Theatre Kag

Yankee Doodle Dandy

2011-07-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day!!!

So, another month-by-month play:

April-Went to see my cousin graduate from chiropractor school. Kinda cool to have a doctor in the family. My term at work was also extended until June, so yay me! (more on that later). And I celebrated one year at my apartment with a movie. I also celebrated the first time I've held a full-time job for a year. Any jobs that I've held for that length of time were part-time, and any full-time jobs I've held never lasted longer than 7 months. So, I had two drinks...because one just wasn't going to cut it. And I think this was also when a good family friend of ours moved away. Not just out of city, out of state. :( His party was a good one, but still...I'm hoping to go see him in December. I also got new tires (finally!!).

May-um...major event for this month was my cousin's graduation party. Like, full-on formal Las Vegas party, which was a blast. A friend of ours in Tehachapi came to Bakes to do our hair. 'Our hair' included mine, my mom's, both of my aunts, and my aunt's neighbor. We looked beautiful. At the beginnning of the month, we all went shopping for dresses, and almost all ended up with purple. My aunt that was throwing the party did a black dress, but the rest of us ended up in different shades of purple. My best friend and her fiancee came down for the night, along with her brother. I have to say, I probably should've socialized more, but I was too busy having a blast with them to really worry about it. Unfortunately, I also had a few really horrible days at work. The only time I took off was the holiday, Memorial Day, and a Friday because my car died. I had to replace the battery, and figured I may as well get it serviced at the same time.

June-Well, some more things started happening. I got to go see my best friend down south, over Father's Day, and had a great time. I was made a permanent employee of the state as of June 1st, which meant I could stop biting my nails over whether or not I would continue to be employed, and I switched to regular hours. Trust me, when I had this good news within the same day I had to keep myself from dancing out of the office. To top it off, I had an interview at CCI last Thursday, and felt pretty good about it. Felt even better because it was payday and I was heading to Avila the next day. Which is where I'm updating this from, because Dinosaur Park is just that awesome for fireworks shows.

Now, movie talk. I knew a couple of years ago when I saw IMDBs list of upcoming movies that I was probably going to be broke (more than usual) at the movies this year. I was right. I I caught 'Green Lantern' while I was down south (at the drive-in, no less). Back in Bakes, I saw 'Kung Fu Panda 2', which I loved as much as the first one. That one I saw with my dr. cousin and my aunt. Finally, I saw 'Thor,' which was enjoyable. Black jeans with those abs? Yummy. Now, what's coming up? I'm probably gonna saw 'Cars 2' this week with my parents. The last Harry Potter is coming out, which I'll more than likely see. Out of principle, if nothing else. And of course, Captain America. I'm seriously considering catching a midnight showing for it, but we'll see what my bank account looks like. And that's just this month-I don't even know what the rest of the year looks like.

Well, enjoy the weekend. Or week, or whatever. Have a drink, say a prayer, wave the tv remote, whatever you do, to celebrate the day.

Yankee Doodle Dandy-traditonal folk song

Raise Your Glass

2011-03-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Shockingly enough, I almost posted last month!!! Like, last week or so! Then real life intervened, which prevented my doing so. Like, returning from Sacramento. A job interview. Staying at work until 1 in the morning.

Yes, you read that right. 1 in the frigging morning. And the worst part? It's not overtime-it's straight time, because of the holiday. Fan-TASTIC, right? :(

Anyway, I almost posted. That was my original point.

So, I went up north to visit my friend that was in the JET program. I got up there Tuesday and came back to Bakes on a Saturday. Almost a full week. We met up in Salinas, got food, and stayed up until about midnight. We stayed at an apartment of a friend's of hers. Wednesday we went to Karaoke in San Jose. Now, it wasn't American-style karaoke where you're in a bar (usually) and singing in front of a bunch of strangers. This was Japanese-style, where you and the group you were with rented a room and it was just you guys in there. I prefer Japanese-style, I've determined. And I rocked on "Chim Chim Cheree." Also, were you aware that the Jonas Brothers did a rock version of "Yo Ho Ho A Pirate's Life for Me?" I wasn't. It was surprisingly good.

Thursday was shopping-with-the-grandmother day. I have a renewed understanding of why she does some things and refuses to do others. Later that night we played games with some of her friends from the bay area. Friday we went to Berkley and met up with another friend of ours, and had dinner with her grandmother that night. ON Saturday I came back, like I said. The earliest we went to bed all week was 1 or 1:30, and the latest we got up was 9 or 9:30. Exhausting? Yes. Cram a full week into half of one? Yes. Totally awesome? Yes.

This past month (February) I went back up north to visit another friend. Got up there Wednesday night and came back Monday afternoon (President's weekend). We saw "Number Four," which wasn't too bad. My phone dropped out of my pocket so I had to go back to the theatre, but it has been safely recovered. My friend accused me of overthinking the movie, which is fair. I tend to do that more often than not. We also went to a couple different places that sell tea. One of them was just a shop, but the other was an actual place where they serve 'high tea' and 'dinner with tea.' It was really nice. We also hit downtown...folsom, I think?...and raided the antique stores. We both got a couple things, but I found this really awesome dragon pendant. It's two dragons (Asian style) intertwined, but facing out. Most dragons that are intertwined are facing in, so I was stoked to find this. Other than that, we vegged out on Castle and Korean dramas. Couple tv series, and a couple movies. Had an awesome time there, too. :D

You can see a trend here, right? If I'm going to have fun, I do. Most of the time. That's it for now. Maybe I'll get inspired and come back to blog this month. *ignores the sound of laughter in the background*

Raise Your Glass-Pink

Moments To Remember (Forever Plaid)

2011-01-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Alright! Back from extended hiatus!! Like BSG or Heroes!! Go me!!!

Ok, so obviously I haven't blogged since July. I will attempt to bring ya'll up to date, a month at a time.

August: The start of the search for a new house for my parents. I didn't actually help much with that part, but we had my mom's birthday party this month. It was the last big bash we had at my parent's old house. It was awesome, and I was stoked to see my friends had come to the party as well. Which of course made it awesomer. Also this month, movie night at some really good family friends' house. I don't actually remember what the movie was, because I didn't pay attention to it (it was recommended that I shouldn't), but it was still a lot of fun. It had Divine (Devine?) in it though. My god that woman is fluffy-fied. Ok, so, the drive up was horrible. The 58 was closed, so I had to take the back road in. Here's a secret-I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE BACK ROAD. And I don't intend to in the near or even far future, if I can help it. I did it though, and got to Stallion and called them to let them know I'd be a little bit late. Once I got there, one of them (aka Personal Bartender, or P.B.) started making me an amaretto sour. I told him to forget the sour part and just give me the amaretto. Granted, it was in the same glass, so it was almost a juice glass full of amaretto, but it tasted wonderful. I finished that before dinner, and had another (same size) with dinner. After that I had hot chocolate with amaretto-after that I was better. :) The next day mom & dad went to look at a possible house, and had all but signed the contract by the time they got back to our friend's house. So, they essentially found a house in the same month they started looking for one. Not too bad, wouldn't you say?

Septemer: Lots going on this month. So, very beginning of the month one of my aunts had a birthday party. Happens every year, what can I say. However, another aunt (hereafter known as Typhoid Mary) decided to make the party about her and her problems as opposed to focusing on the "Yay, my sister has been alive for another year" aspect of the party. How did this happen? Family drama. What it boiled down to (bare minimum, here) was somehow my grandmother and Typhoid Mary got attacked by my cousins' wives. 2 wives, with perfectly sound reasoning, suggested another way of doing-here's the punchline-Christmas gifts. What we've been doing is $5 gifts from the adults, to EVERYONE, and $1 gifts from the kiddos, to EVERYONE. My family has 20 some-odd people in it. Unwrapping takes forever, and you don't actually enjoy the gifts, for the most part. Sometimes you luck out, but most of the time they're not that great. But somehow my grandmother and TM twisted it around as being attacked. And here's the other shoe-Christmas Day is ONE DAY. Out of 365 days a year, doing something different one of those days would not kill anyone. So, stupid, I know, really really stupid. But as a result no one has talked to my grandmother, grandfather, TM, her husband/my uncle, and my 2 girl cousins since the birthday party. At this point, they've ruined not just one day, but years. So, we did not spend my birthday, which was a nice dinner in Tehachapi with friends, or PreThanksgiving, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or anything for New Years. And my grandparents have also missed the birth of their first great-granddaughter. So, until the baby was born (December), I was the only niece again. In between this, I helped my parents with packing and moving. And my favorite birthday present? My friend that's in Japan called me the day of my birthday and we were able to talk. That definitely topped it off for me.

October: The annual Halloween party at PB (and Jelly's) house. Once again, an awesome party. This one actually had more people dressed up than in previous years, so that was really cool to see. The theme this year was 80s, and I was surprised to see that people actually dressed up, for the most part, and didn't just do bell bottoms and screaming shirts. We had Pat Benatar, 2 versions of Michael Jackson (Thriller and the mask/one glove look, if anyone's curious), a scary mask lady, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Marty McFly, and leather and chain punkositys. Some people, including my parents, went with an 1880s motif as opposed to 1980s, and they looked great. I myself opted for pigtails and an adult-sized onesie-hey, if I was born in '86 that means I would have been a toddler during that time frame. It was a load of fun. And we got my parents moved into the new house completely, so I made quite a few trips to Tehachapi. Also, during this time my other aunt (aka Disney Aunt, or DA) started visiting me during the week. She was taking a diet class that took her near my neighborhood. I've been enjoying it a lot. It was nice starting to feel like I could actually count on my family. For more than extended phone conversations and drama, that is.

November: Prethanksgiving was awesome. People were there that I hadn't seen in a while, and once again my friends were able to show up. I had a blast, and so did everyone else. Actual Thanksgiving was, well, not too bad. It was kinda different without Typhoid Mary or my grandparents there, but there was a definite change in pace. But the surprise came the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Mom had called and left a message, saying that PB, J, and them were going to go up north to the Dickens Faire, but plans had changed and would I like to go? Of course I accepted and went up with them the Friday after gobblegobble day. On the way up, I texted a friend I knew was up north to see if she wanted to come down and meet us at Faire (aka Missy). Missy agreed, and I met up with her and her sister, and we had a great time! We tried on as many hats as we could find, made fun of each other, and pined after some coats. There was one booth we found that had gorgeous jackets for sale. I particularly liked the Winterfield coat and the men's Bailey coat. We found the shop the first time, Missy and I went back in for a second time, and I went in for a final time before closing. http://www.samiah.com/_Samiah-Womens-Clothing.htm

December: Missy came down to Bakes the weekend before Christmas and we had an awesome time. We watched the new Narnia movie, saw Plaid Tidings at the BeeKay, talked, and watched anime. We also went to see the Christmas lights in Haggin Oaks, which I highly recommend. Christmas Eve I drove to my parent's house, and stayed with them until the Monday after Christmas. However, I think someone in the family was sick and didn't 'fess up. I was just finishing getting rid of something (a cold or congestion or something-it was hanging on by its fingernails) but the Monday after both mom and I started coming down with something. So, I'm downing the orange juice and tea. Also this month, Dec. 30th, my cousin's wife had her baby. I didn't get to see her, but mom sent me a picture. She looked adorable.

January: Still a work in progress I've had 2 days of it. I will be going up north this week though, because my friend is back from Japan for a little bit, and we're going to have an awesome time!!! Hopefully I'll return to my blog after my trip but I make no promises.

"Moments to Remember (Forever Plaid)"-Plaid Tidings crew

The Wind From The West

2010-07-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

So...instead of boring you with excuses, I shall regale you with tales of my adventures!!! Or...something. Hopefully. Maybe.

Alright, I have started the job at North Kern. My celebration of being there three months consists of me NOT being there on Monday the 19th. I will be sleeping in, and quite possibly watching a prison-based movie (The Rock, Spy Games, etc.). I haven't decided yet. For those of you that have been watching the news about the budget, for July and August we will not be going to minimum wage. Pray, hope, shake rattles, whatever you do, I am asking that you do it so the bleeping parties involved with bargaining wages, state budget, and the overall status of California come to some sort of resolution that doesn't leave all state workers screwed with their pants on. I'm not just asking for me, but my mom too.

In other news, I was completely moved in (final box unpacked) in the middle of May. I have an odd shift for non-nursing work, and couldn't do much on the week. Also, I wasn't at the apartment the entire time. I currently live in Bakersfield, in a one-bedroom apt. and drive about 40 minutes to work. Not as close as I would have liked, but I took what I could get.

Also in May, I attended a hand-fasting. I thought it was very interesting, especially since it was my friend that was taking part in the ceremony. There was an interesting dynamic though; about 3/4 of the people there treated it as a pre-engagement ceremony, emphasis on the ceremony part, and the other 1/4 treated it as practice for the wedding ceremony. I was in the majority, for this event. Other than that, it was very enjoyable.

In June, I attended Godspell at the Beekay in Tehachapi. I was supposed to be stage manager, but when the job got offered, that took priority. I sill rated a comp ticket though. I love knowing the right people. :D

I also went to Disneyland with my mom and our family friend from Russia who had never been. None of us could really afford it, but it was definitely worth it. Our friend was like a kid in a candy shop....or at Disney. I considered inviting my friend down south, but I knew she was working on moving so I figured she'd be stressed/busy with that. And I knew it would also be a different pace. When we've gone, it was always a mad scramble to get the rides. Which is fine, but this time I ended up going with people that took things at a slower pace. Which I was happy with, because I normally haven't had that much luck with getting character photos, but we got quite a few this time around.

My brother also moved out. He got an apartment with his friend since forever, and they moved in about the middle of the month. Joe got accepted to Le Cordon Bleu, and his friend got accepted to a mechanic school.

For Independence weekend, I was supposed to go up the coast with my parents, the dogs, and a family friend, but it didn't quite work out that way. Our family friend ended up having to work, so did another couple we were supposed to go with, so I called in another of my friends instead. We were supposed to leave Saturday~turns out that there was something wrong with the travel trailer. My friend had met me in Bakersfield and we were already on the road. So we went to Oceano for the melodrama that night, and had dinner in Arroyo Grande. We ended up getting back around midnight.

The actual 4th, my friend and I watched anime and went to one of my aunt's houses for the 4th of July golf cart parade their neighborhood normally put on. We got there kinda late, but we did the parade and went swimming. To round off the night, we played disc golf with some of my cousins at a park. At around 11 at night, mind you. After the game, we crashed again around midnight. My friend left the next day. We had a blast.

I think that pretty much covers anything. If I think of anything else I need to add, I'll put in an addendum. Or maybe another full post. Who knows but the wind?

"The Wind From The West"-Golden Bough

Changes

2010-03-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya'll. So, my second posting for March. Go me!

So, I was offered the job for North Kern. Yay! And I'm taking. Pros: I will be moving out (finally), it's a bit more likely to roll over to permanent than the county job, I think I'll be making a dollar to two dollars more than I am now, AND once I'm there, I'm there! No more drives to Ridgecrest 2 or more times a week! No side trips to Rosamond! No field trips to Palmdale or LittleRock! The only driving I have to worry about after that is getting OFF of work! Cons: I haven't been able to save extra money because life happens, I highly doubt I'll be able to move into my apartment right away, I will have to furlough since it's a state job, and I'll be on pins and needles budget wise the next 3 or 4 months at least. BUT (and here's the juicy part) I HAVE A JOB THAT I WON'T BE LEAVING IN 3 MONTHS!!!

In other news, I went to Shakespeare in Cal Poly. It wasn't the entire original cast, but honestly 2 outta 3 ain't bad at all. And I replaced my dvd which some family friends lost. They won't admit to it, but they did lose it. I lent it to them last November, and it is now March. On the eve of April. You can see why I'm justified.

My friend down south is doing fairly good. And my friend across the states seems to be doing okay too. Things are slowing down and being better, at least for a little bit. Word to the wise? Enjoy what you can, when you can. I'm feeling very lucky, and far more upbeat than I have in a while.

"Changes"-BaseBall Bear (Library War soundtrack)

Callin' Baton Rouge

2010-03-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

So, I promise there's a reason for the Cajun title. For those who I've talked to about it, they know I do a lot of driving for my job. For those that don't know, I'm in the car driving a lot for the job. Solution? Audiobooks. The one I've been listening to recently is called "Crusader's Cross," by James Lee Burke. The actual book itself is fairly good, sort of a film noir hard-bitten detective in a mess of trouble story, but it takes place in Louisiana. And the reader, whom I may have to start following, has an AWESOME voice to listen to. Anyone remember Gambit, from the original X-men tv show? You could tell it was such an affected accent, but it still worked. This reader, who has also played in the movies "Armageddon" and "Remember the Titans" and has made appearances on "24," "Num3ers," and "CSI" , is wonderful to listen to with the accent (a cookie if you get the answer). If it's not natural, it's professional enough you can't tell. And I'm talking just enough Cajun to make you warm and runny inside and head straight for New Orleans just to see how close it comes to the real article. Mmm-hmmm.

So, the word is official: all extra help is getting laid off again. Big shocker there. I'm job searching yet again (joyfulness), although I did have an interview in Delano for North Kern State Prison. We'll see what happens.

And in other news, I GET TO GO SEE THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY!!! Not the community theatre production next month, but the ORIGINAL COMPANY!!! I am STOKED!!! I'm going with a friend of mine to Cal Poly for the show. I was hoping to go with a couple other people, but none of us had the money. :( I offered to pay, but then it turns out my dad had to borrow money. My health insurance company also took my payment out of this last paycheck as opposed to my next one. But I'm determined to have a good time for her. :)

"Callin' Baton Rouge"-Garth Brooks

The Entertainer

2010-01-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, my long awaited update. Ready or not, here it comes!

Let's start with the good. Or mixed, at any rate. I was asked to stage manage for the Christmas show in TCT. As my first time as stage manager, I didn't think I did too bad. According to the director, the crew, and the actors they also think I did fairly well. Well enough that the spot operator asked me to stage manage for his show, whenever it was, a family friend who is also a director asked me to run sound for the current show, I got asked last minute to step in as stage manager for another director who had one but his SM had family problems and couldn't do it, and the husband of the director for the Christmas show asked me to SM for his show in June. Apparently word is getting around that I didn't completely fail. Which is definitely an ego-boost for moi.

Work is being stupid. I've started a list of "what they don't teach you in training," and while darkly humorous it is also somewhat depressing. Things started blowing up for the workers at the beginning/middle of December, which means stuff had to get shuffled to me, which means things have been blowing up for me. While the rate of explosion has gone down, it's still near the "barely tolerable" zone. And I'm convinced that the workers (including my supervisor, I might add) have bonded together to form the "Convince Ch**** to become a Social Worker." Not 1, not 2, but 3 separate workers have told me to become an SW within the past couple weeks. And one of the workers mentioned that at the staff meeting they had with my supe, even my supe said I should be an SW. You can see where I'm basing my convictions. Normally one of the workers will just bring it up once or twice a month, but not all at once. Grr.

On the upside, I should be owning a dresser soon. I already put half down on the payment, I just need to put in the other half...which will be after next week's paycheck. Also on the paycheck front, I am no longer working for the bookstore. It makes me kinda sad, but at the same time it means I get weekends back. And considering how involved I am getting with theater again, it's actually better to have at least some free time. I also hope to spackle and repaint my room by the end of February. I'm not saying it will happen, but it might.

Hmm, I think that's pretty much it. There's some inner drama with my extended family, and things may be changing very soon with my immediate family, but that's it. I'm planning to go down south for a weekend at the end of this month, which will be some nice R & R. Well, the second R for sure. My friend and I don't seem to rest that much when we get together. What can I say?

"The Entertainer"-in the spirit of Billy Joel as opposed to Scott Joplin

Evil Eye

2009-10-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, for all of you who have been keeping track, I did get my job at the county. Today was my first day back. I found out I don't have to go through any more initial training, until there's mandatory training later in the year, which is awesome, and I got moved up to the next pay bracket (about $1 more per hour), which is even more awesome. Problems?.......I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I got the call about a week ago. And it's still completely temporary, which means I might get laid off at any time. The program director said they should be able to keep me 6 months or so like they did last time, but not to take bets on anything. Not those words precisely, but that same idea. Which I kinda figured, I just wanted to be wrong about it. I'm not ready to eat anyone's soul yet, considering it was my first day back, but the way the Mojave SSWs were talking I might be ready to by next Tuesday. Although I must admit, I was touched. Apparently the supervisor that's out there, as well as some others, were given a list of HSAs that got laid off and were asked if they wanted to advocate for any of them. So the supervisor and one of the SSWs made sure to advocate for me. That made me feel good. :)

So, less than two weeks for Cirque. I'm happy about it. And with any luck I'll be able to go to San Bernadino that same weekend to meet up with my other friend. I'm gonna be a social butterfly that weekend. Not that its discouraged, mind you, but hopefully my immune system doesn't totally crash on me beforehand. Haven't gotten my flu shot yet. I don't think I'm gonna get the Miss Piggy shot, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have a regular one. Just in case. -_-; I hate needles.

"Evil Eye"-Sleepy Hollow soundtrack

Chim-Chim-Cheree

2009-10-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah, just...random song. 'Cuz I could. Anyway, I'm just about done with my online classes. I don't think I'll be able to finish up the degree. I haven't been able to focus much, if at all, for the completely online environment. Still job searching, and there's a possibility I'll be able to go back to the county job. I was contacted last week about it, and I should hear back sometime this week. If you can't cross your fingers, maybe you could cross your eyes for me. I'd be mighty appreciative. :)

Let me see, for my birthday I got calls and text messages, which I appreciate, and went to a family friend's house for drinks. And the next day we had a barbeque: the bbq was mom's idea, and the menu was mine. And what did we have? Beer-butt chicken, corn on the cob, the baked beans that my mom makes, homemade apple pie, and I put together a peach/grape slushie, with the grapes from our vine in the back. Additionally, I got to go to Disneyland that Wednesday. What one of my aunts has been doing is taking people to Disneyland for their birthdays, sometimes in groups and sometimes one-on-one. So, YAY DISNEY!!! And we went to California Adventure, which I had never been to. Favorite rides: California Screamin', Tower of Terror, and the Toy Story ride. Come on, the last one's a 3-d shooting gallery. How could I NOT like it?

I wasn't aware of this until my aunt started doing this earlier this year, but I guess the fad is pin-trading. You bring a lanyard of pins, and trade them w/the workers. If I remember to do this next time, I'll have to get different pins. I like the ones I have, which means I don't want to trade them. :) I'm hoping to hit Ren Faire this month, but I'm not sure. However, I do get to go to Cirque with one of my friends-it will be AWESOME!!!! And this year's Hallow's Eve costume, for the Halloween party I'm going to w/my parents, is *cue drum roll* *continue*

DEATH, FROM NEIL GAIMAN!!! *party poppers & fireworks in background* I'm looking forward to it, aren't you? :-D

"Chim-Chim-Cheree"-Mary Poppins

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

2009-07-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to forgo my normal doom-and-gloom post for right now. How do people think history should be studied? The class I'm taking is focusing on different methods, and I just read that apparently there's 3 main streams of historical thought.

1-archiving, researching, what we are learning/learned to do in the university
2-a more romantic, nation-based, almost patriotic history
3-everything else under the sun that can be made abstract one way or other

As far as I'm concerned, generally people will take a more romantic view of history because people can be extremely romantic in one thing or other (even me). But you really can't study history from just one of those streams, so there's no real right way to study it. ??? Any thoughts???

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"-They Might Be Giants

Hung by the High Gallows Tree

2009-06-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

Well, not quite hung but close enough. So, the June 2nd meeting happened. They told us pretty much nothing about the budget. That was on a Tuesday. Everyone that was extra help got a call about 4 pm Wednesday night that the program director wanted to see us at 8:30 the next morning. Another couple aides and myself started being nosy and seeing if any of the supervisors or social workers knew what the director wanted to talk to us about, but to no avail. Come Thursday at 8:30, we get told we'll be laid off on the 30th.

Fabulous, right?

So, what happened next? *cue dramatic music* I got really down and did something I try not to do often: retail therapy. I picked up some curtains to finish off my room (as much as I can right now), got 300+ photos developed, and a couple other things. So, after the spending spree was over, I figured I may as well start job searching again or get enrolled back in school. As of right now, I am enrolled in the Grand Canyon University, the online degree option. Today is actually supposed to be the first day of class. We'll see how it pans out.

As for job searching, I've been sort of looking since about April when a lot of the budget stuff really came to light, but I need to start actively searching. I'm just not looking forward to being back at ground zero. But on the happy scale, I'm going to Avila with my family. My dad & I actually leave on Wednesday and the rest of the family (yes, including the dogs) will be coming up on Friday. And in October I get to go to Cirque. YAY!! I might even have a job by then!!

"Hung by the High Gallows Tree"-Poxy Boggards

Ball of Confusion

2009-05-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, here's my second May post. I know it's not the season of miracles, but that's why they're called miracles, right?

Anyway, graduation weekend was a lot of fun. Cosmic bowling the night I get up there, graduation and bbq the next day, and a full day at the beach after that. Then I had to go back, which wasn't so happy, but it still had to happen.

I just don't know what's going to happen now. There's a couple things I probably should have said, but I choked up at the last minute. I'm not regretting choking up, but I was definitely irritated about it. Not as much any more, but just slightly.

And I've been doing some more thinking. I had the blues the other day when I realized I couldn't actually move out right now if I still wanted to start paying back my student loans on time. Which I don't know if I'm going to be able to make continuous payments, which worries me. I don't want to start paying until I know I'll be able to pay them off in full on a constant basis. I'm going to have to look again at what options I have to defer them. I know what a couple are, but I'm gonna have to talk to somebody and find out some more info.

I also know I'm not as emotionally...flatlined? constant? steady?....as I used to be. On some levels that's good (I'm sure), but on others it's very unsettling (I'm very sure). I'm thinking it's probably just because of where I am in my life and what I've been thinking about, but it's still something I don't really want to deal with. A good portion of it most probably comes from the job because I generally don't talk about my job. Not even to my parents, my mom specifically. Which is something I normally do. In one sense it's good I'm relearning how to deal with things on my own but saddening to realize that I've become that much more closed with my parents.

Help?

"Ball of Confusion"-The Temptations (maybe)

Next Go Round

2009-05-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to May. Notice that this is at the beginning of the month instead of, say, the last day/night of the month. Aren't you proud of me?

Anyway, went to Ren Faire last weekend. Always fun. Got to see a couple friends of mine. Also always fun. And thought provoking. Something that one of my friends said (it was a really bad day for her) was "isn't it morbid that we've come to this point in our lives?" Just because I agree with her doesn't mean I like hearing it voiced!!!

Yes, I'm at a better place than I have been. Yes, I have half a small chance of getting into a permanent position in the county. However, one of those chances was as a social worker. Something which I have never and still do not want to do. Especially after being their gopher. So even if I do get it (which I'm not counting on), I'd be miserable. I'd make the best of it that I could, but I would be absolutely unhappy doing it. Sometimes it doesn't pay to have a good idea of who I am or what I like because of situations like this.

But, that's in the future. In the immediate future, I'm heading back up to Monterey to see my friends graduate (yay!!!). Although I'm thinking of getting a massage on the way up or on the way back down. I've gotten to the point where I can physically feel the tension around my neck and on my shoulders, which is never good.

However, none of this means I'm allowed to give up. I'm still weirded out by the very definite fact that I graduated college a year ago. And that I'm now watching friends that I came in with, graduate. I'm hoping to not feel lost again, but I think I'm starting to feel the vestiges of it. That, and I've been looking at apartments/studios/condos in SLO. Since I don't think that I'll be able to move out of CA after I move out of Tehachapi, I would love to be in San Luis. I don't mind Monterey, but I'm a mountain girl. I need a place with mountains. Which San Luis has. And Hearst Castle, and the awesome comic book shop, and a gazillion coffee shop things, and late hours, and....you can see where I'm going with this.

But, as with everything else, it depends on my job. Or where the job market takes me. And I'll have some more info about what's going on with the Kern County budget after June 2nd. They're holding an all-staff meeting, attendance mandatory unless otherwise excused. So I'm sure I'll have a couple things to say after that.

"Next Go Round"-Nickelback

Roll the Chariot Along

2009-04-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, here it is! *cue trumpet* The fantastic, new, APRIL blog!!!!

...Yeah, I'm sure you're all jumping up and down in anticipation. Anyway, I FINALLY own my own bed-YAY!!!! I'm no longer sleeping on a futon. Which I am absolutely stoked about. And I've managed to rearrange my room into something that resembles a miniature living room. I've still got the futon in there, but I've got my tv set up so I can watch from the futon, my movies, various endtables, and my stereo. I am happy that I've got something that feels more like my room now.

My cats are spastic as ever. It's kind of sad when you know that the older cat is the smartest of the bunch-and she's none too bright to start with. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Although I'm currently employed with the county, I've been looking at other jobs because I'm not counting on job security past June, when the new fiscal year starts on July 1st. We'll see what happens, but just to be on the safe side....Besides, I need to start paying off my student loans. Which also starts in July. You can see my problem.

Although I didn't get into JET, my friend in Monterey did (you know who you are!!), for which I'm glad. If things get somewhat better, I might actually be able to hop a flight there and stay for a little bit. I dunno, maybe a week. If I'm flying out of country, gotta make it worth it, you know?

And I was able to make my trip to Monterey this month. If my supervisor ever gets back to me, I'll also be able to hit Ren Faire this weekend or next. Can't do it the weekend of the 16th, because I'll be back in Monterey for my friends' graduation. Speaking of, you know how weird it is to come to the realization that I've been graduated for a year? I've got very mixed feelings about it. I just...it's very mixed. *shrug* Oh well. When I feel the need to get it off my chest I'm sure I will. To leave everyone with a happy thought though, remember: knowledge is power. Power is corruptive. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you become an absolute scholar, then you have absolutely corrupted power. But at that point, the spectrum of good and evil is so far beneath you that you don't have to worry about being moralistic.

Have a nice day. :)

"Roll the Chariot Along"-Seamus Kennedy

Hymn of the Fayth

2009-03-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the end of March but it's still in March. Maybe I'll even get a couple blogs in for April. No, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you either.

Job's going fairly well. I've lucked out in the sense I've only had a few REALLY bad days where it took me at least half a drink to calm down. Of course, something that makes it easier is laughing at it. In reality my job actually kinda sucks emotionally/mentally/zen-wise, but the trick is distancing yourself. Most of my coworkers don't understand this concept, but a couple that I sort of hang with do.

Why do I say that? I don't know who's still reading this (see last post) but the majority of what I do is supervise visits between parents and their kids, who have been taken away from the parents. Each case is different, but some are harder to deal with than others. If you let it get to you, that is. I'm fairly successful in not letting that happen.

On the upside, I did get to go to Monterey this month. I was stoked about it 'cuz I needed a vacation. Didn't stay as long as I wanted, but such is life. I'm planning on showing up again in April. I know some of my friends aren't doing that great, so I wish them good health and best of luck, esp. in troubled times.

Oh, and EternalPuppy! I BEAT THE GAME!!! I ROCK!!! Your turn. :)

"Hymn of the Fayth"-Final Fantasy X soundtrack

Work in Progress

2009-02-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

So, here's the deal for those that don't already know: I am no longer working at KMart, and am now working for Kern County. I essentially hold the position of a glorified gopher, but for what they're paying me I'm willing to take it. And if anyone I know is still reading this blog, thank you. I doubt my blog is one that random people on the internet would have stumbled upon, but just in case.

I'm a "work in progress" because I'm slowly pulling myself back together again. I'm going to do some major rearranging so I'm no longer living in a storage unit, I got a friend for my cat so both my girls love me now, I'm trying to work again on my relationship with my brother, and in general just pulling myself back onto my feet. I probably should have asked for more help than I actually did, but for those that helped anyway, thank you.

"Work in Progress"-Alan Jackson

Joy to the World

2008-12-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

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

Blue

2008-08-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

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

Book Report

2008-07-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

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

Have a Nice Day

2008-07-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

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

Defying Gravity

2008-06-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

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

King of the Road

2008-06-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

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

Viva Las Vegas

2008-06-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

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

I Love Vegas

2008-06-16T00:37:00.000-07:00

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

All That Jazz

2008-06-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

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

Fast Cars and Freedom

2008-05-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

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

No Particular Place to Go

2008-05-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

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

An Evening in Roma

2008-04-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

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.

addendum

2008-04-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

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!

Hey There

2008-04-12T16:38:00.001-07:00

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

Maintain Consciousness

2008-04-05T17:42:00.001-07:00

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.

One Toke Over the Line

2008-03-27T18:32:00.001-07:00

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.

Time After Time

2008-03-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

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?

The Universe Song

2008-02-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

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?

Breaking the Habit

2008-02-23T13:05:00.000-08:00

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.

Tonight, Tonight

2008-02-15T11:39:00.001-08:00

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.

Opening Night

2008-02-08T00:27:00.001-08:00

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.

Real blog for Friday

2008-01-30T18:55:00.001-08:00

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!!

First Try

2008-01-30T18:44:00.001-08:00

Whatever you like. Hey, it's what he said to write.