Cassette B-Side: The Presents Tense

<div class="googledoc"> <img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/R%20and%20P%20Logo.png"> <span style="float: right;">''December 8th, 2023''</span><span>''To our employees,''</span> As we wind down for the holiday season, we at management find it important to clarify our standing as we go into 2024. I will be candid and transparent, as is necessary - our company has not been doing so well the past year. There have been several instances this year where customers who purchase our services have had the check bounce. This, plus our status as a smaller business, in addition to often not making an exorbitant profit on our work, has put us in a very dangerous position. However, we have been in contact with some reputable customers, with some discussing purchasing our services in Q1. We understand that several of our employees have had travel plans outstanding since November. This is understandable, and this letter doubles as a statement in writing that all employees will be given unpaid leave for the duration of their trips with no penalization. Recording and Playback Advertising Agency still has a couple outstanding commissions. While you will not be penalized for deciding not to work from December 11th, 2023 to January 2nd, 2024, coming into the building and completing a commission past that day will return overtime pay, granted by 130% of earning per commission. Thank you for sticking by Recording and Playback Advertising Agency. Here’s to a better 2024. Sincerely yours, <img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Microphone%20Signature.png"> Microphone <img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/C%20Writing%201.png" style="position: absolute; top: 890px; left: 100px;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;">Cassette B-Side: The Presents Tense</div> <div style="float: right">[[→|One]]</div>

<div class="journal"> <div class="journalpattern"> <div class="journaltext"><div style="color: #6bead6">I dunno. It's really hard to tell how the future is gonna go, and I don't have a good feeling about any of it. ~~Maybe I should ask if I can stay with her for a bit, and just... pretend that I changed since all that time ago. I guess~~ No, I don’t think I could do that. That’s stupid. Nevermind </div> <span style="float: right;">12/11/23 - AM</span> Christmas, huh? It came sooner than I thought. Also at a poorer time than I would’ve thought. Can I even think about Christmas this year? I have no idea. I probably should ~~When I get back from work tomorrow, I need to write down who I’d want to give a present to and then whittle it down until it’s something I can manage ~~ Wow that sounds awful when I word it like that. Nevermind Maybe for Christmas I should buy myself a new journal to write notes in, if I can even afford a decent one. A crap one would be fine, though. Long as it works - keeping the routine helps. Other stuff first though <div style="color: #6bead6"> <span style="float: right;">12/11/23 - PM</span> Work was fine today. Not many employees are there, but there is enough people to make fetch happen, which is good. I think that</div></div></div> </div> <div style="float: right">[[←|Zero]]|[[→|Two]]</div>

<div class="grid-container"><div class="grid-item">Income - $1160.55</div><div class="grid-item">Check from the last commission came in today. At least it’s more than that stupid car commercial they made me edit. Comparing everything to that makes it seem better</div><div class="grid-item" style="background-color: black;"></div><div class="grid-item" style="background-color: black;"></div><div class="grid-item">Expenses</div><div class="grid-item" style="background-color: black;"></div><div class="grid-item">For Rent (November) - $300</div><div class="grid-item">Remember that you IOU’d the landlord 300 bucks, get it to him ASAP</div><div class="grid-item">Internet Bill - ~$45</div><div class="grid-item"></div><div class="grid-item">Phone Bill - ~$40</div><div class="grid-item"></div><div class="grid-item">Food - ~$50? $75</div><div class="grid-item">If I start real cheap on food this month, and I churn something out at work with overtime, and all of that goes to rent, I can squeak by this month Wait until I run out of canned stuff to buy anything</div><div class="grid-item">Total - ~$435-460</div><div class="grid-item">Assume the worst</div><div class="grid-item" style="background-color: black;"></div><div class="grid-item" style="background-color: black;"></div><div class="grid-item">Remaining - ~$700</div><div class="grid-item">This is all gonna have to go to rent, isn’t it Depends how work goes tomorrow</div> </div> <div style="float: right">[[←|One]]|[[→|Three]]</div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Weather.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div class="journal"> <div class="journalpattern"><div class="journaltext"> <div style="color: #6bead6">Maybe next year I should try and meet new people, or at least get back in contact with some people I used to know. ...maybe Diskette. I miss him a lot. </div> <span style="float: right;">~~12/13/~~12/14/23 - AM</span> No, I can't do this tonight. I'm going to bed. <span style="float: right;">12/14/23 - AM</span> Last night felt like a dream. A look outside my window tells me that it was not. Don't know how to feel about that. ...I have to walk by these people every day now until they move, don't I? So I can't back out even if I tried. This might be worse than I thought. Can I call the cops on them? Not like they do jack shit unless somebody dies, but I don't want "somebody" to be me. Well, okay, silver lining. The good(?) news is that somebody else actually replaced the pot with soup after Tamtam and Alto filled it with pond water, and that's what the prize actually is now. So if I have to bother with their nonsense, at least it might be for something useful. All I have to do is just... not get killed by magic or by being murdered. Simple. I can't write about this any more right now. At this rate I'll be late for work. </div></div></div> <div style="float: right">[[←|Two]]|[[→|Four]]</div>

<div class="journal"> <div class="journalpattern"> <div class="journaltext"><div style="color: #6bead6"><span style="float: right;">12/15/23 - PM</span> I caught myself thinking about what gift to get my parents.</div> <span style="float: right;">12/16/23 - AM</span> It's gotten... better with the people outside. I still deal with them as little as possible, but at least they respect that. Kind of. Also only some of them. I still don't trust most of them. The hosts of the group keep asking for me to do stuff, and honestly I can't tell if they're actually trying to give people challenges for their competition or if they're just getting favors from the nearest sucker who'll entertain them. Granted, it seems to be working for them, if only because I think they definitely have the ability to make sure I'm dead in that alleyway instead of alive Burnt Grilled Cheese asked me to give him 5 dollars as "part of a challenge" and I told him that I didn't have any to spare and he backed off. I can't tell if it was a joke or not. I think he just wanted to try and get my money <div style="color: #6bead6"><span style="float: right;">12/16/23 - PM</span> Progress is going okay at work. I spoke with CD about potential ways to get this done quick, and she told me about stuff that I don't remember because I was trying to remember what franchise</div></div></div></div> <div style="float: right">[[←|Four]]|[[→|Six]]</div>

<div class="journal"> <div class="journalpattern"> <div class="journaltext"><span style="float: right;">12/18/23 - AM</span> Ladle came up to me as I was walking through the alleyway to work and asked to speak with me separately. Frankly, they're one of the few people I trust to not shank me when we're alone, and I think we understand each other more than Burnt Grilled Cheese, so we went out to the sidewalk. They told me in a panic that "all Burnt Grilled Cheese got was coal from Santa this year". Which has all of its fucked up implications. 1, I haven't gotten "presents from Santa" since I was 9 and Mom had enough of her fun. BGC is a middle aged man. What's going on over there? Am I the abnormal one? Well, yes, but... that seems weird too? I dunno 2, ALL he got was coal? Nobody else got him anything? He knows some mean people I guess. No wonder he's in an alleyway asking people half his age for 5 dollars Actually I just remembered that Ladle got him Coal Sour Patch Kids which like. That's pretty good. Kudos Ladle told me that she asked several alleyway people if they could get him a gift, so no pressure, but if I could get something it would be really nice. (It WOULD be good graces.) I would get Burnt Grilled Cheese a grill to use all of his coal if I would ever hear the end of it or not get torn in half. </div></div></div> <div style="float: right">[[←|Six]]|[[→|Eight]]</div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Giftideas%201.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div style="float: right; text-align: right;">[[Text Transcript|4a]] [[←|Three]]|[[→|Five]]</div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Doodles.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div style="float: right">[[←|Five]]|[[→|Seven]]</div>

USB - I have to give them at least something for their troubles, they've covered my ass so much * Has to be something they can take home without trouble * Does this count as tips? Will it be taken like @ my old job? * Hand it when buying something? I dunno CD - Trooper at work. Also has covered my ass multiple times * Also has to be something they can take home without trouble * She drives but I walk so whatever Diskette - Should I? Maybe get something for the sheperds outside so I get less killed <div style="float: right"> [[←|Four]] </div>

<div class="journal"> <div class="journalpattern"> <div class="journaltext"><div style="color: #6bead6">and he'd always spin my tape by the spokes to be funny and I always hated when he did it and God do I fucking miss it. ~~I miss a lot of high school. When everything was simple and I didn't have to think about how to live every day of my life. Before everything happened. Before Dad ki~~ I'm glad nobody else will ever read this. Embarrasing as hell. I need to stop being a mess for a moment. I'm gonna commit to drawing Steven, just cause I think they'll get a laugh out of it. Buy a nice pen. It doesn't have to be awkward. He's my friend. It's been a year! That's long enough, right? Fuck</div> <span style="float: right;">12/20/23 - AM</span> I have an idea for what to get Burnt Grilled Cheese. It's dumb, and a decent chunk of money, but I don't know what else to do for him. Thought process - everybody else is gonna buy him something. He was a TV star, right? He probably has a vanity problem like all the other crazies in Hollywood. I don’t know what else to get him. Simple. Just make something. It wouldn't be that hard. Well, not easy, but I've worked with the stuff before. High school shit. I have to go to the craft store anyway, go after work. I have a coupon still good I think </div></div></div> <div style="float: right; text-align: right;">[[←|Eight]]|[[→|Ten]]</div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Giftideas%202.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div style="float: right; text-align: right;">[[Text Transcript|8a]] [[←|Seven]]|[[→|Nine]]</div>

USB - I have to give them at least something for their troubles, they've covered my ass so much * Hand it when buying something? I dunno CD - Trooper at work. Also has covered my ass multiple times * She does drink coffee a lot. Maybe like a novelty mug and a gift card is modest enough Diskette - I should. * Can't be too tacky or, like, insincere * But also I don't want to seem like desperate for attention * Probably don't reference things he liked in high school * But I don't know what he still likes now. It's been so long * Do you think he remembers Steven? He was such a good gift giver to everybody though. I want to get it right. Wish I could read his mind like he could always read mine Burnt Grilled Cheese - Good Graces * Wasn't he a TV guy? What could I even get the guy. Dunno <div style="float: right"> [[←|Eight]] </div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Receipt.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Picture.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div style="float: right; text-align: right;">[[←|Nine]]|[[→|Eleven]]</div>

<div class="journal journalright"> <div class="journalpattern"> <div class="journaltext"><span style="float: right;">12/25/23 - AM</span> Well, it's Christmas with the circus today. I decided to go out and just deal with the alleyway before I went to work. I can't read the guy, but he seemed to like it? Which is good. I feel kinda bad about it, admittedly. The others that actually gave Burnt Grilled Cheese a present had a lot more interesting, if deeply confusing and kinda horrifying(?), stories than I did about where they got their presents. "I just kinda thought about it" isn't nearly as romanticized, even if visually impressive on first blush. I'm not gonna lie and say that I had to hunt the wild felt and harvest string, but it's still... you know. Awkward. How do you tell somebody that the present you got for them was second fiddle? "Sorry this isn't that intensive, I was thinking too hard about giving somebody else something." Like? I dunno. Whatever. It's over <div style="color: #6bead6"><span style="float: right;">12/25/23 - PM</span> I sent the letter in the mail. It's gonna take a few days to get to Boston, but I hope he likes it. Either way, I feel... calmer about it, I guess. Not great, but, you know. You know, it did just occur to me that this is the last page in this thing. I should've bought another journal at the craft store. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day</div></div></div></div> <div style="text-align: center">[[<span style="color: white">END OF CASSETTE B-SIDE</span>|Twelve]]</div> <div style="float: right; text-align: right;">[[←|Ten]]</div>

<img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/Cassette%20and%20Diskette.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;"> <div style="color: black; font-size: 75%; text-align: center;">Didn't know where else to put this, and I didn't want to just let it go to waste. So here you go.</span> <div style="height: 250px;"></div> <img src="https://bobthetacocat.neocities.org/cassette/bonus1/ballpit.png" style="margin: auto; display: block;">