I’d like to tell you about Phil.

Phil is a friend of mine from work. We have known each other for about 5 years now and he’s one of the best friends I have ever had. He’s almost 20 years older than I am but we have a lot in common.

Life has never afford Phil much. Even though he speaks fluent French, and even lived in France for a year and traveled to Quebec, and attended culinary arts school, he had to strive for everything he has.

Phil’s dad died when he was 15, his mom struggled to get by because of a law Reagan signed that said she had to pay back his social security benefits. Things were tough and Phil had to go live with his uncle who beat him up for any reason.

Phil is a diabetic and that has lead to other health problems.

When Phil came to work in the bakery, he was tormented ceaselessly by a crazy ex-meth head named Sarah and her clique of fellow high school drop outs. It got so bad he would go home and cry and then get sick with dread at coming in the next morning. With intervention from me and some others we managed to get HR to investigate the situation and get Sarah removed from the job and Phil transferred to work with me. He got a little happier.

When Phil’s aunt died, after a long and full life, she left Phil some money. Phil used some of that money to pay my rent twice during furloughs when the university was closed. No one ever offered to do that for me before.

Now Phil has had a miniature stroke. Nothing permanent and debilitating, he is still conscious, cognitive and mobile, although he was scared when he lost vision in one eye temporarily. He has missed two weeks of work and his bills are piling up. Even with the money his aunt let him, its a lot.

This man has done more for me than my own father. He has traveled and learned a second language. He is smart and informed and kind, and yet he is always at the mercy of bad health and some of the biggest bastards that North Carolina and Tennessee has ever spawned. He said that even though the mini stroke has not caused any major damage, the doctor said he might develop dementia later in life and it could shorten his life span.

Why do total bastards always get more than they need yet someone like him, someone who has restored my faith in humanity have to suffer and struggle through life? He works his hands to the bone but people who do nothing get all the credit. He never hurts anyone yet he is always the target of abuse. He has so much more to give but he might go to his grave earlier than people who contribute nothing but negativity and strife.

I have never been a religious person, but part of me has always believed that there is something, some force, call it God or Karma or whatever, that sees that good and evil get their just rewards. But I am starting to think that if there is a God then he has one sick sense of humor.

My friend Hunter came to visit me again this weekend! I was super excited for it because I only get to see her maybe twice a year. This is the last time she will see me in Boone before I move to Hickory (She says she might visit more since its closer but I don’t want her to feel obligated).

We hung out a lot and I was with her when she got a new tattoo. It looked great. We also watched “The Pyramid” and she introduced me to the wonders of “Marble Hornets”. I can’t believe I went this long without watching it. We marathoned season 1 and 2. It was creepy and weird, and it showed that imagination and dedication can help any filmmaker over come a lack of budget and make a good film.

She left on Sunday and I felt nostalgic as I always do. But its like the carnival. It will come back to town soon. But I loaded her up with some books and movies and a flash drive with movies, cartoons, music and some episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

My mom offered to help me with my apartment. She found one in downtown Newton outside of Hickory that, with rent, water, electricity, internet/cable, will actually cost less than my current nothing included rent here in Boone. She also said she would pay my first month’s rent and deposit. She said it was a gift but I am going to pay her back anyway.

Tomorrow I have a job interview in Hickory for a CNA position at a local retirement home. Its not much but it pays more than I make now and it is something to hold me over until something better comes along. Retirement homes can test you endurance, that is why I would like to do hospice work. I think I have the temperament for it.

Hunter came to spend the weekend with me again! She can only come maybe 3 or 4 times a year but everyone of them is like a vacation for me. We did some shopping, I bought her some gifts, went out to dinner with some friends and we marathoned all the “Paranormal Activity” movies. I had not seen them before and I am glad I watched them. I especially liked the first one. We also watched the found footage film “Willow Creek”.

Other than that we just hung out and milled around town. It was great and I’ll have more opportunities to do it when I get out of Boone. I’ll have a better job and cheaper expenses so I can rent a car (or get a new one) and take her up on her offer to visit her.

My friend Hunter came to visit me this weekend and it was just what they doctor ordered. A visit from her always make me feel better.

I know she is going to read this but she looks even more amazing (if that were possible). She has slimmed down a lot and I am going to take her work out/nutrition advice to heart. It only takes 30 minutes a day. She has also got me out of my rut of being down on myself because I am can’t draw. I am going to try and practice. I won’t post anything because I know it will be crap but imagine something simple and everyone drawn in profile for now. Like she said, I have to start somewhere.

I gave her some gifts that I had been hoarding for just such an occasion and she gave me my birthday presents, a TON of awesome original art that she got at Bronycon. I am going to find frames for all of it so it does not get messed up.

Hopefully after I get my medication aide certification and get a decent paying job I can rent a car to go visit her or take mine, because if it does break down it won’t be the end of the world.

We mostly bummed around town and watched kaiju movies. That is a typical day for me, but having her there made it special.

I really should have written this up sooner but I am either to busy or too lazy.

Last weekend my friend Hunter came to visit and it was a blast! Since I had Monday and Tuesday she got to stay longer. She arrived Friday afternoon and left Monday morning. We hung out, went around town and went to Blowing Rock. I only live about 10 minutes away but I rarely go there.

We ate out and went to go see “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and it was really good.

She brought her copy of Hannibal Season 1. I know it is hard for tumblr users to understand but I had never seen it before. I was really impressed by it. I tried to pack in as much as I could but I was exhausted and fell asleep into some of the later episodes. We also watched “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. I thought it would depress me because it looked like a “lovable loser” film, but it was a life affirming feel good movie! 

My mom, aunt, cousin and her daughter abstained from my family’s Easter get together because of what happened to my cousin’s daughter earlier this year. I don’t want to get into the details but it was bad and some body in my asshole family will say something stupid about it. So, Hunter invited me to Easter with her family and they seemed pretty nice.

When she left I just laid in the floor and stared at the ceiling for a while. 

Overall, it was a fantastic visit and It did me a lot of good. I only wished my apartment was not so dirty. Its hard to make time to clean between working 8 hours a day and then going to class 4 hours a night. Hopefully she overlooked its state.

batsjustbats:

Friends

“Similarity in outlook creates friendship.” - Democritus

My friend Hunter came to visit me this weekend and it was great!

She spent the night at my place and we hung out and watched movies. She brought “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Rise of the Guardians” for me to watch because I had not seen them yet. I like them both but my only complaint is the The Lizard looked like a goomba from Super Mario Brothers.

So anyway, we also went around town and got dinner before settling in for the night.

She brought me all this really cool stuff from BronyCon and DragonCon that she bought for me. I already posted a picture of it if you want to scroll down and see it. I gave her her presents that most consisted of comics and a Doctor Whooves figure. I think she really liked it. We also watched “Trick ‘r Treat”, “Creepshow” and some episodes of “Drawn Together”.

Like I always tell her. She is the instant cure for manic depression.

Things really sucked for a while because on Thursday at some point I lost a $50 bill. I have no idea where the fucker is, I practically tore my apartment apart trying to find it. It is not the end of the world but I could have bought a lot of food and it made me feel really shitty.

I did manage to go see “Pacific Rim” and it was awesome. When the first kaiju appears and destroys the Golden Gate bridge, I actually felt like a kid again watching my first Godzilla movie. It was an excellent film. 

I text’d hunter afterward and we geek’d out over it. She also said that she was going to visit sometime soon. That is always fantastic. She had to cancel her last visit because of Father’s Day and ever since then my mom keeps asking “When is Hunter coming to visit you?!” I just tell her when she feels ready too, I don’t want to push the issue. She called last night and ask for the 100th time and I told her point blank that I did not know and neither did Hunter and I would gladly inform her when she did. I got a little annoyed. 

Anyway, she also told me that she is going to BronyCon and will bring me some treasure from it. It is in Baltimore and I have no money to attend. Hopefully she will bring me something cool. When she when to FWA she brought me some kick ass pony badges. I still have them hanging in my room.

Once I pay rent and tuition it will take me some time to work and recover. I should also have my pistol paid off by then. Once again, that missing 50 spot could really come in handy. But once I get my nursing degree, I can afford to do things like go to conventions and commission art. Maybe afford some of the finer things in life instead of scraping my pennies together in the hope of buying a $15 box fan at Big Lots. 

I have it worked out though. My landlord is pretty friendly with me. If I ask her to delay my rent until the 15th then I can pay both and not starve for most of the month of August.

Speaking of which, my birthday is the 15th. I feel old. So very old. 

Yesterday I went to the community college and picked up a packet of information and paperwork to fill out to attend. I have until the 1st of August to register for fall classes. Since I found out that I will not be made permanent until Lazy Ronald retires next April, it has given me a bit more motivation to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. I am going to turn it in on Monday and hopefully speak to an adviser on what I need to take. 

Speaking of work, the reason I was able to go because I had Thursday off from work. Since they have consolidated our departments for the summer, which is usual apparently, and it will continue into the fucking fall because their building is under renovation, is that in order to keep things “fair” they make everyone work a weekend day in exchange for a week day off. Which fucking sucks because you will never get two days off in a row. So if you want to go anywhere for more than a day you are fucked! If it where fair, they would not treat the people in our department do that and just the assholes that were brought in. 

Also I got into it with a girl I work with. One of the new positions created during the summer is a doorman like position where a person sits in a chair and waves everyone to the right entrance. I merely remarked that it was a nice change of pace from standing behind a counter for 8 hours and she went ballistic and started accusing me of accusing her of being lazy. I reminded her that she was and that I only knew what her ex-best friend told me and then I walked away. In typical crazy bitch fashion she started yelling at me across the main floor as I walked away. She then went into the head manager’s office and tried to get me in trouble. He did not believe her and knew that I meant no harm. The situation defused. Also, she got in trouble with the other supervisors for not respecting the chain of command and going over their heads. They said she is also on thin ice over snapping at other co-workers, lying about being pregnant and faking an injury. 

I also found out my friend Ms. Ruth got a new position and is moving to another department. I will miss her but she will visit and she will be better off than she was. She has a fair share of assholes to deal with, even more so because they give her hell for being Jewish and Canadian. She is the nicest and most generous person that I have ever worked with there. I already miss her.

And the last time I visited my mom she went on another tirade about the length of my hair and the way I am dressed. She kept trying to rationalize her disapproval by saying that I will be more successful with getting jobs that I am not qualified for and that girls will give me “a second look”. Not just any girls, the “girls at Wal-Mart”. Wow, mom. The number one place to pick up chicks. Especially with no teeth and no fucking future. My whole life I have been the invisible man. No one gives me a first look so why should I go out of my way to impress some superficial moron? Besides… I am happy to some extent the way I am! My love life is none of her God damned business. I barely have a social life because I went to school for five years and worked 7 days a week to keep MYSELF up the whole fucking time. I have only two real friends in this world and I cherish them for that and they are all I really need. 

I want out.

“One of these days I am going to tunnel out of this ocean of shit I’m in.”