I'm nothing

So Wednesday I found myself hanging out at the DMV. Its the type of thing you do when you're unemployed. Actually I lost my license a couple of months back and bartenders and bouncers haven't always been comfortable in accepting my passport card. Honestly that's the main reason I decided to get a replacement. I always get semi confused as to where to actually start the process of waiting to be attended here and Wednesday was no different. Don't know if I need to get a number first or if I should start where the big sign that said "START HERE"  was at. Yes that would be the obvious place to start but I didnt know if I just went up to the counter or if there was a number I needed to get before I walked up to the counter, or if there is a line just to get to the "start here" counter. I of course decide to just go to the back of a line hoping that that would be the correct line to start-whether it would lead me to get a number or to the start here counter. Sometimes my social anxiety kicks in and I just decide I'm going to follow the crowd even if it costs me an extra hour of waiting. I don't want to be like Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom when he's dropping off his kids at school and he's doing it wrong. I don't need the stress of being singled out for doing something wrong that the majority of America seems to be able to handle with ease. So I figure if I just stood in this line and followed the crowd, it wouldn't be so bad if by the time i got to the front, it'd turned out I was in the wrong line. That to me would be better than having to ask somebody or mistakenly cut a line and go straight to the counter where the "start here" sign was. Hey that's just how I roll. This was one of those times when I picked the right line. How did I pick it? I decided to go to the longest line which was actually going past the door and into the parkinglot. Normally most people with full time jobs wouldn't have this option since they have jobs to get to, but since I had no other plans but to hit the gym later, I wasn't exactly in a hurry. Plus I had my earphones and music so it was just another place I got to hang out and listen to it. Other than bars I usually end up taking my earphones everywhere. Anyways I was listening to some Murs when a phone call came. It came from an unknown ID so I naturally ignored it. They left a voicemail. I check it and it turns out it was from some company who found my resume on an online website. Having nothing but time, and figuring it wouldnt lead to anything anyways, I decide to call them while I was waiting in line. Turned out to be a good thing. After speaking with the company's recruiter for about 20 minutes (and barely getting anywhere in line), she surprises me by asking if I want to come in for an in person interview. Turns out the place is located in a section of LA called Santa Fe Springs and she wants to know if I can make it the next morning. She begins to check where I'm at and I quickly let her know that I would be coming from the LAX area. Figured Wes wouldn't mind me sleeping on the couch.

The company is a construction supply company with about half a million products. I show up thinking I'd be there for about an hour, go check out a Magic Johnson 24 hr fitness and head on back to San Diego. It turned out better than I expected- I actually  ended up interviewing with 5 different people and staying there for 5 hours. I was tested on a few things and the 5 different people somehow managed to ask the same questions in a slightly different way. They were pretty much interested on why I left my previous job, was I ok with a non management position, and if I was one of those employees that was bitter towards their former employer. I was pretty much on I had an answer for all their questions (which Brian and me decided is an integral part of a successful job interview, haha) and everything went extremely well. I know it did because I hardly ever say that about any interview. I usually come off as either A) an asshole who thinks the company he is applying for is beneath him, or B) a bumbling dweeb that had no business being in the position he was previously in. Usually no middle ground. Until Thursday. About the only thing I can say went wrong is when they tested me on my Spanish WRITING. I can understand it, speak it, and read it. But write it? That's what online English to Spanish translators are for. I'm sure that part of the testing ended up looking like I had not quite completed the first season of Dora the Explorer. The 3rd person I interviewed with said not to worry about that part so much. The reason for that is because a major part of their business comes from Mexico. Anyways One of the supervisors that interviewed me saw me still waiting and implied everything was going extremely well if I was gonna be meeting with the last person I was to speak with. So hopefully this ends well and I can finally stop living off the State of California. I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine and he told me to start packing. Fuck that I ain't trying to jinx it. plus we didn't talk benefits, salary or anything like that and while the final person told me that they would be highly competitive with my previous salary, I still need to see what they mean by that.

Anyways after the interview grind, and having been there for longer than expected, I decided I might as well just stay an extra day, see what the remains of the day brought. My brother had gone off to band practice and I had planned to meet up, but it was being held in hollywood or parts somewhere around there and I wasnt feeling the drive out from where I was at. I decided to keep with my plans and hit up an LA Magic Johnson 24 hr fitness and check what it was about.  After checking the basketball courts I knew I would not be playing on this day. Something about this will to live makes you sometimes make self preservation type decisions. It was also obvious I had never been here before as it took me a bit to find the treadmill and cardio area. The cardio room is actually located on the third floor and they actually have a nice view of the surrounding area. Well at least you can see the planes land at LAX, and you can monitor your car to make sure no one is about to break into it.

Turtles are faster than tortoises. trust me I'm a diamond club member at the San Diego Zoo

After a gym session, nap, and shower (and an ill advised stop at an AMPM) headed out to check out the phenomena that was turtle racing. There is a bar in LA (not sure quite what part) called Brennans and on Thursday they hold turtle races. For years I have heard of this from everyone I know that lives in LA but had never been witness to it until Thursday. I was expecting like a mini 100 yd dash type of set up where the turtles race in a straight line to a finish line, but its actually that they race from the middle of a circle to the outside of it. People can either rent a turtle to race or I guess bring their own ( don't know if there is steroid testing involved). Prior to each race the people who rented a turtle go to the middle of the circle to place the turtles there. There are two main rules. One, while the race is going on, you're not allowed to point at the turtles. There is a fine involved if you do and the race starts over again. The other involves the placing of the turtles in the middle of the circle. When its ladies that are doing the placing of the turtle down into the middle of the circle, they are not allowed to bend their knees. This vital rule is in place obviously for the male patrons of the establishment. If not done properly, a flag is thrown and the lady has to try it again. I made it out from ordering a drink at the bar (hey it was a special occasion as I had just done extremely well at an interview-don't judge me.) in time to see maybe the 4th or 5th restart of the same race. Again every time someone points at a turtle the race starts over again. I guess everyone should experience a turtle race once. But on Thursday the company was much better, so I quickly lost interest. The actual bar is pretty decent, other than the terrible band that was playing ( " Sugar Ray? really?"), which I believe they hire to purposely make the crowd head outside to watch the races. 

I would like to take time to thank the old man who was carrying a license plate with him, for his part in providing the truth behind the stereotype of notoriously long waits at the DMV and to those who took part in the intervention of my late night Denny's southern omelette addiction.

This is L.E.G.A.C.Y.'s track, I'm Nothing. Trying to stay humble in hopes of a job offer next week.