The current count:
Jobs applied for: 40
Interviews: 2, both of which ended ambiguously ("I like you, but I don't know if I have a job for you right now")
Interviews Promised but Not Delivered: 3

However, there is good news-- WE DON'T HAVE TO MOVE AFTER ALL!!!
Got a call from the landlord yesterday, the actual MANAGER landlord, asking what our reasons for moving out were and if there was anything she could do to keep us. I said, "uh, lower the rent by $100?" thinking that was an incredibly lofty and unrealistic proposition. But no-- they just couldn't stand the thought of losing us! So, they lowered the rent and are working with the other apartment complex to let us out of what we already signed-- which is not too hard, since both complexes are owned by the same property management company. And apparently (this is important to know) a lease is not actually legally binding until you've moved in.

Perhaps I should just let Joey field this one...
But I'm going to talk anyway.

The amount of press, media attention, and pure emotion that the world has given to Michael Jackson's death surprises and confounds me. He was a talented musician who changed the face of music and dance for multiple generations. I will certainly give him that. And while I never named him among my favorite musicians, I loved "Man in the Mirror" before I even knew who Michael Jackson was. And I rocked out to "Black or White" in the early 90's like nobody's business.

But.
That was a long time ago.

The Michael Jackson of my childhood has been gone for a long time. Since then, he's been accused of child molestation more than once. And although, as I already said on facebook, it was never proven in court that he actually molested anyone, even from his own testimony it was clear that his relationships with children were inappropriate at best. And now hearing everyone talk about what a great hero he was, how he was this amazing Messianic humanitarian... turns my stomach a bit.

Regularly scheduled programming was pre-empted for nearly 24 hours. The internet exploded. Celebrities are lining up to talk about what an inspiration he was. All without acknowledging that he has been a primarily joked-about celebrity for years now.

It's one thing for musicians to talk about how he inspired them, musically. I can get behind that. I can get behind them calling him a pioneer. But every time I turned to MTV in the past two days, that's not what I heard. I heard them call him a hero. I heard Sheryl Crow actually say that he told her he believed he was put on this earth for the children, that he believed he was still a child at heart, and that there was some Messianic purpose to his life.

REALLY?

As the great Daria Morgendorfer once said, "I know he died. I'm sorry he died. But I'm not going to pretend he was some great person."

As a sidenote- I never realized it before, but the video for "The Way You Make Me Feel" is kind of stalker-y and weird.

If there were one thing I could and probably should do to save money, it would be to cut out the digital cable.

But right now, it's the main thing keeping me sane.

Current count:
Jobs applied for: 27
Interviews: 0

It's not kind out there, folks.

My brother via gmail chat: the Father's Day logo at Google could almost be you and Dad in the 80's. Except the little girl needs curly hair. And the dad needs too-short shorts. And he shouldn't be so much helping with the sandcastle as drinking a beer and watching her build the sandcastle. But blond dad and brunette daughter on the beach still made me think of you and him.

It hit me today that it was the 17th (yes, the 18th officially now, but you know what I mean), and that our lease is up August 17th. Meaning we had to let the landlord know TODAY if we planned to renew or not. I kept thinking they required a thirty-day notice, but it was actually a sixty-day notice.

This was a problem because we had not actually made a decision on whether to stay or go. I didn't (and don't) really want to move, because I like it here, the landlords are nice, we've had NO maintenance problems (not really the norm in most Knoxvegas apartments), yada yada yada... but, then there's the fact that $780 per month is a lot for the amount of space we have. And we were already struggling (and tossing around the idea of finding a cheaper place) BEFORE I lost my job. And now that I have lost my job and so far have not gotten any leads on another, we can't renew the lease. Even with it only going up to $795, even with them being willing to let us move to a one-bedroom and not pay a transfer fee. The difference just isn't enough to make it worth it.

And so we are moving. Again. In August. To yet another apartment. A smaller apartment, because in order to downsize in price but not in quality, we must downsize in, well, actual size. So we go back to the one-bedroom computer-in-the-living-room life.

It's going to be a pain in the butt to move. But we will be saving a substantial amount of money. And clutter is nobody's friend anyway, right?

Hey look, my mom has an etsy store! Only one item so far, but still, keep watch: more awesomeness is sure to follow.

If I had a million dollars, I'd buy Sophia's purse. You know I'm not even joking.

If you were ever a Saved by the Bell fan (and who wasn't?), you need to see this interview with Zack Morris. No, really, with Zack Morris. It made me feel twelve again. In a good way.

And, finally... VEGETARIAN ZOMBIE MUSICAL!!! This was filmed here in Knoxville for a local film festival, the goal of which is to create a three-minute film inside of ten hours. Watch for sidhedreams dying in the background.

I confess to empathizing with the vegetarian zombie's plight, just a little bit.

Vacation draws ever nearer... T-Minus 2.5 hours until Lee gets off work, and then away we go!
Currently: putting more and more stuff on ipod. I've been acquiring lots of new music lately anyway, and it is nice for it to have a place to go. Even if it does lead to me bopping shamelessly through the parking lot and singing "500 Miles" loud enough for neighbors to hear whilst cleaning out my car. *coughcough*

My twisted brother sent me a zip file on my birthday consisting of a mix of songs by musicians who all died at age 27. I didn't know Kurt Cobain was 27. I don't know if it depresses me more that he was my age when he died or that he already had a thriving career by my age. Um. BUT problem is, I can't figure out how to transfer those mp3's to itunes. Simply dragging is not working. Help?

Phoebe is sitting on my lap protesting my leaving. *sigh*

Helped Chrissy adopt a kitten from the shelter yesterday. A tiny 10-week old black and white (but mostly black) fellow who is at least temporarily going by the name Theodore. So much cuteness! I'm so excited for Chrissy and Rowdy. When I come home from vacation, I will immediately want to run over and play with the kitten.

I just finished reading Columbine by Dave Cullen. I highly recommend it to anyone who remembers April 20, 1999. It will shake up everything you thought you knew. The media was reporting quickly, spouting out any explanation or inspiring story they could get their hands on, and almost all of it was misleading, misrepresented, or entirely false.

Points:
~The shooters were not targeting any particular group of people.
~The shooters were not outcasts who were tortured by their peers: they were not the popular kids, sure, but they had busy social lives and quite a few friends. They both dated multiple girls, and one of them had just gone to prom a few days before. They were picked on, but not more than most people experience in high school, and by many accounts, they were bullies themselves.
~They did not call themselves the "Trench Coat Mafia." That was an entirely different group of kids, and the moniker was just a joke.
~They were not Goths.
~They did not actually go bowling the morning of the massacre. But they were enrolled in bowling class, and seemed to enjoy it.
~Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not share one mind, or even one motive. Eric was a violent, manipulative, skilled psychopath who was able to fool everyone around him, and able to get Dylan on board with his plan. Dylan was depressed, suicidal, and wavering on the plan up until the last days. He never attacked anyone without Eric there, watching and encouraging.
~Cassie Bernall (remember the "she said yes" girl, the martyr whose story was repeated more often than any other?) was not asked at gunpoint if she believed in God. Although she was a devout Christian, recently converted after being in a lot of trouble, and it would have been in character for her to say yes if they had asked, they didn't ask. Eric Harris just shot her under the table without even looking to see who was there. ANOTHER girl, one who was injured but survived, was saying to herself "Oh God, oh God, please don't let me die" AFTER being shot, and they asked her if she believed in God. She said "yes," and then the gunmen moved on. One of the witnesses mistook her voice for Cassie's, and the story took off and got blown way out of proportion. No one was interested in the truth (although it was reported), because the story was getting young people into churches.




It's a sad story, but a fascinating one on many levels. The book is written with a very compelling voice, almost like a novel. I had to remind myself at a couple of points that it was nonfiction. And I mean that in a good way.

Less than one week until vacation! Which means this week is incredibly hectic as I try to pack, and shop, and work extra hours to make up for the unpaid vacation time. And somewhere in there (tomorrow) I turn 27.

My mom gave me my birthday present on Sunday-- IPOD!!! Little tiny silver ipod shuffle. Which is like a baby ipod, cause shuffle is all it can do. But I thoroughly enjoyed the shuffle while working out at the Rush last night-- the ipod loves me and chooses the perfect songs for me. I have named said ipod "Zulu, Queen of the Dwarf People." Which is an obscure Golden Girls reference. It seemed appropriate, because the ipod is very tiny and very regal, and my phone is also named after an obscure Golden Girls line.

My camera is still not talking to my computer. I don't know what the problem is, but I am choosing to blame the cord. The camera is working fine on its own, and the same computer port is working fine for Zulu.

( Grey's Anatomy )

So glad it's Friday. Just over a week until vacation. Need to do some shopping in preparation. Glad I still GET my vacation, since the sub who was supposed to cover for me apparently vanished into thin air.

Finally made it to the animal shelter this week, after many weeks of being an absent volunteer. Fell in love with a tiny little gray kitten whose shelter name is "Cinderella," which is funny because she kind of looks like my childhood cat, Cindy. I want Chrissy to adopt this kitten, and she might, if someone else doesn't get there first. Which would be okay. Kittens need homes, and there are always more.

Adult cats need homes too, and have a harder time finding them. Case in point: my Sevvy boy. But I understand why people want young pets.

CPR training took more out of me than expected. Those chest compressions and rescue breaths get old after the first thirty. I think I killed the baby dummy. But I only missed one on the test, so it's all good.

Hoping to get up the energy to work out before picking Lee up. Need to be able to go to sleep and stay asleep tonight. I keep having nights where I wake up multiple times. Not cool.

( meme gacked from widowspeak )

Happy Mother's Day to anotheralice, einatlanta, eanja, badassfaerie, fishstickmarie, kristinkay, and any other moms reading this!

Two more weeks of work before one week of vacation! I'm ignoring the fact that it's a family vacation with my mom and stepdad so it won't be entirely stress-free... instead, I choose to focus on the fact that it will be warm and sunny on Edisto Island, and that it's only a short drive to both Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC, neither of which I have ever actually been to. Anyone on the flist know of any must-see touristy spots in the area? I can't think of anyone on the flist who lives any closer to there than I do, but it never hurts to ask.

I'm glad this week is over. Any week where you're breaking down in front of co-workers who barely know you on TUESDAY is a week that needs to be over.

Not so much going on this weekend, except for Mother's Day, which my mom is actually coming to me for since this is the weekend that she doesn't have the nieces. Since I am broke, or close enough to it since I am trying to have some money for vacation necessities (I do not actually own a presentable bathing suit), I am trying to put together a mom-friendly mix cd. No easy task.

On a random note (because this entire entry--wait, my entire LJ--isn't random already), has it been too long since my weakness for silly fanvids showed itself? If so, let it be known that this video made me laugh harder than anything has in a long time:



Although, I actually prefer the Mamma Mia version of the song. That video makes me want to watch Pirates again. And Mamma Mia. Perhaps simultaneously.

And, if you haven't seen Amber Benson's rendition of the Macarena, you owe it to yourself. Seriously.

I can't believe it's May. This means 2009 is one-third over. And I still think it feels like 2008. Panicked a bit about only having finished 15 books so far this year. Not sure what that says about me.

Really excited because tonight, Juliana (dustyskinandall) is playing a show here in Knoxville, at Bistro on the Bijou (which I keep verbally reversing and saying "Bijou on the Bistro"). Those of you who are local should come check it out (although I've most likely already harassed you about it in person, or on facebook, or twitter...)

Suddenly itunes has decided that it doesn't like me and I'm not allowed to search the store. I'm trying to locate this Prince song (I think it's from the Prince era and not the "artist" era) that has been in my head for some strange reason, and apparently Prince has outlawed it from youtube. F$(#%er.

The computer is running slowly in general and making me wish for a newer model. But I don't have that kind of moolah! (is that the correct usage of that word?)

I just watched the Twilight movie. Remarkably, I didn't throw up. I actually enjoyed it-- but purely for the LOLZ. I have never seen a film with more UNINTENTIONAL hilarity.

Kristen Stewart did pretty well with what she had to work with. The whole time I read the book I kept thinking I could almost like the character of Bella, possibly even identify with her, if Stephenie Meyer had bothered to flesh her out, give her some clear motivations, and not make her come across as completely self-centered even in moments of self-sacrifice. Kristen Stewart at least made Bella come across as witty. That's something.

I liked Robert Pattinson in Harry Potter, but here... I don't know if he was struggling with the character or if the director (who seemed incredibly self-congratulatory and irritating in the short bit of special features I watched) beat the life out of him, but his delivery was incredibly wooden. All I could think of was the Joey Tribbiani school of "Smell the Fart Acting."

And now I give the floor to Cranky Hanke, the best movie critic in the known universe.
( excerpt from his review, dated 11/26/08 )

I had an amazing weekend... it was wonderful to spend time with Kimby, and take in her Asheville lifestyle (which is the lifestyle that was just beyond my grasp when I lived there), and eat amaaaaaazing Tupelo Honey breakfast, and then to see Sara the big name comedian and go a little fangirl over meeting her boyfriend Francesco Marciuliano, who, might I add, is hot in pictures but remarkably more so in person. I made sure to compliment Sara on that score.

The drive back, unfortunately, was not without incident: came perilously close to tragedy when my windshield wipers broke (literally) on the interstate in pouring rain, and then shortly after I found my way to safety, had a teabag thrown at me by a stranger. Also literally.

Just finished composing a letter to the editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel about the teabag incident.
( letter behind the cut )

I would have gone into a lot more detail, but they only allow 300 words. I would also like to point out that any one of my Pre-K kids who behaved in such a manner as that middle-aged woman did would have received a stern reprimand and a time out.

I'll post a more thorough update later. Things need to slow down a bit first; it's a busy week for me.

Hey, you guys-- my camera case fits perfectly into my cleavage! How about that?

Anyway. Moving on.

Tomorrow evening, after work and grabbing some dinner, I am off to Asheville to see mademoiselle Kimby and from there to Carrboro to see this lady perform-- the one and only "hey! I know her!" big name comedian in the biz. Very exciting. I'm nervous about the drive, but I know I would regret it if I didn't go, since she usually performs only in the New York circuit, and this is probably the closest she's going to get to me. Plus, Kimby time! Only problem is, I don't know where Kimby's place is...

Procrastinated on packing until just a few minutes ago. Having dinner with Amber and Althea was just more interesting than being alone in the bedroom packing, and then Ace of Cakes was similarly distracting.

I really should try to get to bed-- long day tomorrow-- but first, I think everyone should visit this kindertrauma post, and be reminded of the most disturbing interpretation of Alice in Wonderland ever to be shown to young children. I had almost managed to suppress the memory entirely, and then this post happened. However, now I actually want to netflix the movie, if only to figure out what the narrative significance is of having the jabberwocky manifest and puruse Alice relentlessly for an entire seven-minute sequence... and that's just one scene. It too me years to realize that the jabberwocky poem was actually considered a nonsense poem, and not, like, Stephen King-caliber horror.

Seriously, though, you should watch ALL the videos embedded and linked in that post. Carol Channing is pretty effing creepy too.