Trekkin' with the Ladies

It's Sunday. I didn't really sleep last night. Yesterday was a long day at work. Underdstaffed, a busy Saturday, and a different manager. It's like we're playing a game show and every week we have a different manager closing and coming to help us out. Usually on a Saturday night at closing, we set the sale ad signs for the next week's sale. Kelly, the manager stepping in, informed us that at her store, they tear down all the old ad signs, and then they set the new ads on Monday morning, when everyone is fresh and not tired as hell from a day of running around and dealing with bitchy customers. So Home Accents was completely set, along with Scrapbooking and part of Floral. Then Kelly made the decision that we are going to tear down all the old signs, and then we were heading home. Nothing we were going to argue. But here is what pissed me off about yesterday: When I arrived at work, I was informed that I needed to make sure I did a good job cleaning the restrooms because they haven't been cleaned in a few days. I don't mind cleaning the restrooms. I get upset when someone doesn't do their job correctly and then I have to cover their ass. And to make it worse, we didn't have all supplies needed. I understand that there are only two people that do the closing duties of the stock room. But the "solution" is to have him come in at 8 AM and "clean" the restrooms and get the trash, etc. But he doesn't. There is no possible way that he can with the amount of trash in the trash cans, and how many rolls of toilet paper I needed to replace. If there is only to be two people that clean the restrooms, and I'm only doing so once a week, then why is the schedule set so no one cleans them for a few days? Doesn't make any sense to me.

Today I did something that I don't normally do: I went to the mall. Namely, I needed to go shopping for a pair fo Steel Toe work boots and I needed to get some black shirts. I ended up finding both at Sears and JCPenny, respectively. After finding what I needed, I eneded up buying a Cubs hat and getting a hair cut. But I noticed something while I was talking around. It seemed that all at girls that were younger (by younger I mean either there with a parent, dropped off, or just old enough to drive) girls were wearing the same type of outfits: All were wearing either spaghetti strap tanks or strap-less tops with short, tight jean shorts. And it seems that each one was wearing a push up bra to try and show off their boobs. Now a few things came into my mind: A-How are parents letting their daughters leave the house like this? and B-What started this fashion trend? And it was just the under-18 crowd. The "older" females were wearing bermuda shorts, jeans, skirts, and a nice top with it. And moms dress like moms. One thing that might be causing this is that this is the time of a young person's life were it is becoming increasingly more and more popular to have a boyfriend. And yes, statistically, teen pregnancy is on the decline. But it seems that girls are trying really hard to be "sexy" at a young age. When I was that age, all the girls I knew wore jeans, or longer shorts when outside of school. Granted, I went to a Catholic School where we, as students, could actually get in trouble and punished by the school administration if we were to wear inappropriate clothing outside of school, but at a school related event. But in the 5 years since my high school graduation, it appears that fashion for girls that age has taken a drastic turn, which in my opinion, is a turn for the worse. I think about it this way: kids these days are discoving their sexuality earlier and earlier in life. I know that high school children having sex is nothing new. There were kids having sex when I went to high school. I wasn't one of the them. I lost my virginity when I was 20. I'm not ashamed to say that. I'm not ashamed to say that I've only had sex with 2 people. I'm not ashamed of anything in my past when it comes to girls and sex. Like anyone else, I do have a regret or two. And those people involved know what they are. While I do regret one of them more than others, I did what no one else thought I would do: I kept my word and my promise that I made to her at the very beginning. Some may call me stupid. At times, I do feel like I made the wrong decision. But at the same time, I know that she is better off. I need to move on from that. I've been trying. But some convention wisdom suggests that we can not be completely over a former love until we begin a relationship with a new person. I know that I've covered the tradgey that is my dating history. I'm still looking for that girl. The one who can fix me and remove me from my past. I have told every ex girlfriend (that I still have communication with) that I am happy for them when they find themselves someone who makes them happy. I told the same thing to a girl who I was talking to and then just changed her mind about me and started dating another guy. I told her that I'm glad that she is happy and that is what matters to me. She seemed...shocked. But I meant it. I'm happy when my friends are happy. I'm happy when girls I like are happy, whether it involves me or not. I will never tell a girl to choose me. I will tell her to choose what makes her happy. This may be a bad thing, considering I may have lost a couple potentional girlfriends to this. I will be the first to admit that it is my fault for my current relationship situation. But I think that I take a different approach with girls than most guys. When I ask a girl out, there are a few factors/facts that I feel are worth noting:

1: I won't ask a girl out unless I am sure that I like her and that she may like me.

2: I'm not asking for a full on relationship when I ask a girl out; I'm just asking for a chance.

3: I'm old fashioned when it comes to dating. I like to pick up the girl, and drive her and pay for everything.

4: I will do the best in my ability to treat you like a queen.

I feel like the way that many guys approach dating and girls that it is something that most girls don't think about with me. I'm not going to try and get you in bed. I WILL call/text/talk to you the next day. If I can tell that you had a good time and are willing, I will ask you out again. If not, I will continue to talk to you and let you cut your losses and move on. I can't be mad at a girl if she gives me a chance and we find out that we just won't work out. I can't be upset about that. I can and will be upset when I get stood up and/or forgotten. I've had that happen to me before. The worst if when "something came up" and she is forced to cancel on me. I know that you just don't wanna go with me. If you didn't want to in the first place, why not just tell me? I had a girl in high school lead me on for the second half of my senior year and the following summer. It was a constant hell because she was like hot and cold, but one of her best friends was trying to help me out and she would give me some advice. And when I would take her advice and apply it, the girl was cold. When I was about to give up on her, she was hot again. It was like trying to sleep when you're sick; you get cold so you cover up, then you get hot and start sweating so you kick off the covers. Imagine that, except it is your emotions getting the shit end of it all. I can take a lot of bullshit, and I have taken a lot of bullshit for girls while in relationships. That is nothing new for me. I'm working on building back up my self esteem. I am working on recognizing said bullshit and trying to remove it from my life. I don't need any other distractions in my life. I have enough without someone trying to destroy me from the inside-out. I am hoping to stumble across the right girl for me that will not feed me any bullshit and help keep me on the path that I am currently on. Maybe she can help me forget my past and help me look towards the future. I am hoping that this is someone that I come across soon. I feel like I am at about 95% ready for a girlfriend. Almost there.

In unrelated news, I start my new job tomorrow. I go in for orientation at 1. I'm excited but nervous. From what I was told, the first few weeks will be training, safety video watching, and certification. I really can't wait.

I'm getting the Mac painted a little more each day. I'm also working on ripping the CD collection onto the HTPC so we can enjoy some music while playing games or working in the kitchen. The CD collection is a decent size, then I will be adding to it any and all downloaded audio that we have saved up on my desktop and Jayme's iMac. This will give us a wide variety and hopefully set up streaming to a laptop in the garage while playing cards or having a drink and cigar. I'm really excited to finish this project as it is one that I can mark off my list. Tomorrow I will be stopping by Home Depot to pick up some more paint. I need at least two cans of blue, and one can of clear, maybe two just to feel safe. I also need to pick up a couple 1/4" metal screw on pipe clamps. I will be using these while converting my night stand into a charging station. I will be mounting the surge protector to the inside of the cabinet. A hole will be drilled to allow the plug to reach outside to the wall. My cell phone charger will be plugged in, with a hole just large enough for the plug to pass through near the top of the cabinet, near the top. THe pipe clamp will be installed to help ensure that the cable stays in place for when I go to charge it at night. I think that using a couple of my zip tie anchors to keep the cable organized inside the cabinet. This is a simple project that will help keep cables organized and keep wires off the ground and out of the reach of the cute puppies.

Star Trek is awesome. I started watching The Original Series. Sci-Fi is all it's 1966 glory. This is obviously a remastered HD version, but still sandboxed in the 4:3 aspect ratio. It is still a pretty damn good show and I'm glad that I am given the opportunity to experience this classic piece of Sci-Fi television.