the journal archives.

friday 31 december 2004 1:21am

"staying up 'til 5am
watching the sun come up again
i'd do it all again if i could
so if i call will you be there?
i miss the nights we used to share" -- mest "rooftop"

today was one of those days that just didn't turn out quite as planned, but it was fun nonetheless.  i'm for sure tired now, though!

i was up super early because mom and i had to bring my car in to the volvo shop for service.  mom loves to be there by the time they're opening, and we definitely were!  so i left my car there, got a ride back home from mom, and started with the rest of my day.  i showered, got properly dressed (there's nothing wrong with showing up at the volvo place before 8am wearing jeans and a sweatshirt looking a little scrubby, right?), and headed out again, this time in dad's car, which i borrowed for the day.  i had to bring adam to st. francis for basketball practice (this has become a frequent event lately), and then i headed to hillsdale.

all morning long, my phone was ringing off the hook!  between mom, katie, sarah, katherine, and other random people, i was on the phone all morning!  that's ok, though!  i like talking to most of these people. :)

i did a little shopping at hillsdale before meeting my friends for lunch.  kath came and met me early, too!  she got her own personal fashion show in the macys dressing rooms, as i found a whole bunch of dresses to try on.  yes, i'm in a dress phase.  don't ask me why.  i have no clue.  anyway, so kath got to see most of them, but i ended up with only one.  it's pink. :)  it might make it's debut tomorrow  night, but i'm not sure yet.  i didn't actually have any shopping that needed to get done, but it was nice to hang out with katherine for a bit because i haven't seen enough of her during break because she's working all the time.

then kath and i met annahita, jackie, and tiffany for lunch at california pizza kitchen.  mmm... so delicious, even if the staff was a little overwhelmed today.  and after lunch, we headed over to the ice skating rink.  every winter, annahita wants to ice skating, so we went!  it was so much fun!  we just skated around, nothing too serious.  tiffany is still unsteady on ice skates, so we were all helping her keep on her skates.  kath had to leave early to go to work (of course! ;)), so she didn't skate and instead took photos! :)  and you will all be happy to know that i didn't make too much of a fool of myself and i didn't fall down, so i consider the whole outing a success!  yay for random outings!

this afternoon, i rang mel because we were meant to have dinner together, but she was working late and it just never happened.  instead, i watched gonzaga lose (!!!), took a little nap (totally deserved), and watched some tv.  the family and i started watching a movie together, but kath called so i talked to her for a couple hours instead of watching the movie.  i mean, i see more of my family than i do of kath, so i did that.  and now it's the middle of the night, and i'm tired!  good night, all!  and happy new year!

wednesday 29 december 2004 9:43pm

"baby, this life can break your heart
everyone hurts to some degree
so while this world is falling apart
why don't you come be with me
don't you know that life can be so cold
when you're without the one you need
how much longer do i have to go
waiting for you, come be with me
love can be so simple when you let it flow
keep it in your head, feel it in your heart
send it through your soul
look up at the stars burning bright
listen to the wind whisper sweet
heaven and earth know the moment is right
why don't you come be with me" -- amy grant "come be with me"

i was up early again, doing more driving.  geez, my brother goes to school far away!  i mean, notre dame is within walking distance of here.  not so much with st. francis.  but anyway, i was up driving him to his basketball game.

after i dropped him off an hour before his game started, i went down the block to starbucks to get myself a white mocha and sit and read for a little bit.  i got there one person to late because the girl in line in front of me took the last comfortable chair, leaving me with a regular wooden one.  lame.  oh, well.  it was nice to just sit and relax and read for a bit.  it's something i haven't done that much of lately for whatever reason.  i've had a concentration problem.  other things always seem to be taking over my attention.

anyway, eventually dad rang, and i headed back over to st. francis to watch adam play basketball.  i don't get to see that many of his games, really.  it is getting more fun as he gets older because the teams he's on are getting better.  i mean, when he was like 10 it was barely basketball.  now, they're actually good! :)  adam and his team looked pretty good, and they beat san ramon valley handily.  after the game, i had to wait through their post-game chalk talk.  while i was just sitting minding my own business, this man came to me, shook my hand and said, "you're adam's sister, right?"  yes.  that's me.  i'm adam's sister.  it's always a little deflating.  it happens pretty much every christmas when i come home and decide to go watch one of adam's games.  always.  and it's not that i'm not happy to be his sister.  it's that it always makes me feel like i've accomplished nothing.  but i get over it eventually, and it's alright.  and i don't think anyone will top the "oh!  we thought adam was an only child" that i got upon meeting one of his friends' mom.

after the game, adam and i went to drop off a tape of the last new episode of "desperate housewives" for troy since he didn't have it on his tivo anymore.  he was walking outside right when we were walking up to the building, which was convenient. :)  we all stopped and chatted for a minute or two.

adam and i had wendy's for lunch, which was delicious.  sometimes you just want that fast food!

i've spent my afternoon around the house, cleaning my room, watching tv, writing cards, and other things like that.  dad and i watched "pimp my ride" together.  :)  troy brought my tape back in the pouring rain.  i wished mom wasn't home so i could ride my longboard through the house, but that didn't happen.  it's mostly just been me hanging out.  oh, and the toes got red polish and the fingers got pink! :)  tomorrow and friday will be busy, so i took the free time to just sit around! :)

tuesday 28 december 2004 11:45pm

"i'd become comfortably numb
until you opened up my eyes
to what it's like
when everything's right
i can't believe
you found me
when no one else was looking
how did you know just where i would be?
yeah, you broke through
all of my confusion
the ups and the downs
and you still didn't leave
i guess that you saw what nobody could see
you found me, you found me" -- kelly clarkson "you found me"

hmm... let's see... what did i do today?

i got up pretty early and watched some more wonderful daytime tv before getting myself cleaned up and dressed and pretty and all that.  again, i had to bring adam to st. francis for his basketball practice by noon.

as soon as i dropped him off, i went to stanford shopping center because i needed something from sephora desperately.  of course, once i was there, i got sucked into other stores, like victoria's secret and macy's.  stupid sales! ;)  haha!  after buying a couple things that i didn't actually need, i left.  it was just after one, and i had to be in foster city at 1:30.  i thought that was enough time.  it wasn't.

i was meeting troy, my high school math teacher, for lunch at mimi's.  first of all, i was way late.  like 12 minutes.  and i'm not ever one to be late.  oops!  apparently, i have a habit of tardiness with first lunch experiences.  anyway, i did eventually get there, and we had a fun lunch together.  i can't even remember the last time i saw him.  we talk online all the time, but we are not often in the same place at the same time.  we just ate and hung out and talked, but eventually he had to go to school and get some work done.  i headed home.

i spent the afternoon at home not doing too much.  i spoke to mel for a little bit, and we made plans for later in the week.  we also haven't caught up in a long time.

since mom left for dinner out with her friends, i was home alone, so i decided to go out to the mall or something and just walk around or grab a bite to eat.  just as i was going out to the garage, though, dad and adam got home, so i came back inside while they ate dinner.

after he was done eating, adam and i headed over to the mall to browse through good guys, old navy, and the bookstore.  i somehow ended up with a new pair of pants and some new reading material.  all of it was deeply discounted!  i couldn't refuse! ;)

and i've pretty much wasted away my night on the computer just browsing and checking things and staring at this magical machine. :)  i need to get on finishing my london scrapbooks.  maybe tonight, or maybe not.

monday 27 december 2004 10:59pm

"baby, what you say we go picking' wildflowers
got a spot way back in the woods
sneak away for a couple of hours
you and me, baby, pickin' wildflowers" -- keith anderson "pickin' wildflowers"

it's raining.  a lot.  seriously.  oh, well.

mom woke me up a whole lot earlier than i had expected.  she had to go bring grandpa his dentures at the hospital, so that meant that i had to bring adam to his basketball practice.  i mean, it wasn't until noon, but she woke me at like 8 before she left for the city.  yeah.

so basically, i spent my morning with my favorite daytime tv show hosts: regis, kelly, and the women of "the view."  it's so easy to fall back into that routine of watching them.  even on reruns.  that means that i need to do other things with my time.  but it was so early.  i wanted something that didn't actually require any thinking.

after getting cleaned up, i headed down to st. francis with adam.  i put on the big and rich cd that he bought me for christmas.  i think i found something that we can both listen to.  there's more rap on that cd than on your average country album. :)  so fantastic!  and i got him there on time, even after having to drive through the rain.  i thought i was going to have to pick him up two hours later, but i rang mom and she said that she'd be home in time to do it so i went over to starbucks for my favorite white mocha and then headed back home.

i spent some time just doing whatever at home.  i talked to sarah for a bit.  she's going to come visit me for new year's eve, which should be fun!  i'm excited, anyway!  and i also talked to kath for a bit.  she's working all the time and doesn't have time for me.  whatever! ;)

mom and i went to pick up adam from practice and then we were going to see "lemony snicket," but that was sold out, so we went to costco.  as we were headed in, we ran into val ercolini and her mom!  (she went to st. charles and notre dame with me.)  i don't think i've seen her since graduation!  it was great to catch up, but also sort of a trip.  i still think of her as really young, and she still looks exactly the same, but it's like now we're actually grown up.  it was so weird, but really good.  normally, i don't like running into people, but it was really, really great to see her! :)  mom, adam, and i also did a little shopping at costco.  we had some pictures printed from christmas and picked up some essential cds and a book! :)  yay!  that was an excellent all-around costco trip!

this afternoon, i baked a birthday cake for my brother.  he's 16!  i cannot believe it!  how insane is that?!?  and we had a family dinner and he opened a few presents and we had cake.  it was fun! :)  it still freaks me out that he's that old, but i'm sure i'll adjust.  or just go on pretending he's 10, like i've been doing the past 5 years. ;)

and i've just been around tonight.  i need to straighten my room and things like that, but instead i've just been watching tv and messing around on the computer.  :)  and they're showing the best episode ever of "leno" tonight, with my favorite celebrity boyfriend matt damon! :)  i love it!

sunday 26 december 2004 11:03pm

"and the next thing you know
i'm reminiscing, dreaming old dreams
wishing on wishes
like you would be back again
i wake up and tear drops
they fall down like rain
i put on that old song we danced to and then
i head off to my job
guess not much has changed
punch the clock
head for home
check the phone, just in case
go to bed
dream of you
that's what i'm doing these days" -- rascal flatts "these days"

ok, i must just start off by saying that sleeping with that electric blanket last night is the best thing that has ever happened to me!  (ok, maybe not ever, but i loved every single second of it!)

however, dad woke me up at 5:30.  ouch!  that hurt!  i had to jump in the shower, get dressed, and leave the house a few minutes after 6 so that i could be to work at the krty general store by 6:45!  opening shift on the day after christmas -- not the best decision i've ever made.  when i got there, don was already they getting the cash register sorted out.  i spent the next five hours with don, which actually isn't bad.  he likes to talk and has all sorts of interesting stories.  we were dreaming of warmer places -- hawaii, mostly! :)  oooh... how good does hawaii sound right now? :)  and we also let each other take little breaks to go have breakfast in the little bakery a couple doors down, which was nice.  around 11, kelly came since he was working starting at noon.  he hung out for a bit, which was fun!  the store was extremely slow this morning, so it was nice to have entertainment. :)

at noon, i headed back home.  sunday drivers were out in full force, so it took a little longer than i wanted it to, but i made it.  oh, and it started raining.  super.  i <3 rain.  wait... no, no i don't.

dad and i hung out here for a little bit, watching football, doing whatever.  i also took a few minutes to talk to sarah online and katie on the phone.  they're both doing alright. :)  then, dad and i decided that we wanted to get out of the house, so we went to the mall.  we browsed through good guys and the bookstore, and then went over to the mall proper in search of a birthday present for adam.  he's turning 16 tomorrow, which completely freaks me out!  we just sort of wandered all around just to get out and do something.  eventually, we came back home and dad made popcorn (he makes it on the stove and it's the best ever!) and we watched more football.

the family all had dinner together tonight.  pizza! :)  haha!  i love it!  and then we watched "dodgeball" together.  this mostly involved me and mom sleeping while adam and dad watched.  i like that movie, but between last night's lack of sleep and me being curled up in a warm bed, i never stood a chance of staying awake.  and now i'm watching "oceans 11" on tv and just updating the website.  i'll be back in bed before long, though, i'm sure.

saturday 25 december 2004 9:49pm

"how could you wait another minute
a hug is warmer when you're in it
oh baby, that's a fact
and saying "i love you"'s always better
seasons, reasons, they don't matter
so don't hold back
how many people in this world
so needful in this world
how many people are praying for love
don't save it all for christmas day
find a way
to give a little love everyday
don't save it all for christmas day
find a way
'cause holidays have come and gone
but love lives on
if you give on
give love" -- clay aiken "don't say it all for christmas day"

merry christmas, all!  :)  i hope that all of you had wonderful christmases.  i did!

i was awoken at 7, and by 7:30 we were gathering in the living room and starting to open christmas presents.  the opening part isn't always my favorite because i always feel slightly uncomfortable opening things in front of other people, but it helps that everyone else is doing it, too! :)  yes, i have issues.  we already knew that. ;)

we had breakfast together, and then i had to jump in the shower, get dressed, and get pretty so that i could head up to the city to pick up grandma and grandpa and bring them to auntie lily's house.  grandma made me bring her down the block to pick up the punsit from the lady she knows.  she made me go inside to see her christmas decorations.  oh.  my.  goodness.  this lady's entire house was completely covered floor-to-ceiling in christmas decorations.  like you couldn't even see the walls there was so much stuff.  it was insane!  apparently she leaves it up all year round.  if she didn't, she'd need a storage space bigger than her house just to hold all that stuff!  yikes!  and then grandma and i went back and picked up grandpa.  he was already waiting for us in the garage.  he made it down the stairs and everything all by himself!  so i drove them back to san carlos to auntie lily's house.  we listened to the clay aiken christmas cd (don't judge me because i like him ;) ) and they both sang along to all the songs.  it was fantastic! :)

christmas at auntie lily's was fun.  the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. were all there.  theresa was lucky enough to get to do prayer!  ooo riiight!  i didn't have to do it! :)  the allergies were really acting up today, so i was on benadryl the whole time i was there.  slightly drowsy, but that's ok.  we played blackjack for (grandma's) dimes on grandma's new card table top made for playing cards.  jason hadn't arrived yet, so i was dealing.  i was totally a novice because i never practice because jason always does it, but that's ok.  :)  it was fun!  we opened presents.  we had all sorts of food.  everything i ate was some shade of white or brown (because that's what color all the best foods are), and it was delicious!  then i fell asleep watching tv with adam and theresa.  it was super!

tonight, i've just sort of lounged around.  i have to wake up in about 7 hours so that i can be in san jose by 6:45 tomorrow morning, so i'm headed to bed early.  plus, i still have benadryl in my system, so i'm really tired.  oh, and bed sounds particularly good tonight since adam got me a heated blanket for christmas! :)  until tomorrow... (when i'll have christmas pictures up, i hope!)

friday 24 december 2004 11:26pm

"i don't want a lot for christmas
there is just one thing i need
i don't care about the presents
underneath the christmas tree
i don't need to hang my stocking
there upon the fireplace
santa claus won't make me happy
with a toy on christmas day
i just want you for my own
more than you could ever know
make my wish come true
all i want for christmas
is you" -- mariah carey "all i want for christmas is you"

happy christmas eve, all! :)  it's been a pretty good day, actually!

i slept in because, as we know, i was up really late last night.  i mean, it's not like i got 12 hours of sleep or anything.  i just took my fair share of hours.  basically, i'm living on hawaiian time but am in california.  so i'm 3 hours off.  what's the big deal? ;)

i got up, got dressed, and was quickly off to work at the krty store.  yeah, again. :)  i was working 1-6pm -- closing the store down.  it's not a big deal, though, since we don't usually start our christmas celebrations until christmas day.  anyway, on the way i made some "merry christmas" phone calls, though they were all short or just me leaving messages.

i made it to work on time and even found myself a parking spot!  amazing!  i worked all afternoon with darlene.  she's cool.  i spent most of my downtime just reading a book, though.  the time went really slowly and mostly we just wanted to be done.  we did vacuum and dust and straighten, too, in order to pass the time.  oh, and we sold a few things, too!

i came home to find dinner nearly done and auntie nancy over.  we all had a family dinner together.  this doesn't actually happen that often, so it was nice.  then, they tried to do the presents tonight!  the ones that we usually do at the crack of dawn on christmas morning.  this is not ok!  i told them that we were not going to just do them tonight.  what was that about?  i don't know.  i mean, i'm not opposed to presents on christmas eve, but this change was so random and sudden and unnecessary.  we'll do them tomorrow just like always. :)  i win!

i spent the little time i had straightening my hair, sending out a christmas mass email, and getting ready for mass.

adam and i went to midnight mass at 10pm.  yeah, not sure why that happened again this year, but it did.  it was a good mass, though.  we even saw some people we know and made awkward conversation afterwards.  it happens just like that every year! :)

and now i need to go to bed because i'm going to be woken up early tomorrow.  great.  actually, i love it, so it's ok! :)  merry christmas, all!

friday 24 december 2004 2:20am

"when you said yesterday
that it's nearly christmas
what did i want
and i thought
just love me, love me, love me
that's what i want for christmas
when i walk through the room
let them see you need me
walk through a room
let them see you love me, love me, love me
that's what i want for christmas
anyone can wish for all the trinkets in the window
some can even buy the things they see
but then presents that i want
you'll never find in any window
bring me love and bring it just for me
when you come home at night
take me in your arms and hold me, kiss me
and say you love me, love me, love me
that's what i want for christmas" -- shedaisy "that's what i want for christmas"

how is it possible that yet again i find myself writing in this journal in the middle of the night?  i mean, i try to get to bed at a decent time.  i try to make sure that things get done during the day.  i try to avoid being up this late for no particular reason.  and somehow, night after night i am failing.  there are just so many things to be done, places to go, and whatever that i never get around to this nightly ritual until the wee hours of the morning.  that's ok, though.  i have "three's company" to keep me company while i type away. :)

i slept in later than i was supposed to this morning, but not really that late.  i got showered and dressed and finally finished the last of my christmas cards.  yeah, a few will be late this year, but that's how it goes.  that's kind of how this whole month has gone.

once i got things taken care of here, i headed out for the day.  first, i went to best buy to try to wrap up the last of my christmas shopping.  that was harder to do than i had expected, however, because they were sold out of a couple things i was looking for.  ugh.  good thing i had other options for this person in mind, so there was a solid backup plan. :)  i did, however, pick up a few things there. 

then it was off to oakridge for work.  on the way, i rang mel and we had a nice chat.  it seems she's been equally busy lately, but after christmas we'll find a time to actually hang out and catch up on everything.  we don't get to do that often enough since we aren't normally in the same city.  and i'd like to see stephenie, too, and also catch up with her. :)

i made it to work half an hour early, so i had time to hit up borders and actually finish up my christmas shopping there! :)  yay!  i win!  with a whole day to spare!  rawk! ;)  and i also found a jamba juice for lunch, which was a totally delicious decision.  oh, and i picked up a couple magazines to keep myself busy while working.  i was meant to work by myself but susan had robert come in at 3 instead of 6 so we'd both be there for a couple hours.  now, i don't particularly mind having company, but when the company is robert, it is less welcomed.  in my effort to avoid having to hear the most negative, angry stories and complaining ever, i read instead of chatting with robert.  it actually kept me pretty busy.  we did decent business, too, so that also kept me busy.

after work, i headed straight home.  auntie nancy was already over when i got home.  i put on a few more layers of clothing, and we all headed up to the city to walk around union square and look at all the store windows and at the displays many hotels set up in their lobbies at christmastime.  i had to bundle up because evenings in december in the city aren't particularly warm.  we had a nice time walking all around.  i particularly enjoyed any store displays that had pretty dresses, shoes, and/or purses in the windows! :)  we went into the pan pacific hotel, and adam and i rode the elevator to the top to look down on all the lights they hang there.  twenty-one stories up is a long, long way!  looking down was a bit frightening, but it was rad! :)  we had dinner at lori's diner, which was tasty even if the waiter wasn't spectacular.  and i got my starbucks a little after dinner, so that made me happy in the cold san francisco air. :)

after we got home, i spent some time wrapping the rest of my presents and wrapping a whole bunch of ones for my mom.  she finally got tired and went to bed, so now i'm just working on the site and updating the journal and all that.  i need some sleep now, though...

wednesday 22 december 2004 11:09pm

"if i could win your heart
if you'd let me in your heart
i'd be so happy, baby
just for these arms to be
holding you close to me
there's nothing in this world i won't try
no limit to what i'd do to make you mine 'cause
i'd climb right up to the sky
i'd take down the stars
just to be in your arms, baby
i'd go and capture the moon
that's what i would do
just to hear you say that you love me
just to hear you say that you love me" -- faith hill "just to hear you say that you love me"

so last night before i went to bed i put an extra (now i can't even count how many there are) blanket on my bed in another attempt to keep myself from waking up at 4:30am shivering because i'm so cold.  and guess what!  it actually worked for me last night.  i'm not sure if that's because it actually helped that much or because i was just so tired that i didn't wake up despite the fact that i was freezing cold.  anyway, i slept all morning, and it was excellent!

i eventually got up and dressed and ready for work.  i even made myself look nice and put on heels and everything!  yeah, i haven't looked cute in a long time now, so it seemed like it was time! :)  and then i was off to work!

i arrived a few minutes early and lisa was just heading off to jamba juice, so i went with.  mmm... jamba!  i love it!  i hadn't had one in quite some time, and it was a totally delicious lunch!  working with lisa all afternoon was a blast!  we don't get to hang out that often because i don't really spend enough time up here, so it was good to catch up with her.  also, we had some crazy experiences today.  this guy came in, headed straight to the back of the store where we were sitting, and wanted hugs because it was so hard for him to find a parking place.  yeah, crazy!  and then i guess i said something like "i know, it's hard" and lisa thought that was even more hilarious and as soon as the guy walked back out of the store we were laughing so hard we were crying!  haha!  crazy people!  but we did decent business today, and had a good time just hanging out with each other.

after dinner, we switched out of our krty garb and headed over to california pizza kitchen for some dinner.  it was delicious, and we had a good time.  i do love their pizza!  plus, it was cool to just hang out and not worry about interrupting our conversation when customers walked in.  and we got a kick out of the weird patrons there tonight.  what's with christmastime bringing out all the crazies?!? ;)

i've pretty much just been hanging out at home since then.  got an email from chris (a first, i swear) and talked to sarah for a minute online.  but now it's time for leno.  tonight's episode includes ross the intern, so i'm all about it...

wednesday 22 december 2004 12:50am

"if you think i always think about you
and i dream about you day and night
if you think for one moment i can't live without you
and maybe i'm falling in love with you
baby, you're right, baby, you're right
somehow, somewhere i went and crossed
over the line
and i let you see the man that was hiding inside
it's highly irregular, i must confess
no, this usually isn't my style
oh, and i know my heart's beating out of my chest
and i just can't do nothing but smile"  -- phil vassar "baby, you're right"

oh, man!  i still haven't really caught up on the sleep i missed last week (and all the weeks before that one).  somehow, i am rarely at home, and i've been running all around town doing this and that and working.  it's been insane, but also really good!

so i woke up at 9:30 today because i knew i had to bring adam to school for a basketball game at 10-something.  when i woke up, i asked him what time he needed to be there, but being the responsible, schedule-obsessed guy that he is, he had no idea.  hadn't even thought about it.  great.  so i told him he'd better find out, and i jumped in the shower.  by the time i was out, it had been determined that he needed to be to school in 40 minutes.  it takes 30 minutes to get there, and i still wasn't dressed and ready.  i did all that as fast as possible, got in the car, and headed down to st. francis.  of course, i was running out of gas.  i got him there just on time, and then made it to the gas station across the street, but just barely, i swear!  my car was for sure warning me that i needed gas quickly!  oops! 

it was a nice day, so i headed over to stanford shopping center to try to squeeze in as much christmas shopping as possible before i had to go to work.  once i got there, i had about 70 minutes to get my shopping done.  between j.crew, banana republic, sephora, and papyrus, i did it!  i mean, i still need a couple things for my brother (because he has his birthday -- the big 16 -- two days after christmas so the gifts have multiple parts) and meg (but i'm not in a hurry for her because she's in ireland right now).  but seriously, i totally win!  i got some cool stuff in that short amount of time! :)  i guess this speaks highly of my shopping skills!  ;)  we all know i have enough practice!  haha!

after shopping, i got back on the freeway and headed back to work.  i talked to chris on the way, which was great!  he went to romania during thanksgiving!  how cool is that?!?  yeah.  and it sounds like he's doing well, even if he is still crazy busy.  who's not?  i was distracted talking to him and missed my ramp from 280 to 85, but i just cut down 17 once i realized that i had gone too far and it was fine.  oops!

work was extremely slow.  like i sold only a few items in 5 hours.  i worked with a new(ish) girl allison, who is very nice.  she was knitting a scarf.  i played tetris on the gameboy that they keep in the store, and i also did some word searches.  yeah, i'm cool!  haha!  it kept me busy, anyway.

after work, i drove to san mateo to meet annahita for a movie.  we saw "finding neverland," which i'd seen before.  it was awesome the second time around, as well.  i cried again.  yeah.  it's just so wonderful!  you must see it!  and since we were waiting for her sister to get out of a later movie, we walked up to 4th and had dinner at this italian place.  i had heard it was good, but i'd never been there before.  it was excellent!  i ate way too much, but it was delicious!  plus, that's all i ate today because i was just running around everywhere.  i left my coat in malibu, so i was freezing walking around san mateo at night, but i survived.  i hear it's in the the single-digits in michigan, so i guess i can't complain too much!

i have spent my evening wrapping presents, trying to make my bed warmer by adding blankets, and other little things.  my life's still a complete mess, and i desperately need to do laundry, but it's ok.  and now i'm tired and i want to get some sleep tonight, so until next time...

tuesday 21 december 2004 12:06am

"give me somebody who's tender but tough
simple and honest
knows a think or two about love
i've seen enough to know what i like
it's the hard-working, head-turning, rugged type
i want a down home
up-with-the-sunrise man
a pick-up truck driving, bull riding, strong steady hand
i want the wranglers, stetson, and all that stuff
i want the real mccoy
i want a cowboy" -- katrina elam "i want a cowboy"

oh, boy!  i know i missed a day, but i'll fill you in on everything now that i have a couple minutes at a decent hour. :)  yeah, i know it was hard to go through your day without knowing every detail of what i did yesterday, but have no fear.  i am back to updating. :)

yesterday (sunday) morning i was awoken at 7:20am.  yeah, that felt pretty good after a short night's sleep on the crappy air mattress in this freezing cold house.  but that's ok.  i mean, i was honestly probably more comfortable out of bed and warm than freezing cold and frustrated by my inability to fall asleep.  so i was up with the sun and immediately into the shower.

the whole family headed off at 8am to pick up my aunt lily and cousin theresa and then go visit grandma and grandpa in the city.  we stopped off to pick up breakfast at mcdonalds for them.  they enjoy that.  what is it about little kids and old people really enjoying mcdonalds?  anyway, grandpa loves hotcakes from mcdonalds, so that is what we brought him.  8 family members all in one place at the same time is always a little bit crazy, but also quite fun! :)  first of all, we ate.  then, we just hung around for a bit.  we perused the sunday newspaper ads, one of my favorite activities, and chatted and whatever.  at one point, i was summonsed downstairs because grandma wanted to hang these two decorative plates that she bought at some garage sale for $2 each (she was proud of this fact).  now, if you've ever been to grandpa's house, you know that downstairs is just the garage.  yeah, that's where she wanted to hang them.  so after i showed dad and auntie lily where to hang them, i was just looking around at stuff.  grandparents have lots of random old stuff, you know.  so hanging on a pair of deer antlers high on the wall were two hats, one of which was a straw hat that wasn't particularly interesting.  the other hat looked like something you'd wear on a jungle expedition or on safari or something.  i'm not exactly sure how to describe it.  anyway, i pulled it down and on the inside it had manuel bunoan (grandpa's name) and 4 jun 61 written.  this was an old hat!  grandma told me it was grandpa's (obviously), so i brought it upstairs to ask him about it.  he told me it was from his time in laos.  then auntie joyce (who joined the fun later in the morning) informed me that grandpa was in the secret service.  (ok, the information that you need that you might not have is that grandpa is from the philippines and he joined the u.s. army there, traveled around the world with the family, and then eventually made it to the u.s.)  so he needed this hat to blend in with civilians in laos (whatever they looked like).  and so it was revealed to me yesterday that grandpa never told anyone what he was actually doing for the army, even grandma and his daughters.  his cover was that he was a bookkeeper for a nightclub.  yeah, because that job requires you to travel to all sorts of countries.  haha!  he wouldn't tell me more, and no one else knows.  he still has it ingrained in him that he's not allowed to tell, apparently.  anyhow, this information was pretty cool and makes me admire grandpa even more! :)  i love it!  eventually, we had to leave, though, because we all had other things going on in our day.

after getting home, i made a mad dash to the grocery store to pick up some things for baking the second round of christmas cookies.  i brought them home, and it was time for me to leave again.

i met annahita and katherine for lunch, which was nice.  i had what might be the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever!  mmm...  and we just talked and hung out and caught up with each other.  it's the first time i've seen either of them since summer.

i came home and put together two types of cookie dough and finished just in time to throw them into the refrigerator before i was off again.

i worked at the krty store in the mall from 6-11pm.  yeah, on a sunday night the mall wasn't so busy at those hours, but it was ok.  i was working with this girl margaret, who i've never worked with before.  she's alright.  she mostly sat in the back and read while i greeted the few people that came in.  when she would hear me welcome someone into the store, she'd come out and be that pushy saleswoman that you hate.  whatever.  it was a decent time.  scottie was telling everyone to come see me and margaret tap dance with thongs on our heads while he was doing his show from the studio.  it's fun to hear my name on the radio, even if it's not actually a big deal.  and just fyi, we were selling krty thongs, and they're nearly sold out!  haha!  oh, how i love this station!  eventually, i got bored enough to break out the word search book that they keep in the store for nights like this.  when we had about an hour left in the night, margaret wanted to play cards, so we played speed.  i was much better at this game than her, which i think was frustrating to her because it was pretty obvious to her that i don't play a lot of cards when i shuffled.  i beat her so many times that she wanted to change games so she wanted to play 13.  i'd never played before and she didn't do a particularly good job of teaching me and it's a game meant for at least 3 people, so that didn't work out that well and we only played one game before going to back to speed.  eventually, it was time to close down.  i finally got my own key to the gate thingy!  how exciting is that?!? ;)

i got home a little before midnight, but my evening was far from over!   :)  i baked several dozen christmas cookies while also writing as many christmas cards as possible!  with nick at nite on the tv, it was pretty fun!  and it was good to get those cookies done!  mom did come out at one point and tell me to go to bed.  i didn't. :)  i was baking until 3, which is why i never did update this journal last night.  it takes me a long time to write these accounts of my life, and i didn't want to be up forever!

oh, man, i slept in today!  :)  yeah, shocking, i know!  ;)  well, katie called at about 10:45 and i talked to her for a second, but she told me to back to sleep when she found out that she woke me up.  so i did! :)  i eventually got up around noon.

i spent the morning baking my final set of cookies.  it was fun!  i always love baking!

then i headed off to work another night at the krty store.  lisa and kelly were both hanging out there when i arrived.  well, lisa was working and kelly was just hanging out.  it's good to see my krty friends!  i guess that's the main reason i'm working for them at all during break -- so i can hang out with everyone! :)  and i get to!  tonight i was working (6-11 again) with a new person, julie.  she was really nice!  and we had randy broadcasting live for a few hours.  it's an interesting experience to work with randy.  sometimes it borders on obscene, but it's always funny!  and kelly was in-studio, so we all got to make fun of him, as well.  ;)  i also spent some time organizing the back room.  cardboard boxes of unfolded clothing gets messy when you're trying to help a customer.  while i was doing that, my friend from the station becke came by the store looking for me.  i got to see her, which was great because i wasn't sure i'd get to see her during break! :)  we just chatted for a bit, and then it was all of a sudden closing time.  yay for friends who randomly visit me at work!

and now i'm home up late again! :)  i'm going to try to get to bed a bit earlier tonight, though...

saturday 18 december 2004 11:12pm

"well she was standing there are the edge of outta control
hair wild and her eyes filled with the pain
she put her heart on a string and tied it to a red balloon
and she watched it fly up high into the clouds
don't break my heart again, we're one and the same
baptized by tears, and washed in the blame
you can let your heart go, but i will hunt you down
your love is all i wanna win, don't break my heart again
he dreams of a girl with her heart tied to a red balloon
he wants her so bad, she wants him too
they're standing at the edge of another lonely night
house empty and the walls are caving in" -- pat green "don't break my heart again"

oh, man, i totally did not get enough sleep last night.  i was up really super late last night just doing stuff.  plus, i think it makes it easier to sleep when i'm exhausted.  yeah, because that's super healthy.  oh, well.

dad woke me up at 7 because he wanted to go pick out a christmas tree at 8.  then he realized that the place didn't actually open until 9, so i got to go back to sleep for another hour.  of course, after getting woken up it just isn't the same anymore.  but that's ok.  i appreciated the extra hour anyway.  i threw on some pants and a sweatshirt (over the numerous layers of clothing that i was already sleeping in because this house is so cold that i just shiver in bed) and we headed down to the christmas tree lot at my high school.  that's where we always buy our christmas trees.  it used to matter because those trees support the athletics programs there.  now, that matters less to me, but i love getting christmas trees there.  not only is it tradition for dad and me to go down there at the crack of dawn on a freezing cold december morning, but the guys that work there are australian.  yeah, don't ask me how guys from australia end up in oregon growing christmas trees and then selling them in belmont.  i'm just thankful it happened! ;)  i don't ever want to buy a christmas tree from a non-australian ever again.  anyway, i picked out the nicest of the trees they had left, and we brought it home.  it's already in the living room, but it's only decorated by a tiny little tree skirt and a single star of david ornament.  no, we're still not jewish.

after that, i sat around and watched basketball.  oh.  my.  goodness.  there was so much basketball on tv today.  if i had been able to be true to by basketball junkie core, i would have sat in front of the tv all day long.  (i'm actually sitting in front of it right now watching basketball, but that's beside the point.)  however, i had other commitments, so i put on my lovely krty baseball staff shirt, some clean(ish) jeans, and headed down to san jose.

there's one major problem with me working at the krty general store in the oakridge mall: it's in the oakridge mall and it's one week before christmas.  yeah,  there's nowhere to park.  at all.  i mean, i'll park as far away as possible, but even out there no parking spots exist.  i gave myself 30 minutes to find a place to park and find the store in the mall.  well, after 25 minutes of driving around looking for a spot, i decided i'd just valet my car.  as i was just about to the valet, i found someone leaving and got a spot.  that left me with 5 minutes to dash all the way across the mall (i'm sure i looked slightly crazy walking that quickly through the mall) to the store.  i just made it one time, and there i was for 5 hours.  the first hour was super busy because we had the two morning djs (gary and julie) signing mugs and talking to people and broadcasting live.  plus, i had to try to remember how to work the register and credit card machine and all those sorts of things because it had been a year since i'd done it last.  it didn't take long, though, because i had lots of customers to tend to.  after an hour, the morning djs were done and tim anthony (he does afternoon drive) was doing his broadcast from the store.  he's a cool guy, and i've always liked working with him, so that was fun.  plus, he actually knows who i am, like gary and julie.  kelly dropped by, and it was good to see him.  :)  it's always nice to see a friend unexpectedly, especially after several months.  oh, and we convinced him to bring a pizza over so we could have a little snack.  that was nice!

after working, i stayed in the mall and tried to do some christmas shopping.  i only found a couple things, and i'm still so far from done.  i made a little dent, though.  the mall was pretty insane (of course), but i always like christmas shopping out in the malls with the crowds of people.  it's just more magical than online.  anyway, i'll be in more malls in the next few days, as i try to take care of all the shopping.  yeah, i'm a slacker this year.  what can i say? ;)

tonight, it was more basketball on tv.  it's rough when the teams i root for don't win, but that's ok.  the games have been pretty good.  thanks to espn for all the basketball coverage, and thanks to the nhl for providing espn with lots more time to show basketball. :)

tonight, i was going to get gonig on the christmas cookie making, so that people besides the pepperdine friends could get some.  i was short a few ingredients (how come my tiny little kitchen in malibu is more prepared for baking than my mom's kitchen?), so i'll have to put that off until tomorrow.  i really do want to get those in the mail on monday, though.  wish me luck with this!  so instead of baking, merv and i just watched more basketball.  we got in a little "fight" and somehow i got a glass of water poured down the back of my shirt.  haha!  great!  it was actually pretty funny, even if my shirt is still wet!  :)

so i'm off now.  we're headed out tomorrow morning before 8 to go visit grandma and grandpa for breakfast.  until next time...

friday 17 december 2004 11:28pm

"and i have lived enough to know
that you might stay or you might go
so here i am one more time
call me brave call me blind
i'm gonna count to three, i'm gonna hold my breath
try not to be afraid though it scares me half to death
i'm out here on a limb although i know that it might break
my heart is gonna want you anyway
and if this love has any chance at all
someone's gotta be the first to fall
the best is just a touch away
we'll make forever day by day
it'd be a shame to let this go
how sad to think we'd never know
how the morning light would fall on us
after we make all night in love" -- terri clark "the first to fall"

the first full day in the big san carlos started out with me sleeping.  a friday morning around this place is pretty quiet because everyone's gone well before there was any chance of me waking up.  i was quite surprised to wake up and discover that it was already 9.  i got up and quickly realized that in fact, i was the only person in this cold house.  not that that was a bad thing.  i watched a little tv before making it out to the kitchen, where my computer currently resides.  can't go too many hours in a row without checking email, you know! ;)

i pretty much just sat around for awhile, watching "the view" and fussing with the computer and doing nothing.  i mean, doing nothing is what this break is about, right?  and since i know there won't actually be that many mornings where i can just sit around in peace and quiet, i took full advantage. :)  eventually, i got cleaned up with the hopes of actually leaving the house today.

mom came home, and i showed her the london scrapbooks.  she enjoyed them, though she was shocked (i'm not sure why.  has she met me?) to see so many ticket stubs for "rent."  only 4.  and i still have all the captions to write (i'm getting on it soon!), so she was still asking me who people were and where we were in certain pictures.

katie rang.  she's a college graduate!  totally done with classes and everything!  that's so exciting! :)

mom and i dropped off adam and one of his teammates at basketball practice and then went to stanford shopping center.  she said she needed to get a gift at williams-sonoma, and we all know that i'm always up for a trip there! :)  the gift wrapping was going to take an hour (apparently, they get quite back-logged with this), so that was the perfect excuse for us to wander around the rest of the shopping center.  mom got a sausage at the little deli, and we sat outside in the sunshine.  it isn't was warm as malibu, but it was still quite nice in the sun! :)  i love that!  then we went to macys, which turned out to be a lot of fun!  i sucked mom into the dress section and then got to try on dresses, none of which i actually needed.  but i just had to put them on.  like sarah says, they're yours for a couple minutes if you just try them on. :)  i put on this amazing green gown that i have absolutely no use for.  it may be the most beautiful thing i've ever worn ever!  oh, so amazing!  if only i had $328 to drop on a dress that i have no use for!!!  it would surely be mine!  i took a picture of myself in the dressing room with my digital camera, but you're going to have to beg if you want to see that one!  haha!  i just wanted to remember the dress!  and mom and i looked at other things, as well.  in the end, she bought me a nice little christmas present.  too bad i'm going to have to wait until after christmas for it to make its debut! ;)

mom and i eventually pulled ourselves away from the shopping center and headed back home.  dad was already home, and adam arrived not long after us.  i grabbed a bite to eat, and then adam and i headed off to santa clara to my favorite movie theatre to see "oceans twelve."  twelve really is the new eleven!  the movie was great (of course), and my favorite celebrity boyfriend matt damon was so excellent!  now i need to go see it again.  "oceans eleven" was better the second time around because you can see all the hints.  and just so you know, yes, santa clara is much too far for us to go to see a movie, but it's totally my favorite place to go!  so yeah. :)

and now i'm just hanging out.  the parents are already asleep, adam's back in his cave that he calls a bedroom, and i'm in the kitchen with jay leno to keep me company.  tomorrow should involve finding a christmas tree and working at the krty general store.  fun stuff!  until next time...

friday 17 december 2004 1:48am

"she's home running away
from the same old same old everyday
in day out, predictable routine
that's why she stays home running away
to the place in her mind where he'll take her someday
when he gets the time, until the she's home
running away" -- katrina elam "home running away"

you're so excited! ;)  kirsten's back to her journal-writing, website-updating ways!  back to the excessively long entries with far too much detail.  here it goes...

so obviously, i was up pretty late last night.  i was at sarah's hanging out, and it was a good time.  but that also meant that i didn't get home until after 1:30 and by the time i actually got to bed the second episode of "three's company" was coming on, which meant it was 2:30.  so i set the sleep timer on the tv, made sure the alarm clock was set for 8:30, and fell right asleep to the sounds of jack, chrissy, janet, and mr. furley.

the alarm clock went off way too early and i was in the middle of a weird dream involving people i know. and i didn't even eat before i went to bed.  anyway, i got up, out of bed, and sort of rolled into the living room to talk to liz for a few minutes before she headed home for christmas break.  she was off pretty soon after that, and i was left alone in the apartment with a lot of things to do, none of which were fun.

i pulled out all the comp sci books and started learning.  studying.  whatever.  three languages with three completely different paradigms is a struggle for even the brightest of minds.  oh, boy.  so i put in a few solid hours of studying and then put all the books away in order to maintain my sanity, as well as my ability to read.

next task: pack for christmas break.  well, before i got on to this task, i cleaned myself up, straightened the room a little bit, and took a little break. :)  i actually talked to sarah online for a bit and convinced her to come hang out with me for a couple hours.  i also talked to troy, who was busy administering a final.  sounds like it's been crazy for him lately, as well.  and then i got on to packing.  there's no such thing as over-packing when you get to fill your car, right? ;)  so i brought home all sorts of stuff, probably way more than i'll ever get around to wearing/using, but that's alright.  you never know!  i'm prepared!  of course, i later realized that i forgot my coat and my dvds, so i'm not as fully "prepared" as i would have liked to be.

eventually, sarah came over and we hung out and watched horrible reruns of sitcoms.  it was nice.  just relaxing, i suppose.  and i won't see sarah for a little while because now i'm home and she'll be at disneyland with her family and then back to her home for a bit.  hopefully, we'll get to meet up some time during break, though.  so sarah and i hung out, as we've been doing a lot lately. :)

i did have to actually go take my final, so i did that.  before the exam, the comp sci boys and i were just hanging out outside the classroom complaining about how little all of us actually knew for the exam and comparing it to taking an exam in spanish, japanese, and swahili all at the same time.  really, that's what it's like.  it was funny to us, especially, because we're dorky like that.  just wanted to share! :)  oh, and the exam was hard, but it's over now, which is really exciting!  semester 7 of 8 is over.  i can't believe it, but at the same time it's been one of the longest, hardest semesters ever.  i'm ready for this little break!

after my final, i headed over to dj's apartment, and we exchanged christmas gifts.  he was excited about his little bowling game thingy and of course the cookies, and i'm so stoked to now own "the bourne supremacy!"  he did a good job! :)  it was a short visit, though, as i needed to get on the road.  i stopped by the malibu library to (finally) return the frank lloyd wright books, and then i was off.

i made it through the canyon with my gas light on the whole way.  i filled the car up with gas, set the tripometer to 0.0, and off i went!  i talked to sarah on the phone for a while.  i made an unscheduled stop in camarillo (shh!  don't tell! ;) ).  i spent more time on the phone with sarah.  i stopped for my first "meal" of the day at mcdonalds about 100 miles into my trip.  i talked to kath some.  and i drove and drove and drove.  the best thing was that it was late, so there weren't a whole lot of cars out and i could just set the cruise control virtually the whole way home.  excellent!  i played all sorts of chick cds, and i sang along to all of them!  man, i'm a great singer! ;)  and 382.6 miles after i left the gas station in calabasas i was home.  one tank of gas, thankyouverymuch! :)  i <3 the volvo!  oh, and why did no one tell me that 101 is closed in mountain view between midnight and 5am?!?  i mean, people, don't you think you should warn me that i'm going to have to go through a detour behind the slowest car ever?  yeah.  ;)  oh, well!  i made it!

i'll be at home for a little more than two weeks.  there are some plans here and there, but i'm available for more!  ring my mobile if you're around.  or even if you're not! :)

thursday 16 december 2004 1:36am

"they say in this town, stars stay up all night
well i don't know, can't see 'em for the glow of the neon lights
and it's a long way from here to the place were the home fires burn
well it's two thousand miles and one left turn
'dear mom and dad
please send money, i'm so broke that it ain't funny
well i don't need much, just enough to get me through
please don't worry 'cause i'm alright
i'm playing here at the bar tonight
well this time, i'm gonna make our dreams come true
well i love you more than anything in the world
love, your baby girl'" -- sugarland "baby girl"

ok, so i know that i've totally been neglecting the journal lately, and i apologize for that.  however, let me just also add that it's totally the middle of the night, i have my last final tomorrow, and i haven't studied for it at all.  that's how crazy this past week or so has been.  yeah.  so tomorrow, i need to get up, get my act together, study, pack, take my exam, and head home.  so, that's why these are a little short lately.

today was actually pretty good.  i was up early for a little last-second studying, and then it was off to school to take my third final and the first of two comp sci finals.  it went alright.  it's over, and i'm definitely happy about that.  then, sarah came over and we exchanged christmas presents.  i'm am so 100% excited about the fact that i get to make chocolate molten cake (the best thing ever created) some time soon! :)  and penne arrabiata!  oh, man!  and then i spent the rest of the afternoon not studying because that's what i do, apparently.  josh came over and liz and him had tacos for dinner while i had dinner from a can because i don't actually like tacos and that's what i had to eat.  it was a good time!  and the three of us also exchanged christmas presents!  i now have a new book to read as well as a map of nashville, where i will be going in june!  excellent! :)  after josh left, i went to sarah's, and i was there until about 1.  it was actually nice.  we just sat and talked for a few hours. :)  and let me just say that it was 73 degrees when i was driving home at that hour!  rawk!  i knew i lived out here for a reason! :)  good night, dear readers.  more tomorrow!

tuesday 14 december 2004 10:06pm

"but you got me
i'll be true, i'll be useful
i'll be cavalier, i'll be yours my dear
and i'll belong to you
if you'll just let me through
this is easy as lovers go
so don't complicated it by hesitating
and this is wonderful as loving goes
this is tailor-made, what's the sense in waiting?
and i said i've gotta be honest
i've been waiting for you all my life
for so long i thought i was asylum bound
but just seeing you makes me think twice
and being with you here makes me sane
i fear i'll go crazy if you leave my side
you've got wits, you've got looks
you've got passion but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?" -- dashboard confessional "as lovers go"

got up, studied a bit, watched some tv, went to school, took my art final, aced it, came back home, studied some more, talked to adam, studied, and now i'm going to bed.  sorry this is so short.  i'm trying to catch up on some sleep.  it's been a crazy past few days, and i know the ones to come are crazy as well.  is love enough?  the e.e. cummings quotation on my desktop gets me through.  "miracles are to come."

monday 13 december 2004 10:48pm

"well i've never been to that part of the country
save for some old movies and deep in my mind
where it's accepted and even rewarded
to stand on your own right side of the line
nobody wins here, we're all scared of losing
i feel scared right down to the bone
maybe we'll find ourselves close to the ocean
where freedom first breathes on its own
'cause i still believe in a prayer before supper
and passing the time round the old courthouse square
we've got nothing to keep us from start over georgia
we'll leave all the baggage and start over there" -- collin raye "start over georgia"

hmm... it's another one of those days where i'm not really sure what to write.  i went out to my car tonight to get some things out of the trunk and i saw a shooting star.  i've never ever seen one before.  i wish that someone had been there to see it with me, though.  that's kind of how today went.  there were new things, and they were incredible.  but they weren't completely great.

i got up early and tried to take care of the christmas shopping that needed to be done today because i'm leaving malibu in a couple days for winter break.  i got what i needed, i think.  however, i also had a really long drive home, all of which i did while on the phone with megs.  sometimes, i just need to be on the phone while driving.  it was an important conversation.

after some art studying, sarah came over.  we hung out all day together.  it was good.  we watched tv and i wrapped some christmas presents.

that's basically it.  finals start tomorrow for me.  super.

sunday 12 december 2004 11:04pm

"God only knows how i've needed a friend
who can see through the boldness and pride
someone strong enough to put my faith in
someone willing to let me inside
so be a man
and be my man
i dare you to need me like nobody else
i dare you to feel me like you've never felt
i dare you to want to want
want to be good to me
baby you've got your reasons dangling from kite strings
can you open your hands and let them fly
i know you won't always say and do the right things
but some things are worth a try
if you can
be my man
i dare you to know me like i've never known
i dare you to show me that i can be shown
date you to want to want
want to be good to me" -- shedaisy "i dare you"

i slept in today.  you know that i was up late if you read the last post.  somehow, i ended up really very late last night.  anyway, so i slept and it was good.

after realizing that i didn't actually have all-purpose flour, but instead bread flour, i headed to the local market and bought some flour.  this was today's outing.  pretty exciting, right? ;)

i spent today baking christmas cookies!  :)  yay!  you're so excited!  not only is it so much fun to spend an entire day baking all sorts of different cookies, it was doubly exciting because it meant that i was not at all studying for finals.  i mean, i went through some art stuff, but not so much.  basically, baking consumed my entire day.  it was totally worth the work, and the cookies turned out deliciously! :)

i watched "desperate housewives," which was obviously excellent!  that's about it for today.  oh, and i spoke with the family, kath, and sarah at various times of the day.  they all rawk.

sunday 12 december 2004 2:33am

"is there something i can say to you?  i can't stop the storm, but i can cover you" -- evan & jaron "like the rain"

i'm not really sure what to write about today.  forgive me if not a whole lot comes out.

today turned out nothing like i had planned.  the plan was to do my christmas shopping and fun things around town and then have dinner and a movie night with liz and sarah.  that's not what happened.

i was awoken by the apartment phone ringing.  it was for me but liz answered and took a message.  i spent a few minutes talking to aunt nancy and then later to my mom and brother.  then i switched on the tv and discovered/remembered that today was filled with excellent and important basketball on tv, so instead of the christmas shopping i settled in for a day of watching tv and working on finals stuff on the computer.  stanford had a rough game against michigan state, which was expected.  pepperdine lost due to a crappy non-call with 4 seconds left to ucla.  (not surprising considering they played in pauley pavillion.)  other teams won and lost.  it was a fun way to spend much of my saturday, even if my teams couldn't pull out victories.  also, my adopted team of the season, illinois, won big and looked great, so that was exciting. :)

after the essential basketball games were over (5pm) i headed through the canyon to try to squeeze in some christmas shopping before dinner with the girls.  i talked to katie while sitting in beeping-and-creeping traffic.  major congratulations to her!  she graduated today!  :)  (she still has finals next week, but we're ignoring that fact.  she walked across the stage today.)  and then i went to cost plus and barnes and noble.  i didn't get nearly enough done before i canceled the dinner and movie plans and went to sarah's apartment to hang out for the evening.  liz joined us there, as well.

eventually, we came back home and talked more and more and more.  it was good.  necessary.

not sure what tomorrow holds.  the list of things to get done seems to be growing instead of shrinking each day and i still need to find time to study for these exams!  yikes!

saturday 11 december 2004 12:48am

"i swear that i can go on forever again
please let me know that my one bad day will end
i will go down as your lover, your friend
give me your lips and with one kiss we begin
are you afraid of being alone
'cause i am, i'm lost without you
are you afraid of leaving tonight
'cause i am, i'm lost without you
i'll leave my room open 'til sunrise for you
i'll keep my eyes patiently focused on you" -- blink 182 "i'm lost without you"

i love my life.  i really do.  i mean, of course there are the bad parts, but there are amazing parts.  i'm not sure how many more ambiguous statements i should put here.  in some ways, i want to write down every single detail of both the good and the bad.  in other ways, i don't want to explain all of it because i think the people involved in each or both already know.  ok, i'm just going to move on.

i had sort of planned on sleeping in this morning, but by 9 i couldn't sleep any more because i knew that there was more comp sci stuff that needed to be done and that i really should just get up and do it, no matter how painful it might be to actually get out of bed.  so i got up and got working on the comp sci stuff.  it sort of consumed my morning, but i guess that's alright.  i mean, since that's what i got up to do, i ought to have been doing it, right?  so i got most of it done.

i eventually had to go off to school for my last day of classes for the semester.  this is very exciting, since i'm tired of these classes and ready for something new.  it's been a hard semester school-wise (and otherwise, too, i suppose).  i mean, 8 hours of computer science a week was really wearing me out, and i'm now really glad that these are my last comp sci classes ever.  as much as i love dr. warford and know that i have learned so much from him, i just cannot take much more.  this is the reason i never became a comp sci major in the first place.  i knew i couldn't make it my life.  this semester, it has felt like my life, even though i'm taking 3 other courses.  so i had my last comp sci classes ever today.  we mostly just went over what will and will not be on the finals next week, which is helpful but only took a few minutes.  dr. warford used the rest of the time to just "hang out" with us.  we tried to play computer science hangman, but this one kid went up to the board and drew out the blanks for the first word _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.  instantly, someone knew what it was.  polymorphism.  yeah, you know you never, ever would have gotten that.  somehow, though, we all knew what it was right away because we've all spent 8 hours a week together for the past semester, and at least 3 hours a week together in the two previous semesters.  i guess you can know people too well to play hangman with them.  :)  so then dr. warford had us play computer chess as a class (he put it up on the projector).  we lost.  we're not actually very good at chess, even if we are the nerds of the universe.  then he tried backgammon.  yeah, it was looking pretty good for us for awhile, but we eventually lost that, as well.  oh, well.  haha!  we just sat around talking pretty much.

after class, i took care of a little errand on campus and then rang sarah while i walked up the hill towards my car.  and i talked to her on the phone for a bit just standing outside because it was an absolutely gorgeous day out here!  finally, we're getting back to the typical malibu december.  it was 78 here today.  yeah. :)  now you know why i love malibu so much!  sarah, who lives in the even warmer city of woodland hills sat out by the pool today!  i love it! :)

then i headed to albertsons for a few groceries.  i picked up some food to cook tonight for dinner for sarah and liz, and i needed a few more things so i can make my christmas cookies.  i was going to skip the cookies this year, but i changed my mind.  there will be baking this weekend!  and i have some interesting new recipes!  you cannot wait!  *if you're reading this and want to make sure that you will get cookies, drop me an email or im me to make sure you get your share!*  i timed my trip perfectly so that when i was driving home i got to see the beautiful malibu sunset over the ocean.  no, it does not get much better than this. ;)  i <3 the malibu sunset!

i cooked dinner tonight, and sarah came over to join liz and me.  it was pretty delicious, even if it wasn't completely homemade.  and it's nice to just sit around with my friends. :)  and then we headed over to school for the last pit show of the semester.  not everyone was completely on tonight, so it wasn't the absolutely funniest show ever, but it was still a lot of fun!  and then we all came back here and hung out some more and had apple pie.  it was a fun friday night!

the stars were out in full force tonight. :)

friday 10 december 2004 12:35am

"well i lit a candle
it's burning still
most every night on
my window sill
where are you now
well i'm good one-of-a-kind
but i would rather be two
and i still speak my mind
but i miss talking with you
and i could hem and haw
but i'll just cut right through
i don't need nothing baby
nothing but you" -- trisha yearwood "where are you now"

this semester, my thursdays have been particularly long, so i was very happy that this was my last thursday of the semester.  a week from right now, i'll be back home.  or at least on my way home, depending on how long the drive takes me.  but for now, i'm here in malibu, a little bit tired but surviving the last few days of the semester.

i was up like half an hour later than normal for a thursday because instead of meeting on campus, the last meeting of my advertising class was at a local coffee shop in malibu, so i did have to factor in extra time to do the whole park-at-the-fieldhouse-and-take-the-shuttle-all-the-way-up-the-mountain thing.  so i met debbie and company at diedrich's for coffee.  or a non-fat, decaf white chocolate mocha.  i'd never been to diedrich's before, but it was quite good!  i'd have coffee there again. :)  and it was actually warm enough this morning that we could all sit outside!  oooh riiight!  ::does the oooh riiight dance::  finally, a nice day in malibu!  and it's supposed to get nicer through the weekend!  i'm so excited!  i for sure don't need more winter than what we've already had.  and basically, the class just hung around for about an hour, at which point debbie made us all go back to campus so we could fill out class evaluations.

i had a little break back at home and even grabbed a bite to eat for lunch before heading back to campus for more class.  now i only have one more day of comp sci ever!  woo hoo!  we're so excited!  i thought i would share some fun moments with dr. warford from today.  first of all, dr. warford has this crazy hotel magritte screensaver based on images made my the artist magritte.  they're ok.  but this screensaver makes these weird combinations of them and it's a new one every couple seconds.  since dr. warford has his computer hooked up to the projector in the classroom, we see the screensaver when it goes on.  well today, the screensaver came on (as it does most days) and people were sort of chatting amongst themselves about the weird images on it.  dr. warford realized people were looking at it and said, "i can tell that i have to compete with the screensaver for your attention."  paul replied, "oh, you can't compete with the screensaver."  haha!  so funny!  :)  later, dr. warford said, "'s aiiight"  (you know, like the phrase "it's alright" but in gangsta speak).  um, yeah, 60ish-year-old white computer nerd saying that is funny!  and at one point he was referring back and forth between the computer projected image at the front of the room and the overhead projector image on the side of the room and couldn't find what he was looking for and all of a sudden was turning in circles back and forth like a dog chasing its tail or something!  he for sure was out of control today!  it was fun! :)

in modern art today, we did 70s, 80s, and 90s art.  none of it's on the final exam, so it was just everyone listening to the brilliant dr. zakian.  it was fantastic because dr. zakian hates this period of art because it's really empty and really cynical.  i love it when he just flat-out says that he doesn't like the art.  and at one point he said, "does anyone know what a hedge fund is?  i don't know, but he makes a ton of money," in regards to a new art collector he met while at this art festival.  he was making fun of the guy because this guy wants to invest $3 million in a new art collection but he knows absolutely nothing about art so he's buying pretty shallow art because that's what he likes because that's all that he can understand.  it was funny! :)

after class, i went down to the writing center to verify that sarah and i were in fact going to dinner together.  she said that we were, but i left to go do other things while she tutored.  she was helping someone when i went in there, and i figured she'd be really busy for the next hour because i know the writing center has been crazy busy this week.  so i talked to megs on the phone, and i talked to kath on the phone.  it was excellent to catch up with them for a bit!  i miss them a lot, and it's hard to be so far away from them all the time.  i'm looking forward to seeing kath in about a week and meg never (or when she comes back from her trip to ireland at the end of the month).  sarah called not long after i left her, though, because her hour-long appointment failed to show up.  i went back down to the writing center and hung out with her until her shift was over, and then we left.

we are terrible about deciding where to eat.  we never ever know where we want to go.  we agreed on coogies, so that's where we dined.  it was pretty good! :)  definitely better than whatever i would have made for myself here.  ;)  and then we went to ralph's because sarah needed a few things.  i was along for the ride because i didn't want to go home to the homework that was awaiting me.

eventually, however, i had to come home and get to work.  so i came home and watched "the apprentice."  and then i did a couple hours of comp sci coding.  there's more to be done tomorrow, but i made a serious dent in it.  about half.  and i've been taking care of things like returning emails and stuff.  tomorrow, more work awaits, but it will be the last day of classes.  how much can i complain?  and there should be some fun things involved in my evening. :)

i spent longer than normal staring at the stars tonight.  it was so clear, and the sky was completely filled with stars.  it was incredible.  and what about the stars makes them seem so magical that even at 21 i am still making wishes on them?  beautiful.

wednesday 8 december 2004 11:37pm

"i start dreaming driving home
about having you alone
i know that you'll be there for me
but in my favorite fantasy
you won't be
across the street, across the room, a step away
well that's just too far for me
to feel you breathe each time you lay
your head on my shoulder
say that we will never be apart
'cause if you're not in my arms
it's way too far to where you are" -- sons of the desert "too far to where you are"

season's greetings, readers! :)  only seventeen more days until christmas!  yikes!  i for sure haven't gotten on the christmas shopping.  i'll get there, though, i'm sure.  i mean, i do love to shop! ;)

i started out the day a little earlier than planned.  it seems that mrs. nickerson was teaching an 8:45am piano lesson this morning.  normally, the lessons don't bother me, even though they take place directly above my bedroom, but i was sleeping!  i suppose it's alright, though, since the alarm was set to go off at 9 anyway.  so i just got up.

i had to get moving this morning.  i was meant to be at mass at our lady of malibu at 10:30.  the feast of the immaculate conception.  it's not like my favorite holy day of obligation or anything.  but it did mean there was a mass at an appropriate hour.  i wanted to attend.  so i made my way down there and found a nice seat.  i sort of thought that this might happen, and it did.  that was the mass that all the kids at the school were to attend, so there were lots of kids there.  actually, not that many.  i would have though the students could have filled the whole church, since it's not very big, but they didn't.  it brought back all the memories of st. charles and going to mass.  they had each 8th-grader matched up with a kid from a younger grade, probably 1st grade.  in case you've never done this before, they put the kids in the pews so that there's an 8th-grader between each 1st-grader to keep everyone a little more quiet and controlled during mass.  mass was really good.  i hadn't been to mass in ages.  i'm definitely glad i went.  oh, and the ending song was "hail holy queen," which not only reminds me of the "sister act" movies, but also of mass at notre dame because sometimes they'd do that song.  people liked that.  i can still hear megs singing the little backup parts!  so fun! :)

after mass, i stopped off at the gas station and filled all my tires to a more appropriate level of pressure.  yes!  i win!  (finally!)

i had the whole afternoon in the apartment to do whatever i pleased.  not a bad deal for a wednesday, really! :)  i actually got a lot done, though it probably won't sound that exciting to you.  oh, well. ;)  i did a ton of laundry.  i actually had nothing clean left at all.  it had been forever.  but now, everything's clean!  we're so excited!  i put in my other headlamp, so now i have two functioning ones!  excellent!!!  i do deserve the mechanic of the month award, don't  you think? ;)  it's crazy how much that one light makes a difference when i'm driving.  i could totally tell tonight!  and i finished my london scrapbooks.  hooray!  :)  nevermind that by "finish" i mean that all the pictures and ticket stubs and other interesting little things are fastened into it.  i still have all the captions to write in, though i don't plan on writing something next to every single picture, but rather just what i think will be interesting.  you're so excited to see them (there are two volumes)!  it'll be just like watching your uncle's old home movies of his week at the lake.  or something like that... ;)

after a productive afternoon, i headed off to school to take my first final of the semester.  pe.  now, honestly, i only needed like 50 of the 150 possible points to keep my a in the class, but i studied a bit anyway and i am sure that i got at least 33%.  fantastic!  two classes are now over.  3 more left.  and the exam took only 35 minutes or so and then i headed down to the fieldhouse for the basketball game versus unlv.

oh, i do love basketball season.  i mean, not as much as volleyball season, but it is so fun!  this was my first game of the season, and it was a good one.  i found a pretty good seat and watched warm-ups.  by the time the game started, i was sitting with like 3 groups of guys, the largest of which was the baseball team.  i know you won't believe me when i say this, but every time i attend a sporting event in the fieldhouse by myself and just choose a random place to sit i somehow end up surrounded by either the baseball team or the water polo team.  it's like magic.  i don't know.  it's weird.  it's not as psycho as sitting with the riptide people who paint their entire heads, but they know about sports and they cheer and i still had to stand up the entire game.  it was great!  and we won!  so fun! :)  i'll for sure catch more games this season!

and i've spent the rest of my evening just hanging out, watching tv and such.  nothing too crazy.  i have a ton of class tomorrow and lots of homework to do, but i just wasn't feeling it. :)  so i didn't do it.  you know, "sex and the city" and "friends" reruns are just more fun than comp sci.  so i'm just here, just relaxing.  oh, and a few stars peeked out between the clouds tonight.  i watched them from inside my car parked in the driveway while listening to the radio.  so perfect! ;)

wednesday 8 december 2004 12:31am

"i thought i felt you touch my cheek this morning
but i must've been dreaming
and in the middle of the night without a warning
i thought i heard you breathing
me and my so-called independence
i've got this loneliness that's so relentless
i guess you get used to somebody
kind of like having them around
i guess you get used to the way they make you happy
bring you up when you're feeling down" -- tim mcgraw "i guess you get used to somebody"

remind me again why i set alarm clocks for days when they're not absolutely necessary.  oh, man, it hurt when it went off this morning.  i mean, i can't complain that much because it was 9 and i did get like 7 hours of sleep.  but anyway, i switched it off, fussed with the computer for a minute, and then hopped in the shower.  but 10, i was already on the road.

i had to go to kragen.  again.  for the other headlamp.  it's such a long trip up there for just one little light bulb, but i want to make sure my car's in shape before i drive it 400 miles home, alone, most likely late at night.  i'm going to need both headlights!  so i got my bulb, waited in line, and was ignored by a man who apparently thought i wasn't actually buying something and just walked right in front of me.  luckily, the cashier knew that i was next.  it was weird.

and i figured that since i was already up in woodland hills, i might as well pick up a jamba juice for breakfast and head on over to target.  there were a couple things we desperately needed for the apartment and i had an extra minute and i was already there.  and as i drove home, of course, it started to rain.

it has pretty much been raining ever since.  yes, that means that i never changed my headlamp and i never went to the gas station.  maybe tomorrow.  is this like winter or something?  what's the deal with the rain?

i made it back home in time to relax for a few minutes before heading off to school.  school.  i am ready for classes to be over for the semester.  just give me my finals now, and i'll be done.  but of course, that's not really how it works around here.  1 final tomorrow, 2 more days of classes after that, a 3-day weekend, 3 more finals, and 6.5 hours of driving and then i can be on break.  anyway, comp sci was just class.  art was interesting!  we got into 1960s art (minimalism and color field painting) and started on 1970s art.  it's interesting.  i never thought i would like it.  i mean, i don't like anywhere close to all of it, but there is some of it that i enjoy.  i'm not yet sure what about it makes it enjoyable to me, but recognizing that i like it is a good first step, right?  so that was fun!  i'm sad that thursday will be my last lecture ever from dr. zakian, my brilliant art professor.  it's been an awesome couple of semesters, though!

after class, i headed to the grocery store for some milk and then came home.  yep, still raining.  there was a decent basketball game on tv.  ok st. v. syracuse in the jimmy v classic.  i love the jimmy v classic because the match-ups are really good, but it's also a telethon.  they're constantly asking you to phone in your donations for the jimmy v foundation for cancer research.  it's a little weird, but i can't complain too much.  it is a good story, even if i had to listen to dick vitale say "don't give up, don't ever give up" a zillion times, quoting jimmy v himself.  i also spent a good portion of this game on the phone with adam while he did his chem homework.  mom eventually told him he had to get off the phone.  fine.  i see how it is. ;)

tonight was actually a really good tv night.  first, there was the season finale of my favorite, "laguna beach!"  yes, i know it's not actually good television, but i love it!  and the big announcement was that they're making a second season!  yay!  i'm so excited! :)  and then, my favorite celebrity boyfriend matt damon was on "leno," and he was absolutely adorable (as usual)!  i even had sarah and liz convinced that he's so awesome!  i cannot wait for friday!  12 is the new 11.

tomorrow's the feast of the immaculate conception.  if you already knew that it's the day celebrating the conception of mary, not the conception of christ, then you should come to mass with me.  actually, i don't think anyone who reads this is close enough or has enough desire to come to mass with me.  mostly, i think i'll go not just because it's a holy day of obligation (i miss all the holy days of obligation because i'm a horrible catholic) but because i haven't been in a while and it sounds like a good way to spend an hour of my morning.  i mean, all i have tomorrow is my pe final at 6 and probably the men's basketball game afterwards.  i can make it to our lady of malibu by 10:30.  now that i think about it, i haven't been to mass since easter.  wow.  i'm really bad! ;)  anyway, i have to get some rest... 

monday 6 december 2004 11:59pm

"if you could hear me now
singing somewhere through the lonely nights
dreaming of the arms that held me tight
if you could only hear me now" -- dixie chicks "loving arms"

today was rad!  really, do i need to say more than that?  probably not.  but you know i am going to say much more than that anyway, because that's what i do, in case you haven't yet caught on.  here it goes...

i was awoken before 9am by a man's voice outside my window.  normally, this is not really a good thing.  today, however, it was alright because it was the plumber, who came to fix all our septic tank woes.  yes, he was tapping on the window saying something to the effect of, "we need to run it through this window here."  yeah, that didn't sound like good news.  i desperately tried to fall back asleep in hopes that i would not have to be disturbed and no one would run anything through my bedroom window.  well, i didn't fall back asleep, but no one came to bother me and no one put anything through my window!  thank heavens! :)  and the plumbing is now working again, so we're good to go.  he left a giant wrench here.  what will i ever do what that?  not sure...

after i was sure that the plumber was gone, i made my way out of bed and used the bathroom.  (is this an overshare?)  the plumbing hadn't been working since yesterday morning, so you know...

i put on a sweatshirt and sandals and went outside.  it only took me a few seconds to properly put in my new headlamp.  yes, i still have one that is burnt out, but i'm hoping to fix that soon.  hopefully, tomorrow.  but yes, i can officially say that i can replace my own headlamps.  because i'm just that awesome!

i had cap'n crunch for breakfast, got myself clean and dressed, and worked on some homework.  ugh.  i'm so over doing homework.  this last week of it is seriously a struggle.  it's all comp sci, and it's all less than interesting.  i'm suffering through it.  i'd rather be studying it than trying to code it and debug it.  i've lost interest.

i eventually had to head off to class.  for those of you who keep up with my schedule, i never went to advertising class this morning because we didn't have it.  in place of class, we had a class field trip to the e! studios.  the problem with this is that i have other classes during my mondays.  i have 4 classes on mondays.  i can't just not go to those and instead to go e! for a day with debbie.  i just can't afford it academically.  so i didn't go.  it's the only class session i've missed all semester, out of all my classes.  anyway, so i went to comp sci.  i was lost a good portion of the time, as is often the case.  (i do a lot of studying to just keep up.  it's hard stuff.)  dr. warford's daily digression was about how the europeans massacred the native americans as they expanded across the frontier.  how random is that?!?  i know.  so random.  it was pretty funny to see everyone just be all confused when he went from talking about comp sci to the slaughter of the native peoples.  the looks on our faces were a pretty good cue for him that he had completely side-tracked himself and that it was time to get back to the lesson plan.  so great!  i love it!

after class, i went to the gas station.  but i didn't need gas.  i needed air.  this morning, after i had replaced my headlamp, i took the tire pressure of my tires because i had suspected that one was particularly low.  well, it was so low!  i am embarrassed to even tell you how low it was!  so i went to the gas station, fancy new digital tire pressure gauge in hand, and filled my tires to the same level as the other ones.  i have since been informed that they're all a bit low still, though, so i'll be back there tomorrow putting a bit more air into all the tires.  but seriously, people, how handy am i?!?  i told you today was rad!  i can fix cars!  (nevermind that by "fix" i mean "perform simple tasks that all good car owners should know how to do.")

after a few minutes at home, it was time to head back to school for pe.  today was the big day that i'd been fearing since i first learned about pe 199.  the 40-minute run.  i had to run non-stop for 40 minutes.  i have a strong aversion toward running, which doesn't make things easier.  but i've been working hard all semester, and i figured that i should try it.  so i did.  and guess what!  i did it!  i ran so far!  this was huge!

and i spent much of my evening on the phone.  i received the announcement that katie is graduating (it only took 10 years! ;) ), so i rang her.  she's doing well, and she'll be in california after christmas!  i'm so excited for her!  and her graduation ceremony is this weekend!  i also talked to kath because i had to tell someone about all the cool things i did today.  since this summer, i've done countless numbers of new things and scary things.  i love that. :)  and i talked to the family, of course!  they're well.

and after a good day and knowing that liz did it, i decided to take a bath!  oh, that was such a good decision! :)  and now i'm just relaxing, ready for bed and lots more things tomorrow!  hopefully, it will be as excellent as today was!

sunday 5 december 2004 11:19pm

"like sand on my feet, the smell of sweet perfume, you stick to me forever" -- the calling "could it be any harder"

the best thing about a day where it rains really, really hard is that after the rain has gone the night sky is so brilliantly clear and there are so many stars.  it rained all day, but it was worth it to come home tonight, stand in the dark after getting out of my car, and just looking up, jaw open, at all the stars.  i may have even wished upon one. ;)

so i got up this morning and it was raining.  a lot.  but somehow, it's sort of peaceful to be in my warm apartment on a sunday morning with the rain coming down.  i ended up spending the morning working on my scrapbook some more.  it's fun for me to go back to those amazing memories, and the scrapbook is nearly completed now (minus the captions).  i am making serious progress in hopes of being able to have them complete when i head home for christmas break in a couple weeks.  it might happen.

i spent my afternoon and evening in camarillo.  camarillo is a dangerous place for me! :)  that's where the outlets are.  sarah was on her way home from san luis obispo, so i met her there and we did a little shopping.  she had a magical coupon for an additional 30% off everything at banana republic and the outlet, so of course we had to go to the outlet for a little shopping! :)  it was excellent!  i found a few cute things to add to my wardrobe!  excellent! :)  we also went to a couple other stores, but they just seemed less exciting without the magical coupon.  and we had dinner at applebees.  there's an applebees at every outlet mall, isn't there?  and then i drove home behind sarah.  luckily, she noticed that i now had both my headlights burnt out, so we stopped in a parking lot and i had to attempt to change my headlight.  i made it work enough that i could drive home with a headlight.  i think it'll need a minor adjustment tomorrow, when it's light out and i can see better what i'm doing.

and i spent the evening just talking with merv on the phone and relaxing.  there is more work to get done, but i will take care of that tomorrow.  not today.  i just needed some time for me.  now, it's time for bed.  tomorrow, i'll be one day closer to the people i miss.

sunday 5 december 2004 1:20am

"i can't take my eyes off of you" -- damien rice "the blower's daughter"

i awoke to a full day of basketball on tv!  excellent!  only one problem here, though.  that makes it particularly difficult for me to get myself out of bed.  especially without any particular plans for the day.  :)  so i just lied around in bed watching tv, half watching, half still sleeping.  oh, man, it was so fantastic!

i eventually got up and got clean and made myself meal #1 for the day.  nothing too exciting.  i rang katherine because when i woke up this morning i remembered my dream.  and in my dream, she really made me very upset.  geez, it's still very vivid in my mind.  so i figured that since i hadn't talked to her in awhile and since i had this crazy dream about her that i should talk to her!  so we talked on the phone forever, like we usually do, and it was fantastic! :)  almost like we're not always 400 miles apart.

i eventually headed off on some errands.  first stop: gas station.  the gas light was on, so it must have been time!  oops!  i don't normally let it run quite that low!  then i went to the beauty supply place for some hair product.  even the lady working at the beauty supply shop is snotty and has a massive ring on her finger.  this is for sure malibu!  cracks me up every time!

then i headed through the canyon in search of an auto parts store.  yeah, you read that right.  i, kirsten, was going to an auto parts store.  unfortunately, they're not in the greatest section of canoga park, but whatever.  so i went to auto zone and they had like no headlamps.  like 2.  that wasn't going to work.  but kragen was next door, so i went there and found a new headlamp for my car and also a tire pressure gauge.  a fancy one.  they wouldn't sell me one like i wanted, the old skool one where the gauge just pops out the bottom.  now i have a digital one.  whatever, it will work.  the biggest part of my task lies ahead of me, however, because i still haven't had time to replace the headlamp or check the tire pressure because it was dark when i got home.

anyway, after a couple more little errands, i went to the movie theatre and bought myself a ticket to see "closer."  i had about an hour and a half to kill, though, so i just wandered around the mall.  oh, man, can i just tell you that that was super dangerous?!?  danger!  ;)  i found all sorts of things i wanted in williams-sonoma.  but i escaped successfully!

the movie.  it's hard for me to say that i "enjoyed" it because it was very emotionally heavy and draining for me so it wasn't really fun.  but it was very good.  it definitely remained true to its roots as a stage play, but i liked that fact.  the people in the theatre were less than good company.  there were too many kids in there, first of all.  this movie is definitely rated very r.  there were 3 kids sitting right behind me who could not have been older than 12.  i do not approve.  plus, this is not a kid movie.  they just won't enjoy it.  and honestly, this movie is not for everyone.  it's character-driven and dialogue-driven, so some would consider it slow if they don't appreciate that sort of thing.  which is fine.  but if you want action, you shouldn't be in the theatre laughing during the heaviest parts of the film.  it's just rude.  eventually, i could ignore them, but it definitely detracted from my movie-going experience.  but i'll just conclude by saying that it's a good film, and if you're considering going to see it for more reasons than just the cast, you'll probably like it.  if you want a standard movie, though, this isn't it.

and i came home tonight, baked some brownies, and did some serious work on the london scrapbook.  my trips to rome, scotland, and belgium were all done tonight!  now i just have spain, venice, and a few little house events left!  i've been seriously slacking on this, considering my goal of finishing by christmas.  but i did a lot tonight.  and now i'm tired, so until next time...

saturday 4 december 2004 12:55am

"every day just seems so long
every minute that i'm here without you
will tomorrow ever come
will i ever get a chance to feel you
i need you so much
you're out of reach
you're out of reach but you're so close
i hear you call i feel you fall
but you're out of reach" -- bbmak "out of reach"

oh, fridays are good days! :)  again, i found myself sleeping in to my heart's content!  i love it!  of course, that really means like 10 because i cannot sleep forever, but still.  that's much better than 8.  especially when i was up pretty late last night!  and let's see... what did i do this morning?  oh yeah!  nothing!  nope, didn't do the comp sci homework that i really should have done!  hehe! ;)  somehow, i managed to spend a few hours just lounging around.  i mean, fridays are low-key days, right?  who really accomplishes anything on fridays, anyway?

eventually, i decided that i really did need to get cleaned up and have meal #1 before i could head off to class.  so i got cleaned up, and katie rang me.  i do enjoy chatting with her, but somehow i always end up on the phone with her for really, really long periods of time!  like hours!  i have actually now learned that i need to multi-task when i'm on the phone with her.  i can get a lot done this way.  so i talked to katie for quite some time, and that was a lot of fun, and i also made myself left-over pizza from last night and ate it. :)  actually, it was really delicious, so that was super!

then i headed off to school.  and, thanks to my parking angel, i found a magical parking spot!  oh, i was so excited!  and that meant i didn't have to factor in the 5 minutes it takes me to walk up the mountain, so i got to sit in the car for a couple extra minutes and continue listening to my nickel creek cd.  i haven't listened to nickel creek in a long time, but i do love them!  they're so great.  they're pretty much the only bluegrass i really listen to, but they're just so amazing.  if you ever need something to listen to, check them out!

anyway, i eventually had to leave the wonderful bubble that is my volvo and go to class.  this was when i realized that i was having a clumsy day.  i was walking down to class between the hawc and the back of smothers and there's a speed bump in the road there.  (you know where this is going, don't you?)  well, the speed bump is painted (yellow) and i was wearing the traction-free flip-flops.  i stepped directly on the speed bump, which i'm sure i've done a zillion times before, and my foot just completely slipped out from under me and i totally ate it!  i fell all the way to the ground!  it was actually pretty hilarious!  i'm sad no one i know was there to see it.  it totally took me by surprise, and i'm fine, so it was just funny.  so i decided that in fact i needed to get back up and keep walking to class.  and of course i was now laughing because i thought the whole thing was very funny.  so i still looked crazy because i was just walking and laughing. :)  hahahaha!  you know you wish you were there!  and when i got to my classroom, dr. warford and nic were waiting outside for the previous class to wrap up, so i told them what had just happened and we all laughed some more.  oh, i really am special! ;)

comp sci was alright.  nothing particularly interesting.  dr. warford was totally out of it today and we ended up actually having to explain things to him instead of the other way around.  i forgive him, though.  sometimes, fridays are just like that.  the brain turns off a day early. :)  also, i managed to stab myself with my mechanical pencil, another sigh of my clumsiness today. ;)  oops!

after class, i rang sarah to see what was going on with our plans to go to banana republic this weekend.  we worked out that sunday was the best time, so that's where you'll find me sunday! :)  and then i was just sitting in my car parked in the magical space talking on the phone with her.  and since it was like 4:30ish, the sun was setting over the ocean and it was absolutely gorgeous!  so i talked to sarah for awhile and watched the sunset, because watching the sun set on pepperdine campus is one of the best things in the entire world! ;)  i love it! <3  eventually, however, i had to head home.

i spent the afternoon/early evening just working on comp sci stuff and picking out a proper outfit, including shoes.  liz and i were heading to a holiday party at james's apartment, so i had to pick out my "holiday best" and then go through the whole beautification process.  and then liz put up the following away message and we were off: "at a real live christmas party with kirsten. and we look pretty hot. merry christmas indeed."  and the away message was true! :)

liz and i went to james's holiday party! :)  oh, it's been awhile since i've been to a proper party, so i was ready for another one.  and liz and i looked great!  we got all dressed up and even put on heels purely for the sake of fashion.  after having a little adventure actually finding a place to park in that weird apartment complex and then actually locating james's apartment, we arrived.  :)  and we had a really fun time!  we knew a bunch of people there, including dj and his girlfriend, some of james's friends, the ebn guy who busted me for not being at tonight's fashion show, some other londoners, and some people from classes and such.  basically, though, liz and i spent the night talking to this kid chris, who we both met for the first time tonight.  liz had her big crazy personality going tonight, so it was entertaining!  it was mostly just silly and fun and cool.  and of course, there were a host of other people who came in and out of our little circle of conversation.  and while i did not make use of the fake mistletoe, i had a really good time hanging out with fun people! :)

and now i'm back in my pajamas, chillin' with conan o'brien and nemo. ;)  bedtime!

thursday 2 december 2004 11:15pm

"baby set me free from this misery
i can't take it no more
since you went away nothing's been the same
don't know what i'm living for
here i am so alone
and there's nothing in this world i can do
until you're back here baby
miss you want you need you so
until you're back here baby yeah
there's a feeling inside i want you to know
you are the one and i can't let you go" -- bbmak "back here"

it hurt when that alarm went off this morning!  i was getting used to alarm-free mornings.  just spoiled, i guess! ;)  but i managed to get out of bed, straight into the shower, and ready to go by 9:15.  i even dried my hair!  haven't done that in ages.  i had to be dressed and ready for a presentation this morning.

speaking of getting dressed, i just had a lot of trouble doing it right today!  first, this morning i put on proper high heels with what i was wearing.  i had to look nice for advertising.  but i got to school and had to park way up the hill and walk down which was not at all fun in those shoes.  and neither was walking back up it.  and i put on a coat because it was cold when i left but it was too warm for it when class was finally over.  and then this afternoon, when i went to comp sci, i left the jacket at home, but when i got out of that class i was freezing.  i finally got it right with outfit #3 of the day, jeans, a sweater, the coat, and flip-flops for dinner with sarah.  it took enough tries! :)

anyway, so i went to advertising, all 122 pages in hand.  let's just say the group members were surprised.  then i get all embarrassed when they cannot believe how much work i did and i tell them that it wasn't really that much even though i know perfectly well that it was a ton of work.  i always do that with these group things.  it's graded individually, though, and debbie knows how much i did, so hopefully it will be a success.  we had presentations of our projects today in class.  each of the five groups was given 10 minutes.  that's 50 minutes.  well, 130 minutes, 20 minutes over the allotted 110 minutes, and 10 minutes into debbie's next class later, we finished the presentations.  some people are apparently incapable of stopping talking.  wow.  that was boring.  and i was a bit surprised that the casual, informal, grade-free presentations turned into 30-minute-long power point presentations.  ours was about 15 minutes, no powerpoint, no prepared notecards.  it was exactly what debbie specified last class.  anyway, they eventually ended and the project is now officially over!!!  we're so excited!  that's the end of this advertising class! :)

i got to come home for about an hour, grab a bite to eat, and head back to school for comp sci.  can i just say that comp sci is getting a bit out of control, but in a fun way?  see, we all spend 8 hours a week in class together and can all relate to one another's crazy workloads, so we've become a close class.  and dr. warford's cool. so there's lot of chatting and talking amongst the class that goes on.  we really can get ourselves side-tracked.  today, though, it was dr. warford distracting dr. warford, and it was so hilarious!  he has these phrases that he always uses, and one of them is "are you ready, sportsfans?"  he used it today and then immediately got distracted and said "how about them waves?" and went on and on about basketball! :)  how fantastic is that?!?  a few minutes later, he remembered that he's supposed to be teaching and then went back to the lecture.  i loved it!  someone also said "yeah, but..." today and i immediately thought of someone i know who always says "yeahbut, yeahbut, yeahbut" when someone starts out what they're saying with "yeah, but..." ;)  haha!  made me laugh to myself!

after class, i turned in my frank lloyd paper, and by "turned in" i mean "slipped under dr. zakian's door because he's out of town."  done! :)  i win again! ;)  projects done.  now, there's just the little problem of lots of comp sci coding and 4 big finals.

since we didn't have art tonight, i headed back home.  i watched a bit of tv, looked around at the mess that was my room, and fell asleep for a bit.  the room was a mess, by the way, because that's what happens when i get too absorbed in my work that i lose track of time and don't get around to straightening anything.

eventually, sarah got off work and rang, and we decided to meet at our favorite, spumoni's! :)  we hadn't been in awhile, and by "awhile" i mean "a couple weeks."  the place was busy, but we had a lovely dinner!  and i have at least 2 meals worth of leftovers, which is absolutely exciting!  no cooking for me!  no free tiramisu, tonight, though.  :(  i didn't see the manager guy who usually gives it to us, though.  maybe he wasn't there tonight.  oh, well!  still delicious!

and tonight i watched my favorite celebrity boyfriend matt damon and co. on "primetime live" all talking about "oceans 12," which comes out a week from tomorrow!  i'm so excited!!!  it's going to be great!  and matt was, of course, so fantastic! :)  and then i cleaned my room.  it's much, much, much better now!  i can even see the floor and all the shoes are in the closet!  what more can you ask for, really? ;)  so i'm going to relax a bit more tonight before it's back to work tomorrow...

and oh yeah, the sky was filled with stars again tonight.  amazing. :)

wednesday 1 december 2004 11:21pm

"you say it's cold back there in denver
a foot of new snow on the ground
you're all bundled up in blankets
i'd give anything to be there with you now
i'd cover you in kisses
hold you in my arms
that's all that i can think of
every minute we're apart
darlin', i've been livin'
for the moment that we touch
so i can cover you in kisses
and wrap you in my love" -- john michael montgomery "cover you in kisses"

today was rad!  that's what i have to say! :)  i didn't know it was going to turn out well, but it really did!

i, once again, had the pleasure of sleeping in.  no alarm clock necessary, and this is fantastic!  so i ended up sleeping as long as i wanted simply because i could.  and we know i need the beauty sleep! ;)  but i eventually decided that it was time to get up, so i threw on the sweats and dragged myself out of bed.  but just barely.  i made it all the way to my desk, only a few feet from my bed but far less comfortable and cozy.

i spent my entire morning and into the afternoon just working away at the computer.  there was the frank lloyd wright paper to finish up -- no, i never got to it last night -- and that took about an hour.  this whole footnotes business kills me!  plus photos of the homes.  all of a sudden, my 10-page paper became 15.  it was supposed to be 6.  great.  yesterday, dr. zakian informed us that instead of thursday being the due date, he was extending it until tuesday.  that's an extra 5 days!  but i did not want to spend 5 more days working on the paper, so i finished it and it will be turned in tomorrow, on the original due date.  then it will be officially over, and i won't have to look at it ever again! :)  yay!  i mean, i like it, but it seems like i've been working on it for ages!  so anyway, if you decide that you need to know about frank lloyd wright and the origins of the prairie school, you can read my paper or ask me about it and you will learn loads.  very interesting.

i also spent several hours today working on the advertising project that just won't die.  i know i've mentioned this before, but it used to be 40 pages.  well, i finished it today.  it's 122 pages.  i am just that cool!  can you believe that i added that many pages to this group project?!?  yeah, most of it is graphs and title pages, but that's still a lot of work.  i'm glad this is going to be graded individually and that monday morning when debbie asked me who was doing which parts i told her specifically what i did.  oh, such is the life of the girl who attempts to be an over-achiever (even if she truly isn't one).  and if you're now wondering why wednesday was just so cool if it was so work-filled, well it started out cool because i loved the feeling of having these two projects finished.  i can cross them off my list of things to accomplish in my datebook.  done!  i totally win!

just as the last couple pages were printing, katie rang, and i got to catch up a bit with my friend! :)  she's doing fine down in san antonio, and she had a nice thanksgiving.  she even got to cook, unlike myself.  perhaps someone will let me cook some day.  or maybe for christmas i can make something.  we shall see.

i brought my copies of the monster advertising project to kinkos to be bound.  there's really no other good way to deal with that many pieces of paper.  the stapler -- which, by the way, i've had since the third grade -- just wasn't going to cut it! ;)  apparently, binding 3 documents takes 6 hours, though.  you know, 2 hours per document because it's a very complicated process to punch holes in paper and then stick the plastic thing on.  so i dropped off my stuff for a later pick up.

pe.  tonight was the big 30-minute swim.  and just in case you were wondering, no, it's really not that hard to swim non-stop for 30 minutes.  but that was the big challenge of the night.  truthfully, i think the big challenge of the night was getting back into firestone fieldhouse after swimming.  see, normally we meet in the fieldhouse, have the class portion, and then go outside for the activity.  since today was special, though, she wanted us to meet at the pool and swim first so that we wouldn't run out of time to actually do the whole 30 minutes.  so we swam, and that was fun.  then we tried to get back into the fieldhouse, but since the basketball game was going on, we were refused, even though if we just wanted to go to the game he would have let us in.  so in the end, we just whipped out our student ids and he had to let us in.  it was very silly, and for some reason the guy was very grumpy.  not sure what that's about.  and then i sat in the classroom still very wet from swimming.  this whole plan didn't work out so well, but whatever. :)  just one more run and the final left!  i do have water in my right ear now, too.

today was another basketball day! :)  how much did i love to see illinois beat wake forest?  so much! :)  it was excellent!  and pepperdine is now 5-1, which is excellent!  they're looking pretty decent this year.  and there were other games, but they were slightly less exciting.  i do love all of it, though. :)  plus, i got to make fun of adam the demon deacons fan!  hahaha! ;)

i went back to kinkos, and it was an interesting trip.  well, first of all, i broke out the christmas cds!  we're so excited!  it's now advent, so i figure that that is fine.  also, as i was driving through the canyon, i could see the moon hanging over the mountains and it was like a harvest moon.  that's when it's orange, right?  it totally was, though that could have just been the dirt in the la air.  not sure.  and then, after i picked up my stuff, i realized how freezing cold it was up there in agoura hills.  very cold!  when i got in my car, it was 39 degrees out there!  yikes!  and then as i was driving home, it dipped down to 35!  i've never seen this before, but when my temperature gauge gets to 36 or below, it shows a little snowflake also.  i have never ever seen this before!  but i saw it tonight!  luckily, though, it's much warmer down here in malibu.  cold, but warmer than through the canyon.  55 or so.  and then i thought it was funny that i had never actually seen this snowflake before!  i mean, i've had the car for 4.5 years!  guess i really just don't do cold! ;)

and i've just sort of been around tonight.  i for sure haven't been doing work!  i deserve the night off after a really productive day, right?  yes, i think so! :)  oh, but i spent a couple minutes outside looking at the stars!  there are just so many of them out tonight.  so beautiful.

wednesday 1 december 2004 12:38am

"i'd take the stars right out of the sky for you
i'd end the world, give you the sun, the mood
for all of time, forever loving you
whatever you need
whatever it takes, i'll do anything
if i have to crawl
get down on my knees
whatever it takes, i'll do anything" -- the calling "anything"

you know what i didn't do last night?  set an alarm! :)  and that was the best thing ever!  i was up late last night getting work done and thinking hard and doing stuff.  so i slept in this morning until i woke up on my own!  i love it when i can do this.

eventually, i had to get up and get back to work.  somehow, my life has become work.  it's always this way at the end of the semester, but i never like it, no matter how much i might expect it.  i spent some time finally getting back to my art paper on frank lloyd wright.  i made all sorts of corrections on paper, and i spent some time this evening making them on the computer.  it's still too long.  that's how how it's going to be.  also, it still lacks proper footnotes, a bibliography, and images of the houses that i wrote about.  i am considering finishing it up tonight, but i'm not sure if that would be a good idea.  it'd be nice to have it totally finished, but is it a good idea for me to be doing anything that's tedious at 1am?  not sure.  but then again, i've only been awake for 15 hours.  i should be good for at least 3 more, right?  we'll see...

the advertising project is still coming along.  i worked on it quite a bit this morning, and even more tonight.  i actually printed out the whole thing and went through every single detail of it making corrections.  it's now covered in pink ink.  it's grown from about 50 pages to about 100 in the past few days, so it's getting unwieldy and i can't just keep printing new copies of it.  editing on the screen will make me blind, though.  so i went through everything and i made all the corrections and it's looking pretty good.  it needs to get properly printed and bound tomorrow, so 24 hours from now it will be totally 100% complete.  i feel like i've been working on it forever, so i cannot wait!  the highlight of the project, in my own humble opinion, is my portion about quiksilver and the surfer subculture and the general culture.  it's excellent! ;)

so it's crazy cold in malibu right now.  and by "crazy cold" i mean a high of 60 and a low of 40.  but this weather warrants jackets and proper shoes (not flip-flops).  i love how this is the top story on the local news here.  but it's true!  we don't do winter in los angeles!  so i'm getting a lot of use out of the jacket i bought and never thought i'd actually use. :)  way to go me!

i went to comp sci.  class starts at 2.  at 2, it was just me and dr. warford in class.  super.  eventually, people trickled in, but they're getting more and more tardy as the semester wears on.  this is not ok.  i can't be the only person in class!

modern art was itneresting, i guess.  we learned all about pop art -- andy warhol and roy lichtenstein (the guy who did cartoons only bigger) -- and 60s minimalism.  i'm fine with pop art.  i mean, i don't really like that it lacks the depth or emotion of abstract expressionism, but it's all about consumer culture, which i also find interesting.  minimalism, on the other hand, i just don't buy.  black paintings are nothing.  there's nothing there.  how is that art?  where's the art?  the brilliant dr. zakian even offers his attempts to explain, but i would be mad if i went to an exhibition and it was just painting after painting of black.  i much prefer rothko, who wanted people to weep when they saw his paintings, to the minimalists who took all emotion out of their art.  anyway, i'll move on now that you're bored with my art babble.  (my secret hope is that you'll read it and actually start to learn a little bit here and a little bit there.)

after class, i headed up to woodland hills for dinner at maggianos with sarah! :)  i hadn't been to that maggianos since my wonderful birthday with wonderful company! ;)  anyway, dinner was delicious!  plus, i hadn't seen sarah in forever, so it was a good time to catch up!  and somehow we also got dessert.  hehe!  i have the biggest piece of leftover chocolate cake in my refrigerator!  it was so good, but so big!  it will be excellent when i get around to finishing it off!

is it too early to be listening to the christmas cds?  i put on the new clay aiken one that mom bought for me tonight. :)  "o holy night" is my favorite christmas carol, and that's on the album, so i was happy!  and it's just cheery to be driving around town with the heater going strong in the car, the christmas music playing, and the smell of someone's fireplace drifting in.  it's like a proper winter!

and, as i mentioned before, i spent the evening working on the wright paper and the advertising project.  it wasn't particularly fun, but it needed to be done.  soon.  soon, i will be done with these projects.  :)

monday 29 november 2004 11:30pm

"i wanna be with you...
to be the one who's in your arms, who holds you tight
i wanna be with you
there's nothing more to say
there's nothing else i want more than to feel this way
i wanna be with you
oh, baby, i can't fight this feeling anymore
drives me crazy when i try to
so come my way, take my hand
can you make my wish, baby, you are in command
i wanna be with you
there's nothing more to say
there's nothing else i want more than to feel this way
i wanna be with you" -- mandy moore "i wanna be with you"

first of all, i know the lyrics are long tonight, but i just couldn't bring myself to chop out any more.  i wanted all those words to be there, to convey what i'm thinking, to send a little message. :-*

it was a full monday.  i got up entirely too early, considering i didn't actually make it to sleep last night until about 2am.  that 8am alarm was unwelcomed, but i managed to get out of bed, hop into the shower, and get myself ready for a busy monday.  i even found a minute to print what i had done of my advertising project -- about 50 pages.  (more on this project later)

i grabbed my jacket as i left the apartment, knowing that the winds had been howling all night long and anticipating being cold waiting for the shuttle on campus.  i almost didn't bring the jacket, but it turns out that bringing the jacket was one of the best decisions i have ever made.  it.  was.  so.  cold.  so.  cold.  i for sure needed that jacket, standing outside in the wind and cold.  yes, it was spectacularly sunny and clear enough to see catalina, but it was still not at all comfortable to be outside.  and my hair in the wind is definitely bad news!  ;)  hahaha!

anyway, the shuttle eventually came, and i got on.  i created yet another little awkward situation.  this kid who's in the class that i was going to sat down in the row behind me, so we were talking on the shuttle.  but when it came time to get off and walk inside, i totally just stopped talking to him.  here's why.  see, we still had like 20 minutes before class started, and i really didn't want to spend those 20 minutes with him.  we aren't like good friends or anything.  i wouldn't know what to say to him for 20 whole minutes.  haha!  so i just sort of walked away.  it's always awkward, but i always end up doing that to people after i run into them on the shuttle on their way to the same class as me.  does this make me a bad person?  i'm not sure.  anyhow, we already know i'm socially handicapped. ;)  it was those 4 years in all-girls high school.

so i get to advertising and of course, debbie just gives us time to work on our projects.  super.  it's nearly done and none of the remaining work could be done in class.  and i was the only one from my group present in class.  so debbie came over and talked to me about the project and how it's going and who's doing what work.  she eventually gets around to telling me that i'm free to leave when another group member walks in.  so we just talked for a few minutes about the presentation we have to give on thursday (very casual) and then we took off.  20 minutes instead of 110 is always a good thing!  plus, that left me with more time to actually work on the project at home.  that's exactly what i did with my extra time at home.  :)  i'm so good.  at least, i'm good for about 2 hours.  after that, i gave up, ate some lunch, and did a little daydreaming. ;)  that daydreaming may have turned into actual dreaming.  i'm not sure. :)

** time out for the headlines segment on "leno," my favorite segment!  so great! **

comp sci was interesting today.  well, i actually understood it, which is always a good thing.  plus, in 450 we talked about the actual hardware, which we never, ever do.  i'm so lost when it comes to those things, mostly because i've just never learned it, so it was interesting. :)  yeah, we know i'm a nerd.  so what? ;)

after comp sci, it was straight back home so i could do tonight's comp sci homework and the pe homework that was due in like 2 hours.  pe was a breeze.  self-evaluation of my work this semester.  i've worked.  that's more than most people can say! :)  and i did comp sci, de-bugged it, and then couldn't get it to actually run.  after several emails back and forth with dr. warford, it turns out i was trying to run the wrong program on accident.  oops!  just one little pesky "2" and all of a sudden nothing works.  it works now, though! :)  i feel kind of bad for bothering dr. warford with such a silly little problem, but he likes me so i'm sure he'll get over it.

i eventually changed into the warmest workout clothes i could think of and headed back to school for pe.  we just did teacher evaluations for the class portion, and then we all headed up to the track.  oh.  my.  goodness.  it was so windy and so cold up there!  it was like being back in london in winter, only i wasn't appropriately dressed and the company wasn't as cool.  so after much complaining from the freshmen, robin gave in and gave us a little workout assignment to do at another time instead of making us run in the freezing cold and crazy winds.  woot woot!  ;)  haha!  so i went to ralphs for some necessities (milk, pasta sauce) and headed back home.

oh, home! :)  the great thing about home is that i'm able to procrastinate so well there!  i got home around 7:30, and i managed to avoid doing any actual work until 10.  i'm so good at this game!  and major thanks to all the people who let me bother them instead of work! :)  mostly the family and the people who put on monday night football!  and yes, i did eventually get back to work.  the advertising project is now close to 100 pages long.  i am so cool!  it's not done yet, but it's much closer!

now, it is time for bed.  i can watch a little tv, get some rest, and sleep in a bit tomorrow, before getting myself back into gear to wrap up advertising and finish the art paper.  but it's been an enjoyable, productive monday.  until tuesday...

monday 29 november 2004 12:50am

"you make me shine just like the sun
you're the only one
you bring this heart of mine undone
you're the only one" -- keith urban "you're the only one"

and breathe.  it was a lazy morning around the house, but eventually it was time to head to the airport so i could get back to malibu, back to work, and back to classes.  the airport was busy, as expected, but i survived the lines and everything and made it to my gate with nearly 2 hours to spare.  great.  and even better, my flight got delayed another 1.5 hours because apparently the plane had to make an unscheduled stop at ontario, ca, for fuel.  i'm not sure, but shouldn't they know that they have enough fuel before they ever take off???  yeah.  but anyway, it left me with a lot of time in a very crowded airport.  at least i got to watch the sun set over the mountains from where i was sitting.  not too bad. :)

the flight was full.  i survived, but wasn't feeling that great by the time i got off the plane.  of course, i ended up in the seat with a broken light, so i was writing in the dark.  at least i got a piece of the armrest this time around, though.

when i finally made it back on the ground, i was happy.  it was a small trek from the airport to my car, but i made it, even with my giant, over-stuffed duffle bag.  and then i was on my way back to malibu, at precisely the time i had anticipated arriving home.  oh, well.  not much you can do about a late plane.  since there wasn't too much traffic and i was just cruising along, i rang meg for a chat.  it was great! :)

i made it home just in time to watch "desperate housewives" before starting in on the advertising work that needed to get done.  three hours after i started that, it's still not done but is much closer.  the rest will have to wait.  i'm off to bed now.

sorry this entry hasn't been the most uplifting ever.  flying is not my favorite thing.  more like just one of life's necessities.  thanksgiving break actually was fantastic, though i spent all day thinking about the people i love that weren't with me.  you know who you are.

sunday 28 november 2004 12:39am

"we'll follow the rainbow
wherever the four winds blow
and there'll be a new day
comin' your way
i'm gonna be here for you from now on
this you know somehow
you've been stretched to the limits but it's alright now
and i'm gonna make you a promise
if there's life after this
i'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss
and i'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
and i'll earn your trust making memories of us" -- keith urban "making memories of us"

today was fantastic! :)  it was a great way to round out the thanksgiving break.  i slept in.  as long as i could.  i'm not sure when i'll get to do that again, at least while all the craziness of school continues in the upcoming days, so i took full advantage of the opportunity.  plus, the house was empty, which means i could just keep sleeping in the peace and quiet. :)

just as i was waking up, megs sent me a text message saying her and simon were already out and about, so i rang her.  we decided to hang out for a bit, so i got all cleaned up and headed out to meet them at the mall.  meg wanted new jeans from express (don't tell her i told you she shops there) and they were giving away free cashmere scares with any purchase.  it was an opportunity should just couldn't resist, so we went and did that.  then, we decided it was a good time to get some lunch, so after exploring a multitude of options, we ended up going to mimi's cafe.  i had french toast, which i hadn't had since an early morning in august at denny's. ;)  a nice hot breakfast hit the spot, and then we all went to the bookstore and wandered around for a bit.  i finally bought myself a nashville guidebook! :)  dad and i are going in june, so we can prepare by reading it!  i'm so excited about this trip!  then, i headed home and meg and si did, too.

annahita picked me up and we went for mani/pedicures!  :)  in my crazy little world, there are few things better than a good french manicure, and that's exactly what i got.  oh, and this was my first pedicure ever!  it was quite enjoyable! :)  a girl could get used to this... ;)  haha!  i felt just like the girls of "laguna beach," hanging out in salons together.  that's bad! :)  and i hadn't seen annahita since summer, so that was good fun!  and we weren't exactly prepared to get pedicures, which meant that we walked back to her car barefoot!  oops!  it was totally worth it, though!

this evening, meg, si, kath, and i went to see "finding neverland," which was so excellent i cannot even describe!  amazing!  you must see it!  i may have cried more than i expected to, but sometimes that just happens. :)  hehe!  and johnny depp was so fantastic!  and throw in the scottish accent, and you really cannot go wrong.  i loved every second of this movie!  plus, i conned megs into driving down to mercado to see the movie, which is exciting because it's my favorite place to go!  so what if it's entirely too far away?  i mean, really, i drive farther to go to the calabasas theatre from my apartment in malibu.  and that's the closest theatre.

after a busy day of hanging out with all sorts of friends, i hung out with adam and we watched "snl."  we won't get to watch tv together again for a few weeks, so we took advantage of the opportunity to do one of our favorite things to do together. :)  so what if it usually ends up in both of us asleep on the bed and then me eventually pushing him out so he'll go back to his own bed? ;)  over all, it was a great day spent with great people!  can i ask for more, really?

saturday 27 november 2004 12:48am

"no rush, though i need your touch
i won't rush your heart
until you feel on solid ground
until your strength is found
i'll fill those canyons in your soul
like a river, lead you home...
just ask, it will be done
and i will prove my love
until you're sure that i'm the one" -- gary allan "the one"

wow.  it was a good friday, if i do say so myself. :)

i got up, went straight for the shower, and was soon off on a little adventure! :)  shopping on the day after thanksgiving is always an adventure, and pretty much every year i give it a little shot.  mostly, i just like the fact that there are so many people out and around.  i know, that's insane.  i didn't drag anyone with me, though, so none of you get to complain.  first stop: jamba juice, for a little shopping energy, not to mention the best breakfast possible. :)  then it was off to the mall.  well, actually, old navy, which is across the street from the mall.  it wasn't too bad.  i picked up my very first christmas gift of the year.  it's not for any of you because the recipient never reads this.  and don't worry, i didn't find anything for myself... ::looks around innocently::  so far, so good.  next stop: lenscrafters to have my glasses restrung.  they magically broke a couple weeks ago and it has taken me forever to get them fixed.  now they work again! :)  excellent!  then it was off to my final shopping stop: stanford shopping center.  this was an unplanned stop.  lenscrafters is only like a block away, so i figured that if i was already there, i might as well check it out. :)  haha!  i can talk myself into so many ridiculous things!  we are so glad that i made this decision, though!  i made a very important discovery!  a kate spade store has opened there!  i totally went in and looked around. :) love it!  i also browsed through the gap and j.crew, but didn't find anything i absolutely needed to buy.  and then it was back home.  i do love the hustle and bustle of shopping on this day!  it was just so much fun, but i can't really explain why! :)

after a quick lunch, dad and i headed down to mountain view to pick up adam from basketball practice.  it was conveniently in the middle of the day (12-2).  super.  then we all headed up to the city to go to the auto show, like we do every thanksgiving! :)  this is for sure my favorite thanksgiving tradition!  on the way there, we got the prettiest view of the city on the 6th street off-ramp.  it gets me every time! :)  after fighting a bit of downtown traffic, we ended up parked in a little alley.  better than fighting for a spot in the 5th and mission garage.  today was not only a crazy shopping day downtown, but also the lighting of the christmas tree in union square, the annual protest against neiman marcus for selling fur, and the monthly critical mass protest (more about this later).  so let's just say, it was a busy day downtown.  so after parking, we walked to moscone center and took in the auto show.  i <3 the auto show!  basically, every car maker has their space set up with cars that we can just open, sit in, and look at.  it's just like trying on clothes.  you can pretend it's yours for a few minutes, even if you could never afford to actually buy it.  there are also a lot of concept cars and new cars to look at.  we went through the entire thing.  i'm not sure how to explain how big this is.  it's enormous!  plus, it got even bigger this year, so they moved all the exotic vehicles upstairs to street level.  and i found lots and lots of cars that i would love to own.  and i love that so many new cars have this new thing that's an automatic transmission that you can shift into manual.  very cool.  i'd like to give this a try!  and after about 4 hours of walking all around and getting in and out of as many cars as possible, we finished.  and i was tired!  but it was so much fun! :)  and on our way back to our car, i had my first in-person experience of critical mass.  in case you're not a native san franciscan, critical mass is the group of bicyclists who protest for more bicycle rights every month.  they come out in force and ride all around the city.  they even had one bike towing a little trailer with some huge speakers blaring music.  and if i think it's loud, then you know it's quite loud.  but i was sort of excited to be able to see this group first-hand, finally!  even if they do provide quite an inconvenience once a month.

and pretty much, i've just been relaxing since we got home.  i took a couple hours and put up all the pictures from thanksgiving and from the auto show.  the auto show ones still need some labeling help (especially any cars that aren't brand new), but i'll get that from dad when he's awake. :)  but you can look through everything now.  enjoy!  and i'm tired now, so that's enough out of me.  until next time...

thursday 25 november 2004 11:01am

"you should know i love everything
about you, don't you know
that' i'm thankful
for the blessings
and the lessons that i've learned with you
by my side
that i'm thankful, so thankful, for the love
that you keep bringing in my life, in my life
thankful, so thankful" -- kelly clarkson "thankful"

happy thanksgiving, all! :)  it was a good one in the big s.c.

i was up bright and early, which was fine after a freezing cold night on the crappy air mattress.  but anyway, i was showered and dressed as quickly as possible because i had places to be!  important places!  so at like 10:15, i was off to starbucks.  my parents have stopped actually keeping any food in the house, so of course there was nothing for breakfast, and no one was cooking thanksgiving morning. so anyway, i went to starbucks, which was surprisingly busy, picked up my favorite white mocha, and headed off to grandpa's house in the city.  somehow, i was the one selected to retrieve grandma and grandpa, even though i don't actually have a car and therefore had to take the lexus.  oh, well.  the drive up 280 is pretty and nice, especially when i can just set the cruise control basically from on-ramp to exit. :)  and i had the radio going.  between the music and the coffee, all was well! ;)

i made it to grandpa's exactly on time, 11:00.  i win!  they were almost ready when i got there, so i loaded them up into the car, and we were off!  of course, i had turned down the radio before starting the car.  grandpa immediately asked me to turn it up!  so i turned it up a little, and he told me that this was expensive car and to stop being so cheap with the radio!  haha!  i love it!  he wanted it pretty loud, and assured me that i wasn't actually bothering grandma because (and this is true) she can't hear.  by the time i got it to the volume he wanted it was pretty loud, definitely around where i might listen to it.  how great is that?!? :)

we made it back to the house, where people had already arrived for our thanksgiving lunch.  the whole family gathered and we had a good meal.  and miracle of miracles, auntie joyce and company were here before the prayer, like 12:35.  we're normally surprised when they can make it before 2, so this was huge!  haha!  and we all had a nice time, i think.  after eating way too much, grandma broke out the rolls of dimes and a couple decks of cards and we spent some serious time playing blackjack.  so much fun!  plus, i got pretty hot there for a bit, totally winning like $3 in dimes on one hand!  other people were hanging out in front of the tv or outside in the sunshine.  it was an all-around good time!  plus, after everyone was gone, adam and i passed out on the loveseat for a bit!  we deserved naps, right? :)

i fried up some of the left-over mashed potatoes for a little dinner.  mmm... that's totally my favorite part about thanksgiving!  and i curled up on the bed, turned off all the lights, and put on my tape of last night's tim mcgraw special!  how fantastic was that?!?  :)  totally excellent!  plus, i really love that duet with nelly, "over and over," so it was great to see them perform it together!  and now i'm just hanging out.  not sure how much shopping will be done tomorrow morning...

thursday 25 november 2004 12:00am

"i should be sleeping, 'stead of keeping
these late hours i've been keeping
i've been pacing and retracing
every step of every move
and even though i'm feeling so right
i'm so happy, still i know
i should be sleeping, 'stead of dreaming about you" -- emerson drive "i should be sleeping"

i'll start off by saying that i now remember what i was going to write last night! :)  haha!  i was going to share with all of you that i got the top score in the class on my last comp sci exam, which is particularly exciting because the class has been very hard.  and it was top score by 5 points.  i win! :)  or i'm a big old nerd.  either way!  rawk!

anyway, i'll fill you in on today.  mom woke me up entirely too early.  she made an appointment for me with the dentist.  great.  and for the first time ever, it was with the adult dentist, not beloved children's dentist dr. smyrack.  can you believe it?  a real dentist.  i was less than excited about being there at 9:45am.  but it turned out just fine!  the dental assistant was all excited about the fact that my teeth weren't completely wrecked.  i guess she sees a lot of really dirty, old teeth.  and dr. kloss was pretty cool.  he's very chatty.  he wanted to talk to me about "the apprentice" while he had his hands in my mouth.  that never works, but it was entertaining nonetheless. :)  plus, these people actually know who all my family members are.  they know who my parents are and even my aunt.  i was impressed!

after a quick trip to costco to have some pictures printed (not new photos, fyi), i was back at home.  watched some basketball.  my cardinal lost again (making them 2-2), but it was a good game.  and there was more basketball.  i love all these little pre-season tournaments that they're putting on tv, especially since there's no hockey to be shown.

eventually, it was time to go get my hair cut.  i was totally looking forward to it, and it for sure needed to happen.  so i had aileen cut off like 2 inches, which isn't really that much but it always ends up being more than i expect.  and now i feel like all my hair is gone, even though i know that's really absurd because i still have very long hair.  but it's so short!  it does look a lot healthier, though.  that's always the best part about getting my hair cut.  so yeah, now my hair is short, and by "short" i mean "slightly shorter than it was this morning."

last week i promised merv that i'd take him to best buy if he helped me get those advertising surveys filled out (i needed 20 teenagers to fill them out), so we went this afternoon.  somehow, i ended up not only buying him his snoop dogg cd, but also finding one for myself.  shocking, i know. ;)  it was fun to just hang out there with him, though, and browse through all the cds, dvds, and video games.  good stuff they sell there!

i spent part of the afternoon getting some more ad surveys counted and the rest of it watching sports and helping out mom.  nothing too crazy. 

megs, si, kath, and i had dinner together at... you guessed it!  macaroni grill. :)  mmm... so tasty!  it was fun to see my old friends again!  it's been forever!  the restaurant was crazy busy, but we had a really good time.  and i had penne arrabiata, which we know i've tasted in restaurants all over the world.  it's always good at macaroni grill, though.  just enough of a kick! :)  and then, like we do, we wandered around.  this time it was at tower.  there's just so much stuff in that store.  we looked around for like an hour, just looking at stuff and hanging out.  it was exactly like what we do together, and it was nice. :)

i've spent the rest of the night just hanging out with the family, not doing too much.  i have to be up early tomorrow morning so i can get myself ready and still be at grandpa's by 11.  somehow, the only person with a driver's license but without a car got volunteered to pick up the grandparents.  now sure how that happened, but i really don't mind at all. :)  i'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.  happy thanksgiving, all!  what are you thankful for?

wednesday 24 november 2004 1:17am

"and she said 'take me away and take me farther, surround me now, and hold, hold, hold me" -- big & rich "holy water"

just one more thing that i wanted to write about.  i remembered it while i was brushing my teeth.  now i have no idea what it was.  suck.

wednesday 24 november 2004 12:13am

"and somewhere in an honest laugh
it'll finally hit me that i'm
home, back home
where the memories all have gathered up
and slowly turned to gold
and i carry them along with me wherever i may go
and i feel fine, so fine
in know that this road i'm wandering on
from time to time
it always leads me home" -- tim mcgraw "home"

first of all, i just want to say that snoop dogg on "leno" is like the best thing ever! :)  if it weren't for the excessive drug use, i'd totally want to be friends with him and hang out all the time!

wow!  i'm now approximately 400 miles from where i was the last time i wrote, though i'm comfy in my bed.  so i made it back to san carlos.  :)  for the first time ever, i don't have class on the wednesday before thanksgiving, so i was able to come home tuesday night.  this leaves me with 5 nights here in the big s.c.  normally, i do have to stick around school, but not this year!  yay!  it seemed like the journey home was a bit long today, but i made it!

yet again, i was up with the sun!  ugh.  i really just wanted to sleep in, but i knew that there was a lot to be done before i could leave, so i was all responsible and got up.  at least i got to see bon jovi on "the today show!"  that's a good way to start the day if i have to be up that early. :)

i spent a good portion of the morning compiling more advertising statistics.  i'm still not done, which means that i brought those stupid surveys home and just might have to work on them some more.  we shall see.  i also spent some time packing.  i tried not to forget anything, and there are always a lot of things to remember when i'm home for 5 days that will include family gatherings, hanging out with friends, the annual trip to the auto show, and some crazy christmas shopping.  so far, i haven't thought of anything that i've forgotten.  of course, i did take a big duffle bag of stuff home.  and it was pretty full.  how am i supposed to stock up on stuff that i don't like to buy myself, like shaving cream, when i'm here?  how am i going to get this back to malibu?  i'll think of something. :)  haha!  i know, i'm crazy.  that's why you love me. :)

there was one other important chore that i just had to take care of this morning.  i needed to wash my car.  now, this is going to seem pretty silly when i tell you that i drove it to the airport and parked it on the roof of a parking garage, where it will sit for 6 days and collect all sorts of crap from the weather and the planes and stupid nature.  but if you knew how dirty my car was, you'd understand.  it hadn't been washed in quite some time, and it was filthy.  i didn't want to leave it out in the sun with all that dirt and bird droppings on it because that would just make things worse.  plus, the front wheels were so covered in brake dust they were andy-style black.  it was bad news.  so i got out there in my yoga pants that i slept in last night (don't worry.  i never actually did yoga in them because we didn't do yoga last night.  i slept in them because they're the most comfortable pants ever.) and my sweatshirt and washed as fast as i could.  it was so cold out there!  plus, i was getting wet.  and so were my tennis shoes (not high heels, a la summer at toyota).  but the car got much, much cleaner, so i felt better about leaving it at the airport. :)

eventually, i headed off to class.  i left a few minutes early because there was something special i needed to do before class.  i went to see the chihuly exhibition, finally!  (and by "finally" i mean "the second day it was open")  it opened on sunday, but i was not one of the 600 that went to that, and the museum isn't open on mondays.  so i snuck into the weisman today for about 15 minutes and took in chihuly.  oh goodness! :)  it was so fantastic!  i loved it!  my favorite piece was the reeds on the eucalyptus logs.  so amazing!  of course, i'm sure i'll be back in there several times between now and when the exhibition closes in march. :)  i mean, is there a better way to kill a few extra minutes on campus?  i think not.

eventually, i went to comp sci and comp sci.  the class was half-empty.  it was decent.  and then modern art.  that was class was more than half empty.  you know what my philosophy is?  if you're going to miss tuesday, take monday off and make it an 11-day holiday.  but whatever.  you know i never miss class, so i was there.  anyway, modern art.  today's lecture was cool.  abstract expressionism.  of course, i was a little bit disappointed that dr. zakian covered rothko in the last 15 minutes of class.  that's not enough time for rothko!  he was the best artist in the lecture!  oh, well.  i guess i'll have to do my own learning outside class if i like rothko that much.  oh, and we did pollock today, as well.  i grew to love pollock after seeing some pieces in person.  i think they're much more interesting that way because you can really get the lyrical quality and also better understand that each drip of paint is carefully and meaningfully placed.  but you guys don't care, so i'll stop there unless you decide to request more of me. :)

after class, i headed out lax.  or more precisely, the parking spot, where i left my car on the roof because that's cheapest.  yes, that means having to walk down 2 flights of stairs in order to get to an elevator.  but over 6 days, the amount of money i'm saving the parents is significant.  they appreciate my effort. :)  and then i was whisked away to the airport by the shuttle.  ah, the airport.  the lines were not at all bad, but security was particularly tight.  i had to remove my sweatshirt!  not only my jacket but my sweatshirt.  and my shoes, even though no one else did.  and they thought i had scissors in my purse, but couldn't find them upon further inspection.  turns out they were confusing my keys with scissors.  i'm not sure how this happens, particularly because every single person that goes through security has keys, but whatever.   so i took a really long time through security and was holding up the line, but what could i do?  after getting through there, i headed to the california pizza kitchen place to pick up dinner.  i sat at the gate and ate it.  it was delicious, but somehow it was not as cool as eating it in a proper restaurant with good company. :|  oh, well.  it was pretty good for airport food.  and i spent my time on my mobile phone as soon as i was done eating, which made the time waiting for my flight, which was delayed, a bit easier.  the flight was a bit bumpy and very full, which means i had to sit next to a guy who thought he owned the armrest and definitely had a cold.  great.  but i made it home in one piece.

now, i'll be busy for the next 5 days, just like i've been busy the last several days, but it will be far more fun because it won't be busy with school stuff but fun stuff.  if only i could foresee a day to sleep in...  i'm sleepy!

tuesday 23 november 2004 12:55am

"you wink, i laugh 'cause we know
a little hug leads to a foot rub
then a hot tub
then a french kiss on a bear rug
do you like it?  do you like it?
how 'bout this?  wanna try it?
oh, oh, oh, i'll take that as a 'yes'" -- phil vassar "i'll take that as a yes"

monday was good. :)  as much as it hurt to get out of bed at 8am, it was still a good day.

why is it so outrageously cold in malibu?!?  cold!  bah!  it feels like winter, but we all know that malibu doesn't do winter.  i mean, i even needed long pants, real shoes, and a sweatshirt!  haha!  i'm such a californian, and i make no apologies for it. :)  and for some reason, i'm headed home tomorrow (well, technically today now), where it will be even colder.  remind me again why i'm doing this... ;)

so i went to advertising this morning, like i do on monday mornings.  last week, debbie informed us that she'd be lecturing on media planning and asked us to prepare for that, which i did.  and when i got to class, she informed us that she was giving us the 2 hours to work on our group projects, which translates to "i don't feel like teaching today so i'm going to let you work on your own."  well, our group project is mostly done, except for the data i'm still counting.  but that's not really a work-in-a-group-during-class sort of thing, so we got to tell debbie about our project and then leave.  so i was back at the apartment more than an hour earlier than expected!  excellent! :)  that left me with some time to do a little comp sci and grab some lunch, before heading back to school for comp sci.  comp sci was alright.  just class.  and then back home, where i spent my time studying for tonight's pe exam.  you know, last minute review of the function of the heart and how to cope with stress and the difference between a heart attack and a stroke.  it's always fun stuff in that class! ;)  and then back to school to take the exam, which only took a half hour, and then go home early again because apparently robin was not going to try to do yoga today.  whatever.  i can't complain too much when i get to go home early from class.

today was rad because espn2 was finally getting into full swing with their ncaa basketball coverage!  yay!  we're so excited!  i caught like 4 games today! :)  so much fun!  of course, every team i wanted to win actually ended up losing, but i guess that's how it goes sometimes.  it was still fun to see the season kicking off and to see several of the top teams in action.  my cardinal looked a bit sloppy tonight, but i'm hoping they'll shape up a bit as the season comes along.  it'll be a rebuilding year no matter what, though.  and volleyball season is kicking off right at the start of the new year, so there's that to look forward to, as well! :)  and can i just say that i want to be in maui right now so badly!!!  they kept advertising it during the games at the maui invitational, and i'm sold!  send me there now! :)

i also spent a good portion of my evening on the phone with the family.  yes, i'll see them all tomorrow, but that's not really the point. :)  dad and i discussed the penalties stern gave to the pacers and whether or not they're appropriate and whether or not detroit got rewarded in the end.  i think that the punishments are definitely fair, and i would have been all for something stronger.  and i don't think that this was a security issue.  and i don't think that anyone in the league or otherwise will interpret this whole series of events as an invitation to start fights in their hometown arenas in order to completely screw the opposing team.  if you want to discuss further, you know i'm up for it! :)  also, as a sidenote, i loved rick reilly's column entitled "the silent treatment" in the "sports illustrated" issue that is the ncaa preview.  just came out last week.  the article was great! :)  i put the article in the other section so you can read it.

after the games were all lost, i decided that it was time for the second half of "ragtime" on itunes and more advertising work.  i worked for a couple hours compiling data.  it's going to take a little longer than i had expected, but i'll get through it.  it's not hard at all, but it just is time consuming.  but i'm giving it up at this hour so that i don't make any mistakes when counting. :)  so the rest of the night is for me.  i'll probably just doddle around for a bit, watch some "who's the boss" on nick at nite, and eventually crash.  after all, i need to be up tomorrow to get more work done, pack, go to class, and fly home.  should be a busy day!

sunday 21 november 2004 11:18pm

"but sometimes love needs a fighting chance, so i'll wait my turn until it's our turn to dance" -- shedaisy "come home soon"

i'm lying in bed, the computer in my lap, typing away.  welcome to my sunday night.  not so bad really. :)  and i'm listening to the broadway music "ragtime," and perhaps singing along.  no, i don't sing along! ;)  well... at least not loud enough for liz to hear me from the other room.  haha!  i do love this musical!  this just might be the highlight of my sunday.

if you thought saturday was uninteresting, sunday is going to be worse for you.  i didn't mind it so much really, though.  i slept in again, though not quite as late as yesterday.  and that's always a good time because i am still sort of playing catch up.  eventually, though, i switched on the tv.  you know what's on on sundays?  football.  and lots of it!

i moved the computer out to the living room, put some football on the tv out there, threw in the first load of laundry, and started working away.  and 9 hours, 3 football games, and 5 loads of laundry later, i finally stopped with the work.  yes, i spent the entire day doing schoolwork.  yes, that's a whole lot of schoolwork.  but i did my comp sci homework for tomorrow, studied for tomorrow's pe exam, did the pe journals that i'd been slacking on, and put together as much as i could of my advertising project, which is turning into quite an extensive project.  so i got a lot done, and that's what needed to happen in order for me to fully enjoy my upcoming thanksgiving break.

i watched "extreme makeover home edition," where they saved the farm and randy travis performed.  and no tears!  :)  i win!  haha!  and then, of course, i also watched "desperate housewives," which was as fantastic as always.  and someone's getting killed off next week.  i have my guess as to who it is, but i won't share that in case any of you dedicated readers are also dedicated viewers!  :)

and i also talked to the family.  they're all well. :)

so, that pretty much brings me back to now, in bed and singing and typing.  :)  good night, all!

sunday 21 november 2004 12:58am

"it don't matter that your car is fly
and your rims are spinning on the side and
it don't matter where we go tonight
'cause if i'm with you i'll be alright
that's cool but i'm lookin' for more
it's your love that my heart beats for
'cause that's me
don't have to spend a dine
baby, i just want your time
you ain't got to buy nothing, it's not what i want
baby, it's you
we don't have to go nowhere, it's not what i want
baby, it's you
it's not for what you got, i know you got a lot
no matter what you do, you always gettin' hot
it's you, it's you
baby, all i want is you" -- jojo "baby it's you"

so i'm a big old nerd for putting jojo lyrics up, but it's catchy and pop-y and so much fun!  plus, not only do i like the words but i heard it on kiis today.  so there you go. :)

i guess some weekends turn out to be less exciting than others, and this weekend is one of those, which in theory is fine.  there is a whole lot of work to be finished before i head home on tuesday night, so having a couple of slow days to get that done is perfect.  in theory.  but in practice, i failed to get any actual schoolwork done today, besides about a paragraph about surfers.  super.  i guess that leaves me with lots to do tomorrow!  the advertising project, comp sci java to write, pe test to study for, an art paper to wrap up.  that's enough to keep me quite busy, in fact!

today was not so much about schoolwork, but that's not to say there was no work involved in my day.  after sleeping until noon (hey, i didn't say i only worked!), i got up and did a lot of nothing.  eventually, i decided that cleaning the apartment was an excellent way to spend my afternoon (and by that, i mean it was an excellent way of putting off the schoolwork).  so i cleaned.  a lot.  and trust me, the apartment really needed it!  things like that slip through the cracks when i'm super busy with school.  oh, and while i was cleaning, i watched my cardinal get crunched in the big game.  ouch.  it was to be expected, especially since cal's at #4 right now, but still.

in the evening, i got myself cleaned up and headed out in search of some way of entertaining myself that didn't involve me sitting in a room alone.  i mean, i shouldn't go an entire day without any contact with another person.  i went up to woodland hills and wandered around.  i ended up with a new skirt and some krispy kremes.  not bad, really.  eventually, i headed back here with high hopes of getting some work done.  after dinner, i tried.  i put on "drop dead gorgeous" and started writing about surfers, but i didn't get very far.

so now i'm lying in bed, typing away and listening to the windows rattle with the crazy winds.  i'm not exactly ready to crash yet since i've barely been awake for 13 hours.  and we know i should not be allowed to get into the habit of living on the 12/12 split (12 hours sleeping, 12 hours awake).  so here's to a productive sunday... good night, all.

saturday 20 november 2004 12:52am

"we can take a cue from noah
and build a really big boat
you could work on your tan while we sail to rio
don't matter where we're headed
don't matter what we do
got a sneaky suspicion
and i'm pretty sure it's true
hey baby, i would look good with you" -- josh gracin "i would look good with you"

:)  fridays start out properly when i'm still asleep at 10.  i love it!  haha!  so i slept in, but eventually had to drag myself out of bed and then 5 feet or so to my computer.  you know how i actually have to spend friday mornings, usually?  doing comp sci homework.  it's just one of those things that i have to do.  so i did.  and, miracle of miracles, my program works.  amazing!  and do you know what happens after i spend friday morning coding?  that's correct!  i got to comp sci class and more comp sci class.  actually, it's not so bad.  the semester's almost over, anyway.  a few more weeks of comp sci and i'll be completely done with it.

so after comp sci, i headed down to the caf.  no, not to eat.  i needed to have (entirely too long) surveys filled out by college students as part of my advertising project.  and there are always students in the caf, even on friday afternoons.  so i found some willing volunteers to fill out surveys.  actually, people were nicer than i thought they would be. :)  i didn't actually need very many, as my group divided the 120 or so surveys up, and only 40 of those are of college students.  so anyway, the surveys got filled out.  all except for 1.  and i needed a female.  so i headed outside where i could watch the sunset (one of my favorite things to do), and i rang kath.  and i surveyed her over the phone and also chatted for a bit.

eventually, i headed up to staples to procure the proper materials for assembling the advertising project.  binders, dividers, colored paper.  this thing is going to look perfect when we present it in less than two weeks. :)  also, as i was shopping, the cutest little blonde girl started talking to me.  she was so adorable!  probably 3.  she has a cat.  and you know i'm not like the first person who is talking to all the little children when i'm out shopping.  but she just walked up and started a conversation with me and i couldn't resist the girl!  haha!  fun stuff!

then i headed across the street to best buy, figuring that i'd probably get myself into trouble looking at dvds and cds.  and i discovered that all cds were $9.99 today and tomorrow.  and yet somehow, i got out of there without spending any money!  amazing.  i must not have been feeling that great or something, because we all know that it's nearly impossible for me to browse through cds and not buy anything.

then it was my weekly grocery shopping trip.  most exciting item purchased: the latest issue of "sports illustrated," which has the college hoops preview.  :)  yeah, baby!

i headed home for the rest of the evening.  it was going to be a quiet night home alone.  perfect for a bit of relaxation.  :)  i made myself some dinner, watched some tv, cleaned up my desk a bit, and sorted through some old magazines.  i also watched a lot of "sportscenter."  if you saw any sports news at all tonight you know that there was a huge brawl at the pistons-pacers game.  i couldn't tear myself away from the coverage.  i have mixed feelings.  i love the sensationalism of it all and fights in sports make for excellent entertainment, but it's also kind of sad for the nba because everyone comes away looking so slimy.  anyway, it was definitely interesting entertainment for the night.  troy and i also chatted online about it all.  at some late hour.  not sure why anyone besides me is online that late on a friday night, but whatever. :)  now, time for me to chill a bit and eventually fall asleep.

thursday 18 november 2004 11:42pm

"let the moon give up the night
all the stars leave heaven on high
the sun would burn out before i'd ever lose you
we can get over any wall
if we have to fly, run, climb, or crawl
love will always lead us back
where we belong" -- jamie o'neal "where we belong"

thursday seemed a bit long, but it's alright. :)

i was up with the sun again.  ok, maybe not quite as early as yesterday, but it sure felt like it when that alarm was going off!  i even tacked on an extra fifteen minutes because i really just was not ready to get out of comfy old bed and head out into the world.  the bed's just so much better than the comm building.  anyway, i eventually managed to drag myself out of my own piece of heaven and get ready for school.  i did, however, manage to catch my favorite celebrity chef jamie oliver on "the today show" baking apple pie!  now, we know that i already make the best apple pie known to man, so his recipe would be hard-pressed to be that, but it might.  we don't know.  (no worries, though, because we're going to find out.  i already printed jamie's recipe and want very badly to try it out!)  plus, he's like the most fun person to watch cook on tv because he's crazy and funny and energetic and british!  :)  so great!  eventually, i did head off to school.

advertising was... interesting.  we had a discussion about job prospects and what it'll be like trying to find a job and actually having a job and all sorts of questions that we all had but don't have a class to provide the answers.  anyway, it was informative.  and we learned about other things, too, more related to the class.  and the group project is coming along nicely.  a good chunk of it is done and we still have 2 weeks left!  i need to get down to business this weekend, but i think i can make that happen!  comp sci was boring.  i was counting down the minutes.  sometimes that's just how it goes, though.  that's fine.  and art was cancelled tonight because dr. zakian was meeting with chihuly himself!  that's exciting!  and tonight was the big blow-out bash in the museum!  very exciting!  sunday and i'll be able to see the whole exhibition!  i cannot wait! :)  (though i'll most likely end up having to wait until tuesday.)

i met with sarah in the writing center, as i do most thursdays, but this time i actually had an appointment!  she went through my frank lloyd wright paper.  now i just have all those pesky revisions to make! ;)  and then, of course, we went out to dinner.  tonight it was marmalade, where dinner was great, and the molten chocolate cake for dessert was even better than that! :)  so delicious!

i delayed coming home as long as possible, but eventually it had to happen.  so when i got here, i rang the family and managed to spend about an hour on the phone. :)  excellent!  the longer i can procrastinate the better.  and when i get other people involved, that's even better!  the only thing that out-does that is when the other people i suck into my own procrastination efforts also end up procrastinating with me!  haha!  so after an hour of talking about all sorts of nonsense (including the insane clown midget story), i finally got down to work.  comp sci and lots of it was due tonight.  i had no idea what i was doing, but after a whole lot of trial and error, i finally finished!  woohoo!  of course, there's more to be done for tomorrow that has yet to be finished, but why do today what i can put off until tomorrow? ;)  so now i'm going to finally get some sleep.  i've been awake for far too long.  somehow, naptime just never worked its way into today's schedule.  i'll make up for it tonight, though! :)

wednesday 17 november 2004 11:48pm

"where do i start
lying on a blanket underneath the stars
with your head on my chest
i always liked that best
i hate how time flies
i still think back sometimes
'bout your lips on my neck
i always liked that best
that time we took a ride
ended up down down by the river side
soft touch, wet kiss
i always liked that best
i like the way you used to hold me
i like the way you came to know me
you came to know me well" -- cyndi thomson "always liked that best"

oh, buddy!  registration day!  that means the alarm's going off far too early.  but today was a great day, and it got off to a great start when i realized that being up at 6:45 means being able to see the sunrise from my bedroom window.  the colors of an early-morning sky are enough to make me happy about being up that early, at least for just one day.  anyway, after 25 minutes of failing to get all the way into the excellent pepxpress registration system, i finally succeeded!  i win!  and i got my classes all in order for my final semester at pepperdine.  i'll be in class only 3 days a week (tuesdays and fridays off!), so it should definitely be a fun semester! :)  i'm so excited about this, and trust me, i deserve it after the ugly schedule i had last semester and the even worse one i'm taking right now.  so now i'm looking forward to next semester more than ever!

after finally getting registered, i got myself ready for convo.  i had ice cream for breakfast.  because i can.  that still left me with quite a bit of extra time, so i did some laundry.  sheets.  and while i was doing that, i ran into mrs. nickerson (the landlady) and her housekeeper that comes every now and then.  mrs. nickerson introduced me to her (i think her name was maria, but i could just be mistaken because that's the name of the woman my mom hires), and she asked me where i was from.  i informed her that i was from san francisco.  i don't think that's exactly the answer she was expecting.  it will never fail to amuse me that people think i'm from some latin american country.  nope.  i'm not.  according to my family, particularly my brother, i am in fact quite white.  haha!

eventually, i made my way to convo.  convo.  it was definitely a crowded day in the fieldhouse.  at least there are no lines for these convos, though.  so i sat down where i normally do.  suddenly, there were people trying to squeeze them and their friends in to the same row with me.  i had to beat people away from the seat i was saving for sarah with a stick!  it was pretty crazy!  i'm not sure what it was, but people were trying really hard to find seats.  it was odd.  the speaker was also odd.  i'm not exactly sure what he talked about, but i think he promised that he was going to tell us how to end world hunger and then went on to condemn other major world religions, as well as the catholic church.  ok.  and then it turned into one of those commercials asking you to pledge $217 a month because for less than pennies an hour you can feel 72 hungry children in some desolate african nation.  yeah.  convo was bad.  very bad.

after convo, it was back to the apartment to work on my frank lloyd wright paper.  i was most of the way through editing my first draft, when i started getting ready to to back to campus for a 4pm convo.  i was planning on leaving around 2:45, and right then sarah called to inform me that i didn't really have a chance in hell of getting in because of the convo craziness that is going on right now.  great.  so i just didn't bother, and for now am dealing with the fact that i'm 1 convo short of my a.  this left me with 2.5 extra hours to edit my wright paper.  it's finished now.  well, at least a draft of it, which will now be edited by dr. zakian and sarah.

then it was off to pe.  professor kite planned a little trivia game for the class so we could prep for monday's exam.  the thing was that it got a bit out of control because she offered up 5 extra credit points for the winning team.  it was so ridiculous.  it was funny, but ridiculous.  and it turned out that each of the 3 teams won a round, so everyone got 5 extra points.  then it was time for swimming.  we have our end of semester 30-minute swim coming up, so she challenged us to swim for the 25 remaining minutes of class.  all freestyle.  and i did it.  i owe my parents big time!  i can outswim nearly everyone in that class because so many of them do not actually know how it swim.  it becomes quite a challenge to swim for 30 minutes when you have horrendous technique.  so i did really well, and i looked even better next to the everyone else in that class.  it was funny to me because i'm not really a swimmer and i'm not really in shape.  haha!  and professor kite told me i did well tonight.  rawk!  oh, and because more than half the class bailed after the game portion, the people who stuck it out and swam bargained for 5 more extra points.  10 free points!  basically just for going to class.  sweet!  (what's mine say?  dude!  what's mine say?  sweet!)

this evening, i spent quite some time on the phone with katie just catching up and with adam trying to convince him to help me out with my advertising research surveys.  both were good fun!  i also cleaned my room, did some dishes, and started in on my big advertising project.  not bad for a wednesday night.  there's more work to be done tomorrow and in the coming days, but i'm getting through it.  and it's been good. :)

tuesday 16 november 2004 11:08pm

"if you're ready, i'm willing and able
help me lay my cards out on the table
you're mine and i'm yours for the taking
right now the rules we made are meant for breaking" -- bon jovi "lay your hands on me"

do you know what happens when you pop the tylenol nighttime before bed and you're sick and you don't set your alarm?  you sleep for 10 hours.  :)  and it was so great!  i totally slept longer than i had really expected to, so i didn't have quite as many hours as i had anticipate to get work done this morning.  there was nothing absolutely pressing.  at this point, it's a lot of projects.  so i spent the morning working on my frank lloyd wright paper (still not done) and i may have snuck a little nap in before class.  i'm sick.  i get to sleep all i want, right?  riiight...

so i headed off to school, knowing i would be there for several hours.  far too many hours, in my opinion.  first it was comp sci, where i managed, yet again, to impress dr. warford with my genius, or something like that.  at least i was in class paying attention.  that's more than can be said for most people in those classes.  and then it was the wonderful modern art.  :)  i do love that class.  today we did american art before wwii.  my favorite of the bunch, of course, was edward hopper.  yeah, he was pretty amazing.  off the top of my head, i can't think of an american painter i prefer to him.  i'm thinking of incorporating an art section into the website.  what do you think?  like add a painting or two every few days -- just whatever i think is particularly beautiful, interesting, or relevant.  we'll see.

after class, i went to the caf for some dinner.  i went with the pizza, but it was just depressing.  it's not actually good, and i didn't really want it, so i just nibbled on it before giving up.  i headed out the quad so i could make sure i went into elkins for convo before it was full.  well, much to my surprise, when i got out there at about 6:30, there was already a serious line to get in to 7:00 convo.  insane.  so i got in line, and waited there.  eventually, i got in, though most people in that line did not.  convo was interesting.  it was a guy who runs one of the big missions in skid row talking about homelessness and answering any questions we had about that topic.  it was mostly interesting because his views were what i might call very republican.  it was a different view than i expected.

eventually, i made my way home. :)  finally!  and since then, i've been at the computer typing away.  there was a lot of comp sci stuff to be done.  we have a major program due friday, and mine is nearly done.  getting all those bugs out can be frustrating and somehow i always wind up talking to myself during that process.  i'm sure i look like a crazy person when i'm doing it, talking out loud, scrolling like a maniac, typing as fast as i know how, and frustrating myself with all the typos and little mistakes here and there.  but i just have one procedure left to write, out of probably 10 or so.  not too bad for a night's work.  and the wrinkles in my advertising project are also getting worked out, and i'm going to look like the hero in the end, when i pull it all together.  i love this.  i want to be in charge of the final result.  should i really be trusting very many other com students?  we think not. ;)

tomorrow's going to be an early morning.  registration for next semester starts at 7am.  wish me luck!  hopefully, i'll get into all my classes the first time around and won't have to go weasel my way into them later.  :)  i'll let you know how it goes, of course.  so as tonight's does of tylenol nighttime starts to kick in, i'm going to bed.

monday 15 november 2004 11:55pm

"i've been gopherin', chaufferin', company chairman
coffee maker, copy repairman
anymore there ain't nothin' i swear man
that i don't do
i been jugglin', strugglin', closin' big deals
dancin' backwards in high heels
just when it feels like i can't make it through
she said it sure is nice to just be the woman with you" -- kenny chesney "the woman with you"

so it's pretty late on a monday night, i'm curled up in bed ready for some sleep, and it's been a long monday, if not altogether bad.

first of all, i must just say that the weather in malibu today was absolutely gorgeous!  so amazing.  it was so clear that i could see the various islands off the coast.  and it was quite warm, definitely t-shirt weather.  mid-november.  i do love it!

so i was up early today, as i am on all mondays, and was greeted with a nice little head cold.  i knew it was sort of inevitable, and now that i finally got a minute of rest, my body took advantage and i have the cold now.  better than the end of last week!  anyway, stay away.  i'm fighting it off, and i'm heavily medicated.  yeah, i was definitely feeling whatever stimulant was in my daytime cold medicine today!  going 100 miles per hour!  woo!  actually, it pretty much just freaks me out and i don't like it all that much, but i can't be dealing with the cold while in class so the medicine becomes necessary.

anyway, i headed off to debbie's class, where we went over the results of this major evaluation of our workplace personalities and workplace motivators.  it was very interesting and very accurate!  maybe i'll post some of my results later (not right now because i really do need to go to bed) because they made me laugh because they described me very well.  then it was back home, back to school for an uneventful comp sci session, back home, and back to school for pe.  we did yoga and pilates, both of which were way more fun than running ever will be.  good stuff.

i spent a good portion of my evening on the phone.  first with meg, just catching up and talking about nothing and whatever.  i don't know, but it made me feel a lot better.  and i talked to the family.  they're going to help me with my homework!  rawk!  do you know how long it's been since they've really been able to help me with my homework?  a long time.  but they're definitely helping me out with some stuff now, so that's awesome!

and i spent the rest of my night doing homework.  fun.  fun.  fun.  but i got some serious comp sci stuff done, and my wright paper is in better order.  longer, but in better order.  it's getting much closer to a complete draft.  maybe tomorrow...

so for now, i'm off.  the nighttime tylenol is kicking in!

sunday 14 november 2004 11:25pm

"but things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do
sunday morning rain is falling and i'm calling out to you
singing someday it'll bring me back to you
find a way to bring myself back home to you
and you may not know
that may be all i need
in darkness she is all i see
come and rest your bones with me
driving slow on sunday morning" -- maroon 5 "sunday morning"

oh, sunday, how i love thee!  sundays are good days to just sort of relax. :)  i love it!

after sleeping in a bit, i eventually rolled out of bed and directly into the shower.  i headed out to grab myself a jamba juice (with immunity boost, as i try to avoid any coughs and colds that may be spreading) and check out the deals at the nordstrom half-yearly sale.  yes, i knew going there was dangerous!  (sarah found herself the cutest things there on friday!)  i just didn't know quite how dangerous.  i was driving in the parking lot looking for a space (i'm not too picky, i'll park far away), following a bmw suv.  as i was just 20 feet or so behind a car that people were getting into, i put on my turn signal.  then the lady in the bmw, who was already well past the car that was leaving, saw and threw it into reverse.  the thing was, she could only go back far enough that she was directly behind the car trying to leave.  so that's where she stopped.  this wasn't going to work, and i couldn't just go around her because the lane was too narrow, so i honked at her.  and she didn't move.  so i honked again.  and maybe once or twice more, as it became obvious that she wasn't going to give up until i backed up so she could back up and get the spot that was not hers.  then, she got out of her car and walked up to mine and tried to yell at me through my closed window.  i couldn't hear anything, though, with the window up and the radio on.  then the security guard came over on his bicycle, so i rolled my window down, still sort of fearing she was going to hit me (a la josh and the biker).  he told her to get back in her car, and she told him that she was just going to "calmly ask me to be a polite girl."  yeah.  right.  he told her to get in her car, and as she walked away, he called her a couple four letter words to me as he sort of chuckled.  haha!  i'm sure he sees crazies like her all the time.  so she got in her car and didn't move.  problem definitely not solved.  so then the security guard had to tell her to leave, and she did and i got my rightful parking spot.  this was all so hilarious to me because (1) i don't fight with people.  ever.  (2) i am always the first person willing to park out in the boonies because "i can walk."  (3) someone was really willing to fight me for a parking spot outside nordstrom, so much so that she actually got out of her vehicle.  (4) i totally could have taken the lady in her pink velour sweatsuit!  hahaha!  so great!  my life really is weird.  just when i thought it was going to be a mellow, average sunday, it wasn't!

i didn't find too many things at nordstrom that i couldn't live without.  i did not allow myself to look at any of the regularly-priced merchandise, because that's how i always get myself into trouble!  i just found a couple little things and had a fun time looking at all the pretty things in the store. :)  i also couldn't resist going into the actual mall.  i went to the gap and found my favorite cut of jeans (my beloved long and leans) on sale for $20.  that's 2/3 off!  :)  so i got a new pair of jeans!  this is extremely exciting!  i'm sure they'll make their debut tomorrow!  and i also went in to papyrus just to see what kinds of christmas cards they had.  i was just looking.  but on my way out, the salesgirl informed me that everything in the store was 10% off today only for a charity promotion with the mall.  so of course, i brought the cards i had scoped out.  oops!  but they were on sale!  and it was for charity!  that makes it ok, right?  and just as a little added note, it freaks me out that there were christmas carolers in the mall today.

i spent the afternoon writing my paper on frank lloyd wright.  i need 1500 words.  i have 2300.  and i'm not at all done yet.  :)  yeah.

i also made little dishes of pasta that i put in the freezer and then i can bake them on evenings when i don't want to take the time to cook.  plus, they're way tasty! :)

liz and i spent the evening watching the american music awards.  they were pretty good, with all one billion of their performances, but they just couldn't live up to the country music awards of the other night, which were just exceptional!  and it was sunday night manicure night.  red. :)  now it's time for me to get some rest before a busy week!  happy sunday!

sunday 14 november 2004 2:02am

"true love can be whispered from heart to heart
when lovers are parted they say
but i must depend on a wish and a star...
sweet dreams be yours, dear
if dreams there be
sweet dreams to carry you close to me
i wish they may and i wish they might
now goodnight, my someone, goodnight" -- the music man "goodnight, my someone"

i may have slept in today. :)  and i may have enjoyed every second of it!  haha!  then i spent the morning and early afternoon just lounging around, watching "pimp my ride," reading magazines, nothing too exciting.  oh!  and i made my trip to the grocery store, which is good because i didn't really have any food left.  probably because i bought next to nothing last week.  oh, well.

this evening was fun!  liz, sarah, and i had dinner together at the cheesecake factory!  mmm... so tasty!  of course, we had the worst waiter ever and we ended up having to take the cheesecake to go because sarah and i had tickets to see "the music man" at pepperdine, and we didn't particularly want to be late.  anyway, dinner with the girls is always fun! :)  afterwards, sarah and i dashed down to pepperdine, we found a magical parking spot, and we hurried in just as the overture was starting!  yeah, just barely on time!  phew!  haha!  the show was good!  very cute! :)  plus, it's always fun when you have friends in the show, and wednesday was in it!  fabulous, of course!  and after the show, sarah and i went back to her apartment to enjoy our cheesecake and watch "snl."  the cheesecake was delicious, and half my piece is currently in my refrigerator waiting for when i have more room for it! :)  and liam neeson was hosting "snl," so that was fun!  eventually (like 1am), i headed home, and now i'm just writing this before crashing.  goodnight.

saturday 13 november 2004 1:33am

"hold me in your arms, just see how it feels
don't make me wait forever just because you know i will
don't leave me hanging, wishing, waiting, hoping that you'll call
darling, hold me in your arms and let me fall" -- brad paisley "hold me in your arms"

first off, i just want to add a few things to what i should have said the past couple days.  :)  nothing that you all can't live without, but a couple fun little facts that you might enjoy.  (1) i have switched internet browsers to firefox, now that that's out.  so far, so excellent!  yes, i'm a nerd. :)  don't forget, you like me that way!  (2) last night when i was having amazing chicken pesto pizza at spumonis, my pizza didn't fit on the table, so the waiter put it on the next table.  then, when he noticed that i was needing a new piece, he put another piece of pizza on my plate for me!  how great is this?!?

ok, back to today's (well, technically yesterday's) business. :)  there are some serious advantages to living in malibu, and to living in the general la area.  today, i feel like i fully took advantage of the place in which i currently reside.  i love that feeling!

first, let's just discuss the fact that it was 73 degrees in malibu today.  mid-november.  this is awesome!  and tonight, when i was driving home in the middle of the night, it was 60 degrees.  yes, the weather alone is enough to make me want to live here.  ok, so if you're not here then you're totally jealous of the weather, and that was pretty much my point. ;)

next, there's the fact that there are all these amazing places to discover.  i'm still constantly finding out about new places to hang out.  today, after spending the morning studying, watching way too much cnn (yes, i got sucked in by the peterson trial verdict), and conquering my comp sci exam, i headed out to la proper.  i was meant to be at the la county museum of art (lacma) at 6:30 for my modern art class.  well, i headed out early to cut out a small percentage of the friday traffic, and i was in la about an hour before i needed to be there.  i grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then went to lacma.  i'd never been there before.  i walked up to the main plaza, and i felt like the coolest person ever!  there was a jazz band playing in the open plaza, and they had rows of chairs, some small tables, and a full bar set up.  lots of people were just hanging out there, taking in some music on a friday night.  how awesome is that?!?  i for sure think that would make a great date place!  they have a jazz band every friday night, apparently.  plus, we got to see the phillips collection exhibition, which was pretty great!  they had a couple awesome degas pieces, and of course on of the most important reniors ever.  very nice! :)

and then... i headed down wilshire, through beverly hills.  :)  beverly hills at night is really pretty with all the lighted windows.  i wish i could have looked around more, but i was driving.  anyway, i was en route to the century city shopping center.  i met sarah there for a movie.  we saw "kinsey," which i thought was an excellent film!  it's like i feel like i saw an actually quality film.  of course, it's not the movie for everyone.  liam neeson was very good in it, though!  oh, and another la perk: mandy moore and some guy were also seeing the movie. :)  yay for celebrity sightings!  haha!

and i drove home on surface streets, no freeways.  i just took santa monica all the way to pch and then drove up pch.  in the middle of the night, it was a nice drive. :)  i do love this place.

friday 12 november 2004 12:07am

"you brought joy to my heart
i found love in your arms
see what you've done to me
you set my soul so free
you came and you gave me the love that i need
oh you, you're some kind of miracle" -- kelly clarkson "some kind of miracle"

i was up with the sun this morning.  or at least with my 8am alarm clock.  either way, it came way too soon, and i was totally out of it.  somehow, i managed to get myself ready for the day.  i was off to advertising, ready to start the day.  debbie brought in 4 people from grupo gomez, a hispanic agency that i believe specializes in media planning.  they were great, though they talked for the entire two hours.  my attention span can totally handle two hours, but not so much when i am only expecting one hour, like all the other speakers debbie brought into class.  anyway, it was very informative, and 4 more contacts in the business are 4 more contacts.  plus, three of them are pepperdine alumni, which is particularly helpful!

on my way down the mountain (from the ccb to the fieldhouse) i rang kath to see what was going on with her.  we have both been crazy busy and somehow haven't talked in entirely too long.  it was time to catch up!  i forgot she had the day off.  oops!  she was just getting up for the day when i called.  and we did talk.  for a while.  i managed to walk down the mountain, get in my car, drive to sav-on, purchase a ream of paper and vapor shot, drive to my apartment, and fix myself lunch all while on the phone with her!  i'm such the multi-tasker!  :) 

then it was straight back to school for more!  comp sci was just average.  nothing exciting there.  the more exciting stuff happened in modern art.  dale chihuly is a glass artist.  he did the big chandelier in the v&a.  they're holding an exhibition of his work in the museum on campus, and they're in the process of installing it right now.  today, chihuly's close personal assistant (or whatever her title is) came and presented a slide show about chihuly and about the glass-making process.  then, we all trekked over to the museum and got to see the installation in process!  you have no idea how cool this was!  i couldn't take the smile off my face no matter how hard i tried not to look like a dork!  :)  the exhibition is going to be awesome!  it's already awesome and they're not done putting it all together yet!  i'm so stoked!  it opens on the 21st, and i cannot wait!

i hung out with sarah in the writing center and also got a lot of studying done while she was helping a couple students with their papers.  then we went to spumoni's, where they now recognize us.  :)  haha!  and the waiter again brought us free dessert.  and no, they don't bring everyone free dessert because when sarah went with russell there was no free dessert to be had.  yeah, it's so great!  i <3 that place!  plus, i had pizza (finally something other than their amazing gnocchi), and it was so excellent!  mmm... :)

i've spent the rest of the night studying.  i have a big comp sci exam tomorrow, and i need to do well on it.  i'm feeling alright about it now, though.  and there will be more studying in the morning.  oh, but i took time to watch jamie oliver, my favorite chef(!), on leno, and it was so great!  i love it!  :)  he made a lasagna of sorts, and the whole segment was just hilarious!  if i was remotely hungry, i would have been starving after that!  anyway, must get some sleep...

wednesday 10 november 2004 10:50pm

"you can't lose me
bet your life
i am here and i will always be
just a wish away
wherever i go
no matter how far
my love is where you are
you won't be lost if you believe
you can't lose me" -- faith hill "you can't lose me"

it wasn't necessarily the most fun wednesday of my life, but i'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out. :)  there was much to accomplish, a long and daunting to-do list.  tonight, that list is significantly shorter.

i went to convo.  what's the deal with convo this semester?  is there like an intentional theme of accepting diversity?  because pretty much all the speakers this semester have had the same message:  there are people in this world whose skin color is not white and you need to accept them.  um, maybe it's just me and my skewed perspective from growing up in the bay area or california, but i don't think it's really the youngest generation that is having trouble dealing with race issues.  in fact, i sort of think of it as a non-issue.  i don't categorize people by race the way older generations do.  i didn't live through the civil rights movement.  i have grown up in a world with all colors of people.  in fact, we're not even sure what color i am.  do we still need 12 lectures a semester about accepting people of different races?  um, i think not.  also, today's speaker was telling a story and mentioned that she didn't even know that the security guards carried guns.  then she said, "it turned out that he just had a shotgun."  what?!?  the story continued with the security guard shooting and killing a boy, so it was really inappropriate for me to be laughing at the idea of a pepperdine security guard in 1969 carrying a concealed shotgun.  can you even do that, really?  i mean, just picture joe schmo at public safety magically pulling a huge shotgun out of his yellow jacket.  it's funny, right?!?  it was funny to me, even if josh has now condemned me to hell for laughing.

i spent the rest of my morning and my entire afternoon working on comp sci and pe homework.  i left the tv off. this was a brilliant idea!  it's amazing how much more i can get done just by streaming krty instead of having the tv on.  i mean, it's sad for the tv-lover in me, but the country-lover in me was satisfied.  plus, i love listening to my station!  and ernest won the secret sound contest and earned himself $19,500!  shoe tree.  amazing.  (no, i don't know ernest.  they replayed the clip of him winning a bunch of times, though, so i remember his name.)  i hadn't listened to the station in a while, so it particularly great to hear desiree and tim on air!  t.a. laughing really is the best thing to ever be on radio! :)  oh, and i got a lot of work done.  a lot.

i did take a small break in my work.  i had been craving cake for the past few days, but where do you get cake?  i don't know.  and i figured that i could make a cake myself to my exact specifications and it would satisfy my craving much better than just any old cake from some store or bakery ever could.  so i made myself a cake, and i had a piece.  does anyone want to come have some cake?  i'm pretty sure i'll never be able to eat that whole thing (nor should i!) because i don't actually like cake that much.  i mean, cookies are way better than cake!  so i'll probably eat cake for a couple days and be tired of it.  i just had a craving.  and oh yeah, i do love to bake.  this is, as katie explained, why it is dangerous to live with me.  i leave baked goods lying around.  even i shouldn't live with myself! ;)

eventually, i had to crawl back out of my little cave and go back to school for pe.  we "learned" about stress.  um, no, thanks.  i have stress, but i deal with it effectively.  i use it as a motivator.  it's all self-imposed.  i'm not sure why i'm sharing this, but i'm not going back now. :)  stress is the reason i did comp sci hour after hour today.  in the end, it was good.  anyway, after lecture, we ran on the track.  i am so proud of myself.  i ran.  the entire time.  no walking.  i'm not telling you how far or how long i ran, but know that i can't even remember the last time i ran that far.  maybe it was the cake! ;)

after class, i had a little freak-out session because i couldn't find my family.  however, i eventually located them, and they're all fine!  they're supposed to be home when i call, and they're supposed to answer their mobiles, right?!?  hehe!  ok, so i'm slightly crazy.  we already knew this.  then i spent the rest of the night doing more comp sci.  i got my report written, and my java coding is nearly done.  rawk!  i needed that to happen tonight!  eventually, i'll have to turn that tv on, though, so that i can go to sleep...  i think that's all from here for now...

tuesday 9 november 2004 10:52pm

"i set out on a narrow way many years ago
hoping i would find true love along the broken road
but i got lost a time or two
wiped my brow and kept pushing through
i couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
every long lost dream led me to where you are
others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
pointing me on my way into your loving arms
this much i know is true
that God blessed the broken road
that led me straight to you" -- rascal flatts "bless the broken road"

i'll do something i rarely do, partially explain tonight's lyrics choice, later. :)

the morning was spent doing laundry, programming c++, and talking on the phone with katie.  it was a good morning, and i got a lot done, which is more than i can say for most tuesday mornings. :) actually, i felt quite accomplished because i (finally!) got the tree sap stains out of my white sweatshirt.  they were from those stupid eucalyptus trees at csudh.  the stains are gone.  the memories remain.  i also restored my white t-shirt that i accidentally turned blue back to white.  it was nothing a little (ok, more than a little) bleach couldn't fix!

i went to school today, like i do on tuesdays.  comp sci was decent.  we went through all our java drawings, and while i did not win (as much as i deserved to) dr. warford said he actually really liked my mondrian-inspired creation. :)  apparently, i'm the only art aficionado, as no one else in the class could name the artist i was imitating.  oh, well!  sad for them!  i also attended my actual modern art class this evening.  we did late picasso, all the way up to wwii.  mostly, this isn't really that interesting to me.  however, there was one piece that was particularly important for me.  "guernica"  i studied it twice in high school (once in history, once in art history), learned about it when we actually saw the painting in spain, and now am learning about it again in modern art.  i feel like this is actually a very relevant, important piece of art, so i care about it more than any other picasso pieces.  so, it was great to learn a little bit more about it!  especially from the brilliant dr. zakian!  thursday's class is going to be awesome, as well, since we're getting a sneak peek at the new chihuly exhibition that's about to open at the museum on campus!  they have a huge chihuly piece at the v&a in london that i always thought was awesome, and i've heard wonderful things about what's going to be at the weisman!  so exciting!

after class, i ran into kaley.  she's one of those people that i do not see enough but am always really happy to run into when i'm on campus.  it was fun to see her, even if it was only for a few minutes. :)

sarah rang right as i was about to drive home.  she wasn't going to have time to go get something to eat for dinner, so just like last tuesday night, i went down to spumoni's (because we are now completely addicted to their gnocchi) and got take out for the two of us.  we sat in the graphic office and ate dinner and caught up.  it's basically been forever since i've seen sarah (and by "forever" i mean "i talked to her last night online, but i haven't actually seen her since friday").  it wad delicious and fun!  eventually, however, i needed to get myself home.

what was my hurry to get home?  if you don't know why i needed to be home at 8, then you missed an excellent show!  tonight was country music awards show night!  one of my favorite nights of the year, of course, seeing as though i love all things country music! :)  and let me just tell you that this was one of the best cma shows i can really remember!  it was basically a 3-hour concert featuring everybody who's anybody in country music.  tim mcgraw kicked off the show, shania and billy were awesome with that song "party for two" that i absolutely love, brad paisley and alison krauss were fantastic, dierks bentley, julie roberts, and everyone else.  some of the things that made the show particularly awesome, though, were that keith urban won male vocalist of the year, beating out pretty much everyone, and he was crying!  and what's even cuter, my boyfriend brought his parents with him to the show!  it was so sweet!  he started out his acceptance speech with, "oh, my Lord!  i thought i was just rounding out the category.  i'm so dumbfounded, i don't know what to say," and was crying!  i love it! :)  rascal flatts, vocal group of the year for the second year in a row, made me cry singing "bless the broken road," my favorite song on their latest album, which you need if you don't already have it.  and kenny winning entertainer of the year was also adorable, even if his acceptance speech got chopped in order to keep the show in its 3-hour time slot.  like the local news couldn't be held off 2 more minutes.  whatever.  the show was brilliant! :)  it was like one giant reminder why i love country music so much!

anyway, i either need to get to bed now and get up early to be productive or start being productive now.  until next time...

monday 8 november 2004 11:03pm

"i'll follow any road, anywhere to get to you
i'll open up my heart if that's what you need me to do
now, baby, it's your move
all you've got to do is believe in love
just believe in in
now i need you to know you can fall into me
that my arms are wide open and will always be
right here waiting, staying strong
come and fall into me" -- emerson drive "fall into me"

today was, in a word, awesome!  most mondays are not at all awesome.  today was different.

after sleeping all the way until my 8am alarm clock went off, i got dressed, had breakfast, and headed out for school.  you know, typical monday stuff.  i went to advertising, where i learned that i would not be subjected to monday morning lecture, but instead we would have class time to work on our group projects.  i'm going to figure out how to sell denture adhesive and that new berry 7up drink, the name of which escapes me right now.  i couldn't get them on the idea of selling a new car.  so sad.  in better news, though, i got an a on my midterm!  because i'm awesome!  or because the test was curved so much that my score tricks you into believing i'm awesome. ;)

since we got out of class really early (we didn't really need the full two hours to do group stuff), i headed down to the lovely malibu library.  ok, so "lovely" is a stretch, but they do have books there.  and they even let me check them out!  so after some serious catalog searching and shelf browsing, i managed to pick out 12 books on frank lloyd wright.  pretty much every book on him the library had.  and i checked them out.  now, here's the funny part!  do you know what someone (me) carrying 12 art books looks like?!?  very awkward and silly!  you wish you were there to see it.  the guy at the library put my books into 2 paper grocery bags.  i managed to get them to my car.  however, i had a bit more trouble getting them from my car into my apartment! :)  hehe!  one of the bags ripped and i was dropping everything, and i'm sure i was a sight to see.  there just wasn't anyone there to see it.

on my way home from the library, i had conversation with katie #1 for the day.  :)  it was fun!  she's doing pretty well.  i am, of course, waiting in anticipation for her to be back in california!

comp sci.  comp sci was decent.  i actually understood what went on in class.  i consider days like this a success.  nothing in particular about class stands out.  i wish i had some little story or something, but really i don't. :)

and the afternoon was spent having conversation #2 with katie today!  in short, she's still working on getting a job at toyota.  there are still options there for her, and now it's a matter of getting her into the right position.  if you really care, you can ask me to explain more.  or you can ask katie to explain more herself. :)

pe was cool!  we did the cardio kickboxing session that we were supposed to have a few weeks ago.  it was fun!  i mean, it was like a real work out, which , frankly, pe usually isn't.  i was glad i had that self-defense training from high school, though!  it for sure helped!  the instructor pushed us the whole time, but in a good way.  she started us out at a tough pace, and she kept us going.  plus, she didn't really start encouraging us to keep going until we were fading, until the last minute or two when i was pretty sure i could not move my legs the way she wanted me to.  i like that she wasn't being a drill sergeant until i needed her help.  i like it when people make me try to help myself first, but are there to catch me and encourage me when i really desperately need it.  anyway, it was a good session, even if i'm pretty sure i'll be sore in a couple places in the morning. :)

when i got home, i rang chris.  you'll never believe what happened next.  he answered his phone!  amazing!  i wasn't sure this was possible.  i mean, i've always known chris screens his calls, but add to that that he's been crazy busy, and i didn't really expect to be able to talk to him.  i wanted to, but i wasn't expecting it.  he's doing really well!  he is also aiming for a job at toyota upon graduation, which would be awesome.  the whole summer gang back in la again sounds very nice!  chris is wrapping up his trimester and is about to embark on a tour of eastern europe!  i'm way jealous, even though i'll be much more comfortable in my sunny california weather than i would be in the freezing cold place that is eastern europe in winter.  he's going to have so much fun, though!  i ended up on the phone with chris for like an hour and a half.  i didn't mean to talk that long, but it just happened naturally since it's been forever since the last time!

then i talked to dad for awhile.  we're getting excited about thanksgiving break and our annual trip to the auto show in the city.  there will be many hours spent looking at new cars, opening them up a bit, sitting in them, browsing all the advertising that goes along with an auto show, and all those things.  i guess he's already seeing ads for it in the paper. :)  adam had his stitches removed.  dad says you can't see much of a wound anymore.  i don't believe him, but i'll judge for myself in a couple weeks.

somehow, the tv just never got turned on this evening until like 11:30.  i managed to get my comp sci homework done in a flash.  maybe it was my crazy high level of concentration.  maybe i'm just too smart.  or maybe it was just an easier assignment than normal. :)  so i spent much of my evening putting off more work and instead chatting with megs, annahita, and sarah online.  oh, the joy of aol instant messenger.  it's so great!  however, i still have one thing left to accomplish before i can crash tonight.  i desperately need a shower!  so now i'm off to do that (yes, in the middle of the night).  i hope your monday was as fantastic as mine was!

sunday 7 november 2004 10:57pm

"i won't talk, i won't breathe, i won't move 'til you finally see that you belong with me" -- ryan cabrera "true"

i know that it's been a great sunday when the best way for me to describe it is "relaxing." :)  that's exactly what sundays are supposed to be, right?  in any case, that's what i needed to get out of my sunday, and mission accomplished!

first off, i slept in.  for real.  like i slept 10 hours.  i have no idea when the last time i did that was.  it was kind of a dreary morning in malibu (at least from what i could tell from my bedroom window).  i eventually got out of bed, though i didn't get very far.  i did accomplish something, however!  i organized the shoes in my closet!  this needed to be done desperately.  now, all my pretty little (and by "little" i mean "oversized") shoes are all lined up so i can see all of them.  it's so fantastic!  either that or i'm the biggest dork ever.  either way! ;)  plus, having them so that i can admire all of them reminds me that i don't have to limit myself to my black flip-flops, as i have a natural tendency to do.  oh, and i cleaned the rest of my room, as well.  magically, i have found the floor once again!

then i went to borders.  i fell victim to a coupon i received in my email.  yes, i'm an advertising major.  yes, i understand how advertising works.  yes, i still fall for it. :)  that's just how it goes.  so anyway, i went to borders.  i wasn't sure what i was looking for, but i had a few ideas: cookbooks in the discount section, a guidebook on nashville, a journal to serve as a calendar for next year, magazines, an interesting new novel to hold my attention.  i looked all around the store at all sorts of things.  i came away with a box of greeting cards.  they're not exactly what i was looking for, but i love them!  they're awesome!  they're those quotable cards with deep, meaningful quotations on them.  they're my favorite, next to paperchase cards, which are nearly impossible to find in this country.  stupid london.  the shopping there spoiled me forever!  but i digress.  i bought lovely greeting cards.  i even looked up quotable cards on the internet when i got home and discovered all sorts of other cool ones that exist!  awesome!

next stop: albertsons.  yes, i was just at the grocery store yesterday.  this, however, was a different sort of stop.  one of the cool parts about being an advertising major is that advertising is all about shopping.  that means that i had an assignment to wander around the grocery store.  ok, that wasn't exactly the assignment, but i had to find a couple products sold in grocery or drug stores with which i am unfamiliar.  the only way for me to do that is to go up and down the aisles and try to pay attention to all the things i normally ignore.  this was actually sort of hard to do.  i wound up with baby shampoo and denture adhesive cream.  now i just have to figure out how to sell them. :)

i talked to the family tonight.  it had been a few days because that's what happens when i have plans in the evenings all the time.  :)  anyway, it seems they're doing well.  my brother is still insane and still doesn't listen to me.  mom's friend is moving to arizona.  dad is still working on finishing up the house.  the floors and doorways are nearly done, from what i understand, though.

i watched football this evening.  it wasn't so much that my sunday is incomplete without seeing several football games, but rather that it was a good option as i was avoiding watching "extreme makeover home edition."  tonight's episode was the one where not only does everyone in the family have a degenerative disease and their friends are all dead, but they're also blind and deaf.  no, i'm not exaggerating.  ok, maybe just a little.  but it was meant to be a particularly heart-wrenching episode.  i can't watch that show normally because it's just too draining for me to spend an hour every sunday night crying, but i knew that i for sure couldn't watch this week's special 2-hour drama-filled episode because i'd be too wrecked.  so i watched football.  and a little "sportscenter," also.  i remembered why i used to be obsessed with that show!  it's so great!  the guys are just so funny and i totally like sports.  "sportscenter" rocks, and it made an excellent distraction from "extreme makeover home edition."  during all this, i also started sunday night manicure night.  this week's color: wondering mind.  i know, not a very descriptive name.  it's a brown color.  like the color of a mocha maybe.  it turned out nicely.  i am quite pleased. :)  oh, and the nails dried while i watched "desperate housewives," my favorite sunday night entertainment.  what fun!  it was relaxing, and i loved every second of it!

saturday 6 november 2004 11:35pm

"if my tears had any power, i would cry, i would cry" -- amy dalley "i would cry"

isn't fantastic how a saturday can start off completely free and yet i can still end up spending the entire day doing something?  when i woke up this morning, i had nothing planned for my entire saturday.  not that there's anything wrong with that at all.  believe me, i can use some down time.  but down time was not so much in the plans for me today. :)

first off, i decided that i needed to go (back) to nordstrom rack because they were having a large shoe event.  and i mean large shoes, not a large event.  and we know i love this because i have large feet.  and you know what they say about girls with large feet... large shoes. ;)  so i went up there and tried on lots and lots and lots and lots of really cute shoes!  it was so great!  i eventually decided on a pair of black heels with bows on the toes and a pair of gray peep-toe heels.  oh, how i love new shoes!  yes, my mom still calls me imelda.  yes, i'm ok with that.  i'd love to have as many shoes as imedla!  oh, and i got the best breakfast/lunch while i was in woodland hills: jamba juice!  rawk!  i love it!  albertson's was my little stop on the way home, just to pick up my weekly groceries.  just necessities this week.  nothing too exotic.

my drive to a from woodland hills accomplished one other thing.  i managed to completely brainwash myself -- at least for a few glorious hours -- that it's summertime.  it was sunny out, i control the temperature inside my car, and i put in the beach boys cd.  does driving get any better than this?  i think not! :)  plus, there was the mustang with the top down and a surfboard thrown in the back.  how much does that say "summertime?!?"  i love it!

this afternoon was also excellent.  i put on the new gray heels and headed out with liz and josh.  we tried to see "the incredibles" at the calabasas theatre, but they were sold out.  we went over to the amc and bought tickets for "the incredibles" there.  we had more than an hour before showtime so we ate "dinner."  "dinner" is in quotation marks because it was 4pm and it was mcdonalds.  but it was the best opportunity for dinner before 10:30, so it had to suffice.  anyway, after eating, we got in a really long line and waited to be let into the theatre.  eventually, we got in!  we sat much closer than we normally would.  it was crowded.  they were good seats considering our place in line.  the movie was very good! :)  probably not "finding nemo" good, but still excellent!

as soon as the credits started rolling, we were out of there!  we had another place to be!  it was back to pepperdine for another pit show!  we <3 the pit shows!  they're for sure the best on-campus entertainment!  plus, wednesday was performing tonight, and we like wednesday!  we got there right before the show started but managed to find 3 chairs.  we put them on top of a large coffee table, and magically, we could all see, despite being in the back of the hawc.  the show was as good as ever!  so hilarious!  i guess it was just a whole evening of laughter between the movie and the pit show!

and now i'm back at home, eating, watching tv, relaxing, trying not to crash right here at my computer!  it's been an awesome saturday!  rawk!

saturday 6 november 2004 1:25am

"i laid in bed that night and thought about the day
and how my life is like a roller coaster ride
the ups and downs and crazy turns along the way
it'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight
you can't really smile until you've shed some tears
i could die today or i might live on for years
i love this crazy, tragic,
sometimes almost magic,
awful, beautiful life" -- darryl worley "awful, beautiful life"

so i must admit that being up at this hour is not going to help me get back onto my adult-like 7:30am sleeping schedule.  oh, well.  what's a girl to do? ;)  hmm... so, friday.  fridays are generally good days, and this one followed suit.

i slept in a bit. :)  yeah, i for sure needed that!  even if i knew that there was much work to be done today after i did manage to wake up.  but sometimes life throws little wrenches into my plan.  and thank goodness for that!  katie rang, and somehow i ended up talking to her on the phone for quite some time.  yes!  this meant i didn't do the chores or homework or errands that i had planned on doing.  but it was way more fun than my plans!  rawk!  i spent the rest of my morning cooking lunch, watching tv, putting off responsibility for a few more hours, things like that. :)

comp sci was alright.  nothing particularly interesting.  what i want to know is how there are so many cars still parked on campus at 1:45pm on a friday afternoon.  it took me so long to find a place to park and i was too stubborn to just surrender and park in the fieldhouse.  i shouldn't have to do that on a friday afternoon.  i found a spot eventually, though.

after class, i went to woodland hills for a little "errand" that didn't work out as well as i had planned.  i may have to attempt it tomorrow morning again, hopefully with more success the second time around.  we shall see.  then i dashed home so i could do the comp sci homework that was due at 11pm, just as it is every friday.  yes, i come this close to deadline every single friday.  no, it is not fun.  anyway, i got it done, found some dinner, and then it was back out into the wintry evening.  liz and i went to see the late showing of "alfie," which was enjoyable though depressing.  and sarah and russell met us there, which was a welcomed surprise! :)  a late movie is always a nice way to spend a friday evening, especially after a really busy week.  not sure how the rest of the weekend will pan out...

thursday 4 november 2004 11:13pm

"but she looks in my eyes
and makes me realize
and she says, 'don't worry, baby
don't worry, baby
everything will turn out alright'" -- beach boys "don't worry, baby"

the alarm clock went off entirely too early this morning!  i've been completely wrecked since the time change last weekend, which isn't supposed to happen but it's true.  i'm pretty much back on the whole college student sleep all day stay up all night sleeping plan.  is this good or bad?  at the very least, it's definitely less stable.  great.  anyhow, i got up and watched some tv news while i got ready for school.

school.  advertising was less than interesting.  i felt bad because i looked really exhausted this morning not only because i was but also because my eyes were still bothering me from last night so they were all bloodshot.  yeah, that didn't help me convince my professor that i really was paying attention to her lecture.  i mean, i was paying attention!  promise!  and did you know that many mrs. fields cookies shops don't actually bake their cookies on-site and instead just have a spray for that cookie smell?  yeah.  it's true.  i proved that i am a genius in comp sci today, just as i did on tuesday.  i rawk!  you're so jealous!  people even accused me of finding my brilliant answers in the book, which i most certainly did not because i definitely don't have time to read the book, let alone read ahead in the book!  i win!  and modern art was also interesting.  more art. :)  i love it!

after art, i went down to the writing center to hang out with sarah until she was done working for the night.  i made an actual appointment with her with hopes of getting my resume totally updated.  instead, we just chatted and my resume remains out of date.  there's always next week, though, right?  and she had a real appointment with someone else after my half hour, so i sat and read the newspaper while she helped that kid.  we decided on the stonefire grill in woodland hills for dinner since neither of us had been there before and it looked decent from the outside.  it was actually pretty decent, especially for order at the counter food.   and then we went back to sarah's to watch "the apprentice."  eventually, though, i headed home and that's where i am now.  there's advertising and comp sci homework to be done, but i think i will just postpone that until tomorrow morning.  i could use a proper night's sleep.  maybe i'll even get back on the normal 7:30am schedule.  who knows?  stranger things have happened...

wednesday 3 november 2004 10:45pm

"i had to escape, the city was getting too cruel
maybe i should have called you first, but i was dying to get to you
i was dreaming as i drove the long straight road ahead
the taste of your kisses, your arms open wide
this fever for you is just burning me up inside" -- pinmonkey (and others) "i drove all night"

today was awesome, in a word.  so cool!  i skipped out on convocation (which just means i'll have to make it up some time that is not a wednesday morning) and headed out to the getty to meet auntie joyce and company.  her boyfriend, chris, is the son of henry holmes smith, who was a photographer.  now the family is donating a whole bunch of his photos to the getty.  today was the day that chris, his mother, and my aunt joyce were delivering the photos to the getty, and i got invited to come along!  so anyway, i got to the getty this morning and met up with them.  we got to go down to the photography department and meet with the man who is head honcho of the photo department.  can i just say that they have the most extensive art library (like books) i've ever seen!  i mean, this room that we spent several hours in was full of books just on photography.  i'd love to have those resources at my disposal all the time!  anyway, so we unpacked all the photos that were brought down (about 130) and left those with the getty people while they decided what they wanted and we walked around the photo exhibit and some of the gardens.  they have a really interesting photo exhibit right now, featuring american snapshots mostly.  it was really fun to look at.  i left like i was looking through old photographs of people i know, even though i didn't actually know any of them.  (does this make any sense?)  and i'd never walked around any of the gardens before, so it was great to see some of those.  they're absolutely gorgeous.  very modern yet very earthy.  then we had lunch in the restaurant (yes, it's actually called the restaurant) with the getty guy.  it's a really nice restaurant, so i had to be on my best behavior! ;)  actually, it was really interesting to hear about how this donation was changing the value of all the henry h. smith pieces and the value of the pieces of the artists that worked with him.  after lunch, we went through all the pieces (over 90) that the museum is going to keep.  about 6 of them will actually be on display in an exhibition on abstraction in photography that they're working on right now and will probably be held in a couple years.  that should be exciting!  it was a very educational day at the getty.  however, i still want to go back to the getty and take my time there and see everything that i want to see.  there's so much there, between the amazing views, beautiful gardens, and of course the actual art.  i've always been under a time constraint when i'm there.  eventually, i will get there and do it the right way.

this evening.  what did i do this evening?  well, i got back from the getty at 5:15 and then i had to be back at school by 6 for pe.  so i made it!  oh, and i talked to katie in the process of getting home and getting back to school.  also kath.  they're both doing well! :)  and they both are so rad!  anyway, pe was out of control.  my professor no longer has any control over the class.  there's constant talking and she eventually just gives up on the lecture and has us do the workout.  there's one other little problem, though.  pretty much everyone in the class has started bailing out on the workouts.  out of a class of about 30, about 10 of us actually swam tonight.  the rest of the people just sort of disappeared.  great.  anyway, i swam like the good student that i am.  after class, i had messages from sarah and chris.  sarah was bored but by the time i returned her call she was already on her way home.  chris didn't answer his phone when i returned his call.  we're now officially playing phone tag again.  suck.  i've been working on comp sci, watching "sex and the city," and trying to get some advertising ideas down on paper for tomorrow morning.  my eyes are diving me nuts.  i think it's from the chlorine in the pool.  bah.  anyway, it's been an awesome day!  i'm completley spent, even though i still have more work to do.  hmm... what should i do about this?  not sure.  until next time...

tuesday 2 november 2004 11:19pm

"some beach, somewhere
there's a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair
palm trees are growing, warm breeze is blowing
i picture myself right there
on some beach, somewhere" -- blake shelton "some beach"

good evening!  i -- always one to be sucked into sensationalism -- cannot turn away from my tv.  ah, election day!  i love it, not so much because i'm totally into american politics, californian politics, or the politics of san mateo county, but because i love all major media events, and this is one!  so as i'm writing, cnn has dubya with 249 electoral votes and kerry with 211, fox news has dubya with 269 and kerry with 221, and msnbc has dubya with 269 to kerry's 207.  (in case you are living in a cave, it takes 269 to tie and bush will then be elected by the house of representatives or 270 to win.)  i love how all the predictions are different!  it's fun! :)  (yes, i'm a dork.  blame mrs. molnar.)  ok, so i voted ages ago when i was at home because i am registered permanent absentee.  did you vote?  why is voting like the cool thing to do this year?  because p. diddy is threatening death if you don't?  and i just heard on cnn that the youth of america have failed to turn out in any higher proportion than previous years.  anyway, i'm young and i voted, but, as we already know, i have no heart so i didn't really vote with the rest of the american youth.

other important things have happened today, as well.  i should of course remind all of you that it's mom's birthday today!  she turned *!&%$ years old! :)  happy birthday, mom!  and she didn't even get a nap today.  aww...

i spent my morning doing comp sci homework, and that's how i actually ended up spending the majority of my evening.  most of it was boring and not as successful as i might like.  however, i did do one cool thing!  i made a mondrian-eque drawing using java for a contest in class.  top 2 drawings earn extra credit.  i doubt dr. warford will get any other fine art!  (or modern art.  or whatever you want to categorize mondrian as.)  and speaking of dr. warford, he said, "i want to pose a question to you," to class today.  one *cough*uncreative*cough* person said, "42."  and one person said, "jesus."  yeah, that's what he said! :)  but wait, there's more!  then dr. warford responded, "you don't even know the question yet," and the response to that from kid #2 was, "jesus is always the answer!"  yeah, i for sure go to pepperdine!  hahaha!

i can add plumber to my list of skills (a list i must compile so i can find a job when i can't get a job in the advertising industry) that already includes carpenter and housekeeper.  yeah, i fixed our toilet today.  and when i say "fixed" i don't mean "used a plunger."  i mean, i actually fixed the thing that's inside the toilet when you take the lid off.  i rawk!

we covered dali in modern art today.  don't get me wrong, i absolutely do not like anything created by dali.  no worries.  but it was somehow more interesting than i expected because i have been forced to see so much dali between london and spain that i feel like i have some interest in it, even though i don't think any of it is particularly good.  it's like how you keep hearing the same annoying song on the radio and all of a sudden you think you like the song but you really don't, it's just that you've heard it so many times that you've been brainwashed to accept listening to it.  yeah.

i rang sarah after class this evening to see if she had time to sneak out of her office for some dinner.  she didn't.  she said she wasn't allowed.  so i went down to spumoni's picked up some gnocchi for us, and brought it up to her office.  we had dinner together, and it was so delicious you have no idea!  and sarah got to eat tonight, which is a good thing!  what's up with public safety not opening the ccb lot until 7, though?  i had to park so far away from the ccb and hike up the mountain!  suck!

tomorrow, i'm skipping out on convo and going to meet auntie joyce at the getty for a private tour and i am not sure what else.  it'll definitely be an art-filled day, though!  you'll hear all about it tomorrow, i'm sure!  until then...

monday 1 november 2004 11:02pm

"you'd be so easy to love,
so easy to idolize, all others above,
so sweet to waken with,
so nice to sit down to the eggs and bacon with" -- anything goes "easy to love"

yeah, i was awake a precisely 6:30am this morning.  stupid transition to pacific standard time kind of messed me up.  and the wind was howling all night long.  i'm not sure if i really like the noise or if i really hate it.  but anyhow, come 6:30, i was still exhausted, so i went back to sleep for another hour.  i eventually got up and clean and fed and headed off to advertising.

here's the thing about the santa ana winds.  i like them because it makes the temperature much warmer (75 in malibu today) and the air is really dry so my hair is happy.  however, the wind blows my excessive amounts of hair (as discussed in the previous journal entry) all over the place, pretty much nullifying the fact that my hair dries frizz-free when there's like 0% humidity.  on the other hand, the windy weather makes the skies really clear over the ocean and blows a lot of the filth in the air out there, combining to make amazing sunsets, like the one tonight, which was just stunning.  so i'm not sure how i feel about the windy weather (not that it matters anyway, since i really have no control over the weather -- lucky for you because if i did it would be 85 and sunny every single day of the year!).

advertising.  well, we got our assignments for our final projects.  great.  i sort of think it's a silly assignment, to which i will end up dedicating far too many hours of my life.  oh, well.  it's doable, even if i have to put in some hours.  and the group members are pretty good, as good as i can ask for in an advertising class. :)

comp sci was comp sci.  we're starting java in one class, which is kind of cool because it's actually a useful language.  that makes language #6 that i can program in.  is that dorky?  no, i didn't think so either. ;)

is spent my break between comp sci and pe studying for my pe exam on nutrition.  oh, yeah, it was so hard.  or not hard.  and we did progressive relaxation afterwards, which basically was the entire class lying on the floor in the dark with calm music playing.  yeah, more pe classes should be like this one.  the only problem was that when it ended i was supposed to come home and do work, instead of come home and go to bed.

when i got home, josh was over.  him and liz did a home-cooked dinner together i guess.  i, on the other hand, did dinner out of cans and cardboard boxes.  :)  it was good, even if it shouldn't have been.  mmm... macaroni and cheese from a box.  doesn't get any better than that.  yes, i do still eat like a 5-year-old.  no, i'm not apologizing for it.

after a brief chat with the family, i talked to katie for a couple hours.  i was going to try to get some work done this evening, but that didn't really happen.  somehow, catching up with katie just seemed like a better option than coding c++.  i spent a good portion of my time on the phone with her walking around my room.  in my high heels.  new high heels that i bought to match the dress that i bought a couple weeks ago.  katie has asked me to remind you that i look hot in that dress and need another occasion to wear it. :)  especially, now that i have shoes that go with it!  oh, and katie says that it's not ok that people are creating hypoallergenic cats, even though she has no qualms about eating genetically-engineered foods.

i was in such a good mood today, and i don't even really know why.  perhaps, it was that every song on the radio today was a good one.  perhaps, it was the weather.  perhaps, i just woke up on the proper side of the bed.  i'm not sure, but it was excellent!  here's to tomorrow... 

monday 1 november 2004 8:21am

"it's all a part of me, and that's who i am" -- jessica andrews "who i am"

here are some ways that we know i have too much hair:
i frequently close it in the car door
i clear out the shower drain after every shower
i zippered it into my purse yesterday on accident
i go through bottles of shampoo and conditioner so fast
my brother tells me so

sunday 31 october 2004 10:09pm pst

"'cause you make me feel every single drop of rain
my heart's revealed every time i hear your name
i feel your touch in the sunlight on my skin
the subtle brush of your kisses in the wind
you take my dreams and you make them even more
you make me feel like I never loved before
you lift me high light me on fire
you set me free you let me see
you make me feel" -- diamond rio "you make me feel"

last night (well, this morning, technically), i did something that i don't think i've ever done before.  i lived the same hour twice.  i was up at 2am and then i fell back and it was 1am again and i lived the hour once more through.  i guess i actually live this hour twice every year, but i think this is the first time i've ever done it awake.  anyway, i did nerdy things like work on this website and read and write.  nothing super exciting, but i still thought it was kind of cool. :)  maybe i'm just a dork that way.

let's see... how did i spend my halloween?  well, first let me just alert you to the fact that i am not particularly fond of halloween, as i'm not one for scary things that make me scream (i did the haunted house at medieval times and that was enough screaming for one halloween for me, thankyouverymuch) and i never liked the candy i got when i trick-or-treated because i am very picky about what i eat. :)  yeah, i'm weird.  we all already knew this.  so no, i did not put on a costume.  plus, i spent the vast majority of the day in my apartment alone.  who would see this costume?  i did, however, buy a bag of halloween candy (reeses, so i'll eat them) when i went to sav-on today.  don't tell me i'm not in the halloween spirit. ;)

so what did i actually do today?  not a whole lot.  i read a lot.  just for fun. :)  and i studied a bit for an exam i have tomorrow evening.  i spent some time writing letters that needed to get done.  i had sunday night mani/pedicure night!  ah yes, this is definitely an excellent little ritual in my life!  i watched a lot of tv, including 4 episodes of "the o.c." (thanks, liz!) and "desperate housewives!"  i left the shoes strewn about my room.  i talked to the family.  (apparently, people thought adam's stitches were part of his pirate halloween costume.)  i found some friends to talk to online.  i didn't make my bed.  i listened to internet radio.  it was sunday. :)  i love sundays!

sunday 31 october 2004 12:58am pdt

"is there something i can say to you? i can't stop the storm, but i can cover you" -- evan and jaron "like the rain"

ah, saturdays are good days. :)  i slept in for real today, which makes sense since i really don't get as much sleep as a normal person needs.  it was great!  it won't be happening tomorrow morning with the time change, i'm sure but that's ok.  i take it when i can get it.

i spent the morning trying to straighten my room.  i don't think it's ever looked as bad as it did this morning.  laundry everywhere, books all over the place, and plenty of shoes to trip on.  the shoes are still an issue, but everything else is in its proper place.  that's good enough, right?  i mean, i'm the only one who is in here ever, so i'm the only one who has to live with my own personal mess.

i made a little errands run this afternoon.  the first stop was the bookstore, where i browsed but didn't find anything other that what i went there to specifically buy.  oh, well.  it was still a fun little stop! :)  we know i can't really resist a trip to the bookstore!  and then it was off to the grocery store!  that was so necessary!  i had no beverages left.  and not a whole lot of actual food, either.  it was definitely time! :)  and i found some delicious things to eat, so it was a successful trip!

this evening, i went to see "i <3 huckabees" with sarah.  it was pretty funny, though also very odd.  and i had movie popcorn for dinner!  rawk!  after the movie, we went back to sarah's and watched "oceans 11," which i hadn't seen since summer.  i do love that movie!  and how cute is matt damon?!?  we're so excited about "oceans 12," hitting theatres 10 december, not that i know or anything. ;)  and then we watched some "snl" before i decided that i needed to go home before i fell asleep on sarah's sofa.  it was such a fun night.  simple and fun. :)

saturday 30 october 2004 12:11am

"save a horse, ride a cowboy" -- big and rich "save a horse"

why is it that my hair so often looks its best right before i'm about to go to bed?!?  there's no one here to witness this!  life's ironic like that.

friday 29 october 2004 11:35pm

"if it were up to me, i know it's not, but if it was
we'd skip formality and we would be in love" -- emerson drive "waitin' on me"

so after the crazy fun of last night, i was pretty convinced that it was already the weekend.  but that wasn't true.  i slept in later than usual (don't tell me that getting up at 9 is not sleeping in, it is in my world), and didn't move so quickly through my morning.  it was full of c++ programming and doing laundry.  it doesn't get better than that, does it?  actually, it does!  i watched the halloween episode of "regis and kelly," which is always excellent.  this year they dressed up as donald trump and wife, britney and kevin, paris and nicole, and nick and jessica.  so funny!  ok, so admittedly, the morning wasn't the most exciting part of my day. :)

i headed off to school for friday afternoon comp sci.  my favorite part of the week.  or not.  whatever.  ;)  i got dressed up a bit because i can stand to be dressed nicely for a few hours of class and i did want to wear my cute heels that don't get enough use.  well, little did i know that they'd remain on my feet for 10 hours!  oops!  fashion over function, though, right?!?  so after comp sci, i headed through the canyon for a little dsw shoe shopping!  i also rang mel and ended up talking to her for a while.  she was at work.  i think i was keeping her occupied! :)  whatever i can do to help!  and i spent quite a bit of time just looking at all the shoes and trying them all on.  it was good fun!  sarah rang while i was there and we decided to go out to dinner, so i picked her up and we went to california pizza kitchen, which was delicious!  mmm... pizza!  and then we went to campus for the pit show, which was hilarious, as usual!  best on-campus pepperdine event, not counting men's volleyball. :)  wednesday wasn't playing tonight, but we did run into her! :)  after the show, i brought sarah home, talked to the family, pranced around in my new shoes for a few seconds until i remembered how badly me feet actually hurt, and am now writing this!  it's been a great evening!  now i'm exhausted!  good night!

friday 29 october 2004 12:42pm

"i breathe in, i breathe out
put one foot in front of the other
take one day at a time
until you find
i'm that someone you can't live without
until then
i breathe in, i breathe out" -- chris cagle "i breathe in, i breathe out"

my morning started out interestingly.  studying, showering, forcing myself to eat, taking my advertising midterm.  it went well, i suppose. :)

i spent my afternoon break on the phone.  seriously, the entire thing.  let's just say that katie is awesome!  it's so great to talk to her all the time again!  and she's so crazy.  why is she ordering drive-through food while on the phone with me?!?  i don't know!  and then sarah!  these girls are so awesome!  it was so much fun, way more fun than the comp sci studying i supposed to be doing.

then it was back to school for me after the fun phone conversations.  for comp sci and then a comp sci exam in comp sci class number two.  way fun.  or not fun.  but it is over now.  and i got done a bit early, so that left me with a few minutes to ring kath and talk to her while trying to find a quiet place even though that's now impossible because they're piping music into that little courtyard area.  whatever, i talked to kath for a bit and then headed to modern art. a urinal is art.  bet you didn't know that before. :)  and we started on miro, who i'm now somewhat interested in, if only because we saw so much miro when we were in spain.  i'm not denying my art nerd tendencies. :)

after class, the fun only continued! :)  i picked up my copy of the newspaper -- which i honestly haven't read yet -- and headed to the writing center to see sarah.  sarah was sleepy and curled up on the couch and we just chatted until her shift was over.  then, being the brilliant person that she is, sarah decided that tonight's thursday night dinner should be at spumoni's, where we've never been before.  let me just tell you, it's a shame that we'd never been there before!  the gnocchi was awesome, the service was great, we got free dessert because the waiter thought i was hot (or perhaps he was just being nice), and we totally didn't get our check until we asked for it, which was nice.  :)  we wanted to sit and talk for a bit because we both had some time, so we did!  and it was fantastic!  a very good overall thursday night dinner experience!

after dinner, sarah brought me back to school so i could retrieve my car, and then i headed to pick up josh.  i rang home on my way there, and apparently adam was in the emergency room getting stitches on his eyebrow because he took an elbow.  aww!  my baby brother! :(  just another scar he can add to his collection, i suppose.  anyhow, i picked up josh and we headed to school to pick up liz and dj, and then we all headed to the bowling alley.  i hadn't been there since my birthday, so it brought back some good memories!  and no, i still didn't get on the dance dance revolution or play time crisis.  liz and i, however, totally beat the boys (again)!  because we're awesome!  actually, i didn't do so well my first game (106), but my second game was on!  i broke josh's challenge for me of 140 by getting 146!  not my best game ever, but i did win!  :)  rawk!  bowling on thursday nights just might happen more often.  it was only a few bucks and it was great entertainment!

i finally got back to my apartment just after midnight!  i've been busy for so many hours now!  it's crazy!  and it didn't stop when i got home because i talked to meg for a bit.  she was very sleepy, though, and needs her rest for tomorrow's performance.  so now i'm munching on chocolate chip cookies and milk because that really is the best food in the entire world and watching 'conan.'  i'm about ready to head off to bed.  good night, all!  more adventures tomorrow, i'm sure!

wednesday 27 october 2004 11:37pm

"i don't know what you're doing
and i don't know where you are
but i look up at that great big sky
and i hope you're wishing on that same bright star" -- shedaisy "come home soon"

oh, yeah!  i nearly forgot!  either the lunar eclipse was totally rad or i am the biggest dork ever!  (or perhaps, both.)  not to worry, i like much dorkier things than lunar eclipses.  like how i spot turner paintings while watching "will and grace" (see the entry about yesterday).

wednesday 27 october 2004 10:42pm

"deep in my heart i know
that you love me as much as i love you
and that you must be lying somewhere
looking up to heaven, too" -- rascal flatts "praying for daylight"

i woke up this morning with low expectations for the day.  i mean, a wednesday isn't usually exciting, and to make it worse, there are two big exams tomorrow to prepare for.  things weren't looking so great.  but i got ready for convocation anyway, and i headed down to school to see what was in store for this week's convo.

convo was... the worst one ever.  ok, maybe not ever, but it was bad.  and not bad in an interesting, controversial, sparking discussion sort of way.  bad in a so boring i wanted to die sort of way.  but good things come from even horrible convos.  sarah and i arranged to have lunch together after my meeting with ginger.

in the rain, i headed up to the ccb to meet with ginger.  in case you don't know, ginger is one of the advertising professors and she takes a deep interest in her students, even ones she is not currently teaching, like me!  i hadn't been to see ginger since last year and it was time for us to catch up, for me to explain how my summer internship went (a good thing, since she was actually my advisor for this), and double-check that i'm on my way to graduating in april.  somehow, she ended up with two different students vying for her time, but it worked out fine.  the three of us just got everything worked out and traded stories and it was actually fun.  plus, i'm going to have a great spring semester!  i'm stoked!

after my hour with ginger, i headed down to sarah's office, and we braved the rain to go to coogies for lunch.  it was exactly what i needed.  i wasn't quite ready to go back to my apartment and spend my entire day studying.  eventually, i had to bring sarah back to school so she could work, and i had to go home so i could study.  i, however, am good at procrastinating, particularly on days when my mind truly is somewhere else, no matter what i do to try to change that.  so i rang meg.  :)  and we talked for awhile about nothing in particular, as usual.  eventually, we were both curled up in our respective beds watching "step by step" on abc family and coming extremely close to falling asleep.  so we hung up and fell asleep. :)  after a little nap, i talked to katie on the phone, as well.  we got disconnected mid-conversation, however, and we still need to finish that conversation.  but it was fun!  and i got a little present from mom in the mail today.  rawk!

eventually, i had to head off to pe.  it had been raining all day, but it finally cleared up and it was gorgeous out.  i could see all the way to catalina and the sunset was nice and it was beautiful!  sun after the rain.  they say it's true, but i don't believe it until days like this come along.  and we didn't have to play ultimate frisbee because we'd destroy the field.  :)

i snuck home early and started in on the studying (with the world series on in the background, but don't tell).  lots of studying was done tonight.  there was also "sex and the city" and the baseball, too, though.

by the end of the day, i had realized that my day was completely turned around by the rad people in my life.  saved!  rawk!  <3

tuesday 26 october 2004 11:29pm

"i cannot sleep, i cannot dream tonight
i need somebody and always
this sick strange darkness
comes creeping on so haunting every time" -- blink 182 "i miss you"

i slept in this morning, and it was nice.  until the sunlight through the window coaxed me out of bed.  then it was comp sci homework all morning long.  i know, this isn't particularly interesting reading material for you, but that's really what i did.  and i got a lot done, even if it was a lame way to spend the morning.  sometimes i just have to get 'r done!

then it was off to school in the drizzle.  it was staring to become quite gray outside.  that's not usually a good sign.  comp sci was decent, and i was totally on the ball because i did my homework ahead of time.  go me! ;)  and modern art was interesting.  we're going to the la county museum of art a week from friday to see their new exhibition, which is masterpieces from the phillips collection, which is one of the best collections in the country and normally resides in washington, d.c.  i'm stoked!  it's mostly 19th century stuff and a little early 20th century, too!  um, does it get better than that?  well, yes, in fact!  they have one of renoir's best pieces, "luncheon of the boating party!"  yeah, that's quality stuff right there!  and the best part is that there's a pepp grad who works there and is getting us all in free, instead of the $14 ticket price!  rawk!  seems like november could turn out to be a museum-filled month, as i'm still hoping to get a private tour of the getty with auntie joyce!  we'll see about that one, though....  is it crazy that as i'm watching "will and grace" right now while i type this i recognized one of the paintings in a room?  turner.  very distinctive.  man, i'm an art nerd!  hehe!

anyway, after art, i dashed down to the fieldhouse and got in my just as it started to really rain.  by the time i was getting home, it was coming down like crazy.  the thing about living in a place where it's not supposed to rain when it actually rains is that everything's crazy the moment a drop of water falls from the sky.  traffic is a nightmare.  people don't know what to do.  neighbors are lighting fires in their fireplaces, despite the fact that it's like 55 degrees out in the middle of the night.  oh, and it's impossible to drive because not only do people drive really slow, but you can't really go any faster than them because you can't actually see anything because there's so much water on the roads.  at least it helps me sleep...

plans are taking shape for the weekend and i don't think there will be any dressing up or monsters involved.  bowling, pit show, volleyball, and movies are all good prospects, however!  until next time...

tuesday 26 october 2004 12:46am

"and between now and then, 'til i see you again, i'll be loving you.  love, me" -- collin raye "love, me"

you know how some days you know you are just going to have to live through and you know you're going to need some people to help you do that?  today was one of those days.  i knew it was going to be even before it started, but that's ok.  because guess what.  i made it through monday, and it was fun and life is still going on!  imagine that! :)

i spent my morning lounging around reading magazines and watching tv.  :)  can i just say that "in style" is like the greatest publication ever?  i love it!  and it takes hours to get through the whole thing.  plus, it leads to great discoveries!  did you know that there is now a swiss army knife that includes a usb jump drive?!?  that is the coolest thing in the entire world!  and there's a service i can subscribe to and they'll send me a purse that i can borrow for as long as i want and when i tire of it i can send it back and they'll send me a different purse and i can do this over and over and over again for a monthly fee!  a purse borrowing program, just like netflix!  amazing!  now, as sarah has suggested, there needs to be the same program with clothes from banana republic (and other stores, as well, i suppose)!  consumerism is so fantastic!

i went to comp sci.  that sucked, except that i come across as really quite intelligent on the days when i can focus myself on the topic at hand and answer dr. warford's questions.  also, he said, "a friend has access to your private parts" today in class.  yeah.  at pepperdine.  and i also went to pe.  we did spinning today.  i knew i would probably enjoy that more than the average day of pe, and i did!  good stuff!

i headed home to discover liz sitting in her car.  actually, it kind of freaked me out because she was just chillin in her car in the dark.  she locked herself out.  oops!  so we went inside.  and we ate and got cleaned up (we both needed that, believe me).  and then it was off to the movies!  yes, we went to the late movie on a monday night!  no, there was pretty much no one else around.  we saw "shall we dance?," and it was so great!  it was very funny and so cute!  :)  and basically, richard gere could just read the newspaper in that tux and i'd still pay to see it because he looked that amazing!  and then throw in the fantastic ballroom dancing, and i'm hooked!  i need to learn how to dance like that, and i need to find someone who will dance with me!  haha!

and now i'm just writing this and chatting with sarah online and having a nice monday night.  it's not productive at all, but i can be productive tomorrow.  tonight's about me having fun, so that's what i'm going to do! :)

sunday 24 october 2004 10:49pm

"so let me kiss you now, little darling
beneath this autumn moon
cold with, another season
will be here soon
all i wanna do is let it be and be with you
and watch the wind blow by
all i wanna see is you and me go on forever
like the clear blue sky
slowly, there's only
you and i
and all i want to do is watch the wind blow by" -- tim mcgraw "watch the wind blow by"

i slept in a bit today, and normally, i would not complain about that one bit.  however, i woke up really freaked out, so maybe i should have just gotten up at 7, when i first woke up.  oh, well.  too late now. :)  and the bed was just so comfortable that i hung out there for awhile.  that is what sunday mornings are for, right?

eventually, i got out of bed.  barely.  i made it to my desk, which you know is like 5 feet from the bed.  :)  most days, i would have brought the computer to the bed, so this was like a step up from that, a step towards serious work.  and you know that pe homework is serious stuff! ;)  actually, i had to research a diet.  did you know there's a milk diet?  i think it should be called the common sense diet.  eat less calories, make sure that some of your calories actually have nutritional value, and exercise.  yeah. 

eventually, i decided that i really did need to venture out of the apartment at some point this weekend, so i went up to woodland hills for some wandering (and procrastination).  i tried on shoes and shoes and more shoes at nordstrom rack, but ended up not buying anything.  there was only one pair that i really liked but i really shouldn't be walking in 4" stilettos.  that makes me over 6'!  so i went and picked up a jamba juice and headed to target.  there were a few essentials that i needed, but i figured that i'd browse around and find something fun.  so i wandered.  but i didn't find anything that i really wanted.  lame.  i guess that's good, though.  i spent less money that way.

i came home, i wrote a computer science report, and i watched game 2 of the world series.  i want 7 games, so st. louis needs to step it up in the next couple games!  but it's fun, either way!  :)  i <3 sports, including baseball!

i worked out a potential schedule of classes for next semester.  it's going to be awesome!  :)

sunday night's mani/pedicure night while i watch "desperate housewives."  purple.  the whole set. :)  and can i just say that i love that show?  it's so great!  how am i going to spend the rest of my evening?  probably read a magazine and fall asleep.  tomorrow morning's class is cancelled, so i don't have anywhere to be until 2pm tomorrow.  rawk!

sunday 24 october 2004 12:33am

"gone off the deepest end
not jumping, diving in
he's a perfect 10 times 10 times 10
and i'm head over heels
no, i'm head over high heels" -- carolyn dawn johnson "head over high heels"

you may think that it's not such a great morning when i'm up and cleaning bright and early, but you'd be wrong.  see, cleaning in preparation for an event is exciting.  i mean, yes, i am crazy enough to actually be mildly excited about cleaning the apartment because i absolutely love having a freshly-cleaned apartment, but this is even better.  when people are coming over and i need to clean for them, it's exciting!  it means people are coming over for an evening of fun!

and after the cleaning came the cooking.  this is even more fun!  i mean, i love to cook, so of course it's more fun!  i don't love windex.  anyway, i prepared dinner so that i could just stick it in the over later and it would bake and then we could all feast on it!  and i made the apartment smell good!  elizabeth also spent some time baking, but you'll get a run-down on the food shortly.

after a few minutes to just relax, i prepared a little bit more food and then made myself presentable.  actually, more than presentable.  this entire dinner party's dress code was based around the beautiful dress i procured last weekend.  and i can't just put on the dress and throw my hair up in a ponytail or fail to curl my eyelashes.  the beautification (not to be confused with beatification) process is fun, however!  by 6, i was ready and so was liz.

a little bit after that sarah and russell arrived, and katie and raul arrived not too long after that.  we watched some baseball, chatted, and just enjoyed each other for a bit while dinner finished cooking.  then we dined on stuffed shells with arrabiata or alfredo sauce, salad, and breadsticks.  dinner turned out wonderfully!  i was very pleased with my cooking efforts.  i'm always a bit nervous when i'm trying out a new recipe and forcing other people to eat it, but it went well! :)  if you weren't here, you're sad about missing it!  and for dessert was liz's lovely blackberry cobbler.  definitely tasty!  the first dinner party of the year was a success!  i'm stoked!  now you just have to figure out a way to score yourself an invite to the next one... :)

saturday 23 october 2004 12:42am

"and they go dancing, around and around
without any cares
and her very first true love is holding her close
and for a moment she isn't scared" -- rascal flatts "skin"

i woke up at 7:30, after not getting to bed until 2am.  that's not enough hours of sleep so i made myself try to sleep for another hour and eventually gave up around 8:30 and turned on "today."  i wrapped up the (never-ending) comp sci homework for today, got cleaned up, and made my weekly trip to the grocery store.  it was alright.  some trips are more exciting than others.  i did, however, procure food for tomorrow's dinner party.  now i just need to find the time to prepare it all...

comp sci was decent, and i headed straight to sarah's apartment afterwards.  somehow, i ended up talking to katie on the phone the whole way there.  she had her interview at toyota today!  very exciting!  and i'll get to see her tomorrow!  fantastic! :)

after hanging out with sarah and russell for a bit, we got into the car and headed towards buena park, location of medieval times.  yes, we went to medieval times tonight!  this being a friday night in la, though, it took us nearly 3.5 hours to go the 40ish miles.  yeah, that's so slow you have no idea.  and we might have been a little late, but it was ok.  after being forced to walk through a really scary haunted house -- i was attacked by monsters and may have actually screamed -- we got inside just as the show was starting.  perfect timing, right?!? :)  there was food (which i mostly didn't eat because it involved bones, but i expected that going in), crowns, rooting for the red team, and knights jousting!  how much fun is that?!?  very cool!

now i'm tired and need some rest before tomorrow's cleaning, cooking, reuniting, hosting, partying day!  good night, all.  more tomorrow...

friday 22 october 2004 1:11am

"you're in my head, you're in my heart
you're in the song on the radio in my car
even in my dreams
i feel your skin on my skin
out of breath, each day ends like it begins
you're in my head" -- brian mccomas "you're in my head"

so today was kind of random, but that's perfectly alright with me.  first there were the bugs i killed.  i don't kill bugs.  they freak me out.  but i did it!  yeah, i'm a strong woman... or something like that.  then there was the shuttle driver telling off the primetime airport shuttle driver who tried to run the most inconvenient stop sign on campus.  how great is that?!?  and how about that lewd discussion between p.diddy and kelly this morning on "regis and kelly?"  so not appropriate for daytime tv.  it was hilarious, though! :)  and i know it's been raining, but still seeing 5 lizards on the stairs from the fieldhouse to the caf is crazy!  i rarely see one.  and they kind of freak me out!  and dr. warford tried to use the word "sketchy" today in class.  he almost did it right, and it was a pretty good effort from a 60ish-year-old man.  and then he ate an ant!  or maybe not, but it sure looked like it!

tonight was more fun!  katie's in town for her big interview tomorrow at toyota!  how exciting is that?!?  and then she'll be around for the rest of the weekend, and we'll get to see each other.  i can't wait!  and sarah and i had dinner at la salsa.  i was totally craving a chicken quesadilla!  so tasty!  and it's a good thing i went with the caffeinated diet coke because i ended up talking on the phone with meg for a really long time about random things like how crazy it was that i went to "rocky horror" and how much fun she's having being in it right now and what we are going to do on halloween.  this meant i was putting off homework.  lots of homework.  due tomorrow.  so i've spent the last several hours working on that.  i'm calling it a night now because a person can only read c++ for so long.  and i'm nearly done.  and i have tomorrow, as well, to wrap up everything.  it was totally worth the late night anyway.  i think that's all for now. :)

thursday 21 october 2004 8:34am

"you can't stop me now, you can't hold me down, you can't keep me here, i'm on my way" -- yellowcard "way away"

i just want to say that you know it's going to be a crazy day when i killed two bugs in one morning.  seriously!  and one was a big old spider!  (only liz knows what happened yesterday morning, so we're not going to talk about that.) :) 

wednesday 20 october 2004 9:50pm

"on a monday i am waiting
tuesday i am fading
and by wednesday i can't sleep
then the phone rings, i hear you
in the darkness is a clear view
'cause you've come to rescue me
fall, with you i fall so fast
i can hardly catch my breath, i hope it lasts
oh, it seems like i can finally rest my head on something real
i like the way that feels
oh, it's as if you know me better than i ever knew myself
i love how you can tell
all the pieces, pieces, pieces of me
all the pieces, pieces, pieces of me" -- ashlee simpson "pieces of me"

it was a rainy wednesday morning in malibu, but i got dressed and braved the weather to go to convocation.  ok, so it wasn't actually raining on my way to convo, but it was definitely raining on my way out.  convo was longer than usual, but at least it was interesting.  rescuing relatives from north korea.  it was an interesting tale.  and wednesday is wave of the week! :)  i've never actually been friends with a wave of the week before, as far as i can remember!  yes, i had to wait 45 minutes for the best part of convo -- the wave of the week video -- but it was worth it to see wednesday up there! :)  congrats, wednesday!

after convo, i drove liz and sarah to main campus so they didn't have to hike up the mountain in the rain, and then i headed home.  do you ever put together a new outfit out of clothes that you've had for a while and wonder to yourself why you've never worn those pieces together before because they look great?  that was me today!  so cute!  so instead of getting straight back into pajamas when i got home, which is the more sensible thing to do, i stayed in my cute little outfit all day, despite the fact that i was home alone just lounging around the apartment and avoiding homework.  i'm sure i would have looked a bit silly if someone would have seen me, but no one did (i don't think!) so i'm good. :)

i also watched the astros-cardinals game.  all 12 innings.  i've been watching quite a bit of baseball lately.  i'm not sure if it's my love of baseball or my love of all major media events that sucks me in around this time of year, but consider me hooked.  we all know that i love sports.  even on tv.  even sports i am completely incapable of playing myself.  and we know i enjoy a good baseball game.  but if it weren't the nlcs, i probably wouldn't be watching the cards beat the astros on a wednesday afternoon.  but, of course, i was watching baseball this afternoon.  and loving it.  and i enjoyed the frequent updates on the sox-yanks score throughout pe tonight.  and i watched the end of the game when i got home.

and speaking of sports, i played water polo for the first time ever today.  really played, not just kind of tread water in a corner for a while.  i had a few shots on goal and even made one!  i played defense.  i swam.  a lot.  and it was a good time!  i have a lot of respect for people who can play a whole proper game.  it's a lot of work.  but also good fun! :) who knew?

and now i've spent my evening watching tv and writing this.  and it's been fun!  and i've spent this part of my day in my new j.crew pajamas.  oh, they're so great!  i wasn't sure, since i ordered them from the catalog, but i got them today and i love them! :)  i need good pajamas!

tuesday 19 october 2004 10:44pm

"and baby, i'll be out here dreaming, and thinking about the life we could have, well i'm stranded in los angeles, wondering when's the next time i get to hold you, i just want to hold you" -- pat green "california song"

greetings from soggy malibu!  it's raining.  hard.  and it has been and it will be.  super.  la wasn't made for rain.  it could be a disaster.

i was up nice and early this morning so i could wrap up studying for my exams.  i went through modern art and comp sci for a few hours and then just put everything away, made myself lunch, and took some time to clear my mind.  i can't only study.  it makes me insane.  and the tests went well.  not perfect, but still pretty good.

after class, i rang sarah, who was on her way home in woodland hills.  i met her at her apartment and we went to the cheesecake factory for a little dinner and a little cheesecake.  it was a great activity after thinking as hard as possible for 4 hours.  and the lemonade there really is the best thing ever!  my drive home was a bit of a chore in the pouring rain and dark.  the water wasn't getting off the road and it was rough.  and that drive through kanan was intense in the dark, rain, and dense fog.

now i'm back in my room enjoying "laguna beach" and listening to the rain outside.  oh, and i made a cd of songs from the summer.  should make for some good listening tomorrow! :)

monday 18 october 2004 11:08pm

"live in my house
i'll be your shelter
just pay me back
with one thousand kisses
be my lover
and i'll cover you" -- rent "i'll cover you"

it was a rainy, busy monday, but it turned out alright.  i was up with the sun (or clouds) and headed out to school for advertising, which was actually held at its scheduled time today for the first time in ages.  we had lecture and everything. who knew we still did that in that class?  afterwards, i had a long walk down from the com building to the fieldhouse parking lot.  by the bottom of the hill, i was pretty wet.  oops.  how else was i going to get to my car?  wait for the shuttle in the rain?  not really a better option.

i spent my first break of the day making myself lunch and just sort of lounging around.  i should have been studying, but i wasn't.  too bad.  i pay attention every single day in class for the reward of being able to slack off on my studying.  i learn the material in class, instead of the night before the exam.  or at least, most of it.

the time to head back to campus came much too quickly.  that's how it always goes, isn't it?  comp sci wasn't that interesting.  just average comp sci classes.  right now i hate comp sci because i spent my evening studying (more on that later), so i am not actually remembering today's class (or any other day's comp sci classes) fondly.  and then i walked back down the mountain again in the rain.  or drizzle.  or whatever.  i was wet.

i spent my afternoon break trying to cram those modern art flashcards into my head.  they're definitely there now.  matisse, "the green line," 1905, france, fauvism.

and then it was back to campus for pe.  when i was just about there, katie rang!  finally!  she's going to be out here this weekend and there are plans to be made!  and i ran into josh and liz in the parking lot and was a little rude to them on accident because i was still on the phone.  oops.  sorry, guys!  pe turned out to be a waste of time because the guest instructor for cardio kickboxing never turned up, so we didn't actually have the second part of class, which is the beneficial part of class.  oh, well.  it gave me more time for tonight's studying.

i grabbed dinner on my way home, ate it while watching the ends of the baseball games, and then studied.  a lot.  comp sci and modern art.  and i know a lot of it now.  and i have more than hours tomorrow morning to finish up my studying.  i won't need all that time, but i'll use a couple hours to study and a couple to lounge around and focus myself before heading off to school for the exam marathon that is tuesday afternoon.  wish me luck!  or at least good remembering!

sunday 17 october 2004 10:19pm

"and i swear my truck's got a haunted radio, 'cause i hear you in every song, but i know what the silence makes me do, so i give those buttons more abuse" -- dierks bentley "wish it would break"

it rained all night, and i slept so well!  (yes, i know it doesn't rain in malibu, but it's been raining since last night and who knows when it will end?)

i spent my morning studying and working on homework.  there's much studying to be done before tuesday, so i'm trying to spread it out and keep myself sane.  i now know nearly all 80+ pieces of modern art.  picasso, "still life with chair caning," 1912, spain, cubism.  see?  i know them!

after lunch, i decided that i should get out of the house.  i needed something at target, so i drove out there.  if you know where i live, then you know that it's quite a trip to target.  i wandered around there for awhile, just content browsing cds and dvds and shampoo and other odds and ends.  i didn't get anything exciting, but that's ok.

i spent a good portion of my afternoon lying on the red couch watching "notting hill."  i <3 that movie!  i may have started to nod off, but only because being wrapped up in a blanket on a comfortable couch on a rainy sunday afternoon does that to a person! :)  there was also some catching up with family and friends, before the inaugural sunday night manicure night.  a pink manicure and "desperate housewives" is the perfect way to spend a sunday night!

now it's time for to me clean up a little bit and crawl into bed.  i am going to need some rest before the major studying that will take place tomorrow night!  good night, all!

saturday 16 october 2004 11:34pm

"out there, somewhere
someone is waiting just for me
no pain, no gain
there's not a chance that i won't take
'cause love is always worth the ache" -- carolyn dawn johnson "love is always worth the ache"

i slept in!  it's a miracle (or perhaps just a side-effect of the fact that i didn't go to bed until 3am last night).  then it was time to work on modern art flashcards so i can study for my midterm on tuesday.  i have about 80 pieces to memorize.  should be fun.

eventually, sarah and i decided that we needed to check out the grove, an la shopping center that we've never explored.  so i drove to woodland hills to pick up sarah and we headed down into la to the grove.  this place was so cool!  it reminded me a lot of the places that i spent my summer enjoying -- a big outdoor shopping center with lots to look at and lots to enjoy.  it was very cool!  and sarah and i are bad influences on each other when it comes to shopping.  i came away with a cool new pair of jeans (you can never have enough jeans) and sarah also talked me into a gorgeous navy dress from banana that i have no need for.  where am i going to wear this?  someone's going to have to take me out on the town so i can show off my new dress...

after several hours of shopping, we came back to the apartment just in time to leave again.  sarah, liz, and i went to campus for coffeehouse/pit show.  coffeehouse was decent.  some of the bands are better than others.  soundmind actually sounded pretty good, so that was fun!  and then the pepperdine improve troupe took over!  wednesday was playing tonight, which made it even more exciting!  and brian jones was hosting, which made it even better!  it was hilarious, as usual, and my stomach hurt from laughing so much.  i can't wait until the next show.  only two weeks from now!

oddly, it rained while we were inside so the gound outside was very wet.  this made walking to the car interesting because we were all wearing flip-flops, which are very slippery on wet ground.  i ended up walking part of the way barefoot just so i wouldn't slip and fall on my ass.  :)  and i didn't!  so there!  i brought sarah home and then came home.  now it'll be bedtime soon.  good night!

saturday 16 october 2004 1:51am

"this beach is so cold on winter afternoons, but holding you close is like holding the summer sun, i'm warm from the memory of days to come" -- billy joel "this is the time"

so as you can probably see by now, i have started this entry with some song lyrics.  i've been trying to come up with a good way to incorporate some lyrics into this site, and i think i'm just going to start off journal entries with them.  so there you go.  :)

i was up bright and early again, but i took my time getting out of bed.  it was rod stewart performing live on "the today show," so i enjoyed that and other tv shows for a little bit.  eventually, i managed to drag myself out of the comfort that is my bed and did some homework -- comp sci and modern art studying.  ugh.  what a way to kick off a friday, right?  eventually, however, i had to put it away, make myself presentable, and head off to campus for my last two classes of the week.  comp sci and more comp sci.  gotta love it (or at least pretend to)!

i got out of class around four and walked through the quad to discover that the place was already crawling with parents.  yeah, it's family weekend on the pepperdine campus.  after a brief chat with josh, who was helping to welcome all the visitors, i was off to the grocery store and then headed home.  there was just enough time to wrap up comp sci and fix dinner before the big friday night adventure.

liz and i headed down to the fieldhouse (trip #1 of 2 to firestone for the night) to see the women's volleyball team take it to gonzaga.  yeah, we won 3-0, though two of the games were actually quite close.  and besides the fact that i do enjoy a good volleyball match, it's always sort of entertaining for me listen to people who don't really understand volleyball try to explain the nuances of the game to people who know even less about volleyball.  it's a good laugh. :) 

after the game, we went to josh's apartment, where we hung out for awhile.  we mostly just sat around and talked and laughed and listened to music.  oh, and we watched cartoons on his computer.  and i managed to get josh to bring me a bud light, which i didn't drink because i didn't actually want it. 

eventually, it was time to head back to the fieldhouse for midnight madness, the official kick-off of the basketball season!  now we know i love basketball season, but last year's midnight madness was so dreadfully awful that i was a little bit hesitant to go to this year's.  however, i heard it was going to be pretty good and it really could not have been worse, so liz, josh, and i went.  and it was actually pretty enjoyable.  the promised celebrities weren't great, but they haven't been great in quite some time now.  the show did include all the pepperdine dance teams, including the newly-created step team and the official dance team that incorporated some pretty interesting moves into their routine considering it's family weekend on campus.  it also included some pretty good bmx bikers, a terribly bad rendition of the national anthem, an 8-year-old boy who thinks he's the next michael jackson, and my discovery of the fact that vanessa nygaard is now an assistant coach for the women's team.  oh yeah, and all the players and coaches were introduced!  it was a good show, on the whole, and the spectacular sound system created for the event made me never want to leave the building.  so good!

now i'm back at home, pretty hungry, and definitely ready to crash.  good night, and welcome to basketball season!

thursday 14 october 2004 11:39pm

it was a busy thursday, but in a good way! :)  just what the doctor ordered!

i was up bright and early this morning, but i took my sweet time actually getting out of bed.  once i finally did, it was getting cleaned up, cocoa pebbles for breakfast, a little morning talk show tv, and out the door and off to school. 

i was in advertising by 11:15 (the time requested by my professor), and so were about 6 other people.  yeah, there are at least 25 people in that class.  this is what happens when the class is easy and no one takes attendance.  we wrapped up our campaign for the crest toothpaste competition and were interviewed by the school tv station's news program.  no one watches it, so i'm not going to be famous or anything.  don't worry.  ;)  and lew harris, who has been the editor of several important magazines, came in a talked to our class about being in that business and what it takes.  he had some really interesting insights and information for us, so it was worth the extra 45 minutes of class.

i had 20 minutes to spare before comp sci, so i ran down to the caf and scarfed down caf pizza.  yeah, it was lunch on the run, but it was better than nothing!  and then it was off to comp sci, where i actually understood what went on in class.  this doesn't always happen.  it was good, except for the part where next friday's exam got moved to tuesday, instead.  that's the day of my huge modern art midterm.  great.  back-to-back exams is my favorite thing ever.  or not.  whatever.

frank lloyd wright.  genius.  that's what i learned in modern art tonight.  that, and dr. zakian can go through 3 projectors in 1 class period and still not have any of them function entirely properly.  but seriously, i need to learn more about frank lloyd wright and now really want to go see at least one of his houses.  apparently, there are several in and around la.  now i just need to do a little research to find them and seek out a companion to come with me! :)

after class, i wandered down to the writing center in search of sarah.  we normally have dinner at 7 on thursday nights because she works until 7 and has to be on campus later in the evening for newspaper meetings, but there was no meeting tonight so i needed to find out if we were still having dinner.  we decided to try out the italian place that is right on the corner of pch near where i live.  it was actually pretty good, and they do take-away and delivery, so i'll be calling them in the near future for dinner brought to my door! :)  this is a very exciting discovery!  and then we came back to my apartment and watched "will and grace" and "the apprentice."  it was so much fun to just hang out!  we never just sit around together!  (well, sometimes, but not as much as we'd like.)  and then liz came home and there was more hanging out (we kind of decided not to go to the dume room to see soundmind perform) and watching tv.  "manhunt," actually.  male models skydiving in their underwear.  does tv get better than this?  i think not.  and sarah offered to arrange for me to go skydiving for christmas but said she wasn't going with me.  i told her that i discovered appropriate companions! :)  haha!

it's time for bed, so i can get up early (like there's really a way that it'd be possible for me to not get up early) and actually get some homework done.  i was going to do homework tonight, but hanging out with sarah was just much more enjoyable!  good night!

wednesday 13 october 2004 10:46pm

now that i've mentally reviewed the things that i have done today, i think i would fit in nicely on wisteria lane.  (anyone get this pop culture reference?  anyone?) 

i was up with the sun, yet again.  i spent the extra time i had this morning catching up with friends.  annahita is back from nyc.  kath is completely stressed about school.  megs is bored (but we're planning a trip to the british virgin islands and then cocoa island in the indian ocean where we can laze around and not eat exotic foods, so it's ok).  eventually, however, i had to get myself ready for convo.

convo.  well, it was one of the better convos of the year, but then again we've had some really bad ones this year.  accept that there are different races in this country.  the states are getting "browner."  yeah, i noticed.  have we seen me?

i spent the afternoon being the perfect housewife (minus the husband and kids).  i did my grocery shopping for the week.  who knew that wednesday mornings after convo were actually a decent time to go to ralphs?  they are!  and then i came home and put the personal-size lasagna that i made and froze last week into the oven for a tasty lunch.  so good!  i did 4 loads of laundry.  i did the dishes.  i straightened my room, minus the scrapbooking stuff, which i also worked on.  and then this evening's pe class was water jogging.  if that doesn't scream suburban country-club class i don't know what does.

after a well-deserved shower, it was leftovers for dinner while watching tv with liz.  in the same room!  haha!  and more laundry.  i went to put clothes from the washer into the dryer, and when i walked back into the apartment, dj and his friend katie were here.  it was unexpected, and i was in my not-so-presentable pajamas.  oops!  but the 4 of us ended up just watching tv and hanging out for a while, which was actually a lot of fun! :)  let's just say, we had an interesting conversation!  and now i'm watching "sex and the city" and starting to think about getting ready for bed.  mmm... clean sheets are really exciting!  and so is "vanity fair" with johnny depp on the cover, possibly tonight's reading. :)

tuesday 12 october 2004 11:23pm

i woke up early this morning to get a nice jumpstart on my day.  that was kind of pointless because i didn't actually do much this morning, but then again, i was up before the alarm again so i wasn't going to sleep in even if i didn't plan on doing anything with my morning.  so basically, i thought of a bunch of things that i should have been doing with my morning, and then i thought of excuses to put off doing any of them until later.

eventually, i headed out to campus.  comp sci was weird.  no one was in class today.  and i was distracted for some reason so i'm not really sure what went on.  some days are just like that, you know?  and then we started architecture in modern art, which was quite interesting.  i'm anxious to get to frank lloyd wright on thursday, though!

after class, sarah and i went to marmalade for dinner and discovered just how bad traffic can be when pch gets completely closed down.  i mean, we didn't get stuck in that traffic, but it was pretty disastrous.  my dinner was delicious, though sarah's not so much.  and then we went back to school for convocation.  don't ask me what it was about.  i brought my j. crew catalog.  and even when i did stop to listen, i still had no idea what it was about.  oh, well.  i got my credit for going and that's what really matters, right?  right?

i've spent my evening getting homework done and watching my favorite "laguna beach."  :)  i do love that show!  it's so fun! :)  now i'm off to bed so i can have another early morning.

monday 11 october 2004 10:39pm

just another long monday.  i was up before the alarm, thanks to me getting to bed early last night.  who knew that was possible when the alarm's set for 7:45?  anyway, i spent the morning getting ready and eating a mediocre breakfast before heading off to advertising.  we did a focus group in that class for new cell phone products.  not that interesting.  whatever.  then it was comp sci and pe, all of which were average.  i worked really hard in pe tonight, and i'm pretty sure i won't be able to walk tomorrow.  oh well.  who needs walking anyway, right?  it's totally overrated.  the evening was spent on the phone, watching tv, and working on homework.  nothing too special, but nothing torturous, either.  i'm going to try to get to bed early again tonight.

sunday 10 october 2004 9:52pm

i'm back in malibu all in one piece.  it was a great weekend at home, nice and busy and fun.

i was up with the sun again this morning, and it was off to watch adam play basketball.  it's fun now that him and the kids he plays with are actually good.  you know, their skill level is a bit higher than it was 4 years ago.  oh, and they won 66-14, which is... cool.

then it was back home to pack up everything i brought or purchased or stole from the bathroom closet.  yeah, it's a good thing my suitcase wasn't full when i went home because it was for sure full today! :)  and then it was back to the airport, where i waited for my flight.  the wait was a bit too long in a crowded airport, but i had a magazine to keep me entertained.  the flight was alright -- a little bit turbulent and the man next to me wasn't wearing shoes, but i survived.

now i'm back in malibu, just rounding out my 3-day weekend with some tv.  it was the second half of "dirty dancing," a bit of swimming, and "desperate housewives," which i'm now completely hooked on.  maybe i'll head to bed early tonight, because we all know i'll be up early again tomorrow.  it's a busy monday, like usual.

saturday 9 october 2004 11:22pm

it was a busy saturday in a really good way. :)

i actually slept in until 9 or so.  amazing!  i haven't slept that late in a long time!  it's probably because i was up really late last night and it was quiet around the house this morning because no one was home.  no matter what, it was nice!  after munching on the krispy kremes we picked up last night, i got cleaned up and headed down to the bank.  did you know it takes about an hour to set up a new savings account and a few cds?  yeah.  i was there a really long time, but at least the guy helping me was nice.  i also found out, on my way there, that they tore down the library and playground where i used to go.  that completely freaked me out.

i spent the afternoon shopping at stanford with katherine.  we mostly just wandered around and talked and caught up.  we haven't hung out in a long time now, so it was a lot of fun!

this evening, i picked up dinner at baja fresh and watched "saved!" with the family.  i love that movie! :)  it's so hilarious!  and now it's one more night on the air mattress.

saturday 9 october 2004 1:00am

the air mattress works if you're tired enough.  well at least for the few hours of sleep that i actually get these days.  i was up and moving at 7:30 (again!) and by 8, mom and i were on the road into the city.  we spent the morning with grandma and grandpa, which is always a good time, even if "good time" turns out to mean "trip to mcdonalds and doing their laundry."  grandpa's already telling me that i need to move back up north.  um, yeah.

mom and i then spent the afternoon at the price club, target, and the mall.  there was more deep fried food to be eaten here, as well.  great.

after a really bizarre dinner at home, adam and i went down to amc mercado and saw "friday night lights," which was excellent!  plus, my favorite tim mcgraw has a part.  :)  and we might have stopped off at krispy kreme on the way home.  it's funny how much we can blur the line between breakfast and dessert.  and when you consume donuts after midnight, which meal are you actually having?

thursday 7 october 2004 11:37pm

i'm not really in the same place as i was when i last updated this journal.  no really.  i'm at home in the big s.c.

it was yet another early morning, as has been routine lately, and i was up and moving right away.  there was some homework to wrap up before classes this morning, so i did that. and then i still had to pack my suitcase and backpack for my trip home.  of course, i also managed to sneak in a pasta lunch at 10am.  it was the only meal i was guaranteed today, so i had to take advantage!

it was off to school around 10:30 since i had to be in the comm building by 11:15.  i made it, and consumer behavior was fun.  the senior vp of production at e! came in to speak with us, and he was really great.  he might prove to be an important connection in the near future, as well, so that's always good news.  i had a few extra minutes before comp sci, so i grabbed some caf pizza, which was less than exciting but still hit the spot.  then it was 2 hours of comp sci.  great.  actually, it went fine, even if it was class.  i'm on top of the work in those classes, so i feel like i know everything that's going on in class, for the first time this semester.  go me! ;)  and then it was rodin day in modern art, which is exciting because stanford has a really amazing rodin collection.  now i want to go there and look at the sculptures since i'll be able to appreciate them properly!  anyone up for a trip to stanford?  it's the other school that i know my way around.

after class, i ran into liz and sarah in the parking lot and then it was straight to the airport.  can i just say that i have never seen it so foggy in la?  i mean, yes, malibu is foggy often, but there's not usually really dense fog at the airport.  it was a trip.  it's like i was already in sf.  haha!  anyway, i made it to the airport, got checked in (to my actual flight, not an earlier one this time), and found a pretzel for "dinner."  the flight was ok.  not great.  but then again, i hate flying, so flights are so rarely great in my world.  dad picked me up, and now i'm at home.  we know i don't really live here so much as use it as a storage space because my mattress is now a camping air mattress.  not like an aerobed, but a coleman air mattress.  yeah, this is going to really help my terrible lack of sleep.  or not.

anyway, i'm home for the weekend, but the computer has traveled with me.  it actually has thousands of miles on it, so why not another 800, right?

thursday 7 october 2004 12:58am

me getting up early nowadays leaves time for me to actually get dressed for convo.  i wanted to wear these new heels that i bought a few weeks ago when i was shopping with sarah (we're now shoe twins), so i built a really cute outfit around them! :)  nice pinstriped pants, a sweater, heels -- all just for convo.  why not, right?  by the way, convo was just average.  nothing special.  there was singing and a lecture about God and anorexia (perfect for pepperdine, no?).

i spent my afternoon working on the homework that needs to get done so i can fly home for the weekend.  that meant lots of comp sci.  but it's done!  early!  i win! :)

then it was off to pe, where we swam.  and then dinner with sarah at coogies.  yes, i went straight from swimming to dinner.  yes, i was dripping wet.  yes, it was delicious.  and no, the waiter will not be added to the list.  it was a really great time, even if i did have to eventually bring sarah back to school so she could spend her night slaving away at the newspaper office.

when i got home, i baked a birthday cake for sarah.  see, 7 october is her 21st birthday!  and i won't be able to spend it with her because i'll be in class all day and then i'm headed straight to the airport.  so i baked a nice cake and brought it over to her in the newspaper office at about midnight.  she was just finishing up, so we had cake and chatted and then we both left so sarah could actually get a decent amount of sleep tonight.  see the pics section for a couple new photos of us! :)

tuesday 5 october 2004 10:16pm

i believe it's the kia's second anniversary. :)

i got up early and it was pretty much straight to work. finally, ahead of the game with school stuff!  or at least on top of the game. :)  i love that feeling.  that's pretty much how i spent my morning.

then it was off to another day of comp sci and modern art.  right now, things are going well at school.  i'm working hard but i also feel like the work is paying off, so that's good. :)  plus, i'm actually understanding modern art.  i wasn't sure this was actually possible, but i guess it is!

it was straight back to the apartment after class.  i have the place to myself for most of the night because liz has a late class on tuesdays and thursdays.  i made myself lasagne -- like from "scratch" (meaning i assembled store-bought pasta and sauce and cheese) -- and had that and it was so excellent!  there was also cookie-baking today.  mmm!  cookies!  and then there was tv.  i watch entirely too much tv.  it was 'gilmore girls,' two episodes of 'sex and the city,' 'real world' (not really recommended), and 'laguna beach,' which i'm now addicted to.  one guy, two girls, sound vaguely familiar. ;)  oh, and just as a little insight into life in this apartment, i wanted to mention that last night when both liz and i were watching 'everwood' we were each watching in our own rooms and IMing back and forth about the show.  yeah.  that's just how life is here, and we enjoy it. :)  and yes, i watch entirely too much television, a habit that i plan on breaking soon.  i just have to come up with something else to be doing.  hmm...

monday 4 october 2004 11:13pm

it was a monday.  what can i say?  i got up early, like i do, got ready, and went to school.  consumer behavior is ok.  we took a bunch of pictures of us in our pepperdine sweatshirts and holding toothbrushes and looking all fun.  oh, and there was only one of the two guys in that class present today, so he was looking like a pimp.  it was funny!

comp sci was comp sci.  i'm learning language number three of the semester, prolog, so that's fun.  i actually understand it and how it works and everything, so i'm stoked.

i spent my afternoon studying for pe, and then i went and took my pe test.  not too bad.  i'm good at these ge courses now.  actually, this is my last one, and i should have taken it 3 years ago, but that's ok.  i'm taking it now.  and it's no big deal.

the evening.  i've spent my evening doing homework, talking to people on the phone (the family, sarah, megs), and watching 'everwood.'  nothing crazy, but nothing bad, either.  i'm off to bed soon.  i exhaust myself and it's working.

sunday 3 october 2004 10:47pm

i was up and moving before 9am again.  it's just become habit.  don't ask.  after meandering aimlessly around the internet for a little bit and realizing that there is nothing at all interesting on tv at that hour, i decided to shower and get dressed and get moving.  somehow, though, i managed to get side-tracked and ended up talking to katie for a long time on the phone.  that was a good time! :)  eventually, i got off the phone, finished getting ready, and headed out to take care of a couple errands.  there were movies to return before noon, so that got taken care of.  oh, and the guy at the video store this morning was way cute!  hehe!  anyway, then it was a trip to sav-on, where i decided not to actually purchase myself a tube of crest vanilla mint toothpaste.  i was supposed to get myself a tube and try it for my ad class, but i just couldn't.  there was a scratch and sniff thing on the side of the box and it confirmed my initial thought -- that there was not a chance in hell that i'd want to actually use this toothpaste because i just don't want a sweet toothpaste.  i just don't.  toothpaste in my world needs to be minty.  so i decided to save the $3.50 and not buy it.  then it was back to the apartment, where i spent the rest of my day.  boring, i know.  i had pe studying to do for our first big exam tomorrow, and there's always computer science programming to be done.  i got a good amount of work done, so i'm happy about that, even if it made for a less-than-exciting sunday.  i did take some breaks to talk on the phone with other friends, and to start reading my budget travel magazine.  i couldn't resist the cover story about affordable ways to vacation in tahiti when i was in barnes and noble last night.  we know i love tahiti! :)  oh, and i watched the first episode of "desperate housewives," which i thoroughly enjoyed!  oh, how i still enjoy a good tv show!  so now i'm just hanging out.  i should be studying the comp sci that needs to get done, but it's nearly 11 on a sunday night.  it's not worth the pain it would cause at this point.  i'll do it tomorrow. :)  good night, all!

saturday 2 october 2004 11:38pm

a lazy saturday is a good saturday, right?  i think so. :)

i slept in later than usual.  ok, 9 isn't really late, but it is later than i normally sleep.  anyway, i pretty much lounged around all morning.  i did, however, manage to get the apartment clean.  that was definitely necessary!  i spent all afternoon talking to megs online while she was in a saturday class that was apparently very uninteresting.  it was a good time! :)  he had a great discussion.  i also watched 8.5 innings of really good giants baseball, before they blew it in the 9th.  ugh.  and then i went out in search of some way to occupy my saturday night.  that turned out well!  i discovered that there's a place really close by where i can rent movies.  and they actually have some there that i might want to see because they're not all checked out.  i made it to the bookstore, where i browsed for a while.  i love that!  :)  and then i picked up a pizza on my way home and held a mini movie marathon.  "jersey girl" and "mean girls" were the selections tonight.  both were very cute!  that's about all from here for tonight!

saturday 2 october 2004 2:02am

i was supposed to be up this late, but sometimes it just happens.  oops! :)

i was awoken by my alarm clock at 7:45, but really woke up around 8:30 or so.  it was friday.  give me a break, people! ;)  i attempted to do my computer science homework, but there was a small error (not my fault), so it didn't work out really.  so i decided to work on my scrapbook from my year in london a bit.  i hadn't worked on it in about a year, and i was still working on greece (oct. 2002).  yeah, i'm behind.  it's time-consuming, and actually is turning out to be a huge project.

anyway, it was eventually time for me to go to class, so i went to comp sci.  i got my exam from last week back, and i did really well.  one little plus sign that i accidentally wrote as a minus sign was my only error, and it didn't even make my answer wrong.  other than that small mistake, i totally rock! :)  hahaha!  blockbuster and ralph's were on the agenda for after class.

i spent some more time with the scrapbook when i got home.  i made a quick dinner, and it was off to josh's and then school.  see, they were showing a movie in the park tonight.  'shrek 2.'  movie in the park is one of the cooler on-campus events!  if you've never been, it's a huge screen set up in alumni park and everyone just sits on the lawn.  so anyway, liz, josh, and i went, and we had a great time!

it was straight back home afterwards because liz wanted to get to bed really early because she's taking the lsat tomorrow.  so i spent my night watching 'clueless' and late-night tv and working on the scrapbook.  i just finished first semester!  i am stoked!  that's a ton of progress!  you have no idea!  it was fun, too! :)  you know you all want to see the book now!

it's time for me to put the scrapbook stuff down and go to bed now, though.  good night! :)

thursday 30 september 2004 11:43pm

i never expect thursdays to turn out as well as they usually do!

i woke up early this morning so i would have a little time to work on some comp sci studying before heading off to class.  by 10am, however, i was in consumer behavior.  we're working on coming up with an event idea to create buzz around crest vanilla mint toothpaste, a la 'the apprentice.'  personally, i don't think i'll ever want to use a toothpaste with a sweet flavor, but then again, that's just me.  after my first idea got shot down by the annoying girl who sits next to me, my next idea turned out to be a winner.  funny how i'm the idea person in this class and that's not at all what i am actually good at.  anyway, we're trying to win our way to nyc, so wish us luck! :)

after class, it was off to the gas station because my gas light was on in my car.  yeah, i let the tank get a little lower than i intended to, but it was still running! :)  hehe!  and i got over 320 miles on that tank.  go, volvo, go!  then it was straight back to the apartment for some lunch and more comp sci studying.  what a way to spend my break, right?

on my way back to school, my phone rang.  i fished it out of my backpack because i thought it might be josh or sarah letting me know about plans for tonight.  instead it was a new number.  andy from work! :)  i talked to him for a few minutes while he took a little break at work and i got to school and started my trek up the mountain to class.  it's so great to get a random call like that, especially on my way to take an exam!

comp sci class and my exam both went well.  i even finished my test with 15 minutes to spare.  this spare time left me with enough time to grab a soda from the caf and go back outside to sit on the new benches outside smothers.  they're concrete benches but covered with big, soft cushions.  they're actually really comfortable!  i could have taken a little nap there if i had had more time.  instead, i had a diet coke and checked my voicemail.  plans for the evening were decided!  excellent!

modern art was interesting.  we're really getting into purely abstract art now. a black square.  and it has meaning.  amazing!  after class, i went down to the writing center to meet up with sarah.  we hung out there until she was done working, and then it was off to dinner.  guidos.  neither of us had been there before, so we went!  mmm!  my dinner was definitely excellent!  we'll be going there again, that's for sure.  and we made it back to campus just in time to see bale folclorico da bahia, a brazilian folk dance show.  it was very interesting and you know i love live music, so that was nice.  sarah dashed out early during the last portion because she had a meeting.  the show got very odd immediately after that.  moments later, the dancers were in the aisles encouraging the audience members to dance along with the music.  yes, right there in their seats or in the aisles.  about half the people there did.  not so much me.  but i was laughing on the inside because i know that sarah would not really have enjoyed this portion of the show.  i also know that depending on who might have been with me, i might have had to dance.  however, i was by myself so no dancing for me! :)  and then the show ended.  and everyone clapped.  and then it wasn't over.  the music resumed and more dancing did, as well.  and then it ended and everyone clapped.  and then the music resumed and more dancing did, as well.  and then it ended and everyone clapped.  and then the music resumed and more dancing did, as well.  and then it actually ended and by this time the clapping was less than enthusiastic.  overall, though, the show was good.  we all know i can't dance like those people can!

i spent the rest of my night on the phone with the family and then on the phone with steph.  i haven't talked to her in a while, so it was awesome to catch up and hear that things are going really well for her!

i guess now it's time to relax, watch some tv, and just bum around before going to bed.  until next time...

wednesday 29 september 2004 11:41pm

it was a lazy wednesday, for the most part.  i got up early and took my time getting ready for convo.  liz and josh made themselves a proper breakfast, and the apartment still smells like bacon and eggs.  convo was average -- nothing too special but nothing excruciating either.

i spent the afternoon putting off comp sci studying.  i chatted with andy online for a bit, which was fun.  i took a little nap.  i watched a little tv.

i lifted weights in pe.  then it was back home to actually do my comp sci studying for tomorrow.  i might have had the giants game on the tv in the background, but i was for sure studying.  now i'm just working on some website updates, and then i'll head to bed.  sleep sounds nice. :)

tuesday 28 september 2004 10:20pm

happy new music tuesday! :)  my favorite day of the week (well, you know, next to saturdays)!  i got up early this morning, again for no special reason but just because i've gotten into the habit of it.  i went to best buy for some new music.  rascal flatts and phil vassar both have new albums out, both of which are definitely excellent!  plus, best buy is across the street from a jamba juice, so you know i went there, too!

the afternoon was filled with class, class, and more class.  comp sci and modern art history.  and then it was straight back home afterwards.

i have spent my evening wrapping up homework, making dinner, watching loads of tv, and baking cookies.  yeah, you wish you were here for an evening of excitement! ;)  it's relaxing, at least!

tuesday 28 september 2004 12:09am

so i figure that today is a perfectly acceptable day to start updating this page again.  i know that it has been quite some time since the last update.  too bad.  deal with it. ;)

i woke up bright and early for no reason in particular.  i took my sweet time getting ready for class, and around 9:15 i headed out.  i was waiting for the shuttle near the fieldhouse and the maserati scraped hard on its way into the parking lot.  hahaha!  so funny!  i love it!  and i ran into josh at the shuttle stop, which was a welcomed surprise on a monday morning.

consumer behavior was decent.  it seems we're going to be entering crest's contest for a better campaign for vanilla mint toothpaste than those created by the contestants on 'the apprentice.'  my professor already thinks we've won and we haven't even come up with an idea yet!  she's already planning out the trip to nyc that we're going to win.  hehe! :)  that would be awesome, though!

the highlight of break #1 for today was hearing from andy, who it seem is doing well out in michigan.  i need to talk to him a little bit longer next time, though. :)

comp sci was comp sci.  i caught liz and sarah both working the writing center, though, on my way out of the building, so i got to stop and say hello. :)  break #2 always goes too quickly, and i was soon back on campus for pe.  20 minutes of running and then a joke of a stretching session.  not too bad, but not particularly fun either.

i spent way too much of my evening on the phone or im and not enough of it doing comp sci homework.  it's not the first time. :)  i mean, i really did need to talk to katie, the family, and sarah.  comp sci can wait, right?  ok, maybe not wait so much as be sacrificed somewhat.  no, i always get my homework done.  no worries, family! :)

and now, it's for sure time for bed!  i'm getting up early again tomorrow to get more comp sci done (ugh) and then i'm headed through the canyon for a double-dose of new music tuesday!  woot woot!  phil vassar and rascal flatts all in one day! my ears just might explode!

<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3~<3

monday, 8 march 2004, 10:54pm

back to the daily grind of school.

it was a lovely 88 degrees or so today!  finally a beach day and i'm required to go to school.  ironic, i know.  so i went to class, did my grocery shopping, made some lunch, and went to more class.  i visited with liz, josh, and dj for a few minutes, and i went out to dinner with sarah, who is so awesome that i cannot describe.  oh, and i definitely am already sucked into march madness.  i'll get work done tomorrow when there's no basketball on tv... or at least less basketball on tv.

thursday, 26 february 2004, 11:39pm

oooooh riiight!  hawaii, here i come!

so i got up, went to class, ran some errands, and made it back here just in time to get a whole bunch of chores done this afternoon.  and then kath called, and i ended up spending my entire afternoon on the phone with her.  it was definitely worth the time sacrifice, though.

art was great!  we looked at american landscape artists, and we don't need to know any of the information about them for the final, so we didn't' have to take notes or anything.  we just got to enjoy the lecture.  and dr. zakian brought us to the museum on campus to look at the exhibition that's going on there right now -- jimmy ernst (son of max ernst).  very interesting.

i spent my evening listening to the stanford game on internet radio, doing lots of laundry, packing, and just trying to make sure that i have everything under control.  i'm so ready for spring break!

thursday, 26 february 2004, 12:15am

i really loved today.  really.

liz and i headed out in the drizzle to convo, where we sat with sarah and josh, as usual and listened to the speaker.  or didn't.  i don't know.  it ended quickly.

i spent a good portion of my day doing some homework, and eventually, i again headed out in the pouring rain to class.  mass comm law was more interesting when ian and i were laughing at dr. jordan together.  that class is often out of control.

after class, i dashed up all 81 stairs to the parking lot with my umbrella practically blowing away and me just trying to stay as dry as possible (though i failed).  josh came up and we hung out, watched some tv, ordered pizza, and chatted.  an hour and fifteen minutes after we ordered our pizza, we had to leave without ever getting our order.  so we put tori in charge of signing for the pizza and josh and i went to mass.  i admittedly hadn't been to our lady of malibu in a quite a while, but then josh hadn't been to mass in longer than he could remember.  it was a really nice mass, we got our ashes, and we even spotted martin sheen sitting 2 rows in front of us.  a re-dedication to being better about going to mass is forthcoming, i believe.

josh joined liz and me for "the o.c." and some cold pizza.  then i chatted with sarah, the family, and meg on the phone (the internet is currently down) and i watched "carmen and dave."  all in all, it's been an excellent day.  welcome to lent.

tuesday, 24 february 2004, 11:19pm

this is the part where i can take a little moment to take a deep breath.

i got up early, and i headed out to advertising.  who doesn't love a class at 8am?  i realize that i had these every day in high school, but not only is that 3 years behind me but i have also drastically changed my sleeping habits since then.  anyway, i was running through my art flashcards in the lounge because i'm always early when i had my favorite (ignore that it was also my only) surprise of the morning, josh sitting down with me for a few minutes before class.  he quizzed me on a couple pieces of art which i had yet to learn.  oh, well.  then i was one of only 10 people actually in my advertising class this morning.  he made us watch another of the lame videos he has.  i mean, sometimes he has really good videos, but this wasn't one of them.  computer science was next, and it was just a normal, average class.  nothing too special.

i spent the afternoon programming and then studying for art history.  by 4pm, i knew all 75 required paintings.  i rawk so hard!  granted, i love art history, but i'm more excited about the second half of the class than i was about the first.

my nineteenth century art midterm went extremely well, even if there were only 12 paintings on the whole exam and it required me to write for nearly 2 hours.  i think i got out everything i know, so that's the best i could do.

dinner in the caf on tuesday nights with liz and sarah is always fun, and it was even more fun since josh was there.  besides this morning, i hadn't seen him in a while.  oh, and i finally managed to get myself a slice of the deep dish pepperoni pizza i've heard about.  it's for sure good eats!  sarah and i are so ready to go to hawaii, too!  final plans are in action.

the rest of my evening has been spent doing nothing.  i figure that i deserve it after 4 days of hard-core studying for the docket and then art history.  yeah, i have more homework for tomorrow afternoon that i'll have to get done at some point between convo and class tomorrow, but i think i can squeeze it in!  and of course, i watched a bit of tv.  "american idol," "gilmore girls," and "8 simple rules" always make for good tuesday-night entertainment.

oh, and happy fat tuesday.  my fellow bad catholic, joshua, and i are heading to mass tomorrow night for ash wednesday.  yeah, that means you don't need to concern yourself with the smudge on my forehead tomorrow.  now, all i need to do is formulate some sort of resolution for lent....  ideas?

monday, 23 february 2004, 11:02pm

mondays are never quite super enough.

i got up, went to math and computer science, did homework, and then headed back out again.  i met with my docket group for mass comm law, and then we presented our case.  this is a major project, and i'm glad to have it over with, even if i did spent 2 hours painfully focused on a case that we couldn't win.  i'm just glad it's over with.  now the last major hurdle between me and hawaii is my art history midterm tomorrow afternoon.  ask me about david, gericault, delacroix, goya, blake, constable, turner, or friedrich.  i know the answer.

sunday, 22 february 2004, 11:46pm

well, it was an interesting weekend, in the way that boredom is interesting.

friday i didn't do a whole lot.  sarah came over for a little bit.  i watched "freaky friday" and "clerks."  i went to bed early due to exhaustion.

saturday i slept in, watched a ton of basketball on tv (as i do on saturdays), did a bit more of nothing, watched "the rainmaker" (which features my boyfriend matty), and sat around looking for entertainment but failing miserably.

today, i was headed out to nordstrom to return something when i got a flat tire.  i guess it was bound to happen to me some time.  it only takes an hour for aaa to save me (i know how to change a tire in theory, but i didn't want to risk it).  at least i had my mom, josh, and meg to entertain me during the wait.  then it was back to campus and the on to santa monica to get a new tire.  oh, and meg also entertained me through the waiting for that, as well.  ugh.  so much waiting.  5 hours after i had set out to run a little errand, i returned, still needing to accomplish that errand.  so i sat around for a bit, did some studying, and eventually headed to the library, where i spent 3 hours with ian putting together the details for our media law docket tomorrow.  and now, i'm off to bed because sunday didn't go as planned and i'm ready for it to be over.

friday, 20 february 2004, 11:54am

yesterday was misleading.  i felt like it was friday, but it wasn't.  that's so not fair.

i went to math and computer science and then had the rest of the day to do whatever i want because art was cancelled.  i did some homework and studying.  oh, and i took a really, really long nap, which is always a good thing!  sarah and i had dinner at coogies together and then hung out for a little bit.  i listened to stanford beat usc on online radio, and i talked to the family and to kath on the phone and to troy online.  and of course, i couldn't fall asleep because of the nap, but i had to get up early today to go to class at 8.  oh, well.  it was still a very nice thursday!

the weekend should be a combination of work and just relaxing, so i should survive my last 7 days before sarah and i jet off to maui!

wednesday, 18 february 2004, 10:38pm

you know, wednesdays aren't usually that spectacular, but this one... well this one had some super moments.

so after 10 blissful hours of sleep, i got up for convo.  convo was a load of crap today, and it was raining, but i survived.  oh, and i might have found someone to come with me next week to mass for ash wednesday.  and i ran into wednesday herself, which is always a serendipitous event.

i spent the afternoon working on homework -- my docket for my media law class.  there's no way that my group will be ill-prepared on monday, if i have anything to do with it.

media law was media law.  nothing spectacular, but i wasn't expecting anything special, so it's not like it was a disappointment.  my only complaint is the fact that that classroom is like 50 degress.  i just shiver, but at least i'm awake, i suppose.

after class, i played back my tape of "trl."  why did i tape trl, a show i haven't watched since maybe 6 years ago?  because troy said he was going to be in-studio.  well, he certainly was!  his complete lack of dancing ability meant that he earned himself private dance lessons from usher and a chance to show off what he learned at the end of the show.  i feel sorry for all who missed this wonderfully hilarious show!  then it was more tv, including "the o.c." which was as amazing as ever!  that's such a wonderful show!  i love wednesday tv!!!

it's back to bed early tonight, as i hope to stay rested and healthy!

tuesday, 17 february 2004, 9:53pm

wow.  i'm completely worn out and it's only tuesday.  this could be because of my odd sleep pattern over the weekend.  or it could just mean that i have been a busy girl lately!  or both.

yesterday.  hmm.  class, class, homework all afternoon, class, homework.  yeah, that sums it up pretty well.  oh, and i had a nice chat with a guy at the shuttle stop about the overwhelming number of rolly-pollies there.

today was more of the same -- class, class, homework, class.  i had dinner in the caf with liz and sarah, and it was back here for more homework, a little tv, and then back to the homework.  i think i'll just crash now and maybe i'll be caught up on my sleep by tomorrow!  peace out.

sunday, 15 february 2004, 11:42pm

i love weekends where my sleeping pattern gets to fall into the ideal -- up until the sun starts to rise and then sleeping until the afternoon.  oh, what a life! :)

yesterday afternoon was spent hanging out and watching "thirteen."  the film was pretty good, though considering it's content, i didn't actually think it was particularly shocking.  i mean, i wasn't doing all those crazy things at 13 (and i'm still not, thank you very much), but it just wasn't surprising.

anyway, dinner at california pizza kitchen with james, brian, sarah carillo, sara (liz's friend), liz, and mary jayne was fun.  then we all headed back to campus for the pepperdine improv troupe (pit) show.  amazing!  it always is, but my favorite cast members were all performing last night -- wednesday, brian jones, sean lyons!  really, i didn't need more than that.  then we all headed over to josh's house for a small gathering.  i was home at 5am.

today was spent doing far less work than i had anticipated, but whatever, it's ok.  i had nice chats with several friends online and on the phone.  i watched "the battle of shaker heights," which i absolutely loved!  rent it!  i studied for a math test without the study group that invited me.  i watched my tape of last night's stanford win over cal.  now i'm going to try to get some rest.  we'll see how that goes.  i haven't actually been awake for 12 hours yet, so i may have some trouble falling asleep.

boo to all of you who have tomorrow off!

saturday, 14 february 2004, 12:23pm

i guess i owe an update! :)

thursday.  hmm.  what did i do thursday?  i went to class, i did homework, i took a nap (one of the better decisions of my life), i went to more class.  ooh!  in art history we covered j.m.w. turner, who i love!  hooray for turner!  thursday night, liz and i went to see dance in flight, which is a performance by some of the best dancers at pepperdine.  it was absolutely amazing!  there were various types of dance, by my favorites are always tap and hip-hop (not necessarily at the same time, though that is fun, too)!

yesterday, i write haikus through advertising to keep myself awake.  then i came back here, half fell asleep, and eventually got up.  i watched "starting over" with liz and then went bathing suit shopping -- not a recommended activity for february, but i'll be in hawaii in 2 weeks, so i had to go!  and i did eventually find something, as well as a cute little beach bag that says "i <3 sufer boys" like a whole bunch of times.  very cute!  dinner was a frozen pizza (yes, i cooked it first), and then dj and josh came over and liz, josh, dj, and liz's friend sarah played "risk."  yeah, a major game of "risk" happened here on a friday night. i just watched, which was probably more fun since i didn't have to think very hard.  oh, and "potc" was also on the tv, so i was watching my boyfriends orli and johnny, too! :)

and now it's valentine's day.  still no valentine for me, but i do have lots of plans with a whole bunch of friends, so it should be fun stuff!  i'll let you know... ;)

wednesday, 11 february 2004, 11:24pm

so do you know what's best about wednesdays???  that's right!  it's my sleep-in day because convo doesn't start until 10!  so i slept in! :)  convo was alright.

i spent the afternoon doing work, work, work, and more work, and i actually got a ton done so it was worth it.  then mass comm law was pretty good.  then it was back here, some dinner, and some tv.

it's funny how tv sort of just takes over on wednesday nights.  "american idol" was alright.  it's funny how i have strong opinions on all the people.  actually, i mostly end up wishing that i had millions of dollars and my own record label so that i could let my favorites make their own records.  someday...

then, of course, it was time for "the o.c.!"  oooooh riiight!  what a good episode!  i do love that show! :)  a quick trip to ralphs for milk was followed by "carmen & dave" and now i'm just getting ready for bed.

i'm open for suggestions about how to spend my weekend...  anyone???

tuesday, 10 february 2004, 10:44pm

it's the end of the week now, right???  right?!?

so i got up bright and early.  i headed out, in the wind, to advertising, and took my exam.  actually, it wasn't bad at all, so i'm happy.  and then it was down to math class, where i confused dr. rogers with what day of the week it is (i usually skip his class on tuesdays because advertising overlaps).  and computer science was alright.

i ran a couple errands and took a really, really nice nap before heading to art history.  i'm quite excited that we're starting landscapes, finally!  life is good!  and then i had dinner in the caf with sarah after class, which is always fun!  you know, we're going to be in hawaii in 17 days!

tv took over my evening -- "8 simple rules," "american idol," "gilmore girls," "the real world," "boy meets world" and coming up is "will and grace" and leno.  oh, man.  tuesday are useless.  at least i got the nails painted! :)

monday, 9 february 2004, 10:24pm

life is busy.  crazy busy.  but also good.

i got up bright and early, made it through math class, and then was off to take my computer science exam.  it went so well.  i'm very happy about it.  also, paul was sitting in front of me and kept scooting his chair backwards and it made for some funny moments, which doesn't happen often in during exams. :)

i spent the middle of my day watching my tape of the grammys and making lasagna, which i ended up throwing out because the sauce i used was pretty gross.  oh, well.  at least the grammys were fun!

media law was a decent class, and i went to see ginger after class to collect my $50 from the contest i won in her class last semester for the best website for a charity called community conscience.  we had a nice chat, and then it was back home.  i also spent a very long time on the phone with meg, which was nice.  i miss her.

and now, i'm back to work, studying for my advertising exam tomorrow.  wish me luck!

sunday, 8 february 2004, 11:16pm

i was just relaxing, remote control in hand, watching "saturday night life" and chatting with friends on line, when my phone rang.  it was 12:45am!  it said that it was josh calling me, so i answered.  well, it may have been his phone, but he wasn't the one dialing.  let's just say my chat was an interesting one!  hahaha!

today i spent the morning memorizing algorithms for my computer science exam tomorrow.  fun fun fun!  by 1:30 or so, i was sick of it, so i headed down to santa monica for a nice little walk around the promenade.  plus, i needed shampoo!  :)  (yes, i can always come up with an excuse for a little shopping on a sunday afternoon.)  i had a nice walk around, it was like 70 degrees outside, and i definitely need the break.

then it was dinner (leftovers).  i also had a really, really nice chat online with sarah!  amazing.

i headed off to my computer science review session for a little more studying.  those things always make me a bit nervous, like they serve as a reminder of all the information that i don't know.  oh, well.  at this point, i'm feeling quite prepared for my exam.

i also made some cinnamon spice bread.  you wish you knew how good my apartment smells right now!

and finally, as i was just starting to relax with "vanity fair," my phone rang.  i may or may not have started to cry when i heard mest's "jaded (these days)" live from slim's.  how awesome is megs for ringing me so i could hear that song live?!?  i love her.

some days i am just stunned by my friends' dedication to me.  they're so remarkable, and i'm so lucky to have them around.

saturday, 7 february 2004, 11:29pm

wow.  my life is definitely exciting.  my excruciatingly painful sleeping habits during the week meant that i awoke at 9am this morning and could not fall back asleep no matter how hard i tried.  so i got out of bed, made fried mashed potatoes for breakfast, and did some homework.

the highlight of my day was noon-2pm, during the arizona v. stanford game!  oh my goodness!  chris, matt, and nick are my heroes!  heroes!  an absolutely exciting game caused me to scream, jump up and down, and i think entertain my roommate in the process.  go card!  that's all i have to say.

then it was basketball, basketball, and more basketball on tv while i did advertising studying.

liz, josh, and i also went to the men's volleyball game versus stanford.  pepperdine looked strong, which was fantastic after two hard losses.  men's volleyball always makes a good saturday night event.  oh, and liz and i did the weekly ralph's trip post-victory.

now, i'm just relaxing with my new issue of 'vanity fair' and my trusty computer.  happy saturday!

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