retail & xmas cheer

even though this event did not take place in the maryland (it took place in old virginny), i thought it was important to post about because it is regarding christmas, or the holiday of ken benjes.
my current job is at gap. i worked there this summer for 4 months. i am a sales associate. this means that i am a cashier/ greeter/ folder/ helper type of person. well today was my first day back. it was very busy because i guess people like gap winter clothes because they are cozy. we also had some good sales today. my job was to stand by the door, greet people, and tell them about these sales (2 day promotion, today being the 2nd and last day: $10 layering long sleeve tees, $10 ultra thin turtlenecks, $10 men's pajama pants, $10 mens thermals-but not waffle shirts). even though these sales were spectacular, i was annoyed because i had to do this for 5 hours. there were 2 memorable things about the experience:
1. i got to hear many different christmas carols (actually, many different versions of the same christmas carols). jingle bells was the most popular, winter wonderland was the second most popular. jingle bells by barbara streisand was played (even though she is jewish- i guess they never really mention christmas explictly in the song though). my parents hate the babs streisand version and do not allow the family to listen to it when we put on the christmas music cds. if you have heard it, it is understandable why. my manager came up to me during the song and said "this song is making me feel very stressed out".
2. there was a giant person walking around reston town center (where the gap i work at is located, its an outdoor shopping center with a movie theater and ice skating rink). the person was dressed in all white with some silver embellishments and was on stilts. the person was probably about nine feet tall. it looked like a hybrid of the two people in this picture i posted, but with a white face. i believe the person (who i think was a man) was hired by the reston town center establishment to say hello to people and be a winter-themed character as an alternative to santa (which isnt really needed because i have yet to meet a person in northern virginia who doesnt celebrate christmas) anyway, this person came into gap for a little while and was very awkward.
i will be working again tomorrow at the gap from 12-8. we will not be having the same sales since the promotion is over. well, goodnight. i love you.
merry ken benjesmas

for you, ken benjes.

i am aware that i have not updated the old blog in awhile. i need to stay diligent, or ken benjes my decide he no longer wants to be my blog mentor. today's blog will be about the calvert lifestyle. calvert is original because is the only dorm across from route 5, in the area known as "south campus" aka old campus where the ladies lived when this was an all girls school. calvert is pretty great because no one really cares what we do, and the rooms are all pretty nice (1 exception: my room with a tiny window, which should be a single but was advertised as a double suring room draw.) calvert also has a pretty ballin balcony, which is really great during the warmer times of year, or even the cold ones if you wear a jacket. unfortunately, we often get neglected on this side of campus. example: internet. i have a general annoyance that this school has neglected to put wireless internet in the dorms, but when i lived in pg, the internet worked fine. this year, in calvert, the internet is horrible and slow. since there is no tv in my room, (side note: our room is also horrible because there is nowhere to put the tv; when there was a place for the tv, the cable connection was truly deplorable) i like to watch television programs online. BUT it takes an ungodly amount of time for videos to load on this interent connection comparable to the one i had at my home in the year 2001. i am under the impression that the internet connection in calvert is seperate from the rest of campus. this became apparent when the electricity went out, because when it came back on, the internet was nowhere to be found in calvert. the rest of campus, however, was able to go online. that is complaint #1.

complaint #1 is enough for one day. complaint #2 will be filed in due time.

i love you, and i love ken benjes.

the LORD commands you to read this entry

it is with great importance that i write this blog entry. from ready the teen devotional bible the last couple weeks, i have learned that it is my destiny to become an ordained minister and i plan to do so. after i become an ordained minister of the universal life church (http://www.themonastery.org/), i will be able to perform weddings (including jailhouse weddings), exorcisms, and other important tasks of ministers. this ordination is free, but it will cost money if i want a plaque to hang on the wall displaying my status as a minister. i am greatly considering this option. i will also have to buy marriage licenses from the ULC for the couples i marry. these will not be legal civil marriages, which can only be obtained by getting a marriage license from the state, but instead a religious expression of love from the universal life church. please contact me in the next couple weeks if you are interested. you should be. until next blog, i love you very much.
the reverend catherine skinner

For your Information

many people say that texas is like a whole other country. maryland is not like that. but i feel like it is my duty to report about life in southern maryland and maybe help others understand the geological region. my love and dedication to this blog will not be tested. my goal for this blog is for it to one day be half as good as the blog of ken benjes (http://smcmlol.blogspot.com/) i hope that perhaps ken benjes will someday be my blog mentor and i can be his blog protege.


for my first blog entry, i think i should raise awareness of malaria because people do not care about it as much as they should. malaria is an infectious disease caused by the parasite plasmodium. people suffering from malaria experience chills, fever, pain, sweating, and sometimes diarrhea and nausea. malaria is most often spread through mosquito bites. the best way to avoid malaria is to not travel to areas where malaria is prevalent, which include much of asia, africa, and south america. chances are, you will probably want to visit one of these continents at some point in your life. in that case, talk to your doctor about taking anti-malarial medication. you should begin this medication regimen about two weeks before leaving on your trip. when you arrive to your desired country, try to wear long sleeves and pants, especially during times of high mosquito activity (the hours between dusk and dawn, if you wondering). also, wear insect repellent and cover doors and windows with mosquito nets.

i hope this entry on malaria awareness was beneficial to you. luckily, no one i care about in any way has ever gotten malaria. but i care about you, and i do not want you to get malaria. i love you. until next blog,
catherine