Christopher Flagg's Journal

11:09PM - Hello all, long time no post.

Well, I almost made it to final this year but unfortunately it fell through, but in the process it got me thinking of finally updating this thing and communicating to you guys. Well, since I last posted on this thing I have had my share of ups and downs, becoming full time at my job, settling into my life down here in Phoenixville, PA, my younger brother dying April 2006, amongst other things. All in all, I like where I am right now, sharing a 1 bedroom apartment with Dave, having a cool job and able to have some nice stuff, but amongst all, I have independence (other than not knowing how to drive), which I've strove for so long to have. One thing I am looking into getting is a gastric band (aka lapband www.lapband.com) in order to lose a little bit of this weight and get rid of my diabetes and all this other health crap. Don't know if it will be able to happen after all is said and done but I am going to an information session on it on January 17, 2008. On a side note, I have just recently found out there is a runor floating around the Mansfield area claiming that I have slept with Jordan, which as much as I value her as a good friend I have not had sexual relations with that woman , but in all seriousness, I am still a virgin as I am still waiting for the right one to come my way, but it is not very high on my list of priorities at this moment. Right now I want to enjoy life as much as I can (and I'm on the right anti-depressents to prove it ;) ) and make sure I can still do so years from now. Anyways, it's 11:00pm and I need to get up for work in the morning so I will let you all go with the hope that all your lives are going well and whomever went to final had a good time with it and my apologies for not being able to make an appearence.

Current mood: contemplative

Current music: Gary Numan - Tracks

5:58PM - crisis averted for now

Well, turns out my soon to be boss is a godsend, he's letting me push back starting till Tuesday. He actually offered to let me push it back another week but I said I'd rather play it by ear cause I want to start as soon as I can. He understands what I'm going through, which is definitely good. One thing's for sure, after all this guy's going through for me, he's sure got one loyal employee behind him.

Current mood: relieved

4:56PM - I'm in a bit of a bind right now....

Well, today was supposed to be the day I move in, so logic would dictate this would be the day everything would turn to shit. Well, even though for the last couple of weeks I told grandma how much I needed and my checking account and routing number, the money hasn't shown up in my account, so I talk dad into talking to her and he calls me back and tells me that the transfer had been made, checked all night and morning, nothing, called PSECU (my bank), they said they received no such instructions for a transfer, called grandma's trust officer down at NBT Bank, I found out that he mailed me a check Monday and should've gotten it by now, which I haven't, he recited the address grandma gave him, he had down Heise ONE instead of Heise RUN and it was the old RR number (which they should still deliver to at least for a little while longer) and he tried to call me but she gave them my number with the old area code (717, which went out of use in 1999). He had me wait to see if I received the check in the mail today, which I didn't, it took me a couple more hours to get ahold of him in which instance, he had me get the instructions for wiring a transfer to my bank, which I got for him, so now I'm waiting for the money to FINALLY show up in my account. Which, I thought, fine, I can wait until Friday to move in, called Regina (manager of the apartment I'm moving in) and lo and behold, they're out for the rest of the week until Monday, which, coincidentally, is when I start work, so now I'm in a real bind now with no real forseeable way out, I'm just hoping and praying for some kind of miracle to happen to make this all work out cause I don't know what else to do. The only thing I can think of right now is get a hotel room Sunday so I can get to work Monday, then sign the lease and move in, so it's gonna be hectic. I'm just really hoping this all is going to work out, otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do. This totally sucks...

Current mood: scared

Current music: Ailsean - Final Fantasy 3 Terra in Black OC ReMix

5:16PM - Phoenixville here I come

Well, I just got the call a little bit ago, my lease application has been approved, so in exactly one week from today (the 23rd, as long as work will be done on the apartment in time), I will commence moving to Knollwood Apartments in Phoenixville, PA. It's actually happening, things are sliding into place and my new life is forming, this is an interesting time indeed. I'm about to start a whole new life in a whole new area, make new friends and be close to those I already have. I really hope everything works out for the best.

Current mood: optimistic

Current music: New Order - The Perfect Kiss

4:27PM

I'm not going to final after all, there's not enough room in the one cabin they did get. Oh well, I really didn't feel much like going out tonight anyway.

Current mood: content

12:43PM - things are starting to fall into place

Well, I figured out my definite start date at my new job, the 28th, and I also found the apartment I'm most likely gonna live at, Knollwood Apartments in Phoenixville ($695/month for a 1 bedroom place, includes heat/hot water, not bad for the area I'm in, plus it's being repained and everything which is good to know). Now it's down to the small details such as new clothes, getting my grandmother to send me money to cover first month's rent and security deposit, figuring out bus routes to work and such. Hopefully Dave can get a job out of this lady from a recruiting agency that called him, that would definitely be cool. I'm going to HBT final ritual this weekend, I thought I may as well see everyone last time and it would serve as a suiting farewell to Mansfield, so if you can make it, please do cause I don't know when I'll be around again since I'm starting my new life soon. I'm more excited than nervous nowadays because I know I have friends around the area like Dan, Annie, San, and some new friends I'll hopefully meet at this Delaware Anime Society down there. Well, I hope life is treating all of you well and if you're gonna be at final, I'll see you there.

Current mood: cheerful

Current music: REM - The One I Love

8:27AM - Well, time to plan everything else out

Well, now that the initial excitement of getting my first job has worn off, I'm now trying to figure everything out like apartment, public transportation routes, getting new clothes (luckily the dress code looks informal cause when I went in to interview, I saw most people in T-shirt and jeans, but still I don't wanna be wearing my ratty, hole infested clothes I had all throughout my college years, and maybe part of high school). I also have to hope Dave can find a job soon so that finances won't be as much of a squeeze. Luckily I have about 3 weeks before I officially start work. I just hope this all works out for the best, thank you all for your support and please keep in touch.

Current mood: nervous

Current music: David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

6:01PM - I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!

I got the call just a minute ago, I got the position. I think I screamed the loudest I ever did when I got off the phone, I am finally getting excited to live life again. Thank you all who helped me out in those dark times when I hit rock bottom, this is as much about you guys as it is me. Oh man, I'm so freaking happy right now.

Current mood: excited

3:45PM - HBT Alumni Community

At the urging of Russell, I created an HBT Alumni Community,hbtalumni , it's a moderated community so if you're an alumni, just send a request my way and I'l add you. Russell and I are the ones in charge of the community, so alumni feel free to join.

3:37PM - The interview

Well, I had my interview over at 1&1 internet yesterday. It went alright for the most part, though I did draw blanks on a couple things like the port for POP (25) and the such. The guy also expressed concern about me taking the gamble to move out there to the area doing something I have no experience in (phone support, which I'll admit, isn't top on my job choices either, but I'll do it) and not be familiar with the area. For the most part, I thought it went well, I put my best foot forward (though that was quite hard since I had found out that the fancy shoes I had were quite tight, took me about 10-15 minutes to get my feet into them, and those were 13 wide which I thought I could get away with) and now I just gptta leave it up to fate, he'll let me know whether I got it or not in the next week or 2, so I'll be anticipating that like nobody's business. Other than that, it's back to normal life once again, but at least I got through that.

Current mood: satisfied

Current music: Thomas Dolby - Dissidents

3:37PM - Hopefully my life will now start soon.

Well, for those that don't know already, I have an interview Thursday down near King of Prussia. It's at this place called 1&1 Internet and it's mainly phone support work, which isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I figure this early on in my career, I can't be too picky about where I start until I start getting my feet wet, and who knows, it might turn out well. It's 22,500/year + benefits, which I'd imagine is good by entry level standards. If I get the job, I found a place on apartments.com that looks decent located in Media, PA, which is less than 20 minutes away from the workplace so I could easily get there by bus. Plus, Dan and Annie are only about a half hour away so that'll be good to have friends nearby. The only obstacle that I can forsee is the initial investment (down payment on apartment, etc.) until I start generating income at this job, which hopefully either my mom or grandmother can help me out with. I hope this all turns out well because this would be my big chance to prove to everyone that I can do this and live my life on my own. I just hope I don't screw this up and have to have my family bail me out of a big mess and confirm the belief that I cannot fully finction on my own. That would be an extremely embarrassing and crushing blow for me and I don't know what I'd do at that point. For now though, I'm trying not to focus on that, rather my focus if hoping that the interview goes well and I get the job.

Current mood: thoughtful

Current music: Queen - You Don't Fool Me

3:01PM

the Wit (76% dark, 34% spontaneous, 10% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat. I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer. Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion. You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules - If you're interested, try my latest: The Terrorism Test

7:43PM - Best Adventure Game evRRR!!!111

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/uninvited.php

7:21PM - Trying the job search game once again

Well, once again it's been about 5 months since I last updated (mainly because 1. I'm lazy and 2. not much really happens worthy of updating). I'm basically in the same place I was then, living at home wondering about the future, though after about a month and a half of non-stop studying, I took the A+ certification tests Thursday and passed them (722/900 Core Hardware, 717/900 OS Technologies), so I am A+ certified so I'm trying to hit the job market again with a vengeance. I hope this time I can manage to snatch myself a good enough job so I can finally start living my life. Currently I'm trying around the West Chester, PA area for a multitude of reasons: First of all, I have a good support group of friends down there so I'm not alone. Second of all, it's about 40min away from Philly so it's a big enough city to have the conveniences that I need like public transportation since I don't drive. Thirdly, it's not in the heart of a big city so I wouldn't have to worry about the various inconveniences and annoyances of living in one such place. Well, that would be ideal, but I'm at a point where I can't be too picky about a job so I can't much much promises. I guess all I can really hope for are the people I work for/with are nice people who are willing to give someone like me a chance and hopefully they have decent health insurance since I have 2 prescriptions which are quite pricey (right now luckily I'm still covered under my mother's health insurance but I don't know how much longer that'll work out). Well, in a nutshell, that's where I'm at in life right now, but before I end this update, I'd like to take the time to publicly thank from the bottom of my heart Dan and Annie who've kept me sane while I was studying for and freaking out about the A+ certification exams and who've listened to me rant on and on night after night about my worries about things, as such, I dedicate my earning that to them both. I'll say it once and I'll say it again, I got some of the greatest friends a person could ask for, thank you all for being there.

Current mood: thoughtful

Current music: Pink Floyd - Wearing The Inside Out

3:53PM - first post-graduation post

Well, I'm now graduated with a 4yr degree in Information Systems with minors in Computer Science and Philosophy. My life is now at a standstill, not much going on. Right now I'm staying at my grandmother's house in Binghamton. I've submitted my resume to monster.com, careerbuilder.com, dice.com, and techies.com. Nothing much has come of that yet, though with only a degree without honors and no certifications under my belt, I'm not surprised. Also, on June 18, my mom's gonna be throwing a graduation party. If yo are able to come, reply to this post with your snail mail address so mom can mail you an invitation. If you already gave it to me over AIM, don't worry about resubmitting it, I've emailed mom with the ones I currently have. Other than that though, nothing much is really going on in my life, I'm really just existing. Sorry I'm not online much, but down here I'm stuck on dialup and my grandmother likes the phone lines open during the day (she went to the cemetary so I decided to take the opportunity to write this). Well, talk to you all later, until then, take care.

Current mood: lazy

4:29AM - crisis averted

Well, my ID was found, it turned out to be right in the sign out book where it supposed to be, they never bothered to look through the pages and only at the back pocket. Nice to know it took them a few hours to deduce that. Oh well...

Current mood: blah

12:48AM - grrrrrr....

Well, good to know the faculty here at MU are as sharp as ever. I had my radio show tonight and of course, the doors are locked, so I head over to the campus police to sign out a key. I give them my ID and take the key and unlock the door to the radio station and do my show (I actually was at the top of my game tonight I may add). After my show I go back to Doane to sign the key back in, turns out to be a little problem of THEY CANT FIND MY FUCKING ID!!!!! So they're all like "just give me your name and phone # and if we find it, we'll give you a call" and I'm a bit concerned about how I'm gonna get back in the freaking building and the one officer goes "they all probably know you, you should get in fine" but luckily the one girl also on duty called the Maple front desk and let them know what's going on so I got back in alright. It still kinda pisses me off cause that means I can't eat before I go to Pisser's tomorrow and god know how long it will take them before they do find it. Here's hoping they find it soon *sigh*.

Current mood: annoyed

4:32AM - Happy New Year (as if you didn't hear it from enough people anyway ^_^)

Yeah I know, I should be all cheery and everything, new year, new start, all that jazz, but truth to be told, 2005 represents an end of my world as I know it. The lifestyle I have adapted to will soon be coming to an end and I shall soon be like a fish out of water. I will most likely be graduating in the summer if I get an internship, but I'll definitely be out of there before year's end. From there, I really don't know where I'll be, my mom wants me to move back to Binghamton to be under the watchful eye of the rest of the Flagg family (my dad's side of the family and brothers), which is well intentioned advice, but I don't want to live under their shadow for the rest of my life. I want to be on my own, but at the same time I don't wanna be alone again like my entire childhood. I honestly don't see much choice for me, not much of a job market here in Wellsboro, PA, besides, I'd imagine tensions would really build up between me and my stepdad the longer I lived here (not that they wouldn't between me and my younger brother if we had to live together again *shudder*). Either way, it looks like I'm pretty screwed for at least a little while. Guess I'll just enjoy my last full semester as long as I can before it all comes to an end. I hope all of you have a great year and life treats you all well.

Current mood: melancholy

Current music: Patti Smith - Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer (de)

3:41PM - Yes, this journal is still alive

Sorry I haven't updated in ages, been a pretty hectic semester. This is most likely my last year here at MU, I've got this semester and next semester I'm taking 18 credits, 3 of which are 400 level major related classes (kill me now) and 2 minor related classes (Philosophy, which I actually enjoy). Then, depending if I manage to get an internship over summer (hoping to have my mom talk to my Aunt JoAnn to put in a good word for me over at Lockheed Martin over in Owego since she's some kind of manager over there and I here tech people are in a bit of demand over there), I'm graduating August 2005 then it's time to enter real life (*sigh*). Thanksgiving break was pretty uneventful, just stayed home basically, though I did rent and beat a game, Megaman X: Command Mission, which was actually decent, got back to college at about the right time, mom and my stepdad were starting to argue again and he tends to become an asshole take it out on the rest of the family when that happens, so I was glad to get out of there when I did. Other than that, it's basically the same old thing, projects, listening to music, videogaming, etc. HBT elections and constitution voting are tomorrow, so I hope they go alright and whomever gets in does a good job next semester. Still haven't figured out whether or not I'm going special status next semester or not, guess I'll figure that out when I get to that point. I really don't know whaqt the future holds for me, kinda nervewrecking when I stop to think about it, so I try to do other stuff to make it so I don't. Well, for those of you that still follow my journal, I love you all and haven't forgotten about you guys, just get involved in everything and become overwhelmed and forget everything I want to do. Well, take care for now and hope your lives are going well. Take to you later.

Current mood: blank

Current music: Castlevania 4 - Dracula's Theme

8:38PM - eh, happy b-day to me I guess...

Yeah, it's my b-day, but it just feels like another day to me. My stepdad had his mom and sister which kinda made me nervous (hell, he by himself makes me nervous). They're alright people, but I hardly ever see them and I usually have anxiety in dealing with relatives. It was alright though, my stepdad baked a 3 layer carrot cake with walnuts in it (I don't like walnuts but I didn't say anything and ate it anyway). His mother gave me a card, so did my dad and my stepmom through the mail filled with confetti made to fall out when you open it (something Diane, my stepmom, is notorious for ^_^), but I was ready for it this time, opened it carefully and let all of it into my hand. My Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Dan sent me a card with $20 in it (yes, I have an aunt and uncle named JoAnn and Dan, coincidence? *eerie music playing*, oddly enough I never thought about that until now). Well, that basically pretty much sums up my day. Still looking forward to Otakon, see you all then.

Current mood: apathetic

Current music: Ultravox - Hiroshima Mon Amour