craigt2k

Today marks yet another birthday. It's special in a few ways. It's a pig year and yes, believe it or not I am a pig. It's supposed to be extra special because it's the year of the golden pig but I'm thinking that's more of a marketting thing rather than an astrological thing. Guess I should buy a few lotto tickets. It's also special because I have finished my certified nursing assistant class and have passed the boards. So, I can officially clean butts like nobody's business. Though, I feel very fortunate to have gone through what I went through to get it and feel better prepared going into my nursing program. Well...that and I can officially wear the T-shirt that I got for Xmas which reads, "Yes, I am a straight male nurse".
It was a pretty busy year. Not all of it good, but it wasn't entirely bad either. I have a feeling that this coming year will be busier and better. I hope everyone's year of the pig is golden.

....but I've been crazy busy. The holidays were pretty relaxing and fun. Got a chance to run off to Vegas with the wife and some friends. My first chance to get away in about 2-3 years. What can I say about Vegas other than walked alot, drank a little too much, and had a good time? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But really, we mainly partied hard and walked alot.

For those who don't know, I've been accepted into the Masters Entry Option of Nursing at USF. And as a prerequisite for the program I have to become a certified nursing assistant. To meet this requirement I've enrolled in ROP's, regional occupational program, CNA class. I have now finished my first week of clinicals for my certified nurse assistant program and am about to start my second week. It's a lot of hard work, waking up inhumanly early, and difficult. But it's extrememly gratifying I have to admit. I also have to admit that I'm happy that I'm going into nursing rather than being a certified nursing assitant. I don't think I could hang with as much as they have to do. Nothing but respect for those that chose CNA as their career. I was so nervous I had trouble sleeping and was constantly worrying. Ask the wife. But now that the first week is over I'm feeling a little better. Not that confident yet....but hopefully getting there. The more that I'm doing this, the more I feel as though I made the right decision. Now if I can only get this deer caught in headlights look off my face I'll be just fine.

Overall, not too much has been going on. It's been mainly a mixture of work on classes, go shopping, and try not to spend money. Rinse, repeat, catch a rat or a mouse, etc... Thursday, after a nice day in Gilroy we (the wife and I) took my grandmother and mother to BJ's for dinner, and after, my grandmother to the knitting club at Barnes and Noble. We had a great time. My wife and grandmother got a chance to socialize and do something they love, gossip and knit. I got to do some reading and studying. We took my grandmother home and walked her to her door. Only to discover a pile of dust and dirt in her entryway. Figuring something was amiss we checked the rest of the house only to find out somebody broke in. Apparently they used a pry bar to force their way in on her back patio door and back house door to gain entry. Though they ransacked most of the rooms the only thing of value they took was my grandmother's 80 pound safe under her desk. I didn't even know she had a safe. It seems as though they tried to open the safe with a hammer, broke the hammer, and decided to take off with the safe. They pushed the safe down the street actually. The safe has wheels, but because of the weight of the safe, it left tracks down the sidewalk.....to a house about 8 doors down. Showed all this to the cops but nothing has materialized. They searched the house to no avail. Spent the better part of friday, beefing up my grandmother's locks doors, etc. We're hoping some of the stuff will be returned but we're thinking the thieves are long gone. The neighborhood has really gone to crap....

doing laundry, doing a little studying, walked to get a burrito, feeling a little broke.....thinking about coffee

no complaints....

Well, once again it has been a long time since I've updated this thing.  I find myself taking yet more courses to better my chances at getting into a nursing program and without a job.  This is my last week at Barnes.  There is nothing quite like a retail job to make a person hate people, and when the manager is a bit of a jerk, it makes certain decisions easy.  So, if anyone hears of anything, or needs something at barnes, now is the time to hit me up.  Y'all only have 1 and half weeks to use up my employee discount.  

On the brighter side of things, I did rather well on the GRE. (I did better than I needed to score anyway) But I have to take another test. doh!  Blueskysmiling, it looks like I won't be able to go to New York this fall.  Sorry buddy.  Maybe we can get KungFuJeff out and do a weekend thing.

Oh, and I saw some final fu show on MTV........gayest show ever!

...and I didn't forget his birthday.  Its belated because this has been the first chance I had to get online.  Sorry for the nostalgic birthday O.  And what I mean by nostalgic is that we decided to hit an old haunt but didn't know anyone there, and we're all poor, so we didn't have enough money to get properly drunk (plus I was designated). But it was hella good hanging out everyone in celebration, and just chilling with the guys and girl, having a drink, lounging, and talking. good times....


 Not to mention, we're all old and it was past our bedtimes. And what I'm really sorry for is taking olmendoza to see nacho libre. The horror, oh the horror....

Alex Toth passed away on Friday. A moment of silence for one hell of an artist. 

I have a lot of fond memories in front of the TV with a stack of paper, my crayons, and a bunch of the cartoons he worked on goin by.

If you used to watch Hanna Barbera cartoons then you know him.

I think I'm just gonna post a couple more picts and be with my memories.

Wow, finals are done. I'm pretty sure I locked in the A. Getting ready for a crap load of tests (WST,TEAS,GRE and the nursing entrance exam). Had a couple (like 7) drinks with the boys. Things are looking pretty good.

A new low at the store. Some jerk keeps leaving the porn mags and sex books by the train set at the children's department. If I find whoever is doing this, I am going to beat the crap out of you and then kill you as slowly as possible...

Well, as everyone knows, I'm a big fan of doing as little as humanly possible. But for some odd reason I decided to work out on Wednesday. Good lord am I in pain now. Why is it, I'm more sore the day after the day after? Why does this house have 3 stories and 2 sets of very steep stairs........? Why did I think going on a run was a good idea? gah.

As some might know, I’m working at Barnes and Noble again. Here is a random list of random observations in no particular order.

1) The number one question that I am asked is, “Where are the bathrooms?” Really, it’s like 80% of the questions I get. I want to make a new tag, button or T-shirt that would read, “Please ask me about our crappers.” Or make a lighted path from upstairs, down the escalators, and wind to the back corner of the store where the bathrooms are, with all the appropriate signage, “Come see our bathrooms”. We should probably hire a DJ to work the bathrooms and charge a cover….
2) If you stare at customers long enough while holding a stack of books or magazines, they will put away the books that they pulled off the shelf.
3) The second question I’m asked is, “Do you have a photocopier?” People obviously don’t understand what a business is or what a business is for.
4) Parents obviously think that we are a child care service, because there isn’t one day where I’m working there that a kid comes up to me looking for their mom or dad only to find out that the parent went shopping somewhere else in the mall. Last week, some kid actually took a dump in the middle of the kids department, because no one was around to take ‘em to the bathroom. I think I’ll make a sign for the kids department that reads, “We are monitored by child protective services” or something of the like.
5) Something that I noticed at another Barnes and Noble that seems to hold true at the new one I’m at that I’ve always wondered about is that…..Why is it people hide the sex books in the religious section? I don’t get it., because the two sections are on opposite sides of the store. Do people really think that a person looking at a bible won’t notice another person looking at a book about sex next to them?
6) Something else I noticed is that while in the bathroom, people in bookstores like to talk to themselves more in the bathrooms. Just last night I overheard some guy talking to his bowel movement. It was crap like, you’re not gonna get the best of me. Take that. Aw yeah, y’know it! It ended up being some really old asian guy. At least he washed his hands.
7) Another side observation is that the teenage kids will look at the photography books to perv out. The “adults” will just go straight for the men’s magazines or sex books. And the old guys will go back to the photography books….Its kinda like the circle of life in a weird way….
8) Why do people just go up to a book seller and say, “I’m looking for a book” and just stare at us……We can’t read minds people. Tell us what the book is too for goodness sake! Or if you ask a customer if they need some help, they’ll just say “I’m looking for a book…” Obviously!!! Boy, it’s a good thing you’re in a bookstore or you’d be really embarrassed. Geez!
9) The Barnes and Noble membership is a total crock of crap. Who in there right mind would pay 25 bucks to get 10% off of purchases for one year. Can’t they do the math? Honestly, most people aren’t gonna spend the 250 bucks to break even at the store…
10) Why is there always a funk that comes out of kids at like 7 O’clock at night. It wasn’t there before but at 7 some weird ass smell is just hovering there. Its pretty damn bad…..

Okay, I think thats enough random ranting for one night.  Hope everyone is doing okay out there.

Yes, its true, I went and hit the wondercon this weekend.  It was a complete and total geekfest and I had a great time.  My wife ( who is the best wife ever) let me go crazy on books. I got to hang out with olmendoza  , Dan, Ordie, Rob, and Nerio.  And I also got to mix with the locals.   

No, the guy in the picture is not me....and I have no idea why he wanted to be in the picture......

Somehow this seems blasphemous....

If you haven't seen the Corpse Bride, go get it.  I even like it better than the Nightmare Before Christmas.

and no, this is not the green lady from Star Trek......

If the guys that I were with say that they weren't getting their geek on, they're a bunch of lying bastards. 

The downside of the night was getting caught up in the chinatown parade mess as we were trying to get back to the car.  A person is cool.  Crowds are simply ugly.  We pretty much gave up on getting back to the car and hooked up with Dan's girlfriend and got a couple of drinks.  Later on, Ollie and I took off and met Rob and Nerio at Thai BBQ.  Overall, its been a good day, and a great week.....can't wait to borrow all the crap that the other guys bought....

I'm working again...at Barnes and Noble.....hmmmm retail.....  I guess it all depends on how you look at it.  I'm looking at it as money to pay off bills, buy junk food, comics, hit the comic con and discounted books and coffee.  In other good news, it looks like I have an interview for Samuel Merrit College for the entry level masters in nursing with an emphasis in family nurse practitioner.  The next good news which almost surpasses all the other news is that we caught one of the rats!

One down and who knows how many more.....

For those who are worried for the rat, you can send us money for its safe keeping, or to keep it safe depending how you want to look at it.  Or you can take comfort in the knowledge that it was set free and wasn't harmed.  Just a little stressed.

All school work with no paying work, makes me a poor boy....

Happy New Year all!!!! It's the year of the dog. All I have to worry about is applying to nursing programs, tutoring an anatomy lab once a week, volunteer at a hospital, and my last prerequisite, physiology. I'm actually enjoying all of it, even the physiology class. You have to respect a teacher who threatens to break your knee caps for not addressing her properly on the first day of class.

Oh, and it looks like we don't have mice....its starting to look like rats. But we haven't heard them scurrying around for awhile. Hopefully they've moved on.

Y'know, what would Jack Burton say on a dark and stormy night like tonight?

Well its a new year with different surroundings. We have now moved in with her parents. Everyone has been super cool and accommodating. You never realise how much crap you own until you have to move it. Boy, do I have a lot of crap. Now I get to live right next to Golden Gate Park. How cool is that.
Now if I can only get the damn mice out of the room...

By no means am I a Chuck Norris fan. And after years of therapy I can admit that I've seen a movie or two of his, but this site is....well, just check it out.

http://mike.wordpress.com/2005/12/05/chuck-norris-the-facts/

I have to say that this last xmas holiday was filled with many mixed feelings. Nothing that I want to go into here but suffice it to say that there were a lot of highs and lows...probably a few more lows than highs. Something typical of the whole year...
But something that brought quite a smile to my face occurred while watching Mary's cousin's older son unwrapping a gift. It was on Xmas Eve and he was allowed only one gift to open. The rest he would have to wait till Christmas Day. He of course picked one of the larger gifts, but what got me was after he was finished tearing open the present. He carefully wadded up the wrapping paper and walked the wad of paper to the trash can and he said to himself, "Now the trash can has a present." I don't know why but that one moment made my year, if not a smile to my face.

To those that I won't see this holiday and to those that are far away have a great holiday. And to those who are closer, we're gettin drunk Wednesday right?

Why is that when I don't have school or work, I wake up at the crack of dawn?....otherwise, if I do have responsibilities, I wake up at noon....