I Don't Have A Title Yet

It's Saturday night and my mom and I just came back from the liquor store. I find myself drinking with my mom a lot lately. That either makes me a loser, or just way too cool.

What's keeping my mother busy lately is cleaning and fixing odd things in and around the house. Ever since my dad died it had been a plan of hers to sell the house and move into something smaller. But now, more than ever, she's seriously considering it. One of her friends is a real-estate agent, and wants to help us look for a new home.  

The idea of us selling the house troubles me a little, obviously. I mean, it's certainly quite normal considering it's the house I grew up in and where I have the most memories of my father. Although I know and keep telling myself "change is good and necessary", it's hard to close a big chapter of my life just like that. It's a huge reminder that things will never be the same again. 

In two weeks, I turn 19. My birthday is on a Saturday this year so that means I get to start my day with my favorite Saturday activity; the farmer's market! I pretty much plan on wearing a tiara the whole day and calling my self a princess and all that birthday crap. It's not something I've ever really done, so this year, I'm going all out. I believe birthdays are to make you feel special, so, I'm gonna play along.

All in all, I'm really glad this day is finally going to happen. It feels like I've been waiting forever to be grown up and be free. I've always felt older than I really was and like I should already have all of the freedom that comes with being an adult.

I've always had that beef with the law. Why can't I vote? Why can't I drive past midnight? Why can't I see this movie? Why can't I drink alcohol? Why can't I go to ...strip clubs...? Of course I've been doing all of that stuff anyway. (Except voting and going to strip clubs.) I'm mature and responsible Goddamn it!

But no, I totally agree and respect the law even if I don't follow it occasionally. It is very important for a healthy (I don't mean healthful) and functional society. 

Here is a funny video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnvgq8STMGM&ob=av3n

And a picture of a bat licking an arm:

Pleasant Things & Things To Think About

Since I'm fantastic at bad starts, my first post was not the cheeriest. Being bitter comes way too easy for me and that might be something that I could work on. So for my second post, I decided I would focus solely on things I like. So here we go.


One of the things I particularly like is walking or going for a run at night. There's something about the coolness and darkness of it that calms me entirely. I like to look inside houses as I pass them. That might sound strange, but I just enjoy watching people go about and sometimes I kind of imagine what it would be like to live in all the different places.


I like the feel of a new haircut and new clothes. I love having something new and different about myself and going out in public. (e.g. a new tattoo, cool new shoes, a quirky shade of lipstick.) It's a tiny excitement.


Ice cold lemonade, iced tea, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, carnivals, fairs, farmer's markets, Fall, Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, horror movies that are in fact scary, a glass of wine that relaxes your entire body, lazy days, eerie feelings, thunderstorms, haunted houses, Tim Burton movies, Johnny Depp's face, Johnny Depp.


There's nothing quite like listening to music that transports you to a different world entirely. It's almost magical. Your mind escapes from reality and you feel all these strange and powerful emotions. Here's a memorable example:

Light House by Patrick Watson        

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYye7Qjvbb8

They say the olfactory sense is the most connected to memory. And there's nothing quite like a certain odor that brings you back to a different time and place; talk about nostalgia! I accord a great importance to smells. Good smells to me are soothing and I never take them for granted; lit candles, wood fires, freshly mowed lawns, old books, new books, salty sea air, fresh flowers, fall leaves, coffee, apple cider, bread baking, even the smell of a loved one or your dog :) I love smelling things.


Now here's something to think about:

Human beings are funny. They long to be with the person they love but refuse to admit openly. Some are afraid to show even the slightest sign of affection because of fear. Fear that their feelings may not be recognized, or even worst, returned. But one thing about human beings that puzzles me the most is their conscious effort to be connected with the object of their affection even if it kills them slowly within.
- Sigmund Freud

Weird how that works right? Isn't it backwards how people suppress their feelings for someone they love? If that person is important to you, why should that be a secret? People are afraid of rejection. They fear that the other person might not share their feelings. Why is that a big deal? Isn't it enough to love someone? What's the matter with telling someone how you truly feel? And what's so bad about knowing someone loves and cares for you? Love is important and is meant to be shared. Don't hide it by keeping it to yourself. What good does that ever do?


I will leave you with this:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/AOpPre/www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/hilarious-harry-potter-comics

Don't Believe Anything I Say

I'm not saying I'm untrustworthy or dishonest. I'm just saying... don't look into it too much.


Ironically the title (Sylvie's Humble Opinion) has in fact a sarcastic undertone.


What a good first title.


Now you're asking me why I'm blogging. Well, I love to write. But I can't say I've ever seriously considered starting a blog before. Reason #1 being that I can't stay dedicated to anything; keeping a journal or new year's resolutions, taking multivitamins every morning or even emptying the damn dehumidifier when it's full. So, because I don't do it enough, I've decided writing a blog every couple of days would be a darn healthy* challenge. (And would make me feel better about myself)
Reason #2: I'm like "Who would want to read my boring bullshit anyway?" So that got me thinking; I must become interesting. So I will.


On that note, I will now go on a work-related rant: (Is that what interesting people do?)
I basically work for Atlantic Lottery. No, sorry, I work in a hospital gift shop. Sometimes I forget. Our customers are either patients, visitors or hospital workers coming in to feed their gambling addictions. Now, I had nothing against scratch tickets prior to this job, but seriously, these people need to find themselves a better hobby. Everyday I see people spending upsetting amounts of money on scratch and lottery tickets and getting back a couple of bucks. It's just depressing.


The shop itself is rather small and you can see just about everything there is by standing like, anywhere... BUT YET, unbelievably frequently, people actually ask me if we sell cards while standing next to our two very tall and obvious card racks. If only people would bother to try and find the answers themselves once in a while.


Lately, I've noticed a disturbing amount of people write in our cards before purchasing them. Being appalled by this rude act, I decided to start telling them that the next time, they should wait after having paid for the card before writing inside. This is a damn reasonable request, wouldn't you agree? The fact is that every customer I've told this to so far has always given me a confused look and asked me "Why?" (Seriously?) So I tell them "Because it belongs to us until you pay for it, and we would appreciate it if you didn't use our product prior to the transaction." Reasonable. You wouldn't go to Hallmark and start writing in a card that you haven't bought yet.


While most customers would understand the concept after having me explain it to them, I've encountered one exception so far.


He, his partner and their infant had been browsing in our gift shop. They picked out a card, came to borrow a pen from the cash then they all signed the card and kept browsing for quite some time before returning to purchase it. When they did, I politely explained that they should have purchased the card before using it.


This guy, lost. his. shit. "Are you serious? Why? Tell me why. Well, that's stupid. I'm gonna pay for it right now, see? Why does that matter? Are you the manager here? I want to speak to your manager right now. This is outrageous!"


The fact is that he tried to use his debit card to pay for it and we don't allow debit or credit for transactions under 5$. That pissed him off even more, but proved my point.


And I did start dialing my manager's number as he was yelling at me in front of a few scared costumers. What? Did he seriously expect my manager to agree with him? But at this point, his girlfriend/wife told him to calm down and they scurried off. (After having to get cash from an ATM of course)


Now you're like "Sylvie, you have a lame job."
But then I ask you "Do you get paid 11 dollars an hour to sit and do as you please between customers? Didn't think so." (Though if you answered yes to that, then get me a job where you work.)
I read about 0.3 books every shift, listen to music of my choice, snack, stare at a clock and play Solitaire on my iPod. It is a lame job and the customers are the dumbest shits around, but it suits my lazy nature. Anywhere you work in retail is going to be crawling with idiots, better choose wisely.


I will now conclude this entry with a scribble from work today and also one of my favorite scenes from the TV show 30 Rock.

"I am convinced that one of these days, my jaw will effectively unhinge itself from the yawning."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipTSyc7FHpM

*The correct word here would be healthful, but I'm like "Fuck that."