Dramatic Monotony

A new start.

2006-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Moving to Austin.

Have an apartment.

Have a new car.

Bought a new MacBook Pro.

Have a new career plan.

See new possibilities around every corner.

This is exciting!

2006-08-29T08:46:00.001-07:00

I haven't updated in a long time. And I'm still not feeling particularly inspired to do so.

A lot of things have changed. Some have stayed the same. I'm trying to figure out what to do with all of this.

I'm not settling anymore.

But before I set off into this cliched world of self-discovery, enjoy this picture. Its absurdity makes me smile.

Apartment Talk Part II

2006-04-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

To update everyone, the plumbing has been fixed. There are no more strange uprisings of soapy water in my tub. Thank goodness. And through the wonders of Craigslist, I've sold almost all of my furniture.

I'm still not finished packing; my kitchen, closet, and bathroom still need a little bit of work. And the cleaning process should take a while. I've got to scour all of the floors, get rid of any and all mold spores, and most importantly, clean the oven. My can of Easy-Off sits next to my computer, beckoning me to use it.

To satisfy my three readers, I'll post pictures of my apartment when it was decorated, clean, and my home.

Here's a view of my living room and bedroom.

This was my desk area, a place where I spent most of my time.

I loved my big bank of windows. It was always sunny in my apartment.

This is my hallway to the bathroom. The built-in cupboards were very handy; I wish I had a larger closet, but I made everything fit.

And here's the entrance to my small, but efficient bathroom. The door never closed properly, but I loved the pedestal sink.

And of course, we need to have the toilet view.

A view of my kitchen! Look at the beautiful Spanish tiles.

I spent a lot of time in here making elaborate meals for my friends.

I love my kitchen magnets. My mom made them for me -- any drill teamers out there might recognize the pattern!

I had a good run of it in Hollywood.

Apartment Woes

2006-04-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Before I can ask people if they want to rent my apartment, my landlord should take care of this little problem.

2006-02-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

Because I'm lame...
I've succumbed to the call of YouTube.

And here's something that Max spotted.

It's the House of Blues building in Hollywood. Gotta love cloud formations.

Shih Tzu Madness

2006-01-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

In honor of Freddie's latest 290, I'm going to post a few pictures of my doggies.

Alex is my boyfriend substitute. He gives me wonderful kisses.

Niles will always be my favorite play partner. Look at that beautiful face.

And here's Niles trying to coerce Alex into playing. It's not working too well. Alex is a stubborn doggie... and I think he's the head of this little pack of two.

Now, I can't wait to see this final film of Freddie's. Hopefully he'll put it online.

New House

2006-01-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, due to popular demand, I'm posting my parents' latest surprise purchase... a HOUSE. Yes, folks, you heard right. They've moving out of my childhood home to a big hosue in the suburbs of Houston. Our (now old) neighborhood is going downhill, thanks to an influx of Katrina refugees and nightclubs and shootings. (Or at least that's what I've been told.) My dad decided on a Thursday that he wanted a new house, and on Sunday, they put money down on it. Fast workers, my parents.

It's a nice layout. 4 bedrooms, 3 car garage, a study, and an upstairs media room with extra half bath. Basically, it's identical to the one below, except with another story and a couple of different options.

This is the front of the house. It's on a corner lot, so think about all those sidewalks!

Here's a close-up of the front porch. The arched window is very pretty. That's connected to the study. I would want to paint the door red, but the choice of color is prohibited by the draconian Home Owner Association rules.

The back of the house -- the sod looks like it's about to die. I think it needs some work.

The length of the house from front door to back den.

And a view of the den, with fireplace. The master bedroom is behind.

The kitchen and eat-in breakfast room. We may not be able to salvage our super-cool oven in our current house. That makes me sad.

The upstairs game room was the selling-point of the house. My dad has plans for a projector in the future.

Okay, I thought the master closet was HUUUUUUUUUGE. Evidently there are closets galore in this house.

The master bath is nice, but not as massive as others that I've seen. But honestly, I don't think my parents will ever use that bathtub.

My parents are really excited about moving to the boonies. I'm not so convinced. But my mother likes to remind me that I "don't live there anymore." My dad will have lots of home improvement/painting/landscaping when he retires from his current job. I hope his back fusion heals properly so he can complete all of this work! If I don't get a job soon, I may have to return to Houston to act as free labor. And that wouldn't be good for MY back.

"Frisco"

2006-01-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly getting through my pictures that I want to put online.

These are from my trip to San Francisco two weekends ago. I went to see Amy, my roommate from sophomore year and one of my favorite people in the world. And then I dropped by Santa Barbara to see Nicole. Enjoy.

2006-01-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

For Mary Louise:

It's online, just for you, sweetie.

And in remembrance of the start of our beautiful friendship, I'll post my "favorite" photograph of the two of us.

Gotta love the Godspell costuming.

You're in my thoughts, babe. And it was great seeing you this past Christmas break.

And now for something different...

2005-10-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

You see, urban sprawl can still be beautiful. I was leaving PSD after the USC vs. Washington State game, and I had to capture this view of downtown, just before sunset.

News!

2005-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my parents adopted a new boy from Lone Star Shih Tzu Rescue. His name is Alex. He's a 16 pound white and tan cutie. He and Niles are busy working out the pecking order, but so far, Alex seems like the more dominant one. He's very mellow, but he's not as into dolls as Niles. Mom and Dad are enthusiastic, though now Mom has TWO dogs following her around all the time. My dad said to me, "Jennifer, maybe I should adopt a dog for myself. I wish someone liked me!"

Here's a blurry picture taken from my father's camera phone. I'll upload more later, once I receive them.

EDIT: More pictures came in my email!

Here's the picture of Alex from the Lone Star Rescue Group. This was the beginning of it all! Evidently, some idiot had shot him in the leg, but he's healed up well.

The two boys in the kitchen.

Checking out the backyard.

Closer view of Alex. He needs a bit of a trim from the groomer's, but otherwise, he's adorable.

Niles sent me an email today. I'll quote some of it -

Just wanted to tell you about this dog my "best buddy" brought to my house yesterday. I don't know how long he plans on staying but if he doesn't start playing "dolly" soon I may have to get in a fight with him.

We had lots of fun yesterday afternoon and went in the car to TWO pet stores. I was just perfectly behaved in the car and the stores, no matter what other people might tell you. I didn't growl at any of the little kids but I did have to put some big dog in his place once. That Alex just walked around everywhere being nice to people - it was so sickening. I had to ride in this stupid pet chair in the car while Alex got to sit on David's lap. Even though I tried to get their attention he just sat there like a dummy looking out of the window being "Mr. Perfect". I think he is going to need a lot of retraining. We went for a test run with the new coupled leashes and I was just terrific. I just let Alex go ahead all the time to make him think he was important. He sure likes to pee a lot - I'm glad we don't have trees growing in the middle of the street or we would never get done. He is so weird because he has to pee with his back leg in the air. I don't know who taught him that stupid way.

We ate our food nicely and didn't fight over it. Those cheap owners said that we would have to share our water bowl as there wasn't room for two more bowls. I think they were just too cheap to buy the second bowl. They got another bed like mine but I think that I am going to let Alex use my old one so I can have the new stuff. At bedtime Alex threw such a fit at being confined to the kitchen with me. He scratched at that wooden door thing until it gave me a headache. Anyway I showed him, because I started barking at him and went on for more than an hour, even though my owners came and told me to be quiet a couple of times. Anyway I showed them all. I slept on Alex's new bed and he had to spend the rest of the night on mine.

We were so tired this morning from all this activity that we didn't get up until late. We go outside separately to pee in the morning and then have our breakfast. My buddy put this powder stuff on our food called "The Missing Link" and it is supposed to help with my allergies. I think Alex is a bit overweight so he might have to go on a diet. Maybe it is because he had food available all day at his other homes - I would be e n o r m o u s if I had that opportunity.

Well David tried to take some pictures of us and of course I am the best looking dog in the whole world so I tried to mess up the pictures that weren't just of me. Hope you don't think Alex is cute but I keep hearing that he is just like some dog called Trixie (what a dumb name).

Who knew that dogs could type? I'm betting my Dad helped him with the keyboard.

Ughy

2005-09-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sick and lonely. I have some sort of viral infection, so for the past week, I've been hacking, feeling dizzy, getting headaches, and had stomach difficulties. It's not been a lot of fun, especially since I've missed a lot of class. I feel horrendously guilty about it. My congestion is almost gone, but I still feel dizzy and achey.

I woke up at 5 this morning. And I've been awake since then. I was reminiscing about dogs because I was looking at shelter ads on Craig's List and Petfinder. I'm not allowed to have pets in this apartment, and to be honest, it's not a good time to have a dog anyway- my life is too unstable to be able to confidently provide for an animal for an extended period of time. But I still wish I could have a companion while doing something for the ridiculous number of shelter dogs that are out there.

I miss Niles, the current Shih Tzu/pitbull wannabe at my house. But I really miss Trixie, my childhood companion and the nicest dog on earth. My dad sent me a DVD of photos and he's been busily scanning things all summer. Here's my favorite shot with my dog, shortly after we adopted her from C.A.P.

I don't know why I wasn't smiling. I guess I wasn't into that when I was younger. But Trixie was so cute when she was little.

And remember, if you can, adopt shelter dogs. Up to 40% of dogs in shelters are purebred, and so many are euthanized every day. As I grow older, I get more vehement about this cause. Maybe some of it had to do with my love for Animal Cops, or it might stem from the brouhaha surrounding the adoption of Niles. I don't know. But the high-kill shelters in Los Angeles are disgusting.

(And no, Max, I'm not going to start my rant about the conditions of dogs in your neighborhood.)

Long Awaited Post to come

2005-09-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Still not doing a full post. But I've gotten back to playing around in photoshop.

Original:

Corrected:

I'm still not finished finagling. I'll possibly update with more corrections. But I'm playing around with Rafael-like editing.

Overcompensating Break!

2005-09-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Holy shit, guys. It's been a long time since I've posted. However, I'm breaking my vow of silence in order to tell you THIS:

GO TO OVERCOMPENSATING RIGHT NOW. HERE IS A LINK.

DO IT. NOW.

If you're as obsessed with Hackers as I am... well... even if you aren't... well... you'll love it.

2005-08-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I have an apartment. In Hollywood. It's awesome. But do you want to know the best part?...

I'M NEXT DOOR TO ARUN!

Yeah, I'm stoked.

2005-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Off to Cali tomorrow! I'll get there on Sunday.

I'll be looking for an apartment. I'm hoping that I will be able to move in quickly. However, if anyone wants a visitor for a night, I love couches. And/or floors. I'm bringing my air mattress. I don't hog the bathroom. I cook and clean. Basically, I'm a perfect houseguest.

I hope I find an apartment soon. Wish me (and Brandon!) luck.

Awww

2005-07-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I've just found out that several of my old residents are now RAs. That makes me happy. Maybe I did a good job, then. I influenced for good! Wee!!!

Wow.

2005-07-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, kids. I'm beyond excited.

Besides the fact that I can't afford my rent, I don't think I can afford school, and I have no job... my life is fabulous. Because my daddy gave me my birthday present three months early.

It's a Canon 10-22mm 3.5-4.5/f wide angle lens. And a 58mm split neutral density filter for my 18-55mm lens.

Wow.

Wow.

WOOOOOOW.

I'm really very excited about this lens. I've been drooling over it for about 8 months. And I've had the need for one since last summer when I went to China and realized that I "didn't have enough room" to get all of the monuments in my pictures.

Let me show you example of the greatness of the lens. Also, be warned, the horizon is slightly off on both of these pictures, but I didn't want to crop anything so you can see the difference.

Here's my normal 18mm lens:

And here's the 10mm lens:

Yeah. You can also see the difference with the neutral density filter... look at the clouds in the two pictures. The 18mm has detail and more vibrant blues... while the 10mm is slightly blown out. I might want to get a 77mm solid neutral density filter for the wide angle lens. I haven't decided yet.

But now I have a few toys to play with!!

2005-07-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well, VBS is over. It was fun, but it was time to end. I spent a long time making a kick-ass scrapbook for the preschoolers, though. Kari and Susanne, the head honchos, really liked it, I think.

I had my first bonafide cooking disaster on Sunday. Raad Na... it was sad. I felt like crying about it, but don't worry, I didn't succumb to tears.

Oh, and because I can't go seven minutes without opening Photoshop, here's my latest redux version of San Diego Zoo pictures.

A South American Scarlet Macaw:

An Ocelot, also from the Americas:

Oh, and yeah... Harry Potter was a disappointment. But I blame that on Max and his scandalous Dumbledore Photochops. I wanted to shoot him. But I can't, because he's 1600 miles away. Good for him, eh? However, I will be coming back to Los Angeles soon. I was feeling Cali-sick so I called Ebonee, my favorite Northern Californian. And she made me even more excited about coming back. Hopefully things will work out.

2005-07-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today, one of my co-workers at Vacation Bible School remarked, "Taking care of 10 pre-schoolers is probably the most effective form of birth control available."

Amen.

I'm working on my final "gift" to my five kiddies. I wanted to do something special for them, so I've been culling through my San Diego zoo pictures to find my favorite photos of African animals. I'm not quite done with my photo editing. The hippopotamus is surrounded by strange orb-shaped discolorations. The rhinocerous is stricken with a bad case of too little midtone contrast. And my zebra photo cannot be salvaged; the wire fence just created too much of an obstacle. But there are some contenders for my final "Serengeti Trek" present.

An okapi in the trees:

Marabou Stork on a stump:

Orangutan on jungle gym:

Roan at rest:

Two giraffe photos --

The indecent one:

The artistic one:

Which one do you like the best? I'm open for suggestions, and I'll be updating with revised pictures as soon as I pump them out.

By the way, I'm tired. And I have a new pair of glasses. They kinda look like Ana's. Sweeeet!

An Apology

2005-07-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry about that melodramatic outburst the other day. I was upset about the London situation, so that was my somewhat trite response to a crazy event. I've calmed down now, and I want to quote an elderly London resident who said it best.

"We've been bombed by a better class of bastard than this."

Amen.

So, in a more sane tribute, I'd like to share a couple of snaps taken from my excursion to the Tate Modern with Jonathan, aka Inertia.

Bridge over the River Thames:

View of St. Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern footbridge:

Strangely enough, these were almost all of the photographs I took during that trip. Normally, I'm a bit shutter-happy. But it just didn't click on this particular adventure.

Get it? Click?

I'm sorry, puns and Jennifer should not be allowed.

By the way, an internet acquaintance from a photography forum sent me this fabulous action that SHARPENS and SATURATES at the same time. I'm super impressed; it's done with high pass filters. I'm in love. Now, I just need to turn out beautiful landscapes like his. Don't neglect to visit this link. I've never seen such beautiful photos of Boston.

Tomorrow is the first day of Vacation Bible School. I'm in the preschooler section. I hope I can cope with them... 3 & 4 year olds have a lot in common with college freshmen. I just need to remember that in order to stave off intimidation.

2005-07-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have a quick fix for hiccups? I can't seem to stop. And they've been going on for about forty five minutes. I've tried water, holding my breath, scaring myself... nada.

EDIT: They've been going on for almost six hours now. This is getting to be a problem.

On a sadder note, my prayers go out to my friends, family, and all the other people affected by the bombings in London. I watched BBC America all morning; it's strange seeing one of my favorite cities devastated by a needless act of terror. This hurt me even more than 9/11, to be honest. I've never been to NYC or Washington DC. They are faceless, nameless places for me. But London? Some of my best memories are from the countless times I've ridden the tube or wandered around King's Cross. Picadilly Circus and Bond Street are firmly impressed on my mind. The people and the bustle - I feel connected to them. Even my favorite novels and movies are based in this beautiful city. I'm proud of the way English people have reacted. Beyond the senseless grief, there's a spirit of courage present on the countenances of the mourners. Shame on the terrorists who seek to hurt such beauty and heritage. There is no dignity in this kind of attack.

I finished the second picture in my religious series. It's called Horizon in Blue. I loved the countless churches and cathedrals in the beautiful city of Dijon. Very little compares to a skyline of steeples.

I hope you enjoy it.

Weird.

2005-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, I just had a dream about visiting Mary Louise and Mark in Waco. MLB (I love that I can still call her that!) was telling me about her history of infatuation with him while we were walking around a mall. But as she went to buy herself a chocolate concoction from a store, I realized that I did not bring my purse. Then, as I looked down at myself, I realized I was wearing a leotard from my drill team years. I was so embarrassed, I asked MLB to buy me a bus ticket back to my house. And then I got lost on the bus system of Waco, Texas, with Faith Schorre, her mother, and Yael Adef as fellow passengers.

Needless to say, I woke up a bit chagrined this morning. How silly - buses are not that complicated, especially in a small town. And why would I want to squeeze myself into a spandex outfit? I rejoiced the day that I didn't have to wear another. Craaaaaaaaazy.

By the way, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver is another fabulous book that I'm recommending. I whipped through this 441 page behemoth in hours. Set in the Appalachian Mountains, Prodigal Summer addresses issues of desire, ecology, and family. I'd venture to say that this book works a lot better than her previously acclaimed novel, The Poisonwood Bible. I especially enjoyed the sections concerning Lena, a gal from Knoxville transplanted in the backwoods.

Now, I must finish Middlemarch by George Eliot. This one's a stinker. But I'm debating whether or not I should take the Literature GRE, so I need to be prepared in either case.

That Twilight Zone Kind of Feeling..

2005-07-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, one of my previous posts just... disappeared. Creepy. I guess "Safeguarding God's Children" is not a high priority for blogger.

Pictures from California

2005-07-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Just when I was really feeling down, I got a pleasant gift in my email inbox. Turns out Hogarth, my Orangutan love, persuaded Max to take a few photos. And Max decided to send them to me. I was so excited, I wanted to share my love for a couple of primates.

Photo #1: See no Evil.

Photo #2: Speak no Evil.

Photo #3: Hear no Evil. (But Max and Hogarth are too involved with the book to cover ears properly.)

God, I'm just getting depressed about how little money I have. What a lame thing to whine about.

Sacrilegious Moment

2005-07-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, and before I forget, I've decided to do an art series called "Religions in Technicolor." Here's my first subject: The Virgin Mary.

I needed something to amuse myself; plus, this would be a fabulous decoration for my apartment. I still can't get over those idiots who stole my vintage movie posters...

Long-winded Photo Essay.

2005-07-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've updated. June has passed in a blur of activity... yet I struggle to identify what I actually DID.

I've been reading a lot. I just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Kevin, you need to read this book. Don't be intimidated by its 529 pages. Remember all of those conversations we had about ambiguous gender and sexual identity? This is a fictionalized account of a family's experience with a hermaphrodite. The genetics synthesize with a dramatic personal history of a Greek family from Turkey. I was able to fly through this novel in a couple of days. And Kevin, being a theater geek, you might recognize the traditional elements from Greek mythology that are dispersed throughout the novel. I had to dig up my old copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology to identify a few... but I've always had problems with Greek names. The timeline of the Illiad confuses me like no other. And I was the most clueless person in my History of Literary Criticism class due to my infantile "knowledge" of Greek philosophy.

Judging Amy is still fantastic. TNT started the series over again, so I've been watching the beginnings of the show. Wow, Amy is self-absorbed. And Vincent is annoying. I can't wait for Kyle's storyline to replace his. I wonder how that happens...

Recently, I met up with some friends who went on the infamous People 2 People European Adventure from the summer of 2000. Janine just graduated from Cornell, while David is working on his degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston. I also met David's lovely girlfriend. We pigged out on plaintains from Amazon Grill, then shared some ice cream at Marble Slab. I enjoyed myself very much - topics of conversation ranged from the idiocy of the Walkers (our sponsors on the trip) to contemporary political theory to regional Mexican cuisine. Janine was kind enough to share her pictures... so I'll do the same.

Here we are in front of the Eiffel Tower. All of us were still in high school.

And in front of Marble Slab, almost exactly five years later.

The next day, Ryan came to visit from Atlanta. I had an absolute blast with this boy - he's one of my favorite "New" friends. We went all over Harris and Galveston county; in fact, I drove over 300 miles during his trip. Pretty impressive.I have lots of photos, so please join me in this pictorial tour of the Houston area.

This is me, in the lounge. Ryan and I just finished watching Top Gun because we are obsessed with Tom Cruise. But like this picture shows, I'm also obsessed with shoes... mmm...

Ryan in front of the San Jacinto monument. I like this picture because it makes him look tall. And buff. And strong. And manly. Not that he doesn't look like all the time.

The Kemah Boardwalk - like Santa Monica, except cleaner. Without a beach.

And here's an infamous carnival ride. Ryan refused to go on one with me.

Because I'm crazy, I took pictures of children playing in the fountains. Ryan refused to stand next to me because he thought I looked like a pedophile. I was just trying to capture a couple of good shots!

Shot #1:

And Shot #2:

We finally left Kemah and journeyed to Galveston Island. We took lots of crazy pictures of old buildings; Galveston is one of the oldest communities in Texas, so we had to embrace what we had!

Old Building #1: Abandoned Grocery Store

Old Building #2: ???

Old Building #3: Bishop's Palace

Old Building #4: Sacred Heart Church

And... the roof.

We walked along the beach, where there's a curious influx of red seaweed. Evidently it's great for the fishing economy, but it smells terrible. And feels weird to walk on. And we almost drowned. Well, not really, but we had a horrible time getting to THIS set of stairs on the seawall. I was in seawater to my knees, dodging propane bottles and other miscellaneous items in the ocean. Icky.

We also found a crazy old-fashioned soda fountain, looked around the Moody Railroad Museum, and watched some guy paint seascapes with spray paint. Here's Ryan, looking kinda small. Trust me, he's really this short in person.

Then, as we were trucking away from Galveston, we decided to watch the Houston Pride Parade. I'm always popular with the gay crowd, and who doesn't like a good homegrown parade? So, we camped out on a sidewalk and enjoyed the show.

I like this picture of Ryan because he looks like a redneck.

And here's my favorite photo from the parade, a fat guy dancing on a float with a cowboy boot. This pretty much sums up the parade. But it was enjoyable! And we had a lot of fun.

We finished off the night with a huge portion of fajitas from Taco Cabana. I love 24-hour Tex-Mex food, especially when the restaurant is painted pink and torquoise.

This past weekend, I went to see Bob Saget with Noah. We laughed a lot; boy, that man is DIIIIIIIIIIIRTY. Noah was nice enough to splurge for the tickets, and I loved my night out with him. Plus, he sent me the "Aristocrats" joke, as told by the dudes from South Park. Hurrah for APO bros in Houston.

All day yesterday, I installed plywood on top of countertops with my parents. This sounds lame, but trust me - I'm a whiz with power tools. There's nothing quite like the feeling of a pneumatic nailer or an electric drill. Maybe I should buy a piece of 2X4 to make into a spice rack. I never had shop class. Silly private schools... I was learning how to program C++ instead of creating something with my hands.

By the way, I think the dog likes me. That's an exciting development.

This entry is ridiculously long. I should stop typing now before "They" take away my blogging rights.

CS2 Progress

2005-06-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson? The Shadow and Highlight function.

The subject? Ryan, aka the 2nd Floor Interloper.

The original? Too dark, "underexposed," and nearly impossible to see.

The remastered? Highlights on shirt are slightly overexposed; however, the rest of the picture looks good. I emphasized the green tint of the background.

Speaking of Ryan, he's designed some kick-ass shirts. Look here for details. They're awesome, especially if you love the Katie Holmes/Tom Cruise drama. I'm planning on buying both... once I get some $$.

A fishy moment.

2005-06-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep. The rest of my family was in bed by 9:30. And for some reason, Kinky Friedman didn't appeal to me. One day, I shall have to compose an entire entry dedicated to his genius. But tonight is not his night. Instead, Andy Warhol is my muse. Photoshop is my medium. And this room is far away from the smell of dog shit. Long story.

Two people kissing always look like fish. - Andy Warhol

Wedding time!

2005-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a blur, thanks to the wedding of one of my best friends, Mary Louise Burchard, now Berry. I attended the bridesmaid's luncheon at the Junior League of Houston; a chat'n'gab fest hosted by the maid of honor, Erin Jobe; the wedding rehearsal; the rehearsal dinner at Pappadeaux; and of course, the wedding at South Maine Baptist and the reception at the Warwick.

Here's a scan of the program. Like every Baptist wedding, it was extremely short... under 30 minutes! I think I want my wedding to be a bit longer. I want time to savor the ambiance of the church. I enjoyed the trumpet and organ, though. That's a very good combination.

I was in the "house party;" this means I worked for my title of honor. Evidently Mary thinks that I'm outgoing, so she assigned me the job of greeter. I stood at the front of the church and directed people in the right direction. Pretty easy, if I say so myself. Plus, I got a front-row seat, and my name was mentioned in the paper. Woot!

The reception was a great time - I had a lot of wine, despite the warnings of my doctors. The food was delicious, the band was swinging, and Mary Louise never looked happier. Even my parents enjoyed themselves. My Dad said that he was impressed by Mary Louise's ease. She and her father managed to greet all 450 guests individually. I caught up with many old friends from high school, and Anna acted as a fabulous stand-in date. Only the Zeta circle was a bit uncomfortable for me, but like all things, it passes. I enjoyed meeting Mary's sorority sisters, but I really loved hanging out with Anne. She's one of those friends that I've had forever, and I'll probably keep in touch with her for the rest of my life. I was really glad that we were both in the bridal party. Erin was fabulous, MLB was stunning, and I enjoyed the weekend as a result.

Because I'm an idiot, I forgot my camera for the majority of the experience. Hopefully, Mary Louise will distribute the digital photos that her aunts and her cousin took -- I'm in a lot of them, and I'd like to have some sort of photographic evidence of this event. However, I managed to snap a few pictures of the bride just before the ceremony. Isn't she beautiful?

Putting on the dress was quite a process. It just kept going... and going...

I promise you, she's really that giddy the entire time.

Unfortunately, Mary Louise's mom passed away a couple of years ago. Her aunts were amazing; they remembered every little detail, including the double stick tape for the dress.

These were the bridesmaid's dresses. I normally don't like seafoam green; however, these outfits looked extremely classy in a '30s way.

Obviously, I've just skimmed over the events. But I wanted to share the few pictures I took of Mary Louise. I'm still in awe that such an amazing person considers me to be a good friend. I love her so much. Mark got himself a pretty special wife.

Playing with Curves

2005-06-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to learn the intricacies of Photoshop CS2. I was playing with the curves and extended histograms of this photo - it was somewhat difficult to correct. I desaturated the final photo quite a bit to change from my normal over-saturation. But now I want to see what it looks like on the web in an entirely different color environment. I'm still trying to figure out how various file formats affect the color of my photos. The differences are subtle, but I'm practicing.

By the way, I didn't take this photo; this is Ed Ou's work for his final photography project of the semester. The subject? Love. Oh, and yes, that's Jess and Devin necking ON MY BED.

I have a lot to talk about - this past weekend was Mary Louise's wedding. But I'm a bit tired. I feel like listening to the rest of this Arcade Fire CD as I fall asleep.

2005-06-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, I re-did my commenting system. I'm no longer using YACCS; instead, blogger is providing my comments. I was tired of the long wait for the YACCS server. Today, I couldn't load my page due to the long wait. So, don't forget to comment if you read my journal. I like knowing what people think. And you can see the comments on the main page! Wee! No more clicking to other pages to see what other people think.

Now, onto more interesting subjects...

I stole this from Rimrunner's Livejournal.

Ten Most Harmful Books

An excerpt from the description of Book #4, The Kinsey Report:

The reports were designed to give a scientific gloss to the normalization of promiscuity and deviancy. “Kinsey’s initial report, released in 1948 . . . stunned the nation by saying that American men were so sexually wild that 95% of them could be accused of some kind of sexual offense under 1940s laws,” the Washington Times reported last year when a movie on Kinsey was released. “The report included reports of sexual activity by boys--even babies--and said that 37% of adult males had had at least one homosexual experience. . . . The 1953 book also included reports of sexual activity involving girls younger than age 4, and suggested that sex between adults and children could be beneficial."

My Lord. I just don't know what to say to this. Other books that made honorable mention include John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, Ralph Nader's Unsafe At Any Speed, and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Basically, I have a feeling that the "experts" who picked the books don't like free speech. Or challenging the system of government.

I feel like I should add all of these books to my summer reading list. It might be good to have a working knowledge of the "most harmful books" of all time. I just need to get through Darwin's Children. God. It's taking forever to finish. I'm not a fan of Greg Bear's writing, but I want to know what's going to happen to these characters.

By the way, MRIs are very loud. And why are the rooms so cold? I was freezing, even though I had a blanket. It was hard to keep still when I felt like shivering. It only took 30 minutes, though, which is good.

2005-06-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

I get a fair amount of traffic on my site. I think it's just because I've been around for a while and people are curious about what's going on with me. However, I got a random hit yesterday.

Evidently someone in Kuwait did a search for "real busty" on altavista images. And a picture came up from this blogger. I was curious to see what was "busty" around here - I know it's not me. My boobs are reasonable, but not large by any means.

Well, I found the referring URL. Click HERE if you want to be amused. Specifically, look at the second row, far right.

I spend five minutes laughing. Yael's the best. And she, my friends, is definitely busty enough to warrant the description "real busty."

Well..

2005-05-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I've changed my template. Comments?

I'm still undecided, but I like the simplicity. I needed a break from flowers.

2005-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hell's Kitchen is AMAZING. I love Gordon Ramsey.

It's been raining a lot here. I like the rain; I missed it in California.

My dad bought a 24" monitor today. With this purchase, he changed my 15" LCD monitor to this 17" LCD. Wee!! More pixels are good!

My life is boring. Blah.

2005-05-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

So, while in the waiting room for the neurologist on Friday, I picked up a Time and read it. Then I picked up a Newsweek and read it. As I was progressing to my second Time, the doctor finally came in to examine me. But during that seemingly endless period of waiting, I found a link to Ariana Huffington's brand new blog.

Now, I know that political blogging is the biggest thing since sliced bread. I've read a couple, but I'm not a politically minded person -- I spend more time reading about camera lenses, cars, and Hollywood gossip. I like getting my news from official news sources (like the Guardian, the Economist, BBC News, etc.) without the extreme bias of an internet op-ed. However, I decided to visit Ms. Huffington's site on a whim. And one of the contributing articles had the following quote:

The religious right’s position on embryonic stem cell research is clear: consign Alzheimer's and Parkinson's sufferers to death on the off chance that a blastocyst will crawl out of the garbage pail to work the breakfast shift at Burger King.

I literally laughed out loud when I read this. This quote captures the idiocy of a vocal contingent (Christian Coalition) of the modern American political arena... but the manner in which it's delivered? Wow, that's harsh. I don't feel like elaborating on the subject; to be honest, my emotional involvement tampers with my ability to logically debate this subject. (I learned this in a French conversation class, of all places.) Stem cell research is a cause near to my heart. I watched both of my grandmothers suffer from Alzheimer's. I saw my beloved grandfather shake relentlessly from Parkinson's. And there's a high probability that my parents will have similar health issues in the future. I highly support any kind of research that might prevent my parents from going through the same type of torture.

I read through many of the entries on the website. And for some reason, I was reminded of a Daily Trojan article that my friend Brian wrote about the demise of the "Ann Coulter Can Eat a Fat Dick and Choke On It" facebook group. I started feeling curious about Ann Coulter's specific views. Why does she inspire so much hatred? I knew she was a conservative commentator, but not much more than that... so I did a bit of a search. My opinions of Ann Coulter are about the same as any left-leaning moderate Democrat. She's rather vile, in the same vein as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore. I enjoyed reading about Barack Obama a lot more than the blond media darling.

And in the midst of this Wikipedia link clicking fest, I found a fabulous blog of a conservative that I can respect. Andrew Sullivan is a gay, Catholic conservative. Who can write. Extremely well. And I'm now addicted to reading through his archives. While I may not agree with his entire agenda (especially in regards to federal funding of embryonic stem cell research), I'm impressed by the eloquence and clarity of his articles. For example, this was posted on Thursday, May 26th.

BUSH'S VETO: In my view, he's right to veto federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. There is a very clear principle here: do you take life to save lives? My conviction is that you don't, and that the human life in embryonic form is still human life. The idea of cloning embryos to experiment on them is morally repugnant; equally, using left-over, frozen embryos for the same purpose is using human beings as means, not ends. If that isn't a clear, moral line, then I don't know what is. My own religious faith in the dignity of human life is not necessary to support this argument, whatever the NYT says. We're all humans; whatever we believe about our origins or destiny, we can all agree that each of us deserves to be treated as ends in ourselves, not material for others' benefit. If we cede that principle, then we will slide (and have already slid) toward hideous forms of eugenics. Now I know many people disagree. But the pragmatic arguments they deploy - these embryos will be destroyed or kept in limbo anyway, they're teensy-weensy - don't circumvent the deeper moral issue. The only logical justification is an entirely utilitarian one, in which the use of "lesser" humans for the benefit of more developed ones is justified. But this begs an important question: in our society, there is no fundamental moral consensus any more, especially on contentious issues like these. Under those circumstances, it seems to me that the government should remain as neutral as possible between moral claims. The NYT interprets neutrality as funding embryonic stem cell research. That's a funny form of neutrality. In this case, the president has carved out a policy that is, indeed, about as neutral as it could be. If the private sector wants to pursue this course, it can; if individual states want to, ditto. But no American taxpayer should be required to fund from her own dollars what she regards as a moral outrage. Keep the feds out of it. Let the states and private sector do as they will. [Bold is my addition.]

Succinct, fair, and informed. I can respect his views. And I've bookmarked Andrew Sullivan. That's quite an accomplishment for someone who doesn't care about politics.

By the way, I just upgraded to Photoshop CS2. Wee! It's so shiny and pretty! I'm still reading through the manual, but look forward to seeing some more photo manipulations from me.

2005-05-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm dating the Sexiest Indie Gamer of All Time.

Yeah, I'm pretty lucky.

That is all.

Update: As someone pointed out on The Independent Gaming Source, Max looks a bit like Dawson Leary in his photoshoot. I've never noticed this resemblance before... but now I can see it.

vs.

Wow, it's a bit scary. (And I'm sorry about jacking your link, Max.)

2005-05-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with Judging Amy.

This is a sad, sad realization.

Especially since it was canceled. And there will be no more new episodes.

2005-05-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ryan might come and visit! Weee! He's so fun! Yay!

Oh, and to clarify, I didn't hate EVERYONE in New. The Cinema Floor and a few others were exceptions to the "New people suck" declaration.

2005-05-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was told that I needed to update my blog.

So, here I am. And I can't think of anything interesting to say.

Graduation - I did it. I walked. I'd show you pictures, but I don't have any yet. Nicole's father acted as my personal photographer, but I'm still waiting for the photos. My dad made me order the "official graduation photos" for $7.95 a piece. I thought that was a bit ridiculous, especially since they are not that impressive. The placement was horrible - it looks like I have a post coming out of my head in my "yay, look at me with my diploma case" photo.

I went to the zoo before everyone left. That was cool. I might put up some animal pics in the future, once I finish editing a few. I like San Diego a lot. Kevin was nice enough to let a mass of people invade his house, so we didn't have to wake up extremely early to make it to the zoo when it opened. Next, I'd like to visit the Wild Animal Park. Kevin? Can I play with Karl again?

I miss people. But I don't miss being an RA. I don't miss the dumbasses that live in New. For the most part, those kids were too rich and snotty for their own good. My life was hell as a result. I'm still bitter, and I'm still trying to digest the last semester without this layer of cynicism that creeps into everything. Some moments were awesome; I just need to concentrate on those memories instead of the horrible ones. My disappointment in people seems almost palpable. I don't know whether I'm reacting this way as a result of my migraines or not - to be honest, everything is tinged with my physical pain. I spent a lot of time in my room with an invisible vise around my brain.

Thanks to the people who helped me move - Kevin, Brandon, John, Katie, Lauren - you guys were awesome to help me with all of my stuff. Max escaped the burdon of moving me out - but don't worry, babe. I'll call when I'm moving into my apartment. You're just in Moorpark.

I need to catch up with people, but my internet manners are atrocious. I still have an aversion to email, but I'm checking my voicemail now. That's somewhat of an improvement.

My daily routine is quite amusing... if you're amused by very little. At least I have the dog. I think he likes me a little bit. I'm nice to him and give him treats. And without a doubt, he loves to play "dolly" with me. He gets super-excited when I start tossing his doll around.

This is enough for now. I despise this keyboard, so you're stuck with shorter entries than normal.

Hacking... for love!

2005-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

She's totally gonna throttle me for this--

I ♥ you, Jen.

Love,
Max

PS. 1 4(\/) 4 5(_)|º3|2 }{4XX0|2

2005-04-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Right now, it's a time of uncertainty. I don't know what's going to happen with anything that's going on in my life. I'm still having my migraines, but I'm learning how to cope with them better. I'll be at USC for another semester, against my wishes, but... sometimes you need to do these things. And that's okay.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. I'm in the middle of Equus, a play by Peter Schaffer. I just finished Different Seasons by Stephen King. Short stories are growing on me; I appreciate the compactness of the plotting. Also, I read Ender's Game for the first time. Interesting, but the end was disappointing. Evidently I need to read more sci-fi; I concur, but I think I still prefer Margaret Atwood, even though the two are not mutually exclusive, ie The Handmaid's Tale. (Run, do not walk to the nearest bookstore to buy The Edible Woman.)

Michelle, Jonesy, Jon Levine, and Logan are going to Houston for a film festival next weekend. I was asked to recommend restaurants - it's the one thing I'm good at! If any Houstonians are reading this, what are your favorite places around Greenway Plaza and Meyer Park? I'm thinking Pappadeaux, the Hobbit Cafe, Canton Seafood, Goode Company BBQ, and Saltgrass Steakhouse, to name a few. Houston has SUCH amazing food, and for such reasonable prices! I also said that the Galleria is a must-visit place. I'll put together a nice little guidebook for them. I really like Houston a lot; I'm looking forward to spending the summer in my hometown.

I don't see a lot of my friends - I must apologize. These health issues have really taken me out of commission. Really, the only people that see a lot of me are those who live on my floor.

Oh, and Max? Look who's back...

                           (o)(o)
                         /                             /       |
                       /   \  * |
         ________     /    /\__/
 _      /        \   /    /
/ \    /  ____    \_/    /
//\ \  /  /    \         /
V  \ \/  /      \       /
   \___/        \_____/

To be honest, Max probably doesn't care. He's much too busy being a bookworm to note the resurrection of other lumbrici. The following image represents all I see of him...

Now I understand my father's frustration during my childhood. Oh, well. I just ignore him and do my own reading.

Also, why is everyone on my floor cutting hair into mohawks? Look at this picture. I think it has something to do with a film that Logan was making. But Dalton and Eric look pretty hardcore.

And how is the rest of the floor reacting? Much like Freddie, I believe... in shock.

By the way, I didn't get very many good pictures of Las Vegas. However, I was rather proud of this snapshot of the Bellagio ceiling. O was amazing, by the way. Magical.

I'll have more news in the upcoming days. But this is a good update for now.

2005-03-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

Crazy times.

...

I'm the happiest I've been in a while. Yet I'm also the most depressed. It's a strange combo.

I have no clue what the future holds. We'll see.

I'll upload more pictures soon. I have to wait for Nicole to return my card reader.

2005-03-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm hanging out with Samantha today! I'll update on where our adventures take us. I miss my gal - ever since I quit the marching band, I've had problems staying in touch with TMB friends. I still think she's beyond fabulous, though. I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of fun - and imagine, it's Saint Patrick's Day, too! This is a recipe for a good time.

On a more geeky note, I was browsing a few photography forums when I ran across a link to this program, called VirtualPhotographer. It's a free filtering program for Photoshop, Elements, or any photo editing program that uses layers. I've only had it for ten minutes, but I'm already in love. It's a super easy program that goes well beyond the standard filters in Photoshop. Plus, there are even more downloadable filters available, all for free - without a catch!

Let me show you a quick example. This took two minutes; I used a red polarising filter, adjusted the levels a bit, and did a little Gaussian blur to smooth some of the edges. Yes, there are a few artifacts and problem areas. However, if I spent ten minutes, I think these could be fixed. (And I know my highlights are close to being blown - don't chide, Lauren!)

And here's the original.

I'm a big fan of automation within Photoshop. Hell, I'm the dork that creates my own actions to save time. But this is beyond easy.

BTW, Ajeet sent me an interesting link about the essence of photography yesterday. I agree with a lot of what was written. It's a nice starter guide to photography, although I'm still trying to figure out the technicalities of manual photography, just to be a purist. (Plus, eventually, I'd like to be able to use my dad's Minolta and his massive collection of lenses.)

(Please, daddy?)

Okay, I'm going to shower. Samantha wanted me to pick her up at 10am.

2005-03-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't update on Tuesday. I'm sorry. I fell asleep - tent life is not for me, I've decided.

I had a lovely time in Joshua Tree. I've driven past it numerous times, but I've never actually stopped before. My companions, Kevin and Ajeet, were fabulous. A post detailing the entire journey would take too long to write; I've got a thesis waiting for me! So, I'm just going to post pictures and descriptions.

On our first full day, we decided to venture to the 29 Palms visitor center. They had a miniature trail behind the building, so we looked at cacti. Did you realize over a million tourists visit Joshua Tree to see the blooms?

Joshua Trees appear to have little in common with real trees. We stopped to frolick, and I ran into this monster of a specimen. Ah, the beauty of decay and death... wait, this isn't an emo blog, I forgot. Anyway, it was huge and pretty and photographed nicely.

Ajeet and Kevin ran ahead like madmen. I'm the sane one of the bunch, so I strolled through the desert, basking in the peaceful environment. I found lots of fascinating examples of desert wildlife. The butterflies were numerous, thanks to the beautiful blooms of the flowers. This little guy stopped for me.

Rabbits were plentiful. But fast. However, this one paused long enough for me to take a snapshot.

Did you realize that kittens are indigenous to the desert? I didn't... but I found one!

Evidently there are many types of desert ecosystems. Joshua Tree encompasses two different deserts - the Mojave and the Colorado. Elevation determines the characteristics of the wildlife and rock formations. You see? Spring break can be educational.

These rocks are plentiful throughout the Southwest, especially along I-10. I've never stopped to take pictures, though. Evidently they have a very rough texture. Kevin and Ajeet decided to climb a formation and showed me their red, chapped hands as proof of this statement. I'm inclined to believe them.

On our way to the highest point in the park, I saw this sign and HAD to pull over. However, I soon realized that these "exhibit areas" are just fodder for suckers like me. I saw no horrors. Instead, there were a couple of caves, lots of Joshua Trees, and a bit of sand. What a sensation.

Because I'm a girlie-girl at heart, the idea that the Hall of Horrors would be a perfect place for a nature buff to get married dawned on me. We found a natural aisleway, a natural altar, picturesque scenery, a parking lot, and the perfect bathroom. Isn't she a beaut?

Ajeet surveys the landscape. Note the flowering Joshua Tree behind them - yes, they flower too!

We went to Keyes View, one of the highest points in the park. The winds were crazy - I thought I was going to get blown off the mountain. Kevin and Ajeet had the same problems. The old fogeys in their Chrysler Sebring convertibles couldn't even climb to the top of the path. Ah, the joys of being a spritely college student.

This is a coyote. This coyote came within 5 feet of my vehicle in order to beg for food. Ajeet wanted to feed it aged Tillamook cheese, but thankfully, Kevin discouraged that.

We went on a trip to gather kindling for our fire. One is not allowed to remove any branches from the National Park, so we drove outside of Joshua Tree to retrieve dead branches. I shall now document our antics with the kindling.

Kevin? Or monster?

Look! It's the Statue of Liberty in the desert!

Uh-oh. Is someone being attacked?

Finally, safe in the fire.

That's about all to relate.

"WRONG!" (In-joke alert.)

I almost forgot. Here's a picture of Kevin and his flower offering. He wishes you a safe journey on your way through the internet. (Actually, I made that up, but it sounds nice.)

P.S. Palm Springs is kinda cool. But they lack all-you-can-eat buffets. I tried to satisfy my hankering for unlimited fulfillment, but I was thwarted.

2005-03-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'll be back to updating on Tuesday.

Hopefully with tons of photographs.

Mmm... Nature photography.

2005-03-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

Argh.

Pager is out of batteries. Therefore it beeps at me. And woke me up. And despite my best efforts, I cannot figure out how to turn it off. Didn't they stop selling these things with the advent of the twenty-first century? Why do I have to deal with this antiquated technology?!

Blah. It's too early for this! I think I'm just going to take the batteries out.

2005-03-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

I have "Stupid" by Sarah Mclachlan playing on repeat.

I just spent an hour dancing around the halls to melodramatic Sarah Brightman songs.

God. I need to get away from here, but I'm on duty! I must make sure the building is safe during this time of vacationing! I must protec...

Argh. Going crazy. I think Lauren Schneider wanted to kill me for listening to "Meadowlark" from the Baker's Wife for half an hour.

Yeah. Maybe it's a good thing that not very many people are around.

2005-03-12T01:40:00.000-08:00

At times I wish I were a better writer.

Or a better speaker.

I lean towards the melodramatic, the cliches. I'm a cornball; I have a genuine inclination to think in age-old adages. And most of the time, my pedestrian forms of expression suffice. But I'm facing certain situations that demand more eloquence. And I lack the words.

Is this what I get for being a literature major? Maybe I should've embraced creative writing, despite the fact that I've dismissed it for being an imaginary major.

God. I wanted to say, "Many claim that practice makes perfect. Maybe it's true in this case." But then I realized that's just utilising another trite aphorism. I'm locked in a cycle of my own perfectionism. If I didn't care about originality or authenticity, I wouldn't mind this continuous rotation.

But I do.

So I'll continue to bite my tongue when I want to shout the plethora of truisms that pop into my mind. And I'll be worried that I'm not communicating my true feelings or intentions. Here I am, just another person struggling to convey my humanity in an intelligent way to the world.

I'm not a complete failure. I'm expressive in other manners. Personable? Check. Compassionate? Sure. Empathetic? Yes. I don't want to dive into a pool of self-pity. I don't need that. But I'm merely frustrated at what I feel to be my major inadequacy. I can analyze myself for days; unfortunately, I'm good at recognizing my shortcomings. Criticism seems to be the only skill I've spent time developing in regards to my academic career.

"And now for something completely different." I've been watching Red Dwarf for the past few hours. I'm almost finished with Season I. I'm on duty tonight and tomorrow, so I feel somewhat trapped in New. While there are other people around, I feel like sitting and eating Armenian string cheese while laughing at Lister. I'm a bit co-dependent at times; this is why I like living in the dorms where people are constantly providing forms of entertainment. However, I often regress to my childhood habits of watching TV for long stretches of time. I'm alone... without being alone. Which is fine- Max lent me Seasons I-IV of Red Dwarf, as well as four DVDs of the Prisoner. Between my mounds of schoolwork, my little side trips around Cali, and my RA duties, I'll be quite occupied during this break.

Gazpacho Soup. I love it.

I want to be on a plane. But I'll cope with my wanderlust and resign myself to a thrilling time in Southern California.

2005-03-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Forgive me, I'm trying to catch up with several months' worth of backlog with my photos.

I went to the LA Auto Show in January with Alex, Michelle, and Ariel. It was a fabulous time, even though I'm not convinced that Michelle was digging it as much as Alex, Ariel, and I were! Those were tasty margaritas at the end, though.

Here are my favorite photoshopped images. I've discovered that my eye is slightly off with manual focus. I had a lot of almost perfect shots with just the tiniest bit of blurriness. Maybe I just needed to take my tripod next time. Also, jostling with the crowd is a major problem in car shows. I had several shots ruined by anxious little children and pushy car enthusiasts.

Alex is obsessed with Mazdas. I thought I'd pay homage to his love by including a photograph of him with a Mazda 6.

But I'm not forgetting about my own obsession. The car show did not disappoint - this was a super-hot Nismo tuned 350Z. I love the color; the wing is a bit ostentatious, but that's forgivable for such an amazing car.

The Nissan section also had a very pimped out Frontier with a cool black/red package. I loved the interpretation of the logo.

My favorite part of the auto show? AFTERMARKET! The whole tuner culture fascinates me. When I get my massive Cadillac Escalade, I'll be sure to put on some phat rims like this!

And one day, I'll get up enough courage to dress like the girls that walk around various showcases. Maybe. I took this photo to piss off Michelle, but I'm rather intrigued by the whole pin-up model idea. Do these girls really know about cars? Or are they merely ornamentation in this testosterone-filled world?

I'm trying to make sure I put my camera to good use. My dad calls me spoiled; my residents call me spoiled; my friends call me spoiled... but I might as well take advantage of that!

2005-03-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

I take it back.

I love my freshmen.

So, yesterday, I went into the venerable Freddie Wong's room and started chatting with him, Ana, and Jen. The three of them started talking about the need to have a floor meeting. "It's very important... but I can't tell you what it's about!" Needless to say, I was a bit wary of the whole idea. I acquiesced, with the condition that they ask John. Evidently, as they were putting up the door notices later in the afternoon, John asked them what they were doing. The reply "Oh, Jen called a floor meeting" was given to my confused co-RA. So, when 9:30 rolled around, John and I were completely befuddled in regards to the purpose of this congregation.

Freddie started the meeting by relating the story of the fire alarm. Then he detailed John's and my participation in the capture of the hooligans. Then he pulled out two track trophies and presented these works of art to us.

Needless to say, I was shocked beyond belief.

My trophy reads, "Dep. Jen Noble, A Credit to the Force" while John's trophy mentions his "Noonan syndrome." John and I each made a speech. He talked about how his other trophies were stolen when he moved, so this was a big deal for him. I talked about how I only caught the bastards due to the fact that the cinema floor residents won't let me go to bed at a reasonable hour. It was sweet, simple, and heart-warming.

Yeah. I'm pretty happy right now.

By the way, I had a lovely chat with Tania yesterday. One of my residents wanted to spend the night at PIRC, so I drove her over there. Might as well do some visiting at the same time, right? Sadly, Matt, Molly, Nitin, and Ebonee were MIA, but at least I got to converse with Tania. I fussed at her for her lack of pictures with me on her wall... so, I'll post a picture of her just to prove I'm a better person than she.

2005-03-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

And hey... because I'm obsessed with myself, here are two more pictures from the photoshoot. These are a bit less serious. I'm actually smiling!

That's all for now.

2005-03-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

By the way, Ajeet sent me this link in response to my Shih Tzu post. I laughed. So should you.

2005-03-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

I love Rafael. True to his word, we had a photo shoot. These are my favorite of his photoshopped Jens. Enjoy!

Notice the shoes. They're hot. They're Kate Spade. I paid way too much for them... and I liked it.

I'm such a poser with the guitar in the background. I don't play guitar, and I didn't want it in the shoot... but I was overruled. Ah, well.

This is the only one of my smile. I should smile more often... I think I'm just reacting to my high school time in the drill team. (Vaseline for your teeth, anyone?)

Damn. Those are hot shoes.

I'm between the flowers and the David. I love it.

I might have more up soon.

But I can't believe that I look pretty! It's exciting for me... normally I schlep around in jeans and t-shirts. My beautiful heels lay abandoned in the closet for the majority of the time.

Thanks, Raf. You're awesome.

2005-03-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Fun with Photoshop this morning. I downloaded a lot of actions, restored a lot of my old actions, and uploaded all of my pictures from my 1 gig CompactFlash.

Here's my favorite one of John. I might (jokingly) submit this to the Cinema Floor Art Contest. I'm a judge, so I can't win... but I think it's funny.

My camera was used for Max's Sexiest Indie Gamer competition photo shoot. So, now I have about 70 photos of Max. I decided to fool around with one of them. He looks really young, due to my liberal use of Gaussian Blur. Whoops.

I also have a lot of pictures from Big Bear. I took a picture of these children while I was waiting for my staff team to stop skiing. (People with healing tailbones should NOT go skiing.) I think the brothers were pretending to smoke a cigar. I had a difficult time getting this shot; thank goodness for my telephoto lens. Otherwise, I'd look very strange. Now, I just look stalker-ish.

Finally, here's a more abstract piece. Frozen branches. It's been so long since I've taken these photos, I don't remember which way is up. However, I like the saturated look of the sky. I tried to emulate Velvia film, with limited success.

I'm no Ed. But I miss taking photographs... I've stopped since I've gotten sick. I should start up again.

2005-03-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, I talk about my dog. He's a strange animal - a bit possessive, crazy, and schizophrenic. I blame that on the fact that he was hit by a car and abused by his former owners. Our family's relationship with him can be classified as love/hate, with an emphasis on love. You can't stay mad at him; he's too damn cute! He'll bite you, and then look REALLY sorry that he did such a horrible thing and continue being a good dog for the rest of the week. It took us nearly a year to decide to keep him permanently - he only recently got registered with the city of Houston because of our indecision. But we really like him a lot, despite his foibles.

He's also amazingly photogenic. Niles POSES for the camera. Let's see a comparison between him and my former doggie, Trixie. She was a sweetheart, but she was not very pretty.

Niles, in the most spectacular of his model stances:.

Trixie, in the best photograph we have of her. (And yes, that's a hose behind her head.):

Anyway, so I was talking about my dog the other day. And I received a barage of ridicule, merely for owning a dog with an unfortunate secondary pronounciation of the breed's name. By someone that supposedly thinks I'm a cool person. (Ahem).

Some of the following quotes are paraphrased from this twenty minute doggie-bashing:
"Shih Tzu? Don't you mean SHIT ZOO! What a shitty dog!"
"Yappy, disgusting creatures."
"What do they do? Spend all day eating their own shit?!"
::laughs for five minutes solid, sans breaking for breath.::
(to Kevin) "You have one too? How shitty!"

I didn't mention all of the intellectual banter, ie stupidity. Anyway, I told him to stop. And eventually he did because even the best joke gets old. And I still like the guy, despite his feigned attacks. But I bring it up because I rarely encounter such disdain for dogs. And it still bemuses me to imagine that much dislike for such an interesting animal.

There's no real reason for this post. I have more important thoughts floating around in my head, but I'm not inclined to share at the moment. I just wanted to mention this pet peeve to the world. (haha, pet... dog... so punny... err, shit..) If you want to get on my nerves, just follow suit. I suppose now's the time for people to start cracking all of the shih tzu jokes in their repertoire. I've opened myself up to it. However, remember -- I'm a firm fan of this breed. I won't forget.

Nope. You'll be in my bad books for a long time. Or I'll just sic Niles on you. That mauling should take care of all problems.

2005-03-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ajeet, you are a lifesaver. You remind me that people are spontaneous, fun, and intelligent - and this can all be had without ulterior motives, power struggles, or drama.

Phillipe's rocks, especially at 6am. A beef French dip and a glass of lemonade was the perfect remedy for my shitty night. Echo Park, downtown LA, Little Tokyo, and the Miracle Mile all in four hours? Sounds good to me.

Now that I'm fully emotionally and physically tuckered out, I'm going to sleep for a bit. My constant headache has returned; I thought it had disappeared, but I hoped too soon.

2005-03-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it.

I really can't believe it.

I don't understand people. I'm tired. And I often wonder what's wrong with me.

Yeah, freshmen suck. It's a canned, trite answer. But they do. Even those that you thought didn't.

Amen, Alex.

I'm going to go frolick. Fuck it.

2005-02-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

I can't really sleep right now. We had a fire alarm from hell. I saw the kid pull the alarm, along with his accomplice friend. John ran down the stairs and chased him onto Fig. I hailed DPS officers who eventually tackled him. It reminded me a bit of cops.

While there were seven people in the hallway, I'm the only one with any cojones (figuratively speaking) - so I went and identified him and filled out a citizen's arrest form, in the hopes of finally prosecuting one of these motherfuckers. Turns out he's a senior... why would someone go back to a freshman dorm to pull fire alarms?! That's so stupid. He deserves whatever he gets.

Oh, and after that exciting incident, the RAs keyed one of the hallways. This basically consists of DPS opening every single room on a floor. All the RAs and RCs write up reports for people who are still in their respective rooms. I'd venture to say that two thirds of the floor did NOT evacuate the building. We found a shitload of alcohol and marijuana. And seriously, some of these guys need to work on manners. I was cursed out by so many belligerant residents. Not cool. I'm really frustrated with this building... if I didn't like my floor so much, I'd be completely miserable.

Oh, wait, I'm pretty close to being miserable. I can't last two days without getting a migraine. No one wants to help me. Yeah. The USC Health Center lacks... doctors. And that's a problem. Screw this health care system. I'm going to take advantage of United Healthcare while I have them.

But on the bright side, Ed Wood went as well as could be expected. I'm a bit disappointed with certain individuals, but John and I did an amazing job. And I can't forget about how wonderful the films were - I was especially proud of the Cinema Floor kids. Seriously, despite a couple of technical problems, we did our best to have a smooth program. And it went beautifully. Over 500 people showed up. The judges were impressed. We had an extremely favorable response. Plus people liked the food!

(Thanks Max Geiger and Freddie Wong. You two defy awesomeness.)

(I'd thank Nick Sager... but he's too embarrassed to talk to me now that he's my #1 compatibility match according to a silly Valentine's Day survey. And to be perfectly honest, now that he possesses a shaved head, I'm a bit embarrassed to talk to him.)

I went to the Hammer today with Lauren Schneider. That girl is funny. We listened to BBC World Service and learned about German efforts to uphold the Kyoto Protocol. To be honest, I can't think of a better way to deal with rush hour traffic on I-10 and the 405. We went to see Glen Ligon talk. He was not the most eloquent speaker, but his pieces of art were complex and interesting. I highly recommend searching for some of his paintings, especially his Richard Pryor pieces. I was really impressed, especially due to the fact that I've never listened to an artist talk about his work before tonight. The Hammer is a beautiful museum; Tina and Andrew tried to fill us in on the local LA art scene gossip. I saw a couple of pieces that would go well in my showhome. Plus Lauren and I had Chili's afterwards. And we talked about Oklahoma! And boys. And baseball. And beer. (Well, I talked about the beer. I had an Amber Bock. It had very little head, a watery feel to it, and not much taste. But it was cheap.)

This was quite an update for me. Don't expect much else. I wish I could sleep, but I can't. I'm still feel somewhat queasy from my run around campus. Did I mention that I hate freshmen?

2005-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't updated in a while. And I don't really have a whole lot of time to do so... consequently, I'll repost something I wrote for @rassm. Jen's movie opinions for the Academy Awards.

Who do you think will win Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards:

The Aviator

I really liked this portrayal of Howard Hughes' life. I saw in in Houston with a bunch of old people. Seriously. My mother, who's nearly 60, was one of the younger moviegoers in the theater. I think Scorsese has a lot of momentum coming into this Oscar ceremony. With all of those nominations, plus the fact that he's never won a Best Director, he SHOULD win one of the big awards. The Aviator has been his strongest work in years. But I think they will give him Best Director, as I will explain later.

Finding Neverland

Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet are the reasons to see this movie... plus that really cute little boy. I was expecting Michael Jackson in England, but I got a nice sweet film. But I think that's the downfall - it's too saccharine to really make an impact. I left the theater and 30 minutes later, I forgot about the film. Really good movies have me thinking for a long time afterward. (However, when I saw it, I ran into a friend of mine from freshman year in college! Slightly strange, through... the movie
theater was in Alhambra, a good trek from USC.)

* Million Dollar Baby

I was in tears during this film. I first heard about the movie during a class I was taking; Leonard Maltin was the professor, and he came back from the critic's preview of the film to say, "Don't miss this." I took him seriously. After Christmas break, the first thing I did when I was back in Los Angeles was to go see this movie. Every move is just perfect in this film. The acting is amazing, the script is amazing, the cinematography is amazing... even the music is perfect. Not a wrong note. Best Picture, without a doubt in my mind. It will (or should) win.

Ray

I've yet to see this. But someone down the hall owns a copy, so I could get back to you in a couple of days. However, I don't really like biopic films. I hear Jamie Foxx is amazing, but a deaf mute in an abandoned coal mine would've heard the same thing. There's no serious chance of this film winning the big one.

Sideways

I saw this movie in the same Leonard Maltin class that I mentioned earlier. I really, really liked this smart comedy. Plus, Alexander Payne was the featured guest, so it was great to meet him and talk about the film with him. If you haven't seen this, it's more than just a buddy flick. Plus you can see the beautiful scenery of Santa Barbara Country. I've spent several weekends up there; it's only a two hour drive, but the mountains are just amazing. Plus, Solvang is one of the coolest towns around, with fabulous Norwegian fare.

Now, who do you think should have been nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This was another tear-jerker for me. I swear, I don't cry that much... but two movies made my eyes water. I saw this the first weekend it came out, and I bought the DVD the first day it was available. Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter, is my god. I only wish I were as smart as his screenplays. Plus, AGAIN, it has Kate Winslet, one of my favorite contemporary actresses.

Name another film you saw this year that you just thought completely rocked:

The Yes Men. One of the funniest documentaries I've ever seen. Basically, these two guys pose as the World Trade Organization and pull some outrageous stunts during official "presentations." Really, really, really fabulous material. Imagine Jackass... with intelligence and a political conscience.

Okay, now in keeping with @rassm List spirit, badmouth a movie that someone else mentioned they liked:

Okay, I'm going to get flamed for this one... but I wasn't the biggest fan of the Incredibles. The first half was really engaging... but I snoozed through the second part. It was okay. It was just hyped up too much before I saw it; no movie could stand up to that much praise. I might enjoy it more in a few months, but I still liked Finding Nemo a lot more.

I've seen every movie nominated for an Academy Award, save Ray, Vera Drake, and Maria Full of Grace. And I'm seeing those in the next couple of weeks.(obsessive, much?)

2004-11-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Notre Dame game was amazing. Yesterday was tiring, but good.

* Got up at 6 to pick up my parents and take them out to breakfast. (I love the Grinder. Why don't I eat there more often?)
* Said goodbye - they left on the nice 1500 mile drive back to Texas at around 7:30.
* Went to the grocery store and stocked up on goodies.
* Baked and cooked for 3 hours at Michelle's house.
* Met PIRC-y peeps and created the best tailgate EVER in the center of campus. The menu was amazing; Arash brought the marinated flank steaks (for steak sandwiches!), hot dogs, and a couple of T-bone steaks. Jonathan donated the Heineken, the Kirin Ichiban, and Smirnov Ice. My culinary efforts produced a spinach and artichoke pasta salad, "deviled" potato salad, 7 layer bean dip, Hello Dolly cookie bars, brownies, sugar cookies... and we can't forget the Dos Equis with limes and leftover Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry! Everything screamed classy - I venture to say we had one of the best (homemade) tailgates in our area. None of that Miller Lite shite for us! But the company was even better - Arash, Tania, Jonathan, Matt, and Alex made up the PIRC-y side while Rachel, Chris Norton, and Jason comprised my "current resident" attendance. I'm putting the pictures online at my Imagestation.
* USC dominates. It rains. I take lots of pictures.

Good times. Good times. BTW, the pizza place next to Penguin's in Westwood is SUPER-sketch. Mob affiliations. It must be. However, the pizza is damn good. I'll deal with the mafia for a slice of pie like that.

2004-11-23T02:33:00.000-08:00

Vandalism sucks. So do freshmen boys, for the most part. (Cinema floor's an exception!)

But Lauren gave me a picture from Halloween. I was an angel.

Stressed. And hopefully I can see my parents this weekend. They're possibly delaying the drive.

2004-11-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

I went to my first football game as a spectator on Saturday. It was simultaneously fabulous and horrible. I drank a beer, but I couldn't go on the field and perform. It was hard.

As I walked to APO boards with Mike Gangl, I encountered the rush of the marching band as they left the practice field. It was 6pm. A few people shouted their hellos. Jovan told me to "do a gig." Many waved and smiled at me.

And then, I found this.

In a half-finished journal, I wrote an entry for September 1, 2001. I remember this day clearly; it was the first football game of my freshman year.

September 1st, 2001

11:58...
the day is almost over.
September 1st is gone forever.
September 2nd approaches.

The distant roar of the crowds;
the exhilarating rush of performance;
the cool sweetness of water on the lips;
the stifling heat rising from the field;
With the 2nd, these experiences ...
are lost? ...
forgotten?...
or perhaps...
SAFE in the recesses of my heart.

It's now 12:02.

Soon, we shall see.

I never claimed it was great, but it brought back my joy for an activity. I had lost that; bitterness and hurt clouded many of my good memories. Yeah. I loved it. And I still love it, in a different way. I wish that things were different, but they aren't. So, I've got to take what I have/had and embrace it.

2004-11-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share a fun picture of the New Res College staff at the Hindu Student Organization's Diwali Banquet. It was a super fun time... and Arun and Vidya were amazing. They performed a traditional Indian dance; it was beautifully executed, the costumes were fabulous, and I was just smiling the entire time they were onstage. I have the biggest crushes on the two of them, and they know. My friends are so talented!

I went in traditional Indian garb. Nitin said I looked like a British colonist who goes around wearing the clothes of the oppressed native people. I told him he was dumb. I love that I have that kind of relationship with him.

Also, I want to share a picture from Spirits @ Troy, the Halloween celebration (debacle?!) of the residential hall. I was out in the hallway socializing after the event, and I came in to discover THIS:

Yes girls, you can be jealous. That's the one and only Legolas... IN MY BED. I'm lucky, I know.

Have I ever mentioned that the Cinema Floor is crazy? In a good way, of course.

Wow.

2004-11-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't touched this blogger in a long time. It's the beginning of November. A lot has happened in the past few months of my senior year.

Recap of my personal life:

I turned 21. I had the best birthday party a girl could ask for; everyone that I invited... could come! Thanks to Yael, Vidya, Jessica, Vallery, Amy, Jill, Samantha, Nicole, Kari, and Ebonee for making my birthday fabulous. Champagne, anyone?
My parents are amazing. They've lost 30 pounds, they love and support me despite all of the stupid things that I do, and I feel so honored to have them in my life. And can we mention the best birthday gift(s) ever? That 27" LCD TV, the DVD-Recorder, the cushion covers, the skirt... and soon, a new (to me) vehicle with an amazing sound system! I'm such a spoiled only child - now, as soon as we start talking Infiniti G35 coupe, all will be complete.
I decided to take a gap year inbetween undergraduate and law school. I'm trying to find things to do during this time. Job... teaching... study abroad... I'm open to suggestions.
APO is fun, despite the fact that no one wants to give the historian any help (ie, me.) I love volunteering; the service projects make everything worthwhile.
I made several new friends this year: Arun, Vidya, Kari, Ebonee, and Vallery.
I adore the Canterbury group. Hands down, they personify cool Episcopalians.
I reconnected with a couple of old friends this year: Nicole, Yasmin, Jill, Michelle, Alex.
I broke my tailbone, forcing me to quit the Marching Band. It's been the best decision I've ever made. I got a lot out of the TMB; I made friends, I went on trips, I learned a new skill. But this year was different. With a change in leadership and attitude, I couldn't justify my time. And one fact remains: my back hurts... a lot.

Recap of my academic life:

My senior honors seminar for English makes me happy. I have a thesis topic! That I love! It involves food! and women! But I don't have an advisor yet.
French Modern Culture doesn't involve "modern" times. The craziness of this class makes me cringe every Tuesday and Thursday. I spend most of my time on reading, yet I never quite catch up. I think the fact that I can barely speak French hinders my progress.
I really like Rollo's medieval literature class, despite the fact that much of it repeats from his "Women in English Literature before 1600" class. I can't wait to hear his amusing comments about Margery Kempe - I laugh. A lot.
CTCS 466 is the greatest class known to mankind! (I exaggerate slightly, but it's definitely in my top five classes at USC.) I know half the people in the class, I sit with two of my favorite boys every class period... and I get to see movies before they open in the theaters. How cool is that?

Recap of residential life:

I love the Cinema Floor and my residents. They're just as crazy as me... or more so! I spend so much of my time watching movies, going out on the town, or hanging with my floor. Freshmen have this uncanny ability to be idiots, but I still learn so much from them.
My staff is amazing; while I miss Parkside and my old residents, I love my New staff team a lot. The honeymoon period isn't over yet, despite a few difficulties.
John, the other Cinema Floor RA, works extremely hard; we make a good team for these residents. I'm the frantic, "we must get things done!" RA while John's mellow approach to life makes him a fabulous counselor and friend. I think the residents respect us both.
Both Alex and Michelle are amazing mentors in this field. Despite the fact that I don't work with Michelle on a daily basis, I still ask her for help, advice, and counsel.
I still talk to many of my old residents - however, I miss the ones that I don't see on a regular basis. Nothing can replace the fabulousness of 4th Floor PIRC South, 03-04.
Did I mention that the Cinema Floor is crazy?

It's been a hard and strange year. A bittersweet flavor tinges every happy moment. I'm leaving Los Angeles and USC in May. Consequently, I'm trying to hold onto every small detail.

I think coming to USC has been the best "whim" of my life.

Don't count on frequent updates; I'm too busy living.

2004-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've finally put some photos online.

Images of Dijon : Random pictures of the city, the USC group, and my class from the University of Bourgogne.

Vitteaux, Fontenay, Semur-en-Auxois, and Bussy-Rabutin : A lovely day trip that involved the majority of the USC group; I got some lovely pictures of the scenery.

The Loire Valley : Ah, chateaux, wine, food... sounds like a great time - and it was.

Beze : I took a little daytrip on "La Fete Nationale" to this charming little village with some amazing caves.

Vezelay and Montreal : I had some of the best food on this day trip. It was a mellow, relaxed Saturday.

Faces of Dijon : This was actually a photo project as part of my final presentation on the "other". I made a really good slide show using these photos - come to my room if you want to see the real thing.

Finally, my dad wanted me to say that he helped me move into New.

Yes. Thanks Daddy. You helped me a lot, even though you're not supposed to carry anything due to your bad back.

Okay. That's about all. School starts tomorrow. Phew.

2004-08-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Los Angeles after 2 weeks in England, 4 weeks in France, and 2 days of driving across the United States on I-10.

RA training starts in less than an hour and my room is still nowhere from being habitable. I need to steal my bookcase back from Parkside sometime within the next two days. I also need to get my fans back from Nitin... during the day, New can be as hot as Hades! Or maybe that was because I was busy transporting LCD tvs up three flights of stairs.

I miss my LA peeps. If you're in the area, give me a call! I'll be a bit busy, but I'll try to squeeze in as much "friend" time into my schedule as humanly possible.

I hope to give a Dijon update, butI screwed myself over with the lack of China one. I took some amazing photos and if I don't post them online, I'll have 20 angry French students attacking my dorm room. I was threatened with physical harm. While I've certainly built some muscle by lugging my stuff up the stairs... I don't think I'm strong enough to ward off 20 people at the same time.

It's nice to be back at a computer. My "home" in Dijon had no internet access... and I was too cheap and/or lazy to make it to the local internet cafe. But ethernet is good to me! Plus I have a former double, so I think I actually have two ethernet connections. Awesome.

Okay. I should get dressed before my first meeting at nine.

test

2004-06-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

english test... my blogger seems to have disappeared.

england is great. i can't find the shift key on the keyboards. i'm at my uncle's house right now in westhoughton, but i'm going to see jonathan on wednesday in canterbury! yay!

lots of love.

2004-05-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm home from China... and I mean REALLY home. After getting back on Thursday, I met my dad and we started the long drive to Houston on Friday morning. And I got back here tonight at 10:30.

I'll do the big update about China soon. I have tons of photos, lots of great stories, and I really REALLY enjoyed myself, despite my reservations.

Phase one of dog interaction complete... he's following me around. We'll see how he reacts in the morning. It's looking hopeful.

I'm feeling rather relieved. And now it's time to start my 23 days of self improvement before running off to England and France. My goals include the following...

1. Edit my two hours of footage from China into a cute, coherent memory of the trip.
2. Watch a French movie every day. Or every other day.
3. Get Niles to absolutely love and adore me... and train him at the same time.
4. Read several good books.
5. De-stress from my semester from hell.
6. Buy a pair of Diesel sneakers, a new pair of Nike training shoes, a pair of jeans, and some khaki pants and/or skirt.
7. Create a scrapbook for my homestay with my family in France.
8. Finish my assignments for the France trip and feel prepared for my placement exam in Dijon.
9. Make an "idea book" for APO historian position/Silk social officer/Cinema floor programs.
10. Meet with the HBU APO peeps.
11. Have lunch with MLB.

Okay, I'm going to try to go to sleep. But more information is forthcoming...

2004-05-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

In less than 12 hours, I'll be on a plane to Japan. And then I'll be on a plane to Bejing. And after short flights to Xi'an and Shanghai, I'll be on a flight back to Los Angeles. Ten days. Damn. Craziness. My stomach is going crazy right now.

(By the way, someone just said to me, "Oh, that's total bunk." My grandmother used that phrase all the time. Is he a 19 year old boy? Or 85 year old woman? Sometimes I wonder...)

Anyway. I'm a bit nervous. Yeah.

Crazy.

Sorry about my incoherence. I'm tired, on top of being nervous. I think I'm going to take a shower, finish up some email, then head to Michelle's apartment to crash. Packing's a bitch. I dislike it greatly.

I'm out for a bit. I'll update when I'm back in Houston, I guess.

2004-05-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

On Sean's xanga, there was a little dispute over whose cousin/nephew/new baby boy in the family is the coolest. I want to submit pictorial proof of my cousin's cuteness. I'll have more photographs after this summer.

This was my Nan, my cousin Shelley, and Ethan - it's obviously an older picture, but Nan looks pretty good here, so I wanted to put up an image of her.

My Uncle Robert and his grandchild. Ethan's going to kill the ladies with that smile in the future.

So. Cute. I don't even like children. Look at those eyes!

Being a good Englishman, Ethan loves McVities Chocolate Digestives. That beautiful piece of ceramic-ware used to be *my* favorite mug when I was younger; whenever we had supper, my grandfather would make me a toasted crumpet with jam and hot chocolate in the McVities mug. It's nice to see that it's been passed down the generations. I like this picture enough to have it as my desktop background right now.

APO people tend to not read my blogger because I'm not in the "Xanga" realm. So, this might be a superfluous post... but at least other people can admire the cuteness of my cousin.

2004-05-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

I got this email today from "Niles Tzu."

Just thort I wood drop u a line. I went to visit the vet in davids car. He gave me a big shot and now I feel kind of tired but maybe it will stop me itching so much.

Have a nice trip and I look forward to biting, err, meeting u soon.
Love ,

Niles.

I think the dog needs to take some spelling lessons.

2004-05-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday sucked. Really hard.

It began with laundry. Actually, 8 loads of it. I haven't done laundry since the beginning of March, and I really outdid myself this time. I had to get a friend to help me carry the piles of clothing down to the PIRC laundry room.

My residents are just about gone. I'm having a hard time dealing with this. It's still difficult to believe that this year is over. I watched a slideshow that one of my rezzies made of our floor, and I just bawled. So much. I miss them. So much.

I hate the cinema department. I still have an incomplete from last semester, despite the fact that I took the final in JANUARY. I've been trying to call the TA, email the TA, and talk to anyone in the cinema department who can help me take care of this. And no one really seems bothered.

I still don't have my $500 for reimbursement from Reel LA. I'm still broke.

I took my car into the dealership for an oil change. They suggested a 20,000 mile service. I agreed, thinking, "Well, I almost have 20,000 miles, this should be a good thing." I got the quote of $199, thought it was a little high, but then thought, "Better be safe. I'm about to drive my car 1500 miles across a desert in the summer." I got a call later on, saying that my brake pads needed to be replaced soon - did I want to go ahead with that job? I said yes. And then the $336.20 bill broke my heart - that was WITH a 10% USC discount.

Also, I couldn't find the aforementioned dealership. They moved location. I was told it was half a block before Washington on Fig. So, I drive around... and around... and around... and I can't find this place. I end up calling information to ask for an address. I made the woman at the dealership describe the location in detail, including landmark representations. Finally, I found this sketchy little alley with a tiny sign that said, "Porsche, Audi, VW Service this way." And THEN, the customer service representative never comes to my car. I thought this was standard protocol - all of the dealerships that my family have used do this: 2 different VW dealerships, the BMW dealership, the Dodge dealership, the Volvo dealership... even the old location of this LA dealership had people walk to the car as you drove up. After sitting around for five minutes and watching employees wander back and forth, I had to park, turn off the car, walk inside, find the desk, and wait for the service advisor to stop talking on the phone before I was helped. I wonder if they act the same way towards Porsche owners too.

I couldn't finish running a lot of errands today due to lack of car. I was supposed to drop off dry-cleaning, send a couple of packages, and make a trip or two to storage. None of it happened.

Two people were supposed to call me... and they didn't. So, now my schedule is all screwed up for the next four days.

I'm desperately behind on packing.

My email is all screwy. I'm missing messages, I can't send messages all the time. It sucks.

I still need to fold the aforementioned laundry. I also managed to wash one of the keys to the VW. Obviously, the keyless entry part does not work anymore. If I want to fix it, there goes another $120 down the drain. I'll just cope with one keyless entry key and a manual key.

I got into a huge fight with my mom on the phone. And then my dad yells at me, saying, "You only call us when you want money. As long as your bills are getting paid, you don't care about us." I nearly started crying in the middle of the PIRC lobby. I love my parents SO much and it hurts that they think I'm an ungrateful brat.

My car mat for the trunk STILL smells like Thai food. This is after being attacked with carpet cleaner, Fabreze, shampoo, a pressure washer and baking soda. And now my bathroom smells like rotten Thai food because I've left it in there so my CAR doesn't smell so much.

I ate El Cholo with APO people (Matt Sullivan, Liz, and MunChul). That was actually the highlight of my day. But then, my ulcer began rebelling afterwards. Spicy Mexican food and a margarita was NOT the right thing to eat.

Then I started cramping like a motherfucker. It was so bad, I could only writhe in pain on the couch downstairs. (I didn't have any sheets on my bed - they were in the wash.) I took three extra-strength Midol, and then I thought about procuring an illegal dosage of Percaset. But then I decided not to break the law and took more Midol.

As I was on the couch downstairs in my pain-filled world, this somewhat sketchy dude takes this opportunity to sit down and flirt with me. Normally, I'd be flattered - true, he has a reputation for sleeping with half the girls in PIRC, but he's a smart kid. We have a lot of mutual interests. I like hearing stories about his fraternity. But really, it wasn't a good time for him to invite me up to his room to watch "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

I went upstairs to begin sorting my laundry, and I IMed a friend to see what time he wanted to have breakfast tomorrow. He said he was too tired to meet me, and he thinks he's getting sick. So, basically, I'm not going to see him before I go off for summer. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but we were just getting over a big fight that we had a few weeks ago. I didn't want to leave the last time I'd see him before the summer to be a time when I wasn't talking to him. Logistically, it just didn't work out but that doesn't salve my disappointment.

I just want it to all be over. As soon as China's done, I'll be able to breathe a little easier.

2004-05-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Addendum #2

So, I had to call DPS on the puking resident due to erratic breathing and possible alcohol poisoning. He's okay, though. AHHHHHHHHH.... NO WORK IS BEING DONE BECAUSE I'M TIRED.

2004-05-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

Addendum to last post:

I was paged at 4 in the morning to look after a puking resident. Yet another piece of evidence of PIRC's descent into DEBAUCHERY.

And I found a bra and a traffic cone in the hallways. Sick.

IRC madness

2004-05-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about working in PIRC is the relative lack of disciplinary problems. People just... don't seem to do anything here, except participate in the odd program or two. That's a good thing. But, thanks to the imminent demise of the school year, the normally placid residents of PIRC are turning into little monsters.

In the past week, I've seen the following:

1. Someone decided to tape up the elevator on the fourth floor with packing tape, completely covering the doorway with that nasty USPS monstrosity. Tape residue is STILL on the elevator doors.

2. Someone littered the elevator lobby of the 4th floor with torn-up fliers. You couldn't see the carpet for the amount of paper on the floor.

3. A couple of residents just climbed up the ladder to the roof in the South stairwell, setting off the alarm in the process.

4. Drunkenness all around - 3 people have been written up for underage alcohol possession, and I've turned a blind eye to a lot more drunken behavior.

5. Somebody stole a bunch of signs from Nitin's door and tore down a banner.

6. A few of my residents pelted my door with fruit. That was actually funny, especially since they didn't hit me... and they cleaned it up.

7. Tomatoes on the second floor. Weird.

8. Plus, there have been SOOOO many violations of the 24 Quiet Hours, it's not even funny. I've told more people to shut up than I thought possible.

Now, compared to places like New/North, this is minor. But in Parkside terms, they're being regular deviants! Maybe the residents just want me to get a taste of my life next year. That's sweet of them.

2004-05-08T04:10:00.000-07:00

My dad sent me photos of Niles. He's insanely cute. I'm going to post them because it makes me happy despite the fact that I've never met this dog. But I need something to distract me from my writing craziness.

Niles as he naps on the floor

Niles with Mom as she reads

Niles likes to stand on top of Mom

I don't think he can figure out what Dad's doing

Eh. He's tired again.

The sad thing is, I have more pictures of Niles than I do of Trixie. I only have one picture of my sweetheart. So, to pay respect to her place in my heart as my first dog (and first love), this is the poopster. She looks a little snotty - but that's because she was. Yet she always loved me. That kind of unconditional love is pretty rare.

2004-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

I had a panic attack last night.

I couldn't breathe. My heart was racing. I was dry heaving. My hands were shaking. I couldn't stop tears from coming out. I was just struck with this sense of complete failure and fear. I felt physically incapacitated, unable to face that blank screen with the blinking cursor. Piles of books and notes sit in front of me. I have outlines and ideas about every paper that I still have to turn in, but I just can't sit down and force those ideas into sentences. I'm struck with the biggest case of writer's block that I've ever faced.

I've never had problems with anxiety before... or at least not to this extent. But for some reason, I can't face Word. I'm having so many difficulties concentrating. In the long run, this is a silly thing to make myself sick over. I've had plenty of time. Why couldn't I do what I needed to do?

I feel like an abject failure as a student. I'm going into my senior year, and I need to be more prepared than this. I have brilliance inside of me. I just can't force it outside of that little part of me. It's not laziness... but I don't know what it is.

2004-05-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Oh, god.

Oh, god.

God.

Shit.

2004-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

I've been ditched for Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana - and on the last week of shared L.A. AI, too.

If they weren't so pretty, I'd be really upset. Now I'm just moderately disappointed. How can I compete with such beautiful manflesh?

I'm a bit irked because I turned down tickets to see Troy in order to keep my AI date. Plus I have issues with the UV Theater... aka, I'm afraid of catching nits from the seat backs. I like seeing my epic films in spectacular stadium seating luxury with premium sound systems. I have no problems with waiting three weeks to see a movie, if I get to see it on my own terms. Oh, I miss that AMC 30 that's two blocks away from my house in Houston. EVERY theater is stadium seating, the student discounts are plentiful, and those Icees... they just taste better.

Now that I have enough nerve to see movies by myself... I think I might visit that AMC a bit more during my three week sojurn in Houston.

2004-05-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

So, in my quest to self-medicate my depression, I went to see another movie tonight. This time, I took two of my favorite flaming residents, Jason and Jimmy, to the theater with me. They were bored and begged to do something with me. Then they poo-pooed my movie choice of 13 Going on 30, so I chose a more suitable film for the audience - Young Adam.

If you've never heard of this movie, you're not alone. It was released in 2003 in Great Britain, but due to controversy over full-frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes, Sony resisted an American release. Finally, they decided not to censor the film, released it with an NC-17 rating, and audiences everywhere (well, in large metropolitan areas) get to see Ewan McGregor's (beautiful) penis. It's a Scottish movie based on a book by Alexander Trocchi. Parallel plotlines tell the story of Joe Taylor, an aspiring writer who only has complicated relationships with women. The movie was image-driven; I'd like to own this film just to study the cinematography. It's grainy, slightly blurry in places, but extremely beautiful. The clear, luminescent flashbacks with Cathie contrast with the dark starkness of Joe's living condition on the barge. Music plays another notable role in this film. The soundtrack consisted of haunting music by David Byrne, who proves that he's more than just a member of Talking Heads. Dialogue was almost non-existant. With the exception of an eloquent speech by McGregor's character in the beginning, people tend to stay silent. The acting was strong enough to carry the film without too much exposition or explanation.

I liked it. I feel that Young Adam is in the vein of Girl with a Pearl Earring - both films rely on mood to convey a story. Neither has a "concrete" ending. Exchanges of glances drive the plotline. It's an introspective film that refuses to give easy answers. While the "mystery" could not be considered challenging, the film shied away from turning itself into a thriller. Instead, Young Adam focuses on its careful examination of the complex protagonist. While the pacing was off at times, I think the director ultimately suceeded in his quest to document an intricate man's reaction to an unpleasant situation.

Is my blogger turning into a bastion of movie reviews? Well, I suppose I'm trying to fulfill my new role as Cinema Floor RA. This is all just prep for next year. However, because I'm still Jen, I'll post a nice picture of Ewan McGregor from Young Adam. He's dreamy. And I love him, despite the fact that he's only half an inch taller than me, married, and a famous film actor that I'll never meet in person.

Enjoy.

2004-05-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

And now it's time for a pictorial representation of my weekend.

APO Initiation:

Actually, I left my memory card in my computer. So, I have no pictures of this event. They're forthcoming, hopefully.

Derby Party:

Jess and Jen - hostesses extraordinaire. Actually, I was more of a caterer, than a hostess.

PIRC 4th Floor South represents! Back row: Matt, Tania, Arash, and Alex; Front row: Me, Molly.

What the hell is wrong with Molly in this picture? I don't know. She's a spazz.

Me, Molly, and Yael - with Mike Gangl in the background. He's just an attention whore.

TVTV girls munching on goodies before the race.

The Derby approaches...

APO peeps engrossed in the tv. From left to right, Sean, Pisey, MunChul, Elizabeth, Lee, and Kari in front.

Eugene O'Neill one act plays:

The RHPers reunite! Megan, me, Josh, and Nicole after a FABULOUS program by the two theater junkies.

Roscoes on Sunday:

The PIRC gang again! Back row: Alex, Matt, Philip; Front row: Arash, Tania, Andrea, me, Molly

And because I thought I lost this picture...

OPA bid:

Taken at the Chevron car wash on Olympic and Fig a couple of weeks ago - it was momentous occasion in my life. That's all I can say.

My camera's been rather busy lately.

"My name is Jen. I'm addicted to taking pictures."

2004-05-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

I did something today that I've never done before. I went to the movies. By myself.

I've had a really crappy week. I'm not going to get into the half of it. It's been tough; with work, friend issues, family issues, and personal health issues, I've been on the edge. I've been moody, snappish, and immature. I needed a break from everything and everyone. And if I spent one more second in my room, I was going to kill myself. So, I got into my car and drove to the Beverly Center and escaped into a film for two hours.

I saw Mean Girls. And it was just about perfect. I love teen dramedies - there's nothing better than an examination of high school cliques. I'm fascinated by high school, despite the fact that I never finished it. (Or maybe that's the reason for my obsession?) Lindsay Lohan is refreshing as an actress. I like her onscreen persona because she doesn't force anything. Instead, she exudes her character's personality. Lacey Chabert was fabulous as well- the character reminds me of a few girls that I knew from high school. And I really appreciate a movie that touches upon stereotypes without becoming bogged down in conventions. Tina Fey based the script on a non-fiction book called Queen Bees and Wannabes, a book that's been garnering quite a buzz in a couple of my classes. Therefore, the movie seemed based in reality, instead of the fantastic scene of the movie high school. And it worked. The whole film just worked.

More importantly, I felt like an adventurer. I never do things by myself in Los Angeles. I always drag a friend along. But after this experience, I remember the joy of turning up the stereo, listening to stations OTHER than top 40 hits, and just screaming along with the song. I could sit wherever I wanted in the movie theater. I didn't have to bother looking for two connecting seats. As a result, I claimed the perfect location - 3/4 of the way back from the screen, middle of the row. Inherently, movies make me happy. Regardless if a movie is good or bad, I love sitting in the darkened theater with an audience that shares this voyeuristic experience with me. I like walking alone through a mall after closing hours; during the summer of Express, I felt the most alive when I left work at 3 in the morning. I took a new route back to 'SC - San Vicente seemed a lot more appealing than I-10. As I drove through the residential neighborhoods, I was transported back to Richmond Avenue near my house. The middle-class houses and immense trees reminded me of Houston. Even the air contained a sense of "deja vu" - the unusual warmth of the night made my sweatshirt unnecessary, an oddity for an evening in Los Angeles. There was no conversation to maintain; no awkward silences; no strange tension.

Don't misunderstand me. I love my friends here. I'm going to be extremely upset when the year finally draws to a close. But I have a tendency to become wrapped up in my own little issues. And I needed some distance. And today, I got a little bit of myself back, thanks to a "silly" teen comedy. There's something to be said for escape.

2004-05-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

145.

Go.

2004-04-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

My Nan died yesterday. She was the last of my grandparents. I'm having a hard time coping with this news. I can't cry. I can't do anything, really. I'm acting quite normally. I talked to my dad, and he's in a similiar state of "non-grief." Freda was such a difficult woman, especially as she grew older. Alzheimer's, manic depression, bipolarity, asthma, heart problems... she was a mess, both physically and mentally. She didn't recognize anyone, so she refused to talk to people. This fact probably hurts the most. Nan would always talk to everyone and anyone - one time, she went to Egypt and managed to meet some long lost childhood friends in Cairo. I also find people that I know all over the world; my dad attributes this trait to my grandmother. We had a lot in common.

My last moments with Nan rank up there with my worst experiences in life. I've been haunted by my final vision of her for four years now. I wrote about it in high school. I still see her crazed face as she pushed me away, and ran out into the driveway in Westhaughton; her screams still resonate in my ears. I've never spoken to her since then. My father completely cut her off from our life. I was supposed to visit her this summer during my time in England. This was how I was going to mend the past. Now, peace will be more difficult to obtain.

I haven't been forthright with this information. I don't like to talk about my family's darkest moments. It's a lot easier to gloss over the difficult times, but I need to stop acting like a Noble. I have an ancestral history of emotional detachment; we're a cold, tough clan. I'm the last of the Nobles - perhaps this frigidity will end with me. I'm making efforts, but I don't know about my progress. I was just recently called an "ice queen" by a good friend, and that hurt because it hits close to home. I really love my friends and family, but it's difficult for me to show it. Trite sentimentality rings false with me - I can't deal with things that are so cheesy and overdone. But sincerity is just as difficult to achieve. I guess I'm just asking for patience, especially at the end of a year that seemed both tremendously long and horribly short.

I cry so easily at other things. Why can't I cry for my Nana?

2004-04-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

I need to stop saying "needless to say"... it's been in my past two entries. I tend to be a bit repetitive in my writing.

Spring Orientation rocked hard. I just want to take this time to say that I love my New staff for next year. Y'all are crazy cool. I can't wait to work with such a young and motivated group of people. And Parkside? Thanks for the memories. I had a good time at the banquet, despite my reluctance. In honor of the "shout-outs" at the banquet, I'm doing my own version, replete with pictures.

I love my suite-heart, Nitin. We fight like cats and dogs... but we're still best buddies. And Alex? I'll never forget all that you've done for me... from teaching me how to drive a stick-shift to cooking all of that rice for the Hunger Banquet - You're the best "house hubby" ever.

Yael - my busty beauty. Much love.

PIRC South - it's been real. Way to be the "rebels" of the Parkside area. Meesh, you've become more than just my supervisor - you're my friend.

I'm gonna miss Derya, aka "pretty tall girl!"

Evan and Shawn - y'all are TOO DAMN HOT... actually, the whole apartment staff is pretty hot.

BMH - We started off on a bad foot, but we're ending the year in a beautiful waltz.

And the Birnkrant Beauties will always amaze me with their talent and love for life.

The year's almost over, but the memories will never die. Being an RA has been the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I can't believe all that I've accomplished... and next year will only be better, thanks to all of the things that I've learned. It's bittersweet right now. I've loved Parkside and Ellie and my staff... but not everything has been so rosy or happy. I cope well with change - and I think New will be a wonderful match for me. It's still hard to say goodbye.

2004-04-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with the sounds of the Nike "Fun Run Wonder" outside my window.

I had another weird dream, but I can't remember the subject matter. I just know that I woke up in a cold sweat. What a start to the day - needless to say, I'm a little off-balance.

Friday night was a lot of fun. I had a good time at SSS, and then I hung out with APO people at Mike Gangl's apartment. We watched the Royal Tenenbaums as Mike took funny long-exposure pictures. I want to get my hands on a few of those. But these pics from SSS should suffice for now.

I'm with the Tahitian dancers from the Hawaii Club. One of them is Jessica Welman's roommate, Jen! Yay!

Here's Beza, attempting to dance. Funniest picture EVER.

And finally, here's a pile of some of my favorite people at PIRC... Tania, Rahul, Molly, and me!

Spirits in Action was a good time. I posted all of the photos online at Imagestation. This is a great site - any time I can keep the original resolution, that makes me a happy girl. And I'm going to ignore Sean, who told me to stop taking photographs... just because he got into trouble with Natalia for a certain APO games picture. The camera does not lie! But thankfully, he took most of these pictures, so he can't blame me for any problems with them.

2004-04-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

So I just had a nightmare involving a lot of Jack Daniels, a party at a hotel, band people, and a talent show. And then Niles, the new dog, ran out of the hotel room, and despite the fact that I was following him, animal control came and took him away. I remember a lot of screaming and crying - I also attacked one of the animal control cars and accosted an officer. Also, Jessica Welman had this Chrysler Sebring convertible with bad brakes- she wanted me to drive her to LAX (which looked suspiciously like the Las Vegas strip.) But she wouldn't let me put the top down, claiming that she'd get sunburned.

Needless to say, I woke up this morning rather confused.

2004-04-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Fuck you, America.

First you kick off my favorite, Amy.

And now Jennifer Hudson? DAMN YOU TO HELL.

LeToya or Fantasia... you better win.

I hate American Idol with a passion.

Seacrest said it the best, "You can't let talent like this slip through this competition."

2004-04-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

I just watched the music video for Hoobastank's song, "The Reason." I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of this song. I have problems with whiny alternative bands, and for some reason, Hoobastank reminds me a lot of the Goo Goo Dolls, one of my least favorite bands of all time. I didn't like "Crawling in the Dark," which is actually a shame, since the Trojan Marching Band plays a pretty decent cover of that song. But anyway, I digress. "The Reason" just seemed like another trite piece of garbage, perfect for angst-ridden livejournal entries of 13 year old girls. For purely illustrative purposes (and because I share a lot more with melodramatic teenagers than I care to admit), let me quote the lyrics.

I'm not a perfect person
as many things I wish I didn't do
but I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
that I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
to change who I used to be
a reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
it's something I must live with everyday
and all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
and be the one who catches all your tears
that's why I need you to hear

I've found a resaon for me
to change who I used to be
a reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
that I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
to change who I used to be
a reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
a side of me you didn't know
a reason for all that I do
and the reason is you

Your stereotypical sappy love rock ballad. Pure sentimental trash, really. But I think Hoobastank (or the director of the video) is in on the joke. Despite the fact that this song taps into the vein of popular culture, this band created a perfect music video for this song that totally ridicules the lumbering emotional sincerity of "The Reason." Their music video combines a pretty girl, a melodramatic plotline, and a subversive undertone that totally adds new meaning to the words of the song.

The genius concept? They stage a car accident with a pretty girl in order to rob a bank. They're not a perfect person? Of course not, they stole a ruby! And where are they going? To jail! And why can't they be there for the "you" persona? Because they're idiots and left a bunch of clues that lead the police to them. And they're changing because...? Because they want to reduce their jail sentence. And what's that "side of me you didn't know?" Oh, yup, the side BEHIND BARS. Essentially, this is a song about the repercussions of getting caught in the act. They aren't doing a damned thing for love. They're backtracking in order to dupe someone to pay for the attorney's fees.

Amazing. Kudos to Hoobastank.

2004-04-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

My favorite shots, cropped and adjusted.

MunChul's Fierce Face

Big and Little: Jess and Laura

Boys as they prepare for Tug'o'War

Pledges: take one of wheelbarrow race

Pledges: take two of wheelbarrow race

Mike, Dodgeball King

Intense Sean.

More dodgeball goodness.

Jessica and Natalia: crazy competitors

Kari throwing water balloons

I think this would be a great CD cover.

APO. We love our brothers. Maybe too much.

Pisey after being pummeled.

Jess - she's going to market a new line of "whipped cream hair products"

Critiques? Comments?

2004-04-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an interesting day.

Swim with Mike turned into a wet t-shirt contest. I learned an important lesson - white shirts + black bras + water = fun times. And I should always invest in waterproof mascara.

I took over 200 photographs of a bunch of APOers running around. You can view them here. My personal favorite is #111. The Gangl looks so intimidating.

My parents reported my "disappearance" to DPS. And after a resident found me and told me I was "missing," I called my parents back. Then, they reamed me out for fronting $500 for a program. Ouch.

I spent over $150 in dining dollars at PIRC in one sitting. I dare ya, BEAT THAT. (That's 17 meals.)

Cirxa has the most amazing food. Our waitress was inefficient... but our meal was fabulous. Yum. The parking lot was a bit scary, though. Thank goodness for small vehicles! And can I mention again how much I love my residents?

I love and adore Mary Rose Rabaja. Her lemon drop shots are to die for; let's not mention that she's extremely considerate and makes sure all of her friends are having a good time.

Natalia is a kick-ass chica. "Beware the midgets!"

2004-04-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

And on another note...

I found this as I was looking back. It was my website from high school. It's really amusing to read. Especially my poetry. And the photos are hilarious. I was always an introspective person. It's fascinating to hear my rants and concerns from my high school world.

And I also found this... it was my school's Anime Club website. I made it back in the day. I wonder if anyone still attends anime club functions. It was a huge deal for us to get chartered, though. I was the VP, and we had a meeting with the principal, then we had to write our constitution and get a teacher to sponsor us. It was a lot of fun.

Don't mind the horrible .jpg images - they're low-quality scans of film.

Okay. Enough down memory lane. Anyone who reads this is probably laughing their socks off.

2004-04-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

Back and forth...

Back and forth...

I'm really undecided about my plans for next year. I just went through all of my photos, reminescing about yesteryear. I have so many photos from marching band... I've spent so much time in the marching band. I'll be a senior next year. Four years of 20+ hours a week will be dedicated to football. That's a lot of my life.

I've had a lot of fun. The Orange Bowl was probably my favorite band trip of all time. Miami was hot, and those sweatshirts were truly ridiculous to wear in the heat... but I had a great time. I love that gig at the football players' hotel. It was so windy, I thought I was going to be blown into the pool. The rain was horizontal. I was soaked, and then to top matters off, we rode a bus with the drummers. Brandon pranced around the bus while wearing two bras. I've never laughed so hard.

This past year was difficult for me, bandwise. It's tough to juggle two huge time commitments. Being an RA is so important to me. I've learned organization, empathy, and leadership. My residents have taught me about having a good time. I've dealt with dirty politics - and some great co-workers. I adore this position. But I was really at a disadvantage, especially when I was trying to make it to every single practice. Two organisations expected 100% commitment; I was a split soul.

I don't know how next year will progress. I have doubts about the leadership, but really, that's my own fault. I purposefully distanced myself from any kind of leading role in the Silk section. I took myself out of the running. It was a good decision, but I still wonder, "What would band have been like if I were section leader?" But I can't do everything - I refuse to do a half-assed job at something. But now I'm wondering if I really want to finish out my four years. Every time I look at my photos, I think, "Yeah, it's worth-while." But then every time I look at my schedule, I think, "God, this will be hard."

I'm nowhere near a decision. And to be honest, there are a lot of things I can't know until RA training. So, we'll see. In the meantime, I'll just continue...

Back and forth...

Back and forth...

2004-04-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

And exactly two hours later... I'm truly done with you.

Presentient Jen strikes again. I think I should be a psychic.

2004-04-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm done with you.

Wow. That felt good.

2004-04-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Death Cab for Cutie, "Tranatlanticism"

The Atlantic was born today, and I'll tell you how
The clouds above opened up and let it out
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
when the water filled every hole
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean
making islands where no islands should go (oh no...)

Most people were overjoyed; they took to their boats
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat
The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your
door have been silenced forevermore
And the distance is quite simply much to far for me to row;
it seems farther than ever before (oh no...)

I need you so much closer...

So come on; come on...

There's something about this song... the lyrics paint a beautiful metaphor. The song has a narrative quality; I like that in music, especially if the story is subtle. I feel that loss - it's easy to identify with the lyrics, even if I've never been seperated from my lover by the Atlantic. The underlying emotions are universal. That's certainly a characteristic of a good song.

Kim once had a survey that I really liked. She put her playlist on random and recorded the results. I'll conduct the experiment right now.

10 Random Songs on my Playlist:
"Transatlanticism," Death Cab for Cutie
"Caught in the Act," Dylan Drazen (It's a whole album set, so I'm skipping through it)
"Clint Eastwood," Gorillaz
"You're so Great," Blur
"Boys," Britney Spears (I remixed this into the sophomore dance... I'm not normally a big Britney fan)
"Boys Don't Cry," by the Cure
"Sober," Muse
"For Someone I Love," Regina Carter
"New Star in the Sky," Air
"Hallelujah," Rufus Wainwright

Interesting. I think it's pretty indicative of the rest of my playlist. I have a lot of Supergrass and Coldplay on it as well, in addition to a lot more jazz. A huge selection of random techno. A little hip-hop. And a few choral songs. When I'm homesick, I listen to Kings' College Choir to remind me of my dad.

Oooh, Mary J. Blige just came on. She has such a great voice.

I need to make another round. And by the way, I'm putting my livejournal link on the side. It's been kinda on the down low - I've been trying to figure out what to do with that account. I think I might use it for lists and surveys. I would've put the previous entry in the LJ, but the website was down. So, it's on my blogger. I don't know why I haven't been publicising it... but a bunch of people from 'SC discovered it, so now it's out in the open. I might as well link back.

2004-04-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Stomach hurts.

I got a little crazy today at lunch and ate an oreo cream pie. Then, I had to turn in my RA contract... and I passed the frozen yogurt stand, so I had to get a large vanilla fro-yo. And now my tummy can't handle all of this sugar.

Oh, well. I might just have to be on perma-Atkins. But that frozen yogurt tasted WONDERFUL.

2004-04-11T02:46:00.000-07:00

I have to be up in less than four hours.

Why the hell am I still awake?

Oh, shit, Yael just called me. She's so funny... it was her 21st today, and she's just getting in from her crazy night as a legal adult.

Yup. Still tired. Three hours until I need to be up now. Wow.

Strange day, but good. I met some nice people... Heather, Yael's friends, etc. And I have the beginning of a hot outfit for the APO initiation. I'm not going very dressy for it... but I'm excited because I'm actually wearing color. I tend to wear lots of black and white and grey.

God. Going to bed might be nice.

2004-04-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

This has been an amazing day.

I just got my letter... and I'm now the RA on the Cinema Floor of New! Yay!

And when I called my parents to tell them that news... they told me I have a new dog! We were approved to adopt Niles, so he's now our own little Shih Tzu.

Plus, I found I was approved for Exceptional Funding for Dijon. And now I'm going shopping with Evan and Anita for our English dinner program! Seriously, this has been absolutely fabulous so far.