Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Workin' Thru the Holidays

OMG!

Ray Jay is an EXHAUSTED boy.

There are dumb things going on at work, so every shift is an uphill climb for the foreseeable future. But this condition is exacerbating the fact that I'm working on Day 9 of a 12-day work spree. Usually I'm taunting my friends with the fact that I work 4-day work weeks (even though I work a full 40 hours, just like anyone else) but now I'm just hoping I can make it all the way to Saturday.

It hurts.

I mean, the way my shift used to be, I wasn't going going going for the full 10 hours of my shift. But the job has been changing since last September so that my work day has been increasingly filled until I didn't think anything more could be fit into my schedule. But when I found a new groove, more duties were added (or, sometimes, formerly simple(ish) duties are complicated so that they take much longer to accomplish) until I was certain I couldn't do everything during my shift. But then I would find a new groove, and then more junk would pop up.

I'm half-convinced that someone "at the top" wants my department to just up and quit, so they can hire a whole new batch of less-experienced (and cheaper) employees to fill our positions, and they don't have to pay us severance.

But we're all too poor to quit.

Blah.

I'm just venting, I guess.

I hurt. :P

Okay, I need to get back to work.

I hope YOU are ENJOYING your Holidays!!! I wish you more fun, laughs and sheer joy than you know what to do with! If you find yourself feeling like everything is so awesome that you wonder if it's really happening, THAT is the amount of joy I wish for you!

:D

Friday, December 24, 2010

07:25 am

The last few hours of my shift were crazy, and I had to stop at the store to pick up a few items before everything closes down for Christmas, but I'm finally home!

:)

AND SANTA'S ON THE MOVE!!!

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Papau New Guinea!

And you can see me on the map there! I'm off to the right, kind of two o'clock.

Oh, wait. I can see me in the picture (or, you know...Texas, anyway) but the way this blog crops pics, you might not be able to see it.

Never mind.

But when I look at the pic, I almost want to say, "Yo, Saint Nick! Over here! It'll just take a sec and I won't tell anyone!" But the dude's been doin' this a while, and I certainly understand how annoying it can be when you've got a groove going and someone messes with it.

I'm content to wait.

You know what? Since I've become an adult (at least technically) and I've moved in with my little brother, Santa doesn't bring me nearly as many clothes as he used to. Is that weird? I mean, when I was a kid, clothes were, like, the most disappointing presents you could get at Christmas (or on your birthday, or any other occasion on which you might receive presents). But as an adult, I clothes wouldn't bug me anymore. And yet all I get nowadays are cool things that I actually want. (I mean, after I received the clothes, I wore heck out of them and enjoyed them...it was just that moment when you tear off the wrapping paper and open the box that clothes were a disappointment. Nowadays, though, I might actually be excited to open a box and get a shirt or pants, lol.)

Also, I've got more questions about Santa now that I've been investigating the paranormal for a couple of years. I mean, clearly he exhibits abilities that are non-human. And some of the literature refers to him as "a quite jolly old elf". So does that put him in the realm of fairy? (What we would categorize as "an elemental"?) I mean, he appears humanoid, so I'm not leaning toward "cryptid", and we can't rule out "extraterrestrial" or "extra-dimensional" being. (Particularly with his seemingly curious ability to manipulate Space/Time.)

Still, my gut suggests "elemental".

I'm not swayed toward "psychic" because although physical teleportation falls within the realm of "psy" or "psychism", popular reports claim to have witnessed him "rise" up the chimney, not simply vanish. (It seems that if he simply disappeared, the poem would have said something like "and laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, he frickin' disappeared, dude!")

An argument against Santa being extraterrestrial is the classic old documentary Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. The EBEs from Mars seemed to assume that Santa was an Earth native. Which, again, give credence to the "elemental" (or "fairy") categorization.

Still -- like most things having to do with elementals -- the majority of the literature we have to study on the subject is mythology and folklore. (Literally, "fairy tales".) So I don't know how far I could possibly get doing such research.

See, that's one of the main reasons I'm not a ufologist: Ufologists, by necessity, are forced to study their subject second-hand, from the reports of eye witnesses. They always arrive on the scene after the fact. At least cryptozoologists can attempt to track their prey once they discover a likely stomping ground; but ufologists have to depend largely the stories they are told, and dig the truth out from that starting point.

(One of the other main reasons I'm not a ufologist is that they tend to have degrees, and a keen knowledge of subjects like Chemistry and Geology and Astronomy, and other subjects that make my head hurt.)

OOH, CHECK IT OUT!!! Santa's in Australia!!!

8:03 am

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I wanna go to Australia.

First, though, there's a certain goddess in England I would rather visit! ;) Then, it would be awesome to visit Australia with her!!!

If you are deriving any amusement from this blog, you should totally go follow Santa's progress yourself!

Unless, of course, you're reading this after the fact. Then the link would be kind of pointless.

Anyway, I need to get some sleep. My shift tonight should be fairly easy, since it's Christmas Eve and everyone except for Production and the News department has the day off. Still, I need to be alert for those unexpected occasions. (That's probably the only reason my department hasn't been automated yet: Human's deal with the unexpected and the unexplainable a bit better than computer programs...for now.)

Besides, empty TV station or not, Management still frowns on tardiness. ;)

I hope you're having a LOVELY Christmas Eve!!!

And LOVE TO MY GNOMEY if you should happen to read this before we talk!!!

02:52 am

I just peaked in on NORAD's site again, and it looks like the party's about to begin!

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WOO-HOO!!!

I wish I were snuggled up in my living room, watching The Bishop's Wife or Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas, sipping Egg Nog right now.

Not that I'm complaining.

I've been lucky enough to have many Christmases and New Year's Eves off the past few years, so it's only fair that I work through both this year. Besides the one holiday that I MUST get off these days is Thanksgiving, when Brian & I drive up to Louisiana to spend a few days with Mom, her husband and our Gan-Gan. And I've been lucky enough to have that week off every year so far!!!

So I'm content to work this weekend.

Plus...the paycheck's gonna be HUGE! ;P

03:11 am

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02:24 am

I took a quick break to check in on Santa's progress to find that Santa and his helpers are taking a break, too!

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Very groovy! :D

I need to get back to work now, but hopefully Santa and his crew will continue to blow off some steam. I think a person should be allowed to really ENJOY their work shift, you know? Not be forced to rush, rush, rush until you're stressed and ready to hurt folks.

Anyway, I hope YOU are relaxed and really having a GREAT time! (Actually, at 2:24am, I guess I hope you're sleeping comfortably.)

PEACE!!!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

SANTA'S GEARIN' UP!!!

December 24, 2010
01:06 am


I'm working through the holidays, but to get a bit of the spirit, I'm tracking Santa's progress via NORAD's official Santa Tracker site again this year.

It appears that about 6 minutes ago, Santa began preparations for his annual gift-delivering voyage.

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In year's past, I always started tracking Santa on what was, for me (in the Southern United States), Christmas Eve. And I never understood why I had missed the journey. But tonight, when I came into work, just out of curiosity I logged onto http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html to see what was going on, and I saw that the countdown had already begun!

Then I figured it out: Christmas Eve for me is Christmas Day for someone else, lol. I mean, I kind of knew this to some degree because my Gnomey-Goddess is 6 hours ahead of me. But I guess I just didn't realize that the other side of the planet might have a full 24-hour time difference.

Still, it looks like he hasn't left just yet, so maybe it's not a full 24 hours.

Anyway, I hope to continue to track Santa's progress in real-time as my job allows. I'm hoping that by the time Santa hit's Austin I will be feeling all Christmas-y and jolly.