Howdy -

It's that time again folks, where all the nerds flock to Baltimore City for a good ol' weekend of freaking out the rest of the population. Otakon 2009 will take over the Baltimore Convention Center again this year, but this time... they will also be able to make use of the newly built Inner Harbor Hilton Hotel. It's bound to be a blast as always for sure. I'm a bit concerned because the last time they held a con in July, attendance was lower then ever, but this year it's earlier then it has been in atleast 7 years. So, hopefully that won't be an issue.

I went by the Convention Center the other day, just for nostalgia's sake and things are looking pretty much the same. At the moment, It looked like they were doing some roofing work on the patio area...  not sure if that will be cleaned up by next week or not, but lets hope so. Regardless, I'm psyched.

My original plan this year was to work on a cosplay of Arthas Menethil, the Lich King from World of Warcraft. However, a close friend told me he was thinking of cosplaying the same thing... >_< So, in the end I didn't even start that cosplay and I shifted to a few other things. At one point I was considering a cosplay of Chris Redfield from Resident Evil 5 as well, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it will probably be over done this year.

So... months pass, no real other ideas came to me yanno... so here I am a week before the con and it seems I'll be dusting off my Aizen Costume from last year again. Not such a big deal, but I hadn't wanted to do the costume again since it was captain garb vs. his current Hueco Mundo clothes that I have. I think the only saving grace is the fact that the friend who told me he'd be going as Arthas in the end, decided to go as Ichigo Kurosaki... so I'll get to beat him senseless atleast one during the weekend.. ^^

Anyway... before I keep going, I'll stop here. See you all at the Con!

Howdy -

Just figured I'd take a moment to blog regarding a few things. Yes, Myspace has FINALLY been updated. In all the years I've had this, I've never made any major changes to it the way I have the last few days. Full new layout/design, new information and tons of new pictures.

I've decided now that I have a decent camera on my hip at all times, I'm gonna try and snap off a few photos everytime I see something cool, or go some place. That way my photos never get too far out of date like they have been. Images put up may not be of the highest quality, but they will be current at least. I'm also learning to take more photos then what I intend to use, that way if one or two don't turn out so well, I'll have plenty of fodder left.

Hopefully these little changes will be enough to keep things up to date. But I guess only time will tell. Also, if you're interested in what's on my mind, check my youtube profile, I'll be posting vblogs there regularly and hopefully soon I can figure out some of this Music video stuff and get that up there.

[Note: Let this serve as a warning… this is just a random ramble of thoughts that I can't seem to shake from my mind. Read if you want, but it's really just the never ending Filler for my life. =P]

 

 

It's been a long time since I first made this page; I've changed a lot in the last few years… Grown up a little I guess, it had to happen sooner or later right? For those of you who know me, don't worry I'm still a total Anime and Video game nerd… but I'm trying to not let that be all of my life. I guess as we all get older we all think about what were going to be known for when were gone, as those thoughts fall to me I'm not sure what mark I'll leave on this world.

 

These days, it's hard not to be absorbed by the monotony of the capitalist lifestyle. Where everything revolves around the almighty dollar and everyone wants to take every dollar that you ever get. It's truly hard not to fall into those traps, and it makes me feel that it shouldn't be so hard just to live. To make something of yourself in this world requires more then hard work and dedication. It requires Ambition, Ambition to go out and make something from nothing… that is how people leave their marks on this world.

 

So, I'm still trying to find out where my goals should be… where are my ambitions? What do I want to accomplish before I die? Do I want to go somewhere in the world? The more I think on it, the more I feel that I just want to live my life out… I don't have the dreams and goals normal people set for themselves in order to give their life meaning, and because of this I wander through life with no clear objective.

 

Gonna end this here cause I have no real reason to continue… I'm tired and just rambling anyway.

Okay, so... as of today I had finished my first week of work with Comcast. However, to be quite honest it hasn't been too tough so far. Really this past week has been an introduction to the company and a detailed explaination of why they hired me. (along with 30+ other employees)

My training is going to be pretty detailed... I can see that already and we just touched the tip of that iceberg in today's(monday) Class. I suspect by the end of all this I'll probably be able to test for Microsoft Net+ Certification.... that's how lengthy a curriculum is set up for me. ^_^;

None the less, it all looks pretty fun and interesting. The teacher I got is absolutly hillarious so classes seem to go by pretty quickly. Also, any of you who are looking for a job, APPLY AT COMCAST.COM.

I can't stress that enough, and no it's not because I'm lonely... They hired 30+ People along with me, and two days later they had another class of atleast 30 come in also. They are hiring like mad, the instructor even said that they have been hiring like this since april. With all the benefits they give, I seriously think Comcast is going to be an AWESOME company to work for.

OMFGLMAO, This is the horrible horrible truth about staples... Aside from maybe the indiana jones stuff... Unfortunetly our staples is too poor to run Indiana Jones 24/7.

Anyway, Kudos for this Gem. -



Kind of long but worth it and so true
-- The Unofficial Guide to Working at Staples --
Update 7 October 2005 by Amazing Ben


As some of you may already know, I took on a second job recently working at Staples in order to make some extra cash because I'm broke as hell. While I'm certain that all of you are painfully envious of my twelve-hour days and the tons of money an extra seven dollars an hour helps me rake in, you are no doubt wondering, "how's that job going? Is it something that I would be able to hack, or should I just boil myself in acid instead?" Well honestly, it's not that bad. I'm sure it has the potential to be one of the shittiest jobs ever performed by humans, but I've found that pretty much anyone (even you) can sleepwalk their way through a six-hour shift at Staples if they know all the ins and outs of the business. Well this week, I plan on sharing with you some of the exciting and interesting things I've learned in the last month so that in the rare event you end up getting a job at Staples you'll be completely prepared for anything that might come your way. I'm just good like that.

Indiana Jones and the Break Room of Death

The first thing you'll inevitably notice when you arrive at my Staples is that the Indiana Jones theme is constantly emanating from the employee break room. This is because for some strange reason Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade is playing on a continuous loop on the break room TV, and has been for the entire month that I've worked there (with no sign of stopping). I'm not sure whether this is a technical malfunction where the tape has permanently grafted itself inside the VCR or if Staples employees just can't get enough of Harrison Ford, but I promise you that at any given point in time somebody is sitting in a darkened break room intently watching a grizzled guy in a hat and leather jacket beat Nazi officers up with a whip. It's uncanny. I half expect to show up one morning at 4am and find the overnight stock guys sitting back there laughing at Sean Connery's jokes and eating nachos.

While this may prove to be irritating for some, I find that whenever the job starts to get the better of me I can just go into the back for about five minutes before I hear the Indiana Jones theme and get all pumped up to go back out onto the sales floor, outrun giant boulders, somersault over spiked pits and show our esteemed customers the difference between their face and a box of Tic-Tacs.



Indy whips the ass of low prices.



Know the Best Places to Hide from Customers

A true key to success and happiness as a retail employee is knowing where the best places are to hide from the customers. Working the late shift at Staples can be a refreshing and enjoyable experience, but it can easily be ruined by one meathead customer incapable of looking at the giant red sign hanging from the ceiling that says, "Pencils Are Here, Fucktard" and comprehending what it says. Dealing with customers, while in theory is our "..1 Priority", is also the ..1 cause of employee resignation/termination and subsequent customer strangulation death. In order to get through a shift with your sanity intact, it's important to know the best places to station yourself to avoid dealing with the general populace.

The Middle Aisles:

Positioning yourself in the middle aisles is a good tactic because you remain visible to members of management but can also avoid talking to many people. This is because the middle part of the store has all the aisles that nobody would want to go down unless they were lost or really really intent on getting enough bubble wrap to put the entire city of Medford inside a protective casing. All kinds of useless crap can be found on the "dead aisles", from cash register tape and restroom signs to ten year old boxes of pretzels and thermonuclear warheads. Basically, it's all the shit that you probably didn't even know you could buy at Staples, and as long as you hang out there nobody will accidentally bump into you and ask you where something is. In fact, you'll be pretty much set as long as you manage to avoid the pencil, pen, notebook and binder aisles.
The Back of the Store

A lot of people think that they're the most important people in the world and they've got a busy schedule of "sitting on their asses doing nothing" to get back to, so the second they sprint into the building they'll yell at you and try to find out where the Day Planners are, and you better answer or they'll give you a running clothesline on their way past and email the manager about how much you suck the next time they're dicking off at work. The best way to shield yourself from these pretentious self-important cockmeisters is to avoid spending time at the front of the store. Let them hassle the cashiers; I've got better shit to do, like watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

It's important to note that by "back of the store", I actually mean "the stock room". You can disappear back by the cardboard box baler or slip into the secret passages of the neighboring mall and nobody will think the better of it. Even better, the in-store PA doesn't work back there, so when the manager comes over the intercom saying shit like, "Ben Thompson, get your fucking ass to the front of the store so you can help this old lady pack fifteen full-size bookcases into her Mini Coop", you can always just be like, "oh, I was in the stock room. I didn't hear the announcement." If you can manage to slip into the manager's office and close the door, you don't have to worry about anyone other than the manager being able to get in there and find your hiding spot. You can even monitor the closed-circuit TV to find out what the manager is doing and make sure you get out of there before he comes back and finds out what's going on. It's all a delicate tapestry of teamwork.
On a Ladder

At Staples we have these bitchin' ladders on wheels the we use to throw boxes in the overhead. This is a very useful contraption, but usually not for the reasons management feels that it's necessary. First off, people are complete fucking idiots and are almost never able to find you when you climb the ladder. All you have to do is roll it onto one of the middle aisles, climb up and start opening the boxes on the top shelf. Nobody really has any idea what you're doing, but you sure as hell look busy. As an extra bonus, if you carry a piece of paper with stuff written on it nearby nobody will be able to tell that you're looking down low-cut women's shirts and not actually taking inventory! Everyone wins!




The most useful piece of equipment ever.



The Midstock Is Your Friend

As a Staples Office Supply Type Person, I am sometimes tasked with putting items back where they belong. Now for many, this is an arduous and time-consuming task, since there are probably about eight jillion different types of pens and you can stand in the pen aisle for eight years and still not find the exact rack the pack in your hand belongs on. Well, there's a way to half-ass that as well.

You see, at Staples we have this great thing called "midstock". It was originally conceived back in 1849 by Reginald R. Midstock as a place to put things that had already been pulled out of their boxes but didn't fit on the shelf. He created a special place just above the racks that acted as sort of a dump-bin for this sort of thing. While it was a noble idea, it is also the sort of thing that a lazy bastard like myself can use to their advantage. Imagine the time you would save by just throwing the afore-mentioned pack of pens into the midstock on the pen aisle! Now multiply that by a hundred and you've got the amount of time I save when I empty out the returns cart. I basically just take the thing I'm trying to put back, go to where I think it may as well be, count to about ten and if I haven't found it by then I just toss it up into the midstock. Problem solved! It's just that simple!

The Customer Is Always an Idiot

When people ask you for help finding something, it's important to remember that they are all idiots and even Plato himself wouldn't be able to explain to them that the aisles are numbered left to right with Aisle 1 being on the far left-hand side of the store. If you (for some reason) want to show the customer where something is, you'd better be prepared to walk them to the item, take the item off the shelf, hand it to them and repeat to them what it is they asked you to find. Anything short of this will confuse the customer and cause them to become angry at you or possibly someone else around you for reasons that are impossible to understand.

Also, you will find that customers have no idea what the hell we even sell at Staples Office Supply Store. They will ask for aluminum molding, condoms, copper wire, vehicle-mounted global positioning systems, automatic weapons... you name it. I have found that it's important that you NEVER EVER tell the customer that you don't carry something, because they will become mad at you personally for the shortcomings of the company you work for. They'll get all pissed off and blame you, the fifteen-hour-a-week minimum wage slacker employee, for Staples management's decision to not carry hatchets or giant bottles of Hydrochloric Acid in their stores. Then they'll bitch about it like you have some way of changing the company policy. No, fuckstick, I don't think they're going to listen to me. But as you may have guessed, it's pointless to try and reason with with these belligerent asshats. I've instead found that the best way to deal with the irrational jackasses is to just tell them that whatever they're looking for is on the mysterious "Aisle Thirteen" and then quickly head back to the stock room and/or climb a ladder. Wait there for about ten minutes until the customer discovers there's no such thing as aisle thirteen and leaves the store. Whatever you have to do to avoid them, because being confronted by a customer you've just jerked around is even worse than telling them that your store is completely out of paperclips.



"What do you mean you don't carry firewood?"


Understanding Customers Based on Their Question Words

Unfortunately, sometimes you will have to deal with customers. They'll catch you as you're heading to the time clock to punch out for lunch or as you're looking for the rolling ladder or even as you're sprinting to the back room for a much-needed Indy fix. It's important to properly prepare yourself for dealing with the customer, and the best way to get a feel for what this person is all about is by listening to their opening question word. In my time at Staples so far, I have discovered that there are really only four ways people address you when they need help from you, and each one is used by a distinct type of person. Here they are:

* "Um..."

Oh boy. This person doesn't know what the fuck they're looking for, and you'd better just shut your brain off now because they aren't going to say anything of substance for the next thirty seconds. They'll most likely find the most complex and convoluted way of asking you, "where are the staplers?" you've ever heard.

Customer: "Um... I was looking for this thing, because I have a report due on Tuesday of next week for my boss who is a real jerk but I think it's just because he's going through a tough time right now... she's got family issues. But I'm trying to find one of those things that you can use... well, some people use... to make the papers all, y'know, attachie-like. It's metal? You know what I'm talking about? Like... a metal thing that sticks the report together?".

Ben: A stapler?

Customer: No... I don't think that's what it's called. It's metal. It's an office supply. Attachie-like. Do you know what I mean?

Ben: I think you're talking about a stapler.

Customer: Hm. (Stands there with a blank expression and mouth hanging open)

Ben: Let me show you. (Walks to the staplers) This?

Customer: Oh, perfect! Thanks!


* "Sir?"

This guy's a cock. He's fucking mocking you by calling you "Sir" because in his mind you're about fifteen steps below him on the Phylogenetic Scale. He's only pretending to be polite to you so that you'll give him the information he wants and he can go on with his life of crushing insignificant insects like you under his heel. He's probably going to be a middle-aged rich white man trying to grab a pack of refills for his three hundred dollar fountain pen and doesn't have the time to sift through eight hundred packages of pens to find it when he can just get "the help" to do it for him. You'd better do it too, or you're the asshole, and this guy will make sure you know it.
* "Excuse me..."

Wait and see. This can go one of three ways. It's either an obnoxious asshole teenage bitch getting ready to ask you where the Dickfors are, a cocky pretentious foreign national or a very timid middle aged woman with little to no social skills. Whatever the case may be, you should be on your guard and prepared to listen very intently to what they have to say because they're going to be very difficult to understand. They'll either talk very quietly or unintelligibly and then look expectantly at you to take some sort of action. Be on your guard either way.
* "Hi."
<br> Oh shit. This is going to be a mean-ass bitch with no time for your bullshit. If it's a sharp, commanding "hi", you better believe that this lady knows exactly what she's looking for and won't be satisfied with anything less than something absolutely identical to the image she has in her head. If she's looking for something like a backpack or a filing cabinet - watch out. You're in for a long couple of minutes where you're going to get used to hearing, "No... not like this one. This one has a strap to the front-right. I wanted it to the front-left and about an inch below where this zipper here is. Do you have anything like that?" Ugh. I can feel my testicles shrinking just thinking about it. Let's move on.


Getting the Most Out of Your "Employee Discount"

Staples doesn't give an employee price discount. That's right. You bust your ass there and they're still intent on charging you an 800% mark-up on a pad of paper that cost the company two one-hundredths of a cent to produce. It's the only place I've ever worked (and I've worked a lot of places) that hasn't given me some sort of bonus or benefit for working there. But no matter. There are ways of making your own discount, and I'm going to let the weasel out of the bag and tell you how to get a discount on things that you may or may not actually want.

You see, at Staples we have two types of items. "Floor" items are the ones that stay on the shelves pretty much permanently. "Promo" items are only out there for the short-term, and are generally seasonal-type stuff. Well after the promotional time runs out, the promo items go to a clearance price of about ninety cents. This is generally pretty useless to the standard employee since most promo items sell out before they reach that point, and the only things that are survive to make it to the clearance dump bin are shitty anyways. However, here's a tip to getting good promo items cheap, provided you've got a little bit of patience and even less conscience.

Promo items last until clearance in the event that nobody buys them. The best way to prevent people from buying good stuff is to put it somewhere that they can't see it. So take the eight-piece protractor kit or the scientific calculator and throw it into the bubblewrap overstock or slide it underneath the vending machine in the break room and when all that shit goes on clearance you'll be able to save a shitload of money by buying a cool thing for about 10% of what it would cost otherwise. Employee discount!

Conclusion

Here's something interesting: As I was writing this, my manager called me and asked me if I could come in tonight. When he told me who he was I actually minimized the window I was writing in like I was worried he could see it or something. I'm a loser.

Seriously though, Staples isn't too bad. It's better than food service (which I hated), and if you follow my guidelines you don't really deal with the customers enough for it too overly taxing. I mostly just like to complain about shit that doesn't even really bother me, but you already probably figured that one out for yourself.

Your Life Path Number is 7

Your purpose in life is to find truth and meaning You are very spiritual, and you are interested in the mysteries of life. You are quite analytical and a great thinker. You have many theories and insights. A life of solitude is perfect for you. You need time to think and do things your way. In love, you are quite charming. You attract many with your confidence and wit. While you enjoy being alone, sometimes you take it to an extreme. You can become too isolated, shutting out loved ones and friends. Express yourself a little bit more, and you'll be surprised where it takes you!

Otakon 2006

Sup folks, this is my first time using this bloger thingy... So whatever if it looks like crap. Anyway, since not much has been happening in my life I figured I'd mention a little bit about the last big event in my life, or at least the last most interesting event.

Otakon 2006 was really a great time, while it didn't surpass former Otakons in anyway (at least not for me) it was still one hell of a great time. My friend Aaron from Ohio came out here to Maryland for the con and stayed with me, Deanna's brother JC and Ben. We all crashed for the weekend at my place and carpooled back and forth, it wasn't so bad... in fact it was barely a problem until Sunday when none of us wanted to wake up.

The kon itself was pretty fun aside from having to camp out in front of the Baltimore convention center at five in the morning. It involved a night of no-sleeping and lots of Yu-Gi-Oh card playing. However, one of the coolest things about it all was that we DID get inside VERY early. We were inside the doors just shortly after the place opened and we crashed out in the hallway to rest a bit.

So many people were cosplaying and it was really cool to see all the costumes, I think next year I definitely want to be able to cosplay too. The concept of having people come up to you and ask to take your picture is really an awesome thought if you ask me.

Biggest drag this year however, was the sheer number of people who were there. All of the movie rooms were packed at all times. If you weren't able to get a good seat up front you wouldn't be able to read the subtitles at all and thus you were screwed. As much as I like un-translated anime I would have to say they would have been better off playing it in English in those rooms just so that everyone could understand what was happening.

The game room was awesome as ever but then again, who doesn't want to play Soul Caliber 3 on a 40 some inch plasma TV. The Naruto video games had lost their luster to me this year though... since owning the game and beating it into submission it just didn't seem as cool. I made a very futile attempt to play Halo on team mode, but I got seriously PWN3D... like my team only had 10 kills vs. the other team that got 100. Even worse, only one of them was mine. In my defense though... it was a Halo 2 level that I had never played before soooo...

Anyway, all in all it was a really great time. I'm gonna post a few pics to show off a little of the Kon. We only took about a hundred photos and the resolution of my crappy Kodak digital sucks... next year I wanna have a better camera too!

It's me... self taken photos always suck. However this one is kinda scary.


Gentle Ben, proudly proclaiming that "Tough Guys wear Pink" The saddest part of all this is how many people actually complimented him on the shirt.


Then we have a nice shot of Aaron, I swear this picture looks like something you'd find on the cover of a CD or something. Also a side note, our third group member JC deleted his picture in this series of photos. =P


Here's JC... for some reason everything BUT him blurred in this shot naturally. I think it makes for an awesome picture, even if it was because of my crappy camera.


Tough Guys wear Pink, Aaaand Aparently get goggles snapped on their heads when they fall asleep in a group. LOL


Shadow Clone Jutsu, Uzumaki Naruto Style! Note... one of these clones actually said "Belive It" I must kill...


Hot Ayame and Rikimaru Cosplay, in the three years I've been to Otakon I think this was the first (notable) cosplay of these two.


I really liked the Ayame, she was Awesome!


My friend Wes dressed as the man of steel, posing with a Wonder Woman that I "belive" He met at the Kon.


This dude was a pretty Sweet Seifer, and he looked even cooler when we got him to pose in the dealer's room holding the real Hyperion Gunblade.

Most Impressive Costume... had to be this guy by Far. The PH34R B0T, Watching him trying to walk in that huge box was worth admission in it self. LOL

And here are the other two, crashing again. The worst part of being the guy with the crappy camera is that you usually don't wind up having many pictures of yourself. That holds true this time... I definitly want to Cosplay next year that way I won't have to worry about taking pictures of myself, others will do it for me! =P