The Light at the end....

So I think the light at the end of the tunnel is showing. After a 2nd interview, I think I've got the job that I wanted. Also, to my surprise I got approved for unemployment. In the 4 years I was at my previous job, I never knew of anyone to get unemployment after being fired. They would bring a corporate lawyer in to fight it.... After hearing opinions from friends, I'm not alone in thinking that means they didn't have a valid reason to terminate me. Along with all that, this week I received my 2 weeks vacation pay. So for right now the financial stress is at ease. Now I just need to get myself motivated. I've been out of work for almost 3 weeks now and I'm going stir crazy, and the sad part is, I've gotten lazy at the same time. The house needs some major cleaning. Whether I feel like it or not, I have to get the house cleaned tomorrow. We have company coming over this weekend. Looking forward to this weekend as well, the local bar's Bear Night is Friday. I'm excited about it because even though I liked doing the Jello shots, this will be my first bear event in 3 months where I'm not working and can have fun with my friends. Also my best friend is going to be the dj. So other than dreading all the cleaning I have to do, this week has me in very good spirits. Thank you to everyone for the comments of support. It really means a lot.

Rare Form

I know you guys don't know me personally, but from pics you have seen, I'm usually scruffy, long gotee, with some piercings... Today you see me in rare form. Trimmed up, dressed nice, and no metal. I've been told I clean up nice. I'm about to head out to a job interview... Wish me lick guys!

Sometimes... people surprise you!

I know I'm not alone when I say that for the most part I don't have much faith in humanity. A lot of people are selfish, rude, bigoted, ignorant, or all of the above. Every so often it takes a random act of kindness from a stranger to restore this. One instance that stands out in my mind is from about 5 years ago. I was driving with a lot on my mind. It had just finished raining and the road was wet. In having a lot on my mind I failed to see the vehicle in front of me stopping to make a left turn. I rear ended this van, totaling both my vehicle and the other. I was 23 years old at the time. It was my first accident and I was all shook up. Luckily I was not injured other than a small bruise on my shoulder from the seatbelt. There was a man at the intersection who saw the whole thing. This man was so kind and seemed so concerned about me, making sure I was ok. Even though I told him I had a ride coming, he did not leave the scene of the accident until my partner showed up. He wanted to make sure I had a ride back home. I was put aside by this. I couldn't believe this complete stranger was kind enough to do that, not to mention the fact that he was VERY hot lol. To this day I wish that I knew how to contact this guy to tell him how much of an effect this had on my life and how much it meant to me.

This week another occurance happened that surprised me as well. As I posted before, I lost my job last week. To sidetrack a little, I am a member of a roller coaster enthusiast group called Negative G. I had known from a chat conversation with the man who runs the site that he worked for a company in Illinois which also has a location here in Hagerstown Md. I emailed him the other day asking him questions about the company because I was planning on applying there. This man, without ever having met me in person, nor having a sexual interest in any way (Straight, Married, Children, etc) Gave his supervisor my name and contacted human resources with the company to try to help me out. I also put him down as a reference on my application. After a phone conversation today, I was scheduled an interview this coming Friday. Even though I don't know what the outcome of this interview will be, I'm just amazed that someone who I have only talked with online has done all this to try and help me find a job.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't do the same for someone else. I like to think I'm a goodhearted cub and I like to help people when I can. It's just nice when people go out of their way to help you when they don't even know you. As a Christian I thank God for these things.

On a more serious note....

I know I don't really post much about life issues. I'm normally not a person to share my drama with people outside of my inner circle of friends, but this cub has a lot on his mind this weekend. I've been working for a certain distribution warehouse for almost 4 years now. It's the first job I've ever had that I really liked. I also had an awesome small crew that I work with on 3rd shift. However yesterday I was let go, or as the manager worded it "separated from the company". Even though I enjoy my job there have been a lot of pressures lately. My partner has been on disability for a while due to back surgery. So with the stress of taking care of him at the time of the surgery, and feeling the pressure of being pretty much the sole provider in the household (disabilty doesn't pay much) and the managers at work really cracking down on production, I pushed myself too hard to meet and/or exceed the production standards that were expected. To top that off, I worked in the freezer, so needless to say with it being cold, you wanna get the job done and not waste time. In pushing myself too hard, I was making small mistakes here and there. Nothing that could cost the company any money, mostly just keying freight into the wrong slot... something inventory control can fix in a matter of minutes. However even with having the highest productivity of anyone on my shift, the manager found this to be in excess. I can understand them not wanting people to make mistakes, but isn't that why inventory control is there?? I just find myself very frustrated. There are so many people in that company who lie, cheat, and steal, and here I am, honest, and hardworking, and I'm the one who gets fired for making mistakes. When things like this happen, it just makes me wonder why I even bother. I'm a nice person and an honest worker and I get shit on, yet the people who are crooked seem to always end up ahead. Now I'm the one left wondering how long it will take to find another job, I'm the one who is going to have to start over, possibly at a job that I hate just so bills can get paid, and I'm the one who is sitting here this weekend, with so much on my mind that my head could explode. Meanwhile, others keep their jobs and continue to cheat the company and steal... I'm not trying to be a martyr here, it just seems like further proof that nice guys really do finish last.... This cub could really use a bear hug.

Fahrenheit!

I thought this was a good coaster to share for 2 reasons... It's a great ride, and it features some unique elements. It has a completely vertical lift, straight up the hill, the drop is at 98 degrees (The reason for the name). A first drop that slants inward is a crazy sensation. The airtime is great and you cant see the track. It also features a rare inversion, the Norwegian Loop. The pretzel looking loop in the pic below. This great coaster can be found at Hersheypark.

Buried

So last night I was pleasantly surprised... I wasn't sure if this would be a good movie, I mean it's 90 mins of a guy buried alive in a coffin. I rented it anyway tho, because I love Ryan Reynolds. I'm glad I rented it, because this movie was amazing. It is literally 90 minutes of a man named Paul Conroy who is buried alive in the desert in Iraq with only a few things; A zippo lighter, a flashlight, a glowstick, a knife, and a cell phone. A lot of the movie is phone conversations he has trying to get help. With the battery running low, and air running low, phone calls from the man who put him there, and tension building, this movie keeps you captivated all the way to the end. I highly recommend this thriller. I don't think many actors could pull off this one man show like Ryan did, it's a real credit to his talent.

I Spit On Your Grave

I finally got the chance to see this remake this weekend. I'm a fan of the original, even though it is a little hard to watch. I personally liked this better than the original. I've noticed a pattern with the remakes of 70s exploitation films. The rape scenes are made less brutal, while the revenge scenes are much better. I'm a fan of gore, and violence in movies, but tend to find rape scenes a little hard to watch. They were brutal in this movie, but not as bad as the original to me. They definitely tried to keep in theme with the original, especially with the main title sequence while she is driving. It had the overall feel of the original as well, but with a score. The original had no score, which I think made it a bit more haunting. The revenge scenes in this one are way more "HELL YEAH" tho. I even cringed at some parts, and I don't do that often. I recommend this to fans of the original and other 70s exploitation films.