The Public Laundromat
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
You know what’s great about public laundromats? They aren’t in your home. I am sitting here in a public laundry to the east of downtown Salt Lake City and I am actually forced to do something productive such as update my continually neglected blog here. After this, I may read a book or do some of the homework I need done before classes on Tuesday.
The reason for this is that I don’t have my TV, I don’t have my comfy office chair, all I have are a bunch of silver washers built in Sweden by a company I have never heard of to watch. And after watching them for more than two minutes, you will become very bored and want to do something else. After I finish writing this pointless post, I will probably read my new book, Inventory, by the writers of the A.V. Club.
The other thing is that the rules at the public laundromat are all posted clearly on each washer and dryer. Rules such as how to insert detergent and bleach and how to properly treat the machines. When you are in a situation with roommates and a landlord who owns the machines and doesn’t bother to go over the rules with you, you are just guessing, and eventually, your security deposit disappears.
The other reason Laundromats are great is that a person like me isn’t responsible enough to own something like a washing machine or a dryer. And when you live alone, thousands of dollars for such machines just doesn’t seem economical, when you consider the water and electricity that they use and you will have to pay for. The laundromat is $1.75 a load in the washer, and another dollar or so to dry them. If you only need to do a load every week, that’s about $140 to $150 a year. Imagine how much you would be spending in interest on the credit card you would have to had put the machines on.
Now, I must finish this up, both the machines I’m using are one cycle away from finishing. That’s right, I can use two machines at once here.
Being Technically Homeless
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
It has been nearly two weeks since I was kicked out of my room in Sandy, Utah. Since then I have been making my residency in a Days Inn in Midvale and at a friend’s condo in Draper. Which really isn’t a residency, more of a potentially worse situation. I have been making phone calls, writing emails and meeting people trying to find a new place to live. But I have found that re-watching Seasons 2 through 3 of the modern incarnation of Doctor Who with David Tennant playing the Doctor (and I will miss him in that role) for more productive.
It all started Sunday morning when one of my roommates told me that my landlord was unfairly criticizing my father behind my back. This is a man who has only met my father twice and has barely said a word to him, and yet believes he needs to protect his pride by badmouthing him. Yes, I really sound like a hypocrite right now because let’s face it, I use this blog to badmouth people I haven’t really met all the time. But then again, I don’t really say anything that someone on The Soup would say, or even think of. Needless to say, the idea that my father was being badmouthed upset me and I confronted my landlord about it.
My landlord, his name is Bill, so let’s just call him “Bill the Bully,” tried to defend his comments saying that my dad was antisocial and ungrateful for the things that he had done for him. What on God’s green Earth has Bill the Bully done for my dad? All he did for him was blatantly avoid him, which looking back on it was a huge favor, so maybe thanks is in order.
During the four plus months I lived in the basement of the home of Bill the Bully, he has never been able to admit that he is wrong about anything. He reminds me of an 11 year old boy who has never heard the word “no” before and is being told it for the first time. Let me give you an example.
There is the thing widely available at fast food restaurants here in Utah called “fry sauce.” It’s ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together, sometimes with pickle juice added in. Bill the Bully proudly told me that this culinary revolution was invented and is only available in Utah and nowhere else in the world. As a member of the culture which invented fries, the Belgians, I happen to know that that statement is complete rubbish. Utahns weren’t the first to mix ketchup and mayo together, that’s something that you can find across Europe. In fact, the standard “frituur” in Belgium has at least 2 dozen things to dip fries in.
But no, upon telling the Bully that fry sauce isn’t a unique commodity of Utah, he began insisting that I didn’t know anything about it. I could go on, but the fact is that the Bully didn’t back down, and even resorted to yelling at me, despite never having been the Europe like I have (I think that leaving the United States would scare him).
Not to mention the constant pestering into my personal life. He wanted to know how school was going, and how my job hunt was going, and the intimate details of my financial situation. Here’s the answer to all of them: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. It was like he was trying to be my parent, or at least my estranged Uncle of some sort. He would come down to my room and knock on my door and ask me questions and he would pick and prod through my personal things. I also happen to know that on more than one occasion, he entered my room without my prior permission.
So, he got so angry at me that he decided to kick me out, even though that’s illegal. He told me that I owed him $400 for December’s rent despite November just having barely begun. He demanded that I return his key and that everything in my room now belonged to him, and then he threatened to call the police on me. And here I am, sitting in my friend’s living room stealing WiFi from someone called “linksys” across the street.
But as for Bill the Bully, he can stay in his house adorned with miniatures of Disney characters, frogs, pigs and old people that only seventy year old women and gay men with no taste would posses. But he should know that he has not heard the last of me. I will prosecute him and I will win. He can’t always have it his way.
First Days at the U
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
It’s 9:00 in the morning, mountain time, I have just finished my U.S. National Government class and I’m in the Union waiting for the bookstore to receive their shipment of Mac OS X Snow Leopard discs.
I shall sum up my current attitude about the University of Utah in one sentence. I freaking love it here. That’s a lot to say for just one full week of being a student here and I am quite sure that my attitude will be different when I eventually fall behind on homework, am failing a class, and eating nothing but 59 cent packets of Ramen so that I have enough money for my textbooks next Semester. But allow me to explain why I am enjoying myself so much here after my first week.
The first class I had to show up to on Monday morning was U.S. National Government, a sort of introduction to Political Science. It is taught by what I would have to say in a well weathered gentleman who is the proprietor of a major polling institution here in Salt Lake. He seems to yell his points a lot, and our topics after only 3 hours of class time have included the death of Ted Kennedy, healthcare reform, and the confirmation of Jon Huntsman Jr. as ambassador to China and Gary Herbert taking his place as Governor of Utah.
I have an Business Foundations class taught by a guy who looks like a more portly version of Ben Bernanke, so he must know this money stuff pretty well. We spend the entire class talking about History and Philosophy mostly, subjects that people like Andrew Fastow should probably have been more educated in. Oh yes, we learned about Enron. It’s mentioned in the text under the chapter “How to screw your employees over.”
I have a class entitled Earth Environments where we learn mostly about Al Gore. Just kidding, luckily he hasn’t come up in classroom conservation yet. We have been told we will be learning about the different climates and weather patterns of the world and how humans and animals effect those things. We also have to make a presentation on an environmental subject. I think I’m going to do mine on how the Dutch built the Netherlands from swamps.
And of course, my favorite class has to be my Introduction to Film class. mostly because it takes 3 credits worth of time and counts for 4, but also because we get to sit around and watch movies in a theatre. It’s held in an old single screen movie theatre on Fort Douglas originally built for the recreation of troops stationed there. Seriously, it has a ticket booth out front and everything, it’s a very cool building. I should probably get a picture of it next week and post it to my Flickr page. So far, we have watched and discussed two Alfred Hitchcock films, “Spellbound” and “Notorious.”
I could continue on, but I have Financial Aid issues to sort out so that when I buy my copy of Snow Leopard, I can actually afford it. Wish me luck on that, I’m going to need it.
Interesting Comment
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
Today, I received an interesting comment concerning my last post titled “A Year After You.” The person chose to remain Anonymous and as far as I can tell, I do not know this person. There comment goes as follows,
I’m sure it’s not all that bad. A good place to begin the resolution and healing process might be pointing the finger at yourself and figuring out where you’re responsibility lies. Otherwise you run the risk of looking just as stupid to the online world as said person looks to you.
The person is absolutely right, it really isn’t that bad. But on the day I wrote it I was reflecting heavily on my past and the mistakes I made. In no way did I mean to point fingers at other people, especially considering that I don’t believe them to actually exist. However, do I look stupid to the online world? Probably, but it wasn’t that post that caused it. Read my Twitter stream sometime, I make myself out as a fool quite often.
Now, as for the “said person,” like I said, I don’t believe them to exist. I think that as human beings with complex minds, we create fictional people based on the people we meet in real life. Sometimes we can dwell on these fictional people for a long time allowing them to stir emotions in us. I believe it isn’t healthy for anyone to allow this to happen.
That post was about banishing one of these fictional people, some may refer to it as an “inner demon.” It was my promise to myself that I would not allow the demon to have governance over my emotions. I am now attending a new school and living in a new place and meeting new people and making new friends.
Looking back on it, I don’t know if it was wise or not to write that piece and post it here. But, I’m not going to take it down, and I’m not going to just ignore a perfectly legitimate comment like this. I just wanted to make it understood that I was using a metaphor. I can see that I wasn’t clear on that in the post.
Tomorrow I’m going to post about my first week at the U. Should be interesting, a lot of stuff to tell of course.
A Year After You
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
Everyday is better, everyday I forget about you. It’s been a year since you pushed yourself onto me. Since you took advantage of my trust and my kindness, since you took me away from the things I believe and the things I value. I did everything for you, everything in my power to make you happy, but it was never enough. I was just a pawn to you, just another way to get the things you wanted.
You are so selfish, you only care about yourself. You don’t care about your family, your religion, or your friends. You only care about getting your own way, getting the things that you want. You don’t care who you have to trample on to get them, no one is as important as you are in your own eyes.
You are such a hypocrite, you feel that you can do no wrong. You criticize everyone around you for the way they think, the way they live. But I know that you think and live like everyone else. You think you’re so great at everything, that you are perfect and no one can deny it.
You are so full of yourself, you think your the smartest person on earth. You prove it everyday by nitpicking about grammar and speaking Spanish. But honestly, it really takes a lot of stupidity to actually think that you can know everything. You don’t know a thing and it drives you mad.
You are now far away from me. I hope it stays that way. You are nothing but a venomous poison and I am done sucking you out of me. I refuse to apologize to you, I have nothing to feel sorry for. I am not the one who committed the crime, I am nothing but the victim of your spree. I almost allowed you to destroy my life. But like a phoenix, I always rise from my ashes stronger and wiser. I now no one thing that you will never know and that is that I am better than you in every way.
Retreat into your dark and damp cave, you horrible monster, and never return to this land again.
Settling in the West
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
I’ve been here since Tuesday, but not until today have I had the chance to actually sit down and do some writing. I’m nervous and have had to force myself to eat food the last 24 hours as I am now settled in my new house with my new roommates. I am the youngest in the house, and I am yet to officially move into my room as the previous occupant has not actually become previous yet. So, I am sleeping on a couch in the TV room. I don’t mind, but it will be nice when I finally get some privacy.
For the first time in my life, I am truly on my own. My parents aren’t here to help me. It’s kind of exciting in a sort of roller-coaster I can’t believe I am actually going to go through that cork screw and be upside down get me out of here kind of way. The last week has been a little off for me, I haven’t been sleeping much for many reasons, top of which is the fact that I have had to stay in some pretty lousy beds the last few days.
I never realized how truly boring trees can really be when compared to mountains. When I looked out my window in Maine, all I saw was trees, trees, and more trees. Here, I write to you with a view of about five different mountain peaks of the Wasatch mountain range. No forests disturbing my view, just the natural beauty of what some people consider to be a waste-land.
Yet, while I was in Salt Lake City last week with my dad, I saw a wonderful place. Salt Lake is very developed, nice modern buildings of various architecture, accompanied by classic historic buildings like the Temple and the Salt Lake City and County Building. It’s clean too, not something common in any city, you don’t see trash lining the streets or cigarette butts on the sidewalks. Some sidewalks near Temple Square are good enough to eat off of.
Many thoughts and ideas of subjects I want to write about in the coming days, hopefully I will be able too.
The Move to Utah, A New Life Awaits
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
I have been very busy the last two weeks with my impending move to Utah. Unbelievably, I will be leaving New England on Saturday, for the moment of course, until the date changes again. It’s had a bad habit of changing. It has been an interesting few days, it’s hard to accept the fact that I won’t be seeing a lot of the people and places I’ve been seeing for months to come.
Right now, I am sitting in my room, my sanctuary for the past eleven years. It is a mess. Books are strewn about, the walls are blank, the shelves are empty, and their is trash and dust all over the carpet. Boxes are everywhere, and my biggest fear is that they won’t all fit into the back of my car. How is one person, even if they are as young as I am, fit their entire life into the back of a compact sedan?
The only comfort I have is that I know where I am going to be living when I get there. I will be living in the suburb of Sandy, south of Salt Lake City. I looked up the address of the place I will be living at, and I must admit I am excited. Not just for the new experiences and the new school, but for the chance to have an entirely new life.
For the first time in my life, I can start straight from scratch. Nobody I meet in Utah have to know anything about my life here in New England. It’s a chance to reinvent myself, to never have to worry about what other people really think of me. The people in Utah don’t know my past mistakes that have made people in New England look at me through biased eyes. People are what you make them, you control your relationships with others. My training phase is ending now, and the next phase is about to begin.
Wish me luck.
Gaining Focus: 2 Weeks with an American Car
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
Oh, the irony. All those years I spent driving around in my mother’s little Volkswagen thinking I was better than anyone driving a Dodge, Chevy, or Ford. The only snub satisfaction I have left is that I am still better than those people driving Dodges. Two weeks ago, I officially signed my soul away for the next five years to a Credit Union and in exchange, took possession of a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 ST. The only remaining question I have in my mind after this time is this: Why is Ford in so much Financial trouble?
This car was designed by Ford’s excellent German division originally meant for the European market. Volvo and Mazda both had hands in designing the chasis, engine, transmission, and so on. It’s acceleration on the highway is fantastic, granted, it is a Manual and I shift like a race car driver. It’s a comfortable ride, everything laid out in the interior nicely and there are cup holders that aren’t broken in it (big plus over the old car). It’s all that, and they are very reasonably priced when compared with the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Carolla, and everything else that is Asian and has four wheels.
I bought it because in a little over a month, I will be moving to the Valleys of Utah. My parents decided that the little Volkswagen was too old, too weak, too feeble, to make the trek out into the American West. Which is probably true, 142,000 miles takes a lot out of a car. I learned how to drive a Manual in that little car, and I used it as my main car from 91,000 miles until now. It was the car I drove to High School, to Seminary, and then to commute to College. I will surely miss it.
I will miss it until I buy a drink at a gas station and put it in the cup holder of my new car. Yeah, it’s that luxurious.
The only problem is that it makes lots of bonging noises. It bongs when you open the door, it bongs when you leave the keys in the ignition, it bongs when you leave the headlights on, it bongs when you don’t put your seatbelt on, and so on and so on. The Germans apparently want their cars to be fairly reserved about things that don’t include pumping gas or refilling the windshield washer fluid (of which it would constantly badger you about until something was done).
My Day at the U
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
I recently spent a day at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for Orientation and Advising. I’m going to start classes there in August and officially move away from my current home in Maine and live in Utah, pretty much full-time. The U offers all of their students in-state tuition despite residency for the Summer term, something that I think I will take advantage of this upcoming year. I like to save money, and it would be nice to accelerate myself to my degree.
I will be going after a Bachelor of Arts in “Film Studies.” Which also includes taking four whole semesters of a foreign language which I have mixed feelings about. I love languages, but judging by my struggles with Dutch (being half Flemish (being half of Belgium)), I don’t learn them that well. But, here I come German, once I figure out how to fit it into my schedule without having to drive to Sandy.
So, here is a question, I am totally and completely ADD? Listen to the titles of the classes that I’m taking for my first semester this Fall. For my Major, I’m taking “Introduction to Film,” which makes sense by itself, but when combined with my other three classes, being “Earth Environments,” “Foundations of Business” and “U.S. National Government.” Yeah, it sounds totally and completely random, I know. But, like most Universities, they require a certain amount of credits in different fields, which is fine by me. For example, “U.S. National Government” fulfills my “American Institutions” requirement.
All I know is this. I am very excited. Salt Lake City is beautiful, I don’t care what anyone says. Many people I have met think Utah is some horrible alien world with nothing but salt water and desert sand, and trees don’t grow there, but overall the worst thing is that the place is run by Mormons. None of that is true. Mormons are actually in the minority there, like the rest of the world. Trees grow fine with the amazing chemicals that are available at the gardening section of Wal-Mart. Plenty of fresh water from the mountains, and as evidenced by the pictures I posted on Flickr, it is absolutely gorgeous.
Ding Dong, the MacBook’s Dead :(
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
Can you believe it? I got stung by that grahpics issue with the last generation MacBook Pro! You know, that one where the logic board completely fries and you have to send it back to Apple to have them fix it? Yes, after two trips to the Apple Store, 200 miles of travel total equaling about 7 gallons of gas with my car, I am now in a state of Maclessness. I say Maclessness because I can still post to my blog on this wonderful public use Windows PC that SMCC provides for all of the Communications and New Media students! I better hurry up with this post though, Bubba over there looks like he needs to use this machine for something. Well, at least I can come back later tonight to finish my project in Final Cut Pro…I mean Adobe Premiere…yay.
Needless to say, the blog posts are going to become sparce and there will be no DuoRadio this week either, which is unfortunate because I actually had some things to talk about and some interesting people to talk to. Which brings me to my next thing I wanted to mention, for the next few weeks, I won’t be live streaming the DuoRadio recording. As of right now, it doesn’t add anything to the show, because people are watching the stream but they aren’t chatting or talking back at all. It’s also become a distraction and takes away from the core content of the show (if you can even call it content). Also, no one really needs to see my ugly mug in a video, particularly one coming from my office/bedroom/breakfast nook. So, as of the next episode which will be next recorded next week, we will just be recording an audio show and posting it on the site with shownotes.
Until then, I will still be keeping touch on my Twitter account and will be making posts here every chance I get. Either with my parents G4 headlamp iMac or on this Piece o’Crap (PC). PC defenders can send their hate in the comments. Hey it’s the first of May this Friday! You know what that means!