Back, yet again.

Yes, I'm still very much alive, and all rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. The past few months have been nothing short of frustrating. We were supposed to move from Erie to the greener pastures (jobwise) of the Harrisburg area in October, and that fell through at virtually the last minute, as the rental agency that owned the apartment/duplex that we were going to rent added all kinds of extra charges at the last minute (such as paying to use the basement (which wasn't shared), and paying extra for using our own trashcan, and our own appliances (washer, dryer, etc), so we tore up the rental agreement and walked out. Now we're setting our sights on a Late February- Early March move. Once we get what the IRS owes us for income tax overpayment, we'll take another trip down there and see what we can find. My job situation has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride. I transferred to a different store in the chain in late April because it offered me more hours, even though it was a longer commute to work. It was good at first, then my hours began to get cut drastically, and it caused extra stress when it came to paying the bills, since it put an extra crunch on the wallet. I've had a few calls and some interviews for other jobs in the accounting field, but none of them panned out. Yet, I remain hopeful that things will get better. Just today, I got a notification of some class actio settlement against Verizon, that I may be able to collect from, as it is for anyone who worked for them Between 2004 and 2011 that had their jobs terminated as a result of loss of work due to illness (either the worker or family). So I shall read that tomorrow or sometime next week to see what it's all about.
Now, the past year hasn't been without it's bright spots. In an older post, I commented on a reunion with an old childhood (High school) friend. She has been a real blessing and breaht of fresh air this past year. We've gotten together a few times to do things like going to the amusement park with her family, to sharing dinner or lunch on occasion, or just hanging out and enjoying each others' company. It's also a big plus that both her kids like me. I will not neglect to include her mom either, who is just as feisty and fun as I remembered.
There are the other friends that I've enjoyed spending time with as well, both old and new, and I'm going to miss them all when I leave this town. However, I know that we will always keep in touch.

My Career in Starfleet

Your LJ Starfleet Career (in LJ Universe)-NEW AND IMPROVED! by shikyrie
First Name:
Last Name:
First Assignment:	USS Guardian NCC-80777 (Prometheus)
Second Assignment:	USS Istanbul NX-32121 (Istanbul)
Third Assignment:	USS Belfast NCC-3268 (Xerxes)
Fourth Assignment:	USS Bristol NX-8400 (Bristol)
Fifth Assignment:	USS Kerry NCC-54163 (Springfield)
Sixth Assignment:	USS Adventurer NCC-1977 (Miranda)
Seventh Assignment:	USS Diligent NCC-73836 (Galaxy)
Final Assignment:	USS Arcos NCC-6237 (Deneva)
Final Rank:	Admiral (4 Star)
How Will Your Career End?	You will become the Ambassador to the Romulan Star Empire.

Good friends are hard to come by- and even harder to lose

Recently, after 25 years of no contact, and once re-found, another 2 years of nothing but emails, instant messages, and facebook posts and comments, I was blessed and privileged to finally get to spend some quality time with an old childhood friend. It was a bit awkward, at first- for the first couple of minutes, but then it was like time had never separated us. We were back to talking and carrying on like we did back in high school, and laughing at the same things that made us laugh back then. Then I got to meet her husband, a giant redwood of a man, but also a decent fellow, when he was home on leave from his job overseas. I think we shocked him with some of the stories of our youthful adventures, but it was all good. More recently, I got to meet the family (her two kids, her sister-in-law and her two kids) and had the chance to see my friend's mom again after 27 years (when I had my snot and living daylights squeezed out of me in the biggest hug I've ever received from one of my friends' parents. Catching up on old times, bridging the years, and creating new memories is priceless, and I am so happy and blessed to have found a part of my childhood again.

Finally Done

Yes, I'm back from lurkage mode, and after 3 long years of studying, I have finally attained my highest goal to date. Last night, I graduated from Erie Business Center with my Associates Degree in Accounting (so, I got my IT degree last year, you might think, so what's the big deal?) Well, for the first time in my life, I proved to myself that with added effort and concentration, I *COULD* in fact, graduate with the highest honors possible, Summa Cum Laude. Granted, it just squeaked in there at a 3.81, but it was worth every bit of added effort to get that. I passed all of my Accounting courses with solid A's, and only had one B+ this time around (that was because my car broke down the day before one of my psychology tests over the summer, and I got a C on that test). Now that school is finished, the real test begins... finding a suitable job in the field. please keep this in your prayers, as I'll be starting the hunt as early as next week.

Also, I hope to be able to post more on here, now that I have a bit more time.

Shoot First, Ask Questions NEVER?

Well, at least that seems to be the modus operandi of certain people, especially where censorship runs rampant. They are quick with the censorship button, and don't even bother to check the true content of a statement or thought before invoking their censorship. In their defense, they claim that the censorship is there to "protect" certain people that may be offended by certain things, but when that censorship starts to get out of hand, it only serves to destabilize things further, and endanger those who it is supposed to protect. Let's say for example, the use of the word "gay". In itself, it's not a bad word, but used in the wrong context, can be very destructive. Therefore, a rule is set in place that improper use of the word is prohibited. The rule works fine for a while, but then it happens. Every time the word "gay" is uttered, people get immediately censored without warning, REGARDLESS of the context in which it was used. Then other words or phrases feel the sting of said censorship, because Clyde or Maxine decide that these new words or phrases are offensive, and the ball starts rolling faster, and snowballing until the list is so extensive that the very right to free speech is threatened, and everybody is afraid to say anything for fear of feeling the sting of the censorship. Those that speak out against it are, of course, blackballed because they are seen as threats to those in power. The opposition is quickly and quietly silenced and disposed of, possibly even lied about in order to keep the rest of the sheeple in line, and ignorant bliss goes on. Perhaps it's time for those who have been censored to stand up for their rights and expose the censors for who they are. Feel free to excercise free speech. After all, this is America, and it is your right.

And Here We Are...

Yes, I'm still alive. I have just been very busy with school and everything else lately, and starting last week, I rejoined the ranks of the gainfully employed. This is going to take some getting used to, since I'll be working mostly third shift, with the occasional second shift stint on weekends. For those who have been wondering, I'll be working as a convenience store clerk at one of the Country Fair stores here in Erie. Thus far, it's been fun, with this past Sunday being the exception. That was the day the cooler broke down (had to ditch all the dairy, and had none in the store all day), the soda fountain started leaking and had to be shut down (It's still out of order), and two of the gas pumps stopped working (we had to credit a lot of gas cards, those two pumps are still bagged.) My boss, Abbas, is a pretty decent guy, and has allowed me to have friday nights off, since Fridays are my tutoring days and the days that most of the running around gets done. Oh, and another thing, I've gotten hooked on Irish Creme flavored Pepsi (basically a few squirts of the Irish Creme syrup in my fountain drink). Well, I'm off to hopefully get at least another hour of naptime in before I have to be up and ready for work. Oh, and since I started playing WoW again, I will probably start up the "Fear the AoD" blog as well. ciao.

Stupid people

Ask me any day what my biggest pet peeve is, and I'll tell you "Stupid people. Stupidity, or lack of common sense, seems to be contagious, as I see evidence of it everywhere I go. Recently, I encountered a string of facebook posts from various people, some claiming to be "Good Christians", calling people to "pray" for the death of the President. First of all, this "joke" as they call it, is in bad taste. First off, when posting ANYTHING on a public site such as Facebook, ANYBODY can see it, especially if you're someone that's stupid enough to leave all your privacy settings on "Everyone". Even if you have them set as Private, where only your "friends" can view your posts, there are ways around it, especially if it concerns something as sensitive as wishing for the death of a public figure such as the President of the United States. What are these people thinking??? Do they not know that the internet is constantly monitored by the government, and they look for certain keywords that might be considered a threat to national security? This is more of an issue after the events of 9/11. Anyone that even posts the words "Kill President" in the same sentence is putting up a red flag for the secret service to spot. I know you're probably thinking I'm stupid for even putting it here, but I'm in no means plotting anything, or praying for anything of the sort. I'm doing it to prove a point. If you do stupid things, be prepared to face the consequences. You claim you have rights under law, so be it. You have the right to remain stupid. Just don't try to push your stupidity on me.