So it is about 10:00 pm and I am walking back to my attic apartment from Burger King when I walk past a bunch of teenagers (five of them I think) dressed rather gangstaly, two of them holding sticks. Immediately afterwards they turn around and start following me, asking me to give them money. Then they surround me, and one of them shows me his gun and says something to the effect that they are to be taken seriously. I ponder the situation for a moment, and then say something to the effect of "If you want the money that badly..." and pull out my wallet and give one of them all the cash in it (one 5 and seven to nine 1's.) One of them snatches my wallet from my hand, so I snatch it back because there is no way I'm letting them have my check card. The one with the gun holds it against the back of my head. I can feel my heart pounding and I realize I just might die. Then one of them seems to get a bit of common sense and calls the others off, telling me to just go. I of course do
Suddenly I'm not so keen on living in New Jersey anymore.
Though that was probably the worst day of my entire life, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for: I didn't die or get injured, I didn't kill or injure the kids that robbed me, I managed to get away without losing my wallet and all the important things inside of it, and now I have a very good reason not to go out to eat late at night. I mean who knows, this traumatic experience might end up saving me money in the long run.
Not terribly proud of it, but I do really hope those punks reap what they sew. Maybe lung cancer at 19 or something.
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
June 13, 2007
June 6, 2007
A recent post
Well, I suppose now is as good a time as ever to write about my life since moving to New York (although I suppose two or three months ago would have been better).
I will start out by saying that life is pretty decent for me out here. I don't have financial woes of any sort, and I have little trouble getting to where I need or want to go. A major negative of my life are the fact that having my job, in addition to living a 1.5 hour commute away from it means I have little to no free time except on my days off. However, those are also a problem because I work the night shift and am thus acclimated to sleeping while the rest of society does things. This, combined with a severe lack of quality television leaves me incredibly bored. My best bet is going to a movie right after I wake up.
Social-wise I am not so well off. With my busy schedule of work, sleep, and occasionally eating working alongside my reserved nature I have yet to make any friends. I suspect this could someday change, however. I have recently started attending a new church that bears a number of similarities to The Rock (they even have a series starting next week called God on Film), and in a week or two I'll be having my first meeting in one of their "Growth Groups". My chances of hitting my head on a ceiling fixture are pretty good.
Speaking of eating, apparently I am doing a lot less of it, as I have lost around 25 pounds since moving here. As I am currently lacking freezer or refridgerator space, I can't effectivly grocery shop and thus must eat out a great deal. I am planning on purchasing a mini-fridge to circumvent this.
My job itself is horribly dull and unengaging; the only plus is that I have time to write blog entries like this one. Officially my job is to enter data into the computer system concerning mechanical defects on the Amtrak train cars, but this takes up perhaps twenty minutes of my ten hour shift (four days a week). I also end up helping my supervisors make stuff in Excel, though sadly it never involves actual functions.
In conclusion, taxes suck.
I will start out by saying that life is pretty decent for me out here. I don't have financial woes of any sort, and I have little trouble getting to where I need or want to go. A major negative of my life are the fact that having my job, in addition to living a 1.5 hour commute away from it means I have little to no free time except on my days off. However, those are also a problem because I work the night shift and am thus acclimated to sleeping while the rest of society does things. This, combined with a severe lack of quality television leaves me incredibly bored. My best bet is going to a movie right after I wake up.
Social-wise I am not so well off. With my busy schedule of work, sleep, and occasionally eating working alongside my reserved nature I have yet to make any friends. I suspect this could someday change, however. I have recently started attending a new church that bears a number of similarities to The Rock (they even have a series starting next week called God on Film), and in a week or two I'll be having my first meeting in one of their "Growth Groups". My chances of hitting my head on a ceiling fixture are pretty good.
Speaking of eating, apparently I am doing a lot less of it, as I have lost around 25 pounds since moving here. As I am currently lacking freezer or refridgerator space, I can't effectivly grocery shop and thus must eat out a great deal. I am planning on purchasing a mini-fridge to circumvent this.
My job itself is horribly dull and unengaging; the only plus is that I have time to write blog entries like this one. Officially my job is to enter data into the computer system concerning mechanical defects on the Amtrak train cars, but this takes up perhaps twenty minutes of my ten hour shift (four days a week). I also end up helping my supervisors make stuff in Excel, though sadly it never involves actual functions.
In conclusion, taxes suck.
November 29, 2006
A minor and unnecessary review of last week
I've done a bit in the last week or so with the copious amounts of free time that I tend to have.
First and perhaps foremost, the RPG I am running seems to be going pretty well, and by that I mean I've only heard complaints about the one time I made them climb the impossible wall.
I also actually wrote a bit of fiction recently. Nothing too spectacular, just your basic human-learns-something-no-human-should-and-goes-bonkers short story in the form of a personal journal kept by the main character. My biggest (and only) fan insists that it is great and that I should write more, but I really don't know.
As it turns out, I'll have to get my siblings real presents this Christmas. Apparently knives are not appropriate for a child, nor is a cutting board appropriate for anyone except perhaps my father. Hopefully I'll come up with something before Christmas Eve.
My professional life remains stagnant, which is to say that I have no such thing.
First and perhaps foremost, the RPG I am running seems to be going pretty well, and by that I mean I've only heard complaints about the one time I made them climb the impossible wall.
I also actually wrote a bit of fiction recently. Nothing too spectacular, just your basic human-learns-something-no-human-should-and-goes-bonkers short story in the form of a personal journal kept by the main character. My biggest (and only) fan insists that it is great and that I should write more, but I really don't know.
As it turns out, I'll have to get my siblings real presents this Christmas. Apparently knives are not appropriate for a child, nor is a cutting board appropriate for anyone except perhaps my father. Hopefully I'll come up with something before Christmas Eve.
My professional life remains stagnant, which is to say that I have no such thing.
November 25, 2006
Christmas Shopping: Five birds with one stone
Or steak, rather. As it turns out, Omaha Steaks is running a mildly sweet deal for the holidays; buy their overpriced merchandise and you get it for half off AND you get free gifts.
For my mother and father I purchased six 6 oz. "Top Sirloins". For my sister who lives at her own place is the first free gift; six 1/4 burgers (maybe. I might just make that a more generalized family gift and get her something else). The free gift of a 6-piece cutlery set goes to my dear little brother, because I am obviously not sane enough to think of a good reason why an 11 year old shouldn't have his own knives (seriously, though, I think he'll like it). And for the second of my sisters is the third and perhaps most astonishing free gift of all; a small cutting board. I'm sure she won't find it utterly infuriating. Unfortunately, I have three sisters altogether, but I've already picked out a CD for the third one.
All in all, a good Saturday.
For my mother and father I purchased six 6 oz. "Top Sirloins". For my sister who lives at her own place is the first free gift; six 1/4 burgers (maybe. I might just make that a more generalized family gift and get her something else). The free gift of a 6-piece cutlery set goes to my dear little brother, because I am obviously not sane enough to think of a good reason why an 11 year old shouldn't have his own knives (seriously, though, I think he'll like it). And for the second of my sisters is the third and perhaps most astonishing free gift of all; a small cutting board. I'm sure she won't find it utterly infuriating. Unfortunately, I have three sisters altogether, but I've already picked out a CD for the third one.
All in all, a good Saturday.
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