Monsoon Season

It is raining here like it is Monsoon Season in Vietnam. I tried to go for a drive downtown and I had to abort it because the traffic was too thick and it was raining so hard I was worried about getting into a wreck. The freight job is pretty good but it has been so hot that I thought I was going to pass out the other night. I am trying to work between 8 and 10 hours per day. Last summer I was going for 12 hour shifts which meant that I had to be there twelve and a half hours. I was desperate for cash to get things for France and I have decided that was too draining and so I am going to be smooth and steady this time around. I am also trying to get a full time position at another place where my friend runs the dock. It is decent pay and I could use the steady income and job security. I also have applied for several positions as a business intern. I am hoping that one will come through and pay well so that I can use my expertise rather than muscle to earn my money.
So to let all my Aussies and Kiwi know what the romance front has to offer I will let you know that I have told the Erin, the red head, exactly what I think. We have been hanging out a lot lately and after she told me that she would give me the good word with one of her friends I told her that I was more interested in her. Although I am comfortable with a friendship as well. I have not heard back from her since so I hope that I did not do more damage than good as intended. I am sorry that I have not been emailing all of you lately because I have been too busy with everything here around the house or work. Even so I really have nothing great to tell all of you except I miss Lyon and all of you more than even I thought I would. I miss the nights at Maddy's apartment and the days in the park as well. I wish I could have all of you over for dinner tonight like old times and then hit Ninkasi or Johnny Walsh's!!!
I have worked out school now and I am starting back on the 22nd of August so I will be extra busy soon to be sure. Sorry I do not have more exciting news at the moment but I will hopefully have more. Madz is coming through New York on the way to Brazil so I am going up there to meet her in December and that is very exciting for me. We can perhaps have a day or two if all works out right. Love you all, biz!

Helping My Brother's Girlfriend Move and The Red Head

Well, I have been staying up late in preparation for my new job on Monday. It is not so much a new thing as a return to last summer. I thought that I would hate the idea of going back but I am actually enjoying it to be frank. It is at ABF Freight Systems. It is a provider of LTL services in the East I believe and it is not too bad. It is unionized so although I am a part-timer by technicality I still recieve the same pay which is about $16 per hour. Plus I will receive time and a half pay for anything over 8 hours in a day. If it's anything like last summer I will probably be able to make about $3200 before school starts. I have also interviewed with Starbucks coffee. I am planning to phase that in as I work the other job and then do that full-time and try to work into a management position. I may end up riding it to France actually. I just want something that offers benefits and has a ladder upwards. Working in restaurants is usually good money but it takes so long to build up into something, especially if you have a limited schedule. So for once in my life I am going to think about the future.
Today I helped my brother and his girlfriend move into her new place before they leave for Europe. It was a way to spend some time with the two of them and get a workout as well. She moved from the common University style apartment and atmosphere into a duplex near uptown Charlotte that is pretty cool. I may be able to use the place while they are gone if I need a night alone to keep my sanity.
Things around the house are beginning to settle down and I am getting my room ready so that I can be here as long as needed. Which is at least the next 7 months while my Dad is going through chemo. I am going to be very busy and I think that a social life is going to be out of the question. I am going to try and use the time to get into better shape and work on a business plan for my investment company.
Tomorrow evening I have a date/rendezvous with the now infamous red head. I talked to her two days ago and she was a little upset with me. I thought that we were going to do something Tuesday night and so I called and emailed her. I did not get any relpies so I sent her a less than cordial email asking her what the deal was. After being in France with my peeps I am not very patient and I think that being in my parent's house was multiplying the effect. It turned out that she had called I just had not gotten the message from my family. Ooops! Sorry E, didn't mean to be a prick. After all my talking about her "slipping" away a few years ago I am happy to say that I go into this as only a friend, I am not really interested in her anymore because I think that we are moving in different directions. I still think that she is lovely and I could get along very well with her but I think that the tides have changed. Probably for the better right now anyway since I do not want to get involved with anyone under the current schedule I am going to inherit soon.
I am a little bored right now and I have been playing my X-Box as a result. I have a cool racing game that I am trying to beat and it is kicking my ass. Talk to you all soon and I will take pictures tomozz. Gros Gros Bisous A Vous Tous!!!

The Current Plan

I have been looking all over the place for the perfect job. I do not mean to say that it must be something in my career field and pay lots and lots. Although that would be ideal I am looking for something that lets me live a little better. I have decided that I have had enough rough times with a restaurant kitchen and school and I am not going to put myself through that again. I am going back to ABF Freight Systems where I worked last summer. It is a decent paying job that I can maximize through the end of summer to catch up and to put a little in the bank. At the same time I am going to look for other jobs like waiting tables or anything that gives me a flexible schedule. I am also putting applications in with larger scale companies trying to find something for the longer term and perhaps something that I could actually transfer to France or Australia when the time is right.
Last night I went out with my brother and his girlfriend for a couple of beers. It was a nice time but I felt like a piece of shit because I have no money and they bought my beers and wings not to mention the $3 cover charge for some crappy music. It was nice to have a little fun though before Brendon leaves for Europe next Monday.
I had a coffee with Renee and her boyfriend last night. We talked about a lot of things like where we were going next and how my job search was going. In the end we did the French thing talking at the car for about 20 minutes before we left. It was nice to talk to her and have a little time out of the house.

A Little Bit Of Uncertainty

Today I am unsettled in my pursuit to find a new job after arriving back home in the States. I have been out and about to several places and crossed a genre of possibilities. However, I am very unsure of my future at this moment in time. There are so many things that are going on at once that I find myself just trying to stick to one task at a time. I had a working interview today at a local upscale steakhouse called Mickey and Mooch. I worked there about 5 years ago and they are still going strong. I went in and explained to the chef that I am not sure if I am going to take the position yet or not since I have several applications in at other places and I do not want to act prematurely and cause bad blood if I were to leave and take another job in a few weeks. He thanked me for my candor and we rearranged the agreement to start on Tuesday instead. There is one problem because they are starting me at the same rate as 5 years ago. There menu prices have gone up, there overhead has most certainly been diminished and the resto seems to be in a very strong position. It's the busiest one in the area for the last five years as well. They are still paying the same wages though. I spoke with the chef and he has assured me that there is tremendous room for advancement in the future if all goes well. I do remember them taking care of those that took care of them and I am going to most likely end up there. I am also applying for a management level position at a large Sporting Goods chain called Dick's Sporting Goods. Not in my field but I would be able to have the possibility of promotion when I graduate. I am not sure that it would help my cause since I am headed to Oz and then back to France but it is a thought none the less. Lastly I also have applied at a wine store which bears a considerable relevance to the restaurant industry and is something that keeps my interest at the same level. I may end up in that business one day if my nerves become too rattled in the trenches of a kitchen. The main thing is that I am trying to make an informed decision that best reflects my future over the next 2 year period. I have a lot to prove to myself and I want to be moving forward as long as it is not interfering with my education.
I have also been frequenting the local bookstore trying to take some time to myself everyday. I usually pick up a couple of books and a cooking or wine related magazine. I browse through a chapter or two of the book and decide if it's something that I may want to check out from the library or buy. Which reminds me that I really need to check and see if the title 62 million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong. Jo would be so happy that I want to check it out. As always I miss you girls more everyday. I really do not have anyone at the moment that I feel absolutely comfortable around. My best friends do not want to hear my stories and are already tired of my comparisons. Hope you are all doing well and your integration is going better than my is currently.

Getting Back In The Saddle

I am sitting in my living room across from my Father watching the Home Run Derby for Major League Baseball. I am being completely overloaded with commercial advertising and poor sport's broadcasting. They just played the Japanese and Spanish versions and I think that those guys were having a lot more fun.
Today I got up around 11:00am which means I think that I am pretty close to being back to normal with my sleeping pattern. After having uploaded some songs on to my sister's Ipod I took a shower and went out to find a job. I think that it would be best to work near the house in case anything happens and to give my Mother some piece of mind as well. So, I am going to have to give up on trying to find something in a fine dining atmosphere. So I am going to go for the money. I went to a couple of places and got some applications before heading to Mickey and Mooch. There I filled out my application and turned it in, I think that it surprised the chef that I wanted the kitchen because I was not Mexican, Honduran, or Salvadorean. Even the server that I handed my application to was expecting me to be looking for a server position. I thought about it to be honest but I also think that I would like to have the steady income over the uncertainty of the floor. To be honest I am not sure that I would actually like to be waiting tables again because it gets kind of old and it never changes. You do the same thing every time and while the money is good I would not be developing as a cook. So, I asked for 14.00 dollars an hour and he told me that I am at the top of the list. I was kicking myself for not asking more but I think that I am going to request a 30 or 45 day review to get a raise. That is if I get a job there!
Next I wanted to go see Renee and since she was working I went to GAP. I thought that she might still be working inside of Concord Mills and so I headed there with all of the other suburbanites and rednecks. I inquired at the GAP and noone knew her so I stopped by Banana Republic to find out that it was another store. So I hopped in the pickem up truck and headed that way. She gave me a look as I walked in the door but it took a few seconds to realize who I was. She lit up a little more when she realized who I was. I talked with her for a bit and then Alex, her ex now again boyfriend came in to take her to lunch. I really do not think that the 2 of us really care for each other but we still say hello to be nice. Renee and I decided to have a coffee later this week and I expect it will only be the 2 of us. I think that she saw in me that I am having trouble adjusting back to things here in the US. It will be nice to see her and talk to her about things.
Afterwards I stopped by to say hello to Lava Bistro. I ran into Tatiana on the way to the bathroom. We actually talked for about 30 minutes and I learned that her daugher is now 15 months old and she is 6 months pregant with a little boy now. She is originally from Russia and we worked together for a total of 2 years. We were talking about how different Europe and Moscow are from here in Charlotte. If you want to go for a walk you have to take your car somewhere because there are almost no sidewalks. Their is public transportation but instead of being something that everyone uses I honestly think that is for people who are on the verge of poverty. Thanks for listening and I will hope to hear from a lot of you soon.

I'm Back

I have returned to the United States of America as of the 7th of July. I am in complete culture shock right now. I think that if I were in a larger more diverse city that it would not be as difficult but I am not and there are a lot of rednecks in my area so it's odd and weird right now. Today I actually had a big wave of sadness and longing come for Lyon and also my friends. You know who you are, I miss you all terribly. It was nice last night because Maddy called me from Melbourne. It was great to hear from her and I was very happy to talk to her the little amount of time that we had. It was on her parent's phone bill but we did not talk to long so they should not freak out too much.
The day I got home I went straight to the hospital to see my father. He was not feeling to good and was still under heavy pain meds. It was nice to see him but still a little hard to see my pops in the hospital as imagined. Next, I wanted to make sure that I stayed up so I could beat my jetlag as soon as possible. I went with my brother and sister to Outback Steakhouse to get a good steak. Sorry for the Aussies that it is a real spoofy restaurant based on Australian stereotypes and corny language. However it was a nice piece of beef that I got. I was so amazed at how much food I got, we eat too much here in the States. Leaving there I went back to the house and tried to settle in with some Carambar's and a glass of wine with my mom and I got to see my dog. Jules did not even recognize me at first but after a night she realized who I was and became extra loveable. Well, it's a little late and my brother is waiting to watch a flic with me so I am gonna say goodbye for now but I'll post again soon.