Way Too Long

posted on: 2007-07-26 at 5:51:00 PM

Hey guys. Sorry for my lack of posts recently.

So many things have happened lately .. and I kept telling myself "Wow... I just had an awesome experience .. I should really write about it!" Then a few days pass and the newness of it fades -- and frankly, it's hard to write something witty and blogger-y about something that isn't fresh on my mind. So .. no witty banter for you today, just the lame versions:

First -- Oliver. He's great! He's growing like a weed and is proving to be a super well-behaved little boy! However, he is entering a phase where he likes to cry VERY LOUDLY. The ratio of happy to cry is still about the same (I'd say .. 20:1) -- but the severity of the cry bit has become quite overwhelming. I think he's teething for real this time. Also, he really is looking more and more like a little man and less like a bulbous flesh mutant - thing. He is growing tall and his facial expressions are more acute. AWWW CUTE. Get it?

My job has been pretty annoying lately -- although my complaining isn't very well founded. I've been at the new store for a few months now as a "Manager in Training," which is nice in that I get to dabble in all of the facets of the the store's operations. But the past month has been strictly one facet: Merchandise Management. t('.'t)

In one of my training meetings, I was told the following line .. and it was enunciated in a way that gave emphasis on the positive:

"This is the one and only job in retail where, if you do you job perfectly, nobody will bother you."

WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS? No one bother me? GAAAHHH!! I want to be bothered! I don't like working alone. I don't like repetition! I don't like things that require my focus for long periods of time!

All day every day I open boxes. Scan product. Count pieces. Compare shipped counts to packing lists. Fill out RA's (receiving authorizations .. I think). Enter numbers in the computer. Over and over and over and fucking over again. The most human interaction I get is in the few times I day I get to crawl out of the coal mine that is the receiving area and mingle with the sales staff and cashiers at the front of the store. I'm sure I look like a goon when I do because I have so much pent-up energy. BLAHABLAHAUGHPHLAUGHZ!

That being said, I am grateful that I have a good (solid?) job and that I do enjoy working for the company. Also, I know that what I'm doing now is giving me much-needed experience. If the path I choose is retail management, this is a required hurdle. WEE, HURDLE!

In other news: After seven long years, my good friends Alex and Shannon got married! The wedding was held at a nearby park on a beautiful Portland summer day. The setting was wonderful-- completely casual and free-flowing. Lots of sugary treats were served in the forms of candy, cupcakes, and alcohol. It was great to finally see them tie the knot.

I've known Alex since 1993 and Shannon since 1998, and being ones of the "old guard," there were many invited to the wedding that I haven't seen in years -- and it was quite a shock to be reunited with so many familiar faces. OH, DO I FEEL OLD NOW.

That evening, a few wedding attendees came over for a little reunion at my place. We busted out the Wii and played some Wii Sports bowling. Everything was great except for my dear friend Kalina accidentally bowled a heaping cup of sugary coffee into the 57" High-Def DLP television. Wii have a problem.

The impact caused massive damage to the screen, as well as sprayed sticky coffee all over the electronic devices situated in the shelves below. The coffee made its way inside the TV where it spread up into the screen and caused a giant dark splotch, which we all jokingly referred to as "The Whale." I must admit -- I think that night was a true test of everyone's maturity. I didn't blow my top, Kalina didn't break-down. Angie kept her cool and provided (much needed) levity to the situation. Mike intelligently remained sidelined through the entire ordeal.

After the dust settled, I took apart the screen on the TV and attempted to clean the coffee from between the lens and the outer screen. My good friend Chris and his wife Jaime showed up later that night helped out. It took a good part of the weekend, but I was able to completely fix the problem (well -- mostly).

As I said to Kalina in an email the next day:

"What happened last night was an accident. Shit happens. It's all a
part of life. If you invest in an expensive TV and a video game
system that involves flailing about crazily, whether you want to or
not, you also invest in imaginary insurance which is not paid in cash,
but in large amounts of forgiveness."

I FORGIVE YOU KALINA.

So .. other than Oliver's awesomeness, work's annoyances, Alex and Shannon's commitment, my television's close encounters with coffee -- there is only one other chunk of news that I feel fitting to blog about: I FINALLY TRADED IN MY DRUM SET!

I held on to those bastards thinking I would learn to drum well and maybe do something other than drunkenly beat at them -- but I finally faced reality and took them in to the local Trade-Up Music and got some freakin' COOL TOYS. Specifically, I got a MicroKORG and a homemade Theremin. The MicroKORG is perfect for my tastes, and I frankly, I was lucky to find one in such good shape at the price it was. I've been spending the past few days learning to create patches from scratch:

Dual layered Square Wave + LFO oscillation mapped to the Pulse Width married to 50% white-noise filter w/ resonance and variable cut-off MAKES CARL HAPPY.

The Theremin on the other hand -- that's the opposite of the MicroKORG. The Korg syntch = a gazillion ways to make it sound cool. The Theremin = two: Pitch and Amplitude. Dichotomy. Juxtaposition. Happy times.



I made a quick semi-inebriated video capture of me playing with my new Theremin the first night I got it. He is well loved in this house. I think I will name him "Olaf."

posted by Carl

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4 Comments: [ Post a comment ]

 phykia said...

oh wow.

finally an update worth reading. not trying to say all the others were lame, but this had lots of info.

MORE MORE MOOOOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEE!!!
Posted: July 26, 2007 9:44 PM

 
 Stinka said...

Hey you bastard. You stole my F U Kirby! AND you did it wrong. I'm never teaching you Kirbies again.)
Posted: July 27, 2007 2:25 PM

 
 fiesty lil asian mama said...

DAYUMMM BOYYYY!!!!! Would you please express your feelings a little bit more!!! Buddy enjoy the slow life in back because once you make it on the floor with us krazy's you will wish you were in the back again especially with the holidays approaching ever so fast!!!You will be triple busy on the floor than you were at your game place.Can you say double kirby you will have to teach me that one.
As for Oliver he is just adorable I feel for you with the screaming try cold washclothes wet put in freezer then let him chew on the cloth numbs his gums n gives him something clean to put in his mouth.LOL.
Posted: August 4, 2007 9:34 AM

 
 Nick said...

Oliver's looking awesome. A Theremin? You lucky bastard...
Posted: August 6, 2007 3:13 AM

 

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