Jumping to July oh my!

My goodness! I just looked at my most recent blog entry since this one and it was way back in March!
I won't (for my own sake) go back that far, as I'm a bit exausted (as it is) as I write this!
However, let me reflect on the last few weeks, and touch on what came before those...
I no longer am working at Pier 1 Imports! Toward the end of March, I found that my hours were quickly turning into hours away from work rather than at! Therefore, I thought it was to seek a new investment of my time, one with perks, and pleasures, and noontime, leasures (okay I'm tired, wired and in need of much better humor, but bare with me a short while longer!)
Around April (the 1st to be precise), where fools are found (virtually) all around, only on April the 1st (tis the worst).... I began my first day (at Baristic pay) at Starbucks! Overall, it has been a success, a job where less has found more meaning, and I am more relaxed than I have been before, on the clock! Since I've been at Starbucks, I've been able to start performing some of my music (on two occassions thus far) and to my surprise and delight it has been quite successful! I am scheduled to start performing regularly every other week at my store. So if you happen to be in town stop by the Snyder Plaza Starbucks on Hillcrest and Milton on Wednesday nights!
I suppose the other great tale reflects on the picture which is included in this posting! I recently had the oppertunity to attend two old high school classmates' wedding a little over a week ago! It was quite an experience to say the least! The months, days, and weeks went by until I had but a day before to book a ticket to Knoxville, TN - on a greyhound!
It began the day before, I was in a hurry to head off to work and play my guitar there, but also had to book my tickets on the bus! I also was still last minute working out the details with the groom about who would pick me up and where I would stay, etc (not the most organized plan I can assure you). Well, at last I made it to the front of the line and when presenting my Military I.D. I expected (as I was told over the phone earlier by a greyhound customer service employee) that I would get the flat rate discount of $198! As it turned out, this proved to be more trouble than I had expected. The women there did not understand English so well and gave me leave to see her boss about it! Unfortunately, it was a similar case as before, and the gentlemen could not find the price I was giving to him. (This for me was frustraiting as I pointed out to the man that he could find these rates on the bus website) After a phone call and a bit more coaxing, the discovery was made that indeed, there was a flat rate of $198! And so I was on my way to Starbucks to begin another glorious day! The day following was quite early as I got off work late from Starbucks and had to pack all of my things and be ready to leave around eight in the morning! I made it there to the bus station with my backpack, lunch sack, (overpacked) garment bag, and my guitar! Yes, I was quite a sight!
I shall jump ahead a bit (for my own interest sake) to the arrival in Knoxville! I was a bit delayed by a couple hours, yet this proved successful as I would be waiting at the station originally for about 6 hours! The first glitch in the trip began here. I got off my bus, to find, no baggage or belongings to be found! Somehow, they were lost, and now I was left to make it to a wedding with a backback and one set of clothes (the ones I was wearing - shorts and a t-shirt)! I spoke with the customer service there (if such a thing can be found) and was told to wait (awhile) and to wait, until they could connect with the other bus stations on the way to Knoxville! Alas, the hours wore on till my ride arrived, and still no word on where my belongings were placed! (I must pause a moment to add that where boarding my bus in Dallas, I was not aware that I had to check my bags in. I was in a rush and desiring to avoid a long line, imagining that all I needed to do was tag my bags with my name, address, and contact number. Yet, this too was not so...)
And so, now I was reaping the benefits of this small misjudgement. Fortunately, upon arriving at the hotel, where the rest of the wedding party resided, there was a last minute cancelled reservation, that opened up a room for me there at the hotel! So at least I had my own room!
The next day, the day of the wedding, I continued to call the bus service, but with ill success! The ending verdict: I would have to borrow a suit from one of the family members, who had a spare and borrow (from the groom no less) a pair of dress shoes. I arrived in a white suit, and sneakers, and quickly, stole across the parkway to the groom's jeep, and switched out my sneakers with his dress shoes.
The wedding proved a success, and I was soon back on my way to Dallas the day after! Upon arriving, there was still no word on the location of my belongings! The day following my return, I happened to be near the bus station, and stopped by to see if anything had been found! To my surprise, I found my missing garment bag! However, I also quickly found, that it had shrunk severly in size! My dress blues (which were inside) and my suit and blouse, were all gone! My guitar (as of today) still is not here; and, I imagine I will not reaquire that again!
Needless to say, it was all a great lesson in patience and persistence. Yet, still I discovered that though many, things of mine which I might usually hold dear, I realized that in the end these things are quite trivial to the bare essentials!
I left the adventure thankful to have made it to the wedding "presentable" and captured some of the moments on film, and to have returned home!
As of now, I am quite tired and in need of rest, as I closed last night at my store and also opened this morning! So I retire for awhile to catch up on a little sleep!

Disasterous Dancing Day!

Okay, I just have to vent for a moment! Today, Saturday, was my jazz dance class. This week, our usual dance instructor was not able to make it, so we had a substitute! Let me just say, oh my! It surely was a day to remember. The dear lady was VERY talented (no question there). And she had a heck of a resume: (background dancer for Byonce [sp?], Justin Temberlake, just to name a few)! Yet, in spite of all this talent, her teaching skills....well let's just say not as first rate. For one, when we were going through the warm up for about 15-20 minutes, the music was so loud, you couldn't hear a word she was saying, and of course she was moving very quickly! She had a lot of energy (which was good), but I felt like she could teach an empty class and have the same results! Sadly, I did not enjoy the class, as a whole, as I didn't gain much! It was so fast, I was not able to appreciate the moves and feel like I was growing! Yet, I suppose it was a good lesson in personal discepline and determination.
All to often amazed,
audaciouslee

"This is what I am saying!" - Igor

And so we must come back to our ever inthusiastic appartment addition- Igor! Today was my day off and so, I decided to fix some waffles. Later on as I was finishing up my other roommate got up followed by Igor. What, I find the most "entertaining" about Igor is his desire to understand things. Life in America is very different from Ukraine! We often live very different lives, which can at times cause tension. Today I spent a good 30 plus minutes discribing to him the difference between different super markets - why we we choose to spend more money to buy higher quality products verses, going to a "sub-standard" super market, where the quality is much lower. It was a challenge for me to describe several times in various ways the reasons for why we shop at the higher quality stores, where we buy fewer products, when we could get more of the "same" products at a cheaper price. Of course, he seemed in the end to understand, but I suppose it is still a mystery to him why we do the things we do. If nothing else, Igor has taught me to appreciate the things I have and to look at life in a whole different way. If not for him, I may not be eating as healthy as I am now, as I have nearly turned 100 percent vegeterian, since he's stayed here.
And so, I continue to enjoy his company, and look forward to the many other adventures we will share together while he is here!
- Always Amazed Audaciouslee

Furnature Fever Forbid!

And so I shall tell you the account of how these cushions did find themselves elsewhere
For "frakencouch" forbid, it's furnature fever now that this old contraption is rid
Though it evokes much sorrow, I shall not think on it long the morrow for I shall be
Sitting most grandly upon my throne of threescore, the collection which both matches and attracts many, and so I prolong ne'er longer
My tale doth hereafter descend!

At the beginning of last week, I received a call from my aunt telling me that some folks from their church were getting rid of a couch, a loveseat, and a chair. Knowing how much our "frakencouch" (a construction of three couches, indeed) was in great need of sprouting wings and flying far from our fortress of furnature, she gave me the information I needed to get in touch with these fine folk!
As it turned out, that entire week, we were unable to pick up the furnature as both my roomate and I were quite busy with classes, plus we had no truck to transport it all! So, we had to postpone the trip until the weekend... Sunday!
On Sunday, we took a Uhaul to their place and picked up the furnature. Although it was a bit of a task taking the time to drive out there, we where quite excited to be driving home at last and looking forward to soon seeing this fine assortment in our own appartment!
The chair and loveseat fit quite square through the door, the couch however was quite a chore! By this time is was around 8pm and we were quite ready for a good meal and a comfortable relaxing evening on our new furnature. Unfortunately we discovered that it would take a bit longer, even with the front door removed from the appartment, we still couldn't squeeze through with the couch.
Picture the scene now....
On a wee catwalk, stand three roomates with their new couch on end. If one looks but a little closer, they will observe them hard at work unsrewing three of the six couch legs. However, these are not ordinary legs, but hand crafted remedies for what were once professional grade legs! Each is constructed of about three layers of wood blocks, which are attached together by four long srews - that being four screws per layer! And so the evening progresses as these three chaps uncrew each block from this once beloved thing!
After about an hour or so, at last, we were able to manage removing the last of the three legs, which were crucial in the process of fitting the couch through the door. The couch now was indeed in our din and in but another quarter of an hour or so the legs were re-srewed "with care" into this chair!
As for the much anticipated meal, it too had to be postponed for a "quick" run to the store and then produced a meager meal of soup... how sensational!
Such is the tale of these three who did remedy a couch and thereafter rested long upon its prospect for it soothed somewhat the soreness of such splendid work!
As is often overlooked, adequately audaciouslee

Joyous Jazz Journies

And so if I hadn't already mentioned, this semester I'm partaking in a jazz technique I dance class! I am thrilled to finally have the opportunity to do this! It meets every Saturday for three hours! My first class, there were about 14 of us in the class and only one other guy. This last class, it was just me and the ladies...... fortune forbid!!!
But, one must practice if one hopes to perform well in the jazz performance at the end of the semester. More details there. Untill then keep dancing!

"An audience of adolescence often ignore authority all-together"
- an audience often attracting,
audaciouslee

Justifying January

It is unfortunate that my many accounts are so "convieniently" spaced apart. That is mainly do to my idle time, or lack there of, being spent elsewhere.
And so I shall justify january, by summarizing these last few events.

...bass tones beckin...cymbols clang...piano push.... singer smoothly slides into song..."feeling of jazz'' -audaciouslee's atmospheric analysis on winston marsalis

Over the past week or so I had hoped to get a job at Starbucks, as my hours at Pier 1 had dwindled lower than I should like. It was the weekend of drill up at Fort Worth, and I was ill prepared...
We had an Alpha's inpection at 1730. I had scheduled too many things that day (Friday) In short, the interview was delayed to the following week, the uniform was crudely ordained in a matter of minutes and I flew toward the car as my roomate, agreed to drive me to base, as my buddy from base would not be able to this time. I called my Sergeant to let him know of the situation. Fortunately when I arrived at around 1745 I was pleasantly surprized to find a few other Marines running late as well.
In summary, though ill planned, the inspection ended on a positive note. The next morning we had our safety stand down (covering such topics as: DUI's, equal opportunity, and sexual harassment).
Alas, the drill weekend ended early Sunday evening.
Onto other things:

Enter IGOR stage left

A couple Sundays ago, a request was put out in our Sunday school class for any guys who were open to housing an exchange student from Ukraine for a couple of weeks. We volunteered. So come later on that week, I arrived home to be greeted by Igor, our latest temporary roommate.
A note on Igor:

Eager Igor instructs inthusiasticly an audience of anonymous individuals on essential organic etiquette in an everyday environment illustration...
-an analogy from audaciouslee's observations of Igor's healthy living habits

This latter illustration is a comical look at Igor's passions for proper living a healthy diet of organic foods. For the past few nights Igor has instructed my roommate's and I on what foods are healthy and what are not. Of course my roommate an I are in the fault for not always choosing wisely which foods to eat and when and how to eat them, but who's perfect anyway?
Enough on that for now, we may come back to that later if there's time.

That pretty much brings us back to the present, where I sit at the computer typing all sorts of nonsense to fill this quiet void of curiousity in my brian.

In regards to the Starbucks position, alas it too failed! I had a good interview with the maneger there this past Thursday, and expected an answer in 48 hours. That turned into late Monday afternoon, right before I headed off to work I was awakened from my wondering thoughts as my phone rang out "vertigo" only to be the Starbucks maneger saying, sorry but at this time your availability is not enough for our needs. It was a bit of a slow walk to work, but my spirits were lifted as I reflected on the possibilities of what a more humble life would look like for the following weeks. Survival is sure, stubborness nearly as much, and yet humility finds a way of creaping in at the most unpleasant of times.
Always alert of the unknown obsticles,
audaciouslee

Februarian Follies

And so it seems yet again like we're flying forward furiously, for februarian follies find us yet again. It is the month the romantic remenisis (sp?) on those earlier valintines for whom there was not time to catch in cupid's quiver. It sends a shiver of hope that was lost, all it cost was his heart. And so he starts again, even though it may be his cruel friend who allures him around the bend.
Fromwhence foes flourish, fie fiend, fly for Februarian follies follow...

Springing toward school again

Tasteful tuesday...
to begin a new year back in the old school groove again is surely essential; although, on the horizon things look a bit grim. What I mean by this, is that it will be a full year! The morning began awkwardly awakened by the amusement of Nora Jones singing "Sunrise." Surely the sun could have risen a bit later! But of course, life is not always so delightful.
And so I began my first day back to school at Collin County Community College, or as we locals refer to it as Quad C. This semester I am only taking two classes: History 1301 and Jazz Dance Technique I. One must have a historical perspective as well as an artistic apreciation when pursuing education. You simply cant be too boring.
And so, despite getting off on the wrong foot with my History class (I had to re-register the first day of class), I was able to get the old pendulum to swing yet again!
On other grounds, I was successful thus far in moving closer still toward a part time job at Starbucks! After the quick decline in hours at Pier 1, I discovered that there may be other things brewing in the atmosphere that my just perk me up a bit more. (I suppose it is a bit much to attempt two in one sentence, but who's really paying attention anyway?)
So, after a fairly relaxing afternoon in this unusually comfortably cool weather, I look forward to my wee few precious hours of work these evening at Pier 1.
Until then I shall live life "more creatively" and "more restfully,"
As evening hours approach asumptuously,
Audaciouslee

Christmas in Dallas 2005 (Mum, Dad, and Sis) 

Journeys in January

It's been a mild break since I last retired to writing. And yet before it's too late I find the new year has come and is soon carrying on without me.
Last year was a full year, many memories, many adventures surely, and... many choices for which I hope to learn from and depart into another wasteland!
My sister and my folks were able to spend the holiday with me, which was very special indeed as my dear lovely sister begins a new journey come the in of this month in the desert (aka Iraq). I still struggle with the thought of her going there as I remain domestic as a Reservist. (more on that later)
Anyway, it's Saturday and I have a few hours to kill before I head off to work at Pier 1.
And so this may be perhaps the only snapshot in January, seeing how consistent I have been thus far in updating this blog. But fear not, it's a new year and so, as is often said resolutions are made...let us hope and pray in some form or way the are more adequately kept as we journey in january and the months following this year....
Adequately aware,
Audaciouslee

Mondays in moderation

So, it's a new week yet again! I can't complain too much as I actually have the day off... oh the thought!
Anyway, it was an early morning as I got up to go to a Men's meeting at my church before everyone heads off to class/work. Anyway, I went for a run afterword, which was good just to get out and enjoy the rare cool weather this sunny november!
Anyway, no real plans yet, just relax a little and get some other much needed work/and whatnot done!
(On another note, I'm making a little progress on figuring out how the heck this blog thing works, stay tuned!)

Mildly Amused,

Audaciouslee

Just Josh 

Always in tune! 

Beginning the continuous adventure again

So, this is a blog! I can't say I've ever gotten into this, but seeing how I have more time on my hands now, I thought what the heck! Here it goes! This will be a journey for us all, to see where these adventures lead. Welcome to the adventures of Audacious Lee!