4th of July (Long Weekend)

It is hot again here, hot and unpleasantly humid. 95 degrees outside, and around midday it started getting hot at work. It seems that somehow, the heat was turned on inside the building (or maybe just our floors) and it got hot, sticky and stale, fast. This, of course, is brilliant when working at a tech corp, since the labs already need extra AC to keep the server racks from overheating and the exhaust from those things (expletive replaced) could heat a sauna, but that isn't important. Not even the fact that I probably will be tossing around in sweat-soaked sheets tonight is important right now, because at EOD (End of Day, for those unfamiliar) tomorrow, I have a long weekend.

The Fourth of July is coming up on Monday, which is awesome because of the free 3-day long weekend. I didn't need to use a vacation day, because it's a federal holiday and everyone gets off. At least 1/3rd of the team I am on also scheduled for tomorrow and/or Tuesday off as well, or have 1-3 week vacations over the top of the 4th, because it's a free day that they can use later. I'm gonna burn a week later this month and another in August to road trip (damn I wish I had a motorcycle) so this freebie 3-day is divine providence if I believed in such a thing.

I'm going to make the drive to see my friends again, leave after work on Friday, probably getting into town around 11 and going straight to wherever they are, I assume a dive playing darts and getting hammered off the drinks that are more booze than mixer, then passing out til Saturday afternoon before chilling at the pool drinking beer til it's nighttime again. Do that Saturday and Sunday, then pack up Monday afternoon and drive back here. It's good to have a plan.

Of course, with so much drinking, the risk of hangover is high, especially Monday, when I won't be able to keep a buzz through the day. I know about drinking water while drinking or before passing out for the night, but what else can I do to prevent or cure a hangover? Bizarre or disgusting answers will be tried (with a report and pics for proof) in the future, but I better be able to search google with "hangover + your suggestion" and find something on it, even if it is old/debunked.

So now: what is my first Mystery Hangover Cure?

A Good Weekend Leading Into a Lousy Week

Last weekend was much needed: I took the afternoon off work on Friday, drove 5 hours to my Alma Mater, hung out with a couple college buddies, crashed on a sofa Friday and Saturday nights and didn't have to think about work or this depressing town at all. I was feeling so good, when we were out at the bars on Saturday, I started chatting with this cutie who was standing at the bar while we were waiting for our drinks, and ten minutes later we were on the dance floor grinding. I was wasted by that time, and at some point her friends must have seen us and pulled her away. It was more action than I've found since I've been here. It felt good to be someplace exciting, in a city that didn't feel rundown. I drove back to Iowa and my messy apartment, thinking about the fun I had over the weekend.

The next morning, my alarm did not go off, and at 7:50 I awoke with a start. Work began in ten minutes. I considered calling in sick, but decided against it. I want to keep those calls for if I wake up still drunk. I did call to let the team lead know that I would be late. Management may notice, but less than if I call in sick too often. Besides, it was Monday and others would be late, or 'sick.'

I got a quick shower, skipped shaving and chugged some milk for breakfast before throwing on some work clothes and leaving. I was about a half hour late. A few coworkers in nearby cubicles said Good Morning but nobody commented on my tardiness. It wasn't until I opened my email that I saw it: a virtual pile of emails about an issue that had been brewing in my 'problem' account, an issue I had carefully explained was a risk and how to avoid it, an issue that had boiled over after hours Friday night when the techs implementing the change I was managing failed to follow my instructions, that the last of my good mood from the weekend was taken from me.

Figures...

Hot again!

The cold front that blew through last week brought a reprieve from the 100 degree heat and humidity as the violent thunderstorms blew through, but now again the temperature rises. I haven't bought an AC yet as I am slowly catching up with the late payments and the fees that come with them, so I'm at the mercy of the weather in my apartment right now. If it gets much worse, it will become difficult to sleep again, fading into exhaustion as I lie on my sweaty sheets.

Meanwhile, it seems that The Company is not going to provide proper AC at the office, so while I sit at my desk and work, on my computer, which doesn't require any physical effort, I slowly start sweating like I'm jogging a marathon, for eight hours. Perhaps if there was more air movement. I would think that the AC issue is because the building is old and renovated, but when I take the elevator down to the lobby, a cool rush of comfortable, dehumidified air wafts over me when the doors open.

If it hits 100 again before I've saved up enough money for an AC, I'm going to skip a payment or two to buy one.

My Messy Apartment

I've been living at this apartment for over six months, but it still looks like I've just moved in. No, that isn't true, because then stuff would still be semi-organized from the move, in boxes or something. Instead it looks like I've gone through, dumped out boxes of clothes, workout equipment, electronics, desk supplies, kitchen items and more, and then largely left them where I dumped them. I bought a couple bookcases and a shelf set, and most of my books are now on them (except for a cookbook that I see under my futon) and most of my clean clothes are in a closet or dresser, but otherwise it is a disorganized wreck.

I can't bring anyone back here, I'm too embarrassed. The landlord dropped by last week for a maintenance call that he mistook came from me when it was another tenant, and he gave me a look of shame when he saw the apartment. Hopefully he doesn't start looking for excuses to come back, to check if I've done any damage, which I haven't: I may have dumped all my stuff around and not done dishes for over a week (easy to do on a fast food diet) but I haven't broken anything.

</rant>

Thank God for the rain!

It's been hot and humid here for over a week, but the forecast for tonight: rain and thunderstorms all night! Cool me off mother nature, this is Iowa, not Georgia.

Ha! Take that you bastards!

I started a blog, just like I said I would, so I can speak my mind about how I really feel about this POS job!

Not that I will tell any of you tomorrow what I've done. Lord knows, I need the money. But now I can bitch about how The Company came here, to this pathetic little former city, so that they could bring in the desperate IT workers who got laid off at their former jobs, or hire the fresh-out-of-college kids who were looking to make a start in the IT industry (like me) at lower than national average salaries.

But I won't get too specific. I'll need to be careful, because after the second or third rum and diet coke I might spill too much, and in this economy even a shitty entry-level job is worth keeping, even in this godforsaken town in IA. So if you think you might know me, don't expect a thumbs up if you are right: Jerry Gerber comes to life after the first drink goes down after five. This is my time to bitch and moan about my situation, maybe let alcohol-fueled dreams replace it every so often, but shit: I moved here with the expectation of good pay, learning valuable skills that can help me progress in the IT field, and a decent atmosphere. For Christ's sake: there are three colleges in town, and I am under 30. Too bad they are all religious colleges, and there are like 12 churches within a 5-block radius. I'm sure that these girls are repressed as shit and wanting to 'experiment', but how do you meet them without pretending to go to church?

As for pay: I spent a lot of money going to college so that I could get into the IT industry; oh wait, I spent a lot of money THAT I DID NOT HAVE so that I could get into the industry. And just when I was ready to look for an internship, the economy collapsed. I spent another year in college, increasing my already large student loan debt so that I could hopefully increase my hireability and more importantly, avoid having to go back and live with my parents in bumfuck-nowheresville. Yes, I could have gone home to live with Mommy and Daddy for a year, but instead I took courses to be a more attractive job candidate. And I went further into the hole because of it.

And so, when this job came along, I jumped at the chance to stop living off of loans and start paying for myself. I moved to a place that I had driven through and was not impressed by, and discovered just how much the Fed takes off in taxes (which is even worse with overtime, something that fortunately I still get if I work over forty hours.)

I have my one bedroom apartment, the usual bills and I try to pay them on time: I'm getting better. As for eating: depending on fast food for at least one meal a day has left me heavier and rounder. So suck it: I can drink that many calories in booze, and hopefully it will produce something fun to read. The buzz sure as hell lasts longer.

So for now: peace out! I'm gonna make myself another drink, and repeat until I can't feel how hot and humid my unconditioned apartment is.