I got my official student loan bill. It's 72,000 but with interest it's like $87,000 as long as I pay $709.00 per month till 2016! That is so much money considering the top pay I could get as a non-tenured professor would be about $45,000 and there is about a 0.04% chance of that happening in Buffalo seeing as UB would never hire me as a I am a former student and Canisius didn't work out.



I guess it's time to start forgetting about everything I learned and begin something new. Or maybe it is time I make like (e:southernyankee), (e:ajay), (e:haikuster), (e:hodown), (e:codypomeray) or the other who I am forgetting that have moved away and found good jobs.

Considering I make $27,000 per year working two jobs, it might not work out so well to stay here. I really want some stability before I turn 30. Like health insurance and a job with longterm upwards mobility. I knew I should have stuck with biology or that I should have never gotten that MFA. That was the worst suggestion I ever followed. I really should have thought about the city more and what possible applications that type of training could offer me.

I don't want to work out at a bank! They seem to be the only people that consistently contact me about jobs. For christ's sake I worked at HSBC when I was much younger and I hated being in that corporate environment, that is why I went to college, so I wouldn't have to be there. At least I have this house to rent out.

I really should have gone to ECC for some sort of technical training instead of the useless liberal arts education I ended up with. For some reason I never even saw that as an option. I remember until I was in Germany studying Germanic Language and Literature, I had no concept of studying a trade. There I met lots of people that made that choice at around 6th grade. I wish it was at least presented to me as an option. Somehow, my teachers along the way always made it seem like that was failing, which now I see it is not. I guess it's not too late to switch but now I owe like $90,000.

Then I could just be a professional handy man and rent out houses. If you are 18 and reading this please learn from my error and think long and hard before you go in the direction of liberal arts.

I was supposed to edit my thesis and once again a million things came up. I had to work on the electricity to set up the motion detector light for my tenants. It was a nice alternative to programming, although programming electricity is still my favorite. It also made me consider being an electrician or sommething similar that this blue collar city needs.

Bare Wires



It Works!

I was at my mother's today after her cousin's funeral and she had found this picture of one of her cousin's that resembles (e:matthew) when he was younger. He does kind of look like him.



I also found baby peeps. Has anyone else had baby peeps before? I think you all probably know how big a fan (e:twisted) and I are from journals gone past. I think the babies are even cuter than the grown peeps and I am sure they are even easier to manufacture.

Our car is having some serious problem where it sounds like I am dragging Darth Vader underneith it. I assume it's the rotors because it happens when we break, yet at the same time it started all of a sudden and I feel like other times, in other car's I owned, that the breaks went slowly.

I took it to C and K Car Care on Amherst Street between Main and Colvin.
    
C & K Car Care
1600 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 837-7324
(MAP TO: 1600 AMHERST STREET) (Why does no one else us the google map, wikipedia, wiktionary, estrip, or google tags?)

It's a friend of my dad's place, so I trust them with the car. On the way back I had to take the subway.



I's totally empty down here and they have classical music playing loudly over the speakers. It's almost creepy without a lot of people.



I also get no cell phone service underground, which I remember from commuting back and forth from UB to Canisius. Thesis editing has been postponed again. First the car problem and then a funeral for a distant cousin. Then picking up the rent check. After today I am saying no to everybody for everything they ask till it is done.

After West Delevan a lot more people got on, maybe I was just in the dead zone.

So after the long traffic jam we made it to Devil's Hole. You might ask, "What is the story behind Devil's Hole?" I found some info here

It was hot and we brought only a tiny bit of water but it was still fun. For anyone that hasn't been there I would suggest checking it out. It is off the 104 between the rainbow bridge and the Niagara Power project. There are two sets of stairs.




One set next to the parking lot and one further down the trail to come back. You can go right down to the water, close enough to touch it.









Right next to it is Whirlpool Gorge Park which is also pretty but much less rugged. I post some good links when I get back. Here are some images from that park.