Becoming a Stepford Wife

The past few days have been spent with me cleaning more than I ever thought possible. When I moved into my new apartment, because of the crappy renovators my landlord who doesn't know what the hell she's doing hired, there was an 1/8" thick layer of dust on everything... The cabinets, everything in the bathroom, the top of the fridge, even the blinds... And I just finally got around to cleaning a lot of it. I spent four hours going Mrs. Cleaver in the kitchen, scrubbing everything I could, washing the floor by hand AFTER vacuuming and sweeping first (because even though we'd washed the floor, it still didn't all come up), washing the blinds, bleaching the outside of the fridge... It was an ordeal. Especially with Snickers trying to be in the middle of it all. This is why I need a dog... They don't try to climb into whatever you're trying to clean... and they're just better.

...Somehow in the middle of the now-three day cleaning party, I pulled a muscle in my leg. I'm not exactly sure what or how I did it. All I know is that it's an annoyance. Not pain, but it's like the ringing in your ear that won't stop.

I still managed to get out and have fun (for CHEAP!) this weekend. A few friends from choir and I went to karaoke and I effectively got drunk for under $20, which almost never happens anymore. Of course I had to sing "Goldfinger" and "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." Go me.

Even better? I got up after 5 hours of sleep, got to church, and was handed the descant to the Entrance Hymn. I'm just now getting used to my soprano voice, so imagine my surprise when my choir director gave me the sheet of paper loaded with high Gs and said, "I wanted as much power on the top as I could get." Okay... Good morning to me! Time to warm up now! But lemme tell ya, I sang the CRAP out of it, and I think I deafened the people in front of me... All in a day's work.

Back from Sabbatical

So after a few months off, I decided to start blogging again. Sorry to the (two) readers who waited anxiously for my next posts. This'll be just a little catch up kind thing, then I'll elaborate on life... In the past few months:

My brother got married.



I've lost almost 30 pounds.

BEFORE




AFTER




I got a monster named Snickers.


Nicole was here and had her Senior Recital (Picture of that already added).

And I visited the Ryans in Philly a few times and saw Eric and Steven while I was there.



Being a real person isn't as hard as I expected, and while it still sucks that I'm not making a ton of money, I'm doing ok. I was able to splurge on a few tops and got some things that fit me. I miss my friends like crazy, but I talk to them all often enough, and I've made a few work friends that I really enjoy spending time with. The couple voice lessons I've had have been great! I never realized how easy singing could be...or how much breath it ACTUALLY took (Apparently I don't use all my air). So yeah... Life is good. Except for the whole "My voice is in Man Land" thing because of stress and this crazy weather.

Temporarily Relocated

Yesterday when I was at work, I got a call from my boss asking me how many hours I was working this week. After telling her, she asked if I'd be willing to work at the Wood Street store downtown. Well, of course I was! I'm in desperate need of hours, and if I'm free, then HELL YEAH, I'll work 16 more hours! I don't care if it was in Hoboken, New Jersey, I'd be there! So I get to work this morning, and Joe, the manager at Wood street (He's freaking AWESOME, bee-tee-dubs) sets me up on the computer, and I start work. First sale- I sell vitamins along with Force Factor and ReCreate (sleep Aid and a post-workout recovery pill). YES. Go me! Second sale? Pink Magic (limited release #1 selling testosterone booster that gives me $7.85 every time I sell one), Jack3d (#1 pre work-out that gives me $3.00), and Super Cissus (a really good supplement to take for joint issues), among other things. Total= $450. Yes. That is right. I made an almost $500 sale today. I rock. I also sold Enzyte today to a really hot guy. Poor him. The guy asked if I tried it, and I'm like...."Ummmmmmmmmm....no. That's not really my kinda thing." I added in my head, "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF DUMB QUESTION IS THAT!? I have a VAGINA! I don't think a male enhancement pill is going to work on me!" I guess you can't be hot and smart. I was also told by one of my coworkers that I was gorgeous and if he didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd be his girlfriend.

All in all a good day at work.

My new landlord who's been doing a ton of repairs in my house hired some people to deep clean the bathrooms because of a mold issue. She didn't tell me. All my shower stuff was in the wrong place, and some of my expensive things were even thrown out. Like a brand new 4-pack of $17 Gilette Fusion ProGlide razor blades (I like men's razor blades better... They last longer) and my $16 Nexus conditioner, and $10 Burts Bees body wash. NOT OK. On top of that, they decided they were going to paint, so the combination of fumes set off my asthma. It's so bad that I can't walk without wheezing and sounding like I'm going to cough out a lung. I'm actually afraid I'm going to need to go to the E.R. I had shit I needed to do today!!! Oh...yeah. I also forgot to mention that she opened a window that WE HAVE A FREAKING SIGN NOT TO OPEN because it won't close without a LOT of difficulty. I came back to paint fumes last night, and it was like a vice clamped around my bronchials. Amanda and I were struggling to breathe, and my only saving grace was I kept my door shut yesterday, so the fumes had a harder time getting into my room. Today, I smelled them through my open window and through my door, because there was more painting going on. Did I mention Amanda and I asked them not to do anything with fumes because we have severe asthma? No? Well, we did. And my landlord's response was, "Oh... I thought you were going to be gone all day." Not an excuse. Amanda and I got back at 10:30 last night to the fumes. So unless anyone wants to open an air conditioned house to me until around 11:00 tonight when I should be able to breathe in my house again, I'm going to hang out with Lisa at work... Happy day off!!

Inception

GO SEE IT NOW!

Job Interview, Old Friends, then PARRRRRTAAAAAY

My job interview at Bath and Body Works went well. It was one of those group interviews that really didn't give the manager a chance to really see me, but it did show how I get along with people I'm in competition with, which is good. But the manager seems really nice, she was smiling and laughing, and the whole interview flowed really well and it was more of an easy conversation while getting business done. B&BW in general seems like a really great atmosphere where I'll have a lot of fun doing it. All of the people there are really happy and they're always smiling. It's just a sunny and cheerful place, which is really great. I'm hoping it'll be very low stress. And who wouldn't want discounts at Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret? That's damn sweet, if you ask me. They're also only looking for people to work 15-20 hours a week, which is exactly what I want. So I'm really hoping this works out.

The other night I talked to one of my best friends from high school. I haven't heard from Josh in about 3 years, and it really made my day. He was one of the friends that I would go to with just about anything, and he was always good for making people feel better about it. You can't be around him and not smile. And he's freaking talented to boot! I'm so excited for him. He won the Met Districts (or was it Regionals? It was late...) as a senior, and he's going to a great program for grad school. I'm still smiling when I think about how well he's doing. I can't wait to see what his career is going to be.

Last night was fantastic! I went out with Julia, Becca, and Tim to Mad Mex to catch up, because it's been awhile since we all got together. Julia and I had a couple Big Azzes (the new watermelon flavor is disappointing, but the mango never fails to impress), and Tim left early to go meet some friends he'd had plans with, so it turned into a girls night. I am such a guy most of the time, that I LOVE going out with the girls. There are things that guys don't get and you need some estrogen to be able to understand, so we unloaded all of our troubles and got problems we couldn't tell other people out in the open, then the next minute we were laughing so hard I was afraid margarita was going to come out of my nose. It was definitely a night I needed. After that, I headed out to a party with some of my Scotch 'n' Soda friends that I haven't seen in a while. Steven was there, and drunk Steven is always an educational experience. I swear, I learn more about music from him after he's had a few drinks than I have in almost any music history class, except one that Paul Johnston teaches. They're about on the same level. Then after a lot of people left, it was just me and some of the guys, and that's always a blast. Since I grew up with guys pretty much being the only people I hung out with, that's when I'm my most at ease. I get competitive, and there's always great fun banter, and if you add beer to mix, I get even more relaxed. We were all up hanging out until 5 AM (Why do I keep doing this to myself? It only exacerbates the insomnia issue...), when Nick offered me the couch since I live hella far (I don't know why I keep using that word today), and I took him up on that. It was a damn comfy couch. I slept like a rock.

Now time to clean my room because CLAIREISSPENDINGTHENIGHTOMGSOEXCITED and drop by work for something.

Twilight of the Incredibly Sexy Men in Way too Hot Weather

So the contractors are still at my house. Pretty much 24/7. I wish I could say I've learned to ignore it, but it's more like I've learned to pick my battles. This is one I'm not going to win. So on Tuesday, Amanda and I went to see Eclipse. Now, I am not a Twilight fan. At all. In fact, everytime I see something new and completely unnecessary that is Twilight, I want to shoot Stephanie Meyer in the face. Like Twilight Sweet Tarts. Unacceptable. And if I have to hear about the Great Debate, Edward vs. Jacob one more time, I'm going to scream. I read the books, enjoyed them while I did, obsessed for about a week, then I was OVER. IT. Like a normal person should be. So needless to say, the only reason I saw Eclipse was for the bad acting. And it did not disappoint. I swear, everything Kristen Stewart said, she said it on the same pitch. I thought I was listening to a robot. And Edward's a tool. He's overly sappy, then way too controlling. And he glitters. No. The best part of the movie was the Harry Potter trailer. HOLY CRAP! I can't wait for that.

Work is going a lot better, too. I'll officially be allowed to be in the store alone on Saturday when I call Jason, the district manager, and I'm opening on Monday. I'm making on average $3.00 more an hour in commissions, and when it's just me in the store, it'll be even better. So I'm happy about that. We had a company meeting on Thursday with all of the sales associates and the managers in our district talking about new promotions and how we were doing sales-wise, and my store is doing really well. We're overall #1 in the district, which is really exciting. AND to make this meeting even better, there's maybe one unattractive man in the whole district. I thought it was maybe my CMU goggles, but I haven't been on campus in over two months. No, these guys are all SEXY. And I work with all of them. I love my job.

I love it even more because it's air conditioned. It's been hotter than Satan's asshole after eating a spicy burrito lately (Sorry for the disgusting analogy. It was the first thing I thought of...), and it's even worse because there's been no breeze since we're landlocked. The air is heavy and stagnant, and there have actually been air quality warnings when it was over 90. Sleeping is another issue. I have to take a cold shower, then use this mint cooling gel I got from the Body Shop that's meant for your feet all over my body because the menthol feels nice on my sizzling skin, wear nothing but underwear and a tank top, then sleep with the fan directly on me. Then in the morning, I wake up gross and sweaty and usually find a new pimple on either my chin or my cheek on the side of my face that was on my pillow. It's great. I thought I'd never say it, but I can't wait for fall and winter.

I know, I know...

...It's been forever since I updated. But not too much has happened. Work is finally starting to go well. I'm finally getting the hang of a lot of stuff. I was allowed on the register this week, and I get to use my employee number next week so I can get commissions on some of the things I sell. Sweet. Apparently I suck at really simple things. Like bagging. You would think that it shouldn't be any trouble, but that's where you're wrong. The bags stick together, so sometimes I pull 2 off the tab, then opening them is more tricky than you would think. The humidity here has been ungodly, and plastic bags don't like that. Then there's the issue of making sure the items stand up in the bag. When you're trying to fit a lot of stuff in one bag, small vitamin bottles like to tip over...Yeah. I fail as a bagger. But restocking and reordering stuff, or preparing the extra money to go into the safe? I got that down pat! I'm a quick at reorganizing shelving to new company standards and I'm not shy, so I'm good with customers.

Today was hell day at work though. There weren't very many customers, so we didn't meet our regular sales' and OMS (One More Sale) goals. We're a really high profile store, so that looks bad. Lisa said she was expecting a butt load of calls tonight from her boss. I hope he doesn't yell at her too much. And THEN the internet went down. For ALL of the stores in the district. We couldn't look up discount cards, debit cards weren't working, we had to call a number to verify credit cards, and customers were starting to get really annoyed. Especially since the computer not only didn't have internet, it was running EXTRA slow for all of us. Joy. THEN it started POURING down rain, only in the way that it can in Pittsburgh. Guess who had to wait at the bus stop in that?

What's really funny is I'm now starting to get calls from some of the other places I applied to. It doesn't look like I'll be making quite enough money just at here, and I have an interview at Bath and Body Works next Friday. So wish me luck!! It'd be cool if I could do evenings and weekends there.

OH! UGH! The house that I've been living in was just sold. And because our lease says that the landlord can come into the house whenever they want, guess who has been? The new landlord. She made me and Jimmy move a ton of stuff from Emma's room so she could start storing HER things there, and she's ALWAYS HERE! She tries to be nice, but WE have the house until Aug. 1. Can you please NOT take up our space? She threatened to have someone's car towed because her contractors needed the space, and the tenant's name wasn't on the lease. There were 6 people living here, and only 3 are allowed to sign the lease. Really!? Not cool. It would be REALLY nice if she would just give us a week or two between visits. She put fans and dehumidifiers all over the place, and guess who's paying the electric bills? Not her. It's a really huge hassle and I'm tired of having my space invaded all the time. But there's nothing that I can legally do. It's bollocks, that's what it is!

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. The saddest part is it's true. This next generation is going to be a bunch of emotionally abused, superficial, and super-dependent on their romantic interest girls who think that it doesn't matter what happens, everything will be okay as long as you have love. So here it is: The Top 20 Unfortunate Lessons Girls Learn From Twilight.

1. If a boy is aloof, stand-offish, ignores you or is just plain rude, it is because he is secretly in love with you — and you are the point of his existence.
2. Secrets are good — especially life-threatening ones.
3. It’s OK for a potential romantic interest to be dimwitted, violent and vengeful — as long as he has great abs.
4. If a boy tells you to stay away from him because he is dangerous and may even kill you, he must be the love of your life. You should stay with him since he will keep you safe forever.
5. If a boy leaves you, especially suddenly (while telling you he will never see you again), it is because he loves you so much he will suffer just to keep you safe.
6. When a boy leaves you, going into shock, losing all your friends and enduring night terrors are completely acceptable occurrences — as long as you keep your grades up.
7. It is extremely romantic to put yourself in dangerous situations in order to see your ex-boyfriend again. It’s even more romantic to remember the sound of his voice when he yelled at you.
8. Boys who leave you always come back.
9. Because they come back, you should hold out, waiting for them for months, even when completely acceptable and less-abusive alternative males present themselves.
10. Even though you have no intention of dating an alternative male who expresses interest in you, it is fine to string the young man along for months. Also, you should use him to fix things for you. Maybe he’ll even buy you something.
11. You should use said male to fix things because girls are incapable of anything mechanical or technical.
12. Lying to your parents is fine. Lying to your parents while you run away to save your suicidal boyfriend is an extremely good idea that shows your strength and maturity. Also, it is what you must do.
13. Car theft in the service of love is acceptable.
14. If the boy you are in love with causes you (even indirectly) to be so badly beaten you end up in the hospital, you should tell the doctors and your family that you “fell down the steps” because you are such a silly, clumsy girl. That false explanation always works well for abused women.
15. Men can be changed for the better if you sacrifice everything you are and devote yourself to their need for change.
16. Young women should make no effort to improve their social skills or emotional state. Instead, they should seek out potential mates that share their morose deficiencies and emotional illnesses.
17. Girls shouldn’t always read a book series just because everyone else has.
18. When writing a book series, it’s acceptable to lift seminal source material and bastardize it with tired, overwrought teenage angst.
19. When making or watching a major feature film, you should gleefully embrace the 20 minutes of plot it provides in between extended segments of vacant-eyed silence and self-indulgent, moaning banter.
20. Vampires — once among the great villains of literature and motion pictures — are no longer scary. In fact, they’re every bit as whiny, self-absorbed and impotent as any human being.

From: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/twilight-lessons-girls-learn/#ixzz0sNGYeDKZ

First few days on the job

So I started work yesterday, and it went well, although a bit boring. Then again, I filled out paperwork, got my name on the register so I could clock in and out, and then I pretty much followed Lisa around while she made sales. I know almost nothing about what I'm doing. I've devoted the last 6 years of my life to classical music...in high school and college. This is a whole new ballgame. So yeah...Nothing happened really yesterday. Today I learned how to ring people up, how to check prices and label things. They're doing inventory tomorrow and Thursday, so today was mostly spent marking down items that are going to expire soonish. My seven-hour workday became a nine-hour workday because Lisa needed to finish up some promo stuff and didn't have time to really train me, so we made up that time today plus added some. And guess who made a $300 sale to her third customer? That's right. Then corporate came in and told Lisa that it was too soon to have me on register. Boo. I could really use those commissions! I also met a couple guys that I'm going to be working with. Chris seems really nice, although he's quiet. AJ is going to be a lot of fun to work with. I can see him and I getting along in the way Ryan Brock and I get along, bickering for the fun of it... And Bobby just seems like an altogether great guy. He and I clicked and I have a feelings he and I could become really good friends. So I'm really excited for this job. It's going to be hard, but it'll be worth it. And maybe I'll make some new friends from this.

Thoughts of an Insomniac

I haven't been sleeping well the past week, and that's been giving me time for a lot of Hulu and Netflix online watching. Tonight at around 2 AM, I decided I'm going to watch Roswell. I'd always heard that it was the type of show I appreciate. I love drama and I'm a bit of a nerd. Add the two together and it makes a perfect combination. In the last minute of the fourth episode, Liz's dying grandmother makes her promise to follow her heart. Afterward Liz muses, "Sometimes when you follow your heart, it takes you places where you know there is no happy ending... You leave what is normal, go into the unknown, and once you do, you can never go back."
That's so true. I was raised with "follow your heart" being drilled into my head for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, this was usually in a fairytale where everyone except the villain had their happily ever after. But life isn't a fairytale. Not everyone has a happily ever after. That never stopped me from following my heart. It never prevented me from believing that one day, I, too, will have my happily ever after. I recently made a decision following my heart that I knew would lead me down the road of life, not the fairytale ending. And I don't do things halfway. I went into this fully knowing what my outcome was going to be, but once I started down that road, I knew there was no turning back. And just as I expected, I ended up hurt. I always do. I guess I've learned that I look for the next "happily right now," knowing that now won't be forever. I will end up crying. I will be miserable for a little bit. But then I WILL pick myself up again (after Chipotle and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Buns ice cream). No need to cry for too long, because it's really not worth it. My next "happily right now" awaits. So there I go, on this endless cycle of joy and excitement, then disappointment and sometimes heartbreak. And that part sucks. A lot. But at least I can always say I followed my heart wherever it leads me, and I have no regrets. Now time to move on again.

GOT IIIIIIIIT!

So my seemingly endless quest for employment has now officially ended. I start work at GNC at The Waterfront on Monday. It'll be a long day, 3:30-9:30, but I have a feeling that this is going to be good. I'm an actual real person now. I'll be paying my own rent, buying my own groceries, paying my own bills for the first time in my life. I can't even begin to tell you how terrifying that is. Partly to celebrate and party because Kristen and I never hang out enough, we're seeing Sex and the City. I'm really only seeing it for Liza. I never watched the show, never saw the first movie. But seriously... Liza Minnelli singing "All the Single Ladies?" It's a must see! And I'm really excited. It's a good day.

New Job?

I have a job interview tomorrow with the district manager for a nutrition store. It's the first and only place that has gotten back to me after the millions of applications I've filled out. I had an interview with the store manager on Friday, and she really liked me, so I'm hoping for the best. She said I seemed like a hard worker and I'm very personable and easy to approach, and she liked that I was eager to learn. I'm really happy she very easily overlooked that I have absolutely no retail experience and my only real job was Subway. Actually, let's move on from there. It was two years ago, and I still can't walk into Subway without my stomach turning. She actually called me back 20 minutes after I interviewed with her to set up the second interview, and she told me certain things to prepare- like answering the question of why he should hire me over other people who have had retail experience, knowing a little of the history of the company, and familiarizing myself with some of the products. It's kind of obvious to know about that stuff before an interview, but it was nice to know that she wanted to make sure I would get the job. She actually told me some things to say to him because she likes me and she said she wants him to like me too. So yay! Good news! I probably have this job.
So now I'm reading up on vitamins and which ones are necessary, fish oil and why you should take it, antioxidants, and whey proteins. Lemme tell ya, there's nothing more interesting than whey proteins. I know it's all stuff I need to know, but it's so dull. I just have to remind myself that this is only for a year, my supervisor Lisa seems really cool and I really liked her, and it will be a great company to work for. AND while I'm working there, I'll get to meet new people. Really tall, really muscular people who look like they'd probably be able to bench me. There's nothing that makes my mouth water more than a really muscular back. See? Not so bad. Except for this whey protein business. I really wish I had Ryan's copy of Chamber of Secrets that I was reading earlier today. Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Boredom and Beethoven

So after enjoying reading my friends' blogs, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I can't really promise anything exciting, since I do happen to live in Pittsburgh, and when you have no money, there's not really that much to do around here. So I'm sitting, bored out of my mind at 11:52 PM. I'm unemployed, trying desperately to find a job, without much luck, and I'm hoping that my BFA in Vocal Music Performance will do something to get me a job in something OTHER THAN Vocal Music Performance. So far, it's not looking good.

It has been raining nonstop for an entire week, and I'm over it. I'd just like to see some sun. It was playing "just the tip" on and off today, and as soon as I got excited it was out, the clouds covered it up again. Oh what I'd do to be able to go hiking! I have so much pent up energy and no way to release it.

I did see an epic performance of Beethoven's 9th with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra last night with one of my SAI sisters. It was a borderline religious experience. If you ever get the opportunity to see it live, do it. It is a masterpiece. I was sitting there, not really knowing the piece, but wondering how the "Ode to Joy" would tie in to the rest of it because it was all orchestral until the fourth movement. It was absolutely incredible how Beethoven foreshadowed the climax of the piece, and when the baritone solo came in (he was INCREDIBLE, by the way), I knew that I was going to have one of those moments where my desire to be a musician is reaffirmed. I did. I was THAT PERSON who cried at the symphony. The chorus joined in, the "Ode to Joy", that little ditty everyone knows and hums, and it was overwhelming, the sheer power of it. I can't imagine what it would have been like for the people experiencing the premiere. My entire body was covered in goosebumps, my heart was pounding, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, and the tears just...happened. It was the next thing. Sensory overload. I didn't want it to end. When the last chord was played, the entire audience jumped to their feet, and we applauded and cheered for what seemed like eons. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and God, am I glad I went. Music like that is why I perform. I'll be really lucky if I can give that kind of experience to just one person, because as cheesy as it sounds, it was life changing.