Not the "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" version. I have news to report. Good news: I'M FINALLY EMPLOYED!!!!!!!!!! I start Saturday. Not-so-good news: I'm at K-Mart again. But the way I'm looking at it (or at least convincing myself to look at it):
a-I'm only part-time, which means it might just be a seasonal job
b-I can always accept a position somewhere else if offered said position
c-I have a job by Christmas, which is what I wanted
d-I can start saving for JET if I'm accepted.
Not necessarily in that order, but that's the gist of it. Thank you to everyone who has been encouraging me and giving me support during this rough time. Which would be everyone that reads this blog and more that don't. I am truly grateful. And to ya'll in Monterey, this means I should be able to visit more often-YAY! And friends from Tehachapi, same thing-I can actually arrange visits-YAY!
"Joy to the World"-Christmas song, artist of choice
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Blue
So, long time no post. I was hoping that the next time I would post I would have a job, but that hasn't happened yet. Things seem to be looking up for some of my friends, which is wonderful, but so far I've only had one offer for a state job. And that was in Orange County.
As cynical as I am naturally, it's extremely difficult to not remain bitter.
"Blue"-Eiffel 65
As cynical as I am naturally, it's extremely difficult to not remain bitter.
"Blue"-Eiffel 65
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Book Report
Well, not really a book report. I'm in Sacramento right now because as some of you know, I signed up to take a test to get a state job. More specifically, as an office assistant or office tech for one of the prisons. Not my ideal job, but it will be enough to get me started and money flowing in (finally).
I don't know the difference between an office tech as opposed to an office assistant, except that the OT pays more. I took the test for that today and got an 85%, which puts me in the second percentile (hopefully). Jobs are more available, aka people hiring for people, start looking in the top 3 percentiles.
Not much else happening. Conveniently, the testing center was located near the downtown mall which is located near Old Town Sacramento, so dad & I walked around there for a little bit. That's a cool place. One store we found was actually a "costume mansion." Think a Halloween store, upstairs, in a lot funner setting. We should be heading to Monterey tomorrow to hook up with a couple friends, then back home Saturday or Sunday.
"Book Report"-You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the musical
I don't know the difference between an office tech as opposed to an office assistant, except that the OT pays more. I took the test for that today and got an 85%, which puts me in the second percentile (hopefully). Jobs are more available, aka people hiring for people, start looking in the top 3 percentiles.
Not much else happening. Conveniently, the testing center was located near the downtown mall which is located near Old Town Sacramento, so dad & I walked around there for a little bit. That's a cool place. One store we found was actually a "costume mansion." Think a Halloween store, upstairs, in a lot funner setting. We should be heading to Monterey tomorrow to hook up with a couple friends, then back home Saturday or Sunday.
"Book Report"-You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the musical
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Have a Nice Day
So, I never figured at 21 I would be told I was too old for a job position.
Sunk in yet?
Anyway, I got a last minute interview at a company called Vector Marketing this past Tuesday. I called about quarter to two and was told to come in for an interview at 5:30, so I went in for an interview at that time. I got there early to fill out the application and spent more time waiting for the interview then I did with the application and the actual interview combined. However, my first clue that this job may not work out was that I was the oldest-looking applicant there. I'm not sure if I actually was the oldest, but that's what it looked like.
Well, I go in for the interview. The asst. manager was interviewing groups of 2 or 3 at a time. I went in with one other guy that had just finished his G.E.D. At that point in time, I didn't figure I was going to get the job. Forgetting to give the textbook answer to a question like "How good are you at interacting with people?" also threw my case down the drain. I've just been so out of the habit of giving those types of answers I forgot to resume it for an interview. Oh well. The lady gave me a brochure and astericked a couple sections that she said to specifically said to read. And in a very delicate voice with semi-delicate tone, said that the company was looking more for people just out of high school or just beginning college, so they would have something for their resume. And that generally most applicants don't have my experience.
So, what did my brain twist her words into? A-I was too old or B-I was overqualified. It's more amusing to think that I was too old at 21 to work at the position I applied for. As you may imagine, I calmly exited the building before grinning like a maniac back to my car. Or, excuse me, Ryuuki. According to the sites I was looking at, it translated to "bright, alert."
And I was also thinking about theme songs. I touched briefly on it in my last post, but I think everyone has one or two (a few?) songs they think are *theirs* or describe them. I can kinda fall into that thought process. Any other thoughts? Comments? Snide remarks with a dabble of sincerity?
"Have A Nice Day"-Bon Jovi
Sunk in yet?
Anyway, I got a last minute interview at a company called Vector Marketing this past Tuesday. I called about quarter to two and was told to come in for an interview at 5:30, so I went in for an interview at that time. I got there early to fill out the application and spent more time waiting for the interview then I did with the application and the actual interview combined. However, my first clue that this job may not work out was that I was the oldest-looking applicant there. I'm not sure if I actually was the oldest, but that's what it looked like.
Well, I go in for the interview. The asst. manager was interviewing groups of 2 or 3 at a time. I went in with one other guy that had just finished his G.E.D. At that point in time, I didn't figure I was going to get the job. Forgetting to give the textbook answer to a question like "How good are you at interacting with people?" also threw my case down the drain. I've just been so out of the habit of giving those types of answers I forgot to resume it for an interview. Oh well. The lady gave me a brochure and astericked a couple sections that she said to specifically said to read. And in a very delicate voice with semi-delicate tone, said that the company was looking more for people just out of high school or just beginning college, so they would have something for their resume. And that generally most applicants don't have my experience.
So, what did my brain twist her words into? A-I was too old or B-I was overqualified. It's more amusing to think that I was too old at 21 to work at the position I applied for. As you may imagine, I calmly exited the building before grinning like a maniac back to my car. Or, excuse me, Ryuuki. According to the sites I was looking at, it translated to "bright, alert."
And I was also thinking about theme songs. I touched briefly on it in my last post, but I think everyone has one or two (a few?) songs they think are *theirs* or describe them. I can kinda fall into that thought process. Any other thoughts? Comments? Snide remarks with a dabble of sincerity?
"Have A Nice Day"-Bon Jovi
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Defying Gravity
Ah, a good song. I wish it were more possible. Personally, I think it would make a great theme song. So would "Dancing Through Life," but both those songs require an ability to break out of practical and realistic worries. Unfortunately, I am incapable of such.
If you remember, I went to see Wicked on Saturday. It was fun!! And a show like that had to be seen at something like the Pantages. It would have lost so much of its impact otherwise. Well, being able to squish people between your fingers from the balcony seats also loses impact, but not as much.
For those who care, I think "Defying Gravity," "No One Mourns the Wicked," and "No Good Deed" are my favorites. I liked the entire score, but those ones stand out the most to me. Probably because of the messages they send. For those that haven't seen it yet, or have no plans to, and are reading this for whatever petty pleasure they derive from it, I'm posting part of the lyrics from here.
Defying Gravity-I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game...
It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!
the Wicked- No one mourns the Wicked
No one cries "They won't return!"
No one lays a lily on their grave
No Good Deed- No good deed goes unpunished
No act of charity goes unresented
No good deed goes unpunished
That's my new creed
My road of good intentions
Led where such roads always lead
No good deed
Goes unpunished!
"Defying Gravity"-Wicked soundtrack
If you remember, I went to see Wicked on Saturday. It was fun!! And a show like that had to be seen at something like the Pantages. It would have lost so much of its impact otherwise. Well, being able to squish people between your fingers from the balcony seats also loses impact, but not as much.
For those who care, I think "Defying Gravity," "No One Mourns the Wicked," and "No Good Deed" are my favorites. I liked the entire score, but those ones stand out the most to me. Probably because of the messages they send. For those that haven't seen it yet, or have no plans to, and are reading this for whatever petty pleasure they derive from it, I'm posting part of the lyrics from here.
Defying Gravity-I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game...
It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!
the Wicked- No one mourns the Wicked
No one cries "They won't return!"
No one lays a lily on their grave
No Good Deed- No good deed goes unpunished
No act of charity goes unresented
No good deed goes unpunished
That's my new creed
My road of good intentions
Led where such roads always lead
No good deed
Goes unpunished!
"Defying Gravity"-Wicked soundtrack
Thursday, June 26, 2008
King of the Road
Not quite. I haven't traveled enough in my NEWLY ACQUIRED FIXED CAR in order to call myself that. Even then, I'd be "Queen of the Road." In chess, the queen is more powerful. ^-~
So, I finally got to pick up my car yesterday (Wednesday). We stayed the night at my aunt's house in Bakersfield Tuesday night and drove to/from Los Banos yesterday to pick it up. It's very fun. As soon as I have taken a picture of it, I'll post it as my profile pic.
The auto shop did a wonderful job. If I didn't know my brother had wrecked it a month and ten days ago (who's counting?), I'd say it came right off the lot.
Anyway, my first big adventure with it will be on Saturday. My parents and I are going to see "Wicked" at the Pantages Theatre in LA, and we'll be taking my car since it's the smallest and therefore the most maneuverable.
Also, for those that care, it's definitely a Japanese name. I haven't figured out what yet, but I was trying different names while I was driving it and no other names "fit" unless they were Japanese. I HAVE MY CAR!!!!!!!!! I AM STOKED!!!!!!!
"King of the Road"-Roger Miller
So, I finally got to pick up my car yesterday (Wednesday). We stayed the night at my aunt's house in Bakersfield Tuesday night and drove to/from Los Banos yesterday to pick it up. It's very fun. As soon as I have taken a picture of it, I'll post it as my profile pic.
The auto shop did a wonderful job. If I didn't know my brother had wrecked it a month and ten days ago (who's counting?), I'd say it came right off the lot.
Anyway, my first big adventure with it will be on Saturday. My parents and I are going to see "Wicked" at the Pantages Theatre in LA, and we'll be taking my car since it's the smallest and therefore the most maneuverable.
Also, for those that care, it's definitely a Japanese name. I haven't figured out what yet, but I was trying different names while I was driving it and no other names "fit" unless they were Japanese. I HAVE MY CAR!!!!!!!!! I AM STOKED!!!!!!!
"King of the Road"-Roger Miller
Monday, June 16, 2008
Viva Las Vegas
So, this is a continuation of my trip to Vegas. Hopefully this one will be shorter than the last.
On Thursday, I hit the strip (Las Vegas blvd.) early. I took a cab to the MGM Grand and ended up at Circus Circus. Essentially, I started at one end and ended almost at the other.
Now, let me explain why I was starting at one end. When I booked my hotel reservation, they threw in a ticket for the LV monorail. Now, I thought it was a day pass thing, which meant I could hop on and off all day which actually would have been a lot of fun. However, when I redeemed it, I found out it was a one time thing. I could get on somewhere and get off somewhere else once and that was it. So I had to plan out my walking/monorail ride. My original intent was to start at the MGM where they start the monorail and just go from there. No such luck, but I wasn't too depressed about it.
In the area of the MGM, there is that casino (obviously), New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. I hit all of those and took a free tram from Mandalay back to Excalibur, which saved me the trouble of walking back. This was all before about noonish. Excalibur is also where I had my second & last drink on the trip. The souvenir glass was pretty nice, so I got a drink in that.
That's when I discovered M&Ms World. Keep in mind, I visited Vegas in January but I hadn't been to M&Ms World since before that. My last trip to Vegas prior to this year was sometime in high school. I had a blast. It's always cool walking around the casinos, but when I got to the World that was the most fun I'd had so far that day. And in deference to my die-hard Coca-Cola friends (or at least die-easy), I visited the Coke store which was maybe two doors down. The museum part was undergoing remodeling, but I did buy a bottle of Coke w/a cool label on it just so I could say I did things properly.
I hit part of Planet Hollywood next. I was getting tired and the awesome slice of pizza I had from the NYNY was wearing off. There was an indoor "rainstorm" thing at one of the fountains so I sat and watched that. It wasn't much, but it was still a break. And since I borrowing the table of the Ben & Jerrys right there, of course I was obligated to buy ice cream from them.
From there I meandered towards the Venetian, hit that, and the Palazzo, and made my way across the street. I made sure to catch the water fountain show, otherwise the trip across the street would have been wasted. I was originally trying to catch the pirate show at Treasure Island, but that didn't start until 7. I shrugged and went my merry way on the tram from TI to the Mirage. I had never checked out the Secret Garden (where the white lions & tigers are) (no white bears, sorry) so I figured I may as well. By the time I was done with that there was no way I could catch the TI show, so I went to the monorail station between the Imperial Palace and Harrahs. I rode it from there to the Hilton, and from there walked to Circus Circus. I caught a couple of the 15 minute circus acts going on, then decided I should probably get dinner and go back to the room. It was about 9:30 when I left Circus Circus via taxi, and I still had packing to do.
On Friday, my bus left for Bakersfield at 9:40. According to the ticket. We actually left about 10 minutes late but we still made excellent time. Although it was an adventure trying to get down to the first floor. There were about a baker's dozen worth of people all waiting for one elevator. The other 5 elevators were down. And of course each time the elevator went down there was people in it, so I ended up waiting about 30 minutes to get from the 11th floor to the reception desk. I lucked out though because the service elevator was working and one of the maid service ladies finally said "come on, go ahead and check out." I thought that was pretty nice of her. That and some of the the people I was with were complaining to her but I wasn't. Have I mentioned I'm a firm believer in karma?
Well, I hooked up with my friend in Bakersfield and pretty much chilled on Friday evening. "Chilling" included air conditioning, pizza, and a Miyazaki movie so that was fine. Saturday we hit a couple stores (father's day shopping) but that was about it. After almost a week in Vegas I wasn't going to complain about taking it easy. Met up with my parents Saturday afternoon, and came home.
That's pretty much the highlights of my trip. Obviously there's the more detailed version but you would have to get in touch w/me for that. Car update: the bodywork is done, and it should be repainted this week. Of course, I won't be able to get it until next week at the earliest due to parental unit full-time schedules, but I will at least have my car.
"Viva Las Vegas"-Elvis Presley
On Thursday, I hit the strip (Las Vegas blvd.) early. I took a cab to the MGM Grand and ended up at Circus Circus. Essentially, I started at one end and ended almost at the other.
Now, let me explain why I was starting at one end. When I booked my hotel reservation, they threw in a ticket for the LV monorail. Now, I thought it was a day pass thing, which meant I could hop on and off all day which actually would have been a lot of fun. However, when I redeemed it, I found out it was a one time thing. I could get on somewhere and get off somewhere else once and that was it. So I had to plan out my walking/monorail ride. My original intent was to start at the MGM where they start the monorail and just go from there. No such luck, but I wasn't too depressed about it.
In the area of the MGM, there is that casino (obviously), New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. I hit all of those and took a free tram from Mandalay back to Excalibur, which saved me the trouble of walking back. This was all before about noonish. Excalibur is also where I had my second & last drink on the trip. The souvenir glass was pretty nice, so I got a drink in that.
That's when I discovered M&Ms World. Keep in mind, I visited Vegas in January but I hadn't been to M&Ms World since before that. My last trip to Vegas prior to this year was sometime in high school. I had a blast. It's always cool walking around the casinos, but when I got to the World that was the most fun I'd had so far that day. And in deference to my die-hard Coca-Cola friends (or at least die-easy), I visited the Coke store which was maybe two doors down. The museum part was undergoing remodeling, but I did buy a bottle of Coke w/a cool label on it just so I could say I did things properly.
I hit part of Planet Hollywood next. I was getting tired and the awesome slice of pizza I had from the NYNY was wearing off. There was an indoor "rainstorm" thing at one of the fountains so I sat and watched that. It wasn't much, but it was still a break. And since I borrowing the table of the Ben & Jerrys right there, of course I was obligated to buy ice cream from them.
From there I meandered towards the Venetian, hit that, and the Palazzo, and made my way across the street. I made sure to catch the water fountain show, otherwise the trip across the street would have been wasted. I was originally trying to catch the pirate show at Treasure Island, but that didn't start until 7. I shrugged and went my merry way on the tram from TI to the Mirage. I had never checked out the Secret Garden (where the white lions & tigers are) (no white bears, sorry) so I figured I may as well. By the time I was done with that there was no way I could catch the TI show, so I went to the monorail station between the Imperial Palace and Harrahs. I rode it from there to the Hilton, and from there walked to Circus Circus. I caught a couple of the 15 minute circus acts going on, then decided I should probably get dinner and go back to the room. It was about 9:30 when I left Circus Circus via taxi, and I still had packing to do.
On Friday, my bus left for Bakersfield at 9:40. According to the ticket. We actually left about 10 minutes late but we still made excellent time. Although it was an adventure trying to get down to the first floor. There were about a baker's dozen worth of people all waiting for one elevator. The other 5 elevators were down. And of course each time the elevator went down there was people in it, so I ended up waiting about 30 minutes to get from the 11th floor to the reception desk. I lucked out though because the service elevator was working and one of the maid service ladies finally said "come on, go ahead and check out." I thought that was pretty nice of her. That and some of the the people I was with were complaining to her but I wasn't. Have I mentioned I'm a firm believer in karma?
Well, I hooked up with my friend in Bakersfield and pretty much chilled on Friday evening. "Chilling" included air conditioning, pizza, and a Miyazaki movie so that was fine. Saturday we hit a couple stores (father's day shopping) but that was about it. After almost a week in Vegas I wasn't going to complain about taking it easy. Met up with my parents Saturday afternoon, and came home.
That's pretty much the highlights of my trip. Obviously there's the more detailed version but you would have to get in touch w/me for that. Car update: the bodywork is done, and it should be repainted this week. Of course, I won't be able to get it until next week at the earliest due to parental unit full-time schedules, but I will at least have my car.
"Viva Las Vegas"-Elvis Presley
I Love Vegas
So, I'm thinking it will probably be easier to post about my trip to Vegas in two posts. Simply because I know people generally don't read longer posts.
I HAD SO MUCH FREAKING FUN!!! THE SHOW WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!! Ok, now that that's out of my system...
I arrived in Vegas on Tuesday, and checked in about 7 pm to my hotel. It actually took longer for me to walk through the casino and to the reception desk than it did to walk from the greyhound station to the hotel. I was downtown, near the Fremont experience. I made a nice discovery when I got to the room though. Y'see, they had live music every night around 8 or 9. I could hear it from the table in my room. It was merely a matter of sitting in the chair, working on my computer (although I was lacking in internet), and I got to hear free, live music. A good amount of which was pretty good.
Wednesday I slept in...a lot...and pretty much hung around Fremont street and explored the hotel a little bit. Throughout the walk they had something called "the neon museum," which was the city/someone taking some of the old neon signs (the cowboy, Aladdin's lamp, etc) and they had them set up along the walk. there was one corner that was under construction, but the elevator shaft was covered in different signs.
I also won a teddy bear at the arcade they had down the way. It's dark brown and is holding a Junior Mint pillow. It's named "Jillian" after the casino/arcade I won her from.
I had to be lined up for the dinner at around 5:30, so I returned to the hotel room and after a long soak went to the line in front of the Copa Room. For those that didn't know, I stayed in the same hotel as the one the show was playing in. I don't know if I mentioned that in a previous post or not, so I figured I'd better clarify. For dinner, we had the option of steak, pasta primavera, or Mediterranean grilled chicken. I chose the last option. At our table, I was sitting between a couple from the UK (London) and a couple from Kansas. The couple from Kansas was sitting across from a couple from Ohio, then a couple from Texas, and the last person at our table was a guy from New Jersey who admitted he was as close to a certified nerd as he could get. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I was 3 (that's 1,2, and 3) chairs from the actual stage. When they said VIP seating, they meant it.
It was the main three of the Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, but they also had a Joey Bishop impersonator. All 4 opened the show, then they all came on and did separate acts. If you want pics, check Facebook within the week or contact me some other way. However, what was really cool, is that they all did songs associated with the individuals. Dino did "Everybody Loves Somebody," Frank did "I've Got the World on a String" and "My Way," and Sammy did "Mr. Bojangles." Which is one of my absolute favorite songs. So when he did it, and the real Sammy had an entire routine worked out to it, the impersonator did it differently but I was stoked that he did the song at all. We met Yoshi Bishop (Joey in a kimono) and were treated to some of Joey's jokes. I was sitting in the fun side of the audience. There was actually a point during his routine that he dragged the mic over to the middle of our section and told the jokes. I think someone got mad at him though and told him to go back to center stage, because he eventually dragged the mic back to center. There were still a couple points in the show where he sorta turned his shoulder to the other side and talked to us though. That was cool.
There was also a guest by the name of Marilyn Monroe. She sang the birthday song. He was a much older gentleman by the name of Bob, but he was known as "Bobbeeeee" (trilled) by the end of the night. Not Bob, or Bobbie, but Bobbeeee. The gal playing Marilyn was having way too much fun.
The ticket I got included dinner, a free shirt, and VIP seating. It was definitely worth it. They didn't have any cds or dvds of the show, but I did get them to sign an advertisement poster though. Including Marilyn, who's not on the poster but gave it a kiss (bright red lipstick) and signed as well. The pic on the profile is not my actual poster (there would be signatures on it) but it is the pic they used. From left to right, Frank, Dean, Sammy, and Joey.
This is why I'm breaking up my trip-this is already an extremely long post.
"I Love Vegas"-Dean Martin
I HAD SO MUCH FREAKING FUN!!! THE SHOW WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!! Ok, now that that's out of my system...
I arrived in Vegas on Tuesday, and checked in about 7 pm to my hotel. It actually took longer for me to walk through the casino and to the reception desk than it did to walk from the greyhound station to the hotel. I was downtown, near the Fremont experience. I made a nice discovery when I got to the room though. Y'see, they had live music every night around 8 or 9. I could hear it from the table in my room. It was merely a matter of sitting in the chair, working on my computer (although I was lacking in internet), and I got to hear free, live music. A good amount of which was pretty good.
Wednesday I slept in...a lot...and pretty much hung around Fremont street and explored the hotel a little bit. Throughout the walk they had something called "the neon museum," which was the city/someone taking some of the old neon signs (the cowboy, Aladdin's lamp, etc) and they had them set up along the walk. there was one corner that was under construction, but the elevator shaft was covered in different signs.
I also won a teddy bear at the arcade they had down the way. It's dark brown and is holding a Junior Mint pillow. It's named "Jillian" after the casino/arcade I won her from.
I had to be lined up for the dinner at around 5:30, so I returned to the hotel room and after a long soak went to the line in front of the Copa Room. For those that didn't know, I stayed in the same hotel as the one the show was playing in. I don't know if I mentioned that in a previous post or not, so I figured I'd better clarify. For dinner, we had the option of steak, pasta primavera, or Mediterranean grilled chicken. I chose the last option. At our table, I was sitting between a couple from the UK (London) and a couple from Kansas. The couple from Kansas was sitting across from a couple from Ohio, then a couple from Texas, and the last person at our table was a guy from New Jersey who admitted he was as close to a certified nerd as he could get. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I was 3 (that's 1,2, and 3) chairs from the actual stage. When they said VIP seating, they meant it.
It was the main three of the Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, but they also had a Joey Bishop impersonator. All 4 opened the show, then they all came on and did separate acts. If you want pics, check Facebook within the week or contact me some other way. However, what was really cool, is that they all did songs associated with the individuals. Dino did "Everybody Loves Somebody," Frank did "I've Got the World on a String" and "My Way," and Sammy did "Mr. Bojangles." Which is one of my absolute favorite songs. So when he did it, and the real Sammy had an entire routine worked out to it, the impersonator did it differently but I was stoked that he did the song at all. We met Yoshi Bishop (Joey in a kimono) and were treated to some of Joey's jokes. I was sitting in the fun side of the audience. There was actually a point during his routine that he dragged the mic over to the middle of our section and told the jokes. I think someone got mad at him though and told him to go back to center stage, because he eventually dragged the mic back to center. There were still a couple points in the show where he sorta turned his shoulder to the other side and talked to us though. That was cool.
There was also a guest by the name of Marilyn Monroe. She sang the birthday song. He was a much older gentleman by the name of Bob, but he was known as "Bobbeeeee" (trilled) by the end of the night. Not Bob, or Bobbie, but Bobbeeee. The gal playing Marilyn was having way too much fun.
The ticket I got included dinner, a free shirt, and VIP seating. It was definitely worth it. They didn't have any cds or dvds of the show, but I did get them to sign an advertisement poster though. Including Marilyn, who's not on the poster but gave it a kiss (bright red lipstick) and signed as well. The pic on the profile is not my actual poster (there would be signatures on it) but it is the pic they used. From left to right, Frank, Dean, Sammy, and Joey.
This is why I'm breaking up my trip-this is already an extremely long post.
"I Love Vegas"-Dean Martin
Monday, June 2, 2008
All That Jazz
I promise I'll start updating. Really.
So, what has happened since the last time I updated? Since I'm sure you're all dying to know. Although not really dying, hopefully, since that means I'll have to attend funerals. *shudder* Anyway, the day I actually finished updating was the day of my cousin's wedding. With the exception of my immediate family, the rest of my mom's family lives in Bakersfield. They were married in a church, and the reception was held at my aunt's house, since it was her son getting married after all. The ceremony itself was very nice, and the reception afterward was actually kinda fun. Those of you that remember, I am NOT a big party/get-together-with-more-than-3-or-4-friends person. The dinner was delicious, and I was actually partially in charge of pictures so that got me away from most of the dancing.
This past Friday I went to Hesperia to meet up with a friend of mine. The main purpose was to pick up my cat, but also to help her move out of her house into the new one. My cat, Figaro, was born last August and my friend has been holding her for me pretty much since I started talking about getting a cat again. I also plan to move in with my friend, hopefully by the end of next year but nothing's certain.
Finally, an update on my car. I am hoping to have it by the 20th of June, Friday. My mom called the auto shop last Thursday and they had apparently just gotten the parts in that day and were to start working on it Friday. It would be awesome if I could manage to have the car the weekend I get back from Vegas, but I think that's asking too much. I think that's it for now.
"All That Jazz," Chicago soundtrack
So, what has happened since the last time I updated? Since I'm sure you're all dying to know. Although not really dying, hopefully, since that means I'll have to attend funerals. *shudder* Anyway, the day I actually finished updating was the day of my cousin's wedding. With the exception of my immediate family, the rest of my mom's family lives in Bakersfield. They were married in a church, and the reception was held at my aunt's house, since it was her son getting married after all. The ceremony itself was very nice, and the reception afterward was actually kinda fun. Those of you that remember, I am NOT a big party/get-together-with-more-than-3-or-4-friends person. The dinner was delicious, and I was actually partially in charge of pictures so that got me away from most of the dancing.
This past Friday I went to Hesperia to meet up with a friend of mine. The main purpose was to pick up my cat, but also to help her move out of her house into the new one. My cat, Figaro, was born last August and my friend has been holding her for me pretty much since I started talking about getting a cat again. I also plan to move in with my friend, hopefully by the end of next year but nothing's certain.
Finally, an update on my car. I am hoping to have it by the 20th of June, Friday. My mom called the auto shop last Thursday and they had apparently just gotten the parts in that day and were to start working on it Friday. It would be awesome if I could manage to have the car the weekend I get back from Vegas, but I think that's asking too much. I think that's it for now.
"All That Jazz," Chicago soundtrack
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Fast Cars and Freedom
So, for those of you who I contacted and those who didn't, this will now become an actual blog used for updates as opposed to just classroom responses.
First off, I AM OFFICIALLY GRADUATED! I know, weird, right? And pretty much everyone knew I had mixed feelings about it. Don't be surprised if I start contacting people around late August all freaked out because I'm not packed yet. And for those still at CSUMB or in that general area, trust me, I will be visiting. You can't get rid of me that easily, so you may as well accept that.
Secondly, I will be treating myself before going into a job. Yes, I do have a couple jobs in mind and we'll see what comes to pass. I will be going to Vegas in June. I will not be going to gamble away all of my money (I know, I'm strange) but there is a Tribute to The Rat Pack happening. I mentioned this in an earlier blog, but it is now finalized, ticket and everything. I will be in Vegas for the better part of a week.
Finally, I will eventually getting my car. My parents ended up buying me a car for graduation, a 2008 Subara Impresa, silver. However, my adorable little brother decided he didn't need a permit or even parental supervision to take it out for a joyride. And he crashed it. He's fine, although I've been tempted to change that. The front of the car and the back of the car were damaged the most, according to the auto dealership, with a long scratch down the driver's side. As you can imagine, whatever good terms (however instable they were) I was on with my brother are, for all intents and purposes, nonexistant.
I think that's all for now. I'll be actually paying more attention to this now, hopefully, so check back when you get the chance to.
"Fast Cars and Freedom," Rascal Flatts
First off, I AM OFFICIALLY GRADUATED! I know, weird, right? And pretty much everyone knew I had mixed feelings about it. Don't be surprised if I start contacting people around late August all freaked out because I'm not packed yet. And for those still at CSUMB or in that general area, trust me, I will be visiting. You can't get rid of me that easily, so you may as well accept that.
Secondly, I will be treating myself before going into a job. Yes, I do have a couple jobs in mind and we'll see what comes to pass. I will be going to Vegas in June. I will not be going to gamble away all of my money (I know, I'm strange) but there is a Tribute to The Rat Pack happening. I mentioned this in an earlier blog, but it is now finalized, ticket and everything. I will be in Vegas for the better part of a week.
Finally, I will eventually getting my car. My parents ended up buying me a car for graduation, a 2008 Subara Impresa, silver. However, my adorable little brother decided he didn't need a permit or even parental supervision to take it out for a joyride. And he crashed it. He's fine, although I've been tempted to change that. The front of the car and the back of the car were damaged the most, according to the auto dealership, with a long scratch down the driver's side. As you can imagine, whatever good terms (however instable they were) I was on with my brother are, for all intents and purposes, nonexistant.
I think that's all for now. I'll be actually paying more attention to this now, hopefully, so check back when you get the chance to.
"Fast Cars and Freedom," Rascal Flatts
Friday, May 2, 2008
No Particular Place to Go
There were two large events going on last night on campus. One was the speaker Bettina, the other was the movie "Walkout" at the World Theater. I would like to hope that many students attended the speaker, since not nearly as many attended the movie. I can't say that for sure, but that's one of the few logical reasons I can think of as to why people didn't come to the movie.
I guess what I should actually say, I was disappointed at the lack of attendance. Since we had some technical difficulties beforehand, that probably magnifies my irritation more than it probably should.
After watching the movie, with the discussion of copyright laws in mind, I had a couple questions. All these movies that are based around true stories, can you copyright historical events? You can have newspaper articles from the time, and eyewitness accounts or people that went through it, but can you copyright the event and post it the next day on youtube? Kind of a strange line of thought to follow, I know, but that's kind of what I came up.
"No Particular Place to Go," Chuck Berry
I guess what I should actually say, I was disappointed at the lack of attendance. Since we had some technical difficulties beforehand, that probably magnifies my irritation more than it probably should.
After watching the movie, with the discussion of copyright laws in mind, I had a couple questions. All these movies that are based around true stories, can you copyright historical events? You can have newspaper articles from the time, and eyewitness accounts or people that went through it, but can you copyright the event and post it the next day on youtube? Kind of a strange line of thought to follow, I know, but that's kind of what I came up.
"No Particular Place to Go," Chuck Berry
Friday, April 25, 2008
An Evening in Roma
I tell you what, an evening in Rome would be awesome for me right now. I just got my capstone bound! And I turn it in today! Ack!
Well, I won't know how it made the grade until right before finals week. Or assessment week. Although CSUMB doesn't exactly believe in finals, so I don't know why they keep it up. Whatever. I'm done this semester. Ooh, Rome.
Or even Vegas. I was there over winter break and they had "the Rat Pack" at the Sands, like they did during their prime. That would have been an awesome show. However, we didn't get to go to it. *tears* Oh well. If I manage to get my way and the show is still playing, I'll hopefully be going to Vegas as a treat to myself for graduating. I'm going to pay for it myself, but I think it would be awesome. "An Evening in Roma" is one of the songs that Dino....sort of performed. We have the cd of the actual Rat Pack at the Sands, so I got to hear it. 'Tis awesome.
Well, I won't know how it made the grade until right before finals week. Or assessment week. Although CSUMB doesn't exactly believe in finals, so I don't know why they keep it up. Whatever. I'm done this semester. Ooh, Rome.
Or even Vegas. I was there over winter break and they had "the Rat Pack" at the Sands, like they did during their prime. That would have been an awesome show. However, we didn't get to go to it. *tears* Oh well. If I manage to get my way and the show is still playing, I'll hopefully be going to Vegas as a treat to myself for graduating. I'm going to pay for it myself, but I think it would be awesome. "An Evening in Roma" is one of the songs that Dino....sort of performed. We have the cd of the actual Rat Pack at the Sands, so I got to hear it. 'Tis awesome.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
addendum
Over the weekend, I posted:
"I also wanted to let people know about the double-feature playing this Thursday at the World Theater. We are showing "Cloverfield," then "The 11th Hour." If you're like me and can only keep up with so many movies, the plot synopses (courtesy the internet movie database) can be found here and here. The second link is for "The 11th Hour" and is slanted. Just letting you know."
The links are still good, just wanted to let people know that we're actually showing "The 11th Hour" first and "Cloverfield" afterwards. I thought it was the opposite. My bad!
"I also wanted to let people know about the double-feature playing this Thursday at the World Theater. We are showing "Cloverfield," then "The 11th Hour." If you're like me and can only keep up with so many movies, the plot synopses (courtesy the internet movie database) can be found here and here. The second link is for "The 11th Hour" and is slanted. Just letting you know."
The links are still good, just wanted to let people know that we're actually showing "The 11th Hour" first and "Cloverfield" afterwards. I thought it was the opposite. My bad!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Hey There
So I think as long as I post by Saturday I can live with myself.
Since we discussed blogging on Monday, no extraordinarily new thoughts to add to the topic. Everyone seemed to be walking the thin line between the safety of anonymity and owning up to your thoughts/ideas as an individual. It's a difficult line to sketch out.
I also wanted to let people know about the double-feature playing this Thursday at the World Theater. We are showing "Cloverfield," then "The 11th Hour." If you're like me and can only keep up with so many movies, the plot synopses (courtesy the internet movie database) can be found here and here. The second link is for "The 11th Hour" and is slanted. Just letting you know.
Sherman Alexie is also coming to the Theater. Not that he needs much more publicity. Nothing against him, more of a matter that the theater may be at standing room only. That being the case, it's going to be simulcast in the university center next door. So if you're bored those couple days, go check it out. Alexie is at 7 pm, and the movies start at 8pm.
"Hey There," Rosemary Clooney
Since we discussed blogging on Monday, no extraordinarily new thoughts to add to the topic. Everyone seemed to be walking the thin line between the safety of anonymity and owning up to your thoughts/ideas as an individual. It's a difficult line to sketch out.
I also wanted to let people know about the double-feature playing this Thursday at the World Theater. We are showing "Cloverfield," then "The 11th Hour." If you're like me and can only keep up with so many movies, the plot synopses (courtesy the internet movie database) can be found here and here. The second link is for "The 11th Hour" and is slanted. Just letting you know.
Sherman Alexie is also coming to the Theater. Not that he needs much more publicity. Nothing against him, more of a matter that the theater may be at standing room only. That being the case, it's going to be simulcast in the university center next door. So if you're bored those couple days, go check it out. Alexie is at 7 pm, and the movies start at 8pm.
"Hey There," Rosemary Clooney
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Maintain Consciousness
So I had every intention of posting on Thursday. Except I ended up working on my unbound portfolio until early in the morning and after a power nap of about 3 hours I had to get up to face the rest of the day. I know the blogging essay is coming up, so I probably missed any chance to put in any relevant two-cents worth of thoughts. That being the case, the only snippet of some interest I'll put in is this: every blog, from "Tonight, Tonight" has been a song title. I'm sure people have figured this out, since I know other blogs do the same thing, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
"Tonight, Tonight"-Charlotte Church
"Breaking the Habit"-Linkin Park
"The Universe Song"-Clint Black
"Time After Time"-Cyndi Lauper
"One Toke Over the Line"-Brewer & Shipley
"Maintain Consciousness"-Relient K
And yes, these are all songs I own in one format or another. I did not randomly go onto the internet to find songs. I'll probably keep the titles going until the end of the semester but if I maintain the blog after that I seriously doubt I'll keep using song titles as my post numbers. Not that I don't have the titles, it's just difficult to figure out which title to use when I've got about 17.5 gigs of music that I have to choose from. Probably more. That's what I had the last time I checked. Although "The Universe Song" should actually be "The Galaxy Song." I just find remembering the word "universe" easier.
Originally I had planned on using quotes, but same problem. I've got a lot of quotes that I am far too busy (or lazy...your choice) to go through each week. And although finding new quotes online every week would have been fun, I also know I would get too distracted and forget to focus on work.
Which brings me to the relevancy of my post title this time around. It is so difficult to focus on more than my capstone right now. I'm giving it my best effort, but I think I'm developing a temporary attention deficit disorder. Not that I think ADD is something to joke about, but I'm gradually losing focus even on my capstone. I think I'm ready to be done. Not with learning or friends, or even classes, but just *done* with writing. Especially capstone.
"Tonight, Tonight"-Charlotte Church
"Breaking the Habit"-Linkin Park
"The Universe Song"-Clint Black
"Time After Time"-Cyndi Lauper
"One Toke Over the Line"-Brewer & Shipley
"Maintain Consciousness"-Relient K
And yes, these are all songs I own in one format or another. I did not randomly go onto the internet to find songs. I'll probably keep the titles going until the end of the semester but if I maintain the blog after that I seriously doubt I'll keep using song titles as my post numbers. Not that I don't have the titles, it's just difficult to figure out which title to use when I've got about 17.5 gigs of music that I have to choose from. Probably more. That's what I had the last time I checked. Although "The Universe Song" should actually be "The Galaxy Song." I just find remembering the word "universe" easier.
Originally I had planned on using quotes, but same problem. I've got a lot of quotes that I am far too busy (or lazy...your choice) to go through each week. And although finding new quotes online every week would have been fun, I also know I would get too distracted and forget to focus on work.
Which brings me to the relevancy of my post title this time around. It is so difficult to focus on more than my capstone right now. I'm giving it my best effort, but I think I'm developing a temporary attention deficit disorder. Not that I think ADD is something to joke about, but I'm gradually losing focus even on my capstone. I think I'm ready to be done. Not with learning or friends, or even classes, but just *done* with writing. Especially capstone.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
One Toke Over the Line
Well, discussion in class about art earlier this week fell onto margin art, margin photographs, etc. I think that at least acknowledging stuff of the margin is good, but should there be that line of okay and not okay? It's the same problem we ran across with censorship. In our group, it was brought up that just because you may find something offensive does not mean you have to look at it. What if there was no other choice?
Okay, those were my semi-deep, relevant thoughts for the day. I was looking up different mythological creatures for another class and I was reminded how much I love it. Everyone knows that the Kraken was based off of giant squid, but it was kinda cool being reminded that sailors thought the Kraken was as big as an island. Part of the reason I may be hitting another "mythology is frakkin' awesome!" stage is because I watched "The Last Unicorn" the other day. 'Tis still an awesome movie, and I was sad to realize that I didn't bring up my copy of the book to school with me. Oh well. I'm sure I'll live. I might be going through withdrawals, but I'll live.
Okay, those were my semi-deep, relevant thoughts for the day. I was looking up different mythological creatures for another class and I was reminded how much I love it. Everyone knows that the Kraken was based off of giant squid, but it was kinda cool being reminded that sailors thought the Kraken was as big as an island. Part of the reason I may be hitting another "mythology is frakkin' awesome!" stage is because I watched "The Last Unicorn" the other day. 'Tis still an awesome movie, and I was sad to realize that I didn't bring up my copy of the book to school with me. Oh well. I'm sure I'll live. I might be going through withdrawals, but I'll live.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Time After Time
So, another year of daylight savings time. I don't know how many other people are regretting the loss of that hour. Especially if you stayed up until 2 in the morning and saw that hour disappear like I did.
It made me consider what all of us really have to lose. We lost an hour, sure, we do every year. But we gain it back come the end of the year. Life you never really get back at the end of a year. Between one friend leaving for a semester in Japan, another leaving the country after graduation, and a cousin's upcoming wedding, it's really making me appreciate how close life is to time.
I'm actually sort of annoyed that this post ended up turning out like the stereotypical "enjoy your life" anecdotes, but they become anecdotes for a reason. Since we should try and enjoy life, shouldn't we also try and enjoy speech? Even more importantly, responsibility for making the most of life?
It made me consider what all of us really have to lose. We lost an hour, sure, we do every year. But we gain it back come the end of the year. Life you never really get back at the end of a year. Between one friend leaving for a semester in Japan, another leaving the country after graduation, and a cousin's upcoming wedding, it's really making me appreciate how close life is to time.
I'm actually sort of annoyed that this post ended up turning out like the stereotypical "enjoy your life" anecdotes, but they become anecdotes for a reason. Since we should try and enjoy life, shouldn't we also try and enjoy speech? Even more importantly, responsibility for making the most of life?
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Universe Song
Ah, the Scopes monkey trial. One of the most controversial cases in American history, I would think. Besides the issues brought up in class, about deciding curriculum and such, I thought about how it is related to the concept of free speech. Is this strange concept allowed in the classroom? Should it be restricted? Is there something in the school guidelines that specifically forbids free thought and similar speech?
Until someone gets up to the college level, it is very difficult for people to understand that the point of a classroom is to get an education. Even then, it is still difficult to get an education without an overhanging political bias. A person in my seminar group mentioned that. I remember who, and I agree. Classrooms should not be political battlegrounds although they are, unfortunately. Do classrooms then become a battleground for speech rights, as well?
Until someone gets up to the college level, it is very difficult for people to understand that the point of a classroom is to get an education. Even then, it is still difficult to get an education without an overhanging political bias. A person in my seminar group mentioned that. I remember who, and I agree. Classrooms should not be political battlegrounds although they are, unfortunately. Do classrooms then become a battleground for speech rights, as well?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Breaking the Habit
Yes, this blog is about 25 hours late, but at least it's posted. So, I was looking at Yahoo headliners and there were two headlines about Fidel Castro. The first I noticed had to do with a confused, leery, and somewhat lost country of Cuba with no idea of what to do without Castro leading them. The one I noticed after that referred to his attacks against the presidential candidates three days after resigning from power. I don't remember discussing the fact that Castro stepped down in the first place in any of my classes. Considering that this is a major political figure leaving his leadership, I don't remember ever seeing the news about his official resignation or whatever.
Personally, I agree that he would not have completely left. I think he may still have three or four hooks into the actual government, besides remaining as head of the party. A man is not in power for forty or so years and then just up and leave completely.
Personally, I agree that he would not have completely left. I think he may still have three or four hooks into the actual government, besides remaining as head of the party. A man is not in power for forty or so years and then just up and leave completely.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tonight, Tonight
Well, here we are again. Another year of working Vagina monologues. I'm sure I've got some enthusiasm stashed away around here. Anyway, I was looking at graduation information yesterday. I looked at the information for the grad faire, I looked at the information given for thank you notes and whatnot, but nowhere does it list the price for the actual cap and gown. I'm sure it's a clever ploy to get graduates to attend the faire and this is February, so I'm looking far in advance, but I would still like to know how much the cap and gown is going to cost me. I looked at a couple places online and the price was about $30 for cap and gown, and I think the tassel as well. However, if that's not the case, I would kind of like to know now so I can start budgeting. I'm not being paranoid about it, I'm just lucky to get 20 hours for the entire month at work.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Opening Night
Well, opening night went about as well as opening night would go. We were finishing a couple things between acts, having audio difficulties, and in general tempting Murphey. However, it ended up being pretty good for opening night. I think tomorrow night will be really good though. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. And the Denny's run may or may not happen as well. One of the perks of live theatre; you may not be able to go out and get coffee with the rest of the crew between shots but you can invade your local Denny's and have a delayed dinner or extremely early breakfast.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Real blog for Friday
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks. School started and not only am I taking 17 units during my capstone semester but I'm helping out with a capstone. Frankly I've been slightly annoyed at the lack of responses for crew to help with the capstone. There's been a couple people that have said absolutely not because of their uncertain schedule. I can understand that, truly, I can, but I'm reaching the point where I'm more than willing to trade spaces with them and say "look, I'm carrying 17 units, 16 of them writing-intensive courses, working on capstone, planning a going-away party for a friend that's studying abroad, not to mention my own graduation at the end of the semester. Your point?" Augh. Whatever stress I'm feeling now will probably fizzle down slightly by the end of next week though. Hopefully. Although, if you can't read it on the flyer, the show is at 7:30 at the World Theatre, Feb. 7th & 8th. And it's free!!
