Just notice a big mark on my neck, probubly from where beardo hit me with a tree last nite.

Drunk drunk drunk.

Anyway, Batman tonite, canada day tomorrow.

It would probubly be pretty unpatriotic of me if i didn't get drunk tomorrow, wouldn't it?

Nice try, bud. But deletion was definitely called for.
I'll give you a call later.
Alf

So, on thursday nite, i see a listing on the hrdc site for a call centre. It's inbound, doing support for hewett-packard. Haven't really applied to anywhere else 'cause, well, i've been working. But you apply online so, yeah, what the heck. It's inbound so it won't be that bad. I apply. They call me friday morning. That was quick, i think to myself. Do a telephone interview. Goes well. She has me come in for a one-on-one interview at 11:30 on monday. I arrive. They have me do some tests. I'm a bit sketchy on the typing test (i'm not a great typer,as anyone who talks to me over messenger would attest to) but the aptitude and computer knowledge ones I fly through. Have the interview, which went as well as it could, given i'm not very good at them. Go home. Make some food. Have a nap. Call comes at four. Got the job. Training starts on monday. Goes from monday to friday, 8 til 4, starting at $9/hour.

And I have a week before then to just relax.
That was really fucking easy.

I just know at some point an airplane is gonna fall on my head or something.

LAST DAY AT CANADIAN TIRE!!

I'm working til nine tonite. Come visit me.

Alright! One more shift to go!!

Ok, i am technically going in tomorrow for a few hours, but only because i don't like leaving a job unfinished. And there's some stuff that needs fixing up. Don't want them to be all "that alfred left this place looking like crap!"

And we're appairantly gonna start recording soon. Can't wait to get started on that. I'll definitely have the free time for it. No sign of another job yet, but then again i haven't really looked that hard.

Anyway...i guess that's it. Nothing else new to report.
Well, except that halifaxlocals will kick cblocals ass at baseball!!!

Alfred

And you wake up and listen to "the shape of punk to come". And you feel much better.

Anyway, by the time we pick up all the gear and people we're on the road by three. We have two vehicles: one, a rental car, the other, this car trying desperately to be a van. Add to that gear and ten bandmembers (us and the tragidies) and, yeah, things are a little cramped. But the ride up was alright. Listened to some good tunes (some change of heart, some of the new steve malkimus). Good times. We get there by about twenty to seven.

Dale took us to this (japanese?) restaurant called Fomosa that he'd been talking about all week, and it's just as good as he said it was. Chopsticks were a little hard to manage, but I'm getting much better at it. So after that, us spincycle boys proceed to just walk around. I try to explain how I like the layout of charlottetown, but not very well.

So we're walking around, and christian says something to the effect of "wouldn't mind going bowling right now". To which dale says "well, there's an alley right in here" just as we're passing this rec centre. And, sure enough, there is.

So we went bowling in charlottetown.

I hadn't bowled since junior high, but didn't too bad. They had these tv screens that automatically kept track of the score and showed little animations when you got a strike or spare. Good times.

But wait a sec. Don't we have a gig to play?

So we make our way to brennan's and set up our gear and figure out who's using what. Lots of gear sharing, but that was pretty much unavoidable. So after that we head to the lc for some afterparty booze (I know, I know), then spend some time wondering around town with the tragedies, taking shots of rum and whiskey along the way. So by the time we play I got a bit of a buzz on.And it was great. There was a good crowd there and we played pretty well considering we hadn't jammed in two weeks.

And the rest of the show went well. Smothered in Hugs were pretty good and the tragedies played a fun energy-filled set. And sure...sigh...ryan did end up breaking my guitar. But it's nothing I haven't done before and looks pretty much fixable. All and all, a really good time!

So now, afterparty! Well, no...more like carry tons of gear to the afterparty. So yeah, by the time we got there I was pretty tired. Christian seemed to feel the same way and was trying to go to sleep himself.

So yeah, let's go to sleep. While a loud, crazy party raged around us.

Suffice it to say, this wasn't done without some difficulty. But once someone figured out how to make the futon into a bed we were pretty good to go. Which was good, since we were woken up at 9 am.

Yeah, that rental car had to be back by 1:30 in order to not be charged for an extra day. Suffice it to say, noone was in any shape to do anything. Most of the ride back I spent asleep, dispite what I got in the evening/morning. But it was all good. Got back safe and sound.

And thus ended spincycle's first show in pei.

Let's do it again!

I was gonna write something, but then decided it was pointless. So i'm writing this, which is equilly as pointless.

And i haven't even been drinking at all.

Note to self: don't listen to an album titled "Heartbreaker" before going to a party.

Fuck.

And then thay make me "employee of the month". And i shake my head.

Anyway, just getting ready to head out to pei. Wish us luck!
alfred

And then the general manager called me up to the office to have a meeting with the store owner.

They don't want me to leave.

And yeah, they tried their darndest to convince me not to. They wanted to let me know that i was an appreciated part of the "canadian tire team". They asked me what it would take to get me to stay. A raise? A promotion? Changed to another department?

Yeah, it was interesting. But it wasn't the money or working conditions or any of that shit. Just a need for change. I mean i've been there for what, six years now? I've seen more than my share of people come and go from that place. Had to happen sometime.

They asked me if i had any plans, and, well, of course i don't. Or at least not in the "yeah, i got a job set up at such and such a place" kinda way. But hey, not having a job will, you know, encourage me to get on that.

Or i could just bum around and write music for a while.

Oh, for those of you who are worried that i'm gonna be screwing myself finincially, don't worry. You see, i actually do have a bit of money saved, and i still have another paycheck and a half coming. Not to mention my vacation pay and gst that we get in july. And by the time i run out of all that, my profit sharing will have kicked in (i got somewhere over$2000 in that). So i should be good till somewhere around october. And i'd like to hope, with my resume just freshly redone and a fancy written reference that the owner offered me, that i'll have a job by then.

And if not, they said the door was wide open for me to return anytime i want. And, while it's nice to have a fallback position, I hope i won't have to use it.

Last nite was just what I needed. Just hanging out with friends and watching a kick-ass band. And it was good to hang out with bryce before he went back to Atlanta.

Anyway, gotta go to bed. Still got two more weeks of this left.
And yes, i really am quitting.
And yes, it probubly is a stupid thing to do.

But it felt/feels really good.

Went to bed drunk and feeling like shit.
Woke up feeling intensely sober. And hating the world. And myself.

So when i get to work at 7 a.m. and there's a two pages worth of end isles to do (the equivalent of fourty different products to put out) there was really only one thing to do:

Put in my two weeks notice.

I need something to change. It might as well be my employment.
so for those of you looking for a job, i hear there'll be an opening at canadian tire soon.

And i'm really gonna enjoy contrived tonite.

...but the question is, am i going to drink tonite?

I mean, this dry spell has lasted over six weeks (the longest i've gone since i started drinking, i think), and all and all it gone along pretty easily. But i'm going to a party, and i got the feeling i'm gonna need the "social aspect" of alcohol.

Or maybe not.

It's just that sometimes i can get a bit inside myself. And when i don't have anything to say, or can't think of anything to say, or can't think of anything to say that doesn't seem stupid, i just don't say, well, anything. Just, you know, try to stay out of the way, listen to other people, yadda yadda yadda. And, you know, drinking can make one rather uninhibited. Talk to paintings and dance around like a madman and such. And i might be up for a little bit of the crazy tonite.

Or maybe not.

Yeah, i'm kinda going back and forth on this. I guess we'll find out for sure later on tonite. I'll be the guy looking much like i usually do, but with an eyepatch.

Yarrr.

Well. It looks like we won't be playing the canada day show after all.
I'm beginning to feel like trying to get us shows is the equivalent of shooting myself in the head.

Scratch that. shooting myself in the head would be less agonizing.
Fuck.

So, it look like we'll be playing a show on friday at reflections, with I Was A Spy and the Establishment i think. Guess i'll be doing some running around. Most likely in a pirate outfit. We'll also be playing next week in pei with the tragedies and...wait for it...on canada day at the seahorse for montgomery moth's cd release!!!

If i didn't know better, i'd think we were a real band, or something.

just sitting here, waiting for one mr. ian daye to call so we can get started on the hanging out. Ian's the only one from high school that i've stayed in touch with, but he's my best friend so that kinda makes sense. And i didn't enjoy high school that much or, aside from maybe a handful of people, those who went there.

Anyway, we're gonna go out and play pool. Badly.

Actually, ian tells me that there's a pool table at his work (why can't canadian tire have one of those for staff) and has since gotten better since the last time we played. Badly. so i guess i'll just have to play extra bad. Used to play alot in college (it was either that or play tarbish, and i'll be damned if i ever learn that cardgame) and got pretty good. Not "i'm about to hustle you for all your money" good, but i could hold my own.

now:not so much.

Ian called. He's on his way.
Let the pool table brutilization begin!
(update:In the upset of the century alfred wins 4 games out six! Onlookers still baffled.)

my newest musical obsession: ryan adams
Maybe at some point i'll buy an album instead of just listening to the streams off the website.

Anyway, off to work!

Why does it have to be so nice out when i have to work?
AARRRUUUGGHHHH!!!!