The first two weeks of December
Monday, December 1st, 2003
I had a very busy day. I didn't work, but I was busy.
First, I cashed a paycheck.
Then, I drove to Property Control in the Cast Member Magic Kingdom parking lot. It was closed.
Then, I got very lost trying to get to Epcot Cast parking.
Then, I went to Publix and got bathroom stuff.
Then I went to my class.
Then I drove to the Florida Mall and got Jeremy's Aerosmith ticket. It turns out my parents maxed out my credit card (what's wrong with that picture? Aren't the kids supposed to max out their parents' credit card?) so I've been having to pay for the stuff I'd be putting on the card myself, and I hadn't activated my new ATM card, I don't know how much is in there anyway, so I had to cash another paycheck.
I came home, changed, went to Epcot, bought stuff at the Test Track Store, I got my dad's Xmas gift, a Hummer shirt (I think Hummers are the stupidest most superfluous cars ever, like Earthrapers, aka SUVs), and some stuff Mike wanted.
Epcot is so pretty with all its decorations. They have this big ol� arch thing(s) that light up. I think each park has a tree somewhere.
Jenny got me a Southwest gift certificate for me to give to Jeremy when she went to the airport. She and Jacque had gone to the airport to pick up Stacey from being gone home over Thanksgiving.
I drove over to Magic Kingdom, got Jeremy, who I hadn't seen in 2 days. I missed him a lot. How am I going to do this when it's months between visits?
Then we went to McDonald's and he bummed money off of me for it.
Julie was acting kinda funny. She looked like she'd been crying. When I asked if everything was alright, she said, "Yeah, they're great" in an obviously not great way.
Kelly called me in tears last night discussing how every part of her life seemed like shit. She was supposed to come in a few weeks, but work has since prevented her from doing so. She's very disappointed. I wish I could've been there for her. One of the complaints she had was that she hardly ever saw her boyfriend anymore. Were she in better spirits, I would've said, "At least he's still in the same area code as you." I foresee an unpleasant future for myself at least for a few months.
Then we came back here, went to the movies with some of his work compadres, where we saw Haunted Mansion. (It was OK, not nearly as yummilicous as Pirates, and even without the hottieboys the plot still wasn't as good). We came back here. I went to bed at around 2:30.
Everyone it seems has been in a very negative mood lately. I'm not quite so much now that I am off for 3 days. But last week over the holiday, I wanted every tourist to die. Not only that, but on Saturday, I nearly broke down and cried because a trash bag of ice mess opened up and made a little vanilla trail. I don't know why that was the thing that made me want to cry, for the first time at work. (I say want, because were it physically possible for me to cry I would. So many times I have wanted to let the tears flow, but just couldn't). Plus I got angry with my mom; I was playing the "Cudjagetme" game that she should've done when she was here.
Jeremy was feeling really negative about work. He's always threatening to quit. I think one of the biggest reasons he hasn't yet is because of me.
Jacque was talking about physically hurting Jenny in some way, but I guess that's not new.
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2003
Today was a good day. I woke up early for some reason. Which is strange because I was up late the night before.
Jeremy and I had decided we wanted to go to Animal Kingdom today; neither of us are huge fans of the place, but he and I hadn�t been in awhile.
First, we had to make a stop off at the Disney�s Credit Union, Vista. I stayed in the car.
We went out to Animal Kingdom, but we didn�t stay very long.
They have a Christmas tree out in front of the Animal Kingdom entrance gate. Other than that, there is no Christmas d�cor. I guess it�s harder when the theme is centered around cultures that don�t celebrate the holiday. Jeremy and I got our picture taken in front of the Christmas tree they have there. It is decorated with what looks like African crafts of jungle animals.
We didn�t go on anything. We looked at some animals: gorillas, and hippos. He insisted we go look at hippos! He promised he wouldn�t say anything. And he didn�t�directly anyway.
I was trying to kill off my film. So I took a picture of him in front of the Animal Kingdom entrance gate.
After this, we went and ate at Hooters. We sat at the counter. There, we talked to the waitress about working in Disney and how it was not all it was cracked up to be.
Later on after that we went to Walmart.
It was dark by this time. We just kinda hung out and watched some TV. We found a station that was a half hour infinite advertisement for Walt Disney World, and the supposedly �Top 7� things to do there. We live in Disney World. Yet this is the best thing on.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003
Today was a good day! Jeremy and I just kinda hung out in the morning. I wore my shirt from the Rock �n� Roller Coaster with the guitar at night and the band logo. I wore a shirt from that ride at the concert last year too. We left Vista at about 3:00 and headed over to the arena in Tampa.
We got to downtown as it was getting dark. It took us a little while to find the Publix that we found last week again. We got in there, and took note of the sign that said, �For Publix customers only, all others will be towed at the owner�s expense. When we pulled into the parking lot, there was an old man that gave us the evil eye.
So we went inside and bought some sodas at the soda fountain, and we bought a container of fried chicken. Jeremy paid for it. We had planned to eat outside on the picnic tables outside the store. But it was so windy. I set my soda down on the table and it blew over. I went back inside, got another one, and walked out without paying again. (We�ll call it a self-service recovery). We sat in the car and ate our fried chicken and drank our soda.
After that, we walked the couple blocks along the water to the Lightning Arena (AKA, St. Pete Times Forum, but that�s another one of those dumb, boring corporate sponsorship names that I hate).
There was a large sculpture of a lightning bolt by the arena. Outside was about a thousand people, several radio stations, and tents selling $30 t-shirts and light up buttons.
After being frisked and having that bizarre little wand waved over our bodies as we stretched out our arms out to our sides, we went inside. We had to go up 2 long escalators to get to the upper bowl. Along the way, we passed a table selling Kiss or Aerosmith posters. They said they were only $5. That is a great deal for a concert! I would have expected between $10-$15. So I bought a $5 Aerosmith poster with individual pictures of all 5 of the guys on it.
We went to where Jeremy was assigned to sit. My seat would have been almost directly across from the stage. This seat was not bad for the price range, but it was a little more off to the left. The show did not seem to be a sellout; I didn�t think it would be if tickets were still available a week before the show. I sat down next to him. The guy holding the ticket with my seat number came, but he didn�t mind sitting on the other side of Jeremy. No one came to take the other guy�s seat. We were right in front of a rail that was over the entrance from the hall outside to the seats. So we didn�t have anyone in front of us.
The warm up act that went on at 7:30 was unimpressive. They were just kinda noisy. They said they were from Tennessee. But I don�t remember anything about them other than that. The band that was with them when they came around the first time was Saliva. But other than that I don�t remember anything else.
Between the opening band and Kiss, Jeremy decided he needed to spend $10 on a big bucket of popcorn and a beer. They started playing classic rock during the set change. They played Won�t Get Fooled Again. When Roger Daltrey screams, �Yeeeaaaaaaaah!� in the song, they dropped a big ol� black curtain over the spring with the band�s logo on it.
Kiss went on sometime later. The opened up with Detroit Rock City. (You�ve gotta open big, but close bigger). They put on an impressive performance. Paul Stanley seemed to do most of the talking. Unfortunately, though I tried to be, I am not very familiar with Kiss�s body of work. So I only knew about 4 of the songs in their whole set. They let Gene Simmons do something pretty cool. He drooled blood, and then later flew up to the top of the on-stage lighting where he performed a solo. They did an encore. They sang the one song they hadn�t sung, and couldn�t get away with not singing, Rock �n� Roll All Night. That was a big impressive number with fireworks, audience singing, and ending with Paul Stanley destroying his guitar. (Actually, I think guitar-smashing is a bit clich�; you should only be allowed to get away with it if you invented the clich�, but even Pete Towshend didn�t smash the guitar at his concert).
After they were done, Jeremy and I ran to the bathroom. We were right by the bathroom. I beat the line to the women�s room. By the time I was done, it was down the hall.
By the time I got back, they were playing AC/DC, and a curtain had been drawn over the stage with the Aerosmith winged logo over it.
They came out singing Toys in the Attic, just like when I saw them last year. They had a huge screen behind them showing them performing, and also showing appropriate scenes to the song. Also like last year, the second song they sang was, Livin� on the Edge. To go with this, they had political video clips and images behind them. Then they sang, Love in an Elevator, then Pink. During Pink, I called Kelly and told her I was at the concert. They also sang Dream On, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), Jaded, What It Takes, and Train Kept A Rollin�, that was actually pretty fun. Steven put on a cowboy hat, and had audience participation. They also sang some of the new songs that are going to be on Honkin� on Bobo. The best part of those songs was they let Joe Perry (the coolest member of that band), sing a song, a whole song alone. Steven accompanied him on harmonica, but not even vocals. He didn�t do a back flip this time. He did some sort of thing where he kinda flew out over the audience on a bunch of long pieces of cloth. The second-to last song they sang was Walk this Way. And the last, most greatly anticipated song, for me anyway, was Sweet Emotion. During the last number, they blew confetti that was plain and white, and golden winged Aerosmith logos like at the last concert. They didn�t do an encore, which was disappointing.
I don�t really like arena shows, versus amphitheater ones, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the music sounds too loud. I know the music is loud, and should be loud. But because of the acoustics of an arena, not made for concerts, the music sounds so loud it�s almost unclear at times. In addition, because of the seating, I couldn�t get up and dance and rock out the way I like to on lawn seating, because it�s rude to the people behind me. I was also a little disappointed that Aerosmith didn�t play longer. When I saw them last year, they seemed to play more songs off their just-released, career encompassing, album, O, Yeah! This time, they didn�t play for nearly as long, or nearly as many songs. But that is what happens when one has 2 acts sharing the top bill.
Other than that, it was a great, fun show. They both played really well, both cranked. I think I enjoyed Aerosmith better than Kiss. But I like them better. I think Jeremy had fun. He said he did. He wasn�t nearly as �into it� as I was. But I didn�t expect him to be.
We started walking back to the car. The parking lot of the Publix is right by a road that kinda seemed to go in 3 directions. There was an island in the middle of this traffic pattern with a bunch of plants and bushes on it. We saw from the road, the Publix was closed, (I forget not all grocery stores are open 24 hours like they seem to be in California), and there were 2 cars in the parking lot, a cop�s and mine. We both freaked out and thought they would catch us, me with my Aerosmith shirt, and know we hadn�t been in the grocery store, and were misusing the parking lot, and would ticket/tow us, despite that we had technically been customers. This was all in our paranoiac fear. We got out to the island in the roadway. We stood around for awhile trying to come up with a reason as to why we had parked there. We concluded, Jeremy had gone to the concert, and since it was my car, with the California plate, and the California license, I had gone to pick him up. But just to cover our story, I turned my Aerosmith shirt inside out (yes, right there in the middle of the darkened traffic island), and put it back on.
We went out to the lot, and drove away. There was no paper on the windshield. The squad car didn�t move, and we left, without a side trip to the Tampa ghetto, this time.
Part of the way home, we had to go to the bathroom, and we were both thirsty. We pulled into a gas station. I turned my shirt right side out. There was no one around. We went into the convenience store and bought a couple of bottled sodas. The guy in the store commented on my Aerosmith shirt. He recognized it was from Disney World. He then went on to say, �Did you know they were doing a show tonight?� �We actually are on our way back from it.� I said. He then asked us a lot of questions about the show, �How were they? What did they do? Did they play�?� Every time I gave him a new piece of information about the show, he sounded more and more regretful that he had missed it. He was a pretty cool guy.
Jeremy and I came back, and I went to sleep soon after.
Friday, December 5th, 2003
I found out from Toccarra that Jailbait Kris, who told me about the Aerosmith concert was complaining about me at work on Wednesday. I don�t usually have Wednesdays off. But I traded days off with Nicole to get it off. Toccarra said he was saying how unfair it was that he was stuck at work, and I was going to a show that he really wanted to go to and I told him about in the first place.
I think the 3 days off spoiled me a bit.
I tried this evening to get classes for next semester online. Still nothing. I hate the way San Jose State screwed up their internet. I can't get any classes; and all the art classes are full. I wish I were going to a real art college. Why is it, that when things are improved, they are made more difficult and more complicated? I guess I am going to need someone to send me a physical course catalogue, and I will have to register over the phone.
I actually went out last night and went to the Michael�s I found a long long time ago. I bought a bottle of gesso and a big piece of Bristol, so now I can paint again! I also went to an Office Depot; there I bought boxes to send all my Christmas gifts out in.
My room is a total mess right now. There are Disney World bags all over the place. They are all full of Christmas gifts; not all of them to be given by me; there�s also all the stuff my mom wants me to get so she could give it, and then all the presents and cards that I am going to give, and the boxes in which I am going to wrap/sent them. But I�m still not done, and now I have to wrap and send all this crap. Stupid expensive holiday.
After I got back from Michael�s, I picked up Jeremy at 2:30 for the second day in a row. He�s had to work Mickey�s Not-So-Merry Christmas Party (or whatever). Lately, he starts only an hour or so before I get off. I am so glad I don�t work at Magic Kingdom!
Saturday, December 6th, 2003
Stupid Rosie's! I thought I would never get out of there! I hate it there! Especially when managers linger. I'm not afraid of them; I just hate it when they are hanging around as if we don't have things under control. There�s already about 9 people in that little tiny 4�X20� walkway. To have 2 more people in there thinking they are helping and moving the lines faster is ridiculous. There�s nothing more that they can do that we can�t.
That is the one job that if I am in there, and nothing is happening, I always want to fall asleep.
I hate stupid Rosie's; they have the cold air on in there all the time. And stupid costuming only had sweaters in 2XL and up which are huge. They suck. Stupid December. Stupid skort. Stupid short sleeves. Stupid costume.
When I was working today, I found myself hating all the guests. I hate it here, finally. Jeremy's hated it here for a long time. They are threatening us with impending 6-day weeks again. That was bloody miserable last week. I am never working at a place like this again. I'm never working at a place that is open on holidays. I don't want to work at a place that's extremely busy over the holidays. Holidays suck!
I will say this though, were it not for Jeremy I would be miserable.
I ended up closing turkey legs as I usually do. I had a retarded person at my counter. I hate it when people don't know what they want, "What does the turkey leg come with?" "Nothing, it's just the turkey leg." "But it says here it comes with chips." "No, that's the turkey baguette, it's a sandwich." "That's what I want." "OK." (Get the sandwich). "What's that?" "It's a turkey baguette with chips." "No, I want the turkey leg." I don't remember what I said in retort. But it was argumentative. I finally realized that conversation was sooo not worth my time. I just gave him the stupid leg and let him keep the chips. People are stupid sometimes...often actually.
Monday, December 8th, 2003
I had my last day of class Monday. I played and shopped at Magic Kingdom. I rode Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. I bought a Pirates license plate for Xmas for Mike, took pictures of all 75 Mickey Mice in front of the park.
My mom has been bugging me about some golf shirt she didn't get the right size on for her best friend. She got it at property control, where there is no guarantee it will be there next time. I have tried on several occasions to go over there. One day it was closed plus there is a lack of time to get over there; my schedule is not such that I always can just run over there and take care of it, especially when they have me working 6-day weeks.
So I finally got to Property Control, and they didn't have the shirt. The issue was she didn't get it in the right size, so of course that's my responsibility to correct her mistake. And when I told her they didn't have the shirt, she immediately labeled me a slacker for not going over there immediately after she demmanded I do. Never mind that I've also been running around getting all the other stuff she should've gotten when she was here too.
So I went over to Downtown at the sports store, just because I wanted the madness to end. And I got a shirt, but it wasn't a knit shirt, and every other golf shirt on the face of the planet is knit. What ended up happening was it was all my fault she messed up in the first place.
Jeremy called up Kelly on Monday night. He started asking her a bunch of random questions. Then he left the apartment, right as the conversation started getting interesting; she was drilling him about my eating habits, or lack thereof. All I heard was, "I really love her, you know..." and he left.
He came back with my phone, finally. Kelly told me that all he kept saying over and over again was how much he loved me
He said that Kelly had said that she was glad that I found someone who loved me as much as she did.
I talked to his favorite aunt. She liked the picture I drew of Steven Tyler. It was funny, she kept refering to us in completely non-romantic terms, such as, "friends" and "aquaintences" he thinks there might be a hint of denial there. But she said I seemed to be having a positive impact on him.
I talked to his grandma, she said I seemed nice.
I talked to his grandpa, he said I had a sweet voice, and that Jeremy has always referred to him simply as, "Old man."
I also talked to his dad. That made me worried; Jeremy said he was really anxious to talk to me. (Uh-oh! What did I do now?). He was nice to me. He said I was a cute girl, that he lived in a hick town, and having been in some parts of Tennessee, I've seen about all there is to see there. He also said I'm a talented artist. One thing he said made me laugh, I forget how it was set up exactly, but what concluded was, "God! I just want someone to be there and watch out for him!" When he got off the phone with me, he mentioned to Jeremy he could tell I was not from anywhere around Tennessee.
Apparently, I say the words poodle and popcorn (and something else too, I don't remember what) a certain way that causes him to laugh. I think I put a lot of emphasis on the first syllable.
Thursday, December 11th, 2003
I avoided working at Rosie's today, and I didn't have to close! Tomorrow, I get off at 12:30 after an 11-hour shift. Ick...
Saturday, December 13th, 2003
Saturday was incredibly busy. But it didn't bother me because I was on Rosie's register, which I will take any day over Rosie's filler.
Sunday, December 14th, 2003
Sunday it poured down rain (as if rain could pour up) and by the time the bus was pulling into the parking lot, the first one was only half full. They put me in Rosie's register 3; it's not as if they needed it. After about 2 hours of being open, between the 3 computers we had less than 100 transactions. By the time I was sent back, after being there for 2 hours, I had less than 60 transactions on my computer.
I did trash that night. Jeremy came and saw me. I always love it when he does that. It makes my whole day. I was doing trash at the time. He said it fit me. (Dork!)
When I was at Rosie's, a lady asked me for a cheeseburger with no burger, and no cheese, and could she get chicken nuggets on it, instead? (Uh, yeah, what?!).
Jeremy said he saw what he wanted to get me for Christmas last night while he was waiting for me to get off work but didn't have time to get it...OK...
I sent a whole load of stuff home the other day, Xmas stuff, unnecessary apt stuff. It's all good.
Jeremy's mom and step dad are in town again. His parents came with them. I've been seeing them a lot. He finally told his mom about the first 3 words I said to him. She laughed. At some point in the evening, I called him a dork. His mom seemed to think that was somehow terribly appropriate (a lot of people do�)
Things I want to do when I get back
1. Eat at Fresh Choice
2. Go for a bike ride
3. Have my dad make me a margarita
4. Go to SF
5. See Kelly
6. Never take out my cartilage piercings again
7. Do something to my hair to make it less crap-brown
8. Never take off my bracelet again
9. Never wear a long skirt again
10. Get a job
11. Plan trip to Kentucky
12. Paint my fingernails Khaki-zing or Silver, and keep them that way
Back to the end of November
Forward to the holidays
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