Me and funny Sean from Berkeley at our "Fiesta" we threw on Friday. I actually wasn't drunk at all, despite what the picture may lead you to believe.

Can I just post something? The trend of taking pictures of yourself with a digital camera in the mirror has to stop. I mean, at least don't make it obvious that you took the picture yourself, with the camera reflected in the picture!! It's so freakin' lame!
Ok, that is all.

Pictures!


Vivian and Janelle made Cindy a beer bong for her 21st birthday on Friday


Vivian took a "hit" (is that what you call it?)--no one was sure if she was gonna make it, as you can see in this pic, lol


Me and Cindy at a bar later that night


Saturday night--bar hopping! I got a chocolate shake and Janelle got a strawberry pina colada at this place. Yummy!


Random pic from Weimar--I just felt the need to pose in front of the Bratwurst stand. GO VEGETARIANS!

Ok, I'm done posting for a while, hopefully. Now I have to work on my oral presentation for tomorrow. Yikes!

Oh my gosh! So I was biking back from ice cream this evening, and this little creature comes running across my path--it was a hedgehog!! So cute! I got off my bike and followed it to the bush as it tried to run away from me as fast as it could--my first experience with the "wild animals" of Germany!

Ps-I wish we had Labor Day here.

It's so annoying, because I bought this cute notebook a couple of weeks ago, with the intention of keeping a journal of my trip to Germany. But I'm so used to typing everything, and especially with this blog for over two years, I feel like I'd rather just put it online. But what if my blog "crashes," or something like that--I know I probably won't be able to read my blog in something like 20 years, right? And of course there are personal things that I want to write, and I can't put those in a blog.

Aargh! I wish I had more motivation to put things down in writing!

So I finally watched the White Stripes video, My Doorbell. So cool! Did you know it was filmed at the Magic Castle? And that I've BEEN there, even though you have to be a magician to get in, or have an invitation? That's right, I had an invitation. My grandma won it at an auction, I think. Good times.
Anyway, back to the video--it's funny, because basically the whole video is Jack and Meg doing a show for a bunch of little kids, and everyone's dressed like it's the 20's or 30's. And I have to admit, the juxtaposition of adorable little children next to the creepy (yet totally awesome!!) Jack White is a little weird.
But I still like it a lot. And that is the end of my commentary for now.

This is basically all of the girls I hang out with on a regular basis, throwin' up gang signs and about to party pre-Black Music Night. Good times!

I'm taking the ILP language class for 8 units! Wow. That seems like a lot of units, but at the same time, I'm glad that I'll be getting credits for two classes-worth during these five weeks of work. Now I just need to actually participate in class discussions so that I get a good grade!

I had no internet for THREE FULL DAYS. That doesn't sound so bad, but for some reason, I was really feelin' the pain, I guess because I need to do a crapload (pardon my French) of online research for class this week, and because of my need to check everyone's blogs religiously.

AAH! The mood swings I have in Germany cannot be healthy.

A word of advice to any fellow travelers to Germany:
Don't visit a former concentration camp when you're going on only 3 hours of sleep. I mean, the place is already emotional enough with a good night's sleep. I learned this the hard way.

Today, we went on a field trip to Weimar (home of the former Weimar Republic), which is a really gorgeous, although almost too pristine and gorgeous, and then we visited the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Because of Black Music Night at the Club, I ended up going to bed at 4am and then waking up at 7pm. Good times, except that I couldn't really handle the concentration camp.
Needless to say, I'm going to sleep now! Mucho Hausaufgaben dieses Wochenende!

I find this idea a little weird. But interesting.

ps-Going to Black Music Night at the Savoy Club tonight! We all love the name, so now we have to find out what it's actually like.

Un-chronological, random pics from Berlin:

First pic-the Brandenburger Tor, first stop on our tour. You can see our SUPER enthusiastic tour guide, Chris, in the red shirt.

Second pic-riding in the train to Berlin! We were so excited, even though we thought we had to cram into a space on the floor between cars for two hours--turns out we were allowed to sit in the "reserved seats," but we didn't find that out until the trip back!

Third pic-eating a donut that cost--I'll never get over this--1 Euro and 10 cents. That's like, $1.25 or something like that. I got it at freaking Dunkin' Donuts. But it was pretty good.

Fourth pic-Going clubbing! Or so we thought. Cindy, Vivian, me, Erika, and Mariana, a Brazilian girl who roomed with us in the hostel and joined us in the search for a club. We ended up getting too lost and tired to find anywhere, and just went to a bar instead. Good times.

*WARNING: Complaining Ahead*
Scheisse!
Yes, I've taken up German swearing again. I think I have a good reason to--I have a test on German politics the day after tomorrow...met with another girl in my class today to figure out the basic governmental system...and didn't understand it at all. I mean, I think is politics is (are?) interesting, but I don't need to know the MINUTE details! We can only hope to find someone else in the class who gets it better, and then of course explain it all to us!

I will leave you with this image for today, to ponder its meaning.*

*And no, the pic's not from Berlin--it's from some weird little mini-Germany near Goettingen. Some Berlin pics to come! It was a great trip! I just think this pic is the most fun right now.

I have so much work to get done for these language classes...two big presentations and a big paper within about four weeks...nevertheless, we're going to BERLIN for the weekend! Woo hoo! Leaving in an hour for the train! Me and four other girls are staying in a youth hostel that happens to be just 15 minutes from the Berlin Zoo, and I am very excited about that. Unfortunately, it looks like the people I'm going with don't have too much of an interest in going there. I'm gonna try and convince them...and if it doesn't work, there's always next time!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Ok, I have internet from my dorm now, yay! Today, I have been in Germany for a week--and things have been going pretty well. I think the only part of my trip that isn't going quite as I'd like is that I haven't really met any Germans. Oh, those Germans--always so open and friendly. Not. Actually, there are only about two or three people moved into my hall now, since school doesn't start until October. But I always say "hi" in the hall...no major conversation yet, not even a "So, are you American?" Ah well, I'm sure something will happen eventually.

Also, we had two German "orientators" for the first week to show us around and stuff, two girls named Catharina and Judith, who were basically grad students at Goettingen, and they were both really cool. Catharina is very sarcastic and funny, and Judith is just really sweet and helpful--when you try to be sarcastic with her, she just doesn't pick up on it.

The only other minor thing I have to complain about is: it is August here (as I assume it is in the States as well), and yet it is raining practically every day. I thought it just rained every day in the fall and winter, but apparently the wet months have started earlier this year! I definitely didn't bring enough warm clothing, but I guess that's what shopping is for! And the sun came out today. For like, half an hour. Good times.

Well, I'm going to a potluck-thingy with the other UC kids in fifteen minutes...better go. Wish me luck with those Germans! (And the freakin' German language.)

I am in Germany! I have been here five days, and I still don't have internet! And this keyboard is very confusing, because the y's and the z's are mixed up! So when I tzpe it looks like this. But ah well. Everzthing is going prettz well. . .mz group walks EVERZWHERE, until we can manage to get ahold of a bike (zeah, Göttingen is a bike town, just like Davis--woo hoo!). I've met a good amount of cool people from other UC schools, and the food hasn't been that bad--there actuallz ARE vegetarian options! :)
I will post more when I get internet at mz dorm, and the kezboard is easier to work!

But mz address is, if anzone wants to write me (wink wink):

Rosenbachweg 2-311
37075 Göttingen

Tschuß!

AAUGH! My sister has suddenly become obssessed with the band Queen. And therefore she must play their songs at relatively loud volumes throughout the house. No one is safe. WHY?

I just had to post that to vent my anger, since my parents don't seem to commiserate at all.

Ok. . .I'd like to say goodbye to all of my friends before I leave to Germany, but there's just no way to organize it all this fast. So, if you want to see me before I go:
Meet at Starbucks in the Pavilions parking lot this Friday at...let's say 6pm? I'll be there, sitting by myself, hoping to see people. How's that sound?

Corie, you better be there! :) And if you can't be there, then we should get together before then, okeeey?

Five more days...haven't started packing yet...but the most important thing I have to accomplish before I leave is...finishing HARRY POTTER! Woo hoo! Priorities, man.

ps-I like how the latest Harry Potter cover matches my blog color scheme. Spendiferous!

I finished The Secret Life of Bees, and to answer Kaylan's question, I Loved it! It's definitely been a while since I read a book that I enjoyed that much, even though Memoirs of a Geisha was pretty good too.
Although the Bees book is described as the ideal book for "that special bond between mothers and their daughters" or something like that, I swear it's not that cheesy, and it could also be just as appealing to boys, in my opinion.
I recommend it!

In response to Corie's comment, and to give everyone time to prepare for the great emptiness that will fill their existance once I'm gone: I leave to Germany August 7th. So I have one more week of work next week, and then a week off, and then I LEAVE! But not for forever, thankfully.

In other news, my sister gets back from Costa Rica tomorrow! I'm spending so much time at LAX this summer--dropping off Leah, meeting Cammy, picking up Leah, leaving myself!

PS-More bombings in London suck. A lot. That's all I can really say about that.

Hooray for the beach! Summer is truly here, no matter how fleeting!

I've been meaning to post about this for a few days....
Kaylan went to D.C. and sent me the coolest souvenir ever!



It's a "Smush Bush" toy!!!



I have big plans for this little guy...he's definitely accompanying me to Germany, and being displayed prominently in my room, to make sure that all the Germans know that I am not one of the Americans who voted for him!

Thanks, Kaylan! You're awesome! :)

Word of the day:
• ninja | NIN-juh | noun : a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations

Best word of the day so far on my UC Davis homepage. Too bad I already knew what it meant.

This is the pic of Bush on the BBC website today. Hmm...think they intentionally used a pic of him looking extremely evil and conniving? :)

[Later realization: How often do we see a pic of him when he doesn't look that way?!]

Sometimes I like the "what-are-you-going-to-do-with-your-future" talk with my parents, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes it's thought-provoking, and sometimes it just makes me feel confused and depressed. Tonight was one of the latter experiences, I think because I'm so tired today. It feels like so many of my friends are right on track to doing what they want to do, getting internships, having plans for what they want to do after they get out of college. I really don't. I mean, I pretty much plan to go to grad school, but I don't know when, or where, or what I would even major in. Maybe linguistics, maybe English, maybe even law. And after that, then what?

Ok, I know these worries are appearing a little early in my lifetime (according to my parents), but I still have to think about them sometime! I am seriously considering the idea of joining the Peace Corps, however, between college and grad school. It might give me a better idea of what the heck I want to do!

Well, I definitely feel better about these thoughts after posting them up here. Thanks, blog! *pats computer monitor*

Another nice weekend; Saturday I went to see my grandma and ate lunch out in Venice with my family. Today, Cammy got back from Australia (got to LAX at 6:40 am to meet her) and her boyfriend Alex and I spent the whole day with her until about 7, when she was about to collapse anyway from staying awake for approximately 27 hours!

It was nice...now back to work. :(
Hope everyone else had a good weekend! :)

The time has come.

I have been considering this one thought for a long time, and I guess I feel comfortable posting this on my blog, since it is the easiest, least painless way to tell people: My mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's not serious, it's only a small tumor, and she's having a mastectomy this Monday. Everything should go well; hopefully, she won't even have to have chemotherapy. So yes. My family's doing alright, I think everything should turn out ok.

It was the 4th of July last weekend! (For those of you who were unpatriotically unaware.) My boyfriend Dylan came down on Friday, and we went with my family (sans Leah, of course, who is still in Costa Rica), to San Clemente, to relax until Monday, since we all had work on Tuesday. Then I dragged Dylan around to hang out with my friends (I think he enjoyed it?), and then fireworks at night in good ol' Monrovia.
Sorry for not getting to meet up with the people I missed! (Brigitte, etc.)
For the next four weeks, it looks as though my life will be revolving around WONderful office duties from 8-5 every weekday. Hooray.

But on the brighter side. . .
CAMMY IS COMING BACK TO THE US THIS SUNDAY!!!! And I have not talked to her in like, over two weeks. I am sad, yet very happy.

So Ronald Reagan is the Greatest American?
He's greater than Martin Luther King, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln?
As my mom says, it's a "sympathy vote." Siiigh.

I got a letter to serve jury duty for the first time--luckily it's in August, so I can get out of it. But I was somewhat excited, because I got called to a District Court, which means that it was a bigger case than the usual court case. Thrilling, huh?

That is really all that I have to say. Sadly.
I hope everyone is having a good summer!

I finally saw people today! (After living in the cave of my house.) No, I actually enjoy the peace and quiet and mild boredom that immediately follow finals week. Of course I will probably get tired of it in the next couple days, but this past week has been nice.

Corie and Matt drove by my house randomly and invited me to hang out at Starbucks and meet up with Brigitte. It was fun. We talked about a lot of random stuff. Brigitte may convince me to go sky diving, if it doesn't end up costing an arm and a leg, which I think it may. But I'd definitely like to try it...if I'm brave enough. Hehe, that's the other catch. But more importantly, I have a job interview tomorrow, to be an intern at Epson (again!), and hopefully I can get a job there for a short time, so that I can travel around Europe as much as possible when I'm abroad!

[added note: I realized today that hanging out with boys for a majority of my free time this past school year seems to have made my mind much dirtier than it ever has been before. Is this what it means to be truly "one of the guys"?]

ps-I was reading this girl Marlene's blog, who I'm kind of friends with (she was in my German class two quarters ago). Yes, I guess the fact that I don't know her that well and I'm reading all her private thoughts makes me something of a stalker. But her blog is so witty! I'm jealous.

Hey, y'all, I'm not in Germany yet!
I'm in Monrovia, trying to get a job for all of the six (five?) weeks that I'll be here. Not much news--my seester's going to Costa Rica for a month for a community service abroad program, so I'm helping her get ready for that. And we watched Magnolia last night, which I must say is a very odd film. I was about to give up on it the entire time, because it was SO LONG, but I wanted to see how it ended. And then I didn't understand the ending. Oh well.

Dylan got a facebook profile! Yay!

Dylan and I had fun in San Francisco! We stayed at the Mosser, which is an awesome little hotel off of Powell Street, and we saw a show at the Fillmore, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (Malkmus used to be the lead singer in Pavement, for anyone who's heard of that band). It was cool, I wasn't expecting to like the show, since I'm not really a fan of Pavement, but the band kind of reminded me of Nada Surf, except more funky and more rock, less emo. Good times.

Dylan and I also took photos at the Musee Mecanique, near Pier 39:


The top photo is "dazed and confused", the second one is "explorers," then we tried to do the match-up of profiles, and then the traditional smiles, except I look really sarcastic. It was fun.

I AM LEAVING ON SUNDAY!
(that's the day after tomorrow, by the way)

I'm done with finals! Woo-hoo!
Dylan and I are going to SF on Wednesday for a night (we're seeing a show at the Fillmore, too, very exciting).
Then my dad's coming up on Friday to help me move out, and I'm leaving Davis on Sunday!

Very mixed feelings about going home. And VERY mixed feelings about leaving all of this behind and going to freakin' Deutschland. I'm definitely going to miss hanging out over the summer, since I've already gotten a taste of it in the last few days.
I hope nothing changes too much. . . .

EDIT: My mom shared some Buddhist wisdom with me in a letter I got from her today, which is that "most of our miseries as humans come from our desires to hold on to transitory things." Therefore, I guess I should try to accept it if things do change. If I have to.

AAH! FINALS!

Welp, I did it. I changed my blog. It's probably not the best time to do it, since I have two papers to write this week along with finals. . . .

But oh well! I like it, except that it seems a little cluttered. Expect some changes before I'm done with it.

I stole these pics from Kaylan's site, they're from when she came up last week to visit


Girl group photo in the parking lot before she left

(not sure what I'm doing here...perhaps rocking out to the music in my head.)

Awww...

YES!

For some reason it was at Armadillo Music on Monday.
I haven't actually had a chance to listen to it yet.

But I am EXCITED!

Should I change the layout of my blog? I've kept it this way for 2+ years, but it's pretty easy to get a higher-tech layout that's still a pretty green color...I'm not sure.
Any opinions would be carefully considered! :)

Happy Birthday to my Daddy-o! He's 51! (And I don't think he reads this blog either, but oh well)

I realized the tactic I use to get a paper done is potentially detrimental to my health. For example, I have a paper due tomorrow, and I wrote 3 out of 5-7 pages. So this morning, I told myself I wouldn't eat breakfast until I wrote another page. It's now 3:48 pm and I still haven't eaten breakfast....
I think it's time to give up on that tactic.

What stupid celebrity are you destined to kill? by daydreamer8852
Name
Birthdate
You will kill
With a
On	May 23, 2022
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Kaylan came up for a few days! It was really nice. We went shopping, swimming, ate ice cream at Cold Stone's (she'd never been there before), saw our friend Alicia perform with her a capella group The Spokes, and pretty much just hung out. This morning, we watched Power Rangers: Space Police Department on ABC Kids. Anyone seen that show? It was pretty violent, considering it's for little kids. But we all had fun making fun of it, nevertheless.

And now Kaylan's gone, and I may not see her for more than a year, if I don't visit her in Fresno this summer. I guess I will really have to try to drive up there!

Now, on to my paper.

Whoa! So Jack White got married recently to Karen Elson, a Brazilian model. She's in the video for "Blue Orchid." Random.

I am passing on the "musical baton" short music survey that I got from Hannah's site:

Total volume of music files on my computer:
3.45 GB, or 2.6 days. My iPod mini doesn't hold much more than that, sadly.

The last CD I bought was:
The Ebb and Flow, a SF band. Bought it totally on a whim.

Song playing right now:
"Tomorrow Morning," Jack Johnson

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
*This is a very difficult question (statement?). These are just a few that popped into my head.
"The Universal Soldier" Donovan
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" The Beatles
"Feel Good Inc." Gorillaz
"Love in a Trashcan" The Raveonettes
"One by One All Day" The Shins

Five people to whom I’m passing the baton:
Corie
Billy
Elaine
Ivan
Kaylan

Fun! I realized that I like short music surveys.

Scott and I got interviewed by the Sac Bee today! We're gonna be famous!!
Haha, yes, I know we won't really be. But it was still fun. The guy asked us about illegal downloading, since apparently four UC Davis students were sued yesterday for doing that. I felt so self-righteous. I was like, "Well, I don't download, because it's illegal." I don't think I represent the majority of the student body....

I am going back to my childhood home, Monrovia! Well, not permanently or anything, just for the weekend. But I am very excited! It's been over 3 months since I've been home, so I actually feel home sick, for like the first time this year (don't tell my mom I said that!). Lol. I get to see Leah's musical on Saturday night, and I get to go to a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, too! I've always wanted to go to one of those.

Hope everyone enjoys themselves this weekend! I will try to forget about the German paper I have to write until after the weekend is over....

I have the best best friend ever! :)

With a lack of anything exciting to say, other than, "I can't wait til this quarter's over!" I will post two pictures of my foster kitty, Demitasse. She is tres cute, in my humble opinion.


Lying in my blanket


Sitting behind my laptop, her favorite place (notice: I am reading Hayna's blog!:) I'm such a nerd.)

Additional Note:
Freaking A. I stole this from Elaine's site--talk about being really cool AND pulling off a shaved head! I definitely have a new respect for Natalie Portman.

In the manual for my study abroad in Germany, these are some of the instructions for students regarding "Student Safety and Good Conduct":

-At a time when American foreign policy is viewed with dismay and hostility by many persons abroad, behavior that dredges up memories of colonial arrogance or the "ugly American" of the 1950's has no place in EAP programs anywhere in the world.

-All students should avoid "appearing American," through many simple actions such as not wearing certain baseball type hats, avoiding large outings with other compatriots, and avoiding any behavior that draws attention to themselves.

-DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE FROM AMERICA! (Ok, I made that last one up)

Oh yeah!

Happy 2-years-having-a-blog Anniversary to me!

MAn...allergies are not cool. Haven't had too much trouble with them until recently. I sneezed quite a bit yesterday, at the Whole Earth Festival (which was pretty fun, by the way-I got a henna tattoo and then later we hung out with the hippies at the Co-op...saw pretty much everyone I've ever met at Davis at that party). But today I feel pretty crappy. The dismal gloom outside my window doesn't help. Hopefully it will go away soon.

Random note: My friend Karie got a real tattoo yesterday--it was very exciting! She got a little infinity sign right in the middle of her body, at the bottom center of her ribcage. Pretty cool. I still am considering getting a tattoo, but I don't trust myself yet to pick something that I won't hate in a couple years.

Oh my gosh. Dylan and I saw the movie Crash last night. Talk about an amazing movie. Billy might be able to correct me on this, but I really can't think of a main stream movie like that one that so obviously challenges the problems of racism and racial stereotypes. The film shows how everyone is prejuidiced in some way, whether they realize it or not.

It was a really good movie; the only critique I have is that it combines too many emotional stories--there are probably three huge climaxes, when the film really only needs one!
Go see it, people!

Mais, qu'est-ce que je ferai, quand vous me partez?

Ok, so by tomorrow, I have to:
1. Finish a German play (40 pgs.)
2. Edit my German essay
3. Edit someone else's German essay
4. Write a German essay
5. Do a German grammar exercise (luckily, only 8 questions)

Why does my German teacher think that this is the only class we're taking??!?

I love it! This is one of the exercises in my linguistics book:

Whole Earth Festival is a week from today! I'm so excited!! I get to eat organic cotton candy and make plant garlands and dance with the hippies!

I need to take a poll: Is this shirt funny or just lame?



Because I thinks it's kind of funny, but if everyone else thinks it's dumb....
--------------------
ps-The White Stripes' album cover has been REVEALED!

It looks somewhat similar to the cover of Elephant, except for with kind of an 1800's (maybe?) look, instead of a modern western look.

Aaah! I just wrote a three page paper on Rear Window for my film studies class. That movie is awesome, but I think I watched the opening scene literally about 6 times, since we have to have direct quotes from some scenes. Good times.

My friend Scott had his 20th birthday party last night--it was pretty crazy. There were a LOT of people crammed in there, and I doubt I knew half of them. But it was good times--Kaylan, my awesome roommate from last year, came up just for the party and we got to hang out all day (shopping at Gap and In-n-out! What typical Americans!) At the party, Jessica brought over one of her random dance mixes, and we danced (like, five of us for the whole time) for at least 2 hours. I had planned to leave no later than 1, but ended up staying til after 2. People jumped in apartment pool at about 1:30...then the manager got mad at us. :( But he didn't call the cops, so that was good. My friends Alicia and Karie also made about thirty birthday hats out of construction paper, which were pretty hilarious. They wrote things like:
"Diarrhea!"
"I'm sad"
"Late Bloomer"
"Milk was a bad choice" (from Anchorman, I made that one)
"Dancing Queen"

Yeah, they were pretty random. But it was fun to walk around and see which party hats people chose. I wore one that said "Sleeping Ugly," (instead of Sleeping Beauty, haha, get it?)

Me and Karie (not a particularly flattering one of me)


The crazy ones (I was NOT about to do that. But I DID take a picture of them.)

Ok, that's all. I hate Sundays. They shouldn't even technically be counted as a weekend, because everyone has so much WORK to do!
Hope everyone had a good weekend!

So, according to the BBC, Pope Benedict XVI has made his first act of his papacy: condemning Spain's recent bill to allow gay marriage.
Talk about progress.

The White Stripes' new CD is coming out June 7th!

It's called Get Behind Me Satan (huh?), and the first single is "Blue Orchid". This is the cover of the single:

Apparently the single's already been played on KROQ, but me being in little ol' Davis... haven't gotten to hear it yet. Hopefully soon!

I heard the whole album is piano, acoustic guitar, and marimba...very interesting. And SO EXCITING!

Here is a picture of my kitty, Demitasse (it means "half-cup" in French, like a little cup of black coffee--I didn't name her):


She is one of the sweetest cats I've ever met--she is verrry affectionate, and her one purpose in life is to sit on your lap and have you pet her!

IGNORE THIS SECTION IF YOU DON'T WATCH AMERICAN IDOL

And now for a rant on that show: what is up with so many of the boys not getting voted off? I'm sorry, but I think they all suck!! I mean, anthony Federoff has no presence, Anwar is boring, and I just don't like the sound of Constantine or Bo's voice--they're both trying to be like Creed or something. I like Vonzell and Carrie. And I like Nadia, but she got voted off!! What is wrong with American kids today? Geez!
Ok, I'm done. I hope Carrie wins, because she's the only one I like that might actually win.

Corie, Dylan and I had so much fun last night--it was awesome. Corie dragged us (not unwillingly, but hesitantly) down to Berkeley to see this guy who is the head of Asian Man Records, Mike Park, perform. We also saw Kevin Seconds, of the punk band Seven Seconds. Both people I'd never even heard of before, but it was totally worth it to go. It was such a small, funky venue, and both guys were really great. I really can't put it into words. But it was definitely worth the $5 donation.

A random thing:
This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. If you've seen the movie Singin' in the Rain or just want to be entertained for a few seconds, check this out. I love it!!!

I'm fostering another cat! (Chet got adopted!)
I will scan a picture of her when I get a chance! (she is very cute)

I hope this post doesn’t offend anyone.

It’s so weird. Perhaps this rant is brought on by the death of the Pope, which I was really sad to hear news of. Which surprises me, because I know almost nothing about him.
I have generally considered myself a pretty non-religious person. Although I’ve never called myself an atheist, I never really was sure that I believed in any kind of god, although I’ve always been interested in religion. But it seems like now, when all of the people that I’m closest with aren’t religious at all, that I have become more aware in my daily life of the possible presence of a God, and that I have been acting more religious. I find myself praying or asking God things in my mind, when I don’t even feel like I believe in one. I don’t know if I’ll ever join a church or a temple or a synagogue, or anything like that, but at the same time, I think I just need some kind of structure or rules in my life—some kind of possible reason, even if I don’t really believe it, for why we are all here, and what we are supposed to do with our lives. I’m not sure if religion even really answers those questions, but it seems like it does help in many ways.

I don’t know if that makes any sense, but I felt like posting it anyway.

Dang it!! I already have an essay to write this weekend for my German class. Why?? All of my classes this quarter have term papers, too . . .I bet most people think that's not such a big deal. And it's really not--I just didn't write a SINGLE term paper last quarter. If only I'd appreciated how lucky I was.
Ok, I'm done complaining for now. It's BEAUTIFUL outside! I should go out there. But then I won't be able to focus on my homework. Ach, du liebe Zeit!

New quarter starts tomorrow...could be the last quarter I take at Davis until I'm a senior...last quarter living in this apartment...hopefully it won't be too scary....

At least it will be warm, lie-in-the-sun weather!

I am back from le Canada!

It was great--in a lot of ways, different from the traditional "spring break" trip--it rained virtually the whole time, we didn't do much drinking, and we didn't do too much in general, other than find places to eat and sleep, and visit a new city each day. It was a lot of fun, though. I traveled with two boys (gasp!), but if anything, that made the trip even easier. Very low-maintenance.

We spent the night in:
Corvalis, OR
Port Angeles, WA
Victoria, B.C.
Vancouver, B.C.
Olympia, WA

We stayed at hostels, hotels, friends' houses, and Dylan's grandparents (who are, by the way, two of the sweetest grandparents I have ever met!).
Good times. I will post pictures in a little bit, if anyone cares to see them.
I'm glad there's no school tomorrow, so I can get my hair cut!<- (random thought, yes)

I'm going to CANADA tomorrow! Well, we're actually stopping in Oregon first. But we're ultimately going to Vancouver! That is, if Chris's transmission doesn't crap out. . . cross your fingers!
I hope everyone has a great spring break!

ps-I just got the "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" Modest Mouse CD--didn't plan on liking it (the singer's voice kind of annoys me), but it's actually VERY good! I recommend it!

Oh my goodness I am so out of shape. It seems like I always notice this fact around finals, when I have too much time on my hands while I should be studying. So yesterday I decided I needed excercise, but it was too late in the day to get to the gym, and I hate running, so I decided I was just going to do crunches and stretch a little. I did about 50 crunches and I just stretched to touch my toes, and I'm SORE today!!! After doing hardly anything! I think I might take an aerobics class next quarter, even though aerobics is probably one of the most pathetic ways to work out, in my opinion. But hey, it does give you a workout!

Oh, and yesterday was my roomie Colleen's birthday. We took her to Buca de Beppo in Sac--my first time going there. That place is SO good! Granted, I couldn't eat much because Dylan and I were the only vegetarians there. But I had the manicoti, and it was delicious, and I had the Chocolate Torta, or whatever its Italian name is, and it was definitely the best chocolate cake I've had in years, I have to say. My friends were giving me weird looks because I couldn't stop talking about how good it was.

Here's a pic of all of us (notice Theo sticking a straw up his nose)

Ok, now I must go study for my German final on Monday. Hope everyone's finals are going well!

Oh, by the way: I got accepted to study abroad in Germany! I'm going fer sure next year!! So exciting!

Ah...I love that there is a day every year where people have to wear my favorite color, or they get pinched!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ah...I love that there is a day every year where people have to wear my favorite color, or they get pinched!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did you know that in Swaziland (a country in southern Africa), the average life expectancy for a man is 33 years, and for a woman 35 years? I can't even imagine living like that. That would mean that right now, I've lived more than half of my life.

I read that statistic on a site called A Greater Gift. It's a website where you can buy products that support people in less-developed countries. I recommend it!

Connais-tu le cinéma français?
Oui, je connais quelques-uns. J’aime les films Amelie et L’Auberge Espagnol.

French oral exams on Monday. J'ai un peu peur d'examens oraux.

So remember how I said that I liked my German class in the last post? Well, I don't anymore. At least, I don't think I will until this weekend, when my stupid presentation is done. We have to do a group project on this essay we read about the book, Das Parfum.
The essay my group (just me and this other guy, actually) is about how the book is an excellent example of postmodernism, in that it contains many examples of pastiche and parody, especially drawn from the Romantic and Aesthetic literary periods. And then the author goes on to show all of the famous German works that the author is parodying, all of which I've never heard of.
So tomorrow, I have to explain the essay and whether or not I agree with it, all in German. Gah! It's hard enough in English, already!

But yes. That is what I am working on/putting off right now.

Oh, and this is kind of funny for anyone who reads this blog and took German: the periodical my article is from is published by the American Association of Teachers of German--aka AATG. They have come back to haunt me! Haha.

I had such a nice lunch today!
My German teacher took our whole class (which consists of 8 people) out to lunch at Ciocolat, which is this really nice pastry shop. He applied for some kind of grant, and got $60 for us to spend. So we ended up buying a drink for everyone and then a $38 four-layer chocolate cake with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries on it. We all sat and talked together while we ate it on the outside patio, with the sun shining and the cherry trees in bloom around us.

Sooo nice! That's what college should always be like!

I love fortune cookies (and middle school jokes)



The top one is Dylan's, the bottom one is mine.

Sometimes I can't do my linguistics homework. And it drives me INSANE, because you know how annoying it is when you stare at something for probably about 5 hours total, and you still have no clue how to do it?? And you have finals coming in a week, so you feel like you should have a good understanding of the material, but you don't?
And then people are like, relax--it's just one homework assignment. It could be a lot worse. That calms me down a little. But I'm still stressed, stupid last week of classes.

Linguistics hw due in an hour.

Anyone else find this Abercrombie & Fitch ad disturbing/offensive?



I swear, that store gets on my nerves!!

Did I miss something?
Why was there so much BEYONCE?
Not that I have anything against her, but...
Why the heck did she sing THREE of the five Oscar songs?

That is all I have to say. Oh, and I liked Kate Winslet's outfit/hair. She looked tres belle.

My favorite part of my birthday present from Corie:


(it's an eraser)

I can't believe I'm doing this survey. Hey, why not totally follow the crowd?? Plus, I really don't want to do linguistics homework . . . .

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. kate
2. keht
3. tall keht

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. Buckogal
2. Buckokeht
3. Kehtgehtspaet

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. I don't need to be "doing something" all the time to be entertained (a lesson learned at Davis)
2. My relatively wide range of musical tastes
3. I am vegetarian! And VERY proud of it!

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. I am way too critical of everything and everyone sometimes
2. The fact that I will never be content with my appearance...but then again, who is?
3. I can be very judgemental

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. British
2. French
3. Finnish (as in Finland. Finn Power!!)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. skateboarding (I so will crack my head open)
2. The thought that I might not be nearly as close to current friends and family in another 20 years
3. needles...in my arm

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS: (aside from the obvious)
1. chapstick
2. internet
3. animals!

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS (at the moment):
1. The Whites Stripes (duh)
2. The Beatles (but really only the White Album, hehe)
3. Pink Martini

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (at the moment):
1. David Bowie: "Life on Mars?"
2. The White Stripes: "St. James Infirmary"
3. The Beatles: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
1. Go to Germany (cross your fingers!)
2. Get a job (keep 'em crossed!)
3. Knit? Not high on my list, but I would like to learn...

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. sense of humor
2. honesty
3. understanding (I'm so original)

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: (no particular order)
1. I speak some French
2. My favorite movie genre is sci-fi
3. I got an awesome green scarf for my birthday from my aunt.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX (or same) THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. mouth
2. hair
3. eyes

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
1. purposely kill an animal (excluding small insects)
2. skateboard
3. like Britney Spears

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Oh, I don't have hobbies...so pathetic...um...reading?
2. playing with my dog or cat
3. being in NA-TURE (as Robert Goulet would say)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. watch American Idol (yes, I know, it's pathetic!)
2. eat something healthy...I'm too lazy to go downstairs and make something, so I've been eating starburst instead of food all day
3. Get out of the state, at least!

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. ESL teacher
2. Any kind of teacher
3. a job where you get to travel a lot!

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Hawaii (Hilo or Kauai)
2. France
3. India

THREE KID'S NAMES:
1. Julian
2. Gabriel
3. Audrey

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. See the Northern Lights
2. Learn another language close to fluently
3. Visit Macchu Picchu

THREE WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. Not a fan of high heels
2. I'll eat basically anything
3. I won't laugh unless I actually find it funny

THREE WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. Definitely cry easily
2. I like new clothes
3. I like to keep things fairly organized

THREE CRUSHES (past and present):
1. Hm...I think they're all a little too embarrassing to repeat


THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS SURVEY NOW:
1. Cammy ( even though I know she won't)

2. Hannah

3. uh...I think everyone else has taken it!

Well, all dog lovers knew this already!

Would I have any friends if I wore this? I think not.

Cory Doctorow: A student at London's RSA has prototyped a coat with electrostatic quills that stand on end when the user triggers an "I'm-feeling-threatened" button, and shoot bolts of blue static lightning at those unwise enough not to back off. The prototype design is a coat with warning strips of fur that become electro-statically charged in situations where the wearer feels threatened. When charged the fur begins to stand on end; a visual indication that the wearer is uncomfortable. If someone invades the wearer's personal space they will begin to feel a second warning; as they enter the coat's electrostatic field they will feel tingling skin sensations and their hair will stand on end. The fur will begin to twitch toward them and emit crackling sounds. If the 'threat' proceeds to touch the fur then 100,000 volts of electro-static charge discharges from the fur, into the offenderís body (non-lethal but definitely a bite).

YES!! The first season of Clarissa Explains it All is coming out on DVD May 17th!!! There's an article about it here. I was just talking about this a couple nights ago, how I really wanted them to make a DVD of that show. Apparently, they're gonna come out with DVD's of Pete and Pete too, which is my other favorite old Nickelodeon show, along with Salute Your Shorts and Are You Afraid of the Dark (I'm not as excited about those).
My only fear is that the shows won't be nearly as funny as I remember, which I'm pretty sure they won't. But hey. . . if nothing else, they'll still bring back all the childhood memories, right?

Dylan and I rented About Schmidt last night, for our Valentine's Day movie. I'd already seen about 3/4 of it on the plane to Thailand, but I fell asleep at the very end, and I wanted to see how it turned out. So we watched it--and it was so good. I just love the ending. It's perfect. It's kind of funny, because the whole movie you kind of wonder where the plot's going, since nothing is really being resolved, and then...it's just GOOD! Go see it!

So for my birthday, I didn't do much; sat around until about 3pm, and then went up to these man-made ponds in North Davis. I've been to them before...they're really pretty, and Dylan took me on this awesome, rustic trail to get there. Here are a couple of pics:





And then the ducks came up to us, and tried to eat our shoes and backpacks:



Then tonight, I went to a "freedom dinner" at my friend Karie and Alicia's apartment--technically it was for singles only, but they invited me anyway. It was so fun! We watched Practical Magic, which is a chick flick apparently (I'd never seen it), and we had LOTS of desserts. I definitely felt sick, yet happy, afterwards!


People serving themselves


My ice cream (that's my hand) and Jessica holding her ice cream

Good times!

Thank you so much to everyone who called/said/did something for me on my birthday!
I feel so loved!

Ok, I just recently started listening to the Rushmore soundtrack, which I've actually had, unopened, for about three weeks. And it is SO GOOD!!!!! I seriously can't remember the last time I loved a soundtrack so much. But I still have the Life Aquatic soundtrack to open, so maybe I'll like that one even more. We'll see. I just love Mark Mothersbaugh--he is quite talented at creating these soundtracks.

Anyway, on to other things. Sometimes it seems like no one reads this blog, since no one comments. Which makes me think. Should I keep doing it if no one reads it? I don't want to be a whiny person and ask, "So who reads this? Does anyone care?" So I won't. I decided that if no one reads this (except for Cammy, perhaps--Cammy, I'm not forgetting about you, don't worry!), I wouldn't be heartbroken. I'd probably still keep posting on it, since I think it's actually a lot like a journal. Duh. But I like to look back at previous posts and remember things that I never would have remembered otherwise, and remember how I felt at certain times of my life. So yes. I'm gonna keep going! I think.

So, my application to go to Germany is due next week. I'm excited! Yet nervous, because I have a LOT of stuff to do next week. But not as much as most of the people in college have to do, it seems, judging from people's xangas. I just have a couple performances for gospel choir, and lots of linguistics and German homework. But I actually like my classes a lot this quarter. I'm happy about that. We're watching this 1930's film noir movie in my German class, called "M" (The M stands for Murder). It's about this psychopath who kills children--pretty creepy, considering that the movie's based on actual events. But yes. It's pretty cool to learn about stuff I actually WANT to learn about. I guess that's what makes college different from high school. And I'm probably the last one to realize that.

Anyway, I have written quite a lot. I am proud of myself. But now I should probably go work on my Personal Statement for the abroad application. It's so cheesy! I hate it! But it's gotta be done some time or another. . . .

Cammy's leaving to Australia in nine days!!!

Luckily, she came to visit me this weekend before she left. We didn't really do much, but it was really nice to hang out with her and really talk for a little time before she leaves the country (and goes to the other side of the freaking world) for six months. I will miss her veerrrry much! In case anyone had doubts.

So, this little clip from the Daily Show shows basically all of the reasons that I will never shop at Wal-Mart if I can help it. Among other things, the company considers 28 hours a week "full time." What nonsense.

Here's the clip

Guess what? This is terribly exciting for me, but probably not to a single person outside of Davis's German 22 class: They're making a movie out of Das Parfum!!! That's the book we're reading right now, and it's really interesting--I can totally see it as a movie. As of now, they've cast Alan Rickman (Snape from Harry Potter), Dustin Hoffman, and Ben Whishaw as the three main characters. I can't wait!

ps: I know I'm a nerd.

Ok, immediately after saying that I hate filling out surveys, I did one. Well, it's not really a survey, it's more like a "soundtrack to your life" kinda thingy. I stole it from Corie, and it took me about half an hour to finish. Not to shabby, in my opinion--for once it didn't take me three hours!

So here's a list of the first songs that came into my head:

Opening song: Back in the USSR, The Beatles

Waking up: Annie Waits, Ben Folds

First date: You’re Quiet, Brendan Benson

First kiss: If You Find Yourself Caught in Love, Belle Sebastian

Falling in love: Do You Realize??, The Flaming Lips

Heartbreak: Everybody Hurts, REM

Driving fast: Good to Me, The White Stripes

Getting ready to go out: Blister in the Sun, Violent Femmes

Partying with friends: Michael, Franz Ferdinand

Dancing at a club: Midnight Show, The Killers

Flirting: Can't Get You Out of My Head, Kylie Minogue

Feeling sexy: Là Pour ça, Nada Surf

Walking alone in the rain: Pink Bullets, The Shins

Missing someone: Strange Little Girl, The Stranglers

Summer vacation: Mudfootball, Jack Johnson

Fighting with someone: Lonesome Tears, Beck

Acting goofy with friends: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Wham!

Thinking back: My Name is Jonas, Weezer

Feeling depressed: Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ Bout that Girl, The Kinks

Christmas time: Christmas Time is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio (Charlie Brown Xmas)

Falling asleep: Lullabye, Emitt Rhodes

Closing song: Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers

I like reading people's surveys--but it's funny, because whenever I read them, I usually think, "Oooh--I'm gonna fill that one out and post it on my blog." So just now, for example, I was reading Elaine's survey that she did on her xanga, and I thought, "This is fun. I'll do this to put off homework." So I copied and pasted it, typed in the answers to the first two questions, and . . . lost all motivation to continue the survey.

I don't know. Probably anyone who reads this is very thankful that I don't fill out surveys, since they take up so much space, and usually everyone knows all that stuff about you anyway. So I guess it's all for the best in the end.

Ok, my random thought is over.