ransom notes keep falling out your mouth...

       everything's so strange now. while i love the job, i really hate the full-time thing. just don't have time for anything anymore. i feel like i'm beginning to get used to it, though, finding a sort of routine. it kinda scares me, though, that i'm missing something. i feel like i'm missing something. suddenly friendships, writing, church--in short all of those things that are most important to me--aren't priorities anymore. and my best friend is my co-worker, kris, who i've known for not quite two weeks (but is eerily very much like me). my life is that job. i don't much care for that thought.

       i'm not going to explain the title, but you'll probably be able to pick up on the source and extrapolate the situation. it is a good song. i'm just tired of excuses and run-around and hearing one thing and seeing another. i'm mostly referring to one situation, which i'm not going to explain but which i've mentioned before, but it's also generally applicable. for example, yesterday was supposed to be the final check-out for our duplex (she found a couple very minor things in the first check-out that she wanted fixed and which were fixed), but she didn't show up. i had taken a long lunch break to meet the lady, even called her fifteen minutes before to confirm, which she did, then she didn't show up. after waiting a half-hour i called her (left a message) and said that i had to get back to work and was leaving. she called when i was half-way back to work and asked if i was still there and could we get on with it. well, she's holding $800 ransom, so i had to be nice. i didn't want to be. but i didn't go back. she's going to "get back with me."

       it's been a while now since i've finished it--last sunday night, actually--but harry potter (as a series) is my new favorite book. surprised? haha. of course not. but it was amazing. and all you people who said that rowling was doing the devil's work can join him. last time i checked, the devil doesn't use scripture as the centerpiece of his work. and i've seen only good come of this. that right there is the greatest tell. kris asked me when i was going to read it again. i told her it'd be a while. but now it's in my mind and i want to read it again. haha.

       well, i need to get ready for work. to borrow from synthia, later on, lonely xanga journal.

so freaking excited...

       yes, i'm painfully aware how pathetic i am. but i feel like a kid trying to go to bed on christmas eve. wow. i even filled out my ncaa-style bracket on mugglenet.com to predict what was going to happen in the book. keira just called me--she will be picking up her copy in about an hour and fifteen minutes. i, however, have to squirm until 5pm tomorrow when i get off work. it will be waiting for me then, delivered by amazon. if not i will probably become unstable. i'm so anxious. and envious that my british pals are probably half-way through it by now. gah!

       i'm not going to talk to anyone tomorrow or watch any news or read any papers in case of spoilers. stupid new york times. that really does upset me. i'm not really angry about it, but it's just stupid, reading a leaked copy of the book then printing plot details in probably the most widely circulated newspaper in the nation before anyone has a chance to read it and be excited about it for themselves. that is what you might call irresponsible journalism.

       i'm also tired. we made over 1,500 vanilla creams today. by hand. we actually made the cream yesterday then let it set up overnight, but that was the fun part. today was still fun, but there were a ton of the little devils. by the end, my little zig-zag design (not the one i mentioned earlier--this one is a candy factory standard) looked like a crazy person had done it. haha. white chocolate lines all over the place. i started doodling on the conveyor belt in white chocolate with the piping gun. also started practicing my lettering. kris laughed when "will you marry me" fell off the end of the line (we're starting to get into wedding things and we've had a special order or two--i wasn't just being stupid).

       i think i should go to sleep. maybe tomorrow will come faster that way. and i'm sure i won't have any sleep tomorrow night.

the candy factory chronicles...

       day one: i love this job. i seriously love this job. the morning started with a brief explanation of the back rooms and how to determine what needs to be made and what to keep an eye on. then i met up with kris, the other confectioner, and she began to familiarize me with the equipment by jumping straight in. we started with the chocolate covered strawberries. these were a little scary. mine looked slightly mutated at first, but i kinda got the hang of it as i went along and they started to look like strawberries. then we did raspberries. mine were a little over-large, but a little extra chocolate can't hurt. i think i was more worried about my stuff than she was. the fruits were the most difficult because they kept rolling around and dripping everywhere. the chocolate covered grahams and oreas and pretzels were easy, but then we did katys, which are my favorite so far. wow, those things are amazing. they're like large turtles. i ate one with lunch and another later in the afternoon had a little drip, so we had to be picky, of course. then kris left me. haha. i was all by myself for about two hours on my first day. made about ten pouds of katys, though. haha. now i'm tired and my feet feel a little like mush, but i'm happy. i really think i'm going to love it here. oh, and they're already asking me to start developing the artisan chocolates.

       so i keep checking amazon.com to make sure everything's fine with my order. don't want anything to go wrong. haha. so excited.

       well, i'm going to go unwind some. later.

i am willy wonka...

       well, it's official. i received the call this morning from the candy factory and they offered me the job. i start on tuesday, shadowing and training with the current confectioner, also named chris, whom i met yesterday and she seems awesome. there's a satellite radio in the confection room and we discussed our musical preferences. she loves country and classical, so i'm sure we will get along very well. i'm so excited. my hours are 9:30am to 5:00pm (or 6?) tuesday through friday and 10am to 5pm on saturday. the dress code is a t-shirt and shorts. haha. forgive my enthusiasm. i'm kinda giddy.

       so tuesday night i went to the midnight premier of order of the phoenix with keira and several others. then i went again last night with my mom. she came down to visit and took me out to eat, grocery shopping, and to a movie (she wanted to see it and i didn't complain). it's probably my favorite of the movies so far. they definitely cut a lot out (expected, since the book was almost 900 pages), but they also changed a few things. that was annoying. but i still liked it. even non-harry potter enthusiasts will enjoy it, i think. but yes. very good. and highly recommended.

       i'll keep this one short. i'm excited. lots to do still, though. take care all. later.

dudley demented...

       i don't know what it is about thunderstorms. maybe it's the electricity in the air or the change in pressure or the saying that "God is in the rain," but for some reason they're kinda magical to me. i'm always at my creative best during a storm. love them. it's raining now, by the way. i've been having lots of ideas lately, both for short stories and the longer one i'm working on. might take a crack at that after i finish this.

       second interview tomorrow morning at eleven. very nervous/anxious/excited. i'm not so worried about the interview itself as i am about the prospect that i might or might not have this job. i really want this job. i hope they like me.

       so...big night tonight. going to see order of the phoenix at midnight with keira and a bunch of people i don't know. wait, i kinda know one of the other guys. but yeah. i'm excited. probably pretty stupid to go to a midnight showing when i have an interview the next morning, but you know... it's harry potter. not quite sure what to expect yet, new director and all. cuaron was the best so far, i think. but this is a good book to adapt to screen, except it's also the longest so they probably cut most of it out. this book wasn't my favorite of the six so far, but it has one of my favorite endings (with the exception of the death). i hope they do the deathly hallows well in this one or they might be kinda stuck come the seventh movie. cause i'm pretty sure that's what that room is. anyway. we'll see. i'm excited.

       a certain hiatus that i mentioned in a previous protected post is backfiring. not feeling happy about that.

       it's already stopped raining. i should go run. ha. probably won't. i'm hungry. must have food. food is better than running. think i might bake some bread tonight, too. i go through it a lot faster when i make it myself. later.