CONGRATULATIONS:

Yes, finally. Haircut. It's not that great.

Okay, so I'm doing a little better than last post. I had a job interview, and I think it went really well. I'll know at the end of the week just how well it went. I applied at a coffeeshop, and the cool part is they don't really expect me to make coffee (at least not at first). She said they never train barristas until they've been there at least two weeks, and that's only when they're super desperate for someone to work the bar. Which apparently they're not, right now. So woo! Job (maybe)!

I've also applied for like 8,000 more jobs, but I haven't heard from any of those guys. So yeah.

Also, I'm moving this week. I'm not packed, but I'm moving. I actually have to, because I told my landlord I am, AND I used what would have been my rent money to pay for the new place. So I guess I should probably get on that. The good news is when I move out, I'll pretty much certainly get my deposit back on my current apartment (which is a good little chunk of money), and I might be able to eat.

So let me tell you about my birthday celebration at home.

Yes, I went back to Columbia this past weekend for my birthday (which hasn't actually happened, yet) and collected birthday money. Everyone was wonderful. I actually had a decent time in Columbia, which is surprising, because Columbia SUCKS. I mean hard. Also, I talked to Mom about money issues, and she was so sweet. I can't even tell you. At one point I was so worked up that she looked at me and said, "Jared, the worst that could happen is you have to move back home. You will always have a place to sleep." And, silly as it sounds, that had never occured to me. I was treating this whole situation like it was life or death, and really: not that big a deal. Well, a big deal, but not that big.

My grandmother made breakfast (my favorite meal) for my birthday dinner, and I nearly popped the lining of my stomach I ate so much gravy and fatty pork. She made bacon and two different kinds of sausage. Two. And more biscuits than you could possibly imagine. She must have been making biscuits for a full week in advance. I love my grandmother.

OH also: a friend of mine from high school (one of about three people from high school that I would actually enjoy hearing from) came to Charleston this past Sunday, and we went to see the Hold Steady, who were fabulous. I like the Hold Steady. I was really impressed with Separation Sunday, but I hadn't bothered to buy their other albums. Part of it is I feel like a poser when I listen to them, because I don't rock out. I just... I don't. It's not that I don't want to, I just can't pull it off. So this show was a bit of an adventure for me. It was at the Pour House, which means it was outrageously hot, I was sweating and so were the people with their elbows and sides and beer guts pressed into me. Especially the guy swinging his hair behind me: he was very sweaty. But the band was amazing. What's-his-face (the front man) is like some kind of man-chihuahua--you're always slightly afraid he's going to have a heart attack. You're like, "Calm down, little man, before hurt yourself." It did remind me why I don't go to shows very often, though (besides the fact that Charleston just doesn't have a lot of acts that I want to see): you can turn down the volume on CDs. Also, you can breathe sometimes, if you want.

And then I got a call yesterday from another friend asking if I wanted to go to the local open mic. I said, "Sure," because really, why not? I figured they'd make me read, so I brought some poems. I was right, they had pretty much already put my name on the roster when I got there. They didn't tell me, however, that Paul Allen (one of my poetry professors) was being featured that night. I was so excited.

He was one of the professors that read my portfolio at the end of last semester for my defence, and he told me last night that he'd read through them again. I, of course, asked if he still thought they were good, and he very graciously said that they were better. I smiled. So then he says he's got some kind of reading thing next week and they want him to invite a couple of his "protoges," and asked if I would do it. OF COURSE I'll read! I have no details about this thing, but I'll keep you updated.

I bought soap today, and I always buy generic everything. Partly because it's cheap, but also because sometimes strange things happen. Little surprises, you know. So on my package of generic soap, there's a little... thing. I don't know what it is. I tried to take a picture, but it wouldn't come out. It says:

skin feels
silky soft, so smooth
a touch of velvet

I have no idea what that is. Some kind of sideways haiku, perhaps? I have no clue, but it's funny.

Let us make our introductions later.

I am in a bit of a bind. I have lost my job. I have to move to a new apartment in less than a week. First, though, I have to go home and visit my family (and collect birthday money). School starts in a couple of weeks, so I'll need to pay tuition at some point. I'm in a bit of a bind.

On top of everything, my car battery decided to give up the ghost this past Monday. I was over at a friend's house (we watched a couple of movies, talked, the standard) and when I went to leave, my car wouldn't start. So I stayed the night at her place (it being nearly midnight at the time, and she doesn't have a car), with the intention of dealing with this situation in the morning. Well, there was no one to jump-start my car, and my friend had to go to class (who takes classes during the summer, anyway?), so I was sort of all alone. I went and got some food (you can walk to food downtown), and then sat in the school library for a while. After an hour or so, I proceeded to nearly have an anxiety attack and called every relative I have. None of them picked up. I guess they have jobs or something.

So finally my mom calls back, and I explain what happened, and she says, "You know you've got roadside assistance on your phone. I pay $2.99 every month for that." And I said, "Oh yes, I do remember that," and I called roadside assistance. They were wonderful.

So they gave me a jump, which got me running for the moment, but I still needed a new battery. I went to Advance Auto Parts (because they install batteries for free) and they informed me that I have one of two models of car that they don't do battery replacements on. Apparently, on Chrysler Sebrings, you have to go in through the wheel well to replace the battery. But they suggested I buy a battery and take it to this other guy to install. Here's the punchline: the battery was eighty dollars, the installation was sixty. Oh sweet lord. My mother helped me cover it, and I thanked her.

So yes, life is a little hectic, but I'm staying positive. Because I can't sleep otherwise.

Here's an interesting story:

In the midst of all of this madness, I ran into my poetry professor. She was on the phone, but she said I should come visit her in her office a bit later. So I did. It turns out this was her first day of (teaching) classes for the summer, so she hadn't been on campus since the end of spring semester. Funny thing is, it was my first day on campus since spring semester as well. Serendipity!

She's apparently doing some kind of thing with a local high school this fall where students go and lead small-group poetry workshops with high-schoolers. I told her to sign me up, because that sounds like fun.

So there it is. I hate to start the blog all nasty and foreboding like this, but there it is. I promise my next post will be fun and uplifting.