!OOD YBOOCS

| Now Playing: Getaway Car by Taylor Swift |

We were jet set Bonnie and Clyde

Until I switched to the other side

The other side

It’s no surprise I turned you in

‘Cause us traitors never win

I’m in a getaway car

I left you in the motel bar

Put the money in the bag

And I stole the keys

That was the last time you ever saw me

Driving the getaway car

We were flying but we never get far

Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery

Think about the place where you first met me

Riding in a getaway car

We were flying but we never get far

Should’ve known I’d be the first to leave

Think about the place where you first met me

I’m a getaway car 

No they never get far

No nothing good starts in a getaway car

I was riding in a getaway car

I was crying in a getaway car

I was dying in a getaway car

Said goodbye in a getaway car

_________________________________________________

What a week or so it’s been since my last blog.  You’d think things would sort of calm down after a tornado almost touched down in the area but no. That’s what happened the day after the last blog, and the day my boyfriend started his new teaching job. Luckily it sort of missed us Monday and we didn’t really have any sort of damage immediately close to us, but it was really scary. And because the universe is absolutely, let’s say incredible, when I was on lockdown at work during the whole tornado warning scare, I got a call from Petsmart for an interview, after only sending in the application like right after I posted the last blog, the night before the tornado lockdown. 

I had a short little phone interview with them and we set up an in person interview for Tuesday. We just so happened to have plans to hang out with Chelsea and Careese a little after work so that was going to be a time crunch supreme, but I was willing to make it work since there’s still no guarantee that my current position at work is going to keep me from losing full-time status. So I went on the interview, it went super well and I left that first interview thinking I’d be shocked if I didn’t get the job. Then Friday I had the second part of the interview, since they said they normally need two people to do the interview and they couldn’t do that just simply because of when I could interview aka after work, and that interview left a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Firstly, the guy who interviewed me Friday was talking about a different job title than the girl who interviewed me Tuesday, so I was hella confused. But the hours he was telling me, even going against what she had told me, we’re just not going to work, so I felt a little bummed but honestly wrote it off as a loss. 

So then Pride happened, and let me tell you what I let down that was. I was getting even more excited about it because a drag queen I love, Biqtch Puddin, was there and I would have love to have met her and possibly gotten a picture, but that wasn’t in the cards. But it was just a giant clusterfuck in my opinion and it wasn’t really fun? I’m glad I went because I guess now I know, but at least I got a pride flag out of it? Maybe my boyfriend and I can try to go to DC Pride or something, just to see something a little more upscale that would be more fun or something. Who knows, it just sucks that Pride was meh. Then we went to this show called Outburst that was all like little gay SNL skits and it was hilarious. We had a really good time at that, so it sort of made up for just how lackluster Pride was. And we started Season 2 of Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated the weekend of Pride because we’ve both been missing it and it’s so damn good. I really wish each season wasn’t 50 bucks on iTunes because I really would like to buy them. They low-key trigger inspiration in me to write, I guess because of the mystery side of the show, and I really enjoy it. But alas, we have our ways of watching it. Plus, because we’ve been watching it in other ways, sometimes the video is mirrored so all of the text is backwards and it’s become a thing for us to say the opening credits where the name the characters backwards, which is where the title of the blog comes from haha. We’ve been randomly saying Ood Ybooocs (That’s pronounced ewd-ya-boo-ks in case you were wondering) which is Scooby Doo backwards haha, for the past week so that’s been a lot of fun.  

You know what wasn’t fun? The fact that he got into a car wreck on Thursday. I was already at work and he was on his way and I got a text from him saying that he t-boned a car and I started to freak out. I mean, clearly he was okay enough to text me, but I was still really worried about what was going on. I ended up leaving work because honestly I don’t think I would have been able to focus on work unless I saw for myself that he was okay. And poor Carlos, his car, were not sure if he’s going to make it or not. I’m just glad he and the other driver are okay. It really hit me that it could have been much much worse and thinking about that was fucking with me because I don’t know how I would respond or deal with that type of situation. I love him so much and the thought of not being able to really messed with me. But he is okay, and he’s got a rental car for the time being while they figure out whether or not his car is salvageable or not, so it’s all good but it was still really scary.

And then comes the biggest change, or about to be the biggest change. Remember how I was talking about interviewing with Petsmart? Well, after that second interview, I wasn’t really feeling the best about it, so I decided to look up open positions at other stores where I work and see if they had any department manager positions open. Two stores did, and I started calling and calling and calling and calling and finally, I got ahold of one that had a position open pretty close by. It happened really fast. I was talking to them about the open DM position on Tuesday, had an interview during lunch on Wednesday, and I left being told I got the position! So then Thursday I told my manager about it, and then I ended up leaving because of his car wreck, so it’s been sort of hectic and everything. But I even worked there yesterday, me and my DM now, went over to help them out, just running freight and I got to meet the store manager and she’s super nice, so it gives me hope. I have an official start date of October 13th at the new store and I can’t wait! I’m so glad to be back to department manager and more stable hours and NOT having people in my department complaining that I’m not closing like I had to deal with today...but whatever, I’m excited about being back to what I enjoy being. 

Last night, my boyfriend and I had dinner with his cousin and his cousin’s girlfriend, and that was fun. We went to Cooper’s Hawk, and this was the first time we went without doing the wine tasting with it, but at least we had time to eat. The only thing I don’t like about Cooper’s Hawk is just how loud it is. They’re always so packed because the food and wine is so damn good that literally everyone won’t shut the hell up. We had this gaggle of young girls begins us last night and I was over it. But meeting them was really nice, we had a good time. And then there’s today, which I’m already slightly irritable at the fact that I’m working on a Saturday when I don’t feel like there’s any need for me to be here because of how many people are on the schedule, but also everyone in my department is making me mad one way or another. I think it’s time for lunch haha. I’m just ready to be at the other store so I can start managing myself and not have to worry about coordinating lunches or worry about leaving the department unmanned. Literally let’s hurry up and get to October 13th. 

And I know that I’ve already had Getaway Car in the NP during reputation’s release, but it’s been flying in and out of my head ever since I changed my lock screen to a pretty landscape with some lyrics from the song on it. Oh, another thing that happened was I ordered a printed copy of my Grey’s Anatomy x Teen Wolf fanfiction tentatively titled Stiles’ Anatomy and I got it Monday haha. I’ve been going back and reading it because it’s basically like watching Grey’s Anatomy but with Stiles and Derek and a bitch is into that. 

Until next time,

— Justin

Everything You Want Is On The Other Side Of Fear

| Now Playing: Honestly (Encore) by Gabbie Hanna |

Cross my heart and hope to die

You never cross my fucking mind

Do you know what your little lies

Do you know what I had to fight through

Nothing that you say is mildly true

Spit deceit through shifty smiles

Two faces you’ve had for a while

You act like such a fucking child

Who are you now, you’re so hostile

To me I’m feeling homicidal

You better run and try to hide

Oh I was living in denial

Through all this time you had my riled up

All this shit has finally piled up

There’s no chance of reconciling us

With the falsehoods I’ve been filling away

For months you made these stories up

Sick from the untruths you’re throwing up

Had me thinking I was crazy but

Turns out I’m your favorite thing to discuss

You keep on talking, shut up

You keep rubbing salt into the cut

Broke the cycle, need to reconstruct 

You’re no good for me, I’m giving up

Baby you’re a loser and I’m 

Ashamed to say I ever knew ya

A user taking all of give ya

I swear to God I’ll never miss ya

Swear to God I haven’t missed ya

God I hope I never miss ya

______________________________________________________________

It’s been a little bit, clearly. But there’s just been a lot going on and I haven’t really felt like blogging or writing anything down and things of that nature, hence the reclusive approach to content. And honestly, the song in the NP, I can not. It’s so damn good, I’ve been listening to it pretty much non-stop since I found out that Gabbie released her two new songs. Her music is just hella fire, so just praise the Hanna brand. 

So work. Oh, has work been a crazy time. Remember how I mentioned that they basically just wanted me out of OGP? Well, that happened. Of course, this happened after I was trying to work things out scheduling wise with my assistant manager and my fellow DM. But after talking to the co-manager and hearing that “the store manager has the last day”, my fate was pretty much sealed. They didn’t, and don’t, care that I have a life outside of work, that work is not my entire life and that I can’t dedicate said life to serving said work like they so clearly want me to. So they gave me a choice: work in Hardware or work in Lawn & Garden...as a sales associate. What really pisses me off about that is the fact that I have busted my ass for the last 2+ years being a department head, working hard on being a better manager, learning all I can, and I’ve come so far in the past couple years being in a manager position. So having that taken away from me felt cheap and unsympathetic. They simply do not care about me at this store, and while that’s very disheartening, it hasn’t been ruining my efforts to better myself. In fact, I’d say it’s the main reason I’ve been on such a kick of trying to better myself. Working in Lawn & Garden hasn’t been bad. Frustrating, sure, but it’s good work and I’m basically making what I was as a department manager so the money isn’t the issue. Also, they haven’t given me a schedule, as in put me on the damn thing, so I’ve pretty much been making up my hours as I go. 

Speaking of bettering myself, I finally buckled down and asked myself, “What do I really want to do?” It’s a question I of course already know the answer to: write. But the bigger question was “how do I make that happen on a bigger scale than I’m currently residing?” So, after feeling out into the universe for guidance and talking things over with my boyfriend, I decided that it was time to start constructing a query letter to send to literary agents. My absolute main goal is to be writing full-time, and to make decent and honest money off of that. And the first step in a publishing house possibly printing my book is getting a literary agent. So, after literally about ten days of second guessing myself and trying to find my own voice for the query letter while still following the protocol, I finished it on the 13th and sent it to an agency that I really think would be a great fit. I’m not expecting to strike oil my first time digging for it, but I’m super proud of myself for letting go of the fear of getting what I want, and really pushing myself to know I’m worthy enough to have it. 

Other than that, it’s just been hanging out here at the house and enjoying my new favorite program, The Allen & Arline Show (If you’re reading this, Allen, I’m kidding and I love you haha). But seriously, things have been fairly relaxing here at home. We’ve hung out with friends here and there, from watching Chelsea play video games and trying fake meat for the first time to going and seeing a show of Dracula that Careese was a part of. We did that on our 8 monthaversary, and it was really good to enjoy amazing food and drinks and see a great show to celebrate us being together for 8 months. Being here with him, and spending the past 8 months together, has taught me so much and has brought me some of the best moments and biggest laughs of my life. Work might be slightly off kilter at the moment, but having this beautiful man to come home to, to ease my fears when I doubt myself, to wake up to in the morning, it’s truly the greatest gift I could have ever received, and I can’t wait to see where the next 8 months take us because there’s nothing more I want than to come back here 8, 16, 32 months from now and still be expressing how grateful I am to have met the person I truly feel like I’ve been waiting for all these years. (If you’re reading this still, Allen, just saying it would be great to get a kiss from you after you read this 💙)

We’ve also been watching some amazing content lately. He introduced me to This Might Get with Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart, and I’m hooked. We watched and finished the first season of Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated that actually had an incredible storyline and hands down the best adaptation of the original series. He’s gotten me to watch movies I’ve always wanted to see, among them being Tangled and Pretty Woman. We finally finished Crazy Ex-Girlfriend so now I’m caught up and literally shaking for Season 4 to arrive. And most recently, he started and then got me hooked on The Bold Type, we just finished the last episode of Season 2 tonight. It’s really good, but sometimes the characters and the writing frustrates me to NO END, but I guess at least it’s a show that starts a lot of conversation. It still pisses me off a lot though 😂. Big Brother is coming to a close, and I’m fucking pissed that Haleigh isn’t in the house anymore. She became my main houseguest to win, so now I’m really only watching to see how it plays out and who wins, but whatever. Fall TV is coming back, so American Horror Story and How To Get Away With Murder are gonna be on the agenda over the next few weeks. 

Yet another segue, speaking of agendas, Next on it over the course of the next week or so is I want to do some more writing, on a more consistent basis. I want to put out my query letter to a few more literary agencies, just to have my bases covered. And Richmond Pride is this weekend! So I’m sure we’ll have quite a time with that when it hits Saturday. Speaking of hits, I’m super surprised but grateful that Hurricane Florence didn’t impact us, even though it’s caused catastrophe in other areas. Hopefully the weather will calm down enough just in time for Pride. Also, just a general shout out to Atomic Blonde, literally of all movies, for the title of this blog. It really struck a cord with me and I’m adapting it as my new motto until further notice. Oh, and I bought a pair of Converse because I need nicer, more solid shoes, and their super fucking cute so #fashionicon.