lunedì, agosto 29, 2005

Class update

So I found my class. I got to my class. My friend Lawrence got to class. We sat in our class for while. Nobody showed up. So went and asked student support if perhaps the class had been cancelled... and apparently all the undergrad campuses don't start their classes until tomorrow. CGU meanwhile started today. Of course no one notified us poor grad students of this.
So the moral of the story is that I finally found my class, only to have it not be there. Would you have expected any less?

Oh, its the most wonderful time of the year!

Okay, so that song is really about Christmas, but for a nerd like me, it just might be Fall that ranks high in my mind. I don't know what it is, but I love the beginning of the school year- so much hope and anticipation, papers and presentations have yet to be assigned, I'm not buried under a endless pile of books to read, everything seems exciting and fresh. Of course, by the end of this week, I'm sure I'll be back to normal self- praying for it to end and counting down the days until winter break. But for now (i.e. this morning) I'm excited. And a little nervous- as I have class in an hour and absolutely no idea where said class might be. CGU finally got on the bandwagon with a webpage that one could log into and see all their class information, etc., so I thought I would be smart and check it out, and also find where my class is... which would be awesome if the webpage was up and running. But of course it isn't. Of course. But I'm still excited.

sabato, agosto 27, 2005

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round..

Okay, so that's a lie. I'm actually sitting here on my couch, looking at the clock, and wondering why I've already been up for over two hours. That's right- I woke up at seven this morning. Why? I only wish I knew. One of the great mysteries of life, I suppose.
So I was going to try and be all clever and have a neat segue into my next random topic, but I think I'm too tired to write one. Feel free to add your own. Ready? Go!

Let me say happy anniversary to myself. Apparently, its been a year since I started this life-altering, immensely important, mind-blowing blog, and nobody's life has been the same since. Well, okay, so that might be a bit of an embellishment- it was brought to my attention this past week that I have a slight problem with exagerrating (and also being generally spastic, but I'm not too concerned). But the point is, a year later and I'm still blogging strong... and I have to thank my unbelievably boring jobs for all the free time in front of the computer. Just think how many posts we all would have been deprived if I hasn't worked in these various offic settings over the past year. It almost makes the sometimes aggravation worth it. Um, wait. I think not. But at least I can say that something good (or at least entertaining) came out of the past year. Who knows where this one will lead?

mercoledì, agosto 24, 2005

questions

The "L" on my laptop is breaking. I don't think I ever noticed how many words have "l"s in them until this started happening. For instance- my name. I don't think Aexandra has the same resonance. I'm not quite certain what to do about this problem- is it possible to buy single letters (like on Wheel of Fortune)? If it were my desktop, I could buy a new keyboard, but I don't think that's possible for a laptop. Once again, my utter lack of technological skills are starting to show.
Random question- if the back door is open, is it still considered breaking an entering? Let's just say I had a friend, who had another friend, and their neighbors had moved out, and they wanted to see inside the house, and the back door was open... would that still be considered a crime? Technically, as there were no owners in residence (the house is currently on the market to be rented), it could be construed as a public place; and as a public place that was open, I think we, er, these people, were totally within their rights to enter said house.
Today is my father's birthday. (This has been the week of birthdays, with more to come). Being the good daughter that I am, I haven't gotten him a present yet. He and my mother are coming out to Claremont on Saturday for lunch, so I figure I have a little of time left to acquire something. And hopefully for inspiration to come, because he is one of the hardest people to shop for! He's the type that likes to go out and get things on his own- part of the joy is finding for him. Which makes it hard for one to shop for him. Any suggestions?
I guess I'll continue to cogitate (fun word!) on these questions as I sit here at work, pretending to be transfixed by the data entry before me- at least it'll give me something to think about.

martedì, agosto 23, 2005

Honoring an amazing woman.

When I first met Sue Sally Hale, I don't really remember too much about her- I was six and her goose was chasing me down her driveway. But as I grew older and began to spend more time with her I learned just what an amazing woman she was. She's probably most well known for her accomplishments in the realm of polo (the real kind; equestrian, not water). Prior to 1972, women were not allowed in the United States Polo Association. They could play at clubs and in pick up games, but they couldn't play in tournaments or be members. Sue Sally, however, had different ideas. She had grown up with polo players, and at the age of 9 decided that that was what she was going to do with her life. So for twenty years she hid her sexuality, and played as the very quiet, but talented SS Hale. At the same time, Sue Sally was fighting for the admission of women into the USPA, fighting fires (as the first female firefighter in Moneterey) and raising her children. Pretty much every woman in the polo community owes something to Sue Sally for her efforts on the behalf of female polo players (without her, we might still not be allowed in the USPA), myself included. But I think my debt goes a lot deeper than that. I was so very incredibly fortunate to have her my life- she was such an inspiration on so many levels. Sue Sally taught me that no obstacle thats worth it is insurmountable. Today would have been her 68th birthday, but she passed away two years ago. In my mind, she's my hero. I just wanted to share that.

giovedì, agosto 18, 2005

I officially have senioritus

So remember senior year of high school, when AP tests were done, and all major projects were turned in, and there really wasn't much to do except think about leaving for college and "our last summer!"? That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling at work these days- well except for the leaving for college part (because I already went) and the summer expectations (because summer will be over after next week). But the not having anything to do- yes that fits me to a tee. Or is it T? I've always wondered. (I'm kind of tired and therefore loopy; more on that later) Its a weird phrase regardless. So basically, I have little to nothing to do here at work- the job that I've been doing for the past number of months has become obsolete (one of the IT guys developed a program so the computer does my job in a mere matter of minutes). But as next week is my last, its kind of silly to give me a new project, or teach me something new, as I'd only be doing it for a week. So mostly I've been doing odd jobs and messing around on the internet for the past week. I can't really say I've been complaining.
However, I would like to complain about something else-the gardeners that come to my house in the wee hours of the morning. Is it that wrong to want to sleep past 7:30? Every other Thursday they come with their lawnmowers and weed wackers and go to town right outside of my house. I know there are vastly more important things to complain about, and this sounds like the pettiest of complaints. But have you ever been woken up by a weed wacker going full speed? Its not pleasant, I assure you.

martedì, agosto 16, 2005

okay, so I finally found a use for a microwave

For the past couple of months, I haven't had a microwave in my house, and for the most part it really hasn't bothered me. I never really used a microwave growing up (although that might have had something to do with my hippie parents), and I haven't had any need for one lately either. That is, until tonight. I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies and needed to melt some butter for said cookies. Normally, one would pop the butter into a microwave for a couple of seconds, and viola! melted butter. Not so the case in my house. I thought I would use the oven as it was heating, and actually tried to concoct a holder of some sort out some aluminum foil... for about thirty seconds before I called Tara and asked to come over and borrow her microwave for a bit (Tara literally lives around the corer from me, in the time it takes to melt butter in a microwave, I can be at her house). And, that my friends, is why Claremont is such a great place to live- most of my friends live seconds away. Which comes in handy, because you never know when you might need to borrow a microwave. :)

warning: liberal post ahead


"Bush demonstrates the brightness of an Iraqi future."

Okay, so I actually found this on another website, but thought it was pretty funny.
(can you tell I figured out how to post pictures and am now drunk with power?)

domenica, agosto 14, 2005

I'm back, bitches: part 2

Yes that's right; not a week back in Claremont and I left again. But it was only for a night, and I actually got back last night. I came back just in time to celebrate Jesse's birthday with a visit Foxy's, a pool hall in Montclair where I learned that I still have no skills at pool. But it was a good, albeit late night. Today was spent on many random adventures, starting with the great fruit hunt in my backyard. Everytime I go back there I find another fruit bearing tree. Which would be awesome if I knew what fruits these trees were bearing. My friend Tara and I went out on a fact finding mission and decided that one tree was bearing yellow plums and the other unripe persimmons. I also learned that one should not lick the inside of an unripe persimmon as not only does it taste nasty, it also sort of makes your tongue numb for a bit. Oh, and apparently the skin is slightly poisonous, or so I read. After that, I smashed some plates- not because I have rage, but because I was doing a mosaic project. But regardless it was fun to break them, despite what the neighbors must have been thinking.
Tonight was my friend Melissa's going away party (I'm not sure what's going on, but a good number of my friends have been leaving for the Midwest, is there something I don't know?), so Tara and got her some awesome going away presents, like giant highlighters and a pink boa. I also bought for myself some new flip flops (as I managed to leave my other ones at home, sigh) and a Darth Vader folder, which is beyond awesome. Yeah, we were a little silly. No surprise there though.


My persimmons did not look like this.


I think this man might have licked the unripe persimmon.


My totally awesome Darth Vader folder.



Oh, and here I am in an elevator.

sabato, agosto 13, 2005

The books are overtaking this house

So its about 9:40 on Saturday morning, and I'm finding myself at my parents house, sitting at their computer, having my patience tried with the impossibly slow dial up modem. I've already been up for a couple of hours-between the dogs barking, the horses neighing, my mother's loudly dulcet (okay, so not the right word, but a fun one nonetheless) tones on the phone, and the neighbor's constructing; sleeping in never even had a chance. I got home late last night, after a day in LA, where I tried my hand at Jeopardy (and sadly did not pass the test, but I definitly plan to in the future, so close!), and had dinner with some old friends. It was a really good night; excellent food-possibly even yummy in my tummy-and great friends. Sad too though, as the reason for our get together was a goodbye dinner for Vanessa who is about to embark on MFA program at Indiana University (yay Vanessa!). But we made the most of the evening, entertaing ourselves over dinner and afterwards. Such topics were undertaken as the six degrees of my ass ("bringing people together") and why its a good thing theres only one me in the world (can you imagine the insanity if there were more? Bizarro!). Despite how this sounds, the conversations actually ranged in topics, and not all were Alcentric. Its kind of scary that my friends from high school would be considered old by present standards. But its true; Michele and I have known each other since, well, thats a good question, and one we've never been able to answer. But sometime in early highschool we think. I have been hearing about Vanessa since the first grade (being a year older than me, most of our classmates were convinced we were sisters and told us about their beliefs at every oppotunity), but would consider her a friend also since highschool. Anyway, not the point. Well, to be perfectly honest I'm not sure what my point is, mostly that I have very little to do while I wait to have lunch with my family in that lovely town of Oxnard. This morning, as I had some hours to kill, I discovered my cache (another fun word) of music videos from when I was young. I distinctly remember watching and rocking out to these videos; such as The Fine Young Cannibals and New Kids on the Block (okay, so my music tastes when I was young left somethings to be desired, I like to think I've imporved on them since then). I also discovered about 80 books that I wanted to steal. The best part about going home is finding new books scattered throughout my parents house. They are literally everywhere- walls and walls are covered, various surfaces, piles on the the floor. My parents are voracious readers-a fact that makes me jealous. I think I read a lot, but I have nothing on them. Someday when I live in my fabulous house (that I'll go home to from my wonderful job-which has nothing to do with data entry- and meet my devotedly caring husband, etc etc) I am going to fill it with books. And it will be awesome. But for now, I'll just be waiting for lunch.

mercoledì, agosto 10, 2005

my laundry is depressing me

I need to do laundry. No, really. I haven't done a load in over two weeks- since before I went up north. Not because I'm a slob (and before you get disturbed, the only good thing about the months I spent at the retail job whose name shall not be mentioned was an excessive increase in undergarments, so I'm still wearing clean things). I want to do my laundry. My clothing selections are getting fewer and fewer with each passing day. Yesterday I busted out my skirt from a halloween costume a few years back (I was pregnant cheerleader one year, so not only is this skirt totally not my style, but its also two sizes too large- so as to accomodate for my bastard underage love child). Thats how bad its getting. Why am I not doing said laundry, you might be wondering? Its been so damn hot here, and I've been trying to conserve energy, etc., so I haven't wanted to use the washing machine til later at night, when its (slightly) cooler. Everynight, I have these great aspirations to be productive, and then every night, my plans fall through. Last night, for example, I walked down to the local bomb shelter (otherwise known as the Claremont Public Library- I swear, this thing was built in the 1950s and looks like it could withstand a nuclear blast), and then was going to go home and and be productive with the cleaning of my house. Did that happen? No, of course not. I ended up wandering the streets of Claremont with Tara and then watching Cast Away. Which was a thoroughly depressing movie. I realized that if I was ever in Tom Hanks' position, I would totaly have died. My survival skills are completely lacking- it would not have been pretty. I also probably would have gone completely insane (because, who are we kidding, most of the time, I'm already half way there). Needless to say, Tara and I were utterly depressed by the end of the night. And I still didn't do any laundry! Perhaps tonight? Only time will tell.

domenica, agosto 07, 2005

I'm back, bitches

Yes, the truth can't be denied any longer- I'm back in Claremont and my vacation is over. While I'm definitely sad to have my vacation over (and what a vacation it was, more on that later I'm sure), its nice to be home. I know it probably sounds cheesy, but I really feel like Claremont is my home (for the next year, at least). My friends all live within a couple of blocks from me- its a real community, and one which I feel really lucky to be a part of.
Okay, enough sappiness; I think I'm still somewhat tired from the drive down/the past week. My vacation was full of unexpected things, and most of my plans went awry, but it was still a really really good week. Technically in my mind my vacation started on Thursday (because that was my last day of teaching, and while I went to my office job on Friday, we all know that that doesn't count for numerous reasons, the most prominent being the fact that this blog is so well stocked with posts). That night I saw Flogging Molly at the Orange County fair, which was such a good show! I also learned that supposedly this is the year of the Avocado- who knew? The weekend was spent exploring Mount Baldy's many critters and learning that trees can apparently "grow like a bat out of hell." The next few days were spent in the lovely town of Livermore, where I think I saw every site to see. Okay, so I only saw three things, but that pretty much was all of Livermore. What did I see, you wonder? Only the oldest burning lightbulb (since 1901, not kidding) and the totem pole, which at one point was the cause for a curse on the town. Don't believe me? Check out "Livermore: the Movie" for the complete story. I know, because I was forced to watch it not once, but twice- thanks Sean. Oh, and I got to spend an hour drifting out on Lake del Valle, when the boat we were on died unexpectedly. No matter what anyone says, I had nothing to do with it, nothing. One moment, I'm sitting there, the motor merrily going along. The next- silence. After spending some time, unsuccessfully trying to get it restarted and mooring ourselves on the shore, we had to be towed back. Another wonderful Livermore experience. After that pinnacle, I knew nothing else the city had could compare to the wonderful sites I had seen, so I left for the wonderful sights and sounds of Sacramento. Of which there were many, believe me. I acquired an awesome arrowhead from the State Indian Museum and I finally got to visit Sutter's Fort (hence the picture of me with the old west rifle on myspace). Lots of random adventures were had by all. I also got to see some of my good college friends, and almost eat it (ie: fall down) in multiple locations. I got to pull a "wait, you're not my friends" moment, and also learned the difference between men's and women's breasts. Oh, and somehow I acquired a salt and pepper shaker set (which now resides in my car, so if anyone ever needs to add some spices to their food, feel free to check out the hyundai). Sadly, my trip up north ended on Saturday, when I drove back down the ever-lovin' Interstate 5. Of course that was not before I got to wake up and help Paige and Norman move out of their house. Nothing gets me going for a six hour drive down the 5 like moving heavy furniture.
All in all, it was a totally great vacation, chock full of randomness and good memories. It was really nice to see friends up north, I always forget just how weird I can really be until I hang out with them. And now I'm back in Claremont, trying (and probably failing) to tamp down on the weirdness, and generally enjoying my last few weeks of freedom before classes begin. But I'm not going to think about that just yet.