Matt Hackmann

MattHackmann

The thoughts and goings-on of some programmer dude.

Complete Adulthood Attained

I can no longer in anyway be considered a minor. Now that I'm 21 there's nothing I can't do... except run for president... and pull social security... and get AARP. Okay, some milestones left. I plan on celebrating the situation by getting some Mike's Hard Lemonade tonight after work and doing some celebrating.

It's more than just my birthday, however. It's also the second anniversary of my blog. Several months ago I did a little "look back on stuff I did" type post. However, this highlighted primarily minor things (such as buying an iPod or bowling really well). It never delved much into the major things and when it did it was kind of half-hearted. Today I'm going to reflect on the major milestones.

Applied for Job (October '05) - This would have to be the biggest milestone for me. As much as I hate to admit it Wal-Mart has completely changed me as a person. I'd like to think I'm more mature now and am a more socially adept person.

Became Cashier (January '06) - Had I not ever gotten on a register I probably would be a nicer person now. I know most of my current attitude developed during my time on a register because customers treat their cashiers like crap.

Rediscivered Drawing (April '06) - In this list I've given so far I'm pretty sure this is one of the only positive ones. This may seem fairly minor but it does play a large role in my decision for what I want to ultimately want to do for the rest of my life.

Driver's License (May '06) - That was only about three years too late. Not necessarily a major thing but it did bring me up to two out of three of the biggies (job, license, GED).

Kathleen (March-July '06) - I never said anything in my blog about this but I did kind of almost have a girlfriend. Her name was Kathleen and she was a cashier. It started she'd always sit across from me in the break room and we'd talk and laugh. This began sometime in March right before I went to grocery. I didn't realize it until it was too late. This actually played a significant part in my return to cashiering. When I came back in May I had to wait until her and her then boyfriend broke up before I made my move. I had resumed the conversing during break thing to ease into things again and one day I got the balls to ask her for her phone number and that was the beginning of probably one of the best times of last year. We'd text message each other all the time and we'd chat in the break room and I even bought her lunch once. However, I began to get a little obsessive (and posessive) and she ended it with a simple, yet cliched, message. The text in panel two is an exact quote of what she said. This sent me into another deep blue funk for quite a while. The only good thing that came out of that whole mess (aside from some much needed wisdom) was a new cell phone.

CSM (December '06) - This was something that I had worked my ass off for. I was in my gotta move up the chain phase at this point. It started off a little rocky but I got the hang of all the little technicalities. It was the stress of being bombarded from all directions by everybody that got to me in the end. After I shed the red coat I got complaints from a lot of cashiers saying they wanted me back. It's nice feel loved.

The Future (January '07-present) - As most of you know late in January I got my Mac mini but there's an interesting tale around that that bears more importance than just getting a really cool computer. I called in snowed in the day it came (partially true) because I had to be there when it came. As fortune would have it Full Sail called that day wondering what my plans were. The problem was I had no plans for anything at all. I knew I wanted to go to college in the fall but that was about it. I had talked to Full Sail sometime during the old house rennovation in '05 but I hadn't taken them up on anything. But, anyways, they called and I said I'd like to attend in the fall and I'd like to tour the place sometime in the spring. This was the catalyst. Something clicked and soon after that I got into the GED classes (for me just a formality), took the GED and passed, and finally enrolled into Full Sail. This is where I stand today.

When you look at these events as a whole it's like a very intracite yet well laid out puzzle. I have been a little slow in getting to where I'm headed but I've had a lot of time to get my head on straight and learn essential skills I'll need later. When I get to college I'll be able to fully focus on school because I won't have these things in the way. I know what it is I want and nothing is going to stop me from obtaining that goal.