This week, I had the mother of all Fiddler on the Roof moments. Remember that part in the show where the two sisters dream of the Matchmaker Yenta bringing them a handsome husband? The first part of that song is all about the dreamy men they are sure will be matched with them.
That was me on Monday. My friend from work Liz came to me, buzzing with excitement. There is a new guy at work who is gay and he had ridden along on her route. Our district does that with new drivers. It gives them a chance to understand how routes work and helps them build experience of driving a bus with children. As she did with me, Liz asked him if he was gay and then proceeded to tell him all about me. ALL ABOUT ME - including my many faults!
I had gone to a special needs training class at the beginning of the school year where I had met this new guy and he remembered who I was (and claimed that I had been shamelessly flirting with him during that meeting). He told Liz that I am "his type" and so the gears in Liz's head began formulating a plan to get him doing a ride-along on my bus. That afternoon I was told that he would be riding on my route Tuesday morning. Damn, Liz is good!
All I could think about Monday night was the potential. I went to the SMC rehearsal and told everyone who would listen about the "date". I was really nervous and excited about the next day. That night I worked on what I was going to wear and how early I'd need to get up to get ready.
Back to Fiddler on the Roof. As the Matchmaker song continues, the older sister enters and suddenly brings harsh reality to the dreams of her sisters. With glee she dons an old scarf and describes two very unattractive men that Matchmaker Yenta could find for them. Suddenly, the attitude of her sisters change and they sing about how they'll be happy to wait for their turn at Matchmaker Roulette.
When I arrived at work and met T, the very first thing he did was (barely) look up from his cell phone and say "You're late." I was actually three minutes early, but whatever. For the next 2 hours, I was treated to every criticism that bitchy queen wanted to throw at me.
He didn't like the way I drive. He didn't like the route I took when picking up the students or driving back from the school. He told me that since I'm a writer I'm probably unorganized and messy and that would drive him crazy (since he makes Monica from Friends look like a slob!). He would NEVER set foot in my apartment because I have pet rats. He thinks I am paying too much for rent and should move somewhere cheaper (or better yet, have better financial stability to buy my own house). He couldn't believe I don't have a car. He thought I should dress better. I don't carry myself very well. I should work harder and make more money. When I told him what car I used to drive he scoffed and told me there was no way he ever would have ridden in my car. The criticisms went on and on.
On top of it all, he kept telling me that I should have more confidence in myself... Despite all the criticisms he kept throwing at me.
At one point he had asked me my shoe size and was amazed when I told him I wear a size 13. When I parked my bus, he asked to see my hand, did a bit of measuring against his own and then smiled at me and said "You're well hung."
Despite all of that, I still approached the subject of dating with him. He told me it wouldn't happen because we work together now. I'm guessing a lot of his other criticisms factored into that as well. The more I thought about it as the day went on, the more glad I was that he said that. Dating him would have been disastrous and a relationship with him would be impossible. We left things with the open possibility for friendship.
Once again I find myself thinking it's impossible for me to ever find love. My experiences in searching for a relationship have been met with more and more guys like the one mentioned above. I think gay guys (myself included) are too critical. Somehow there are some who make it work and I applaud them, but I have no clue how they managed to not only find someone for a relationship, but figured out how to keep in that relationship.
As for me, I find myself taking one more step closer to becoming that bitter cynic who hates the candy and Hallmark-pushed Valentine's Day. I can't help but see myself becoming a bitter old queen sitting in the back of a movie theater loudly complaining about plot holes and unbelievably every time I see a romantic comedy.
Maybe I've just been single too long that the concept of having romance in my life is now just too scary. Maybe there wasn't even anything wrong with the guy I met yesterday. Maybe I was the one being too critical of him.
If I remember correctly, even the two sisters from Fiddler on the Roof eventually found love. Sheesh, how boringly predictable!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
No Hablo Ingles
There is a new song out there that has really started to baffle me. Actually, it's not the song so much as the response. I first heard it this morning on a local radio station. From time to time they will do a "music test" where they play a song and then have listeners chime in as to whether or not they should keep playing the song. Today's music test was from the upcoming Bowling for Soup album Sorry For Partyin'. The song is called No Hablo Ingles. Here's a video of the song so you can hear what it's about.
Okay, so that's the song. Unfortunately, I only heard the last bit of it each time it was played this morning, but I kept hearing the responses to it. At first people commented that it was catchy and really funny. Then different calls started coming in. "It is offensive!" "It makes fun of Mexicans" "The song is politically incorrect!" the criticism went on. After the second attempt to test the song, the DJs guessed that maybe 80% of those who called in thought it was offensive and racist.
Intrigued, I found the video on youtube and listened to it. I gotta be honest... I think most of the people who think this song is offensive missed the point. I don't think Bowling for Soup is making fun of Mexicans or Spanish speakers. If anything they are making fun of themselves by shamefully playing on a stereotype and saying "when we are too lazy to do something, we take advantage of this cliche." At least that's how I view the song. Maybe if I was latino I would think differently.
Last night, I was chatting with a latino online and so when he logged on tonight I sent him the link and asked what he thought of the song. Did he think it was offensive? I waited for about eight minutes and then he just logged off without saying anything. That really blew me away. I mean, if I truly pissed him off (or if the song did) I was expecting him to lash out about it, not just log off without saying anything.
I've been a fan of Bowling for Soup for awhile now and I was thrilled to hear they have a new album coming out. I....ahem.....uh.....did something bad today and...well...needless to say, I now have the whole album and I think it is fantastic! There are some really funny songs on it. One in particular is called BFFF and it is about a guy proclaiming love for his best friend in a "totally heterosexual way." I laugh every time I hear the song.
Again, I don't know if I'm just blinded to the racism of this song because I like the group and I'm not Latino so I wouldn't understand. To me, the song is only offensive if you decide to be offended by it.
So, is the song offensive? Comment and let me know!
Okay, so that's the song. Unfortunately, I only heard the last bit of it each time it was played this morning, but I kept hearing the responses to it. At first people commented that it was catchy and really funny. Then different calls started coming in. "It is offensive!" "It makes fun of Mexicans" "The song is politically incorrect!" the criticism went on. After the second attempt to test the song, the DJs guessed that maybe 80% of those who called in thought it was offensive and racist.
Intrigued, I found the video on youtube and listened to it. I gotta be honest... I think most of the people who think this song is offensive missed the point. I don't think Bowling for Soup is making fun of Mexicans or Spanish speakers. If anything they are making fun of themselves by shamefully playing on a stereotype and saying "when we are too lazy to do something, we take advantage of this cliche." At least that's how I view the song. Maybe if I was latino I would think differently.
Last night, I was chatting with a latino online and so when he logged on tonight I sent him the link and asked what he thought of the song. Did he think it was offensive? I waited for about eight minutes and then he just logged off without saying anything. That really blew me away. I mean, if I truly pissed him off (or if the song did) I was expecting him to lash out about it, not just log off without saying anything.
I've been a fan of Bowling for Soup for awhile now and I was thrilled to hear they have a new album coming out. I....ahem.....uh.....did something bad today and...well...needless to say, I now have the whole album and I think it is fantastic! There are some really funny songs on it. One in particular is called BFFF and it is about a guy proclaiming love for his best friend in a "totally heterosexual way." I laugh every time I hear the song.
Again, I don't know if I'm just blinded to the racism of this song because I like the group and I'm not Latino so I wouldn't understand. To me, the song is only offensive if you decide to be offended by it.
So, is the song offensive? Comment and let me know!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Working for a livin', taking what they're givin'
I had a busy weekend.
I've already blogged about the craziness of Friday and Saturday; at least what had happened up until that point. Saturday night I drove the trip that was actually scheduled to me. Myself and another driver (L) were scheduled to take a specific team home (1 of 4). Before we had arrived at the stadium in Seattle, we got a call that the "guy in charge" (a coach for the high school in our district - NOT our boss) wanted us to take another team home and have the two drivers already there take home a team that wanted to leave right then.
When L and I arrived at the stadium, the other team had not yet come out to the buses so L and I dialogued with the two other drivers, both of whom were above us in seniority. Lynn and I abstained to their decision since they were above us. From what L and I both saw, they elected to drive our team back to the hotel, leaving us to stay for the other team. L and I ended up getting another hour of work since the team we had now been given stayed until the end of the game (they were watching, not playing).
Then on Sunday I got a call around 10:10am that a second bus had been added at the last minute and I was offered the job. Since I live across the street from work I was able to get to the hotel with a bus within 20 minutes. As I drove the trip, I knew that an issue would come of this because there are 34 people ahead of me in seniority who would have loved those two hours of overtime pay. I was more than grateful to get that work!
This morning I went in to work and talked with J in dispatch about the weekends events. I particularly told her about the errand I ran when the guy called me on Saturday. She agreed with me that I should get paid for that since I was doing work for the district. Now our contract has a policy that any work you do, no matter what the length is, will be paid no less than 2 hours.
After driving my route, I went back in and talked with her more about what was going to happen. The first thing I discovered is that those two drivers who elected to go back on Saturday with the team belonging to L and me were complaining that we got more hours. I told her exactly what happened in the conversation from the perspective of L and me. We both made it clear that we had lower seniority and left the decision up to them. They elected to leave. According to J in dispatch, this was not the story she had gotten.
I also talked to my boss about my little unscheduled Saturday errand. He doesn't want to pay me for it!! According to him, what I should have done was called someone and told them what was going on. Apparently, they don't want me to try and fix a situation like that (and potentially save the district some embarrassment) unless I have been authorized to do that. Can you believe that shit? He said he was going to talk to dispatch and the coach in charge of this whole mess (the one who screwed up!) to see if I should be paid. I have a sneaky suspicion what the coach's feelings on that will be. He won't want to get charged for my help!
Thankfully, my union rep has a much different take on this situation. "Tough shit!" her words. I was trying to help the district and I should get paid. Granted, I thought I had screwed up and that's why I ran to base, but once there, I continued to try and fix the problem by running down to my bus, turning it on and getting on the radio to make sure the drivers responsible for that trip had actually shown up. The lesson I am getting for the district now is that when they want my help I should tell them to shove off and not offer to help them. That's complete bullshit.
Another issue I am dealing with involves my Friday schedule. I have an out-of-district route and one of my schools is not going on Friday. However, one of them is and I have one student from that school. But rather than pay me as they should, the district would rather put her on another bus and pay that driver since he's above me in seniority. Again with the bullshit! I don't think it's right that I get shorted hours just because they don't want to pay me.
Though I am a worker who always shows up on time, do what I am supposed to do and have students and parents who think I am a really good driver (and, I would think, a value to the district), I'm getting the impression that the district really doesn't care about me at all.
I've already blogged about the craziness of Friday and Saturday; at least what had happened up until that point. Saturday night I drove the trip that was actually scheduled to me. Myself and another driver (L) were scheduled to take a specific team home (1 of 4). Before we had arrived at the stadium in Seattle, we got a call that the "guy in charge" (a coach for the high school in our district - NOT our boss) wanted us to take another team home and have the two drivers already there take home a team that wanted to leave right then.
When L and I arrived at the stadium, the other team had not yet come out to the buses so L and I dialogued with the two other drivers, both of whom were above us in seniority. Lynn and I abstained to their decision since they were above us. From what L and I both saw, they elected to drive our team back to the hotel, leaving us to stay for the other team. L and I ended up getting another hour of work since the team we had now been given stayed until the end of the game (they were watching, not playing).
Then on Sunday I got a call around 10:10am that a second bus had been added at the last minute and I was offered the job. Since I live across the street from work I was able to get to the hotel with a bus within 20 minutes. As I drove the trip, I knew that an issue would come of this because there are 34 people ahead of me in seniority who would have loved those two hours of overtime pay. I was more than grateful to get that work!
This morning I went in to work and talked with J in dispatch about the weekends events. I particularly told her about the errand I ran when the guy called me on Saturday. She agreed with me that I should get paid for that since I was doing work for the district. Now our contract has a policy that any work you do, no matter what the length is, will be paid no less than 2 hours.
After driving my route, I went back in and talked with her more about what was going to happen. The first thing I discovered is that those two drivers who elected to go back on Saturday with the team belonging to L and me were complaining that we got more hours. I told her exactly what happened in the conversation from the perspective of L and me. We both made it clear that we had lower seniority and left the decision up to them. They elected to leave. According to J in dispatch, this was not the story she had gotten.
I also talked to my boss about my little unscheduled Saturday errand. He doesn't want to pay me for it!! According to him, what I should have done was called someone and told them what was going on. Apparently, they don't want me to try and fix a situation like that (and potentially save the district some embarrassment) unless I have been authorized to do that. Can you believe that shit? He said he was going to talk to dispatch and the coach in charge of this whole mess (the one who screwed up!) to see if I should be paid. I have a sneaky suspicion what the coach's feelings on that will be. He won't want to get charged for my help!
Thankfully, my union rep has a much different take on this situation. "Tough shit!" her words. I was trying to help the district and I should get paid. Granted, I thought I had screwed up and that's why I ran to base, but once there, I continued to try and fix the problem by running down to my bus, turning it on and getting on the radio to make sure the drivers responsible for that trip had actually shown up. The lesson I am getting for the district now is that when they want my help I should tell them to shove off and not offer to help them. That's complete bullshit.
Another issue I am dealing with involves my Friday schedule. I have an out-of-district route and one of my schools is not going on Friday. However, one of them is and I have one student from that school. But rather than pay me as they should, the district would rather put her on another bus and pay that driver since he's above me in seniority. Again with the bullshit! I don't think it's right that I get shorted hours just because they don't want to pay me.
Though I am a worker who always shows up on time, do what I am supposed to do and have students and parents who think I am a really good driver (and, I would think, a value to the district), I'm getting the impression that the district really doesn't care about me at all.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Catching up
Yikes. I haven't blogged about anything in a week.
Last weekend I went to the Puyallup Fair with my former roommate. Essentially, I wanted to experience three things: The Weird Al Yankovic 3D movie about the human brain, an a capella group called The Coats, and a fantastic ride called Extreme Scream. I did do all three things!
As a longtime fan of Weird Al, I was excited when I heard about his exhibit at the fair. It was at the Puyallup Fair that I saw his concert two years ago - a concert, I might add, that was one of the best I have ever experienced! Before the movie, you are handed a pair of glasses (and a wet wipte for steralization) as you walk into a room with many facts about the brain. The only problem with this is that they cram everyone into the room for the next show so you really can't read many of the facts unless you ask someone to move over. As more and more people are crammed into the room it becomes less and less possible to read anything.
Right about the time I started getting antsy, the lights dimmed and overhead a parody of 50's educational movies started. It was a great tongue-in-cheek parody typical of Weird Al. The movie itself was corny, but really funny. It reminded me a lot of Weird Al's show. The format is set up as a Q&A with Al answering video questions. At one point, a boring Dr is turned into a clever owl and, of course, many opportunities for shameless 3D effects are employed. At the end, Al launches into an original song about the brain. It is fast-passed and frantic at times, making it hard to catch all of what he is singing. It would have been great if they'd added subtitles with a bouncing brain so we could get all the words.
I found myself humming part of the song after the show, but the memory of the tune didn't really last as long. I'm not trying to slam the exhibit in any way. I'll go see anything featuring Weird Al. As far as I'm concerned, the guy is a genius and I was glad I got to see the 3D film!
The Extreme Scream is a fair tradition for me. You've probably seen versions of this ride all over. It's a tall tower with a base of seats that gets rapidly shot up the tower. I've ridden other versions of this ride. What sets the Puyallup Fair's version apart is that you get both experiences. First, you're shot up the tower and you bounce a little. Then you are slowly lifted up to the top and it drops you. This is the first time I've been on a ride like this that gives you both elements. People think I'm crazy for going on it, but you just can't beat the rush this ride gives!
I also went to all three concerts performed by a group called The Coats. I can't say enough about these guys! They are SO talented! After the first show I bought four of their CDs and got them autographed. While talking to the guys I was encouraged to come back for their other shows. The 2nd Tenor Jamie promised that each show would feature a different set of songs. How could I pass that up? If you ever hear about anything having to do with The Coats, check whatever it is out. You won't be disappointed.
My only other fair experiences revolved around the hypnotist Travis Fox. More accurately, the experience revolved around one of the people he hypnotized. At the first show was a volunteer named Junior. For that show, Fox had him perform as Aretha Franklin to the track Respect. The guy was awesome! At the end of that show, Fox asked Junior's family if he could hypnotize Junior to come back for the next show. Still in a hypnotized state, Junior was told that he would wake up thinking he had missed the show. He would have no recollection of having been in it, but at 6:55, he would feel an urge to return and try to catch the 7:00 show. He was told to walk up on the stage and sit in a chair when Fox called for volunteers.
Sure enough, my friends and I got excited when we saw Junior enter the concert area. At first he raised his hand but wasn't called on. Then he suddenly stood up and walked up to the stage. It took awhile for Fox to recognize Junior, but when he did, he had him peform as Michael Jackson to a Billy Jean track. Once again the guy was awesome! He even jumped off the stage and danced with a young girl from the audience. Once again, Fox asked if Junior could return for the 9pm show and repeated his suggestions from before.
My friends and I had planned to leave but with the promise of more Junior, we decided to stick around. Junior's family ended up stting in front of me and I struck up a conversation with them. They told me that Junior had been shown pictures and video of his other performances, but repeatidly told them he'd missed the show! They also told me that he is a dance instructor which explains his awesome moves from the first two shows.
This time, when Junior entered the stage area, he received a standing ovation! He looked at all of us like we were nuts...and we probably were. When the show started he once again walked on stage and ended up being featured at the end as one of four divas from the song Lady Marmalade from the movie Moulin Rouge.
Other than that, the previous week was uneventful. It just felt so long, but I think that's because I'm actually working 8 hours every week. Okay, okay, some of you are thinking "Uh...yeah...welcome to the real world!" Well this is the first year I've actually gotten guarenteed hours like this. They actually added two hours a week to my route due to it running long in the evenings. So now I'm done at 5pm. Now figure that my morning clock in is 5:45 and you can see why my day feels so long! My route just feels SO long! I do a lot of driving during the day and with the added trouble brought on by the autistic girl, I feel drained at the end of each day.
Last night, I signed for a trip, but since I get 39 hours a week now, I had to put next to my name +40 to let them know that they'd be paying me overtime. Essentially this means that should no one else want to do it, I could actually get the trip and get paid time and a half for it. This rarely happens, yet last night they called me as I was finishing my route and told me I got the trip. Suddenly I felt very rushed! I raced home to grab something for dinner (which didn't amount to much) and then raced down to the bus lot to start up a bus.
The whole thing ended up being VERY confusing! Whoever requested these trips for the week really screwed up. There were already three other buses at the site trying to pick up other groups and no one seemed to know who was going where. By the time I arrived, some of the coaches were understandably a little surly. The team I ended up driving was really awesome, though. Those poor guys were all crammed into my bus like sardines. In an effort to save money, they were dropped to one bus. I had guys practically hanging off the edge of seats in the aisle.
Today the madness continued. I was awarded a Saturday trip which is VERY rare! All Saturday trips pay time and a half. Last night I checked to make sure what my clock in was before leaving. Today, I got a call at 2:20 asking me why I wasn't there to pick up the football team. I told him that I have the return trip and then panicked. Did I screw up??
I rushed across the street to work and thankfully discovered that I wasn't one of the two drivers who was supposed to pick up the team. I am on the return trip later tonight. I still had to run down to my bus and call the drivers on the radio to make sure they had picked up the team. It turns out that the guy who called me wasn't even a coach. He had recieved a text that the buses hadn't shown up. By the time he called me, the team had been picked up and was on the way to the stadium. He had only called me because he had my number as a driver, but he didn't know ...well...much of anything.
On Monday I'm going to ask them if they'll pay me for the running around I did today. I think it's only fair! I was essentially doing someone else's job. I was the one running around in a panic for 30 minutes trying to make things right and I hadn't even done anything wrong! It's a good thing (for my boss) that I live so close to work...and that I had been home at all. I was actually starting to get ready for a trip to the library (which still hasn't happened).
I did continue watching a video I rented from the library called Heckler. It's a film my Jamie Kennedy about people who yell out at comics. Midway through the documentary, the focus shifted to movie critics. As I watched it became apparent to me that Jamie Kennedy takes critique too seriously. His opinion is that movie critics are not entitled to their opinions. He ends up taking what they say personally and, to a degree, I can see where he is coming from. Some of the things they say are personal and don't belong in a movie review. But he also takes it personally when one of them says he isn't funny. He claims they don't have a right to say that, but the way I see it, they have every right to say that about his performance because that's what they are being paid to do. If they don't find him funny in the movie, then it's something they should put in their review. At least that's how I feel about it.
In the film, Jamie Kennedy confronts several critics and asks them why they hate him. Most of them said they didn't hate him, they hated his performance. To me, that's a valid opinion, but Jamie takes it personally.
I thought Kennedy was great in the Scream movies. But later he started making movies about his characters from the Jamie Kennedy Project that just weren't funny! Son of the Mask was terrible, but not because of Jamie Kennedy. It was just a poorly written movie that took the rules previously established in the Jim Carey movie and threw them out the window.
At the end, during the credits, they interview Jamie's father who says "He's never been able to take criticism. He can dish it out, but he can't take it." That pretty much summed up the documentary for me. If you're going to be a comic or an actor or a filmmaker or even a writer, you need to be prepared for criticism. If you think about it, a comic dishes his own critiques, though. I've seen Jamie Kennedy's stand up and like most comics he makes fun of people. His observations could be called critiques, can't they? They are his opinions of people and he is sharing them to get a laugh. Why then is it so hard for him to take criticism back?
Another thing that bothered me about the documentary was the fact that many of the people interviewed were attacking critics as though they have no right to voice their opinions. Many times, those interviewed for the documentary said things like "They don't make movies so what right do they have to attack what we make?" Frankly, I think they have every right. Even if someone doesn't know how to make a movie (or doesn't have the financial backing to make one) doesn't mean they don't have the right to know what they think is good or what is bad. I've never made a movie, but I know when I am watching something that is poorly written or acted. As long as a person is able to intelligently explain what it was they didn't like about a movie I think they have every right to do so. Isn't that what America is all about?
Look at me pretending to be a movie critic! LOL. I suppose I should expect a visit from Jamie Kennedy, now. Jamie, if you're reading this, I don't hate you. Just haven't been crazy about many of your movies. Sorry, dude!
Last weekend I went to the Puyallup Fair with my former roommate. Essentially, I wanted to experience three things: The Weird Al Yankovic 3D movie about the human brain, an a capella group called The Coats, and a fantastic ride called Extreme Scream. I did do all three things!
As a longtime fan of Weird Al, I was excited when I heard about his exhibit at the fair. It was at the Puyallup Fair that I saw his concert two years ago - a concert, I might add, that was one of the best I have ever experienced! Before the movie, you are handed a pair of glasses (and a wet wipte for steralization) as you walk into a room with many facts about the brain. The only problem with this is that they cram everyone into the room for the next show so you really can't read many of the facts unless you ask someone to move over. As more and more people are crammed into the room it becomes less and less possible to read anything.
Right about the time I started getting antsy, the lights dimmed and overhead a parody of 50's educational movies started. It was a great tongue-in-cheek parody typical of Weird Al. The movie itself was corny, but really funny. It reminded me a lot of Weird Al's show. The format is set up as a Q&A with Al answering video questions. At one point, a boring Dr is turned into a clever owl and, of course, many opportunities for shameless 3D effects are employed. At the end, Al launches into an original song about the brain. It is fast-passed and frantic at times, making it hard to catch all of what he is singing. It would have been great if they'd added subtitles with a bouncing brain so we could get all the words.
I found myself humming part of the song after the show, but the memory of the tune didn't really last as long. I'm not trying to slam the exhibit in any way. I'll go see anything featuring Weird Al. As far as I'm concerned, the guy is a genius and I was glad I got to see the 3D film!
The Extreme Scream is a fair tradition for me. You've probably seen versions of this ride all over. It's a tall tower with a base of seats that gets rapidly shot up the tower. I've ridden other versions of this ride. What sets the Puyallup Fair's version apart is that you get both experiences. First, you're shot up the tower and you bounce a little. Then you are slowly lifted up to the top and it drops you. This is the first time I've been on a ride like this that gives you both elements. People think I'm crazy for going on it, but you just can't beat the rush this ride gives!
I also went to all three concerts performed by a group called The Coats. I can't say enough about these guys! They are SO talented! After the first show I bought four of their CDs and got them autographed. While talking to the guys I was encouraged to come back for their other shows. The 2nd Tenor Jamie promised that each show would feature a different set of songs. How could I pass that up? If you ever hear about anything having to do with The Coats, check whatever it is out. You won't be disappointed.
My only other fair experiences revolved around the hypnotist Travis Fox. More accurately, the experience revolved around one of the people he hypnotized. At the first show was a volunteer named Junior. For that show, Fox had him perform as Aretha Franklin to the track Respect. The guy was awesome! At the end of that show, Fox asked Junior's family if he could hypnotize Junior to come back for the next show. Still in a hypnotized state, Junior was told that he would wake up thinking he had missed the show. He would have no recollection of having been in it, but at 6:55, he would feel an urge to return and try to catch the 7:00 show. He was told to walk up on the stage and sit in a chair when Fox called for volunteers.
Sure enough, my friends and I got excited when we saw Junior enter the concert area. At first he raised his hand but wasn't called on. Then he suddenly stood up and walked up to the stage. It took awhile for Fox to recognize Junior, but when he did, he had him peform as Michael Jackson to a Billy Jean track. Once again the guy was awesome! He even jumped off the stage and danced with a young girl from the audience. Once again, Fox asked if Junior could return for the 9pm show and repeated his suggestions from before.
My friends and I had planned to leave but with the promise of more Junior, we decided to stick around. Junior's family ended up stting in front of me and I struck up a conversation with them. They told me that Junior had been shown pictures and video of his other performances, but repeatidly told them he'd missed the show! They also told me that he is a dance instructor which explains his awesome moves from the first two shows.
This time, when Junior entered the stage area, he received a standing ovation! He looked at all of us like we were nuts...and we probably were. When the show started he once again walked on stage and ended up being featured at the end as one of four divas from the song Lady Marmalade from the movie Moulin Rouge.
Other than that, the previous week was uneventful. It just felt so long, but I think that's because I'm actually working 8 hours every week. Okay, okay, some of you are thinking "Uh...yeah...welcome to the real world!" Well this is the first year I've actually gotten guarenteed hours like this. They actually added two hours a week to my route due to it running long in the evenings. So now I'm done at 5pm. Now figure that my morning clock in is 5:45 and you can see why my day feels so long! My route just feels SO long! I do a lot of driving during the day and with the added trouble brought on by the autistic girl, I feel drained at the end of each day.
Last night, I signed for a trip, but since I get 39 hours a week now, I had to put next to my name +40 to let them know that they'd be paying me overtime. Essentially this means that should no one else want to do it, I could actually get the trip and get paid time and a half for it. This rarely happens, yet last night they called me as I was finishing my route and told me I got the trip. Suddenly I felt very rushed! I raced home to grab something for dinner (which didn't amount to much) and then raced down to the bus lot to start up a bus.
The whole thing ended up being VERY confusing! Whoever requested these trips for the week really screwed up. There were already three other buses at the site trying to pick up other groups and no one seemed to know who was going where. By the time I arrived, some of the coaches were understandably a little surly. The team I ended up driving was really awesome, though. Those poor guys were all crammed into my bus like sardines. In an effort to save money, they were dropped to one bus. I had guys practically hanging off the edge of seats in the aisle.
Today the madness continued. I was awarded a Saturday trip which is VERY rare! All Saturday trips pay time and a half. Last night I checked to make sure what my clock in was before leaving. Today, I got a call at 2:20 asking me why I wasn't there to pick up the football team. I told him that I have the return trip and then panicked. Did I screw up??
I rushed across the street to work and thankfully discovered that I wasn't one of the two drivers who was supposed to pick up the team. I am on the return trip later tonight. I still had to run down to my bus and call the drivers on the radio to make sure they had picked up the team. It turns out that the guy who called me wasn't even a coach. He had recieved a text that the buses hadn't shown up. By the time he called me, the team had been picked up and was on the way to the stadium. He had only called me because he had my number as a driver, but he didn't know ...well...much of anything.
On Monday I'm going to ask them if they'll pay me for the running around I did today. I think it's only fair! I was essentially doing someone else's job. I was the one running around in a panic for 30 minutes trying to make things right and I hadn't even done anything wrong! It's a good thing (for my boss) that I live so close to work...and that I had been home at all. I was actually starting to get ready for a trip to the library (which still hasn't happened).
I did continue watching a video I rented from the library called Heckler. It's a film my Jamie Kennedy about people who yell out at comics. Midway through the documentary, the focus shifted to movie critics. As I watched it became apparent to me that Jamie Kennedy takes critique too seriously. His opinion is that movie critics are not entitled to their opinions. He ends up taking what they say personally and, to a degree, I can see where he is coming from. Some of the things they say are personal and don't belong in a movie review. But he also takes it personally when one of them says he isn't funny. He claims they don't have a right to say that, but the way I see it, they have every right to say that about his performance because that's what they are being paid to do. If they don't find him funny in the movie, then it's something they should put in their review. At least that's how I feel about it.
In the film, Jamie Kennedy confronts several critics and asks them why they hate him. Most of them said they didn't hate him, they hated his performance. To me, that's a valid opinion, but Jamie takes it personally.
I thought Kennedy was great in the Scream movies. But later he started making movies about his characters from the Jamie Kennedy Project that just weren't funny! Son of the Mask was terrible, but not because of Jamie Kennedy. It was just a poorly written movie that took the rules previously established in the Jim Carey movie and threw them out the window.
At the end, during the credits, they interview Jamie's father who says "He's never been able to take criticism. He can dish it out, but he can't take it." That pretty much summed up the documentary for me. If you're going to be a comic or an actor or a filmmaker or even a writer, you need to be prepared for criticism. If you think about it, a comic dishes his own critiques, though. I've seen Jamie Kennedy's stand up and like most comics he makes fun of people. His observations could be called critiques, can't they? They are his opinions of people and he is sharing them to get a laugh. Why then is it so hard for him to take criticism back?
Another thing that bothered me about the documentary was the fact that many of the people interviewed were attacking critics as though they have no right to voice their opinions. Many times, those interviewed for the documentary said things like "They don't make movies so what right do they have to attack what we make?" Frankly, I think they have every right. Even if someone doesn't know how to make a movie (or doesn't have the financial backing to make one) doesn't mean they don't have the right to know what they think is good or what is bad. I've never made a movie, but I know when I am watching something that is poorly written or acted. As long as a person is able to intelligently explain what it was they didn't like about a movie I think they have every right to do so. Isn't that what America is all about?
Look at me pretending to be a movie critic! LOL. I suppose I should expect a visit from Jamie Kennedy, now. Jamie, if you're reading this, I don't hate you. Just haven't been crazy about many of your movies. Sorry, dude!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Unbearable Doubt
Last Sunday, I was actually excited. I was taking a chance on a new aspect of my job, believing that I would be able to rise to the challenge.
Four days later I am laying around my apartment feeling sorry for myself.
The past two days have brought more challenges to me than the past six years total. I have faced hectic traffic conditions into schools, a school bus full of excited children, parents who think they know better than me how their child should behave on my bus, even an accident or two.
Today, I saw something that shoved all of those experiences into a file marked: Whatever.
But first, here's what happened yesterday.
The morning portion of my route doesn't start until next week, so I have been subbing another driver's morning route. The children on this route are in a program called "Cascade" which is designed for children who have behavior issues that make it hard for them to ride a larger school bus full of children. I have actually been able to handle those kids, though there was some drama on my bus yesterday.
One of the boys was having a difficult time staying in his seat. He would lean into the aisle to talk to another student. I found myself constantly reminding him what he should be doing to safely ride the bus, but my recommendations went ignored. About half-way through the route, as I was driving on slightly curving road, I heard the boy cry out as he fell out of his seat and onto the floor. He just lay there crying. I was finally able to find a place to pull over and go back to see what happened. He had decided to put his feet up on his seat and his knees inside his shirt. The bumping of the bus caused him to lose his balance and he fell out of the seat and onto his head.
The only good thing to come out of this was that he stayed in his seat for the rest of the ride. It was the ultimate object lesson! I had to keep calling back to him to make sure he was awake - fearing the whole time that the boy had a concussion. At school I told the teacher what happened and she promised to make sure he was okay. I had to fill out an incident report once I got back to base.
And yet, that was the easiest part of my day. That afternoon I met, for the first time, the female high school student about which I have been so heavily warned. She's a heavily autistic girl who had a reputation for being physically violent toward staff. Another driver told me how she came at him with a broom. She rode my bus for the first time yesterday and though I was completely scared the whole time, it went well. She stayed in her seat, buckled in. The entire time she yelled out questions. Apparently, her only voice level is ultra loud. Several times she saw a house and asked me who lived there. She yelled about every bus we passed. She yelled about every car we passed. She yelled about how the others on the bus were being too loud for her taste.
My ears were ringing by the time we got to her stop, but at least she had stayed in her seat. I had been warned that if I didn't answer her questions then it would make her angry and unpredictable, so by the time we got to her stop I was mentally exhausted. Oh, and of course her mom wasn't at the stop to pick her up. I called to base and was told that they had, in fact, been trying to call me since I left the school. I couldn't hear them because I had a very loud passenger on my bus whose mom was back at the school. Fortunately, her mom pulled up about thirty seconds after we arrived, which was great because we were blocking a lane on one of the busiest streets in town. Of course, this woman was in NO hurry! She drove up to her parking spot, parked her car and calmly walked back to the street where I had, by then, been waiting almost three minutes - blocking a lane of traffic. She barely thanked me as her daughter got off the bus.
Today, I was told that this girl REALLY needs to have a safety vest that literally buckles her to the seat. Without it, she has the potential to jump out of her seat and attack the driver or another student. When I arrived for my route this afternoon, they asked me if I had a safety vest and I told them I did. I had gotten one yesterday and knew that it was still in my bus.
When I arrived at the school, I went back to the pocket where I had put the vest and it was gone. I then had the embarrassing task of calling into base and telling them that I was, in fact, without a safety vest, even though they had asked me before leaving. I KNOW that I put one in my bus yesterday. The only explanation I could come up with was that someone had gone into my bus and taken it because they needed it. It's happened before.
Another driver at the school had an extra one, but it was a medium, not a large. Unfortunately, the girl is a very largely built black girl. The moment she saw the vest she started screaming. She hit the teachers and began running up and down the aisle of the bus screaming at the top of her lungs. The other kids on the bus had such a look of horror on the bus. I did as well. Five school employees were on my bus trying to get the vest onto this girl. They finally got it on but it was too small for her and the more she struggled, the more it came off. She screamed, she hit the staff, she hit the window. She almost hit another student.
I called into base and was told that obviously she couldn't ride if she is acting violent like that. The head of the special needs program at the school came onto the bus and offered to ride with her if I could bring him back after my run. Somehow the staff was able to get her calmed down and actually into the vest. Don't ask me how. With a blessing from dispatch, we left the school.
Thankfully there were no more incidences. However, I got a call from dispatch asking me to remind the girls mother that she still has two safety vests that belong to the district that she doesn't seem to want to return. It was my task to remind her to bring them both of them to school tomorrow.
I should probably mention some of the horror stories I have heard about the mother. She usually takes the girl to school in the morning without a vest and then blames the school bus driver in the afternoon. She often is not at the girl's stop to meet her daughter as she is supposed to be. When she finally shows up and is reminded of the bus stop time, she gets angry, hits the side of the bus and yells curses at the bus driver. Everything that happens is the staff's fault, not hers. She has been like this ever since the girl started riding buses in our district.
So now I was worried about how I was going to confront this woman about the two district vests we needed returned. Fortunately, the mother was not at the stop. Instead, it was her boyfriend who knew nothing of the vests but promised to take it up with the girl's mother. Frankly, I am not holding out much hope.
For the first time in my career as a bus driver I am scared to death to go to work. I keep having visions of an angry autistic girl coming at me while I'm driving and our bus rolling over into a ditch as a result. What the HELL have I gotten myself into? Four days into the school year and I am already wishing it was June! I have never dreaded going into work and now I am wondering if I should suddenly develop a cold tomorrow - and have it last the next 176 working days.
I don't know if I can handle this!
Oh, now about the mystery of the disappearing safety vest. Apparently yesterday afternoon, after I had gone home, the woman in charge of issuing them went down to everyone's bus and took out vests that were still in bags. Mine was because I hadn't yet used it. When I got back to base today, I was told that I should have "double checked for the vest" before leaving the lot. Okay, maybe I should have, but frankly I had no reason to think it wouldn't be there! I had put it in there yesterday and I am the only one who uses my bus. Why the hell would it NOT be there?? I ended up going and getting another one and it is currently in my backpack. I don't even want to let the thing out of my sight. I am mentally trying to think of hiding places on my bus...
I hate this feeling of helplessness. I hate that I am now dreading my job. I have always loved my job! In fact, I did get a bit of good news today. The kids on the routes I have had the past couple years were told by their current drivers that I said "hi" and they literally cheered when they heard my name! One of the routes actually called me legendary! Whatever, right?
So can a guy who loves his job one day, suddenly go to being a chickenshit, dreading it? Can one violent high school girl really have that much power? Right now, I feel this crushing weight of unbearable doubt pressing down on me. The thought of going into work tomorrow afternoon gives me the kind of heartburn I usually get after eating really bad junk food.
All the stress I had about last year's route now seems so laughable. Hell, I wish I could laugh about this year's stress, but right now, all I can do is worry. I have no idea how I am going to get through this year. I'm starting to worry that the stress of my route will cause me to drop out of yet another concert with the Seattle Men's Chorus. How can I face the stress this girl brings to my life and then go and rehearse for a show, get home late that night and then face an extremely early clock in - and the knowledge that I might have to face a violent girl once again.
I am not in a good place right now. Not at all...
I have even lost the excitement I've had about seeing the musical Wicked on Saturday. I have been looking forward to that all summer long, and now I'm worried that I won't even be able to enjoy it.
I HATE THIS!
Four days later I am laying around my apartment feeling sorry for myself.
The past two days have brought more challenges to me than the past six years total. I have faced hectic traffic conditions into schools, a school bus full of excited children, parents who think they know better than me how their child should behave on my bus, even an accident or two.
Today, I saw something that shoved all of those experiences into a file marked: Whatever.
But first, here's what happened yesterday.
The morning portion of my route doesn't start until next week, so I have been subbing another driver's morning route. The children on this route are in a program called "Cascade" which is designed for children who have behavior issues that make it hard for them to ride a larger school bus full of children. I have actually been able to handle those kids, though there was some drama on my bus yesterday.
One of the boys was having a difficult time staying in his seat. He would lean into the aisle to talk to another student. I found myself constantly reminding him what he should be doing to safely ride the bus, but my recommendations went ignored. About half-way through the route, as I was driving on slightly curving road, I heard the boy cry out as he fell out of his seat and onto the floor. He just lay there crying. I was finally able to find a place to pull over and go back to see what happened. He had decided to put his feet up on his seat and his knees inside his shirt. The bumping of the bus caused him to lose his balance and he fell out of the seat and onto his head.
The only good thing to come out of this was that he stayed in his seat for the rest of the ride. It was the ultimate object lesson! I had to keep calling back to him to make sure he was awake - fearing the whole time that the boy had a concussion. At school I told the teacher what happened and she promised to make sure he was okay. I had to fill out an incident report once I got back to base.
And yet, that was the easiest part of my day. That afternoon I met, for the first time, the female high school student about which I have been so heavily warned. She's a heavily autistic girl who had a reputation for being physically violent toward staff. Another driver told me how she came at him with a broom. She rode my bus for the first time yesterday and though I was completely scared the whole time, it went well. She stayed in her seat, buckled in. The entire time she yelled out questions. Apparently, her only voice level is ultra loud. Several times she saw a house and asked me who lived there. She yelled about every bus we passed. She yelled about every car we passed. She yelled about how the others on the bus were being too loud for her taste.
My ears were ringing by the time we got to her stop, but at least she had stayed in her seat. I had been warned that if I didn't answer her questions then it would make her angry and unpredictable, so by the time we got to her stop I was mentally exhausted. Oh, and of course her mom wasn't at the stop to pick her up. I called to base and was told that they had, in fact, been trying to call me since I left the school. I couldn't hear them because I had a very loud passenger on my bus whose mom was back at the school. Fortunately, her mom pulled up about thirty seconds after we arrived, which was great because we were blocking a lane on one of the busiest streets in town. Of course, this woman was in NO hurry! She drove up to her parking spot, parked her car and calmly walked back to the street where I had, by then, been waiting almost three minutes - blocking a lane of traffic. She barely thanked me as her daughter got off the bus.
Today, I was told that this girl REALLY needs to have a safety vest that literally buckles her to the seat. Without it, she has the potential to jump out of her seat and attack the driver or another student. When I arrived for my route this afternoon, they asked me if I had a safety vest and I told them I did. I had gotten one yesterday and knew that it was still in my bus.
When I arrived at the school, I went back to the pocket where I had put the vest and it was gone. I then had the embarrassing task of calling into base and telling them that I was, in fact, without a safety vest, even though they had asked me before leaving. I KNOW that I put one in my bus yesterday. The only explanation I could come up with was that someone had gone into my bus and taken it because they needed it. It's happened before.
Another driver at the school had an extra one, but it was a medium, not a large. Unfortunately, the girl is a very largely built black girl. The moment she saw the vest she started screaming. She hit the teachers and began running up and down the aisle of the bus screaming at the top of her lungs. The other kids on the bus had such a look of horror on the bus. I did as well. Five school employees were on my bus trying to get the vest onto this girl. They finally got it on but it was too small for her and the more she struggled, the more it came off. She screamed, she hit the staff, she hit the window. She almost hit another student.
I called into base and was told that obviously she couldn't ride if she is acting violent like that. The head of the special needs program at the school came onto the bus and offered to ride with her if I could bring him back after my run. Somehow the staff was able to get her calmed down and actually into the vest. Don't ask me how. With a blessing from dispatch, we left the school.
Thankfully there were no more incidences. However, I got a call from dispatch asking me to remind the girls mother that she still has two safety vests that belong to the district that she doesn't seem to want to return. It was my task to remind her to bring them both of them to school tomorrow.
I should probably mention some of the horror stories I have heard about the mother. She usually takes the girl to school in the morning without a vest and then blames the school bus driver in the afternoon. She often is not at the girl's stop to meet her daughter as she is supposed to be. When she finally shows up and is reminded of the bus stop time, she gets angry, hits the side of the bus and yells curses at the bus driver. Everything that happens is the staff's fault, not hers. She has been like this ever since the girl started riding buses in our district.
So now I was worried about how I was going to confront this woman about the two district vests we needed returned. Fortunately, the mother was not at the stop. Instead, it was her boyfriend who knew nothing of the vests but promised to take it up with the girl's mother. Frankly, I am not holding out much hope.
For the first time in my career as a bus driver I am scared to death to go to work. I keep having visions of an angry autistic girl coming at me while I'm driving and our bus rolling over into a ditch as a result. What the HELL have I gotten myself into? Four days into the school year and I am already wishing it was June! I have never dreaded going into work and now I am wondering if I should suddenly develop a cold tomorrow - and have it last the next 176 working days.
I don't know if I can handle this!
Oh, now about the mystery of the disappearing safety vest. Apparently yesterday afternoon, after I had gone home, the woman in charge of issuing them went down to everyone's bus and took out vests that were still in bags. Mine was because I hadn't yet used it. When I got back to base today, I was told that I should have "double checked for the vest" before leaving the lot. Okay, maybe I should have, but frankly I had no reason to think it wouldn't be there! I had put it in there yesterday and I am the only one who uses my bus. Why the hell would it NOT be there?? I ended up going and getting another one and it is currently in my backpack. I don't even want to let the thing out of my sight. I am mentally trying to think of hiding places on my bus...
I hate this feeling of helplessness. I hate that I am now dreading my job. I have always loved my job! In fact, I did get a bit of good news today. The kids on the routes I have had the past couple years were told by their current drivers that I said "hi" and they literally cheered when they heard my name! One of the routes actually called me legendary! Whatever, right?
So can a guy who loves his job one day, suddenly go to being a chickenshit, dreading it? Can one violent high school girl really have that much power? Right now, I feel this crushing weight of unbearable doubt pressing down on me. The thought of going into work tomorrow afternoon gives me the kind of heartburn I usually get after eating really bad junk food.
All the stress I had about last year's route now seems so laughable. Hell, I wish I could laugh about this year's stress, but right now, all I can do is worry. I have no idea how I am going to get through this year. I'm starting to worry that the stress of my route will cause me to drop out of yet another concert with the Seattle Men's Chorus. How can I face the stress this girl brings to my life and then go and rehearse for a show, get home late that night and then face an extremely early clock in - and the knowledge that I might have to face a violent girl once again.
I am not in a good place right now. Not at all...
I have even lost the excitement I've had about seeing the musical Wicked on Saturday. I have been looking forward to that all summer long, and now I'm worried that I won't even be able to enjoy it.
I HATE THIS!
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