layers and stages - part ii

[... continued]

sunday:

oh, the rain. the endless rain :(

the workshop for the slam finalists was quite fun, it was nice meeting all the other poets and some of the exercises weren't bad at all. i kinda messed with the program because i had to leave early, but they were accommodating enough to switch things up so that i could get feedback on one of my works before leaving.

did the others really use works they might actually perform? seems silly to show your hand to your competition.

...

the places along the way where i would've eaten dinner were either closed or out of vegan options, and i didn't have time to go shopping. i stopped in at home to pick up the french materials that vfmp had loaned me, scarfed down a frozen meal and went to vfmp's. i would've stayed longer than the minute or two if i'd known that the next buses were going to take forever - i would've known that if i'd looked at the "sunday" schedules instead of the regular weekday ones. that made me feel silly.

i had a stick of liquorice in my jacket which i was very good about not eating because gd likes it too; i wasn't paying attention and she finished the whole thing without me, looking very ashamed when she realized what she'd done :P

i was too tired to move, and passed out on her couch to an episode of angel and the inexplicable universe with neil degrasse tyson. neither of them were particularly engaging.

---monday:

being able to sleep in was amazing!

i spoke to the recruitment agency, and things weren't looking good. i spoke to SxS, and while things aren't so good for him right now it was nice to catch up and introduce him to gd. it looks like we might meet up soon, too.

gd went to see her dentist, which is right next to my starbucks so i sat there working on my comics until she was done. which was a long, long time. it was during that time that my throat began to get scratchy and i started coughing a bit, which would slowly but surely progress until i developed full-blown sinusitis. it's not clear if it's an allergy thing or not, but what is clear is that this is not at all good timing.

once gd was done and i'd eaten something, we went to the further supermarket and found the vegan cheese we'd been seeking the day before. i called up a recruiter who's a contact of hers to introduce myself, then phoned the tax authority to see if i'd be able to pay them yet. gd was in hysterics as i tried to reason with the agent, eventually reaching the conclusion that i'm going to have to call once a week until i'm allowed to pay them. and the interest for not having paid them on time.
the bureaucracy is astounding.

muay thai: i partnered with a girl who's much shorter than me. we worked well, but everything was more difficult for both of us. when i say well, i mean really hard and my body went all rubbery when i started the boxing class afterwards. i was partnered with army brat, who i managed to upset so severely that at one point she didn't want to continue to work with me. on the one hand i felt bad, but on the other hand the second she got angry she actually got off her ass an worked.

we ended the class amiably, and i can't figure out if she was exaggerating or if i was really being such an asshole. i hope it's not the latter, i'm going to do my best not to be that guy :/

i chugged a triple-liquid dinner when i got home (protein shake, orange juice and tonic water, each downed separately) then slowly moved my developing sore throat to gd's. that was when i listened to my voicemail and heard that the company i interviewed for last week wants me on board.

fantastic! only the other company that i really, really want to work for was only supposed to get back to me tomorrow, so at 4am her time i called up my mother for advice on how to delay things.

...

gd may not be vegan, but she's 100% vegan-friendly. her vegan étagé is absolutely delicious! ^_^

---yesterday:

we went to sleep after watching orgasm inc. - it's a great documentary and highlights just how disturbingly bad we are at defining "normal", the baseline for all medicine and psychological treatment. it's all sad and ugly.

i slept well but my throat infection was in full swing; then gd had a rough morning so the day wasn't terrific from the get-go.

i spent an hour or two posting, worried about how to not accept the job graciously, then hopped off to meet with vector to discuss turning one of my poems into a short movie. we bounced ideas off each other until we were both enthusiastic and excited, and he's now done with his studies so he has time to begin implementing. nice!
we were both intrigued to hear tracks from nine inch nails - hesitation marks playing at starbucks.

i shaved, overdressed (!) and went to the offices to discuss my contract and take a tour. everyone's really nice, the initial terms on the contract were what i was going to ask for and everything, including the dress code, is to my liking. i even got along well with the egyptian security guard while waiting to be shown in.

i walked out with the unpleasant feeling that not taking the job would be disloyal after all that.

...

gd's recruiter-friend's partner called me up to discuss my status and what i'm looking for. he has plenty of work for me, but nothing that can wait for a permit application.

a couple of weeks ago i got bloodwork done, and i called them up to see if the results were in.
"yes, sir - they came in the next day."
i love how they let us know - i would've checked sooner but they always say "up to three weeks" :(

...

kickboxing: the jolly moroccan makes for a tough partner, impact with him was killer and i received tons of important corrections from our trainer. i was quite impressed with myself because my breathing and my cardio were just fine in spite of my throat hating me.

i hurriedly prepared my self and a salad before going to gd's. she's having serious back trouble so we watched stand-up for a bit and then went to bed.