Tomorrow I go back to the shipping depot. After a month of being away from that depressing environment, I’ll be forced to work there since I’ll be low on money this month. Ugh. It’s not so much the job that I despise, as I only have to work weekends now. The biggest problem I’ll have is working there, now knowing what I’m missing out on.
Arts
The last four weekends have been like… I don’t even know what the right word is. You know, all this time I thought Central/Upstate NY was a cesspool of culture-less monsters. I thought that there was no way that anyone would want to live here. I believed that the only way for me to enjoy my retirement would be to invest here but live in NYC or a big city. My god was I wrong.
Museums. Art galleries. Opera shows. Symphonies. It has been an absolute pleasure to sit back and just enjoy all the arts and cultures that this large area provides. Even though Smalltown has virtually nothing, the surrounding towns and cities have a lot to offer. I went to the Phantom of the Opera performance in Syracuse, and was surprised that I still remember most of the words from high school choir. I went to several museum exhibitions at different towns, sometimes driving more than 150 miles in one weekend. And it’s been more than worth it.
The Store
Remember when I wanted to keep my distance from Sam and his wife because I felt they were bringing me down? Sam and Sonya’s clothing store has been doing good and I’ve resumed hanging around them again. There’s something about hanging out in a money-making business and being acquainted with the owner and his family. I would sit behind the counter with Sam just hanging out, watching old TV shows on the big screen TV as customers would come in and buy stuff. That feeling of business and success is contagious, and it became an almost daily thing to stop by even for a couple minutes to see how business is going.
Stocks
So a big part of the four-weekend vacation was “getting obsessed” with stocks. In fact, here’s a direct quote from an earlier post called “How I Learn”:
“So what do I plan to do for the next four weekends? Sleep late, play video games, and drive out to different places that I couldn’t before? Sure. But the most important thing is to get obsessed with stocks.”
I definitely slept late and drove to many different places. But I played no games. Not one. I installed 3 big games on my computer, anticipating that I would need them to segue into stocks... but that turned out to be unnecessary. Nathan Michaud’s voice was on almost all the time, and I’m really starting to see patterns in stocks that I didn’t before. I’ve learned a lot during this time and, even though I’m still not at that “obsessed” level yet, I’m definitely on my way.
So after all the art and culture and late morning wake-ups, I’ll be going back to the depot this weekend. Putting on that dumb security uniform is gonna suck. Pulling into the depot parking lot is gonna suck. That first truck that pulls in is gonna make my heart sink. And the first time I have to pick up the bolt cutters to cut a bolt-seal on a trailer is really gonna hurt. But I know I need the money, especially this month. In fact, I actually agreed to work at the bank job this weekend also, so that’s back-to-back-to-back 12 hour shifts... 36 hours in all. Ugh.
Smalltown is no NYC, but it's definitely not as horrible as I've always assumed. My precious fun-filled weekends are over for now, but at least I got to see what they could be like. I gotta find a way to hold it together while I’m working there. I'll try to remember that at least I'm only working weekends from now until I leave the job this year, which means no co-workers, managers, or package handlers. Hmm. Or maybe these wonderful weekend memories will give me something to daydream about when I’m at the depot.
P.S.: The depot sent a letter congratulating me for being there for six years, and then went on about how great of a company they are. I really hate those letters. They're so demoralizing since they're basically thanking me for being a loser for 6 years. Part of the reason I wanna quit is so I never have to get another "congratulatory" letter again.
Arts
The last four weekends have been like… I don’t even know what the right word is. You know, all this time I thought Central/Upstate NY was a cesspool of culture-less monsters. I thought that there was no way that anyone would want to live here. I believed that the only way for me to enjoy my retirement would be to invest here but live in NYC or a big city. My god was I wrong.
 |
| The Ego Cup and Saucer. By far my favorite art piece. |
 |
| This is just awesome. Prickly thorns protecting the ego inside, which is made up of the words "I" and "ME". If a person can't understand how this is related to me-- how much I protect my ego (thorns) so that only I can access it-- then that person can't possibly understand the basics of art. |
Museums. Art galleries. Opera shows. Symphonies. It has been an absolute pleasure to sit back and just enjoy all the arts and cultures that this large area provides. Even though Smalltown has virtually nothing, the surrounding towns and cities have a lot to offer. I went to the Phantom of the Opera performance in Syracuse, and was surprised that I still remember most of the words from high school choir. I went to several museum exhibitions at different towns, sometimes driving more than 150 miles in one weekend. And it’s been more than worth it.
 |
| Before I forget, here was the best thing about not having to work the weekends. Nothing says I'm Nigerian better than walking around in slippers all day. It is such a freeing feeling to walk around wearing slippers and comfortable clothes after 6 years of putting on a crappy uniform and shoes. |
The Store
Remember when I wanted to keep my distance from Sam and his wife because I felt they were bringing me down? Sam and Sonya’s clothing store has been doing good and I’ve resumed hanging around them again. There’s something about hanging out in a money-making business and being acquainted with the owner and his family. I would sit behind the counter with Sam just hanging out, watching old TV shows on the big screen TV as customers would come in and buy stuff. That feeling of business and success is contagious, and it became an almost daily thing to stop by even for a couple minutes to see how business is going.
Stocks
So a big part of the four-weekend vacation was “getting obsessed” with stocks. In fact, here’s a direct quote from an earlier post called “How I Learn”:
“So what do I plan to do for the next four weekends? Sleep late, play video games, and drive out to different places that I couldn’t before? Sure. But the most important thing is to get obsessed with stocks.”
I definitely slept late and drove to many different places. But I played no games. Not one. I installed 3 big games on my computer, anticipating that I would need them to segue into stocks... but that turned out to be unnecessary. Nathan Michaud’s voice was on almost all the time, and I’m really starting to see patterns in stocks that I didn’t before. I’ve learned a lot during this time and, even though I’m still not at that “obsessed” level yet, I’m definitely on my way.
So after all the art and culture and late morning wake-ups, I’ll be going back to the depot this weekend. Putting on that dumb security uniform is gonna suck. Pulling into the depot parking lot is gonna suck. That first truck that pulls in is gonna make my heart sink. And the first time I have to pick up the bolt cutters to cut a bolt-seal on a trailer is really gonna hurt. But I know I need the money, especially this month. In fact, I actually agreed to work at the bank job this weekend also, so that’s back-to-back-to-back 12 hour shifts... 36 hours in all. Ugh.
Smalltown is no NYC, but it's definitely not as horrible as I've always assumed. My precious fun-filled weekends are over for now, but at least I got to see what they could be like. I gotta find a way to hold it together while I’m working there. I'll try to remember that at least I'm only working weekends from now until I leave the job this year, which means no co-workers, managers, or package handlers. Hmm. Or maybe these wonderful weekend memories will give me something to daydream about when I’m at the depot.
P.S.: The depot sent a letter congratulating me for being there for six years, and then went on about how great of a company they are. I really hate those letters. They're so demoralizing since they're basically thanking me for being a loser for 6 years. Part of the reason I wanna quit is so I never have to get another "congratulatory" letter again.
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