First time Golfing and a Promotion

May 31, 2001

This past weekend has really been busy. A lot of things are on my plate this week. Let’s start at Tuesday, which is my Friday. I bought a domain name, www.craiggreenwood.com. I later learned that you have to have web hosting services and a bunch of money to do what I wanted to do, which was post my website without ads to a web address that is memorable. Instead of spending money I just decided to forward hits to the site to go to my old webiste at freeyellow. The ads will still be there, but you will only have to type in www.craiggreenwood.com. So that’s a little exciting.

So Tuesday happened and I converted to a full time eBay employee. This means a small pay raise and benefits kick in and basic job stuff. I came home and went for a bike ride and it was just a great day. On Wednesday I straightened my room and was playing with my brothers computer working on a song we recorded (which I would like to post on the website once its completed so keep your eyes open for that). Eddie calls from his high school graduation practice and invites me to go golfing. I have never been golfing before, but hey, I’m a wild man. So off we go... golfing.

Let’s talk about golf for just a second. This is a very bad idea of a game that is related basically to basketball. You hold an awkward expensive stick and incorrectly dig up pieces of lawn and every once in a while you hit your target, a small egg-like ball. You’re not allowed to watch the ball though. You have to keep your eyes down staring at the grass where the ball was. So the ball flies off and then the "fun" starts. You have to pick up your bag of other clubs and walk across a field and look for an item that you don’t care about that you have no idea where it is, lugging around the weight of your clubs. Now there are about 10 different clubs of different angles to launch the ball in various directions. All of these clubs are useless because it is impossible to hit it right and they all manage to slide across the ground ten feet, which counts as a hit. Now you count the hits and if you get over 100 on a 9 hole course I think they give you a winebago or a sandwhich. By the 6^th hole I didn’t care any more. I had been sufficiently sunburned and might as well have been hitting volleyballs with baseball bats. It would have been easier to get a volleyball in that hole than continue wacking that defensless ball around the golf court, or playfield or whatever technical word it is. Summary: Golf is a very foolish game and should only be tried by convicts serving solitary confinement. I’ll probably go again next week.

After that I went home and ended up going out with Paul and Amber so drive in the mountains and hike around a lake and then we went out to eat at some place called Porcupine Bar and Grill and was served food by a rather colorful man (and when I say colorful I actually mean gay as a pink fruit loop). We ended up playing a board game back at Amber’s new apartment which required an engineering degree to set up because it involved building the backdrop of some mystery murder something or other.

The next day was Eddie’s graduation. Graduation is also a foolish thing. High School graduation isn’t that impressive to me. It’s really the most basic thing we as Americans can do. If you are not able to graduate high school there is a high chance that you are a gerbil and are fit for a productive job like holding a sign that says "slow" near contruction yards. And grades mean nothing to high school graduation. They don’t give you the diploma till you turn in your robe, which is just a nice looking tarp. Grades are for college. High school graduation is a practice in how you do in sitting through long and boring other ceremonies you will have to endure your entire life, like weddings and court proceedings. If you do it successfully they give you your diploma. If not, you end up holding construction signs.

So anyway after that we went to Red Lobster and I had salmon (which by the way tastes different than the trout mentioned in the last journal entry). Then I came to work and was given a promotion! I am going to be working the support for Half.com. This also comes with a raise, eventually. I have to take a test offered sometime in a few months. When I pass that test, instant raise.

I’m just funnin’ here, but I did have a really good weekend and the promotion was kind of the spice on the cake. Why spice is on a cake, I have no idea. What would you put? Paprika? Anyway, that is all.

Fishing

May 17, 2001

I have had a grand little weekend. Started a little slow, but ended great. Today (Thursday) I woke up with no plans but to go to work at 11 p.m. My dad said "Hey, let’s go fishing". We’ve been talking about it so off we went in to the woods armed with hooks and funny hats. He was fly-fishing while I was casting. I caught two fish for the day. It was so good. To fully understand why you should read my story about fishing in Yellowstone. This will help you understand the rivalry I have with aquatic creatures. Anyway, I first caught a mighty cutthroat trout (when you see the picture you'll know why that's funny). Then we drove around and went to a new part of the river and I caught a slightly larger brown trout. They were both about the same size. Anyway, I killed them (enter Tarzan song here) gutted them and took them home and cooked them. Well, dad did. It made a meal that tasted sort of like juicy sheet rock. Trout aren't that good. But the importance of the meal wasn't the taste. It was the ceremonial meal celebrating the age-old struggle between man and nature, good and evil, me and fish. Dad cooked the fish PERFECT. The little bones came right out and the meat just fell right off the skin.

Eating fish is kind of ugly. You end up with skin on the plate and pile of bones, fish heads (which are now fertilizing the garden in the back yard, possibly feeding stray cats), and sort of pasty taste in your mouth. But it isn't bad, especially with a little bit of salt and a little more pepper and a whole bunch of lemon juice. I owe the whole day to my dad though. He came up with the idea to go and he helped me gut the fish and he cooked the meal so most of it was his doing. But I would like to take credit for it all!

I intend to do more fishing this summer and I will no doubt keep you posted of the adventures on this magical journal. I didn't do any mountain biking this weekend. I did find out a little more about conversion at eBay. It will happen in a week and a half.

As Forrest Gump said, that's about all I have to say about that.

Work and Music

May 10, 2001

Once again, it has been a while since I updated my journal. However, I have good news! I have some images to include! My brother and I went bikeriding up Butterfield Canyon last week, or two weeks ago, so here they are. First one is me alone with my glorious new mountain bike. Second one is my brother and I. We weren't sure if the camera was going to go or not when we set it on auto timer so we both look quite confused, but here it is.

I have been very busy the last few weeks. Doing lots of mountain biking for fun. Mostly at the Jordan Parkway but other places too. I have seen a lot of new houses in my journies and have been getting ideas of prices, for fun I guess. All the ones I see are 4 or 5 bedroom $200,000 grandiose ones. Well, too grandiose for me anyway, but they are nice.

My friend Amber just graduated with a degree is American Sign Language so my friend Paul and I took her out. We collectively decided on the zoo (I know we are WILD ones) and ate at the Mayan (a Mexican restaurant complete with cliff divers) and saw a movie. Good times were had by all.

My brother and I have been recording and I met this guy at eBay that wants to put a band together so I have been over at his house practicing. His name is Jesse. He plays guitar and right now we are just basically farting around (as we say in the recording industry) but its fun. I also emailed the guys in my old band Carousel, who still live in CA. We have decided to get together in October for a reunion concert! Fun stuff is that! I'll keep you updated as to whether or not it happens, but at this point it looks good. The concert will be in San Francisco sometime in October so buy your tickets now!! (Note the Sarcasm.)

I found out that I will convert to a full time eBay employee at the end of this month. This is good for money sake. 401k starts immediately, benefits start immediately, stock purchase plans. Everything. So it's all kinda like long term money, but it is money. No changes on the student loan yet but it's death is pending. I should have it done by August at the latest. I need to find more ways to make more money that require no time or effort on my part. I'm open to ideas.

That's about it. I'll try to be adding more pics to the journal. Also, the pics can be seen on the home page on the link marked "pictures" for future reference. My work is done here. Go in peace. May all of your lights be green.

Fun and Work

April 23, 2001

The last few days have been pretty good for me. The whether has been great. I went mountain biking and got a little sunburn on my back which has since turned nicely into a tan. Me and Eddie have been shopping a few times and have been learning a lot about mountain bikes and prices and components. Today, I finally did it. I found a bike that had all the components I like in the right price range. It's by a company called Wasatch, a local manufacturer. I wasn't looking for a name though. The bike is light and new and has a warranty and really is exactly what I have been looking for. I got some maps of trails and intend to be visiting the mountains and other trails in UT.

I will be posting some pictures of the bike soon on the glorious web page (www.freeyellow.com/members2/craiggreenwood/index.html, but I'll describe it here. It is blue with front shocks, nice Shimano components, rapid-fire shift, line brakes and a few more I'm sure I'm forgetting. I have no buyer's remorse at all.

I also went recently to see the play my brother runs the sound for. Robin Hood. It was quite funny. Bravo to him and all the actors at Off-Broadway Theatre.

eBay is still going good. I have been working some over time and have keeping my work up and all the leads and supervisors seem to like me. I found out that the eBay University position that I am interested in may be run from San Jose CA, and may not be available to me for six months after I convert to a full time eBay employee. I am a Remedy temp for one more month. That's fine with me because my focus is only my student loans at this time, but eBay U would mean a job with travel which is very much what I want.

I also found a guy that I work with that plays guitar and sings and has a studio and is putting a band together. He needs a drummer so I let him hear the Haole CD and he liked it so he will no doubt call me and we will play, or "jam" as the term goes I believe. I'll keep you journal readers updated there as well.

I think that is all. Life is peachy keen lately and I have no major complaints!!

Alcohol and Insanity

April 10, 2001

So, what is it with people and alcohol? I must have missed something because I do not get it. Everyone is spellbound by it like a deer caught in headlights. Including myself. I can’t believe it is so widely accepted when it kills so many people and tears families apart and does so much damage to life on such a regular basis. In my view it appears humanity is blinded by it. We just accept it a go on. It may not be tearing humanity apart exactly, but it’s like a sliver. What do you do when you get a sliver? You remove it. Take care of the problem. But so many people just don’t. They justify the sliver. They take the stance that it’s no big deal and they never lose control and that the "sliver" doesn’t bother them.

We can turn this around. I’m so annoyed by alcohol, but it doesn’t bother me if someone else has a sliver. You’d think I’d be able to operate. But I find myself getting to caught up every time I hear a story about alcohol, which seems to be daily. If I could find a few people that said "Goll, you’re right Craig, it sure is a bad idea." But guess what folks? I don’t think they are out there. Take an organization like MADD. They stand against drunk driving. I doubt they care if they drink. I bet fat money they have champagne at their little meetings. Kind of ironic don’t you think? Maybe I’m wrong so if there is a MADD mother reading this may you can email me.

Even the people that I think have nothing to do with it always come around the other way. They are so nonchalant about it. And it’s none of my business. I make it a special point of my day to ignore people usually. So what’s my problem? Why does this bother me THIS bad? What have I done wrong? What have I experienced?

I have a feeling that even if I happen to find a person who feels even one iota of a percentage the way that I do about it that the problem will not go away. There will always be people. There will always be alcohol. It’s not going away. My feelings aren’t changing. They are only getting stronger with every story I hear.

I feel totally out of options and pressed against a wall. There is nothing I can do about it. I don’t have anywhere to store my anger about it. Here I am going on and on about how I feel, and I havn’t even told you. I think my view is pretty open. There is a time and place for everything. I have yet to hear one story where I can say "Yes, that is the right time and place for alcohol." I get on TRAX and I hear high schoolers trade stories about how funny it was when they drove to school drunk. Ha, ha. I hear stories of how it sucks so bad when people get their drivers licenses revoked for drunk driving. I hear stories about how someone forgot their weekend because they were so drunk. I hear stories of people buying liquor for underage people and actually having pity on them for being too young. I hear stories of people in charge of heavy machinery sneaking beer in to drink while they work. Same stories everyone else hears all day.

But I must be insane because it bothers me and does not seem to phase anyone else on this planet. I’ve learned I’m not allowed to tell people they are wrong. Everyone should be allowed to live as they please. What a good philosophy that is. Why won’t anyone make a decision about how they live their lives? Am I the only person in the history of mankind who has a problem with this? Is it really that hard? Was I the only one who was told by my elementary school teachers that alcohol is bad? Oh, but I guess they all went into the teachers lounge to get hammered between classes anyway so what does it matter? I distinctly remember being told not to drink by teachers. It must have been during recess when all the other kids were out drinking by the swing set because I seem to be the only person who got it.

But that’s okay, isn’t it? No one actually cares about it because Craig will get over it. Or if he doesn’t who actually cares about that? Hey, maybe he’ll just go nuts. But, really, who would care? Maybe we can all get drunk if that happens.

How Should I Spend My Energy?

March 29, 2001

Still at eBay. Keep in mind that this journal is really the one place I have where I can brag and not really care what anyone thinks, cuz it is my journal after all. If you don’t like it, go away. They hired us and we started emailing people March 5. I’m now in week 4. They expect the new people to be at about 6-7 emails per hour. I am at this time writing 12+ per hour. Why? Because I’m faster and I’m smarter than any human ever placed on this planet (and that includes your upper aristocrats). And it has not gone unnoticed. They don’t normally let temps do overtime due to the fact that’s its more expensive to hire temps and work them OT. But because my numbers are up they are letting me, which is a good thing because I want money. Why do I want money? Because I hate Sallie Mae. I’m happy to say I have officially started saving the jackpot. I have decided to put the minimum payment each month to Sallie Mae and to save every thing else. The second I have enough to destroy Sallie Mae I will liquidate my savings and say "bye bye". Then the world is my clam. What do I intend to do with that clam? I don’t know. Knowing me I will probably bash it to death with a hammer to see the inner clam.

So anyway, let’s see. What have I been up to lately? Lots of work. I have been doing more mountain biking as well. The other day I went from 7200 south all the way to about 1800 south and back on the now infamous Jordan Parkway. I’m tempted to try some different paths, IE canyons or trails in the mountains. I’ve also looked into purchasing mountain bikes. Eddie and I have done some shopping, nothing serious, just looking at features and prices. If we both have one then we could do it together and it would be more fun. But of course money is the next issue and due to the hatred of Sallie Mae, well, you see the bind I’m in. I do intend to look on eBay though. In fact the instant I’m done writing this journal entry I will do so.

I would like to once again thank you, the reader of this journal. It always makes me happy to hear someone read my last adventure, although they are getting sparser and sparser. My last mental goal was to have 3 entries per month, so we’ll see where that gets us. Also, since I got this fancy schmancy computer at work I’d like to add some HTML and make it look a little nicer. I did purchase a digital camera recently so there will be some pictures coming.

Well I better go. I have a few minutes of lunch left at eBay so I guess I’ll use them!

Marking Time

March 9, 2001

I’m writing this one from eBay. It has to be eBay. Not Ebay, not EBAY, not ebay. Even if it’s the start of a sentence. eBay is the way it is spelled. Odd eh? We have answered all the email we can and are on break. I keep checking and checking and there is none. I’m not complaining.

Today was beautiful weather. See, my new schedule is 11pm to 8 am and I work every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. Today is Thursday, which is like Monday to me, the start of a week. So I’m just getting off a weekend. And the weekend was great. I rode my bike to Copperton from West Jordan, about six miles each way. Then today my brother rollerbladed while I biked. We went to the Jordan walk parkway thing. I have no clue what it’s called. It’s along the Jordan River. The weather was insanely good. Bright sun, clear sky, no wind. The water in the mighty Jordan flowed true and clear like liquid glass. Ok that was over poetic is what that was.

Anyway it was very fun. I highly recommend doing it if you are in Salt Lake City. After that my brother and I came home and set up the microphones and recorded a song I wrote when I first moved to Nashville. I played guitar and drums and Ed did bass. It’s not anything super dynamic but it’s just fun to record you know?

My body is still adjusting to this graveyard schedule. I guess I’ll go home today and sleep till 5 p.m. and then try to wake up and have an evening of fun and thrills. I ought to try writing another story during this down time. We’ll see!

Lofty Goals

March 1, 2001

Well tomorrow is my last day of training at eBay. I’ve learned a lot about the innards of it. Anyway, I don’t have anything super-specific to report. I just realized it had been a few weeks since I updated my journal. How about I share some goals of mine? Sounds like a great deal of fun.

I want to pay off my student loan by July. I know I’ve mentioned that before but I want to reiterate that so that I actually do it. I got my taxes back yesterday and the stock market went down so I just dumped it all into CTXS, which I’ve been following for a while. I want to turn it into an extra $200 and then dump it into the student loan.

I want to get that traveling job with eBay University. That sounds fun and its possible and its travel and it would really make me happy.

It possible that I could buy a house in a year. If I stay in Utah with this same job and save all my money after my student loan is paid off, I could have enough for a down payment on a house and it could be in a year. Exciting idea. I’m not sure if that’s what I want to do, but I’ll call it a goal anyway.

I want to go to Europe in two years. I am in the process of saving $5 a week right now. In two years, spring of 2003, I should have more than enough to go to Europe. My plans are more specific than that, but that’s all I’m gonna say about it right now. This is a goal I am very serious about and this will happen, just you wait and see.

This goal is a little more out there, but I’m serious enough about it to mention it here. I want to have 1 million dollars by age 35. Not just 1 million worth of crap. I mean 1 million dollars in an account so I can just say, "there is my million". I don’t think I’ll just stop working at that point. But that’s what I want. EBay has stock options that I will get and I really don’t think this goal is all that unreasonable. It’s a stretch, but it can happen so I’ll go for it.

I want to travel. Not only just now. I mean once every other year a big trip, so Europe, or Asia, or Africa, or South America. I’d love to see all the continents before I die. That’s not so unreal either. It’s far off. But as long as we’re dreaming!

That’s about all the goals I have. Other than your tiny ones. You know, eat Tin Roof Ice Cream more often, learn how to cross breed grapes and coconuts, solve world hunger. That stuff. But, there ya go. My goals. Laugh if you will, but that’s what I want.

Flat Tires

February 14, 2001

Today is Wednesday, however I’d like to tell you all a story of yore. Actually it happened Monday. My brother asked me if I could run sound at the theatre he is working at. I had to be there in 15 mins. Short notice, but I had no other plans so I said yeah. I drove down town and parking was scarce. The theatre has about 4 allotted parking spaces in an alley and since I got there late I had slim pickins. But I found a space, it was as legal as anything else in the alley and most importantly I didn’t block anyone in. I went in and ran sound which went great, if I do say so myself. I came out at about 10:30 that night and noticed I not only had one flat tire, I had two. I figured some (enter your own expletive here) person let the air out of my tires cuz he had a hard time getting out of his space. But he did get out. There were no other cars there. He just decided to let the air out of my tires. Well, I thought, "Ha ha! That’s a good one! Letting the air out of my tires….That’ll teach me! Woooo yeah." In other words I took it as a lesson of life. I called AAA and long story short they showed up and pointed out that the tires were slashed, not just had no air. Sure enough, there was a little knife hole. I don’t feel bad about missing it cuz it was tiny. But they towed it to a shop and long story short final fee was $103. Sigh. Let’s review, shall we?

In order to help my brother and theatre on short notice I drove town town, out of my way, and did a good job. In return life dealt me a $103 bill and I got to have brand new tires. I think it’s a conspiracy. Something’s wrong with America when slashing tires is used as a warning. I think a note would have done a good job, although if I got that I’d be complaining about that. In my defense, I didn’t block anyone in, I was parked legally, and I did nothing wrong. (Whine, whine, whine.)

In other news, I found out yesterday that eBay has a dept that tours around and does trade shows and its possible that I can work there. I have to wait three months, but I have decided I am going to apply for it as soon as possible. I’ll be able to tour and see some of the country and I think it will be grand. I can’t imagine what trade shows eBay takes part in, and frankly I don’t care. I want it though.

Have a grand day!

eBay Begins and a Crash

January 22, 2009

Life is going ok. I started my job this week at eBay. It’s a month long training session and I’m in week 1. We have covered your basics…how to turn on a computer, what the internet is, etc etc. We also have learned a few tidbits about eBay and how to post auctions and all that jazz.

I also have been doing some work at the theatre my brother works at. He has been running sound and lights there and has some other obligations with his company (Greenwood Productions) and his other DJ job, so I fill in for him every now and then at the theatre. Well they just started a play called "See how they Run" and this Saturday I am running sound for it. Last night was practice so I went to get the feel of the play. It snowed that night and the roads were extremely icy. I was driving about 30 mph and this car pulls out in front of me and to avoid hitting it I had to swerve off the road on to the curb and damaging my front tire rim on the process. Now, this driver was a female, and I’m not saying that because I think that her femaleness was the cause of the idiocy driving manner, however, I would like to leave that open for you to decide. I just want to present the facts here. Again, I’m not saying women are bad drivers, but I do invite the readers of this column to make their own judgement call.

Anyway there was no permanent damage to my car but it was a very dangerous situation.

So that’s your Craig update for the week!