Oh yeah

Is it hard for anyone else to believe that Obama is going to be OUR PRESIDENT tomorrow?!?

It's a happy disbelief.

I'm not a Republican yet

...but sometimes it looks like it would be a lot of fun.

So I didn't have very high expectations (low expectations which I tried to disguise in the previous post), but as it turned out, Monster Jam (R) was pretty freakin' awesome. It may have had something to do with the 3 beers Cammy and I drank on an empty stomach beforehand, but I think the main elements of loud engines and massive trucks flying into the air makes for an unbeatable combination of FUN. It was kind of like watching a sports game where you don't need to have any beforehand knowledge of the rules; you just cheer for what you like, and everyone cheers with you (and you get to eat enormous bags of cotton candy at the same time).

Monster Jam! Tonight! I'll let y'all know how it goes....

The "Academy"

I know most of the people from Monrovia know the Academy movie theater, on Colorado. I think it's known mostly for being rundown.

Well, with me being unemployed and all, I have rediscovered the beauty of this theater. Matinee shows $2! Evening shows $3! What more could I ask for? (Especially when the cheapest price you can get at the Krikorian now is $7.25. And the regular adult price is $10.25!!)


So today I went to go see Wendy and Lucy (a film about nothing, basically), which was totally worth the $2. Not that the movie was bad...I just couldn't picture myself paying more than $5 to see it.

The point I'm trying to make is, don't pay so much for movies! If you're gonna spend more money, go see a play. If you want to watch a big screen, go to the Academy. At least the name sounds fancy.

Unhealthy obsession

Two items of ridiculous clothing that I keep coveting, despite all common sense:

1. A "romper" or "jumpsuit," it appears to be called, looking something like this (only $11 at Forever 21!):

and 

modeled here:

--as well as--

2. High-heeled (I need high heels like I need a hole in the head) oxford shoes, as illustrated in this example:

I can't wait till these impractical items go out of style and get out of my sight. I need them to stop tempting me.

Now I need to watch 12 Angry Men. Or Runaway Jury?

As of yesterday, I am finished with FOUR WEEKS of jury duty! It wasn't four weeks straight; it actually only added up to 12 days. But due to the holidays, it ended up going over many weeks (and into a new year!).

And after all that work, it ended up being a hung jury. We had 11-1, not guilty. ONE WOMAN refused to change her mind. But even after all the frustration of not being able to reach a decision, I felt satisfied that we had truly done our best to discuss all the possibilities. And I guess that's how the whole system's supposed to work.

I think the best part of this jury duty was hanging out in downtown LA. And no, that's not sarcastic. Downtown has a lot of really awesome restaurants, gardens, museums, and shops. The Walt Disney Center, MOCA, Little Tokyo, Grand Central Market, etc. I definitely hope to get down there again and sightsee a bit more before leaving the area (if that happens).

I'm doing a massive overhaul of my room. And I have concluded, I have too much meaningful stuff! What am I supposed to do with it all?

I suppose if it's truly meaningful, I'll remember it even if I don't own it anymore.

If Obama does it....

Does that mean it's cool?  

I've always thought the backwards baseball cap, with its connotations of arrogance on one hand and laid-back chillness on the other, was an interesting fashion trend.  

Perhaps it's time for a comeback?  

You are a Delight

I am now eating my last container of Turkish Delight (or rather, Greek Delight). I brought back 6 boxes of the stuff (I sort of fell in love with it), and have now managed to give all of it away, except for this last rose-flavored box.

It makes me a little nostalgic already for my ship travels.

The Keht Abides

After an absence of little less than a year, I am back. Or at least, making an attempt at being back.

Today I saw Hannah, (Hannah! My best blogger buddy, who is now married, whom I've not seen in about 2 years, when we met up in Berlin), who told me I should get back to this "blog" thing. And right now, I have the motivation.

I didn't post during that almost-year because I was teaching English on Princess Cruises. A job which I have decided to give up. Still not sure why I decided that, exactly, but no regrets (yet)!

Also jetzt bin ich zu Hause, with the parents (sans Leah while she continues her stay in Paris), for better or for worse. They say they'll start charging rent in April, so that gives me...4 months. I'm pretty sure I can be out by then.

To close, I will leave you with a cartoon by Roz Chast. She's a cartoonist for the New Yorker, and I got a collection of her stuff for Xmas. I'd never heard of her before yesterday, but she's definitely worth checking out. A great mix of random and witty.


PS-I got more Melty Bars this Christmas! Hooray!!!

Too much is going on!

I met Hedwig!! As in, from Hedwig and the Angry Inch!!!!! And I finally saw the musical live, which was totally worth every cent. Cammy was there. It was awesome.

And I leave for my cruise ship training tomorrow. My first official day of training is on my birthday. Not sure how I feel about that, but it'll probably be a...stimulating day at the very least, right?

Wish me luck!

In the spirit of affectionate meanness

I love these "unValentine" cards I found on the craft site Etsy. I would totally give them to people, if I weren't so stingy to begin with.

Move over, Keira Knightley

"I'm 5 foot 7, and I've got pasty white skin. I don't think I'm ugly, don't get me wrong, but I'm not your classic lead man, Brad Pitt guy."

A quote from my new love, James McAvoy. I just saw Atonement today, and while the film overall left something to be desired...so did James McAvoy, in a good way. Ha ha. I think he was the sole reason I was actually still watching in the film in the last hour. And as this quote illustrates, he's not too arrogant either. Too bad about the 5' 7" part though.

For the time being...sigh.

GAH!

Why is it SO HARD to buy work shoes for size 11.5 feet?!? I honestly can't find ANY passable ones, even after checking Nordstrom's and Zappos!!!!

Must...refrain...from looking up pictures of radio personalities. I made the mistake of looking up the guys from Filmspotting, a film reviews podcast I'm addicted to.

Finding out what these people truly look like just dashes all of my hopes of them being nerdy yet adorable emo-ish boys. Dang it.

Hey man slow down, slow down

Today I spent $62 on two skincare products. I didn't think I was one of "those people" who drop outrageous amounts of cash on beauty stuff, but apparently I am.

In other news, I'm done being a Tourist for a while, and am back from Ecuador. It was Amazing! I will probably post highlights from the trip on Facebook in the near future, but I have to drive Leah up to Berkeley tomorrow, so...the near future.

It's kind of funny to think how Leah and I just spent 2 weeks traveling together in a foreign country, and now we have to spend another 7 straight hours driving together in a tiny enclosed car...can we make it? Yes, I think we can--just barely.

I'm using Facebook more and more to announce this stuff

I'm off to Ecuador tomorrow!

Well, technically Leah and I are off to Cammy's house in Seal Beach, and then off to LAX after that for our flight to Ecuador at 1 am.

I'm excited! And stressed! And also calm to some extent. If that's possible.

PS-Finished Snow Falling on Cedars. I DO NOT recommend that book, it's the definition of tedious.

I couldn't ask for more

Highlights of Xmas Eve/Xmas day:

-Playing "soccer" with my cousin Max (who's 8 years old)
-Being pestered by my other cousin Mason to play with him (Also 8, he usually prefers to play with my dad!)
-Watching Leah feed a baby mouse to the snake she's pet-sitting (A novel Xmas activity like no other)
-Getting MELTY BARS!!! my favorite chocolate bar from my dad's secretary

I need to watch more movies like this

I just watched a really thought-provoking and inspiring documentary about Sudanese refugees relocated to America. I really liked the film because it gave a very balanced view of the situation for refugees; it didn't hit you over the head with all of the atrocities, and it didn't try to sugarcoat the positive sides of moving to the United States. The film is called God Grew Tired of Us, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.

ps

Merry Christmas everyone!

For anyone who is interested, my mom is going to be on channel 28 (PBS, I think?) today (Christmas Eve) at 6:30pm-ish, playing with her dulcimer band on a live Christmas broadcast from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Yeah, I know. My mom's pretty cool.

Back from the dead?

According to the Facebook iLike application, Chet Baker is (On Tour). I thought he was dead?

Unexpected

I'm interviewing this Wednesday to teach English to the staff of a Princess cruise ship. Like, while on the cruise. I don't really know if I want the job (it's a lot of teaching hours, working six days a week), but apparently they're desperate for teachers...so it's good interview experience, at the very least.

It just sucks to still get stressed out about a job I probably don't want anyway. But you NEVER KNOW!

Schade....

There isn't much more of a turn-off (for me) than talking to a somewhat attractive guy at a party who's about my age and hear him start a sentence with "So, when I was married...."

Perhaps I'm being too judgmental.

UPDATE: OK, for anyone who cares, I've reconsidered and decided that there are worse things a guy could mention. Like being 100% for the death penalty or thinking all women should be stay-at-home moms. You get the idea.

Thanks a lot, "Tarot"

My roommate Katy's friend, Sat, reads tarot cards, so Katy and I both asked her to look at her cards to get advice on where we should teach English. Right now, I've sort of narrowed down my countries to South Korea, Vietnam, and Poland (well, basically just Eastern Europe, but I had to choose just one country). Lately I've been leaning the most towards Vietnam, mostly because it just sounds the most exciting (and the mildest winter).

This is what the cards apparently said:

1. Korea: According to the cards, I feel uncertain about teaching there, but in the future I would be very good at passing on knowledge to other people (so good teaching opportunities perhaps?).

2. Vietnam: Very good, strong positive card, representing future hope, peace and harmony. So I could have an awesome, empowering experience. But then I got the "tower" card, apparently the most negative card representing death or chaos (see picture). So Vietnam could be an amazing experience, but also really bad. Like, someone could die. Or alternatively, "you might feel emotionally like your world is crumbling around you." Hmm.

3. Poland: This one had the most straightforward positive cards; however, nothing really remarkable about it. The main reason I'm interested in Poland is that I would be so close to the rest of Europe, and Poland currently has the highest demand for English teachers in Europe. But hey, Europe is overrated. OK, maybe not overrated, but there are so many equally awesome parts of the world.

So while it was definitely need to get another kind of input on where I should apply for jobs, the tarot cards didn't help me narrow things down too much. Oh well. I think a lot of this kind of thing should be placed on chance, and adapting to whatever presents itself.

Yes, I am a music elitist, thank you VERY MUCH

Freakin' "iLike Music Challenge." Just because I don't know which Usher song that is, or that Taking Back Sunday song, or who sings that bland, cliched techno song (Oh, it's Madonna? I should have known! NOT!) I don't think my lack of knowledge about these "artists" should classify me as a "music novice." I got all the ones about the Rolling Stones, RHCP, Nirvana, and the White Stripes right!

How DARE they?!?

I have internet again!!

Hello!

I'm living in Point Loma right now, renting a room from one of the girls in my amTEFL program, Katy. We finished the class last week before Thanksgiving, and now I'm back to continue volunteering/assistant teaching until the end of the semester, Dec. 14th.

Life is pretty much a party now; I go in to teach about 3 hours a day at most, or not at all if I don't feel like it. (Or if I get locked out of my apartment for 4+ hours, as was the case last Wednesday. It was time well-spent bonding with the neighbors.)

The rest of the time is generally spent trying to get into jogging mode again (haven't done it for about five months), taking belly dancing classes (yes!), exploring the new bars in the area (and attempting to flirt with bartenders before finding out they moved here from Minnesota to get married....), and going to shows (we saw Iron and Wine on Tuesday, and perhaps Grand Ole Party or Blues Traveler this Sunday).

All of this translates into my bank account rapidly decreasing. But I figure it's worth it. And I'll only be down here for two more weeks. I can't completely use up my money in that span of time, right? :/

Also, my apartment is literally a 2-minute walk from the bay (I don't really know which bay, but you can kind of see Downtown San Diego on the other side), so it's really relaxing to walk along the beach and sit on the rocks to read a book or watch these weird sea black birds diving under the water for food. They can stay under the water for about a minute. Dylan, any guess what those birds might be?

OK, that's all I can think of for now. I will close with a link to this news story I found funny, and totally unimportant.

You wait much long for update, yes?

Yes. I am updating.

I still have no internet within a mile radius, so that's why I don't update much. I went through initial Facebook and shopping-online withdrawals, but have gradually been learning to appreciate this new-found time. I can read books! I can go for walks! I can...watch TV! (Is this an improvement? I seriously doubt it.)

Anyway, I had my first FULL week of class training to be a teacher. Class is from 9 to 5. AND we had make-up class on Saturday too. So basically, it feels like I have a job. But definitely more fun, even though it is quite boring at times. But I have to present my first lesson plan tomorrow! Exciting and challenging. I decided to do it on manners, and comparing what people consider to be good and bad manners at a dinner party. Hopefully people won't be too bored.

And Halloween! Hannah's post about Halloween motivated me to post something as well. I partied with Cammy and her ex-roomie Sarah and all of the International Relations grad students in La Jolla. It was good times. It's been a long time since I've been at a party where I pretty much didn't know anyone, and we were all about the same age.

Yeah, I can't figure out how to rotate this picture. Oh well.

My initial costume was Laura Ingalls Wilder after she came to L.A. I figured I could spice up the bonnet and plaid dress with some big sunglasses and stilettos. But the first comment about my costume happened to be, "Are you Paris Hilton from the Simple Life?" So I decided to nix the shades and fancy shoes and just be Laura Ingalls Wilder. Which prompted many other interesting costume guesses, including Betty Crocker, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Aunt Jemima. Yes, I think many people had had quite a bit to drink. It was rather amusing.

Cammy conceived and assembled her entire costume the day of the party; she managed to concoct an AWESOME Wilma Flintstone costume, red-haired beehive and all. She was also very excited to have bare feet as part of her costume.

The theme of the party was Day of the Dead. So Cammy's friend, Sarah, dressed up as La Llorona, the weeping ghost woman who murdered her children, according to Mexican folk tales. She was dressed all in black with lots of runny mascara. Sarah's current roommate, Cathy, dressed also dressed up as an awesome Frida Kahlo.

OK, I think my writing skills are going down the drain. This is my conclusion. Friends, drop me a line sometime! Much love to you all!

These fires are more serious than I thought....

Classes at all SD schools are canceled for the week, so I'm heading back up to Monrovia for a bit.

My thoughts go out to all the people who've been evacuated from their homes.

Smoke in the air

I'm in San Diego! I've been here for a whole 24 hours! And things are kind of exciting. Although not in the way I imagined. There have been huge fires in the area, fires so bad that they cancelled my first day of class 2 hours early, and also cancelled all classes tomorrow at SDSU. I guess the city of San Diego itself isn't threatened, but the people of Chula Vista have "recommended evacuation," and most beaches along the Orange County coast have mandatory evacuation.

The woman I'm renting my room from asked me today if it's alright for two of her friends to stay at her house for a while. They've been evacuated from their own house and don't really have anywhere to stay yet. I hope they can move home again soon, and not because I like my privacy!

Hey, did you guys know that Bittersweet Symphony, made famous by The Verve, was written originally by the Rolling Stones? And that The Verve had to surrender 100% of the royalties to the Stones' copwriters, ABCKO?

So that famous song gave them fame, but much less fortune than one might assume. Crazy.

The highlight of my day

Yes, my day had reached its zenith when this evening I turned onto Foothill Boulevard behind a white truck whose license plate read, and I quote:

"WAHAPEN"

I am sure some of my readers are familiar with the genius of Christopher Guest, including perhaps my favorite film of his, A Mighty Wind. This quote from the film still elicits laughter from everyone in my family, and it will for many years to come.

Coincidence that I was behind that truck? You decide.

Debbie Harry, you slay me

I have a new love for Blondie, after discovering and burning this CD left behind by Leah.

Unadulterated charisma

I really, really want to be Jamie Hyneman for Halloween. I've only watched Mythbusters once, but there's something about that jaunty black beret and walrus mustache that just begs to be duplicated. I think I'm the one for the task.

Everyone said it was bad. My sister. Hannah. The LA Times. But I still had to see it: Across the Universe. It's the Beatles, right? So it can't be all bad...?

It wasn't ALL bad. I liked Joe Cocker's version of "Come Together," the "I Want You" scenes, and, uh...I think that was it. Even Evan Rachel Wood couldn't save this one.

A room with a view

I have finally found housing for my three weeks at SDSU! I'm going to be renting a room a mile and a half (the proximity is so thrilling to me, you don't even know) from campus. Hooray! That means I can bike to class every day, and not have to stress about parking. AND I get my own bathroom.

I'm renting the room from a woman in her mid thirties, which, I have to admit, could be a little boring now and then, but hey...better quiet than crazy, I suppose. I'll be working on a teaching certificate, after all. Now if only she had a pet. :(

I've been practicing my biking around Monrovia. Not that I really need to, after four years living in Davis.

Three weeks til I move in. Aufregend!

Note: Sorry to those whom I've left out of the loop (Hannah!), I've been pretty lazy about updating this. Starting in a few weeks, I'm taking a one-month course at SDSU that trains people to teach English abroad. After the program ends, they are supposed to help us find actual teaching positions abroad. I'm really looking forward to it.

And Meredith, I do live off of Montezuma! If you take El Cajon, I believe you can reach the place I'm staying. I just might hit you up for restaurant recommendations and the like. Thanks!

I think I'm in love

This girl made a meerkat doll. I don't remember the last time I saw an inanimate object this cute.

As I re-submerge myself in film

Every time I come back to L.A., I get sucked into the Calendar section of the LA Times. And I mean I basically read every article in it. And I live for the Friday issue, because then I can read ALL the movie reviews. I have too much free time. But I suppose we all know this by now.

On a somewhat related note....

On Sunday my mom and I drove out to Venice to visit my grandma and take her out to a movie. We pre-select a couple "safe" films we think she'd like to see, such as The Jane Austen Book Club, or possibly Blame it on Fidel. But what does she want to see? None of these romantic, cute films--of course not! No, she wants to see Into the Wild. Because she saw an interview with Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch on Oprah. And their story is very compelling.

I actually wanted to see the film as well--I just was a little surprised to hear that it was my grandma's first choice. And I wasn't sure if I was prepared to be bawling during the final scenes. Nevertheless, we did go to see all 2 hours and 40 minutes of the film at the Landmark.

And it was really good! (Do I ever post about bad movies on this blog? Except for Ghost? Never.) The ending wasn't nearly as heart-wrenching and depressing as I expected, and I really felt like the time went by fast. So the point of all this rambling is, go see this movie. If you are a little interested in nature, or the way human relationships affect our lives, or just to watch a really interesting true story, I recommend it.

Oh, I've also had a crush on Emile Hirsch since I saw him in Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. So I'm sliiightly biased. But not much.

Things is happening!

I really shouldn't use bad grammar--I need to start perfecting my sentence structure in the future, since I'm gonna (going!) to be helping my mum as an ESL assistant.

Actually, I've already been in the classroom! I've come in about three times, and today I had to teach (gasp!!) the class for two hours, while my mom took out groups for testing. I had to teach the sound "ch" as well as the idioms "at last," "as usual," and "to find out." It basically went OK--I think the students are afraid to ask me questions, since I'm not their regular teacher, and I think they also got a little bored, since I'm not nearly as talkative and mobile as my mom.

So far, my tactic seems to be to just kind of stand at the front of the class and wait for someone to ask me a question. Not the best tactic. But I think it'll become more natural to walk around and keep talking as I get more experience. And I have to teach again on Thursday!

Living at home. Amazingly, I'm not sick of my parents yet, which is wonderful. I even attempted a yoga class tonight with my mom, which wasn't too bad. I always feel a little guilty because I'm not such a fan of yoga (My mom's been doing it for over 20 years, but it sucks when you're impatient and not flexible!), but I decided I should give it another try, since the health benefits seem to be worth it. And every now and then it can be relaxing.

I've also gotten re-obsessed with movie reviews, as anyone who's seen me in the last few weeks may have noticed. Generally, I base all my movie choices on reviews (the ones in the newspaper, usually not friends' reviews, which I suppose can be insulting :/ ). I guess it's my somewhat subconscious attempt at being literary and discerning. Who knows. Does anyone want to see Across the Universe, Blame it on Fidel, or The King of California with me?

Oh yeah, I also need to stop spending so much money.

Alright, I think that's it for now! Anyone who reads this (I'm not sure if anyone actually does anymore), let me know if you're in Monrovia! I'll be here until the end of October.

Before I go

I'm all moved out of my room in our house on Pine Lane in Davis. I still have a couple of boxes of clothes in the living room, but that's it.

I'm leaving on a road trip to the Grand Canyon tomorrow with my good friends Liz and Kaylan, in which we will be roughing it like a trio of hooligans (or hopefully something resembling hooligans) while we hike down into the Canyon to camp for a couple days.

Then we will return to Davis in about a week, and then I will drive back to Monrovia a couple days after that. Because I have an appointment with the oral surgeon. Why else?

I plan to stay in Monrovia for most of September, followed by a move down to San Diego at the end of October so that I can take a training course for teaching English abroad.

Lately my emotions have been welling up inside without actually breaking through, but I think it's safe to assume that by the time I'm back in M-Town I'll have had a good cry. But I'm pretty sure that's healthy.

I'm happy for you

You've made it hard for me
I counted on your company
You are staying with your friends tonight
I'm feeling sorry for myself
I keep taking everything to be a sign

I'd rather be in Tokyo
I'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy-oh
And watch the Sunday gang in Harajuku
There's something wrong with me, I'm a cuckoo

Apparently living in D.C. for spring quarter made me tanorexic...photos may appear soon.

When all else fails, discuss Harry Potter

Either Harry Potter or the Spice Girls reunion tour. I'm learning that these are excellent conversation starters when talking to people you don't know very well.

Lately I've been hanging out with my roommate Kaylan's work buddies, (all Starbucks minions), and it has been quite entertaining. I already hear enough about all the crazy customers they get from Kaylan, so I feel like I can join in practically any conversation.

Also, while hanging out at Sudwerks last night, I got to meet some new Germans (YES! FRESH GERMANS IN DAVIS!). And not only were they German, they were actually cool to boot! (This was indeed a rare find.) I probably lost of coolness points because I spent a good part of the conversation explaining to them how great the Harry Potter books are.
Unfortunately, it turns out that they are all leaving Davis in a week. My only hope is to Facebook them and then try to track them down when I visit Germany again, whenever that might be--hopefully within the next couple of years.

In other news--I'm home again (Monrovia) for the weekend. WOO hoo! It's always nice to be home for a while, as long as my stay doesn't last longer than about a week at a time.

The animals are TAKING OVER! We live in the foothills (ie at the bottom of small mountains), and because of the drought, all the wild animals have been leaving their forest homes and taking over the suburban areas. My mom told me that a bear broke up an 8-year-old's birthday party last week! Skunks are EVERYWHERE (they keep getting hit by cars, too, which is sad and makes the area smell horrible), and my sister ran into THREE rattlesnakes last week on the hiking trail. I just don't know what to do. This could be more serious than anything in the Middle East.

OK, that's all I got for now. I need to become more literate and learn vocabulary for the GRE. No magazines for me! I'm trying to read Herzog, by Saul Bellow. Has anyone heard of it? I saw it on a "Books Everyone Should Read" list somewhere. The plots really slow so far, but I'm only on page 41.

Apparently I am a Type 3

Has anyone heard of enneagrams? They're these psychological tests that put your personality in a number category, ranging from 1 to, uh, 8 I think. Leah took a psychology class and already knows that she's a four, the "individualist." Like the French intellectual Proust, apparently. And the closest category that fits me is a three, the "achiever," the category also taken by Irving Berlin. It's all rather strange.

But one does things like personality tests when one has entirely TOO MUCH free time on one's hands. Not that I'm complaining. It has been wonderful relaxing the last few weeks. I'm in SoCal for the week, awaiting news on the healing of my gum grafting on Friday. So much fun!

But for now, Happy fourth!
I'm going to Six Flags tomorrow! It's going to be DEATHLY HOT. But I will try to survive.

Mir ist langweilig

And here I am, back in Davis!
I'm back in my Davis house, with the six roomies I love (well, minus Liz unfortuantely since she's at band camp, but now I get to sleep in her bed!), and I'm in Davis for possibly the last time in a while! Although I actually kind of doubt that, since three of my friends haven't even graduated yet, and I really hope to visit them soon.

The weather is HOTTT here! It was 104 yesterday apparently. I forget how drastically different the two coasts are. Just last week I was pouring off sweat and getting frizzy hair at 1am while walking around the monuments, and here I am pouring off smaller amounts of sweat, but still sweating in a dry heat. Yikes. So far, Monrovia wins for best summer weather.

So we woke up today (me, Jessica and Alicia), and our TV was missing. We hadn't locked the door last night, so were a little panicked at first. However, it was kind of weird because the Playstation was still there, and the antenna for the TV had been carefully unplugged. What kind of criminals do that? Alicia went to the next door neighbors' house, the six boys who like to come over and visit randomly when drunk, and whaddya know? It was in their garage. Funny, funny.

So this is becoming a very boring post. But I felt like I should update. I guess I'm not that good at reflecting with deep thoughts at 10 am. And I'm definitely already in summer mode.

Na ja, that's all for now. I'm going to the POOL later! An OUTDOOR pool! (Something that apparently has not yet been invented in the East). Can't wait!!

Unique New York

The last few weeks have been filled with paper writing (bilingual education and two-way immersion--ask me about it sometime! On second thought, don't), presentations (more bilingual education, Cherry Trees of Washington D.C.!), making cookies, making birthday cakes, and not least of all, traveling to NEW YORK CITY for the first time over Memorial Day weekend.

I loved New York. I want to live there. Does anyone want to move there with me? There's just SO MUCH to do and see, and the people are cool (we didn't meet anyone mean in our extensive 3-day visit), the style is funky, the atmosphere is edgy, the vibe is marvelous. OK, I don't really know what that last sentence means.

But I did have a marvelous time on our speed-racer tour of the city; we saw the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Wallstreet, Central Park...you name it, I saw it. I also got to see Liev Schreiber in the thought-provoking Broadway play Talk Radio, and afterwards I talked with him and got his autograph!! And, as all fans say about whatever celebrity they love, he was really nice! I was a bit starstruck. Then I met two women from Jersey who joined me in analyzing all the possible interpretations of the play.

Also took a whirlwind tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (yeah, I actually only saw two full exhibits, both of 19th century paintings, which is pretty cool anyway), and the MOMA.

All my pics are on Facebook, should you wish to see some visuals!

And so, my weeks in D.C. are rapidly drawing to a close. The final research paper is due next Monday, followed by five days to soak up the culture in D.C., and then we all fly home on June 9th! And then I graduate.

Books: better than friends?

After months of trying to check out the book Children of Men at the library, I finally gave up and just bought it. Apparently all copies are always checked out because of that movie. That same movie I was semi-obsessed with because I found it so enthralling and thought provoking. Those of you who heard me rave about it can attest to this.

Let me tell you kids, the book is just as, if not more, intense. Sometiems I find myself grimacing while I read it. And the plot's more interesting and more believable as well. If anyone wants to borrow it, or just have it after I finish it, let me know! I want to spread the good-bookness around. I bought it on powells.com for $6, including shipping! Thus the willingness to give it away.

I wish I were talking to a pretty boy

...rather than sitting on a hot oven.

Could time pass any slower than it does at work?

And yes, I'm at work now. The fact that I can blog here should tell us all something.

Real post coming soon!

An obscene chili pepper

I think this is one of the grossest things I can possibly imagine eating. Thoughts, anyone? Has anyone actually tried this?!

Step back a minute here

As I type this, my roommate is talking on the phone while brushing her teeth. Yesterday, I saw a girl talking on the phone while jogging (at a fast pace!) on the treadmill.

People, there are times when you talk on the cell phone, and there are times when you should just CALL THE PERSON BACK.

The Phantom Headphones

Apparently if you wear iPod headphones for extended periods of time (e.g. 7 hours while at work), and then take them out, it still feels like you're wearing them. Even though you're not. What could be creepier? I keep trying to take them out of my ears! But there's NOTHING THERE.

I get the point.

YES! I'm finally DONE with Flags of our Fathers! I have to say, if there's one thing I learned while reading that book (It was required for my class), it's that I really don't enjoy nonfiction books (or probably fiction ones for that matter) about huge war battles. Who really does? I honestly think every time I read five pages or more I cried a little. WAR IS BAD.

by Billy Collins

Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House

The neighbor's dog will not stop barking.
He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark
that he barks every time they leave the house.
They must switch him on on their way out.
The neighbor's dog will not stop barking.
I close all the windows in the house
and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music,
barking, barking, barking,
and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra,
his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for barking dog.
When the record finally ends he is still barking,
sitting there in the oboe section barking,
his eyes fixed on the conductor who is
entreating him with his baton
while the other musicians listen in respectful
silence to the famous barking dog solo,
that endless coda that first established
Beethoven as an innovative genius.

Not that I'm a lesbian or anything

I feel slightly awkward in my head because my roomies have a friend named Ruby who comes by a lot, and WHENEVER I hear her name or see her I get that freakin' song in my head that has the chorus

Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!
Do ya do ya do ya do ya?
Know what you're doing doing to me?
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!

I try to avoid singing it aloud when she's over; it might just be a bit too creepy.
But I just looked it up and it's by the Kaiser Chiefs. Interesting. It's a freakin' annoying song. But after it's been in my head about thirty times I'm starting to warm up to it.

Man!

What if I want to see Ben Folds and NOT John Mayer?! Why do they have to tour together?
(Sorry any John Mayer fans, but he's just not worth the money he charges for a concert ticket.)

While talking on the phone tonight, Mom gave me a small lecture about how Leah and I need to stop thinking about whether boys are "worthy" of us, and basically that we need to stop scaring boys away because our standards are set so high.

Does anyone else get lectures like this from their parents?!

Playlist of the day

"Everything's not Lost"--Coldplay
"Everything Will Be Alright"--The Killers
"Even the Bad Times are Good"--The Tremeloes
"Everybody Hurts"--R.E.M.

All the songs happened to be in the "E" section of my iPod songs, but they made me feel just a little better about yesterday's tragedy.

?

Cover of the White Stripes newest album, revealed!


Please don't ask me what they're wearing.

He doesn't know what to do with himself*

There's a rumor going around that Jack White will have a cameo in the film Walk Hard as...Elvis. This love-hate relationship I have with Jack continues. Why does he constantly do such bizarre stuff? I guess it could be worse (like writing a Coca-Cola jingle), but still--I'm somewhat baffled.

And mensch, is that guy gonna need to get a tan if he's really gonna do it!

*A song by Bacharach, covered by the White Stripes on Elephant. In case you cared.

Wherever I go in this world, my

Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki comes with me. (I just bought a bottle today, realizing how incomplete and boring my life was without it.)

This is the only story I can think of right now

Last night, while wandering the streets, I found a free newspaper with a picture of an old man playing accordian on the front. It delighted me to such an extent that I took it with me to a salsa club, intending to put it on the wall when I got home.
But when I put the newspaper down so that I could dance better, the waitress took it and threw it away.

No one warns you about the heartbreak that is Washington, D.C.!!

I just need something else

...to put up instead of my gross knees. They are much better now!
But I have no exciting news or random thoughts.
So I will put this up:
Because it makes me smile.

Schlechte Idee

This is why one should not go jogging on the uneven pavement of Davis when it's dark outside (this is before swelling!):



But one did anyway, and now one regrets it.

Life at Work

They were playing Ben Folds (SCORE!) at the Coffee House while I was working today, and I discovered that I am still not immune to the sappy corniness (yet also greatness) that is "The Luckiest." You know, that one song at the end of the Rockin' the Suburbs album where Folds sings about how much he loves his wife.
I was getting tears in my eyes while spreading mozzarella on the raw pizzas. When will it end?

Also, if you come to visit me at work and I'm totally zoned out staring at the floor or some distant place in space and time, this is probably what I'm thinking about:

If I had a dog that looked like this:

















I would name him/her Tiny Dancer. And maybe just call it "Dancer" for short (Dancey?).

And if I had a dog like this:














I would name him Willy Brandt, after my favorite German chancellor. They share a striking resemblance, trust me.

I don't plan to have either of these dogs, but I felt like sharing my innermost thoughts with you anyway.

Have a nice FRIDAY!
I have a linguistics midterm to look forward to.

Off to see the Oral Surgeon!!

I'm flying home tomorrow! For no particular reason. Except that I need to have a pre-surgery check-up so that they can make a "splint." I don't really know how you make a splint for a tooth implant, but I'm trying hard not too think about it excessively.

It's fun to have an excuse to go home though! If not to see the 'rents and bff Cammy, then at least to see our doggy Jinny and become somewhat less animal-starved!

PS-All of my roomies at this moment are either drunk or not at home. I wonder if anyone will be able to give me a ride to the airport in the morning? I have my fingers crossed....

This I Believe

My parents are big fans of the NPR series "This I Believe," which is a project where people (some famous and some not) talk for about three or four minutes about what their beliefs are, relating to life or just their philosophies about certain things. It's deep, man.
But no, really, it's pretty interesting sometimes. And the point I'm coming to is that Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips gloriousness read one recently, and I liked it. My Dad sent me the link.
This is it, if you're interested.

P.S. Hannah, do you and your roomies actually go out in public while wearing said headbands? This I gotta see.

Has anyone seen this movie?

Other than my roomie Alicia, when she was eight, and now me? Because it is one of the most ridiculous movies I've ever seen.

It's Been a While

But not a while as in that one song, by Puddle of Mud or P.O.D. or some other less-than-stellar band....

I want to post two totally unimportant and self-absorbed thoughts (But perhaps all blogger posts can be categorized in this way?).

Thought #1:
I really wish I could pull off a headband. Like the one Luke Wilson's wearing in Royal Tenenbaums, or just some kind of bandana tied in the same way. There's this guy at my work who wears a headband like that often, and it inspires me. Too bad I'm not a guy, because the effect is definitely not quite as, shall we say, formidable, when seen on women.


Thought #2:
I wish I had a boyfriend (or husband!) who looked like Jeremy Sisto. I was watching this movie last week for my German film class called The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (a rare example of a good German film--I recommend it!) and the male love interest kind of reminded me of Jeremy Sisto, and renewed my mild obsession with him. Yes, he looks a little creepy and mildly ape-like, but that's why we love him, right?

And that is all for now.

A late thank you

Not sure who reads this exactly, but I just want to say THANKS! for all the birthday wishes on Facebook/my blog/in person! It was honestly one of the best birthdays I've had in a while. All I did was go out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (which was delicious as usual--I did my annual vegetarian-breaking tradition of eating salmon), but I felt like I have such great friends and family! And I do!!

I wondered why no songs came up!

You know you've been working on your linguistics paper too long when you absent-mindedly type "nouns" into the music search on iTunes.

I got to ride a moped today! I didn't crash it, and I managed to take it all the way up to 16 mph! WHOA!
Yeah, the top speed is 26 mph, but I'm just going to ignore that for now. . . .

The confused and concerned looks from people passing by in their cars was also quite amusing.
This experience has re-instilled my love and longing for a Vespa!

Most hectic spring break EV-er

The spring break we get at UC Davis is literally four days. If you have a final on the last day. I don't know why they do this to us. I, however, have a final on one of the earlier dates, so my spring break is a WHOLE WEEK! Woo hoo!!

On the first day of break I'm getting a titanium post implanted into my jaw, then two days to recover and pack for Washington D. C., and then a trip to Rosarito, Mexico for two nights with the roomies, and then a day in between for the surgery follow-up, and then I fly out of LAX to D.C. for three months to work as an intern for CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics).

I don't know if anyone cares about all of these thrilling details, but I felt like sharing anyway And I guess it helps me organize everything in my head when I type it out.

And then TAHOE this weekend, and my parents coming to visit the weekend after that!!

There, now you know all of my plans. :)

Overheard in Cowtown

Overheard at the Coffee House by a very enthusiastic young gentleman sitting at the table next to us:

"It'll do your taxes AND flag down space ships!!!"

I will live the rest of my life wondering what this amazing contraption could be.

When is a "friend" a friend?

I've decided it's time to feel important and use titles for my posts. Thoughts sound much more meaningful and scholarly with titles.

So regarding the title of this post, don't worry, I'm not feeling bitter about a failed friendship or anything. I just wanted to post about a funny thing came to my attention today. I've always thought it was a little silly how Americans call everyone their "friend," whether it's someone they've known since they were in diapers or someone they just added on Facebook but have never spoken to.

I never really thought about how weird this aspect of our culture was until today, when I was working at the grill. I was telling one of the girls about my friend Alicia who sings with the a capella choir The Spokes, and the girl said, "Oh yeah, one of my friends is in that group too." But when I asked her who it was, she couldn't remember her friend's name! Come on now! We clearly use the term "friend" much to generally if we're using to describe people who's names we don't even know!

Anyway, I think we should find some kind of medial word like "acquaintance," except not that one because it sounds too much like a word you'd use during an interrogation by the police.

Oh, and one more totally unrelated musing. Today I read an article for my German Women and Films class by Susan Sontag about how modern sadomasochism is largely influenced by fascist principles and the military uniforms of the Nazis (black, leather, etc.) Eye opening, to say the least.

I saw the film Children of Men last night, and I have to say, GO SEE IT. It's one of the few movies I can think of where I had to cover my eyes for about half of it due to the violence, but I still really liked it. (I generally write off movies that have a death count of more than two people.)

The film takes place in the year 2027 at a time when the human race is dying out because women have become inexplicably infertile. It's a really interesting premise, and all the actors do a really good job. I didn't really like Clive Owen before I saw him in this, but now I've changed my mind. And Michael Caine steals every scene he's in; he was definitely my favorite character.

Children of Men is super thought-provoking, and I want other people to see it so that we can analyze it together!

Thanks to the traditional American love of suing, products have been exhibiting weirder and wackier warning labels. This one was awarded as the most wacky of the year.

PS: I just bought Abbey Road. V. nice. Only the second Beatle's CD I own! And I call myself a Beatles fan.

PPS: Sadly, apparently working out while listening to an iPod does not have the intended effect of making you eternally indefatiguable. Especially if you just sat around and ate all Christmas break. But it DOES inspire you to use big words that you've probably never used before.

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone's had a scrumtrellescent day (to borrow an adjective from the great Will Ferrell). At my house we made Nutella crepes for breakfast, opened presents, went to the grandparents for lasagne, opened more presents, then came home and relaxed. I FINALLY had the time to finish 100 Years of Solitude, a book I've been working on since Thanksgiving. I pretty much wanted to kill myself while I was reading it, but now that it's finished, in retrospect it wasn't actually that bad!

My family also watched a documentary today called Shakespeare Behind Bars. Has anyone heard of it? The film is about this program in a Kentucky prison where they inmates put on a production of a Shakespeare play. The documentary was amazing; most of the inmates in the production are in prison for murder, so the interpretations of Shakespeare are obviously given a new meaning when the prisoners perform and study it. The documentary also humanized prisoners in a way that I've never seen before.
This was one of the most powerful documentaries I've ever seen, so I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to watch something a little more edifying or enriching than the usual faire!

And the finals are Done! Sorry my posts have been so boring lately; it's mostly because I have been either stressed out or busy. But hooray for Christmas break! I'm gonna be in Davis for a few more days, but after that, I'll be home for the holidays!

The first theory is similar to the “no access” theory in that it assumes that the UG is “dead” by the time the adult begins to learn L2. The result of this is that the UG can no longer be utilized to gain an internal grammar at the adult L2 level. Knowledge of the grammar can still be derived from the L1, which contains aspects of the UG. However, because the UG has already been set, its parameters cannot be changed, and therefore if the core grammar of L1 and L2 differ, the new L2 grammar will not be initially learnable.


This is what I will be writing about ALL DAY today. I can't wait. AARGH! I hate putting off papers until the last day!!

GAAH! I forgot how much I hate research papers and the requisite endless stressful hours spent at the library that come with them.

I had my last African American Studies class today, and I was surprised at how sad I was that it was finished. I don't even know anyone in that class! The teacher was a great guy though, really relaxed and funny. I can't remember the last time I felt that way about a class. :/

PS-Veronica Mars is officially my favorite show on TV right now. That's right, it even tops Top Model! *gasp*

A couple nights ago I went to go hear a talk by Michael Pollen, the guy who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book that discusses the origins and makeup of what we eat. It was so interesting! I haven't read the book, but now I plan to, since he talked about a few of the topics that he discusses in the book. The main point was, we cannot keep eating the way we are, transporting food hundreds of thousands of miles before we can even buy it at the store--it just uses too much fuel and doesn't make sense!
Thus, it's really important to shop at a local farmer's market or co-op to support locally grown stuff, even if it's not organic. So yes.

This turned into a rather preachy article, but I really just wanted to make everyone aware of this interesting book and important topic!

OH MY GOD. I got back from Thanksgiving break and the temperature inside of our Davis house is below 50 degrees. And I can't figure out how to turn on the thermostat.
Therefore, I am huddling in my room next to the space heater. THANK GOD FOR SPACE HEATERS!!!!

PS-I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Mine was lovely.

PS: I am so excited about Thanksgiving! I get to see our new dog, Jinny, and I get to escape Davis for a whole 4 days!
If ONLY the difficult midterm on the following Monday didn't exist...so it goes.

This UCLA police attack news is crazy. I don't really know what to say; I would never have expected something like that to happen at UCLA of all the UC schools, but then again, the LAPD doesn't exactly have the best record around.
Regardless, sometimes I'm really glad about technology such as cell phone video cameras that let people everywhere see what happened, and make us more aware of what's actually going on.

I have become addicted to Buffy once again. Unfortunately, I only have one more season left before I've seen all the episodes.
But last night Friday night = 8 episodes of Buffy back-to-back. And what a joyous feeling it was!

I gave blood today. I have officially redeemed my status as a good person.

In other news, I'm sad that they're gonna build a Target in Davis. And of course that Schwarzenegger has been popularly elected YET AGAIN as governor. We Californians are a backward people!

Oh, and in other rather humorous news, I was doing my homework out on the quad today and a bird pooped on it. Luckily, my professor exteneded the due date later that day, so that I didn't have to turn in the smelly original. :D

I just changed my Facebook pic to some photoshopped nonsense on a SATURDAY night. Sometimes I feel such a loser.

I found this on Facebook. Rather amusing.

It has recently come to my attention that Justin Chambers, aka Alex from Grey's Anatomy, used to be a model for Calvin Klein.
HE IS SO HOTT!



My roomies Kaylan and Alicia don't agree with me; they think he's funny looking! So I'm posting this to get people on my side--it's not just me that thinks he's smokin' right? :) And yes, I just typed "smokin'."

I recently bought the "Step into my OFfice, Baby" single from Belle and Sebastian.
This is what it looked like when I opened the case:



I don't know if you guys know this song, but the picture/quote fits it perfectly. SO CUTE! I LOVE BELLE AND SEBASTIAN!

Having three midterms three days in a row is better than having them all on one day...but it sucks to take a hard test, and go home and start studying immediately for the next one! Gah.

It kind of blows my mind that scientists were able to do this.

Rather awkward and amusing events seem to be occuring quite often in my life as of late.

Situation #1: Awkward
Kate and a boy are heading toward the same table in the Quad.
KATE: Are you going to sit there?
HIM: Um, yeah, but we can share.
KATE: (jokingly) Well, it's kind of an unwritten rule that people don't share tables. Ha ha.
HIM: (uncomfortable, not understanding it was a joke) Well...uh...you can sit there if you want.
KATE: (gives up on trying to be witty) Ok.

Situation #2: Awkward, yet Amusing
Kate is biking on campus. Her water bottle falls out of backpack, the lid comes off and sprays all over the ground. She stops her bike, walks over to get the bottle, and in doing so knocks over her bike. Innocent bystander (small Asian girl) compassionately comes over and lifts up bike for Kate.
KATE: Thank you!
(Kate accidentally splashes water on innocent bystander in the process of taking hold of the bike. )

This is why I love the internet. Turn your sound up, it's so much more satisfying!

It seems like every time I listen to the Smiths, I fall in love with them again. Sure, all their songs sound the same, but who can resist Morrissey's voice and the poetic/bizarre lyrics? I especially love the songs "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," and "Bigmouth Strikes Again."

Oh Morrissey. You speak to me. Even though I don't understand half of what you say.

Did you miss me?

So...pretending like I have a life isn't really working. It's nice to have free time, but sometimes I feel a little like a LOSER. So I need to find a job or something, or at least something I can volunteer for.
Until then there's always homework and Facebook. And BLOGGER of course!

And Corie turning my dog blue on Photoshop. She's so talented! Yes, this is what we do for fun in Davis sometimes.

I am totally convinced from my experience of working with poor people that they can get themselves out of poverty if we give them the same or similar opportunities we give to others. The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world — all we have to do is to free them from the chains that we have put around them. ~ Muhammad Yunus

Eh.
I'm getting a little tired of updating this blog. So I think I might take a sabbatical from posting for a bit, just for a short time, while I pretend to have a life. And yes, I've decided it's called a sabbatical. :)

You know you're avoiding work when you're looking at a website with pictures of bunnies yawning. These pictures actually creep me out quite a bit. What is it that can be so sinister about these little fluffy creatures? Is it just me?
PS-Number 30 is especially frightening.

Download Festival!

Yesterday I (and Chris and Dan and Dylan and his roommates) went to the Download Festival in San Jose. It was a pretty good concert, considering how big the venue was. I mean, we were on the grass way up behind the regular seating,

so it was hard to see the performers, but taking that into account, it was definitely worth the thirty bucks. And I got to see BECK!!

As I told Dylan afterwards, I think Beck may quite possibly be one of the coolest people I've seen, possibly even cooler than JACK WHITE! And that's saying a lot, as I'm sure all my dedicated readers know.

Note, however, that the sentence contains the word "possibly."
Anyway, I digress.
We also saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen O. is a great performer; I thought she did a great job even though I don't really dig the music so much).

Muse did a really good set as well. The Shins were alright. They definitely lacked energy, which was the problem at the last two concerts I saw them at. But yeah, some good performances for sure. TV on the Radio was a nice surprise, since I didn't really know their stuff, but I'm definitely thinking about buying their CD now.
And I got to see my seester! I don't think Leah reads this, but it was really nice to meet up with her for a bit and chat during the breaks. AND she gave me a sweatshirt to wear when it got cold.
Ok, I am rambling quite a bit. I should go to bed, since I actually have to get up a decent hour tomorrow. Good night!