The Avengers • It's Raining Men

Back briefly just to pretty much share this bit of magic here. I am a huge fan of Marvel, and also one of those women who can totally appreciate a good lookin' guy.



Marvel uses quite a few of them.



Enjoy.



-Jacq

Oh do I! How bout you come make it better for me???? I would appreciate that so much! 

*Insert sexy look here*

Like So:

But really though! Sometimes I feel like almost the entire male half of the Human Species as a whole is just full of jackasses!

They stare at my boobs, talk like idiots, and then go on to say misogynistic things like how a woman belongs in the kitchen and should be taken care of. Like excuse me? I think you need to check yourself at the door, cuz uh, my Father taught me how to cook honey, and you can be damn straight in thinking that he taught me how to shoot too! 

Seriously! 

Every. Single. One.

Every time. Such frustration. Much anger. Intense loathing.

Of course it doesn't help that my dream guy is something more along the lines of:

Except somehow I always end up with this guy hitting on me 9 times out of 10:

Yeah no. You're creepin' me out man! Please, please just take your drunk ass up to your room, and pass out, and for the love of Jesus, stop hitting on me! 

Although I did have a drunk marine hit on me once. HE was smokin' hot, and if he hadn't been drunk I would have totally tapped that. Seriously.

Whatever you want Misha! Although if I could have Jensen & Jared instead that would be even better! Smart, funny, sweet, and good lookin'! I'll take em! Or one of them. Wouldn't mind that. 

 &

Yup. Just Yup. They are both of course married, and I wouldn't ever become a homewrecker, but a girl can dream. *insert dreamy drawn-out sigh here*

*clears throat*

Anyway!

Ugh. At some point I will decide that I should give in to the "peer pressure" and find myself someone who I can put up with, and who can put up with my own eccentricities, but it's just so difficult!

Except I totally find math and science to be easier than a romantically inclined human relationship. I can understand them, and I find other couples cute regardless. 

Okay, I find them cute after I have that first brief jab/stab of jealousy, but that's a personal thing. 

 I'm trying Professor! I am truly! It's just so damn difficult! Not to mention that being a female who suffers that monthly hormonal imbalance where the stupidest and simplest things make me cry, and chocolate is a must, and I just want to cuddle my dog, causes me to be predisposed to having issues with that.

Really though. Being Southern lends me that outspoken-ness that I deliver with that tinge of politeness, so that you don't know if you're being insulted or complimented, and then six hours later you realize that I was insulting you, but I still won the argument. 

Yup. My mom taught me well. 

I'm a little bit of bounding around topics today. I fell asleep on one of my chairs when I got home, and woke up at 1pm because my dog needed to go potty, and then I went to bed and slept for maybe another hour and a half before I was awake.

And that is basically what I am surviving on right now. Which isn't really healthy, but that's what happens. I keep half-way relaxing, and then my eyes go all cross-eyed, and they start to slide closed, and the next thing I know I'm jerking awake and I've lost fifteen minutes.....

I'm thrilled to be off today though, because I've made plans with one of my friends that I haven't seen in a while! We'll be going to see The Gallows, and then returning to my apartment to have a movie marathon of horror movies. Very exciting! 

So am I! I really am thrilled to do something with this friend, because I haven't talked to her in person since like May and then it was very brief because we were attending a graduation for my old High School where I still have had some friends who attended. They've all graduated now. Kind of crazy how time flies.

The most recent class were freshmen when I was a junior, and I freaked them out on the first day of band camp. It was hilarious! Everyone was all in separate groups by years, and I just couldn't have that, so I went over and introduced myself to them! Of course I sort of snuck up on them and scared them, but hey! I'm good like that! I had them introduce themselves to me, and then I went around and introduced them to everyone else! Much fun. 

Nope. Not happening! 

I think I'm done now. It sort of rambled there, but hey, what's the point of this if not to let myself ramble/rant/explain/act a little crazy?

There isn't one.

-Jacq

That's how I felt today. Complete with the sad puppy eyes and the down trod appearance.

See, I have now lived in my apartment for a month. 

An accomplishment in my book since I wasn't ever sure I would ever actually get up the courage to move out of my parents house. I had talked about it frequently, but I can face the facts about myself:

• I can be wildly scatterbrained. There's a reason everything gets written down, and if it is super-duper important it gets written down, pinned to the cork board, and also put in my phone with a reminder attached to it.

• Some times I forget to remember. It happens.

• Some times I can be so focused on something that the world around me ceases to exist. This happens when I am reading more often than not.

• If I thought I had already bought my groceries I would more than likely spend my money on books. Because books are awesome, and you can never have enough.

• Things have been known to confuse me, and then suddenly four hours/days later I suddenly have that "ah-ha!" moment and realize what people were talking about...

I can be the most idiotic person sometimes. Most people have those moments. It's OK.

Today though. Today. Oh man.

Today was Laundry Day.

Now I don't mind doing laundry, honest. It just isn't high on my list of priorities, but I had finally run out of work pants, even though I had bought a new pair, I hadn't washed them yet. 

So I gathered all of my things that I needed so that I could do my laundry, and I made sure to open up my roll of quarters and have that out of the way. I had them all sorted, and I had my laundry detergent and softener. 

I calmed my behemoth of a dog, and dragged my roll-y laundry cart to the Laundry Room, and proceeded to basically take over all of the washing machines since it was 8:40 a.m. on a Sunday. I even had brought my book, and a drink and I had my phone and a couple of pieces of chocolate, the craving was strong! 

I was totally ready. 

Then as I was loading my last load, which was my pants, I realized something.

My new pants were still in their bag.

Sitting on my desk.

In my bedroom.

In my apartment.

So I grumbled at myself as I walked over there, because I had managed to put the new undershirt and blouse in my laundry basket, why not my pants?

I reached my door, and as I twisted the doorknob....

My door didn't open......

What? What is this madness? What?

Did someone go in and lock it? Are they attempting to steal my stuff? If so there isn't much there to steal that will make a lot of money besides my TV and Laptop, not to mention they would have to get past the......

Dog.

The dog who had jumped up on the door and done a little howling because I didn't want to take her to the Laundry Room with me, just in case someone else came in and was not a dog person.

The dog who is now howling as I hit my head against the door, and curse myself for leaving my keys, all of my keys, inside the apartment. 

 Yeah. I felt so damn smart.

See, I've locked my keys in my truck before. So I'm more used to that, and I have two, I did have three but my dad lost his extra and I gave him one that I had had made, extra keys. One Is in my wallet that goes everywhere with me. One hangs out in my apartment, and I'm not exactly sure where....

That isn't including the one that my Mother has. 

The one that my Father has.

AND the one that my Meemaw, my grandmother on my Mother's side, has. 

So yeah, I'm super prepared for the eventuality that I will, once again, lock my keys in my truck.

Locking myself out of my apartment? Mmmm, Not so much. 

So I called the property management, and the woman who answered said she would call maintenance, and that it would be $25 to unlock my apartment. I agreed. She asked some questions that I answered.

She called back a little later and asked some more questions. Do I have ID? It's locked in my apartment. Do I have the $25 in cash on hand? It's locked in my apartment. She said it would be 20 or so minutes, but she would get him on the way. I said ok. I then went back to the laundry area to switch the laundry/start my fourth load. 

I called up my dad. No normally when I need help I have a phone list in my head.

1. Mother/Father
2. Father/Mother
3. Brother
4. Sister
5. Meemaw
6. Pop/Granma Robin/Grandma Chris
7. Aunt

Those first two are like that, because depending on the question is who I call first. Usually it goes something like this:

Really though when I drove to Oregon last December, and hit a mountain, which is a totally different story, I called my Father. No Answer.

Called my Mother. No Answer.

Called my Brother-Answer! Hallelujah Praise the Lord!

Yeah. 

So Anyway. I called my dad, and asked if he would bring me $25 and I would pay him back. He asked why, and I told him I had gotten locked out of my apartment, and needed to be able to pay the unlocking fee. 

He said "So I just need to come unlock your door for you?"

and I was thinking something along the lines of "How would you unlock my door for me when you don't have a ...... Oh yeah right. You and mom BOTH have a key to my apartment.... Right."

Insert the second round of embarrassment.

At this point I really just want to have my laundry done and be able to crawl into my bed and hide from the world courtesy of the embarrassment that I am now feeling. Double dose and it goes "BAM! Ka-CHOW! DING!" 

In old comic book style too. 

So of course I call the property management back, tell them I had forgotten that my dad had a key, and ask them to please not send the maintenance person, because I would be able to get in without him. She thanked me for calling and telling them, and we wished each other a good day, and hung up.

Lil' bit of Southern Manners right there.

So I'm on Facebook, and my dad comes to the Laundry Room, and he even brought me a breakfast burrito, which was awesome because I hadn't eaten since like 4 am-ish and was hungry since it was now around 10:40-ish. 

He unlocked my apartment, because my Father is pretty amazing like that, and since he had made himself and my mom a key, I'm sure he also eventually was expecting this to happen.

Ah well. 

I finally finished my laundry a little before noon, and then settled down to watch Animal Planet, and drink a glass of wine.

I say that I watched Animal Planet, but I had already seen the episode that was on and so I read. Because:

Yeah. That's how I roll. 

-Jacq

P.S. This is my behemoth. Her name is Anira. I love her bunches, but ugh she drives me insane sometimes.

My Best Friend, who might as well be my sister, and I capitalize that because she has been my BF for over a decade, as in since we were both in middle school/ I was in Elementary, is expecting a baby girl.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Because this little girl, who will be called Little Beastie because I have an obsession with Maleficent right now, and probably for a good while to come, is supposed to come in late August/early September.

I'm flying up on the fifth so that I can see her, because not only is she my BF's daughter, her first child, but she will also be my Goddaughter.

Which I am all for, because this is a child that I will love and adore and spoil and who will be well behaved and taught manners and

Just everything that children who come to the hotel are not.

Honestly how difficult is it to control your kiddo?

My Sister, who married my brother but who 9 times out of 10 I get along with much, much, much more than my brother if only because he irritates the shnot out of me when he's anywhere near me, is attending college classes to be a nurse, working basically full-time even though it should only be part-time, and also doing her study thing where she works at a hospital to get her time done?

I really want to call that her residency, but I'm not totally sure that is what it's called.

Anyway, she does all that, and my brother works a lot, but they both have managed to instill some form of manners and discipline in my 2 year old niece.

And really if they can do that in their busy schedules, then why can't you control your own child? Especially when it has already been brought to your attention that your child is misbehaving?

It's not a difficult concept, do not make me go all angry female on you. I'm already giving you a disapproving look, and I know you can see it, so why are you not controlling your child who just pulled part of a display setting off of the display table? Do not make me ask you to leave my lobby and go to your room.

I rant here, because it isn't appropriate to bitch slap parents who are staying at our hotel upside the head, nor is it appropriate to spank someone else's misbehaving child.

I wish it was though. I could give some people such a tongue-lashing.

My Co-Worker who is 4 or 5 months pregnant herself, brought to my attention on Friday, when we were working the evening shift, a child who was running around in the lobby between her family and a glass top table that has live flowers in a glass vase sitting on it. Every time the kid would run near the table she would bump into it every other time. We were both just waiting for her to hit it hard enough to make it fall over.

The Hotel pays like $150 or so for the flower/vase every week. Every. Week.

Neither of us knew how much the table top would cost to replace, but after the evening we had, we both just wanted someone to do something stupid so we could charge them for it.

See, on Friday the Hotel decided to finally start changing the locks over to a new lock system. The one we've had for a long while has recently starting having a lot of issues. So many issues in fact, that we would get at least five different people from different rooms every single day, and never the same rooms, who would come down and say that their keys weren't working.

It got so bad that when we would ask if they got a green light, or a red one, we, the Front Desk, could diagnose their issue and figure out if we needed to send a maintenance to the room to fix it.

Now Fridays at the Hotel are busy. Super. Busy.

We were expecting over 130 arrivals by the time I came in at three that afternoon.

That's not even the people count, that's how many rooms were supposed to be coming in.

We had five family reunions, three wedding parties, and four groups that were with some junior Olympics teams staying with us.

That's at least two to every room, if not six.

It. Was. Chaos.

Not to mention they were all just hanging out in the lobby once they were checked in, talking to others who were in their group.

Our Lobby is not big enough for that.

So we were sort of chomping at the bits, waiting for them to move on, so that we would have space again.

Other than that, and all the kids that were running about it went pretty smooth.

Kids though. Ugh.

I started this job absolutely loving kids, and then sort of halfway through my first year here, I realized that evidently for other people these days, when they go to a hotel they feel like they don't have to control their children.

No. Nu-uh. Not True.

You need to contain your kids, or be with them. We are not paid to be your babysitters, so those kids in the lobby, need to be taken to your room. Especially if it's like 2 am in the morning. Seriously. Just No.

It isn't just a singular phenomenon either. Almost all of our guests who come in with children do this.

It is insanity, and makes me want to pull my hair out of my head. Do they not know that kids can get snatched up? Even if they are in a hotel?

Honestly, people don't have the sense they were born with, if they were born with any period!

Drives me nuts.

So after two years, I have decided that I like kids that are in some way or form related to me, but not stranger's children.

I'm good with that.

-Jacq

Sabrina Benaim - "Explaining My Depression to My Mother"

Some times it seems more difficult to manage than other times.

Which is ridiculous, because nothing really changes around me.

What changes on those difficult days, is that little voice inside my head.

That little voice is my depression.

I've struggled with depression since I was in my early teens. Then it was a combo of the ADHD and the medications I had been given to control it. Without something to calm me, I was like a two year old who constantly pushed the buttons and was always going 90 to nothing in a heartbeat. I was a happy child, but I could also throw a hell of a tantrum.

Then I got a medication that I only took once a day, because the Ritalin wasn't working since I had been on it since I was diagnosed ADHD. That medicine changed my personality, because of how restrained it made me. Instead of the loving young girl I was with my family, I turned into someone who was anti-social, and who would react to people in a threatening sort of way. I had my nose in books, and I didn't really talk to people. I didn't want affection. I didn't want to give it, or receive it in any way.

It helped when I started to see a Psychologist. Not much, but it did. He got me on a different ADHD med. That was basically the extent of the good that he did. I'm not super comfortable talking to strangers, and at the age I was at that point, I was very surly, unhappy, and definitely not a talkative person.

Yesterday though, between all the rain we had, and my tiredness, my depression kicked up a notch.

It's been a tolerable thing to deal with since I graduated high school. I had a really low point last year where when I should have been in classes, I wasn't, and even though I wasn't home because anything was better than seeing the disappointed look on my mother's face, and then getting the lecture from my father when he came home.

It felt like no one understood. As if I was all alone, and the only one who was battling this monster that only I could see.

I know now of course that it was my depression, but it isn't exactly something I can talk to my father about, and I tried to avoid being home at the same time as my mom, because most of my classes were during the morning, and I still did work nights, so I would get out of class at 11 or 1. I would leave wherever I had gone at that time and go home and go to bed without seeing much of her.

She would always ask me how class was, and I would tell her a bs answer. Usually something along the lines of "it was fine. Really tired tho. I'mma go to bed. Love you."

Short, sweet, and to the point. My mom was the one who would have known that something was wrong with me if I had never left the house.

That semester was probably the lowest point in my life that I have been since I was a young teen, and even then I didn't sink as low as I had.

See when I was a teen, I thought about suicide. At one point I even had a knife in my room, and I knew just which veins I needed to slice, and how deep it needed to be, so that I would bleed out.

Before I could though, a young woman who I had made friends with through a mutual friend, committed suicide. Going to her funeral, seeing how devastated her whole family was, and everyone who knew her, that broke through my depression to me, and I realized something.

I realized that I didn't want to do that to my family.

Because even if I haven't changed anyone else's life, or made a huge impact on the world, my family loves me. They are my rock, my shelter, my safety net. They are the people I can depend on to give me a hand up so that I can get back on my own two feet.

I got better after that, but the depression has never fully gone away, and there are times when something will happen, and I get dragged down into the pit of it again, but most of the time I can manage to hang on the ledge, and sometimes I'm even just sitting on the ledge staring down into the pit.

I can't say I haven't thought about suicide again, but it is simply a passing thought that doesn't linger because I don't allow it to.

It is a battle, every day, to get up, to go out, to not make excuses or procrastinate.

Some days I am more successful than others. Some days I barely can manage to drag myself out of bed.

I go to work. I go home. I worry. I sleep.

That's what happens on my bad days.

On my good days I laugh. I have fun. I play with my animals. I read a book. I cook good food. I talk with my family. I  talk with my friends. I laugh and smile more.

The looming darkness that is my depression is held at bay on the good days. I can see the good things, my mask of "happy" and "normal" is put away for the real me. The me that can laugh at the silly things, that sings songs that range from Disney to Broadway to Country to Eminem rap songs to Alternative to Blues.

On my good days, my smile, my joy, my laughter is much, much more infectious than it is on my bad ones. I'm willing to make plans with people, and go out and about to take care of errands and my first thoughts aren't automatically how long will this take before I can go home, or that I still have so much to do.

Yesterday the rain seemed to provide the perfect excuse to do nothing. I know though, that if I had truly wanted to get the things accomplished that needed to be accomplished, I could have. I could have gone to the dog park in a hoodie, and taken my dog to play. I could have done some cleaning around my apartment. Yet between the rain and my depression, I did nothing.

On a good day I rejoice in the rain. After all, I live in Texas and Lord knows we always could use more of it. Not to mention I love how it smells so good. Like green and growing things. After the rain is gone everything is beautiful, green, and blooming.

Yesterday though, it was as if I was drowning. Drowning, and unable to help myself. Even though I know how to swim, it felt like weights were dragging me down, and no matter how much I longed to float on the surface and tread water, I just kept sinking and drowning.

Like a bad dream, that when you wake up from it, you aren't completely sure that you are awake, or if you are still dreaming and the monster that was chasing you is going to reach out from the darkness and drag you down into the dark depths of its lair.

My depression is a constant companion. It's that acquaintance that you aren't sure how you met, but you don't really want to be around. Unfortunately they work with you, live in the same area as you, and go to all the things that you do.

It's inescapable, undeniable, and you can never get rid of it.

Depression can be so difficult to explain to people who have never experienced it. A few months back I found a pretty good video that explains it. It's spoken poetry, because I have an obsession with it, and I really, really understand what she's saying.




Except my own mother actually understands depression. It's my father that doesn't. That's okay though. He usually tries to be supportive, or he just ignores it.

I'm really thinking of getting a semicolon ( ; ) tattoo. I know it's a fad right now, but it speaks deeper to me, than a fad normally does. The idea behind it, "A representation that the author could have ended the sentence there, but chose to go on," just rings really true with me.

Because I choose to go on and battle my depression every day. I choose to not give up, or even to give in.

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."
-Richard M. Nixon

"Never give up; for even rivers someday wash dams away."
-Arthur Golden

So keep fighting the fight. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's bad.

Just keep moving forward.

-Jacq

Really these are just some things I think are funny. I love Ellen, a lot. I think she is hilarious as all get out. 

That's a bit of a serious one. I would do it, but if you only have to pay when you log in, would you only pay once? Because then you would never really need to log out, and you wouldn't be out quite as much, as if you had to pay by the hour to use the wifi.

Ugh. Sometimes I think I need a life. 

But then I remember that I like to be alone and read. Because reading is awesome.

-Jacq

So I got on Facebook a little bit ago, and I'm scrolling through my news feed, and what do I see?

That.

I laughed uncontrollably, and to be honest I'm not 100% sure why I did so!

Why did that make me laugh so hard? It really shouldn't have, but it did.

It did. *Insert serious nod and look here*


Have I yet shared my love for my family?

I love them. I love them so much.

Sometimes we irritate each other, and some things we do haunt us forever *cough*AreWeInACave*cough*, and we never live them down.

Sometimes we are just a bunch of smart asses, and you have to be really specific when asking for some things, or about some things. Like the whole "What's for dinner?" "Food." conversation that I had quite often with my parents when I was a teen/pre-teen/young adult.

Other times they help you out in a pinch. Like my dad who is awesome at making things/fixing things.

I'll be honest, if it isn't a computer, smart phone, or tablet device, sometimes it just confuses me. So since I moved in and he put my TV up, the only thing I've had hooked up was my cable, which my apartment complex pays for so I'm totes down with that shiznit man.

So I asked my dad if he could hook it up last week, except life being what it is, neither of us managed to be able to have the time, since I've worked since last Wednesday, I'm now on night 6/7 fyi,  and that was his day off during the week and he already had made plans for it.

So this past morning, he was off! And him being the awesome dad he is, came into town, and hooked my DVD player up while I was at work.

Yes, both of my parents have keys to my apartment.

They both, along with my grandmother, and I think two others have keys to my truck, not to mention the extra I carry in my wallet because that generally goes with me everywhere when I don't carry a bag.

I tend to lock my keys for my truck, in my truck. I'm good like that.

I can also trip over air, and if I'm not paying enough attention I can burn water, and make a cookie bomb.

Okay, the cookie bomb was in Home Ec back in high school, and totally not just my fault, but for everyone's future reference: if you use powdered sugar instead of flour because you aren't paying attention, but use the correct ingredients in the rest of the cookies, you end up with a goopy mess that looks like the aftermath of a bomb that went off in your oven.

The mess is just all over the cookie sheet instead of spread out over the oven.

Anyway, back to the amazing Dad.

He hooked up my DVD player, and even took out my dog! I got home a little after 7am, and we talked a little bit.

He had made sure it all worked by sticking the first AVP (Aliens Vs Predator) which I am a huge fan of, into the DVD player. It had been going for maybe twenty minutes, and I thought to myself that it was the perfect way to end my morning.

It wasn't until later on in the movie when I was trying to figure out what was different about it, that I realized something.

It was playing in black and white.

"Ok. I can work with that."

That's what I told myself.

Except it got to this wonderfully done gory scene where there should be some greens, a bit of red, and really, really defined snow and some blues.

And then I realized that no, I actually couldn't.

So even though my DVD player is hooked up, I'll keep watching Animal Planet for a while longer.

-Jacq

Sundays.

Slow. So slow. It doesn't help that I always work either an evening shift on Sundays or a night shift. This week it's a night shift. Number five out of seven to be exact!

But I have this to make me happy:

Because yeah. We won. This makes our third win, which if I remember correctly is the most out of any country?

Also I'm starving. 

Not because I don't have food in my apartment, but because I left my meal for tonight on my kitchen counter as I realized it was time for me to leave and go to work. I managed to just leave with enough time to get to work on time. 

I don't know why I bother. It isn't like anyone else who comes in is on time. Hell, even our Desk Manager is usually late. She sets such a great example.

You know what else? This:

Yes. Or they should work some job where they have to deal with customers/guests. I've been at my job for two years now, and I have gotten to the point where I can still nod my head and "mhm" along with a guest's complaints, but really I'm wondering when the hell they will stop, because I know, I KNOW that what is coming out of their mouths is BS. Because if they really had that many problems, then they totally would have called last night before they went to sleep.

That's my thought, and I'm sticking to it.

On a different note. I've had various people ask me what I'm doing. This week it's "what are you doing on your days off?"

Other days it's "What are you going to do about school?"

Or this most unhappy making question: "What's going on in your love life?"

This is how I respond.

Ok. I'll be honest. It's how I respond to the first two questions. That third one usually garners a disgusted look, and a following rant on how I don't need a man, and why the hell do you need to know about my love life anyway? 

Not to mention that a love life of any sort would require a social life of some sort. 

Currently the only people I socialize with are my family members, and my coworkers. Not exactly romantic relationship material there. 

Also it would require that on my days off I do something that involves some sort of conversing with people who I don't know, and while sometimes I am good at that, other times I am absolutely not. It's a tad bit ridiculous. 

Also, Animal Planet is highly addictive. I get free cable in my apartment, and my TV is always on Animal Planet.

I'm stuck on The Last Alaskans, and the Pit Bull Rescue show. Also Orangutan Island. And River Monsters. 

Really just Animal Planet in general.

When I'm not watching Animal Planet I am reading, or making something, or playing with my dog. I really am not that good at socializing outside of my regular people that I know already. That does include the people I've met on the night shift here, and those who come in and out constantly.

So really I read a lot. I sleep a lot too. I garden a bit. I have a little bit of a garden going on my little patio, and I have some more ideas for the space, but it's a matter of having the money right now to do anything. Because everything a person needs to survive takes money.

I wish I could like barter with things I've hand made instead. Like I could make you a scarf from this yarn, and trade it for a bushel or two of grapes!

Ugh. Why is life so ridiculous?

In my mind it is.

-Jacq

So. Without Fail, anytime a holiday falls on a weekend, all hell breaks loose, and I end up having to call the PD.

Today being the 4th of July, Independence Day for all us in the Good Ole USA, it makes it worse.

Because the city I live in, Fireworks in town limits are illegal. There are some special circumstances. Like the giant fireworks show put on by some churches/companies/large groups that get permission and have Firefighters on standby in case something goes wrong.

It also means getting drunk for some. Not for me because I obviously am at work, but for others. Bars are open in Texas until 1am, unless you are in a dry county that doesn't allow stores to sell any alcohol, in which case you travel to the nearest wet county that does.

Anyway.

Our bar here at the Hotel is open until one. Which is always fun because it means it takes longer for all the paperwork to get done, and for everything to wind down.

Tonight I got to call the PD because I got a call from another room saying that it sounded like the room next door was having a domestic situation.

Now normally we don't like to get involved in that sort of thing, but when another guest from a different room calls and complains you can be dang sure that we are going to take care of the issue.

We did, and if said guest causes anymore complaint calls to be made, I get to call the PD back and she will get hauled away to jail.

Just another day at the Good Ole Hotel.

On a different, more exciting note!

The Women's FIFA, which I follow because I am all for women in sports and being BA and amazing in anything that a woman decides to do, has the World Cup Finals going on in Vancouver, Canada. They've been playing for a while, since June 6, in Canada because that's where FIFA was held this year for the women.

And the finalists?

USA and Japan.

Now USA played Australia on June 8th and beat them 3-1 in the USA's first game of the series.
That same day Japan played Switzerland and beat them 1-0 in their first game of the series.

The next time they played on the 12th of June
USA Tied with Sweden
Japan beat Cameroon 2-1

The 16th of June:
Ecuador VS Japan : 0-1
Nigeria VS USA: 0-1

And the first stage was complete!

The second stage, which is determining the placements has gone like this:

USA VS Columbia : 2-0
Japan VS the Netherlands : 2-1

China PR VS USA :0-1
Australia VS Japan : 0-1

USA VS Germany : 2-0
Japan VS England :2-1

England and Germany battled it out today with England scoring the first goal in Extended Time and also taking third place! It seemed to come across as a really big surprise to most that England defeated Germany.

Of course this could more than likely be due to the fact that Germany is a two-time FIFA champ, with an extremely strong defense! It took two extra times, but England, thanks to Williams scored the penalty goal, and they succeeded in blocking the attempt by Germany.

Way to go Ladies!!! Amazing game!!

The USA and Japan teams battle it out for first and second today July 5th at 16:00. I will be eagerly awaiting the final score, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading all of the transcripts and play-by-plays, not to mention seeing the videos of the game! I am not able to watch it because I'll be asleep, but hey I work nights!

FIFA World Cup 2018 will be played in Russia!
So far it looks like the Qualifiers are Canada, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Those are the teams that won the qualifying rounds in June. The next qualifying rounds are to be held on Sept. 3rd, and I will look forward eagerly to those winners as well!

Of course two days after that I will be flying to Oregon to see my Best Friend and my God Daughter, who I am currently calling, with the most affection, the Little Beastie.

I leave you with this because it amuses me intensely:

-Jacq

So Today.

And by today I mean today starting at like 6pm yesterday.

I started my day by making some (from scratch) banana bread. Oh baby is it good!

It is delicious. Of course I don't want to eat the entire loaf by myself, so I brought it to work with me.

I post these at work by the way. Because I don't have internet at my apartment. My mom keeps telling me to make friends with one of my neighbors so I can get their wifi password. She even keeps saying they could make it something like "Jacquelynneedstonotbeafreeloader" or something of that sort. Think Big Bang Theory when Penny didn't have internet and used Sheldon's.

Anyway. I shared it with the people I work with. They all think it's delicious! Score for me! I can totally cook and bake and be all awesome in the kitchen. No that is not a phrase that a man can say to me without getting, as my male coworker says, "The Look."

Let me throw this out there. I am absolutely a Feminist. That being said I am not one of those who absolutely hates men. I love men. At the risk of sounding dumb/sexist, what I love most about a man is going to be either his mind/personality, his hands, or his butt. Of course you can ask a man what he loves about a woman, and more than likely get an answer of "her beauty" or "her legs" or even "her breasts." As I have heard, men fall in love with their eyes, women with their ears.

I like to think I use both, along with some good old fashioned sense.

Anyway. On top of being a Feminist, I am also someone who believes everyone should have equal rights. All the way. 100% I mean, We women are still fighting for our rights all over the board! We still don't get equal pay all over, we still meet road blocks on our routes to success, and I know in my heart that it will be a long journey, but I hope that by the time my children (if I have any that is) have children we might have them for everyone.

Because in my own opinion if gays want to be happily married or unhappy, because marriage tends to do that go through ups and downs, then why the hell not? Them being married does absolutely nothing to me. I know plenty of good people who to them getting married is just giving another step of authenticity to their relationship. Marriage isn't just about sex. Ask any of the OLD elderly, I'm talking about those who are 80+ now. (See my friend Lauren's blog post on it at Southerbbelle.blogspot.com "Rainbows and Religion" She makes some really good statements in there.)

Now my religion is Christian, specifically baptized in the Church of Christ. Lord knows we got enough churches in Texas to fit every single denomination and religion there is in the world. I attended high school with both a Jewish gentleman, and a family of Muslims. Now the only thing I ever asked was what they could and couldn't eat according to their religion, because at my house, and every single family member's houses and at family events, the rule is: If you go home hungry it's your own damn fault. Ain't no whys or wherefores that make a lick of difference in that statement. I have no problem with other religions, and their rules and regulations, but as Dame Maggie says;

"My Dear, religion is like a penis. It's a perfectly fine thing for one to have and to take pride in, but when one takes it out and waves it in my face we have a problem."

I am perfectly willing to have long talks on the merits of religion, and debate on all manner of things about it, but I am also one of those people who can see the different sides of things, and understand another's point of view. You aren't super likely to change mine, but I'll take what you say into consideration.

Just don't bash Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling, and we will absotutely get along just fine.

Also as a fine ending note, that banana bread I made at like 7pm on the 3rd, is still freakin delicious now at 3am on the 4th. Just a little FYI statement there. Also just to let y'all know I live in the CST time zone. In Texas. Which is ridiculous when you're trying to get anywhere in the state because it takes an eternity.

-Jacq

If you haven't figured it out by now, I work nights.

The graveyard shift as I first heard it referred to.

I work this shift at a hotel, and life is usually pretty interesting for all that the city isn't very busy.

I get to meet a lot of people. Some of them strange, some of them pretty normal, and some of them are downright asses. Not in a good way either.

An incident that comes to mind right away, happened a little before midnight, as I was waiting on the bar to close down and bring me their paperwork.

A guy came in. A little overweight, receding hairline, no luggage. I thought that he might be waiting on a ride or something. That thought seemed to be proved a little when he asked if he could sit in the Lobby. I said that he was welcome to sit in the Lobby for a little while.

Well. That little while turned into about four and a half hours. And he just got a little stranger and stranger after the bar closed, not that he had gone into the bar.

At about one am the gentleman started to randomly laugh to himself. Of course being the Millennial that I am, I think that he's listening to an ipod or something while using the wifi we have.

Yeah that's blown out of the water when I see that he doesn't have any earbuds in, and I can't hear anything other than the quiet music that we had playing.

Next after I call audit (that's when I call our first hotel and tell them everyone is checked in, and they go about posting the room charge for those who stay the night with us) he starts talking to himself.

I'm talking enthusiastic nods, hand motions, and the periodic loud word/laugh.

Of course he's also still laughing periodically as well.

No one, and I mean NO ONE is over there by him. The only other person in the lobby is me, and this guy is facing away from me, and staring off at I don't even know what.

At this point it's around 3:30 am. And I am officially freaked out by this guy. Here I am the person manning the desk, female, and absolutely alone from the duration of when I call security on the walkie to when he gets up here. Usually about 5-10 minutes depending on where they are, and how well I can make the fact that I am ridiculously freaked out come across the radio.

In one of those strange twists of fate, before I can radio my security there he is! I tell him about this guy, and he says go ahead and call the PD. I call the non emergency line, and being the Dispatcher's Daughter that I am, I can give all the info.

Address: Check
Description: Check
Do I think he has any sort of weapons: No
Has he done anything suspicious: Not beyond freaking me out no m'am.
What exactly is he doing: Sitting in my Lobby, talking to himself with periodic laughter and hand motions.
Alright. We'll get some officers sent your way.

Being the dead of night, in a relatively small town, the PD gets here pretty quick. They ask for ID he has none, they ask where he lives, he refuses to respond, they escort him out of my Lobby and to his vehicle.

My security guy comes back in and says it looks like he's been living in his van, not to mention SG (Security Guy) says he's pretty sure he's seen the van around before....

Just a regular night at the Place of Elegance.

That night finished out calmly once the guy was gone. It was just one of those moments that brings into perspective that life can always be worse. No matter how bad you think you've got it.

-Jacq

So starting a blog.

It feels like an attempt at a diary, but since I already keep one of those that would be a childish sort of thing to do. Wouldn't it? Especially since this is going online.........

Anyway! This will be an attempt at writing in a more direct style than I normally do. (I write fanfiction. Look don't judge!) And also a bit of an attempt to see who is like-minded to myself.

Not completely sure that last sentence made any sense! Ah well. Like my Mother says "If you must do something do it well, or just don't do it at all!"

Okay. That wasn't really very inspirational, but that's my mom sometimes. We share a brain occasionally. I even have a sign that says "Sometimes I open my mouth, and my Mother comes out." It's hanging by my front door.

My Front Door. That's a new phrase for me. I recently turned 21. And by recently I mean it happened in the beginning of May. So really recently. Also I'm a Star Wars Baby. Literally every year on my birthday I hear "May the Fourth be with you!" All day long. All. Day. Long. Sometimes I just smile vacantly, and pull off the "dumb blonde" (even though I'm not) and say something to the extent of "What are you talking about?" It gets some humorous reactions.

Anywhoo! Back to the bold statement. I've moved into my own apartment. Haven't even been in it for an entire month. I'm still not completely used to referring to it as my own apartment, so that is still a really fun phrase. Not to mention that until this I lived with my rents. By rents I mean those people that gave birth to me, and supported me to all of my dreams, and through all of my ridiculous "I'm this age so I can do this and you can't say anything because I'm like an adult" stages.

I sort of miss those stages. They happened kind of frequently. Now that I'm technically considered an "Adult" I'm like "How the hell do people do this 24/7 365? I just want to be six again!" But then I remember all of the questions that got the answer "I'll tell you when you're older." and realize that I would rather not.

On the other hand is all of the really cool things you can do as an adult that don't garner any of those looks that seem so judging. Like the fact that I can go out with my 2 year old niece and not get the judgmental looks that I got when I was sixteen and babysitting my 3 year old cousin. Yeah. I'm talking to you really judgy old woman who was in walmart giving me the stink eye. You keep that judgement to yourself grumpy.

I guess that for my first post this works, but I'll leave you readers (if I even have any) and myself with a question. What is the best way to remember to pay bills?

-Jacq