Zoozical
It’s a zoo out there…might as well be musical….What does that mean?Hard Work
I want to work hard….really hard and kick the ever living shit out of something.
Not physically beat something up, but I’m searching for a goal.
I want to feel accomplished, but in something I’m totally uncomfortable in. This means something involving my brain.
Goals that I keep getting distracted from:
- Learn Spanish – I have Rosetta Stone, but I get bored and distracted
- Relearn Guitar – I took lessons as a kid and I remember some, but I busted a string and I just haven’t been to a guitar store yet.
- Learn the violin – I was given a violin for my birthday this year because I always wanted to play. I’m actually pretty intimidated by it.
- Masters – I would like to get my Masters. The only thing that’s hold me back from doing this is my lack of interest of what I’m doing. I have a degree in Marketing, but I can’t say that I get HYPED about what I do, but who does.
- Read a book – I’ve only read a few ever. I was in the habit, but I have fallen out of it and I’ve been stuck on the same book now for almost 3 months. I’m currently on page 30. (update: I changed books and now I’ve almost read half of it in 2 days. What sucks is I really wanted to like the other book.)
- Go back to school – My friend Karen talked me into looking into going back to school to learn something I enjoy. I looked into this for a few months…I requested information from schools, but nothing ever came and then I was distracted….and here we are
I’m so bored, but I’ve never been so busy in my life. I’m making the most money I’ve ever made. I have more toys than anybody could ask for. I have a group of new friends that all live in the same building as me and we go and party…but there is a big hole
Returning
I return texts, emails, and phone calls immediately. I don’t know why, but it’s what I do. I feel a little OCD about it. I try to ignore it, but the more I try the more my fingers itch to write back. This is the reason I leave my phone at home sometimes and love not having the internet (which is no longer the case).
What sucks is not everyone feels the same as me about returning messages….so I’m left starring at my email and phone like a dog waiting for somebody to come home.
Side Note: Saw Despicable Me last night….Hilarious!
Corporate Crap
Why does going to the bathroom at work have to feel like a secret agent mission. Get in, get out and most importantly….don’t be seen!
Somebody needs to make a YouTube video of this…Mission Impossible style.
The Wizardy World…
I took my sister to the Wizardy World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adeventure on Saturday. They do a good job, but I think Disney would of done a better job.
Things I liked:
The ride is awesome. People are going to get hurt on the conveyor belt that puts you on the ride. It’s super fast with no railing and you have to transfer to another belt that is moving at a different speed, but other than that….its awesome. Take your sandals off!!!!! They don’t tell you this….you just have to know. My toes were just holding on for dear life to my flippy floppies. It’s super innovative, it incorporates a little something from every style of amusement park rides available and it’s pretty intense and would scare me when I was kid.
Butter beer: It’s just plain great. I really liked it and may try and make my own. I’m sure there are recipes out there.
The park employees: Universal has a program for interns that brings students in from England. That way they have an authentic Harry Potter land…..very clever!
Gripes:
My sister and I both feel that they did a good job, but something was missing. A gay man or multiple gay men or just an anal retentive somebody to really nail down the little details. This is why we believe Disney could of done it better. I hate picky people, but now I see why they are needed. We both feel it could be due to the scale of everything. Maybe they didn’t have a ton of space, but things just seem small. Maybe children will feel differently over this factor….as they should (they didn’t make the movie or park for adults).
I understand that the point of anything in business is to make money, but Universal really rakes you over the coals. For example: Disney has free fast passes for almost every ride. At Universal you have to pay quite a bit more money to have a fast pass, but then (without notifing the purchaser) they don’t work on the new Harry Potter ride. The price to get into the park went up to around $90 a ticket just for Islands of Adventure when the new section opened which just sucks to pay that much for a single day. They try to upsell you go to the basic Universal Studios….which is the lamest park in the world (they got rid of some of their best rides….specifically King Kong).
Tips and Tricks
The main trick I would say is get to the park about a half hour before it opens so that you can walk to the Harry Potter section. The line was only 45 min which isn’t bad for a new ride. At one point it was at 2.5 hours. Also, it is super duper hot right now. I live in Florida and the heat was just terrible this past weekend. If you are able to push it off till October or November it will be worth it to wait. Maybe in that time lines will go down and Universal will go through and tweak things a bit to button up some of the loose ends my sister and I saw.
Lines are going to be crazy. Just be ready for it. The line to get into the Harry Potter gift shop was over a 1.5 hour wait that wrapped around the whole area. The candy store on the other hand was like a 5 min wait….I bought the Every flavor beans which I thought was a joke, but its not…the first one I ate was Lima bean followed by black pepper and then potato….mmmm delicious.
If you go have fun and enjoy.
I Couldn’t Be Louder
Theodore Roosevelt: Speak softly and carry a big stick.
Anonymous Quote: The loudest person in the room is the weakest.
Silent, but deadly.
I couldn’t be louder.
Daft Punk Thomas Helmet for Sale
I’m thinking about selling my Daft Punk helmet. If you haven’t seen it click here.
As a note, this project is not complete anymore: I have resanded down the helmet and I’ve started going through and fixing all the little divets and holes that I didn’t have a chance to before halloween last year. The visor had to be removed because it cracked, but a new one can be put in. I’m not going to lie…it’s pretty much a shell now that will need a thin layer of bondo, sanding, and paint. The speakers are intact along with the leds, but they need to have the leads run back to a power source and audio source which would be provided.
I love the jacket, but if I get somebody who just really wants to do this outfit then I could sell them as a combo.
If anybody is interested just let me know by commenting on this post. If I don’t sell it by mid-august then I’m going to rework the whole outfit and just keep it for myself.
Kind of Wish
I kind of wish I would started this blog anonymously. I’m not embarassed about my current content, but I there are certain things I would like to talk about that I don’t want people to know where it came from.
Just in time for the NBA Finals: If you want to be moved…..
If you want to absolutely be inspired to work your ever living ass off at what you love to do…then listen to this:
This American Life: Episode 192 – Meet The Pros
This episode is about the Nike commercial Freestyle that aired in 2001 during the playoffs. I didn’t even like basketball until I listened to this episode.
Lots of Great Change
Carrying change in your pocket really sucks…unless its quarters. I don’t mind carrying quarters becaues you can put them in a parking meter, give them to a bum or do like a super wish in a wishing well.
Well lets just say that I’m carrying a fistful of quarters at the moment. (speaking of which, if you have a chance go rent, watch, download King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters….it’s an awesome movie)
I was laid off from my accounting job on 4/15 (end of tax) season, but I was super excited about it. I headed up to the Smokey National Park that day to go backpacking. It was wonderful, but my friend who came along decided he didn’t really want to hike and so we cut the trip really short and hiked about 8 miles instead of the original 30. Lame, but still a great time.
I’m going to go again, but next on my motorcycle and by myself!
As soon as I got back from the trip (no joke I mean that night) I got a job as a barback at one of the slickest bars in Jacksonville (Dos Gatos) and started the very next night. Then about 5 days later I had an interview with Adecco/MPS group (they’re in the giant Modis (they are modis actually) building downtown) and I landed a job with them the very next day writing proposals for their Strategic Sales Department.
The sweetest part of it all is that because they ran out of cubicles they gave me an office on the 9th floor the overlooks the The Jacksonville Landing and the Main St. bridge….I don’t have it for too long, but it’s sweet for now.
This is my view, but I’m 9th floor and this from around the 25th.
Next week I move into 11E. I’m so excited. I’ve honestly toured that place the last 5 times I’ve had to move, but for some reason or another it didn’t make sense for me to go there. Now I don’t have a gas bill so I can afford it….wooo!
I don’t want to come off as if I’m bragging. I’m just excited to be in two jobs I really like and moving to a place that should be pretty cool. My Adecco job is temp to perm at the moment so I could be let go and my Dos Gatos job in essentially a dishwashing job, but I don’t care….I’m really enjoying both at the moment.
So, I hope to see a ton of my friends Downtown more often (that means Sarah, Sean and Karen….because you guys may be the only people who read this thing….and I only included Sean in this list because he is updated by Sarah 
Smoky the bear says, “Only You Can Make You Happy”
Well Smoky never said that, but I like it and it’s my blog and I can make up whatever words a fictional character says.
Well Thursday (4/15: End of Tax Season) I’m getting laid off and I’m Super Excited. In a previous post I mentioned I was trying to do a cross country motorcycle trip that would take around 30 days. Well due to losing my job I now have the opportunity to do a 5 day backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park with my good friend Matt….Wooo! What do you when you don’t have a job? Vaca!
This trip doesn’t include my motorcycle, but it does involve hiking and camping….so 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. Plus, I still needed to buy a new wind screen for my bike and some decent saddlebags. When I get money…those items are going to happen. There is a road that we’ll be traveling down that I wish I could take my bike on known as Tail of the Dragon. It’s 318 curves within 11 miles!
So what is there to do in a National Park? Wrong question: What can’t you do? The weather is supposed to be great. Highs in the lower 70′s and lows in the mid 40′s. Now that’s great walking and sleeping weather.
Below is the itinerary. When I mention “campsite” it’s the only site around for a few miles. This isn’t Hannah Park (which is awesome as well, but in its own way. Stayed there 2 weeks ago and had a blast at the beach). It is just a designated clearing with a fire ring so that the park knows your location. When you check into the park there is no gate. Just a billboard where you fill out a permit and that’s it…you’re on your way to roughin it.
Day 1: Thursday
- Last day of work ends at noon
- Drive to Robbinsville, NC
Day 2: Friday
- Drive about 30 min. to the park and enter at the TwentyMile Ranger Station
- Hike about 10 miles until we reach campsite 96
Day 3: Saturday
- Hike about 12 miles through part of the AT until we reach campsite 113
Day 4: Sunday
- Hike about 4 miles to campsite 93
Day 5: Monday
- Matt’s Birthday!
- Hike about 2 miles back to the car
- Drive on back to Jacksonville so Matt can make it to birthday dinner
Day 6: Tuesday
- Look for a job
May look like a boring itinerary, but there is going to be a ton of walking, fishing, and just good ole’ enjoying nature.
