Tis the Season

I only have time to blog when I'm working on papers, although technically it's not really that I have the time it's just that I'm sitting at the computer trying as hard as I can to not work on my papers. I actually only have one more to go, which you would think would be major motivation for me to just sit my ass down and finish the darn thing already, but alas, such is not the case. I am happy to have almost survived a whole semester however - only four more to go!

By the way, if any of you are reading this and do not have my new cell phone number send me an e-mail. I text messaged everyone in my phone with the new digits but it seems that not everyone got it, probably because I'm from the stone age and don't have expertise in the area of text messaging. Seriously, I was text messaging back and forth with this guy Andy from my cohort about class and it would take me something like 20 minutes to write one sentence. I hear that text messaging is becoming a problem at some middle and high schools because students know how to do it without looking so they can send messages really discreetly. Without looking! As it is I am probably already ruining my already legally blind eyesight by squinting and putting the phone right up to my face when I'm trying to text message.

You know what I hate? When people get mad at you for not knowing something they know and try to treat you like an idiot because of it. Case in point, I was voluntereing at Barnes & Noble the other day doing a giftwrapping fundraiser and I asked the manager if he wouldn't mind if I posted a sign on one of the racks. He snaps back with, "Yes I would mind, you can only put posters on the table!" in a very rude and annoyed tone. Well dude, why do you think I was asking?! I understand he was probably busy and all, but there is no need to be condescending to someone who just asked me a simple question. I'm a customer too you know. In fact, I spent almost 100 bucks there that day. Who knew volunteering could be so expensive?

Thankful

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break y'all.

What I'm thankful for:

1. That I'm #1 in my celebrity fantasy league - go Britney! And thanks to Heidi Klum for FINALLY having her baby.
2. More babies on the way - my nephew Marcus and Joyce's little girl due shortly thereafter.
3. Going to Joyce's baby shower in the same house where we used to study for classes in the 7th grade and seeing all of her Filipino family rockin' out on the Magic Mic.
4. Being done with my final presentation in one of my classes - only three more classes to go!
5. That after eating about five Thanksgiving dinners I was somehow miraculously able to squeeze into the jeans I bought last week with the Macy's gift card I got for my birthday (thanks again Grandma Bobbie!).
6. Eating five Thanksgiving dinners.
7. My new cute pink Razr phone that really looks more purple to me in certain lights. One step closer to being just like my idol, Paris Hilton (puke)!
8. Swearing off alcohol the morning after a night of binge drinking. Then breaking said promise later the same day.
9. Seeing how happy mom and dad were to spend time with Kyle and I at Pechanga, even though it didn't quite turn out to be the romantic vacation we were hoping for.
10. Patient husbands who endure their quirky wives and families, all with a smile on their face.

What a lucky girl I am.

Do the Shuffle

I'm working on another major paper right now and listening to my iPod shuffle for inspiration. I've decided that I am the epitome of random. One minute I was jamming to a profanity laced Dr. Dre track, the next I've transitioned into the swinging sounds of Michael Buble. Now it's on Jack Johnson. Do you think my eclectic taste in music is a sign of indecisiveness? Nah, I'm not indecisive. Or maybe I am??

My newest obsession is my Celebrity Fantasy League. Now that Kyle has Fantasy Football, I had to have my girl version. I did good picking Britney right after the breakup, but whoever has Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is going to be doing laps around me this weekend! My only hope is that Heidi Klum will have her baby soon...I don't understand what it is with most of the females I know being fascinated with celebrity lives but it just seems to be the norm these days.

You Say It's Your Birthday!

Happy birthday to me! Haha, feels weird to wish myself a happy b-day but I think I really wanted an excuse to post this funny picture:



Should be an exciting day waiting for the electrician to show up and going to back to back classes tonight from 4p-9:40p. Yay!

My sweet sweet husband sent me a nice birthday e-mail so that certainly makes it all worthwhile. :) Oh yeah, and Pam from The Office accepted my friend request so I'm excited about that too. Love The Office!

Kiss Me Mint

I bought this new Colgate toothpaste the other day. The flavor was called "Kiss Me Mint". I'm not sure why I insist on trying different flavors every time I buy a new tube of toothpaste when 9x out of 10 I hate the new flavor. There was definitely a reason behind why I got this one though.

Kyle: "Did you buy this toothpaste because it's purple?"
Me: "It just looked so pretty..."

I have an unnatural obsession with purple. Anyway, turns out the toothpaste tastes like a combination between Koolaid (Kyle's take) and Laffy Taffy (mine). So if you like the feeling of a mouthful of foamy candy in your mouth you should get it. If not, stick with the regular mint flavors. I find blue and green are safe colors when it comes to toothpaste.

Lesson of the Day: Aesthetics are not necessarily a direct reflection of taste.

Haha, I just googled "Colgate - Kiss Me Mint" and someone is selling an 8-pack on e-bay. Really? Who buys their toothpaste on ebay?

My Life as a Celebrity

Somehow I find it hard to envision Laura Linney playing me in a movie version of my life. Who is Kim Smith anyway?

Noooo - Not Mr. Eko!

I am sadly in mourning over the loss of my favorite "Lost" character, Mr. Eko. This now means that all of the tailies (except for that one dude married to Rose) have either died or disappeared. Whatever happened to that one chick who disappeared in the jungle anyway? Even though I thought last night's episode of "Lost" was the best one by far this season, I am still devastated that we won't have Mr. Eko to look forward to anymore. And it is no consolation that they have added in that random chick and guy to try to compensate for their dwindling character base. Who the heck are they anyway? So not interesting to me. Their presence just feels so forced. Blah. I feel like one of the things I like most about this show is it's diversity but now they've gotta go and kill all the people of color. I just like to see more representation of different ethnicities in media. I know, call me crazy.

R.I.P. Eko.

Be My Baby

ubiquitous - adj. being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent

It's late, I should be joining Kyle in the land of slumberhood but thought I'd post a quick post now that I've just finished my homework. Here are some pics from my sister's baby shower yesterday:






My arm looks all crooked in that first shot because I'm trying to avoid the ubiquitous arm fat shot. Yeah, you ladies know what I'm talking about. And those of you who don't...I hate you. How cool is that car seat made out of playdough creation? Some people are just artistically talented. Don't Robbie and Kyle look excited? I'm not so sure the invention of the co-ed baby shower was such a great idea. I have a feeling most dudes were perfectly happy to not be invited to baby showers for years.

Tomorrow I'm going to be pregnant...pregnant Britney Spears that is. For a Halloween party. I'm doing Britney on Dateline. Denim shorts, smeared mascara, and chipped nails - the whole deal. Because of course, usually my nails are in perfect condition. Right. Just look back at all my old pictures - you won't see an ounce of arm fat or a chipped nail in any of them!

I spent the night at my cousin Cindy's house on Friday to help her with the decorations. She does the most awesome balloons and candy favors. Anyway, we hit up the new H&M in Pasadena. Can I just say I was in hog heaven? Oh how long I have awaited the arrival of an H&M within driving distance. I was wishing they would open one up in San Diego, but after practicing restraint and still managing to spend more than I could afford when I was there, I've decided I can wait a few years until there is an H&M within immediate shopping range. We went to dinner at Mi Piace afterwards, cracked open a bottle of wine and spent some quality bonding girl time together. I haven't had girls night out in a while and I sure needed it.

All right, time for me to retire. G'night all.

Warm Sock Weather

One of the great things about not having to go anywhere during the day is that one can walk around the house wearing a Hawaiian slip dress, purple warm fuzzy socks, and a hooded zip up sweatshirt and nobody is there to judge you.

I love wearing warm socks when it starts getting cold outside. I love the fall, when the air starts getting brisk and cool and that lovely cold weather woodsy smell fills the air. I don't know where that smell comes from, but I don't care because I just love to take it all in. It's times like these when I can really see myself living somewhere that the sun doesn't shine year round, although being the wussy California girl I am I don't quite know how true that is. At the first sign of weather dipping below 50 degrees I'd probably be out of there. But, if I could "weather" the weather, I would probably get used to it over time. I always think about how nice it would be to live somewhere that you don't have to pay a ba-jillion dollars in order to buy a decent house for your family. If it wasn't for mine and Kyle's family being here in California, I might be all over it. Of course wherever it is would have to have a mall close by because according to Kyle I can't live anywhere that is more than an hour drive to a major shopping center.

Mom and dad were supposed to come today but I talked to dad and it seems that they are going to sit around the house in their socks/Hawaiian garb/zip down sweatshirts today too. It won't be long until they visit though, now that Kyle and I live near their newly discovered favorite Filipino restaurant. Last time they were here, they had lunch there, then went back to have a snack, and then, had it not been for their other favorite place calling, Pechanga Casino, they would have gone back again for dinner. Gotta love mom and dad.

I Don't Want to Want My MTV

Sometimes I think that if I watch enough hours of sleazy MTV shows I'll automatically be sent to hell when I die. For some reason last night I was sucked into watching "Parental Control". That's the show where the mom and dad who don't like their son/daughter's girlfriend/boyfriend set him or her up with two different dates and then watch the dates with said girlfriend/boyfriend. The whole time, they trade "witty" remarks such as the girlfriend saying to the dad, "Look how ugly that girl is you picked out. You must like ugly girls - look at your wife!" What the...? Seriously, who talks like that to any adult, much less the parents of your boyfriend? Yeah, if that show isn't really one big joke with a bunch of bad actors then I think the entire corporation of MTV may be going to hell too. Ew, and the dad in the episode I watched last night was a total perv. The entire show was just wrong.

On another note, Kyle doesn't know this yet but I almost adopted a cat last night. I was having another bout of insomnia and trying to get myself to fall back asleep again when I heard a cat meowing outside of our apartment. Me being the crazy cat lady that I am opened the door and there was a cute little kitty just sitting there looking up at me with big eyes. So I went up to it and started petting it, and it was the cutest little purrbucket. Then she went into our apartment, and I gave her a bowl of water which she rejected, but after that I was having trouble getting her to leave (probably partly because I didn't want her to leave). I contemplated bringing her into our bedroom where Kyle was sleeping soundly and begging him if I could please please keep her but then reason and flashbacks of our crazy cat Emma (may she rest in peace) got the better of me. She went away eventually but I am secretly hoping for more visits from my new little friend. For now I will stick to my weekly volunteer visits at the Rescue House to get my cat fixes.

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to Kyle! Cutest birthday boy ever. Also biggest trooper birthday boy to move tons of boxes during his birthday weekend.



Looks like the birthday boy is happy.










It's amazing how much c*rap one can accumulate over the course of one year. How can we be moving for 3 days straight and not be done yet? Okay, maybe not straight since there was the pet sitting jobs, dinner at grandma's, etc. but Kyle and I have certainly had more of a workout in the past 3 days than we have in the entire past year. Actually, I shouldn't speak for Kyle but I know I did.

Umm, funny story about our move. The first night in our new apartment we decided to take the big room in the front of the apartment even though it was less private and shares a wall with the people next door. We were so exhausted the first night, we were just ready to pass out. Just as soon as the neighbors turned off their TV. Any minute now...still on...they've got to go to sleep sometime, right? WRONG! 11:30 hits and not only is there banging against the wall and a blaring TV combined with people shouting at each other, but the light on the patio just outside of our room still has not turned off so it's like Viva Las Vegas in our bedroom. Seriously, why do apartment complexes feel the need to leave the outside lights on all night long? I mean, I understand it's for security reasons, but really can't you just invest in a sensor - I'm sure it would be cheaper than wasting energy on the lights all night long.

Well, once 11:30 rolled around Kyle and I were having none of the noise and the bright lights, so we made the decision to move all of our bedroom furniture around in the middle of the night from the big room to the small back room just for our own sanity in the long term. Turned out to be a good decision, because even though the other room is smaller it is also pitch black and perfectly quiet at night.

The best part? The loud neighbors moved out today. Happy Birthday to Kyle!

Computer Illiterate

For some reason it has taken me this long to figure out how to post pictures on my blog, but I think I've finally realized how to do it. You'd think that "image" icon on the top of the post would have tipped me off - duh. Hope this works.


For my first pictures, here's me and Kyle on our wedding day (July 17th, 2004).


Here we are one year later on our first anniversary in Hawaii.




And here we are on our 2-year anniversary this year - first picture was when we celebrated a few days before the actual day at Bali Hai (the restaurant, not the vacation spot) with mom and dad, second is when our broke selves stayed at home to celebrate. A big change from celebrating in Hawaii, but still just as special!

Okay, I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now but I'm doing what I do best - PROCRASTINATING. I'm outties 5000.

Trying to Digest

I fear something is wrong with my digestive system. Not in a way that I need to go to the doctor or anything, but it just feels a little off. It probably has something to do with the fact that since I started grad school my diet has been totally inconsistent. One day it's Greek food for lunch and then big globs of pasta for dinner, the next it's cereal for breakfast, Starbucks coffee for lunch, then a sandwich and pita chips for dinner (today). Ugh, how unhealthy is that?! Part of the problem I'm discovering is that since I have class at night and sometimes go to campus all day beforehand, it's hard to find things you can bring from home that won't go bad during the day. Anyways, you guys all know how important food is to me so I'm finding this to be a really difficult conundrum for me.

The other thing I'm trying to digest is all this knowledge I'm learning from my classes. The other day we talked about whether thought must be preceded by language or if it can occur even without it. At some point I just want to throw up my hands and say beats the heck out of me! It is really interesting though. Some people argued that babies have thoughts, but the professor countered by saying thoughts of hunger are actually reflexes. The basis of all of this is the theory of social constructionism in post-modern thought, which argues that we construct our own realities through our interactions with other people and there is no such thing as one objective truth. Although I am religious and believe God to be an objective truth, the concept of having free will to me is in line with social constructionism, and I can see how our own constructs have a lot to do with how we perceive reality.

Tonight in my multi-cultural class we talked about white culture. It's interesting how the whole concept of white culture can be thought of as so taboo, but it is a culture nonetheless. The article we read in relation to white culture spoke a lot about white privelege and its existence in our society. As the wife of a white male, I know that I indirectly benefit from white privelege. I also know what it is like to be on the other end of it. I think it is easy for a lot of people to dismiss the notion that there is underlying favoritism towards white people in our society because it is a hard thing to swallow, but I give a lot of credit to those who are able to openly acknowledge it. As assimilated as I am, there have been a lot of times in my life when I have wondered if I would be liked more or get paid more if I were just a part of the white culture.

Busy Bee

Grad school has had me busy like nothing else so I'm feeling like I have less time to spend thinking of interesting things to blog about. Unless you find syllabi and shopping for school supplies at Staples interesting then you probably don't want to hear about my life right now. So I have a little bit of time before I have to leave for my hair appointment and just thought I'd drop in.

Not to make school sound as uninteresting as it really is. This week I had my first experience actually working at a school and it was such a change from my usual desk job in advertising. I'm really excited about the multi cultural class I'm taking as well. One of our assignments is to immerse ourselves into a culture that is different from our own via attending a gathering, going to a church service, and generally just spending time with a person of another culture. This is something I have actually always wanted to do in life but never had a really good reason to do it until now. Just seeing how different people live their lives is fascinating to me.

Justin is in town this weekend so I have a feeling I won't get a whole lot of school work done. He is one of those people that always has to be out and about doing something, which I don't mind, but it's hard squeezing in entertaining with the millions of other things on my plate. It's all a balancing act man, but totally worth it to spend time with friends who are visiting.

Okay, I'm even boring myself right now. Guess I just had to chronicle the recent happenings in my life.

Addendum

I must point out an exception to my last blog - I did get to hang out with the lovely Cicely and Jay while I was up in L.A. Jay and Cicely are the type of people who have a bazillion friends but still manage to make time to hang out with you, so if they can take a night out for dinner and coffee than NOBODY has an excuse for flakiness. ;) Hehe. Thanks again guys for the delish adobo, but most of all for taking time to catch up.

Also, congratulations go out to Jennie and Brian for their beautiful little twin girls, Abigail and Sophia!!! We know Faith is going to be the coolest aunt around too.

I'm procrastinating right now. I don't have class until 7 and our apartment is a disaster zone, but I am taking time to check e-mail and blog instead of doing what I should be, which is cleaning. It's never fun to fold clothes and vacuum. Also, since we're moving I'm trying to go through the stuff we need to donate and that in itself is a monumental task. Oy vay.

Insomnia

I know I've been MIA and you have all been waiting with baited breath for my latest and greatest post. Ha! Is there anyone even still reading this? These past two weeks have been hectic what with being in LA, and while I did come down to San Diego for the weekend I've been spending all of my time either apartment hunting or writing this huge ass paper that is due today. Kyle was starting to wonder if his wife even existed anymore. Thankfully, we have found an apartment and I am almost done with my paper, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I technically was going to wait to blog until my paper was done and turned in, as that is what I should be working on, but since I'm suffering from yet another bout of insomnia and it's the butt crack of dawn right now I figure now is probably not the best time to work on a paper. My blog probably won't even make much sense as it is, but here goes.

LA was a blast, I got to see and do most of the things I was hoping for. Although considering last week was the week before the Emmy's, the closest I came to seeing any celebrities/Emmy action was watching workers set up the tent for the post-Emmy party at the Pacific Design Center and driving past the Ivy, where I think I may have caught a brief glimpse of...wait for it...Byron Allen getting out of his car! Yes, THE Byron Allen! Somebody actually asked me, "Who is Byron Allen?", and I couldn't even remember what he was (semi) famous for. The only thing I could come up with was his cheesey interview show and I also think he played Alfonso's dad or uncle on Silver Spoons. Google him people. He's one of those obscure actors that probably only me or Nina know about.

Since I haven't blogged in so long, there are a few things I wanted to talk about regarding my time in lala land. So here are my blogs within my blog, my meta-blogs if you will:

Flakiness
Now, I'm not sure if this is an LA thing or not, but all I know is that I made multiple plans with people that were changed/moved around/cancelled at the last minute, and that doesn't seem to happen to me much in San Diego. Granted, I don't really know very many people in San Diego to make plans with, but still. I made a point to e-mail/contact the people who I really wanted to see weeks before I came out, and after receiving e-mail confirmations of dates and times I got the old, "Oh, I thought we were meeting NEXT week, not this week!" Grrr, come on peeps, how can you confuse the dates when we've been talking about this for weeks and weeks and we have the date going around in several different e-mails? I don't expect to be at the top of your list, but really, sometimes you've gotta wonder. I guess I'm just one of those people that likes to make plans and actually stick to them. Call me crazy.

Wardrobe Malfunctions
So, I was getting ready to go out for dinner and drinks with Kathy, Nina, and Cheryl for a good old Rowland reunion. I came across that ever present dillemma in a woman's life: what shoes do I wear? Do I wear my diva platform shoes with the cute little flowers printed on the heels or my fallback comfy casual yet cute black flip-flops with a bow? Remembering that I am a married woman that doesn't need to worry about impressing anyone with my shoes, I opted for the flip-flops. What can I say, I'm a comfort before beauty type of gal. Actually, I think the shoes would be more to impress other women since I am 99.99999% sure that straight guys probably do not check out what shoes girls wear. In fact, their line of sight probably doesn't make it further down than the calf of a woman's leg. Okay, so that's a gross overgeneralization, but I digress. Just what do you think happens to said flip-flops at the end of the night? Somehow, a tear developed in the straps of my flip-flops, causing them to come precariously close to falling apart. If not for the cute bow holding them together they would have been goners. I don't know what I would have done w/o my very favorite pair of shoes, but luckily the week prior I had spotted the exact same pair at Ross Dress for Less when I was home for the weekend. So where do you think the very first place I hit up was upon my return? You guessed it. My only hope was that they were still there. To my dismay, when I checked the place I last saw them they were gone, so I thought oh well, I'll go look for sunglasses. As I was perusing the accessories section, I caught a glimpse of a separate rack for flip-flops and lo and behold there were my coveted shoes! In my size! It was like divine intervention. The shoe goddesses were smiling down on me that day.

NKOTB
I stayed with Kathy and Greg for the majority of my time up in LA. For those of you who don't know Kathy, we go way back to junior high. I've known her for over half of my life. During our tween years, we were absolutely OBSESSED with New Kids on the Block. I can't even begin to describe to you the level of insanity we were at, but this story will give you an idea. While I was in LA, one of Kyle's co-workers, knowing what a big NKOTB fan I was, sent him an e-mail telling him to let me know that she heard that they were going to be having a reunion. Kyle, being the devoted and sweet husband he is, forwarded the e-mail to me much to his reluctance, which I proceeded to forward to Kathy, and upon her recipt of it she and I started going ballistic and regressing back to our teeny bopper years. Coincidentally, Kathy's mom had just moved and was getting rid of boxes out of her house, and Kathy told me that she was pretty sure one of the boxes held all of her NKOTB memorabilia from years gone by. Well after hearing that I just couldn't leave LA without going through that box, so you know we cracked open that box as soon as she told me about it. Sure enough, there were the gigantic buttons, concert programs, tapes (yes, tapes, not CDs) with NKOTB songs, and endless stacks of posters. The very best part? Kathy found old old mini magazines that we used to make for each other. We titled our magazine, "Teen, Bop, Beat Party" and we wrote fake articles about how Jordan had a girlfriend named Kathy and he is no longer a single man, pasted in posters of the New Kids with our own pictures skillfully doctored in using scissors and glue (hey, there was no Photoshop back then!), and I even made a fake subscription card to be filled out and returned. The best was I even wrote a birthday rap for Kathy in the vein of the NKOTB rapping style. How I had time for all of this, I don't know. Needless to say, Kathy and I were up half the night going through them and practically peeing our pants at the things we put in those "Teen, Bop, Beat Party" issues. I'm telling you, I missed my calling as a magazine editor. If you saw those magazines you would know what I'm talking about.

If you've lost all respect for me, I understand. I'm kind of wondering about myself at this point. Gotta go look up those reunion dates now.

Return to L.A.

I'm going back to L.A. for a temporary two week stint at my old job. Should be interesting - I haven't been back in forever thanks to the crazy cost of gas. I'm looking forward to it though. Two weeks should be the perfect amount of time for me to try to get in and do the things I miss the most, like:

1. Eat a chinese chicken salad at California Chicken Cafe
2. Walk down Robertson Blvd. and join the papparazzi in staking out the Ivy for celeb sitings
3. Walk down to the Beverly Center and have bignettes at The Grand Luxe
4. Window shopping on Santa Monica Blvd.
5. Traipse down Main St. between Santa Monica and Venice enjoying the fresh ocean breeze and people sighting
6. More eating at: Minori Sushi, California Rock N' Roll Sushi (Hawaiian roll), any Indian or Korean BBQ restaurant
7. Visit the Farmer's Market and the Grove just for old times sake

I know most of the above involve eating, but I can't really justify spending on anything else since we are supposed to be saving money. I'm sure I won't make it to every place on the list, but it will be nice to visit my old haunts. Brings back fun memories of our times up in L.A. Too bad I'll be working during the day so I won't really get to see the beach or anything.

I'm sad I'll be apart from Kyle for so long though. :(

Issues

vitriolic - adj. corrosive; sarcastic

I'm taking this class right now that's all about exploring your issues and feelings on things. I'm finding these are my major issues right now:

1. Avoidance of confrontation
2. Feeling rejected/loneliness
3. Thinking too much before speaking/not living "in the moment"
4. Middle child syndrome (goes into #2 - not feeling like I'm worthy)
5. Low confidence level
6. Uneasiness with public speaking/large groups

I don't know if it's right for me to categorize those things, but there you have it. I think the hardest part for me is that we are discussing everything in a large group of 23 people, so for me to try to deal with #s 1-5 while simulataneously feeling uncomfortable talking in front of so many people is really hard. Plus, usually I deal with things through my vitriolic sense of humor, but it seems that is not the healthiest way to go about things.

I think the underlying issue for me right now is my fear of rejection and loneliness. I've thought about it a lot since moving to San Diego. A lot of my friends are not down here, and I'm not the type of person who makes friends easily. I thought it would be easier once I got back to school, but I'm feeling like I'm looked at as an older person that others wouldn't want to hang out with outside of class. Even though I'm only a few years older than most of the other students, I probably have this stigma to me that I'm just a married lady who doesn't like to have fun. I don't really look at people by their age, but I get self conscious that that is how I am seen. Some of my best friends are the same age as the people in my class, but I've never really thought about their age.

It seems we all have a tendency to put people in a box and label them. I know I'm guilty of it from time to time, but I really think I've done a pretty good job of really trying to get to know people for who they are and not basing my assessment of them on pre-conceived notions based on how they look, their age, their marital status, etc. I think the human mind works in a way that we need to categorize in order to make sense of the world, but if everyone could just try to break that tendency and open up, I think the world would be a better place. Again, I am not saying I am free of bias, and I probably never will be. I feel that it's healthy to acknowledge that we have biases, and at least try to be self aware of what they are so that you can work on them. It bothers me when people think they are just soooo open minded and everyone else is so ignorant. I feel lucky to have been exposed to so many different people in my life and to have had training that has allowed me to open up my mind. I can't blame people who have not been as fortunate as I have been. Guess I'm just a fortunate fool.

I am an Aunt!

Today was a crazy emotional day. My parents and I went with my sister to see the sonogram that would show the sex of her baby. I won't disclose the sex here, since Cathee probably would like to be able to tell people herself insteaed of having me post it on my blog for all to read, but I just have to say how amazing it is to sit in a room and see your future niece/nephew (ha, thought you had me there, huh?) just kickin' it, waiting to be born. He/she waved his/her little arm and started moving his/her mouth, like he/she was talking, and we joked that there was probably a cell phone in there since my sister is notorious for her marathon cell phone talks. Mom started crying (of course), and dad acted like he didn't care when I could really tell inside he was just swelling with pride. And Mike and Cathee are sooo ecstatic -how exciting!

It just made me realize, that despite any differences I may have with my sister, we are and always will be family, and that little kid is sure going to be loved to death by his/her aunt. Hopefully this blog will stand the test of time and one day my little niece/nephew will get to read how loved he/she was even before he/she was born. Whew, I'm getting exhausted now just trying to make sure I'm covering my bases with the gender thing. Anyway, just had to share with you just how awesome it was.

Drunk Dialing

I got drunk last night and was drunk dialing people at random. So if I left a message or spoke to you, please let me know what I said. It's all a blur. I think I have a hilarious alternate personality when I'm drunk, but am curious to know if it's just all in my head - kind of like beer goggles, except I suppose in this case it would be personality goggles.

I'm getting too old for this shizz. I think I need to lay off the drinking. Every time I do it now I feel like I've gained 20 lbs. And then I can never get anything accomplished the next day. Add that to the fact that I seriously think I have killed a million brain cells via alcohol - if that isn't a clear cut message to quit I don't know what is. I feel like I was so much smarter in college than I am now. Thinking just seems to take so much more effort nowadays than it did back then. I am much less Owl and much more Eeyore these days. More Hagrid than Hermione. More Joey than Ross. Anyway, you get the picture.

Ode to Craig(slist)

Dear Craig,

I really enjoy checking out your list every day. I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just can't stop thinking about all the amazing things you have to offer. I know it is wrong for me to think about any man other than Kyle's anything, but when you can find a home, a job, a partner, furniture, a pet, and a free giant cactus all in one place - I mean, what more could a person ask for?

The one good thing about having to move is that I actually have a reason to look at your website. Usually I just maniacally click on it throughout the day without rhyme or reason. I'm obsessed with finding out what the latest is in the world of craigslist san diego. Maybe you should slap a restraining order on me or something. But the thing is, even if I'm in jail, I will find you. Mmmwwahahaha.

By the way, did that guy who saw the cute girl wearing a UCSD sweatshirt buy a slurpee and drive away in a Black Volkswagon Jetta at the 7-11 on Gold Coast & Camino Ruiz ever hook up with his missed connection?

With Love and Devotion,
Cheryl

The End of an Era

extirpate - v. to destroy, exterminate, cut out

Today is officially my last day as a full-time advertising employee. It's really surreal to think that I won't be doing the same thing I have been doing day in and day out for the past 7+ years. Will I miss it? I'm sure there are parts of it I definitely will (particularly the aforementioned perks). And then there are the things I definitely won't miss. Every time I leave a job I tend to only remember the good things about it, but this isn't just leaving a job, it's leaving a career. Pretty scary/exciting stuff. Hopefully advertising will always be there as a fallback for me and I won't be completely extirpated from it.

Anyway, just some boring thoughts for my last day. In other career news, Kyle is switching departments at his job. Congratulations Kyle! Sometimes he worries that people judge him as a person by his career. Most of our friends have philanthropic, non-corporate type of jobs. It's great because we share that common concern for others, which is probably why we are friends, but I sort of see what Kyle means because I was that person that worked in corporate America for a long time. For whatever reason, people seem to think that what you do for al iving is a direct reflection of who you are as a person. Yes, sometimes it does reflect our interests, but just because Kyle works in finance doesn't mean that he is a greedy money whore. If Kyle could have survived his whole life working for non-profits, he would have done it, but unfortunately non-profit salaries don't quite cover your entire cost of living when you have student loan debt and car payments to worry about. Those of my friends who are lucky enough to have had their entire education paid for by their parents and received cars as graduation/birthday presents were more readily able to choose their jobs without having to take salary into consideration. I guess our goal one day would be to allow our kids to do the same. Ironically, I actually won't be making a huge amount less as a school counselor than I am in advertising. In fact, if I had been in school counseling for 7 years vs. media buying for 7 years I have a feeling I would actually be making more than I currently am making.

Sorry to be so boring today, Kyle and I downed a whole bottle of wine last night on our own and so I'm not quite feeling up to blogging par today.

Coffee Junkie

desuetude - n. cessation of use

HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO ME & KYLE! Here's to spending the two best years of my life con mi persona favorita en todo del mundo.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately, so have been completely relying on coffee to get me through my days. I usually only have one cup a day, which I suppose is not too bad, but I would rather rely on my own energy sources than to be dependent on the Bucks (Starbucks that is). First of all, it's way too expensive a habit to have. I've been pretty good lately about only drinking coffee at home or at the office, but the occassional Starbucks stop really adds up. When I first started working, me and my co-workers used to go to the Bucks at least two times a day. How I managed to do that on a $26,000 a year salary, I'll never know. But think of the cost:

An average $3.50 per cup of coffee
x 2 times a day
x 5 work days a week
x 52 work weeks
= $1,820 per year

Yikes! I could have invested that money into a 401k or a Roth IRA (yes Kyle, I do sometimes pay attention to your finance talk). Had I done so,I would have been a few thou richer by now. I actually went through a good period where I practiced desuetude from coffee, although my reputation as a coffee addict precedes me. Probably because my friends know how excited I can get at the prospect of a tall coffee Frappuccino on a hot summer day, or during the winter months, a tall non-fat white mocha. Somehow I can never escape the stigma of being coffee reliant. I guess when I do fall off the caffeine wagon, I go big or go home!

On a completely unrelated note, I have a confession to make. That new Paris Hilton song, Stars are Blind? Yeah, I kind of like it. I was driving along in my car the other day, minding my own business, when that song came on I actually turned up the volume much to my horror and dismay. It was like my hand had a mind of it's own, even though my brain was willing it to stop before I touched the volume dial. And to make matters worse, I turned it up AGAIN! Two times! And the second time was even worse because at least the first time I barely realized what I was doing. **shudder**

If I ever start putting extensions in my hair and incorporating "That's hot" into every other sentence, somebody slap me.

A Student Again

I started school on Monday. It's the strangest thing to take an 8 year break from something and then have to step right back into it. I guess you could say going back to school is like riding a bike though, because everything just seemed to come rushing back to me at once. Okay, so my concerns about the laptop thing were totally unnecessary. In fact, you'd probably look like a right ass if you whipped out a laptop during heavy discussion sessions, so I'm really glad I didn't run out and buy one. And make no mistake about it, I seriously considered buying one. Luckily I kept those thoughts a secret from Kyle or he probably would have had a heart attack, what with his high cholesterol and all.

The one thing I did have to get used to again was raising my hand in class. There were a few times I just blurted things out, and I don't think it went over very well. Oh well, ya live and learn. My first night I had 60 pages of reading. 60 PAGES! I think that's more non-fiction than I've read ever since I graduated from undergrad! It went quickly though, because now I feel like this is information I'm actually going to apply to my real life career. Imagine that! Anyway, I like it so far.

I'll try to keep up the blogging, but my posts may be sparse in the next few weeks since I'm still working full-time in addition to taking my class, and Kyle and I are celebrating our two-year anniversary on Monday. How he has survived two years of waking up to my scary Clearasil spotted, messy ponytail, crazy-thick glasses wearing face every morning I'll never know. God love him.

A Vagrant's Life

peripatetic - adj. wandering

Kyle and I have decided that we will need to move once our lease is up in October. We love our place now, but we just won't be able to afford it once I go back to school full-time. That will make wherever we live next the 7th place, 4th city, and 2nd county we've lived in less than 4 years. I am a constantly peripatetic soul.

It's funny too, because I was a Navy brat growing up and HATED moving. I seriously loathed it. I would leave little random notes around my parents' bedroom protesting impending moves, hoping that somehow this method would impel them to change their mind and decide not to uproot my life for yet another move. In the end, I suppose one could say that it helped me to build resilience to change over time. However, I also think it may have damaged me socially. To the point where I could never maintain any friendships because by the time I got into the being invited to sleep over stage I would be off to the next city and a new life.

Right before we got married, we experienced a variety of events that convinced us to move from L.A. to San Diegoo, including slashed tires on both of our cars, me working 100+ hour workweeks and coming home crying, and the ultimate deciding factor being the flood in our apartment building that destroyed our unit. It was then that we decided that God was sending us a message to jump ship. Much like he did with Noah and the great flood. Okay, maybe it was way different, but you get what I'm saying.

Also, right before we got married, we thought San Diego would be a great place for us to settle down and start a family, particularly since my whole family had migrated down here. There are many things I love about San Diego - the weather, the way that traffic is a billionth less crazy than what it was in L.A., and of course being close to my family is nice. But before I moved, I remember talking to some of my friends who had moved from San Diego to L.A. and I recalled them saying that everyone in San Diego is very much about SAN DIEGO. I didn't quite get what they meant at the time, but boy, now I really understand. Not only are San Diegans proud to be from here, many of them HATE L.A. and everything that comes from it. Unfortunately, I come from L.A. Really, I don't think there is anything wrong with being proud of where you are from. But what's funny is when I hear people say that the reason San Diegans don't like L.A. is because people from L.A. think that San Diego is just an extension of L.A. Um, I totally never thought that! I always thought that San Diego was a distinctly different place from L.A., and even Orange County is a completely different place in between. I just think there is no need for all of this hatred in the world. This type of San Diego-centricism if you will is almost akin to the egocentric attitude of Americans who think there is no other country but America. Let's just all get along people.

Back to School Preparations

Did Kevin from Kevin & Bean get a divorce? I'm listening to the stream from this morning and they were talking about how Kevin isn't happy that Miami won the NBA finals (boo!). Bean said it was just because Shaq was in the Lakers during Kevin's divorce, so he has bad associations with the big guy. Kevin insists it's because he just can't stand the idea of Shaq being happy that he has gotten back at the Lakers. I'm kind of on board with Kevin myself. Then again, I don't think I am ever happy if anyone other than the Lakers wins.

So school starts for me in a few weeks. Seeing as how it has been almost 10 years since I last attended a class, I imagine things have changed quite a bit. Will I look like a dork the first day of class when I show up with notebook and pencil in hand while everyone else busts out their state of the art laptops? Do I bring a backpack to class, or am I supposed to have moved on to a sophisticated leather briefcase as a grad student? I remember when all I had to worry about when it came to back to school was buying new clothes. Now I have to do the opposite and try my hardest NOT to buy new clothes since I will be one broke ass student. At least now I've grown up enough to know that while that free t-shirt with the Mastercard logo splattered across it is utterly cool and will probably show up in the latest issue of In Style magazine, it is not worth an eternity of credit card bills.

I guess there are good and bad things about going back to school. I'll probably have a better idea of what those things are once I actually start. Wish me luck!

Happy Faces

feckless - adj. worthless; weak; ineffective

So yesterday I was listening to the John Tesh radio evening show (an unfortunate side effect of my newfound love for Celine Dion type music). John was actually talking about an interesting study that was just conducted on the effectiveness of writing requests to people on post-it notes. Apparantly, the study proved that people are much more likely to fulfill requests that are written to them on a post-it note because it feels more personal. The likelihood of the request being filled increases even more when a happy face is written on the post-it, as it appeals to people's good nature. I've decided now that I'm going to carry post-it notes around in my purse, to be handed out in appropriate situations such as the following:

When I run into Katie Holmes (since it happens quite often of course):
"Please come to your senses and get out of that Cruiseazy situation you are in, fake baby and all. :)"

To the rude restaurant hostess:
"Please do not look down at me just because you control the seating in this fine establishment. Being unpleasant is not going to get your promoted to waitress any faster. :)"

At the grocery store:
"Please position your cart so it is not blocking the entire aisle, causing a traffic jam while you look for just the right salad dressing with the perfect number of calories and fat content. :)"

At family parties:
"Please stop asking me when we are going to have kids. :)" (I'll just have to wear this one, since I'd run out of post-it notes in no time if I had to give one to every person who asks)

To the Passive Agressives:
"Be straightforward! If you think you are better than me just say so, you are entitled to your opinion. :)"

And finally, for Kyle's dentist:
"You suck. :)" - All right, I know that isn't a request, but really a post-it note or anything for that matter would probably be feckless against the extortionists in the dental industry (not including my friend Chris of course)

Meditation

aspersion - n., slander

Thanks to those of you who expressed concern after my bitching posts yesterday. After my yoga session today, I feel much much better. Sometimes you just need to center yourself and just breathe. I highly recommend yoga for anyone who needs to just relax. If I am lucky enough to be an expectant mother someday, I already know I will want to take maternity yoga (is that what it's called?). Just knowing how to breathe can make such a difference. Do I sound granola or what?

Anyway, hopefully nobody accuses me of aspersion from yesterday's post. I tried keeping names anonymous, etc. out of respect. If anyone wants to start a blog and write about any of my inappropriate behavior in it, be my guest!

This week is a pretty busy one for me. I have something to do every single night. Very unusual. Kyle's sister, Jenny, is in town with her friend. I'm looking forward to some girl time tonight. Normally I would take them somewhere for dinner, but seeing as how I will soon be a starving student it's a nice home cooked meal instead. Wednesday & Thursday I have work related activities, then Friday I'll be hanging out with Sarah helping her prepare for little Wyatt's first birthday party on Saturday. Congratulations to Wyatt for taking his first steps yesterday!

Oh yeah, the other thing that cheered me up is listening to ALO's CD. Just hearing it gives me warm fuzzies inside.

Ranting Continued

Is it better to be an overly confident asshole or a humble person who sincerely cares about other people? I think society tells us to try to be the former rather than the latter. Not that I think confidence and caring cannot occur simultaneously, but sometimes I just think that those who pretend they are the be all and end all are revered in this world. Does it matter that their entire self worth is based on how much better they consider themselves to be than everyone else? I may not be the world's most confident person, but for the most part I derive happiness in the fact that I consider my finest quality to be my capacity for compassion rather than my ability to bullshit my way into or out of any situation.

I'd like to say at 30 I'm an entirely self assured person, but that would be an untruth. What I can say about myself is that I care a lot about my family, my friends, and humankind in general. I am happy with the intelligence level I possess. Even though this post is on the judge-y side, I try my hardest not to constantly critique and judge everyone around me. I'd say I've done a decent job at being an accepting person overall. The major exception to my acceptance is when I feel like someone is not willing to be accepting of me. Sure, I know I shouldn't apply "rules" to my acceptance level, but for some reason or other I can't help but feel like people who don't accept me don't necessarily earn my 100% acceptance in return. I'm working on being more open minded in that regard. Perhaps it's something that will evolve over time. Hey, nobody's perfect, least of all me.

I promised myself that I was going to try to make my blog a place where I could be more positive overall, but you know, I guess I can't pretend to be positive all the time. Sometimes you need a bad day to get your thoughts cleared. There's always tomorrow...

Passive Agressive or Overly Sensitive?

You know what drives me crazy? When people try to get all passive agressive on your ass. I don't know if I'm being overly sensitive or what (entirely possible), but it just seems to me that I have recently been over-exposed to passive agressive behavior indirectly targeted at me. Why do people feel the need to sneakily attempt to make you feel like crap? The worst part is that passive agressive behavior by it's very nature is a way for someone to hide their insults to you in a way that doesn't SEEM like they are insulting you, so they inevitably cannot be proven to be the bad guy, and if you try to approach them about it they make you seem like you are crazy. I don't know, if anyone is out there reading this, please tell me if you think the below comments are passive agressive insults (names of the accused passive agressivers, heretofore known as PA's, are being withheld out of respect in case comments have been misinterpreted by overly sensitive blogger):

Scenario #1: Discussing a new home purchase of a relative of PA.

PA: As soon as I saw this home I knew it was perfect for him/her. It is just so beautiful!
Me: Yeah, I love it! The kitchen is awesome, and it is the perfect set up for him/her.
PA: Mmmhmm...so tell me again, are you still RENTING (change in intonation at the mention of RENTING).
Me: Oh, yeah (mumbling something about going back to school, can't afford to buy, etc.)

Scenario #2: Discussing pregnancy of PA.

PA: I'm growing out of my clothes, so do you think I could borrow some of your old clothes to use as maternity wear?
Me: I don't think it's very nice to ask someone to use their clothes as maternity wear.
PA: Well, if I was a size 8 and someone else I knew was a size 2, I wouldn't mind it if they asked me for their clothes.
Me: Oh. (I'm not a size 8)

It's really hard to convey this type of behavior if you aren't actually there, but it could also be the result of me feeling sensitive about things like money or my weight. Particularly since I just found out I have a medical condition that makes it difficult for me to break down certain types of food in my body, so my weight can fluctuate quite a bit if I'm not careful. Anyway, Kyle thinks I'm crazy half the time because I think about these things too much. Good thing I have a blog to vent on.

Sorry to be Negative Nelly today, it's been a particularly rough day. I'll try to post happy thoughts again soon.

Taking the Plunge Part Two!

intransigent - adj., uncompromising

Well folks, it's official. I gave my notice yesterday and am now on my way to a new career in school counseling. It's kind of surreal to think that I will no longer be a part of the crazy world of advertising. Oh advertising, parting is such sweet sorrow. No longer will I have the pleasure of taking advantage of fun perks like concert tickets and American Idol tapings, nor will I likely ever be taken to a free dinner at Morton's or the Ivy or Spago. Poor me, I will have to pay for my own meals from hereon forward. What I won't miss: last minute changes, crazy hours (more so in L.A. than here), unreasonable clients (who shall remain nameless).

Every job has it's disadvantages. I am by no means going into this new career thinking that everything will be perfect. But I am excited to be working at something that I am really passionate about. Every kid in this world deserves to have the same chances in life as the next child. If I can help level the playing field as a school counselor, I will be overjoyed. I can never understand people who think they are fundamentally better than other people just by being born. Really, that's what racism, sexism, classism, and pretty much any other ism you can think of is about. We all have this need to feel like we are better than other people. I'm not saying I'm completely innocent of it myself, but I am at my happiest when I am not trying to impress other people, and I'm just happy with being me.

"Perfect" is such a relative term anyway. What's perfect to one person is not necessarily perfect to the next. If we are all striving towards this one idea of "perfection" just so we can feel like people look at us and say, "Wow, that person is perfect in every way", well, I've got news for you honey. No matter who you are or what you do, there is going to be somebody out there that will talk shit about you. One of the most accurate cliches is "You can't please all the people all of the time." I used to want to do that, and I practically drove myself crazy doing so. Now I am just happy if my family and friends can accept me for who I am, because I certainly try to accept and love them in an intransigent, unconditional way.

Anyway, sorry to get on my pedestal just now. I've had a lot on my mind and needed to get a little out. I am really excited to go back to school though. Starting over at 30 won't be easy, but I'm going to do my best. Luckily I've got the world's greatest husband to help me through. :)

The San Diego Reader

agog - adj. eager, excited

Now that we've come to the end of new primetime programming, I've taken up reading to pass the time. Nothing too heavy, I must ease back into it seeing as how it's been a good couple of months since I've picked up a book. Kyle is a voracious reader. He burns through about 100 books a month. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it seems like he is always reading several different books at one time. I, on the otherhand, am agog if I read one book in a month. There was one girl I used to work with who said she hasn't read a book in something crazy, like 5 years. Reading is a sadly underutilized and overlooked form of entertainment in our society. Even when I don't like a book, I enjoy passing the time just reading. Case in point, the book I am reading right now was very kindly loaned to me from an acquaintance. It's a fluffy chick book, which normally I am all about, but for some reason this book just doesn't do it for me. The characters aren't too likeable, the plot is kind of all over the place, but you know what? I still read it just to find out what happens in the end. I'm trying to pick out the good things in it instead of focusing on the bad. I'm the eternal reading optimist, hoping that somehow the ending will redeem the entire week I have invested into this so-so story. After all, the opportunity cost for reading this novel equates to some juicy Laguna Beach repeats so it better be worth it!

Trippin'

insularity - adj. narrow mindedness, isolated

So how do you like my new blog template? I think the dots are cute. I was getting tired of the plain grey. Why is grey/gray spelled two different ways? That's always confused me. Also, I think you can spell cancelation with one l or two. I've always been a stickler for spelling - probably harks all the way back to the hours of preparation I endured for my 3rd grade spelling bee. I ended up spelling "kindergarten" wrong (with a d instead of a t). But really, did placing 3rd in the spelling bee end up helping me to be a more successful career woman in the long run? I know people who can't spell for the life of them, but thanks to the modern day miracles of spell check they are making tons more money than I ever will.

Memorial Day weekend was the bomb dot com man! Kyle and I have been guilty of insularity within a 10 mile radius of our apartment ever since we moved to San Diego, so we are really clueless when it comes to all the fun things to do in San Diego. So this weekend I busted out my nerdy tourist book, the San Diegan, and we took advantage of the glorious weather and the fact that everyone and their mother was visiting San Diego for the long weekend, and we ended up traipsing around all over the county from downtown to Carlsbad, Old Town to Temecula. It was really fun! We got to see Jay and Cicely on Saturday AND Sunday, so they were probably so glad to get back to L.A. and get rid of us, but we wanted to spend as much time as possible with them considering they got ENGAGED!!! Yep, they made Kyle and I feel like big a-holes because we went to meet them at their hotel, and they totally didn't even tell us right away. After about 30 minutes, Cicely practically had to shove the ring in my face until I realized what was going on. You would think I would've caught on considering the fact that Jay had a big vase full of flowers with him and he was acting really funny. Anyway, I am so happy for them and can't wait to initiate them into the old married people club (but don't worry guys, I'll ALWAYS be older than you!).

Also got to hang out with Kristine. Kristine is so fun, always makes me smile when I get to see her. Found out that she reads the same reality show blogs as I do. I love how she is not afraid to confess her nerd like (aka Cheryl-like) tendencies to me. Although I probably just transmitted my nerd-itis on to her through repeat exposure.

Ahhh, I love 3-day weekends.

Reductus Brain Cells

I told Kyle this morning that I think I have some sort of mental disorder that causes me to forget entire conversations I have with people. Seriously, it's very scary, plus it makes it hard to be a good friend when you make plans that you never remember. My dad calls it CRS (Can't Remember Shit) when he refers to my mom, which is very un-PC considering her medical history, and I wouldn't even find it mildly amusing were it not for the fact that my mom herself thinks it is the most hilarious thing she's ever heard. That plus the fact that my dad CGS (Couldn't Give a Shit) about being PC. This, after all, is the man who not only leaves his cell phone on while watching a movie in a theater full of people, but he straight answers it and has a full on lengthy conversation with the person on the other end of the phone in his normal talking voice. Ah, dad, gotta love him!

I used to think I was a good listener, but now one of two things has happened. Either a) Somewhere in my old age and hermit like state I have lost my listening skills, or b) I'm just plain losing it. I almost prefer the latter since option a) makes me out to be a lazy person. Actually, more like a lazy friend. I know I'm lazy in many aspects given the fact that 99.99% of my life outside of work is spent watching TV on the recliner couch, but I've always taken some sort of pride in considering myself a good friend who is willing to go above and beyond for those I love.

So to my friends who are always patiently enduring my constant brain farts, I say thank you.

Oh, one thing I have not forgotten is my vocab words, but having to look up vocab words for every post is discouraging me from blogging when I feel like it, so I'll have to make it an occassional thing. I guess I am just a CRS riddled lazy ass.

Random Friday Thoughts

Can I just tell you how much I heart Rachael Ray? She is just so amazing with her user friendly recipes and effervescent personality. I know some people find her annoying, but the fact that she has probably made me a much better cook than I used to be is reason enough to make her good in my book 4 eva. I totally want her job too. I can't imagine anything better than getting paid to eat and travel.

Remember slam books? Those were so fun. I'm sure there is an online version somewhere. If anyone finds one, let me know.

I have a major dilemma next Wednesday. The American Idol finale vs. the Lost finale. I know I will have to watch Lost out of default because that's what Kyle will want to see on the big TV. Not that I'm complaining, but since we don't have Tivo or DVR and we don't know how to operate our VCR, I won't be able to see any of the AI finale. I probably won't even get to see the important part where they reveal who wins, since the Lost finale is supposed to be the best thing ever aired on TV, and I'm sure we'll be on the edge of our seats until the very last minute. Oh, what to do, what to do? Curse you ABC & Fox for putting me at such a crossroads!

You know how people say you should put thoughts of work in an imaginary "box" when you go home so your professional life doesn't intrude on your personal life? I am so not good at doing that. Lately work has even encroached into my dreams. One of our clients is a hotel downtown, and last night I dreamt I was staying there to do research on downtown. Oh, and I've been waking up at 2:30am like clockwork every night and having trouble going back to sleep. I really think I've got some anxiety issues going on. Somebody get me Dr. Phil's number!

I am so glad I am not in the dating world anymore, because I cannot stand cologne. There is only one kind that I actually sort of like, which I got a bottle of for Kyle, but even that cologne I can only take in small doses. Have you ever been in a room with someone who wears entirely too much cologne? The other week I was in a meeting with someone who positively reeked of the stank stuff, and I was sure that I was going to pass out at any moment. Luckily I escaped just in time. Seriously man, how can anyone pour that stuff on themselves and think themselves sexy to the opposite gender (or same gender, whatever the case may be)? That's why I just don't buy those Axe commercials. Sure it's a deodarant, not cologne, but I just prefer the smell of nothing to that of musk. Gag.

The CW

proclivity - n. inclination

Today I went to a station event where they were broadcasting the upfront presentation for the new CW network (WB/UPN network merge) in New York. Even though I work in a fairly laid back industry, there is still that business element to it that every now and then makes me feel completely out of place. Case in point, one of the network big wigs was talking about how they are trying to target the Adults 18-34 demographic (I'm still in the demographic, yay!). To introduce the new programming for this demo, the ads showcasing their primetime line up will feature a song by the Black Eyed Peas. Here's where it got interesting:

Stuffy Network Suit: "And now ladies and gentlemen, the Black Eyed Peas!"

Spattering of applause throughout the audience. Out comes Fergie in her signature jump suit and over the top gold glitter
eyeshadow. Apl d sporting his dreads and sunglasses inside. They start singing. Fergie strips off her sweatshirt to
reveal her tiny black sports bra. More singing. Silence from the audience.

I mean, how weird would it be to be this huge musical group, used to performing in front of hoards of adoring fans, and there you are gyrating and doing back flips in front of a stoic, expressionless audience? I have a natural proclivity towards that type of music, so I would have been completely excited to be there. But I had to hold back my excitement, since everyone around me watching the broadcast just didn't seem to get it. I felt awkward for the BEP even from way across the other side of the country.

The best part of the upfront was when Chris Rock came out and told everyone they should start spending money on the CW because the role of young Chris in "Everybody Hates Chris" is now going to be played by a white girl. He went on and on about how there are going to be plenty of white people on the network, even random ones that will pop up every now and then and just be like, "Hey, I'm white!". And he ended it by saying "Now you all better spend some motherfucking money!" Coming from Chris Rock in the middle of such a stuffy presentation...it was just priceless. Hilarious.

Red Lobster for the Sea World Lover in You

impecunious – adj., having little or no money

For Mother’s Day, Kyle and I went to Sea World with my mom and dad. Before we left, I sparingly lathered on some sun block over my body and face. Call me a bad wife, but I neglected to tell Kyle to do the same. I think I had thought about it, but then figured eh, he doesn’t usually like to put on sun block anyway. Our friend Craig who lives on a boat NEVER wears sunscreen, and inevitably at the end of a sunny day he looks like he is wearing full on makeup. I’m talking blush, lipstick, the whole nine yards.

So of course by the end of our trip to Sea World I had sunburn splotches randomly in areas where I did not cover, and Kyle had a lovely raccoon face burn. Seriously, for all the times in our lives when we get sunburn, do we never learn? I’m going out today to buy a tube of sunblock to carry in my purse. I call Kyle my lobster. I love that episode of “Friends”. “He’s her lobster!”

Well, I haven’t posted in a while so I’ve gathered up some random thoughts over the past week that I’ll bestow upon you now.

Cell Phone Calling

You know how you can tell when you call people on their cell phones if the call is going through or if their cell phone is off? If it’s off, you go straight to voice mail, but if it’s on and they just aren’t answering, it rings and rings. I know you’re there damnit! The only exception (I think) being when they don’t have reception. Lately I feel like I’m the person that calls but nobody wants to pick up. I called 5 people in a row recently and each time it rang until I went to voice mail. I started developing a complex about it. It seems like we’ve become a society that is becoming increasingly dependent on e-mail to keep in touch. The problem with e-mail is that, if you’re like me, messages tend to get buried in my in-box in between e-mails from travelocity telling me about the great deal on a European vacation that I'll never be able to afford and the paranoid chain letter e-mails about bad luck that I never forward. In between those e-mails somewhere is an actual message from a friend, and eventually I forget if I’ve responded to them or not. So I end up being that bad friend that doesn’t e-mail back. That must be why nobody takes my phone calls! I have to admit though, I've also become very reliant on corresponding with people via e-mail. I think I'm lacking in conversational skills as a result. I hardly ever call people just to talk now - I only have conversations to make plans. Anyway, kudos to the handful of you who always seem to pick up your phone when I call no matter what. To Kyle (you’d better!), Sarah, Jay, Angie, and MaryAnn – you make me feel special. :)

Eating Out

Lately Kyle and I have been trying to avoid becoming impecunious, so we’ve cut back dramatically on our eating out sessions. So now when we do eat out, I try to make the most of it and order something I’m really going to like. The problem with that is, now I’m also trying to eat healthier after last week’s drinking/greasy food binge. Last night we went to Baja Fresh. I ordered a mahi-mahi salad, but I didn’t realize that the dressing it comes with is an avocado pico dressing. I’m allergic to avocados. Not a develop a puffy face type and break out into hives allergic but the type of allergic that can cause you to go through 2 rolls of Charmin in one night. Maybe it’s not really an allergy, but whatever, that’s what I call it. Instead of using the dressing, I doused my salad with the spicy salsa they have. Not a good idea. It didn’t make it taste any better. The whole time we were eating I was staring at Kyle’s Chicken Ultimo Burrito with envy. I need to figure out where my line is between being able to enjoy good food but not gaining a million pounds to do so. It might be time to break out the Weight Watchers journal again.

I have more thoughts somewhere in my little brain, but it’s the middle of the day on a Wednesday and I’m getting too tired to pull them out. I’ll try writing more later.

Drinkin' the Blues Away

perspicacity - n. acuteness of discernment or perception

Ohhh, what a painful loss. We were so so close, only to see the Lakers fade away into a crushing defeat by the Suns. Saturday night was rough. I couldn't even bring myself to talk about it until today.

Good thing we took Justin downtown to watch the game and go bar hopping. I think I would have just shut myself up in my room and cried all night long otherwise. It was the first time I actually got to explore downtown San Diego practically since I moved here. Funny, I used to go all the time when I lived in OC/L.A., but that was back when I was still a young buck. Now it takes me days to get over a full night of drinking.

A rundown of our stops:

5:30-7:30: The Whiskey Girl. The sad part is that we had an awesome table right in front of the big screen TV, so there was no way to not see the Lakers missing what seemed like every one of their baskets. I know, I know, I need to get over it! The bar was pretty cool - definitely a great place to watch sports since they had a gazillion TVs everywhere.

7:30-8:30: The Field. I loved this pub! I totally felt like I had been transported to Ireland. Justin described it as being very "real", to which I replied, "yeah, like Disneyland!". Cuz Disneyland is oh so real. I think the Disneyland comparison came more from the fact that it was kind of dim and cool, sort of Pirates of the Caribbean-esque. The food was nice and greasy, just how I like it.

8:45-9:15: Dick's Last Resort. I had always wanted to see what this place was like. It looks huge from the outside. For some reason we had to walk around in circles for a while before we found it. Once we got there, we were harrassed and yelled at as soon as we walked in by this girl selling Miller Lite and Bud at a booth at the front entrance. No thank you! I am just not a Miller/Bud kind of girl. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but if I'm gonna pay 5 bucks for a beer it better be an Amstel Lite. The crowd was...um, interesting to say the least. It was fun if you like having everything from straws and napkins thrown at you from all directions.

9:15-9:20: Tivoli's. Very young, college kiddy type of place. Basically I went in, took a tinkle, and then we decided we were over it already. It didn't seem awful, but it just wasn't the type of place for an old lady like me. I refuse to hang out with a crowd of people who were born mostly in the 80's - the mid-80's no less! Yes, I am an ageist! Really, I just think when I'm drinking that I don't want to be thinking about how most of these kids probably don't even remember the Cosby Show.

On the way to the next place we ran into a guy named Keith who was displaced here from New Orleans. He had lost his home and seen the devastation of Hurricane Katrina firsthand. We talked about that and the Lakers. Needless to say, that was a pretty sobering encounter and helped me to see that a Lakers loss is definitely not the worst thing to happen in the world.

9:20-10: Dussinni's. This was our last stop. Total high end business professional kind of place. Surprisingly not too expensive. By this time I was fading out, so I only had about 1/4 of my beer.

Thanks to Kyle for being a responsible DD and maintaining his perspicacity! Overall it was a fun night, but I feel pretty gross still from all the fattening food and gallons of beer I consumed. I'm glad we don't get out of town visitors too often or else I'd be one big mama.

Lakers 2007 baby! (I had to throw that one in for good measure)

So sad

maladroit - adj. tactless, clumsy

Boo, what a difference a week makes. I thought by this time I'd be celebrating the glorious victory of the Lakers and an exciting L.A. Clippers/Lakers series, but now it's looking verrry iffy for my boys. The saddest part is that I saw some statistic saying that 96% of teams that go 3-1 in a series eventually go on to win. I really really hope the Lakers don't fall into that 4% category. I can't take the suspense!

I've been lagging on the posts this week. Work's been somewhat busy, and I've actually had things to do after work. Monday we went to see the John Butler Trio and Wednesday we saw Animal Liberation Orchestra. Both performances were on a Hornblower cruise ship, so it was fun to be able to enjoy the music while cruising around the San Diego Bay. Both were really amazing too! Kyle and I were dorky ALO groupies and went to talk to the band afterwards. I was pretty wasted at that point, so I don't even know what I was saying to the guitar player, Dan. When I play it back in my mind it goes something like this:

ME: So, where did you guys all meet?
DAN: We went to UC Santa Barbara together.
ME: That's cool, is that how you know Jack Johnson?
DAN: Yeah.
ME: Do you all live close to each other?
DAN: Well some of us live in San Francisco, one guy lives in Seattle.

But here's how it probably really went:

ME: OH MY GAWD! YOU GUYS ARE SOOO WICKED AWESOME!
DAN: Uh, thanks. (Looks around quickly for an escape route)
ME: LIKE, WHERE DO YOU ALL LIVE? CAN I COME TO VISIT?
DAN: Umm, Northern California, around that area. (Mentally taking note of my physical description to i.d. me as potential suspect for crazy stalker incidents).
ME: I'M TOTALLY COMING TO YOUR NEXT GIG!
DAN: Great....

I'm sure I came across as a maladroit drunkard. So yeah, Kyle and I are going to see them again June 3rd at the Belly Up. I highly recommend you check out their music at www.alomusic.com. They're also playing tonight at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica for you L.A. peeps. If you go, tell Dan that Kyle and crazy Cheryl sent you. Yeah, that's not stalkerish sounding at all...

OH YEAH, I found out that Costco sells something just like the Magic Mic for only $200! I guess that ruins my plan to import Magic Mic's from the Philippines and start a Magic Mic store. Oh well, for everyone who wanted to get one, now you know where to go. I guess Kyle and I will be less popular too since we won't be the only ones with a Magic Mic pretty soon - hee hee.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Justin will be in town this weekend, so we should be doing more exciting things than our usual sit in front of the TV weekends.

Aw Yeah!

The Lakers are back baby! I am so jealous that Jay got to go the Friday game AND the crazy one today. There is nothing better than an adrenaline filled Laker playoff game at the Staples Center, topped off with delicious delicious bacon wrapped hotdogs. Aahh, those bacon wrapped hotdogs bring back some great L.A. memories, most of them involving late night states of intoxication. My favorite being the night of my 28th birthday party at White Lotus, when Kyle was so tanked he bought 12 bacon wrapped hotdogs for 5 people. And we wonder why he has such high cholesterol.

No vocab word today, I just wanted to post about how happy I am that it looks like we'll get to see the Lakers advance another round in the playoffs. Woop de woop!

Weighing In

obsequious - adj. too eager to obey or serve (a.k.a. KISSING ASS)

Ugh. My "loose jeans" totally feel tight on me. This after a week where I vowed to eat primarily fruits and veggies and I did my first form of exercise in months. Our office just started doing lunch time yoga classes in the backyard. We work out of a huge Victorian historic home so it's a pretty nice environment to do your warrior poses and downward dogs in (haha, that just sounded wrong).

Kyle doesn't understand why I stress about weight so much. Honestly, I know I'm pretty lucky in that I don't fluctuate too dramatically when it comes to weight. I just keep telling him, "You don't understand because you aren't a girl!" When I turned 30, it was like I stopped caring so much about what other people think about me, in all aspects except for weight. I know you ladies can relate to me, so to the guys reading this you'll have to either bear with me or I'll try to make it up to you another day by writing about the Lakers or something.

Don't you hate it when you see someone who you haven't seen in a while, and you get the feeling that she is analyzing you, trying to assess whether you've gained or lost weight? Maybe it's my paranoid mind working in overdrive, but I swear that there are some people I just dread running into because I know I'll get the old look up and down. I'm not just talking friends either, it happens with family members, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. I'm sure I've been guilty of it myself in the past, but knowing how it feels I have consciously reformed my ways. I still remember the time when I was at work in the lunch room at my last job, and I was reading an article in Cosmopolitan magazine about Oprah or something. One of the articles on the cover was something to the effect of "How to Lose 10 Lbs. in 10 Days", and one of my co-workers walked right up to me and said, "Oh, are you learning about how to lose extra weight? Here's what you should do..." and she proceeded to list different ways I could shave off my excess flabbinesss. Seriously, without me even saying one word about trying to do that! I was so devastated, and obviously still traumatized to this day. I do not try to lose weight because I'm trying to attract men - I'm a married woman! I do it so that I don't have to worry about other women criticizing my lifestyle.

So to all of you ladies out there, I'm not trying to be obsequious, but listen to Dove and know that we are beautiful in all shapes and forms. I've gotta try to start taking my own advice.

This does not by any means translate into me giving up the food I like in order to look like Nicole Richie. My love for chocolate and carbs far outweighs my self consciousness about what people think about my weight. :)

From Britney to Celine

equanimity - n. calmness of temperament

I had a moment of enlightenment the other day - an epiphany if you will - that reminded me that I am no longer a spring chicken anymore. You see, it is common knowledge that I have always been a fan of pop music, dating back to the time I purchased my very first New Kids on the Block tape. Yes, I said TAPE - although they had graduated to CDs by the time "Step by Step" came around from what I remember. Needless to say, I've always been a listener of the Top 40 variety, until recently, when I realized that the DJs only ever talked about hooking up and dating problems. Things I totally do not relate to, seeing as how I've been with Kyle ever since I was practically wearing a training bra.

So, I decided to switch to a station that plays what's known in the media buying world as "Soft Adult Contemporary" music, meaning lots of slow songs from the 80's and 90's. To my delight, I discovered that they play all my favorite karaoke songs, from "Wind Beneath My Wings" to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Cheesey, I know. But now I get to sing to myself at the top of my lungs in the car and pretend that I am an undiscovered talent in the world of music. Christina Aguilera ain't got nothing on me! Another bonus of this station is that they broadcast the cheapest gas prices in San Diego twice every hour. Seeing as how I was raised by a father who maintains a mental catalogue of the gas stations with the lowest prices across the entire state of California, this is exciting news. Literally, my dad will tell you to drive 20 miles out of your way to fill up on a gas station priced 5 cents lower than the one down the street from your house (thus defeating the purpose of the lower gas price, but I think it's more a matter of principal with him). My dad does not show equanimity when it comes to talking gas. "What, you paid $3.12 for gas? TERRIBLE! The Arco on Winchester & Valley Parkway only charges $3.07. You should've gone there!"

Anyway, I was excited to share this new source of cheap gas information with my dad when I saw him the other day, only to discover that he was already tuned into the station in his car.

Me: "Oh dad, do you listen to this station because they tell you where the lowest gas prices are?"
Dad: "No, I just like the music!"

I officially have the same music taste as my parents. Next thing you know I'll be posting up at Pechanga and hitting up the buffets on a daily basis.

Bullseye

ascetic: adj.; practicing self denial; stark

HAPPY 35TH ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD! Here's to 35 more years of corny jokes and Scrabble tournaments.

Allow me to pay homage to one of my most favoritest places in the world. Yes ladies, I know you know what I'm talking about - it's the almighty TARGET! I used to get so excited every time I went that I would have to go to the bathroom as soon as I walked through the sliding glass doors. Just the sight of those glorious red shopping carts all lined up in a row had me running to the nearest ladies room. However, I quickly discovered the one major drawback of Target. That would be the not so clean bathrooms. So now I've trained myself to have some control so as not to mar the joyous occassion that is a trip to Target.

I was quite proud of myself for having ascetic restraint last night and only spending $25 there. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've gone to Target and spent less than $50. They are so smart to put everything you could have ever wanted and more in one place. Remember when Mossimmo used to be an overpriced store in South Coast Plaza? Well, gone are the days when I could not even afford to purchase one Mossimmo sock. Now you can get a Mossimmo dress, jacket, and even a pair of sassy shoes to complete your outfit for less than the price of one of those said socks in days gone by.

The $1 section is insane yo! Who knew you could buy so many things for a mere 1/3rd of the cost of a gallon of gas? Lately I've been having this problem where I confuse my dishes sponges with my counter sponges, and I was thinking it would be great to get a couple of sponge dishes to distinguish the two. Well lo and behold, what do you think I found in the $1 section last night? Sponge dishes AND a pair of kitchen tongs that I have been in desperate need of. I must have been a good girl this year, because Santa Target just sent me some early Christmas presents!

If heaven were a place on Earth, I think it would have to be Disneyland with a Target planted firmly in the middle of Downtown Disney. But not one of those two story Targets, those are just too complicated for me. I like the idea of being able to wander the aisles without having to worry about which floor I need to hit up for my Herbal Essences shampoo. Ooh, or better yet, what if "It's a Small World" floated you right through the Target aisles at the end? They have taken to putting their Disney souveneir stores at the end of each ride so that poor parents like Cheryl and Chris have to practically blindfold their kids in order to avoid spending their life savings on princess figurines and such. I think Disney would love my idea - somebody get Robert Iger on the phone!

The Sky is Falling!

gaucherie: n.; socially awkward; tactless behavior

What a bee-yoo-tiful day it is today! It's days like these when I really miss my little red VW convertible Cabriolet that I could drive around with the top down.

So Kyle has lately been obsessed with this psychic guy, Edgar Caycee. They did a History Show special on him the other day which I, of course, slept through (I am completely powerless against that recliner couch, I tell you), but Kyle stayed up and watched all the way until the show ended at 10:00.

Side Bar: There must be something in our marriage license saying that we can't stay up past 10:30, because ever since we got married I cannot for the life of me stay up beyond that time.

Anyway, back to the psychic. Apparantly he and multiple dudes with prophetic powers have predicted that the world is going to come to an end in the year 2012. This is all Kyle has been able to talk about. I for one, believe that ignorance is bliss, so I would have been happy to not know that information at all. But now that I do, I feel the need to share with all of you because for some reason, I feel much more comforted knowing that we will be harboring this knowledge of the end of the world together. I apologize if some of you view this as a form of gaucherie on my part, but darnit, it makes ME feel better!

My reality show options are slowly dwindling. First the end of Project Runway, now the Next Food Network Star is over. I was happy that Guy won because I voted for him. Kyle makes fun of me because yes, I do cast votes for shows such as American Idol, the Next Food Network Star, and you can bet I'm getting my dialing fingers ready for So You Think You Can Dance. Get out and vote y'all!

Such a Premium Dancer

febrile - adj.; feverish

Have you seen that movie, "Everything is Illuminated"? My favorite quote: "All the ladies want to get carnal with me because I am such a premium dancer." That pretty much describes Kyle last night at Jen and Josh's wedding. There is something that comes over him whenever he gets near the dance floor at a wedding. His body suddenly takes over and he is thrown into a state of febrile gyrations as he transforms into a dancing fiend right before your very eyes. If any of you single folks ever invite him to your wedding in the future, tell the videographer to keep an eye out for Kyle and his mad skills.

The wedding was really beautiful, bride and groom were glowing with happiness. The cutest part was when Josh was repeating his vows after the minister, and one of the lines was "as we join together in our bond of everlasting love", Josh looked at Jen and said "evalasting looove". Such an adorable couple!

Love

suppliant: adj. entreating, beseeching

Holla! Happy Friday everyone! The weather has been beautiful all week long and now today it's cloudy and yucky. I'm going to a Padres game tonight and an outdoor wedding tomorrow - hope the weather comes through for me, the Padres, and the bride (congrats Jen Lemoine!).

David e-mailed me from London and I got to thinking about all the fun things I miss about living there. One of the things I loved most was the way everyone greeted you with, "Hello, love!". I don't know why, it just made me feel happy inside. But you know if I tried to say it it would just sound lame. I don't have that cool British accent to back it up with. For some reason, British accents make things sound so much more cool and more intelligent. Also, they make for better acting. Kyle and I were watching the Chronic-WA-cles of Narnia, and a quarter of the way through the movie I turned to him and said, "Is it just me, or are these kids really bad actors?" You know they've gotta be really bad if it even shows through their British accents! Not that I think I could do any better, but come on - they must have auditioned a bazillion kids for those roles and those were the best they could find? Now those Harry Potter kids, they are good.

By the way, I'm loving the comments you guys are sending out so I implore you to heed my suppliant plea to keep 'em coming! That would have sounded really cool if I had a British accent, trust me.

Lookyloo

quotidian: adj. daily, commonplace, customary

Do you ever look around when you're in your car and snoop at people when they don't think anyone else sees? I don't do it that often, but I see the funniest things when I do. Like last night, I was stopped at a light on the corner of Mira Mesa Blvd. and Camino Santa Fe, right next to an L.A. Fitness. For some reason, I felt the urge to look over into the big window where the aerobics room is. First of all, I am a firm believer in not working out in a gym where the whole world can see you. Windows in gym should be an illegal concept. Who wants to be subject to public viewing when you've got sticky hair and pit stains, and who is even interested in looking at that shizz? Well, apparantly I am because there I was spying on a group of Filipino moms and dads, looking like they were practicing the cha-cha. Probably for some kid's debut. Filipino parents live for that stuff man. I remember my debut, and it was more like my mom's coming out party then mine. All I wanted to do was bump some Boyz II Men, when my mom insisted on having her AND ALL HER FRIENDS out there doing the Kadal Blelah. At the time I was really embarrassed, but now that I think about it I should have appreciated the cultural aspect of it more.

So to whatever 18 year old Filipino young lady it is whose mom and dad are gathering their friends at the L.A. Fitness during all hours of the night to practice a dance for your party, I say rock with it. Just remember that your parents are embarrassing you because they love you.

I'm off to get my hair cut. Of course my hair looks like crap on a quotidian basis, and today when I'm about to get it cut I get a bunch of compliments on it, making me not want to cut it. Wish me luck!

Reality Check

stentorian: adj. extremely loud

Anyone who knows me in the slightest is aware of what a reality show junkie I am. It all started with the Real World (thanks to Nina for the introduction) and just spiraled from there. So we must talk American Idol.

Kyle and I were mortified last night to hear Ace sing, of all things, our wedding song. Why oh why did he have to pick "That's All" out of all the thousands of songs he probably could have chosen?! Ugh, the guy is just too cheesey for me. Sure, he's good looking, but I'd take Taylor or Elliot over him any day. I am a huge Taylor fan. Even Kyle's admitted that he would be curious to hear his CD if he released one. That's the highest compliment Kyle would ever give an Idol contestant.

And how excited am I that "So You Think You Can Dance" is coming back? Love that show! I let out a stentorian cheer last night when the commercial came on during Idol. I am going to be in TV heaven in May. Nobody call me between the hours of 8-9p on Tuesdays or Thursdays. You've been warned.

Another thing I feel compelled to warn you about - do not try fat free vanilla yogurt. It's the grossest thing I've ever had, right up there with my polenta/kidney beans/spinach experiment. Ick.

Kevin + Bean = :p

vagary: n. caprice; whim

One of the things I miss most about living in L.A. was being able to listen to Kevin & Bean in the morning. Even though L.A. morning traffic can be/is horrendous, having them along for the AM commute almost made me look forward to the drive (almost, but not quite). I just haven't been able to find any morning shows in San Diego that come close to the brilliance that is Kevin & Bean. Thanks to Joon-dawg, I have recently become privvy to a blog that streams K&B so on slow days at work I get to catch up on all the latest happenings in lala land.

The other day I was listening and Ralph casually mentions something about his wife. What?! Ralph has a wife?! I thought he was intent on being a lifelong bachelor. I felt like I had been stranded on a desert island somewhere, only to return and find that the world had turned upside down on it's head all while I was wasting away my days climbing trees and gathering coconuts. Now I know how Mike Seaver felt when he stayed home sick from school and discovered that Gilligan's Island reruns still aired even when he wasn't home to watch them.

By the way, did you notice that 3 out of my 5 last posts were all about food? I knew I had an obsessive relationship with food, but it's sort of hard to see it laid out in black and white for you.

I've decided on a vagary to get my hair cut this Thursday.

See, this is why I don't use advanced vocabulary words! They just don't sound right!

Chocolate & Coffee, Here I Come!

I think I'm going to start a new thing where I post a new vocab word every day. I took the GRE not that long ago, and I still have stray notecards floating around my purse, my car, and all over the apartment. I'd say I've already forgotten about 75% of what I studied, so maybe I'm hoping that the information on those notecards will be transferred back to my brain somehow if I keep them around long enough. You know how Starbucks has all those flash cards around their store to promote that new movie, Akeelah & The Bee? I wish they had those when I was studying for the GRE because I spent most of my studying time at Starbucks.

Today's Vocab Word is: SUCCOR (no, not that kind of "sucker")
Meaning: verb; aid;assist; comfort

So boys and girls, let's try to use the word SUCCOR in context today. You can impress your friends, family, and people at work with your expansive knowledge of vocabulary words.

After giving up chocolate and coffee for Lent, my tastebuds are happy to welcome back the glorious return of delicious white chocolate mochas and Milano cookies. Oh how I've missed you chocolate and coffee. Easter was fun, just hung out with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family in Fallbrook. Our holidays always seem to consist of eating exorbitant amounts of food and sitting around the TV watching a Laker game. It's funny how the things I used to find embarrassing about my parents are now just so hilarious to me. I think I'm becoming more and more like them in my old age, hence the evolving appreciation for corny jokes. Here's a rundown of a few of the highlights from yesterday:

Dad: "Are you getting sleepy from the turkey? You must be taking a trip to Japan." (get it? trip to Japan = tryptophan)

Upon discussing past seasons of American Idol, Cathee says: "Is William Hung still..."
Mom: "Hung?"
Cathee & Cheryl: "MOM!!"
Kyle & Mike trying to hide their laughter behind mouthfuls of turkey.

Every time mom does something dad doesn't like he screams in a high-pitched voice, "Ay, MOMMY! What are you doing?" Then two seconds later they are cracking up about some other corny joke. Okay, it doesn't sound that funny, but it's funny when it happens every single time we see them, like clockwork.

Peace out everyone, hope this post helps to succor you through your work day.