Saphhous

Internship.

So I went and took my writing test for G/M today. Granted, I had some idea of what to expect, but it was still harder than I thought it would be. Yuck. Here's what happened.

At 11 a.m., I'm stationed in a cubicle in the rear of the office. I'm handed a personalitiy test. "Whoo-hoo," I think to myself. It's one of those obvious-answers kind of personality quiz. The front pages says to check all the words on the page that you think describe how other people expect you to behave. Great. On the backside, same words, but now which ones I think describe me. Silliness. It's 11:04. I start to think I'll be out early.

Step two: spelling test. The kind where they give you the same word twice, but one of the times it's misspelled and you have to pick the right one. It's mind-boggling. Then the good stuff: the editing worksheet. I'm handed a really bad essay and I get to fix it. I chopped that bad boy up. I almost gave up and retyped it because I covered it in corrections. Oh well. It sucked.

Then the hard stuff begins. First, I have to write a press release pretending to announce the invention of either pencils, scissors or nails. I went with scissors. The inventor's name was John Cutsalot. Hopefully I can get a copy of all this stuff, because this was funny. Then I have to derail and do another quiz thing, although I don't remember what it was about. Then back to writing, this time doing a press release for a guy joining a company. I'm given his bio worksheet, where he filled in the blanks, then I write a page about him. Fun. I like making up quotes for made up people. Now I'm down to one more thing.

The sheet says I have one month to plan the opening of a shopping center. I need to include specific details about what the PR firm will be doing in the weeks before the grand opening, then specifics on what will happen opening day. Then I turn to the next page and discover the big department store that was the cornerstone of the center will not be opening at all. I have to detail how this will be handled and what will be done to minimize the negative effect it will have on the center and on opening day festivities.

So that's all that. Let's just sum it up and say I wrote six single-spaced pages in an hour. Git-r-done.

Of interest.

First, I got a 70 on that stat test I didn't know I had a couple of weeks ago. Now, before there are any comments about that grade ... there's one guy in there who's always really on top of things and has study sessions for other students and whatnot, and he only got a 48. So get over it.

Also: Joab is having some kind of breakthrough. He was on incredibly good, mind-blowing behavior all last week, and the only difference we can find is that he didn't play video games at all last week. That was pointed out to him as well, but he met that with silent indifference, which is how he handles a lot of things. Tonight he told me he didn't do two things at school today, and we talked about why he had to do well in school -- that there were serious repercussions, like repeating the grade, that were different from the "no video games" type thing he gets at home. I don't know how much of that he understood before tonight, but we had a good long talk about him failing and whatnot. At one point he looked at me and said, "Maybe I shouldn't play video games again until Friday." I told him I thought that was a very smart and responsible decision, which made him feel good. He then decided he was only going to play video games Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I congratulated that idea as well.

The kicker here is that I was blown away. This is not Joab-style. Usually he would throw a fit until he got his way (which he later did about not getting to have an apple when he had to go to bed). He's not much for compromise. I'm very confused. But in a good way.

Still to do this week: write a story for The Cardinal's last issue of the semester, write a paper, take my writing test for Guthrie/Mayes ... Oh, and I'm supposed to go to the ticket tailgate this weekend so I can score football season tickets. Yay!

Okay. All done. Happy, Dad? I'm posting more so I don't have to hear a "give me something to read because I can't do anything because I have cancer" line.

This week.

Dylan is in Missouri till Wednesday. He's doing an embedded-reporter thing with some ROTC kids from U of L. I've decided, since about 30 minutes after he left this morning and increasingly since then, that it sucks. Then again, I've spent this whole week talking him into going. Partially because I think it'll be good experience, and partially because he shouldn't flake on things just to spend more time with me. But now I wish he had, and I'm sure I'll be just as mopey when I go to Seattle. So that sucks hardcore. I've talked to him briefly twice today, but that's all. I did put his section together in record time today, though.

I have so much to do this week, like every week. Up at 7 a.m., get Joab ready and to school (by myself for three days) ... I have at least one paper due, a quiz in Stat and an exam in Physics, a board proposal to write, a writing skills test to take for the internship I'm trying to land ... A Web site to design and develop ... Fortunately school's down to six days, plus I have a couple of "exams" the week after -- a non-cummulative and turning in a project, I belive. My physics final exam is this Friday, we think, non-cummulative. And I think my stat final is April 25, although that could be wrong. Guess he'll tell us tomorrow. And I need to pay some bills and apply for financial aid for the summer, since I'm taking two classes. That means, if I get my internship, I will work 8-5 and have class 5:30-8:30 every night. It's going to be a long summer. I need a vacation, but apparently I don't get those. It's a sad life. Once I have my break, till May 31, from school, I'll have to catch up on a million other things and start one of the two jobs I have lined up. I also have to finish planning my wedding and looking for a house.

I feel overwhelmed and grouchy. Maybe not grouchy, but I'm not sure of a better word, so we'll just go with that one.

smoke and soap

you smell like wood smoke
     and warm soap
and you look at me like ...
     like a million years could go by
but we'd still be here, siting, passing time,
     passing by, getting by ...
smoking, drinking, laughing
     as the sun goes down but we're
still outside -- with the smoke
     and you with your soapy skin.

He's too good for the likes of me

Well.

My dad told me I don't post enough. I think he should start his own blog, now that I think about it. Hell, Dad, you can write about your treatment on a blog and then we'll turn it into a book. You write the posts, then I'll help you edit it into a book. Then we'll be rich!

Anyway. The dress quest has ended. After just two shops and 12 dresses, I found the one I wanted. You can see it here. Only I'm wearing it without the straps.

That means one big-ticket item is out of the way. Now we just have to get the money together to rent the space.

And I still need a job. If anyone knows of a cool place in Louisville looking for a part-time wondergirl, let me know. I'm trying to get on at UPS, which offers $3,000 in tuition assistance per year and forgives $2,000 in loans a year. That would pay my tuition. Pimp. If I want to work nights, I could get my tuition paid, book money and bonuses. Don't know about that though. I've never been much of a nightowl. However, anyone who lives in the 'Ville and is looking for a job and a way to go to college, check out UPS. Really. Do it.

Speaking of the 'Ville ... CARDS tonight at 6 p.m. Up against Illni in our first Final Four in 19 years. It's wonderful, although if they win tonight it's going to mean hell for the paper on Monday -- we come out on Tuesday, and we got our plant deadline extended to 1:30 a.m. from 5 p.m. The game won't be over till 11 p.m. Yuck.