NAWLINS

I'm going to New Orleans on Monday. Yeah, I'm pretty surprised myself. It kinda just happened in less than a day.

I've got a million things to do before I leave. It got complicated today when I got offered another TA position. It's good money, but I need to make sure it won't conflict with my current TA duties plus the courses I'm taking myself. The problem is I haven't decided on the final course I'm taking this semester. This offer has made me decide early but to make that decision, I have to talk to three professors.

On top of trying to finish things at work, I'm really quite stressed right now. Also, a few people here at SJC are leaving and so I'm having to say goodbye. It's a maelstrom of activity and my life would be somewhat easier if I didn't go on vacation. Ah well, when is the next time I'll get to go to New Orleans?

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I'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY... OR HAVE I?



The last time I was at my parents' place, I dug out my old yearbooks and took them back to my place. I've only had time to flip through them, but I saw a really interesting photo of me from my grade eight yearbook.

I can't believe I joined the computer club. Not only did I join the computer club, I was willing to get myself photographed so there would be evidence that I was in the computer club... forever.

I can barely remember what the hell we did in the computer club. We basically met after school and played around on the computer. We had these slow and underpowered Apples in the lab. Monochrome Apple IIs I think. Anyways, I vaguely remember some Choplifter-type game, but we had to pick up letters or some sorta crap. Edu-tainment I believe is the word they use these days now. Our first "frags" were still many years away.

I'm not sure why the hell we had a sponsor. I think she was there just to make sure we didn't goof off and take the computers home with us.

I've lost touch with most people in that photo, but I guarantee you, with the exception of myself and possibly one other guy there (I'll let you guess), everyone is pulling in six figures right now. And you if asked them how they did it, they'll answer... it was the computer club.

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DEAR LORD!!!

This story must be read.

The report mentions that a hospital employee was trapped for 20 minutes inside the elevator. Any guesses on what else was trapped with her for those 20 minutes? That's something she won't forget for the rest of her life.

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HOT

Holy crap it's hot in my room right now. It's a far cry from when I was at Staples two hours ago with a cool drink. Speaking of Staples, yeah, it's open now on campus. It's actually pretty big which is surprising since it looks small from the outside. They've got everything in there. Lots of toys.

It'll be nice to have an alternative to the bookstore for office supplies. That place is such a rip-off sometimes.

Geez, I need A/C in here.

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MY BAD

It was such a nice day today, so I decided to take my new digital camera out for a spin. My plan was to walk around the campus and just take photos when I saw something noteworthy. I took some campus shots, but I really wanted some pics of the water, so I made my way down to the beach. I avoided Wreck because I knew it was going to be a madhouse there. Instead, I went to Tower Beach which is equally beautiful, but less crowded.

As I made my way down to the trail, the trees cleared to reveal the stunning blue water and sky. There were just a handful of people there, and even though it is a clothing optional beach, the people that were there were all clothed. So, I proceed to step on top of a log to take my first great picture of the water. I take it and I kinda notice some people are looking my way, a little longer than they should be. Now, I know that cameras are kinda frowned upon usually on clothing option beaches, but it's really based on how naked the beach is at the time.

I was like, what? What the hell are you looking at me for? Everyone here is clothed. I go closer to the water to take some more photos. I look to my right and I see this naked guy tanning himself in this hollow part of the log. He's partially hidden. Alright, so there's one naked guy, but I was taking pictures in front of him, and not towards him. I'm thinking everyone needs to relax. I finish taking my photos, and I sit on the logs to enjoy the view.

After a while, I come home and check the photos I've taken. I immediately notice that the first beach picture contains something I hadn't seen earlier. There's the naked guy in the lower left hand corner of the photo. I was so concentrated on the water, I had failed to see him lying on the rocks. He must have moved to the log after I approached the water. Whoops.

Anyways, here are my photos from today, including the naked guy, but with all identifying marks removed.

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TRIP PLANNING

This planning for my vacation is driving me nuts. I'm having to juggle several different parameters and they all have to fit together before I can go anywhere.

First and foremost is the American Airlines Advantage Miles I'm redeeming from my mother. This is where my free ticket is coming from. Unfortunately, because it's the summer, I'm booking so late, and since AA makes no money off my ticket, there are a mountain of restrictions on where I can go. For example, I cannot fly to San Francisco anytime soon. Nor is Hawaii or Las Vegas available.

Second, even if I can get a flight somewhere, I then need a hotel with openings for my travel date. On top of that, the hotel has to be reasonably price, which leads me to my third parameter.

Third, I'm fucking dirt poor. I've been working all summer just to make tuition for first term. First term! I have no clue how I'll pay for tuition in January. So let's look at this. After subtracting tuition from my current bank balances plus my last paycheque, I'll have about $700 in cash. Yeah, that seems like a lot for a vacation, but keep in mind these things. I can't come home penniless for the start of the school year. I need $$$ to pay for things like, I don't know, oh books, pizza, groceries, the telephone bill, and all of sorts random shit you need. Let's not also forget that I have a Visa balance that totals in the thousands. Oh, and my periodontist wants a full workup on my gums... cost? $200.

Yeah, I hear you saying, "Erwin, you'll be a teaching assistant in September!" Ok, that is true, but remember that's barely $500 a month, and I think it'll be two weeks into September before I see any of that.

Part of me is thinking I should screw the vacation and just stay home. Get lots of sleep which I haven't been getting all summer. Go to movies during the day. Go out for dinner and drinks at night. Buy stuff with the power of my Canadian dollar. Be a tourist in my own city.

I bought a lottery ticket today, hoping to solve all my problems. It wasn't the solution. I hate travelling when you're poor. It's a wonder that I had a bank account balance with five digits just a year ago. Geez, I'm watching Farley play Matt Foley on TV right now. I'll be damned if I don't wind up in a van by a river when I'm 35.

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