I probably should keep you more up-to-date on what's been going on with my life since I'll only be able to get on a computer when I have my days off. Since Wal-Mart has given me Mondays and Tuesdays off, I should probably write down what has happened in the past few days.

I work both entrance and exit doors for $6.25 an hour; it may not amount to much, but for now, the paycheck is good enough. Last Saturday I got called in for my 90-Day Review, which surprised me because I haven't been working at Wal-Mart for 90 days. I was worried that they were going to fire me, but as it turned out, I did not have to worry about anything at all; I was evaluated as meets expectations, which is the middle ranking for an associate, the lowest being beneath expectations, and the highest being exceeds expectations. That means that sometime in January, my paycheck will go up $0.40 an hour, and thus, I will be making $6.65 an hour. Again, not great money, but this is not a permanent job.

The people I work with are really great, I'm particularly close to Sunny, a cleaner, Lucy, the telephone operator, Lois, an associate who works in the shoe department, and Ted, a Lawn and Garden associate who is also known by his biker nickname, Snake. It's not that I don't like anyone up in the front of the store; I enjoy the presence of the other people greeters, the people who work at Customer Service, and my Customer Service Managers (CSMs), but I just feel closer to the following people that I have previously mentioned...

Speaking of CSMs, Sunday put me in an akward spot; Paulina and Philip, my favorite CSMs, got into a disagreement about something, and then Philip had to get a talking to by another CSM named Juanita. From what I've heard, Paulina need Philip's help with a customer, but he couldn't do anything because another customer was being an ass at the Customer Service Counter. I ended up having to excuse myself for lunch and breaks just so I didn't piss them off any further. A tense moment, but in the end, the disagreement between the two of them, and was none of my business...

I'll finish this entry by promoting my latest fan fiction Tell, and then go home to have lunch. I'll try to write next Monday or Tuesday, whenever I get the chance...

After three weeks of going by a paper schedule, I now have a set schedule so I can plan my week. I work Wednesday through Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday off, for forty hours a week. My shift is from ten in the morning to seven at night, but in the upcoming weeks, I will be working from noon to nine in the evening. That means a nine hour a day, counting the hour lunch I have to clock out for, and only two days off. I'm not complaining; the paycheck is good, and I have big plans for all that money...

Speaking of money, last Thursday I got my paycheck. Three hundred eleven dollars and fifty-five cents after taxes; again, not a bad paycheck, and much more than I was making when I worked at Giant and had to pay the Union.

Speaking of the Union, because they're so miffed at the fact that Wal-Mart is not a Union Company, they've come out with a smear video, trying to make sure that we lose customers for the Holidays. Whine, whine, whine, etc. Suck it up you babies, I don't want to pay any Union a fucking dime, so don't be such big cry babies that you have to throw a big temper tantrum because you will not get what you want.

I also have a new fan fiction out called Mockingbird, so feel free to check it out if you reading this entry...

As of yesterday at 6:00 PM EST, I can officially state that I have worked 40 hours a week. I'm excited at the thought that I my paycheck will be at least $250.00 before taxes, and I was also excited when I got to home an hour early from my job as a people greeter at Wal-Mart. I came home just in time for dinner, and despite the ant problem we seem to be having in our pantry and bathrooms, we had chili with corn muffins. It may not have been the best celebration food, but it was still good.

In other news, I won't be going to Nekocon 8 this year. I got this line of bull from my parents about how they don't trust me going to Virginia by myself without some form of supervision so I won't have some kind of panic attack or other crap that they seem to be pulling out of thin air. I wasn't too happy about it, but there's no use crying over spilled milk.

I also went to DDA yesterday to see about getting me housing for when I will eventually live on my own. That will be a good thing, because both my parents and I want to get out of the house for good. There shouldn't be too much of the problem, but I still have to go through more assessments and tests...-_-;

I would like to conclude this entry by saying that I still haven't printed out my fan fictions I want to take to my shrink, yet. Moreover, everyone is free to check out my latest fan fiction poem Pawn.

I really have to start keeping up with my online journal, because if I don't, then I won't be able to vent and share my thoughts as much as I should. With that out of the way, and the usual shameless self-advertisement of my latest fan fiction poem Arlington, I might as well get down to business.

On Tuesday I got a call from Wal-Mart telling me to come for orientation; so I ended up taking the job at Wal-Mart as a people greeter for $6.25 an hour, working 40 hours a week aka a full-time job, and a 9-hour work shift, including the hour break I get for my lunch. It's a good job, and the paycheck will be well worth it, despite the fact that I won't receive my first one until the third of November. Just as I felt two summer's ago, I like my job, my co-workers, and even my supervisors. Art, one of the assistant mangers, is insane; I swear, he comes in every day with too much caffeine and sugar intake, but I still think he’s a good like him. I was also able to get a locker from management to hold my emergency supplies, but since the lock will not cooperate with me, I've tried more than a few time to fool around with the lock, the lady in charge of lockers has promised me that she will get me a new lock that I can open with a key.

My past two days at work were filled with memories and vivid reminders about life. On Thursday, Mr. Durbin, my old Latin Teacher, came in looking to get a few things. I hadn’t seen him in ages, and I was so ecstatic that I hugged him right in public. I never thought I'd see him again, and yet there he was. Yesterday, I saw Danny, one of the people I knew in Middle School, come in, and I found out how he was doing. He's working with a local contractor for this area and is also now engaged. I can’t believe how much time flies by when you go to college out of state. I also got to see two shoplifters leave the store in handcuffs.

In other news, I've been seeing a shrink for the past couple of weeks. He's okay, and I like him, but I don't think he likes my philosophy on life. We also got talking about my fan fiction writings, which I should have shut-up about, and now he wants me to bring some of my work in! I'm sorry, but there is a time and place for my stories, and a psychiatrist’s office is not it. My God, what shrink would be interested in my writings...?

Dad and I went to the WWII Memorial in Washington, and it was amazing. I got to see the formal memorial, which has two different sides; one side for all the men that died in Europe and another side for the men who died in the Pacific. On the memorial were carved, inspiring words from FDR, Harry Truman, and General Douglas McAuthur. While those things wowed me, I also happened to notice several small memorials set up by individuals who lost loved ones in the war, and began to ponder what it must have been like, for a whole generation of men and women, to change their lifestyle, via rationing, victory gardens, and other such this, to fight world war and win.

Americans today are so selfish, if something doesn't go our way, we whine, bitch, and complain, when we don't bother to stop and think about the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made. If we think gas is high right now, imagine having to go to a government office to have gas
RATIONED! We couldn't do a whole world of thing we do today; no long trips, forced to rely on public transportation, no joy rides, and most importantly, being forced to use our legs. Just look at all the High School students today and think about what life would have been like for them in the 1940's: no fancy gas-guzzling cars or Hummers, forced to rely on the public school bus, and other such things that would limit their freedom of movement. Talk about social problems...:p

Then again, maybe that's why they call the WWII Generation the "Greatest Generation." They may not think of themselves that way, but those man and women did so many amazing things, that we, the later generations, should be grateful for...

Well, things are starting to look up for once; yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart, because I had received a call from them the day before, and as it turned out, they had lost my application. I should have been angry, but instead, they just did both parts of the interview on the same day. After the interview, I had to go to a medical center to have a urinalysis done, just so that Wal-Mart can make sure I'm not using drugs.

There is a very good chance that I will be hired. If that happens, then I will be working as a Full-Time greeter for $6.25 an hour. It is not bad money, considering that if I work a minimum of 40 hours a week, for $6.25 an hour, I will, at least, be able to pocket $250.00 before taxes.

Moreover, with me being as greeter, I should be able to help the current greeter; a woman who is mentally retarded, has only one arm, and is bound to a wheelchair. How she can be stuck in a situation like that and still manages to smile and greet the customers by herself is beyond me. However, she needs more help, and I am more than happy to give it to her. Maybe I can pick up on skills that I will need if I am ever going to interact with other people...

Other than that, not much else has been going on. Dad and I are still planning to go to Washington D.C. on Monday, but until I start working, it is going to be a long, quiet week...

Feel free to check out my latest fan fiction Living On A Prayer. With that out of the way, I guess I can begin this entry…

Mom and dad have returned from their trip, and I couldn't be any happier than I already am. After grandma chipped her front tooth and grandpa fell because he wasn't using his cane, things have been going much easier than when my parents were away. Just last night, I got to see some of the stuff they bought from their trip, and boy was that amazing.

Mom got a whole bunch of cooking herbs and spices, as well as some olive oil soap, from France no less, small boxes, two rosary beads from Portugal, and authentic hand-made lace. For a two-week vacation, they didn't make out so bad...

On the other hand, I still have no job, little money, and I'm board out of my wit's end. I hate not having a job, I feel like a leech sucking my parents' money dry. I've applied at Belk, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, and a small frame store, but so far, no call backs.

Monday, dad and I are going to Washington D.C. for the day. I hope to see the Smithsonian, as well as go to the WWII Memorial, which I've wanted to see for ages. We're probably going to see the Vietnam Wall Memorial as well...