It started out simply enough...

Last night, all I really had planned for myself was some dinner with friends and a movie. It was supposed to be a quietly mellow night, as the night before had been the inaugural meeting of the Unofficial CGU Wine Club of which I somehow acquired the somewhat dubious title of "El Vino de Presidente" (I think we got our languages slightly mixed). Our friend Jesse was having a party at his house, and we had decided to make only the minorist of appearances. So after spending the day with "Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie (a book I do not recommend, as I believe it adversely affects one's sanity, as you will shortly see) I went to Elaine's for some bbq. Dinner was excellent, and we were all in quite the food coma when we decided to head over to Jesse's. So to bolster ourselves, we acquired some caffeine in the form of coffee beverages. This, as you will see was the first of a long line of questionable decisions. The next being opening random doors and cupboards at Jesse's house- where there is an abundance of seriously random stuff. In one cupboard I found some elderly person's glasses, vitamins, wine glasses and a metal sign saying "DO NOT ENTER TEST IN PROGRESS." Of course I couldn'tÂ’t just let that go unnoticed. The next half an hour or so was spent taking pictures with said sign in various rooms throughout JesseÂ’s house, and cracking ourselves up immensely. After that (and some brownies), we all returned to respective homes, thinking the night couldn'’t get any better.
We were so wrong.

Not thirty minutes later did I get a call from Tara, and not ten minutes later was I over at her house creating a true masterpiece, entitled Aicha. Have you seen the Aicha video on the internet? It's truly spectacular- this random dude singing about a woman who moves like the breeze http://www.ameryonline.com/aicha/ (click on "Aicha Original Video"”). Tara's brother had made his own version, and in a haze of coffee laced insanity, we decided to one up him. And how did we. Lets just say, light sabers, sparkly blue shorts, stick horses and really bad dancing was involved (Oh, and the sign). It was AWESOME!
So that was my Saturday night. I never got to see any movie, but the one we made was totally worth missing any other entertainment adventure. It was also super fun to just hang out with my friends, and be completely silly- its a rare group of people who you can have good intellectual conversations with, who also find the humor in random signs and bad dancing.


Fun with the TEST IN PROGRESS sign






The aftereffects of the awesome Aicha adventure (don't you really want to see the video now?)

Aaaarrrggghhhh!

So my first week of classes are officially over. It's been a good week, but I kept feeling like something was missing. I thought it might have been some of my classes, as they keep getting cancelled (seriously! there was the Monday excitement, and then today, my professor got caught in traffic and the class ended up not happening... so out of five possible sessions, I had three. One would think I would be excited about this prospect, but I'm actually kind of bummed- either the heat is getting to me, or I've officially reached new levels of nerdom), but it was something else entirely. I didn't even realize what I missing until it happened.

A Pirate sighting.

The Pirate of the history department is back and in classes, along with the other oddballs and eccentrics; life in Claremont is complete. And I couldn't be happier!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?)

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.

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.

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.

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.

the magical filing cabinet

So there's a secret filing cabinet in my office. It sits in the corner and is very hard to get into. But once you're in, its like magic! First of all this cabinet will grant you all of your hearts desires. Like the other day, I really wanted some Ritz crackers and a small lemur monkey. I went to the cabinet, and there was a small whitefaced simian, holding a box of crackers. I named the Lemur Sam, in honor of Sam Houston, Texas' famous statesman, and munched happily on the crackers.
How did I discover this cabinet, you might be wondering? Well, it was all a great accident. One day, I sitting at my desk, being unproductive as usual when I heard a small child's voice calling out "Eleanor! Eleanor!" Only knowing of one Eleanor in my life (Eleanor Roosevelt, the esteemed, yet sexually confusing wife of FDR), but also knowing that she was long dead, I thought very little of the strange sounds. Afterall, I hear much stranger things on a regular basis coming from my coworkers. The next day, again I heard the child's voice, this time calling out "Milicent!" And again, I ignored the voice. After a week or so of strange women's names being called out from the corner (seriously, I heard Joan, Roxanne, Stacey, and Earl?), finally I decided to investigate. As I approached the cabinet, the voice grew steadily louder and louder. The cabinet was vibrating in the corner, and an odd smell was emanating from it. Slowly, drawer by drawer, I opened the cabinet. The first two drawers yielded nothing but empty coke bottles and prison tags (obviously part of some failed pyramid scheme involving recycling and parolees)... but the bottom drawers, that's where the jackpot was! I opened them and was suddenly blinded by a bright green light. The next thing I knew, I was inside the cabinet, wandering through mazes of riches of every kind. Gold, silver, jewels, bunnies-they were all there. It was a magical Eden. Just then, a small fairy like creature appeared before me.
"Hello, my name is Rolanda (even though this was a magical land, it was still rooted in the Inland Empire, which as we know, is not known for its classiness), and I am the guardian of this land. You've been chosen to know about this magical land because of your pure heart and even purer nature... oh, and your super cute haircut! Whenever you are in need of a pick-me-up after a long day of data entry, you merely need to come to the cabinet and request your heart's desire. It shall be brought to you posthaste. You need only make a wish with your heart. Or you could write a check. We accept most major credit cards as well."
And that was all. I was back at my desk, as if it had never happened. Was it merely a dream? I wondered to myself. But just then a strange craving for an ice cream sandwich washed over me. I figured there was only one way to see if it really had been a dream. With slow steps I walked to the cabinet. "Ice cream sandwich" I thought over and over. I opened the bottom drawer, and there it was; the tastiest ice cream sandwich I had even seen! It was real!
And that's how I found out about the magical filing cabinet in my office. It's the best thing ever.

data entry or death?

Okay, so technically I've been at work for over an hour. Since I arrived, I've eaten Indian food, gone on a coffee run (unbeknownst to my bosses of course), and surfed the internet for a while. Oh, and I opened the file that I'm supposed to be working on. Notice how "open" has been the only verb in use, and not "typed" or various other work related verbs. I think I have senioritus, combined with a serious lack of desire to do my job. Now while I might complain about the general crappiness of my job in the land of data entry (apparently so much so that other people are using me for their own ends. Case in point, my friend Elaine used me to teach the vocab work "monotonous" to her students. "Alex's job doing data entry is so ____, she is very bored." Anyway.), but at least this job hasn't killed me (slowly sucking my soul, yes, but its not death inducing). Today I read about a Croatian farmer who was killed when the cow he was milking fell on him. How much would that suck? I guess data entry is better than death by cow. A little.

I know I've said this before...

but my life is the epitome of random. Case in point; this weekend.

As I was biking home yesterday, a branch fell off a tree (a huge branch! Like half of the tree, it made this huge crash and everything) for no reason. No one had cut it, there wasn't even any weather, just bam! tree branch down.

I went to the weirdest Aaron'd Brothers ever today! There were two people working, a tall crazy lady called Nebraska (thats what it said on her "hi, my name is... tag" no joke) and a very short (perhaps half her size) man named Jamey. As I stood there for about ten minutes waiting for some service I watched them sling verbal barbs to each other and act in very strange fashions towards the other customers. Needless to say, I do not recomend the Montclair Aaron's Brothers.

Today it rained in Claremont. But it was still hot the entire time.

I just found a crossowrd puzzle in my couch. Not only is that random, but it also speaks of just how cool I am. Most people find money that's fallen out of their pockets in their couch. Me? I find crossword puzzles...

I managed to drive past my exit today on the freeway. Not sure what I was thinking, but I drove completely past it, and didn't even realize until I almost passed the next one. Okay, so that's not so much random as it is just dumb, but whatever.

I was wearing my glasses not ten minutes ago, and now cannot find them to save my life. Seriosuly. I don't know what I did with them, I've looked all over the house, my glasses are totally missing.

So now its 10 on Sunday night, I'm listening to Gary Busey be crazy on the radio and am trying to prepare myself for the upcoming week. I'm almost certain that there will be much more randomness and weird things for me, only time will tell though...

This is how I always look hiking 

Night of the Living Al

So I've come to a conclusion. Well, actually two conclusions: I'm either pregnant or a zombie. These are the only conclusions that I've been able to come up with while sitting at my desk, feeling like crap. Either Yahweh (or whoever) wants me to carry the new Messiah (because that would be the only current explanation for a pregnant Al) or one of the walking dead bit me in my sleep. Of course, both theories have holes. While I do have some morning sickness symptons (nausea, tiredness, etc), I'm still a little too skeptical of that first immaculate conception to believe in a second one. Which brings me to conclusion #2. My coworkers might agree that I'm walking around the office barely alive, but I have no super powerful strength or the desire to gnaw on human flesh. Which, whenever I've imagined zombie life, I always thought would be part of it. Maybe it is just a headache afterall. Either way, its still Friday, and if there's anything to make me feel better, its the knowledge that this week is over. It hasn't been a bad a week, no real complaints, but this week has been a long one. And a hot one. So I'm definitly ready for some relaxation time this weekend. Maybe I'll even figure out this pregnant/zombie issue too...

I just took a cold shower, but not in a sexy way

You know that feeling of being warmed by the sun, perfectly content? Multiply that by 800,000 and would it still be happy feeling? No. It would not. How do I know? Because its July, and I'm living in Claremont. I'm aware that there are places that are hotter, or places that have worse climates (yes, I'm in Southern California, a state renowned for its great weather), but I don't care. Its 9:45 and its 85 degrees outside. I am not approving. Hopefully, I'll get to leave this literal hell on earth for a wee bit soon. Of course, I'll probably just go someplace thats just as hot, because thats how cool I am. I think the heat is frying my brain, so I'm going to go curl up in front of my fan and dream of the artic tundra. *Sigh*

The restrooms of my discontent

My restroom experiences of late I think sum up how my life is going. No, this is not going to be a gross post, describing bathroom activities; instead its about all the randomly strange things that keep happening in that sector. Last Thursday, I managed to leave my sunglasses in the teacher's restroom at Rialto Middle School, where I'm teaching this summer. I remembered where they were after our last session got out, and scampered back to said restroom only to find them missing. Now what's so upsetting about this? I left the glasses in the TEACHER'S restroom, where you need a key to get in. Only TEACHERS go in there (oh, and me, who is not a teacher technically, but for all intents and purposes, I am one this summer, so there). Therefore, it is logical to assume that a TEACHER took my glasses. I tried to give benefit of the doubt, etc., and think maybe whoever took them would bring them back today, but no. Such was not the case. The best part, though, is that these glasses are prescription, so they're only going benefit someone who is slightly far sighted in one eye, and nearsighted in the other. Oh, irony, you sassy lady. Anyway, I get to my other lovely job, only to spill my water bottle all over my lap, so it looks like I couldn't quite contain the thrill I get at the prospect of data entry. I attempted to rectify the situation in the WOMEN'S restroom, only to find no paper towels, but one of the seats up. Um, is someone not telling me something? Needless to say, restrooms and I are not on the best of terms at the moment. On the plus side, I managed to hack into one of the dudes upstairs music library, and now have lots of fun music to listen to as my lap dries, so that's something!

I obviously had too much guacamole today

I was going to write all about how I've been listening to 90s songs, and how I've been feeling all nostalgic for high school and middle school, what with certain songs giving me crazy memories and reminiscences--ohmygod, that Cardigan's song from Romeo + Juliet just came on, hi sophomore year math (see what I mean?)... but then I just felt lame. So instead I'm going to write about my trip to the fabulous Montclair Plaza, which once again reinforced my belief that a) malls are evil places and b) I am not a mall person. I had to go to the mall to return a gift and see about some frames for some of my posters, it was a choice made out of necessity, not desire. First of all, I was traveling by myself, which is apparently not proper mall etiquette. And then I wanted to get from one store to the other in a reasonable amount of time; strike two. But the nail in my mall going coffin had to be when I spied the GIANT Thomas Kincade display in one of the store windows. I can handle the wannabe punk kids roving around in acid washed packs from one hip store to another. I can make my peace with the conspicuous consumption that seems to be the standard for our fine country. Okay, wait, both of those statements are lies, but they don't compare to the pure evil that can be found in one of Kincade's canvases. That man has no soul. And it makes me sad.
The weekend is also over, another thing which makes me sad, because that means another week of hell is about to begin. I had three opportunities to go LA this weekend, and bailed on all of them. Yet, the weekend was surprisingly good. There was much silliness, complete with the utterances of "Self love is not always safe love" and "my Jesus is your jesus, you Catholic fuck." Neither of these statements were said by me, which just makes me appreciate my friends down in Claremont all the more. Good times, indeed. :)

this is probably a bad idea...

... because i'm in a totally shit mood. I'm hungry, I have a headache, and I am thoroughly disgusted with my current working situation. After being lulled into the belief that I could actually get away with doing next to nothing at this office, I'm finding myself having real work to do. Well, not so much real, as I am literally taking horizontal excel files and making them into vertical new ones. Or maybe that's the other way around. I don't know. I was told that I had until Friday to finish this lamest of lame tasks (just call me Sisyphus), but just now some random guy, who didn't even bother to introduce himself- hello? social graces? anyone? Could it be possible to treat me like a person? Yes, I'd say a nerve was touched... anyway. So yes, apparently I'm supposed to have the file-thingy done by today. Thanks. On top of that, I have other time-consuming-yet-not-bettering-the-world-in-any-fashion-whatsoever-work to do. So now I'm stressed out by the amount of work that I need to complete in a few hours. Of course the point could be made that my time might be better served actually doing said work. But like I said, I'm in a pissy mood, so therefore I don't want to. What I do want to do is eat something, because, sweet moses, but I am hungry! My stomach is literally eating itself. After I eat something, I would like to take a nap. For 12 hours. And then maybe I could read a book. Ahh, that would be nice.
Sorry this is such a lame entry, but as I'm convinced that I'm the only one who actually looks at this thing anway, I guess I only have to apologize to myself. And maybe this company, as I've taken things to a new level of being a bad employee. But I probably won't. Because like I said, I'm in a bad mood. So there.

Don't bother me, I'm looking important

Um, so yeah. The computer system is going wonky and I can't do my job, which directly involves the system that's not working. I suppose I could take the iniative and actually find something productive to do, but that would totally go against my principles so instead I plan on sitting here at me desk, giving off the vibe that I'm doing something so vitally important that the fate of the entire company rests on my activities. Which would be bad for this place if that were the truth. Its kind of weird to be here, although I was only gone for the weekend, it seems like forever ago that I was in my normal life, etc. I think that might have something to do with how packed this weekend was. I put over 1500 miles on my car in four days. I also saw one of my good friends get married, another of my friends get his ass grabbed at a gay bar, lots of stars and a talking lettuce.

Perhaps some explanations are needed. Liz's wedding was on Saturday- it was soo wonderful. She was the epitome of the glowing bride, the ceremony was lovely, reception was fun- all in all a pefect event. It was also super fun, because a couple of my UCDC friends were in town for said wedding, so we got to hang out and go out later in the evening as well. As it was a DC-esque reunion of sorts, the Depot (fun gay bar in Sac) was the place to go after the reception. The best part of the evening, by far, though was my old roommate Norman coming with us. Norman does not go to gay bars. Ever. But for some reason (I think he's getting really bored this summer), he decided to come out with us. So right after we got done telling him how gays bars really aren't this den of debauchery (for the most part) and that he totally would be left alone, Norman goes up to the bar to get a drink and this older man walks by and grabs his ass like no tomorrow! Hilarious. Norman to his credit took it all with aplomb, and I think had a pretty good time. It was great to hang out Christina and Joe, and catch up. The next day was full of adventure as well. After sleeping in til almost 8 am, I was having a nice time doing the Sunday crossowrd puzzle (my cool points are shooting through the roof) in the living room of the house that Paige was houseitting, when from out of nowhere (or I guess, technically outside) this bird starts flying spastically around above my head. I scream and duck, frozen with fear as the bird tries to escape both the house and the house- kitty-turned-feral-attack-cat. Finally, Josh came to rescue and got the bird out of the house (at this point, I was hiding in the bedroom, no joke). So scary! After that calming waffles were needed to restore balance to our systems. The rest of Sunday was spent experiencing the lovely town of Livermore and all its glories. :) Sleep, however was not one of them. Finally, on Monday I drove down to Salinas to pick up Lawrence and visit the awesome Steinbeck Musuem. Which was awesome. If you're 12. The best part, hands down though was the talking lettuce. There was an exhibit about Salinas: Valley to the World, which had an interactive activity for kids to vote on their favorite vegetable. So all these vegetable puppets gave campaign speeches on why they were the best vegetable. The lettuce was the "heart of the letuuce for the heart of America." Awesome is the only way to describe it. Its tied with Liz's wedding for the best moment of the weekend.

So now here I am, back at work, back in the real world, with mixed feelings. I'm happy to be back to normal life (although I could do without the mind-numbing data entry aspects), but there were some definite good things about being up North as well, which I'm sad to miss. The computer system is still down, but I think this post is beyond long, so I guess I'm going to have to find something else to look productive with. Is there anyway I can justfy sleeping in my car as necessary for the company?

It's only 9:30?!!!

Sweet Moses, but time is dragging today. I'm 3/4 done with my daily data entry (try saying that three times fast), and I glance at the clock, expecting it to be sometime well into the 10 o'clock hour, but no; its barely half-way through 9. Sigh. Now I have to come up with official looking things for me to, so I can convince my coworkers that I am, in fact a good employee. I don't know why I try to keep up this pretense. Everyday, the desire to come to work in pjs grows stronger. As does the one to just not show up at all. But then I remember that I need to pay my rent, etc. and that sort of makes me want to come to work. Sort of. I need a sugar daddy. But not in a gross trading sexual favors for money and shiny things sort of way. More in a sweet, someone who is fabulously wealthy wants to adopt me as their protegee. That would be awesome! I'm going to have to look into this. If nothing else, it'll make the time go by faster.

I need sleep

Seriously, its getting bad. I've gotten into this habit where I stay up late, but then still get up early for work every morning. And now my body is used to it, so I'm not that tired late at night anymore. Just throughout the entire day. Its affecting my life, too. Today I couldn't find my hammer (I wanted to ghetto-fy my room by nailing up drapes because I'm too poor to buy a rod- hah! rod!). Where was it? In my closet. Next to my roll of masking tape. Of course! Because thats's where such things should be kept. I'm looking into napping pills. It might help.

Yes Ed Norton, that was my ass

I saw Ed Norton friday night, no joke. And he saw my ass. How did this happen you might wonder? (I hope you're wondering and not thinking that this is a normal occurence for my ass to make appearances at movie stars, because it doesn't I swear!) The weekend started when I went out to dinner at Buddha's Belly out in LA for Jen's 25th birthday, wearing *slightly* low cut jeans. Not excessivly low, as I have had people check the scandal level for me before, but lower than I am used to. Before we made our final seat decisions, I had to change my seat a number of times, which made for some prime ass viewing for the table behind. Everytime I got up to move to a different chair (ironically ending up at the same chair that I originally started out in), there had to be some adjustments of the pants before they got too scandalous, and I did wonder about exactly what those who were sitting behind me were seeing. It was only after some appetizers and a few drinks that we noticed who exactly was sitting at the table behind us, and who had a lovely view of my derrier during the seat exchanging. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was indeed that fine actor Ed Norton. In fact, this was my first celebrity sighting since moving back down to LA (and probably one of the better ones of my life, since others include Bob Saget one time in Santa Monica when I was 12 and meeting Dick Clark when I was 8)... Ed Norton, my ass says hello.
The rest of the night was fun too, with silliness running rampant in Jen's apartment until 2 something in the morning. Shout out to John's grandma's sweet ride and Rider Strong lookalikes. Some day, when I figure out the dame photo posting deal, I promise to put up pictures of Jen, me and our sake baby Raul (trust me, if you saw the picture it would totally make sense), and other random pictures of the weekend. Anyone want to help me out of this technological quagmire?

Time of death of the great coffee experiment: 9:26am. I wanted to see how many days I could go with coffee, and apparently that magic number is 5 days. I think I could have gone for loner if I had got to sleep at a normal time last night, but after a weekend of staying up until the wee hours of the morning, I could not get to sleep last night! Aggravating. So yes, a morning without coffee was not going to happen today. Now a morning without data entry would be heavensent. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. But I have hope.

I live in a backwards house

Seriosuly, everything in my house is backwards; all the faucets turn the wrong way and are switched to the wrong sides and the doorknobs turn backwards, as does the front door lock, which you have to turn the key right to unlock. Its weird. Just part of the charm of an old house I suppose. Which I totally love. Slowly but surely I'm settling in, and getting all my stuff oriented and its actually starting to feel like home, yay! I can't wait to have people over for summer fun. Normaly it doesnt take me so long to unpack, but as I've barely been home in the past few weeks, I've decided I'm allowed. I went up north last week, which was soooo much fun! I spent a few days up in Sacramento, visiting with college friends, a bunch of us were in the same place for the first time in a while, so there was much hanging out and having good times. Then I joined my current college (technically grad school I suppose, but whatever) friends for fun times on the delta. Despite my body feeling like I was beaten repeatedly with a sack of bricks (and don't even get me started on the random burns scattered across my body-very strange), I still have fond memories. There was much more hanging out- this time on water- and silliness as I tried wakeboarding (I totally got up!) and tubing (I totally got the shit kicked out of me!). Good good times. But now I'm back in the land of smog and traffic and backwards houses (the formers of which I could definitly do without). Oh yes, and data entry. Sigh.

bored

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Alexandra
Birthday:	December 15th, 1981
Birthplace:	Thousand Oaks, CA
Current Location:	Claremont, CA
Eye Color:	Hazel (thats what it says on my drivers license, and that can't be wrong, right?)
Hair Color:	Brown
Height:	5'7 on a good day
Right Handed or Left Handed:	right
Your Heritage:	Romanian and British
The Shoes You Wore Today:	flip flops from target
Your Weakness:	too many to list...
Your Fears:	electric doors, car crashes, cancer
Your Perfect Pizza:	lots of veggies, no nasty meat products
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	acquire a real job that doesn't involve data entry
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	totally
Thoughts First Waking Up:	I hate my job soooo much right now.
Your Best Physical Feature:	my eyes
Your Bedtime:	depends on the day
Your Most Missed Memory:	watching 90210 in our bras sophomore year in chaparal apts.
Pepsi or Coke:	pepsi
MacDonalds or Burger King:	mcdonalds, their fries are so much better
Single or Group Dates:	I'd take either at this point (sigh)
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla:	vanilla, it goes with everything!
Cappuccino or Coffee:	both, mmm caffiene!
Do you Smoke:	no, its nasty and causes cancer
Do you Swear:	all the damn time
Do you Sing:	badly
Do you Shower Daily:	yes, are there people who don't?
Have you Been in Love:	yes, sigh.
Do you want to go to College:	so much I went back for more :)
Do you want to get Married:	somedays
Do you belive in yourself:	sometimes
Do you get Motion Sickness:	only when my mom drives
Do you think you are Attractive:	I have my moments
Are you a Health Freak:	about certain things
Do you get along with your Parents:	better now than ever before
Do you like Thunderstorms:	yup
Do you play an Instrument:	i like to pretend that I play the piano
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	heh, perhaps :)
In the past month have you Smoked:	no
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	not that I'm aware of
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	no
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	no
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	no
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	no
In the past month have you been on Stage:	no
In the past month have you been Dumped:	no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	no
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	no, man I am so boring!
Ever been Drunk:	yes
Ever been called a Tease:	at my highschool sophomore homecoming dance, I danced with this guy and then his girlfriend broke up with him (even though we just talked the whole time and nothing scandalous happened) and my friends called me a homewrecker
Ever been Beaten up:	no
Ever Shoplifted:	maybe
How do you want to Die:	unexpectedly
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	happy (that was such a lame answer)
What country would you most like to Visit:	all of them, no seriously, who wants to take me?
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	blue/green
Favourite Hair Color:	dark
Short or Long Hair:	short, but sometimes long
Height:	tall
Weight:	not 5000?
Best Clothing Style:	nerdy emo type
Number of Drugs I have taken:	is this still in a boy/girl (because that would be weird, think about it)? more than 1, less than 10
Number of CDs I own:	100+
Number of Piercings:	3
Number of Tattoos:	1
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	23
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Olympia by Edouard Manet 1863  

random observances from work...

Okay I need to get out more. Seriously. Its summer and my nerdiness has risen to new heights. I'm currently at work (with little hopes for escape for another hour and half, hence the blogging), doing some lovely data entry. Basically I'm typing up numbers from one excel file into another excel file, only (here's the kicker!) the new one is horizontal while the old one is vertical! Madness I tell you, sheer madness!
So anyway, the numbers are sales amounts of the stores for each day and are mostly in the low thousands. I've noticed that whenever the numbers resemble a historic date I start trying to remember what happened in the year. Like for 1863.56, I would think of Manet's painting of Olympia or for 1939.24, I think of Germany invading Poland and the start World War II. My inner (hell, who am I kidding, I've never been able to hide this) history geek is rearing its date-loving-historical-fact-quoting head. I've been doing this all week and have been pefectly entertained. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?

Permanent markers do not equal blue pens

In case you were wondering, while both these writing implements can be used on various mediums, in actuality they are not on equal footing and should not be used in exchange of each other. Maybe I should send out a memo to my coworkers, as this morning I arrived at my desk to find it bereft of all of my blue pens, but somehow gaining in permanent markers. Which are not as valuable to my daily activites as the blue pens. Sadly. But at least instead of finding my desk completely empty of supplies, this time I still have some. Maybe I can use them to barter for some new pens. Sigh.

I have measured my life with coffee spoons

Or more accurately, with books. Its that time of the year when I move all the objects that make up my life from one living arrangement to another (in truth, I'm little early, its usually the end of August when this joyous occasion occurs, but anything that will get me out of the Inland Empire sooner I'll take). So I've been boxing up my possessions, which are mostly made up by the large amount of books that I own. 364 days our of the year I love my books, but on that one day when I have carry each and every one of them from one place to another, they are definitly not on my happy list. But as soon as they're in their new room, I'll take solace in them once again, and try to forget just how heavy they are all together. In a sick way, I enjoy moving, there's such a hieghtening of expectations and anticipations of what the new place will bring. And I'm really excited about this new place. First of all, its in downtown Claremont, and might actually be the first place that I've proactively wanted to live in. It has a soul- unlike the apartments of the past. I'm also hoping that perhaps with a new living arrangement will come new trends in my life, maybe I can finally close up some slightly open doors from the past. A literal fresh start. As I learned last night, I would not be the only one to do so...
I'm writing this as I sit on hold for what appears to be until the end of time. Sigh. Between the holding and my computer trying to die slowly, I could really use a vacation. Permanently. Perhaps with my living situation, I'll be gifted with a new job. One which doesn't involve the hated data entry. A girl can dream.

Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse 

In the future I'll be realizing how young I was...

It's official. I'm getting older. This realization didn't come alongside a birthday celebration (because mine's in December, hint hint), but instead out of a conversation I had with one of my students. We were talking about 1983, for some reason which I can't remember, and then about what year were born. Nicole is in the fifth grade, and was born in 1994. Which was bad enough. But when I told her the year I was born- 1981 (a great year, by the by), her eyes about popped out of her head! She couldn't even fathom such a long time ago. And that was when I realized that I was officially older. Not ensure consuming, depends wearing oldness (despite the bursitus and various other elderly ailments), but I'm definitly moving away from my youth. Which freaks me out. I'm content with the knowledge that I'm slowly becoming more adult like, but at the same point, I wonder what exactly I have to show for my aging.
The other night, I spent some quality time at my local Barnes and Noble (as I frequently do), and I started reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfild (which was pretty engaging, I'll definitly read more the next time I'm there). After reading the auther information, I noticed that she was 27 or 28 and she has a best selling book published. Shes four years older than me. Which not such a great difference. I'm constantly hearing about people who do amazing things in their mid twenties, who have actual accomplishments. Which makes me wonder what accomplishments I'll have by my later twenties (as I'm already somewhat immersed in those middle years at the ripe age of 23). The only thing I'm pretty certain of at this point is that I'll have my masters degree, which will hopefully lead to some job, that ideally won't involve data entry, and instead be heavy on the creative aspects. I suppose only time will tell at this point. And whenever that mysterious future becomes the equally mystical present, I'm sure I'll still be experiencing these twin tensions of feeling both young and old, and desiring to accomplish more. Weird.

photos

www.flickr.com More of Alexandra the Great's photos

Note to self: Don't leave wine bottles in car on hot afternoons...

Also, don't stick my face the unknown grocery bag at the bottom of the pantry, because there just might be month-old potatoes creating rank aromas in said bag. Thank you roommates. I've learned so much on this random Friday. The day started out normally enough; the morning was spent by me being bored at work, as usual. Then I headed out to Claremont and found a place to live! I'm living in a house a block away from campus with one other girl who's doing a one year pre-med program. The house is super cute and I'm pretty excited about the whole situation. After that I went to he Ford dealership in Claremont because Tina won something from them in the mail (and was out of town) and needed me to pick it up. I had to pretend to be Tina, which was funny because people who know us get us confused sometimes too. It turns out she won a free 3 days/2 nights stay at her pick of a bunch of hotels in the US. So we've decided to go on a romantic vacation together some time, because everyone at CGU already think we're lesbians, so it makes sense. The dealership was seriously random, they asked me all about my car, if I had payments, the mileage, etc., and I also got to spin a prize wheel, where I won a visor cd holder, yay. Totally random. After that I drove home and hung out for a bit, until around 5 when I decided to go to the library, because yes, I am that cool. As I started driving, I noticed that my car smelled a lot like wine. Interesting, I thought, glancing at my backseat, only o discover that the bottle which I had in my backseat (because I brought it to Tina's house last week, but we didn't drink it, and then I was going to bring it to Elaine's tonight, so I had just left it in my backseat- no because I'm an alcoholic...) had exploded! Apparently, in the desert heat, the cork exploded out of the bottle, and wine escaped onto my seats. So now my car smells like the inside of a wine jug and I have a large red stain on my seat. Awesome. So these are the things I learned yesterday. All in all, quite a random day!

pirates and jedis, oh my!

My Pirate Name: Mad Dog Bonney
Part crazy, part mangy, all rabid, you're the pirate all the others fear might just snap soon. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

So if I ever decide to embark on a civilization-free life on the open seas, I guess I have my name all picked out. Awesome.

Other things that are awesome: freakin' Episode III of Star Wars (yes, I've already seen it, because I watched it at midnight last night!) Maybe its my inner geekiness coming out, but I totally dug the movie. And I don't care who knows it. The force is strong with me.

working thoughts

"Oh coffee,
you are so awesome."
-Ode to Coffee

I've tried to deny my feelings for some time now, but I can't keep quiet any longer. I'm totally addicted to coffee. Every morning, I drag myself out of bed and to work with only the hopes of sweet sweet coffee waiting for me to keep me going. It might be the only redeeming quality of this job. Because the its not the joys of data entry that keep me coming back. Yes, it must be the free coffee- oh and the paychecks. Those help too.

Continuing the grand tradition

So it's been a while since I've posted at work. Mostly because some of my most recent jobs have not been as computer oriented as this one (which I just started a few weeks ago, under seriously random circumstances). Which makes me reflect on just how many jobs I've had in the past year since I started this blog. As of last summer, I've babysat, worked in a bookstore, worked in a museum, tutored, worked retail (whose name shall not be spoken), worked at multiple shoe store offices (seriously, I'm on my second, both of which found courtesy of craigslist), taught in an after school reading program, and have become a research assistant. I'm not a flighty person who goes from job to job, so I'm not entirely certain how this happened, but that's how I've been paying the bills this past year. What's really scary is that there were few months where I didn't work at all. But hopefully this summer I won't be adding anymore positions to my resume and just be sticking with my current jobs of teaching, researching (which I'm so excited about! published work, yay!) and the one where I update my blog at; office assisting. Other plans for the summer include reading for pleasure (I acquired a library card from the city of Rancho Cucamonga, because yes, I am that cool) and taking lots of fun trips and adventures. I have some high hopes, which I think will be met. I suppose only time will tell :)

a few more hours and i'm halfway done!

So I have my last paper of the semester due tomorrow, and I could not be more excited (or stressed). I'm super excited to be done, and to have some actual free time that doesn't involve reading for class. Of course I still have a good five pages standing between me and that happy dream. I'm writing a paper about the relationship of the artist and the postmodern society, which is a topic that I'm really interested in, but unfortuanately at this point I just want to finish it. Sigh. What can you do? On a totally random note, my friend Joe emailed me a story that was in his textbook (he's studying in China right now), which was about a young girl and her family. Keep in mind that this story was in a textbook about family life in China. (the asterisk's are joe's comments)

My House is Still Happy/Harmonious.
At first glance, my family is a happy and harmonious home. My dad is a factory supervisor. My mom is a manager at a market. And me, I’ve already started middle school, and am the class leader/captian *this is a much cooler thing in Asia than in the States*. My classmates and I jokingly say, “Everybody’s house is official. Who could be in charge of who?” …*ok I don’t know how to translate that joke…, apparently it’s funny though*… Everybody feels that their house is a happy one, an I feel the same about mine. Until one day I accidentally overheard my mom and dad talking.
Even though the door was closed, I could still hear my Dad’s solemn voice coming through it: “Tell me, Is Little Hong Mr.Zhang’s child, yes or no? Tell me the truth!” I simply could not believe my ears. I thought my mom would become so angry, loose her temper, maybe even go so far as to hit my Dad. After a while, I still didn’t hear anything from my mom, I was so anxious! Suddenly, I heard mom cry, then right after that, she confirmed Dad’s suspicions.
My dad isn’t my blood-dad, he had suspected that since I was two years old. But he always thought that it didn’t matter, because the thought that my Mom still loved him, and that that was enough. Now, more than 10 years later, why has he all of a sudden brought this all up again? Because, he found out that the man he suspected 10 plus years ago of sleeping with his wife is not just a past lover, but is still my mom’s lover!
Hearing this, I in my heart uncontrollably blamed my mom for this: mom, why would you lie to dad for so many years!? You know what I think? My Dad is the best dad in the whole world!
My mom had told the whole truth. The inside of the room was silent. After a while, dad said, “So many years have gone by, I originally couldn’t, wouldn’t, ask you this question, but I cannot endure you constantly making me look like an idiot. You have to make a choice today: you either stay with me, or with him. If you go with him, then we will immediately divorce.”
What? Divorce?!!! That’s way too frightening/horrible! I quickly rushed into the room and yelled, “You CAN’T divorce! Dad, isn’t mom being honest enough with you?” then to my mom I said, “mom, can you honestly say you want to be with that other man? If you divorce dad, I’m going with him, and you’ll lose your me, your daughter, forever!”
When I ran into the room, dad had been very surprised. Mom was even more so. She took my hand, and while crying said, “child, I can’t loose you both.” Hearing my mom’s words, I turned away from her, crying, I yelled out, yelled out for my dad. I saw my dad was crying too. Dad pulled my hand over and said, “This problem will only stop if you draw a period in it’s way. *…something like that…* But you will always be your father’s child…
A few days went by. Mom wouldn’t speak. She never stopped working, And dad, like always, helped her work. Slowly, mom started to smile again. The day before yesterday, my mom bought my dad a suit. It fit very well. I saw my dad’s face slowly crack into a smile too. Now, our house is still like before happy and harmonious. And from the bottom of my heart I say, “ Dad, you’re amazing!”

Yup, still not studying

Instead of studying, I've decided to share some more random observances on my life. First of all, let me say that I'm typing this as Access Hollywood is on in the background (I'm waiting for the OC, bitches!), and can I just say that I'm over Britney and her baby? Not that I'm wishing her harm or anything, but the amount of press that this has generated is a bit obscene. As my favorite morning show Kevin and Bean on KROQ said, if the pope had impregnated Britney, then yes, that would be newsworthy and deserve a lot of press. But she's a pop star! So maybe people can calm down a bit, for my sanity. In other baby news, I was listening to NPR this morning and they did a story about a woman who was surrogate for an impotent couple. Apparently, she's going to have quintuplets-unplanned. The reporter started talking about her $15,000 fee, and I must admit, I was totally expecting to hear how she was demanding more money or something. But the lady had waived all the money, saying that the parents were going to need all the money they could get. Now that's a baby story that deserves press. But seriously, I thought that was such a wonderful gesture, and it was a great way to start off my morning. Which was very full, as I started my new job today. At another shoe company. I don't know what it is about me and shoe companies, but apparently I have an affinity for assisting offices that deal with shoes. I'm not sure what that says about me, but it's money so I'm not complaining. Instead, I'll stick to complaining about my classes and reading and paper writing and more reading etc etc etc...

This is how much I don't want to study

So here I am, sitting on my couch. I should be writing my paper, or reading some poetry, or something about colonialism, or primitivism, or postmodernism... are you catching a drift? But I'm not. I have no motivation whatsoever. And I don't care. So put that in your pipe and smoke it grad school.
So instead, I'm going to write about the lovely things I saw today. While driving home, I saw a truck with the decal that said "My Other Ride is Your Mom." I only wish I was joking. Then, not two seconds later a car full of shirtless highschool boys, who made gestures at me and my roommate. Thank you Inland Empire for these lovely memories that I'm sure I'll treasure. If only these were the exception and not the rule about life down in Rancho Cucamonga. Hopefully soon, I will find a cute one bedroom place close to campus and I'll never have to leave Claremont's city limits. I'm counting the days.... seriously.

Blame Grad School

So yes, I realize that I have been more than lax in my postings. I can only offer one explanation. I have become a slave to my books-they control all aspects of my life. In fact, I had to lie and tell them I was doing research on buying more books just so I could sneak onto the internet. But seriously, just a short post before I have to get back to the joy that is Amiri Baraka and his angry angry writings. Recap this past month: lots of reading, little bit of polo (yay! so excited to be playing again!), some social activities, and more reading... try to contain your jealousy.

The epic battle rages on

Okay, so I'm the first to admit that I'm not the most technologically advanced person. But nor am I a dimwitted fool. So today I decided that it was time to jazz up this sorry excuse for a blog and add some pictures (and also it was better than studying). So I made my way merrily to the blogger site and followed the lovely directions and downloaded the needed software, etc. etc. All was going well until I thought to take things a step further and actually go about adding some pictures to my blog. And that's when it all fell apart. I attempted to sign in, only to be viciously halted by the statement that my email needed to be verified. "Alright," I thought to myself, "a minor setback, but I can get through this." I typed in the correct information and waited patiently for my email to arrive with further instructions. It was non-existent, so I tried again. And again. And then some more. Hours (and work and various other nighttime activities) later my emails are still somewhere in cyberland, taunting me with their lack of presence. I'm finding myself at an impasse- unable to move forward, yet completely discontent with this present state. Sigh. Will this story ever have a happy ending, possibly one with visuals? Only time will tell.

A short rant

Parent's hide your children. Don't let them near the tv. Run for the hills. The terror is upon us. Spongebob Squarepants is gay. And not just in the he's happy to be living in his pineapple under the sea sort of gay. No, I'm talking about the sweet sweet same sex loving sort of gay. Spongebob was alledging seen in a "We Are Family" remake video promoting his special brand of love, alongside such other shady characters as Barney (also gay, hence the purple suit) and Clifford (the big red communist!) I guess Tinky Winky converted him. But seriously, I'm in shock that a) people continue to read entirely too much into cartoon characters (c'mon, they're cartoon characters, half the time they're not even supposed to make sense!) and b) that in a video made to promote diversity and harmony that its wrong to include a supposedly gay character. Because they don't deserve to be treated the same as everyone else. The last time I checked, this was the 21st century, not 1950, right? Now I know I definitely lean towards the liberal side of life, but this is really going too far. I'm not saying that everyone has to agree and promote everyone else's ideologies, but I think a certain amount of respect between people can be reached. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking... but I hope not.

the glamorous life of a grad student...

"You know you need money!
Marky, give us a call!
Sell us your soul!
Just... kidding!"

Okay, so it's Friday and once again, I'm being a bad employee at work. Shocking, I know. Well, I officially started my spring semester this past week, and so far it's going pretty well. That might have something to do with the fact that I've only had one class (my others are on Monday), but hey, who's counting? Anyhow, things are going pretty well down here in SoCal. The weather has even mellowed a bit- it was freakin' 80+ degrees here last week. Seriously. I wore a skirt and sandals the other day, in January. Not that I'm complaining per se, I definitely prefer this weather to the other options of snowstorms etc. that can be found in the rest of the country. But still, you have to admit, it's very unnatural... My cold has receded to a minor annoyance, and it seems that my family is also on the road to various recoveries, for which I'm thankful. The only blight on this otherwise happy day would be the lack of my paycheck. I feel as if a limb is missing- the limb that pays for things. My boss- who for the record is crazy (not kidding on this one; the other day he called the office to ask what time it was. No explanation. Just demanded the time and then hung up.) doesn't know where the checks are. He's also not here right now, so that may have something to do with it. The other guy who handles administrative issues is also gone and also has no idea where my money is. So that leaves me who, as you can guess, is also wondering where my monetary goodness could be. I'm a little worried, mostly because I'm really depending on that check so I can buy my friend Patricia a wedding present for the wedding, which is in a week! So thats how my week has been, warm and poor. Come to think of it, that's how most of my weeks are... interesting.

What a week!

So after an eventful week, I've come to the conclusion that it is not a good time to be a Dove (and no, I'm not talking about the bird- that's a whole different story). This epiphany came to me after spending the past weekend at my palacial country estate in Moorpark (otherwse known as the house where I grew up in the middle of nowhere). I went home after receiving a phone call from my mother saying that she broke her arm, which as you can imagine definitely freaked me out more than a little. Fortuanetly, it was a clean break, and she's had her surgery and is waiting for her spiffy new cast. The doctors said her bones were very strong and that she should heal relatively quickly. But still, not a good thing. Then the next day, my grandmother tripped on her sidewalk and hurt her knee- not excessivly badly, but this is not something that one of the elderly generation should be doing. And my dad's been sick with a cold, which he lovingly gave to me when I was home. So basically, everyone in my immediate family has an ailment of some sort. I'm thinking of calling my family in England, just to make sure that they haven't caught the plague or mad cow disease because after this weekend, I wouldn't even be surprised. So this has been the excitement of my life, just in time for classes to begin tomorrow, yay. I'm hoping that we got all the bad stuff out early in the year and that it will be smooth sailing until 2006... I guess only time will tell. On a happier note, shout out to Liz and her entrance into the barista lifestyle, congrats! I'm definitely expecting some quality, lovingly made coffee when I'm up in Northern California next weekend :)

Another year, another blog...

Wow, I haven't posted anything in over a month. I can only wonder what the heavy impacts of my fateful decision on my billions of readers might have been. So to all you thousands, I apologize for this lack of support from me. It wasn't that I wasn't thinking about the millions of you, its just that I wasn't posting anything. See, doesn't that clear everything up? I'm glad we had this moment. Well, anyhow, its officially a new year, which means... I'm not quite certain what this means, but its still a new year regardless. I have a feeling that I'll be spending this year in much the same fashion as I've spent the past one. Lots o' reading, lots o' paper writing, and lots o' random postings that make very little sense. And on that note, I'll end this little post with high hopes for this upcoming year...

ranting about rain

So other night, after watching some quality WB-esqe programing, I started to watch the Channel 5 ten o'clock news. Now to preface this story, Channel 5 is one of the lesser known LA nightly news programs; local, but not excessivly so. So anyhow, the news comes on with its lead story. And what could this most important information about the day story be? Its raining. Seriously. That was the top story- rain. Perhaps there was a lot of rain, a torrential downpour or apocolyptical type rainfall, you might be thinking. No, there wasn't even an inch of rain on the ground. The guy who was reporting this late-breaking story live (from my home town of Moorpark no less) was standing in a light mist. I wish I was making this up. This was a Los Angeles news station, and apparently, the most important thing that happened in the entire Los Angeles basin (with over three million people living in a relatively large area) is that it rained. Sort of. I know here in SoCal, people get freaked out by the rain, and maybe after living in other places where weather can get a whole lot more extreme might have made me somewhat cynical. But seriously, I'm almost certain that there might have been more important stories to be told on the freakin' nightly news.

dreaming of december...

Okay, so its officially December, and I have only one question- where did this year go? I'm sure I think/say that every year at this time, but I really mean it. Or least I'm really wondering what happened to November, becase I swear that month lasted for about a week. For a while, I've been saying, okay papers are due in December, but I have all of November to work on them. I still have over a month... And now that month is gone. Way gone. And my papers are due next week! Oops. So much for that dedicated grad student deal. Not to mention rent, I swear I just paid that a few days ago... well, okay, that one is true (totally not my fault that it wasn't paid until the 12th, talk to my roommate). So now I get to pay rent, not sleep so I can cram and finish my papers, and start on my Christmas shopping, because yeah, there's not a lot of buffer there anymore either. But there are good things about this month as well. Classes will be over next week, and I won't have to go back until the 18th (of January, how awesome is that?)! Maybe I'll use that time away from classes, etc. to plan my next semester better. Or maybe I'll just sleep a lot.

What did I ever do to you?

It's official, my computer is plotting my demise. I think it got used to the light attention it received over the summer, and then when I kicked it into high gear with the oh-so-joyful paper writing it decided that enough was enough. (I think its still mad about the whole coffee spillage/new keyboard) incident. But its been seriosuly lashing out at me lately. Freezing during important sentences, deciding to take a break right in the middle of converstaion with friends, and this is the worst-completely shutting down in the middle of a blog (which for me and my sporadic writing, actually does kinda suck). I'm not sure what the deal is, or how I can make it up to my crazy computer. Hence the reason I'm writing this at work (and well, the fact that I'm a bad employee). Sigh. This is why I like books. Books can't die on you (unless you count burning, or getting obscenely wet, or losing them on a bus... ) well, anyway-they're still safer than computers. And I should know, because my life can be measured by the amount of pages I read in a day... on an utterlay random note. Also while at work today, I looked at the Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Catalogue (because lets face it, its not like I'm going to actually work or anything) and I came across a fur coat for dogs. Is it just me or is that a little excessive, not too mention redundant? How many coats of fur does a dog need to be sufficient? I'm almost certain that people can find better things to spend their money on... like buying me a new computer...

elderly thoughts

So I always thought I had an old soul- I like going to museums, reading good books, listening to Classical music, etc etc... and I've always joked about wanting a walker/wheel chair for my 30th birthday. But things have gone too far. Today, I went to work, which was fine- spent some time typing, some time (okay a lot more time) playing on the internet, then I went to lunch. Got back from lunch (mmm togos!), and began to help my boss unpack shoes- ahh the glorious life of an office assistant at a chinese shoe company- and then it happened. My back totally spasmed. And not just "oh, I have a back spasm" spasm; more like an "oh sweet moses! I can't move my back hurts to damn much!" spasm. And this pain has stayed with me all day. Everytime I move, bend over, turn, breathe, my back hurts. It hurts right now in fact. Which begs the question, what the hell is wrong with my person? Literally, if its not my knees, its my hips, and now if its not my hips, its my back. What's next, my gallbladder? Is that even how you spell gallbladder? I just don't know. Maybe a good nights sleep and some ensure will make things better....

The ironies of my life

So I had a job interview yesterday (because apparently I don't have enough jobs and need more). It was at the School of Theology, in the Center for Process Studies. Went really well, except for the whole we can't hire you part. Not for a lack of talent, experience, etc on my part, no because of the government. See, I qualify for work-study (thank you grad school), there are a boat load of work-study jobs available, the school wants students to have work study, but the government, well, they don't really want to give up any money. Which, yes, is a problem. In fact, money has been cut by 46% in the past two years. So now, even though I've basically been hired, I'm #18 on the waiting list, and have to wait for 18 current students to graduate, leave, or be somehow kicked out of school so I can actually work at the job that I was hired for. Thank you federal government. But the experience was not an utter waste, as I did learn about the history student who, after being found wandering around campus wearing a only garbage bag, was asked to leave last year. And I thought going grey (which I seriously am, therefore giving me another thing to stress over, which then leads to more grey hair, and the vicious cycle continues) was bad... at least I'm not wearing a trash bag... yet.

Questions that need answers!

Okay, so I'm in a quagmire (heh, funny word). Halloween's coming up and I have no idea what I'm going to be! Any thoughts my loyal (and plentiful) readers, okay, Liz?

shacktastic

So this is my new favorite word: Shacknasty. As in Shacknasty Jim, an Indian fighter in the Modoc Wars. I learned about Shacknasty Jim in this book I just finished; River of Shadows by Rebecca Solnit. So good! It was about Eadweard Muybridge, who was the first person to photograph movement in 1872, and his role in the creation ofthe Californian identity. I'm usually not that interested in Western history, but this book was really well written and engaging, and also included many interesting anectdotes. One of my favorites was about Joshua Norton, who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States" as well as the "Protector of Mexico." Whats really great is that until the end of his life, people accepted him into their homes and gave him stuff, never ostracizing him. Somehow I think if I proclaimed myself emperor of the US, people probably wouldn't give me the same reception. Although you never know...

Goodbyes...

I'm getting a new car- something that I've been desiring for many a year. Its a Huyndai, and while not brand new, its newer than my 13 year old Toyota, Simon. Now don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about this new car- worrying about shaking on the freeway, bad alignment, annoying car alarms and fears that the car won't turn will now be a thing of the past. So yes, joyful times will be ahead, but I'm also really sad! Simon was the car that I took my drivers test in, and most of my driving memories were had in that car. So essentially, my entire driving history has been bookended by this car. And now as of Thursday it will come to an end. I think I just have a problem with endings. I hate saying goodbyes (a lot!), or when TV shows end, I have problems finishing books, and obviouslyI'm sad when I have to switch cars. But I guess this is something I'm going to have to deal with... eventually. The end.

Is it wrong to want a syllabus?

Okay, so here are some things that I want in life. Not the eternal life-more like life right now. First of all, a job was be super. Preferably one that's not in Santa Monica or for crazy people. Just a nice officey job where I don't have to deal with too much craziness. Is that so wrong? Apparently, in LA it just might be. I also want to find a way to stand, because now (and I am not making this up) to go with not being able to stand sometimes on my left hip, I also can't put pressure on my right knee if its extended all the way. Seriously, what is going on? And I'm posting this to be all, oh look at me, I'm so sad. I figure it could only be my luck to have a bad left hip and right knee. One would think that they could at least be on the same side! But then again, I'm not in the Sudan right now, or any really bad place (unless you count the air quality in the Inland Empire). Actually I'm sitting in bed, with my laptop... so I'm guessing things can't be too bad after all. Although, I really still would at least like a job. And maybe one side of my body to handle weight :)