2009 - The End

I know I haven't been writing a whole lot on here lately.

I really don't know why.

It's important, I think, especially in these last couple of weeks before I'm outta here, to keep up with my thoughts and feelings concerning everything.

I suppose, perhaps, it's become a case of having so much to say that I don't know where to begin, and subsequently fail to actually begin anywhere.

By forcing myself to take the time to actually start something, I don't think it will be a problem to finish it.

Thirty minutes until 2010.

There is a lot to say about my life in 2009. It's the year, I think, that I will never forget. The year in which my life completely changed directions. Tomorrow, on the first day of my year of new beginnings, I shall reflect upon the past twelve months.

Failure

So, that whole deal about posting every day up until I leave?

Oops.

On Monday, I just flat-out didn't get around to it. No real excuse there.

Last night, I meant to get on, but my connection wasn't...connected. And it remained unconnected all night, which pretty much made me mad, as I lost a good nine or ten hours of torrent activity. Plus, there were a few other things I was wanting to look at, but didn't get the chance to do so. With so little time left, it really frustrating to not be able to use it as planned.

I need to sit down today and write up some sort of year-in-review for 2009. With any luck, it'll be done and on here before the day is through. If not, then tomorrow...

...or the next day.

The Next Chapter

Hmm...

I posted a Takahashi picture below that was meant to be temporary, but it's so darn cute that I can't bear to remove it ^__^

Also, I'd like to announce that, for the first time ever, there is a non-Hello!Project girl gracing my header. That Kashiwagi Yuki pic caught my eye and just seemed like it was made to be cropped and placed up there.

Anyway...

Three weeks. Then I'm gone.

I mentioned last night that I meant to sit down and actually write something of some importance today, but I...didn't. Which, honestly, it can wait. And probably should. I actually have a handful of things that I'm wanting to write before I leave, but I suppose there's no need to rush any of them.

I actually signed on here earlier today and began typing away about some stuff, then thought better of it, realizing that I was saying things that were probably better left unsaid. Yes, I'm being purposefully vague here, but this gives me a chance to mention that there are roughly nine gazillion thoughts swirling about in my mind at any given moment these days. I often find it hard to focus on any single task because I'm thinking so much that I can't think straight. I guess what I need to focus on over the next few weeks is my focus. And to not allow my tenfold emotions to get the better of me. I want to be able to feel that not a single minute was wasted. I want to enjoy my remaining time in this life to the fullest before I enter into the next chapter.

Hmm...

I could sit here for the next hour and write something interesting, or I could go to bed, get myself back onto a semi-normal schedule, and save any writing activities for the morrow.

...

G'night.

Meri Kurisumasu!

Merry Christmas (Eve)

Over a foot of snow today ^__^

Plus, my grandparents got in yesterday afternoon.

Also, I'm no longer bullseye-clad.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a wonderful Christmas.

Nice and quiet, kind of low key, but the sort of Christmas that will never be forgotten.

Kamei

So, how do I segue from my recent events back into my normal posts?

I don't.

Today was Kamei Eri's 21st birthday. She's a favorite of mine, and I'm thinking she might be able to move into the spotlight a bit more now that Koharu's gone. I love her extremely goofy sense of humor, and the fact that she's a bit of a dork. Plus, she's flat-out gorgeous. Happy Birthday, Eri!!!


Zero more days at Target! ^___^

The End.

Four years and eight months is a long time.

Couldn't have asked for a better day as my last.

Shaking hands, giving hugs, saying goodbye is heartbreaking.

There were tears.

There are still tears.

Such an odd feeling.

And now...

The Beginning.

Memories

Tomorrow is going to be full of mixed feelings.

There are a ton of memories at Target.

It's hard to say goodbye to the place.

And the people.

But it's a relief to be moving on.

Now my focus shifts entirely.

The past is the past.

There's nothing more to do than to look ahead.

Saa mirai ga hajimaru yo!

Now the future is beginning!

Two More

I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to be back on Planogram.

Of course, it'll be infinitely nicer in a couple of days when I'm no longer on any team, but ending it on the team that I want to end it on is just swell.

Believe it or not, I had to set some Valentine's Day stuff this morning. It's not even Christmas yet, for crying out loud.

I've had my Bob Dylan Christmas album playing in my vehicle lately, and although I love it, I must say that Dylan singing "Adeste Fideles" in Latin is rather funny for some reason.

I've been entertaining myself lately by coming up with a list of things I'm glad my TI won't know about me. Thinking about yesterday's post, I've concluded that very high on that list is the fact that I enjoy (for the most part) a Japanese idol group by the name of C-ute. Oftentimes, I don't even understand my own obsessions.

^_^

243 down, 1 to go

Weeks at Target, that is.

Apparently this is my 100th post. Yay!

Don't tell anybody, but I'm strongly considering not going into work on Saturday, which would make Wednesday my last day. Truthfully, every day for about the last three weeks, I've considered not going in, but I've gone anyway. The beginning of this week ought to be fine as I'm back on Planogram, but I am reeeealy not looking forward to this coming Saturday, and don't want to make what is sure to be a horrible day my last.

My sleep schedule (rather, sleep no-schedule) is out of whack again. I fell asleep early this morning and didn't awaken until this afternoon, which is not at all what I wanted to have happen. Just another reason why I can't wait to be out of work.

Excuse me for a minute while I rant about the new C-ute PV:

The new C-ute single, SHOCK!, is not at all a bad song. And for that matter, the new C-ute PV is really not a bad PV (lighting effects not-withstanding). It's just that I'm disappointed in the fact that it has become nothing more than "Airi Suzuki plus four." Airi is front and center through the entire PV; Airi sings every single line of the song; Airi is twice as big as everybody else on the album cover; Airi happens to be the prominent member of an H!P sub-group; Airi, Airi, Airi. I really have nothing against the girl, but what bothers me is that she has taken over C-ute and she's not even the leader! That title belongs to Miss Yajima, who is older, prettier, and just as talented as Suzuki. Of course, Maimi is a bit out of favor with me right now following the horrid haircut (seriously, she looks like a dude with nice legs), but she still deserves to have at least equal screen-time with Airi. Instead, even she is pushed to the back and forgotten. As for Saki, Chisato, and Mai, they're still young and will have their chance to shine, but they could and should be utilized a bit more than they currently are. The whole situation is so darn frustrating.

Okay, I'm done. And, yes, I know I set up a whole other blog to talk about that kind of stuff, but I already talked about it there and I just needed to vent a bit more.



Three or four more days at Target!

^_^|/

2009.12.19

Not really a whole lot to talk about today.

Four more days at Target.

Off the Schedule

An unbelievably quick and easy day at work this morning allowed me to actually get to bed before I hit the 24-hour mark. Of course, I only managed about four hours of sleep today, but oh well. Tomorrow ought to be quick and easy too.

There are a lot of thoughts and emotions about a lot of things right now. I don't know that it's really hit me yet that a week from tomorrow, I'm going to clock out at work and never ever again clock back in. The two-weeks-from-now schedule was posted and I'm not on it for the first time since April 2005. It's all quite surreal.

I saw this stupid thing today where the University of Toronto conducted a scientific study in order to determine the "perfect female face." They apparently managed to determine an "ideal" arrangement between the eyes, mouth, and ears, coming up with perfect ratios and everything. I just don't understand how something that subjective can become a definitive equation. Unless, that is, their maths ended up adding up to this...

...in which case, they are correct ^__^

I wonder if I can take that photo with me to Basic and convince everybody that she's "the girl back home." Or is that just pitiful? <_<

Five more Target-days.

^_^|/

Almost Back on Schedule

One thing that'll be really nice once I'm unemployed here in about a week is being able to get back onto a set schedule.

For years, my schedule was basically:

9:00 PM - Sleep
3:00 AM - Wake Up
4:00 AM - Work
12:00 PM- Come Home
(Rinse and Repeat)

Lately, every time I wake up, I don't sleep again for at least 24 hours, then I'll fall asleep for 13 straight hours, sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes at night...

It's crazy.

I got up at around noon today, so I'm hoping to have a quick day at work tomorrow so I can come home before I get too sleepy; being zombie-esque at work on Tuesday was no fun, and according to people I interacted with, I was in a bad mood (but I suppose I was too tired to realize it).

Tomorrow is my final Friday at Target.

12/16/2009

Work this morning: quick and easy.

Six more workdays.

Ate some really good french fries from McDonald's today.

Watched Inglourious Basterds. Liked it a lot.

'Bout to play some Rubber Soul.

Then to bed.

No work tomorrow after six straight days.

Happy ^__^

Zombie

In order to get myself back onto a somewhat normal schedule, I stayed up last night, thinking that I would have a short day at work this morning. I was hoping to get home and sleep until the early afternoon. Things never work out as intended, and I didn't end up getting off work until 2:00 :P

I had a monster of a task to accomplish this morning, and I managed to do it in pretty good time, especially considering that for a couple of hours I was basically a zombie. I was walking around, trying to work, and couldn't keep my eyes open; but eventually, some sort of chemical kicked in and I got a new burst of energy and was able to finish. Then I came home and crashed. Tomorrow will be my sixth day in a row at work, and shouldn't (knock on wood) be a bad one. Then I'm off on Thursday, I work Friday and Saturday, I'm off on Sunday, I work Monday through Wednesday, I'm off on Christmas Eve and Christmas, then next Saturday is my last day. Wow.

I'm getting to the point now where, as I walk through the store, there are flashes of memories at every turn. When you spend four-and-a-half years at a place, a lot happens, and now that I'm approaching the end, I tend to spend a lot of time just reflecting on so many of the moments. It's often hard to hold back the tears, and I'm really not looking forward to my last day, as I can guarantee that the tears will not be held.

As glad as I am to be moving on, it's a bit hard to actually leave.

Seconds to Spare

I'd better type fast if I want my streak of posting every day this month to continue. I totally lost track of the time. Plus, I just plain forgot to get on here, which is funny, because all day I was thinking about something that I was going to post today. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm going to wait a while to post that particular thing...

Anyway, I guess I had to go and open my big mouth yesterday about it being such a great day at work and that today ought to have been the same. Yeah, right. Today was awful. At least I never have to work another off-the-wall shift, or work a job that I'd really rather not do (at Target, at least ^__^). From here on out, I'll be on familiar time and in familiar territory.

If I keep typing, it'll be tomorrow, so I'm gonna stop.

Easy Day

My computer's been running super-slow this evening for some reason. Rather irksome.

My workday today was pretty much the fastest six hours I've ever experienced. All I did was listen to my music and do the job that I was trained to do on day one, which has become rather second nature. The only trouble I had as far as multi-tasking was attempting to listen to my Morning Musume albums through my earphones whilst simultaneously listening to the Weekly Top 40 on the backroom stereo. I somehow managed. If tomorrow is anything like today was (I work the same noon to six shift), I'll be quite pleased.

"Michael's Last Day"

Seeing "Michael's last day" written on the big desk calendar suddenly made the whole leaving Target situation very real. Now that I can look at a specific date, there is a great sense of relief and a huge drop in the stress-meter. It's going to be important to have a few solid weeks before I ship out without having to worry about the goings-on in the backroom or stressing over confusing planograms. I think I threw the bosses for a bit of a loop, as they thought I would be on for a bit longer, but they'll get over it ^__^

I spent the day today playing my new Guitar Hero drum set, which is awesome. Yes, I know I'm about to leave in a few weeks and won't see any of my stuff for months, and that I probably shouldn't be getting new stuff this close to my departure, but a good deal's a good deal. I got the thing brand new for half the retail price from a cow-orker who apparently decided he didn't even want to try to learn the drums. His loss. I've actually been needing a new set (and new sticks) for a while now, as I managed to play my old Rock Band set to death. So I can now retire and replace that one. There was a bit of a learning curve at first on the new set, as it's arranged a bit differently, but it's really nice and so much better than the first-batch Rock Band drums. Kinda sad to say goodbye, though. We had fun together. T_T

Bed-time for me. I actually have to work tomorrow, which is crap. As long as I keep reminding myself that there are only two weeks left, I tend to be alright with whatever oddball things they come up with for me to do.

^_^|/

...and in the most bittersweet of moments, holding back the tears, he made official his date of departure...

T-minus Two Weeks

"Don't be disturbed today by thoughts of tomorrow; leave tomorrow alone and bank in confidence of God's organizing what you do not see." - Oswald Chambers

The reason that I am able to look ahead to these next few months without fear is that I know that I am on the path that God has set for me. And though every step is taken in almost blind faith, I remain confident that He knows where every step is leading. All that's left for me to do is to trust and obey. There's no other way ^__^

Have I mentioned that I'm getting fed up with work? My mind is just not in it any more, I think. If I were to simply quit right now and not show up tomorrow morning, I would be fine financially to make it until mid-January. But I have more integrity than that. However, I think I'm going to sit down with my boss tomorrow and let her know that I'm done in two weeks. I was thinking about staying through the first week of January, then thought that maybe I'd move my final day back a week to coincide with the end of the year. Now, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make it that long without losing my mind. So my Christmas gift this year is leaving Target. That'll give me a few solid weeks to get everything all lined up and get myself ready to depart.

In other news, there's not a whole lot of other news.

Not Frustrated

I'm having a MUCH better day than I did yesterday. Spent a good amount of time last night re-establishing some of the basic Truths of God's Word. It's often necessary to step back a bit and remember the fundamentals. Gotta go back to work ^__^

Frustrated

I said I would post something every day this month, but all I can think about today is how much I can't wait to get away from Target. I was oh-so-very close to just walking out the door this morning and calling it quits. With everything that's on my mind right now, I really can't deal with a frustrating work situation.

Schedule Woes

It sure doesn't seem like it's 10:00. I had to work that weird noon to six shift today, which was really not all that much fun. Now I have to go back at the normal time tomorrow, which is only six hours away. I ought to sleep, but I haven't even eaten anything yet. I suppose I can skip sleep-time tonight and convince Josey to let me work a four-hour shift, so I can come home early tomorrow and ZZZ. Good plan.

Luckily, my DEP commander's call, which was originally scheduled for tomorrow, was pushed back a week, so that makes my weird schedule slightly less weird.

I have forsaken Team Deathmatch in Modern Warfare 2 and have been playing nothing but Domination, which I have discovered that I'm fairly awesome at. I justify all the Call of Duty time by pretending that it is in some way helping me to prepare for my upcoming military career ^__^

Michael Washburn needs food badly!

Slowing Down

I had to go back and edit my post ("Graduation Day") from yesterday, as it seems the explanation as to why I posted a seemingly random picture somehow vanished. Plus, without explanation, the title of my post made absolutely no sense. 'Tis fixed.

I seem to have become addicted to double quarter-pounders. This is not a good thing, because now I'm afraid I'm going to be experiencing McDonald's withdrawal at basic training.

Six weeks from today, by the way, is when I walk out the door. Yipes.

So far, it seems, the first few days of December have gone by slower than the entire month of November, which is exactly what I was wanting to have happen. Hopefully the trend will continue.

My church's super-spectacular-amazing Christmas program took place last night and tonight. I actually made a point to avoid the whole ordeal, as I'm trying very hard to keep myself mostly stress-free. I love playing my viola, but I've skipped out on playing at Christmas (or even seeing the program) for the past two years (maybe three...can't remember). I may sound like a Scrooge, but this really is my least favorite time of year. Christmas has turned into nothing more than an anxiety-filled, over-excessive, greed-gorged spectacle. All I want for Christmas is peace and quiet, and a reflective attitude whereby I can truly stop and remember what it is that should be being celebrated.

Yasuda's Birthday

This is going on my Hello!Online blog tomorrow, but I'm posting it here because it concerns today's date, and I don't want to post over yesterday's H!O post just yet. Make sense? I thought not...

A blast from the past today, as it is Yasuda Kei's 29th birthday!

I always felt like I shared a bit of a kindredship (I think I made up a word) with her, as I seemed to be easily able to relate to what her role was within the group, and how she was often treated. As the victim of so many (seemingly mean-spirited) jokes and running gags on Utaban, she was always a good sport, and took it all in stride. Of course, she was actually a highly favored and well-respected Musume, but that sort of self-depreciating humor can be fun. It's always nice so see her pop up every now and then, along with some of the other "old group," and she's still as lovely as ever.

Happy Birthday, Kei-chan!

Graduation Day

Looks like a Texas vs. Alabama national championship. Nebraska should have beat Texas just now. At least Florida lost, though.

I set up a new Yahoo email account today, as well as a new Youtube channel. Email is tenfold@rocketmail.com and Youtube is CyborgShibata and was set up for the purpose of uploading music videos and whatnot in order that I can link or embed them and have the quality I need without all the annoying comments and stuff. I love my account name and was overjoyed to find that it wasn't taken ^__^ As for what it means, you're probably better off not knowing.

Morning Musume is now officially an eight-member group, as Koharu Kusumi graduated today. Since I've been a fan, The Nine have been all I've known, so it's really quite sad to see the group dynamic change. Koha-chan, you will be missed.
























If you can decipher that shirt, please let me know o_O

I don't go back to work until noon on Monday, so that'll be strange. Another semi-fun day today, though. For a while there, I thought my last few weeks were going to be awful, but I have to admit it's getting better; getting better all the time.

^_^|/

2009.12.04

I had never eaten at Taco Casa before this evening, and I must say that I can't believe what I've been missing. This burrito is pretty flippin' good. And reasonably priced. Two thumbs up, Taco Casa. I salute you!

I jumped into a nearly finished match in Call of Duty today, ended up on the team that my friend was NOT on, and managed to get the winning kill in a next-kill-wins situation by killing him. To make it even better, the winning kill (and losing death) is always replayed in slow motion for everybody to laugh at. Now I have an accomplishment to rub in the face of my buddy (he has too many on me...) ^__^

I haven't drawn Japanese style comics in quite some time, and find that I am a bit rusty. Okay, VERY rusty. A couple of years ago I was getting pretty good, but never really focused on it enough to become truly happy with the results. I managed a couple of character sketches this afternoon that are kinda meh, but kinda cool. I may post some stuff here if I deem it good enough, but not right now :P

Today was actually kind of a fun day at work, as it really felt like old times; a step back to my era in the backroom. It's like I'm getting to re-live my Target experience before I leave the place. Pretty cool. Tomorrow's going to be a bit strange, though; I don't really know when it was that I last worked on a Saturday. Hoping for a short day, but hope and a cup of coffee will get you three bucks (or something like that).

Every Day?

Can I actually post something every day in December?

Yes. Yes, I can. Just watch me.

Woke up later than I intended today. Actually, I didn't mean to wake up at all today...

Let me rephrase that. Since I slept much of the day yesterday, I did not actually mean to sleep last night, but ended up deciding to take maybe a two hour nap-type thingy, which turned into six hours. So now it looks like I'm awake until tomorrow morning after work. I've discovered that I really don't mind sleeping during the day, as long as I'm consistent about it.

Which leads me to this: in the four-and-a-half years that I've been at Target, my schedule has remained consistent and my availability has been honored. Early morning to no later than early afternoon, Monday through Saturday. Now, all of a sudden, I'm apparently scheduled to work next Monday afternoon (I'll find out tomorrow what the rest of the week looks like), plus the following two Sunday afternoons. I realize that it's the holiday season and everything, and I'm usually pretty easy-going about working when and where I'm needed, but the fluctuating schedule is getting on my nerves, not to mention the fact that I'm being told about these changes only a couple of days in advance. It may be because I know I'm on my way out, but that place has really seemed pestiferous as of late.

I spent the better part of today playing with Photoshop; doing some rather pointless but happy-fun-time projects, including my new banner up there (have I mentioned that Ayumi Shibata is astoundingly beautiful?) ^__^

Update:

Success!!!

My sound is back.

I welcome this happiness tonight.

^_^

Sound

Good news: I don't have to work tomorrow.

Really good news: I got the Metroid Trilogy for $28 today.

Bad news: My computer's sound is not working.

Really bad news: My computer's sound is not working. Considering that pretty much all I do all day involves sound coming out my computer's speakers or headphones, this is basically the worst thing ever.

Now I get to spend all night tying to fix it.

<_>

The Final Stretch

I went back and looked at some of my older posts today, and had to laugh at how much this blog has changed over the last few months. I've gone from light-heartedness to "here's what I'm freaking out about today..."

Time to switch it back around, methinks.

I think you can tell what kind of mood I'm in by the frequency of my posts. I only posted on half the days in November, and so far this month I've managed four. In one day. Sure, the others are actually meant to be for yesterday, but it was just after midnight this morning, so technically they belong to today. And I back-dated the (astoundingly beautiful) Ayumi Shibata picture I uploaded this afternoon, just so it would fall behind my real posts. So there.

I'm getting to that point where every time I clock in or out at work, I think about the fact that I'm only going to have to do that about 25 or 30 more times. It's kinda sad, but at the same time it's good riddance, you know? Over four-and-a-half years there; good times, bad times, lots of stories, lots of good people (a few bad ones), and an over-all great experience; but it's good to move on.

It's cold.

Like, seriously.

I think I'm going to end up wearing two pairs of pants tomorrow, and three pairs of socks, and my track jacket (obviously, I'll wear my heavy coat on the way to work - the jacket's for at-work time). And no, I'm not joking about the multi-layers. It gets cold in that place.

Ah! Good news! I have finally completed an Xbox 360 game, getting all 1000 achievement points in Viva Pinata. It's the first game I've completed; my friends thought it was never going to happen, as I have a bad habit of becoming distracted by a new game before totally finishing the one I'm currently on, but I proved them wrong and did it. Now they just make fun of me because the game of choice happened to be Viva Pinata (which is more complex than anyone seems to realize), but whatever. Now I can go for the sequel, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise ^__^

I'm totally digging the new Melon Kinenbi song (and have I mentioned that Ayumi Shibata is astoundingly beautiful?)