Modeling isn’t a career.

Neither is DJ’ing.  I’m sure you can think of a bunch of others that fall into this category.  By definition, “career” means “an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed by one’s life work.”  There’s a reason for the existence of the expression “don’t quit your day job.”   Ultimately, your career should lead you to a way that lets you take care of someone else too, other than just your immediate needs.  There’s certainly a period in life when it’s acceptable to chase these occupations, but if they don’t work out, do the responsible thing and walk away, even if it’s to find a career that can support your hobby.

this has really been worrying me as of late.  I’m getting stupid.  As in, disconnected from a common sense or awareness that is normally expected of me, by (at least) me.  Here’s a few examples:

1.  Rachel and I wanted to see a movie.  Two theatres offered the movie we wanted to see at 7:15pm, and one of those also had a 9pm showing.  We decided we wanted to go see the 9pm showing, even though that theatre was 30 minutes away, while the other theatre was merely 5.  Later in the day, we decided we’d instead go for the early movie.  I looked on my blackberry to confirm what time the movie started at the second theatre.  We ended up getting there ~20 minutes late, and when we went to buy tickets, we were told that the movie stopped playing there yesterday, so the webpage must have been out of date.  So, I was stupid because there was no reason for making the trek out there since we were going to see the early show.  It was a waste of our time, and ended up wasting our night.  I was, and still am concerned, beyond embarrassed, that I didn’t have the sense to realize we could (should) have gone to other threatre.

2.  Out to lunch with Rachel’s family.  I order a steak sandwich.  We’re all talking and such when the waitress brings me out a burger.  I do not have the sense to realize that this is not what I had ordered.  I begin preparing the burger as if i had ordered it and partake.  a few moments later, Rachel’s brother, already enjoying part of his meal says something along the lines of, "this burger is more like a steak sandwich."  BAM, reality hits me.  I’m terribly ashamed.  How on earth did i let this happen?  I swear I’ve been able to maintain a higher calibur of common sense before this. 

3.  I can’t remember anything that i’m doing, or anything that i’m supposed to do.  I email myself daily, "call this person, bring tissues to work, do your homework, etc"  from work to home and home to work to remind myself what i need to do.  just now, i had logged into my credit card page to make a payment, switched to do something else, and then get a pop up message that says "your session has been inactive for 10 minutes, you will be logged out automatically."  10 minutes have gone by and at the time of that message, i actually forget that i had even logged into the site at all.

I’m 24.  Using national statistics, I’m about a third of the way through my life.  Using geneological statistics, I’m about half way through my life.  If I’m to assume it’s all down hill from here…I am not looking forward to the future.

haha, i’m still laughing at this one. Just woke up and this dream put me in a good mood.

so for some reason, we’re going to have a family get together at one of the new casinos out is philadelphia. Not just my immediate family, but aunts and uncles and such too. I have no idea what the occasion was, but for some reason, i was going to get there a day before everyone else and just hang out. So i’m in my hotel room, and i’m watching tv, and my uncle jay comes in. It’s about 4am on what i believe to be the saturday morning, and i was expecting him, and just him to drive up by himself and arrive around this time. He goes to bed and he when he wakes up around 10 or so, my cousin adam has gotten there by that time, and the three of us decide to go out to the casino. It’s not an overly nice place, curvy building, high ceilings, entire front is glass windows floor to ceiling and inside is more like an arcade than a casino. There are just some random game like things, with slot machine gameplay aspects to them. We play a few once or twice and keep walking around the place.

We walk past a tall really dark black girl, hair pulled back, and wearing like one of those all black playboy bunny waitress outfits, with black pantyhose, it’s not sexy or anything, just looks like one of those old fashioned waitresses. Anyway, there’s a really small table in front of her with 3 chairs at it. She asks us if we want to see a magic trick and that it costs $5. Uncle Jay seems really enthused and sits down to play/watch the magic show. Adam and I are just going to stand and watch. So, she starts her spiel about asking people to pick a number on a playing card, remember that number and don’t tell anyone. She asks adam to write his number down on a piece of paper and then give it back to her.

so this whole time, i’m meticulously watching her, looking for her to pull out a playing card from her sleeve or make some weird movement or something, like i always do when i see magicians; to try and figure out the trick. By this time, two blonde ladies have come up to watch, on either side of me. So the magician lady is talking about the trick and i’m more focused on watching how she’s shuffling this deck of cards, and when she stops she says, “ok, now it’s Josh’s turn.” So I laugh, nice trick. I’m sure one of these ladies around me probably heard adam or Uncle Jay say my name and they just told her before the trick started. She asks me to look at this piece of paper that adam had written his number on, and with all the other numbers on it, tell me if my number is listed. So i open up the folded piece of paper and there’s about 30 numbers spaced out in a square, some repeating numbers, and i’m scrolling through them and i find number 8. I always chose number 8. So i say, “yes.” and give the paper back to her. Now she’s looking and uncle jay, and she says, “now I told you to remember that number, because you’d need to use it later.” then she looks back at me and says, “infact, we have something that Josh Hall can use later still” and she pauses enough for all of us to chuckle and yeah, i was a little impressed at this point. I’m trying to figure out how in the world she got that much info…Then she says, “Now, Uncle Jay, isn’t there something that you thought he could use later?” And now i’m freaked out, how in the world?!? everyone’s got smiles on their faces, from what i was assuming was the magic trick, and then uncle jay says, “yeah, right over there” and points behind me, back to where we had just come through, and there were about 5 or 6 tables set up, and my whole family was sitting at them. Aunts, uncles, mom, sisters, all of them dressed up and smiling. Uncle Jay says, “I figure you could use your family later on today, right?” So we all go over and i’m laughing and embarrassed and it’s so funny. I tell him that was a nice prank, definitely had me. Everyone was in on it apparently and i had no clue what was going on, i was expecting everyone to show up later at night.

I wish i could say there was an occasion for them to surprise me, but honestly i don’t think there was, it was just a planned family get together at a casino…funny though. This is MY dream, and I’m able to surprise myself. I must keep secrets really well.

I had lunch at the hard rock cafe in philly on saturday. I try to go to them when i am in a city that has one. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger. when i got it, there was no pickle spear. I asked the waitress nonchalantly for a pickle, and she immediately responded with “we don’t have any.” I guess i was in shock, and just accepted it. After she left, i wondered how she knew without even checking in the back. So i asked her, and she said that all hard rocks have stopped serving pickles because no one was eating them. I asked how long this has been going on, and she said for 2 days. I can’t imagine a place deciding not to offer pickles with their burgers. so, i am asking you all to sign the petition to bring back the pickles to burgers at hard rocks everywhere. I would think they would at least have some on hand for people asking for them.

http://www.petitiononline.com/hdrkpkls/petition.html

i also ask that you pass this along.

What a weekend!  loaded full of activity.  I even ended up taking a nap!  i hate naps!

The day started with J’aime and Dan picking me up and we went to see Van Helsing.  Not terrible.  It was over 2 hours long, I think they should have split it into 2 movies.  Overall, it wasn’t too bad.  I would give it 6.4 out of 10.  I got to see J’aime and Dan’s house friday.  What a wonderful house!  hardwood floors, nice yard, great condition, i took pictures and a video of it to show my grandma, but J’aime and Dan don’t like the idea of those being on the internet.  So no soup for you!  J’aime and I went to visit grandma hall then, hung out there for a bit, and then went home.  Pretty much as soon as i got home, i went over to adam’s, it was about 10.  He had about 10 people over just hanging out, playing pool and socializing.  Good time.  I ended up staying to around 2, then drove home and crashed.   In bed, not the car.

Saturday we ended up leaving around noon, instead of the 9 am targetted departure time.  Who saw that one coming?  so we got out to PSU after 3, got some pictures on the nittany lion, ate at the green bowl, and then some dessert at the creperie.  The green bowl (suprisingly, they don’t even use green bowls) is a chinese joint where you pick all your veggies, as much as you want, throw them in a bowl, put your choice of sauce on it, and then chose your meat, and give it to them to cook.  It’s all you can eat too.  not a bad place at all.  i think it was even cheap.  (continued)

So then we went to the creperie place.  I got “the best of both worlds.”  I said it just like that too, something tells me the waitress was not amused.  IT was like a thin rubbery pancake thing, with nutella and caramel wrapped inside of it.  Very interesting, but very tasty.  I had planned on spending the night there, but around 9 we took our leave. 

Sunday we got up for church, had a little lunch, Keren and I washed the car for my mom, everyone else did some yard work and cleaning for her.  I convinced Kathy to drive me back up to the city too.  She doesn’t have anything better to do, Kim doesnt come home til later this week:)  

When Kathy left, i went outside with her, and as she pulled away, a black guy asked me if i got that NBA contract yet.  He was the guy that had asked me if i played for pitt about 3 months prior (supposedly, i don’t remember him, but he said he grew a beard and changed his hair since then [shrug])  Anyway, He said that he was the guy that the cops had accused of being the home invasion guy.  Apparently, he was shot off a roof when they came to get him.  He showed me the scar on his left shoulder, then lifted up his shirt so i could see the 2 long scars on his stomach, and then up by his right arm pit, the bullet was still in there.  He asked me to touch it, and i did.  So there i am, talking with a guy who had been shot off a roof by the police, and having a conversation (initiated by him) about what programs to recommend to people who ask me for change.  Apparently, the hill house right up the street, is not a good place because they charge $28 a week.  And the church down the other way only offers prayer, and no shelter or food or anything.  He did seem like a nice fellow, and we probably talked for about 5 minutes.  i gave him some money, which i normally don’t do, and he said thanks, and went off to sleep under the over pass.   Too much exitement for me. 

a lot going on this week too.  maybe some softball tomorrow, keren and deirdre’s may day on wednesday, frisbee on thursday, and hopefully some recording some where in there too.  so, i shall bid you farewell, and leave you with some 80′s classic commercials.