It's been crazy.

I've been pretty busy lately. A while back, I went to a temp agency to see if they could help me get a job- before that, I'd been applying everywhere and no one would hire me. Finally I got a little fed up, and just said, "Fuck it."

Anyways, I went to the temp agency (called Career Concepts if anyone's curious), filled out the application, and ended up sitting in the waiting area for a very long five minutes. After that the, guy taking care of my paperwork came out (Mike was his name), and asked, "You want a job today?"

I was a little stunned. Eventually, though, I found my voice and said I'd do it. It wasn't what I'd hoped for, but they were paying me. I ended up working for a plastics company called accudyne (I think that's how you spell it). I worked there for six days before I got laid off. They gave me just long enough to get used to working second shift before they dumped me- and all the other temps working there- out on the streets. Apparently, the company was hemorrhaging money and had to cut employees.

Waking up to a phone call telling you you've been laid off is NOT a pleasant way to be greeted. In the end, though, everything worked out. Mike, after breaking the news to me with all the subtlety of a blunt axe, told me that he had another job for me if I wanted it. And that's where I'm at now. I've been working first shift (7:30am to 4:00pm, Mon. to Fri.) at Plastek for about a month now.

Overall, it hasn't been that bad. I'm in better shape than I've been in ages (carrying boxes for eight hours a day will do that to you), there's no more homework to worry about, and I still have the weekends off.  And this job is by mo means permanent. I'm just killing time until June. Then I'm shipping off to Basic Training.
Also, I have some cash saved up and I'm trying to see if I can fit in a college class or two before I ship out.

Unfortunately, the painting I was working on was a complete flop. It kept throwing a new problem at me every tinme I sat down to work on it. Finally, I just got disgusted and trashed it. I'd like to try something a little more bold and iconic, rather that one of my opinion pieces, but I don't know if I'm going to yet. We'll see what happens.


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With all the extra time I've got, I've been able to do a lot more reading. And I've gotten into some great new books. Well, they might not be new to the market or anything, but they're new to me.

-On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
*I've just started this one, and it's one of the coolest things I've ever read. I figured I'd put this one up here because some of my watchers are also damn good writers and I think they'd get a kick out of this book. It's not just them I'm suggesting it to. Whether you like to read and/or write, I would recommend this book. Because along with Mr. King's views on writing, the first half is an autobiographical account of his life. To save time, I'll put it simply: That dude's been through some rough shit. If you want to know more, borrow it from a library. Personally though, I suggest buying your own copy. That's what I did.

-Confessor by Terry Goodkind
*I finished this book just before starting 'On Writing'. It's the conclusion of Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. You'd have to read your way through the rest of the series to understand the whole thing, but even if you don't, it's still a damn good book. I liked the whole series, and I think I've said this before, but a few of my favorites from it were Wizard's First Rule, Temple of Winds, Faith of the Fallen, and this last one Confessor.

-The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen
*If Gary Paulsen sounds like a familiar name to you, it should. He wrote the books Hatchet, Brian's return, Brian's winter, and Nightjohn. You may have had to read one of these in middle school. While I didn't particularly like any of those books, the Transall Saga is one of my favorites (that's why I've hung onto it for nearly a decade). And yes, it is written for younger kids, but it's still a good story. It's just be a quick read.

-Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
*I haven't read this book yet.  But I was wondering if anyone else has.