July 14, 2004

Class of 94 Rulz!!!

Yep, after a week layoff I'm happy to report that the Camden County High School 1994 class reunion was a moderate success. It's hard for me to complain because not only did I get to take Friday off of work to attend, but it also coincided with the July 4th holiday, meaning I had a four-day weekend. Jealous aren't you? I got to see about 40+ people I haven't seen pretty much since we threw our camps in the air on graduation night. Don't get me wrong, there were more people there, but I was only happy to see about 40 of them. Like me, most everybody swelled over the years, but I didn't swell as much as most.

The first night was pretty sweet, I was a fan favorite among the ladies, you know...like the good old days. Unfortunately for them, I'm presently taken and well I'm not really interested in sentimental sex flashbacks. Sorry ladies. Anyway, we listened to some classic music tracks from the early 1990's, drank some alcohol, and talked about the last ten years. In comparison with others, I happened to be quite baggage free. And yes, children count as baggage. I'm still in my 20's, unmarried, and drink cheap domestic beer. I'm allowed to think that way.

I went to an after party that was nice enough and then headed to a bar where a bunch of my classmates decided to congregate. Not a bad place, working class, and they had a 90's cover band. We hung out until about midnight before most people dispersed. Midnight! This is the class of 94 and everyone's going home at midnight! I guess I'm just used to living in a town were no one goes out until 11pm. Since we were bored, my old buddy Gary and I robbed an all night gas station. Boy is it good to be back home!

The second night was more formal and way suckier. The buzz from the first night had dissipated and many of us began to notice how many people didn't show. In all, there was about 30 more people I would have liked to see, but oh well.

All in all it was a nice time and I got some emails and phone numbers so I can at least pretend to stay in touch with them until the next reunion. So, let the countdown begin until 2014!

A Special Thanks for Two

I'd like to thank two people for being a big help over the last weekend. I first would like to thank my baby, Sonya, for not only buying me a new car battery after I accidentally left the cars lights on for three hours while I was attending a book signing for some of my summer campers, but for expertly installing it as well. I doubt any of your girlfriends/wives could do that!

I'd also like to thank my buddy Mike for driving down to St. Marys and
putting together a mix of high school songs to blast along the way. I hope the speeding ticket isn't too much.

Big in Australia

I have a fan! That is totally bitchin. I'd like to thank the gentlemen who took the time to take and send the photo to Jeff. I was being totally crapped on at work and it just made my day. It just blows me away that someone on the other side of the world even reads my column. This of course got me to thinking...

Noisy, Opinionated American Looking for a Place to Stay

I've been taking an assessment of my life recently and I decided that if I'm going to embark on that great travel adventure that we young Americans always dream of doing, I might as well do it now. I got no kids, a job I could take some time away from or quit, and no other obligations that would prevent me from taking a month or two off and going all over the place. So, with that said, I'm looking for a little assistance. If anyone out there is willing to put me up for a day or two and play tour guide in some exotic or at least completely different location that would kick ass. I recently had a former co-worker who did the same thing with his Internet contacts and traveled the U.S. without having to stay one night in a hotel room. He even met some people that hooked him up with a cool job in Colorado. The best time for me to take this trip would be either March or April.

Your reward for helping me would be a photo together, a write up about your leg of my adventure, and my endless gratitude for helping me to stop being a bum.

So, if you interested in playing houseguest/host for a day or two in March or April, send me an email at jacsv76@hotmail.com.  I promise to shower!

That just about does it for me this week. Hopefully I won't miss anymore scheduled columns and it's good to see that Chris is back in the saddle. My summer camps are over in two weeks and I smell a week-long vacation coming. I might even be persuaded to catch the Warped Tour show in Atlanta. I'm going to close things out with the next installment of the SubWorld script. Take it easy!

SubWorld

TITLE SEQUENCE:  SUBWORLD

Scene shows people bustling in and out of a franchised owned corporate sub shop. The title on the storefront reads SubWorld. The camera should be going in fast-forward as it demonstrates the sheer volume of business that the store handles each day.


CUT TO:

INT:  SUBWORLD FRANCHISE - MIDAFTERNOON

A typical, regionally franchised SubWorld location complete with a God-awful color scheme chosen by the corporate office, cramped booths and fake plants. An old-fashioned clock on the wall reads 4:53 pm when in strolls JACOB wearing jeans and a Pearl Jam t-shirt. His uniform, consisting of a red polo shirt and black pants, is tucked under his arm. Both the district manager, HAROLD, 40, and a DAYSHIFT CREWMEMBER, 20, plain looking and visibly worn out, seem relieved to see him. Jacob stops three steps into the store and notices the poster advertising "3 foot longs for $10". Visible frustration spreads across his face.

JACOB
(Pointing to the poster)
What the hell is that?

HAROLD
Go change into your uniform and I'll explain to you and Bryan at the same time.

JACOB
Are they really starting that shit again?

HAROLD
Don't worry about it. I'll explain when Bryan gets here. He's working five to close with you.

JACOB
This sucks.
(Heads towards bathroom)

Harold sends the day crew person home, and begins straightening up around the store. Jacob returns from the bathroom in uniform and checks the daily log on a clipboard.

JACOB
You guys were slammed at lunch? It's Tuesday!

HAROLD
Yeah, the special seems to have increased volume.

JACOB
Great...How long are they going to run this?

HAROLD
Who knows? The Corporate Office likes to hand down directives like this all the time. Even though we're privately owned, we have to do what they say.

JACOB
How are we supposed to ring it up?

HAROLD
Wait until Bryan gets here, I only want to go over it once. Where is he?

Jacob moves to the back of the store while Harold continues to review the daily receipts. Suddenly Jacob shouts from the back.

JACOB
(Shouting)
Where are the turkey and ham supreme sub set-ups?  Where are the tomatoes?

HAROLD
(Shouting back)
You and Bryan are going to have to do them yourselves. Day crew was too busy and I don't suspect it will be bad tonight.

Jacob walks back towards the front of the serving line carrying a bin onions and tomatoes.

JACOB
Well you should have had them at least clean up and fill the line. This place is a wreck.

CUT TO:

The adventure continues next week...

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