I guess you could call me the taxman, but that’s not quite right.  I help you file, not collect from you.  My spiffy nametag (that I’ve already broken once) says that I’m a “Tax Preparer.”  Even got a little pin that adds “Quality” to that.  Even though it’s a serious office job like I’ve been trying to get for the last 10 years or so, it’s not quite a real job since after April, I’ll be unemployed again.  ‘Course that’s par for the course with me, ‘cept for that one glaring exception.  I even remember that one year that I got hired in April and then was fired before the month was out.  But for now, it’s nice.  A little nervewracking, but nice. 

It’s a little bit of a paradigm shift.  I’m used to looking at taxes as something I have to get done and nothing else.  As you might have surmised, I rarely have any income worth reporting, and even when I did, I never actually got any refund.  Oh I was supposed to get one, and would have gotten it if it wasn’t for some student loan that I never paid back.  So every year, I file and get a nice letter from the IRS saying that my refund was seized, or reappropriated, or whatever nice word they use.  So it was a surprise to sit here and realize that not only do people usually get their refund (big refunds…>.>;), but that that refund is the reason why people file.  It’s not a yearly annoyance to make sure that the government isn’t added to the list of people who think they owe you money, but a sort of government lottery that everyone (nearly everyone…>.>;) wins.  Crazy j0…

Also nice to be not just a double minority, but a triple minority in the office.  Always good to have next to nothing to be able to relate with your coworkers.  As if I wasn’t already socially awkward enough. 

But it’s a job.  Pays decently enough even if the hours aren’t so good atm.  My expenses are next to nothing, so as long as I’m getting enough to pay my car insurance, storage fee (being homeless suuuuuuuuccccckkkkkssss ;_; ), and gas, I’m good.  Plus I’ll be getting a bonus check at the end of the season.  Never got one of those.  I’m looking at it like it’s the refund check that I’ve never gotten before. 

…it might even be all the refund checks I’ve never gotten before…>.>

But enough about that. I’ve got 4 more hours to kill.

It might come as a bit of a surprise, but I don’t really use this thing anymore.  I was actually thinking of coming up with a farewell post and then… doing…something… I didn’t want to delete it (my digital immortality!!!), but I dunno if you can actually close a WordPress bl-… jour-… thingy (now both words seem stupid to me -_-;).  But that’d have been the end of it.  Same with forum posting and whatnot.  I just don’t really have anything to say to random strangers anymore.  Not to anyone, really.  Still don’t really. Just seems like it’s a good way to kill time at work.  I could think of a million things to do with a computer with an open internet connection, but this is a place of business.  Plus, it’s customer service.  Even if he’s one of the ones that wrote the tax laws, if you see the guy you’re going to have do your taxes watching old episodes of DBZ abridged when you walk in, you’re going to walk right back out.  Even if it’s a Japanese tutorial game, you’re going to have reservations about your “Quality Tax Preparer” hunched over a Gameboy when you’re wondering if these people can help make sure that your deadbeat baby’s daddy doesn’t claim your kids before he does.  And God help us all if I decide to start trying to figure out how to get my music in here.  I might try to start to going to the library more, but… meh… that probably won’t work either.  So rambling about whatever crosses my mind is about the only remedy until we start getting busier. 

Even though I don’t actually want to post anything, I still visit the old stomping grounds from time to time.  Nice to see that it’s still business as usual over there even though it seems like RL has robbed most of the activity out of the place.  An amicable drifting apart is always preferable to a drama-filled implosion (‘least, if you actually care about the people involved and aren’t looking for entertainment).  Ya know… now that I think of the  latter, I still wouldn’t spit on those-who-shall-remain-nameless if they were on fire.  I’m an easygoing kinda guy, but if you piss me off, you’ve pissed me off.  There aren’t any dire consequences, but it won’t just be swept under the table.  As far as I know those-who-shall-remain-nameless have all scattered to the wind anyway, so it’s not like it’s relevant, but there you go (3:51 to go…>.>).

Sucks that all my friends have gone that way too.  I called my old buddy from high school a couple of months ago and he’s gotten 2 kids since the last time I’d heard from him.  2 kids.  I can’t even find a real job and he’s supporting a whole family.  It’s crazy.  And even though he’s a year or two older than me, there that’s pretty much the norm for people my age. 

********************

Just helped 2 more people (2 hrs to go).  The appointment book says that there’ll be people in and out of this place all the rest of the night, but we’ll see.  It’s kinda nice sitting here in the sun like this… and now I think I hear a 3rd coming…>.>

****************

It’s not the only random pic I’ve gotten.  I’ve got 100s in that folder alone and possibly over nine THOUS-… *ahem*… over 1000 altogether.  Screen caps from animes I liked to remind me of why I liked them.  I used to hook my consoles up to my old decrepit TV tuner so I could even get screen caps from there.  I think I’ve got one of some long purify chain in La Pucelle somewhere.  But as I was looking at that random DRRR screen cap, I realized that it’s been a long time since I’ve taken a cap.  Wait… no check that… >.>;

But, other than 3 SketDan caps, it’s been a while.  I dunno why.  I don’t even know why that’s relevant. 

This would normally be the part where I say that stuff’s happening and I’ll go into detail in private, but I guess that’s something else I just don’t do anymore…

>.>;

You’ve done a tremendous job of capturing the essence of real girlfriends as they exist in playgrounds and tree houses across America: Cloe is playful, aloof and flirty, Jade is hard working and passionate, Yasmin is shy but earnest, and Sasha is black.

Not really much going on in any of the usual fronts.  Sonic 4’s pretty good (not $15 good, but definitely $10 good).  Arc Rise Fantasia was a nice ride.  Disgaea 3, RE 5, Record of Agarest War, and FFXIII were nice for the time I had them (long enough to beat, but not complete).  I’d be done with Reborn if it didn’t end and I’m not too interested in any of the stuff out this season.  Still keeping up (or trying to anyway…) with Gantz and Hayate, and if the scanlations were easier to get or the covers of the stuff in the store weren’t so girly I’d add Skip Beat to that too.  Other than the fact that Unlimited Blade Works is incomprehensible without having played through the VN scenario, not much to say about that.

Work is… uhm… going… Ended up really not liking the situation there.  In theory, the job’s not bad.  In practice I was doing work that I had moral/philosophical objections to (not murdering-babies-level wrong, but somewhere around taking-all-the-pennies-and-not-leaving-any-level wrong) and having to deal with jerks all day.  Not my coworkers (though it’s not like I’ve formed any life-long bonds there either), but the… “customers” for lack of a better term.  So I’ve been basically looking for something else since the day I got the job and finally found something today… doing the same thing I was doing 2 1/2 years ago for the entry-level minimum wage pay I was doing it for 2 1/2 years ago…-_-  It’s like things have come full circle or something… However, it’s still better than what I’m doing now (bringing me back to my laudable goal of “an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay”), and it’s the first time in my life that I’m going to have a 2nd job in a field.  My first day’s going to be a bit rough (I’ve gotta do both jobs tomorrow…-_-), but not because I’m going to be wondering if I can do the job properly.  I already know that.  I know what the job entails, what a typical day’ll be like, how tiring it is, and whether or not I’ll want to quit (more than likely not, but it’s nothing to get excited about).  I even know what kind of pattern my life’s going to fall into, ‘cause I’m working almost the same hours I used to work.  I even used to live in the area so I know where I can go out to eat if I want to.  …for the most part.  It has been 4 years after all… but still…

So, in short, absolutely nothing new happening, but that’s not so bad if you look at it right… 

I started really listening to music about 8 years ago.  Well… maybe not “listening”, but more like “collecting”… if you can call my stuff a collection… but anyway.  It was 8 years ago, and I don’t quite remember what I was doing.  It had something to do with Inuyasha, but at the end of it, I’d gotten a bunch of BGM tracks, my 1st DAI album, and God-only-knows-what-else from Kazaa.  My justification  was kinda… meh…  it mainly had to do with the fact that everything I had and would get was Japanese.  How am I going to pay for Japanese music?  It’s not like there’s a section in F.Y.E for it.  Besides I don’t have the money to pay for it anyway.  I could go on about the 8 years since and all the music I’ve gotten both illegitimately  and legitimately (who knew? *shrug*), but I’d never really even thought of giving up the old ways of doing things until I saw Infinity 2 on iTunes.  After all, it’s Japanese music.  Is it really worth paying $50 a pop for a CD, just so I can pat myself on the back? 

So when I saw that the single for the High School of the Dead was out I didn’t think twice about what to do.  I went to my go-to site for anime-related soundtracks and torrented the crap out of it.  Like I’m going to find that on iTunes anyway.  Flash forward to today and me being a bit bored.  I decide to check this music video site I go to, and see if there’s anything out for any of my faves.  Turns out there is.  So I’m listening to Namie’s Break It and it’s finally grown on me enough to want to get it.  I figure I’ll check iTunes for form’s sake then figure out how to Google a good site to get it (don’t have a good site for the more mainstream stuff).  And they have it.  Cool.  I buy the whole single (for completion’s sake and in case the B-side grows on me too), then go back to the site.  Oooh, BoA’s Hurricane Venus sounds good too.  Reload iTunes fully expecting for it to be a no-go.  Last I checked they didn’t have anything recent for her, anyway.  But it’s there too.  Then a horrible thought occurs to me.  I type in another search term and look at the results in horror. 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/highschool-of-the-dead/id385681896

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I know absolutely nothing about 1/2 the things I talk about, but, to me, being able to buy a theme song CD from a foreign show that may or may not be localized with the same ease that I can buy any of the Billboard Top 20 (that actually means something, right…?), is akin to black magic.  It’s just crazy.  And, of course, now I’ve got another nice ‘little dilemma in the fact that with all the justifications gone, it now is just a simple matter of “To steal, or not to steal?” 

…unless, they don’t have it when I want… or I can’t afford it… or they’re charging too much… or…

edit: Still can’t find YUI.  …so…uhm…yeah…>.>

Addendum:  No MetroCON ‘10 write up.  I’ve still got my notes & pictures, so I can do it anytime I want, but I’m not so sure I ever will.  It was a good time though.  Not too much change from last time.

…>.<

Lemme try that again…

Finally got a job.  It’s actually my second day, and I didn’t want to really say I’ve got it since I a) hadn’t actually done the job (paid training is fun) and b)got the job almost before they even knew my last name.  Things like that don’t exactly fill me with confidence…  But, now, having done this part-time job for 2 hours, I can safely (hopefully…>.>;) say that I have a job.  Yesterday, when I was thinking of writing this, I was going to say where at, but now I’m not gonna.  Just like the last job I had, I’m going to keep it confidential ‘til I’m out, and even then, keep it fairly general.  No real reason.  I will say that it seems fairly tedious, but completely doable and manageable.  I can keep doing it for as long as I can, and will almost certainly be looking for other employment while there.  My schedule actually helps with that since I’m working evenings, but I think it’ll be a little while before I actually start looking again.  I wanna make sure that I focus enough on the job I have, and not get fired worrying about the job I want, ya know?

Best part?  I can finally, finallyfinallyfinally, finally say (again…-_-) that I’m going to METROCon ‘10.  Do you know what it’s like to have already sunk money on tickets and a hotel room for a trip, but be unemployed, almost about to run out of benefits, and have the state job office breathing down your neck (they said I wasn’t looking hard enough *rolls eyes*)?  You need to get away, but even though you’ve paid for most of it, you can’t afford to go?  Yeah, it sucks.  And then, after I “got” (it’s like saying you’ve “caught” the oxygen you’re breathing…) the job, I was thinking I’d end up having to give it up, ‘cause I’d have to work those days.  But I’m 85% sure I’ll be able to work it out (at the expense of working every Sun. forever), so I can go, so I’m happy ^.^  Expect a repeat of my METROCon ‘09 post, but one that’s not quite as good since I won’t be steal-…err… using my brother’s old laptop this time.  Plus it won’t be as complete since I’ll have to leave early Sun so I can get to work… ;_;  But something’ll be better than nothing and, truth be told, I’m not quite sure I’ll really miss anything anyway…

Well, that’s it for that. 

In my mind
I feel the infinite love
I may lose someone again
We are ready to walk again

The light of hope
Will be shining on us
The star will appear
It will lead us to a brighter day
The road of hope
Will be found someday
And I’m not afraid
As long as I have you here beside me

The wind of dreams
Will give us faith
That we’re in the right
We can be strong for someone to love
The days of dreams
Will be kept in our hearts
And I’m not afraid
As long as I have you here beside me

The light of hope will lead us to a brighter, brighter day

Brighter, brighter day…

“For Brighter Day” It’s a PSU track, but for the life of me I can’t remember when it played (story mode chapter opening?  *shrug*).  It’s not quite the best song I’ve ever heard, or really all that inspirational to me, but it’s been on my playlist for years now, and I’m not really going to take it off anytime soon.  Now that I’m here, I don’t…quite… remember where I was supposed to be going with this.  Guess I’m just a little sensitive to “hope” at the moment… *shrug*

edit:  Train of thought led me to familiar territory and then I did something I usually wouldn’t do.  We’ll see what comes of it after tomorrow, but …>.>

“The li-ight of hope” indeed…