Manta's Fairly Non-existant Journal

Ok, here is the skinny so far - Since I've been back in Cali and staying with my folks, I've learned to shed the "oh my god, I need to stop slacking and get my ass in gear" train of thought, which by the way kicked in hours after arriving, and have learned to enjoy this time off and relax.  After twenty some-odd years of school, I think I deserve a breather.  So I've been doing just that.  Relaxing.  Seeing friends.  Enjoying the time off.  I've been working at most of the shops in Cedar Center, the place where my mom has her store, and I like it.  It's not hard or stressful and just perfect for what I need right now.  My most steady job is at the used bookstore and for anyone who knows me, knows that me + bookstore = trouble!  :)  I love books and I love working there.  As it turns out, the owner is moving and put the store up for sale.  Well, guess who bought it?  I bet you're first guess is me, but you'd be wrong, but close.  My dad bought it!  We could not be more excited!!  So, THE PLAN is to stick around here for 6 months and help my dad get the store in order and running under his management.  I get to help organize and catalog all the books and I'm so looking forward to that.  Again, anyone who knows me, knows I love to organize!  I'm a freak that way!  Anyway, I'll help out for a while and then get back on the job search for my dream job...which I already found 2 people that HAVE my dream job, so I might have to put out a hit or something.  Just kidding!  Or am I???  :)

The question now being am I going to be ABLE to stay here...with my folks...for another 6 months??  I love them dearly and I'm glad to be able to see them whenever I want, but there is a limit.  Plus, I live in the sticks...no really, I have to drive at least 45 minutes to get to the nearest Walmart (aka "big town") so that doesn't help my cabin fever.   All of my friends, except one, live at least 2 hours away, so it's not like I can call up and say "Hey I'm stir crazy, wanna meet me for lunch?"  It's a multiple day event.  And when I start working nearly everyday with my dad, I'm not going to be able to do that.  See my problem?  The friend that do have locally I don't get to see that often because she works a lot, even on weekends, even on her days off sometimes.  So, it gets hard to coordinate with her, but we do occasionally which is great!!

I've also been missing the friends I left in Florida a lot.  It's hard to leave people that you're used to seeing nearly everyday.  I especially got really depressed when I realized that Transformers is coming out in a couple of days and I was all psyched to go see it...with JC.  He and I had wanted and planned to see it together, but now I'm here and he's there and I have no one to see it with.  It makes me sad.  Don't get me wrong I do have friends here, friends that I love dearly and would do anything for, but, as a friend recently pointed out, they aren't the same people that I left three years ago.  Yes, they're still my friends, but people change, people move, they grow up more in that time.  I'm sure I've changed to them and they probably feel the same way.  So it's hard to adjust still.  I'm trying.  I have my good days and my bad days - this kinda seems like a bad one, but I'll be better soon.

Ok, enough of my ramblings...

Goodnight to all and to all a wonderfull tomorrow.

Also, Happy 4th of July - don't blow too much shit up!  :)

Cheers!

~Rosa

Please, please please tell me you did something fantastic this weekend then you can tell me about it and I can live vicariously through you!  I worked, so not a super fun weekend for me.  I helped my mom out at the store, which is fine - $60 is $60 - but waiting on customers and folding the same sweater 198 times is not so fun, so I hope you have stories for me!!

I did however have some pre-weekend fun in that I got together with friends and we camped out at the theater to see the new Pirates!  It was well worth the wait - we got there 2 hours ahead of the showing, were first in line (which, by the way, extended out into the street) and therefore got the best seats in the house!  The movie itself rocked, of course - I'll probably go and see it again without so many screaming mee-mees behind me, kicking the back of my chair.  Seriously, I wouldn't have suspected there to be SO many unattended (keyword) youngsters around!  They dominated the theater for cripe's sake!  So, I do intend to go see it again once things have calmed down.  

It was good to see some friends, some of which I haven't seen in years, so catching up was fun.  One of them, who is getting married next year and I am a bridesmaid, and I went to a bridal shop and looked at dresses.  Her colors are pink and green - green is fantastic, only the bridesmaids are wearing pink - I abhore pink.  It looks wretched on me.  Plus, it's a "girly" color and I don't do that kind of "girly", but she has been a best friend since high school and if she wants me to wear pink, I'll wear pink.  As we were browsing the hideous cupcake-like bridal gowns, I was perusing the bridesmaid racks and found this super hot, super slinky, flamenco style dress...in pink, well fushia actually.  She loved it, it was definately growing on me and the color was doable.  It was the closest to red we could get while still staying in the land of pink.  I didn't get though, being that A) they didn't have my size in stock and B) what's the point in getting a dress that's for a wedding in October...2008?  So, at least I know the color, fabric and general style I want as the bridesmaids can have any dress they want as long as it is full length and some shade of pink.  So yea!  that mystery is solved...

Then I came home and worked.  Now I have a day off before going back to work at the bookstore.  The place where my mom's store is has a bunch of other shops in it, all of whom want me to work for them - So, currently I'm working for my mom, Highland Books (used bookstore and VERY cool), Harbinger Gallery and possibly waitressing at the Blue Coyote.  At least I have things to keep me busy!  Tomorrow I plan on updating my resume - if I can find the damn thing...I'm not sure if I have it on my laptop! - and apply for 5 jobs that I found.  None of them are things that I would want to do forever, but good starter jobs for me I think.  All are research based and range from Santa Cruz up through the Bay Area (San Francisco-ish), so that'll get the ball rolling I think.  Plus, I'm going to look for more jobs and extend my search to further up the coast, Texas and even, yes, Florida.  You do have that beautiful water I've come to know and love, so we'll see what happens there. 

I think that's about all I have to report.  Sorry it's not more exciting.  Lots of love!!

 

Hey All! I just wanted to drop a quick note to say that we have arrived safely in Cali. I'm pretty tired right now and don't particularly want to set foot in my car for quite sometime, but it's good to be off the road. We saw and did some amazing things on our trip, which I will let you know of at a later time. Now, I need sleep. Just wanted you to know that I'm here, I'm OK and I miss my FL peeps like crazy! If you would like to call me, don't use my cell number as I have NO reception up here, so call my parent's phone (send me a message if you don't have the number and remember for you FL folk, I'm 3 hours BEHIND you). Even if I'm not there, they'll know how to get a hold of me.

Ok, that's all for now. Sleepytime!  'Night all!

Well, my dear Florida friends, the time has come.  Today is my last day at work and Monday starts our cross country trek to California.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I don't know how reliable my internet connections will be at the places we're stopping at, so if you don't hear from me, that's why. 

I have put my itinerary of stops in the MySpace calendar, so you can know where I'll be when.

Today is very hard for me, I love all the wonderful people I've met here and it is very difficult to say goodbye. **crying as I write this** Actually, I don't like the word "goodbye" because it implies that I won't see you again, which is wholy untrue - so lets use something else.  "See you later" or "until next time" perhaps?  I like either one  much better.

So I will end this with a "See you all later!!"

All my love!

~R

I'M DONE!!!!  I defended my capstone yesterday and I am now a MASTER!!!  Yea!!!  I thought I did a crap job, but everyone there said otherwise - you always have a different perspective when it's you who's doing the talking.  I had amazing friends there to support me and I thank every one of you!! 

mariness was there and thankfully no questions about crazy killer squirrels were asked!  :)  I just have a few revisions to make and then I can print out my six copies and send them in to get bound!  Then I will be officially done!  Now, I just have to pack...

Until next time!!

PS:  I don't know if I did, but if I didn't... thank you mariness for dinner!!  You're the best!  :)

 

Ok, now I know that MOST of you will take that in the completely wrong direction, but I've come to expect that and would be disappointed with anything less.

Now, after tomorrow, I will have my Master's Degree in Marine Biology & Coastal Zone Management - hence "Master Rosa". I am defending my capstone tomorrow at 4 pm and besides being terrified of the public speaking part, I think I am more afraid of the random ass questions my friends (ahem... mariness and blackgryphon) plan on asking.  :)  Mutant killer squirrels or carp or something...evolution of their cute tails and such.  We'll see how that goes! ;)

After that I'll be free to do...absolutely nothing!  Well, I do have to pack as I am leaving for the west coast in a few weeks.  However, some people have threatened to take drastic measures to keep me here - sabotaging my capstone, chaining me to my desk, framing me for some heinous act - things of that nature.  Your plans will be foiled!!!  I have cat-like speed and reflexes!  I don't know how that will help me to foil evil plans, but it'll do some good - just you wait!

Anyway, BIG day tomorrow - very nervous already.  Wish me luck and I'll see ya on the flipside!  
(Not sure why I dropped into a 50's DJ mode just there, but whatever...)

~R

So, when is it appropriate to wear a ball cap?? Working in a library, as I do, I would think that the wearing of any kind of head-gear would be inappropriate, as it would be in any office setting. Now if you work outdoors or some such thing, then I could see wearing a hat and having a good reason for doing so. I bring this up because my office mate has worn a ball cap for the past four days. Not only has she worn it all week, but it's been the same damn cap!! It's black and she wears it really low so you can't see her eyes which makes her very unapproachable. Since she is, for the mean time, the Interlibrary Loan COORDINATOR, shouldn't she have a certain approachability to her? I believe that our supervisor has talked to her about it today, but she still has not removed it. It irks me because it makes our department look bad. Thank GOD that I only have to deal with her for four more days and then I take over her position!! YEA!!!!
So, venting is over. Thanks for listening. ...stupid ball cap!

Hello! This is my first, of probably few, posts on LJ. I'll tell you upfront that I am HORRIBLE at keeping journals, online and otherwise. I'm on here mainly to keep in touch with friends as they have berated me for not having an LJ and accused me of being a MySpace whore...and they are right. So I gave in and here I am! I'm still learning all the tricks of the trade with this thing, so be patient with me!

So, you all have been warned!
Carry on.

That is all...