If only I could say it . . .

As it is summer, and I am yet again stuck with *two* jobs, I find myself wanting to NOT work and instead goof off. Blogging is a pretty good time-consuming remedy, and I can even convince myself that I am still doing something relevant to my career aims. English majors are expected to write, right?

So as I sit here, trying to decide whether an apology is necessary for that last pun, I am thinking about my job. Oh, that's right I have two. Well, only one of them pays so I'm gonna focus on that one:

Since last September, I've worked at an Old Navy part-time. Originally, I liked the job, and I still do for the most part. I have a crazy schedule, and we have enough people working there that I can take off pretty much whenever I need to. Now, outside of my actual job duties, I've observed quite a bit of human behavior. I often find myself thinking responses to customers that I could never say aloud, but have no qualms about posting here:

• A prayer: "Dear God, please bless this woman with the realization that yes, she should get a larger size. Amen."

• "We do not keep things 'in the back,' hiding that size small royal blue tank top that you want on purpose, as you are insinuating. We have no 'evil plans' or personal grudge against you, so get over yourself. Someone else bought it and WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE."

• "There is a lock on the bathroom door. Guess what it does? As a matter of fact, it WILL keep you from bitching me out about walking in there while you're doing your thing."

• "Please do not breast-feed your infant in the fitting room. I can hear the suckling, and in five minutes when your precious darling spits up, I will have to clean your breast milk off the floor."

• "Writing graffiti on the bathroom walls of an Old Navy is just weird . . . you came here voluntarily to shop, and I don't see what writing 'Old Gayvy' on a wall is really going to accomplish. I'll just end up having to clean it off, anyway."

• "Your husband/wife is a jerk/bitch, you can do bett

What I've Been Reading

Summer is such a great time to chill out and read. I've made a run-down of some of the books I've liked so far:


1.
Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls is one of my favorite books by her. A lot of her books teeter on the edge of a cheesy love and loss story and an intriguing plot. This one had a few twists that weren't exactly believable, but it was a good one overall. The courtroom scenes were very good!



Plot: Jack St. Bride has just been released from jail for raping a teenage student of his. He claims to not have committed the crime. He gets a job as a dishwasher at Addie Peabody's Do-or-Diner, and the two become romantically involved. The town of Salem Falls learns he is a registered sex offender and they want him kicked out of town. A group of girls in the town secretly practice Wicca, a form of nature-magic. The leader of the coven, Gillian Duncan becomes infatuated with Jack and tries to lure him to her. After some odd occurrences, Jack is accused of raping Gilly, and the rest of the book focuses on the trial and his relationship with Addie.









2. The one everyone is talking about: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. This is a great book for young teen girls. I like the plot and characters, but so many of the scenes are just so melodramatic and lovey-dovey (which is why it's great for young teens). And the plot gets even more ridiculous with the sequels New Moon and Eclipse. But it's a fun book, and totally unrealistic. That being said, I can't wait to see the movie December 12.



Plot: Bella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix to small-town-overcast-Forks, Washington. Bella is an awkward person who finds herself being popular due to her status as a novelty in Forks. At school, she notices the Cullens, a group of pale but beautiful kids who are ostracized from the other kids. They're all adopted. Edward Cullen is her lab partner and they do not initially get along very well. However, Edward saves Bella from a car hitting her with some sort of inhuman strength that he later denies. Turns out, Edward and his family are vampires who have pledged not to taste human blood. Edward and Bella fall in love, and face another crazy vampire who wants to kill Bella.









3. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is the book that spawned my interest in fantasy and science fiction writing. It's an easy read with a few holes that are later explained in other parts of the series of Pern books.



Plot: Lessa, a 21 year old, is working as a drudge on rural planet Pern in the hold of Ruatha. However, before a violent invasion that made her a virtual slave, Lessa had been daughter to the Lord of Ruatha. F'lar, a dragonrider, is searching for female candidates to bond and ride the golden queen dragon that is soon to hatch. He is impressed with Lessa's skills and determination, and she Impresses the gold queen Ramoth. The purpose of dragons is to fight Thread, a substance that falls from the sky every few hundred years and kills every organic substance it touches. However, Thread has not fallen on Pern for 400 years, making the lords and some of the dragonriders disbelieve its existence. F'lar and Lessa do not believe Thread is gon, and plan for its return. When it does return, the dragonriders are constantly exhausted due to their low numbers. Lessa finds a way to have more dragons at a great personal risk . . .




Now, I do realize that all three of these are by female authors; that was not intentional. Also, while I'm not a feminist or anything, I really respect Anne McCaffrey as a female science-fiction writer. It's hard enough to get novels published and mass-produced, and she did it at a time when female sci-fi writers were pretty much unheard of.

What Do You Mean, "Take It Easy?"

Summer: No school, beach, and no worries.

Why aren't my summers ever like that? I feel like I'm the only dork who looks forward to school starting so she can relax. Every summer since I was a kid consisted of various camps and family trips. So if I wasn't gone, I was either packing or training for whatever it was I was doing next.

I specifically bring up family vacations because I am embarking on one tomorrow. Every year, I try my hardest to convince my parents that my participation is unnecessary. Every year I fail. This year, instead of really going on a trip, we're going to see my grandfather and two of my aunts -- who happen to live near a beach.

This mainly sucks for two reasons:

1. My aunts are rarely on good terms with one another. Constant bickering drives me nuts.

2. It's hard to flirt and have a good time at the beach when my parents and younger brother are there -- and they're always there. Always.

Family vacations in general suck because my family never does what I want to do. Last year, we drove around Tennessee, spending the majority of time in Gatlinburg and Chattanooga. My mom got to shop for clothes. My dad and my brother raced go-carts and bought a large number of unnecessary swords and knives. I got to watch my mother try on outfits that look identical to the ones she already has and pretended to be interested in whatever pointy thing my brother was talking about. I wanted to go hiking. As a matter-of-fact, I was promised hiking. It was the selling point to convince me to go and be nice. But, no one wanted to go, and I had no means of transportation. Another great part about family vacations: one vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I really try to be optimistic (actually, "kinda-try" might be a bit more accurate) about the summer. My job is filling all of my weekdays, (and some of my weekends) and on weekends I just want to curl up on the couch with a book I haven't read a million times before.

Vacations updates will hopefully be given, I think the hotel in Rehobeth has wireless . . . if not, God help me . . .