2.35

I worry--a lot.

In fact, there may not be an adjective that could satisfactorily describe how much I worry.

I worry about Kiya, my car, because she has been having issues with her ignition. My financial situation does not account for automotive issues, especially, for a vehicle that is just over three years old.

I worry about whether or not I am going to be prepared for Dragon Con, which is a needless worry because one can never truly be ready for Dragon Con.

I worry about AWA, but I'm very close to making a decision on it; I'm just going to give it a week.

Yes, I worry about a lot of things--things of little consequence--but there is one thing that I could give little to zero fucks about and that's the opinions of my coworkers--in particular, the admins at my library. Why? Because they clearly give zero fucks about their employees and I have been witness to too many of those instances in which stupid decisions are made with little consideration of things like common sense or rational thought--everyone is so fucking territorial and everyone in admin is on a fucking power trip. Admittedly, I'm somewhat on that level, but the major difference is that I can more often enough rationalize my decisions and I'm open to the opinions of others (to a certain extent).

Anyways, it's late and I'm rambling. I really don't want this site to become a constant stream of bitterness, but it's just how things are in my life at the moment.

2.33

So, I saw the United States men's national [soccer] team in person for the first time ever last week and let's just say that it did not go to plan.  I originally had a long and thought out post drafted about this special moment, but I decided to scrap that post in favor of this one.  Therefore, I present:  The good, the bad and the ugly of my first USMNT match.

The Good

Brian McBride - I had the opportunity to have a photograph with USMNT and Fulham legend Brian McBride (I would post the photograph, but I like my anonymity).

Hanging with my BFF - No, I'm not a teenage girl, but I do have a best friend that I have known for years and that I still hang out with despite him being married with two children (though I have never seen the youngest--so they may have just made her up).  But seriously, it is cool because life tends to get in the way of us getting to hang out and kick it like when we were younger.

USMNT - I finally--FINALLY--got to see the USMNT play in person because for one reason (U.S. Soccer refuses to have their senior men's team play in cities with stadiums featuring artificial surfaces--unless you are Seattle or Portland--and the Georgia Dome and the new stadium feature [and will feature] artificial turf).

Panama - Damn it if the Panamanians did not play their hearts out during their match against Mexico.  Sure, there were moments in which they reacted out of line, but considering the circumstances they endured; they earned a new level of respect with me.  Also, they had the balls to call out CONCACAF officials as being corrupt crooks and that is okay to me.

The Bad

USMNT - They lost to Jamaica.  Seriously? The only I may ever see the men play in Atlanta and first time they have played in Georgia in about four decades and they lose to a side that at the start of the match was given an 11% percent chance of advancing to the finals.

U.S. Supporters - I know that Atlanta is an El Tri supporters city, but the lack of butts in the seat during the USMNT match and the less than vibrant atmosphere conjured by the American Outlaws was not surprising but still disappointing (I wanted to be wrong).

The Ugly

CONCACAF - I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the events surrounding Mexico's berth into the semifinal and eventually final match of the tournament reeked of something foul and this was made even more evident by the horrendous officiating decisions toward the conclusion of the Mexico/Panama match.

At some point, CONCACAF officials must have realized that a Jamaica/Panama Gold Cup final match was not going to sell tickets to Lincoln Financial Field and that is when Mexico was handed a bullshit penalty call in the 89th minute of the match that allowed them to draw level with a 10-man Panama and force extra time.

Of course, the initial straight red that dropped a man from the Panama side was rather suspicious too and include the harsh second penalty decision during extra time to hand Mexico the victory and one could see that something appeared particularly peculiar about it all.

El Tri Supporters - It really pains me to say it because the supporters of the Mexican national teams are passionate and create an incredible environment, but they (not all, but more than sizable contingent of their support) are terrible, poorly behaved supporters.  For starters, one should NEVER insert oneself physically into the game (i.e. - quit throwing shit onto the pitch).  Honestly, it was disgraceful and embarrassing to see that sort of behavior and the fact that this is hardly an isolated incident is what makes it incredibly frustrating.  Why so mad?

Because the Atlanta soccer scene is very rarely the center of the American soccer landscape, but on the one night in which it is in the spotlight; it completely screws it up because Mexican supporters do not know how to keep their shit to themselves.  In my opinion, CONCACAF must punish El Tri by forcing them to play World Cup qualification matches in an empty Azteca Stadium and perhaps, further penalize El Tri by handing a point deduction at the start of qualifying.  Of course, this will never happen because El Tri generate too much money for the confederation and its own football association.

Overall, my first USMNT experience was disappointing, but I am happy to finally earn my first USMNT supporter's CAP.

2.11

I have come to learn that positivity and I do not mix. Trust me, I have tried and I have failed. For example: Monday. High off the United States’ Women’s World Cup win I thought I could overcome the negative vibes associated with Mondays; I was wrong. For starters, Monday marked the first day at work following a three-day holiday weekend, which means increased patron traffic and items circulated. Then on top of the large volume of items returned and checked out, the credit card machines at all of the system’s branches were out of order and that meant, obviously, no credit transactions. Now, all of this was manageable and Monday would have been fine if not for the elephant in the bedroom next to mine at home. Of course, there was a slight glimmer of hope in that he had to be taken to the ER during the early evening (I know, I am a terrible person).

Today was a slight improvement from Monday in that patron traffic at the library was significantly lower and the unwelcomed nuisance was still at the hospital—also, the United States men’s national soccer team won their opening match of the Gold Cup tournament. Anyways, I’m just going to try and keep my head above water and finish out the week. I’m behind on a number of personal projects, but things should be squared away by the end of the week…maybe.

2.9

How about the United States women’s national soccer team? They wanted their third star and they got it in incredible fashion; defeating Japan 5:2. Carli Lloyd was an absolute beast—earning a hat trick in sixteen minutes! Honestly, this team looked as though they were struggling to put it together early on in the tournament, but as we drew closer towards the finale of the tournament; they found their stride and put together their two best performances in the semifinal against Germany and the final versus Japan. Perhaps, the best part of this achievement—at least to me—is that Abby Wambach finally won a World Cup. She is undoubtedly one of the greatest women’s players in American soccer history.

Shifting gears to more personal matters, I have spent the past couple of days finding excuses to get out of the house. Yesterday was Independence Day and I did nothing. No cookouts, no fireworks and no ridiculous displays of patriotism—just me hanging around the house doing the same thing as usual though I did leave for a bit to drive around north Georgia.

Today, I went down to Athens and visited their library—it was stifling because (and I’m only guessing) the A/C had been off for two days and the library had only been opened for about an hour prior to my arrival. I picked up two graphic novels, Avengers: The Enemy Within (it finishes off the Captain Marvel arc from Kelly Sue DeConnick’s initial volumes of the series) and the fifth volume of Brian Azzarello’s run on Wonder Woman, and an audio copy of Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices. I like the Athens library and I think it would be incredible to work there, but they have got to do something about their A/C timer. On the way down, I stopped by the Starbucks in Banks Crossing and tried their Frappucino Flav-Off winning flavor: Caramel Cocoa Cluster. It was actually pretty good—something that I would definitely have again. From Athens, I swung over to Gainesville in hopes of having some boneless wings and some of Gainesville “best fried rice” but it turns out they were closed; I settled for some terrible Chinese buffet.

Anyways, I spent much of my day driving, eating, and watching the Women’s World Cup final. I also read a few books from the Marvel Secret Wars event: Secret War #2-4, Old Man Logan 1-2, Red Skull #1, and Spider-man: Renew Your Vows #1.

2.7

Today has been good. It feels at times as though I am imposing myself on others because that is often the case, but I like to think that people go along with my schemes willingly. Anyway, my ongoing issues with my parents’ decision to house my mother’s brother continue to create a hostile environment in which I wish to have no part. So, to register my personal disapproval, I made the conscious decision to remove myself from the equation while verbally communicating that I had rather be anywhere than under the same roof as this being that I see as being nothing more than a petulant drain on society. I understand fully the consequences of my actions and comments, but my parents are fully aware of my intense disdain toward this nuisance and they still permitted him entry into our home under the auspices of family and health issues. My parents, especially, my mother, likes to say that I am selfish and that I don’t care about family, but I don't consider an individual that exists for no other reason than to create animosity and division amongst others to be “family.”

Wow, I have gotten totally sidetracked from the original intent of this post, which was to discuss my pleasant day out with my good colleague and coworker, Billy. First, we had lunch at Moonie’s Texas Barbecue:

The brisket—moist and tender, you could tear through it with a plastic fork and spoon—and the macaroni and cheese were superb as usual, but the brisket chili was a bit too acidic—too heavy on the tomato—though it did carry a nice underlying heat that could catch one off guard. Regardless, I do enjoy eating Moonie’s and if I could, I would make it a weekly dining destination. In terms of Hall County barbecue, it is my favorite by far though there are still a handful of joints I have yet to visit.

After lunch, we headed over to Braselton to check out an antiques flea market that another coworker had suggested. Personally, it cool to see some older knick-knacks, but in reality, I couldn’t afford anything and (you may call me a bit of a pervert) the lack of vintage pornography was disappointing. I understand that it may sound strange, but old Playboys have an oddly shaped place in my heart. Of course, given the environment—small, rural Georgia town—I would have been more surprised to see that they actually carried any at all. Billy picked up three die cast cars so it was a productive stop and I did see some items that piqued my interest (at least, until I saw the price tags).

From Braselton, we found ourselves in our usual routine of visiting local comic shops and our first stop was Galactic Quest in Buford. I picked up: Bob’s Burger #1 from Dynamite, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #7 from Marvel, and The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 2 from Image. After Galactic Quest, we stopped Toys ‘r’ Us (Billy picked up two more die cast cars for his collection), Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls before heading over to the Mall of Georgia and Rock Shop in search of the elusive second volume of Jason Aaron’s Southern Bastards (no luck).

Of course, no trip Buford is complete without a stop by the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop, especially when the light is on. To be honest, the two original glazed doughnuts were freshest, warmest, and most delicious doughnuts I have had in a long time. And, the Peach Pie doughnut is simply one of my favorites. Typically, a stop at the Krispy Kreme will mark the end of a road trip for us and in truth, it was for Billy. But, I stopped by Uncle Maddio’s and grabbed an individual pie and started drafting this post—I finished at home.

2.5

Tired. Plenty to discuss, but it's not going go happen tonight. Maybe at a later date? Bowling, Cook Out, and bantering amount peers

2.4

Personally, today was a clusterfuck and would rather not discuss it (at least, not yet).

On the bright side, the United States women’s national team advanced to the final of the Women’s World Cup by defeating number one-ranked Germany, 2-0, with one of the goals being scored by Georgia native Kelley O’Hara. They will play either England, playing in their first Women’s World Cup semifinal, or Japan, the defending Women’s World Cup winner.

2.3

The first day after an extended break is always difficult because it requires a return to a routine that you have deliberately broken. It is even more difficult when a goat-faced prick on a power trip switches out a working system with a broken system of their design while you are away on break. Here’s the thing: I will never reconcile the fact that an unqualified, inept dote is being paid $50K-plus while a multitude of highly qualified librarians that have given years to the system continue to struggle to make ends meet with some forced to hold two jobs—NEVER! Anyways, it’ll be a good day when the little bastard is either terminated or contracts some venereal disease (if he doesn’t already have a few).

So, what have I done today? I went to work. We had a departmental meeting in which we discussed the illogical plans of the system’s likely next director (shift full-time staff, replace full-time staff with part-time staff, add more hours, and continue to pay deserving staff poorly with little sign of improvement). By the way, we are losing one of the department’s most productive members to a branch in which they struggle to get over 100 patron visits on a daily basis.

Honestly, the work day is a constant struggle for me. It used to be the case that you could not get me to stop working, but now, the less I do; the better. I’m really tired of this situation and I’m tired of wasting my time writing about it. I don’t think this will be a usual thing, but here’s a video of Jack Ü’s “Where Are Ü Now” featuring Justin Bieber, enjoy!

2.2

It was another lazy Sunday in which I did little more than play Minecraft (I mined 40+ diamonds in a strip mining outing), eat junk food (Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, corn dogs and a frozen pizza), and watch some soccer while splitting my attention on my social media feeds.

Speaking of social media, I reaffirmed my personal disdain for Facebook. On one hand, I enjoy being to see what’s happening in the lives of previous acquaintances while on the other hand; those acquaintances are idiots and that explains why I limit my interactions with them to Facebook.

One more thing I did was watch a few YouTube videos of Kanye West’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival and this served to only reinforce the idea that I really need to see the man perform live. Sure, he’s an arrogant, cocky individual, but his music is phenomenal and stage presence is immense. Anyway, here’s Kanye opening from the festival (assuming it hasn’t been taken down due to copyright claims):

2.1

I made a major move today and joined MLS Atlanta’s Founder’s Club.  For $50, I reserved priority season tickets for the inaugural season of Atlanta United FC (yes, that is the name of the club).  Of course, the initial deposit is only a drop in the bucket for the overall cost of season tickets, but I am hoping that I will have that sorted out by 2017.

Aside from making the decision to support an Arthur Blank venture (I am not a fan of Blank and his American football club), I found myself being incredibly unproductive (as usual).  I played video games, watched YouTube videos, and ate.  I did drive down to Gainesville to pick up my aunt from Northeast Georgia Medical Center (she had accompanied her brother to the emergency room).

I think in year two of this journal I am going to be more reflective while throwing in commentary from time to time though most of my future posts will be of this nature.

To close this post, I thought I’d share this amazing video from the Nigahiga YouTube channel, enjoy!

Year 2

Here we go (again)!

1.364

On my final day as a thirty-one year old person, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect upon the past year focusing primarily on the positive aspects.

During this past year, I maintained close relationship with old acquaintances, discovered new acquaintances and realized that there are times when one must move on.

In my first full year as a thirty-something, I rekindled my passion for comic books, discovered and visited local comic shops (Area 52 in Oakwood, Kapow! in Cumming and Oxford in Atlanta) and attended multiple Atlanta Comic Conventions.

Aside from ACCs, I attended Dragon Con for the fourth time, the Georgia Renaissance Festival for the first time and I volunteered for the second year in a row at Anime Weekend Atlanta.

Plenty of positive things have occurred during the past year and for the sake of this post, I plan on focusing on just those things.

Overall, 31 has been better than more recent years, but I’m looking forward to what thirty-two has in store—a new job maybe? 

1.362

I have been aggravated and annoyed for a long time, but the levels of my aggravation and annoyance have reached new heights. I wish it was as simple as simply “turning it off” but I have no “off” switch apparently and for better or (most likely) worse I am going to have to persevere through it. I know that the tone of this site in regards to recent posts has been negative, but it is a true reflection of my current situation and mindset.

It has been said that if you find a job you love that you will never work a day your life and for awhile; I believed that I had found such a job. But, things change, idiotic and illogical decisions are made and the ones that have the least suffer the most. For me, my job has become a burden that wears on me heavily.

I will not get into the specifics (again) but know that this will most likely not be the last time you hear about this from me. It is consuming my life and I am struggling to identify a way to defend myself from the ongoing slaughter. 

1.361

I suppose posting daily was a task too great. So, I will post when I want and hope it resembles some form of routine.  In the meanwhile, I am heading into Year 2 of John Past 30 and I find myself bewildered as to what the next year will hold.  As of now, I know a couple of things I would want to do as soon as possible:

1. Find my way back to my base in Minecraft. At present, I am stuck in a massive cave system underneath an ocean and while I would normally relish the possibility of locating diamonds and other valuables; I am not in a good position to proceed deeper into the cave system.
2. Find a new job. I mentioned this previously, but I am simply unhappy with my situation at my current position.  I need to get more applications and resumes sent into other systems as soon as possible.
3. I need to determine whether or not I will be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta this year and if I plan on attending—whether or not I plan on volunteering and in which department.

That’s all for now—I have other matters that need my attention. 

1.328

I am a man filled with anger and bitterness, but I am also a man that is too lazy to do much about it. Everyday I wake and I wonder if today is the day that I snap and I lose this job. I know that this is post is going to be short, but it’s all I can bear for tonight.

1.327: Bucket List

Last Friday I rode in an El Camino—it was the first time I had ever been in an El Camino and to be frank; it was nothing special.  But, it was something I had never done previously and that occurrence led to the quip that would lead to this post.  Basically, it was a quip about being able to mark “ride in an El Camino” off of my bucket list.  And this got me thinking about whether or not I have an actual bucket list or whether or not I need a bucket list.

First, I have no bucket list—I may have one at some point in my life, but at present; I do not.  (This was the simple inquiry to answer.)  Now, I need to know whether or not I should have a bucket list and after some brief introspection; I concluded that I do not need a bucket list.  Here’s my rationale:  bucket lists while a potential source of inspiration could just as easily be a source of significant regret and I have more than my fair share of regrets already.

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have goals—I’m simply saying that overtly wishful thinking can become more of negative than a positive.  I believe that I’m a rather pragmatic individual and that objectives can be achieved incrementally by reaching specific benchmarks because it really is more about the journey as opposed to destination.  For me, setting BIG goals is different from creating a bucket list in that goals are based in reality whereas bucket lists are rooted in the infeasible.

Goals can be worked towards by utilizing benchmarks while bucket list items are either accomplished or not accomplished.  One can learn from the increment successes one achieves while working towards the end goal while nothing is really learned when one’s primary choices are succeeded or did not succeed.

Word Count:  315 (+ 741) = 1056 (of 3500)

1.326: Writing Challenge

I know that I have not been consistent in my postings, but I have my reasons—everyone has their reasons—my just happens to be laziness.  Anyways, I am going to try and become a better more consistent writer and to aid in this goal, I am initiating a personal challenge to myself to:  (1) post at least once day for every day this week and (2) to write either 500 words per day or 3500 words total for the week.  Now, I understand that no challenge should be without consequences or rewards, but I have yet to come up with anything as this was really a spur of the moment type of challenge (by the way, I am counting all of these words toward my daily and weekly tally).  Of course, I may or may not come up with something during the course of this week and if I do figure it out, then I will be certain to post it here to serve as some sort of visible benchmark for which I can hold myself accountable.

I suppose the biggest obstacle for me (aside from laziness) is coming up with topics to discuss (though this is more of a one-way lecture rather than an actual discussion because no one visits this site and because I have turned off comments).  Fortunately, I have something from which I can work from—an update that I posted on my Tumblr account recently—and the best part is that it is something familiar to this site (I think I’m going to start referring to this “site” as a “journal” since this is this site’s actual purpose): graphic novel reviews.

Over the past four days, I have had the opportunity to make a small dent to my graphic novels queue by reading the following:  Captain Marvel (2012), Southern Bastards, Batgirl, and Batman.  Let’s get these thoughts out of the way!

Captain Marvel, Volumes 1 and 2 (2012)

I have seen and read a lot about the hype surrounding this series and I finally decided to take the plunge and read it.  First, the artwork takes some serious getting used to because it is far sharper (or perhaps, “jaggier”) and “sloppier” than what I prefer, but as I just alluded to:  one gets used to the style and during the course of reading the two volumes—I accepted it and moved on.  As for the actual story, I did enjoy it though I wish the arc could have finished within Captain Marvel’s own series rather than reaching into the Avengers series.

Southern Bastards, Volume 1

Now, here was something completely unexpected.  This series was recommended to me by a coworker and it did not disappoint (I guess the guy knows what he’s talking about).  I’m not sure if it was the overt bastardization of Southern culture or the grizzled protagonist that allows his big stick do the talking (i.e. – he beats the hell out of a lot of high school football crazed rednecks and gets the hell beat out of him by said stick), but I thoroughly enjoyed this first volume and I cannot wait to see what is coming.

The New 52 Batgirl, Volume 4

It is rather surprising just how much I have come to love the Batgirl character.  Initially, it started with a simple yet modern costume redesign, but that eventually led to actually learning more about the character through her adventures in crime fighting and her journey to regain the confidence that she lost as a result of the events of The Killing Joke.  I enjoyed this volume of the Batgirl series—seeing her cope with the apparent death of her younger brother, James Jr., at her hands as well as dealing with the fact that she is now public enemy number one in the eyes of her father, Commission Jim Gordon just gave more to enjoy about a previously little known about character from a line of books in which I was familiar.  In truth, the Year Zero story arc looks like it was a good one (if they carry on from the final chapter included in this volume) and I look forward to reading it soon.

Now, I did also read the fourth volume of the Batman (non-Detective Comics) series, but I will save my thoughts on that volume for another update later this week. (I can’t go spending all of my writing topics in one post, can I?)

Word Count:  741 (of 3500)

1.312

Much time has passed since my last post and plenty has happened during the past six-plus weeks.  I cannot remember everything that has occurred, but I am able to share some of the major events.

1. I am back on the job market.  No, I have not left my job at the library, but the work environment has become too toxic for me to want to prolong my stay within this particular system.  At present, I have only one application entered—a library position at my alma mater—but I am more mindful of other opportunities that may become available.

2. I have become addicted to Minecraft.  To be frank, I am still clueless about the game, but I find myself spending countless hours playing.  I initially picked up Minecraft as a joke in regards to a comment I made to one of my coworkers about YouTube gaming channels and how I could (and should) create a channel of my own.

Honestly, my pending escape from my toxic work environment and Minecraft are what my life is at present.  Yes, there have been a few excursions I could discuss, but these outings primarily revolved around comics; which is another post to be written.  Also, the decision to begin drafting a post after 11 PM was a poor decision that has led to this abridged edition of the original post I had in mind.

1.220

I know that I have been slow with the posts, but I promise that I will continue to work toward posting more regularly.

With the first month of 2015 in the books, I thought I would take this moment to see how my goals for the year are panning out:

Read 52 Books:  One month into 2015 and I have read four books (which can be found in my “Shite Book Review” posts).  So, I guess I am on pace though my reading (like my posting) has slowed significantly over these past two weeks.

Attend Dragon Con and AWA:  I happen to come into a bit of extra cash during Christmas, but in truth, all that has afforded me is the ability to keep pace with what I will need to attend Dragon Con only.  The volunteer renewal forms for AWA were just sent out last week and I am no surer of whether I will be able to attend now then I was at the start of the year.

Be More Active Online:  I believe the first line of this post should be an indicator of where I stand in relations to this goal.  And sadly, I wish I could say that it was only on this site that I am slacking, but my overall social media game (Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter) is lacking.

As for my minor goals, here is where I stand:

Watch More Soccer:  NOPE.  The first two weekends were good, but these past three weekends—not so much.  I still catch Manchester United matches when I am able, but I neglected the first USMNT friendly of the year and I have been able to get myself to watch any other league aside from the Premier League.

Watch Less Wrestling:  I am actually doing okay with this goal though I did slip last week when I watched some of the Royal Rumble replay on Monday (it was on in place Monday Night Raw, which had been cancelled due to the winter storm in the Northeast). Aside from that minor slip, my only actual interaction with wrestling is CM Punk’s Twitter feed (though he is technically a MMA fighter now) and WWE Diva Paige’s Instagram account (I think she the best looking Diva at present—something about goth-looking girls with pale skin complexion really works for me).

Watch More Anime:  NOPE.  I was good for the first week, but after that week, it was all downhill. To be frank, it doesn’t require much effort to watch anime, but I often find myself sidetracked with YouTube videos.

Reduce Carbonated Drink Intake:  NOPE.  I’m a slave to sugary carbonated drinks and I’m powerless to resist their sweet goodness/badness.

Enter My Coke Rewards Points:  NOPE.

Organize My Schedule to Accommodate Goals:  NOPE.  I tried the first week of the year, but it is so difficult to stick to any set schedule aside from my work schedule.  I know that if I can this goal in order, then a number of my other goals will fall into place too.

Anyway, there is my quick update on the status of my goals for the year.  I may make this monthly post in order to keep myself aware of what’s up.  As for other posts, I have a number of things I want to post about, but I just haven’t been able to put my thoughts down as of now; I’m trying.

1.214

It is a half-hour past midnight and I AM PISSED!  And what I'm pissed at is the Tech Services department at work and their arrogance and their lack of responsiveness.  Honestly, I knew that I would reach a tipping point sooner rather than later, but I did not expect it to be this soon.  First, they removed my friend from his post and replaced him with another friend of mine as if to create some schism between the two. Fortunately, my displaced friend can roll with the punches much better than I can and their friendship remains intact (on the surface).  Second, is the manner in which they continue to deny my simple request of adding the new centralized Staff Council Gmail address into our global address book that would allow for simple access to users wishing to contact their representatives.  Third, is an extension of my second issue in that someone apparently did attempt to contact Staff Council, but rather than their message coming to our centralized Gmail account--it went into some group conversation that can only be seen by accessing one's e-mail account through a web browser.  Honestly, the aggravation that they have caused me over the past month is greater than at any point of my time in the system and I am PISSED!

I also hear that they are in the process of further making our work in Circulation more difficult by forcing us to not only log into Evergreen, but into our workstations so that they can track our activity...yeah, excuse me?  But, how does this actually improve the patron experience?  It doesn't, but I would like to hear them attempt to explain how it does because the monitoring of staff computer usage serves no other purpose than to create hostile workplace environment in which staffers become overly paranoid that a slip up could create some sort of issue pertaining to their job security.  Quite frankly, all of this is serving no other purpose than to rile me up and in truth, I'm more than game at this point.  Initially, when all of this came about, I kept my head down attempted to plant the seeds of rebellion quietly, but now; they've lit a fire under my ass and where I originally thought I should just leave this damned system--I must now save it for those that I consider my peers.  The first step is to gather intelligence--I'll lay low, but I'll be subverting them at every opportunity.  The game is afoot!