ve like a chance to ask my question, but it’s not the end of the world. It was however the end of the heat. The tech crew had the bright idea to let the air blow for a good few hours in order to counter the lights that’d be used for filming (which admittedly get a tad warm). But the air’d been on so long, you couldn’t feel any heat whatsoever. And I was the only guy in the room who didn’t have a suit on, so I just barely escaped freezing to death before all was said and done. Here I am freezing to death in the video at 7:58 (for like all of 2 seconds, lol).

A lot of the questions did not make it to the final cut; we didn’t have a lot of time to shoot & it basically aired an hour after we finished shooting; right before the Steelers/Titans game. Looking back at the broadcast is kinda amusing. You can really tell where the tech crew is really trying to sell the shot, and who in the audience had never been on TV before. Geithner threw a good dose of PR into each of his answers, but he seemed pretty candid overall. If you’re the type who likes to grade Obama’s speeches, then I’d watch the Town Hall cause there are interesting comparisons between the way these 2 address.

I left D.C. feeling pretty accomplished, and 10 hours later I was in Charlotte again. This time however, there was a surprise. Now, I’m no stranger to coincidence, I get my fair share quite often; I am D-2-da-A after all. But as I aimlessly roamed Charlotte’s fine city streets, I randomly came across the stomping ground of one of XenoPhoenix’s finest. Low & behold, I had somehow found myself on the campus of Ralenta’s cooking school. Lolololol! How’s that for random & surprising.

Back in Atlanta, I figured my trip was over & well ended. That was until I got to the subway & a giant, blue-furry, mascot, thing walked past me (and countless other metroites) seemingly out of the blue. He/she/it would dance everytime someone stared at it. I sadly did not get chance t get a pic, it wouldn’t stop moving. I did however manage a shot of a piece I’ve been eying for a while.

Know this guy? Well if you watch a lot of Spongebob Squarepants, then he probably looks a tad familiar. This is Mr. Tooya, Mr. What Zit Tooya & he appears in an ep of SB where Sponge & Squid are competing for a mysterious prize from Mr. Crabs by naming all the customers that eat at the Krusty Krab. Now, if memory serves, Squid went a little overboard and wound up stealing Tooya’s wallet, just because he didn’t believe his name?!?!

Now I told you that to tell you this. People are crazy and anyone who doesn’t believe my name clearly doesn’t know why they call me D-2-da-A. I mean, no one’s ever tried to steal my wallet, but I get a lot of crazies who are just driven mad with curiosity. And no, this isn’t a rant, just an observation. As a nation/society, we’ve come to accept such jaw-droppers as racial differences, sexual preferences, cultural differences, and yet a name reduces some to the level of idiots. Believe me, I’ve seen it 1st hand.

I’ve been away for awhile, in part because I’ve been looking for a new job hot off the heels of Otakon. I managed that today. This feat is spectacular for 2 reasons. 1st, not only is this the 5th, count it, 5th job I’ve managed to pick up in this recession, but I called it! I fucking called it! Which I guess makes me cocky as shit or adds to mounting proof that I am indeed, to some degree, psychic.

This year. No more school this year. I will not be attending classes this Fall semester. I’m taking the time off to work on my financials and other side projects.

[via *gbrgraphix]