Long time no see

Anyway, I've been kind of lagging on the blogity blog blog or blogesphere or whatever the kids are saying these days. I will try and get things back up to speed with/without pictures.

So, I got a temp job. Basically the job consists of moving chairs and tables around and picking up trash. Sometimes I try and think of lofty titles I could give the job maybe, custodial artisan, or chair master, or my personal favorite trash picker. My boss at the job confronted me, asking, "why are you here?" all I could come up with was that work is work. One day I hope to have a job wher less of my co-workers are ex-cons. There is this guy Boris that I work with, he goes on-and-on about how he doesn't want to work very hard but then seems to find the one way to accomplish the task that some how triples the amount of work need to accomplish said task.
That was Monday.

Alison came back. I had packed all of the things that I had planned to take, though, judging by Alison's reaction I think she had envisioned me taking more stuff.
We went down to Kate and Elwyns. Kate shook my hand and Elwyn was visibly shocked to see me. Alison, Kate and Elwyn talked about airplane food, the Batman theemed Halloween part that they had planned, and how much whiskey they would all drink this winter. I felt somewhat disconected from it all.
I spent the night on the couch as I had to go to Baltimore the next morning. The whole evening was all rather upsetting so, I wont dwell.
That was Tuesday.

I went down to Baltimore for my interview at B'more Green, but I already said all that in a previous post.
That was Wednesday.

I had an interview at Pace Wildenstein gallery for a gallery assistant/art handler position. The interview went really well...I thought. At least the woman interviewing me liked me, maybe I should have asked her on a date.
I moved to Stefans couch, his brother Sergei was also staying on a couch there, luckily there are three.
That was Thursday.

I applied for more jobs and then went to work as a garbage man. The trash picking ours are 4:30 to Midnight at the Manhattan center on 34th street. There was an event that involved various percussionists who were all quite impressive. One of them did throat singing, though I don't think this guy was actually from Tuva.
I was disallowed from attending the Batman Halloween party.
That was Friday.

I went to an orientation to be a temporary Fed Ex driver. We watched a safety video and filled out various forms. I had to fill out a form for each job I've had since 1996, I devised different methods for abbreviating, they were still impressed with the extent of my paperwork. From there I went to work.
I got lunch at a pizza place that seemed to be hosting a magicians conference or something. I watched the magicians hoping they would do some tricks. They didn't.
At trashland there was a concert of various rock bands I'm too old to know anything about. Boris, the before mentioned nemesis, kept telling me how if Metalica was performing he wouldn't do any work.
Stefan was making a tree costume and Haley was dressed as either JT LeRoy or Maryanne Amacher. We watched some of Rosemarys Baby. Note* that movies really scary.
That was Saturday.

I don't remember what I did during the day. Those same bands from yesterday were performing today. I actually recognized one of the songs and proceeded to hum the song for the rest of the evening. Me and Boris got plates of food from the caterers. Boris kept giving me instructions about how to keep this activity low-profile and then proceeded to tell anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't) about how he had procured this bounty of free food. There was also a Christian youth Halloween party going on with considerably less hoopla then the before mentioned concert downstairs.
That was Sunday.

I went to Alison's to help work on the report, close bank accounts etc. or maybe we did those things last week. I did work, making some exciting charts examining the consumer electronics needs of 18-24 year olds, I briefly thought I might throw some shocking statistics in here, you know for kicks, but I decided against it at the last minute.
That was Monday.

In the morning I went back to Fed Ex to fill out more forms and to get my physical and drug test. I got there at 8 am, I waited a long time a then was set up in front of a computer to fill out yet another application. When I finished the coordinator or whatever his title is, was out for coffee, I waited for a while, but eventually I had to leave to do more report stuff. It was 11:30. I got a call later asking where I had gone.
I was offered the job in Baltimore.
Alison gave me a more-appropriate/job-getting haircut
I left work early so I could do Halloween stuff. Stefan had to get up for work very early so, we just tried to find candycorn...to no avail.
That was Tuesday.

I went to work for Alison earlyish. There is finally a coffee shop in walking distance from the place in Bed Stuy, the coffee and baked goods are kind of mediocre, but, much better than any of the other nearby options, so I'm more than willing to patronize the business in hopes of better coffee and muffins someday.
During a break, me and Alison walked to the supermarket for soup. During our walk, certain facts came to light regarding her romantic interactions since my removal from the household. I left.
I turned down the job in Baltimore, baseing the decision only partly on being a little scared of Baltimore and mostly on socioeconomic factors.
I had a good interview with The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture or NAMAC for short.
I had a burrito for dinner.
This is Wednesday

An outdoor adventure

I was getting ready for an interview in Baltimore.

I took the "Chinatown bus". The bus was fine, I don't know what everyone's complaining about, there were only a few chickens running up and down the aisles.

We stopped and I got a cinnamon roll it was the size of my head.

I felt vaguely nauseas, maybe it was the cinnamon roll.

I think this might be the beautiful Wilmington, though I don't actually know what state I was in.

Every time I thought we were close I was rudely reminded that we weren't.

I thought this was the bridge into Baltimore. It wasn't. Did I mention I was vaguely nauseas.

I took a picture when we got off the highway so I wouldn't get lost later. I then realized to folly of this plan.

This is the Baltimore transit center where the bus let me out. I don't think it was really near anything.

I walked the wrong way and ended up in the middle of the projects, granted, pretty nice projects.

I got directions at this gas station.

This what I believe is referred to as "Greek town".

I walked for a long time. Did I mention I was vaguely nauseas.

At a certain point in my walking I crossed an invisible line and realized I was on the other side of the tracks. I wanted to get a picture of all the boarded up buildings, but, I was trying not to attract attention.

I don't know what this is a picture of, so, I'll just say I was looking for someplace to get a sandwich. If I had wanted a liquor sandwich there would have been many options.

I was early for my interview so I sat at a park bench outside the building for a while.

Civic Works (the umbrella organization for the Americorps job I was interviewing for) is housed in this old mansion, in the middle of a park, near who knows what, in Baltimore.

I was reading a pamphlet inside that said the building used to be a summer house for the Hopkins family. I think everything in Baltimore is connected to the Hopkins family somehow.

I had been trying to maintain my professional/conservative look all day, I wasn't having much luck. I blame the wind and that cinnamon roll.

Maybe this is a view inside the mansion. It was pretty nice.

The interview went well, I'm pretty sure they liked me.

I'm still not sure if I could do Baltimore. The nicer parts that I saw reminded me of Chicago and the rest reminded me of Detroit.

I decided I should take a cab back to the "transit center".
I had the worst cab driver ever he drove soooo slowly. I had to get out before I reached my destination because I ran out of money.

Luckily, wherever it was that he dropped me, was a place I hadn't seen yet. Wherever it was it had a charming urban-village feel.

I had done a lot of walking. I was a little tiered and cold. I blame the cinnamon roll.

There was a building with this funny one eyed man on it. Maybe it was a brewery or something.

I was a little confused as how to get back to my bus from wherever I was and it was getting cold.

I got to the bus stop. there was this man who parked at the bus stop and proceeded to get in and out of his car with great difficulty. I was confused and a little creeped out by his shenanigans. Maybe he was drunk or a pervert it was unclear and I didn't really want to know.

The bus came the driver got out and stood around smoking for a while. He must have been tired from his long drive up from DC.

The bus was cold, I took a nap. I felt a little ill, probably from that cinnamon roll.

This guy in the back of the bus kept going into the bathroom to smoke.

The trip back to New York took forever.

I think this is New Jersey, probably a Cracker Barrel.

Or maybe this, is Cracker Barrel or an oil refinery, who knows.

The bus dropped us off at a completely different stop than where I had caught it this morning. God bless the Chinatown bus.