Okay. So here's a complete update on what's going on. During October I moved to an apartment in south Marysville with my good buddy Tim (you remember him, right? Tall, kinda skinny?) and my sister Kara. About a month later I got my job at Verizon. It's an awesome job but I think I'm mostly thrilled with going from dead broke to twenty-one bucks an hour. I'll be handling customer support for Verizon's new FiOS service (lowest tier is 5Mbps down and 2Mbps up! On residential!). Tim's working at Wal-Mart as a cart pusher but I've convinced him to apply where I'm working at since they'll be hiring around sixty more people for my department. Also, I've started playing Magic:TG after swearing off it for good. I'm even toying with the idea of going tournament-level. Then there is the campaign setting I was cooking up with Kevin. After finally acquiring the notes after he moved, I've started on it again. I have a few characters written up that may actually play well into a webcomic but I still need to work on the design. Finally, a little incident that happened at work: due to the extreme dullness of the material we need to study in training, I doodle regularly to keep myself awake. Well, apparently I forgot one of my pages in the classroom and someone from the class that starts right after mine (5pm to 1:30am; crazy, huh?) found my doodles offensive. Our instructor talked to the class about it the next day but confided that he thought they were pretty good and how the workplace can be super politically correct.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
THE TIKI IS BACK!


Quickie:
New apartment (Marysville)
New job (Verizon [from unemployed to $14.73/hr! w00t!])
And best of all NEW CABLE MODEM!
*does the happy internet dance*

why? because we need more of it.

( quizzy nonsense )

Today my applications for my degree and my certificate were turned down. There are three classes that I failed to get C grade or higher. 'Course, I was under the impression that I could still get my degree even with those grades. Had been assured even, by the case manager of my program, of being able to continue. So I persisted in my delusion and never thought to retake them. Now, alas, I am fifteen credits shy and all out of funding. I am going to see if my father can help with tuition for next quarter because two of the classes I need will be offered in the spring. As for the third...I don't know. I'm not sure why I'm so fixated on completing this degree. I don't need it to apply for the four-year I'm going to next. I think it's a sense of closure. After three years of effort it would be nice to have a little slip of paper that says I accomplished something.

Quite an interesting turn of events. My instructor, Jerry Young, has left for medical reasons. He has been replaced by Niko Culevski, the instructor with whom I first took VB. Personally I find it a relief. Even though I did not pass Niko's class, I find his method of instruction far superior to Young's. In local news highway 530 is sinking. Of course if they do close it down I will be forced to find alternative means of getting to the college. Skipping the last few weeks is simply not an option. Finally, have you ever had that feeling as though someone kicked your feet out from under you? That terrrible, exhilirating freefall feeling? Yeah, it sucks.

Some good news. It seems that my stepdad's employer is willing to hire him back after he expunges his record. And they aren't denying him unemployment. Yet another crisis averted.

Monday morning my stepdad goes in for a hearing, most likely to get termination papers. Everyone seems to be holding up well. Thankfully we have some money stored away to help us get by. Still, gonna have to tighten the belt a few notches. 'Course I've been doing that anyway lately. My family has been on a health kick for a while and it's really benefitted me. Lost about twenty pounds so far from changing my diet and jogging to the bus stop. In other news after eight months of frustration I have finally solved a formatting problem I had in VB. Also managed to package it in a sub procedure and function combo. The keyword today is reusability :)

It feels nice to be graduating this quarter. Four years ago I was a high school dropout with a seemingly grim future. Now I am only a few weeks from finishing a two year technical degree and recieving a high school diploma to boot. I'm applying to a four year institute and things seem to be looking up. Not so on the home front. My stepdad's employer has just uncovered his criminal history. Things he did a long time ago when he was young and stupid. He might be losing his job. Right now he's home on administrative leave as they decide what to do. I'm not sure what will happen if he is fired as he is our sole source of income. So to all who read this, please send some positive thoughts our way. Thank you.

As I leaned back in my chair and waited for visual studio.net to install, it occurred to me that I have known quite a few people in my life. Some I can recall only as passing glances or bits of names. Others have long chains of memories attatched to them. Many of them I will never see again through either coincedence or machinations. But what of the other side of the mirror? How many people recall Scott or, more recently, Tiki? Am I a tiny visage residing within their recollections?

I don't know why I chose that title, really. Anyways, I'm back now in Darrington after a fun-filled weekend with Chris, Jesse, and Jessica. I have two things to say. F.E.A.R. is one of the coolest games I've ever played and Stubbs the zombie has to be one of the funniest. Chris also let me start a character on Guild Wars which was pretty nice of him (not that I'm keeping it :) Verizon needs to get off its corporate ass and bring DSL my way, dammit! It was great having a weekend away from my little brother, not having to haul wood, and ither such unpleasantries. The Iron Kingdoms campaign is going well so far. The group had their first encounter with an owlbear in some mines last session. Jesse's character, being a goblin, decided that combat was best avoided and snuck off to dismantle an "abandoned" steam engine. Much chaos ensued. On a final note, as I look about my room, I realize that a) I have a lot of furniture and b) I have a lot of books.