Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Music: The Flaming Lips - Fight Test
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I have a personal crusade.

I hate when people drive like douchebags. I have made it my mission to make them pay.

I'm kind of like the Punisher...except small, non-voilent, and protected by the frame of a Volkswagon.

My favorite hunting grounds are 78 and the Parkway. In your attempts to bypass the traffic, have you gone on to the shoulder? What's this? Now you need to get over two lanes. Sorry. No can do. Well...I *can*. I just won't. Scream all you like, Soccer Mom. Your plees fall on deaf ears. I will tailgate the shit out of the car in front of me just to make sure you can't nudge in. Hope you like getting stuck against the divider wall for the exit you didn't want to take. You know what could have prevented this? STAYING IN THE FUCKING LANES!

Oh goodness. Do you need to change lanes, Guy Yammering in to his Cell Phone. I'm afraid that won't happen on my watch. You see, it's against New Jersey State Law to talk on your cell phone while driving unless using a hands-free device. I do not bend to law breakers. You can sweat it out as the merge comes up.

Even on the backroads of my home county the mission continues. The fellow tailgateing me with his brights on at 10 pm...Well, he now has two options: He can either sweat it out behind me as I slow to a 5mph crawl, or he can admit he's a shitty, impatient driver and pass me on this no passing road. I refuse to cave to these people.

...Because it's good to have a cause....
This transmission logged byErisSaid on 2:23 PM

Monday, June 25, 2007

Music: Wilco - I'm Always in Love
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When I checked my email today I found Matty's latest email. It's always great to hear from him, and it always sets me to thinking about previous conversations. With Matt, it's impossible to just talk about bullshit. The conversations always have some kind of existential fallout that makes me wish I could go back to giving a shit about how high Lindsay Lohan is as opposed to my own problems.

The one that stickis in my mind the most was when I was giving a rundown on my current life situation: easy job with flexible hours, lots of trips to the mall, Monday nights with the boys and Anty, family events, Wednesday new comic book days, Live Journal knitting communities,and court TV. The best way I can think to describe my life is "comfortable."

Matt then made a comment that "comfortable" can be dangerous. It can quickly turn in to "complacent."

Enter self-doubt and panic.

I've had time to reflect now and basically, despite what my mother might think, I'm not jsut gonna stall out.

So I'm having a bit of relaxing fun right now. I can't always be hella stressed out. Right now, I'm enjoying my nice little routine and doing the fun things people in their 20s are supposed to be doing.

I'm not that stuck in a rut that I can't see past it to what I want to be doing.

This transmission logged byErisSaid on 11:14 AM

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Friday, June 15, 2007

Music: Eels - Things the Grandchildren Should Know
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Once upon a time (circe 1923) in the Luzurne County Pennsylvania coal mining region, a woman named Gertrude Young had a big decision to make. Her husband, Arthur Morgan, had died in 1923 in terrible accident while working in the mines at the age of 28. Gertrude was now left with a difficult choice. The man she was seeking to marry next, the well off Mr. Brown, was fine with having Gertrude bring her newborn daughter in to the marriage, but her young son Kenneth had to be put somewhere else. Something made him unwelcome in the Brown house, and Gertrude, clearly angleing for the Mother of the Year award, sent her little son to live with her father and sister.

The Browns flourished, and went on to general respectability, producing a half brother for Ken by the name of Warren. Despite getting along generally well, Ken has not seen Warren in over 40 years.

Pop and Dorothy Young did the best they could raising Kenneth Morgan on the tiny salary Pop earned from the mines. They had a bit of help from another one of Gertrude's sisters, Mabel, who managed to earn a nice living working as a secretary (she was apparently very beautiful, with looks like Myrna Loy). But in all the years living with these caring folks, never once did they bring Ken to visit his father's grave, despite living no less than two blocks from the cemetary. Their motives remain unknown. But in the end, Ken, my Pop-Pop, came out a good father and grandfather.

Two days ago, after months of internet based research by myself and my mother, we were able to find Mr. Arthur S. Morgan in Plot 33 of the Nanticoke Cemetary. The story of them actually finding the headstone is quite something. After being slightly delayed by rain, my mother, Pop-Pop and is "ladyfriend" Rita made it to the cemetary. The map they had was horribly outdated, but there was, by coincidence, a man named Thomas Moore taking his daily exercise walk in the graveyard, his father having recently been burried. Mr. Moore had no idea where the old Plot 33 might be, so after another 45 minutes walking up and down the headstones, my mother was sure they wouldn't find Mr. Morgan that day. It had also begun to rain, making continuing the search less than appealing.

As she headed back to the car to break the bad news to Pop-Pop, she heard Mr. Moore yell out across the cemetary. "I found him! I found him! Arthur S. Morgan!" The rain stopped completely. As my mother went toward him, Mr. Moore asked "He died in 1928, right?" Wrong. Arthur Morgan's accident was in 1923. Mom decided to look at the grave just in case and loe and behold....1923! The headstone was old enough that the year was a little faded, making the 3 look like an 8 at a certain angle. Mom found her grandfather. Pop-Pop found his dad.

Apparently my great grandfather was in the Navy, so the local veterans' association had placed a flag on his grave...And some persons unknown had planted two small ferns. Who they are is a mystery, but an interesting one, especially since I saw the virtual flowers at findagrave.com. Regardless, I can tell that it made such a difference to Pop-Pop to be able to visit his father's grave before the end. Thanks goes out to both the internets and Mr. Thomas Moore.

Today, they were trying to come up with information about the rest of pop-pop's family. He thought he had a magic bullet for that. My Aunt Jill has a very old family bible with the family recorded in there.....or at least it would be....if it were the Morgan family bible...

It belongs to the Browns. It has Brown family records in it going back to the mid-1800s, with the Youngs added afterward by Gertrude when she married in. No Morgans except those who are also Youngs.

This means that, at some point over the last 50 years or so, we jacked their bible. I'm so okay with this. Mom says we should try and hunt down her Uncle Warren Brown and see if he wants it back. I say screw it. Our Bible now.We jacked it fair and square, probably after Gertrude Young died in her son Ken's house, never grateful for having been taken back in by the son she abandoned after all her other offspring had abandoned her.

Our Bible Now. Time to fill that sucker up with some Morgans, Colandreas, Pinolas, and Joyces.

This transmission logged byErisSaid on 7:57 PM

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Bible vengeance! I love it. :D

# posted by  Anonymous : 11:00 PM

 

Damn but that is cool. Isnt it great to look at one's family and realize just how complex and mysterious the past can be? Congraz on finding your Great-Grandfather. If you find out any more info, let us know!

# posted by  A : 12:09 AM

 

That's soooo cool!! I'm way into family histories. And that is such a sweet story it almost made me cry.
My mom's side of the family has a huge geneological society, with an equally large book going all the way back to the first Hubbell to land in the colonies.
However my dad's side has been lost to the old country and time when they sliced our name in half. Maybe some day I'll be able to some resources into solving that mystery.

# posted by  Unknown : 10:00 PM

 

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Music: Wilco - White Light
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So I think things might be looking up maybe kinda. I mean, if nothing else it looks like there might be some forward momentum.

I'm a pretty lucky person, no matter how I might bitch and moan to the contrary. A lot of people seem to find it in their hearts to help me out. Like my cousin's wife. She's said she'd forward my resume to some people she knows. How nice of her is that? But now I have to revise the thing...But workin in the City? That'd be pretty sweet, not gonna lie.

In other news...holy shit it's June. When the hell did that happen? That makes it over a year since I've graduated...I cannot even tell you how weird that is to type. I've been letting myself get really down about this whole law school thing, but in the interest of fighting the onset of septic-emo-ness, I'm trying to focus on why this year was still good for me even if I didn't get right in to law school on my original timetable.

For one thing, I'm much healthier than I was last year. 20 pounds lighter, fewer neurotic episodes, fewer stomach problems, and an overall better self image really helped. The stress of a difficult 4 year degree at a difficult school really made a mess out of my body. I don't think I've been this weight since early high school. That's good. I've also started reading again and generally enjoying non-stressful passtimes. The year off probably did more good for my health than harm.

On top of that I got a little financial boost. Started up a ROTH IRA with a little bit of money and it's already grown a bit. That's neat. I'm actually looking in to setting up, perhaps, more investments outside of my IRA while I still have this income and very few expenses. I like planning ahead, so knowing that I've started a retirement fund at 22 really appeals to me.

So yeah. No need to be totally emo about my first year out of the educational system and in the "real world."

This transmission logged byErisSaid on 3:24 PM

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Friday, June 01, 2007

Music: Muse - Please Please Please
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Fuck all but I am in a miserable mood today. All of my little triggers for moodiness managed to get triped within the span of 2 hours so I don't think any amount of Starbucks or cookies is gonna help.

I knew I had to get in to work in Dover earlier than usual. 8:45 instead of 10. Not tragic, but I *hate* getting up before 8. Still, I'm even worse if I don't take a reasonable amount of time to get ready and adjust to the whole being awake thing, so I set my alarm for a little before 7.....

...or did I?

My mom ended up checking in on me at 10 minutes to 8. "No!" I yelled. "My clock says it's not even 7 yet" I checked my iPod...it said it was 9:45. Two more clocks were checked and I eventually settled on 8 as the real time. I fucking HATE when machines that only have one function fail at that function. I don't even know how the time got messed up so badly.

So I run around like a maniac and still make it to work on time...not that I needed to....The depositions that I needed to get in to early to open up for? CANCELLED. I just sat there like a moron not doing anything while the one attorney putzed around the office asking more questions than my parents about law school shit. Uncomfortable much? I'm certain my tone didn't invite more questions. People pressing me about stuff I clearly don't want to talk about is another anger trigger of mine. I couldn't even waste time on the internet because it's been down in the Dover office for the last couple of days. And verizon won't be there until Monday. Work was impossible, fun was impossible. Machines were messin things up. Strike two.

Then the boss called. This is always a game of roulette. Could be good, could be bad. Bad today in that it was trigger number three: Sudden changes in plan. She needed me in the Elizabeth office today. I HATE going to the Elizabeth office. The people here are nice and all but it's a long ride and when I get here I can't find jack shit on this slow computer so work that would take me four seconds in Dover is taking like 15 minutes per-assignment.

This fucking blows. I'm just so angry right now. I feel like I want to hit something or scream. I don't know why I'm just feeling so frustrated today.

I want to go home, scream in to a pillow, and just lay down for a week.

This transmission logged byErisSaid on 12:44 PM

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