Yesterday was a little busier than most. I'm supposed to be looking for a job and my parents don't ease up on me for a second, unless they have something else on their mind and the little signal that goes from their eyes and tells their brain about the outrage they behold of me not spending all my energy seeking out a job sees a sign saying "No Vacancy" and is unable to get in, so the message doesn't get received. Here's how my actual day went:

I woke up at 9:30, which is way too late to get up, according to my parents, when one is looking for a job and supposed to be getting an early start and putting in a good effort. My parents were gone when I got up; my dad at work and my mom with Catie and Ben at their classes. Amy had to be at her new job at Dairy Queen at 11. I stayed in bed until 10:30. She reminded me that I had to take her. I was ready before she was and was basically just waiting for her. At 10:53 I took her there (it's only like 3-4 minutes away) and when we got to the first set of train tracks (you have to cross 2 sets to get into Junction City), the gates were down, but there was no train. Several cars were stopped on both sides of it. I backed up and went down another street, hoping that one of the other crossings for the same set of tracks would have them up. Sure enough, the gates down further were out of the way. I got Amy there right at 11. I stopped at McDonald's across the street and ordered pancakes, hash browns, and orange juice from Andrea, who was working there. Breakfast ends at 10:30 there, but they serve what they have left over from it. I took that home, but got a Country Coach application on the way. I filled that out at home, all except for the references, which I didn't have all the information for some of them, like their address. I finished my Office Max one as well.

I did this while listening to music. I use the program called foobar2000 (yes, it's supposed to start with a lower case "f"). I personally like it better than Windows Media Player, WinAmp, or any other MP3 player. By default, it can play .psf, .minipsf, and .spc files. .psf and .minipsf are files that someone put a PS1 game in their computer and used a special program to take the songs off it and turn them into files. It's a lot better than .mid files, which are just the result of someone attempting to replicate the songs on a keyboard. These are exactly the same as they sound on the game. .spc files are the same thing, but from Super Nintendo games. .gym files are ones from Sega Genesis games, and you can download a plugin to make foobar2000 be able to play them. I was listening to my music on there while filling in my applicatons when I remembered about www.hydrogenaudio.org. That is a great forum in which people with incredible amounts of knowledge about sound cards, speakers, music files, and what happens as signals pass through each to produce music, discuss such. They also discuss the best ways to rip songs (which CD-ROMs to use, which programs, which settings) and a lot of it is way over my head. From looking at a few specific threads, I found that my foobar2000 settings were far from optimal. I have since changed them and I believe it sounds a lot better, though I haven't gone back to listen to how it used to sound. That took longer than I wanted it to and my mom came home. She asked what I had gotten done and I didn't have a whole lot to report to her. I didn't know where to apply next and she suddenly asked me if I was in deep depression. I didn't think so, but then again I really couldn't be sure. I did tell her how lately I didn't see any point in living. There was nothing good in my life. Sure, there are things to look forward to, but all my life I've looked forward to things and they aren't here yet. I made plans with Kelli to move there and be able to be with her finally. Then we wouldn't have the distance between us that is usually the reason why we can't do certain things, like dating, for one. I was finally able to rid myself of that accursed factor in our relationship but then I had to go and lose my job and lose the source of income that I was using to save up for my trip. I suppose I could use the dream that I want to still move there as motivation to get a job and then save up enough money. But it just seems so hard right now. I probably won't get a job that makes as much as the one I had and then it will take even longer to save up. My car needs to be fixed up, as well. The rear bumper needs to be replaced, which will take around $500 just for parts. I need to check out the tires because I think they need to be replaced, since they might be leaking air. If I do replace them, I'm getting different size ones so that my speedometer won't be off. It's off right now because someone obviously put on different size tires than what the car came with. I'll just be changing them back. I just found out that one of my headlights is broken and found a rock in it. That's great. I'll need to get a tune-up, as well. All that doesn't help with my parents harping on me to do all I can to get a job. Then, of course, my mom tells me that my dad didn't just mope around when he lost a job. He was out there all the time looking for one. Well, after our little chat, I asked again where I should apply next. She made a short list containing Select Market, Bi-Mart, and Fred Meyer... all retail. I hate retail. I drove to Country Coach and realized that I had forgotten my resumes. I'm applying there for someone who fixes computers there, but stating that I won't turn another position down. I need my resume or else most of what I have going for me for getting a job like that will be missing. Then got called on my mom's cell phone that I brought with me. She wanted me to go pick my sister up from work. I went and got her and took her home, got my resumes, and went back to Country Coach and turned it in. I went to Select Market and got an application. I went to Bi-Mart and saw Nick Kerr. I haven't seen him in a long time. I was kinda best friends with him during my sophomore year. He works there. He was helping Kim Miles get carts. I had a big crush on her during my senior year. They didn't talk to me much and seemed kinda either down, or just not talkative. I went inside and they weren't hiring and don't give out applications unless they are. I saw Estella in the parking lot and her friend was trying to teach herself to drive a stick shift. She's been calling me recently, wanting me to come over, and each time it doesn't work out. I'm supposed to introduce her to the awesome movie, Oscar, introduced to me by my lovely Kelli. She wanted me to come over at 8 or 9 and I said I would.

I drove home and my dad was there. He, of course, asked me if I had looked in the classified ads, like he always does, and then asks me why I didn't when I said that I didn't. My mom mentioned how she had found a few things in the newspaper and had circled them. We tried finding it but could only find today's. None of them were in there. Then we found yesterday's and I gave it a call. They were closed for the day. My eyes landed on one called Rent-A-Nerd and I called them. It was only a message machine and I left one. Rent-A-Nerd is a place where you call and someone comes to your house and fixes your computer. I'd love doing that. I was looking through the newspaper some more when the guy called back and said for me to mail him a resume in the normal mail and if it looked interesting, he'd have coffee with me for the interview. His voice sounds like he's really bored, even on the message you get when you call.