Ridiculous

Soulseek

...is not my friend right now. Nor has it been my friend for several months. I seriously can't download any music. (I won't even pretend that I buy it because I don't. I should, but I just don't.) Anyway, there are a few artists I've been trying desperately to download, so if any of them reside in your iTunes library and you'd be willing to take the time to burn to disc, I'll even furnish you with blank CDs.

They are, in alphabetical order:

• Animal Hospital - Any
  
• Daft Punk - Alive
• Low - Drums and Guns
  
• M.I.A. - Kala (I can't believe this isn't a cinch to find on Soulseek.)
• Various Artists - After Dark (I want this very badly. It came out in June, but I still don't have it! If you burn it for me, I'll give you a back massage.)

That's all I can think of for now. (Plus, I have to see what of my Soulseek queue will actually download today.) Mmmk, off I go. I'll leave you with some sweet, sweet Caribou.

Caribou - Melody Day

Really?

My brother found this on Poetry.com. Seriously laughing so hard right now.

Animosity
By Michael Nordheim

I am afraid to let you see inside my mind.

I am afraid to let you see the love inside.

I'm askeered to let you peek inside my heart.
I'm askeered you'll leave it falling apart.

I long for you to stop me when I go away.
I long for you to, finally, ask me to stay.

I wish I could take you with me on trips.
I wish I could always kiss your soft lips.

I worry of never holding your hand.
I worry of never being called your man.

I fear that you don't feel the way I do.
I fear that I will end up hating you.

Cats

This picture scares me (a great deal):


And this picture makes me laugh:


(Thanks to Matt for sending me the latter picture.)

The Real Deal

Now, because I didn't want to write anything of substance in the last post, I will use this post to update you on the recent happenings of my rather uninteresting life.

I saw Margot at the Wedding about a week ago. I knew nothing about it, which is my favorite way to see movies anyway, and it turned out to be quite a gem. If you get the chance to see it, do. It's definitely worth throwing down the extra money to watch it in a theatre with a crowd of your peers. After all, that is the way movies are meant to be seen. And with this one, it's especially the case.


Last weekend I also watched Jesus Camp with Michelle and Rishi after passing it countless times at Blockbuster simply because other people (namely Matt) had no interest in seeing a movie about Jesus. The movie was actually really disappointing, though. It was not nearly as shocking as I had hoped it would be, and I didn't learn anything from watching it except, perhaps, a more concrete estimate of how many evangelical Christians there are in the United States, which - if you're looking to have nightmares tonight - happens to be 25%.

Aside from the abovementioned activitites, though, my life has been pretty dull since classes are over for the semester. (This is, of course, perfectly fine with me.) My sleep schedule has been pretty out-of-sync, so I haven't been terribly productive this weekend except for wrapping a few Christmas presents and, you know, bathing. Which is always welcome. I also hung out with Vince Vu last night, which is crazy considering the fact that he and I haven't spent time together since 2004, practically. If you're looking to take a trip down that Memory Lane, by the way, check out my Facebook album featuring a handful of glam shots from 2002. (A second album with 2003 pictures is forthcoming!)

To end, I'll gift you with two lovely songs I've been listening to recently:

The Oscillation - Head Hang Low

Slowdive - When the Sun Hits

Self-Disclosure

For the past week or so, I've been toying with the idea of changing my blog server. I ultimately decided to continue using Blogger after I discovered a bevy of options I wasn't able to use before because of the custom template I had. Now I can upload pictures, music, and videos with more ease, and I can rearrange various elements on the blog, which I wasn't able to do at all with the prior layout. I realize you don't care about any of this, but it seemed important at the time I started writing this post. That was approximately two minutes ago.

This song is so good.

Dia de los Donuts!

For those of you out of the loop, Matt and Sameer have finally announced that Dia de Los Donuts will be taking place this Saturday, December 15th. Check out the Web site they made for the full details: Dia de los Donuts. I know this donut escapade has been in the works for quite some time, so if you're up for even one stop along the way, do plan on attending, as it promises to be a day to remember! I am very hopeful that I'll be able to participate in at least some of the day's activities. Since I don't have a bike anymore, though, I'll likely be taking the Metro.

Are you ready for some do-nuts?
(Sung to the tune of, "Are you ready for some football?)

P.S. Also, since I am in the midst of finals, I thought I would add that I have recently been lamenting the fact that California is without Dunkin Donuts. During this time of year, I am reminded of all those late night visits to Dunkin's at Smith, and I get a little teary-eyed. I miss those days, and I miss those double chocolate donuts with sprinkles. Freak, they are so good!

Challenge

Apparently there is a Jen Paul Way in Milford, MA. I'd be willing to pay someone $15 to bring me that street sign.

The Best

Also, to follow up on the Criminal Intent episode, it was less than stellar. I mean, it wasn't terrible - in fact, it was good. But it wasn't great. : (

Criminal Intent

Oh, man! I just saw a commercial for the upcoming episode of CI on Thursday night. It's a special extended episode, and Goren goes undercover in a psych ward and apparently gets effed up. I am sooo excited!

Bed-Beddy-Bed

For the past two weeks, I have been sleeping downstairs. Along with the rest of my family. And every last piece of furniture that previously resided upstairs. We had our wood floors refinished and the second story repainted, so we have literally been having a giant slumber party on the first floor of our house for the past two weeks. This means that, when my parents decide to go to bed, I sort of have to go to bed. Unless I want to read in the dark or sit on top of boxes and miscellaneous pieces of furniture and electronics (e.g. a desk hutch or a copy machine) in the living room to watch the teli. Neither of these are very feasible, so I have taken to going to bed early. WHICH IS WONDERFUL. I hope to make it a habit.

Tonight I will finally be able to sleep in my own bed, though, in my own room! The painters finished up on Thursday and today we moved up a couple pieces of furniture to my room. (Thanks, Matt, Bob and Mom, for the help!) Tomorrow I will hopefully finish that project, and then I will be especially happy. And then I will also be able to do work. Since finals are this week and next week, being able to do work is sort of important. It's been tough doing much of anything with the prior living situation. Seriously, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Right now I'm awaiting an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and perusing the latest issues of Elle and People. That is why I decided to write a quick post to let you know that I'm sleeping in my room again! Because I'm not doing anything terribly exciting.

Anyway, I hope this post finds you well. Buenas noches. Sweet dreams. ; )

An Interesting Article

My dad sent me this article about the death of Sean Taylor. It's worth reading, I think.

Check it out: Taylor's Death a Grim Reminder For Us All

Good News!

One of my favorite television series of all time is La Femme Nikita. You probably haven't heard of it, or you're familiar with the film of the same name. (I feel sorry for you.) In any case, it ran on USA Network from 1997-2000 and, when it wasn't renewed for a fifth season, Nikita fans were so persistent that the network announced Nikita would be back for eight more episodes in its fifth and final season. Since then, Nikita fans were only able to watch home-recorded episodes until the DVDs of the series became available a few years ago. Of course, each one had a ridiculous price tag that not even the most loyal of fans could afford (myself included). I went to Best Buy the other day and individual seasons were going for as much as $60 each! Today, though, I spotted Peta Wilson (so hot!) in the Fry's Electronics circular in the paper, and I knew instantly what that meant: a deal! Fry's is selling each season of Nikita for a mere $14.99 through Tuesday of next week.* So, if you're wondering why I might be walking with some extra pep in my step today (or tomorrow...or the next day), that is why, friends. That is why.

*The deal is only available in stores. Fry's website has the DVDs listed for $19.99 each, which is still a steal!

Bah-Bah-Black Sheep

My dad sent this to me. The first part is pretty funny.

Candy

...is so freaking bad for you. Honestly. How does one give up the desire to eat candy? If you know, please help!

Happy Halloween!

Tonight I handed out candy to nine kids. That's it. And they came in four parties. So I only opened the door four times to hear, "Trick or treat?" It makes me really sad that trick-or-treating isn't as common as it used to be - probably because people inject candy with poison and steal children. It's pretty unfortunate, really. :(

In unrelated news, I registered for my spring 2008 classes. I am taking four classes instead of three and plan to move through the program at that pace now, meaning I'll be done with the degree requirements after the fall semester of 2009. Taking four classes means I will have to drive to campus three days a week now, which is over 150 miles, but it's a must. My schedule is as follows:

Monday, 4-6:45: Counseling and Culture
Wednesday, 4-6:45: Systems of Family Counseling
Wednesday, 7-9:45: Modes of Individual Counseling
Thursday, 7-9:45: Techniques in Brief Treatment and Assessment

To end, a couple hilarious pictures:

And my personal favorite:

My Halloween Costume

(Thanks to Angela for the tip.)

Angela

By the way,,,

I misrepresented Jeff in my last post. He thinks Halloween costumes are funnier when they are "slutty," not "sexy." So, feel free to re-read Halloween-y and replace "sexy" with "slutty" each instance it appears. : )

Halloween-y

I really want to be Santa Claus for Halloween. The idea just dawned on me, and I think it's rather hilarious. The only problem is that it would be such a hot costume to wear, and I don't do hot. At all. It bums me out, really 'cuz I'd be such a good Santa Claus, you know? Why does he have to wear such thick clothing? Psh! Just 'cuz he's from the North Pole... I don't buy it. Then again, I could always be "sexy" Santa Claus, which would make Jeff very proud. He seems to think that all Halloween costumes are infinitely funnier if you make them "sexy." (He's right.) For example, being Gandalf is not that funny, but being sexy Gandalf is hysterical.

Also, you might like to know that my future is no longer a mystery to me thanks to a recent game of MASH that I played with Elly over the weekend. We discovered that my version of MASH and her version of MASH were quite different (hers was better), and we also learned that you can play MASH online! CHECK IT OUT. In case you're wondering what my future holds, here are the results:

Residence: Mansion
City of residence: Boston
Spouse: Casey Affleck (How fitting that we would live in Boston!)
Place of wedding: On the beach
Place of honeymoon: Paris
Ph.D. program: Berkeley
Job: Entrepreneur
Car model: Mercedes SUV
Car color: Navy blue
Animal: Dog

Not too shabby, eh?

Just for fun (and to encourage people to comment on this thing because that's half the fun of writing in it), post your results! (Pretty please.)

Funny Pictures

Wow, this is my random cat photo for the day on my Google homepage:

I don't get it.

Also, I got this picture in a forward from my dad. The punchline said something to the effect of: "This is what happens after Cat has had three shots of tequila, two cosmopolitans, and five beers." Haaa...mmm...that's not funny!

It's All Right

This evening I turned down plans with my gal pals in favor of kicking back and spending some "me" time to recover from a rather long day/week. Thus far, I have watched a partial episode of Law & Order: SVU and flexed my culinary muscles by whipping up a box of Kraft mac 'n cheese. I am now proposing to wash my hair and watch Drumline on TBS. What does that say about me? Either I'm pretty rad, or I'm very, very special. (Maybe both...?)

I'll have you know that I actually paid to see Drumline in theatres when it originally came out in winter of 2002. It was over the holiday break during my first year of college, and I distinctly remember looking forward to seeing it upon arriving home from Boston (since I was then, as I am now, an avid percussion fan).

As for more exciting news, I saw a screening of William Eggleston in the Real World at UCI last night. The film was directed by Michael Almereyda, who is most famous for his 2003 film adaptation of Hamlet, which stars Ethan Hawke, and his innovative works using $100-pixel cams. I had the pleasure of both hearing Almereyda speak at the screening and hanging out with him afterward at the house of Matt's boss, Kyung, where Almereyda was staying. He shared several of his short films with us, and Matt and I didn't end up leaving Kyung's until close to 1am. The conversation was quite lively, and I left with a profoundly renewed interest in throwing together some sort of film project - or several, for that matter - in the very near future. I'm required to get a camcorder for my program at Fullerton anyway, so I figure I ought to make use of it for creative endeavors as well.

Anyhow, check out a few sites related to Almereyda: Fleeting Joy, an unofficial Almeredya website, his IMDB page, and an article about him on Senses of Cinema.

Oh, I've been listening to Radiohead's new album, In Rainbows, and although it's not my favorite Radiohead album, it's still quite good. I'm especially in love with track five, All I Need. I wish I could post it here, but you should download the album anyway from the In Rainbows website. Click here to do just that.

Here's a shoddy YouTube video of Radiohead performing it live, too:

Two Twinkies and a Microphone

I've gone through two boxes of wintergreen Altoids in the last twenty-four hours. Additionally, I've cried three times while re-laying the details of my life story to an unsympathetic Microsoft Word document, and one other time while watching my new favorite show, Gossip Girl. My bum is seriously numb since I've been sitting on it for the past five hours, and all I want is a Heath Bar and a cherry and Coke Slurpee from 7-11. Not everyone's life can be as glamorous as this, but you're welcome to live vicariously through mine if you'd like.

Work is fine, class is great, and I can see! Nothing else to report, really.

Broken Toe, Broken Spirit

The past few days have been pretty momentous. My LASIK surgery got moved up one day to Thursday, so now it's over and done with and I am happy to report that it has been an incredible experience - probably the best decision I've made in a long, long time. The technology involved is mind-boggling, and as far as the results are concerned, I genuinely feel like a new person. It's a terrific feeling to be able to see things with total clarity for the first time in my life...indescribable, really. Plus, I get to sleep in the raddest racquetball-esque goggles for the next week, and they are so ballin'.

As for today, I fell down the stairs in my house and broke my toe. The second toe in on my left foot completely snapped horizontally, but thankfully it didn't break through my skin - it just left my toe dangling in a very strange manner (see pictures below). I'm lucky enough to have a podiatrist who's been taking care of my feet since I was a kid, so he met me at his office (on a Sunday at 7pm!) and x-rayed it. He determined that he'd have to yank the toe back in place if I didn't want it to heal crooked, so he gave me the largest shot I have ever seen in 4 places to numb the area around my toe and then he pulled the sucker back into place like a magician. Now I have to wear a giant rocking boot for 6-8 weeks so I don't put any weight on my toes. As a consolation prize, though, I do get a handicap placard for my car, which will be especially nice for parking on campus at Fullerton.

Check out the damage I caused before I got to the doctor:


The toe is straight now, and it's taped to three of my other toes for support, so my feet won't look this hideous in a couple month's time. Hope you didn't lose your meal over them, though!

So...moral of the story? In one weekend I gained 20-15 eyesight and broke a toe. I suppose you win some, you lose some, right? I still think I came out on top.

Monkey in the Middle

I just bought these chew toys for my cats that are supposed to improve their dental health, and they are filled with fibrous catnip stalks. Now I know what people are talking about when they say their cats go wild and crazy when they grab a bit of catnip. Holy bajingers! My cat, Tiger Lily, is actually doing back flips and fighting the air right now. It is hilarious. I wish I hadn't lost my camera so I could've gotten it on video.

I had a random thought on my way home from class: why do people in the middle always get the short end of the stick? Think about it - the middle child, the middle man, the monkey in the middle, the person stuck with the middle seat, middle-income earners. What the heck? I suppose we do live in a culture of excess, so middle-anything is frowned upon for the most part. Still, it's a curious notion, and one that is quite paradoxical.

Tonight in class, during one of many demonstrations of "good" and "bad" therapy, I was the "client" while my professor was the "therapist." Several people had gone before me, and when I went up I talked about my frustrations with my mother and my fear that I'm becoming just like her. For the first minute or so, my professor, Leah, kept giving me advice, which is actually quite detrimental to the therapeutic process (contrary to popular belief). This was the example of "bad" therapy. After making her point, she demonstrated "good" therapy - empathic listening, reflecting the underlying emotions from what I was saying and nothing else. For example, "You feel scared." Reflecting feelings is about half the battle in therapy, and one that comes quite unnaturally at first (as it is to me right now as I am beginning to practice). For someone who's been at it for many years, though, it's really quite seamless in conversation as it was to Leah. Anyway, after a couple of back-and-forths, Leah said something that made me start to cry. We ended the mock session there because it was only for the sake of example, but what a profound example it was! To be fair, I was actually the second person that cried as a result of her merely reflecting my feelings. It was astounding that she was able to tap into my emotional self within a few minutes and reflect something that has entirely changed my perspective about myself. I wasn't aware of my issue at all, but Leah could feel it (it's literally physical), and when she articulated it to me, I melted. I say all of this because it is truly amazing what a staggering effect we have on each others' lives when we merely listen and reflect feelings and content rather than ask questions, give advice, or push our own agendas. That's what we're raised to do, so we're not really to blame, but it's a terrible practice - totally insensitive and invalidating. If you catch me reflecting your feelings, don't be surprised. I'm supposed to be doing it to everyone. It feels so unnatural to me, but I now know from personal experience what a difference it makes, and it is my hope that you'll perhaps begin to understand it, too.

That's all for now. I've gotta get a helmet for Tiger Lily before she does anything else!

PS. I'm getting LASIK surgery on Friday! I am sooo excited! I can't believe that I'll wake up Saturday morning to perfect vision (provided everything goes well, which I think it will). For someone who has been blind for most of her life (and I use the term loosely because I can see with corrected vision), this is a huge deal. Not having to wear contacts again (I've been in them since 2nd grade) is cause for commotion. Plus, I'll see more clearly than I have ever seen with either of them. I'll report on the procedure when it's said and done, and I suspect you'll hear rave reviews.

Save Our Strays!

I just talked to Sarah Sanchez on the phone, and it made my day (and it's only 12:44pm!). I have to go into work from 3:30 to 8:30, but I don't have to get back to studying until tomorrow, so I'll get a nice reprieve tonight from a long end-of-the-week/weekend of school work. I don't have time to write much, but I wanted to mention a fundraiser coming up this weekend.

Save Our Strays Huntington Beach, an organization dedicated to the support and promotion of animal welfare, is currently attempting to raise the necessary funds to create a pro-humane animal shelter in Huntington Beach since city residents already pay close to $1 million annually in tax money to the county shelter, which has an unusually high euthanasia rate and poor living conditions considering its budget. At any rate, this Saturday's Pancake Breakfast in the Park is from 8am to noon and costs $7. Additionally, raffle tickets will be available, and it looks like there are a lot of neat prizes. Plus, there will be lots of four-legged friends there, and we all know they are pretty much better than humans anyway. So, if you're in the area, I encourage you to take even an hour to stop by and check it out. This is a really worthy cause and the end goal of a no-kill/no-harm shelter could easily be within reach with enough support from locals. Hope you're having a lovely day!

Skype Pick-Up

Someone just sent me this message on Skype:

jennifer ......what a beautiful name u have Good evening there ..hello there ...your name sounds beautiful, ...this could be just like a message in a bottle, ...in the net ocean!!!

I exited the conversation immediately. The punctuation errors alone are enough to make anyone cringe!

Perverts

I should probably resign myself to the fact that I don't update my blog very frequently because I feel the need to apologize to my readers at the beginning of every post I write for my long spurts of inactivity, and that's just becoming silly. So, as a note for the future, I may not be updating this very frequently, but I will update nonetheless. So stay tuned if you're so inclined. (After saying this, I will probably start posting multiple times a day only to find that I no longer have an audience.)

In any case, a lot has happened since the last time I posted on here. (Duh!) I started graduate school, which is sort of a big deal, and the good news is that I absolutely love my professors and the classes I'm taking. The program at CSUF is so fitting for me, and the faculty are truly outstanding. All of my classes include texts written by my professors, and what's especially great is that each professor is a part of a "helping profession" - they are all counseling psychologists, actually - so they have realistic expectations of their students and genuinely care about them as individuals. The program is very experiential, so there is a whole lot of sharing going on, and that will become much more emotionally taxing as I get further into the semester and the program, but it would be virtually impossible to be a successful counselor without first being highly self-reflective, and fortunately I'm excited about continuing that process. The inherently caring and thoughtful nature of the students attracted to such a program is really a lovely bonus because we are quickly becoming friends. In fact, I was warned at our orientation that I might find my other friendships less fulfilling after being surrounded by such mutually supportive individuals. Thankfully, I think most of my friends already fit that bill, so hopefully there won't be too much rearranging in that department. All in all, I am so happy where I am right now in terms of my academic and professional growth, and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead. How's that for optimistic?

In other news, I also went to San Francisco a couple weeks ago to visit my dazzling redheaded partner-in-crime, Lauryn. We had such a great time with one another - doing nothing and everything - and felt as if we hadn't been separated for over a year. It's so nice when friendships work out that way, picking up right where they left off. We went into the city from San Jose, where Lauryn lives, and stayed with Justin. He was a gracious host per usual, and it was nice to see him for the third time this year. We also met up with a few other Smithies - Ayla, Katie Rose, Molly, and Jen - at Katie Rose's performance! It was a great weekend and a lot of fun getting to kick back with some of my closest friends as a final wind-down before the school year.

Now, onto the topic of LOLcats. They are so funny, are they not? This phenomenon cracks me up so much. I naturally have a "Cat of the Day" picture that pops up on my Google homepage, and nearly half of them are LOLcat pictures. This one was today's, and it's kind of hilarious:

Also, this one is good:

On a final note, I have decided that, some day, I want to open up a no kill/no harm shelter for cats whose owners can no longer care for them (because they don't want to or because they die) and for any other cats. This way, I can have as many cats as I want (legally), but more importantly, I can provide a permanent home for cats who would not otherwise have one. Also, I just found out that there are several vets who will spay feral cats for free and that one simply has to bring the cat to the vet in a special cage that you can pick up for a refundable deposit at many shelters and agree to care for the animal for a couple days after the procedure before dropping the cat back off exactly where you picked him/her up. Of course, there are lots of risks associated with taking on a feral cat, even for a day or two, but it's an option that most people probably don't know about, and think of all the kittens that wouldn't be born, lowering the cat population and resulting in fewer kitty deaths each year. And, by the way, the numbers are staggering on that. So depressing. When I consider how much I feel for kittens, I question why I don't also feel the same way about cows and chickens, and then I begin to wonder if I should become a vegetarian. But meat is one of my main sources of protein, and being a picky eater it might be hard to ween myself off of it. I actually spent a couple hours the other night reading up on becoming a vegetarian.

Anyway, I'm out fo' real this time. Thanks for reading to the end.

Most Amazing YouTube Video

This is seriously unreal.

Sick, Sick, Sick

I'm sick. Sick, sick, sick. Head hurts, body aches, throat burns, but finally my nose is starting to calm down a bit - I can almost breathe out of both nostrils at the same time! This is what has kept me in bed for the past 2 1/2 days, unable to maintain my new workout regime with Chalene Johnson of the Turbo Jam phenomenon. "Turbo Jam? What is that," you ask. Well, I'll tell you what it is. It's the workout that's apparently so much fun, you don't even feel like you're working out! And, I have to tell you the truth, it's sort of true. I've only worked out with the program four times in the past week or so, but I feel better already...even if the physical change isn't apparent yet. I'm determined, finally, not only to lose the last few pounds I want to get off, but to do so by actually getting in shape. I hope it works, and I think it will, but if it doesn't, there's always liposculpture. (I'm kidding...sort of...but, I saw this dude, Dr. Abergel, on a late-night infomercial recently, so I had to bring it up. It was a good infomercial.)

School starts in a little over two weeks. I can hardly believe it. I don't feel very ready for it at the moment, but I'll be ready. Reality has to hit some time, right? I've already hand-picked a few joints that I plan on making my study locales, and I'm looking forward to learning a lot - even if the first year of this program is supposed to be as emotionally grueling as they say it will be. I imagine that most counseling programs are quite exhaustive in terms of self-reflection and hopefully actualization, though, and I welcome both. The program I'm in will require me to be in regular therapy, too, which will be good since I've not gone to my therapist for over a year-and-a-half. (When I think of everything that's happened in that time period, I begin to realize just how quickly time is passing.) All in all, I'm very optimistic about being a part of the program at Fullerton, and I will be sure to give you updates when the time comes.

On another positive note, Lauryn's in California, and I'm planning on heading up to visit her and a few other people the last weekend of August, so that should be fun and hysterical. I can't believe it's been over a year since I've seen that beautiful girl in the flesh! (Again, another reminder of the passing of time...)

Anyway, I need to go grab some more fluids - gotta stay hydrated to flush out the nasty. More frequent updates are on their way, though, I promise. Although I don't intend to procrastinate in graduate school, I inevitably will, and this might just be one of the most productive ways I do it.

Backyard Betty

I'm going to commit to writing regularly in my blog again. Lately, I've been playing too much solitaire and online Tetris not to put a little time into it anyway.

For this entry, I'm going to relay some of the various thoughts I had throughout the day. Before I start, though, I'll have you notice that I updated the links on the right-hand side of the page. Angela started a new blog, which can be found here, and I've thrown in a few other sites that should keep you entertained for a while.

Now, my thoughts:

• "Lens Doctor is seriously a rad product. I need to stop putting off buying it. I'll order it first thing tomorrow because my sunglasses are badly in need of some TLC."
• "That painting video Dad forwarded to me is actually really impressive. I'll have to share it with people." (Here it is: Paint Jam Dan Dunn - I know it's long, but it's pretty neat.)
• "I need to stop being so effing lethargic. Going to bed at 4am and waking up after noon is not acceptable behavior, especially not from a college graduate. Snap out of it!"
• "The 4th of July was a lot of fun. It was lovely spending the day with some of my dearest friends (although, others were sorely missed). The margarita Elly made me was tasty, too. Maybe because I poured half a cup of sugar into it. I should stop eating so much sugar."
• "Wow, my classes at Fullerton start in a little over a month. Someone needs to get in a grad school state-of-mind soon."
• "I can't believe 7-11 actually transformed several of its locations into Quik-E-Marts." (Sameer, Naveen, Matt, and I went to one in west LA last night, and we actually had to wait in line to get in at 2:30am!)
• "Umberto D. is really an excellent film. I need to see it again soon."
  

Okay, I'll give it a rest for now. More catching up next time. But before you leave, watch this hilarious video that Lauryn recommended to me. I know I often say that "Situations are only as awkward as you make them out to be," but this interview is simply awkward. And it should make you laugh - even if uncomfortably.

Ciao!

Back to Blogger

I decided not to renew my domain name, www.kittensandfrosting.com, so I have reverted to using Blogger's own hosting service. Thus, my blog can now be found at www.kittensandfrosting.blogspot.com. Same blog, different URL. I don't think I write in here often enough to warrant spending money on my own DOT COM again.

Good News Bears

I don't remember if I wrote about applying to Cal State Fullerton in an earlier post, but I did indeed apply to their masters program in counseling in the beginning of March. I had an interview with the faculty last week and received good news today that I was accepted into their program! I was also looking at University of San Francisco, but after my interview at Fullerton, I didn't have near as much interest in the program at USF (even though it would be neat to live in San Francisco). The faculty at Fullerton seem wonderful, and the program is really strong. Classes start August 20th, and I'm excited to finally have a "plan" for the next couple of years! In talking to other people, it sounds as if things are shaping up for many of us, and that makes me very happy. :)

Air War

Right now I'm eating strawberries with powdered sugar, and they taste absolutely delicious. I love how the powdered sugar gets sopped up by the strawberry juice so you end up with a sweet, sweet glaze covering your precious berries. My favorite part is cleaning the bowl of the leftover glaze when all the strawberries are gone. Mmmm!

Speaking of strawberries, do you know how few countries actually produce them? A slim few! In the US, they are primarily grown in California (over 80%) with roughly twenty percent coming out of Florida. Aside from that, they are only grown in Canada, Mexico, select Latin American countries, and New Zealand! Apparently, the demand for strawberries in Europe is so great right now that any unused cargo space on England-bound commercial airlines is being occupied entirely by carts and carts of strawberries.

While we're on the topic of commercial airlines, my boss shared a wild story with me at work today that involves a woman being upgraded to First Class on British Airways after dying in Coach! Read about it here.

As for other news, I don't have much. The past few weeks have been filled with applying to a graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Cal State Fullerton, eating, sleeping, working (not too many hours, unfortunately), and socializing a bit. With Angela home for Spring break and Jeff back from Peru for a week's visit, my weekend was pretty eventful. Of note is the show I went to with Matt and Angela on Saturday night at EXPLX, a venue in the basement of the Echo in Echo Park. Matt and I had been anticipating seeing Crystal Castles there for a couple months, and Angela gladly accompanied us. The ticket price was steep, $17, and Crystal Castles only played four or five songs because they were the opening act. Since we only went to the show to see them, it was pretty disappointing that they didn't get a longer set. The main act, the Presets, were pretty terrible, and the people they drew in seemed to be, too. At least everyone became very obnoxious once the Presets took the stage, pushing thier way to the front and dancing and flailing about with no regard for others. The sound was awful, too, and the bar situation was pretty out-of-control. We ended up leaving a couple songs into the Preset's set, but at least I got to see Crystal Castles. They are so likable!

Anyway, I need to get going. I'm working on a "book talk" for my Western Civilization class, which is rather unexciting. I read a book called African Origin of Biological Psychiatry, and it was positively horrible. Not only was the text full of countless grammatical and punctuation errors, but the content was appalling. The message was very clear but totally unsubstantiated. Here it is:

Humanity may differ in outer appearance, with variations of colors, but internally they are all black, all African at the core. The question for all humans is how to relate to this blackness.

The author, Richard King, posits that civilization began in Africa and that the early accomplishments of the Greeks and Romans were actually "stolen legacies" from the Africans that had come centuries before them. It all seems a bit curious to me...

Happy International Women's Day!

To commemorate this important day and Women's History Month, I urge you to sign a petition demanding President Bush to end the Global Gag Rule, release critical funds that have already been approved by Congress to the UNFPA, and restore the U.S.'s commitment to international family planning.

The World Health Organization estimates that over half a million women die each year as a result of preventable maternal deaths and illegal abortions because of lack of funding and harmful restrictions like the Global Gag Rule. President Bush's recent proposal to make a 25% reduction in U.S. funding for global reproductive health initiatives in his 2008 budget will only increase those numbers. This is especially troubling since the U.S. has already fallen short of its funding commitment at the 1994 International Conference on Population Development by $3 billion!

I know you might think that your signature will hardly make an impact, but it will! It just takes a second to input your information online and click "Sign now!" So do it, please!

EmoKid21Ohio

This dude's YouTube videos were so hard to track down, but I've finally done it! Matt showed them to me a while ago. This kid was some sort of legend on YouTube - he has over twenty video blogs, and this is the funniest one, I think. Just watch it, it's pretty hilarious. If you like it, you should watch his other videos, particularly the one where he goes back home to Illinois. I can't remember the title of that one, but it says something in it about going back home. Yeah.

Don't ask me how I found this...

Check out this hilarious WikiHow. Don't shy away because of the title, you have to read the whole entry.

Also, if you're in or around snow, do this, and think of me. Think of me fondly.

I seriously love this commercial...

There's a place in France...

...where the naked ladies dance.

There's a hole in the wall,
where the men can see it all.
But the men don't care,
'cuz they chew their underwear.

Man, what a great ditty. For no apparent reason, I remembered that silly rhyme tonight. It reminds me of sitting in my mom's room as a little girl because I used to sing it to her there sometimes. (Although, it probably only happened two or three times because she certainly would have found the lyrics inappropriate.) Isn't it funny how songs like that get made and passed on? I bet fifty years from now little kids will still be singing about naked ladies in France...

In other exciting news, my friend Todd is in a band called Harlem Shakes, and they are getting all sorts of positive press right now. They've been on tour with Deerhoof for the past couple of weeks and recently released a 5-track EP called "Burning Birthdays." Check out their website and their music, which can also be heard on their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/harlemshakes. They are fun and fresh!

Today I got another job, which I'll be doing on top of the 10-15 hours per week that I work at the insurance office. I'm going to be tutoring at the same joint Matt's tutoring at. I'll mostly be tutoring high school students in Spanish, but I'll also work with the little kiddies on reading/math and do some high school English and MUN, too. It will be a welcome change to have fewer hours in the week to waste.

To end this post, I'd like to take a minute to vouch for the effectiveness of CLR bathroom and kitchen cleaner, which you have likely seen commercials for. CLR stands for Calcium, Lime, and Rust, but that's not all CLR can conquer. I used it today to get rid of the hard water spots on my shower doors, and it actually did the trick. For those of you who have ever struggled to get rid of hard water spots on glass and chrome, you know how difficult (if not impossible) it can be. You'll be relieved to know that CLR is the answer. Don't ask questions, just watch the commercial! Go here and click on the "View Commercial" link. I promise, it's really good.

Seriously...

Law & Order is so good, especially SVU (obviously). I just watched 3 episodes in a row, and I did the same thing last night, and I can't wait for the SVU marathon on USA next Sunday. (It starts at 11am if you're wondering...) I'm headed to bed now - I just had to ra-ra Law & Order first.*

*I use the term "ra-ra" in the sense that it implies praise, not the other funny explanations Urban Dictionary has to offer up for the term. (I know it seems strange that I consulted Urban Dictionary, but I wanted to make sure I spelled it correctly. Turns out Urban Dictionary doesn't support my spelling (or use, for that matter), but I'm going with it (or I already went with it). Word.

Blankety Blank Blank

Another classic forward from my dad:


Also, Britney Spears shaved off all her hair!?!? What a mess!

This is very exciting...

A two-disc set of rare Elliot Smith tracks is being released by Kill Rock Stars on May 8th. To read more about this exciting news, click here.

As for other news, you might be surprised to learn that Music & Lyrics was actually quite an enjoyable piece of work, my friends. Although Hugh Grant can no longer hide the fact that he is, in fact, aging, he is nevertheless charming alongside Drew Barrymore in this horribly-titled film. I saw it tonight with Megan Breen, and we had a lovely time getting swept up in the romance of it all, even if an obnoxious highschool-aged couple kept kicking my seat back throughout the film (despite my disapproving glances).

After the movie, Megan drove me home and saw that I got into my house safely before driving away - like any sensible date would do. We didn't manage to make it to my house, though, without first seeing two 6th-graders getting their mack on (hardcore) in front of the Jamba Juice near the movie theatre. Seriously...kids these days!

My evening rounded out with the latest issue of Lucky magazine, which perpetually makes me long for things that I can never have or afford. (Freak expensive clothing/accessories!) And now I'm off to bed, fully content that my belly's latest contents include a delicious ice cream sandwich.

Another Year, Another Valentine

It's a sad day...

I was shocked and saddened to hear the news of Anna Nicole Smith's death yesterday. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was fascinated by her, and it is troubling to consider what the fate of her baby will be and what a huge media and money frenzy her death will become for the various parties involved.

Having said that, I was also shocked to read yesterday in the OC Weekly about the darling case of an Irvine police officer who made out like a bandit after...well...you just have to read it. TRUST ME. It's APPALLING (and juicy, for those of you needing some sort of guarantee that it will be worth your time to read if the title alone isn't enough).

An Irvine Cop Ejaculates On a Motorist But Escapes Criminal Liability

Tomorrow I'm taking the CBEST at 8:30AM - just my time of day! Hopefully I'll pass it so I can start doing something a bit more substantial with my time, like substitute teach. I started studying for the CSET, which is the subject test I'm taking for English in about a month, and it looks as if it's going to be one helluva test. I can't believe some of the things they expect you to know! Hopefully I'll make out okay, but I'm pretty worried...

Other things on the horizon: painting my room and seeing Because I Said So with Megan Breen on Monday. I know, it's supposed to be terrible, but I do rather enjoy Mandy Moore. And when you consider what I have to go on - Chasing Liberty - can you really blame me?

A+ A+ A+ A+ A+

I don't frequent the Found website that often, but I stumbled upon it tonight and came across the following found item, which harkens back to the [good ol'] days of being a helpless little kid.

I'm not sure what's worse - the feeling you get as a child that you are powerless and noone will believe you or the feeling you get now looking back on that experience. It's a tough call.

I would like you to know...

...that I kept good on my promise - I worked out tonight! Just got done with my favorite setting on the treadmill, Gorge Trail. It's a hardcore combo of walking and running with various inclines and speeds, and it wiped me out. Looks as if this redheaded step-child needs to get in shape! Perhaps I should finally look into opening my Winsor Pilates DVDs since I bought them...oh...only four months ago! Mari Winsor would not be pleased...

I'll leave you with a Crystal Castles remix of a song by The Little Ones that proves what a bang-up remix can do to a mediore song:

Crystal Castles vs The Little Ones - Lovers Who Uncover.mp3

California hospitality?

Today I saw a license plate frame that read, "COURTESY MY ASS, THIS IS CALIFORNIA." I was a bit appalled, but at least the person whom it belonged to wasn't ashamed to fess up to what I generally think to be one of the shortcomings of some (but not all) people in California. What's better about the license plate, even, is that it was on a bright yellow Mustang. Ewww!

I've officially decided that today is the first day I'm going to start working out again. I'll spend some time on the treadmill doing the usual walk-run, walk-run. That will probably be it. I figure something is better than nothing.

Also, I really like Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas. I had one for dinner, and it was simply delicious.

That's all I've got for now, but perhaps I'll write more later. As Garfield would say, "Hasta la pasta!"

I'm lovin' it!

Matt told me that my face looks like a Bic Mac when I stretch. Hmmm...

I forgot to mention in earlier posts that Matt and I went to Largo in LA a couple weeks ago to see Zach Galafianakis and friends. Largo is a tiny venue, so if you don't get advance tickets, you have to try your luck at getting in by waiting in line. Fortunately, Matt and I got in, and we even got seated at one of the tables. It was my first time at Largo even though I've been trying to make it there for years, it seems, and it was simply wonderful. The opening acts for Zach were actually quite funny themselves, particularly one Brent Weinbach. Check out both his and Zach's sites, and for those of you in LA, Brent will be at Largo again on February 12. We should go together (ahem, Dan)! Since Brent is San Francisco-based, he also has several dates in northern California coming up. As for Zach, he's gonna be all over the place in the next two months, so check out his schedule.

I'm gonna go get ready for the day now and eat lunch and take one of my dogs (probably Elvis or Rambo) for a walk to the beach. Last night when I was feeding my outside cats, I could hear the waves crashing on the sand, as I can every other night. It made me feel lucky to live so near the ocean. And since I've always wanted to know exactly how close that distance is, I Mapquested it (even though I don't particularly like Mapquest), and it's exactly .61 miles from my doorstep to the beach. How about them apples? My thought is that I should take advantage of that a bit more, which is why I'm going to take one of the dogs to Dog Beach today. (Yeah, there's a part of the beach just for dogs!)

Super Bowl Sunday

What everyone and their mom is going to be doing today (except for me):

Detects On My Affection

I think it's important to start this post with a serious confession: I am addicted to Diet Sunkist orange soda. I am not the only one, though. After Matt's mom re-introduced a sleu of us to the delicious diet drink this winter, it's safe to say that several of us are buying it in droves. I spotted it at Target the other day on sale - four 12-packs for $9 - and bought four more cases even though my supply at home is still sufficient for the next three months. It can be hard to find the diet variation of Sunkist, but I urge you to take the extra step in doing so. You'll never be so happy.

Last night, Matt and I were delighted to see Peter Bjorn & John (affectionately called PB&J) at this lovely little record store in Long Beach called Fingerprints. Unfortunately, I was unable to find tickets to see them the night before in LA, where they were playing a show at the Avalon, but luckily I heard about this private show at Fingerprints, which Matt got us wristbands for. (Each wristband came at the small price of buying PB&J's album, Writer's Block, which will be released in the US on Tuesday, February 6.) Needless to say, the show was a real treat. Matt and I were standing at the very front, and those Swedes sure know how to put on a fun show. They played only five or six songs, but the event was very intimate, and everyone made out with a poster designed by Fingerprints exclusively for the event last night, which the band members gladly signed. They were such friendly dudes, and meeting them and seeing them in such a small venue was better than any show at the Avalon could've been. Sorry to those of you who missed it... (Bummer for you.) They only played four US dates and are leaving the country probably as we speak. They'll be playing at Coachella, though, if you're into that sweaty, sticky, dirty sort of thing.

Matt and I have been watching so many movies lately. It's been awesome. I restarted my Blockbuster online subscription, which is seriously the best deal in town. Even though their selection leaves much to be desired, the fact that you can trade DVDs in store and automatically free-up your queue to get the next DVD faster more than makes up for it. We also started watching the HBO show, The Wire, which Matt and his dude friends are pumped about but that I have yet to fall in love with. I'm afraid I never will.

And now, I'll leave with you two funny pictures that, of course, I got from one of my dad's silly forwarded e-mails:

This dog has an abnormally long tongue.

This cat is pretty silly. What I love even more, though, is the happy face pail in the background.

And with that, I leave you. I'm off to do some secret stuff. Things have been okay, though. And by that I mean that life after college is pretty unexciting. I'm taking a couple exams in the next two months (the CBEST and CSET, to be precise) that will enable me to substitute-teach and apply for teacher credentialing programs. More on that later. It's a gorgeous day out, and I don't want to miss it! Hope yours is equally promising!

Argh...

Even when I update my blog frequently, I don't think that anyone actually reads it. I know this, in fact, because my site statistics tell me that few (if any) people frequent this site (even when I'm in fits of updating daily). A year-and-a-half ago, ladies and gentlemen were all about it, but not so these days. Thus, I'm looking for a bit of input. Is anybody reading this? If so, tell me why I should keep writing because I like the idea of having a blog where I can post funny things on occassion and perhaps indulge in a bit of self-disclosure, but I get bored when nobody reads or leaves me comments, so I'm starting to think I should just give up.

I'm really obsessed with the Of Montreal song "The Past is a Grotesque Animal." I'd upload it for your listening pleasure, but it's roughly 12 minutes long, and I don't feel like waiting. If you prove to me that you're even reading, then maybe I'll consider it... I never liked Of Montreal, really, but their new album is decent, and "The Past" is the catchiest damn song. I've been listening to it on repeat sort of a lot.