From time to time, a girl just needs to rant a little.
Rant one: What is up with the stupid ass girls that use the bathroom on the third floor of the engineering building at UCLA? Seriously, I find several things annoying about my fellow bathroom-mates, so much so that I find myself cursing under my breath while I'm trying to enjoy my bodily relief. My major gripe has to do with the seat covers. Pretty much once or twice a week I'll walk into the stall only to see that about 23 seat covers are lying on the floor and the toilet itself. Now, I understand that the mechanics of the whole seat cover thing are a little complicated (did I mention this is the engineering building?), however if you happen to pull out a few too many, why the hell don't you pick them up and put them in the trash? Do you get so confused by what is going on that you just run out, afraid of the paper seat covers?? I really, really just don't understand this mentality. This has to be the same person too, I just have this feeling. My second gripe has to do with talking on a cell phone in a stall in the bathroom. It's fucking annoying. I mean really. There are places all over UCLA where you can talk on your cell phone in relative privacy. The god damn bathroom stall is not one of them. For me at least; how the hell am I supposed to go pee knowing that whoever you are talking to can hear my business? I don't even talk on the phone while taking care of business. My third gripe has to do with the girls that are already in a stall when I enter the bathroom, and proceed to halt anything they are doing, waiting for me to finish, washup, and leave before they continue. Alright, I understand some desire for modesty on their part, but my god, this leaves me as the person that must suck it up and pee while they get to listen to everything I do, just so they can remain comfortable. It's a horrible double standard. I hate it. Conclusion: bitches don't understand bathroom etiquette.
Second rant: This is one that is near and dear to me, as I am a bus rider that has to walk to and from my destinations and the bus stops. People that do not respect the pedestrian right-of-way. I'm not talking about me jaywalking, or running across the intersection after the do not walk sign is lit, because those things are annoying to drivers, rigthly so. I do drive on the weekends, and have my complaints about lameass pedestrians that should probably be knocked out of the gene pool. Oh no, I'm a very courteous pedestrian. It's about the fuckers that floor it just as the light turns green (and the walk sign is lit) so they can turn right without waiting for the pedestrians to cross, or the people who do the same thing about 0.01 seconds after I've "cleared" the lane they need to be in, so to speak. I understand traffic sucks, but do you understand that a slight error in judgement on your part results in serious harm to me, and that really, you're just an asshole? No really, do you get this part? I've often (as in twice) remarked that if I ever get serious about some karma style retribution, I'm going to hold on to the keys in my pocket with a key outstretched, and when one of those fuckers goes squealing past me just as I'm stepping into the crosswalk, I'm just going to pull it out and let the car hit the key. Because really, that's what it is. I wouldn't have to really reach out to hit the car, it's more like, "whoops, your car just ran into my keys which were hardly an elbow-to-fingertip's length away from my body." Today, if you didn't see this coming, was one of those days, but slightly modified. Today, one super asshole was turning right after the light in his direction turned red, and I was crossing perpindicular to him. This almost turned out tragically, but I had time to yell out "Hey, fucker!" before he was gone. Not two seconds later, as I'm now about five feet into the crosswalk, another asshole comes careening to a halt, as his front right bumper is about to meet with my knee. Now this guy, this guy I wanted to really yell at. This asshole is now about to run through the red light, that's right, not a green light, hitting me in the process. I stopped and glared, and yelled a few words along the lines of "Are you fucking serious," but he wouldn't look me in the eye. Interestingly, and I can only hope this is what stops him from such egregious driving in the future, a girl that I presume to be his daughter was in the backseat without a seat belt on flew into the back of his seat, hitting her head in the process, as he had to slam on the brakes to avoid my previously mentioned knees. She looked like she was in quite a bit of pain. Well, too bad for her, she got stuck with a pretty shitty dad. In retrospect I really, really, no you really don't understand how much I really think I should have taken a swift kick to one of his headlights and yelled out, "When you look at that broken headlight, you fuck, think about driving a little better. Because if you had hit me, you would have won by a long shot. ASSHOLE!" But I didn't.
So think about these things before you take on a pedestrian. You risk getting keyed, which is not that big of a deal, but you also risk losing the college fund for your daughter, or yourself, which I would have heartily sued for if this guy had hit me. Heartily!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
the whiskey days of summer
Shortly after I wrote yesterday, I had to run over to Santa Monica College for the first meeting of the beginning violin class I enrolled in. This is not an actual college class, it's a community education class, and I'm taking it for fun. I got so much out of the guitar class that I decided if I'm interested in learning something, to just enroll. The first violin I bought was an E-bay disaster. This thing was poorly designed and the varnish was emanating off of this thing. I was ashamed to walk into class with it, so I went over to McCabes Guitar Shop and bought a new one, which is still a beginner violin. The difference is, I didn't feel bad walking into class with it.
The class itself went alright. I think guitar was easier since I had played before. Violin requires a whole set of skills that I have to aquire as I go along. I got a little frustrated when I couldn't get all the way through Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with the rest of the group. I had to remind myself that at least two of the people in the class had already played before, so probably had to spend less time thinking about how to hold the violin and the bow, and could concentrate on the notes and the finger positions. I practiced today and sounded a lot better, because I watched myself in the mirror to make sure my arm positions were doing what she said they should. That helped a lot. A little bit of practice every day this week and I should have the song down.
Later in the afternoon, B and I went over to the newly married couple Pat and Holly's house for a Whiskey Days of Summer party. I brought cupcakes and B brought whiskey. The premise for the party was to bring your favorite recipe for whiskey sours, as several people in the group have regional specific mixes passed on by their families. I've never been a huge fan of whiskey (I much prefer vodka, then rum), but these whiskey sours were good. Hamburgers (and boca burgers for us non-meat eaters) were grilled, people enjoyed the nice patio area
and the plentiful drinks, and later when it got dark, the newly purchased firepit was brought out. This is a part of the lovely patio area:
This is Pat creating the fire:
This is Liz enjoying the small fire:
When everyone seemed nice and toasty, the part was brought indoors. First, a very simple game of "hey, let's electrocute one another. huh huh huh." was played. See below:
Then the Trivial Pursuit, Pop Culture was brought out and I learned that I know nothing about apparently popular culture. Oh well, that's what playing outside instead of watching t.v. all day as a kid gets me.
Listening: Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
The class itself went alright. I think guitar was easier since I had played before. Violin requires a whole set of skills that I have to aquire as I go along. I got a little frustrated when I couldn't get all the way through Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with the rest of the group. I had to remind myself that at least two of the people in the class had already played before, so probably had to spend less time thinking about how to hold the violin and the bow, and could concentrate on the notes and the finger positions. I practiced today and sounded a lot better, because I watched myself in the mirror to make sure my arm positions were doing what she said they should. That helped a lot. A little bit of practice every day this week and I should have the song down.
Later in the afternoon, B and I went over to the newly married couple Pat and Holly's house for a Whiskey Days of Summer party. I brought cupcakes and B brought whiskey. The premise for the party was to bring your favorite recipe for whiskey sours, as several people in the group have regional specific mixes passed on by their families. I've never been a huge fan of whiskey (I much prefer vodka, then rum), but these whiskey sours were good. Hamburgers (and boca burgers for us non-meat eaters) were grilled, people enjoyed the nice patio area
and the plentiful drinks, and later when it got dark, the newly purchased firepit was brought out. This is a part of the lovely patio area:
This is Pat creating the fire:
This is Liz enjoying the small fire:
When everyone seemed nice and toasty, the part was brought indoors. First, a very simple game of "hey, let's electrocute one another. huh huh huh." was played. See below:
Then the Trivial Pursuit, Pop Culture was brought out and I learned that I know nothing about apparently popular culture. Oh well, that's what playing outside instead of watching t.v. all day as a kid gets me.Listening: Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Saturday, June 23, 2007
this passport is not a mirage
I really wanted to write yesterday but got caught up in my weird compulsive cleaning. Actually, it's not so much cleaning, as it is a strange desire to go through all of my drawers (anyplace where things are stored in bulk really) and throw out old, outdated stuff, and reorganize what is left. I don't know why, but it feels really cathartic and when I'm done I feel way more accomplished than I should. The strange part is that I'm somewhat motivated by this thought: "What if I die? Do I want my parents to see all of my things in such disarray [which isn't true in the first place, but boy it sure seemed like it]?" And if I die, I am fully in control of what I'm leaving behind - no scary secrets here! Like I said, strange.
Thursday was going well, then by late afternoon it was sucking, because I was working on a timeline to get home, as Rose and I were going to see Tortoise at the El Rey. I get all worked up because I hate being late anywhere. Way too worked up; see the previous paragraph. So I had just missed the bus I needed to get home, and the anxiety was building up, apparently so much so that I became blind and got on the number 2 bus instead of the 12, and didn't realize it until the bus made a turn down Wilshire and I had to be let off Veteran and walk my ass all the way back, just missing the next bus. This was frustrating, and I was feeling especially mad at myself. Phew. I got home and made a very fast dinner, and proceeded to eat way too fast, making my stomach really upset for the next hour. Me thinks thou dost protest too much, stomach!! On the way to the El Rey, I realized I had next to no gas and proceeded to latch on that as the next thing to fret over. I. Am. So. Neurotic.
All that being said and done with, we are finally at the El Rey, and the place is still pretty empty. Some d.j. did a set as opposed to an opening act, which was a little ehh at best. But finally Tortoise played, and they did a fantastic set with two encores. Not bad. They played material off of Standards and It's All Around You, and as far as I could tell, nothing else. The only bummer for me was that the set was almost identical to the set they played last year at the Troubadour. But, a solid performance nonetheless, and it was the first time Rose has seen them, and I think she fully enjoyed the show. Before we left, I had an internal debate about bringing my camera, and decided against it, as I've never had the luck to get a good spot from which to take pictures. I tried to take some at Mum a few years back and they turned out el crapo. But of course, we got the perfect spot near the front but off to the right where we were on a raised platform and had a perfect view of the entire stage. One more thing to kick myself for. Two events in the past week that I regret not having my camera at. Why don't I just bring it everywhere? But, I did get a shirt for $5; it's a design from the Standards tour.
I've seen them three times now and I can't exactly pinpoint which has been my favorite show. The first time was 2001, and I saw them at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus (pre graduate school however), on the Standards tour. That was a great, great show and Jet Black Crayon opened, and has gone on to be a band that I thoroughly enjoy. They also played some older material. Then the Troubadour and El Rey, which had almost identical set lists. Kind of a toss-up.
Passport update: it turns out that expiditing my passport application produced better than expected results. I submitted the application last Wednesday, and got it in my mailbox this Thursday, eight days later. That includes the day it took to ship it back. So one week total processing time. Pretty good, considering that expiditing right now gives results in 2-3 weeks on average. I felt a sense of relief when everything went through without a problem, they didn't lose my paperwork or my birth certificate, and I can now buy my ticket to Costa Rica with confidence.
Listening: Tim Hecker - Mirages
Thursday was going well, then by late afternoon it was sucking, because I was working on a timeline to get home, as Rose and I were going to see Tortoise at the El Rey. I get all worked up because I hate being late anywhere. Way too worked up; see the previous paragraph. So I had just missed the bus I needed to get home, and the anxiety was building up, apparently so much so that I became blind and got on the number 2 bus instead of the 12, and didn't realize it until the bus made a turn down Wilshire and I had to be let off Veteran and walk my ass all the way back, just missing the next bus. This was frustrating, and I was feeling especially mad at myself. Phew. I got home and made a very fast dinner, and proceeded to eat way too fast, making my stomach really upset for the next hour. Me thinks thou dost protest too much, stomach!! On the way to the El Rey, I realized I had next to no gas and proceeded to latch on that as the next thing to fret over. I. Am. So. Neurotic.
All that being said and done with, we are finally at the El Rey, and the place is still pretty empty. Some d.j. did a set as opposed to an opening act, which was a little ehh at best. But finally Tortoise played, and they did a fantastic set with two encores. Not bad. They played material off of Standards and It's All Around You, and as far as I could tell, nothing else. The only bummer for me was that the set was almost identical to the set they played last year at the Troubadour. But, a solid performance nonetheless, and it was the first time Rose has seen them, and I think she fully enjoyed the show. Before we left, I had an internal debate about bringing my camera, and decided against it, as I've never had the luck to get a good spot from which to take pictures. I tried to take some at Mum a few years back and they turned out el crapo. But of course, we got the perfect spot near the front but off to the right where we were on a raised platform and had a perfect view of the entire stage. One more thing to kick myself for. Two events in the past week that I regret not having my camera at. Why don't I just bring it everywhere? But, I did get a shirt for $5; it's a design from the Standards tour.
I've seen them three times now and I can't exactly pinpoint which has been my favorite show. The first time was 2001, and I saw them at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus (pre graduate school however), on the Standards tour. That was a great, great show and Jet Black Crayon opened, and has gone on to be a band that I thoroughly enjoy. They also played some older material. Then the Troubadour and El Rey, which had almost identical set lists. Kind of a toss-up.
Passport update: it turns out that expiditing my passport application produced better than expected results. I submitted the application last Wednesday, and got it in my mailbox this Thursday, eight days later. That includes the day it took to ship it back. So one week total processing time. Pretty good, considering that expiditing right now gives results in 2-3 weeks on average. I felt a sense of relief when everything went through without a problem, they didn't lose my paperwork or my birth certificate, and I can now buy my ticket to Costa Rica with confidence.
Listening: Tim Hecker - Mirages
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
the internet is more entertaining than the t.v.
Granted, I don't have cable, but I do find the internet to be a much deeper sea of interesting things to choose from. And I really, really hate commercials. Whether I'm looking to learn about new things that enrich my life, or study something purely academic, or find those worthless gems that don't really add much in terms of substance, but you just can't step away even after a long amount of time has passed, and your eyes are feeling dry and are starting to sting and blur, the internet has it all. Yeah, that's the internet I love. Actually, last I heard, internet was actually capitalized, as in 'Internet'. I don't like the way it looks, so I'm not going to follow this rule.
Tonight I spent the better part of the evening, and will probably be up long after I should, perusing the best-of-craigslist. Most of it is so funny I find myself laughing out loud, with just my cat looking back at me, confirming that it's a little odd. I will freely admit most of it is peppered with obscenities, but I love obscenities when used at all the right points in a story emphasizing just how pissed you were at that point in time. I use obscenities a lot in my head when I'm mad and wish I could rant about something. A lot of the entries seem to be rants, or nicely penned F.Y.I. type posts from the people around us, i.e. service industry workers who just have to let a little steam out about all the assholes they have to deal with. I love it. I suppose to some people it's not a new find, but to me it is, and I'm excited about it.
I'm adding it to my favorite links section on the left.
Listening: Grey Daturas - Path of Niners
Tonight I spent the better part of the evening, and will probably be up long after I should, perusing the best-of-craigslist. Most of it is so funny I find myself laughing out loud, with just my cat looking back at me, confirming that it's a little odd. I will freely admit most of it is peppered with obscenities, but I love obscenities when used at all the right points in a story emphasizing just how pissed you were at that point in time. I use obscenities a lot in my head when I'm mad and wish I could rant about something. A lot of the entries seem to be rants, or nicely penned F.Y.I. type posts from the people around us, i.e. service industry workers who just have to let a little steam out about all the assholes they have to deal with. I love it. I suppose to some people it's not a new find, but to me it is, and I'm excited about it.
I'm adding it to my favorite links section on the left.
Listening: Grey Daturas - Path of Niners
Sunday, June 17, 2007
early summer parties
I really do love this time of year. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm the eternal student, and have not yet disengaged myself from the end of the school year feeling of freedom. The warm, sunny days don't hurt either.
I also love summer parties. (The fact that I've never myself given a summer party is something I'm not proud of, and would like to change while I still have some young left in me). Yesterday, there was a surprise birthday party for a friend of B's. She's a bit older than us, and is married and has two young boys. The family is something else! Cutest little kids. We arrived on time to witness some of the setup, which included a P.A. system as some friends were going to be playing some cover songs. It turns out there was actually a surprise within a surprise at this party; the bass player of the group has been dating the girl that was singing for several years or more, if I heard correctly, and was going to propose to her during their last song, Walk the Line. Some of the people there were aware of the upcoming proposal, so the atmosphere of the party seemed to be a bit more electric.
Most of the afternoon was spent eating from the extensive food spread, drinking good beer (their parties are so, so good if you are a beer lover), and alternating between being a monster and being chased by the monsters - with the kids. Later, B's friend made her entrance and was sucessfully surprised, I think. Right around dusk, the music playing began. I am not sure what two of the songs were, but they played a Radiohead song, and Walk the Line was last. Although he looked nervous, the bass player managed to get the words out and completely surprised his girl! She looked genuinely surprised and elated. She did say yes! Champagne was brought out for everyone to enjoy. I had never witnessed a proposal. Now that I and my friends are apparently of the marrying age, I have heard proposal stories. So I'll just say it was an experience in and of itself, to witness a huge moment like that. Then we sang happy birthday to the birthday girl and had fantastic cake, and sat around the firepit that was brought out after night had fully settled. The acoustic guitar was passed around, and I got a chance to play Blackbird. I thought it went well, considering I usually get sort of choked up, a kind of stage fright when I play in front of others. All in all, a fantastic party that went off without a hitch for all involved.
I do wish I had thought to bring my camera though! Earlier in the day the thought crossed my mind, but I wrote it off immediately as being too cumbersome, that I should just focus on enjoying the night rather than capturing cool pictures. But really, if any party could have used pictures, it was this one! The proposal could have been captured (although it was videotaped, I am going to have to admit I'm a photo snob), and various pictures of everyone enjoying the day would have been nice to send along to the hosts. Oh well, could haves don't matter now.
On a sidenote, I would love to have one of these portable fire pits when I have a real yard. It was about three feet in diameter, so the fire was modest, but quite warm considering the night was a little chilly. It kept the party going much longer than it would have without it I think. It became the natural gathering point.
I need to go practice guitar.
Listening: Jessamine - Don't Stay Too Long. I picked up this album (which originally came out in 1998) a few years ago at Amoeba, and as I have a tendency of buying too many albums per trip, this one slipped through the cracks. I had listened to the album maybe once, probably not all the way through. I put it in the stereo on Wednesday when I was working from home and was completely blown away! This album is excellent. What I think happened is that the style of this album, which is a sort of more guitar driven version of Portishead or something lush like that, didn't fully appeal to me at the time I bought it. But now, it fits in perfectly with the Bardo Pond, wall-of-guitar-effects sound that I'm into right now. My favorite track is called 'Continuous' and is this seven minute dirge of guitars with this entrancing bass/keyboard/vocal thing going on over it. But the drums keep it out of the depressing realm, by staying upbeat. This gets me sort of excited about reviewing some other recent finds that have been better than expected. Maybe that is a good subject for the next post.
I also love summer parties. (The fact that I've never myself given a summer party is something I'm not proud of, and would like to change while I still have some young left in me). Yesterday, there was a surprise birthday party for a friend of B's. She's a bit older than us, and is married and has two young boys. The family is something else! Cutest little kids. We arrived on time to witness some of the setup, which included a P.A. system as some friends were going to be playing some cover songs. It turns out there was actually a surprise within a surprise at this party; the bass player of the group has been dating the girl that was singing for several years or more, if I heard correctly, and was going to propose to her during their last song, Walk the Line. Some of the people there were aware of the upcoming proposal, so the atmosphere of the party seemed to be a bit more electric.
Most of the afternoon was spent eating from the extensive food spread, drinking good beer (their parties are so, so good if you are a beer lover), and alternating between being a monster and being chased by the monsters - with the kids. Later, B's friend made her entrance and was sucessfully surprised, I think. Right around dusk, the music playing began. I am not sure what two of the songs were, but they played a Radiohead song, and Walk the Line was last. Although he looked nervous, the bass player managed to get the words out and completely surprised his girl! She looked genuinely surprised and elated. She did say yes! Champagne was brought out for everyone to enjoy. I had never witnessed a proposal. Now that I and my friends are apparently of the marrying age, I have heard proposal stories. So I'll just say it was an experience in and of itself, to witness a huge moment like that. Then we sang happy birthday to the birthday girl and had fantastic cake, and sat around the firepit that was brought out after night had fully settled. The acoustic guitar was passed around, and I got a chance to play Blackbird. I thought it went well, considering I usually get sort of choked up, a kind of stage fright when I play in front of others. All in all, a fantastic party that went off without a hitch for all involved.
I do wish I had thought to bring my camera though! Earlier in the day the thought crossed my mind, but I wrote it off immediately as being too cumbersome, that I should just focus on enjoying the night rather than capturing cool pictures. But really, if any party could have used pictures, it was this one! The proposal could have been captured (although it was videotaped, I am going to have to admit I'm a photo snob), and various pictures of everyone enjoying the day would have been nice to send along to the hosts. Oh well, could haves don't matter now.
On a sidenote, I would love to have one of these portable fire pits when I have a real yard. It was about three feet in diameter, so the fire was modest, but quite warm considering the night was a little chilly. It kept the party going much longer than it would have without it I think. It became the natural gathering point.
I need to go practice guitar.
Listening: Jessamine - Don't Stay Too Long. I picked up this album (which originally came out in 1998) a few years ago at Amoeba, and as I have a tendency of buying too many albums per trip, this one slipped through the cracks. I had listened to the album maybe once, probably not all the way through. I put it in the stereo on Wednesday when I was working from home and was completely blown away! This album is excellent. What I think happened is that the style of this album, which is a sort of more guitar driven version of Portishead or something lush like that, didn't fully appeal to me at the time I bought it. But now, it fits in perfectly with the Bardo Pond, wall-of-guitar-effects sound that I'm into right now. My favorite track is called 'Continuous' and is this seven minute dirge of guitars with this entrancing bass/keyboard/vocal thing going on over it. But the drums keep it out of the depressing realm, by staying upbeat. This gets me sort of excited about reviewing some other recent finds that have been better than expected. Maybe that is a good subject for the next post.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
passport....a.k.a. why the government is lame
If you have been following the news lately, there is a huge backlog of U.S. passport applications due the changing laws that will soon require a passport to travel back and forth between our neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico, and the Carribean. I haven't traveled much, but I assume that this just wasn't needed before? And of course it's all the name of security, because we're fighting the damn GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT?
No matter, the real point of the story is that I was recently asked to join B on a trip to Costa Rica for a friend's wedding. Who is going to pass that up? Oh you would? Huh. Not me. But I don't have a passport!! For a few days I was in a panic after learning it was taking upwards of 12 weeks to get the passport when I realized last week was basically the 12 week mark until the trip date, and I had done little to research the passport issue. Panic mode!
I finally got all my paperwork in order (luckily my mom had given me her copy of my birth certificate sometime in the recent past, as she figured I need it more now that I'm well into adulthood, for things like this) and went down to my nearby post office today. Of course I paid the $60 to expidite the whole process up to about three weeks. I've learned that when it comes to matters where a lot is on the line financially, i.e. the cost of a trip to Costa Rica, it's better to pay a little to be safe rather than sorry. But good lord, after factoring in the cost of the pictures (side note, didn't come out half bad) and the express mail to get the passport to me, it was almost $200!! Money is a little tight right now as it is the end of the quarter, and my summer payment hasn't gone through yet. I'm getting to the point where I check my school system every day to see what the status is. I hate money stress. The fact that I wanted to make more money in interest, tying up a lot of extra money into a C.D., is something I'm regretting right now. Not entirely, but it would make things a little less stressful. Money issues could take up a whole slew of entries, but not right now.
So the passport application is off, and if all goes well, I would say four weeks should be reasonable, then I should be getting the passport in the mail right around the middle of July. It all doesn't go well, I should be receiving the passport no later then the middle of August. If things go horribly, and they lose my application or something, I suppose I could spend another $200 and still get a passport by the beginning of September. I really hope it doesn't come to Plan C...
Listening: Esmerine - Aurora
No matter, the real point of the story is that I was recently asked to join B on a trip to Costa Rica for a friend's wedding. Who is going to pass that up? Oh you would? Huh. Not me. But I don't have a passport!! For a few days I was in a panic after learning it was taking upwards of 12 weeks to get the passport when I realized last week was basically the 12 week mark until the trip date, and I had done little to research the passport issue. Panic mode!
I finally got all my paperwork in order (luckily my mom had given me her copy of my birth certificate sometime in the recent past, as she figured I need it more now that I'm well into adulthood, for things like this) and went down to my nearby post office today. Of course I paid the $60 to expidite the whole process up to about three weeks. I've learned that when it comes to matters where a lot is on the line financially, i.e. the cost of a trip to Costa Rica, it's better to pay a little to be safe rather than sorry. But good lord, after factoring in the cost of the pictures (side note, didn't come out half bad) and the express mail to get the passport to me, it was almost $200!! Money is a little tight right now as it is the end of the quarter, and my summer payment hasn't gone through yet. I'm getting to the point where I check my school system every day to see what the status is. I hate money stress. The fact that I wanted to make more money in interest, tying up a lot of extra money into a C.D., is something I'm regretting right now. Not entirely, but it would make things a little less stressful. Money issues could take up a whole slew of entries, but not right now.
So the passport application is off, and if all goes well, I would say four weeks should be reasonable, then I should be getting the passport in the mail right around the middle of July. It all doesn't go well, I should be receiving the passport no later then the middle of August. If things go horribly, and they lose my application or something, I suppose I could spend another $200 and still get a passport by the beginning of September. I really hope it doesn't come to Plan C...
Listening: Esmerine - Aurora
Sunday, June 10, 2007
long weekends
It's been a busy weekend; having friends visit from out of town does that. Friday, B came over. (B will from now on refer to the boyfriend). B had returned the previous night from a work-related trip across the country that lasted less than 24 hours. That's a high flying-to-working ratio for a trip! He was understandably tired. We finally got word that we were going to meet my friend Jessica and several other people over in the Silverlake area of L.A. to eat at a Thai place called Rambutan Thai. Jessica drove up from San Diego for the weekend. The food ended up being excellent, and well priced. Always a plus in my book. I would highly recommend this place for a romantic date on the cheap. It seemed to be expensively decorated and there was quite a hip crowd there.
We then decided to go to an ice cream place called Scoops, which is like the college radio of ice cream - all kinds of flavors that you've never seen or tasted before. I got mint and white chocolate chip ice cream, which like some stuff you hear on college radio, was not so good. Turns out this place was right around the corner from a very tiny venue called the Il Corral, which usually has noise/experimental shows for about $5. I learn more about L.A. all the time.
The people we are with are abounding with energy (where do they get it from, really??) and decide it's time to go bar hopping. We end up at a place back in Silverlake called the Cha Cha Lounge. Apparently this place is very popular, as it is full of trendily dressed twenty-somethings. There is a photo booth, but even after two beers, I cannot convince B to take pictures with me. That's o.k., he is photo shy. At this point, everyone is tired, but the others decide to go on to further adventures, while B and I decide to go home. Sleep was good.
Saturday, Jessica and I spent the day together. First we went to the MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary to see the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibit. Despite not having our school I.D.'s we convince the desk folk that we are indeed students and get the student rates. Nice. The exhibit was quite expansive, and covered female art from the 60's and 70's. Some of it was meant to be extremely liberating and some pushed the bounds, and I admit some of it just seemed to be there because it was made by a female artist.
This particular building of MOCA is in Little Tokyo, so Jessica and I decided to get sushi for lunch, followed by my very first taste of mochi ice cream. I had the strawberry flavor, which was excellent! I cannot wait to visit Little Tokyo again. I like sushi places:
We then made the mistake of visiting the Beverly Center go to to H&M at around 4 p.m. So many obnoxious people at this mall. Nothing much of note happened, but I got three shirts for summer. I think this summer, I am going to be very into heather grey. We had dinner at my favorite neighborhood pizza place, Mama's. Got the ravioli instead of pizza this time, which was also excellent.
A lot of great food this weekend, which was a much needed change in the routine. None of it being expensive made it even sweeter. Speaking of food, I was at the grocery store today and both blueberries and raspberries were on sale!! I love berries! But only if they aren't so expensive. Still trying to live on the cheap here. So I picked up some of both, and they are so good, I'm alternating typing and munching:
Time to go, B and I are going to see Paris, Je t'aime.
Listening: June of 44 - Anahata
We then decided to go to an ice cream place called Scoops, which is like the college radio of ice cream - all kinds of flavors that you've never seen or tasted before. I got mint and white chocolate chip ice cream, which like some stuff you hear on college radio, was not so good. Turns out this place was right around the corner from a very tiny venue called the Il Corral, which usually has noise/experimental shows for about $5. I learn more about L.A. all the time.
The people we are with are abounding with energy (where do they get it from, really??) and decide it's time to go bar hopping. We end up at a place back in Silverlake called the Cha Cha Lounge. Apparently this place is very popular, as it is full of trendily dressed twenty-somethings. There is a photo booth, but even after two beers, I cannot convince B to take pictures with me. That's o.k., he is photo shy. At this point, everyone is tired, but the others decide to go on to further adventures, while B and I decide to go home. Sleep was good.
Saturday, Jessica and I spent the day together. First we went to the MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary to see the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibit. Despite not having our school I.D.'s we convince the desk folk that we are indeed students and get the student rates. Nice. The exhibit was quite expansive, and covered female art from the 60's and 70's. Some of it was meant to be extremely liberating and some pushed the bounds, and I admit some of it just seemed to be there because it was made by a female artist.
This particular building of MOCA is in Little Tokyo, so Jessica and I decided to get sushi for lunch, followed by my very first taste of mochi ice cream. I had the strawberry flavor, which was excellent! I cannot wait to visit Little Tokyo again. I like sushi places:
We then made the mistake of visiting the Beverly Center go to to H&M at around 4 p.m. So many obnoxious people at this mall. Nothing much of note happened, but I got three shirts for summer. I think this summer, I am going to be very into heather grey. We had dinner at my favorite neighborhood pizza place, Mama's. Got the ravioli instead of pizza this time, which was also excellent.
A lot of great food this weekend, which was a much needed change in the routine. None of it being expensive made it even sweeter. Speaking of food, I was at the grocery store today and both blueberries and raspberries were on sale!! I love berries! But only if they aren't so expensive. Still trying to live on the cheap here. So I picked up some of both, and they are so good, I'm alternating typing and munching:
Time to go, B and I are going to see Paris, Je t'aime.
Listening: June of 44 - Anahata
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
What do you mean you have to 're-spray'?
So today was, in the words of David Cross, good slash bad slash good again. I ended up skipping a day at school to take care of very important errands. The first of these very important errands being to get a haircut. "Hey, that's not very important," you say. The hell it isn't says I! Although I agree, if I were paying full price, it would make more sense to make an appointment on a day off such as Saturday. I used to do this, and then discovered the magic of the Vidal Sassoon academy in Santa Monica. That's not where I went today, but that's where this story has to begin from.
Almost two years ago now, I was approached while shopping in Santa Monica by a young guy that asked me if I needed a haircut. Incidentally, I did, and had an appointment the next weekend with my then current stylist at an Aveda salon near my parents house, a nearly two hour drive east. I decided to throw caution to the wind and cancel my appointment, and let this guy cut my hair. So he needed a model because he was training at the Vidal Sasson to be on their staff (he was well post-licensing at that point). I got an awesome haircut and best of all, it was free.
At that point, I decided I liked free haircuts and cheap color. Several months later I was getting highlights when I was approached by a young girl named Jamie who asked if I wanted a haircut. I was due, so said yes. She was also post-license and training to become staff. Well not too long after that she left Vidal Sassoon but remained in the L.A. area, so I followed her to her new place. So I get to be a hair model, and I just try to tip better than I would if I was paying full price, seeing as it's free for me. Not a bad deal. Additionally, there is a perfectly good reason for making appointments on Tuesday, as that is the only day she does training on models.
This is the haircut I got today: it's an A-line bob with layers in the back, which I've had for about two years now, but today she gave me these awesome blunt bangs.
That was the first good part about today. The second good part about today was that I got my car smogged and it passed. Also of note is the fact that I spent much of the late afternoon replanting the outdoor planter that I had purchased the supplies for this past weekend. I also finally cleaned off the balcony. Here's what my balcony looks like now:
What you can't see is how dirty the bench actually is. That's next on my to-do list. The unstated goal is to make my balcony the most inviting balcony I could possibly have, so that when I have those great imaginary summer parties where people are relaxed and comfortable and we're making great mixed drinks, they would feel drawn to spend some time on the patio.
The truth is, I probably won't have any summer parties. But maybe 2007 is the year of the summer party for me. 2007 has been an interesting year so far, so why not?
The bad part of the day is related to the title of this post. About a month ago, I got a notice on my door stating that on some weekday, workers were going to come in and spray for fleas and I needed to have the cat out for about half the day. Apparently one of the nearby units had a bad flea infestation. I don't know, and don't really care, but I understood and had the cat out, with no small amount of inconvenience for both me and the cat. I missed a whole day of work for that.
This evening, I come to find another one of these notices on my door for this coming Thursday. For 're-spraying'. What the hell? My apartment doesn't even have fleas, so you would think one spray would pretty much cover it, no? Just re-spray the unit with the problem. Damn. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I'm a grad student and have the flexibility to tell my advisor, "Oh yeah, just to let you know, not coming in on Thursday. K, thanks." What the hell would I do if I had a real job with this two day notice? I'm almost tempted to tell the manager that I absolutely cannot take the day off on Thursday to deal with this, but if she'd like to have them come on a Saturday, that'd be great - just to see what she would do.
Technically, that means the day went good slash good slash bad, which makes no sense. I guess I'll have to throw in the pizza I made for dinner after I got the 're-spray' notice, bumping me back to good slash bad slash good again.
Listening: Bedhead - Transaction De Novo
Almost two years ago now, I was approached while shopping in Santa Monica by a young guy that asked me if I needed a haircut. Incidentally, I did, and had an appointment the next weekend with my then current stylist at an Aveda salon near my parents house, a nearly two hour drive east. I decided to throw caution to the wind and cancel my appointment, and let this guy cut my hair. So he needed a model because he was training at the Vidal Sasson to be on their staff (he was well post-licensing at that point). I got an awesome haircut and best of all, it was free.
At that point, I decided I liked free haircuts and cheap color. Several months later I was getting highlights when I was approached by a young girl named Jamie who asked if I wanted a haircut. I was due, so said yes. She was also post-license and training to become staff. Well not too long after that she left Vidal Sassoon but remained in the L.A. area, so I followed her to her new place. So I get to be a hair model, and I just try to tip better than I would if I was paying full price, seeing as it's free for me. Not a bad deal. Additionally, there is a perfectly good reason for making appointments on Tuesday, as that is the only day she does training on models.
This is the haircut I got today: it's an A-line bob with layers in the back, which I've had for about two years now, but today she gave me these awesome blunt bangs.
That was the first good part about today. The second good part about today was that I got my car smogged and it passed. Also of note is the fact that I spent much of the late afternoon replanting the outdoor planter that I had purchased the supplies for this past weekend. I also finally cleaned off the balcony. Here's what my balcony looks like now:
What you can't see is how dirty the bench actually is. That's next on my to-do list. The unstated goal is to make my balcony the most inviting balcony I could possibly have, so that when I have those great imaginary summer parties where people are relaxed and comfortable and we're making great mixed drinks, they would feel drawn to spend some time on the patio.
The truth is, I probably won't have any summer parties. But maybe 2007 is the year of the summer party for me. 2007 has been an interesting year so far, so why not?
The bad part of the day is related to the title of this post. About a month ago, I got a notice on my door stating that on some weekday, workers were going to come in and spray for fleas and I needed to have the cat out for about half the day. Apparently one of the nearby units had a bad flea infestation. I don't know, and don't really care, but I understood and had the cat out, with no small amount of inconvenience for both me and the cat. I missed a whole day of work for that.
This evening, I come to find another one of these notices on my door for this coming Thursday. For 're-spraying'. What the hell? My apartment doesn't even have fleas, so you would think one spray would pretty much cover it, no? Just re-spray the unit with the problem. Damn. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I'm a grad student and have the flexibility to tell my advisor, "Oh yeah, just to let you know, not coming in on Thursday. K, thanks." What the hell would I do if I had a real job with this two day notice? I'm almost tempted to tell the manager that I absolutely cannot take the day off on Thursday to deal with this, but if she'd like to have them come on a Saturday, that'd be great - just to see what she would do.
Technically, that means the day went good slash good slash bad, which makes no sense. I guess I'll have to throw in the pizza I made for dinner after I got the 're-spray' notice, bumping me back to good slash bad slash good again.
Listening: Bedhead - Transaction De Novo
Monday, June 4, 2007
Calloused fingers
I took a beginning guitar class this quarter through the UCLA Department of Recreation for several reasons: first, I wanted to learn how to play (good first reason, no?), and perhaps just as importantly, it was cheap! Much, much cheaper than private lessons. I spent two hours a week in class for the past eight weeks building up these fine callouses that I am damn proud of. And no small amount of time at home practicing. My goal for the summer is to practice what I know - this sounds a little dumb since I already know it, but the past hour that I just worked on the songs I already know may prove otherwise - and find new tabs online to learn over the summer.
Before this class started, I could play you some of the main chords, but not much more. Now, my extensive repertoire includes the following songs:
Wild Thing - The Troggs
Love Me Do - The Beatles
Good Riddance - Green Day
Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan (as covered by The Byrds)
Redemption Song - Bob Marley
Hurt - NIN (as covered by Johnny Cash, way better)
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M. (way more boring than I thought it would be)
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Blackbird - The Beatles (my favorite of the class)
Not so bad considering it was only eight weeks. The class also humbled me I think. Since I picked up the bass when I was young, but never formally trained, I felt that I would automatically be good at guitar. Boy, was I wrong.
I also came to a breakthrough about why I quit violin when I was in elementary school. At the time, the lessons were so painfully boring, and I got it very easily - in my head. So much so that I thought practicing was a waste of time, especially when it involved very monotonous exercises. But that's just not true, there is a certain amount of practice you have to put in to train your brain and body to work together, no matter how much you understand it in your head. I realized the same is true for guitar - just because I have Blackbird memorized does not mean I can play it well. I can stumble through for sure, and am quickly improving. There's just that inevitable amount of time that must be spent repeating the song over and over.
I kind of like to joke with myself how much it goes to show that I just like the learning process itself, not the execution. It explains why I'd rather learn theory and read a book and solve problems on the computer than perform actual experiments. So in a way, taking guitar lessons has also served to teach me a little something about myself. Pretty good deal for $40.
Guitar was so much fun that I decided I should always, always, pursue things that interest me outside of engineering. Keep life more than one-dimensional. So my summer project is the beginning violin class that's being offered by the Santa Monica College Continuing and Community Education program. Again, private lessons would be far too expensive just to explore whether I really like violin, or if my younger instincts were somehow correct. Those lessons won't begin for a few more weeks.
For now, I'll just leave a link to a You Tube video of Blackbird that someone posted, I like to leave it playing in the background. I don't know how to embed, but it's the next thing on the to do list.
Before this class started, I could play you some of the main chords, but not much more. Now, my extensive repertoire includes the following songs:
Wild Thing - The Troggs
Love Me Do - The Beatles
Good Riddance - Green Day
Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan (as covered by The Byrds)
Redemption Song - Bob Marley
Hurt - NIN (as covered by Johnny Cash, way better)
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M. (way more boring than I thought it would be)
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Blackbird - The Beatles (my favorite of the class)
Not so bad considering it was only eight weeks. The class also humbled me I think. Since I picked up the bass when I was young, but never formally trained, I felt that I would automatically be good at guitar. Boy, was I wrong.
I also came to a breakthrough about why I quit violin when I was in elementary school. At the time, the lessons were so painfully boring, and I got it very easily - in my head. So much so that I thought practicing was a waste of time, especially when it involved very monotonous exercises. But that's just not true, there is a certain amount of practice you have to put in to train your brain and body to work together, no matter how much you understand it in your head. I realized the same is true for guitar - just because I have Blackbird memorized does not mean I can play it well. I can stumble through for sure, and am quickly improving. There's just that inevitable amount of time that must be spent repeating the song over and over.
I kind of like to joke with myself how much it goes to show that I just like the learning process itself, not the execution. It explains why I'd rather learn theory and read a book and solve problems on the computer than perform actual experiments. So in a way, taking guitar lessons has also served to teach me a little something about myself. Pretty good deal for $40.
Guitar was so much fun that I decided I should always, always, pursue things that interest me outside of engineering. Keep life more than one-dimensional. So my summer project is the beginning violin class that's being offered by the Santa Monica College Continuing and Community Education program. Again, private lessons would be far too expensive just to explore whether I really like violin, or if my younger instincts were somehow correct. Those lessons won't begin for a few more weeks.
For now, I'll just leave a link to a You Tube video of Blackbird that someone posted, I like to leave it playing in the background. I don't know how to embed, but it's the next thing on the to do list.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Welcome to the green paper house
It would have been just 'paper house', but that was already taken, so welcome to the green paper house! My favorite color is green, so it seemed fitting that if I had to amend my chosen name, a favorite color could do nothing but make it sound better. A blog! How twenty first century of me.
I figured there was no better day than today to start an official account of things as they happen to be going on in my life. For starters, I got up early to avoid the crowds at OSH, which here on the westside of Los Angeles fills very quickly with those really rich, really bitchy kind of people. One thing I really hate about L.A. However, the fact that you can love and hate L.A. at the same time is the subject for a different post at a later time.
The list for the day included new plants for my outdoor DIY planters (I found some good tips in Venus magazine last year), many of which died sometime during the fall when my sliding glass door that opens to the patio decided to come completely off the tracks. Sorry plants. I also bought this great bench from Ikea last year that is in some serious need of some wood care products, which I also bought. Last, but not least, I was walking home from the bus stop several months ago and right in the middle of the sidewalk found this sort of delicate metal table that is in some serious need of cleaning and painting. So I got all the supplies.
The point is, the quest to make my apartment the most comfortable, inviting, and yet aesthetically pleasing is never over. Especially when there are magazines like Domino that just make you wish you had a lot more money and time. Little by litte, I remind myself.
But that's only half the day - I really like the artist Kurt Halsey, and he currently has a solo show here in L.A. at Gallery 1988. So I drove over, as he was going to be there today for signings, and bought several prints. This show is completely sold out, I think, not that I could afford an original piece. Anyway, his work is great if you're more into the drawn, comic style, and slightly romantic themes. I imagine a lot of "indie girls" are into it. Wait, am I an indie girl? I like the subtlety of his color palette, which veer more to the natural colors like brown and beige, with small touches of color in some of the pieces.
Now I'm writing a blog, and listening to the fantastic Can album, Tago Mago. My tastes as of late have veered away from both heavy and quiet music in favor of more guitar solo driven rock. But not just rock...it's a little hard to explain. There's a reason why I'll never be a good music critic, and it's that I don't have the tools needed to write truly descriptive reviews - a good vocabulary, and a knack for translating the purely emotional into words. That's what I get for being an engineer.
Life is good. But then again, it's Saturday.
I figured there was no better day than today to start an official account of things as they happen to be going on in my life. For starters, I got up early to avoid the crowds at OSH, which here on the westside of Los Angeles fills very quickly with those really rich, really bitchy kind of people. One thing I really hate about L.A. However, the fact that you can love and hate L.A. at the same time is the subject for a different post at a later time.
The list for the day included new plants for my outdoor DIY planters (I found some good tips in Venus magazine last year), many of which died sometime during the fall when my sliding glass door that opens to the patio decided to come completely off the tracks. Sorry plants. I also bought this great bench from Ikea last year that is in some serious need of some wood care products, which I also bought. Last, but not least, I was walking home from the bus stop several months ago and right in the middle of the sidewalk found this sort of delicate metal table that is in some serious need of cleaning and painting. So I got all the supplies.
The point is, the quest to make my apartment the most comfortable, inviting, and yet aesthetically pleasing is never over. Especially when there are magazines like Domino that just make you wish you had a lot more money and time. Little by litte, I remind myself.
But that's only half the day - I really like the artist Kurt Halsey, and he currently has a solo show here in L.A. at Gallery 1988. So I drove over, as he was going to be there today for signings, and bought several prints. This show is completely sold out, I think, not that I could afford an original piece. Anyway, his work is great if you're more into the drawn, comic style, and slightly romantic themes. I imagine a lot of "indie girls" are into it. Wait, am I an indie girl? I like the subtlety of his color palette, which veer more to the natural colors like brown and beige, with small touches of color in some of the pieces.
Now I'm writing a blog, and listening to the fantastic Can album, Tago Mago. My tastes as of late have veered away from both heavy and quiet music in favor of more guitar solo driven rock. But not just rock...it's a little hard to explain. There's a reason why I'll never be a good music critic, and it's that I don't have the tools needed to write truly descriptive reviews - a good vocabulary, and a knack for translating the purely emotional into words. That's what I get for being an engineer.
Life is good. But then again, it's Saturday.
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