I haven't posted in a while but I only have four followers so I don't think it really warrants an apology. An explanation, however, shall commence:
During my last little blogging stint, I'd applied for Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. My friend Kim had gone there and rather than researching colleges too in depth, I decided to check this one out. Luckily it had the major I was interested in (advertising) and I kept it in mind. I looked at a couple of other colleges, including U of I and University of Illinois in Chicago, but they either didn't have an Advertising major or the major was so competitive that with my previous college follies I wouldn't even be considered. Besides, they were massively expensive and I'll already be paying off loans for the rest of my life so no thank you. Seriously, how does anyone come out of college with a good credit score? Anyway, to my subtle surprise, I was accepted. This meant two things: copious amounts of work and serious drinking in preparation for leaving the shithole I'd lived in for the last two years of my life.
Now blogging takes a backseat when the aforementioned conditions start applying. I had a little Englishman to look after and he dries and shrivels if not supplied with fermented and distilled sugar cane every two days. I also had to begin working 30+ hours a week as to pay for the rent on our apartment there, the bills we still had, and for trips to Edwardsville in order to find both an apartment and a new job. The little Englishman also began visiting my tiny southern grandma daily at the behest of and income supplied by my mother. He ended up making more money in three days than I made in a week and provided the capital we used to pay the first month's rent and bills as well as buy some lovely food and drink.
This capital, however, dried up fairly quickly. For the last couple of weeks we've been scrounging for gas money and eating the cheapest food we could get. We bought two weeks of groceries for $40, which is rather impressive. Despite our economic situation, the little Englishman still managed to budget enough to get his rum on.
The place we are living now is about twelve miles from Edwardsville. On paper this seemed fine, I'd be able to get to school in a reasonable amount of time and get to whatever job I got from campus afterward. This location turned out to not be so prime. My mother had been paying for my gas weekly while up north and so it never entered my mind that going 24 miles or more daily would eat up gas so quickly. A half a tank is about $20 and I have to put that much in every two days, so there's that money gone from our allotted $100 a week. Nevermind the fact that all the grocery stores around us price gauge. Also, I found a job in our 950 population town so I can't really stay on campus as long as I might like and my Spanish teacher has mandated that we spend 10 hours a week in the language lab. It's better now because the little Englishman has finally gotten his work authorization and is working as a cleaning lady so we can afford all the gas, but he can't drive which means I have to drop him off in Edwardsville by 7:30 every morning, this one included, and then find something to do until I have to start class at 10 am or 12 pm depending on the day.
I work at the only grocery store in Worden (pronounce War-den but I didn't know that so I'd been pronouncing it Whir-den to everyone). It's also a deer and game processing plant so about the meat section there are several mounted deer, moose and, I believe to be, antelope heads. I guess once deer season starts I'll get to shove a hook in the deer's necks and then hoist them so the blood drains out. I also get to cut off their hooves. I am really looking forward to this. Feel the sarcasm.
This gives you an idea of what the townspeople are like. They might describe themselves as a countryfolk but I'd say ignorant is probably a more accurate description. Not all, but some. Twice while in there, I've had the n-word uttered in my presence to describe the only black teacher at the local school, once by a guy that I'd mentally described as deep-seeded intolerance man just by the way he looked and then had my description confirmed. What I don't understand is how some white, redneck who relies on foodstamps to feed his family and has never stepped foot in a college let alone earned the qualifications it takes to be a teacher can possibly think he's better than this black teacher. Somehow because his skin has less melatonin in it, that secures his status as superior Aryan despite having the vocabulary of a four year old. One of Intolerance Man's buddies, who'd been laughing along when the n-word was uttered, made the comment when his total came to 17.76 "That's George Washington's birthday." When his friends laughed, he came back with "No wait, that's when he was elected president. That's right." His friends laughed again but I don't think any of them actually knew the significance of 1776 until I said "No, that's the year of Independence." They are so patriotic with their Ford trucks and Confederate flags yet they don't even know the year their country was essentially born . Hell, they are so into the Confederacy but I doubt any of them could actually name the first stated that seceded.
Anyway, I have a bit more free time now that I'm not supporting an invalid Englishman so I will possibly be updating this blog more often. The little Englishman and I have also been toying with the idea of starting up a foodblog based on the restaurants in the St. Louis and Metro East area so I'll put up a link to that when it starts.
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