Jobs still seem like relationships

I know I mentioned this in a previous post they really do seem like it and I thought of another reason. When you have an interview and enough time goes by that your sure you didn't get the job, then you start thinking about why you didn't get another call. Lots of reasons go through your head and you start to micro analyze what you could have said or done differently and it drives you crazy. This sounds a lot like the end of a relationship

Anyone have issues with covered CA (aka obamacare) healthcare?

I used to have health care when I was still in high school and then I didn't once I became 18. I have floated on without healthcare since then. Thanks to obamacare(covered CA) I had to sign up for healthcare even though I been living a stress less life without it. The signing up process was annoying but things got worse when I started getting letters in the mail. I got one in oct from an office in norwalk that I need to provide proof on income,citizenship and another thing. I had until dec 20 or my case will be dismissed. So I didn't do anything since I don't have proof of income(yeah I somehow have a paystub of being unemployed).

In early dec I got 6 or 8 letters saying I qualify for medi-cal in emergency use only and in a different letter my medical benefits card. The 6 or 8 letters all say the same thing however each one has a different month on when my coverage would start ranging from january to october. These letters all came from sacremento and I felt conflicted "do I or do I not have insurance?".

To further confuse me, I got 2 packets last week. One is for me to pick a doctor and the other is to pick a dentist.  So I could or not or could have health insurance? and what happens if I were to pick a doctor? would I get charged money out the wazoo(they don't mention costs). The doctor packet also lets me pick a healthcare plan such as healthnet which confuses me even more. I lived a simpler life without all this healthcare stuff to worry about and It's not like I was going to see a doctor anytime soon. So I am going to do nothing and I won't get charged any fees since I don't work. I hope to get a job with healthcare as that is one of my new year's resolutions

Retro saturdays and the virtual boy

Unlike other systems from the 90's I don't have much experience with the virtual boy. I only played it once at best buy and I wanted one. Now it has become really rare and expensive. Although I only like it becase it's black and red

Retro fridays and the drew carey show

I'm not sure when I started watching the drew carey show(I think it was in 1997 or 1998) but I have really fond memories of it throughout my childhood and teen years. I love drew's dry wit and oswald's low iq and mimi being mimi. The early seasons were mr bell was drew's boss were ok but things really kicked up a notch when mr wick was brought in. He and drew made that show really funny. Anyways my favorite episode is the april fools one where everyone is an alien. I just love all the characters on the show from drew's friends to his cross dressing brother steve to his girlfriend nikki to his dog speedy. I wish this show was still in syndication

My new year's resolution is always the same

and that is to get a job. This makes me feel weird because I don't have a goal of losing weight(I need to gain it) or being nicer to people(I'm already nice) like most people. Yes it is frustrating being unemployed and job hunting leads to no results so far. Sometimes I'm tempted to just shout "someone just hire me already" but instead I keep calm and keep hunting. I know that job is out there somewhere just waiting for me and I have to find it. That sounds a lot like getting a girlfriend but I already mentioned in a previous post I see jobs like relationships

I been watching home alone a lot lately

Since both movies are frequently on ABC family and amc. There's some things I have to nit pick about. Why doesn't kevin just call the cops in the first movie and tell them to show up at 9pm. How does his vcr have crystal clear sound with no signs that vcr is working. I grew up with and still own a vcr. It is noisy especially when you rewind and fast foward. Also there is some faint hissing when you watch a movie. It's the same thing with kevin's talkboy. It has crystal clear playback when we all know cassettes are incredibly hissy. It feels weird to see kevin on top of the wtc but it also makes me think of a simpler time. In the 1st movie why does kevin have to hide from the pizza guy when they don't care how old you are.

I have an interview tomorrow at subway

I applied last week at 4 subways and I got a call earlier to come in for an interview. To make it even better it is a subway that is located 0.8 of a mile from my house. This means it's a 12 min walk at a brisk pace and I don't even need transportation. So wish me luck and I hope I nail the interview tomorrow morning.

Have you ever felt like the perfect job was just out of your reach?

Because I sure am feeling that way. I found this ad on CL in the gigs section. It's part time and I have all the skills needed for it and the experience and it was recently posted however here is where I feel frustrated about life and/or fate. It is 33 miles away from me(it's near culver city) and that is far especially without transportation. I feel like fate just posted that listing to taunt me and if so then good job fate. I could apply but for what? just so I can take 3 buses and a train to get there(yes I looked it up) and spend $8.50 to get there and back. Also the buses don't run late and I don't have any cool friends that work nearby that I can carpool with. This is what frustrates me the most. This would be the most perfect job for me but fate has get in my way. In the meantime tomorrow I will turn in an application at a 99 cents store that's closer to me then the one I mentioned earlier this week. I also might turn in an application at dollar tree

Some updates on my job search

I'll start off 2 weeks ago when I got my hair cut(I had it like tom cruise in MI 2). Where I go to get it cut there is a 99 cents store close by so I turned in an application. I got a call back earlier this week saying my interview was cancelled(which is weird because I never got a call for an interview). So it was just to troll me. I applied at petco 2 days ago and the application was alright until I got to the personality questions. Those threw me for a loop and can easily have multiple answers but I handled it well. The worst survey I ever had was at micheals.

Yes the craft store has you take a trig and english and reading final all at once and you only have 15 mins to finish when there are about 50 questions. I think there was even some physics and art questions. I was bummed out earlier and felt like I hit a wall with CL/snagajob/indeed when I realized I still had collegecentralnetwork. So I looked up internships and they were all for business major(mine is photography). I looked up job searches and found a treasure tove of companies such as dollar tree and cvs(unlikely but I can try) and vons. So later on I will take the time to apply at a few places and continue tomorrow. After that well I'm not sure. I know carl's jr is hiring but then I realized I would need to buy anti slip shoes and khaki pants. I also need to get newer dress shoes as mine developed a hole. Anyways I hope I have some luck because I am getting frustrated about not having a job

Retro saturdays and yak bak

Yak bak was a small voice recorder toy that only had 2 buttons, record and play. There was deluxe models that let you change the pitch of the playback but I had a normal one. Mine was green and I used to use it all the time on the playground until it got taken away by my 2nd grade teacher. I was hoping to get it back at the end of the year but to make a long story short...................I didn't get my yak bak back but I learned a valuable lesson about life that day. Don't play with toys in front of teacher and life doesn't always work out the way your expect it.

Retro fridays and the toshiba satellite in 1994

Yes It existed back then although it was a lot different. A 9.5 inch screen? a 250MB hard drive? 4MB of ram that you can upgrade to 20MB? can you imagine using something like that today. It would be really really slow. The price is the biggest kicker, $3199 in 1994 money is 5 thousand dollars today. No wonder computers weren't that common in the early 90's. They were expensive even though jobs were plentiful

Retro fridays and pamela anderson and baywatch

Ok I didn't watch this show too much growing up or at all. I think I have only seen 2 episodes of baywatch and I watched baywatch hawaii a lot more. Anyways pamela anderson holds a fond memory in my heart of the 90's. She was THE sex icon back then. I'm not sure what she is up to but I'm sure she still wishes it was 1995.

Christmas time reminds me of the 90's for some reason

When I think of christmas I think of kmart and the santa fe springs mall and the target that was next to it. I went to the location of my childhood kmart today(it's currently a target) and on my way home I got a strong sense of deja vu. I remember going to kmart and checking out the latest super nintendo games and video game magazines and how small tvs were. I remember looking at the new goosebumps books and december felt more magical back then. I would check out the latest toys and hot wheels too.

The santa fe springs mall ironically doesn't give me much nostalgia because I don't remember much from it. I remember it had a movie theater and it had an entrance to target. That target was my 2nd favorite store after kmart. I would run to the goosebumps books and magazines and hot wheels. Ironically I do that now but in reverse order. Sometimes while in line I would scope out the stores from the mall(the cashiers were literally by the entrance to it. Now when I go to that target you can see where the entrance to the mall was sealed up.

I'm not sure what it is but december just doesn't feel like christmas anymore especially compared to my childhood. Maybe it's because less people have christmas lights and less trees are sold and stores have christmas merchandise since september. It could also be that kbtoys isn't around and there are less "it" toys that all the kids want. I walk through the toy aisle a lot and the only thing that might interest kids is the ps4/xboxone, diary of a wimpy kid and skylander giants. Compared to my childhood where it was all about micro machines,super nintendo,yak bak, virtual pets, goosebumps, power rangers action figures, talkboy from home alone, yomega yo yos, playstation, nintendo 64 and tickle me elmo. Maybe it's just me but I wish more of us would take the time to slow down and appreciate the day

I edited some pictures of kurt cobain

in my spare time I like editing pictures of dead celebrities. The marilyn monroe one looks the weakest because it's hard to find a good picture of her.

 

I'm selling a tombow pen & micron pen & charcoal pencils & india ink

I have other art supplies that I will be listing so stayed tuned. I thought I post it like this to keep it simple and more organized. Anyways I have a double sided tombow pen, a 0.45mm micron pen and 2 black charcoal pencils. The pencils are soft and are a 4B and a 6B. The india ink is blick black cat and it's 1.25 ounces. I'm asking 50 cents for both pencils, $1.25 for the india ink, $1 for the micron pen and 50 cents for the tombow pen.You can reach me at christian.elpai@gmail.com and I live in east whittier

I applied at the starbucks near me

Yes I will apply at other starbucks in and around my town later on tonight. Why did I only apply at one SB in one application(you can apply at multiple locations with one application)? Well It is 0.8 of a mile away from me. It is one intersection away from my house. It is a 12 min walk at a brisk pace. I don't need transportation to get to the SB. I can easily work a night then a morning shift or reverse and I can also go to my house on break(if I drive there). I can easily be on call since I would just get dressed and be there before they knew it. To give you an idea of my flexible schedule. I put I'm willing to work from 6am to 11pm everyday. I don't know if anyone else can put that kind of commitment to starbucks. I really hope that makes a difference or else I will be upset that someone else that is only free 3 days a week got a job. After I get done with SB applications I'll check out vons and then apply at thalia's coffe(it opened where a starbucks used to be that moved to the location I applied at) then yougurt land and menchie's(I love frozen yogurt) and walmart and target. I'll also keep tabs on the jobs section of the puente hills mall but right now they only have one listing for one company and it's one open position(security guard) 

Retro saturdays and mall goths

Back in the 90's they were just goths at the mall and didn't shop at hot topic. Look how goth they look and I'm glad the puffy pirate shirt fad is gone. The only thing missing is a N.I.N shirt. This picture also makes me miss the whittwood mall.

Retro saturdays and a toys r us ad from 1996 involving the super nintendo

I think it's from 1996 because of madden 97 and donkey kong country 3. Check out those prices and keep in mind this is in 1996 money. For example, I wanted donkey kong country 3 but it's $59.99 which is $90 in today's money. This is why I didn't have much snes games and why I bought most of my games at the swapmeet. Street fighter alpha 2 was a lot cheaper then what it was listed. Donkey kong country 2 was more expensive with sears selling it as high as $64.99. I'm glad I don't live in the era of expensive games. Yes I know ps3 games cost $59.99 but that is in today's money and you get a lot more for your money. Can you imagine saving up your christmas money to buy marvel war of the gems then being disappointed in it? That didn't happen to me though but I have played that game.

So I applied at pizza hut

I saw the listing on snagajob.com for a team member so I gave it a shot. Pizza hut completely changed their career section. It is a lot more streamlined and efficient and quicker. I was able to apply and do a 7 page personality survey in 13 minutes. I wish more companies *cough in n out starbucks* used a site like the one the hut uses. Yes I hope I get a call back and tomorrow I'll apply at starbucks and scope out what's news on CL and indeed.com

I'm selling a strathmore sketchpad

I'm selling my sketchpad for $3. Its in good condition although its only 98 pages not 100 pages. Its 9x12 and 50 weight. Im also selling other art supplies that ill post tomorrow such as charcoal pencils and vine charcoal and a kneaded eraser. If your interested you can comment on this entry or email me at christian.elpai@gmail.com

Retro fridays and yomega yo-yos

I had 4 yomega yo-yo's when I was little and I still have 2 of them. These were popular in the 90's and I got 2 of them at kbtoys. I need new strings for them and it'll be just like 1996. I probably still know how to walk the dog and do the elevator and rock the cradle and around the world.

Retro fridays and 3 ninjas

I'm talking about the movie series staring colt,rocky and tum tum. I have seen all 4 but for some reason I only remember the 1st and the last one. I'm sure if I watch them I'll get strong deja vu. I like how 90's these movies feel. Especially the boys room in the first movie. When I was little I always wanted to have a sleep over with pizza and soda and NES and watch this movie among with the wizard.

Retro fridays and gran turismo 2

Me and gran turismo 2 have a long history together and I always cherish my time with it. Yes it almost feels like a relationship. I got it in 2000 at a now closed toys r us (R.I.P) for $20 because it was a greatest hits game. I got lucky since my copy just had the green sticker on the outside of the case. Anyways at first I thought this game was hard but the more I played the better I got. I would play it every day after school even when I sprained my finger and had it in a splint. My favorite song in the game is I think I'm paranoid by garbage.I have fond memories of rushing home from school to play it. I thought the suzuki escudo was the fastest car ever. I remember spending weeks on the rally races and license tests. Nowadays I only have the simulation mode disc and the songs start to skip after 4 minutes then they restart. I only have 70% of the game beat so I still have more races to finish like the endurance ones. I like GT2 a lot more then GT3 or4

Dunkin Donuts opened up today in my town

Yes I did go since I been waiting a long time for dunkin donuts. There are currently 3 dunkin donuts within a 25 mile radius of me and they have all opened within the past 4 months. Yes this is a big deal and would be akin to in N out opening some stores on the east coast. There was a longish line to get in and the employees were handing out samples of iced and hot coffee and menus. Once inside you can feel the heat from the donuts and the general body heat. It didn't take long for me to get to the front and I got a #1 combo with a decaf coffee. I got the christmas donuts and was out on my way before I knew it. I'm just feeling the effects of the caffeine. Yes I got decaf but this is stronger then any decaf I had before. The prices are cheaper then panera bread or starbucks and are comparable to mcdonalds. Next time I go I'll get a hot choclate or a smoothie and maybe a muffin or bagel.

Friday is my last day this semester

It's hard to believe but it seems like august was just last week and suddenly it's 4 months later. I have a lot more flexible schedule now (yes I'm willing to work 7am to midnight) and I can spend my time applying at jobs and on this blog and catch up on the wonder years. I already searched CL and came up with nothing so I tried snagajob. I saved 2 jobs (sales associate at kohl's and store clerk at food 4 less) that I will apply at tomorrow when I am not half asleep. Yes I had a long day today. After those 2 places I will apply at 3 starbucks around here and one of them is 1 mile away(it's a 12 min walk). Then I will apply at the target at the whittwood town center and the vons that's close by then after that well I'm not sure so I'll work on my business card(photoshop your photos)

Job interviews are a lot like relationships

By relationships I mean exes. Also by job interviews I am also including ones over the phone. I had some in person and over the phone interviews that have gone well and others that have been complete disasters where both parties are happy as soon as it ended. This is where they seem similar to a relationship, you learn from the experience. Sometimes you look back at the interview and you say "I can't believe I said that" and you wish you could forget about it just like that one ex you try to erase from your mind

A quick photoshop of the tumbler from the dark knight rises

The one at the top is the original photo while the bottom one is my 'shop I did in 4 minutes. It was a quick n easy thing to do but it makes a huge difference. The original looks almost like it was taken with a camera from 1993

The semester is almost over for me

I just have class on tuesday and friday and then wooo more flexible schedule(yes sir I'm willing to work a night shift and then follow it with an opening shift). Despite that, I still have homework to do because the teacher doesn't post the online assignments until saturday(yesterday). Other wise I would have already been done with all of my homework. I was surprised with a test final that I have to do before friday but I'm sure I'll pass the class even if I get a so so grade on it. This homework is killing my time I could easily spend applying at jobs but in the meantime I will look at jobs on CL in the same way john goodman looks at cheesecake. I will also spend my spare time working on a business card(photographer&photoshopper for cheap) and I'll print it out and distribute it to friends. I also didn't mention my freehand drawing and 2D homework. I have a busy weekend with 3 projects to do and I have already finished 2 and I am working on my last drawing assignment. As if that doesn't keep me busy, I'm also going to write a letter to a good friend of mine and send a christmas gift which is a drawing of a damaged heart I will do on a mini canvas pad. I will take pictures of my drawings and projects when i have the time so you all can see how bad I am at drawing >.>

I am a big fan of the diary of a wimpy kid books

Yes the childern's books are my current favorite books. I have all of them except for the latest(the long haul). It's a funny story about how I got them but first, in 2012 I would go to the library a lot and check out every wimpy kid book in the series then take pictures and pretend they were mine. I got the first book(paperback) at savers last year for 99 cents during the summer. Earlier this year I got rodrick rules(paperback) from goodwill also for 99 cents. I got the last straw and the third wheel for $1.50 each on ebay(both are hardback). I also got cabin fever(hardcover) on ebay for $1.75. At the swapmeet I found another cabin fever,ugly truth,hard luck and dog days for $1 each(all were hardcover). I left behind the 1st book and 3rd wheel(both also hardcover). I found rodrick rules and ugly truth (both hardcover) at savers one time but I didn't want to spend $2.99 on one which paid off for me.

I like how horrible greg's luck is, it always seems like everything goes wrong for him. This explains why he is always frowning. I'm not sure why rodrick is such a jerk and why he has thick eyebrows. Greg's mom has big glasses for some reason. I noticed that all the girls look the same except for different hairstyles. Manny is really short and rowly has buck teeth

Retro saturdays and kmart typewriters

As recently as 1992, kmart was still selling type writers. It's understand since at this time, computers were pretty expensive. But it is still surprising to see an ad for one (only $94). Can you imagine typing a essay or a resume on one? then you make a mistake and you get frustrated and find it easier to just not do it instead of starting over again.

Retro saturdays and the chrysler concorde

Unlike my previous posts, this will not be about the concorde, instead it will be about the price of the other cars mentioned in the ad.

This chrysler concord ad from 1993 is interesting. It pretty much explains why cheap 5 series and E classes have become more popular. A 300E in 1993(the modern day version is an E350) costs 42K back then which is 70K in today's money. A 525i costs 36K back then which is 58K in todays money. That is 11K more then it's modern day version(528i). This is why nowadays it is no big deal to drive or own a mercedes benz or bmw. The only ones that are "big balla status" are the AMG's and even then it's only if you get a new one. Luxury cars have gone down in price in 20 years while you get more for your (less) money. A E300 or E350 blow away a 1993 300E in everything except engineering costs

Retro friday and don't speak by no doubt

I firmly believe this is the 2nd most popular song from the 90's, trailing only smells like teen spirit. It used to be everywhere when it was new all the way up to the early 00's. I would hear it at kmart,sears,circuit city,funcoland, the whittwood mall,burger king and mcdonalds. That song was on every muzik.When I hear it I am instantly in my childhood and I wish I could time travel. Link to video. What ever happened to gwen's dot (it's called a bindi). She should bring that back since no doubt recently released an album

Retro fridays and the chicago bulls

Even though I am a diehard lakers fan, I am also a chicago bulls thanks to MJ and scottie pippen and dennis rodman. I stayed with them even during the lean years of the mid 00's. I remember when they got rodman and the bulls were like rockstars and had big win totals. They seemed invincible and larger then life. MJ was everywhere and so were jordan jerseys. My dad even got some rodman converse shoes that he still has somewhere today. When I wear my bulls hat(from 1996) among with a nirvana shirt or my (1997) jordan jersey people instantly think of the 90's

Retro fridays and nirvana

What can be more 90's then nirvana? well the only thing that comes to mind is the super nintendo and mmpr and kmart. Anyways I miss k.cobain and wish he was still making music since dave grohl is content with making generic rock. Whenever I hear a nirvana song I think of a happier time in the world and kmart for some reason. They do go hand in hand that after 1994, kmart was struggling mightily. I imagine in 1992-94 you would hear and see nirvana on the tv's in the electronics section(check out the new nirvana album). I would play donkey kong country 1 on the super nintendo that is in a kiosk. I find it deliciously ironic that teenagers nowadays are much more apathetic then in the early 90's. It seems like everyone is always looking down at their phone and not really caring much about anything. The few chances I get to drive, I blast smells like teen spirit or serve the servants or scentless apprentice and I imagine it's 1993. I really miss super (or big) kmart and whenever I go to the current regular kmart, I hear nirvana music. The big kmart in the picture looks just like how it did in 1993 although the vending machine is more modern.  Looks like teenage angst has paid off well

Have you ever wanted to randomly spend $10 at the 99 cents store

Every time I go I feel like getting ten dollars worth of energy drinks just to try a few of them. I'm not even an energy drink addict(I quit cold turkey). The designs on the cans are tempting and so is the variety. I held back last time I went to the 99 cents store and I only got a mean bean java monster since I been wanting to see how it tastes. Other times I'm tempted to spend $20 on snacks and energy drinks and random things like small journals. I'm not sure what it is about that store but it always encourages impulse buys. Once I get a job(hopefully soon), I'll actually will buy $10 of energy drinks then walk out with a :D face. I won't drink them all at once or even in a week or month because energy drinks put me on edge and make me depressed and frustrated. That's why I stopped drinking rockstars in 2011 but I still drink energy drinks every now and then. Something like 1 every 5 months or when stater bros has rockstars on sale for 99 cents.

So I got rejected by edible arrangements

Yeah I got a dreaded phone call earlier today and yes just like in middle school, I got rejected and they decided to go with someone else. I had a pumpkin spice latte from panera bread and the caffeine puts me on edge so I felt like a high school girl that got dumped. Anyways I'll have to check indeed and CL more often for jobs but I still have to finish my last few homework assignments strong. Unlike a rejection by a girl, this one is all my loss. 

My interview went well

I was on the ball today at the interview, usually I say um or look down but this time I was in control. I was coming up with questions on the spot and being my witty self. I really hope I get a call back soon

I have an interview tomorrow at edible arrangements

I applied yesterday (or maybe it was saturday) and I got a call today which lead to a mini over the phone interview. I must have done something well since I got scheduled for a face to face interview tomorrow afternoon. I will take my confidence I gained from my corner bakery interview and use it in this interview. In case your wondering, I applied as a delivery driver. I struggled all this year and the previous year to get interviews and I have one exactly one week after my previous one. This is a record for me. Anyways yes I hope I do well tomorrow and I'll need some luck on my side

One of my biggest driving pet peeves

This always bothers me and I'm sure it bothers other people too especially when you realize how often it happens. Anywho onto my biggest pet peeve. Let me set the scene/mood for you, imagine your coming up onto a traffic light and there's 2 cars in the lane your in. In the next lane there's 5 or 6 cars. This would be simpler if I drew a picture but I am horrible at drawing just like how mike tyson was to evander's ear. When you come upon that unique scenario(not!) the car in front of you will merge into the lane with less cars. Now while that doesn't seem so bad(maybe their in a hurry to catch the opera). Here is what really chaps my butt and why it annoys me. When the light turns green and all the other cars go, the lane switcher will suddenly turn into my step grandma and accelerate as if the road was made of marshmallow

That means he'll go slow as in very s l o w l y. If the person was obviously bothered by 3 cars in front of them then why do they accelerate slowly. It seems like their in a hurry but not really. What's the point of changing into the lane with less cars if your just doing to drive 15 mph under the speed limit. Maybe it was aliens, after all, the truth is out there