Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish Excelsians!!
Until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
11 December 2007
Chapter 96: ...hey, where's my Dreidle!?
From the Underground to your end of the world...
Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish Excelsians!!
Until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish Excelsians!!
Until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
25 November 2007
Chapter 95: Reposting from the "Trans-Europa" intro...
[The Story of the Trans-Europe Express]
The year is 2347, Common Earth Era [CEE], and all the world was at peace. The war of the StarCourt versus Chaos ended centuries before. War dared not exist. All was well...
until a new enemy force, the Darkstrom, somehow rose to power in post-war Eastern Europe.
The Clandestine Rebellion rose up, out of a few rebels to the destructive government, to attempt to overthrow the Darkstrom. Despite the growth in numbers as far as Clandestine Rebels were concerned, the Darkstrom overtook the underground regime and, separating families and friends, sent rebels to various Nazi-inspired concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe. A few remaining Rebels hid in the Underground and set up the Trans-Underground Express [TUE]. They also turned the Trans-Europe Express [TEE] into a secret life-saving route that would reconnect the few lucky escapees of the concentration camps with their hometowns and/or loved ones [if any remained]. Most of the Rebels however were imprisoned or killed, either in battle or within the haunting four walls of the concentration camp.
Among the handful enlisted in the Rebellion were half-human robots--humans who, not wanting to lose their lives having been mortally wounded, had their bones replaced with metal, and most of their organs replaced with wires and the most advanced technology available. They were often termed humanoid cyborgs, and were still mostly able to have human senses. The human never really died, as the operations would be successful. These humanoid cyborgs looked human, and it would never really pass to the Darkstrom that they would've been anything but human. Their main purpose was to serve and protect escaped Rebels onboard the TEE, and sometimes even after the journey homeward ended.
The TEE originated in 1957 CEE, and was mostly abandoned by around 1984. After the Rebellion was organized the TEE was revived, and served as the Rebellion-escape-route version of the EuroCity [EC], which replaced the TEE in 1987.
[The Passengers of the Trans-Europe Express: The Düsseldorf Quartet]
[The Düsseldorf Quartet formed after one of the leaders of the Düsseldorf Order of the Clandestine Rebellion was captured along with her younger sister and two of their closest companions. The Quartet grew up together, in the same neighborhood, the youngest being Rebekah, just a month younger than Johannes. The young women soon met Team Kʁaftvɛɐk, who each took one of the ladies to their care and protection on board the TEE back home to Düsseldorf.]
Elizabeth Korinn - Elizabeth is a German young woman of American descent. Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, she was brought to Lisbon, Portugal after the Darkstrom overtook most if not all of Eastern Europe. She was among the leaders of the Düsseldorf Order of the Clandestine Rebellion, and was captured by the Darkstrom along with her younger sister, childhood best friend, and next-door neighbor [known as the Düsseldorf Quartet]. Generally sincere and touched with humility, she has the wisdom that only 26 years alive can provide her. However, scarring those years is bearing the witness to the death of her and Johannes' parents at the hands of Darkstrom soldiers at the beginning of the invasion. To this end she's tried time and again to suppress those memories, but she's also realized she can't do this without the help of her friends and, especially, her Trans-Europa companion.
Anneke Weldenta - Anneke has been Elizabeth's best friend since they attended Kindergarten, and is the resident jokester of the Düsseldorf Quartet. Always prepared with either a joke, an answer to a question, or even at times a question itself, she thinks well of herself and the Quartet. She also has a tendency of being short-tempered which, given the proper circumstance, can prove rather useful. Usually she keeps a gun with her, in case the resident sharpshooter of the gang needs it [which, surprisingly, is Rebekah].
Rebekah Zordenoff - When she was younger, Rebekah, Elizabeth and her younger sister's next-door neighbor and the one in the Düsseldorf Quartet most likely to hit the PANIC button at the first sign of a crisis, was trained in archery and sharpshooting by her father, and while at school, she was on the Archery team. Despite her panic-happy nature, she is usually positive and is always there for her neighbors when they need her, and because of this she also can be very courageous when need be. But the singular quality that sets her apart from the others is her healing power she was blessed with as a child, which also designates her as the resident nurse of the bunch, and is the reason why she is sometimes nicknamed the "Secret Florence Nightingale of Düsseldorf."
Johannes Korinn - Johannes is Elizabeth's younger sister and, while possibly the dearest of the Düsseldorf Quartet, is the only one enduring a tragedy. She was born blind, so she often has to be accompanied by either her sister, Anneke or Rebekah. Miraculously she can find her way around on her own if she's alone. She hopes one day to finally gain sight, though--despite her hope for the Quartet and the freedom of Eastern Europe--she doubts herself in a lot of things. A surprising quality about her is her intuition, as well as an awareness of what is going on around her--a "sixth sense" if you will.
[The Guardians of the TEE: Team Kʁaftvɛɐk]
[The main guardians of the TEE in the story is Team Kʁaftvɛɐk, more known as Kraftwerk. After a near-fatal accident, each of the reborn bandmembers were 'roboticized' and given identification codes, which were tattooed on the inside of their right forearms. Each of the Guardians is unique yet alike in some sort of manner. Their purpose in this case is not to make music, but to aid the Clandestine Rebellion in the liberation of Eastern Europe. They opted to be Guardians of the TEE and, in the process, personal guardians of the Düsseldorf Quartet, each taking one of the young women under their wings.]
Florian Schneider [KW070447] - Known as being the somewhat secretive noise-aholic of the bunch, Florian's elusiveness is made up for by his intelligence. Philosophical and intelligent, he can also at times be amusing. His favorite instruments are the flute and the electric violin.
Wolfgang Flür [KW170747] - The relatively outspoken of the bunch, Wolfgang is a very curious individual and likes to ask a lot of questions. He questions the group's existence and meaning, while struggling to understand everything there is to understand. Sometimes his inquisitive nature tends to get him [and even at times his friends] into trouble--and even danger. He's also the resident playboy of the Mensch-Maschinen, which leads to some unnecessary trouble all its own. The verbal sparring with his friend Karl have proven to be some of the most amusing within the gang. His favorite instrument is the electronic drum.
Karl Bartos [KW310552] - Often cited as the sometimes-bored, sometimes-frustrated [and even at times ill-tempered] of the bunch, Karl makes up for it by his humble but lovable quirkiness. He is also, with not much help from his short temper, armed with a tendency of being accidentally destructive--i.e. knocking over a table or falling over someone, causing that person to fall back on someone else, etc. Usually most of his verbal assaults are aimed at his friend Wolfgang, and the two get into a verbal spat on a regular basis. His favorite instrument is, basically, any electronic percussion instrument.
Ralf Hütter [KW200846] - Noted as the rather talkative of the bunch, Ralf likes to sing. Okay, make that, loves to sing. Since his robotization [after a cycling accident in which he was hit by a drunk driver and nearly died] his mental wiring's a bit off, and because of this he doesn't understand everything. In spite of this he believes in the good of the world, and because of this he can come across as kind and nurturing. His favorite instrument is the synthesizer.
The year is 2347, Common Earth Era [CEE], and all the world was at peace. The war of the StarCourt versus Chaos ended centuries before. War dared not exist. All was well...
until a new enemy force, the Darkstrom, somehow rose to power in post-war Eastern Europe.
The Clandestine Rebellion rose up, out of a few rebels to the destructive government, to attempt to overthrow the Darkstrom. Despite the growth in numbers as far as Clandestine Rebels were concerned, the Darkstrom overtook the underground regime and, separating families and friends, sent rebels to various Nazi-inspired concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe. A few remaining Rebels hid in the Underground and set up the Trans-Underground Express [TUE]. They also turned the Trans-Europe Express [TEE] into a secret life-saving route that would reconnect the few lucky escapees of the concentration camps with their hometowns and/or loved ones [if any remained]. Most of the Rebels however were imprisoned or killed, either in battle or within the haunting four walls of the concentration camp.
Among the handful enlisted in the Rebellion were half-human robots--humans who, not wanting to lose their lives having been mortally wounded, had their bones replaced with metal, and most of their organs replaced with wires and the most advanced technology available. They were often termed humanoid cyborgs, and were still mostly able to have human senses. The human never really died, as the operations would be successful. These humanoid cyborgs looked human, and it would never really pass to the Darkstrom that they would've been anything but human. Their main purpose was to serve and protect escaped Rebels onboard the TEE, and sometimes even after the journey homeward ended.
The TEE originated in 1957 CEE, and was mostly abandoned by around 1984. After the Rebellion was organized the TEE was revived, and served as the Rebellion-escape-route version of the EuroCity [EC], which replaced the TEE in 1987.
[The Passengers of the Trans-Europe Express: The Düsseldorf Quartet]
[The Düsseldorf Quartet formed after one of the leaders of the Düsseldorf Order of the Clandestine Rebellion was captured along with her younger sister and two of their closest companions. The Quartet grew up together, in the same neighborhood, the youngest being Rebekah, just a month younger than Johannes. The young women soon met Team Kʁaftvɛɐk, who each took one of the ladies to their care and protection on board the TEE back home to Düsseldorf.]
Elizabeth Korinn - Elizabeth is a German young woman of American descent. Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, she was brought to Lisbon, Portugal after the Darkstrom overtook most if not all of Eastern Europe. She was among the leaders of the Düsseldorf Order of the Clandestine Rebellion, and was captured by the Darkstrom along with her younger sister, childhood best friend, and next-door neighbor [known as the Düsseldorf Quartet]. Generally sincere and touched with humility, she has the wisdom that only 26 years alive can provide her. However, scarring those years is bearing the witness to the death of her and Johannes' parents at the hands of Darkstrom soldiers at the beginning of the invasion. To this end she's tried time and again to suppress those memories, but she's also realized she can't do this without the help of her friends and, especially, her Trans-Europa companion.
Anneke Weldenta - Anneke has been Elizabeth's best friend since they attended Kindergarten, and is the resident jokester of the Düsseldorf Quartet. Always prepared with either a joke, an answer to a question, or even at times a question itself, she thinks well of herself and the Quartet. She also has a tendency of being short-tempered which, given the proper circumstance, can prove rather useful. Usually she keeps a gun with her, in case the resident sharpshooter of the gang needs it [which, surprisingly, is Rebekah].
Rebekah Zordenoff - When she was younger, Rebekah, Elizabeth and her younger sister's next-door neighbor and the one in the Düsseldorf Quartet most likely to hit the PANIC button at the first sign of a crisis, was trained in archery and sharpshooting by her father, and while at school, she was on the Archery team. Despite her panic-happy nature, she is usually positive and is always there for her neighbors when they need her, and because of this she also can be very courageous when need be. But the singular quality that sets her apart from the others is her healing power she was blessed with as a child, which also designates her as the resident nurse of the bunch, and is the reason why she is sometimes nicknamed the "Secret Florence Nightingale of Düsseldorf."
Johannes Korinn - Johannes is Elizabeth's younger sister and, while possibly the dearest of the Düsseldorf Quartet, is the only one enduring a tragedy. She was born blind, so she often has to be accompanied by either her sister, Anneke or Rebekah. Miraculously she can find her way around on her own if she's alone. She hopes one day to finally gain sight, though--despite her hope for the Quartet and the freedom of Eastern Europe--she doubts herself in a lot of things. A surprising quality about her is her intuition, as well as an awareness of what is going on around her--a "sixth sense" if you will.
[The Guardians of the TEE: Team Kʁaftvɛɐk]
[The main guardians of the TEE in the story is Team Kʁaftvɛɐk, more known as Kraftwerk. After a near-fatal accident, each of the reborn bandmembers were 'roboticized' and given identification codes, which were tattooed on the inside of their right forearms. Each of the Guardians is unique yet alike in some sort of manner. Their purpose in this case is not to make music, but to aid the Clandestine Rebellion in the liberation of Eastern Europe. They opted to be Guardians of the TEE and, in the process, personal guardians of the Düsseldorf Quartet, each taking one of the young women under their wings.]
Florian Schneider [KW070447] - Known as being the somewhat secretive noise-aholic of the bunch, Florian's elusiveness is made up for by his intelligence. Philosophical and intelligent, he can also at times be amusing. His favorite instruments are the flute and the electric violin.
Wolfgang Flür [KW170747] - The relatively outspoken of the bunch, Wolfgang is a very curious individual and likes to ask a lot of questions. He questions the group's existence and meaning, while struggling to understand everything there is to understand. Sometimes his inquisitive nature tends to get him [and even at times his friends] into trouble--and even danger. He's also the resident playboy of the Mensch-Maschinen, which leads to some unnecessary trouble all its own. The verbal sparring with his friend Karl have proven to be some of the most amusing within the gang. His favorite instrument is the electronic drum.
Karl Bartos [KW310552] - Often cited as the sometimes-bored, sometimes-frustrated [and even at times ill-tempered] of the bunch, Karl makes up for it by his humble but lovable quirkiness. He is also, with not much help from his short temper, armed with a tendency of being accidentally destructive--i.e. knocking over a table or falling over someone, causing that person to fall back on someone else, etc. Usually most of his verbal assaults are aimed at his friend Wolfgang, and the two get into a verbal spat on a regular basis. His favorite instrument is, basically, any electronic percussion instrument.
Ralf Hütter [KW200846] - Noted as the rather talkative of the bunch, Ralf likes to sing. Okay, make that, loves to sing. Since his robotization [after a cycling accident in which he was hit by a drunk driver and nearly died] his mental wiring's a bit off, and because of this he doesn't understand everything. In spite of this he believes in the good of the world, and because of this he can come across as kind and nurturing. His favorite instrument is the synthesizer.
24 November 2007
Chapter 94: 1 anti-turkey potential-Manager, 13 Chapters, 2 guys, and 6 more days to go... y'all ready for this?
Alright, first and foremost, sorry this is late but...
![Happy [erm, belated?] Turkey-Day, folks.](http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t90/starknight1sun/1122071027-1.jpg)
Now, that done, in other news, Thursday was alright. We were opened for 6 hours, we closed at 11. We all went about our lives. I hung out at a friend's house playing Wii--and y'all gotta remember I rarely play video games these days. And yesterday, well, yesterday was Black Friday... the busiest shopping day of the year.
Busy.All.Damn.Day.Long!
Yesterday was not a good day to be me, I swear.
Meanwhile, I realized that, I have an unfortunate crush on TWO guys. One of them, well, we all sorta know--and NO IT'S NOT POUNCER!!! [By the way, Pouncer, your music post is right below this one, in case you finally get around to here.] The other one, I doubt I told y'all about 'im, but he speaks Portuguese [maybe he's either Portuguese or Brazilian...??], and he's kinda cute. And he's a bit of a flirt. But still!! I mean, well... I don't know. I'm still anti-relationships after all I've been through the past 3 months [yes, it will be exactly 3 months on Monday since the break-up that started my "Cupid rhymes with Stupid!!" campaign] and, I guess I've thought some things through.
One, I don't care what anybody says [including the ex!!]--the break-up was my fault. Either I didn't speak up sooner, or I shouldn't have opened my mouth, or God only knows what. In any case, three months later, I still have the sick fear in my stomach that it's my fault with what happened. [But isn't that how it almost always goes... how it's gone wrong somewhere on my part... and then the person who dumps me finds someone else that is THEIR happily ever after...]
Two, for most people, there's the one. These days I'm half-tempted to smack somebody who tells me there's someone out there for me. *NEWS FLASH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!* That ain't happening. I don't care it took you 5 hours of 5 decades--if you've found your someone special, good for you. Don't rub it in my face about it and tell me I'm gonna find someone. Because eventually I will gladly look you in the eye and call you a downright liar. [Hey, done it to three people so far. Who wants to add to the count? Anyone?]
Three, for me, true love is a fairy tale, and I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. Growing up, I had hoped that the hope of loving someone and being loved in return--requited love--was true. For a time, I thought it was. I hoped it was. I actually believed it was. And I found out I was wrong.
Four, these days, I realize, Cupid rhymes with Stupid. But then again y'all already know that. *shrug*
So, I'm gonna post this song, just for the humor of it, because hey. What wouldn't hurt showing the fact that I'm still a pathetic human being who'd rather stay single than get her heart shot again like the last f-cking time around?
Now, with all that said, NEXT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, PLEASE!!
"Trans-Europa." This month. 13 CHAPTERS DONE!!
Yes, the magnificent story is practically more than halfway done. Possibly 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of the way done. I'm making remarkable progress [yay me!], and I think it's better to write stories about people in love than, well, how sucky my love life is. *shrug* What!?--it's the truth. But anyway, there's been quite a good slew of characters in the story. And if you have NOT read the story, What. The. F-ck. You. Waiting. For!? Go check it out already, sheesh.
And finally, the best news of the day is, in about a week, NOVEMBER WILL BE OVER!!! WOOHOO!!! *does the happy dance*
...no, wait, even better...
Posting the song of the week by the band of the week [non-Kraftwerk-ish]:
...until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
Now, that done, in other news, Thursday was alright. We were opened for 6 hours, we closed at 11. We all went about our lives. I hung out at a friend's house playing Wii--and y'all gotta remember I rarely play video games these days. And yesterday, well, yesterday was Black Friday... the busiest shopping day of the year.
Busy.All.Damn.Day.Long!
Yesterday was not a good day to be me, I swear.
Meanwhile, I realized that, I have an unfortunate crush on TWO guys. One of them, well, we all sorta know--and NO IT'S NOT POUNCER!!! [By the way, Pouncer, your music post is right below this one, in case you finally get around to here.] The other one, I doubt I told y'all about 'im, but he speaks Portuguese [maybe he's either Portuguese or Brazilian...??], and he's kinda cute. And he's a bit of a flirt. But still!! I mean, well... I don't know. I'm still anti-relationships after all I've been through the past 3 months [yes, it will be exactly 3 months on Monday since the break-up that started my "Cupid rhymes with Stupid!!" campaign] and, I guess I've thought some things through.
One, I don't care what anybody says [including the ex!!]--the break-up was my fault. Either I didn't speak up sooner, or I shouldn't have opened my mouth, or God only knows what. In any case, three months later, I still have the sick fear in my stomach that it's my fault with what happened. [But isn't that how it almost always goes... how it's gone wrong somewhere on my part... and then the person who dumps me finds someone else that is THEIR happily ever after...]
Two, for most people, there's the one. These days I'm half-tempted to smack somebody who tells me there's someone out there for me. *NEWS FLASH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!* That ain't happening. I don't care it took you 5 hours of 5 decades--if you've found your someone special, good for you. Don't rub it in my face about it and tell me I'm gonna find someone. Because eventually I will gladly look you in the eye and call you a downright liar. [Hey, done it to three people so far. Who wants to add to the count? Anyone?]
Three, for me, true love is a fairy tale, and I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. Growing up, I had hoped that the hope of loving someone and being loved in return--requited love--was true. For a time, I thought it was. I hoped it was. I actually believed it was. And I found out I was wrong.
Four, these days, I realize, Cupid rhymes with Stupid. But then again y'all already know that. *shrug*
So, I'm gonna post this song, just for the humor of it, because hey. What wouldn't hurt showing the fact that I'm still a pathetic human being who'd rather stay single than get her heart shot again like the last f-cking time around?
Now, with all that said, NEXT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, PLEASE!!
"Trans-Europa." This month. 13 CHAPTERS DONE!!
Yes, the magnificent story is practically more than halfway done. Possibly 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of the way done. I'm making remarkable progress [yay me!], and I think it's better to write stories about people in love than, well, how sucky my love life is. *shrug* What!?--it's the truth. But anyway, there's been quite a good slew of characters in the story. And if you have NOT read the story, What. The. F-ck. You. Waiting. For!? Go check it out already, sheesh.
And finally, the best news of the day is, in about a week, NOVEMBER WILL BE OVER!!! WOOHOO!!! *does the happy dance*
...no, wait, even better...
Posting the song of the week by the band of the week [non-Kraftwerk-ish]:
...until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
13 November 2007
Chapter 93: For Pouncer--More Kraftwerk!!
For one, the William Orbit 12" remix of "Radioactivity." Great tunage.
You know, I'm thinking I'm gonna use this in my "Trans-Europa" story. It's got what it takes to fit in the next on-board battle versus the enemy. You know, I think I'll use it. Yeah, it'll work alright. :-P
Which, speaking of, I'm working on the first of THREE new Chapters for the story, and they all focus mainly on Karl and Anneke because, if y'all have been reading the story up to now, I've been sort of neglecting them. They desperately need their own Chapter time. And tonight I'm in the mood to get the stories out of me like nobody's business.
For two, thanks to my friend Louise in England for this. Yes, you might want to listen to the entire song just to see why this deserves a spot in the "OMFG!! He did NOT just sing that!?" catagory:
I'm giggling hysterically trying not to make so much noise in the Underground listening to this song. But you know, considering this was in '91, and a soundcheck...
...but still, for Ralf to sing THAT!?
*ROFLMFAO!!*
...yes, I know. I'm a dork. Even when Ralf sings the most surprising things.
Until the next round--and hoping to have recovered from laughing by then...!
~ 'Sunshine'
You know, I'm thinking I'm gonna use this in my "Trans-Europa" story. It's got what it takes to fit in the next on-board battle versus the enemy. You know, I think I'll use it. Yeah, it'll work alright. :-P
Which, speaking of, I'm working on the first of THREE new Chapters for the story, and they all focus mainly on Karl and Anneke because, if y'all have been reading the story up to now, I've been sort of neglecting them. They desperately need their own Chapter time. And tonight I'm in the mood to get the stories out of me like nobody's business.
For two, thanks to my friend Louise in England for this. Yes, you might want to listen to the entire song just to see why this deserves a spot in the "OMFG!! He did NOT just sing that!?" catagory:
I'm giggling hysterically trying not to make so much noise in the Underground listening to this song. But you know, considering this was in '91, and a soundcheck...
...but still, for Ralf to sing THAT!?
*ROFLMFAO!!*
...yes, I know. I'm a dork. Even when Ralf sings the most surprising things.
Until the next round--and hoping to have recovered from laughing by then...!
~ 'Sunshine'
08 November 2007
Chapter 92: Work. Is. HELL.
No, seriously, if there was to be the epitome of hell, my job yesterday had to be it.
5:00 A.M. I'm actually EARLY arriving at work [the system clock at work is five minutes slow, I kid you not]. Listening to an 80's mix that's got Kraftwerk and whatnot. All seems well, right? Right.
I walk in, clock in, go to back Drive-Thru to get my headset on and... what the f-ck happened to my back Drive-Thru!? Two piles of trays almost two feet in height. The headsets in a mess. The Printer can't print for sh-t.
Okay, I just got in, already I want to go home.
I'm trying to get my headset on, sort out the mess. Just before I do, customer is at my window, I take his order because at this point I'm in a pissed-off mood, he's in the mood to be funny. I'm not in the mood for it. Next customer follows, asks if the speaker isn't on. Now as he's one of my regulars, I just take his order and refuse to say much to him because, let's face it. He's always asking how I'm doing [which I always answer the same thing--"I don't know"], and he KNOWS he's going to get the same answer. This time, I just take his order and say nothing. The look on my face probably says it all.
So I finally get a headset on. First earpiece does NOT work. I try the second one--doesn't work either. W.T.F.!?
Third time's a charm, they say. In this case with the earpieces, it's got a point.
Back to morning chores, get ketchup pumps ready [thanks to Tabbi for her help on that--w00t!! XOXOXO] Take on 5 towel buckets--done. Alright. Time for iced coffee!
...nope. Not yet. Have to deal with customers. Not that I don't mind, but I'm not my chipper self without a dose of iced coffee, dangit!!
Finally, 6:30 A.M. and I've got my coffee. And then we're slammed, I'm trying to fight the damn Printer and get all of last night's Reports printed out for Managers JoAnne and Joel. After a good fight with the Printer, all of last night's Reports were printed successfully, but the Printer still acted very stupendously useless.
Boy, was I livid.
Breakfast rush, and I'm pacing myself miserably trying to get cars through. Battery on the headset dies, I quickly change it. Five minutes later THAT one dies. I change batteries again. Joel's worried about me, and I don't blame him. Already, it's only 7:30 and the bad feeling I've had that the day was going to suck was more than right. [Badass intuition, hell yeah!!]
8:15 A.M. and, hallelujah!! it's Break time!! But... as I'm carrying trays, PANIC BUTTON!!
Joel's trying to hold JoAnne up, who's about to fall over. Michelle grabbed a chair from the Crew Room and ran to help get JoAnne seated. Which meant Joel had to help JoAnne and I had to run for Drive-Thru. Erica helped me out a lot, but I was panicking like nobody's business. Joel came back after getting JoAnne in the Managers Office, Maintenance man Ross called 911, and I finally got on break.
After breaktime I returned with some sense of a renewed spirit, only to have that spirit dashed as I tried to finish both stacks of trays. Michelle lent me a huge helping hand and, with Joel as I diligently took on back Drive-Thru, the area looked so much neater. w00t!!
After the delemma subsided, on came Changeover and, on a Wednesday, Changeover is HELL. Early Release Day for High schoolers. Not. Fun.
11:15 A.M. and Kat's sent me a text about Tabbi sending word that Manager Lowanda got fired by Store Owner Gary.
Quoting both Kat and my reactions--
Wait--WHAT!?
Time dragged on miserably, Michelle got her break. After her return she helped me out greatly for Lunch Rush, but that was dashed quickly as Myshel retreated to the Crew Room. Michelle and I are worried for Myshel, as she's sweating, face is red. She's overheated again. She marches back up front after a moment of rest. And Michelle and I hit the panic button.
Except, I've been hitting the panic button all. Damn. Day.
12:15 P.M. and, I end up on my own for the rest of Lunch Rush--Michelle's called up to help Front Counter. Myshel's in the Managers Office having passed out!!
Great. As if my day couldn't get any worse.
Meanwhile the line's not moving, I'm trying to count the skim for my drawer, and Joel thought I was done and put that in the safe. Okay, panic button, please.
Finally, 1:00 P.M. and Melanie's here. She's wondering what went on. I try to explain, but she's in a good mood. And unfortunately, she doesn't understand half the hell I went through. So, I hope she reads this just so she understands what's happened yesterday. Just so she doesn't laugh at what a long day I've had.
A stack of trays two feet high. And I diligently--and, at this point, in tears--clean up as much as I can before Supervisor Chris realizes the hell I've just experienced today. He sends me home for the afternoon, but not before I had my lunch.
After I got home, I cried some more. And I stayed in just in case I got called in for today [which, surprisingly, I didn't].
Thankfully today's my day off. But given yesterday's situation, if I were to be in today, I think I would've just hanged myself, end of.
~ 'Sunshine'
P.S. That also means that, Larry got fired a few weeks ago because of his attitude by Joel. Lowanda obviously did something enough to piss all of us off 'cause she got fired by Gary yesterday.
Which means the Crew Trainers are stuck without a leader.
All the more reason I say, I'll be lucky the day I finally get my brown Junior Manager's shirt. But the way this is going, I'm not holding my breath on that.
At the moment as far as Management goes...
Joel [Store Manager]
JoAnne [Opening Manager]
Joshua [Swing Manager]
Donna [Swing Manager]
Karen [Junior Manager--Production--got her brown shirt]
Nakasha [Junior Manager--Production--got her brown shirt]
Trevawn [Junior Manager--Production--waiting for his brown shirt]
Sunshine *me* [Junior Manager--Service--waiting for my brown shirt]
...man, this sucks. FUNK DAT!!
5:00 A.M. I'm actually EARLY arriving at work [the system clock at work is five minutes slow, I kid you not]. Listening to an 80's mix that's got Kraftwerk and whatnot. All seems well, right? Right.
I walk in, clock in, go to back Drive-Thru to get my headset on and... what the f-ck happened to my back Drive-Thru!? Two piles of trays almost two feet in height. The headsets in a mess. The Printer can't print for sh-t.
Okay, I just got in, already I want to go home.
I'm trying to get my headset on, sort out the mess. Just before I do, customer is at my window, I take his order because at this point I'm in a pissed-off mood, he's in the mood to be funny. I'm not in the mood for it. Next customer follows, asks if the speaker isn't on. Now as he's one of my regulars, I just take his order and refuse to say much to him because, let's face it. He's always asking how I'm doing [which I always answer the same thing--"I don't know"], and he KNOWS he's going to get the same answer. This time, I just take his order and say nothing. The look on my face probably says it all.
So I finally get a headset on. First earpiece does NOT work. I try the second one--doesn't work either. W.T.F.!?
Third time's a charm, they say. In this case with the earpieces, it's got a point.
Back to morning chores, get ketchup pumps ready [thanks to Tabbi for her help on that--w00t!! XOXOXO] Take on 5 towel buckets--done. Alright. Time for iced coffee!
...nope. Not yet. Have to deal with customers. Not that I don't mind, but I'm not my chipper self without a dose of iced coffee, dangit!!
Finally, 6:30 A.M. and I've got my coffee. And then we're slammed, I'm trying to fight the damn Printer and get all of last night's Reports printed out for Managers JoAnne and Joel. After a good fight with the Printer, all of last night's Reports were printed successfully, but the Printer still acted very stupendously useless.
Boy, was I livid.
Breakfast rush, and I'm pacing myself miserably trying to get cars through. Battery on the headset dies, I quickly change it. Five minutes later THAT one dies. I change batteries again. Joel's worried about me, and I don't blame him. Already, it's only 7:30 and the bad feeling I've had that the day was going to suck was more than right. [Badass intuition, hell yeah!!]
8:15 A.M. and, hallelujah!! it's Break time!! But... as I'm carrying trays, PANIC BUTTON!!
Joel's trying to hold JoAnne up, who's about to fall over. Michelle grabbed a chair from the Crew Room and ran to help get JoAnne seated. Which meant Joel had to help JoAnne and I had to run for Drive-Thru. Erica helped me out a lot, but I was panicking like nobody's business. Joel came back after getting JoAnne in the Managers Office, Maintenance man Ross called 911, and I finally got on break.
After breaktime I returned with some sense of a renewed spirit, only to have that spirit dashed as I tried to finish both stacks of trays. Michelle lent me a huge helping hand and, with Joel as I diligently took on back Drive-Thru, the area looked so much neater. w00t!!
After the delemma subsided, on came Changeover and, on a Wednesday, Changeover is HELL. Early Release Day for High schoolers. Not. Fun.
11:15 A.M. and Kat's sent me a text about Tabbi sending word that Manager Lowanda got fired by Store Owner Gary.
Quoting both Kat and my reactions--
Wait--WHAT!?
Time dragged on miserably, Michelle got her break. After her return she helped me out greatly for Lunch Rush, but that was dashed quickly as Myshel retreated to the Crew Room. Michelle and I are worried for Myshel, as she's sweating, face is red. She's overheated again. She marches back up front after a moment of rest. And Michelle and I hit the panic button.
Except, I've been hitting the panic button all. Damn. Day.
12:15 P.M. and, I end up on my own for the rest of Lunch Rush--Michelle's called up to help Front Counter. Myshel's in the Managers Office having passed out!!
Great. As if my day couldn't get any worse.
Meanwhile the line's not moving, I'm trying to count the skim for my drawer, and Joel thought I was done and put that in the safe. Okay, panic button, please.
Finally, 1:00 P.M. and Melanie's here. She's wondering what went on. I try to explain, but she's in a good mood. And unfortunately, she doesn't understand half the hell I went through. So, I hope she reads this just so she understands what's happened yesterday. Just so she doesn't laugh at what a long day I've had.
A stack of trays two feet high. And I diligently--and, at this point, in tears--clean up as much as I can before Supervisor Chris realizes the hell I've just experienced today. He sends me home for the afternoon, but not before I had my lunch.
After I got home, I cried some more. And I stayed in just in case I got called in for today [which, surprisingly, I didn't].
Thankfully today's my day off. But given yesterday's situation, if I were to be in today, I think I would've just hanged myself, end of.
~ 'Sunshine'
P.S. That also means that, Larry got fired a few weeks ago because of his attitude by Joel. Lowanda obviously did something enough to piss all of us off 'cause she got fired by Gary yesterday.
Which means the Crew Trainers are stuck without a leader.
All the more reason I say, I'll be lucky the day I finally get my brown Junior Manager's shirt. But the way this is going, I'm not holding my breath on that.
At the moment as far as Management goes...
Joel [Store Manager]
JoAnne [Opening Manager]
Joshua [Swing Manager]
Donna [Swing Manager]
Karen [Junior Manager--Production--got her brown shirt]
Nakasha [Junior Manager--Production--got her brown shirt]
Trevawn [Junior Manager--Production--waiting for his brown shirt]
Sunshine *me* [Junior Manager--Service--waiting for my brown shirt]
...man, this sucks. FUNK DAT!!
03 November 2007
Chapter 91: Saturday Night's Alright!!
For the first time in about 2 weeks or so, the weather in Florida is nothing short of chilltastic, charming...
and cloud-free.
Yep, this morning looked like this--
And this afternoon looks like this--
Yeah, y'all can tell this weekend's bound to be a nice one, except at night 'cause it's gonna be uber-chilly, but still! Not a cloud in the sky!!
Today was a damn good day to be in the drive-thru.
~ 'Sunshine'
and cloud-free.
Yep, this morning looked like this--
And this afternoon looks like this--
Yeah, y'all can tell this weekend's bound to be a nice one, except at night 'cause it's gonna be uber-chilly, but still! Not a cloud in the sky!!
Today was a damn good day to be in the drive-thru.
~ 'Sunshine'
01 November 2007
Chapter 90: Happy November!! ...wait, November... depression... F-CK!!
I almost forgot about this month, as I'm still recovering from the happy high that was yesterday, Halloween, in which everyone saw me as a Mensch-Maschine...
And Trunk-or-Treat went great last night and all but... as I just realized...
I. Hate. November.
No seriously, I kid you not. I really hate the month.
I still can't believe it was 8 years ago this month that I had my first bout with depression, and I have the scar which, after 10 years, is still on the inside of my left forearm. It's a bit faint, but still there. It's, dare I say, sort of immortal now. And to think that I actually remember this is, in a word, scary. Very scary.
In fact, I've already found my song of the month right here--
Yeah, y'all can tell I'm ready for this month.
Until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
And Trunk-or-Treat went great last night and all but... as I just realized...
I. Hate. November.
No seriously, I kid you not. I really hate the month.
I still can't believe it was 8 years ago this month that I had my first bout with depression, and I have the scar which, after 10 years, is still on the inside of my left forearm. It's a bit faint, but still there. It's, dare I say, sort of immortal now. And to think that I actually remember this is, in a word, scary. Very scary.
In fact, I've already found my song of the month right here--
Yeah, y'all can tell I'm ready for this month.
Until the next round...
~ 'Sunshine'
30 October 2007
Chapter 89b: ...because I can't resist posting some stuff...
For one, Jeff from NOOL posted this. He's made my day [but he ain't Antenna!]...
The Top Ten Reasons Why Trick-or-Treating is Better Than Sex
10. You're guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.
7. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.
6. It's okay if the person you're with, fantasizes you're someone
else, because you actually are.
5. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.
4. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.
3. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2. There's a lot less guilt the morning after.
1. You can do the whole neighborhood.
...you know, if you give it some thought, it's actually true!!
And finally, new siggy for NOOL... to go with this week and my Mensch-Maschine theme... and it's how I'm gonna end this post...
The Top Ten Reasons Why Trick-or-Treating is Better Than Sex
10. You're guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.
7. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.
6. It's okay if the person you're with, fantasizes you're someone
else, because you actually are.
5. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.
4. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.
3. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2. There's a lot less guilt the morning after.
1. You can do the whole neighborhood.
...you know, if you give it some thought, it's actually true!!
And finally, new siggy for NOOL... to go with this week and my Mensch-Maschine theme... and it's how I'm gonna end this post...
Chapter 89: Я ТВОЙ СЛУГА, Я ТВОЙ РАБОТНИК. [Yep, guess what tomorrow is...]
For one, y'all probably wondering, What the hell does all that Russian talk mean, Sun!?
Well...
Я ТВОЙ СЛУГА, Я ТВОЙ РАБОТНИК
means, "I'm your slave, I'm your worker" in Russian. If you're familiar with the Kraftwerk song "Die Roboter," there's a part of the song where the lyrics sung are
Ja tvoi sluga, Ja tvoi Rabotnik
...basically, that's the Russian part of the song.
It all ties in with what tomorrow is. It's Halloween. And I'm going to be the Mensch-Maschine for the occassion. It's gonna be one fun festivity to take lots of pictures for. Trust me.
In other interesting oogle-happy whim, Antenna sent me word on the Morning Roll Call--"all present & accounted for frau kommandant" as he puts it. Evidence:
![Woowww!! It's the Schaufensterpuppen [Showroom Dummies]!! Niiice!!](http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t90/starknight1sun/8.jpg)
You know, I'm having a very funny feeling about all this, between Antenna and I and, mind you, he's all the way in New freggin' York!!
...perhaps it is a small good thing to get my hopes up...
In case I'm too busy to post tomorrow, Happy Halloween to all from the Underground!!
~ 'Sunshine'
Well...
Я ТВОЙ СЛУГА, Я ТВОЙ РАБОТНИК
means, "I'm your slave, I'm your worker" in Russian. If you're familiar with the Kraftwerk song "Die Roboter," there's a part of the song where the lyrics sung are
Ja tvoi sluga, Ja tvoi Rabotnik
...basically, that's the Russian part of the song.
It all ties in with what tomorrow is. It's Halloween. And I'm going to be the Mensch-Maschine for the occassion. It's gonna be one fun festivity to take lots of pictures for. Trust me.
In other interesting oogle-happy whim, Antenna sent me word on the Morning Roll Call--"all present & accounted for frau kommandant" as he puts it. Evidence:
You know, I'm having a very funny feeling about all this, between Antenna and I and, mind you, he's all the way in New freggin' York!!
...perhaps it is a small good thing to get my hopes up...
In case I'm too busy to post tomorrow, Happy Halloween to all from the Underground!!
~ 'Sunshine'
29 October 2007
Chapter 88: Some good news for you 'Trans-Europa' fans out there...!
...yep, at long last Chapter 9 is completed!!
Skip on down and check the Chapter out!!
Otherwise, not a lot going on today. Antenna sent me another pic to oogle/giggle at. He's such a dork. He's also very cute.
^_^/-_-' I'm happy, but keep in mind he's on the North end of the Country!!
OMG!! Gotta run!! Time Warp is on!!
~ 'Sunshine' [until the next round!!]
ETA [edited to add] By the way, I made a new friend in England. I'm gonna codename her Autobahn. And, she sent me this rather delicious picture [to which I say, f-ck the watermark!! ralf's hawt in this pic anyway!!]...
...yes, possibly the best smile I ever saw on Roboter's face.
*is gonna be having a lot of good dreams tonight...*
Skip on down and check the Chapter out!!
Otherwise, not a lot going on today. Antenna sent me another pic to oogle/giggle at. He's such a dork. He's also very cute.
^_^/-_-' I'm happy, but keep in mind he's on the North end of the Country!!
OMG!! Gotta run!! Time Warp is on!!
~ 'Sunshine' [until the next round!!]
ETA [edited to add] By the way, I made a new friend in England. I'm gonna codename her Autobahn. And, she sent me this rather delicious picture [to which I say, f-ck the watermark!! ralf's hawt in this pic anyway!!]...
...yes, possibly the best smile I ever saw on Roboter's face.
*is gonna be having a lot of good dreams tonight...*
28 October 2007
Chapter 87: Possibly the best Evensong EVER!!
...no, seriously, tonight's Evensong for All Saints was good. Very good!
Now, for those of you newbie Excelsians who don't know [or those of you Excelsians who've been reading this Blog for a while but don't know either] what Evensong is, here's the page from Wikipedia [Evening Prayer (Anglican)].
My best definition, Evening Prayer set to music. And it's usually a beautiful late-afternoon service.
At Saint Barnabas in DeLand, our Evensong is usually at 4 in the afternoon, but this one, a very special one, took place at 6 earlier this evening. According to fellow Chorister [Choir member] Henry, who's a bass, it was "the best Evensong in 10 years." And considering I've been with this Choir for two years so far, it's definitely the best Evensong I'd ever been at.
Big treat of the night: A choral performance by the Stetson University Concert Choir.
Oh. Mah. Gawd. They were just phenominal!!
Don't worry, our beloved Choir rocked the house too. Altogether we must've raised the Church roof about 3 feet or so.
Yeah, it was that good!!
The back three pews of both sides were reserved for the Concert Choir, who all in all looked just splendid!!
Jesse, who's in both Choirs, played Cello for Choirmaster Peter's piece "Last Song of Summer" which, really, is just one of those very pretty pieces. Just... gorgeous. We performed that piece during Communion this morning, and as our Prelude to tonight's Evensong. Jesse's an ace at this Cello thing. Oh, and he was our soloist during the Nunc Dimittis choral piece.
Our Processional was a bit unique in that the Choral Procession stopped at the Concert Choir first pew, which meant we sorta fanned out along the sides of the Church. Surreal!! The hymn, "For All the Saints, From Whom Their Labors Rest," had 8 verses, and two of them [verses 5 and 6] were in parts [soprano, alto, tenor, bass]. We took over those two verses. It was just GLORIOUS!!
I tried to catch a shot of my Choir line [as I'm one of the two Choral Processional leaders], but it all happened too quick and all I got was Terry! Ah well. That and it was almost Verse 5 of the hymn at that point.
The Concert Choir switched places with us so they could perform the anthem and four pieces from a Requiem Mass. Trust me, I was just amazed at what I heard--in a good way.
After the Requiem and final prayers, we [both Choirs] led the Congregation in a very rousing hymn-sing of "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones." Add Dr. Rickman, our brilliant Organist [and Organ Teacher at Stetson!!], at the Organ, and the thrill of the Congregation, and you're talkin' one helluva finale to our finest Evensong ever.
This Evensong is definitely going down for the Records!! Best evidence is, I'm still reeling joyously from it!!
~ 'Sunshine'
Now, for those of you newbie Excelsians who don't know [or those of you Excelsians who've been reading this Blog for a while but don't know either] what Evensong is, here's the page from Wikipedia [Evening Prayer (Anglican)].
My best definition, Evening Prayer set to music. And it's usually a beautiful late-afternoon service.
At Saint Barnabas in DeLand, our Evensong is usually at 4 in the afternoon, but this one, a very special one, took place at 6 earlier this evening. According to fellow Chorister [Choir member] Henry, who's a bass, it was "the best Evensong in 10 years." And considering I've been with this Choir for two years so far, it's definitely the best Evensong I'd ever been at.
Big treat of the night: A choral performance by the Stetson University Concert Choir.
Oh. Mah. Gawd. They were just phenominal!!
Don't worry, our beloved Choir rocked the house too. Altogether we must've raised the Church roof about 3 feet or so.
Yeah, it was that good!!
The back three pews of both sides were reserved for the Concert Choir, who all in all looked just splendid!!
Jesse, who's in both Choirs, played Cello for Choirmaster Peter's piece "Last Song of Summer" which, really, is just one of those very pretty pieces. Just... gorgeous. We performed that piece during Communion this morning, and as our Prelude to tonight's Evensong. Jesse's an ace at this Cello thing. Oh, and he was our soloist during the Nunc Dimittis choral piece.
Our Processional was a bit unique in that the Choral Procession stopped at the Concert Choir first pew, which meant we sorta fanned out along the sides of the Church. Surreal!! The hymn, "For All the Saints, From Whom Their Labors Rest," had 8 verses, and two of them [verses 5 and 6] were in parts [soprano, alto, tenor, bass]. We took over those two verses. It was just GLORIOUS!!
I tried to catch a shot of my Choir line [as I'm one of the two Choral Processional leaders], but it all happened too quick and all I got was Terry! Ah well. That and it was almost Verse 5 of the hymn at that point.
The Concert Choir switched places with us so they could perform the anthem and four pieces from a Requiem Mass. Trust me, I was just amazed at what I heard--in a good way.
After the Requiem and final prayers, we [both Choirs] led the Congregation in a very rousing hymn-sing of "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones." Add Dr. Rickman, our brilliant Organist [and Organ Teacher at Stetson!!], at the Organ, and the thrill of the Congregation, and you're talkin' one helluva finale to our finest Evensong ever.
This Evensong is definitely going down for the Records!! Best evidence is, I'm still reeling joyously from it!!
~ 'Sunshine'
27 October 2007
Chapter 86: Kraftwerk Korner--What I <3 about Roboter!!
...alright, I've been lazy.
I've spent hardly any time this week oogling anything other than a picture of Ralf and a picture of Antenna. News flash: I'm an absolute dork. Big time. And I have no shame in that. But still. I should be oogling other pictures of the Roboter that is Ralf instead of Antenna [even though he is just adorable!!].
Sooo... with that in mind...
Hellooooooooooooo handsome!!
Did I tell you this picture just puts me at a standstill? [Oh, to be the Minimoog Synthesizer at the receiving end of that stare...]
In Vienna we sit at a late night cafe.
Straight connection--T.E.E.
Absofreckin'lutely.
I. Love. This. Damn. Picture.
Really, makes me wanna take Ralf out and just hug him to bits. He's so damn cute.
And I. Love. This. Damn. Animation.
Probably the only cool thing since 'Boing Boom Tschak' to jump out from the "Electric Cafe" album. What?
You know, I was thinking something just now, but it's probably best that I don't say it!!
:-X [my lips are sealed--big time!!]
Ooooh, it's tea time... and they saved a seat for me!? Aww...
*especially with ralf's eyes just pleading 'oh please, do join us for tea...' enough to unnerve me stupendously!!*
You know, if this picture were to ever end up in color, or I were to really be at the receiving end of Ralf's half-smile-charming stare, I'd be unable to think clearly for possibly the next 10-15 minutes or so. I kid you not.
I swear, the man is just be-yooooooo-ti-ful.
...yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a dork. But anyway.
...no seriously, he could've fooled me big time with that. I think it's the Roboter but... you never know...
Especially the one all the way to the left... that first one... yeah, him...
...yeah, Ralf. Him. *giggle*
And of course, what Kraftwerk Korner "I <3 Ralf" post would be complete without THIS wonderful gem...
Seriously, I could lose a staring contest to this guy. I'd probably look away within, oh, maybe 5 seconds? Or blink. In any case, he'd beat me right there. And I'm tellin' y'all why--it's all about the freckin' eyes!!
My, what beautiful eyes he has...
the better to make the bright sky envy with!!
You know, I think I've found a StarKnight codename for Ralf. And he shall happily be called Roboter because, well, yeah. He's just a wonderful semi-human being and whatnot.
...yes, I must've heard their music waaaaaay too many times, but I can't help it!!
I mean... let's be real... [Werkaholics, sing along!]
We ♥ Kraftwerk and we cannot lie--
them other robots can't deny,
that when Ralf and his gang storm up onstage
playing music on machines, we get SPRUNG!!
[...yes, my play on 'Baby Got Back'!!]
You know, if I dare ever was at the receiving end of a stare from Roboter I don't think I'd get out of it that easily. Or maybe I'd just drown in it. I don't know. I mean... well, damn. I just love his eyes. They're just so... so...
they're just so schön. Beautiful. Really, they are.
I wonder just how many brave souls have fallen under the wonder of the bright blue eyes... I just wonder...
~ 'Sunshine'
P.S. - 7:06 P.M. - I can't believe it took me three freckin' hours just to do that post!? Good God I'm a dork!!
I've spent hardly any time this week oogling anything other than a picture of Ralf and a picture of Antenna. News flash: I'm an absolute dork. Big time. And I have no shame in that. But still. I should be oogling other pictures of the Roboter that is Ralf instead of Antenna [even though he is just adorable!!].
Sooo... with that in mind...
Hellooooooooooooo handsome!!
Did I tell you this picture just puts me at a standstill? [Oh, to be the Minimoog Synthesizer at the receiving end of that stare...]
In Vienna we sit at a late night cafe.
Straight connection--T.E.E.
Absofreckin'lutely.
I. Love. This. Damn. Picture.
Really, makes me wanna take Ralf out and just hug him to bits. He's so damn cute.
And I. Love. This. Damn. Animation.
Probably the only cool thing since 'Boing Boom Tschak' to jump out from the "Electric Cafe" album. What?
You know, I was thinking something just now, but it's probably best that I don't say it!!
:-X [my lips are sealed--big time!!]
Ooooh, it's tea time... and they saved a seat for me!? Aww...
*especially with ralf's eyes just pleading 'oh please, do join us for tea...' enough to unnerve me stupendously!!*
You know, if this picture were to ever end up in color, or I were to really be at the receiving end of Ralf's half-smile-charming stare, I'd be unable to think clearly for possibly the next 10-15 minutes or so. I kid you not.
I swear, the man is just be-yooooooo-ti-ful.
...yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a dork. But anyway.
...no seriously, he could've fooled me big time with that. I think it's the Roboter but... you never know...
Especially the one all the way to the left... that first one... yeah, him...
...yeah, Ralf. Him. *giggle*
And of course, what Kraftwerk Korner "I <3 Ralf" post would be complete without THIS wonderful gem...
Seriously, I could lose a staring contest to this guy. I'd probably look away within, oh, maybe 5 seconds? Or blink. In any case, he'd beat me right there. And I'm tellin' y'all why--it's all about the freckin' eyes!!
My, what beautiful eyes he has...
the better to make the bright sky envy with!!
You know, I think I've found a StarKnight codename for Ralf. And he shall happily be called Roboter because, well, yeah. He's just a wonderful semi-human being and whatnot.
...yes, I must've heard their music waaaaaay too many times, but I can't help it!!
I mean... let's be real... [Werkaholics, sing along!]
We ♥ Kraftwerk and we cannot lie--
them other robots can't deny,
that when Ralf and his gang storm up onstage
playing music on machines, we get SPRUNG!!
[...yes, my play on 'Baby Got Back'!!]
You know, if I dare ever was at the receiving end of a stare from Roboter I don't think I'd get out of it that easily. Or maybe I'd just drown in it. I don't know. I mean... well, damn. I just love his eyes. They're just so... so...
they're just so schön. Beautiful. Really, they are.
I wonder just how many brave souls have fallen under the wonder of the bright blue eyes... I just wonder...
~ 'Sunshine'
P.S. - 7:06 P.M. - I can't believe it took me three freckin' hours just to do that post!? Good God I'm a dork!!
Chapter 85: Happy 125th, Saint Barnabas!!
...well, officially the celebration was LAST Sunday, but I finally got all the pictures in this morning. Yeah, all 21 that I took last Sunday morning.
For those who don't know, Saint Barnabas is the Episcopal Church I attend. I'm the resident Baby of the Alto section in the Choir. This year the Parish is celebrating its 125th anniversary, with the Parish School celebrating its 35th anniversary as well.
By the way, it's also a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence!!
A note about the pictures--I took all the pictures with my camera-phone so, the light might be fairly bright in some of the pictures. That and, I didn't really get to catch a lot of stand-still's so, it's all fairly spur-of-the-moment.
Now, that all said, here are the highlights...
Upon entering, hey!! the Church is packed!! And even StarKnight Ani got into the spirit of dressing up 1880's-ish for the occassion [as the Parishioners were invited to do for this celebration].
Our Church Organ looked nice and lovely for the festivities. And the Choir sounded magnificent! And, I even caught a good shot of the Acolytes and the Assistant Bishop, Hugo Pena-Lopez, who presided over the Service.
The Children's Choir kicked off the Service with "Forever", and the Service went very, very well.
After the Service we had the Procession to the new Family Life Center for the dedication and Proclamation. In front of me, Acolytes. Right behind me, the Choir, Bishop Hugo, the Clergy, and the Congregation. Thankfully I kept my eyes in FRONT of me!!
Standing onstage, the Choirs [both Adult and Children's] sorta assembled, and we waited patiently for the rest of the Procession of Congregants and Clergy to arrive.
![Choirmaster Peter [left] chatting up a storm with some of our Choir.](http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t90/starknight1sun/Saint%20Barnabas%20125/1021071149.jpg)
After the Congregation arrived and the Processional Party assembled, we had the final festivities before the Lunch! Some "historical figures" gave their account of remembering when Saint Barnabas was founded, which was around the same time as the City of DeLand. Our Mayor Rob Apgar was also present to proclaim Sunday 21 October 2007 as Saint Barnabas Day in DeLand, which was a HUGE thrill to witness.
Then came the Blessing and Dedication of the Building, and then the Choir led in the Doxology "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow." Afterwards Father Don led in the Blessing of the Food, and then it was lunchtime!! Now, you have to understand this funny tidbit--when Bishop Hugo's armed with holy water, no one [I repeat, NO ONE] is safe!!
After eating lunch with Terry and Steffi, I tagged along with a tour of the new upstairs classrooms in the new Building. There were four new classrooms, one of them being the new Skybox. In each classroom Bishop Hugo blessed the four corners, and he even told us some inspiring stories too.
All in all, that was one AMAZING day in Church. I'm glad to have been a part of the festivities, and I can't wait for the next adventure with the Church and my beloved Choir!
^_^
More later but, until the next round, Cheers!!
And Happy 125th, Saint Barnabas!!
~ 'Sunshine'
For those who don't know, Saint Barnabas is the Episcopal Church I attend. I'm the resident Baby of the Alto section in the Choir. This year the Parish is celebrating its 125th anniversary, with the Parish School celebrating its 35th anniversary as well.
By the way, it's also a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence!!
A note about the pictures--I took all the pictures with my camera-phone so, the light might be fairly bright in some of the pictures. That and, I didn't really get to catch a lot of stand-still's so, it's all fairly spur-of-the-moment.
Now, that all said, here are the highlights...
Upon entering, hey!! the Church is packed!! And even StarKnight Ani got into the spirit of dressing up 1880's-ish for the occassion [as the Parishioners were invited to do for this celebration].
Our Church Organ looked nice and lovely for the festivities. And the Choir sounded magnificent! And, I even caught a good shot of the Acolytes and the Assistant Bishop, Hugo Pena-Lopez, who presided over the Service.
The Children's Choir kicked off the Service with "Forever", and the Service went very, very well.
After the Service we had the Procession to the new Family Life Center for the dedication and Proclamation. In front of me, Acolytes. Right behind me, the Choir, Bishop Hugo, the Clergy, and the Congregation. Thankfully I kept my eyes in FRONT of me!!
Standing onstage, the Choirs [both Adult and Children's] sorta assembled, and we waited patiently for the rest of the Procession of Congregants and Clergy to arrive.
After the Congregation arrived and the Processional Party assembled, we had the final festivities before the Lunch! Some "historical figures" gave their account of remembering when Saint Barnabas was founded, which was around the same time as the City of DeLand. Our Mayor Rob Apgar was also present to proclaim Sunday 21 October 2007 as Saint Barnabas Day in DeLand, which was a HUGE thrill to witness.
Then came the Blessing and Dedication of the Building, and then the Choir led in the Doxology "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow." Afterwards Father Don led in the Blessing of the Food, and then it was lunchtime!! Now, you have to understand this funny tidbit--when Bishop Hugo's armed with holy water, no one [I repeat, NO ONE] is safe!!
After eating lunch with Terry and Steffi, I tagged along with a tour of the new upstairs classrooms in the new Building. There were four new classrooms, one of them being the new Skybox. In each classroom Bishop Hugo blessed the four corners, and he even told us some inspiring stories too.
All in all, that was one AMAZING day in Church. I'm glad to have been a part of the festivities, and I can't wait for the next adventure with the Church and my beloved Choir!
^_^
More later but, until the next round, Cheers!!
And Happy 125th, Saint Barnabas!!
~ 'Sunshine'
25 October 2007
Chapter 84b: More mischief for the masses!!
For starters, it's 6:34 P.M., "Hey Sandy" is on and I'm feeling a little goofy...
...yep, the adorable moi. Hee.
About 20 minutes ago I took this pic of m'self. Figured everyone could use a much better updated me. Yeah, I cut it that short. Or at least it was much shorter earlier this month when I cut it again. On 1 October. Before my birthday.
Man, me as Ralf for Halloween... this is sooo gonna rawk. Really.
And anyway, what self-respecting Roboter wouldn't want to brag about her cute self to the world a little bit?
But... anywho. Back to music and whatnot.
7:12 P.M. - Back here with the latest, as the single edit of "Trans-Europa Express '91" is on.
...well... not a lot going on, actually...
Yeah, I know, I'm a dork.
Anyway, I'm back to being elusive. Yes, I know, it's a bit lame but, anything is better than talking to someone who just wants to talk about nothing and basically be pointless.
On those kinds of people... FUNK DAT!!
Anywho, back to task on hand. Somewhat.
This week my two best friends from the Choir are hemming my gray pair of pants for Halloween, since they're gosh-awful long. And since good ol' Wal*Mart didn't have anything smaller than a freckin' Size 4, of course the pants fit well on the butt. Unfortunately, they also need a desperate hem-job. So, dear Steffi's gonna double-hem the pants for me, thank God! Plus, she knows what she's doing, unlike myself, who prefers hemming by stapling.
Yeah, it's a bit lame-o on my part, but I can't hem to save my life.
A bit pathetic, but that's the truth, and that's life for y'all.
I think that, this week I'll stop in at Hot Topic and see if they have plain black ties. That way, I've got a plain black tie and I could probably put ten red paint dots on it [to represent the 10 light diodes on the Mensch-Maschinen ties] after it's tied so I don't have to untie and retie for Halloween and whatnot. At the moment all I've got is a boys' clip-on tie, as I can't really tie a tie real well, and plus a boys' tie isn't too big but, hell-ooo!!
7:33 P.M. - "Funk Dat" is on, and Antenna and I are in a chat-happy state of mind!! Yay!!
*LMFAO* Sorry but, "Funk Dat" is just one of the most amusing songs I've ever heard. Makes me laugh every single time.
7:50 P.M. - At the moment Antenna and I are going through the usual file exchange, the side-switching of music for our Kraft-happy enjoyment. Annnnddd, he sent me the pic of him as a Mensch-Maschine too!! *giggle-happy*
7:57 P.M. - "Pretty in Pink" is on, and I'm still giggle-happy over Antenna as a Mensch-Maschine. No, really. He's quite adorable!! What!?
8:25 P.M. - Listening to the soundcheck for "Flying Through the Clouds" by, surprisingly, Kraftwerk. Antenna caught a good soundcheck right there. I absolutely LOVE this song already. Just something so... I don't know... block-rocking about the song. Simple, nothing elaborate, just one helluva cool track. It's amazing to think that the Roboter could think up something so freckin' awesome...
No, really, you have NO idea how cool it really, really is. It's just... damn. You just don't know. You'd have to hear it yourself, basically. I'll get around to posting it one of these days, I promise. It'll have to be featured in the next Kraftwerk Korner, that's for sure.
...yes, I finished hearing that song [8:33 P.M. now, "Hey Sandy" about to end], and it DEFINITELY deserves to be on the next Kraftwerk Korner. End of.
Trust me, your ears will be thrilled to hear it.
8:46 P.M. - I just went through listening to about 3 different mixes of my all-time favorite Killing Joke track: "Adorations." Ace stuff right there.
So anywho, life is kinda quiet here in the Underground. Not a lot going on, not a lot of people either. It must be a Thursday night.
*glancing around the Underground...*
...yep, it must be a Thursday night.
9:00 P.M. - You know, I've kinda come to admire Antenna. He and I might not talk much, but we love Kraftwerk. Oh, to have met him in the days he played with his Minimoog that he had. Oh, to have heard him play "Autobahn" on his Minimoog and Farfisa Organ.
Man, that would've been AWESOMENESS!!
But, seriously... I mean, we're just friends. And we both love Kraftwerk. What are the odds that there could actually be something developing from there?
Worst bit is, he's all the way in New York.
Ah well, at least he's doing alright, I suppose. And, he's a good person to talk to. And, I swear, his Ralf and Florian impersonations are just hysterical.
9:15 P.M. - ...meh, gettin' exhausted but, it's worth the lack of sleep, really. I mean, anything to strike up some charming conversation with him.
...yeah, you can tell there isn't much going on.
9:46 P.M. - ...yeah, still here. Kinda bored.
10:26 P.M. - Yep, still here, still awake, still chattin' up a storm with Antenna.
Hee.
11:55 P.M. - ...uh... yeah... still up...
...yep, I made an animated me. Yay. I'm hawt.
*giggle* You know, I gotta be at work in 5 hours!?
~ 'Sunshine'
...yep, the adorable moi. Hee.
About 20 minutes ago I took this pic of m'self. Figured everyone could use a much better updated me. Yeah, I cut it that short. Or at least it was much shorter earlier this month when I cut it again. On 1 October. Before my birthday.
Man, me as Ralf for Halloween... this is sooo gonna rawk. Really.
And anyway, what self-respecting Roboter wouldn't want to brag about her cute self to the world a little bit?
But... anywho. Back to music and whatnot.
7:12 P.M. - Back here with the latest, as the single edit of "Trans-Europa Express '91" is on.
...well... not a lot going on, actually...
Yeah, I know, I'm a dork.
Anyway, I'm back to being elusive. Yes, I know, it's a bit lame but, anything is better than talking to someone who just wants to talk about nothing and basically be pointless.
On those kinds of people... FUNK DAT!!
Anywho, back to task on hand. Somewhat.
This week my two best friends from the Choir are hemming my gray pair of pants for Halloween, since they're gosh-awful long. And since good ol' Wal*Mart didn't have anything smaller than a freckin' Size 4, of course the pants fit well on the butt. Unfortunately, they also need a desperate hem-job. So, dear Steffi's gonna double-hem the pants for me, thank God! Plus, she knows what she's doing, unlike myself, who prefers hemming by stapling.
Yeah, it's a bit lame-o on my part, but I can't hem to save my life.
A bit pathetic, but that's the truth, and that's life for y'all.
I think that, this week I'll stop in at Hot Topic and see if they have plain black ties. That way, I've got a plain black tie and I could probably put ten red paint dots on it [to represent the 10 light diodes on the Mensch-Maschinen ties] after it's tied so I don't have to untie and retie for Halloween and whatnot. At the moment all I've got is a boys' clip-on tie, as I can't really tie a tie real well, and plus a boys' tie isn't too big but, hell-ooo!!
7:33 P.M. - "Funk Dat" is on, and Antenna and I are in a chat-happy state of mind!! Yay!!
*LMFAO* Sorry but, "Funk Dat" is just one of the most amusing songs I've ever heard. Makes me laugh every single time.
7:50 P.M. - At the moment Antenna and I are going through the usual file exchange, the side-switching of music for our Kraft-happy enjoyment. Annnnddd, he sent me the pic of him as a Mensch-Maschine too!! *giggle-happy*
7:57 P.M. - "Pretty in Pink" is on, and I'm still giggle-happy over Antenna as a Mensch-Maschine. No, really. He's quite adorable!! What!?
8:25 P.M. - Listening to the soundcheck for "Flying Through the Clouds" by, surprisingly, Kraftwerk. Antenna caught a good soundcheck right there. I absolutely LOVE this song already. Just something so... I don't know... block-rocking about the song. Simple, nothing elaborate, just one helluva cool track. It's amazing to think that the Roboter could think up something so freckin' awesome...
No, really, you have NO idea how cool it really, really is. It's just... damn. You just don't know. You'd have to hear it yourself, basically. I'll get around to posting it one of these days, I promise. It'll have to be featured in the next Kraftwerk Korner, that's for sure.
...yes, I finished hearing that song [8:33 P.M. now, "Hey Sandy" about to end], and it DEFINITELY deserves to be on the next Kraftwerk Korner. End of.
Trust me, your ears will be thrilled to hear it.
8:46 P.M. - I just went through listening to about 3 different mixes of my all-time favorite Killing Joke track: "Adorations." Ace stuff right there.
So anywho, life is kinda quiet here in the Underground. Not a lot going on, not a lot of people either. It must be a Thursday night.
*glancing around the Underground...*
...yep, it must be a Thursday night.
9:00 P.M. - You know, I've kinda come to admire Antenna. He and I might not talk much, but we love Kraftwerk. Oh, to have met him in the days he played with his Minimoog that he had. Oh, to have heard him play "Autobahn" on his Minimoog and Farfisa Organ.
Man, that would've been AWESOMENESS!!
But, seriously... I mean, we're just friends. And we both love Kraftwerk. What are the odds that there could actually be something developing from there?
Worst bit is, he's all the way in New York.
Ah well, at least he's doing alright, I suppose. And, he's a good person to talk to. And, I swear, his Ralf and Florian impersonations are just hysterical.
9:15 P.M. - ...meh, gettin' exhausted but, it's worth the lack of sleep, really. I mean, anything to strike up some charming conversation with him.
...yeah, you can tell there isn't much going on.
9:46 P.M. - ...yeah, still here. Kinda bored.
10:26 P.M. - Yep, still here, still awake, still chattin' up a storm with Antenna.
Hee.
11:55 P.M. - ...uh... yeah... still up...
...yep, I made an animated me. Yay. I'm hawt.
*giggle* You know, I gotta be at work in 5 hours!?
~ 'Sunshine'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)