“…he was from New Jersey! I went to my senior prom with a YANKEE!”
January 13, 2005, 7:22 PM
That line of Blanche’s from The Golden Girls just cracks me up. Since, you see, I am originally from New Jersey, and still consider myself northern, even though I’ve lived in Virginia for more than half my life.
This is why I love it when people say that I sound northern, like one person told me today. Shows I haven’t lost it. And let me tell you – the word “y’all” is not in my vocabulary. And if ever you hear me say “y’all”, slap me.
Meanwhile, I’m going to the doctor’s office tomorrow for pain. Where? Wrists! Over Christmas, I managed to get a repetitive stress injury in both wrists from scanning items for customers. Now it’s painful to scan stuff. I had this happen in 2003 in my right wrist only, and then it went away after a while on the Service Desk. This time it’s both wrists, and I am so done with the Service Desk, so that’s not an escape again. I’m hoping to get some “feel-good medicine” to make me feel good (thus “feel-good medicine”) and make the pain go away. Usually I do so well, and nothing ever ails me. Then within the last month or so, I got two colds in a row in December, and then this. Yuck.
Continue reading…Categories: Activism, Fire drills, Personal health, Television
Feet?
January 5, 2005, 11:37 PM
A coworker at Wal-Mart, in looking at my Web site, noticed that I have a lot of pictures of my own feet on there. Specifically, she noticed this one on the way home from my 2000 beach trip, this one from where I was waiting for a bus at JMU, this one at Rosslyn while I was waiting for the train in 2001, and this one at my 2004 beach trip.
Now I will be the first to tell you – the first three feet shots, all of my own feet, were “bored” shots. They’re shots I ended up with because I had nothing better to do while waiting for something – in the car, at the bus shelter, and in the train station. The last one, of my sandy feet, was intended to show just how much sand I’d collected while out on the beach.
My coworker came to a different conclusion. She thought that I had a thing for feet, and thus why I have these four photos of my feet on my site. Not quite, I said. My feet, as I said, just happen to be something I always know the whereabouts of, and are also convenient to photograph when there’s nothing else to do.
Still, I ought to see if I can do something artistic with my feet. Or not. Who knows.
Categories: Myself
Something’s going around Wal-Mart…
December 11, 2004, 8:04 PM
You know, I’d expect it in a college dorm, where everyone lives in close proximity to each other and shares community facilities. But I didn’t expect to see it like this in the workplace.
What is “it”? A cold. Seriously, there’s a cold making its rounds through the associates at Wal-Mart in Waynesboro. I just think it’s interesting that so many people have it. But with having meetings and sharing phones, tills, podiums, and registers, it’s bound to happen, I guess.
I caught it myself, too. It’s not all that bad of a cold, manifesting it mostly as congestion. At its worst, I was congested all the way from the nose right on down the throat. Now I’m on what I’d consider the upswing – things are starting to get back to normal in my body. Now I only have a little throat congestion. So I feel a lot better, but I still haven’t gotten my whole voice back, and that seems to go in and out as it pleases.
It just bothers me that for right now, I can’t do all that I usually can do vocally. It will be back soon, I’m sure. Still, when I have to get on the squawk box, everyone in the store can tell that I’m trying, but still haven’t gotten my whole voice back yet.
Am I taking anything for it? Nope. Not a thing, aside from some nasal spray on a couple of occasions where I didn’t want to mess with my nose. See, cold medicine doesn’t seem to do anything for me anyway, so there you go. I save my money.
And of course this kind of thing has to hit right around Christmas, when everyone is already frazzled due to it being our big season.
Speaking of which, I finished my Christmas shopping. Did you?
Categories: Myself
I need to be re-Googled so badly…
October 26, 2004, 9:57 PM
As of right now, most of my search results are bad. Specifically, at this time, it affects all pages in the Life and Times, Major Areas, Odds and Ends, and Photography sections. That’s because all my pages now end in .asp and not .htm, since the new menus require the new extension. And the aforementioned sections are the ones where the redesign has been completed. Journal, being a new section, is different because there are no old results. It just needs to be crawled for the first time.
So as a result, I can expect to see some of my site traffic dip until Google finds me again. I’ve done my part, though, and resubmitted the home pages for the changed sections, where all the links live.
Otherwise, I got out of the house for a little bit today. I actually went to Staunton Mall to get my glasses adjusted, and then went to the Staunton Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. In this case, Staunton Wal-Mart is crucial here. I don’t shop in the Waynesboro Wal-Mart on my off-days. Feels too much like going to work. So I went to Staunton. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and so that was nice. Staunton has now turned their Garden Center patio into a full-scale greenhouse like we have in Waynesboro, which I thought was cool. It definitely beats the heck out of the open-air patio that it used to be.
Categories: Family, Myself, Schumin Web meta, Shopping
I hope I’m not coming down with something…
October 26, 2004, 9:01 AM
I really hope I’m not coming down with something, because this would be a heck of a time to come down with something. Though it would serve me right, since I’ve overextended myself lately, going eight days without a break on a number of occasions recently. Most recently, I had the Million Worker March followed by seven straight days at the Service Desk. That’s a recipe for fatigue.
And so today and yesterday, my nose has been stuffed up. I don’t know what to tell you on that one. I hope I’m not getting sick. Since that would just be unpleasant. The last time I was truly sick, as in feeling bad enough that I actually had to miss something was back in 2002. Usually when I catch something, it manifests itself as a sore throat and then goes away on its own. No big deal.
So we’ll see.
Categories: Myself, Schumin Web meta
ß
October 7, 2004, 12:14 AM
Finally I found out what ß means! It’s only found in German, a language which I have not studied seriously. I studied Spanish and Latin in high school, and in college had no formal foreign language study (the benefit of a Bachelor of Science degree), but I did become quite proficient in Foul while at JMU.
Of course, “Foul” only consists of about seven words, and you’re not allowed to say it on the air.
But anyway, ß. For years, I referred to it as “that funky-looking B that they have in German”. And that got me some very confused looks from just about everyone. But think about it. ß does look like a B. See? ß. B. So my description is understandable.
Turns out, though, that ß is not related to B at all. It’s actually related to S. And like most language elements, it has a very long history, and a big description of how it’s used in the German language.
Still, at least now I know what ß really means, and how it’s only a lowercase letter. It has no uppercase equivalent.
I am very pleased with myself for finding out about ß, a letter which has puzzled me for years.
Categories: Myself
Sleep. We got some. And we’re going to get some more.
August 27, 2004, 10:02 PM
How refreshing a little shuteye can be! After working 9-6 and getting maybe eight hours sleep total over the last few days, a little sleep can be great. And I’m going to get a little more momentarily.
Because let me tell you… all this work on the stairs turned into where my butt was really dragging by the end of the day at work. And that’s not fun. I think if I had stayed any longer, I would have fallen down, I was so tired. But we don’t show that to the customers. Based on what I let on to the customers, I was fresh as a daisy. But still, after work I went home and got sleep. Ah, sleep.
And so now, nearing midnight, I’ve slept for some hours, and now I’m going to brush my teeth and then get some more sleep. And then tomorrow…
Doors closing! (ding-dong)
Washington DC. And not “Warshington DC” as some people like to say it. I’ve never seen an “r” in Washington. But anyway, though, I’m excited, especially since last time my first train of the day was not a Breda, as I usually have first thing out of Vienna. I had a CAF! (Ooooooooooooh!)
Anyway, back to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Categories: Myself
Tired? You bet!
August 27, 2004, 6:24 AM
Seriously, after doing two LONG days due to the stairs (days I otherwise would have slept longer), I have a third get-up-early-for-the-stairs day here.
However, at least I have work at 9 AM today, instead of 2 PM. This is a good thing. I get off at 6 PM, and can thus go home and snooze (provided the stairs are ready) so that I can be fresh as a daisy for my planned trip to Washington DC tomorrow. I need to be fresh as a daisy for these trips, but this whole thing with the stairs has just been running me into the ground, because of the guy’s schedule (bright and early before even 8:00), and my schedule (work at 2:00). So that’s the problem we have.
Still, soon this floor work will all be over, and I’ll get my life back again…
Categories: Myself, New porch and floors
Soy? What’s the problem?
July 26, 2004, 2:24 AM
Well, my Sunday at work was a sweet-and-sour day. And it didn’t even have anything to do with work.
My day was quite a good day up to my lunch break. On my lunch, I bought one of my usual lunch picks, as well as something new I saw in the produce cooler. It was a vanilla chai tea with serious amounts of soy protein.
So I rang it all up on the self-checkout, and went off to the breakroom, where I decided to first enjoy the tea. I drank that down, and boy, was I sick. That was it. It did NOT agree with me, and I was miserable the rest of my lunch break. I don’t think my system settled for some hours after work ended. But goodness, I felt hideous. Not enough to go home early, but still, you could tell I was a touch out of it.
Needless to say, I’m never having that again. I don’t know what it is about soy. I used to drink soy milk all the time, and it would always agree. Then I had one soy milk that did not agree earlier in the year. I had at the time attributed it to drinking it too fast. This time I didn’t drink it fast, so who knows why it didn’t agree with me. And why soy has turned on me lately, I don’t know, especially since I used to drink soy milk a lot. Who knows…
Categories: Food and drink, Myself, Walmart
Greetings from Asbury Park!
July 20, 2004, 9:11 PM
Categories: Asbury Park, Family, Myself
I am now officially beginning my search for employment in or around Washington…
July 13, 2004, 12:34 AM
Yes, six months after leaving JMU, I am finally looking for a job in the Washington DC area.
So many people have asked me, “Why Washington?”
My answer is always something like this. It’s far enough away for me to live my own life (I have NO relatives in Washington), it’s a faster life than around here (where you can count the dotted lines on the highway for entertainment), I love the Washington DC area (I do!), and it’s close enough where it’s not a huge hardship to still visit the family.
So now I’m working on updating the resume some (or perhaps throwing it out and starting fresh), and going hunting. This is where the Internet comes in handy. All the hot spots to get information right at my fingertips. Countless DC area newspapers’ classified ads available, Monster.com, Yahoo HotJobs, etc.
Now mind you, though, my connection is like the equivalent of a 1981 Yugo. I have a dial-up connection. 56K. Slooooooooooooow. It would be nice if I had a faster connection. But still, it is handy nonetheless.
Categories: Movies, Myself, Washington DC
Compare for a moment… who looks better?
June 8, 2004, 10:33 PM
Let’s compare for a moment… who looks better in their blue vest? Let me present to you…
Exhibit A: Ben Schumin
Categories: Homestar Runner, Myself, Walmart
Why do people look at me funny when I say this?
May 22, 2004, 9:42 PM
I always get strange looks when I say this:
Person: I’ll be right back. I’m going to use the restroom.
Me: Okay, have fun.
That’s when I get the strange looks. Right there. I don’t know what it is. It’s just my generic “goodbye” that usually say to people. It could be about something else:
Person: I’m going out. I’m going to head over to the store.
Me: Okay, have fun.
Yeah, but I guess the juxtaposition of “restroom” and “have fun” makes heads turn.
Meanwhile, life at home is kind of blah, with the parents continuing to get on my nerves. Realize that their answer to everything is “move out”. It could be, “Mom, I have a headache. Where’s the Advil?” Her answer would be “You should move out”. Ever have it happen where an unwanted message is repeated so many times it loses its meaning? That’s the “move out” response. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. I’ll move out when I’m ready, and I’m not there yet.
And I still can’t believe that my birthday is in a week, on Sunday the 30th. Another step towards forty, I call it. Scary. And I’m going to Washington DC the day before, on Saturday the 29th, which I just realized tonight is the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. And I’m still going to do some serious railfanning. Joy…
“When the water fills the clouds, then they call on lightning! When the rain needs to pour, then they call on me! And I crackle, and I flash… people think I’m frightening… when I dance through the clouds and send the rain free!”
May 21, 2004, 11:04 PM
You know the story. Thunder blows its giant trumpet, and then…
“I must dance my dance… at last I am set free! It’s my chance to dance (to dance his dance!) where the whole world can see me! I can flash through the sky… and light up the heavens…”
Yes, it rained today. Specifically, we had some mighty thunderstorms. It’s not often that you can see lightning through the skylights at Wal-Mart. It’s also not often that you can hear the rain on the roof from the salesfloor at Wal-Mart. Usually you can hear the rain on the roof in the back room, since it’s usually quiet back there. But to hear it over the din of the customers is is something else. You know that it’s got to be raining hard for that to happen. And it was LOUD on the roof, too! And to hear thunder loud and clear in the store is another thing.
And the ride home was just fun. Raining and all that all the way home, with lightning flashing all over the sky, really lighting up the sky. If only I had Big Mavica and a tripod with me to get a long-exposure shot of it all. And watch me get zapped in the process. It would be a heck of a way to go, though.
Categories: Food and drink, Myself, Today's Special, Walmart, Weather
What a productive day!
April 6, 2004, 12:05 AM
This was a day where I let my organizational skills shine. That Service Desk was looking fine. Everything was arranged in shopping carts and ready to go when I left.
And I came up with the best term for the Service Desk area. It’s a cave. See, in Supercenters, recall that it’s a gymnasium-style ceiling. So the ceiling is very high. So then you go into my little cave, and it’s a lot lower ceiling. So it really does seem like a cave. And I’m the monster who lives inside that cave, hehehe.
Still, my bosses when I was an intern at the Office on Youth last summer said I had great organizational skills. Today, I proved them right beyond a shadow of a doubt.
And Tuesday I am off. Off is good. Means that I can do everything I always wanted to do but couldn’t because I have work.
Still, next week is when I next go to DC. This week is just whatever. And I don’t mind it, because I’m going to hit up the Chatter Bus tomorrow, among other things.
So that ought to be fun. I love coffee.
Categories: Food and drink, Myself, Walmart