Hello, is there anyone in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anybody home?

[blamethewizard]

Hello, lovely people. Is anyone still out there? I've been away so long...I've missed you all!!

To give a rundown of the last few months would be ridiculous  suffice to say that for a while there I was working about 65 hours a week at 2 jobs, fighting with a round of my superawesome anxiety-ridden depression and being busy trying to help with a few people in my life who have been dealing with health problems.

I've since quit my part-time pizza job which...might leave me job-free since my temp contract at the company I've been working at full-time is ending this week, but it really wasn't a job that was physically very good for me nor very worth the money they were paying me. Plus, having quit that I had more energy to put into the full-time job, which increased my productivity and helped me earn a recommendation from my superiors which will be really helpful while I start to look for new temp work and a permanent job.

Foodservice jobs are fantastic for accumulating some really cool stories, bros, but I have way too many stories for someone my age anyway.

I know this is out of date like bad milk, but it was recently Independence Day around here, and it being the favorite holiday of myself and one of my best friends here, I did attend some of the awesome celebrations that mark the occasion around these parts. Yes, I know we're a country fraught with mistakes in our current events and history, but the holiday is still a Really Big Deal around here and the mood is just infectious. Plus, it's hard not to appreciate things when I am standing, watching some of the best fireworks displays in the world, surrounded by people speaking at least 10 different languages mixed with 15h (or so) generation Americans like me, all pressed up close together like matchsticks and just damn excited to be where we are.

To give you an idea of how seriously everyone takes this holiday around here, I have this craptastic photo:

 

That thing between the trees is a speaker; they are placed every 50 feet or so along the river and they transmit the music being played by the Pops at the Hatch Shell on the other side. There is a concert that starts about 2 hours before the main event and the fireworks are coordinated to music so they are very important. Back in the day (I mean about 20 years ago) when I first started going to this event as a kid, everyone just used to bring portable stereos. Anyway,

 

A view of the river, with some of the boats that all gather to watch the display. They're all in place by mid-day and it's an all day event for everyone!
 

Closer to the event, with all the people walking to and fro over one of the bridges. It was a nice sunset that day!!
 

Another sunset view; I need to work on getting a better quality camera and the skills to capture stuff like this

are some more photos from that evening, if you're interested.

So, I've had an interesting few weeks. And by interesting I mean crazy. More importantly, HOW ARE YOU ALL? I've been a terrrrrible LJ-friend and I apologize for that. I've missed you all and Merlin fandom in general so I hope everything is going well. I'll do my best to catch up with flist, but YOUR STORIES, I WANT THEM, for those of you still with me here :)


✌ ♥ ☺

Comments

[funwithjinx.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! \o/ Gurl, I think I'm going through the same kinda depression as you. Sucks. I hope we can both pull through this. ♥

You 4th looked awwwesome! I spent it on a ranch in Fort Worth/Dallas (I forget which), and it was alright. Lots of people I didn't know, but the donkies were cute!

[dianadisaster.livejournal.com]

welcome back, bb!

[norwegianblue47.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about you, actually. Sorry the job(s) are/were crazy. Best of luck with that. Things do seem to be picking up a bit. A lot, actually most, of people I know around here who were looking for jobs have gotten one recently.

Anxiety-depression thing...so, you actually are like crazy stalker person and just putting up a bunch of ways that make your life mirror mine, yes? :P

If you can believe it, I've never been to the hatch shell for fourth of July, though. I guess your pictures prove that you weren't where I was on July 4th. I hang out with a bunch of homebodies, lol. I did go to Plymouth though, for their thing, and that was pretty awesome. They did the 1812 overture cannon thing, too.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Jobs are scarce these days. I've never been to the Shell when I lived near Boston. I guess since you live near a place, you tend to think you'll visit it someday. I just went to Coney Island for the first time and I've lived near NYC forever.

[seneska.livejournal.com]

Hey you. I'm glad things are settling down for you. It sounds like you needed a rest very badly.

xx

[http://users.livejournal.com/_autumncolours/]

hai girl haaaaai :)

Those sunset photos are BEAUTIFUL.

I really hope the job front all works out for you. Job hunting is an absolute nightmare, urgh urgh. Hope life calms down a bit and you can be back around here a bit more! :)

[cathsith.livejournal.com]

Hey, I was there, too! Except I was in the Oval, which means great seats for the concert, but I've only seen the fireworks really well a few times. (This was my 28th year at the Esplanade. Yay for holiday traditions!) I actually keep meaning to post my 4th round-up too.

Also, loads of sympathy on the depression-anxiety front (so been there) and the job-hunting front. I was job hunting during the summer, and it's a tough market. *crosses fingers for you*