Dreams

I think it is highly appropriate that I am reading a book about dreams and sleeping. Haven't you noticed all of my blogs are written basically at the buttcrack of dawn...meaning late at night/early in the morning. I feel as though my mind cannot rest until I finally write this thing. It is such a consistency. I am surprised I do not dream in blogs...

Dreams are such an interesting thing. Sometimes it is so weird to have one and then see some of it come to pass. I don't like it when my friends tell me they have a dream about me. My first reaction is always "Was it bad????" I don't like people telling me crap that happens that is not good because I don't like it to come true or want it to come true. If anyone has a dream about me having a teaching job, let me know. HAHA. Better yet, if you hear or see of any open positions in your drams, let me know. I need some Chicagoland openings. My favorite dreams are not even really dreams, they are the ones that kind of incorporate your surroundings...the ones that make your sleep really comfortable, kind of like when a Christmas tree is lit in a room and you wake up on and off intermittently during the night to look at it and then fall warmly asleep again. Those are nights where sleep is endless.

Has anyone ever slept with a ghost in a room, though? My last apartment had one, a middle aged male, as witnessed by me and by my friend Lisa. He made sleep really uncomfortable for me for a few months. They put you in this sleep that is so deep but when you wake, it feels as though you are drained. He would always be at the end of my bed anytime I would wake up (I could not see him, but it was very obvious he was there) AND he would always be present in my dreams. I would always dream about my room as it was when I fell asleep. The bed would be exactly as it was when I went to sleep with anything sitting on it that was there prior to falling asleep. I would wake in the exact position I fell asleep in. It was pretty difficult. In my dreams, I would see me sleeping exactly as I fell asleep. I could always sense him at the foot of my bed during my dreams. He was actually in my dreams and in reality. Pretty creepy. I don't know if any of that made sense.

Then, I hate the schadenfreude dreams. They are so amazing and then you wake up.

Then, there are those that are so amazing and you wake up and they are about something that actually happened, so you can still be happy when you wake!

So, basically, the best part about reading this graphic novel is that the plot stays within the page and cannot go any further. So, today, the reading has stayed within the boundaries of Morpheus being released. He is now within his world again. The story presented itself as him moving in and out of dreams once he was released after 70 years. He needed to be clothed, so he went into someone's recurring dream and took clothing. He was hungry and went into someone else's dream and ate off of a buffet they were dreaming about. Once he was re-established, the King of Dreams went back to his palace. Here, the man who was the son of the man who trapped him shows up. Morpheus questions him and asks him why he did it...entrapped him. The man explains it was because they wanted to catch Death. This is where we find out that Death is the older sister of Dreams. The Sandman informs him it would be a bad thing for humankind if Death were caught. As punishment for enslaving him, the man is given eternal restlessness. Everyone who has been sleeping or sleep walking for the past 70 years finally wakes.

So, hopefully, my teaching dream will happen. I am making more and more connections. Unfortunately, Marquette School has hired...they closed the position. The pianist called me again today to just give me some more general contacts. Tonight, I met up with my friend Tim...he is the assistant principal of Notre Dame Catholic School. He said I should 100% be able to find a job teaching in a Catholic school next year. Private schools are getting big now since public are falling apart. Plus, you don't have to be certified to teach in Catholic...so I am way qualified. I could teach English if I had a big enough case to say I was worthy of teaching it. He said my experiences at Barnes and Noble, teaching Service Learning, directing and teaching K-12 grades, being a track coach and being involved with community were all very marketable things for me in the Catholic schools. He is sticking his foot in the door for me. So, no matter what, keep your fingers crossed, but I will probably be in a Catholic school next year.

Well, tomorrow is Gap and Barnes time. Gap at 6AM and Barnes at 4PM. Time for bed. NIGHT!!!

Preludes and Nocturnes...to the letter G

Neil Gaiman

Today is the beginning of my G week. In celebration of my gigantic reading event, I am reading from the works of one of my favorite authors...Neil Gaiman. Not only can I send a tribute to his last name for beginning with a G, the genre I am reading begins with a G...the Graphic Novel; I have never ventured to read a graphic novel before and this is going to be my first time in this strange territory. As for Neil Gaiman, I have been privy to a couple of his books and short stories. The purpose of the 26 Weeks, Authors, Books deal was to introduce me to new authors...well, here, I am sticking to someone familiar. My claim to difference is the graphic novel.

For those of you that do not know, a graphic novel is a book written in comic form. Basically, they are around 200 pages or so and are bound nicely. Some of them offered at Barnes and Noble are hardbound, these being Marvel Comics, DC and Vertigo for the most part. My chosen reading this week is Gaiman's Preludes and Nocturnes, book one of his Sandman twelve part series.

As for Gaiman, he has written many novels for adults and two for kids. As for writing, I would say he is the Tim Burton of authors. His books have that twisty, edgy, dark side to them just as a Burton film would indicate. The soundtracks to his books could easily be scored by Danny Elfman. The first book I ever read by Gaiman was Neverwhere; I read it in 2006. It is about the London Underground and is extremely spellbinding. The book is heavily appealing to the imagination. When in London's famous Tube, you can feel his book moving in and out of the gap. Other books by Gaiman include Anansi Boys, American Gods, Stardust (made into a great movie), Smoke and Mirrors (short stories) and Good Omens (co-authored by Terry Pratchett). His children's books are Coraline, a lovely Tim Burton film now, and 2009 Newbery Award Winner The Graveyard Book. The Graveyard Book was the last book I read by him. It was excellent (and obviously so for the Newbery). It is about a boy named Bod who grows up in a graveyard in England. His caretakers are ghosts and a vampire. It is absolutely amazing. His storytelling is phenomenal.

From what I have read, The Sandman can be read in order or in parts...it doesn't matter with which graphic novel one starts. I figured number one would be good enough for me. I am not sure what type of adjustment it is going to take for me to read this stuff. I think the fact the book is painted in never ending pictures is a plus, but it could also work not so great in my favor. I have a feeling I am going to have to take note of every character's face since there is no "he said, she said" stuff in it. It is straight dialogue with narrations. If I forget a face, I am going to be confused. Leave it to me to be confused by a graphic novel. The inspiration for reading this is from my best friend Jonathan. He loves graphic novels and said Gaiman's were a great introduction to the genre. So, here's to Jonathan's word.

As for Neil Gaiman, I found out he is a very good friend of my co-worker's sister. I would love to meet him. He actually gave her a big thanks in the back of The Graveyard Book. Gaiman was born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, Hampshire, England. His family is of Polish Jewish origins (funny how I cannot seem to come away from the Jewish theme). They opened a chain of grocery stores in the area in which his father and grandfather ran and his mother was a pharmacist. He has two sisters. In his youth, he loved the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and other science fiction writers. He was a journalist for the British Fantasy Society...this helped him eventually get published.

Duran Duran was the subject of his first book, Ghastly Beyond Belief, written in 1984 (it is a biography). Later down the road in the 80's, he wrote Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion. Funny he should write that...it is connected to my A book. :)

Currently, Gaiman lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the divorced father of three children and Godfather to Tori Amos' daughter Tash. He has won so many awards for his writing. He currently has a huge blog online, as well (just click on the word blog).

Preludes and Nocturnes has the creepy twist that all Gaiman novels have right from the beginning. People have obtained a book that will aid them in catching death to keep it from striking ever again. In the ceremony to conjure death, they accidentally get the wrong guy, the keeper of dreams. Mysteriously, people everywhere cannot sleep anymore or do not sleep at all. One girl only wakes four times in five years. Does this sound like Gaiman? Yes. I know I will love it.
Speaking of fun. A little girl peed on herself and on the stage in the Children's Section tonight. Julie and Amanda were able to witness it, I just saw the pee on the floor and on a Pinkalicious stuffed plush doll. I did hear her screaming after she peed. And, being the good North Shore parents she has, they ran off without even apologizing or offering to help clean up. :) FML

We also projected A LOT in the Children's Section tonight. Thank God Amanda stayed in there. With her and I it took four hours. We had to move the Caldecott bay up and turn the top four shelves of every bay to new and bestselling faceouts. Oh la la. What fun that is. Plus, it is Monday night, there is already enough projecting to do in Barnes and Noble as it is without that. The good news is that I found out our department is ahead in the district for the most part. Kudos to us!

Tomorrow, I am heading over to Marquette School to see if I can get a job. I also have grad school, a check-in on Dena, a hang-out session with Tim and hopefully a workout with Brian. What a busy day "off!"

Have a lovely night! :) Happy G Reading!

Everything WAS Illuminated

Well, I finished the book today. It was really a great ending. I mean great meaning that everything was illuminated and fell together. But, this was not the happy ending you would have thought based on the opening light-hearted dialogue expressed at the beginning of the book. There were so many connections that were made in the end that did in fact illuminate everything that happened in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone...well mostly anyone. I think some people might not have the attention span to swim through Foer's writing style. Most others could probably get the gist of the book pretty quickly. I like how everything adds up in some form or another. I will definitely not divulge in the ending or give some type of idea of what happens. That would be unfair to anyone feeling as though they actually want to read the book.

I started the movie again tonight and really enjoyed the first hour and forty-five minutes. It was mostly true to the book, except all of the undertones of the fictional Trachimbrod were left out of it...and that is ok. Sometimes in the book that could get a little pedantic. My favorite part of the movie is Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior. She is such a beautiful dog (or as they say in the movie/book...seeing eye bitch).

Tomorrow, I will begin the highly anticipated "G" book. I am so excited to begin a new letter. I know I will finish this in the week and hope I will be back on track with my reading. Tomorrow night, I will be reading Neil Gaiman's Preludes and Nocturnes from the Sandman series. It is a graphic novel that has come highly praised. It is a graphic novel and will be the first time I have ever ventured into that realm of reading. I am not too afraid, though. A lot of my friends read Graphic Novels and have recommended it.

Well, I am about to fall asleep. Have a good night. Tomorrow will be a Gaiman summary. :)

Final Pages...

Almost done with Everything and everything has truly been illuminated. So many connections have been made.

Tonight I went to an all Asian party at Lake Point Tower...that is the skyscraper that sticks out into Lake Michigan in front of Navy Pier. Nice. Asians are fun. I also met a girl named Caroline from Ireland. She lived in Myrtle Beach for a while, too!

Me, Meagan, Jeff, Kristin and James


Meagan being destroyed by a Mongolian.


Me being destroyed by a Mongolian.


Meagan and our great friend, Jeff! He is the mix of the group...Filipino, Japanese, Spanish.

I am tired because I had beer. I will combine what I would have written today into tomorrow's since I will be done with the book!

Work at 10AM.

Have a good night.

:)

Reads Like a Book

The description of the Holocaust continues to be pretty graphic. Her whole family was more or less executed by the Nazis. Right now, the book is reading like a combination of and Diary of a Young Girl and Night. Finally, the time has come to leave the remnants of Trachimbrod. As they exit, they stop at a stone that represented Trachimbrod's existence. Israel placed a marker there to celebrate the lives of all those lost and left living in Trachimbrod. Augustine made an interesting point as to the destruction of the town. The guys were asking her how great it must have felt to have survived. She responded with a NO because it is so hard to see everyone but one or two people around you die. It is better to be amongst the dead than the living. That is such an interesting point she makes. What is life worth living if absolutely everyone of any importance, and even your entire town, is taken?

When the scene changes, it goes back to the story of Trachimbrod as told by Foer. The Book of Antecedents is the entire chapter. There, you learn the history of the town and how the town defined certain trends, dates, events, ideas and values. It is quite interesting because it was almost like reading one of those trivia books or Bill Bryson's A Short History of Everything. One of the descriptions was about the enduring spirit of the Jews; I would have to agree. They went through slavery in the time of Moses to mass decimation in WWII. I don't think other people have as much of a right to complain about their past and people as the Jews. At least there are no survivors of the Civil War right now or we would be paying retribution out the butt. Interesting how the Jews have recently experienced all of this pain (as well as the Japanese with the American Concentration Camps in Utah), but do not ask for a dime's retribution.

I will be done with Everything Is Illuminated by Sunday. It will then be time to get back on track with ONE book a week...well one adult and a Newbery or notable children/teen book.

I blessed a 6th grader out tonight at Barnes. It scared her so much. I am pretty sure I was the first person to ever discipline her. This is the scene.
About 11 teens came running into the store tonight. They hauled butt down the escalators and I was there, as usual to receive them. Well, one girl took it upon herself to jump on the back of one of the boys and then pull his hoodie. He fell back and almost knocked several others into our Bestseller's octagon. I lost it. I said Alright, you need to stop right now. If you cannot act like human, you don't belong in this store. So, either act like a human being or move right on out RIGHT NOW (I am so glad I have been a teacher because I can sell the pissy attitude really well...I directed this right at the girl that jumped on the boy and did not take my eyes off of hers for a second...that is my intimidation factor)! She decided she was going to walk away from me. Don't you dare walk away from me while I am talking to me. If you want to walk away from me, you can walk yourself right out of the doors. Well, she turned and payed attention to me. If I see or hear one more little bit out of you tonight, so help me God you are out of this store for good. She ran off and hid from me. Her other friends who did nothing wrong, all sixth graders, ran up to me to apologize. I had them wrapped around my fingertips. So nice. They then wanted to run their mouths and socialize with me. They told me I was quite accomplished to be so young (I told them about being in school and my teaching experience) and that I looked way too young to have taught high school. HAHA.

Well, other than this...this is it for today! Have a lovely night.

Now the Holocaust Begins

Well, the graphic details of misery are seeping into the text. Augustine describes violent outbursts made by the Nazis on Trachimbrod. She also describes the physical pain and torture set upon her family by them. It is a pretty graphic section. Today's reading was primarily about the suffering.

I received a mysterious phone call today saying my credentials were received by this man and he thought I sounded amazing. I found out he is one of the principal pianists for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has conducted the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. He is a composer and arranger, as well. Honestly...who cares if he has something for me...the fact that someone like this has my phone number...WOW. He actually said he wanted to point me in the direction of some principals he knew in order to get me turned in the right direction for a job. That is awfully nice. It is like having a guardian angel of education on my shoulders. He told me to keep in touch!

Plus, a position in Marquette School in Chicago opened for immediate hire. Elementary Music. I applied for it tonight and sent all of my stuff to the principal. I don't know if I would take it, though. The school is in a REALLY BAD neighborhood...Englewood. I would probably get killed or have my car stolen.

Today was a really windy day. WOW. The lake was outta control. Here are a couple of pictures and some video:



After work, I went out to a bar with my GM and one of my friends. It was nice to be able to see her outside of the store. She said outside of the management team I was the first person she has been out with. That makes me feel good to know people are so trusting of me! ;)

Well, sleep well. I know I will. A little beer in me.

This is Number 71

Welcome to Blog 71...I promise to not make it exciting at all. Actually, tonight will be a slacker night, too, because I got home at 1 and could not find parking and had to park in a 7 o'clock tow zone which means I wake up at 6:50. Not fun.

So here's how it is going to be. Augustine finally agreed to take the crew to Trachimbrod. There is nothing in the location that used to be the city. The Nazis destroyed it in WWII. She reflected upon how there was nothing around but quite likely objects buried in the ground from the Jews. I find this interesting because I have heard many stories about how the Jews and many citizens had to hide items from the Nazis. Oftentimes money, jewelry, art, music, personal belongings and the like had to be buried in the ground...kind of like when America's Great Depression occurred and everyone took their money out of the banks and buried it here and there. The Jews had to do a lot of hiding of things; but it was not only the Jews. Gentiles had to hide items that were related to Jewish culture/people. For instance: The Louvre in Paris. Many objects were taken from the museum during WWII for fear the Nazis would destroy them. Farm houses in French countryside became hiding places for these world class pieces or art. Music written by Jewish composers or those of backgrounds that were not Christian were destroyed if not hidden. Felix Mendelssohn's work, a great bulk of it, was destroyed because he bounced from religious ideologies throughout life; he played between being a Christian and a Jew. Hitler had a lot of his music destroyed.

So, Augustine described how there was not one remnant left of Trachimbrod. Then, she got into the graphic details of the Nazis questioning the townspeople about their faith and having them renounce the Torah. She said they lined everyone up in the center of town and had them spit on the Torah, tear it up and stomp on it; the result, if not desecrated, would result in death of your entire family. Naturally, people wanted to protect their families, so they did whatever the Nazis requested.

This is just a brief description of how far I have gotten. I have covered so much material that will not even be reflected upon. The book is still very good and I hope someone will actually read it after I finish.

Tonight, a woman approached me at Barnes and Noble about needing a book. Since I couldn't find it, she said she would run to a bookstore in her town of Winnetka. She was really nice and was not the typical catty "I'll just go somewhere else like BORDERS to get it since you guys are not stocked." I proceeded to tell her that I just applied for a Winnetka position; she asked what school. Well, it just so happens that her daughter attends Hubbard Woods and her son went there, as well. She said I was GREAT help and she could tell I am passionate in what I do. She said tomorrow she is going to tell the principal she has to call me; the lady volunteers at the school all the time. I really hope she does push the principal to call. I am going to call her in the morning anyway. Hopefully this will lead me in the right direction.

I also have a phone "conference" with the Wilmette Schools ESL Coordinator tomorrow night...she said she might just stop by Barnes, though. I really hope I can get some good insight.

So, I am about ready to leave Gap. My manager at Barnes said her parents would let me do some construction work with their company...which happens to be the contractors that built Trump Tower...her parents built Trump Tower in Chicago. Whoa. Big deal. I am just burning out from Gap.
One quick old Barnes story...don't know if I told it...a woman came up to me the other day. She started scratching her wrists violently and said I have eczema. I need a book or books on eczema. It just popped up on me. I mean, how does it just do that? As she was scratching, skin was flaking all over the counter. Gross. Amanda had to clean it up. That is how you get eczema...from dumb people leaving their skin on the counter.

Well, for now, have a wonderful night. Remember to read Everything is Illuminated!

Ay ya ya...

Today, I read a lot...unfortunately...I will not be blogging. I went to the bank really early, went to the gym, went to class and played some Nintendo with my buddies. I read in between all of this today!

So, tomorrow, I will report on my reading. And a couple of Barnes and Noble Schadenfreude stories.

I work at Gap at 6AM.

Goodnight!

:)

Well, alas, conversation has begun with Augustine in Everything. This is hopeful for Jonathan because it will bring him a slight bit closer to his past. She is quite intriguing because she is something of a packrat. Her house is covered in memories and boxes. Her yard is strewn with drying clothes. Foer describes it as seeming as though many families live in Augustine's house. But, she is the only person. She is Trachimbrod.

Grandfather is taking to Augustine magnificently. He is basically falling in love with her on the spot. It seems as though there is something going on underneath. But, she only addresses Alexander whilst talking to everyone. She seems to be trying to cover the fact she knows something about Grandfather and Foer. She is, though, absolutely taken back that Foer crossed the world to find her. It is an honor for her. But, she knows nothing of America. She does not even know America exists. She doesn't even know what a plane is. She is set back from reality. For a bit, she is excited they are there, but then something changes. She stops communicating with Grandfather and Foer. Secrets are somewhere buried underneath...they are there. She takes back the fact that she is Augustine and says she is not, but since Grandfather says she is, she is. He is demanding that way.

Grandfather takes a big step and says to move to Odessa with them. He wants her to pick up and take everything there. Naturally she has not been and really, right now, I don't know what she will do. I have been really bad about reading lately and I am kind of sad about that. I need to read, read, read. I know I will read when I get home tonight (right now I am with Dena).

If Augustine rejects the idea of moving to Odessa, I can understand. It is a big step to move to a big city, especially if you do not know if things are going to work out or not. Even knowing the things I know about life right now in Chicago, I would have moved here. I have grown so much. So, no matter what happens in the book, Augustine will be taking a big step.

My friend Pili from Barnes, the Ukrainian, said Odessa was a beautiful place...so hopefully Augustine will think the same. She can take big steps and find hope somewhere.

Speaking of big steps, my friend Dena took a very big step today. It has been one week since her knee surgery. Today, I took her out for a day in Chicago. It was her first outing since she had the procedure. Yesterday's shower was her first big accomplishment. So, to celebrate, she took me out to eat lunch. We ate at Nookie's in Boys Town. Nookie's is amazing. After Nookie's, we took a trip to Barnes and Noble State and Elm, Dena's new place of work.

Then, we went by Aubre to visit with Jeff. Who speak the Asian.

BUT...the fun began when Dena and I went to Target. A motorized shopping cart was in the works. She went through three because they all kept dying on her. It was hilarious. After we finished, I had to drive it back into Target. So much fun. It was slow, though. I am glad I am not having to drive one of those things right now. I remember my days of limited mobility.

Afterward, we went back to her place and watched Ms. Swan on Youtube. That was a lot of fun because she had never seen her. After, we watched Stephanie sing on Youtube. Oh even more fun. Then, I read for a bit and napped until it was time to go to the gym. I went to Bally in Lakeview tonight. It is on the 7th and 8th floors of a mall. I am not sure what I think of it at the moment. After, I went back to Dena's with Jeff (workout partner...Jeff, Brian and Dexter to keep them all straight). I watched my very first episode of Dancing with the Stars. I am sorry, but Kate Gosselin is a witch. She needs to be kicked off and really should not be on the show in the first place.

Well, I will leave you with a beautiful picture of the day today...actually a couple. :) Have a good night!

My Beach in Rogers Park

Driving down Lakeshore Drive.

The view from Dena's Barnes and Noble. The reason I should work downtown.

Oh. Dear. God.

Well...the Kolker dies in Everything. And in great taste, he dies from suicide. He slits his wrists on the saw that is stuck in his head. How exciting. Sometimes I wonder what I would do if a saw were stuck in my head whilst working at Gap. Hmmm. So anyway, he dies and Brod has their son. She names the son Yankel since in Jewish custom, it is bad luck to name a child after a living relative. Wow. I would be in big trouble if I were a Jew. Everyone I am named after...ok minus one, but he was alive when I was born...would mean a triple threat in bad luck. Oiy Gevalt! So now Brod is on her own. This should be interesting. As of yet, she has never been without some form of "supervision" in her existence. The book should progress quite interestingly.

Alexander comments on what it is like to see a loved one cry. This is relative to his grandfather's situation which is melancholy. He talks about what a moving experience it is to see someone cry. Usually, I cry when I see someone else cry. I know this is manly and all.

Today was quite an interesting day. We had a no call no show at work. Our GM said it was time to hire a boy that was reliable. Finally, I will get to have my friend Clinton from Gap come in to work. I made it guaranteed that he would get hired if he applied at Barnes. He is excited because it can be a primary job. He is the hardest worker I have seen before and I think it would be excellent to have him there. Me, Fabiola and Clinton...three Gappers at Barnes. I hope he starts soon.

The GM told an amazing story about the no call no show. Apparently we have a cupcake shop next door to Barnes. What?!?! How come I did not know? Now I have a new way to get fat. I love cupcakes. Well, anyway, our no call said she went there one time after hours. The "man" running the cupcake shop asked her to come in to drink. Well...the GM and the cafe manager informed her that "man" is actually a woman. HAHAHA. Angie (no call) said "he" was hitting on her, etc. To this day she still thinks the woman is a guy. This is about the biggest amount of Schadenfreude I have heard in a LONG time. I was laughing so hard when I heard it. I cannot wait to go to the cupcake store and see the shman.

So, customers of the day at Barnes:

1. A woman had me do ESL research on the computer.
   
2. A woman thought she could buy our gift fixture. She was so obnoxious and probably did not have much going on in her head.
3. I met one of my professors' wives! She was awesome and I got a member card from her!

So, tonight at Gap was basically the ninth circle of Hell. All things possible that could have happened happened. So...I was isolated as usual. I got into the store at 6:30 and was scheduled to leave at 11. The store closed at 7. We had a FOUR hour closing and it looked as though NO one had recovered ALL day today. Well, this would not have been so bad if everyone would not have left at nine. It was just ME and the two managers after nine. And guess who the managers were? The ice princesses. Oh. dear. God. I wanted to take the saw in the Kolker's head and gently apply it to my body. Princess asked me how I was doing around 9 and I told him "Shitty." Prior to that, the other one wanted to know what was wrong with me. Well, it is pretty hard for me going into the night knowing the two I was going to be working with. They have no motivational skills and NO morale. I wanted to jump off of a table. So, naturally, they isolated me, which I was fine with. Once I knew it was them, I was gone. I decided I would concentrate on being alone at work. They asked me if a cigarette would make me better or better yet if they burned a cigarette on my skin. HA. What charm. What skills in staff morality. How lovely. I was going slowly down my escalator to Hell. Well...this was only at 9. I still had two hours alone with these two. After break, it was up to me to recover the ENTIRE store and the fitting rooms and all the returns. And...I had to help the two of them move furniture all over the store. They wanted to use me for muscle. But, redemption came along...Ice Princess said "Patrick, we really appreciate you for being a trooper and hanging in here with us all the way until 11." I could not believe it. I was appalled. I am pretty sure I came to an understanding with these two tonight. I apologized for being off. I have been sick and I have worked 36 hours since Friday combined Barnes and Gap. So, the rest of the night was fine. I am pretty sure they like me. When I was running away from Gap, I ran into one of my B&N managers. She laughed at me.

So, tomorrow and Tuesday, I have off. I am going to hang out with Dena since she is recovering. I am hanging out with my friends Justin and Tim and Jeff. I will get to work out again with Dexter. I am so excited about sleep and just relaxing!! It will be amazing. I just cannot wait. Actually, I am experiencing the relaxation now. I am watching the movie version of Maurice Sendack's Caldecott Winner Where the Wild Things Are.
Tonight, I called Sheryle's sister-in-law, the ESL lady. She called back. She wants to help. I am pretty sure I will be teaching next year. So, I will leave this blog on these good thoughts.

Night. :)

Everything is WHITE.

Well, as Mother Nature keeps getting high off of greenhouse gasses, we will continue to live in a tumultuous climate of Chicago. After a beautiful day yesterday, we are covered in snow today. There were only supposed to be snow showers today...wrong. There has been around 3 inches of accumulation. We were teased so much over the past few days. It has been well into the 70's and now we have digressed. I hope this is only one day of torture.

To prolong this torture, I have to work with the evil Ice Queen at Gap tonight and her frozen heart...and by her, I mean his. I suppose I will be isolated to some corner because he cannot stand it if I get near any other employees. He is probably indirectly the reason it snowed today; I would not be surprised. What a bitter person.

Today, at Barnes, we had a visit from Madeleine...Madeleine is the character from Ludwig Bemelmans' book Madeleine. It is the tale of a French girl in a boarding school. Madeleine has been quite popular for the past 60 years. It highlights many of the landmarks in Paris. The book received the Caldecott honor. It has fairly simple illustrations, but the ones that are in color are quite vivid in a charcoal/pastel way. Elaine and I switched off reading Madeleine books today because I had a sore throat. Richelle wore the costume. The children were excited to see Madeleine in person. My friends Tim and Justin came to visit me at B&N shortly after. It was great to see them! I think we have a kickass Nintendo Wii tournament coming soon!

I mean there was a guillotine in one of the books.

This morning, in the morning meeting, we were informed about a couple of award winners and distinguished books. The first is A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks. It recounts the week in the lives of seven different Londoners that all happen to converge at the end. I love books like that. They are always fun to read. Another is by a Discover Great New Writers winner called Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato. It is about a girl that is neglected by her parents after the death of her older sister. It looks fascinating. I hope to read both of these books in the near future.

A customer re-cap at Barnes today.

1. When is Ozzy coming? Are you serious? Oh Good LORD.
2. I NEED a coffee table book on Chicago. Then she names some type of edition. I said What type of coffee table book? She flipped her shite and said I just need a coffee table book on Chicago! NOW show me where. Kathy took her. No way I was going to do that. Kath said she brow beat her husband the whole time they were in the Illinois history section.
3. My friend Pili, the Ukrainian, came! He brought his son Timothy to the section. Timothy was gibbering in Ukrainian, Russian and more English with me! I love it because he code-switches the three languages. :) Pili is really trying to learn English. He said a couple of complete, grammatically correct sentences to me today. It was exciting to hear his progress. He wants to run with me this summer in the city so he can learn more English! I think that will be a lot of fun!
   

As far as the book...oh it is getting off the wall...
Basically, Brod's husband is at work one day and a saw flies off of the machinery. It lodges itself into his head. When Brod hears the news, she assumes he is dead, but he is not. It is lodged in a place that makes it possible to keep him alive, but if it were to come out, he would die. He lives life with a saw coming out of the front and center of his head for the rest of his time. Coming with this new anomaly is an head injury that makes him a little Turetteish. Obscenities fly from his mouth without control but he realizes it happens; he cannot stop the actions. Brod sees this as being a new part of him and almost takes joy in it realizing it is almost childlike. Each day, though, he gets worse and worse. Eventually, he takes to hitting her once or twice a week. She sees right through this and believes it is still better than any husband treats his wife. As the year draws on, he finds that it is time to die although he is young. He feels he cannot go on living the way he has been living. He confines himself to a room and he and Brod communicate through a hole.

Prior to this, he and Brod engage in a conversation about conversations. He has always felt inferior to her about everything. She is so witty and smart but yet he feels stupid. Come to find out he has kept a running tab of the amount of conversations they have had since married for three years: 6. She always avoids convo with him because she sees him as someone to love on, protect and cuddle with. She sees him almost as a child. She wants this. This angers him because it makes him feel even more inferior. After the saw lodges in his head, and this is quite some time after, she tells him she no longer loves him and never did. Finally, when he decides it is time to die, she takes it back. He does not believe her but just asks her to act like she did when they first met to help him with the remainder of his days.

This goes to show you never know how long someone is going to be around. Always keep it real and good with those closest to you. She makes a fool of herself. I know this often happens with many people, though.

As far as work went tonight at Gap. Mhmmm. We had two ice princesses in. I feel like I was treated like a baby. Once again...I was isolated and put in men's sale. What the hell is that? The time I did talk, Miryanna said "Less talk, more work kids." What are we, children? Holy crap. I work for the slave market. This is ridiculous. I don't understand how we are supposed to keep morale up within a store when there is no one there supporting it...I really wish my CEM Lead would have closed. Nolan is really cool...and he is Filipino; my experience with them has ALWAYS been good. Flips are the best people in the world. So, I bid my time in sale tonight...bunch of bull. I did have a nice time conversing with a couple of people. But, sometimes, there are those where you say How are you doing? with gritted teeth and they respond with a jean size (Today someone answered that same question at Barnes with I need Strega Nona...what made it better was that we did not have the version she wanted so I could tell her snotty ass we didn't have it). North Shore people need their asses wiped with gold. I did not ask you what size jean you are fool. Others, when they respond with a Good, how are you? I say Doing well. but what I am thinking is I am dying a little on the inside every time I have to talk to one of you. I feel like I have lost about half a million brain cells tonight and it was not from the drink I went out and had with Fabiola and Jeff. How do people make Gap their careers? I would shoot my foot or better yet step on a trail of broken glass and hypodermic needles before I would ever consider a CAREER with Gap.

Two good things came out of the evening, though:

1. I talked to Chris, a former co-worker at Gap, when I had to see if his store in Evanston had a certain pair of ugly cadet khakis (yes, Gap, your cadets look like someone shat on them or better yet bled all over them). Chris apparently interviewed for the Merchandise Manager position at Village Crossing last week. That would be awesome if he got it. I am training right now for MM. If he and I landed a store together, that would be sweet. He is easygoing...and it is just great to see someone else land a career with Barnes.
2. Sheryle, Gap Body employee, has a sister that runs the ESL division in Wilmette schools. Bingo...that is what I will be endorsed in this summer. She wants to talk to me. Sheryle gave me her number tonight. I can call her sister Sandie tomorrow. :) I might have an ESL job. I think things are coming right together.

So, as things are coming together for the search of Foer's grandfather's past in Illuminated, things are coming together for me. Tomorrow will hold a new adventure for me and for Foer. We will have to see. I work at Barnes beginning at 10 and close Gap at 11PM. I am then off Monday and Tuesday. I will have worked 34 hours in three days alone this weekend. $

So, off to bed!!!!

It's coming together!

So, finally, some sense is being made in the book. Alexander and Foer are getting closer to uncovering the life behind Foer's grandfather. Soon, things should come together. After much deliberation and anxiety and just as they are about to give up, Alex approaches a final woman in a field drying clothes. She is an older, poor woman with not much to give. He asks the same repetitive question...''Where is Trachimbrod? Where is Sofiowka?" Of course, she does not know. She does not give an answer. Alex turns to leave her when he gets an idea. He pulls out the picture of Augustine and Jonathan's grandfather..."Do you know these people?" She continues to answer "No" until he has her in tears after repeating the question about fifteen times. Finally, she cries. She says "I am Trachimbrod." Ohhhhh...we are getting close...

So, today was a Barnes day. I worked from 4-12. We kicked a lot of obnoxious teens out. A couple of us were at our wits ends. I just don't understand...when teens are in school, they are amazing to teach...when they are in public...they are asses. But, we regulated. Mwuhahaha.

I started the day out at 7 o'clock to work out with my friend Jeff. He and I were about to die. I hurt so much. I have never felt this icky working out, but somehow, I made it. We both did. I became friends recently with yet another trainer, Kevin, at Bally and just found out today he is from Charleston by stalking Facebook. Now, we have something to talk about!

At Barnes tonight, one of my fellow grad mates, Shannon, a teacher at Sullivan in Rogers Park, shows up. She and I talk about the Winnetka position and she says to call the principal on Monday. As we were talking, a man asked me to help him with some books. He heard us talking about education and asked if I needed a job. He told me he is going to pass on all of my info to a private school in Winnetka. Reasons this is good:

1. Private means students go there because they can afford it.
2. Parents pay a lot of money and will accept nothing but the best.
3. Money to do things.
4. You don't have to be certified...basically, I could teach English if I wanted and work on a degree while there.
5. Winnetka.

So, I gave him my e-mail! I hope I hear something at least...he is only a parent, but has many connections. Right after he left, my receiving manager, Maciek, shows up (he is from Gap). He is the reason I like what I do. He is Polish and fun. Sometimes he is the reason I stay there. He and Fabiola and I had a wonderful time talking.

Tomorrow is a LONG day. 8:45 AM is my call time at Barnes and I don't get out of Gap until 11PM. UGH. Sunday 10AM at Barnes and leave Gap at 11PM. Thank God Fabiola is taking my Tuesday shift at GAP!

Ok...until tomorrow night...if I have the stamina to stay up and write...

Sleep, Sleep tonight

Today, I was very unproductive. This was the type of unproductive I should have never been. I woke up wanting to go to the gym, but did not do it. Instead, I fell asleep for a bit. Then, when I woke up, I wanted to eat lunch, so I did. But, alas, I fell asleep again and did not wake up until 2:30. I think this is a sign I am working too much. I have 5 days of 14 hours this week. This is pretty intense.

To make up for not reading today, I watched the movie Everything Is Illuminated. I only watched about thirty minutes. I don't want to ruin my fun reading the rest of the book. What I have noticed is that the only adventure in the movie is that of Grandfather, Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior, Alexander and Jonathan. There is no Trachimbrod history...which is fine with me. The funniest parts of the book are those of just Jonathan and Alexander. Elijah Wood plays the nerdy Foer and is so meek looking. The character of Alexander is hilarious. He is very white ghetto but funny. Grandfather is a pissy old man and the dog is really cute. The movie won several awards. I can see how.

Tonight I am at Barnes and Noble...so I will not be reading. I am going to go to bed early. I want to wake up to enjoy the day tomorrow. The weather was in the 70's today and it was AMAZING. I really wish I would have walked on the beach. So, tomorrow...8 o'clock gym and walk on the beach following. This is going to great.

Oh...speaking of Jewish books...a couple of years ago, I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Boyne. I decided to watch the movie the other night. It was very touching and sad. It followed the book exactly. Based on the Holocaust and full of tears...I do recommend both, though!

Well, have a wonderful evening!

I will be back in gear tomorrow!!!!!!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Wish I was in Ireland. Last year I went for nine days. I kissed the Blarney Stone and then got cut from my teaching job. But, that is fine, I will teach again next year. :) So, speaking of luck, I am going to reflect on all the things I am lucky for from this past year since hanging upside down over the edge of Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone.

1) I have a job. Actually, I have three jobs. I know the unemployed of Chicago really hate me; I account for a fifth of the workforce of Chicago currently. I work for Barnes and Noble as Children's Lead Bookseller. I give advice on how to read good kid's books and how to read books in general. I clean up after sloppy nannies and listen to children scream and cry because they cannot have a book (and really...this is not a bad thing...at least kids want to read). I work for Gap. Mindless labor where even a minute could feel like an eternity. Here, I put Boyfriend jeans on sadistic housewives who spend money as a career. Then, I dress dirty old men at the Lyric Opera during large operas.

2) I have money. I mean money enough to barely live. I have learned how to budget. Even though it seems like I should have more than I do, my expenses far outweigh what I make per month...and these are necessary expenses. I am lucky to have parents that care enough for me to know things are going to be better and help me where they can.

3) I am lucky I have not run over the natives of Howard Street.

4) I am lucky we have a treadmill dancer at Bally Fitness. It brings me great joy and a lot of schadenfreude when he is there. I laugh so much, but it makes for an amazing workout.

• Speaking of working out....I am lucky to have Brian, Dexter and Brandon to workout with. These people are big enough to keep me motivated and certain that I cannot lag behind. They make a lot of people at the gym look like little girls.
  
• I am also fortunate to be in relatively good health and have a body that draws attention.

5) I am lucky to have food when so many people cannot eat. I am lucky my Chinchilla only costs $10 a month to feed. We both eat a lot of salad.

6) I am lucky to have wonderful friends. Even though this past year has been tough and I have been MIA, a lot of people have stuck around and a lot have not and that is ok. It is hard when someone is out of sight, out of mind.

7) I am lucky I was able to fly home. I am lucky that when I go home I can see my family, friends and former students sometimes. I was also lucky to be able to travel the state of South Carolina and go into North Carolina and I am lucky Neyler rode all the way down with me home form Chicago and Stephanie, Sophia and Carolyn rode back.

8) I am lucky to live in a city so many people covet and would love the opportunity to live in. I know is stressful sometimes, but I am truly blessed to be here. Things will get better. I will have a steady career and I will be able to truly enjoy the Chicago that I used to enjoy. I am so fortunate to at least live on the beach and get to enjoy the aspect of having Lake Michigan in my front yard. I am so lucky to have public transportation and resources in a relatively reasonable distance. Even though apparently we are all going to die in Rogers Park, I think it is a good place. Remember, because it is so dangerous here, when we all get punished in 2012, Rogers Park is the first to go.

9) I was lucky to get to go to Ireland. Amazing trip that I have never really shared that many details with people. I loved it and was so fortunate to have such a wonderful friend, Jube, go with me.

Blarney Castle...Home of the Blarney Stone! :)

10) I am so lucky to be in graduate school for ESL. Right now, I think it will be one of my saving graces for education. Keep your fingers crossed that Winnetka will give me a call sometime this week!

So, these are some things I am so fortunate to have an so lucky to have had happen to me this past year. It has been quite a ride. I would have never pictured experiencing all I have experienced. I have grown so much and learned so much from all of this. There are so many things that never would have happened to me if I were not in the situation in which I am in. I know sometimes it hurts, but in the long run...this will make me much stronger. I have learned so much about human nature and how much the North Shore wishes it could have slavery. People are really interesting. I think when all of this is said and done...my last days of Gap and Barnes and Noble...I want to put together a book on all of the lessons I have learned from the past year...financial, relationships, friendships, planning, time management, travel, North Shore idiots, education horror stories and stories about my horrible ex co-worker. I want people to be aware of how incredibly exciting life can be even when you think you are not living it. I sometimes think because I am not experiencing Chicago everyday or traveling everywhere that I am not doing anything fulfilling or experiencing anything worthwhile...but look, I am able to write MASSIVE blogs on the things I experience each day. I get to write about how books affect me and make me feel. Obviously I am living a life I hadn't quite discovered. I am creating my own existence that is molded from a pre-fabricated form. I probably have more to talk about in a given day than someone who has a career that pays 20 times more than me. I am lucky.

Today's reading was brief. I got through lots of dialogue between Alexander and Foer. Apparently they are related. It is becoming more and more evident. Alexander is slowly learning the nuances of the English language. He is embracing all of those things American and hoping to someday reach America to live a more fulfilling life. As they travel together, more hilarity ensues. Foer's documents and everything are eaten by the dog. Grandfather's temper heightens. Alexander still messes up translations..."He unclosed the door." There are so many things happening. Grandfather points out Foer does not eat meat and is stupid because he is a Jew. There is a really funny breakfast scene that centers around the fact he eats no meat. They cannot stand it. The book is still very good and I am having a great time reading it.

Obviously, my book blog is going to take more than 26 weeks. I thought about changing the title to 26 Authors who inspired me to look within. This is what they are causing me to do...but I have already read around 15 books even though I am only on letter "F." It is so much fun absorbing the cultural contexts of all of these writings and learning about the human mind through the distinct writing styles of each author. They have challenged me to look within.

This has been a LONG day. I got to see treadmill dancer this morning at gym...videos of him will be uploaded in the morning...as well as pics of Ireland from last year. I worked at Gap for markdowns this morning at 6AM. That was not fun. I was singled out as usual and had to work alone. I had to do Men's by myself while Women's had four workers. Then, I was blamed for being too slow. Not even true. I did all of my work. Just because I had to scan the entire damn men's section from every style of sock to boxer to blue jean to sweater does not mean that I am going to work at lightning speed. A lot of stuff had to be re-marked down. Many of the jeans were on Final Sale which means they got three new markings to their tags. My manager told me I was being too slow and she did not care what was going on in my life or if I was tired. Well all I have to say is that I am probably one of the best damned workers they have ever had or ever will have.

Well, until tomorrow...sleep well. Have a wonderful day! Check back in this afternoon for videos of treadmill dancer and pics of Ireland!!!

Oy gevalt!

Pic I took at Bally today while working out...ain't it beautiful!

Today was a strong day of reading. I made it through a lot of the book. Key events were the annual Trachimday celebration, Brod’s mermaid endeavor, love, Shalom from Kolki, Yankel’s death and Grandfather’s anguish.

The Trachimday celebration is to honor the death of Trachim…so they think…each year. The celebration is full of many quirky customs, as are many traditions, and complete with a person dressed as a mermaid…which happens to be Brod…which happens to possibly be Trachim’s real daughter. Each year, the Tolerable Rabbi throws a sack of gold in the river. When he sees it fit, he signals for all the men to jump in and search for it. This symbolizes Trachim’s descent to the bottom of the river. Searching for the gold symbolizes searching for Trachim. Whoever finds the gold gets to keep it. This particular year, a man named Shalom from Kolki happens to be the winner. To make a long story short, he falls in love with Brod (Foer’s very great grandmother) and says he will not leave town until she goes with him. She says she will not go until he has sex with her. What an ultimatum.

Backing this up for a second…the book centers around how coveted Brod is within the town’s male population and hated she is with the females. She is supposedly the most beautiful girl in Trachimbrod. The women are jealous and all the men propose to her and touch her inappropriately. She is the most celebrated person in town…the most loved and hated person. Even Yankel loves her and covets her. His love is different, though. He is proud she is so beautiful and wishes he could tell her he loves her and she understand the type of love it is. He is sad she is not his real daughter. In fact, Yankel is beginning to lose his mind and memory and is worried he will not have the chance to tell her any truths. He has to write notes on his walls about who he is and what he represents. It is really sad. He is proud that she is the mermaid for the celebrations and proud everyone gets to “admire” her.

When celebrations end, Brod comes home. She discovers Yankel’s body dead on the study floor. It explains how he is sad he died on the floor and not on a chair to look more descent. You can’t help but to hurt for him. Foer (the author) does a great job of describing his aging process and anguish. It is sad and you cannot help but feel so badly for him. The description of his death and of the house decaying is amazing. As he dies, water is leaking in the roof. The picture portrayed is that of all of his notes melting off of the wall as snow melts. Very vivid.

A theme that lasts for a while is that of love. The issue of loving someone just because you are in love with being in love is brought up. It is so true to human nature to fall in love with the mere concept of being in love. Sometimes we oversee the fact that someone is not right for us but we fall in love with them or fall for them because we are in love with being in love. It becomes a tricky line to define. Love is a tricky game anyway.

In the present day of the story, Grandfather is in anguish over his wife. He is a widower…which I am now Widowed on Facebook if you look at my status, because Stephanie divorced me. Grandfather is having a hard time because Foer’s grandmother reminds him of his wife. There is so much caught up in that sub-plot. I am beginning to think Foer is related to Grandfather and we will find out later in the book.

As usual, the translation antics are still running throughout the dialogue of Alexander and Foer. They still have problems understanding the nuances of language.

Today was an eventful day. I went to CPS to apply for a job. Of course, they were ghetto as Hell. My response from the tattooed desk lady was extremely educated when I requested to leave my resume and cover letter. We don’t take no applications here. You gots to fine (find) the principal. Wow. No wonder CPS is falling so far down in the shitter. They are extremely unprofessional. I don’t think people realize the demise of education is coming because of the people they put on the frontlines. We are losing good teacher candidates because of bitches like that. You all know what it is like to walk into a school and have the administrative assistant turn you away. The people they put up front in so many places are just rude and overly entitled. It is like Suzanne Compton at LHS. If she had as much weight in her affairs as she does on her overly bloated body, she might be able to have a reason to act like such a witch to parents and students….but she doesn’t. So, I think I learned today CPS might not be for me. If they have people running the business like that, they need to think again. Education is going downhill because of people like that and people like my co-teacher last year. They are giving the profession a bad name. I just don’t understand how they all sustain jobs.

But…on a happier note, I was able to apply, in person, to Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka…home of the Home Alone house. The school was SOOOOO pleasant and the office staff was opposite of all I had to say above. They were truly one of a kind. It was the best experience I have ever had in a school. I have such a good feeling I will at least be interviewed for this general music position. Keep your fingers crossed. J

Today was the most beautiful day ever in Chicago. It was so nice. I could not believe it. The sky was blue. Flowers are emerging from the ground (well the tulips and daffodils). I actually ran into two people I know downtown. Oh…and the fountain in Daley Plaza is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day!!! J I cooked for Dena tonight…grilled cheese and tomato soup. This is day one after her surgery. Oh la. She and I watched my Prospect Show Choir videos.

Before Dena’s, I worked out with my friend Brandon. He is a riot, but like Dexter and Brian, he is a motivator. After dinner, I got to hang out with my buddy Jeff.

Well, it is time to go to sleep. Gap awaits me for markdowns at 6AM. OY.