"You see, George, you really have had a wonderful life." - Clarence the Angel in It's a Wonderful Life

My day was lackluster at best to begin with. But when you are at bottom, you can only go up. It went up.
After I worked, i spoke with my friend who was mad at me. We got the whole thing straightened out. Water under the bridge now. I went to a bit of class, then I went to play racketball with some freinds. John beat me, but i beat Jake 2 out of three. the third was only a half game, so i feel good about it. Then we had a meeting, Mom was nice about it.
I went to dinner and after Jake paid for me to have a ton of games of DDRMax (the dancing game that i am now addicted to) for my B-day. Shem played with it. I had the best games of my life. It was killer.
then i went to take a test which i was so not willing to do, but ended up getting an 'A' on! Not just an 'A', but 100%!
After that, i helped Lehua with the stuff right before I went to Erika's work, a Mac lab on campus. The plan was just to watch a movie, or so i was told. We walked in and there was a tower of mini chocolate donughts with 24 candles and Erika. Suddenly, about 15 of my good freinds on campus showed up. They were really well hidden. I thought there was no way they could be hidding in that small of a room. They sang, i blew out the candles, and got gifts. It really, really made me feel good. I made a speach and everybody made me feel like a star. It really was MY day. Talk about redemption. That was truly the best b-day gift ever. Then, they said they got a movie that i would like. they couldnt find "army of darkness" (my favorite move), but one that is just about as good. then i saw a DVD menu for a moive made for me. It was a slide show with some cool thoughts about me and a song i love "Take a Picture" by Filter. I So did not see that one comming. It was such a cool thing. And it was touching. No tears, but i could have...
I was having quite a funk, and felt that I would not enjoy my day at all. It turned out to be a GREAT birthday.
So, now i sit at a Mac at Erika's work as we watch Better Off Dead, which for once in a long time, I don't think is the case for me right now.
I didnt have to see what life would be like without me. I didnt need to have my wife and kids around, nor parents or siblings, neices or nephews. I just had to have some of the best friends a guy could ask for. I wine and moan my fair amount, but at the risk of sounding corny...It's a Wonderful Life.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...You would cry too if it happened to you." - It's My Party by Leslie Gore

Class! Class! Please sit down. Kvetching 101 is about to being. I trust you all received you syllabus? Good. I will just jump right in with a prime example of "Kvetching."

In my life, I have now had 24 birthdays to speak of. Twenty Five if you figure that you start counting at zero and the first one I was alive for was the one in which I was born. I don't think that was a very good one for me. I was purple and in a coma, but I moved on.
When I turned 10 (I'm not sure exactly which age due to repression) I had another great one. I invited all of my "friends" over. Meaning I had to beg people to come, what with me being the most popular of kids. I had at least 10 boys I was expecting. And my mom even made me invite a kid that I couldn't stand. His name was Martin Prince. Now that I look back, his first name might be different (Martin Prince is actually the kid bart cant stand on The Simpsons) but I called him "The German Prince-ess" because he used to wear lederhosen to church. A creative use of his last name if you ask me. Not surprisingly, he did show up...only an hour late. I was just waiting for my best friend John to show up. He had to go to some scout camp. Oh well. Others will come...uh...hello...is this thing on? I built it. No one came. Where were they? So I spent that birthday with a sympathetic mom and "the German Prince-ess" that I couldn't stand at the time. Hoo-ra!

 
My birthday so far has been less than 12 hours in the making and has proved to suck eggs quite well thus far.

 
Yesterday, Anuj (another RA I work with) asked to borrow my key since he lost his. I looked at the schedule to see if I was still working. I was promised the day off by the other RA's. Anuj assured me that he would come in, that's why he needed the key. I gave it up. I was in an odd sort of funk, the kind where you hate life and don't know why. I go to lunch and wonder of wonder, miracles of miracles, the Wonder Years is on TV. I sit close so as to watch it. A friend sits next to me and she is obviously somewhat peeved with me. This wasn't the first time, and I really, REALLY doubt it will be the last. I figured when it bugged her enough, she'd come talk to me. I let her have her cool off time. That and I couldn't think for the life of my what I could have possibly done this time. I then went to class and failed a test miserably. I then went to my room to get the ONLY solace that I can find; sleep.
I woke ate dinner, then went to go babysit the son of my sister Wendy's friend. They were here on vacation and didn't want the baby at the PCC night show. During the babysitting, Fei called. I don't know for the life of me how she could have gotten my cell number. I didn't give it to her for a reason. She has her ways. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad, and it was nice to talk to her. Then she wanted the WHOLE Sadie story. Last she heard, we were still together. So I had to tell her that we were not. I didn't feel like getting into details. As I was walking back with Jake to campus from the Closet house after babysitting, it began to rain on us. I got back to my Hale to work on a hard and stupid program for CS201 with JaiCi. At this time, the Fit hit the Shan with the friend who was mad at me. I had to run around and get yelled at by every female i knew, one by one. I went crazy by the end of the night. Turns out, something another one of my friends said about a friend got back to that friend as MY quote. Figures. Finally, I got to my room, it was now my birthday, and I thought I could stay up late since Anuj had the office for me. I watched Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray. I love that movie. I so want that to happen to me. I was disappointed to note that it was in-fact another day, and I would have to live it.
I could tell it was a different day because my alarm went off latter than usual. I was trying to sleep in. I heard a knock at the door. I refused to answer. then I got a call. I knew it was related to the knock. It was Hale mom Terese. She began by wishing me a happy birthday...oh wait...that would be what one would expect. She chewed my ear off for not being in the office. Anuj was MIA and my name was still on the schedule. I then had to plead to her to let me in the office since I had no key, Anuj did. I got yelled at for that. Then I started by birthday off by sweeping and mopping a very dirty walkway (due to the rain last night). I vacuumed the lounge, and sat down to spill my guts on this crappy of crappy days. Oh, yeah, I'm also hungry, but missed my chance to get breakfast (or even shower) because I HAD to mop and sweep before 10am!

Ok, class, any questions? I want a ten page Kvetch from each of you by tomorrow on my desk, or I'll go off and tell you how the rest of my day went.
I still have yet to face my friend who's pissed at me. I have a stupid class i have to get to. (National Hollidays like "Veteran's Day" aren't celebrated here in Hawaii because it's my birthday and that would mean no class and a better day!) I have a car in the shop I'm betting bent over for, I have a test to take that I know I will do miserably at and I know more is just around the corner!
Trust me, you do NOT want me go make good on my threat!!!

Class dismissed.

Melts In your Hands...

M&M Candies...Melts in your mouth, not in your hands... - Old M&M comercial slogan.

I think this may be the first time that I would rather give M&M's out rather than eat them. Ya, last night it happened. Hands were held, and candy coated chocolate was passed out. And to think, she is the one that initiated it. I think i like this sitting back and letting her do the work idea. I guess i just try too hard.
I might just adopt this policy with all aspects of my life. I can expect the Caf to deliver the crud they call a meal to me. I won't go to the office when i work, i will have the students come to my room. When it's time to take a test, the testing center will drop off the test and come back in 30 min to pick it up.
After a few years of living like that, I will become so huge that I will not be able to get through the bedroom door. When i get sick of being stuck in my room (I assume that I will have no roommate who would tollerate living with me anymore) I will have Jerry Springer do an episode about me. Then he will pay for the wall to be knocked down and for my lyposucktion. After a few months, the Subway diet, paid for my them of course. I can become "Jared Squared" or "Jared II - more shocking than before". I will make the old Jared of subway a laughable thing (as if he wasn't alrealy). Not long after that, the movie deals come...ah...we all have our dreams.
Yet, i somehow think this may infringe on my chances of holding hands with Sadie again...ever. Let alone the neccesity of the Ice Cream. I'm not so sure that's gonna happen. That's a real expensive one. But, It would be worth it. Who knows?
For now, I'm just gonna sit on my lazy bum and ride the tide. See where it goes. If you need me, you know where I'll be, sitting on my can watching Futurama or The Simpsons on my computer, eating leftover M&M's and waiting.

Dorothy: Well Blanche is certainly taking her sister's novel better than I would. I would kill my sister Gloria if she ever wrote about my sex life.
Sophia: You would kill your sister over a pamphlet?
- The Golden Girls

My birthday came a touch early…9 days early to be precise. I am basing this on a certain gift I got early. Well, this isn’t the kind of gift that I actually OWN, but it’s one that will take the idle time I have and make life more fun. Ya, it’s called a girlfriend...well, sort of. I’ve read about them, I dreamt of them, I’ve even sung songs about them, and now it has happened to me.
To be fair, I did actually have one before, but that feels like a different time and a different me.
Ok, ok, enough with the anticipation. I’ll tell you who. Sadie Swenson (I know I’m gonna get it if I spelled the name wrong…). I have been in pursuit for some time. Alas, my work finally paid off. I actually told her that I was going to give up earlier tonight too.
I hope it won’t come back to bite me, but I have to tell you what happened Halloween. I dressed up as Zorro. It was nice. Talk about devenier. I had the cape, the thin black mustache (real ‘stache, painted by a sharpie), and the mask, completed by a sword. How could one resist me? Well, I make it possible.
Sadie (whom is a fellow RA) had to dress up also, since we all had to work on the Hale-ween “Spooktacualr” activity. (Ya, I thought it was cheesy too.) I got stuck with the face painting and Sadie was welcoming people at the door. Didn’t get to see her too much. She was dressed up as a man, a pirate with a drawn on goatee and sideburns. I’m not gay or anything, but I still thought she was cute looking…
I was doing a stellar job as a face painter. I was quite impressed with myself. I actually enjoyed it. The game room was closed down and we went to the dance where I sat and watch others look silly. I don’t do dance well, and especially if Sadie were to see me. She danced a bit with others and she is pretty good. If I could convince her to lead and I follow, it may work out for us to dance…
At midnight, we both went to lock up our respective Hales to lock them up. When I went to my room, I grabbed some M&M’s that I have been holding on to for some time, waiting for the right time to give them to her. Why?
She admitted to me (I tricked her into telling me the story) that some girls have a pact that they will give M&M’s to their friends if the hold hands with a guy, Ice Cream for a kiss and whole pizza party if they get married. I figured M&M’s were mild enough, yet reasonable.
As we were walking back I pulled them out of my pocket (nervous as usual) and said, “Here I got these for you.”
“Oh, good, thanks.”
She started to open them as I continued. “Want to know why?” I reached over and she…well…it was almost like a seizure but there was no foam at the mouth. We then actually fought over her hand for a few moments.
I lost.
She gave me the M&M’s back. I tired to give them back to her “free of charge” but no go. I kept them, in hopes that some day she may want them back. Hey, a guy’s gotta have hope.
Basically, she didn’t feel ready. I can't hold it against her. Dating is a scary thing. The story of my love life is going to be some light reading in the children's section at this rate.
I thought maybe I was going about it the wrong way, so I decided to change my tactics. She called me and I told her I was going to play hard to get and change the tide on her. Not long later I ate those words as she told me that she’d give me a shot!
I don’t know if I have really deserved it, but I got it. Now the challenge will be to make her not regret the decision. I don’t think that will be to hard…right?…

What are you CRYING? There is no crying in baseball! - Tom Hanks in A Leauge Of Their Own

Jared steps up to the plate. The pitch comes, he swings, it's a line drive...grounder ball. He makes a dash for first. He gets to the plate...and...OH! Taged out before he even felt the padding of base. One out, two to go at the top of the ninth.