One down, one still pending.

November 5, 2003

I finally heard back about the job at Elephant’s Deli, and the answer was a negatory. I understand why they didn’t want to hire me, but it’s still a little frustrating. You know how the old joke goes? “I went to a small liberal arts college (or majored in hostory, or majored in anthropology, or majored in…well, you get the picture). Would you like fries with that?” Even in the current state of our economy I can’t get a food service position. Oh well, maybe it’s for the better. It would have been full-time, plus benefits (which probably included free food), but I’m sure I’ll find something soon.

I hope.

I visited McMenamins #15 last night–the Barley Mill Pub. At least, I think it was number fifteen. I went to the McMenamins website this morning and tried to count all the ones I’d been to, and I came to fourteen. I realized later that I’d forgotten one, so that bbrought me up to the magic number, but if I forgot that one, maybe I forgot one more? So it’s anywhere between fourteen and sixteen that I’ve been to. Not bad. I’m planning on going with my Dad to the reopening of the Rock Creek Tavern out here on my edge of town, so that will add to my total. The Rock Creek Tavern was one of the cornerstones of the historic McMenamins buildings, but a fire burned it to the ground a couple of years ago, so the McMenamin brothers set about to rebuild it. They can make it faster, better, stronger. The hard part was rebuilding it both in the style and the *materials* of the old one. They raided barns from the mid to late 19th century to get the wood to build it, and a long bar in the same style as the old one is being flown in from a pub from Europe that apparently closed or had a similar fate to the original Rock Creek Tavern. I never went to the old one, but people in the know tell me it was a fantastic place, and the loss of it was really a blow to the surrounding community. The historic McMenamin pubs apparently have a huge impact on the areas aroudn them, and I’m told that property values around the Kennedy School that the brothers bought and turned into a restaurant/pub/hotel/movie theater have gone way up. Good for business, good for their neighbors.

Last night I decided not to fold out my futon and slept on it like a couch instead. I put my sheets down, brought out my pillows and everything, but it was still couch-ish nonetheless. I used to sleep on it all the time like that in high school. There was one period of probably close to half a year (or more, I don’t really remember) when I did that every night. I don’t know why. I think back then it was partially laziness, so I didn’t have to make my bed every day, which for me isn’t just pulling up your sheets and straightening them, but taking them completely off your bed, folding them, etc. I remember it being perfectly comfortable, but best of all I remember it being exceptionally warm, because the cold air could only come in from one side, the other obviously being the back of the futon.

Well it wasn’t quite as comfortable as I remember. The only way I could have slept comfortably on my futon like that last night was if I’d taken a sleeping pill of some kind, but since I didn’t, I slept very poorly. I was warm, though. Tonight I fold my bed back out. Experiment over. I finally figured out a way to keep myself warm at night with my bedding the way it is, so I’ll just have to keep doing that. Hell, I may get a little cold, but at least I’ll be comfortable.

Not that my futon is all that comfortable to begin with. Another reason I’m looking forward to getting my own place: I get to buy a bed. All my life, all I’ve ever slept in are bunk beds and a futon. My Dad built a fantastic and sturdy set of bunk beds to have at his house when I was a kid, and I still use it as my bed when I stay there. The mattress is very comfy, and I’m not over there enough to feel shame about being a 24 year old sleeping in a bunk bed. Over here, I’ve been in my futon since my eight grade year when I put down my foot with my Mom and said I wasn’t going to sleep in my bunk beds I had here anymore. I plan on keeping my futon and using it as my couch when I move out, at least for the time being. As for my sleeping arrangements, I’m looking forward to getting a real bed. I got used to it in college (which was the first time in my life I’d ever even had a “real” bed to start with), and I miss it a great deal.

This seems to me like the week that time forgot with a few moments of clarity, such as hitting another McMenamins last night. I have had almost zilch to do this week, which has been the worst part, but now that I’ve heard back from one of my jobs, that solves two problems I was having. Problem #1: waiting to hear back from my two potential job opportunities. Now at least I know about one of them, so my waiting because half (or is it double?) as mentally painful. You know how time seems to slow down as you wait for something, e.g., “a watched pot never boils”? That’s this week. Problem #2 solved: no having to gamble about the other job. At least I don’t have to guess and see whether I’ll get the other job now. If I get it, perfect. If I don’t, back to square one–which would really suck the most.

Basically my week has been filled with television. Lots and lots of television. I’ve made a special point of getting up to watch “ER” every day, which does a two-fold thing. It gets me up by 10 AM every day, which is probably for the best, and it forces me to eat breakfast every morning. And if I don’t get up, I can at least lie in bed and watch…. I finally finished the first season of “La Femme Nikita” last night, thinking that I hadn’t seen the final few episodes of the season, but it turned out that I had. When you don’t follow a show closely and only watch it intermittently and randomly, you get things mixed up. So Dan, you want to borrow my copy of it since you can’t afford it for yourself yet? You pay for shipping and it’s yours for the time being.

The rest of the week looks like it may have promise, thankfully. Tomorrow night I’m going out to Harvey’s Comedy Club here in Portland with someone who has free tickets, so I’ll get my money’s worth in entertainment at the very least. No two drink minimum, either. Beyond that…the sky’s the limit.

Just like always, I suppose.

Is it only Wednesday?

Posted in Beer, Geekery, General