The Girl with the Broken Pen

Entries from October 2008

Inconcievable

October 27, 2008 · 3 Comments

Yesterday, I tried a little experiment. 

Usually, when I listen to my iPod, if a song isn’t one of the chosen few of the moment, I skip right past in to one of my favorites. I don’t even give it the time of day. 

But last night, I decided that as long as I didn’t absolutely hate the song, I was going to listen to it and give it a shot. It was quite enjoyable. 

I’ve also been doing the same with thoughts. Instead of just pushing away everything that didn’t fit into my pre-concieved, narrowly defined paradigm, I entertained thoughts that often leave me uncomfortable. 

A lot of these thoughts have to do with God and divinity in general. I’ve been questioning my conception of God, and where I fit in the scheme of things in a much different way lately. 

In the past, God was just GOD and I was just this completely insignificant, unworthy creation who would simply never be worthy–Atonement or no Atonement. 

And I’ve come to some conclusions that many in my life, culture, and religion would find completely disturbing. But this is my journey and my struggle. My path to enlightenment is simply going to be different than yours, but that’s okay. 

Now that I’ve accepted that, my next post on the nature of God and the inconcievibilty of sin will be much easier to write.

Categories: Building Zion · Mormon Life · Spiritual · carpe diem
Tagged: , ,

Messy

October 25, 2008 · Leave a Comment

As everyone else in my life, besides me, expected, I caved. 

I didn’t end up quitting my job.

Partially because I am a pushover; it’s part of my genetic makeup. People convince me of things all the time. On a minutely basis, even.

And partially because I have nothing to lose by waiting a few months. I have the opportunity to keep my secure job and start over in another location. I really ought to at least try. 

* * * *

Spent some time on the phone with my brother-in-law, who I am closer to than any of my brothers, and he could sense the abject sadness that I just can’t shake. I told him all about work and home and the moving, and he could tell that those were issues, but that it wasn’t what was really bothering me. Older brothers are awesome like that.

So, we talked about what was really bothering me, and while it didn’t help in the fixing it sense, it helped in the everything is going to be okay sense. 

I try not to have a lot of bitterness about the past and the circumstances of my childhood, but the one thing that just pisses me off is the stunted emotional growth that has resulted. I’ve been able to get past everything else by sheer will. This is a little harder to overcome. 

I shouldn’t be feeling this right now. I’m 26 years old. Time to be a big girl about life. 

And I try, and sometimes, I even put on a good show, but everybody is right. I am such a mess.

Categories: Building Zion · just sayin' · whining · work
Tagged:

That’s a Stabbin!

October 23, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Despite my two week notice, I still had to go to a training class for two days this week. And the nerd in me rejoiced. I love the theorhetics of my job. If my job happened all on paper, and it mattered more what I knew than how I executed it in the face of reality, I would be golden.

But yesterday marked the return to the face of reality. Despite my jaded cynicism, I’m still an limited optimist. See, I drink the koolaid; I think that our Operations Systems are there for a reason, and the best run stores are those that run according to Systems. 

So, I went to work yesterday, and gave it the old college try. There was TTMing and Coaching going on, and I decided it was time to hold people accountable. So what if it was my last two weeks; there was going to be decorum on my last shifts, and it was going to be driven by me.

It started with the iPod. “Jane Doe, you are on order taker, you can’t have your iPod in.”

“I’ve had in on all day.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have. Put it away.”

And after some huffing and puffing, it was put away. 

Except that Jane Doe was now pissed, and proceeded to SLAM the window everytime it closed and opened. 

“Jane, you really can’t be slamming the window. Please stop.”

And then I moved on. “Joan Doe, you’re leaving at seven, so I need you to make sure all the salads are moved over and everything is stocked and cleaned.”

Imagine, Joan Doe didn’t give me a problem. She simply said, “Okay, I’m working on it.” I said thank you and moved on…

…to Jane Doe, who was leaving at 8.

“Jane, I really need you to be working on those dishes. They’re piling up back there.”

“No, I don’t want to do them.”

“Well, if they’re not done by eight, you don’t get to leave, so I suggest you do them now. Seriously, please just go do your dishes.”

I won’t recount anymore of the discussion, because it was both tedious and completely out of control. This girl had a meltdown. The swearing and the screaming on her part led to a phone call on my part to my supervisor, in which I completely lost it and threw my keys across the office and slammed the door in a fit of rage, and a declaration that I wasn’t going to make it the final week and a half.  It was not pretty.

But even uglier was the scene that ensued when I tried to get Jane Doe gracefully out the door, so as not to impact the operations of my restaurant any further. While I was switching drawers, she told whomever she was speaking to on the phone, that she was going to “stab that bitch.”

Three guesses as to who the bitch in question was.

All over dishes. 

God Almighty, I need a nice, serene job. Stat.

Categories: mishaps · work

The Downside of Happiness

October 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment

I know without a doubt that quitting my well-paying job, and trading my salary for my happiness is the right thing to do, but there are those little thoughts that just nag at me sometimes.

Like, the fact that Christmas is two months away, and my low paying new job, if I find one, just won’t buy quality Christmas gifts. 

This was supposed to be the year that I could afford really great gifts for everyone. I had finally landed myself a “real” job, and could gift accordingly. 

Ah, but life totally gets in the way. 

And I know, I know. Christmas isn’t about the gifts, yadda yadda.

But it still makes me a little sad inside.

Categories: just sayin' · mishaps

Unnegotiable To-Do List

October 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Left to my own devices, without external guidance, mostly in the form of self-made lists, I would spend all of my time laying in bed, sleeping, stumbling through the internet, and watching Stargate. 

While these things are fine and dandy on a limited basis, the temptation always exists to waste all of my days off doing this. I have two in a row this week, and plenty of things that need doing. 

So, time for not only a To-Do List, but an Unnegotiable To-Do List. I’ll have to conjure up some dire consequences for failure to complete it. Maybe something like watching a Presidential Debate. ::shudder::

  1. Pay Parking Ticket
  2. Pay Excise Tax
  3. Make Turnip Dish
  4. Re-new Prescriptions
  5. Cancel Netflix
  6. Go to Drs
  7. Finish the Structure post for the Other Blog and Post it
Totally managable. 

Categories: carpe diem

Happiness in Two Bowls

October 21, 2008 · 2 Comments

It took me a little while, but my happiness isn’t found behind a counter; it’s usually right there on the counter, and it often comes in a bowl.

For the longest while, I tied my self worth to my net worth, and my empowerment to my spending power. 

I am such the silly girl. 

A few days ago, I put in my two weeks’ notice. In a week and a half, I will be jobless.

But I will be happy.

Categories: Food · carpe diem · picture · work

Tomorrow is a Long Time

October 18, 2008 · 2 Comments

Nickel Creek

If today was not an endless highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to me at all

Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Would I lie in my bed once again

I can’t see my reflection in the waters
I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain
I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps
Or remember the sound of my own name

Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Would I lie in my bed once again

There’s beauty in that silver singing river
There’s beauty in that sunrise in the sky
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love’s eyes

Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
If I could hear his heart softly pounding
Yes, and only if he was lying by me
Would I lie in my bed once again

Categories: lyrical profundity

Oh, Black Day Indeed

October 15, 2008 · 4 Comments

I was watching Numb3rs and it bored me. 

What is happening to me? 

Oh, cruel, cruel world!

(Yes, the high brow hilarity continues. This must be fluff week.)

Categories: just sayin'
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Jibberish Times Three

October 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment

I haven’t been in blogging mode for a few days, but I have been in sleeping mode. 

Sleep, sleep, sleep, work, work, work, sleep, sleep, sleep.

Ah, but tonight is my last night of work before my two days off. All I can really say is yay, yay, yay!!!!

Oh, this is such the high brow blog!

Tomorrow will probably be consumed by homework, preparation and more sleep, and Thursday will be fun, fun, fun. 

But that post is for the other blog.

Categories: just sayin'
Tagged:

A Little Help

October 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Now that I have stepped out of the fog that I sometimes find myself in when I fail to take care of myself, I’m trying to actually work on my writing. 

And I’m not talking about the jibberish I post here, that barely passes for writing. I’m talking carefully constructed pieces that go through drafts and edits and re-writes. 

Ya know… writing

Some of you have already read my first foray into peer reviewed writing. Popcorn Popping has sadly become an archive of things past, but Dybbuk and everything else, is still there for the reading. If you’ve already read it, great. If not, go over, take ten minutes out of your day to read it and then come back here and give me some advice. 

Is it worth continuing the story? Should I focus on re-writing it, or should I move on to the next part of the story? Or should I scrap the storyline and start something completely different?

I really want your opinion, so please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Categories: writing