dissonance

Back on wed

Pros of going to E Street at age 26:

• Goddamn I'm tall!

Cons:

• Goddamn I'm old!

Johnny came down from the Bay yesterday and I tagged along with him and his friends to a "private event" at E Street.  Anyone who's lived in SD for a bit knows about E Street. Think of it as "My First Club" by a dirty Fisher Price.  It's dark, the sound system sucks, the drinks barely pass as drinks (what's it take to get a decent VT around here?) and it's in a freakin ALLEY.  (Well actually, a club in an alley might be kinda cool, so strike that.) 

It's the kind of club where there's two meathead bouncers and when we stand in line to go in, he tells us we're in the wrong line and to go in the correct line.  It must be mentioned that 1) There was no one else in line and 2) The beginning of the correct line was half a foot away but separated by a red rope and he wouldn't let us you know, step over it so we had to go ALLL the way around the freakin amusement park ride rope system.  I hate inefficiency.

Inside it was AZNite in full effect.  The hosts were graduating and all the friends and friends of friends were invited.  They had balloons for decoration but they weren't filled with helium and tied up with ribbons.  They were just filled with regular old air and scattered around the floor so every 5 minutes someone would step on one and they would pop and I would silently scream just a little bit inside (I have a slight phobia of balloons popping).

Gosh, this makes it sound like I didn't have fun last night, but the great thing about being a fuckin optimist is that good times are always around the corner.  I got to wear some new necklaces, get my dance on, and confirm with Johnny our plans tonight to uhhh consume... relaxing... um... homeopathic... uh... herbs.  haha! Just like old times!

And tomorrow I'm headed out to New York. Yayyyyy!  Have a great 3-day weekend.

You take the bitter and you take the sweet

Flashback #2

When I was a little kid, I distinctly remember when being introduced to grown ups hearing them comment, "Oh, she looks like a little boy!"  I could be bitter about having this as my first memory regarding my looks, but I look at old photographs and you know what? I did look like a little boy.

I think it had something to do with the fact that my mom dressed me in a lot of pants, sweaters, button downs, and in primary colors (yellows, reds, blues) and not much of the pink and yellow favored by moms of little girls today.  She also kept my hair pretty short.  I don't know if it's because it was just cheaper to dress me that way or maybe it was the style of the early 80's (in Korea) to make your kid androgynous.  Or maybe deep down, my parents wanted... well I won't go there right now.

But the memory has some sweetness. Because of this experience I also distinctly remember my first dress.  I was about two years old, which is pretty late for a girl to be getting her first dress.  It was yellow, with short sleeves, the skirt was tiered and went down to my knees. It had a white collar and a big yellow ribbon that tied in the back.  It also came with a matching white hat with a yellow ribbon that matched the dress.  I think my mom has a picture of me in front of her mirror with the biggest, dorkiest, grin on my face.

Later on we climbed a ladder to our rooftop where we had a random rosegarden.  So she also has a picture of me sitting in my yellow dress, feeling like an equal to the red roses around me.

Food, tv, music: happimi indeed

Guess who didn't get the memo that it isn't her birthday anymore?
Hint: me

Cindy brought me Phil's BBQ.  Hot damn that was good stuff.  Nothing like some ribs, chicken, and beer (with a good sprinkling of macaroni salad and beans) to celebrate a birthday yet again!

And just when I think it can't get any better, tonight was the season finale of House. Wee!

Oooh and someone introduced me to West Indian Girl.  Pretty good stuff. I'm gonna try and catch them at the new SD House of Blues next Thurs (opening for unknown Fischerspooner).  <-- That's an edit.  Wed at the Casbah is actually Out Hud, who I'm also planning on checking out.

Not lying, try calling

This morning my co-worker IMs me to tell me that she tried calling me on Saturday and she got a message that told her that my account doesn't exist.  I thought maybe she got the wrong number so I was going to joke with her, "Haha, I fake numbered you!" but just to be sure, I just tried using my phone and I hear James Earl Jones boom:

"Verizon wireless does not recognize your phone at this time because it is being validated or is not properly registered."

And before I get wisecracks, this is the phone my work gave me so no, it's not because I'm a deadbeat and didn't pay my bills. Unfortunately, this is also the ONLY phone I have so I'm pretty much cut off.  Dammit!

Although honestly, will it make that much of a difference? I went a whole weekend without realizing something was wrong.  Anyway, no one else has told me my phone is broken so this means I've successfully trained you all not to contact me in "real life". 

Until this is all settled, you can reach me faithfully, as always, via the web (email/IM).

------------

Update:

My phone works now.  And who is the first person who calls me?  My mom.
("Where are you?? What's wrong with your phone??  I've called you 5 times since yesterday!! Why do you do this to me?!??")

UGH.  I now believe in the existence of phone gods and their spiteful ways.

The Virgin Blue

Finished yet another Tracy Chevalier book, The Virgin Blue.  I started it yesterday as a poolside read (88 degrees!!),  and I just finished it this morning.  It was so engrossing I didn't even have time to put it on the sidebar!

Chevalier has a way of making historical fiction really good and accessible.  In this book, the narration alternates from 14/15th century France in 3rd person and modern day France in 1st person.  Isabelle, from old France, is inexplicably tied to Ella, who has just moved to France with her husband.  The shifts in perspective are sometimes a little confusing, but it's a great technique that kept me turning the pages to figure out how the two are linked.

There's some references to the religious wars in Europe and I guess if I paid more attention to AP European History I would remember what a Hugeonot is, but despite that stuff it wasn't an academic book.  It's pretty fast paced, has an element of mystery, and has the plain eloquence that I like about Chevalier.

Friday crack

Bring it on, it's the Kitten Wars.

Not for the faint of heart (or the soul-calloused).

If you're feeling like poo today, why don't you just check out the winningest kittens and get an overdose of "AWWWWWWWWWWW.. shmoopypoopybittywittykittycattieeees!".

Or if you tend to root for the undercats, check out these lookers.

Star Wars-ed out

I can now say that I'm one of the first people to see the last Star Wars. Yay.

We got to the theater at 9:30 thinking that was plenty of time for the midnight showing.  When we arrived, it was quite a sight.  Dressed up geeks all everywhere you looked!  We had no idea where to stand in line so I asked the ticket agent and they told me that the lines outside were for a "special" (i.e. fanclub) showing at 1:30am.  They had seated the midnight showing ticket holders at 7:30!  So we raced around (they were showing on 4 screens, we could pick any one) thinking we would probably be split up.

But I have learned that Star Wars geeks are actually very nice people.  We ended up getting pretty good seats and really close to each other!  I felt bad for the people next to us because they had been there since 7:30 and we show up 3 hours later and get the same (if not slightly better) seats than them.  We became fast friends because they were the flamingest gays I have ever met and quite entertaining with their comments while flipping through US Weekly.  We briefly talked about "Bring it On" and one guy says, "My ex-girlfriend was a cheerleader... you know, back when..." and I cut him off and said, "Back when you had ex-GIRLfriends??" and so they knew I knew what was up.

However, one of the people I went with is my ex and he text messages me, "Dude, that guy is totally hitting on you".  Wow, someone needs to get their gay-dar a tune up.

And now, what you all have been waiting for, my mad photojournalism skillllllzzzzz.  Actually, the pictures suck. I haven't quite mastered how to take pictures in the dark. outside. with poor lighting.

Pic1:


("OMG, Jennifer, he is soooooo hot." "Back off bitch, I saw him first")

Pic2:

(They didn't know each other but I made them take a pic together and afterwards I saw them talking for a while.  Am I the ultimate matchmaker or what??)

Pic3:

(I wonder if that laser pointing at his ass is tingling any spidey-senses)

Pic4:

(This was the cutest Darth Vader EVER!  He was like 11 years old or something and he seemed really flattered/proud that I asked to take a pic of him.)

Pic5:

(Where is Triumph when you need him so badly??)

I would love to see some captions for these.  Any takers?

Oh and the movie... It was pretty good.  I'm currently krushin on Hayden (why are evil guys hot?)  Um... something about Anakin falling for the Dark Side. Sorry if I spoiled it for you.

DA DA dadada DAAAAAA da!

So I got last minute tickets to see the Star Wars midnight premiere tonight.  I know, I know... go ahead and chant all together now: "NEERRRRRRRD!"

But it's not like I have been longing for this day and sitting at the theater in order to be the first to purchase tickets.  Have you ever seen me post about Star Wars? (This totally does not count) The tickets honestly just fell in my lap. 

And I'm going partly to see the freak show.  I'm tempted to bring my camera, but I wonder... would bringing my camera to document the geek-fest actually make me dorkier than the guy dressed like Obi Wan? (I luuuuurrrrve you, Ewan!)

And if taking pictures does not cross the dork threshold, surely bringing my socks to knit while waiting in line will do the trick.

And if THAT doesn't do it, I've sealed my fate by taking time to figure out how to write out the theme to Star Wars using "da"s for the title of this post.

Oh well, I don't give a fuck. I'm too old to pretend I'm cool anymore.

Blind leading the blind

I still keep in touch with a professor from college.  Every year he asks me and a couple of his other old students to come to his class and talk to the students (mostly juniors and seniors)  about how we are actually using our obsure degree in our jobs.  I'm flattered that he asks me but I feel like the biggest loser talking to them.  Last year, one guy worked for Nissan design and the other one was like a VP or something at a web consulting firm.  And then I go up there, hand out some business cards (only 372 left!) and try to give them "advice":

"Can you help me get a job where you work?"
"Uh... go to the corporate website under job listings.  And I think we post on Monster...  Umm... craigslist is good too.  "

Why he asks me back year after year, I have no clue.  But I do know why I return, free lunch at the faculty club!

So today is the day I go back to campus and try and give them useful tips to send them on their way after graduation.  Somewhat bizarre since I myself only graduated like 5 years ago.  Is that really that long ago to be giving advice??

What I'd really like to do is give them REAL advice, but REAL advice tends to be inappropriate in a lecture hall setting:

• Your degree: somewhat useless. It's all about who you know, and sorry folks, it's not me.
• Fun jobs tend to pay less money, unless you sell your soul to the devil.
• Unless you're getting a professional degree (J.D., M.D.) grad school is just an excuse to not join the real world, (you know it's true, Anson) but that may sound appealing to you and that's ok.
• You will laugh at Dilbert and it will make you sad.
• You will get fatter and you will not be able to drink as much.
• Owning a home by age 25 is NOT NORMAL so don't feel bad you don't, just be friends with the people who do so you can go to their house parties.  (this one is really more for me)
• Wear a condom.

Anything else?

Say hello to good times

Two weekends in a row in LA.  I really should just get my butt moved up there.

The first night I went to some random get togethers from K-town all the way to Hermosa Beach.  I ran into a bunch of random people including old church friends and old roommates.

Saturday night was the Jimmy Eat World concert which rocked my socks!  I didn't feel TOO old next to the 16-year old moshers.  At one point this random guy tried to crowd surf and his friend picked him up and threw him up but NO ONE CAUGHT HIM so the last thing I saw was his legs go up in the air and sink into the crowd.  LOL, what an ass.