I Honestly Don't Get It

While driving home from Yakima (we went to see our Best Friends), sb and I spotted this license plate and couldn't figure it out.



Any ideas?

I'm really hoping it's not blatently obvious.



Plus, yesterday I saw a license plate that said I8TOKYO. Does that mean they hate Toyko or were they just really hungry?

Breaking News: Local dino family loses cousin in deadly brawl

Courtesy of thethreetoedsloth

Four Down, Hundreds More to Cut Off

I drove all the way to Spokane today, waited in the lobby to see my doctor, and 45 minutes later, realised that my appointment wasn't at 11a like I thought, but at 2p, conveniently scheduled the same time as my other doctor appointment. After many calls back and forth to Kim, I was able to reschedule for 4p.

My GP (the appointment at 2p) found two suspicious moles, one on my left arm (of which I have a hard time remembering it ever being there in the first place) and the cute, but spotty mole on the bottom of my right foot. I was a very good sport while she numbed my arm, only whining a little bit. But the foot was another story. I yelled so loudly when she injected the numbing agent, one of the nurses came in to see if everything was ok. I also shouted "FUUUUCK!"

The only way that pain will be worth it is if the lab finds it to be pre-cancerous. If it's benign, I'm going to...eh, prolly nothing. I'm all talk, really.

It still hurts like a bitch and I'm hobbling to boot. The area on my arm, though, is still numb. The best thing? Since I'm having trouble standing, I got out of work for Thursday! Yay!

Queue THIS

Have just taken a break from watching the first season of Rescue Me. The guys at Podflix recommended it during episode 36 and I thought I'd put it on my queue and try it out. I've only finished episode 6 of the season, but I'm going to finish the last two on the second disc tonight.

I wasn't really sure what to expect. All I knew was that it was about the FDNY post 9/11. Denis Leary really put his soul into this series as creator, writer, executive producer and actor. The subject matter brings me to tears at some point in almost every show, from how each character deals with issues to Tommy's ghosts.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Honestly, go out of your way to watch this show, if nothing else but to spy the eye candy.

At Least Other Companies Pretend to Give a Shit

As many of you might know, I have regularly scheduled appointments every couple of weeks in Spokane (roughly a three hour drive). In addition, as I will be returning to UW in the fall, I will be having at least one appointment with advisors before September in Seattle (also a three hour drive).

In any normal job, I would request these days to be taken into consideration for days off at least two weeks in advance; if the request is put in inside the two week window, it's understood that I may be assigned to work those days.

At any other job, I may also be given a blank calendar with which I'd fill in the days up to a couple months in advance in which I'd like to have off.

This is the case at many other jobs. But not at my newest.

I was finally handed an employee handbook a couple days ago, after I had made a few requests for upcoming days in which I'd be out of town for said appointments (coincidental? I doubt it). Over the weekend, I perused the document and came across this:


I put boxes around the most shocking parts and underlined the outrageous.

I've never worked for a company that basically says to its employees "I don't give a fuck about you" in the handbook.

What's more, employees are given their upcoming schedules one week at a time. And the management has until Wednesday afternoons to give us our schedules for the upcoming weekend. So I have to wait until tomorrow to know what I'm doing on Friday.


As much as I enjoy the free movies, I think I may have to start looking for a new job.

Poseidon + Liquor = Still a Crappy Movie

Last night, sb and I went to Poseidon, the movie that A told me not to go to even if I didn't have to pay anything. Sorry, A, we didn't want to wait for the 9 o'clock movies and that was the only one we weren't late for.

After lubricating our minds with a couple of over-poured drinks, sb and I headed to the theatre. By the time we got there, I couldn't feel my arms.

I'd give the film a solid 2 out of 5 stars, only because we were liquored up and everything was funny. We didn't take the movie seriously at all; if the movie hadn't taken itself so seriously, maybe it would've gotten a higher rating. There were plenty of perfect moments for me to lean over to sb and say "oh, that can't be good!" to which she'd reply "they just need to let Mr. Holland's Opus die already!"

Thank goodness there was only one other person in the huge theatre. Otherwise, our movie experience would've been quite dull.


Most shocking quote of the night?

While we were choosing our dinner from the menus as we sipped daiquiris and hypnotiq, I told sb that I wanted a smaller portion of rice and beans with the enchilada I was to order and wondered if they'd bring me a smaller plate.

sb: "Why don't you have the big plate and just eat what you want and leave the rest?"

me: "But [sb], what about the children in Africa?" my grandpa always used to give us the excuse as kids that we had to eat everything on our plate for the children in Africa

sb, matter-of-factly: "The children in Africa are dying of AIDS, so...if they don't die from starvation, they're [already] dying from AIDS."

*insert jaw drop of bewilderness here*

little children of Africa, I care!

The Benchwarmers and fifty cent snacks!

Yesterday, I took full advantage of my new job and its perks and went to the theatre to watch a movie. Nothing playing was anything I would've wanted to pay $6 for, but since I wasn't paying, I decided I'd just pick one. Plus I got popcorn and a soda for fifty cents each!

And The Benchwarmers, it was. In case the synopsis slipped your mind, the film is about "a trio of guys [who] try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads" courtesy of imdb.

It stars Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder and Jon Lovitz, with smaller roles going to Nick Swardson, Tim Meadows, Craig Kilborn and Molly Sims and even a cameo by Reggie Jackson.

I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars, with the .5 added just because this is the first film in which Rob Schneider and Jon Lovitz both were likable characters and didn't ruin the film for me. David Spade was the funniest of the three, in my opinion. And Jon Heder shouldn't have taken that role. As a new actor, he's already starting to be typecast as "that idiot". He did it perfectly in Napoleon Dynamite, and was pushing it as the stoned clairvoyant in Just Like Heaven, but in this one, he was just a mess.

Plus there was the horrible role of Howie, played by Nick Swardson, who is labeled "agoraphobic", but won't go outside because he's actually terrified of the sun. It was just for cheap laughs, but upset me because the high school-aged girls in front of me thought it was hilarious. Needless to say, I didn't. It pisses me off when Hollywood stigmatizes mental illness, especially in movies aimed at the younger crowds, just for a laugh.

Sharks with lasers on their heads

I guess it's old news, but on Sunday, my mum and I got our ears pierced. First time for my mum and the sixth time for me.

My mum got the drive to finally get her ears pierced, not to fulfill the promise that she made to me back in the day that we'd get our ears pierced together my first time around, but because my brother and his fiancee bought her a set of matching earrings and necklace that they want her to wear to their wedding in July (the future sister-in-law, and apparently my brother as well, had no idea that my mum didn't have pierced ears).

My reasoning for getting my ears pierced? Because I wanted to be able to wear earrings for the wedding as well. I know what you must be thinking. "Brianne, why on earth did you have to pierce your ears again when you already have five holes in each ear?"

My answer, fine friend, is quite ridiculous, but very true: this is the sixth set of piercings in the same holes. To be more clear (and redundant) I have only one set of holes in my lobes and they've been pierced six times.

Yes, I know that earrings should be left in the newly pierced holes for at least 6 weeks. And every single time, I left them in for at least that long.

The last time, I had gotten drunk and when I came home, I attempted to replace the hoop earrings I was wearing with smaller ones to sleep in. In my drunken stupor, I dropped the posts on my bathroom floor and couldn't find them. I ended up passing out without replacing the earrings, and in the morning, the holes were like the Iron Curtain.

My apologies for the lack of cohesion in this post. I really don't care if I posted anything really worth reading. I'm hungry, tired and frustrated that I have to wait until tomorrow to receive the next three disks of Lost: Season 1 from Netflix.

I...must...eat.

A Past Love

I just awoke from a beautiful dream. Somehow, an ex-boyfriend of mine came back into my life and we became reacquainted.

We kissed and, even in my dream, it was the most wonderful kiss I'd ever experienced. I felt sparks. I felt safe. I felt like I was home.

When I woke up and realised it was a dream, I did a search for him on myspace (just to see, gosh!). I found his myspace page and when I looked at his pictures, it felt like his eyes were piercing my soul. He looked as wonderful as I remembered.



He's married...happily...and his wife is absolutely gorgeous.

My dreams, oh how they fail me.

postsecret

Nametags and Hairnets

Either the manager was exaggerating about the difficulty of the quizzes or I'm more of an idiot than I thought.

The first two quizzes were cake, but I started noticing by the third (there were 5 in all) that there were questions asked that had nothing to do with the information in the accompanying videos. For instance, during the "Special Needs" video (number 3), the information briefly covered how to accomodate customers with work dogs, yet the quiz asked about how a work dog is certified.

Roger Lodge didn't even cover that.

Yes, you read correctly. THE Roger Lodge, of Blind Date fame, co-hosted the National Association of Theatre Owners (and yes, they DO refer to themselves as NATO) training videos. He did a great job in making an ass out of himself. Which, of course, is never a surprise.

Nevertheless, I received a 100% on all but one quiz...the last I got a 90%...so there.


Friday is my first day. I've already been assigned the requisite vest (conveniently held together with more safety pins than you can shake a stick at), plus another nametag to add to my ever-expanding nametag/hairnet collection. The best part? It's in the shape of a clapboard.

Idiot Testing

About two weeks ago, I posted about turning in my application at a local cinema. On Friday, the manager finally called me and asked me to come in on Saturday for an interview.

At the interview, I learned that to obtain the minimum-wage job, not only would I need to pass a criminal background check, but be able to watch three 10-minute videos pertaining to safety and harassment in the theatre setting and pass the subsequent multiple-choice quizzes. He proceeded to tell me that they conducted the quizzes to "basically weed out the idiots," and, after a pause, stated he really hoped I passed the quizzes, otherwise he had just called me stupid.

After a general Q&A about the job, we bantered back and forth about whether I'd need any take-home study materials for the quizzes and then I was free to go.

Today, he called me to let me know that my criminal background check had come back:

manager: "I just wanted to let you know that your criminal background check came back..."

me: "Ok"

manager: "...and there was something on it."

me: *jaw dropping to the floor* "WHAT?"

manager: "just kidding. it's fine."


I've got $5 in imaginary currency saying that he's got the same management style as Michael Scott. (come on, I don't even have any paychecks coming in yet!).

I'm going in today at 3p to watch the videos. I hope the results don't prove what I've been fearing since freshman year in college.

Remember, Remember the 5th of...May

It's Cinco de Mayo! How could I forget until now?! As I type, the roads are still blocked off in town for the festival weekend!
Nachos for everyone!

Even my spanish-speaking alarm clock knows how to party!

¡So las veintitrés horas y ocho minutos!

Cute little critters!

SB came over this morning and we worked on a CWU alumni auction item using products from the winery where she works. Her sister, a student at Central, needed it by 3p. After we cut boxes for the glasses, bottle opener and bottles to sit on, we went to Safeway, not the dreaded W, to pick up some chocolate bars to finish off the basket.



During this whole project, we took a break to buy some wine at a different winery (for SB's personal consumption - 3 bottles, mind you), and taking backroads on the way, we saw these cute little gopher-like things running across the road and disappearing into small holes in the dirt. She calls them "sage rats," though I doubt they have anything to do with rats. They're small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but we found bigger ones as well.

Can you see it? It's so cute!

CSI: Highway 395

SB accompanied me on my trek to Spokane today, after I overslept my departure time and rescheduled my doctor appointment for 2p. I did the 20 minute Jam and then showered before we left.

Along the way, she and I practiced singing together like we always used to do and had a blast! As we neared Spokane, she noticed that the vehicle in front of us was none other than the bus for the Harlem Globetrotters. After some careful maneuvering and a quick lesson in how to use my new camera phone, SB snapped a couple pictures for me:



I know the Globetrotters haven't really been cool for ages (i don't know...i don't do basketball), but it was pretty awesome thinking that the guys inside were prolly thinking we were idiots trying to take pictures of their bus while we sped up and slowed down to get the right angle.

After my appointment, SB and I went to Hastings and bought a couple cd's (she did, actually) and then to the yummy bakery, before heading to The Onion for lunch (mmm...avocado burger!), followed by a trip to Boo Radley's, this kitchy, random-finds type of shop.

On the way back, while we listened to Podflix episode #36, I thought I saw what looked like a person/body on the slope of an overpass. SB didn't see it, so I turned around at a "non-u-turn" u-turn and drove back. She looked behind as we passed it and confirmed my suspicion of the blue and red cloths. At the intersection (yes, this highway has an intersection), we turned BACK around, now going in the same direction in which we started our trip home, this time taking the exit to the overpass.

After I got out and checked out as much as I could from the "scene of the crime" below while SB covered her head with her outstreched sweatshirt, I came to the conclusion that it looked like a snow suit, but I couldn't be sure. Originally the deal was that I would get out and look and she would call 911 if need be, but when I got back in, she told me to call because I was the one that saw it, though she declined to check it out herself.

The police came, we all got out and looked at the "scene" 30 feet down the slope and determined that it looked best like a sleeping bag, but the officer told us he'd investigate it further himself.

Thank goodness we didn't see a dead body; we were just listening to Nish's 5 Second Reviews on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and that would have been way too creepy of a coincidence.