Call it Crazy Bernie's Open Mic Night.

I'm what you would call "underemployed." Technically I'm self-employed... but I don't (currently) make enough to support myself. It's the result of moving to a new state to "start over" and having the nation's economy blow up in my face shortly after. Can't go back, and can't get a job around here to save my life... even the local McDonald's is turning people away (not that I was looking to apply, I just happened to witness a woman with "30 years of restaurant experience" get told they couldn't afford to hire any more help). The situation is irreversible, so I'm making the most of it. You could call all of this stuff I have posted "training."

If you think that the amount of writing here is the result of huge amounts of free time, you're sorely mistaken. The stuff I write usually comes all at once... it usually takes me less than an hour or two to type out a "work." I'll often make a general outline here and there, but the meat of each story is me "going with the flow" when I'm typing. Some of the longer stuff I've done in pieces... I'll write a paragraph, then not come back for a couple of days until I have a sudden burst of inspiration. In the case of LtF's "Premonition" (the "story" I just posted), I actually outlined and wrote a good chunk of it 20 minutes on a notepad while riding back from an IT gig in Louisiana (I live in Tennessee). I didn't sit down and type it for another week.

I'm trying to get into the habit of writing every day... but it's rough given the distracting environment (living with family). I don't have a (roadworthy) vehicle, nor do I have a (reliable) laptop. With this last IT gig, I'm hoping to rectify both of those problems so I can run away from the house and get some fresh air and mabye find a nice quiet place to hide.

Since I don't have any friends down here in TN, it's hard to have a social life. Sure, I could go to a bar... but I don't drink... so that could get a little awkward:

Me: "Hey, let me buy you a drink."
Woman: "Thanks! What are you drinking?"
Me: "Water."
*** uncomfortable silence ***

Of course, being stuck living with my family doesn't help either:

Woman: "Hey, let's get out of here."
Me: "Sure thing, babe. Your place, or my parents?"
*** uncomfortable silence ***

So, to answer your questions:

a) Nope.
b) Nope.
c) Yes, but No.
d) *shrug* It's not a concern for me at this moment in my life.

Hope that helped!

Pure poetry, you almost made me cry
We have alot in common (You sound like me in my younger years (read 5-10 years ago). Its nice that you shared us your story.
All i can say is, it useally gets better in time..

Wow. That was the fastest turn-around in judgment I've seen in a long time.

Anyhow... one amendment to the above post: social-life gets easier in college, so long as you're willing to be social . . . after you leave college, however, it gets much more difficult . . . unless you happen to land a job that allows you to meet lots of people and interact with them on a person-to-person basis, or the company you end up working for hires lots and lots of people of your preferred gender in the really massive building you work in.

...Sigh.

Interesting... usually it makes everyone laugh when I tell them how my life has been a series of unfortunate events. I'm not really worried about it getting better or worse... it is what it is. *shrug* If I let stuff like that bother me, I'd be miserable all the time. I'm too lazy to be miserable.


I call it the "CrazyBernie Effect." It's like the "Butterfly Effect" but without the whole time-travel-that-backfires-in-your-face deal.



Yeah.... there's no guarantees with either of those situations either. The former cultivates a dislike of people in general, and the latter, well... does the same thing. 0_o

I didnt laugh at all. i guess thats because we have more in common then you think. for a fact, iam lazy too haha.