366 Days Project: Day 31 - Relaxation

As rewarding as working is, it's nice to have a day off. And at the moment, Tuesdays and Sundays are my days off. Simply put: Relaxation is lovely :-)

366 Days Project: Day 30 - And So It Begins...

I've decided that it's finally time to start learning to drive! I'm going to be 17 and a half years old this Sunday, which makes the process a little bit easier. So I picked up the latest drivers manual from AAA. Time to start diving in!

366 Days Project: Day 29 - Chicken Teriyaki at Jack in the Box

Today I had lunch at Jack in the Box and ate one of my favorite fast food meals: a chicken teriyaki bowl with rice and French fries. Try it out next time you eat at a Jack in the Box!

366 Days Project: Day 28 - The Taste That Refreshes

Today, a picture of my favorite drink enhanced with an extra flavor to make it taste even better: Coca-Cola Vanilla :-)

366 Days Project: Day 27 - Randy's Donuts

Upon pondering what to do for lunch today, my dad suggested going to the famous Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, CA. I've been brought a donut from there once before and it was really delicious, so I jumped at the chance to actually go there myself!

366 Days Project: Day 26 - Welcome Back Pap

My father went on a week long business trip back home to England last week, and today he flew back to Los Angeles. I accompanied my mother to LAX to pick him up. I love the immediate drive up to the airport; it's very scenic.

366 Days Project: Day 25 - Spin Me a Milkshake

One of the best things about working at a restaurant is when the work day is over and done with, I can treat myself to a meal or snack on them. Today I got one of my favorites; a delicious cookies and creme milkshake!

366 Days Project: Day 24 - Enhancing the Podcast

A weekly occurrence for me is a few hours spent staring at GarageBand and editing The Disneyland Gazette Podcast. Today I put together the enhanced show for Issue #107, which is now available to download. Actually editing the segments is a pain, but putting together the enhanced show is a lot of fun and I love doing it every week!

366 Days Project: Day 23 - Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I'm not a fan of rain at all. And it's been raining pretty hard here in Southern California today. Part of the reason I love SoCal so much is how little it rains, so it's always weird when it actually does rain.

366 Days Project: Day 22 - Return to Friday's

On the first day of my 366 Days Project, I went to TGI Friday's and had a delicious meal. It was so good that I returned today, and I payed for part of the meal myself!

This time around I got the exact same meal as before: a delicious 60z sirloin steak, french fries, and homemade chips. Plus an appetizer of panko-crusted chicken strips and tortilla chips :-)

366 Days Project: Day 21 - Recording The Headlines

We recorded The Headlines for The Disneyland Gazette Podcast tonight. With my job, it's becoming quite a struggle to find the time to record the show (not to mention edit it), but we got it done tonight. It feels like ages since we last recorded, even though it was only last Friday. Probably because of my now busy life...

366 Days Project: Day 20 - On the Pin Board

As you enter the Chick-fil-A I work at, there is a pin board full of photos from our Grand Opening festivities. One of those photos just happens to feature a star employee in the right corner. Any guesses who? :P

366 Days Project: Day 19 - My First Ever Pay Check!

At the end of a tiring evening at work, it's so nice to know you've been payed! And it's even more awesome when it's the first time ever! This pay check was only $30. Granted, this pay period just covered one day, but that just means the next one will be even bigger!

366 Days Project: Day 18 - Char-Broiled Deliciousness

With awkward shift times like 5:00-9:00pm, it's getting tricky to find time to have a meal. Luckily, two days a week I get out of school early. So today I went to a delicious local burger joint called Rod's and got my usual plain burger and fries. Yummy stuff!

366 Days Project: Day 17 - Ring Me Up!

Today at work I achieved my two shift-long goal of working the register! It was really nerve-wracking at first, but after a couple hours, I really got into the swing of things and felt like a pro! One of my managers asked me to work on Wednesday, so I'm now working 5 consecutive days this week. It's tiring, but also exciting! Can't wait for my first pay check!

366 Days Project: Day 16 - Thank God for Ricky Gervais

I taped Sunday's 69th Golden Globes on NBC for one reason: To hear Ricky Gervais' jokes. Contrary to most of the American public, I think Gervais is one of the funniest comedians out there. His first two TV shows, The Office and Extras, are both pure comedic genius. What I think annoys many Americans about Gervais is how to the point he is. He says things just like they are, whether it may offend someone or not, and I really appreciate that. Plus, it's all funny!

"Thanks to God for making me an atheist"

366 Days Project: Day 15 - Lunch with a Panda

Sunday is usually our "eat-out" day (although with me working, I'll probably be eating out more often), and so today I went to one of my favorite places: Panda Express, while my parents went to disgusting Carls Jr. I had my usual Panda Bowl with chow mein and orange chicken :-)

Also, I tried some packaged crispy noodles they sell. That's the kind of food that you just can't stop eating! Delicious!

366 Days Project: Day 14 - Free Food is Good Food

What's great about my job is that as it's a restaurant, it's easy to feed the workers. We get a $6.00 meal allowance every time we work (drinks are free). So today I used it for my full meal of the day: Chick-n-Strips and waffle fries :-)

366 Days Project: Day 13 - A Plea to NBC

Dear NBC,

Please never have Charles Barkley host Saturday Night Live ever again. The man may have been a great athlete, but his comedic delivery is worse than an baby's...

Sincerely,

Luke

366 Days Project: Day 12 - Chick-fil-A Grand Opening!

Chick-fil-A of South Bay finally opened its doors to regular customers today, and it was packed all day! My shift was from 6:15-9:45 and it was busy then, but I imagine it was even worse earlier in the day! I spent my first shift taking out a bunch of trash and walking around the dining room assisting guests with refills, requests, etc. It was tiring, but fun too. I am really glad I don't have to work tomorrow though...

366 Days Project: Day 11 - Exhausted Darkness

I am absolutely exhausted from my first real day of work at Chick-fil-A. So I have nothing for you except a photo of darkness.

366 Days Project: Day 10 - Vinylmation iPhone Cover

This past Sunday I went to Disneyland and happened across a collection of iPhone covers for sale. I've been looking for a new cover for a while now and wanted a Disney one, that doesn't necessarily scream out that it is so. I think I found the perfect candidate in this great Vinylmation themed cover!

366 Days Project: Day 9 - Chick-fil-A Dedication Dinner

This evening I attended the dedication dinner for the Chick-fil-A I am working for. There was a lot of talking and stories. The usual inspirational, motivational stuff. It was worth it though, as I got paid to be there and steak/chicken dinner was included!

At the conclusion of the event, the baton was passed on to me and my 69 co-workers. I was then given a little Chick-fil-A cow, a Story of Chick-fil-A DVD, and a mug.

Not a bad way to make $30 something!

366 Days Project: Day 8 - It's a Jolly Holiday at Disneyland

I love Disney. If you're reading this blog, you're probably very aware of that fact. And so today was my first trip to Disneyland in 2012, and it was also my grandparents first trip in a year.

A highlight of the day was when I got to check out and eat at the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. I was blown away by the level of detail inside the bakery. I tried the angus roast beef sandwich (plain, due to my extremely picky eating habits) and I was very glad I did. A wonderful meal from a wonderful restaurant.

Today's photo is of one of four stained glass penguins on the exterior of the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe.

366 Days Project: Day 7 - Chick-fil-A Orientation

My life is starting to change, hopefully for the better. Today I had my job orientation at Chick-fil-A, my first job! The really nice guys there went over a lot of stuff, almost too much to mentally take in. But I am really excited to start the job! I have a dedication dinner (where I get a free meal and get paid!) on Monday, register training on Wednesday, and the restaurant opens on Thursday!

But for today's photo, I present the thing that made this whole thing completely real for me: my name tag!

366 Days Project: Day 6 - Podcasting B-Team

A staple of almost every Friday night for me is recording my podcast, The Disneyland Gazette. This week was a little different though. My usual gang of podcasting cohorts weren't available to record, so I brought in a back-up team of sorts. But the show was still fun and informative, as always. You can hear the shenanigans for yourself on Monday when the show is released.

366 Days Project: Day 5 - The Doctor for January

I'm on a string of really awesome calendars. I went from a Doctor Who one in 2009 to a special D23 one that covered the last two years. Now it's back to Doctor Who for 2012, and for January, the current Doctor, Matt Smith, graces the cover.

366 Days Project: Day 4 - Bye Bye Christmas

Today heralded one of my least favorite tasks of the year: taking down the Christmas decorations. I love Christmas so much, but the decorations inevitably have to come down sometime...

Doesn't it look boring now though? :-(

366 Days Project: Day 3 - Back to Hell

It was back to my personal hell today, high school. Actually, it's fine when you're going regularly, but when you come back from a break, it's always hard to get back in the swing of things.

Today the Film class I'm a teachers assistant for watched Rebel Without a Cause, which was ironic as I was just at the Griffith Observatory, where they filmed part of the movie, last week.

366 Days Project: Day 2 - Apple Store Madness

Today I went to my local Apple Store because my brother had an appointment at the Genius Bar. I know that it's always crowded, but I have never seen it this bad!

I asked about the headphones with a microphone and volume control, which I thought I never got. The staff member said they're standard issue with all iPhones. Turns out I've had it all the time...

366 Days Project: Day 1 - New Years Day Lunch

Ever since I first got my iPhone I've wanted to do something like this, simply as it seemed like such a cool idea. But now that it's actually a new year, I couldn't make my mind up if I wanted to actually do it or not. Obviously, I did decide to do it. So, let's begin...

Today I had a gorgeous New Years Day meal at TGI Fridays. For a very affordable price, I had boneless wings (that I shared with my dad), a 6oz steak, homemade potato chips, and fries. Yum yum!