Ok, so i'm going to go play baseball soon, but i got the feeling that i was supposed to do something this afternoon, but i can't remember it. So yeah, if anyone reads this and is like "hey, isn't alfred supposed to be ________ this afternoon", please say so in the designated comments section.

So, yeah...Baseball!!!

So would you say that "call and response" parts in songs are cheezy?
Cause i think i just wrote a song with one in it.

Then again, at the rate that i dismiss songs, i'll probubly think it's crap by tomorrow.

Today was the first stressful day at work.

It involved doing a mock phone test where they would assess my ability to take an order. What really made it stressful was that they were trying to get this done with everyone as fast as they could. Apparently its become rather busy at HP call centre central and they want to get everyone on the phones as soon as possible. To add to the confusion, they kept moving us from classroom to classroom.

It was around this time that i remembered my fear of the telephone.

Actually, to be quite honest, i've become alot better with it over the years. And it only hits me once in a while, like when it's the first time calling someone (it can take me a good 45 minutes to an hour between trying to make the call and actually dialing and letting it ring through). And i don't expect to have any real trouble at the job, because people will be calling me. That's a totally different situation altogether. The big problem you see, the thing that made it jump into the forefront, was that i was going to be EVALUATED for my telephone performance.

Yeah, big old "yikes!" there.

There's a certain script you have to follow, and certain things you have to do. And in all of this, you also have to do what they call a "needs assessment" in an attempt to "upsell" and cross-sell". Like say i guy calls looking for a printer. You have to determine what printer he needs (no necessarily the one he wants) and then try to hook him up with whatever stuff you can put with the printer. And there's a certain number of items you should try to sell and blahblahblah.

It's this part that i suck at.

And the thing is, i kinda see why it's done this way. In an example related to, well, my past job i can recall a few times when people would ask to purchase the cheapest drill, only to find upon questioning that they were gonna drill through concrete (for the record,a $24 drill just won't do that). Of course, this is probably something that will get better through time. Right now, i look at the digital cameras we carry and am slightly at a loss as to which one's good for what or for whom or whatever.

So during the telephone test i kinda fumbled through that part. Did everything else to a tee though. Mind you, i got the distinct feeling that he would have passed me unless i did something glaringly stupid. So yeah, i passed, gaining my "certification". Yaa!!

I guess i just have to get better at asking the right questions to figure out what people want.

You know, i could so make a parallel to that in my personal life, but i think i'd rather go to indie dance nite.

Later,
Alfred

Not many people at baseball today. I hope it doesn't die.

So the weekend was pretty mellow. Saw Be Bad on friday, Laura Peek on saturday. Both at One World, both really great for completely different reasons.

Watched "Ed Wood" last nite while cat-sitting. Makes me want to run out and rent "plan 9 from Outer Space". The cat-sitting was pretty easy. Tom just basically layed in the same place all weekend, while Oshi spent most of the time literally walking all over me. Starved for attention, that one is.

So now i sit here looking at a list of song titles. I think we might be changing the CD from full-leingth to an EP. We haven't jammed in a while and things are taking way too long so an EP may be easier, though it does throw any plans I had for a full-length (song order, theme, etc.) out the window. Right now, i'd just like to get something out.

And remember those tests they had us doing at my work? Well, appairantly i'm at the top of my class. Trust me, considering the tests were multiple choice, essentually open book, and really easy, it's not that impressive. It does mean, however, that i have first pick in what is called the "shift bid". Which essentually means i "might" get the shift i'm looking for, depending on what's available.

Anyway, i think i might go indulge myself in a comic book mission. Then it's off to jam(hopefully), and maybe even record some demos.
Who knows!

No music playing so, yeah, that lasted long...

Had a good time at Bearly's last nite. Heather grabbed me and told me to "Sing a song for her!!". After me saying no to various suggestions it was agreed upon: Bon Jovi "Living on a Prayer".

On the high screaming parts, i thought my throat was going to die.

Other highlights include: swac and ladyfriend doing the GO Go's "Vacation", Jared and Savannah doing Grease "Summer Nights", And Mike D who did the best version of Prince's "Kiss" i've ever heard.

Going to be house/cat sitting at Ian's place this weekend. Probubly check out a few shows. Play some baseball. Do some reading. Take it easy.

Maybe even work on a few songs that i've been meaning to work on.
Anyway, i'm gonna quickly clean my dishes and then enjoy some outdoorsiness.

Yes, i am well aware that "outdoorsiness" isn't a word.
I bite my thumb at you!

Alfred

Modest Mouse
Good News...
Track 3
"Float On"

So It started up on Friday nite. Went to reflections to see Hot shot Robot and Lyle and the new tragedies. Hot shot played a great set, they even played "Pony..", my favorite song on the demo. Then the new tragedies were up, and also played a really tight set. JCS was able to make up for the lack of Ryan's backing vocals and the rest of band did a great job. I left before their set ended and headed to stage nine to see jenn grant an Goodbye Twentieth Century. I only caught the last two songs, but was pretty impressed. Kinda had a Wilco feel to it. Unfortunately, it was the last show with a backing band, and my first and subsequently last time seeing them. Well, at least in this configuration. Anyway, after that i made my way back to reflections. By that time i had a bit of a drink-on going, so some dancefloor brutilization was in order. By the end it was me, jen and jeremy getting our dance on. But i could feel sleepiness take hold and made my way home.

Saturday. The day of the big Halifaxlocals Vs. CBLocals baseball game. And in the spirit of this grand event I went to propeller and got some big beer. I mean that's what you do when you play baseball, right? Anyway, i think the alcohol made me less afraid of the ball cause i was actually catching stuff. And the heckling!!! Ha Ha!! Anyway, we ended up coming back in the ninth inning to win, though i'd say CB played a better game. Anyway i think everyone had fun and , i donno, hopefully noone took it too seriously. I surely wasn't.

After the game Chris, Dale, Ainsley and I went to the LC and hung out at ains's place. And good fuck she has a nice place! So yeah, much discussion about politics and how to break a marine's arm. Went back to Dale's for a bit, then home to shower and change, and then off to the burdocks cd release!! Awesome!! Special Noise, Lighthouse choir, Burdocks: killer sets by all! And yes, i was quite drunk. But it was all good.

Sunday was all about breakfast at vienna, Comic book mission, fantastic four movie with ian.

And Hangover City. Population:Me.

Ryan Adams
Heartbreaker
Track 7
"Call Me On The Way Back Home"

I got waaaay too drunk last nite. And appairantly left messenger on before i left.
Sorry.

Anyway, any baseball related injuries were very minor. my sunburn, however, is probubly quite a different story.

So, yeah, got messenger on now and turned up as fuck, So hopefully you'll wake me if i'm asleep. If not, have a good trip.

alfred

One of these times i'm gonna get caught nodding off during training.
It's inevitable.

Anyway, not too much going on besides that. The weekend should prove to be pretty fun, with rock shows and baseball and friends coming down from cape breton. I'll probubly spend thr rest of the day cleaning and maybe see what's going on at Gus's later (i think the Oh God show is this week...i think).

Actually it's really nice out so maybe i'll do some roaming around.
So, yeah, ummm...i guess that's it.

There was the distinct feeling of dread when jeffery hit the ball. This was quickly followed by a sharp pain in the belly region and me lying flat on my back. I look up, and everyone's standing around me.

"You alright, Alfred?"
"Yeah, yeah...i'm just gonna lay here for a little while."

They call, and yes, i end up playing D&D til 2:30 in the morning.
See? There's a reason I call this "Geekboychamp!"

My parents are in town tomorrow. Hopefully i'll get up early enough to clean up the place a bit and do some laundry.

Anyone wanna give me a wake-up call? Say around 9 tomorrow morning, 429-3846?
Cool!

Later!
alf

Antibiotics+early work=killjoy

Well, at least i got to see all of gilbert switzer. And i'll see yellow jacket avenger on saturday. Anyway, off to bed. I actually have a test tomorrow at work, so that should be interesting.

Wish me luck. Again.

I think i'm coming down with a cold. Bloody hell.

So yeah, the job isn't exactly what i thought it was. Instead of doing tech support for hewett-packard, we actually take orders for them. And the stuff they went over today was so mind-numbingly basic i'm not even going to get into it. Right now the jury's out as to whether or not i'll like this job. Maybe i'll just end up taking the four weeks of training money and running. We'll see.

Right now i didn't come home totally exaused like used to from Canadian Tire, and that's a plus.

Well, i'm off to the first day at my new job. Wish me luck, and i'll reprt back later!

So, between the barbecues, a rock show, drinking myself sober, and Silence of the Lambs, most of the last few days have been spent contemplating my life and what I want out of it. I've had some success making some changes with my life:cutting down my drinking (i think going from five or six days a week to maybe one day is pretty good), quitting and then findinq a job, getting my financial situation in order. Although this week i could feel myself getting pulled back into the drunken abyss that i found myself hovering on a couple months ago. The same abyss i basically threw myself into four years ago when, let's face it, i just totally lost it. I donno, maybe i'm stronger now. Or maybe there really is something to that whole "with age comes wisdom" thing. (nahh, that can't be it)

I think i'm finally coming to terms with the fact that there will always be that one part of my life that will never come together for me. But that doesn't mean i should let the rest of my life go to hell. You just have to let go of that part, and concentrate on the rest. Of course there are times when i've thought i'd done so in the past, when all i did was abandon what i made out to be the symbol of the problem and not the problem itself. A failing on my part which i'm not going to repeat. Some things...fuck it, people...are worth keeping in your life even if there's a bit of pain tacked onto it.

I guess what i'm really talking about is the concept of happiness and one's personnal definition of it, something that i've brought up before. I think everyone has their own take on what would make their life ideally happy. And there's usually more than one factor to contribute to it. The thing is, if one of those factors never falls into place, is the problem your inability to achieve that factor, or is it that it shouldn't have been apart of your concept of happiness in the first place?

So, there's your heavy, psycobabilly post for this month.
Next time i'll talk about the multiple injuries i'll get tomorrow playing baseball!!!

Alfred