Mr. Manager Man

Becoming a manager is a major pain in my ass. Well, not really.

You see, I'm in training to become the manager at my new job in the very near future. The problem is that we're now in month two, and have yet to establish a nice customer base, so the poker room stays busy every day. Last month was cool because we gave away over 200 free memberships, so there were lots of games, and I dealt a ton, etc. Since we basically sell one month subscriptions, the beginning of July marked a drastic change. I have barely worked at all this week. But next week, I'm supposed to train at the front desk, so I'll have that, at least. Unfortunately, that doesn't come with tips, so I'll actually be making less. Blah. I hope this shit doesn't last long, so I can actually get back to work.

ARRRGH

That Oh So Special Word

Everything you wanted to know, and a whole lot more about the word 'fuck.'

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=896790

Angel's Rest

Hiking. (I went)

today.

Really.

I have every Wednesday off. Why? Juggling, of course.

This week, I decided to go on a hike with Nick, on the condition that I get back in time to go to juggling, of course. He took me to a place called Angel's Rest. Nick has been in Portland for like 20 years, so he knows his way around the trails. Lately, he's been taking me hiking now and again (you may remember a trip to Hamilton Mountain a little while back). So far he's two for two as far as cool places to hike.

The sign at the bottom says it's 2.3 miles to the top, and I think that's a reasonable estimate of the trail. Of course it's very uphill. Or not really 'of course.' After all, how would you know that. Anyway, it offers many amazing views of the Columbia River Gorge. My favorite is near the top where you look through a bunch of dead skeletal trees across the river. Several years ago, there was a fire, explaining all the dead trees, but it's amazing how much growth there is, and the contrast between the dead wood and living surroundings is really neat.

There were many cool wildflowers, including larkspur, columbine, and trillium. And on the way down, there were some ripe wild strawberries. Yum.

So yeah, it was a nice hike. Unfortunately, I was a little tired for juggling. But that was probably due to the hot weather.

Until next time.

Lead Dealer

Well, I got a raise at work the other day, and a promotion of sorts, I guess. I am now the 'Lead Dealer' and I've got the business cards to prove it. Yes, they even printed me out some business cards. So the dealing gig is going pretty well so far, and should get even better, once the customers have to pay for their memberships (right now, pretty much everyone is playing for free) because that should weed out several of the people who never tip and bring my wages up. Woohoo.

That's all for now. Cheers.

I'm famous

Well...not really. But if you look really hard, you can see a picture of me dealing cards at my new job here.

A Parade? On Wednesday?

I woke up today to find the streets lined with parked cars. Not that this is all that unusual, but there were many, many, more than are usually there.

A bit later, I had to go to the post office, so I headed that way and what should I discover, but a parade. At 1:15 on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday afternoon. Now I don't know about you, but where I'm from, parades happen on the weekends. I watched for a while and saw a few high school bands, some young gymnasts, and a bunch of kids on unicycles. Kind of neat for an afternoon's walk. Eventually, I found out that it's the Rose Festival Junior Parade. Right on. Go kids!

I guess that solves the mystery of why so many cars are parked outside.

As a slight aside, some kid was humping my front lawn when I returned home. I told him and his buddies to get lost. They did.

What a Waste

Sometimes you hear rather interesting things on the Portland public transportation system, Trimet. For instance, last night, I was on the Max (light rail system) riding home from work when I heard one side of a rather silly phone conversation.

It began with this rather asinine accusation, "You didn't finish your cigarette, did you?"

It continued with an indignant "That's such a waste!" "Yes it is." "Uh huh."

And kept on going for 10 minutes with such statements as "You are a horrible person!" "Waster!!" and "I'm going to beat you when I see you again."

It became apparent that this guy was talking with his girlfriend. Apparently she didn't finish her cigarette and he had a big problem with this. I couldn't believe the conviction with which he engaged in such a silly argument. It was as if he believed that cigarettes are gold and it is a horrible crime to leave even a single viable puff uninhaled.

I guess I'd have to side with the girlfriend. In truth, I think smoking at all is a waste. It's smelly and well, yeah, it's smelly. But if you're gonna smoke, I see no problem with throwing away an unfinished cigarette.