Monday, June 30, 2008

Release

I went to Coach West's wake last night, and I can't believe how much I cried.

I felt like such a tard, because very few other people were upset. When I first got there, before we even got into that funeral home, I was starting to tear up.

When we got inside, all I could think of was how the funeral home smelled like my orthodontist's office.

Finally, we were inside the room where he was, and with his family. His entire family was really nice, and as we talked to his mom, and siblings, and step-dad, they reminded us of all the things we loved about him. Of course by this point, the waterworks are just going. I can barely see, and my nose is runny (ick).

His brother asked me how I knew him, and I told him that I was a student. He asked how long I had him, and I said just one year.

"Well, it looks like he made an impact on you." he said.

After Geoff and I spoke to all his family members, I went to say hi to Kaitlyn, who was a few people behind us in line. I gave her a hug, and that's when I completely let loose. I didn't who was looking at me, I just sobbed in a way that very few people have seen from me.



But after I was so upset, when we were walking back to Geoff's car, I felt so lightened.
Whenever I heard the phrase 'It gave me closure' or something like that, I was always like, "What the heck does that mean?" But now I get it. I feel like now I can still be happy, even without our beloved Co We. I feel released.

And I don't care if you think this is really sappy. I know it is. You can just bite me.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

There Is Just No Way.

If you haven't heard yet, Coach West was found dead this morning.

I was at work when I found out. Jessie Payne told me about it, and I gathered more information throughout the day from random people who came in.

I wasn't super upset, because it didn't seem real. I couldn't believe that Coach West was dead. I couldn't believe that he would never make fun of the way I run again, or completely change the way an Expo marker looks to one of his Health classes again. He wouldn't stand like Captain Morgan on the rail looking in to the gym, and he would never teach another class how to play 'Westball'.

It didn't really hit me until I had to tell anyone about it. When my dad picked me up from work, I actually had to say the words "Coach West is dead", to get it.

Coach West was most surely loved by the students at UCHS. On Yearbook day, there was a ten minute wait to have him sign your yearbook. I'm really going to miss Coach West, and I don't think I'll be able to run or drink a Diet Coke again without thinking of him.

I loved Coach West. He was one of my favorite teachers this past year, and... I don't know what else to say.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Oh no.

At work today, I think I heard Nick Sciales mention smething to my boss about an application.

Skylar was there too, but he might be applying too.

Skylar wouldn't be that bad, but I don't want to work with Nick.

>:(

Friday, June 20, 2008

So I Really Miss Some People.

From school.

I often see random people that come in to Zaxby's, but it's never, like, people I'm close with.... in fact, it always ends up being one of those people that I am acquainted with that I'm not really friends with. Like Dustin Owenby. I like Dustin; he's a nice guy, but we aren't friends. So I saw him at Zaxby's and I never know what to do in that situation. Are we close enough to start small talk? Would it be weird if I started talking to him? Should I just leave him alone? It was awkward. At least it was for me.

Anyway, my point was that I never see the people that I really want to see.
I never see Hannah.
I never see Stephanie.
I never see Bri.
I never see Richard.
I never see Kayla.
I never see Sara Beth.
I never see Carley.
I never see Melissa.
I never see Jacob.
I never see Kaitlyn.
ETC.
I did see Taylor Stancil, so that was nice.

Truth be told, I see Geoff's best friend more than I've seen mine.
But that's okay, because Leland is really nice.

But you know who I really want to come through Zaxby's??








Is the suspense killing you?









SHMOE-JOE JOJO.
I just want to see if he would ask questions about all the menu items... of course they would be questions I wouldn't be able to answer... because I haven't worked long enough for me to learn the details and ingredients of everything.

But I saw Emma at Relay for Life, and I was so excited to see her, that it reminded me of all the people I haven't seen, and how happy I would be to see all of them.

And I saw Krieger at Relay for Life, which was, of course, THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE!!
HOORAY!

So if you are reading this, and you know I miss you, then go to Zaxby's or somewhere where I can see you.

I MISS MY FRIENDS!!
Even if you aren't on the list listed above.... don't be offended. Those are from the top of my head... I don't store much information in the top of my head.

LOVE YA!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Frustration, Aggravation, and Procrastination

Frustrated and Aggravated at my mom!

She just won't listen to me. She signs me up for all kinds of things I don't want to do. I mentioned in my last blog that I have to work at a Relay for Life thing AFTER I work at my real job, and WHILE my friends (that I haven't seen since school let out and who I miss very much) go out and have fun, without me of course because I will be at the Relay for Life thing that my mother dearest signed me up for without even asking me about it.

Ok, to be completely honest, the whole my friends going out and having fun thing isn't set int stone, in fact half of the people involved don't even know about it. Kayla and I just talked aobut getting together and doing something because Sarabeth and Emma will be back from Crestridge on Friday. But it doesn't matter, because I can't go anyway. When I asked my mom about how long I'd have to stay at the thing (hoping I could meet my friends somewhere AFTER), she told me 5:30 until MIDNIGHT!!!

WHAT!?!?!?

And then she was like, "Why can't you just do what you've committed to already?"
And I was like "IT'S YOUR COMMITMENT!"
And she says "I asked you if you would do it"
"After you already signed me up! So I didn't really have a choice!"

And she tells me that she hadn't already signed me up when she asked.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
She lied to me. When she told me about the relay for life thing, she led me to believe that she had already written my name in stone and that I had to do it.

There is nothing I hate more than manipulative people, and how manipulative can you get.

And That's not the only thing.
Every year she signs me up for something. I'm not going to say what it is, because it is incredibly embarrassing, and she knokws I HATE IT!! Like, not in a 'this is annoying and I'm to old for this' way; I hate it so much, that I can't describe it in words. I'm not being dramatic. I'm so serious.

Anyway, she kept signing me up, every year. I've been too old for this since I was in the 4th grade, but she re-registers me every year. I've tried to explain it to her, and this year I thought I'd finally gotten it through to her that I'M NOT DOING IT ANYMORE!!! But I found out today that she signed me up anyway. It makes me so angry that I'm literally crying right now, but she just won't THATCHING LISTEN TO ME.

THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!

Anyway.... Procrastination.

I really need to work on my summer reading project. I don't think it's ever taken me this long to finish a book, but I never get a chance to read. I get like 5 to 10 minute snippets throughout the day to read, and I never get enough time to really get into the book.

I try to read before I go to bed, but I fall asleep.
So I hate the feeling of an assignment breathing down my neck.


(Krieg, this is really the only way I can respond to your question about summer reading. Your blog stopped letting me read it. It says I'm not 'invited'.... So can you (re?)invite me?)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

My Thoughts on Savannah, Work, and Friday Night

Ok, so I just got back from Savannah with my mom and Emily and the other usual suspects (my mom's friend Barbara, her daughter, and her daughter's friend) and we had fun. A lot of fun? Possibly.



On the first day there we got to our hotel at 11 and they wouldn't let us check in until 3. GAY!. So we drove into old Savannah, and we ate lunch in one of the 21 squares, and all these tourist trolleys kept driving by and made us feel very much like animals in the zoo, because all the trolley people kept staring at us. Anyway, my we ended up deciding to take a trolley tour. I don't know whose idea that was. Certainly not mine.



So LOOK OUT! When you take a trolley tour you get to wear these bright yellow stickers (happyhappyjoyjoy) that mark you as 'an official tourist of Savannah'. Very much like the yellow stars that the Nazis made the Jews wear during th Holocaust.

The trolley tour was miserable. The tour guide had a weird deep south crazy accent and he talked reallly loud even though he had a lovely llittle microphone/speaker system that made him super loud and he really hurt my ears. Plus the woman sitting in front of Emily and me started breastfeeding her daughter. In the middle of nowhere it was all like BAM! There it is. Emily made the mistake of pointing it out to my mother, the breastfeeding guru. (My mom works in Labor and Delivery in the hospital. and she teaches a childbirth class, and she thinks formula is a mortal sin. We have breastfeeding textbooks strew haphazardly about the house.)



Anyway, after the trolley ride from hell (almost as bad as the Ducks in Chatanooga. Different story that made me suicidal), we hung around on River Street, and finally we could check in to the hotel.



So we hung out at the hotel for a while and then we decided to go to The Cotton Exchange for dinner. It's this really yummy seafood place on River Street. I ate waaayyyy too much. I had scallops. YUM!

Anyway, after that we went on a ghost tour, and we walked around Svannah in the middle of the night and this girl told us ghost stories about all these haunted buildings and stuff. Apparently Savannah is called 'the city built on the dead' because people are buried all over the place. In every one hundred steps you take in Savannah, you step on at least one dead person. EWW.



So the next day we went to the Birthplace of Juliette Low because the two younger girls that were with us are Girl Scouts, and they get a patch for going there. Aww.

I'm pretty sure that Juliette Low was a big Lesbian. But anyway, we got to do this 'Victorian Adventure' thing where we had to dress up in these big hoop skirts and learn how to act like 'proper ladies' it was slightly hokey, but I enjoyed it... mainly because I rocked at it. It could walk in the big skirt without it 'tilting' and I was amazing at handling the fan, and plus I love anything that involves costumes/getting dressed up. :)



After the fantastically GirlScouty day we went to this restaurant called the Casbah. It was so much fun! It was a Moroccan restaurant and you sat on these couches to eat, and before they bring you food they bring around this teapot looking thing and they pour water over your hands to clean them, because they don't have utensils.





Anyway, the last day we went to the beach. We had to get home, so we didn't swim, but it was low tide and swimming wouldn't have been much fun anyway. So we walked up and down the beach and Emily and I found this fleshy lung thing. We thing it was a dolphin lung.... because it wasn't big enought to be a whale, and fish don't have lungs. Unless it wasn't a lung at all......

Hmm.

Okay. So that's all on Savannah. On to work.

I had to work today and I had a very good day. I got my first paycheck!!!

Super excited! I love making money. :)

And I saw Taylor at Zaxby's, and Emma's mom was there and she told me that Emma was coming home from camp on Friday, and other happy things.

Oh, and my cash drawer was PERFECT today. It said I was short cents the first time I checked, but i re-counted my dimes and I must have missed one the first time I counted, because I ended up with a perfect drawer. And that makes me happy too.

So on Friday I got roped in to doing this relay for life thing. Apparently they are having a train ride thing for little kids, so I have to help them with that and make sure no kids fall off the train and get run over.

So that's all. There is nothing else going on in my life at all, but that's ok.

The only way to describe my current feeling right now is:

CONTENT.

*<:o)

Friday, June 13, 2008

Yet Another of the Fruits of my Boredom

Once again I find myself doing nothing, and being very bored with it, so I decided to write.... I just don't know what to write about.


Two basketball teams came through Zaxby's today. That wasn't fun. We were so busy for like an hour without stopping.

We have this new manager-type guy. His name is Clay, and I think he is replacing Harold... but I'm not sure at all. He seems nice enough. But it also seems like he is only a few years older than me, so it's weird that he's my boss.

Kayla didn't get to go to the movies last night, so my mom and I went and saw Kung Fu Panda and 10 last night. That movie is soo funny, and it's really cute too. I recommend it.

Anyway, I'm going to Savannah tomorrow, and I won't be home until Monday.

So at least that's 2 nights where I can sleep without Tyra Barks (get it?) whining all night and pawing me in the face.






And yeah, my dog has a last name. Suck it, Hannah.

:-)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Zaxby's Chronicles VI (and final, probably)

I'm pretty sure this will be the last Zaxby's Chronicle.

Today at work was average. It probably would have been great if I was more than half awake.

See, last night, I knew I had to get up for work, so I went to bed early, and of course I wasn't tired (partly because I had slept in till noon that day), so I couldn't sleep.

So I read, until, like, midnight and then attempted sleeping again, but I was still wide awake, plus Geoff was in the den being loud (Leland spent the night. YAY! I love Leland) so I got up and told him to be quieter. Then I went back to bed. Still couldn't sleep. So I grabbed an old magazine that I had read 50,000 times hoping that it would bore me to sleep. It worked. So now I'm tired enough to sleep, but Tyra (the dog. sleeps on the floor next to my bed) starts whining. I told her to shut up, but all she heard was "Tyra.......... e........et" so she got up and stuck her sticky dog breath right in my face. I told her to lay down, but she started whining again, and when you don't pay attention to Tyra, she starts pawing at you. So she pawed me in the face like 14 times throughout the night. Finally I kicked her out of my room and I looked at the clock: 5:37 am.


Thatch!

So my total lack of sleep inhibited my work. Well not really, but it didn't make me feel too good.

Oh, and Nick Sciales, who was in my homeroom in eighth grade showed up at Zaxby's and made my job much harder than it needed to be. Jerk. Ugghhhh! I can't stand him! He's so obnoxious and pretentious and dumb and he's one of those people who thinks he's so much cooler than he actually is.

I have run out of things to say....

I might be going to see YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN tonight with Kayla, if it is okay with her parents.

I'm gonna take a shower now. Hopefully I can wash off the never-ending stench of fried chicken.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Oh the Aimless Quality of Summer

I don't have to work again until Thursday, so I'm spending my days hanging around.

My grandmother is currently moving, so today, Geoff and I went over to help un-pack boxes and watch PIR. After that, we went to the Sarrell's and played video games with Leland and Richard. That was pretty fun. I love those guys.

So now I'm home again, and I have nothing to do...
I jynxed Geoff, so he can't talk, and nobody has written anything new on their blogs except Ed.
My mom worked last night, so she is sleeping, and my dad is sick.

I need something to dooooo!!!

So this blog was much more to entertain me than to entertain my readers, so sorry about that.









Maybe I'll make a sandwich. :-)

Sunday, June 8, 2008

TZC IV and V (and a luau in between)

The Zaxby's Chronicles IV
Saturday at work:

Okay so I'm writing this a day late, so I don't have all the details fresh on my mind....

Nothing of interest happened at work on Saturday. It was the first day I worked with Dana, who was in my Health class, and Kalem Burns, who is a year older than me.

Oh! And Kalem plays football with Geoffrey, so back in the day, before Geoff and Kalem could drive, we would give Kalem a ride home from practice, so that's the only way I really know him.

So at work yesterday, Kalem and I were both on register, and there weren't any customers at that point in time, so I was bored and it was awkward.

So he asks me: "SO... Do you go to school here?"

WHAT!?!?!?!?!
Seriously, am I so un-memorable to people that nobobdy can ever remember who I am?

So I was like "Um, yeah. I'm Geoff Nelson's little sister." (Because everybody older than me knows me as Geoff's little sister)

And Kalem was all "OH. I thought I recognized you from somewhere."

So then we worked and I go toff at two... again. Yay!
So as soon as I got off work, I had to go home and take a shower and get ready for my mom's friend's wedding reception-type thing.
You see, my mom's friend, Jennifer, got married in Hawaii, but because the trip was so far away, not many people could attend, so she had a party for all the people who couldn't go to Hawaii. So that's where I was. It was fun. There was a lot of small talk, and a lot of people I don't know, but I looked awesome (really really awesome), so I enjoyed myself.

Also, while I was there, I discovered that I have avid blog-readers, so thanks to Wendy and Pam.

The Zaxby's Chronicles V
Again, today was an uneventful day.

Not much happened of note. I helped out on drive-thru a little. I actually stayed till four (whoa, right?) and that's about it.

Sorry, but not much to write about.... today was just a day.

Friday, June 6, 2008

The 80's (and TZCIII)

I wish I grew up in the eighties.



Do you realize how AWESOME my hair would have been had I grown up in the 80s?

Really Awesome.


Plus, I love everything about the eighties. I love the clothes, as weird as they seem now. I want an excuse to wear leg warmers and those weird sweatshirt things that fall off your shoulder, and acid-wash jeans, and high Side ponytails.

And the music in the eighties rocked too. I love really poppy eighties music (like Take On Me by A-Ha, and 99 red balloons, and Tainted Love); it's my guilty pleasure music. And there was Michael Jackson when he was a cool black singer and not a creepy white pedophile.

How can you not love the eighties?

Anyway, Now it's time for:
THE ZAXBY'S CHRONICLES III
Work today was not fun.

I pretty much enjoyed my first two days at work, but day three sucked.
My second order after getting in to work (MY SECOND ORDER!!), caused what can only be described as hooplah. These [lovely] people wanted water. I really don't want to get in to it, because I've rehashed it and rehashed it, and I'm sick of hashing.

But it boils down to lots of [so very needless] crap.

Anyway... I'm tired.

I'm also thinking that I want to see the Incredible Hulk. I'm not a weird comic book fan, like my brother, but that one actually looks pretty good.... but it might just be because I LOVE the guy that plays the Hulk (Edward Norton). I saw him in this super chick flick, The Painted
Veil, and fell in love with him. Honestly, you should really watch it. It makes me cry every time I watch it. And, I actually cry MORE every time I see it than I cried the previous time.
It's the saddest movie I've ever watched, but it leaves you with a really warm feeling, so I completely suggest it.

Anyway, I've run out of things to say, so I'm kind of rambling... I guess I'll stop now...

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Zaxby's Chronicles II

Krieger, I'm sorry to disapoint you, but they usually let me off work around two, if we're slow.

So if you really want to harass (correctly pronounced HAR-ess) me at work, you will have to wait till Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday, because I am working all those days. Yip. Ee.

Ok, so today, my second day ever!, they taught me how to actually take customers orders.
I'm not good at it.

I always forget to assign their orders a coaster. Which of course is badbadbad. The coasters are the little buzzy-your-food-is-ready thing, and when I forget to give one to the customers, we don't know whose food goes to who(m?) and it causes unneeded chaos. (BTW, just decided that chaos is one of my favorite words. It looks like 'chous', but it's kay-oss)

Today I saw one person I knew: Tyler Sosbee. He nodded at me, so aparently he recognized me.

OH! And a customer called me a smartass while I was taking his order. It wasn't like he was mad at me and calling me names, he thought he was being funny.
He was like "It's my first time eating here. Is the *insert menu item here* good?"
And I said "It's my second day working here, so I'm not sure."
And he goes "HA-HAA! Smartass."

I WASN'T TRYING TO BE A SMARTASS, I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW!!!!
I hate people. Because after that, he and his friend (who looked a lot like a really scrawny version of Heath Mayfield) kept making my job harder. Like, the guy who was with the guy that called me a smartass asked for Ranch dipping sauce, so I got some for him, but then he comes back a minute later, and was all "I wanted Zax sauce. You gave me Ranch". Then I was all "I'm so sorry." Then I got him a Zax sauce, but I swear he said Ranch. I'm positive.

Oh, and if you would like to know what I messed up on today:
1) the whole caoster thing
2) when I was sanitizing the trays, the sanitizing squirt bottle came apart mid-spritz. I was left with the nozzle in my had, as the bottle, full of liquid, fell to the floor.
3) I tripped over a pile of dishes that was waiting to be cleaned in the back. Soaked my pants up to the knee. Bobby, one of the cooks, told me it was a trap. I believe him.
4) I pushed the wrong button on the order thingy... quite a few times.

All in all... Great day. :-)

Krieg, hope to see you at Zaxby's on Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday. Can't wait to hear about Hawaii.

p.s. this is my twentieth blog ever. hooray for me!!

Monday, June 2, 2008

The Zaxbys Chronicles

Today was my first day at Zaxbys and I was a nervous wreck!

Ireally didn't want to mess up and embarrass myself in front of everybody.

The manager Harold told me to follow this girl Christy (Kaitlyn's aunt..who knew?) around and she would kind of show me how to do things. She was super nice, but I still felt awkward and like I was in the way all the time.

My official job is 'front of the house' which pretty much means I do everything in the front. (shocker right?) Since I have yet to be taught the art of taking orders, I did everthing else, I filled guest's cups with ice for their drinks, I brought food from the kitchen window to the counter and buzzed people. (You know the buzzy pager things they have there to let you know your food is ready? I did that.) I had to check tables which pretty much means I have to walk around the dining room and wipe off the tables that people had eaten at that had crumbs and stuff. I had to collect dirty trays and zalad bowls from the return places, Ihad to carry the zalad bowls to the back and wipe off all the trays and give them back to the cooks, and I had to sweep the dining room.

And apparently, I look really different in my uniform, because I saw a few people that I know from school, and they didn't recognize me. (or they were just too embarrassed to admit knowing me :P) Like Josh Walker. He is pretty good friends with Geoffrey, and I'm pretty sure that when he first saw me, he didn't recognize me.
Also, Alison Chester, who I don't know really well, but she was in band and she played the bass clarinet so she sat like 3 seats away from me throughout concert season, and I'm almost positive that she didn't recognize me.

HMM..... mysterious.

All in all, I pretty much enjoyed my first day. The people there were all nice.
I work again on Wednesday....