Emu Cannery

I know, I've been gone for awhile. But this absence was VERY well spent. I've finally got my head on straight, I've figured out where I'm going and, for the first time in nearly two years, I'm really, truly, honest-to-Goddess happy. It's been so long I'd almost forgotten what it felt like. lol. But I'm there now, and wow does it feel nice.

I'm in the process of saving up for culinary school again. I'm looking at The French Culinary Institute in NYC, and a place that Amber told me about that's in Philly, but I can't remember the name right now. I'll have to ask her at work tomorrow. Mom's still not giving up on me going to college, but unfortunetly I have. I cannot even stomach the idea of four more years of the thing that made me who I used to be. Even though I know that college isn't going to be exactly like high school, it's still going to remind me of it. I'm trying to stay away from things that remind me of high school right now. Bill and I were driving around town a few nights ago, and we drove by the high school and I got that same, sinking feeling that I used to get every day, even though I knew that I wasn't going in. That had been the first day that I'd been by it since I left, and I have absolutely no intention of ever stepping foot in there again, not for anything. Way too many bad memories.

My thanksgiving was a total Bridget Jones disaster. Except it wasn't entirely "Scarlet, why don't you have a boyfriend?" It was also mixed with "Scarlet, where are you going to college?" and "Scarlet, if you're going to be a chef, why didn't you cook something?" Pretty much the only words out of my mouth the entire day was "Because I don't need one" , "I'm not." and "Because we have too much friggin' food as it is!" It's times like this that I really miss David. He supported me going to culinary school. He was happy for me. And then my cousin (whom I love dearly, don't get me wrong) decided that she was going to do my makeup. In true Bridget Jones fashion, she gets out her big Mary Kay bag and starts messing around, then takes me into the bathroom and "fixes" my hair. When all is said and done, I end up looking like a cheap whore who hadn't brushed her hair yet. But of course I didn't have the heart to tell her. I just smiled and forgot I had it on. Until I tried to scrub it all off that night.

The past week was Christmas/Yule decorating time. After two weeks of Christmas decorating at work, for which I got paid pretty nicely, I made the fatal decision of deciding that I was going to be solely responsible for decorating our house this year. That's the last time I volunteer for that. The tree looks great, considering I've only got the lights on it and not even the entire tree put up. I have a row to go and then the little Charlie Brown tree attachment (you know, the little mini-tree top) to go. Mom's bought a total of ten boxes of 100-count lights for this thing. But it looks good at least. It's her fault for saying she wanted it decorated like the ones at work. We had a nine foot tree and ended up using about sixty boxes of lights on the darn thing. That's six thousand lights, for those who aren't so mathematically inclined. That's a lot of lights. I've got the mantle all decorated, and the Yule log set in it, which was a hell of a job. We don't light the Yule log, we have one that we decorated a few years ago and we just sit it in the fireplace. Some things fell of of it, and I broke out the hot glue gun and tried to attach them but (unsurprisingly) ended up attaching my finger instead. That wasn't fun. I think I've used more of our Aloe plant this week than has been used total, even by me. At least I don't have glue in my finger. Anymore.

I'm gonna find my digital camera batteries and try to take pictures of everything once it's all decorated. I'm in the process of cleaning up my room so I can get some stuff in there, too. It's about time I put a picture of my room in there. And a picture of Kneesa, too. She even has her own stocking, hung up between Frodo's and mine. It would be one thing if we just hung up Pippin, Frodo and Kneesa's stockings on the mantle and didn't put anything in them, but we actually put gifts in them and under the tree. We're such nerds, I know.

Bill's Halloween party was, as usual, kickass. Zac had a pretty snazzy Marv costume as well, Bill was awesome as Ash from the Evil Dead trilogy, Cody was Elwood, Jaxon was George Lucas, Nessa was a cowgirl, Harold was really sick, and I don't know what the hell I was supposed to be. The epitome of cheap, apparently. I wanted to be Wendy, but I didn't have the wig or the clothes, so that was out. I could've been Gail, but, well, let's just say finding enough string for the clothes wouldn't have been my only problem. lol. Now that I think back, I could've been Mia Wallace, but the thought didn't cross my mind until just now. Damn.

So, to make a long and much rooted story short, I was the Grim Reaper. Gee, that's original. No kidding. But the cool thing was that I was able to wear my costume to work. There's nothing like dressing as Death around a bunch of old people, let me tell you. I was trying to figure out why the people were staring at me, especially since I wasn't the only one in costume there. Luckily I had Amber there to point out that they were old. I was Death. Put 'em together. heh heh.

Before I turn the Employee Bathroom into an anti-JLo page, I've decided that I'll make it a list of things that I've learned in the past year (which are numerous) and what they mean to me. Also, where applicable, I'll try to include who enlightened me on that particular topic. I know, I know...this is really corny. But hey, I've never been one to care, so why should now be any different?

Apparently, Al-Qaeda isn't as smart as they like to pretend (kinda like Bush, who's disapproval rating is almost 60%, btw. weeee...). First, they attack us when shit isn't going on, and we can focus all our attention on what they've done. That's stupid. Then, they let the perfect time pass them right by. I kind of judge them, really, for not acting NOW, when all our attention is diverted to the gulf and with Ophelia on the east coast. Not that I'm wishing for an attack. Far from it. I'm just pointing out that you really shouldn't act like you're fucking geniuses when you're not.

I just have to say, firstly, that I wish hurricane Katrina had never happened. Honestly, I do. But if it had to have happened sometime, I really wish it'd happened a year ago. This would have kept Bush out of a second term, and a lot of shit from happening. But it didn't, unfortunetly. And we have, what, three more years of this Stooge-reject running things? Switzerland has the right idea. You never see them getting head-deep in piles of crap like Iraq. (Not that I'm calling Iraq a pile of crap, either. I think Iraq is a very beautiful country. I'm just saying the situation is dung.) I'm not crazy about Switzerland, though. It's pretty, but I just haven't saw enough pictures or heard enough about it to form a really strong pro-Suisse opinion. I wish I knew more, though, and liked it, because that would be the perfect place for me to live.

While I'm freakin' on stuff, this would be the time to say that I've finally figured out what I'm going to do with the extra page that I've been messing around with. I've decided to turn the Employee Bathroom into an anti-JLo page. I actually was a JLo fan, until she came out with her clothing line. Ugh. Stupid bitch. I can't believe Heather Mills got kicked out of her office, either.

I went to the fair after work Friday night. It was interesting, to say the very least. There's nothing quite like going to the Brodhead fair. Jaxon, Genna, Becki and I sat up in the stands for around half an hour, watching the rednecks in the mud. Then I realized that I didn't want to have paid eight bucks to just watch these people wank around, so we end up walking around the actual fairgrounds. Jaxon, Genna and I rode the Flying Couch (which I think in actuality is called something like 1001 Nachts) once, and Jaxon and I rode something I like to call Zeus' Shotputting Arm twice. I don't know exactly what it's called. Something's telling me it's a two-word name and the second word could possibly be Nights. I dunno. There's this long arm coming down and four rows of seats facing inward in a square. It swings and twists in the air. Pretty nice. The second time was the best, though. ("That's what my third wife said...") Whilst flying and whatever, everyone around us was screaming and freaking out, but not Jaxon and I. No, we were talking about Dragonball Z, then how many channels his TV gets in his apartment. Honestly the most unusual conversation I've ever had on a fair ride, not to mention the most intelligent, really. (But look at the people who go to the thing...collectively the most unintelligent group of people you'll find). Then we (Me, Jaxon, Genna and Becki) decide that a visit to Denny's is in order, so off we go, at midnight. (or close to it). Becki rides with Genna and I ride with Jaxon, because he always has the coolest music. Last time it was German techno from Kai (or however you bloody spell his name) and this time it was Trapt, which I haven't heard in awhile.

Saturday night was so busy it was unreal. I'll have those long stretches from noon until eight, when nobody really wants anything, then during the last hour and a half I'll have twenty people lined up, all wanting something that we're so unbelievably close to being out of. Either that, or they'll all want snowcones, which are a bastard to fix, let me tell you. Ugh. But it ended all right. Nobody yelled, nobody was rude, and I didn't run out of anything. But three more cones and I would've run out of chocolate. Those Billy Ray Cyrus fans are a scary-looking bunch, btw. Creeeeepy. Oh, and the candy bar rack sliced my arm. Darn plastic edges.

Then as I'm closing down and taking stuff in, I come out of the New Barn and Jaxon's sitting at the picnic table right outside the door, just sitting there. Scares the Irish outta me too, because I wasn't expecting him (or anyone, for that matter) to be sitting RIGHT THERE on the other side of the door in the dark. Anyway to make a long story short, Jaxon ends up sitting outside at the picnic table for most of the night, playing with his (totally cool Popeye) phone. Wasn't really talking to anybody for awhile, and it was kinda weird. Nobody really knew why he was there, let alone what was up with him. Weird.

Unfortunetly, that's pretty much everything that's happened since I last updated about going to KI with Keri. It's been kind of boring lately, and school's started again and it feels a bit odd that I'm not there. Oh well. I'll get over it. I always do. I'm glad that I'm not there, to be completely honest. My senior year (at least, the latter half of it) was complete and utter crap. I hated it, once it was all over and done. I wouldn't go back now if you paid me. Oh sure, I miss some of the people. (Note the use of the word 'some') but others I couldn't give a monkey about now. I think a (good) quote of the day is in order: