Anne, if you like

Farewell

2007-06-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

I've been dreading this for awhile, but it's come the time to do it:

I'm putting this blog to rest. I originally started this blog just over a year ago when I moved back home and started working at a movie theatre. This has been a great place to vent my frustrations at stupid movie patrons and generally get my thoughts out. It's definitely served it's purpose, but now I'm heading on a new adventure (literally) and I will be posting elseware for 2 months, and it just seems like the best time to fully move on.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting.

For more great reading, check out The Girl Also Blogs and Champagne Rising.

"That girl"

2007-04-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've been debating for awhile on whether or not to write about this topic, but you know what? This is my blog, and I feel like I shouldn't have to censor myself on it.

I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately. My last relationship, to be completely honest, was an abusive one. Not physically, but emotionally and otherwise. The more I think about it, the more I believe it, too.

I've been struggling with my supposed stupidity, of staying in the relationship for so long and for putting up with it. How is it that the best of us get into these situations and can't seem to get ourselves out? We all say it'll never be us, that we're too smart to get into a destructive relationship.

But I stayed in it for three years. And I have a hard time believing that the way I was treated wasn't my fault in some way. The things I felt pressured to do for this person is above and beyond anything I ever imagined I'd do — with anyone — and I'm ultimately ashamed at the experiences I now can check off.

In some ways, I'm disgusted with myself. When I think of the things I did, the things I convinced myself I did and didn't feel and the mindgames I put myself through, I feel way too wise for my age. I've found myself lately being that girl. You know, the girl who's been in the ugly relationship and survives, if only for the sole purpose to warn other girls that it can happen to them, too.

I don't like being that girl, though. Sure, I like being wise and learned enough to give sound advise, but was it worth three years of suckiness to do so? But I guess no one really likes to be that girl.

I wish none of us had to be that girl.

Karate CHOP!

2007-03-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

My nephew kickin' ass! He makes me feel all giddy inside!

"Listen to your heart — that's what I do."

2007-02-27T09:27:00.001-08:00

I'm like a superhero. It's true. I'm not trying to sound (extra) cool or anything; I'm just stating a fact. "Well, if you're a superhero," you ask, "then what's your super power?"

And this is where things get interesting. I kind of have a lack of intuition. That gut feeling that everyone supposedly gets from time to time that tells them today would be a good day to stay home ('cause they have a "gut feeling") — yeah, I don't have that.

Well, that's not entirely true. I have those feelings; they just have an accuracy rating of zero. That's right — in all of my years "trusting my gut," not once has it ever been to my benefit.

Which brings me to my point: recently I told some of you that I had this feeling, this feeling I've never had before. This feeling is something I've tried many times to fabricate, but this time it felt real.

But I'm now getting the thought that maybe I was duped. Again. But who knows? With my track record, it's entirely possible that this new feeling about that feeling is faking me out. So, just don't hold me to that feeling, in case it was a total farce.

Clippings

2007-02-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

My mum loves to send me clippings. She thinks she's turning into her mother, sending me an envelope full of clippings like Grandma does to her, yet I always tell her I like receiving them. It's lovely knowing that my mum thinks about me when doing everyday things!

My last relationship ended at the beginning of January; soon after, I received a Dear Abby clipping from my mother, written by a girl in a situation similar to mine. Granted, my break-up was much more than this one issue, but whatever.*Mum actually sent me the clipping thinking that I could send it to my ex — I actually thought about it, but didn't want to use my precious stamps and have to write an accompanying note so he didn't think I was being harsh.

The clipping ended up on my desk, where it has stayed for 2-3 weeks. It's time to toss it, so, knowing that the ex occasionally visits my blog, maybe he'll read it here. Otherwise, for your enjoyment:

Dear Abby:
My boyfriend has a hard time in social situations. He dislikes people
in general and needs a lot of alone time.
I am the complete opposite. I need a circle of friends around me in
order to be happy. How do we find a balance between the two? — Clara in
Chicago

Dear Clara:
It may not be easy. I find it unlikely that someone who "dislikes
people in general," "has a hard time in social situations" and is basically a
loner will change. My question to you would be, how much are you willing
to compromise, and would you be comfortable socializing alone?

Thanks, Mum! You know just how to cheer me up!

*I also want to clarify that my ex doesn't "dislike people in general" like the boyfriend in the article.

Locks of Love

2007-01-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I'd finally had it with my long hair. It's become so unmanageable, taking me a half hour to shampoo and condition it (well, mostly condition) that I just decided that it was time to donate. Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the hair itself; it just gets really tangly. Like, for instance, yesterday in class. We were watching a movie and the ENTIRE class, I was working to detangle a certain section of my hair. That's two hours, folks!

I came home from class two days ago and, once I took my hat off, I realized my hair was all over the place. Loops of hair were sticking up randomly everywhere! It was crazy!

Anyway, here's my before:
Right after she lopped off the pigtails:
And here's my new 'do! While looking at it last night, I realized that my face is pretty fat, so I'm off to the IMA! What a motivator, eh?

I was really hoping for a less stressful quarter

2007-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's the second week of the quarter and the stress hasn't let up yet. I had some trouble with financial aid, which thankfully was resolved by Friday. The real stress, though, is the current state of my job. As I mentioned before, I work as a part-time nanny, and just recently I was hired to as a copy editor for The Daily. I've been wanting the job for awhile and I love it. I've worked only three shifts, but it really doesn't seem like work (which is the first time I've been able to say that since lifeguarding in high school). The problem that's come up is that my nanny job just went from 0-10 hours a week to what's turning out to be 30+ hours. On top of full-time school, fundraising for Bike & Build, training for the trip and six hours a week at The Daily, I'm really starting to melt.

In the past two weeks, I've gone to sleep once before 3a — that was last night, I think (I'm having trouble keeping track of days). Waking up and getting out of the house before 8a to pick up Alice and take her to preschool, coming home and circling Greek Row in search of a parking spot is really starting to take it's toll. Today it took me 45 minutes to find a spot. And four hours of sleep a night really isn't cutting it. Last time I had a job like that, it didn't take long for me to put in my notice.

What's more is that when I get crazy stressed out, I apparently clench my jaw, as I wake up in the morning feeling like I face-planted on concrete. I'm thinking of trying acupuncture, though I'm not sure if my insurance will cover it.

I know I'm kvetching, as Jessica says. I also feel bad for not posting since the New Year; this post will have to tide you over until I have more time.

Resolutions!

2006-12-31T22:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight, while counting down the hours 'til 2007 with my housemate Vincent, I found a program on TLC called "Resolutionaries" that shows three people each trying to tackle their resolutions with the help of three different coaches, all of whom have very different techniques. So far, I've seen three episodes: organization, quitting smoking and losing weight.

I'm not one for thinking myself worthless if I give up my resolutions too far into the new year, but I do like to make them, if only for tradition.

I have a lot to accomplish before my Bike & Build trip in June, so I'm going to need to be specific with my resolutions in order to prepare myself physically, mentally and financially for this trip.

Be prompt with thank you notes
Study every day
Take a photo every single day -- suggested by Photojojo
Each week, research a different aspect of the affordable housing crisis
Take my pills every night

January

Exercise on stationary bike and/or with personal trainer twice a week for 90 minutes or 25 miles
Research Rhode Island and Connecticut towns en route for can't-miss sights
Contact regional newspapers about a possible feature on Bike & Build

February

Exercise on stationary bike (or equivalent exercise) three times a week for 90 minutes or 30 miles
-AND-
Explore a new bike trail in the Seattle area once a week
Research New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio towns near our stops for interesting things to see and do

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that, when my parents asked, I had no idea what I wanted. Since my birthday is relatively close to Christmas (in late November), my parents ask early and often. In October, they start with "feelers" -- you know, the "your birthday's coming up!" and the "have you happened to see anything you'd like for your birthday?"s. Usually that's enough to get me talking. Once my birthday is over, I will end up asking for the things I didn't get.

In November, I asked for (and received) a down comforter; I've always wanted a comforter that didn't come with matching sheets (a la Bed in a Bag). Since I got the only thing I really asked for, I didn't know what to say to the after-birthday questions.

That was, of course, until I got the Bike & Build manual and it's accompanying list of necessities for the trip. After realizing there were no major holidays between Christmas and our start date in June, I frantically searched the list, looking for the most expensive things I was relatively knowledgeable about to ask for.

And today, after being convinced I would need to be purchasing one on my own, I opened up a digital camera and a cute little camera bag that'll fit in a saddle bag for my bike!

In no way am I trying to brag; I am only attempting to set up one of the papers in the camera box, which is an (not so subtle) attempt at marketing camera accessories. I enlarged the center picture in hopes it'd show more detail.

Message to Sony: Seriously...Whomever signed off on this picture needs to be demoted to the mailroom.

Thank God for Pull & Seal Envelopes!

2006-12-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

After working on my fundraising letters for Bike & Build for over 7 hours straight (printing, signing, folding and stuffing) mostly by myself, I can finally say I'm finished!

After I finished printing out the letters, I realized that the itinerary that came in the rider manual had us traveling in circles around Iowa and the website had us riding to Missoula, building and riding to Missoula after we'd left Missoula that day. Hmmm. I might need to offer my copy editing skills.

Needing an accurate itinerary to include with my letters, I took an hour and a half detour (hyuck hyuck!) and made a pretty kick-ass one myself.

So there you go. Two shoeboxes full of envelopes, brochures, letters, itineraries and SASEs to Bike & Build. 139 of each, to be exact.

"While You Were Out" SunnTown edition

2006-12-20T01:27:00.000-08:00

When I was about 13, my parents let me paint my room any way I wanted, as long as it consisted of pastel-type colours. And nothing, absolutely no colour on the ceiling! I was really a huge fan of the ocean and decided to paint the top half of my walls a light blue, as the sky, and the bottom half three different shades of beige. Yes, I know...how many shades of beige can there be? We actually painted a base color, and we sponge-painted two or three variants on top to make a sand effect. I picked out a seashell border to place between the "sky" and "sand". For an added effect, I glued seashells to the window frame and hung paintings and prints of lighthouses and ocean scenes on the walls. My parents went the extra mile and replaced my hideous carpet with my choice in colour -- teal, or as I liked to pretend, the ocean.

After my brother moved home from Japan and our exchange student went back to Switzerland, I decided to move into the room across the hall, as it's at least 1.5 times the size of my sea room. After the creativity and expenses that went into the other room, I kept my mouth shut about the white walls and ugly brown carpeting in my new room.

This year, though, my mum has gotten into a painting kick and, once my brother got married and moved out, promptly painted his room two dark blues -- something unheard of in my family. My dad had erroneously assumed that it was utterly impossible to paint over dark colours and long ago got us kids to believe that if we painted our rooms black, they'd never be able to put the house back on the market, so this was a big deal. Since completing my brother's room and realizing how little effort and money it takes to make a big difference in the appearance, my mum asked me to pick a couple colours she'd paint my room while I was in Seattle.

So tonight, I arrived home to find my previously bland, white walls painted a lovely pink and brown, which complements the two wall sconces and drapes I bought at Ikea last year! My mum is going to take me shopping on Friday to look for a comforter and some wall decorations to add to the decor.

I'm going to see if I can convince my mum to help me take down the peeling wallpaper in the bathroom at some point while I'm home. Before we do that, though, we're going to have to make at least a couple batches of fudge!

Home for the holidays!

2006-12-20T00:21:00.000-08:00

It took me all day to get out of Seattle and a three-hour drive to get home, but with the four Podflix episodes to catch up with made the drive fly by (even though I was driving between 10 and 35 miles slower than usual).

I love the holidays! My parents have the house completely decorated, what with the little villages above the piano and entertainment center, the huge pre-lit tree (that I've finally come to terms with after growing up trekking into the mountains every December to find that special pine to bring home) and the coloured lights everywhere. This year, my dad's really gotten into the spirit of the holidays and hung faux garland on the walls in the living room and even on the banisters. I brought my 4 foot christmas tree home and might set it up in my room. I really like low lighting and leaving it on in my room in the evening will give the room a pretty glow.

I never thought I'd see the day...

2006-12-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

when I'd find out someone found my blog by searching for "pet sharks with lasers on their heads". Usually, when I follow the link my tracker gives me, I'll discover my blog link quickly on the particular search engine. Yet I'm on page six of the Google search and still haven't found my blog. I'm confused as to why the blog reader didn't just go to this site.

Other interesting search queries that have led readers to my site:

pain where my bra snaps on left side in back
the real truth turbo jam
how anne are you?
you pale to (from a Swiss version of Google)
kill a guy on A TRAmpoline (I'm ranked number three on this search...)
occupations that involve creative, humanistic, thoughtful, and quiet types of activities
"perform their job responsibilities in a manner that is supportive"
cutting edge, informally paced, future-oriented environment

and two instances of "Upstairs Downstairs apartments U district" quite recently. For you two renters, don't bother. The Upstairs Downstairs apartments are really not worth looking at.

I now know another advantage of looking young: I can buy youth tickets for the ferries!

2006-12-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

Since today was my first free day from finals, a new friend from two of my classes this quarter invited me to come with her to Vashon Island for the day. Vashon is the site of our last build day on Bike & Build P2S this summer, and since I live so close, I thought it'd be ridiculous to have not been there before riding across the country to get there.

Riding on the ferry was like putting a kid in a candy store. The last time I remember riding on a ferry was when I was like 7 or 8 years old and my family went to Vancouver Island, B.C. That being said, I made Jasmine suffer through many pleas of "ooh, will you take a picture of me here?!" and "Holy crap! We're on a FERRY!" Since she's lived on "the island", the ferry wasn't so exciting for her.

Shortly after we departed from the shore, I called my mum and told her, just as a ferry worker-man walked by. I looked up in time to see him mouth to my friend "Your friend doesn't get out much!" He returned a couple minutes later with a ferry guide, expressing his regrets that they were all out of coloring books.

Riding 26 miles makes me feel like I have mono

2006-12-04T00:17:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night, I went to the IMA and rode a bit over 26 miles on a stationary bike. I took a break after an hour to stretch and then hopped back on for the last 8 miles. I've been slowly working my way up in miles over the past couple weeks (in preparation for my Bike & Build trip), but at the end of that ride, I was having trouble keeping my legs from shaking. Thus, this weekend served as a reprieve from exercising. Meaning? I pretty much slept most of yesterday morning and afternoon, as well as most of today.

When I wasn't sleeping, I visited my friend Jacy, who was in town over the weekend. She, her friend Erica and I went downtown to Pike Place Market, where we saw this lovely sign, which had us in giggles throughout the rest of the trip. Erica and I bought cute hats( she bought a beret and I found the cutest wool cloche) at an old-lady store underneath the fish market. Afterwards, we went out to a couple bars for some much-needed girl time.

Oh, on Friday, I got my highly-anticipated packet from Bike & Build! I now have more brochures and envelopes than I know what to do with, but once finals are over next week, I'll be able to put more time into fundraising! Plus, I meet with my new personal trainer on Thursday for our introductory session. I'll probably aim for 15 miles Tuesday night so I don't wear myself out before I meet my PT.

Keepin' It Real!

2006-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

I spotted this banner on the side of Kane Hall on campus today. The sign reads "Keepin' It Real 4 CHRIST! It's not about religion...it's about RELATIONSHIP!"

I guess they don't know what happens...when Keepin' It Real goes wrong.

Exciting News!

2006-11-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

I'm ashamed to say I've been reluctant to come back to the blog after my (significant) time away. "What would be the use?" I thought. "My readers have probably by now all but given up on my never writing another entry again." I thought it might be too late. That I'd shamed my blog and, if I ever desired to write online again, I'd have to start over.

I'm sorry for being horrible to you, blog (and readers). You've been great in allowing me space to adjust to my surroundings.

Being back at UW has really altered my reality. I haven't been able to shake the guilt of writing a blog when I have studying to do...that is, until tonight. In all honesty, I have a paper due on Tuesday that I'm terrified to write, and after spending more than two hours reading columns on salon.com, I decided to confess everything here at my home.

Have you ever applied been anxiously awaiting something that could be life-altering, possibly afraid to bring it up with friends in fear that the something would be "jinxed"? For about three weeks, I'd been contemplating applying to a summer program so exciting I was a bit overwhelmed writing the application essays (yes, there were more than one). It took making an appointment at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center to gain enough confidence for me to attempt penning the essays. Once I sent in the app, I still wanted to keep my mouth shut, in hopes that not talking about it wouldn't spoil anything. I mean, how embarrassing would it be to talk, talk, talk about this program I was planning on participating in, gabbing to my advisor, my therapist, my new aquaintences and lifelong friends and then have to explain that, no, actually it didn't work out?

I got in. So here it is. This summer, I'll be riding my bike from Providence, Rhode Island to Seattle, Washington. I know, it sounds crazy, but as soon as I found out about the organization (Bike & Build), I knew I wanted to do it. I'll probably have to rearrange a few finals at the end of Spring quarter to fly to Providence, but my CHID advisor has assured me that my professors will more than likely be supportive.

Bike & Build has six trips during the summer, each traveling through a different area of the country. Each group of about 30 people aged 18-25 ride across the country and stop at predetermined places along the route to help build affordable housing homes. I chose the Providence to Seattle (P2S) trip; the five other "tours" are Central U.S., Northern U.S., Providence to San Francisco (P2SF), Southern U.S. and North Carolina to San Diego.

I seriously suggest checking out the site. While you're there, check out my bio on the P2S Current Roster. And if you decide to apply, let me know!

And to think, the nebula was actually created in a petri dish

2006-10-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

An "Experience" is all I can say about describing the The Fountain, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky (of Pi and Requiem for a Dream) and starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz.

I saw a free advanced screening the other night at The Neptune. Amazing. I think I'm actually going to pay to see it again when it is released in theatres (22 November 2006).

Totally worth it, if only for the amazing cinematography. Hugh Jackman blew my socks off.

Recap I

2006-10-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

First off, I'd like to apologize for my lack of posts. Once my classes started, I had this incredible guilt thinking of writing a blog instead of writing a paper. Plus, my camera phone wasn't able to send my email any pictures for a couple weeks, so I mainly used that excuse.

So here I am. Week 4 of classes is almost here. Shall we do a quick recap of the highlights?

Trampoline guy is still at it across the street, though thankfully, he's been keeping it limited to maybe an hour or so a day (maybe more if he's being considerate and jumping mostly while I'm at class). Z has already mentioned his idea of going across the street at 3a and cutting a big hole in the trampoline. Mandy (the former OrthoJew II - she's really not bad at all) wants to do something more destructive, like take springs off of it or something...It's not like I want to kill the guy - I just want to kill his trampoline.
Kevin (from the main floor) and Z went fishing for apples out the empty room's window. I have pictures to prove it.
And speaking of, a new guy moved into that empty room on my floor. Surprisingly, he's the guy I met who was looking at the house when I came to sign my lease.
Also, the other empty room in the basement actually belongs to a guy named Ricky. Apparently, he's losing his eyesight or something. He does that blind person thing of not looking directly at someone when he's talking to them, so I'm not sure where to look when I'm talking to him.
Tom, one of the three guys in the attic, has been spotted carrying several odd items into the bathroom, namely a big jug of Minute Maid orange juice. I'm not sure I want to know what's going on there.

Crap. I didn't recap any of my classes. More later...I promise.

"I'm just keeeeeding!"

2006-09-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post for a couple days now, but I wanted to wait until my phone was working properly enough to send pictures to my email to post. (Rereading that sentence is really confusing me, but I don't really care enough to rewrite it.)

On Tuesday, Z and I drove down to Ikea and shopped for a new mattress. As the absolute hilarity of the event has subsided, I will just have to make due with pictures.

Here's Z, doing his best impression of Fred Armisen as the Venezuelen nightclub comedien Fericito.

(This is the only way we could fit the foam, queen-sized mattress into my Dodge Neon. )

Housemates II

2006-09-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

For the past week or so, I've done some "investigative research," yet no one in the house could tell me who resided in the room next to mine.

As I mentioned before, there are four rooms on the second floor: Z, me, an open, empty room and a closed door next to mine. I was starting to worry about the possibility of smelling the horrible stench of death permeate the hallways until, to my amazement, yesterday morning I heard the distinct sound of jangling keys closer the Z's room. My door was open, so (I thought) I had a pretty good view of the open area just beyond my door.

After a bit of confusion and a sudden belief and then disbelief of invisibility among humans, I finally met Vincent, the newest addition (to me, at least) in the house. Vincent has apparently lived here for over a year, but was gone for the past two months to be at home in Hong Kong (?). He's a grad student at UW studying Speech & Hearing Sciences.

It makes me slightly curious as to why no one had a clue as to who lived in that room, since he's only been gone two months, though the housemates that have lived here for awhile did recognise him ("oh yeah, Vincent! I remember him!").

He doesn't seem that unforgettable.

Neighbors

2006-09-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Now that I've posted about my housemates, I'd like to say a few words about my neighbors.

To the lovely boys across the street, if you don't stop jumping on that damn trampoline, I'm going to come over and snap your legs in half. I can tolerate the bouncing noises for 15 minutes or so, but don't you think five hours straight is pushing it a bit? How about this: you get ahold of Richard Branson and the three of us will have a little chat about sending you on a one-way ticket to space. That way you can experience anti-gravity all you want.

And you people across the street: if I wanted to listen to death metal on repeat all morning, I'd have already downloaded all of Slipknot's music collection. I'm not saying classical music would be any better, but really, come on now. When my relatives come up to visit, I don't want them asking me with gaping mouths "you live here?!" Could you turn it down a notch? Why don't you use this handy little idea: see that pretty street divider between our houses? You know, the one with all the pretty trees in it? If you stand there and still can hear your music, do us a favor and turn that shit down.

And to whomever was playing techno music twenty minutes ago: play some Paul Oakenfold or something. Even Strongbad's techno was better than that crap you were playing!

Housemates

2006-09-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, my new house has fourteen rooms and at least eight people so far. For my sake (and possibly yours), let's break it down:

Basement (two rooms, I think):

Alex/Sasha: I still haven't met this guy, but I heard he's Russian.

Chris: long haired, scruffy guy who I thought was homeless and was just wandering around. Apparently he works at Bon Appetit, a restaurant inside Nordstrom downtown.

Main floor (five rooms):

Tony: Have seen him once and his girlfriend, Bianca, much more. He's a construction management major at UW and Bianca goes to Western. She told me they fight a lot but "don't feel uncomfortable! We do it all the time!"

OrthoJew II: From what I heard from Z, she isn't very nice and gets really pissy. I tried to make conversation with her, but she just left after telling me her name.

Robert: Older guy. No idea what he does.

Kevin (?): Asian guy who let me use his filtered water pitcher.

Second floor (four rooms):

Z: Hot Tunisian doctor here to study Public Health at UW. He speaks three languages (french, arabic and english) and last year, was with the group of students studying at the American University of Beirut who were forced to evacuate when the bombing started in Lebanon. He has a thick accent and uses the word "retarded" a lot. His blog is in french, but can be translated with Google.

me

Third floor (three rooms):

J: the tall, skinny one I met first, on my way up the stairs on moving day. He likes rap and rock and specialises in stealing guys' girlfriends.

Tom: Older guy. Like in his forties.

R/D: was convinced his name was Tony until last night. Claims he doesn't do anything, job-wise, and pays his rent by being "blessed".

Looks like there's only one other girl so far, other than Bianca. Hmmm.

Movin' in

2006-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I moved to my new room in a lovely house in the U-District! I've gotten everything set up, with only a few boxes still somewhat full. I have this cute ledge around the corner under the two windows, which is big enough to display my pictures and things. It's even big enough to sit on!

I've met a couple of the people who live here. Surprisingly, a couple of them are older men. I'm trying not to get too creeped out by that, as I do have a lock on my door. Oh, and I found out that the house has fourteen rooms, not eight.

I also started my new job yesterday. Alice, age 2 1/2, is very articulate with her words, making her even cuter once she opens her mouth. We had a fun time coloring and playing ball, and her mum let me use the internet after Alice went to bed.

Looks like things will *hopefully* be working out for me; now, the wait until the 27th.

I always love free stuff!

2006-09-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Remember the post about me loving free stuff?

No? Well, go back and read it.

I'll wait...

From the same company that rewarded my with a year subscription to Budget Travel comes my newest gadget, a digital voice recorder (7500 points). Yeah, I know that the thing costs like $35 at Best Buy and that 75 surveys is a lot to take to get this for free, but I don't have $35 to be spending, k? Plus now I can pretend to be extra important like doctors do!

The last time I had one of these, it had a mini tape and the batteries ended up eroding in the back. I'd never seen anything like it before. I could never get it to work after that...

Much better than any trip to Idaho!

2006-09-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, I got the Labor Day weekend off to attend a "family reunion in Idaho," and on Saturday, headed up to Seattle for a weekend of Bumbershoot! The festival bragged such acts as Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest and AFI, but what they didn't mention was the lines. Seriously, I thought I had woken up in Disneyland.

At past festival-type shows, A and I have made a detailed plan of action before we even hit the venue and this time was no different. With schedule print-outs and a map of the Seattle Center in hand, we headed out for our first Bumbershoot experience.

We had planned to use our Warped Tour strategy and see whole shows if possible, but at the very least, leave stages early and catch the last of other bands' sets. But oh no. The lines were horrible. We arrived casually late on Saturday (about 2p) and headed over to the Comedy Stage South (Charlotte Martin Theatre) for the 3p Asssscat with Upright Citizens Brigade show. What we found was a line wrapping around the building. A Bumbershoot volunteer told us that the line was now forming for the 4.30p show behind the 3p line.

Discouraged, we decided to leave the line and head over to the other side of the venue to see The Epoxies at 4p. We waited on line for about an hour for a band I'd never heard of, and once the show started, I waited about twenty minutes before telling A that I was going to leave and get in line for the 5.30p north comedy stage. Good thing I left when I did.

The line was already at least a hundred deep when I got there at like 4.30p.

Bumbershoot was awesome, don't get me wrong. I saw my first live comedy show(s) (not including ComedySports in Spokane) and had lots of yummy food. And those reasons alone were worth the price I paid. Especially for buying a ticket for cheap on eBay three days before. But it's almost worth it to buy the "Platinum Pass" just to not wait in lines. Too bad that pass is $200 more than I paid for mine.

Movin' on

2006-09-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Quitting my job has been very anti-climactic. Two weeks ago, I asked for the Labor Day weekend off (Saturday-Monday) to go to a "family reunion in Idaho" and didn't expect to receive the days off. My plan was to come in and pick up my schedule last Tuesday, notice that I was scheduled to work over the weekend, tell them that I had specifically asked for it off and then quit. Because, hello! It's a family reunion! In Idaho! A 7-hour drive!

(Un)fortunately, and quite surprisingly, they scheduled around my shindig. So today is my last day. Since K-12 classes started on Tuesday, our town theatre has reduced the hours of operation and now opens at 3.30p instead of 11.30a. I'll be working by myself for three hours and then will turn in my stuff. Maybe I should shout "I QUIT!" really loudly before I leave and throw my things on the desk. Or, better yet, use a line from Half Baked, turn to my coworkers and point and yell "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, and fuck you, I'm out!"

Eh. We'll see.

No, I'm sorry, we don't have "the 9/11 movie" at our theatre. We DO have World Trade Center, though.

2006-08-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of the ending of my summer job, I'd like to add one last entry to the plethora of posts dedicated to the stupidity I deal with at work.

When I decide to pay to see a movie at the theatre, I have usually seen enough advertising for the movie to know a bit about the plot, the actors and occasionally the director. With commercials on tv, to reviews in magazines and weekly papers and often a great deal of chatter online, not only do I pick up on the plot and such, I am repeatedly bombared with the name of the film.

What I fail to understand is why people come up to the box office and have no clue what the title isof the movie they want to see. I'm not going to be picky and complain about the people that mispronounce Barnyard (Barn Jard), Poseidon (Poise-i-don, Po-sid-eon) or Talladega Nights (Tadellega) but I am slightly peeved when people have asked for Over the Edge, Invisible or Lady in the Lake/Pool.

What really gets me is the people that come up and basically make us guess which movie they're referring to. Sometimes, we have no clue; other times, we box office folk know which movie the customer is digging for, but act clueless watch them suffer and get frustruated. A couple examples:

An elderly lady came up and asked for a ticket to the Michael Douglas movie. Had I not already seen You, Me and Dupree, I could have really acted clueless, but she was old so I decided it wasn't worth it.
Someone asked for a ticket to "the car movie", but didn't specify whether they'd prefer the animated or live action film. Granted, if they had small children, I could safely bet on the former, but really, guessing can be quite tricky.
Along the same lines as the second example, two senior citizens requested tickets for the Meryl Streep movie. This would've been easy had A Prairie Home Companion and The Devil Wears Prada not been at our theatre at the same time.

The absurdity of the questions people ask us during the course of our shifts continues to baffle me. My co-worker was asked if John Tucker Must Die was a murder mystery. Another customer even referred to it as John Tucker Might Die. When The Devil Wears Prada was in theatres, I remember a set of parents asking if the film was a scary flick.

And, of course, I've already been asked on three different occasions what Snakes on a Plane is about.

Seriously.

I'm ashamed to say I honestly didn't even see that one coming.

Not much to report

2006-08-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a week, but there's nothing much to report, other than I secured a part-time job as a nanny for the school year.

I kinda feel like there's nothing else for me to do but wait it out until I move (in two weeks). Work is still giving me about 10-13 hours a week, mostly weekends.

Since I've done the going-away-to-school thing before, I already have most of the stuff I'll need. The house has a full supply of cookware, plates and utensils, so I don't really need to bring my hand-me-down kitchenwares. And I already have all the lamps, sheets and decorations I need to make my new room cozy. So what else do I need to do/get to prepare? It's hard to make a check-list of things to pack when pretty much everything is going with me.

My parents bought me a refrigerator for my room and they still owe me a bike, as they gave mine to my sister-in-law (I'm not that heartbroken over it - it's purple and orange and says JAZZ! on it...not something I want to be seen on past the age of 13). I don't want to get a cheap bike, just something that looks like crap so no one will attempt to steal it. This old friend of my brother's moved to Seattle for college, and during his first quarter, bought a $600 mountain bike and promptly had it stolen. I'm not sure if he didn't lock it up properly with a u-lock, but whatever. The point is, this may be the best bike I'll ever be able afford, considering that I'm not paying for it, so I want to get a good one. My parents have been looking at Wal-Mart, Costco and Fred Meyer, but I'm hoping I can tempt them into spending much more than they planned and go to a bike shop to make the purchase.

Granted, I have no idea what I'm really looking for, so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

University District, 98105

2006-08-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

While I was in Seattle yesterday for a doctor's appointment, my dad and I did a preliminary search for a room/apartment near campus. I brought various craigslist ads with me for reference and thought we'd just call some numbers from apartment building signs when we got there.

We finally found a spot on 17th near 50th to park the truck, my dad's Dodge Ram diesel extended cab, longbed pickup, and got ahold of the folks at Husky Place/Husky Court. I'm familiar with their rooms, as A used to live there, but I wanted to see what the "smaller" rooms look like and how much cheaper they are. For like $550, I could get a room the size of a large bathroom, or, for $650, I could snag a room about the size of 10'X15', with a private bathroom. The buildings are a half block from the university, but the electricity, cable and internet would be up to me.

The second place we saw was a room in a cute house just down the street from where we parked. It had a room for rent sign on the lawn. The landlord came to the property and showed us inside. The house has eight rooms I think, five bathrooms, newly painted interior and new wiring to include cable in each room. For only $585, I get the room and all of the utilities paid for. Not just water/sewer/garbage and electricity; it includes cable television and wireless internet. The only drawback is that it's two long blocks from the university.

We looked at one more place (as I said, this was just a preliminary search - we were planning to come back in a couple weeks to look again), the Upstairs/Downstairs Apartments. They offered rooms in 5-6 bedroom apartments for, um, I don't even remember how much. I was so turned off by the smell that I didn't really pay much attention. The apartments she showed me had wood paneling and generally reminded me of the Brady house (and not in a good way).

After my appointment, Dad and I came back to the U-District, met up with A, went for ice cream at The Mix and decided that the second room was just too good of a room to pass up. We called the owner of the house once more and coerced him into coming back to the area so we could apply and hand him a check!

Imagine a window behind the tree...this is my new window!

(The tree isn't there anymore)

The earliest I can move in is 3 September, but the landlord is willing to hold it for five days at his expense, so I don't have to start paying rent until the 8th.

Now I need to find a job, hopefully on or near campus,, and find a bike to take with me (my mum is demanding I return hers).

On another note, I quit my second job today. Back to the 12-hour a week cinema.

Note to self: let Nursing Assistant certification expire this year

2006-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted anything in almost a week. Reason?

I got a job working the graveyard (no pun intended) shift at a local nursing home last Tuesday and started Thursday night. Since that first night, I've been working 12-hours continuously (four hours at the cinema, eight hours at the nursing home) and have gotten by on just about four hours of sleep a day.

The job entails lots of specific unpleasantries* that I won't go into here for the sake of your lunches. When I accepted the job, I figured I'd be making rounds checking on the residents to make sure they weren't dead, as well as restocking gloves, bags and other necessities in the rooms.

What I failed to remember (having been a nursing assistant years ago) is that most residents in care facilities are incontinent, especially at night.** So, not only do I go to each room and replace water cups, I also check to see if the resident has soiled their briefs.*** Eighty-five percent of the time, I will be changing said briefs and repeating the action at least once more during the course of the night.

I won't go into the imagery for you to ponder, as I'm sure if you're willing, you could conjure up a fairly accurate, if simplified, mental picture. Don't forget to include rolling the (really heavy) person back and forth to position the linens and brief and you're pretty close. I'm not even mentioning how the activity smells.

I feel bad about it, but I'm already thinking of quitting. Changing my sleeping schedule so drastically has reduced me to a dizzy narcoleptic. I've even been having trouble focusing on my image when I look in the mirror.

I just don't know how much more I can take.

I was going to post a picture, but I decided that this related Saturday Night Live commercial parody was easier to search for.

*yes, I'm sure I'm making this word up, but I'm exhausted
**of bladder AND bowel
***a fancy word for adult diapers

I AM pretty graceful with The Golfer's Lift though

2006-08-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

So I really hurt my back. At least two or three times I week lately, I wake up with an uncomfortable pain in the center of my back, right near my bra strap. The pain will usually last maybe twenty minutes or so and will go away when I fall back asleep or when I finally go get breakfast.

I came to the sad realisation that I have never flipped my queen size bed (the one I've slept on for at least ten years) even though I always sleep on the left side, so I enlisted my dad's help* in the venture while I finished my laundry on Wednesday evening.

Unfortunately, when I woke up Thursday morning, the pain was still there, though it was more tolerable (I think). On Friday, the pain returned and came and went all day, but by yesterday, it seemed to have gone after I exercised.**

Today, I woke up with the pain and it has lasted all day, even through four advils. I used a different, more supportive chair at work (instead of a stool) and stayed sitting in a comfortable position through as much of the day as possible. Sitting upright felt the worst.

I can think of only one reason left as to why I'm in still in pain since I*** flipped my mattress: Operation: Awesome Auntie. How could I have been subject to physical pain from the (seemingly) harmless techniques of brainwashing little children? Because I'm the idiot that never paid attention to safe lifting techniques at work and instead laughed at posters like these.

In trying to be the Best Aunt Ever, I scooped my little neice up in my arms every chance I could get. I even felt the little lightning bolts of pain (as shown here) a time or two.

Other than that, the only things really exciting in the past couple days is that I went to see Barnyard with my mum and Kaitlyn (so not worth it - even Kaitlyn gave it a yucky face), saw Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby with my dad (hilarious! - I pulled a muscle in my rib area from laughing so hard at the end) and I went to the store in my pajamas and bought Lucky Charms this morning.

In review:

Always maintain proper lifting techniques
Use a pro-active approach to mattress flipping
Lucky Charms keeps the spirits up.
Go see Talladega Nights. Shake 'n Bake.

*Actually, he did all the work. I was downstairs.
**for the first time in over a month
***Once again, Dad gets credit for this one.

Must.Sleep.Now

2006-08-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

Y'all better watch out, 'cause I just joined the planet's Most Awesome Auntie award and I'm bringin' it!

Actually, I've been an aunt for almost five years, but due to being out of the loop for most of them, I'm at a disadvantage. Yet what's great is that my neice and nephew are now of the age in which, if I move quickly and stealthily, I can bypass the introductory stages and right into what's known in the inner circles as "Operation: Awesome Auntie".

How it works is beside the point (and full of trade secrets), but the objective is clear: flood the minds of the impressionable young children with messages, often subliminal, of love, compassion and coolness to accelerate my status to the top of the boards. However, I've talked with the higher-ups and they've given me clearance to share a few "insider secrets", if you will.

1. When the n/n (industry jargon for neice/nephew) comes into town, it's utterly imperative to cancel all plans and prepare.* Without this step in place, the visit could prove disasterous.

2a. Debrief everyone within earshot that you will now be referred to as Aunt (insert name here). Decide on a name to be called and stick with it. No changing to nicknames halfway through the game. These little people confuse easily and only setbacks will come from that.

2b. With name in place and n/n in tow, slip your new moniker in as much as possible. Tactics such as referring to yourself in the third person and even subliminal placement is covered in chapters five and six.

3. Get as much rest as you can, provided that you've already fulfilled your obligations of night-time duty (if n/n is an OnG - overnight guest).

And with that, I must heed my own advice and go to sleep. I was awoken around 4a to screaming from the other room and am now drifting into sleep again.

*The handbook goes into more detail in chapter 3, but since we're limited, let me explain: being prepared can be anything from meditating to baking cookies, even opening all of the cabinets in the kitchen. It's all individual, per the n/n's interests. Making an easy-to-use strategic flow sheet or spreadsheet has also proven fruitful.

Smelly Cat: Part Two

2006-07-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

"What followed next was wretched. 'Twas not another cat, but a cute little black and white creature. The smell hit seconds later and the creature disappeared into the corn. We had been skunkified."

And now, for the continuation to Smelly Cat:

Realising what had just happened and knowing that I'd never be able to get to the store smelling like a skunk (and believe me when I say that I know how well my car can hold an odor), I kept my cool and walked Daisy over to my house. As soon as we hit the grass, she started to roll, but I managed to get her up to my front door and tie her leash around a post. I hastily entered the house, grabbed the cordless phone and the dog leashes, hooked up the dogs and brought them outside with me to figure out what to do next. I called my parents and asked them to pick up some tomato juice at the store and told them the news.

About 25 minutes later, my parents arrived and Daisy was sequestered in her kennel, but since my dogs had gotten close and sniffed her, I didn't want to take any chances. The three of us (my dogs and I) had waited patiently in the mosquito-filled night for my parents to give us the sniff test.

After smelling Lucky and Chess individually, Dad concluded that only Lucky had small traces of skunk-funk in her hair. Moving on to me, Dad smelled my hair, neck and hands and deemed me safe to return inside. But when I came inside and recanted the story, I couldn't help but smell the horrible aroma follow me. Mum sniffed my legs and said she didn't smell anything, but Dad told me that I should probably stay on the safe side and use the tomato juice.

Now, I'm sure that most of you have never had the joy of bathing yourself in tomato juice, so I will have to be very clear: tomato juice in no way feels or smells erotic, especially when cold. If your significant other ever suggests dousing yourself in a food substance to "spice things up", I urge you to look elseware. Go with the cliched whipped creme and chocolate sauce. Never let him or her douse you with tomato juice, regardless of its temperature. It will only intensify his or her craving for a grilled cheese sandwich. And that will only leave you sexually frustrated.*

Imagine, if you will, taking a cold shower, rubbing shampoo in your hair and soap all over your body. Now, replace the water, shampoo and soap in the scenario with tomato juice. That's right. Recall, if you please, the texture of said juice. Remember, it's not the same light and refreshing liquid as apple juice; it's about as thick as the soup variety. Now, once again, imagine massaging that soup into your hair, down to your scalp. Use the loofah and drench your legs and arms in the sauce. And don't get it in your eyes when you wash your face with it.

Grossed out? Yeah. Me too. That's why my shower lasted a good 40 minutes and ended with me vigorously shampooing my hair with three different shampoos and one extra-pretty smelling conditioner.

As for the dog, we dumped her in the stand-pipe, doused her in tomato juice and rinsed her off. Quick three minute procedure and she was ready to shake.

She still smells, but heck, she's not my dog.

*I can only imagine one scenario in which these circumstances could prove fruitful, but unless you and yours have an unhealthy appetite for tomato juice and are very multitalented, it's best to be avoided.

Smelly Cat: Part One

2006-07-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a classic bad day. Bad enough that I decided to sleep on the day's events and write about it today. In light of events surrounding an old friend and an accident she was in, though, it's not that bad.

This weekend, my neighbour, who happens to be my paternal uncle's sister-in-law, is out of town, so she asked me to feed her plethora of outdoor cats and her small dog. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to let her dog, Daisy, spend more time with my two dogs (meaning sniff time).

Before work yesterday, I wasn't feeling very well when I woke up at 5.15a and couldn't get back to sleep, but I didn't think much of it. I retrieved Daisy from next door and leashed up my dogs and took them for the walk down to the road to get the morning paper. I came back, returned my dogs to our yard, fed Daisy and the fourteen cats (I'm actually not exaggerating that number - I really counted fourteen) and went to work.

When I returned from work, I wasn't feeling well, as I had vomited in my mouth a little earlier, so I took a nap. Around 8p, I went to the neighbour's, fed the cats and thought I'd take Daisy for a walk.

Daisy and I didn't get very far before she tested the boundaries of her leash by jumping in some bushes near the cornfield. Thinking it was a cat, I leaned in to get a closer look and see if it was one of the cats I recognised, or if it was yet another cat. Bad idea.

What followed next was wretched. 'Twas not another cat, but a cute little black and white creature. The smell hit seconds later and the creature disappeared into the corn. We had been skunkified.

Just as good, if not better, than Free Sample Saturdays at Costco

2006-07-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

I love getting free stuff.

In elementary school, I began collecting business cards I picked up from various places: offices I'd visit with my parents, from booths in the sundome at the state fair and while participating in the Tour of Homes. The local library even used my collection as one of its exhibits in the glass box when I was about nine or ten.

When I was in middle school, I used to look through the back of magazines and call the 1-800 numbers to obtain catalogues and such (I love getting mail too - but I'll save that for another post). High quality junk mail would follow 6-8 weeks later and I relished the (fabricated) attention.

In high school, I found myself visiting state websites to get "travel information" and ended up with a shoebox full of brochures attempting to lure me into visiting beautiful West Virginia and sunny New Mexico (which I just discarded after lugging it around from apartment to apartment over the years).

A couple years ago, I signed up for a few survey sites (I really like taking quizzes), mostly to feel as though my opinion was worth something to someone other than myself. The thing with many of these survey sites is that most of the time, you don't get any reward or appreciation for your time.* But the quality sites go even further. One such company** awards points per survey. For instance, if you take a survey and get weeded out, you get a smaller number of points than if you had been qualified to finish the survey. I've already cashed in some of my points to get a free subscription to Budget Travel magazine; just 150 more points until I can "buy" a digital voice recorder.

Another survey site sends me free samples to test and provide feedback. It doesn't happen very often, though. I've received a Logitech webcam (from a site testing a new camera-based chat application), a horrible shampoo/conditioner combination that made my hair feel like straw, and, about three weeks ago, another in-shower sample.

I think I'm prohibited from disclosing the brand name, but whatever. It's too good not to share. It's Pantene Brunette Expressions, another spin on those colour-enhancing products. I never thought I'd say this while using Pantene, but my hair feels fabulous. I keep running my fingers through it, it's so smooth. It was all due to the conditioner; the shampoo was really hard to rinse out. But you heard it here first. When this comes out on the market, go get it!***

*other than an entry into a "random $10,000 drawing!" and an occasional fridge magnet.

**I'd mention the site here, but they give points for referring people. And you should know by now that I can't get enough of those points.

***unless, that is, Pantene decides to sell it for $5.49 a bottle as the survey implied.

Now this is what I'm talking about!

2006-07-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, I proclaimed my (extreme) competitiveness regarding board games and the like. What I didn't point out was that I'm not a fan of Monopoly. The chance cards are hardly relevant, the prices are outdated and $200? Come on, even The Game of Life updated.

Well, this bit of news might turn my feelings about Monopoly around. Word is, the (basic) game has already gone a major overhaul in the UK and will be doing the same here in the States. Chance cards, prices, landmarks and even the money will all be updated, including (what I think is the best part), plastic debit cards! Remember the game Mall Madness? Anyone? That shit was awesome, if only for the credit cards!

Rage...complete and utter rage

2006-07-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight my dad and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The movie had great visual effects was witty to boot; I'd really have liked to pay attention to the film, but these piss-ants of children ran up and down the stairs every couple of minutes and gossiped back and forth with four rows between them. Throughout the movie, I plotted my move to get them to shut the hell up, from shh-ing them (which I did quite loudly once - it even caught my dad off guard) to getting up, walking over to them and telling them to stop ruining the movie for me and fuck off, to leaving the theatre to explain my rage in a calm manner to my least favourite (assistant) manager. By the time the credits started rolling, I felt like I wanted to pop out of my seat, jump over the rows and tackle those little bitches and slam their heads through the floor like in some Tarantino movie. Woah. Rereading those statements makes me sound like a horrible person. Yet I'm going to leave it because that's exactly what the most rewarding scenario felt like at the time.

The most I did, though, was catch up to two of the girls and say "hey girls - could you not talk through the movie next time?" I'm seriously all talk, people.

Let's hope I can take care of this inner rage before I turn into Naomi Campbell and beat people up over a pair of jeans.

Now, where did I put those anxiety pills?

Titled "An Inconvenient Truth"

2006-07-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

My ex-boyfriend told me about a conversation he overheard in the IMA locker room during spring quarter. He submitted it to overheardatcollege and they recently posted it on the site:

Dude #1: I’m going tanning later.
Dude #2: Where are you going tanning?
Dude #1: A salon; where else would you go tanning?
Dude #2: Uh…outside.

Snoozer of a week

2006-07-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

It's come to my attention that I keep checking a couple of my favourite blogs and am disappointed to find that they have no new posts, though I haven't posted anything new here for the better part of a week. So for the three of you regulars, my apologies.

This week I:

(finally) finished the Battlestar Galactica Miniseries and first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica Season One.
went to Spokane and ate at the Pita Pit with Jacy and bought some organizational things at Target so I can feel more organizational.
started and completed a Clue puzzle I bought on eBay.
have since started another Clue puzzle I bought on eBay.
drew up a budget (is that the right phrase?) for this autumn and figured out how much I'd have to work to supplement the financial aid.
researched and responded to a couple ads on craigslists for rooms and apartments in the U-District.
shoveled a decomposing dead bird off of the front lawn and porch once I realised that, not only were my dogs the prime suspects in the death of the poor thing, they were rolling in the remains and then tricking me into petting them.
broke my boycott of Burger King and ordered a medium chocolate shake, a whopper jr with cheese (no pickles, no onions) and a Hershey's sunday pie.

None of these feats are reasons I haven't posted anything, though. I think I was in a rut this week. Hopefully posting this will kick me out of it.

The Wait List

2006-07-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

I was notified by UW Student Housing that, as of right now, I'm on a waiting list to get into a triple room for Autumn quarter. Additionally, if I am assigned a room, it won't be until after the quarter starts. So I'm going to be cancelling my application for that, of course. I've done the "triple room" hell before and won't be doing that again. It's bad enough to share a closet of a room with two 18-year-olds when you ARE an 18-year-old. I can't imagine living with two 18-year-olds in such a small space now that I'm 23. *shudders*

So the hunt is on to find a room in a house or a studio on the north end of campus for less than $500 a month. I still have to budget my grants and loans to decide how much I can actually afford to pay each month for a room, but right now, $500 is my ceiling.

Movies, concerts and getting the hell out of town

2006-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I took a much needed respite after the wedding and took an early-week retreat at an undisclosed location for some much needed, let's call it "R&R", shall we? Since no one knows where I've been for the past three days save me and one other person, I'll be as vague as possible concerning my whereabouts.

While I was gone, I used my hard-earned money to see Strangers With Candy. If you like Amy Sederis and Stephen Colbert (and like the tv show as well), I recommend it. The person I went with didn't want to see it and ended up having a good time.

Oh, and before I fled town, I saw Superman Returns. I don't know what the guys from Filmspotting are talking about. And Ebert & Roeper, what the hell? A "mild thumbs up" and a "mild thumbs down?" What is wrong with you people? I agree with Nish, Paul and Willy on this one. It was awesome. 4.5/5!

I have tomorrow off (I think) and then most of next week, so I hope to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and You, Me and Dupree after the Warped Tour on Saturday. Well, I hope I can go to the Warped Tour. I sold my ticket to the person I hung out with when I went MIA because I didn't think I'd get the whole day off this Saturday. As of now, I work from 5.30p-10p, but I might be able to plead with some coworkers to trade.

How could you resist a hug from such a cutie?!

2006-07-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

The wedding went off without a hitch! Thank God! And my hair looked great!

My neice and nephew were so cute as the flower girl and ring bearer!

As we took our photos in the church before the ceremony, Aidan insisted that my favourite Cars character could NOT be Mater, as it was the videographer's favourite. Mine should be the Porshe, as it is a girl in the movie.

Aidan (holding up sheet of Cars puffy stickers): "Which one is your favourite?"
Me (pointing to one of the two Mater stickers): "Mater!"
Aidan: "No. You can't choose that one."
Me: "Yes I can. My favourite is Mater. Make him change his favourite!"
(And later, after several go-arounds)
Aidan (pointing at the Porshe): "No. Your favourite is her. She's a girl."

Later, as I stood up with the wedding party bawling my eyes out during the ceremony, Aidan (who's four years old) came up and gave me a hug in front of everyone! It was so cute (and really needed by myself...i was a blubbering idiot up there). After the ceremony, we had fun with Aidan's Spiderman stickers he received from my mum as a reward for his bravery in front of everyone. Kaitlyn had more fun with her bubbles (see picture at left) than with her Winnie the Pooh stickers.

My dad was well past tipsy at the reception (he claims he must've had twenty beers); I've never seen him dance so wildly!

Everything went well except for the cake being completely different from the one Jamie wanted, though the cake delivered was very pretty. As my aunt said, things like that happen at weddings to give everyone something to talk about later.

Oh, and presents were stolen from the wedding reception. Yeah, I can't believe it either. We don't know how many, but we're going to be doing some investigative work with the present list, the gift registries and with those who attended the reception. Hopefully the thieves didn't get away with much. Bastards.

Now that the wedding is over, there is no other big event to count down to before I head back to UW. Any concerts in Seattle I don't know about yet? Any events I'm unaware of?

Two months left and I'll be back in Seattle!

Really, how long are wedding pictures supposed to take?

2006-07-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

I'm up. It's 3 in the morning the day of my brother's wedding and I'm awake. Granted, I'll be asleep again within the next 45 minutes if my Hypotheses of Early Mornings hold true.

It'd be so sweet if the reason for my early waking was due to my excitement for my brother (who is either a. passed out in a drunken stupor or b. still drinking at this hour), wouldn't it?. But I believe I'm awake because I passed out from the affects of wine drinkage at a measly 11p. That's right, folks. Two (oversized) glasses of wine at the rehearsal dinner and I'm good to go.

The rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch, the tables were set up so pretty (ahem...thank you) and I didn't have to sit anywhere near the Wicked Bitch herself, the Matron of Honor, thanks to the glorious last-minute placecard idea by yours truly.

My Future Sister-In-Law is definitely not a Bridezilla, though it might appear so to take a look at the schedule for the day:

8a Bride, bridesmaids and mums to meet at a local salon for updos, continental breakfast and needless gossip at such an early hour
Bride, maids and mums head over to Bride's mum's house for continuation of prep (makeup, dressing, etc). Mimosa-drinking and carb counting among the girls to ensue in the all-too-familiar phenomenon as Hurry Up and Wait*
12.30p Head over to the reception site for pictures
Travel to church and continue photography ~~hell~~ ~~monotony~~ session
5p Ceremony begins; maids hopefully haven't wilted from the heat yet
After Reception

Notice the block of time scheduled for pictures. Three and a half hours. Of standing. In uncomfortable shoes. In 95 degree weather, no less.

And if I'm forced to dance to one of those horrific Reception staples (you know to which I'm referring if you've ever been to an generic American wedding), someone's gettin' a beat-down.

*Naturally, this phenomenon will undoubtedly occur at each mini-event today, at the most uncomfortable of times (i.e., when in close proximity to ~~Hoochie~~ Matron of Honor and Mother of the Bride). Phenomenon is characterized as seemingly endless, mind-numbing and anxiety-laden.

Did you see where I put my anxiety pills? I think I'll need them ready...

2006-07-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

I won't be typing much this weekend, as tomorrow is my brother's big day. Just got back from a pedicure and getting acrylic nails glued on.

When tanning the "traditional way" after my spray tan disaster wore off, I burned the hell out of my body, from my chest down to my, uh...legs. Not fun. Hopefully by tomorrow, the pain won't be so bad. I have to wear a corset, which already has the tendency to pinch in uncomfortable places.

This is me on the 4th. The first snack of the day. I haven't had one of these Nestle things in ages! And the snacking didn't stop there. Since my brother and his fiancee didn't stay for boating and fireworks, we had a whole load of foad for just the three of us.

With fried chicken, sandwiches, grapes, soda, water and tons of other snacks, I must've gained 5 pounds. Oh gosh, I hope I'll fit in my dress tomorrow!

Tubing pics to follow when I get the chance!

Maybe someone should lend him the book The Jungle...he might reconsider eating all those hot dogs

2006-07-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today, Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi will attempt to eat his way to first place for the sixth year in a row at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. He holds the current record in hot dog eating, set at 53 1/2 in 12 minutes.

For a competitive eater, he has a nice body!

As for me, I'll be stuffing my face with junk food, fried chicken, soda and water (not necessarily in that order) as I hang out on the Columbia River and watch my brother fall flat on his face waterskiing as he attempts to impress his fiancee.

You'd think that'd be the best part of the day, but anchoring the boat and watching the fireworks to the sway of the waves is awesome. Here's hoping the waves aren't so strong all the chicken comes back up!

Have a great 4th!

I look straight out of a sci-fi movie...in a non-flattering way

2006-06-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to half of my new Mexican colour on my white sheets and comforter. My face, feet and hands, though, have gotten even darker. I washed my face with an exfoliating soap and it seems to have lightened things up, but my hands and feet are apparently going to remain 10 times darker than the rest of my body. Unless they, too, leave their traces over every article of fabric I touch. I've turned into an inkpad. I just noticed my keyboard has bits of spray tan on it...unless it's from the oreos and milk I ate in the light of my computer monitor last night.

Oh well. Hopefully it'll all fade in a couple days. I'm just glad I tried this out a week before the wedding. I guess I'll just have to resort to the traditional way of tanning. Anyone have any tanning accelerator I can borrow?

Pale to Mexican in 10 minutes

2006-06-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my summers were filled with camping trips on Chinook Pass and boating excursions on the Snake and Columbia Rivers, as well as daily swimming practices for the local swim team. All of this time in the sun helped my skin to tan, and occasionally burn, many times over come Labor Day. In high school, I followed in the path of my dad and brothers by lifeguarding; eight hours a day, six days a week of sitting out in the sun made me darker than some of my Mexican friends.

Of course, every winter I'd revert back to my pastiness and never notice the difference.

After working the past couple summers in indoor jobs, I apparently haven't gotten the same colour that I used to, because it has come to my attention over the course of the past year that other people think I'm very light skinned.

This doesn't bother me for two reasons:

1. Since I've already had four moles removed and two have been deemed pre-cancerous, I've become much more careful with my skin.

2. A guy I dated for 2 1/2 years repeatedly told me that he was more attracted to pale girls and was actually disappointed one summer when I started to visit tanning salons in search of a darker me.

However, considering that I'm a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding next Saturday, I decided that I'd look dreadful if I didn't get some colour on my body, as the dress I'll be wearing is this Pepto Bismal pink, which makes me look even more ghostlike than normal. And then people will wonder what that blinding light in the wedding photos is. And I will have to say "my friends, that glowing orb wearing a dress is yours truly."

So what did I do about this?

I decided to strip nekkid in front of a random employee at a salon in Grandview and allowed her to spray tanning solution all over my body. Yes, nekkid and yes, all over my body. Was it worth it? We'll find out soon enough, as it takes a couple hours to completely darken. But my arms are already a light Mexican colour. If it's not dark enough, the girl at the shop said she could make me Indian next week.

Game Night is on!

2006-06-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

When I was in elementary school, I joined the AAU basketball team because a friend played. I was such a horrible player; I didn't even understand the rules of the game until some years later. I also played softball in 6th and 7th grade, after years on the Parks & Rec t-ball and softball teams, and made the "B" squad, though I wasn't too coordinated with catching the ball. I tried out for volleyball and, much to my dismay, was sent to the "you-suck-but-we-have-to-let-you-play-because-this-is-middle-school" intramural team.

With that said, it's safe to say that I'm not one for physical sports. Well, scratch that. I like playing kickball and I love to swim. But I'm not very competitive while participating, probably because I just don't want to lose, or worse yet, confirm my depressing thoughts that I'm a loser. My enthusiasm is always in the game; the accompanying skills, however, are quite often absent.

Yet anyone who's every played a board game with me will tell you that I am a really competitive player. I absolutely love board games and feel really confident with my abilities to leave others in my dust as I race to the finish. My favourites are Clue Master Detective, Hotels (one surprisingly no one has ever heard of but me) and The Game of Life.

While I'm not one for cheating, in the past I've been known to "accidently" bump the board, and with pieces flying everywhere, this makes recovery and continuation of the game nearly impossible. Granted, this was back in high school. As I said, I'm really competitive. But I've matured a great deal since then, really!

Last night, a friend from work brought her boyfriend over and the three of us swam for awhile in the pool and then came inside and played Clue and The Game of Life (their choices!). We had a great time and all three of us were really into it. I was secretly grinning when, in Clue, after making his final accusation and discovering he was wrong, he was visibly pissed at Megan for a slight misunderstanding of who held the card for Sgt. Gray.

Timmy and I were collecting money left and right during The Game of Life, and both took great delight that Megan had to take a loan out to buy her house and made the lowest salary possible by the end of the game. By the end, she turned it around, and we got to laugh at Timmy for losing.

Finally I have a couple friends that not only understand my cutthroat attitude with board games, but enjoy beating each other down with little cars and pawns!

Who would've known we'd run into bike protesters?

2006-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

While I was sitting in the Park-and-Ride lot waiting for my friend Ingrid this morning, guess who decided to stare me down!

Yup! One of those sage rats again! I parked my car, casually looked up and about eight feet from my car stood this little guy. He stared at me for a good three or four minutes (seriously) in the same standing position before deciding to go on about his business and crouch down to eat something. He continued to munch on food until Ingrid showed up about ten minutes later and then disappeared.

Ingrid and I went on our 16-mile bike ride, this time from Grandview to Prosser and back. Once we got to Prosser, we ate really unhealthy breakfast at a national fast food chain off the freeway, after being scolded by a random woman while chaining up our bikes.

After our breakfast, we went in search of a OutWest Pet Grooming so I could buy some Greenies for my dogs. Just as we got to the store, crossing the intersection is a house.

No really. A house. Being pulled by a semi. Down the road. I thought that only happened in childrens' books. I mean, I've seen single and double-wide manufactured homes going down the freeway, but never a whole house.

Hmmm...I wonder if you could ship an entire house cross-country. It would save on packing and boxes. But what would happen to the basement?

Somber

2006-06-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

I don't feel writing anything resembling wittiness would be appropriate today, as 21 June marks one year since my lovely cousin passed away. Russell was my most favourite cousin and, as he was several years younger than me, I felt like he was more of a little brother than a cousin.

His home life was rough on him (his dad a drug user and absolutely horrible father and his mother doing the best she could); he was overweight and, being partly raised by our grandparents, our maternal grandfather had the prime opportunity to ridicule him constantly. From a young age, he was put at a disadvantage.

The last time I talked with him, I was really rude. The was some reason, but it all seems so petty now. I was supposed to see him that final weekend, but having chosen last minute not to take the 12-hour round-trip drive to attend another cousin's wedding (from my dad's side of the family) in Olympia, I missed my chance to see him. My parents visited with him, though, when they stayed with my mother's parents after the wedding. My dad said that he looked well and talked brightly of his college prospects.

His mother, my aunt, thinks he had fabricated having symptoms of ADHD so he could get the same prescription a fellow classmate had used. The classmate had lost some weight while using the drug.

Russell was in bed when he was discovered, by his younger sister's baby-sitter, after she hadn't seen or heard from him all morning. He had died of an apparent Adderall overdose. He was only eighteen.

My dad called me as soon as he heard the news. I have never wept before or since like I did that evening; many of the capillaries in my eyelids burst from being under such stress. I sobbed uncontrollably for hours on the floor of my bathroom. Thinking it was a suicide, I blamed myself for not being more available to him. Realizing it had to be an accident has helped me cope.

I miss him so much. I will never stop missing him. You hear that, Russell? Never.

As a ~~serious and respected~~ blogger over the age of 16, I've taken a silent oath to refrain from posting song lyrics; however, just this once, I'm allowing an exemption. It won't happen again.

Occured to me the other day
You've been gone now a couple years
Well, I guess it takes while
For someone to really disappear

And I remember where I was
When the word came about you
It was a day much like today
The sky was bright, and wide, and blue

And I wonder where you are
And if the pain ends when you die
And I wonder if there was
Some better way to say goodbye

Today my heart is big and sore
It's tryin' to push right through my skin
Won't see you anymore
I guess that's finally sinkin' in

'Cause you can't make somebody see
By the simple words you say
All their beauty from within
Sometimes they just look away

And I wonder where you are
And if the pain ends when you die
And I wonder if there was
Some better way to say goodbye
Some better way to say goodbye

-Patty Griffin, "Goodbye"

I'll believe it when I see it, except in Bollywood!

2006-06-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

Any of my friends will tell you that I despise musicals. I think it's absolutely ridiculous that the two gangs "fight" by singing and dancing in West Side Story. I can't get into guys hopping on cars and singing about "Summer Lovin'" in Grease. I don't buy that such macho guys would do that. I'm sorry. I just can't do it.

But I love love love Bollywood films! Granted, I've only seen a couple. I went in not knowing if I'd like the style, but while watching the first one, I really enjoyed it!

Maybe deep down I accept that Indian culture really permits, nay, encourages random bursts of singing and dancing. That, if I were to travel to Bombay, I'd actually experience a musical right before my eyes dancing down the street. Unseen speakers would blast beautiful musical accompaniment and perhaps backing vocals and the people in line at the shops would begin choreographed routines, lip-syncing and dancing all around me in a sea of happiness, saris and billowy outdated pants.

This is almost as bad as believing Clark Kent and Superman look completely different!

2006-06-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Fire in the Sky. Wow. That's all I can seem to say about it.

While I don't think it'll be giving me nightmares (except the creepy claustrophobic scene with the piece of metal coming down towards his eye), I was rightly freaked out.

What also freaks me out is the fact that Robert Patrick was in this movie. I noticed his name on the Netflix envelope and couldn't place the name. I watched the whole movie and still couldn't place the name with any of the faces. Until I looked it up on good ol' imdb.com.

This is Robert Patrick. With those dreamy eyes, shaggy hair and down home style.

To my shock and horror, this is also Robert Patrick.This Robert Patrick is the man that haunted my dreams for a week when I was eight, after I watched Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This is the Robert Patrick I've been scared shitless of for the past fourteen years.What's even more conflicting is that the movies were made a mere two years apart!

I am so confused about how I feel right now.

Just call me Snippy Sara

2006-06-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

It could be the fact that I currently live with my parents and don't have to worry about rent. It could also be that, since my dad is paying me $20 a week to mow our ocean of a lawn, I don't have to worry about being broke. Regardless of the reason, I've come to the point in my life that I just don't give a fuck if I get fired. Sure, I can customer-service the hell out of someone, but I really just don't care sometimes.

Tonight, we sold out (well, not really...when a movie theatre "sells out" of a particular show, there really are between 15 and 40 seats left. it's totally a misnomer) of our 7.05p Fast and the Furious show. I promptly put up a "sold out" sign, in full view of the next person in line. He had to have seen me put it up and press down on the tape. Because he didn't seem blind when he proceeded to walk up to the counter and ask for two tickets to Fast and the Furious. He even acted shocked when I told him we had just sold out. "Really?" he questioned. Without a word, I pointed right next to his head at the sign I had, not thirty seconds earlier, posted that clearly stated such information.

Later, a girl walked up and asked for four tickets. Actually, it was more like:
Girl:"Me, her, him and her...?"
My response: *stares at her for a good ten seconds*
Girl: *stares back at me*
Me: and WHICH movie did you want to see?

And last night, a guy and girl came up to the ticket counter and, seeing the poster advertising pre-sale tickets for Superman Returns, said "two tickets for Superman," then quickly said "naw, jus' playin'. Two for The Omen". This statement seemed incredibly hilarious to the two. With an annoyed look, I said "Why was that funny?" to which he replied "Just shut up and give me my tickets." I asked him for his ID (they barely looked 17) and then stated "Please don't talk to me like that. I just wanted to know why that was funny. Honestly, I don't get it." After squabbling with me about how I was the one that "started it", I handed him his tickets with a big smile and gave him a "thank you" dripping with sarcasm.

Of course, after reading these examples, they sound watered down. But my writing on the topic could be stifled by my wearing of pajamas at the moment. I think a lot of the anger I develop over the course of a shift might actually come from the disgust of wearing a horrendous uniform and the stupid people just make it worse.

Face, Meet Fist (and its friend Glass)

2006-06-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

You know the type of people that think their own jokes are incredibly hilarious? (I'm not talking about you, A) The kind that think they are amazingly clever and original? Those are the kind of people that annoy me most while I'm at work.

Sure, there are the folks that come up to the booth asking for two tickets and really mean "one adult and two children".

There's the guy that, after peering through the glass for a good five minutes looking at our marquees, walks up and asks how much the ticket prices are, oblivious to the fact that the sign stating such information is clearly displayed on the wall just over my right shoulder.

What really irks me, though, is the forty-five year old man that saunters up to the counter with his wife and says "two seniors for Cars, please," knowing full well that the senior price is for those aged at least 65. Of course, this is followed by a head-tilting laugh/knee slap on his part, with him thinking how clever he must be. Because he must be the first and only person to have ever done that.

Meanwhile, I'm stone-faced on my side of the glass, moments away from shoving my fist through the glass and punching him in the face.

I kid you not, this happens at least once on most shifts. Equally as often is the same senario, yet the man asks for two child tickets. Also interesting to note is that the offender is always a white male and an incredible douchebag.

I'd rather eat Tic Tacs for a day than monkey chow for a week, that's for sure

2006-06-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, I thought it was so incredibly absurd that Tic Tacs had nutrition labels "based on a 2,000 calorie diet", I decided to calculate how many boxes I'd need to eat in a day (only eating Tic Tacs, mind you) and follow the course. This wasn't an attempt to lose weight, although it should have been, considering that I was quite the heifer back then. It was more about proving the stupidity of Tic Tac nutrition labels.

After consuming over 7 containers of Tic Tacs (the light and dark green ones were my favourite), I had such terrible heartburn that I was forced to consider the fact that I might be the idiot in this case.

Today I stumbled across a website of a similar, if more disgusting, venture. Adam Scott, of The Last Angry Young Man, decided he'd try eating monkey chow for a week to save money on food and time on preparation and cleaning. Video diary links are posted on the blog as well.

Good luck, Monkey Man. Good luck. At least you're trying an experiment with a product you don't normally consume. My esophagus burns just thinking of eating Tic Tacs.

A Blog Worth Mentioning

2006-06-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is my politeness-with-strangers problem, to the 10th degree, in male form. Reminds me of a certain ex-roommate of mine, who, by the way, still hasn't paid me for wrecking my car and for the last month of rent. What a jerkface.

I'm bored and am sick of working. Here are some free samples. Enjoy.

thanks to udandi for alerting me to some of these!

Early Mornings

2006-06-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

The past couple mornings, I've woken up between 5.30a and 6.30a, coherent enough to go get breakfast and not fall asleep eating it. I'll be awake enough to check my email, read the news, watch an episode or two of Rescue Me or even post a blog. And then, I crash. I'm only able to stay up for an hour or two and then I just drain. I hit a wall and fall asleep for another three hours or so. I've fallen asleep while watching an episode of Cold Case Files, woken up two hours later with the tv playing yet another episode, and getting confused from the (very) different storylines.

Speaking of which, I'm starting to fall asleep. Must. Lay. Down. Now.

Worth it's Weight in Pretty Paper

2006-06-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

I don't understand people sometimes. Actually, scratch that. I don't understand some people most of the time. For instance, I don't get parents who send their five and six year olds to the movies and don't attend with them. I don't get the parents who bring their little children to see scary, rated "R" movies. And I really don't understand parents (or anyone, for that matter), paying $8 a person to see a movie that started a half hour ago.

I don't get you people. If I want to see a movie, that $8 is paying for the whole thing. I don't have eight bucks to spend on a movie that I'll most likely not be able to completely enjoy because I didn't catch the first scenes. I'd rather wait until the next showing. See the previews maybe.

Only twice have I walked into a theatre just after the movie started. Those movies were Poseidon and The Da Vinci Code. The former was just because we skipped Stick It (don't judge) and with the latter, I had already read the book. And both of those times, I got in free.

I have a hard enough time watching movies on tv of which I miss more than a couple minutes. Which is why I still haven't seen ¡Three Amigos! in its entirety.

[Edit] I just realised the title to this blog makes no sense with regards to the subject. I thought it did when I typed it, but upon further inspection, I (a) am too lazy to think of a new title and (b) really don't care.

It's all about respect

2006-06-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

This shirt reminds me of the time OL came to see me when I lived in Spokane. She and I had been apart for quite awhile and had never met my boyfriend (now ex), so the two of us met up with A at the Old Spaghetti Factory. After a nice getting-to-know-you dinner, the three of us piled into my Neon and gave A a lift to his car.

I will drive round and round city blocks looking for a metered parking space just so I don't have to pay $8 to park in a lot for two hours. But A has this thing about not paying for parking -- at all. He parks at gas stations and customer-only lots, many of which have clearly posted signs warning all of the wrath to come from parking in a restricted area. Maybe he just thinks that he can pay the fine with a credit card and be done with it.

When we arrived at the local diner just down the street (beware of Molly's Restaurant -- they mean business), his car was nowhere to be found. It took us a couple moments to realise it had been towed.

But I guess those fucking assholes were just doing their jobs.

I would hate to work at a towing company. Those guys don't get any respect. And that's what I'm all about. Which is why I work in the box office at a cinema, wearing a god-awful vest and bow tie.

A Stupid and Simple Plan

2006-06-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

I can add to this comic from xkcd. At first I didn't mind Simple Plan.

Then my flatmate played "Perfect" every single morning, as soon as she woke up until she walked out the door (and left it on repeat when she took a shower).

From then on, I've wanted to punch someone in the face every time I hear their music.

I Honestly Don't Get It Part II

2006-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Once again, I found something written somewhere that I can't figure out.

This tee, found at Busted Tees, has the description "This is our impersonation of anybody who sees your shirt: Hey what's a... Ohhh! Hahaha! Where can I get one! SERIOUSLY! GIMME THE LINK OF THE STORE!"

I usually think I'm pretty good at these word puzzles, but I have no idea what this means. Anyone? Once again, I hope it's not incredibly obvious!

I Honestly Don't Get It

2006-05-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

While driving home from Yakima (we went to see our Best Friends), sb and I spotted this license plate and couldn't figure it out.

Any ideas?

I'm really hoping it's not blatently obvious.

Plus, yesterday I saw a license plate that said I8TOKYO. Does that mean they hate Toyko or were they just really hungry?

Breaking News: Local dino family loses cousin in deadly brawl

2006-05-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of thethreetoedsloth

Four Down, Hundreds More to Cut Off

2006-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I drove all the way to Spokane today, waited in the lobby to see my doctor, and 45 minutes later, realised that my appointment wasn't at 11a like I thought, but at 2p, conveniently scheduled the same time as my other doctor appointment. After many calls back and forth to Kim, I was able to reschedule for 4p.

My GP (the appointment at 2p) found two suspicious moles, one on my left arm (of which I have a hard time remembering it ever being there in the first place) and the cute, but spotty mole on the bottom of my right foot. I was a very good sport while she numbed my arm, only whining a little bit. But the foot was another story. I yelled so loudly when she injected the numbing agent, one of the nurses came in to see if everything was ok. I also shouted "FUUUUCK!"

The only way that pain will be worth it is if the lab finds it to be pre-cancerous. If it's benign, I'm going to...eh, prolly nothing. I'm all talk, really.

It still hurts like a bitch and I'm hobbling to boot. The area on my arm, though, is still numb. The best thing? Since I'm having trouble standing, I got out of work for Thursday! Yay!

Queue THIS

2006-05-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

Have just taken a break from watching the first season of Rescue Me. The guys at Podflix recommended it during episode 36 and I thought I'd put it on my queue and try it out. I've only finished episode 6 of the season, but I'm going to finish the last two on the second disc tonight.

I wasn't really sure what to expect. All I knew was that it was about the FDNY post 9/11. Denis Leary really put his soul into this series as creator, writer, executive producer and actor. The subject matter brings me to tears at some point in almost every show, from how each character deals with issues to Tommy's ghosts.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Honestly, go out of your way to watch this show, if nothing else but to spy the eye candy.

At Least Other Companies Pretend to Give a Shit

2006-05-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

As many of you might know, I have regularly scheduled appointments every couple of weeks in Spokane (roughly a three hour drive). In addition, as I will be returning to UW in the fall, I will be having at least one appointment with advisors before September in Seattle (also a three hour drive).

In any normal job, I would request these days to be taken into consideration for days off at least two weeks in advance; if the request is put in inside the two week window, it's understood that I may be assigned to work those days.

At any other job, I may also be given a blank calendar with which I'd fill in the days up to a couple months in advance in which I'd like to have off.

This is the case at many other jobs. But not at my newest.

I was finally handed an employee handbook a couple days ago, after I had made a few requests for upcoming days in which I'd be out of town for said appointments (coincidental? I doubt it). Over the weekend, I perused the document and came across this:

I put boxes around the most shocking parts and underlined the outrageous.

I've never worked for a company that basically says to its employees "I don't give a fuck about you" in the handbook.

What's more, employees are given their upcoming schedules one week at a time. And the management has until Wednesday afternoons to give us our schedules for the upcoming weekend. So I have to wait until tomorrow to know what I'm doing on Friday.

As much as I enjoy the free movies, I think I may have to start looking for a new job.

Poseidon + Liquor = Still a Crappy Movie

2006-05-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Last night, sb and I went to Poseidon, the movie that A told me not to go to even if I didn't have to pay anything. Sorry, A, we didn't want to wait for the 9 o'clock movies and that was the only one we weren't late for.

After lubricating our minds with a couple of over-poured drinks, sb and I headed to the theatre. By the time we got there, I couldn't feel my arms.

I'd give the film a solid 2 out of 5 stars, only because we were liquored up and everything was funny. We didn't take the movie seriously at all; if the movie hadn't taken itself so seriously, maybe it would've gotten a higher rating. There were plenty of perfect moments for me to lean over to sb and say "oh, that can't be good!" to which she'd reply "they just need to let Mr. Holland's Opus die already!"

Thank goodness there was only one other person in the huge theatre. Otherwise, our movie experience would've been quite dull.

Most shocking quote of the night?

While we were choosing our dinner from the menus as we sipped daiquiris and hypnotiq, I told sb that I wanted a smaller portion of rice and beans with the enchilada I was to order and wondered if they'd bring me a smaller plate.

sb: "Why don't you have the big plate and just eat what you want and leave the rest?"

me: "But [sb], what about the children in Africa?" my grandpa always used to give us the excuse as kids that we had to eat everything on our plate for the children in Africa

sb, matter-of-factly: "The children in Africa are dying of AIDS, so...if they don't die from starvation, they're [already] dying from AIDS."

*insert jaw drop of bewilderness here*

little children of Africa, I care!

The Benchwarmers and fifty cent snacks!

2006-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took full advantage of my new job and its perks and went to the theatre to watch a movie. Nothing playing was anything I would've wanted to pay $6 for, but since I wasn't paying, I decided I'd just pick one. Plus I got popcorn and a soda for fifty cents each!

And The Benchwarmers, it was. In case the synopsis slipped your mind, the film is about "a trio of guys [who] try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads" courtesy of imdb.

It stars Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder and Jon Lovitz, with smaller roles going to Nick Swardson, Tim Meadows, Craig Kilborn and Molly Sims and even a cameo by Reggie Jackson.

I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars, with the .5 added just because this is the first film in which Rob Schneider and Jon Lovitz both were likable characters and didn't ruin the film for me. David Spade was the funniest of the three, in my opinion. And Jon Heder shouldn't have taken that role. As a new actor, he's already starting to be typecast as "that idiot". He did it perfectly in Napoleon Dynamite, and was pushing it as the stoned clairvoyant in Just Like Heaven, but in this one, he was just a mess.

Plus there was the horrible role of Howie, played by Nick Swardson, who is labeled "agoraphobic", but won't go outside because he's actually terrified of the sun. It was just for cheap laughs, but upset me because the high school-aged girls in front of me thought it was hilarious. Needless to say, I didn't. It pisses me off when Hollywood stigmatizes mental illness, especially in movies aimed at the younger crowds, just for a laugh.

Sharks with lasers on their heads

2006-05-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

I guess it's old news, but on Sunday, my mum and I got our ears pierced. First time for my mum and the sixth time for me.

My mum got the drive to finally get her ears pierced, not to fulfill the promise that she made to me back in the day that we'd get our ears pierced together my first time around, but because my brother and his fiancee bought her a set of matching earrings and necklace that they want her to wear to their wedding in July (the future sister-in-law, and apparently my brother as well, had no idea that my mum didn't have pierced ears).

My reasoning for getting my ears pierced? Because I wanted to be able to wear earrings for the wedding as well. I know what you must be thinking. "Brianne, why on earth did you have to pierce your ears again when you already have five holes in each ear?"

My answer, fine friend, is quite ridiculous, but very true: this is the sixth set of piercings in the same holes. To be more clear (and redundant) I have only one set of holes in my lobes and they've been pierced six times.

Yes, I know that earrings should be left in the newly pierced holes for at least 6 weeks. And every single time, I left them in for at least that long.

The last time, I had gotten drunk and when I came home, I attempted to replace the hoop earrings I was wearing with smaller ones to sleep in. In my drunken stupor, I dropped the posts on my bathroom floor and couldn't find them. I ended up passing out without replacing the earrings, and in the morning, the holes were like the Iron Curtain.

My apologies for the lack of cohesion in this post. I really don't care if I posted anything really worth reading. I'm hungry, tired and frustrated that I have to wait until tomorrow to receive the next three disks of Lost: Season 1 from Netflix.

I...must...eat.

A Past Love

2006-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

I just awoke from a beautiful dream. Somehow, an ex-boyfriend of mine came back into my life and we became reacquainted.

We kissed and, even in my dream, it was the most wonderful kiss I'd ever experienced. I felt sparks. I felt safe. I felt like I was home.

When I woke up and realised it was a dream, I did a search for him on myspace (just to see, gosh!). I found his myspace page and when I looked at his pictures, it felt like his eyes were piercing my soul. He looked as wonderful as I remembered.

He's married...happily...and his wife is absolutely gorgeous.

My dreams, oh how they fail me.

postsecret

2006-05-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Nametags and Hairnets

2006-05-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Either the manager was exaggerating about the difficulty of the quizzes or I'm more of an idiot than I thought.

The first two quizzes were cake, but I started noticing by the third (there were 5 in all) that there were questions asked that had nothing to do with the information in the accompanying videos. For instance, during the "Special Needs" video (number 3), the information briefly covered how to accomodate customers with work dogs, yet the quiz asked about how a work dog is certified.

Roger Lodge didn't even cover that.

Yes, you read correctly. THE Roger Lodge, of Blind Date fame, co-hosted the National Association of Theatre Owners (and yes, they DO refer to themselves as NATO) training videos. He did a great job in making an ass out of himself. Which, of course, is never a surprise.

Nevertheless, I received a 100% on all but one quiz...the last I got a 90%...so there.

Friday is my first day. I've already been assigned the requisite vest (conveniently held together with more safety pins than you can shake a stick at), plus another nametag to add to my ever-expanding nametag/hairnet collection. The best part? It's in the shape of a clapboard.

Idiot Testing

2006-05-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I posted about turning in my application at a local cinema. On Friday, the manager finally called me and asked me to come in on Saturday for an interview.

At the interview, I learned that to obtain the minimum-wage job, not only would I need to pass a criminal background check, but be able to watch three 10-minute videos pertaining to safety and harassment in the theatre setting and pass the subsequent multiple-choice quizzes. He proceeded to tell me that they conducted the quizzes to "basically weed out the idiots," and, after a pause, stated he really hoped I passed the quizzes, otherwise he had just called me stupid.

After a general Q&A about the job, we bantered back and forth about whether I'd need any take-home study materials for the quizzes and then I was free to go.

Today, he called me to let me know that my criminal background check had come back:

manager: "I just wanted to let you know that your criminal background check came back..."

me: "Ok"

manager: "...and there was something on it."

me: *jaw dropping to the floor* "WHAT?"

manager: "just kidding. it's fine."

I've got $5 in imaginary currency saying that he's got the same management style as Michael Scott. (come on, I don't even have any paychecks coming in yet!).

I'm going in today at 3p to watch the videos. I hope the results don't prove what I've been fearing since freshman year in college.

Remember, Remember the 5th of...May

2006-05-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

It's Cinco de Mayo! How could I forget until now?! As I type, the roads are still blocked off in town for the festival weekend!
Nachos for everyone!

Even my spanish-speaking alarm clock knows how to party!

¡So las veintitrés horas y ocho minutos!

Cute little critters!

2006-05-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

SB came over this morning and we worked on a CWU alumni auction item using products from the winery where she works. Her sister, a student at Central, needed it by 3p. After we cut boxes for the glasses, bottle opener and bottles to sit on, we went to Safeway, not the dreaded W, to pick up some chocolate bars to finish off the basket.

During this whole project, we took a break to buy some wine at a different winery (for SB's personal consumption - 3 bottles, mind you), and taking backroads on the way, we saw these cute little gopher-like things running across the road and disappearing into small holes in the dirt. She calls them "sage rats," though I doubt they have anything to do with rats. They're small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but we found bigger ones as well.

Can you see it? It's so cute!

CSI: Highway 395

2006-05-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

SB accompanied me on my trek to Spokane today, after I overslept my departure time and rescheduled my doctor appointment for 2p. I did the 20 minute Jam and then showered before we left.

Along the way, she and I practiced singing together like we always used to do and had a blast! As we neared Spokane, she noticed that the vehicle in front of us was none other than the bus for the Harlem Globetrotters. After some careful maneuvering and a quick lesson in how to use my new camera phone, SB snapped a couple pictures for me:

I know the Globetrotters haven't really been cool for ages (i don't know...i don't do basketball), but it was pretty awesome thinking that the guys inside were prolly thinking we were idiots trying to take pictures of their bus while we sped up and slowed down to get the right angle.

After my appointment, SB and I went to Hastings and bought a couple cd's (she did, actually) and then to the yummy bakery, before heading to The Onion for lunch (mmm...avocado burger!), followed by a trip to Boo Radley's, this kitchy, random-finds type of shop.

On the way back, while we listened to Podflix episode #36, I thought I saw what looked like a person/body on the slope of an overpass. SB didn't see it, so I turned around at a "non-u-turn" u-turn and drove back. She looked behind as we passed it and confirmed my suspicion of the blue and red cloths. At the intersection (yes, this highway has an intersection), we turned BACK around, now going in the same direction in which we started our trip home, this time taking the exit to the overpass.

After I got out and checked out as much as I could from the "scene of the crime" below while SB covered her head with her outstreched sweatshirt, I came to the conclusion that it looked like a snow suit, but I couldn't be sure. Originally the deal was that I would get out and look and she would call 911 if need be, but when I got back in, she told me to call because I was the one that saw it, though she declined to check it out herself.

The police came, we all got out and looked at the "scene" 30 feet down the slope and determined that it looked best like a sleeping bag, but the officer told us he'd investigate it further himself.

Thank goodness we didn't see a dead body; we were just listening to Nish's 5 Second Reviews on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and that would have been way too creepy of a coincidence.

Possums!

2006-04-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of myself! I waited until 10a to do my workout this morning because I scheduled it with a workout buddy from WOWY. Not only did I do Turbo Jam's Cardio Party Mix 1 (a 40min intense workout), but I did the Ab Jam too (20min ab workout)! I felt so good afterwards! But let me tell you, I was struggling at one point during CP1, around the 20min mark, prolly because I'm not good at the kicks and lunges section. But I put a smile on my face when Chalene reminded me to and that really helped! It's awesome how just smiling can make things feel better, if only momentarily.

I remember I used to smile a lot when I was a kid. Now, it seems like I only smile 10% of the day. How sad. :(

See. There we go again.

I wonder what the Softserve Swirl and The Ventriloquist look like

2006-04-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Find your own pose!

I fiddled with the answers to see if I could get another result, and after a couple of tries, my sleeping pose became The Colon. Not surprisingly, I'm satisfied with my first result.

Bonus link! The Lonely Planet Guide to My Apartment

Blame it on the pay, yeah, yeah.

2006-04-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

I quit the job...and I blamed it on my dad. It was my mum's idea. I'm such a pussy.

I finally called her at 7.45p and told her that my dad and I had a long talk and he told me that I'd have to get a full-time job that paid at least minimum wage to be able to save enough money for Uni. In addition, my dad had secured me with a very promising job interview tomorrow morning at 9a, so returning tomorrow wouldn't be an option.

I feel really bad, because the kids are really cute and fun. But I wouldn't even be able to buy a full tank of gas with that kind of money. I told her that I was so sorry and if I could, I'd still work for her, but the best I'd be able to provide was occasional baby-sitting, if she would still hire me.

She asked me every question I feared she'd ask:
"Could you pick up an evening shift somewhere?"
"Where's the new job your dad is arranging for you?"
"Are you sure you have to quit?"
(of course there were more, but in the guilt-induced daze, my memory couldn't keep up)

She even requested that, if the job interview fell through, I let her know so we could work something out.

Yet not once did she offer to pay more.

Oh, and my dad didn't mind -- he gave me a high-five! My parents are awesome!

Preparing my resume and cover letters

2006-04-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

After talking it over with my parents last night, both agree that I should quit this new job...today (after my "shift"). My dad thinks I should tell them that "after giving the position a second thought, it'd be best that I find a job that pays at least minimum wage to fully save for college."

Or just say that "although I love baby P, it's just not working out."

Let's just see if I have the courage to go through with it.

I get off work at 4p and will have just enough time to deliver a resume and cover letter to an assisted living facility in town that's hiring an administrative assistant. Then I'll hop on by the theatre and drop that application off (I mentioned this job like two weeks ago and still haven't turned the application in! I'm such a slacker!). Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the Daily Sun News to find out about "volunteering".

Maybe she actually said "per hour" and I misunderstood

2006-04-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

I got a job today. I answered an ad in the paper for a baby-sitting position and went to the interview tonight. I'm not excited about it because it only pays $20 a day. Yup. You read that right. $20 a DAY...for working from 7a to 4p. And me being the idiot I am actually accepted the offer...AFTER she told me the rate.

Of course, I can work there until I find a new job, but that's going to prove difficult. Why? Well, in addition to me being non-confrontational, the parents were both students in my dad's 8th grade class and two of their three children were students in my mum's kindergarten class. So, by NOW turning down the job that I already accepted, not only would I hurt my name, I'd hurt my parents' reputation as well.

Meanwhile, OL went on an interview this afternoon and is taking a pay cut by accepting the $8 an HOUR job. Needless to say, I'm not feeling sorry for her anymore.

Easter Bunnies

2006-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Kim

Easter Candy

2006-04-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, eating well went on holiday for the holiday. By 4p all I had eaten was chocolate. I was actually jittery and had trouble cutting paper. I blame it on my mum and the awesome Easter basket she gives me every year! (There was more candy in it when she brought into my room at 9a.)

Believe me, I felt it this morning after my workout. Let's just say that, after a day's worth of chocolate, 40 minutes of high-intensity cardio did not leave me refreshed.

It felt like the time in high school when I ate a huge bar of Swiss chocolate our exchange student gave me in one sitting and regretted it for days.

Pushing play

2006-04-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I'm going to work out. I've missed the last two mornings and, according to the goals I've set, this means that I've used up my two non-workout days. The only problem is that I'm really hungry right now (it's 6.40a) and I'm not planning on working out until 8a (the time that my parents will finally be out of the house). Once I eat in the morning, I'm really sluggish about pushing play and end up skipping the workout. But I fear if I don't eat, by the time I'm supposed to start, I'll be too hungry. I'm trying a new Turbo Jam dvd today (Punch, Kick & Jam) and I want to be able to make it through the whole thing. Ah, screw it. If I eat now, the sluggishness should wear off in an hour, right?

I think I'm more "Tea Chest 6103 semi-gloss"

2006-04-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

Since I left my shampoo at A's apartment the last time I was in Seattle, I went to the store today to buy a replacement, as well as conditioner. While there, I quickly realised that, while the store carries the amber to maple shampoos, they didn't carry the moisturizing shampoo or conditioner for light brunette hair. While trying to maintain my composure (for some reason unknown to me, this haircare line is hard to find at many grocery stores in my area), I calmly explained to my dad why the chestnut to espresso moisturizing shampoo wouldn't work. My hair is light brown, right?

Not so, according to Dad. Conveniently placed directly above the shelf I was focusing on were a couple dye kits. He picked up the aptly titled chestnut product, held it up to my head and gave me the news that I am, in fact, darker haired than I had thought.

Huh. Now that I think about it, I haven't had my hair highlighted since I was 19.

Kinda reminds me of last year, when I realised that my eyes were blue instead of green. (What's sad is that I'm actually serious.)

In other news, I took The Princeton Review Career Quiz tonight.

My "interest colour" and "usual style" results are both blue.

People with blue Interests:

like job responsibilities and occupations that involve creative, humanistic, thoughtful, and quiet types of activities.
include abstracting, theorizing, designing, writing, reflecting, and originating
often leads to work in editing, teaching, composing, inventing, mediating, clergy, and writing.

People with blue styles:

prefer to perform their job responsibilities in a manner that is supportive and helpful to others with a minimum of confrontation.
prefer to work where they have time to think things through before acting.
tend to be insightful, reflective, selectively sociable, creative, thoughtful, emotional, imaginative, and sensitive.
thrive in a cutting edge, informally paced, future-oriented environment. You will want to choose a work environment or career path in which your style is welcomed and produces results.

Notable among the recommended careers based on my results are:

Editor
Philosopher
Photographer
Political Scientist
Book Publishing Professional
Professional Researcher
Journalist
Writer
Public Relations
Consultant

Also interesting was the inclusion of disc jockey, florist, set designer and stripper.

Goals and free movies!

2006-04-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today my parents and I discussed my finances come September, where I'll reside while attending University and what my goals are from now until then.

I'm not sure yet how much financial aid I will receive, which partly determines the choice in housing, so I've just decided to list my goals:

Find a job by the end of April
work at least 20 hours a week until September
Decide on a major by August
Exercise 5 days a week to start, at least 20 minutes a day (that's the shortest Turbo Jam workout) from now until July (my brother's wedding)

I was exercising daily for about two weeks, but last Friday I became much more lazy and, since I was in Seattle for three days, didn't exercise then or since I've come home. Eight days is too long of a break. Plus, I received the Maximum Results package in the mail on Thursday!

Tomorrow, I'll start my workout regimen again.

Oh, and one of my mum's students is the daughter of the manager at the local movie theatre (hey, it's better than Wal-Mart), so I hopefully have an in there. My mum called the student's mother for information and apparently the mum was really excited about my interest.

And, even if the job sucks, the job isn't that taxing...plus, FREE MOVIES!

This time I WILL get the license plate border

2006-04-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

The moment I set my purse down on the table when I arrived at home from Seattle today, my cell phone rang.

All morning, I waited for the call from Candace (see recent posts). I drove the entire way back hom with the phone on my lap, just in case I didn't hear the ring or couldn't fish the phone out of purse in time. When I got home, I took the phone with me for the 20 second trip to check the mail. Nothing. I was starting to think that she had overestimated the time it would take to review the paperwork. That maybe it would take three days instead of two.

It's been approved! I'm reinstated! Number 0132504 is back, people!

I'll be out of the quicksand that is Sunnyside in September. There is hope again! I just need to find a job now to save up some money!

No news yet and a major decision

2006-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's meeting with Candace, the undergraduate advisor in the EOP program (see last post), was good, I'd say. I won't state what the outcome is to be yet, because I won't "officially" know the results until at least tomorrow (Wednesday). I should be hearing from her then, after a panel of three counselors review my statement and paperwork.

I've been thinking about majors I'd be interested. Looking at course outlines and such for each major, along with admission requirements, I've come up with a few ideas:

Comparative History of Ideas (kind of a mix between history, english and philosophy)
*admission is to students in good academic standing

Comparative Religion (an option within the International Studies major)
*admission is to students in good academic standing

Communication
*admission is competitive, based on application packet, cumulative GPA, grades in COM 201 and/or 202
*minimum 2.50 GPA guarantees consideration, but not not necessarily acceptance

English
*admission is competitive, minimum 2.00 GPA, minimum 2.50 English GPA and completion of 10 credits in any English literature course

History
*open admission, after the following are achieved: minimum 2.00 GPA, completion of 10 history credits with 2.50 GPA and completion of 10 writing credits with 2.0 GPA

I'm leaning greatly towards History and Comparative History of Ideas, though I'm sure that if either of those programs were competitive, they wouldn't be as appealing.

I really hope that things turn out like I'd like. But there's always Hawai'i...hopefully!

Down with EOP? Yeah, you know me.

2006-04-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I head off to Seattle to talk to an undergraduate advisor from the University of Washington's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) about my possibilities to return as a student. What's interesting is that the EOP is within the Office of Minority Affairs and, according to its website, "The program is open to underrepresented minority students from American Indian, Native American, African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander backgrounds, and to economically disadvantaged students of all ethnicities whose parents do not have 4-year college degrees." Why is that particularly of interest to me, a supposed member of the EOP? Because I am a European-blended, to-the-nth generation American, and my parents both have master's degrees. My last name doesn't even sound remotely ethnic, either. Yet when I was admitted to university, I received a letter stating that I was a member of the program.

The only reason I can think of that I'd be included in such a program is that I come from the Yakima Valley and as one can see here, the university has a "Gear Up" program servicing the valley. However, I was never a member, as far as I know.

I don't mind being included in the Educational Opportunity Program...it's just somewhat awkward going into an office obviously intended for the ethnic groups listed above and feeling like I'm taking advantage of the system (which I'm definately not!).