Friday, April 05, 2002

 
Well. Apparently the "old man isn't so dumb after all," in Grandpa's own words. I spent about an hour and a half at the local Blockbuster, checking out the differences between their store and ours and picking the store manager's brain on a few things. I've come up with several suggestions that I'll give to my store manager, Roy, when I get back. As a matter of fact, I've already typed up a five-page report for him. Overkill? Definitely. But at least it lets him know that I've been thinking, if nothing else.

[Editor's Note: Ironically, this turned out to be the Blockbuster I would transfer to about two years later and still work at as of 7/31/07.]

Tomorrow morning, we start the trip back to Indiana. We're planning on stopping part-way through our journey-- probably in Charleston, West Virginia. I hope the hotel we stop at will have an exercise room, like the one I availed myself of in the hotel we stopped at the day we started our vacation. Right now my leg strength surprises even myself, but my arm strength leaves a lot to be desired. At least I'm theoretically halfway there, right?

Oh, another thing I should mention. I requested a loan from the bank about a month ago so that I may purchase a laptop computer. I found out yesterday that the loan has been approved-- conditionally. I have to find someone willing to co-sign the loan with me. My parents are out, because their credit is screwed to hell. I'll probably ask my dad's parents if they'd be willing to. But first, I'm going to check and find out exactly how much my monthly payments will add up to, and whether or not I'll be able to afford it. I want to build up good credit as soon as I can, because my long-term goal is owning my own home before the age of 30.

Labels: Blockbuster, grandpa, irony

posted by Eddie 11:31 PM

 
Every time I visit my grandfather's house, I get the "standard lecture" from him about using my brain. "Don't wait for people to tell you things," he said, "figure them out for yourself." He used this example while compelling me to visit the local Blockbuster and see the way they do things. I personally think it's a good idea-- maybe I might learn something that I can use to raise productivity at our store.

Labels: Blockbuster, grandpa

posted by Eddie 4:41 PM

Wednesday, April 03, 2002

 
Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged, 'cuz I've been on vacation.

...Man. I was so excited when the Hoosiers got to the National Championship Game, but we couldn't quite pull it out, could we? Grrr. There's always next year, I suppose. I take solace in the fact that, when Maryland won, not very many people were surprised, because they were a #1 seed. But many people didn't even expect us to get to the Sweet 16, so the fact that we got to the National Championship Game, in my view, is more of an accomplishment than Maryland winning it.

Of course, that doesn't make me feel much better about not being able to win the National Championship. But as I said, there's always next year. I hope Jared Jeffries stays put-- a lot of people think he's gonna declare for the NBA Draft.

Anyway. I've been having fun here in Virginia Beach. We got here yesterday, and my sister Laura introduced me to her friend, a 13-year-old girl named Amanda. The three of us hung out together for awhile. And this afternoon, the three of us (along with an 11-year-old, Erin) went to the local recreation center for a few hours. We bowled, played foosball, ping-pong, video games, pool-- it was great fun. I never thought I'd have so much fun hanging out with people seven years younger than me, but Amanda and Erin are fun to chill with.

Labels: Hoosiers, Laura, National Championship, Virginia Beach

posted by Eddie 10:22 PM