The Big Ole Labour Daybour: Work Posting 'Cause bored.

Ah classic me, working on a stat with very little to do and no reason to really care. Not that I every really have a reason to care, I'm not a guy who cares much about things. People yes, things no. I worry very little, which is a great way to save myself some stress.  

Anywho, it's the first monday in September and I've got two less brothers in the country to show for it? Brostralia is a go, and my best wishes go with them. Being a person who doesn't really "miss" people in the standard sense, I'm mostly just excited for them. Now to spend a month living with just me and Bella (a dog) in my little suite. I'm looking forward to it, even if sudden scheduling has me working...a lot. Oh well, it's good for the survival (and more than survival) fund. I may even do some rearranging of furniture that I've been contemplating... though I need a better vacuum for cleaning before I decide to cover change where things are (and therefore both covering and exposing potentially poorly cleaned carpet). I should do that when I get home... I'm gonna set an alarm... ... ... Alright, alarm set. Man, I love smartphones. Tiny little surprisingly powerful computers that we keep on your persons pretty well constantly. So neat and useful to the point of "I'm pretty sure we're dependant on them." 

Anywho, an hour and a half left and I'm still not doing things at work. I get the occasional phone call and people are surprised that I answer thinking that we wouldn't be open, literally saying "I didn't think you'd be open!" This phrasing sort of vexes me, I mean, if you didn't think we'd be open then why'd you call? A better phrase to say would be something like "Oh good, you are open," implying that you were calling to see if we were. Meh, it's not like it really matters. 

Hrmm, contemplating starting up a creative writing blog when I just post tiny made up things, possibly story continuations or maybe completely random stuff. I think it could be good brain excersize. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the mental vomit that is my ramblings (I just spew it out, no real control or direction aside from into a specific container [aka: this blog] and it happens relatively infrequently...dangit I love/hate how accurate that description is), but something for a more...measured aspect of my brain could be a lot of fun. Though, to be honest, typing on this little keyboard is surpringly taxing... I may also want to get a laptop for typing purposes. Nothing major, just a little thing that handles...word processing...and...like maybe some usb audio input stuff for other projects. I'll keep an eye out for something that suits those needs. 

Unrelated: something that popped into my head just now that my family probably all knows. I'm a guy who eats to survive, yes, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating good food. I don't particularly care about what I'm eating when I'm by myself as long as it fills me up and has decent nutritional value. I don't sit down to have a meal, I just kinda grab something and go. However, I do have quite an appreciation for quality food, what with the chefdad and whatnot. I know how to tell good food from the bad (even if I'll still eat just about anything). There are some circles that call me the Garbage Cam, 'cause whatever food you'd've otherwise thrown out I will almost certainly eat. Fortunately I don't take any offense to that nickname, though I may want to be more discerning in what I eat... Meh, I keep it pretty balanced, I should be fine.

Oh, right, I was gonna get a fancy pen for drawing on my tablet...I should re-look into that. I'll add that to the label of my other alarm. Again with the "I should just be creative for a month straight to force habit" thing. I'll do that at some point, I'm just currently acquiring tools to make it easier, I'm no good at finger drawing (and drawing fingers [not 100% accurate but I'm a perfectionist]. I will say that even with my limited practice I have been doing I've noticed improvement in my linework. I need to work on EVERYTHING ELSE and I should probably do that thing where you use base shape skeletons ('cause boy howdy do I not use those, which may actually imply that I'm more creative than I think) so... yeah, practice. They say practice makes progress ('cause pobody's nerfect) so that's probably a good idea. Flip, I talk about how much I should do things that I'm not actually doing. I currently blame WoW:Legion, what with it having come out last week and me wanting to experience it and progress through it. Also the whole leadup to Brostralia involved being with family a bunch and while that's good it's rather impeding. Also also I've been working a lot and rarely want to actually do things when I'm off work. Speaking of, being at work gives me a surprising amount of motivation to do not-work things...it might be all the caffiene. I do drink a lot of tea at work when it's slow.

Alright, that's enough out of me. Happy Labour Day and whatnot, I'm out.

Cheers,

~Cam

Nonsense for the Sake of Nonsense aka: Talking to Myself

So, here we are again. Me: a guy working at a paint store and it being slow, you: a person who stumbled across my inane ramblings. The consistency of these meetings is baffling, how does it always happen like this? I mean, we keep running into each other here, it's like fate or destiny (which are almost the same thing? yeah...) that we should be in each others lives. So with that, let us being anew!

Sooo, how are things? Mhmm, mhmm, oh that's neat. Go on, yeah, yeah? Really? Huh, never woulda thought. Good for you, glad things are turning out that way. Me? Oh, you know, same old same old, still alive and still making colours and stuff, I live a pretty consistent life but I'm mostly content. Only mostly? Oh, yeah, well, I figure I could be better at some things I do and I wouldn't mind if I was better at friending and/or staying in contact with people, but those things aside I'm pretty happy with who I am and the people in my life which is all that really matters, right? Yeah, I think so too. The things I want to improve on? Oh nothing really important, just creative type stuffs that I haven't been making a big effort to work on, probably 'cause I've been working a lot and don't have a lot of alone time. Nah, it's not that big of a deal, I just tend to be more open and creative when alone, I find it hard to really let loose when there are other people around. I think I might be unconsciously choosing to avoid interfering with whatever they're doing by being quiet and out of the way, so I kind of turtle into my own little world. It involves a lot of wearing headphones and not-talking, this little world of mine, but it's a place of my choosing where I can escape from people. Nothing against my roomy and his dog, they're great, but I'm a super introvert and would happily live alone if it was a feasible option for various reasons. I feel far less confined when no one's around, inhibitions just fly out the window, there's much more grooving and singing and playing things at a not-headphones level of sound...I mean, it's not constant, but the likelihood of those things occuring is increased quite drastically.  Being less inhibited tends to get more things done, just in general, I seem to be struck with inspiration and motivation more frequently when I'm by myself. You know how the really extraverted people tend to not know the difference between being alone and being lonely? I'm super the opposite of that, I rarely if never feel lonely by myself but it has occasionally happened when I'm with a group of people. I bet some people can't even fathom that idea, being lonely while with a bunch of people. Granted, that only really happens if it's a group I'm either not very familiar with or don't know at all, but it's not exactly a common occurance (possibly because I don't actually go out much if at all, but that's another topic for another day). I've officially lived alone for like less than two months, during which I was working six days a week 'cause a coworked had left for a rial company and we had literally no time to replace him (it took like 3 months, plus then training that person, I was working 6 days a week for a solid 4-5 months, I got very tired), so I haven't really had time to just be in a place by myself when not tired constantly. Actually, as it so happens, for like a month starting in September I'll be living alone (with a dog, so only sort of alone) because of a certain Brostralia trip that's happening, so I guess I'll have a decent chance to see what the solo life's like...hopefully, we may also be looking for/hiring a new person to train around then, so I may again be doing the six days a week thing. I know it's not really a tough job and it's been pretty slow lately, but it's still working retail and people suck (in general as a broad statement) so stress levels get pretty high... especially if there's a big sale in the middle of it (which means we'd also be open on sundays, so that's rotating 13 days straight for us [we trade off so that we don't actually go insane]) and september seems like the time when the company might spring another one on us. 

Unrelated, you know how life is hard sometimes? Yeah, sure is... Actually I had nowhere to go with that statment, my life isn't that hard currently. I've got relatively few expenses, I'm in relatively good health (I think, I haven't had any issues that I'm aware of... I should probably get a check up at some point), I sleep fine more often than not, I've got people in my life that care about me which is swell, other good things that I can't think of right this second. So yeah, life's treating me alright for some reason. I have no idea why though... I mean, I like to think of myself as a nice person and treat people well, I'm fairly certain I could be classified as generous and helpful, so I've got that stuff going for me, but there's a part of me that feels like I haven't earned what I've got. I don't really think that, but there's a small nagging doubt about it, kinda like how I've got this small part of me that's all like "What if I'm actually super dumb and people are just humouring me?" I guess nagging doubts are just part of a human experience, and they probably don't really mean much, but if I weren't as cheerful and jovial as I am already I'm pretty sure I'd just be sad and guilt-ridden constantly. Granted, eliminate the cheer and joy out of most people and you'll probably end up with sadness incarnate or just straight raw fury, so I guess that's kind of a moot point. Bummers aside, I think it could be worth it to explore these nagging doubts at least enough to find evidence against them so they can freakin' shut their dern mouths. Silly little brain mouths all spouting garbage and trying to make you feel bad for no reason. Ugh. Regardless, not now, maybe elsewhen. 

Have I mentioned recently that I love the term "elsewhen?" It basically just means "later" in most contexts because time (as we experience it) is linear, but nobody uses it. It's like "elsewhere" but for time. I'm the only person I know that actively uses it, which is fun. Added perk of nearly everyone immediately understanding it because it's so similar to a fairly common word.

That seemed like something I've said before. I mean, I know I say that to people fairly regularly, but I'm having a reasonable amount of deja vu involving typing it. I've probably put it in the blog at some point, but since when have I been one to go back and look at things I've written before? Basically never, that's when...except maybe for some stories I never finished. Continuity's important for good longterm story telling, yo. Barring those exceptions that may very well never see the light of...internet... I rarely if never look back to prior posts, especially for these rambly type ones, kinda defeats the purpose of rambling, don't it? Rambling AND fact checking? Bah! Ain't nobody got time for that! Heck, I barely fact check in real life, I just say things with confidence and people believe me more often than not. Granted, I rarely talk in such ways without actually knowing, and people can basically look up anything anywhere thanks to phones and internet. It's kinda crazy how powerful these tiny computers have become, sitting in our pocket is more computing power than was even available like 15 years in desktop PCs, and while this is probably common knowledge it kind of blows my mind a little every time I think about it. The pace at which technology is proceeding is...well it's very quick. So quick that I'm a touch leery about where technology's going to end up, because one of the next big milestones for it is physical integration. This could go all sorts of ways, both good and bad, being anywhere from restoring people's lost appendages with tech that you can actively feel with and control with your brain (good) or so heavily integrated that theoretically people could be controlled to do things they otherwise wouldn't (bad). It's still all very up in the air, and I'm not really gonna swing one way or the other, the technology itself is not inherently good or evil, it's what you do with it that matters. I'm just an advocate for seeing things from multiple points of view, don't take one person's ideas and opinions to be the be-all end-all for your own.

Super unrelated: I get a decent chunk of comments at work about how, when hammering paint lids on with a rubber mallet, it must be a good way to vent frustration to do that. This is utter and complete bullhonkey, if I were venting anger/frustation on the paint lids I'd have broken a lot more paint cans. I'm hitting these lids with very, VERY controlled strikes in order to minimize unnecessary effort and get them on quickly. I'm a pretty large guy, if I were to take the mallets and swing with large force things would probably not end well. So yeah, definitely not exerting my full force on these cans.

Anywho, I got busy at like 4:30 and now I'm just wrapping it up at home base.

Cheers!

~Cam

Ramblings Beckon from Whence Snow Came

The hardest part of this blogging thing is figuring out a post title. Seriously. I'm at wits end for no good reason. Gah. Something about snow and work and rambling maybe? Let's see...uh...how about..."Ramblings: Work & Snow Mk.II" or maybe "Ramblings Beckon from Whence Snow Came" because it's effectively nonsense. Yeah, I like my nonsensical titles, especially for nonsensical blogrambles. That seems reasonable. BRB, entering title.

Mkay, done. Now down to business. Or buisness, 'cause that's fun to say. Buisness. Like, bweesness, the "W" sound makes it more fun.  Regardless, let's do this. That is to say, ramble.

Snow's pretty, but it's been literally snowing all day. This could make for a tricky walk home. Good thing I've got solid waterproof hiking boots for wintertown travel. I've had 'em for years and they've served me well. If/when they ever get to a point of unrecoverable ruin I fully intend to buy a new pair as close to them as I can. Semi-related, I need new runners/walkers/non-winters. My current ones laste me a good two years, which is a lot for me and shoes, but they're past the point of no return. I should check sporting goods stores, this seems like the time of year when they'd have runners on sale, what with the "only crazy people be running in this snow" situation. Mayhaps next week, but I'll probably forget, 'cause I totally forget these things. Heck, I barely remember what happened earlier in the paragraph.

Speaking of coherence when writing, I'm pretty sure that the previously stated "what did I just write?" syndrome I'm subject to is at least partially to blame for my "little to no structure" writing.  Also the occasional "Oh crap a customer" leading to a "what was I saying?" moment. Good thing I refer to these as ramblings, eh? Though I wouldn't mind trying my hand at some creative writing, but I tend to need something to trigger the inspiration. I've got a handful of entirely not-fleshed out tales in my head, but the fleshing out will take some doing. I should work on that...I say that about a lot of things, huh? Whelp, that's what I get for being a jack-of-all-trades.

*Yawn*...Whoa, just got hit with a wave of sleepitude. I guess I didn't get that much sleep last night, so it sort of makes sense. It was still a pretty intense wave of tired. Good thing I've only got ~3 hours left. Random note: I had a minor panic when my tilde button was NOT where I'm used to it being. I like using the tilde! It makes me look sophisticated or some such nonsense. I actually just find it aesthetically pleasing and like using it to say "approximately" though I'm not sure if that's the proper usage of it...I should look that up. BRB.

Okay back, apparently I use the tilde in the common informal way, which is widely accepted and understood. Good, I'm not just crazy. I mean, I'm definitely crazy but there's backing for my usage of the tilde. I feel justified. 

Unrelated topic, go! So I was recently reminiscing about times spent with the guild (Woo, I'm a geek!) and I came to the sudden but innevitable realization that I CAN reminisce about my guild. I've been playing World of Warcraft with the same people since at least 2008, possibly earlier. It's now 2016. That's a long time. Granted, we haven't played consistently throughout the years due to content droughts and burning out on virtual walls (mostly in the form of bosses we can't seem to beat), but there's a good 7-15 of us who have stuck together with little to no drama and being reasonable to each other. At this point we're probably just actually friends who get together through virtual means. I'm actually one of the younger members too, but I'm not sure how much that comes into play (answer: probably none). I'm also the token Canadian, because apparently that's a thing. Also I was the straight man of the guild, though I'm not sure how well I really pulled that role off (I'm not super confident in my comedic talents). I think I've mentioned in the past that we have crazy stories about each other that just compound into more ridiculous stories, and that still holds true, though they've been less prevalent as of late. Still there and fondly remembered, but we don't need the medium ton convey affection. Also a lot of those stories revolved around the drama makers, most of which we've weeded out by now, so there's just less to work with.

Dang, now I feel like writing on my gaming blog. I should also do that...maybe later, maybe right after this. Good thing my blogs are all tied to this one email, I can switch between them at will. Semi-related, after thinking about it, if/when talking to someone who shared my interests I'd probably have a lot more to respond to the "what's new" question everyone asks (my normal response is "not much, I'm not that exciting" or some such ilk). I could go on and on about these new things I've done and challenges accomplished and what I was working on finishing, and what actually happened when I tried these things, all of which happen in a virtual world (of warcraft, more often than not). This does happen occasionally when I'm with the right group of friends, though I'm probably the biggest MMO gamer of the group, so I'm still a little at odds with them (though the margin is much much slimmer than most other people).

ANYWHO, geekiness aside (though that encapsulates a lot of what I am currently and probably forever) I should probably try to avoid alienating my audience (HA! Audience...like more than a handful of people read this stuff) but unfortunately I've gotta end it there as I now only have 20 minutes left before the store's supposed to be closed (I've already done a bunch of the closing stuff, but you can't tell 'cause there's no timestamps in this thing...maybe I should do timestamps...I'll think about it.) So with that I bid thee farewell. Until next time!

Cheers

~Cam

The Workiest of Posts: Satur-dull edition

Welcome back! Or "Hello" for the first time. Today, in this work edition blog post, we'll be discussing assorted topics that I'm not sure what they are yet. Let's begin.

To kick things off, a bit of clarification: we can absolutely discuss the topics that come up, but that'll mostly be after the fact as I'm not currently talking to anyone. That being said, I'm (almost) always willing to talk 'bout stuff and things or whatever. 

Disclaimer over; Real talk, go!

I'm a big fan of sharing excitement and experiences. To be a part of someone jumping into a new adventure and watching them see things that I've become disenchanted with fills me with vigor and vicarious excitement. This past week has had a decent amount of that for me. I've recently gotten a friend to join me in a game I've been playing for almost two years now, and he's almost entirely brand new to it. It's great to see how excited he gets for all these things that I know so well, being able to share in his excitement is a wonderful things. Actually, the same thing happened with him and a show I adore (called Steven Universe, it's possibly the best cartoon I've seen, and just a genuinely good show), and he now adores it too so we can get excited about it together, which is splendid. He and I really are two peas in a pod. 

Speaking of Steven Universe, I freakin' love that show. It's clever, and charming, gets you invested in the characters, shows the characters growing beautifully at an appropriate pace, heart warming, eventually becomes heart wrenching because you've become so invested in the characters, surprisingly poignant, funny with great one-liners and puns (e.g. Steven, holding a plate of stacked waffles: "It's not exactly healthy, but it's in a stack, so I guess you could call it, a balanced breakfast!"[the delivery of that line in the show is so on point]), takes itself both seriously and not seriously simultaneously, has great musical numbers and tone-setting background music. All in all, it's a marvellously crafted work of entertainment that I have found little to no flaw in since its debut. It's one of the, like, three things I could wax poetic about but will avoid so as to not get anymore crazy. Rest assured, I could go on for pages about it, but I won't.

Now let's talk music. Lately I've been listening to Mother Mother and Modest Mouse almost exclusively. Why? I dunno, but that's what's been happening. Probably because I'm subjected to 70s music at work all the time, so I need something different and more modern during the brief windows of time when I'm walking around and listening to music. I don't tend to listen to music at home, I've often get YouTube videos or Netflix playing whilst on my computer. I like music, I really do, but I like a lot of other things too. I'm also not that explorative when it comes to finding new music (though I have been enjoying some Mystery Skulls a bit recently, which was entirely a YouTube find [apparently my phone autocorrects the "Y" and "T" in YouTube to be capitalized...] ), I'm just a guy who doesn't like change so my music in my phone doesn't change that frequently. Meh, I enjoy it, that's all I can really ask for. If I find or am introduced to new stuff I like I'll probably add it to my phone's repertoire.

Let's see... what else to talk about... um... I think I might be spent for topics for the time being. Well, that's to be expected, work posts are rarely that exciting. Fun fact, all of 1 person has showed up at the store since I started typing this and all he wanted to know was where to dispose of old paint (the answer is Chaser's Bottle Depot, for those in Vernon looking to get rid of old/bad paint.) so that was exciting. 

Sign off time. I'll catch y'all on the flip side.

Cheers

~Cam