Greater Satellites

So I played hookie from work on Friday.  More specifically I went in around 10am, stayed until noon when I decided to switch from Citizens Bank to Commerce Bank, then left to take a glorious day trip down the shore with my lady.  We went down to Wildwood at first and braved a bit of rain to in order to take a few pictures, eat some funnel cake, play some ski ball, and briefly walk the boards.  On our way back to the car, we both got our palms read and discovered a lots of interesting things we kind of already knew about ourselves, but were amazing to hear from a complete stranger.  I recommend getting it done at least once, if your funds allow it.

After that got old, we decided to take a trip to the neighboring Atlantic City to gamble and find a place to stay overnight.  We ended up at the Atlantic Palace by chance and got a room with a great ocean view.  We walked the boards a bit more, hit Ballys for a bit of gambling fun, and then back to the room after a junky dinner.  Relaxation in the hot tub and a little Conan O’Brien ensued.

The next day was all gravy: Lots of sleep and eventually going out to see the incredibly awesome Wall-E.  It stands on it’s own among the Pixar films, only bested (in my opinion) by Toy Story.  Highly recommended.  Now all we have left to see is The Incredible Hulk, Indy 4, and Wanted.

Yesterday was a great day of sleep, a family barbecue over Jackie’s pad with lots of delicious foods, and more relaxation.  I really love the time I spend with my girl.

This life blog brought to you by Andrew, writing to preserve the memories of yesterday.

I had a tremendous time last night and I chalk it up entirely to the fun folks I went out with. I was a little late getting to Jackie’s house (thanks a lot 66 Bus Driver… douche), so we departed slightly later than expected but the ride down was half the fun. We talked about, well, a plethora of different topics. I’ve never had an awkward silence moment with her, so I wasn’t worried about the “ride there conversations”. After about an hour on the road, we arrived at our target destination: The Borgata. I’d say 80% of the people who we were meeting up with were already there; that list included Jon, Rob, Bessy, Sylvia, and Paul with Kathy and Rich trailing behind us by about an hour. We arrived, met up with everyone, and started getting to work on those dastardly slot machines. Where else but a casino could you spend $40 in nickels in less than 15 minutes?

There was a running bet (there’s irony in that statement, just wait for it) between Jon and Bessy that was established earlier this week. If Bessy, whos religion (Jehovah’s Witness) states that gambling is forbidden, gambled just once than Jon said he would drink… for the first time ever. Two big compromises just to see the outcomes, fun stuff. Turns out that Jon and Rob found her a slot machine that had pigs on it (her favorite animal, by the by) and she went for it. Religious rules are really just “guidelines” anyway, God always forgives if I’m not mistaken.

So we were all hanging out for a while, randomly playing slots, having a few drinks. All in all a great time. We broke off into smaller groups now and then and reassembled at key points during the night, much like lions of the Voltron. Jon, Rob, and Bessy departed soonly after midnight to look for a beer distributor and a motel to crash at. Unfortunately they couldn’t find anything in a reasonable price range that provided enough beds for everyone to sleep on, so they started trucking back to Philly. Sylvia and Paul rolled out around 1AM, and then Jackie and I left soon after. The ride home was pleasant and we said our goodbye as she dropped me off at the humble Gormley abode. This was actually her first time in my ‘hood, and she did well with the directions I gave her. Woot!

Moments after I arrived I spoke with Jon on a the phone telling me that they were over Rob’s house with some alcohols and ready to make good on his part of the deal. Unfortuantely, I was feeling a little tired and didn’t want to burden anyone for a ride to and fro, but I heard through the grapevine that Jon did in fact drink (though how much I’m uncertain). Go Jon you soon to be party animal! I ended up watching one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies on HBO until I feel asleep. Great stuff. I had a blast everyone, thanks for the wonderful time. We’ll stay over next time and have breakfast on the strip.

I might use this picture to masturbate to later. I know you were all thinking it, I just said it out loud.

I’ve been watching quite a bit of Studio 60 recently. In case you don’t know, it’s a show written by Aaron Sorkin (also the creator of The West Wing, Sports Night, and A Few Good Men) that’s basically a behind the scenes look at a sketch-comedy show of the SNL ilk. Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, and Amanda Peet ride on the back of this mighty beast and their performances are incredible. Amanda Peet’s character is the president of the fictional network. She’s an A-Type female who’s ambitious, driven, and tightly wound. I don’t know what it is exactly about her character, but she’s incredibly attractive to me. Something about a female who’s large and in charge gets my motor revving*.

So my dad kind of bailed on me today. He was supposed to meet with me at his office in the afternoon and he bounced out before I arrived. I’m a little disappointed with him as of late. Haven’t actually spoken with him in close to two weeks, and haven’t seen him in even longer than that. I’m sure that he knows I’m in need of some help, I just hope that his knowing is not that reason why he’s been avoiding me. We’ll see when I try again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after…

Looking forward to AC tomorrow, if for nothing else than just getting away from home. Things have been a little crazy around here as of late and it would be really nice to just get away and screw my head on properly. With a bit of luck, all will be right in my world after this weekend.

I leave you with yet another picture of Miss Amanda Gorm, errr, Peet…

* - my “motor revving” could easily be confused with my “fist pumping” near my “crotch region”. I assure you that I’ve built a working prototype of an engine that actually revs when something aesthetically or intellectually pleasing occurs in my life.

So I was pleasantly surprised this evening when I stopped by Wawa for my favorite beverage, Lemonade Iced Tea, and found that they had actually reduced the price back down to $1.50 (from $1.59). Prior to today, it was awkward and ridiculous trying to remember to bring a dollar, two quarters, and a dime for my half gallon of delight. What was even worse was paying with two dollars and receiving a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny as change. The universe seems a bit more balanced now, there’s a bit of an extra spring in my step as well. I’d like to take this moment to thank the Woods Family (current CEO’s name: Dick) for being such a great friend to me and everyone in the tri-state area for the past 104 years. From the bottom of my stomach, thanks.

The job hunt continues. US Airways is jerking me around a bit, it feels. I’ve had three, count ‘em three, follow-up interviews, none of which (after the first) seemed terribly important to me. I had a drug test today, which I will pass, and then God knows how many more interviews I’ll have until they actually decide to hire me. I believe tonight I will post my resume (resumes, actually, I have one for each area of my expertise) on Craigs List and see if I get any responses tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I’ll be heading up to dad’s office to visit and ask for many various financial favors. He’s never been really involved in my life, and I’m not saying that I can be bought, but I think if he were to help me with some of my main issues (ie: financial aid for school), that would be a step in the right direction for us.

With a bit of luck, this weekend will have some positive outcomes…