Crap IT

The Moment of My Adulthood Awareness

When I was in high school like any other teenager I wanted stuff, independence, and gas for the car my dad gave me. I needed a job but I also didn't want to be an adult. So, my solution was to get a job at

Who could be a grown up working in a toy store? You'd be surprise. For three holiday seasons I watched parents allow their demon spawn do this to the toys on display...

When it was proven the demons would be satisfied I was left to clean up the mess. With my back turned the parents, sneaky bastards, would then grabbed a pristine box off the self with a wake of destructed behind them. It was annoying but not my defining moment.

Since I was a teenager in the 1990s I was paid in pennies twice a month but it was more pennies than I had every been given at one time before.

Back then it was pretty exciting stuff. But still not my defining moment. However, I am getting to it.  Hold onto your hats. It kind of began one summer during those three years when a friend and I wondered into a bike store. I wanted this.

I was a teenager being paid in pennies making that large-ish price tag look like $1,000,000 but I wanted that bike. Because I didn't have a million dollars readily available I was forced to put my beloved bike in layaway, with a $20 payment due every couple of weeks. Does anyone even use layaway any more? Anyway, because of my meager wages I did not take my bike home for nearly three months. I was still a kid but I was a kid with a cool bike. Nope, not my defining moment but I'm getting to it, I promise.

After high school I went to college then got a good job. Believe it of not it took another 10 years for me to be slammed with the realization that I was in fact an adult. It wasn't that I moved out of my parents house to pay my own way in the world or I that got my first car loan or I even that I had traveled the globe on my own. I always felt like a kid.

Okay, are you ready for it? What was my big moment, the turning point of my life? Here it is. I had just moved to Washington State a mile from my workplace. Because I was so close I decided I needed a bike so I went shopping. That was when it struck me like a brick to head. I had just bought my brand spanking new bike and strapped to the back of my Jeep.

I realized then that I just paid cash for a $250 bike and could afford to buy 10 more of them without feeling the strain on wallet. I was a grown up. I am a grown up. How did that happen? When did that happen? Then this happened...

And I immediately reverted back to being a child but those were a cool 10 minutes!

Star Quarterback Falls Thru the Cracks...

Okay, everyone knows these stories of the QB who was pushed through High School because he was the star Quarterback and Captain of the team. Dozens movies have been made about it and dozens more news stories have been written about it. Without him the team couldn't/wouldn't win. So, to the detriment of said Athlete he graduates high school gets a college football scholarship to find out he is no longer the star and to top it off he's also illiterate.

Now, instead of graduating college he is working off the books at his uncle's car wash because he can't fill out the McDonald's application on his own.

Sometimes I feel like this QB. The only difference is I don't play football, I can read, nearly have a BS, and I'm girl with no desire to play football. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying sometimes I feel like this football player. I mostly feel like this because to some degree I have been lucky. I bubbled in enough correct answers on my exams to get the next promotion. For the most part my work evaluation are written well and I am rewarded by official document for the world to see. What it comes down to is I look DAMN fine on paper but I don't think I necessarily deserve it. Does this make any sense at all?

In my mind I have been pushed through the cracks just like the star QB. I go to work feeling unqualified and undeserving. May be I should, may be I shouldn't. May be it's just when I look around I feel like I'm the last one to get it. I'm not sure where I'm going now and this is getting way to serious...I am going to stop here for you ponder while I go find some happy.

Feliz Encuentro

Back in 2000 I lived in Japan for a couple of years. While I was there we would play a game as we walked the streets of Yokosuka, Yokohama, Tokyo, or wherever we happened to be.

The rules were pretty simple, such as they were. We could be deep in conversation but if a red car with a black roof came into our sights it was all over. Which is where rule number one comes into play: see the black roofed car first. Rule number two quickly followed rule number one which is to scream "FELIZ ENCUENTRO!" at the top of your lungs. Usual it's one person on the lookout for said vehicle which makes the game all the more interesting because if that person is you, you are then left with the opportunity to scare he crap out of your companions. Fun stuff! Now for the third and final rule of our game...Rule number three pinch the hell out of anyone within arms reach . The third rule usually translated into the guys tackling each other in order to get the best grip.

This game has always left me wondering about a couple of things. Even if you are not a linguist it obvious "Feliz Encuentro" is not Japanese. But then again I was hanging out with a group of Peruvians. So, it was a Peruvian game, okay got it. But translated "Feliz Encuentro" means "Happy Encounter". How does getting tackled and pinched equal to a happy encounter? Beats me but it was a simple game that never failed to keep us entertained even on during the most serious of situations.

As we ponder the profound questions of the "Feliz Encuentro" rules and meaning I'm going to add the following particularly memorable moment. As we walked around as per the usual we see not only the usual Volkswagen Beetle ( which was the usual culprit) we also saw a black gentleman deck to the nines in his red zoot suit, hat, and shoes. I admit it, I couldn't help myself. I called "Feliz Encuentro". It was just to easy what was I supposed to do?

Edited to add: Geez! How could have forgotten the slug bug/Feliz Encuentro combo. It was like a one two punch knock out combination. It was great big punch fest. Boys! They don't need a reason to fight because it's embedded it the rues of even the most innocent of games.

Unsuccessful Blogger, is me!

Okay one more time. I have had a couple of forgotten blogs (yup, including this one) which have long since been devoured by the blog monster (I risk my soul to grab this blog from the teeth baring blog monster). And just because you haven't seen the blog monster doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It is kind of like the chupacabra, the spagetti space monster, lock ness monster or some other yet unseen but no less dangerous demolisher of souls and blogs.

A long time...

It's been a very long time since my last post. No need to bother no one reads these anyway.

It's been awhile...

Yeah, I know. I'm not very good a diaries either. I haven't been doing much these days. I enjoyed my Thanksgiving even though I'm 1000 miles away from home. I had all the triming stuffing, mashed taters, mac&cheese, turkey, and what's Thanksgiving without apple pie? I put on the OSU vs Michigan game and was Thankful that this year wasn't as event as last year.

School is going but I'm tired and seriously wondering how things will turn out. My paper writing skills have been nearly depleted and I have two more to go. I'm not sure how I'm going to graduate at this point.

Anyway, I'm sitting here now wondering how I'm going to get into the Christmas spirit. It's just not happening for me. Maybe I'll change my mind after I open the box with my tree in it. Poor thing has been cooped up for nearly three years now. I have no idea what kind condition it will be in once I open it. I', imagining a Charlie Brown Christmas at this point with a hugh mass a lights with an inpossible knot. I do have some cool ornaments so maybe it'll worth it just to see those again.

It's the time for partying. Man I'm just not in the mood for it. Maybe I should just force myself to go. It'll probably be fun once I'm there but for now I'm totally dreading the prospect.