being a theatre girl

Flying...

2006-08-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

Why did Brandon have to fly home from Russia the day after a major terrorism plot was uncovered? He has begun his four flight trek home (assuming he was able to make it through security in time to get on the plane) so I REALLY hope that he makes all of his connections and I can wrap my arms around him at the Sac airport tomorrow night!!

Post Graduate Life

2006-08-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

As the title may suggest, this is not an exciting topic. Post graduate life, I mean, there isn't much to say. I think the change I have noticed so far is that since graduating in May people keep asking "how's your summer going?" What summer, I think to myself? This is the saddest thing about adulthood. Unless you become a teacher (oh, how happy that would make my dad), you don't have a summer. So my summer? Well I have gone to work everyday - except on July 3 and 4. That was a nice holiday. And even though I have worked every summer since I started college, I have always had the flexibility to say "I am going to England for three weeks" or "I can only work 4 days a week." Now, I can't complain too much because the salary (happily not working for free or for minimum wage) and benefits (which were non-existent) are much better when you don't have this freedom. But it still takes some getting used to.

And I can still take little trips here and there. In a few weeks I will be heading down south to my college roommates wedding which I can't wait for! In September I will be taking a weekend trip to LA which, albeit quick, will be a nice get away.

So, while I may need to wait awhile before I can take a three week European vacation again and may never have a 3-4 day a week job, life is good. Maybe a little different, but I suppose we all need a change every now and again.

Graduation 2006

2006-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to think about how much life can change in only a few years. Looking back six years at my high school graduation I can remember being anxious to get on my way to college, to life in LA, to an idea of independence I had been craving for years. I was thrilled at the prospect of making new friends in a new place. And even though I cried when my parents left me in my dorm room in Desmond in August 2000, it was tears of change more than anything else.

College graduation in 2004 left me facing a new challenge - life back in Northern California, single and still unsure what I wanted out of my future. When I left my apartment in LA on May 14, 2004 it took everything in me not to burst into tears. I was leaving the life I had known for the last four years for a new unknown. This was a change that I hadn't spent my life planning for like going to away college. In a lot of ways I felt like I was starting over in a lot of ways.

And now that I will be awarded my Masters Degree tomorrow it's so strange to look back and see all that I have done in the last two years and how different my life is than it was in 2000 or even in 2004. During these years I have created a home in a new place, found new friends, traveled to England, Scotland, Los Angeles and Washington DC, made my way through a new academic program and crafted a 311 page thesis (okay, okay 250 pages were appendices but still I can brag!). And on top of it all, I was lucky enough to reconnect with a man who has become a supportive and loving partner.

I suppose that this is one of those points in life when I need to stop and be thankful for how blessed I have been.

THESIS COMPLETE!

2006-05-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today I got the final signature and submitted my thesis. That's right, it's done with and out of my hands. I am so done! So please indulge my selfcongratulatory moment.

Yippee!!

This seriously may be one of the greatest moments in my life so far. I can't believe I am going to get a Master's Degree. Who'd have thunk it?

Update 5.1.06

2006-05-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Let's see, I have been at my new job for two full weeks and I really like it. The people in the office are really friendly and relaxed and they have been flexible about school conflicts during the first few weeks. I have been very busy so the days are passing a lot faster than at my old job and that is really helpful. Even though I am working five days instead of three, it doesn't feel like that much longer. Except that four day weekends are definitely longer than two day weekends :)

Another positive is that I picked up my thesis from both readers last week and they approved it! Now a copy has been printed on insanely expensive paper and I will start gathering signatures tomorrow. When I get the last one Thursday I plan to submit the entire thing immediately afterward and what a relief that will be!

There are still a few more things on my plate including my presentation on Monday and graduation itself, but soon I will be able to go to work and come home and not have anything else on my mind. It will be fantastic - at least, for awhile. I am sure i will get bored eventually and wish I was in school again, but right now I am looking forward to a break.

A Little Good and So Much Bad

2006-04-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been interesting to say the least. Last Tuesday marked my last day as a graduate assistant at the office I had been working at during the last year and a half. I was able to spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday working to complete my thesis, which I am happy to say I did! On Friday I was able to make my last batch of corrections, print it out and make an additional copy. It was such a relief to know that I will be able to submit it to my two readers this week. This should provide enough time for them to make any suggestions, for me to make those changes and then to make the final submission by May 12. Having the two copies in hand is a great relief, hopefully the next few steps will go smoothly.

There's the good.

The bad of the weekend was the nasty stomach flu or food poisoning I was hit with Friday night. I have never been so ill. Between 6 pm and 12 am I threw up 8 or 9 times, by the last round there was nothing left in my poor little tummy so I got my first experience with the very painful dry heaving. To top it off I was concurrently experiencing additional stomach problems. I am sure that no more detail need be given. Thank goodness I was at my parents house and not at my apartment. They were awesome about taking care of me, something that a person crawling from their make shift bed in the hall to the bathroom all night can't really do for themselve to well...

On top of feeling totally pathetic and super sore (my back and abs are still killing me!) I was stressed that I would still feel sick on Monday when I start my new job. Fortunately now that it is Sunday evening, I am beginning to feel more like myself again. Hopefully a good nights sleep will leave me well prepared for tomorrow.

Why no one should work alone, Part I

2006-04-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a hectic day at the office. There are only three full time staff members and me. Making it more complicated the administrative person (who is full time) only works here half a day and works across the hall half the day, so sometimes we are stretched pretty thin.

Well, my supervisor called in sick yesterday and long story short I was in the office pretty much alone from 1:30 until 4. All was going well, I had a couple of phone calls but nothing major and then this older white guy walked in. So I got up and went into the main portion of our office to help him. He said he wanted to know about the graduate diversity program - so I handed him the list of grants we give out each year and said that most of the deadlines had passed, but he could try again next year, once he had been accepted into a MA program. Then he very unclearly asked me about the guidelines for getting these awards and I explained that they were mainly ethnic and socio-economic. At this point he asked me something which I totally didn't understand and I told him I didn't know what he was saying. So he asked me "well, does being a felon recently released from prison affect qualifying for these awards?"

WHAT?!?

That's right. A felon. And not just a felon, but one RECENTLY released. It continued to get worse when I told him that I was unsure how that affected his standing, but he could email or call the woman in charge of the program. He said that he didn't have a computer so email wouldn't be possible. I helpfully suggested he go to the library and use a computer there and he said, "but if she isn't here and i send her an email aren't I going to be sitting there for a long time waiting to hear back from her?" To which I suggested he return the next day or the day after that to check his message. "Oh, it will be saved inside the computer?"

Wow. Clearly this guy was away for quite sometime, making me increasingly less comfortable being alone with him. I know that a felony could be a lot of things, some non-violent. But a felony that keeps you in prison so long that you not only don't have email, but you don't even understand how it works??

After the email discussion he finally left, and unfortunately I have to say that this is only one of my examples of why people shouldn't be left in an office alone...

A Plan!

2006-04-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Finally I have a bit of comfort. I was offered a full-time, benefited position at Sac State which I will start on Monday, April 17. I will be a program representative for the Academic Talent Search office. ATS puts together a summer school program for gifted sixth through ninth graders which takes place on the CSUS campus and includes interesting courses such as Japanese, veterinary medicine and photography. Kind of like really early college prep.

It will definitely be a change to enter the 40 hour work week instead of my usual come to work when it works for me schedule at McNair. Well, I am a little better than that, but the idea of getting up at 6 and driving to Sacramento 5 days a week instead of 3 or 4 is a bit daunting. But I figure, just like going to school, I will get used to my new schedule. It will probably be better since I will be in a regular routine instead of all over the place like I am now.

Still working away on my thesis with hopes of having it completed and submitted by the deadline on May 12. I got the second draft of my paper back from my advisor on Monday and am hoping that between this weekend and some serious attention next week I will be able to submit it to my two readers by Monday, April 24. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

All in all I am happy to say that I now have a plan. I just need to get into gear in order to spit out a rockin final draft of my thesis although I highly doubt that a thesis can really ever be rockin. Well see!

Adventures in the Car

2006-04-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I am not a very patient person. Yesterday, as I spent nearly 2 hours going approximately 5 miles on the freeway I realized this even more. I have always hated waiting – especially when it came to plays being cast, colleges sending out acceptance letters and, now, job interviews. But waiting in the car is the ultimate agony.

When people ask if I would like to live in LA again, I can answer an emphatic NO. Living in LA during college was fine and I love the great friends I met there and who still live there. But to have a “real” life in Los Angeles? Hell no. The city is way to spread out and has the most heinous traffic virtually 22 hours a day.

Terrible Car Story #1: The last week I was in college I was heading over the house of the boy I was dating at the time. I lived in Playa del Rey and he lived in Long Beach, roughly 17 miles away. I hoped on the freeway around 7:15 (I know, I know, too close to “rush hour” which I am pretty sure last from 2:30-9) and it took me an entire hour to get there. An hour. And there wasn’t an accident, no one had been pulled over by the police. There was nothing that people were stopping to look at. Sitting on the 710 made me so anxious that I literally wanted to get out of the car and run in circles around it. It was the worst car experience of my life.

Until yesterday. At least I got to see a cute boy at the end of that obnoxious hour.

Terrible Car Story #2: But yesterday as I drove from my parent’s house in Stockton to Sac State for a meeting with my thesis advisor I didn’t really have anything that great to look forward to at the end of the waiting. Apparently a big rig truck flipped over and blocked every lane of I-5 North…so, for those with knowledge of this area, I went from the Laguna exit in Elk Grove to the Pocket Road exit in Sacramento in two hours. The entire trip took me three hours when it should have taken one hour max. I felt like my entire day was wasted because after the meeting I still had to drive back to Davis. I stopped to get lunch and by the time I made it home I was completely exhausted. I ate, sat for awhile and then went to an excellent yoga class. Afterwards I had dinner with friends, which was good too.

This experience seriously adds to my desire to live in a city where a car is not necessary for every day travel.

The Bonster

2006-03-27T22:49:00.000-08:00

If you click on the title, it will take you to some older pictures that show a kind of before and after puppy scenario.

How well do you know me?

2006-03-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

This should be a piece of cake! It's only 5 questions, let's see how well you know me...

Update

2006-03-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well, nothing too exciting to report. I am exactly two months away from my MA graduation day without anymore of a plan than I had before I started. I can happily say that I am getting toward the final stages of my thesis process, though. I sent a second draft to my prof to review yesterday, which felt really, really good. I have also finished transcribing the 10 interviews which is great. In case any of you ever think about transcribing anything, take my advise, it is a REALLY time consuming process.

I found out last weekend that I did not get the position that I had interviewed for at Sac State, but that's okay. It would have provided that comfort of having full time employment upon graduating. But, tomorrow I have an interview at the Haggin Museum so hopefully that goes well. It would allow me to have my first real job in my field, which would be awesome.

Just wrapping up the weekend and thought i would put this brief update together. Hope you all have a fantastic Monday and things are going well!

I love Anne Taintor

2006-03-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

"She wasn't always right, but she was always articulate."

She had not yet decided whether to use her power for good or evil

2006-03-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Sloganizer

2006-03-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

he sloganize thing is pretty entertaining if you are bored.

Some of the top ones were -
You can be sure of Annie
Shake the bottle, Wake the Annie
It's Different in an Annie - that ones just dirty!
Bring out the Annie
Bridge that Gap with Annie
Big Chocolate Annie

and, finally,

Annie. It's what's for dinner.

Oh, I really need more to do...

Shocking!

2006-02-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

People are finally coming to their senses...too bad he's still got two years to go...

2006-02-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

I am in a weird mood today. On Monday I went to a second interview for a full time, benefited position on campus and I felt like I did pretty well. I had to give a 5 minute presentation and brought in a Power Point to go along with it. They said they were impressed because I was the only person so far to do anything other than talk [and no, I wasn’t the first person to go]. They said that they had two more interviews and then they have to do everything through HR, which can take some time. I don’t really feel anxious or stressed about it, but they haven’t called my references and that is kind of bugging me.

Things always work out for a reason – and they always turn out in the end, even if getting there meant going through things that you never thought you wanted. So if I didn’t get a new job, I still have a few months of school and staying where I am means more flexibility: time for working on my thesis, less hours and more time to spend with Brandon – it would be fine. But if I did get a new position, I would feel more secure about where I will be after May 19. I could know that I would still have a job and health insurance…

I guess I would just like to know one way or the other so I can start on a new plan.

Bonnie Update

2006-02-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

She's five months old now, and getting so big! Look at the difference between baby Bonnie and big girl Bonnie:

Why won't they stop cleaning?

2006-02-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I am pretty sure the people in the apartment upstairs killed somebody. I never heard any loud thuds or screaming or anything…but these people (and I thought it was two girls, but now I think someone moved out and it’s a girl and a guy, or maybe it’s two girls and a guy…who knows) vacuumed at least 6 times between Friday and Sunday. Our apartment is less than 1000 square feet. You can vacuum the entire thing in 10 minutes without having to unplug the vacuum if you pick the right plug when you start.

So 6 times, starting around 9 pm on Friday night, seemed a little excessive to me. It got to the point where Brandon said “If they vacuum one more time, I think you should call the police.” To which I responded, “And tell them what – the people upstairs are cleaning too much, something must be wrong?” “It’s Davis, what else have they got to do?” Point taken.

There is just something very odd about that apartment – maybe it makes the people who inhabit it crazy or something. The previous tenants were insane. The guy was actually wanted by the police for skipping out on his DUI hearing, so he never left the apartment. Just wandered around up there all day slamming things around or playing music so loud it sounded like Sarah and I lived in a freaking night club. He threatened the apartment manager on a number of occasions and we are pretty sure he broke Sarah’s car window after approaching her and saying that she had run into his car (which she hadn’t). He also set off a pipe bomb in the complex spa. There isn’t much that needs to be said about his girlfriend except she stayed with this freak and supported him. We were so grateful when they moved out, and the new people seemed fine until this weekend…who knows what went on up there…

Think you know me?

2006-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

As Sarah said, "All the cool kids are doing it."

The results are somewhat interesting...

Not nearly as good as the toilet story, but...

2006-02-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Your Birthdate: July 6

You tend to be a the rock in relationships - people depend on you.
Thoughtful and caring, you often put others needs first.
You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world.
An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be.

Your strength: Your intuition

Your weakness: You put yourself last

Your power color: Rose

Your power symbol: Cloud

Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Our toilet rocks...literally...

2006-02-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

Our toilet rocks. Literally. From side to side and a little bit forward and backward...this doesn't seem good. Sarah made a little sign for the toilet and we took some fun pictures with it - it was this or going to bed. We hope that the maintenance man gets some entertainment out of the sign, that is hoping that he fixes it tomorrow because a rocking toilet doesn't seem like a good thing. And yes that is a Che puppet sitting in a bag of pads on the toilet. Don't ask me, that was all Sarah.

What's next?

2006-02-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

You would think that a person would be happy to sit back and enjoy their final semester of school, the last moments of flexible life they will ever have unless they find the greatest job ever. You would think that with only 1 actual course to attend I would be completely on top of writing my thesis and working without too much worry.

But this is me. I am nearly done with the project portion of my thesis, but still have my 40-80 page paper to write. And I am freaking out. To make myself stress out even more I have been constantly applying for full time positions – some on the other side of the country because – apparently I think that moving to another state in the middle of completing my thesis would be a fantastic idea.

While I am at work, or lying in bed at night I start thinking about all the things I need to do. Yet when I get home from work at 5, I am tired and hungry. Beyond eating, watching TV and organizing some paperwork I just can’t get anything done. Even the thought of spending any more time in front of the computer makes my eyes hurt. Hence all the crap television marathons that my roommate and I have had lately. And I can’t work all the time, I don’t want to go insane. I need down time. Lately I have been doing a fair amount of yoga, which helps provide a little unwinding time/workout. At school they offer lunchtime wellness classes for employees so my supervisor and I are doing yoga on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. Plus I have been going once or twice a week to a yoga studio in Davis that I really enjoy.

I also re-arranged my work schedule so that I have four day weekends in an attempt to give myself more time for academic work. And if I can keep myself on track I could, theoretically get a whole lot done. But will I? I sure hope so. This weekend will be the test, if I can make some good progress during the next four days I think I will feel like I am in a better place with it all. I just need to get it done so that I can start thinking about the next step – like, where will I be living after July 15? Hopefully in whatever magical city that has provided me with a full time, benefited job. I know life will fall into place and everything will be fine, but I am such a planner, it’s just so hard not knowing where I will be in 5 months.

Puppy Update

2006-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Bonnie sleeping (I think on the couch - my parents are spoiling her!!)1/25/06

Bonnie sleeping with her squeeky camel, which she subsequently ate and destroyed... 12/31/05

Bonnie and I bonding, sometime in December 2005

I realized I haven't posted any pictures of Bonnie for awhile...she's certainly growing! She's probably at least 30 pounds by now, I am pretty sure when I go home this weekend I will no longer be picking her up - but I hope she still likes to snuggle ;)

Which Sondheim Musical am I?

2006-01-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

Follies - Surreal, sophisticated, compelling, heart-wrenching and epic in scope, you are a metaphor for the collapse of American innocence and naïveté in the post-Kennedy era. That and you have a lot of high-maintenance costs associated with you.

Which Stephen Sondheim Musical Are You?
brought to you by The Best Website Ever

My first picture with a famous person!

2006-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I went to LA to support my former newspaper staff with a huge event they were putting on - Speaking Engagements by James Carville and Ann Coulter for the Fourth Annual First Amendment Education Week (an event that I helped to found [year 1] and then organize [year 2]. The evening went exceedingly well with some many students turning up that while 800 were admitted, between 250 and 500 were turned away!

Carville was an incredible speaker and I was lucky enough to attend the special reception for him beforehand. Coulter was, well, the hate spewing individual that she is famous for. She said very little, and nearly everything was factually incorrect. The worst part was that a small number of students sitting directly behond me were really into her, including a completely OC girl in all pink who said "first Ann, I just want to say you are my role model and I want to be just like you." And the part where Carville said that to get this nation back on track that rich people may need to pay a bit more in taxes and these kids booed. A group of 18-21 year olds actually booed at the idea that they would have to give up some of their mommy and daddy's money to help others...

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

But all in all it was a great weekend, I got to catch up with a good number of my friends from down there which is always a blast. Starting tomorrow I am at work almost full time, my last first class is Tuesday. I can't believe that in 4 months I will have an MA and be starting over again...but for now i am watching the Kings and just trying to enjoy my afternoon.

Creepiest thing EVER...

2006-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

I like to watch cop/law shows (ie Law and Order addict - see previous post) even though they tend to gross/freak me out. I would never want to be a police officer... In the last few years I have also gotten into Crossing Jordan. Well Sunday's episode freaked me out. All of the characters were testifying in a case against a guy who killed Ann Rappaport...

That's right - Ann Rappaport. And they must have said the full name 50 times during the episode. All I know is that anytime it came to this part of the storyline I covered my ears and hummed until Brandon said it was okay to watch again. To make it even worse, the dead girl in the other part of the storyline's name was Lizzy (my best friend since age 2's name). AHHHHH!

I was just glad to see that the character's name was spelled so very wrong...

I second that, Senator Clinton...

2006-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I am glad that someone (other than me) is finally saying this!

For Shanda, My 5 Weird Habits

2006-01-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

The first player of this game starts with the topic "five weird habits" of yourself and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals.
SO.... five weird habits...

1. I have to sleep with the Snoopy I have had since I was 2 to get a good nights rest
2. I hate crumbs and must remove them from any surface, floor or counter as soon as I see them because I am paranoid about ants
3. I watch Law and Order obsessively…or if Law and Order isn't on any crime show will suffice.
4. I yell at the TV during basketball games
5. I purposely set my alarm clock earlier than I want to get up so I can have “snooze time”

I won't "tag" anyone, but feel free to share your weird habits if you so desire.

Oh goodness...

2006-01-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from "K-Fed Speaks: Life with Britney 'Wonderful'" (clearly a must read) and after sharing it with Sarah, she encouraged me to share it with the rest of the world:

If you've been afraid to listen to "PopoZão" [which, just in case you were wondering, is slang for a woman with a sizable backside] for fear that it will burrow into your brain like some sort of flesh-eating virus, only without the fun bits, here's a sampling of the classy lyrical magic you're missing: "I want to see your kitty and a little bit of [female body part that rhymes with 'kitty'] ... / Girls, don't you worry about all the dough, because a cat is coming straight out of the know ... / Bring that Brazil booty on the floor / Up, down, all around: Work that [bleep] to the funky sound ...."

Not digging it? You're not alone. According to People's music critic, Federline's debut effort makes you "gain new appreciation for the musical talents" of his bubblegum popster wife.

"His raunchy, repetitive raps will quickly have you K-fed up," rails the reviewer. "His annoying, rapid-fire rhymes suggest that he should stick to being a stay-at-home dad and let Spears bring home the bacon."

Is this pure musical genius or what??

Working hard?

2006-01-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been putting off posting because the last picture is so adorable, but oh well...

Nothing too exciting to report. The holidays have come and gone (and were very nice) and fortunately I still have this week off of work to get ahead on my thesis work. Although I avoiding that as I type this, I have been able to get quite a lot done. I am doing an oral history project on the Mexican American Community in Stockton which consists of conducting interviews, editing them and burning them to DVD's, then donating the burned DVD's to the Cesar Chavez Library as a research resource. Of course, I also have to write this up (about 40-60 pages worth), but I think the time consuming part is in the editing, transcribing and DVD burning. So far I have four completely transcribed and two in progress (leaving 3 more - one of which is nearly 2 hours long...AHHHHHHH), 6 edited on my computer and one burned - want to get professor approval before i do any more of that!

If I am actually productive for the next 6 days before i go back to work I could get a whole lot done...keep your fingers crossed that I am a good girl! ;)

Snow!

2005-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I have returned to California after a long weekend in snowy Grand Rapids, Michigan... It was cold, but led to some snuggly moments!

End of the Semester

2005-12-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday I managed to finish grading the last batch of papers for the undergrad history class and Monday I completed both of my final papers...meaning that after work I turned it all in and could consider myself done for the semester! It was a fabulous feeling - of course, I still had to come into work yesterday and today, but my mind is free from historical theory!! Woo hoo! It is crazy to think that in another semester I will have my Masters Degree and seriously be a real adult who has to get a full time job doing something, somewhere in this world...

I am actually kind of looking forward to working - as long as it is a job that I am excited about which these days is looking like some sort of writer/editor/design type position. I know that as soon as I am working I will probably miss school, but going from age 5 (well 3 if you count pre-school) until 23 is kind of a draining mental work-out. I guess it just seems like "real life" (whatever that is) won't start until I have completed my education.

Anyway, tomorrow Brandon and I take off for Grand Rapids, MI to visit his alma mater and friends that still live there. It will be extremely cold (I may return to California a popsicle), however I am looking forward to getting away and actually having nothing to think about while we are there.

After that I have the first three weeks of winter break off of work (well, one week they are closed anyway) and even though I plan to spend a good portion of each week day working on my thesis I think it will be a wonderful break. And it all starts when I leave work this afternoon...I can't wait!

Chrismakwanzakah 2005

2005-12-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

cookies, cookies, cookies!!

Sarah and I before the party

I am an auntie!

Brandon and I

Brandon and I laughing - think we were having a good time??

New Profile Pic

2005-12-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Oh Bonnie...

2005-11-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

Bonnie's a real handful, but so cute! This picture was taken Friday before Brandon got behind the camera to take our family photo for this years Christmas card.

Today is a much better day!

2005-11-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I spoke with the insurance adjuster of the guy I was in an accident with last week and things are certainly looking up. I recounted my story and, when I got to the part about the car-hood situation I stopped and said how I had heard that the guy hadn't admitted that earlier. The adjuster laughed, said he and my adjuster had laughed about it for about five minutes and that they guy had confessed to that yesterday.

Which means his insurance is finding him completely at fault for the accident!! I mean, I felt like it was totally his fault since, if it weren't for his hood flying up, there would have been no accident, but rear-ending is almost always at least partially the rear-enders fault. So his adjuster told me that when my insurance sends them the bill, they will just pay it!! I was so excited and he was like, "well, if his hood hadn't have flown up you wouldn't have hit him, so it isn't really your fault." THANK YOU!

So I am super excited, hopefully my insurance won't go up and I won't even have to pay the deducible, but i won't get my hopes up too high. I just feel such a sense of relief, like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

On top of all this, I only have a few more hours of work today, class tonight and a bit of work tomorrow before my five day weekend begins. Can't wait for that, even if I have tons of school work to do.

I am her inspiration...

2005-11-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Check out Sarah's Page, in order to see extreme creative talent. I am her muse and, what inspirational work I do! :)

And she's right, this did make yesterday better - thanks Sarah!

Bad Day.

2005-11-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today was not a good day. It started off just fine, I got up pretty early, ran errands and got a sweet treat for breakfast (iced mocha and a donut). I finished up a draft of my 2 page paper that is due tomorrow (we have to write one every week) and then I gathered my things together to head home. After stopping off in Lodi to have lunch with Brandon, I headed up to Sacramento. This is where the day took a turn for the worse. Midway through Sacramento i noticed a car in the lane to my right (I was in the fast lane) that seemed to be stopped or at least very slowed down since people were zipping passed it on both sides, which was weird. I was coming up on it and noticed the driver had turned the left blinker on. This other car wanted to come over to the left lane (my lane). I saw it and thought "oh gosh, please DON'T move over" knowing that I was coming up on him way too fast for him to get in front of me at the speed of traffic...but he did move over. I slammed on my brakes, but it wasn't enough.

Being in a car accident is really, really scary. I was very lucky that neither myself nor the other driver were injured and that there was minimal damage to my car (moderate to his). It just sucks that since he cut me off, I hit him, and rear-endings are almost always considered the rear-ender's fault. At least the other driver was nice enough and had insurance - the firemen who showed up and the policewoman who took our report were also very nice.I guess I have also been lucky that in 7.5 years of driving i have never been in an accident or even gotten a speeding ticket.

So now i just need to figure out when I can get my front bumper fixed. My neck seems to be fine, but my back is hurting me a bit. I have been doing my best to take it easy since I got home and took care of filing a claim...what a hassle all of this is.

I certainly hope tomorrow is a better day.

The political description that fits you best is...

2005-11-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

LIBERAL

LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net" to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Where do you fall? http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html

Now this makes me happy

2005-11-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Also the fact that all of the California Propostitions did not pass makes me happy. What does not make me happy is the $55 million spent to hold this freaking waste of an election...

VOTE!

2005-11-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

If you live in California please remember to vote today. I'd like to encourage everyone to vote NO on Props 73, 74, 75,76 and 77. Don't let the governator ruin California - let your voice be heard!!

Our new puppy...Bonnie!

2005-11-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

It keeps getting better.

2005-11-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

A lot on my mind...

2005-10-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend was pretty good. I thought I was getting sick on Friday and had to work all day Saturday (was NOT looking forward to that), but Brandon came up Friday after work which was wonderful. He made me dinner and we prepared ourselves for Saturday, since he helped me at the event (thanks babe!)

My office (which consists of 4 people) decided to host a state wide forum for graduate education...over 1,000 students were at CSUS Saturday...and I was trying to deal with them from 7-4. It was a very long day. But it was certainly nice to have Brandon beside me, helping out and keeping me comfortable. With him that it wasn't completely horrible, just horrible :)
We came home and he made me his "famous" calzone - they were quite delicious, we drank the rest of our bottle of wine left over from Friday night and watched TV until we crashed about 10.

Sunday involved church, a lot of talking and finally getting some school stuff done. I actually did a fair amount considering I only worked from 2-5 and 6:30-7:30. But now all that talking is on my mind. Lots to think about, but it's good stuff. Not easy, but good.

Our Little Moose

2005-10-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the first picture of our new puppy, most likely to be named Moose. She is a black lab and we will be picking her up in two weeks. She look so adorable, I can't wait and there will likely be many more pictures of her to come...

Finally.

2005-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, there may still be hope for America...now, if we can only defeat the govenator.

School has made me crazy.

2005-10-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have always been a hard worker, particularly in school. I think it has a lot to do with my dad being a teacher. My parents always expected the best from me and therefore I always expected the best from myself. However, I realized sooner than my father that sometimes my best was a B or B+ instead of an A. I did well in elementary school and had straight A's during middle school, but high school I started to slip a little bit. I believe I had 6 Bs/B+s on my high school transcript. My dad was never too happy about Bs when they were on my report card, but somehow I still managed to get into college (this statement is written with much sarcasm). In college all my parents expected (beside my best) was a 3.0 and I managed to graduate with a 3.79. Now that I am in graduate school the craziness has really set in.

I don't think I have felt pressure from my parents about grades since my first semester of college, so to make up for it, I am putting the pressure on myself. I am taking a class this semester called European Historiography. This is not my favorite course. It is mainly focused on historical theory, something I know relatively nothing about. Anyway, two weeks ago we had to turn in a 5-6 page rough draft of a paper which was the beginning of a 10-15 page final paper. The paper is supposed to explore the way in which a historical subject has been approached by different authors who used a discernable theoretical methodology in their work. So in the draft I (and I think pretty much everyone else) mentioned different authors and the theories they used, but didn't go too in depth. I figured that is where I would elaborate during the final draft...

Well we got these drafts back on Wednesday night. Before handing them back he said that he had given all As and Bs and they were all pretty good, but some people needed to work on their paragraph structure. I am sitting there thinking, "what morons in graduate school don't know how to write a paragraph??" He also went on and on about how we all needed to elaborate on the theory aspect of the paper. Well...yeah. You asked for a 5-6 page draft, how much theory do you think we can cram in there?? So he hands them back and I had received a B. I was one of the students with the lowest grade in the class. He also did not like my writing style. I have never had a professor dislike my writing. I have won awards for writing. I felt so stupid.

Then I started freaking out - if i get a B in this class it will ruin my 4.0 GPA. Now, I am not planning on going to school any longer after completing the MA in the spring, but I am pretty sure a 3.9 could get me into a PhD program if I really wanted to go. I also don't like this class and would say it is the most challenging one I have been in. So if my best is a B, it shouldn't be the end of the world. I keep telling myself that I am over it because having a 4.0 when I graduate just doesn't matter...but it would be pretty cool!

I know that in the grand scheme of things this is so unimportant and yet i wasted all of this time writing about it and felt like i was going to cry Wednesday night in class...I swear, school has made me crazy!!

Bond...James Bond.

2005-10-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am very disappointed with the new actor who has been chosen to play James Bond. Daniel Craig...are you kidding me?? This guy is no where near as sexy as Pierce Brosnan. I will let you be the judge though:

Boys are Dumb, Part Duex

2005-10-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't post this last week...but now that i have some down time I feel it is a story that needs to be shared - at least for the humor of it.I am not sure which is better, this story or the original Boys are Dumb, but they are both pretty entertaining!

The story really begins in September when I had to attend a meeting instructing history graduate students how to be graders. Having been a grader last semester, I wasn't too excited about going, but I would be paid, so what the heck. At this event I met a boy, we'll call him S, who had been assigned to the professor I had graded for during the spring semester. After the "training" session was over, S and I spoke a bit about the class and the prof and I gave him some tips. He is in his first semester of grad school so we also talked a bit life before graduate school, but it was brief.

Fast forward a few weeks and I received the following email from him:

Hey Annie,
I'm one of the graders for the History Dept and I met
you at that union meeting that one Friday. I had some
questions about how you graded for Dr. X's
class. Do you want to meet on campus some time?

Now, I am not the type of girl that guys try to pick up on, so I am not to bright when it comes to being hit on, but I thought to myself, "hmm...sounds a bit fishy - I mean, who has questions about grading?" But I thought, well, I can't say to him, "I think you are interested in me and don't really have a question," because how self-absorbed would THAT be? So I email him back and agree to meet him about a week later in between work and my class.

The day rolls around that I have to meet him and I know it is going to be bad. At work I spent the day trying to figure out to casually tell S that I have a boyfriend without sounding like a b*tch. We meet up and he dives into random conversation, tries to get me to go into the Union and eat with him, but I decline and suggest sitting outside. As we sit down on the bench of a planter I turn my body to look at him, while he continues talking while facing directly forward...clearly things are already uncomfortable!

So he talks about how he used to live in Davis, hints around going up to Davis that night and going out (as if I am going to say, "oh, where, maybe I will join you"). Finally I manage to raise the issue of having a boyfriend (albeit not very smoothly), but S just keeps on talking. I finally manage to steer the conversation to the class (you know, the supposed reason we were meeting at all) and we talk a bit about it. Eventually i pull my book for that nights class out of my bag and beg off, saying I need to read.

No where in the conversation to did ANY question about grading come up. I mean, come on, at least make up a fake question to start off the conversation and then hope it goes somewhere. I felt badly for him, I mean I am sure he's a nice person, but don't lie to a girl to get her to meet you. Afterwards I wondered if he thought that we were going to be on a date? I mean, he got me to meet him under false pretenses. It was all very strange. My roommate's comment: "That guy needs to work on his game!"

Condoms aren't THAT expensive...

2005-10-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

in fact you can get them for free from planned parenthood...oy.

Married @ 12

2005-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my roommate and I were discussing how we both have had absolutely nothing interesting/important to post to our blogs. No one wants to hear the inane details of my everyday life all the time and I understand that. So I have been trying to come up with something important to address and i think that the best i can do is discuss a People Magazine article my roommate pointed out to me last night.

This is one of those "I can't believe people still do this stuff" types of articles. It is the love story of a 14 year old girl and a 22 year boy who are married and have a baby. The adorable couple began to date at the tender ages of 12 and 20. While the girl's mother forbid it, the boy's parents apparently saw nothing wrong with their sons actions and even let the couple spend the night at their home where they engaged in what the government likes to call "statutory rape" on each occasion. Once the darling girl was pregnant her lover whisked her across the border to Kansas, where girls as young as 12 can be married, and made her his wife. As she begins her freshman year of high school as a wife and mother, her husband is awaiting prosecution for committing statutory rape - and they live still live with his parents.

This raises a number of important issues - like who in the hell is getting married at 12 and why is there only an age set for girls? Can a 7 year old boy "take a wife?"

But it also just makes you wonder what she'll be like as a 30 year old grandma and a 45 year old great grandmother...if the cycle repeats itself, which somehow, I think it will...

Always in my memory

2005-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

These pictures are to honor my adorable yellow lab, Sunny, who had to be put to sleep on October 2, 2005.

My Virtual Pets

2005-10-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

adopt your own virtual pet!

This is the only puppy I will have for awhile, but my parents have decided they will get a new puppy in the spring, which is exciting.

Virtual Bunny

2005-10-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

adopt your own virtual pet!

At my parents house a bunny has been visiting our back yard. We don't know who's house it has escaped from, but it is so cute. It's black with a white spot on its nose and it hops around they yard. Since I don't know if it will be back, here is my tribute to the bunny.

Weekend

2005-10-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting weekend. I took a trip to Los Angeles with my boyfriend and a good friend to go to my alumni bbq. It was so nice to be back in the place where I feel like I "figured out who I was," and to be around some LMU friends again. I was able to have coffee with a favorite professor Friday which was a blast. I took four classes from her during my final semester of college she was like my personal therapist helping me deal with the end of my very long relationship. I love her for the knowledge she provided me academically and the guidance she provided me personally. Then it was off to my old office to see the advisor and show Brandon where i used to spend most of my college days. We had dinner with my dear friend Kristin and he fiancee which was yummy and gave us a great opportunity to catch up. We realized we hadn't actually seen each other since we graduated in May 2004.

Saturday we went to Disneyland which was great. I hadn't been there in a few years and Brandon hadn't been since he was 11 or 12, so it was fun to experience it with him. We were very lucky in the morning. For some reason there were very few people there until about 11 am, so we were able to go on every big ride before 10. It happened to be "Gay Day," so maybe people were boycotting the park or something, but it worked out very well for us.

Sunday was the BBQ and although we weren't able to stay long it was just nice to be back on campus and see some familiar LMU faces. We spend some more time with Kristin and Mark and ran into some other people who I didn't necessarily expect to see which was interesting.

The weekend was really a wonderful getaway. Unfortunately when we got home, my parents told me that they had had to put our yellow lab Sunny to sleep while I was gone. We had to put our black lab Shady to sleep in May before i left for England, so this has been a very rough year for us. Now we are without doggies and it is very odd. My family has had at least one lab since before i was born. I wish that I could get a puppy but that isn't going to happen while I live in an apartment so my life will be dog-free for awhile. It is so strange to be at my parents house and not see her lounging around or playing with one of her little toys...

But I should be working. Going away this weekend didn't leave me much time for homework and since I have big project for one of my classes coming up and a paper to finish that is due tomorrow i should get to it. I will try to add some pictures of the weekend later since right now it won't let me do it...

Oh Wow...

2005-09-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Someone is a little out of touch with reality...Michael Brown clearly DID NOT know what he was doing...nor was he "pretty darn good at it." It's not that I or anyone else expected Brown to be a "superhero," but when you are the boss, the buck is supposed to stop with you. He was hired and paid to make things happen and, ultimately, to take responsiblity if they didn't. Not only did Brown not know how to do his job, he doesn't even know what being the head of an organization is all about.

What a great man to have had in charge of national disasters...

Tibetan Personality Quiz

2005-09-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

*Put the following 5 animals in the order of your preference:
Cow, Tiger, Sheep, Horse, Pig

*Write one word that describes each one of the following:
Dog, Cat, Rat, Coffee, Sea.

*Think of someone, who also knows you and is important to you, which you can relate them to the following colors. Do not repeat your answer twice.Name just one person for each color: Yellow, Orange, Red, White, Green.

I will post the answers in a comment – don’t look until you are done writing yours down!! Then feel free to add your answers below. Enjoy!

One of those days

2005-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have so much to do today with very little time in between things. However as I have just a few free minutes, I thought I would post something since it has been awhile.

Today has been hectic, running errands, finishing up the rough draft of a paper and doing some transcribing of a thesis interview with Brandon this morning. Soon I will be off to conduct my sixth interview. I really enjoy listening to people share their stories with me, but today I will be glad when the interview is over since i have done four interviews in five days. Plus, after I finish up today I can head back to the apartment - haven't been there since 7 am Thursday morning. It is so wonderful to have Brandon back, but now that the "honeymoon" first week is over, I don't want to neglect my friends. It is important to me to maintain those relationships since I hate it when people only need/want their friends when they don't have a partner. So this week will be spent at the apartment, at least until Friday afternoon since I have an interview in Davis on Friday.

Well, that wasn't very exciting at all, but now it is time for me to gather my camera and things and head over to Delta to conduct my interview. Hope you are all having a good day!

Brandon's Back!

2005-09-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

So last night my classmates were all excited to hear that Brandon was home safe and sound. Guess I should have posted about that a few days ago, huh? Oops!

Well, he walked through the gate Monday a bit after 2 and we were so happy to see each other. We came back to Stockton and had a yummy dinner (Thai food) with his parents. Then just snuggled for awhile - not in the restaurant, don't worry. It was so weird to think that we hadn't even been able to look at each other for three months and there we were, just happily in each others arms as if we hadn't been apart at all.

After work I will be heading back to Stockton to do a thesis interview, then Brandon, his mother, grandmother and I are going to the symphony (his dad is the tuba player). It's just so refreshing to be with him. I am very content right now.

Oh so Special.

2005-09-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

I understand that people hit by Katrina need money and they need it now, but why do federal employees get so much more than the $2000 given to each victimized family in order to "help the victims"? Especially when in the past these federally issued credit cards have been used for prostitutes and breast implants...way to go government officials!

oy.

One Day More!

2005-09-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

The fantastic lyrics of Les Miserable can carry me through this final day without Brandon. Tomorrow morning in London he will board Virgin Atlantic Flight #19 and make his way home to me. I can't believe we will have been apart for virtually a year. It will be so refreshing to spend more than a month or three weeks together (with two or three months in between) and just do normal boyfriend/girlfriend things - cook together, watch movies together, talk for free (yay, no more 19 cent a minute phone conversations filled with static!!)

Of course, as with all things in life, there is no guarantee as to what happens next, but hey, tomorrow I will be a very happy girl. Only 28 hours to go!

It's About Time...

2005-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Too bad it doesn't make much difference considering he is running the country for the next three years, but maybe congress will stop bending over backwards to do whatever the hell Bush wants if the public isn't supporting him...we can hope!

People are just sick.

2005-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

As if the victims of Hurricane Katrina haven't suffered enough, now the darkest side of humanity - the people who want to profit off this misery pop - up awfully fast...

Thank Goodness...

2005-09-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

At least SOMETHING is going right these days...lets hope this gets all the way through and becomes law!

Who'd have thunk it....

2005-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow...drinking and smoking in front of your kids can have an affect on them? Oh wait, that wasn't a question, what I meant was 'how totally obvious'!

One more week

2005-09-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

So the time has come, I am counting in the single digit regarding Brandon coming home! I am getting very excited about next Monday when I get to pick him up from the San Francisco airport. After three months apart it will be so nice to be able to hug him again. Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder...

Top 100 Song from 2000

2005-09-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are the top 100 songs from the year I graduated from high school. The songs with a * are the ones I liked (don't blame me, it was a heavy, heavy pop year!) and the songs I didn't like have a -. Those that were so-so or I don't know I left alone.

1. Breathe, Faith Hill *
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
3. Say My Name, Destiny's Child*
4. I Wanna Know, Joe
5. Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon *
6. Maria Maria, Santana Featuring The Product G&B
7. Bent, Matchbox Twenty -
8. Amazed, Lonestar *
9. I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden *
10. He Wasn't Man Enough, Toni Braxton -
11. Higher, Creed *
12. .Try Again, Aaliyah *
13. There You Go, Pink
14. Thong Song, Sisqo -
15. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down -
16. Jumpin Jumpin', Destiny's Child
17. What A Girl Wants, Christina Aguilera *
18. Doesn't Really Matter, Janet *
19. Music, Madonna *
20. Back At One, Brian McKnight *
21. Bye Bye Bye, 'N Sync *
22. You Sang To Me, Marc Anthony -
23. I Need To Know, Marc Anthony -
24. Get It On Tonite, Montell Jordan
25. Incomplete, Sisqo
26. I Try, Macy Gray *
27. It's Gonna Be Me, 'N Sync *
28. That's The Way It Is, Celine Dion *
29. (Hot S**T) Country Grammar, Nelly -
30. Bring It All To Me, Blaque
31. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Backstreet Boys
32. Hot Boyz, Missy Elliott Featuring Nas, EVE & Q-Tip -
33. Back Here, BBMak *
34. It Feels So Good, Sonique
35. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl), Nine Days *
36. With Arms Wide Open, Creed *
37. Be With You, Enrique Iglesias -
38. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You), Christina Aguilera *
39. No More, Ruff Endz
40. All The Small Things, Blink 182 *
41. The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill *
42. I Turn To You, Christina Aguilera
43. Never Let You Go, Third Eye Blind *
44. I Need You, LeAnn Rimes
45. Thank God I Found You, Mariah Carey Featuring Joe & 98 Degrees
46. Let's Get Married, Jagged Edge
47. My Love Is Your Love, Whitney Houston -
48. Then The Morning Comes, Smash Mouth -
49. Blue (Da Ba Dee), iffel 65 -
50. Desert Rose, Sting Featuring Cheb Mami
51. The Real Slim Shady, Eminem
52. Most Girls, Pink -
53. Wifey, Next -
54. Wonderful, Everclear -
55. Oops!... I Did It Again, Britney Spears *
56. I Wanna Love You Forever, Jessica Simpson
57. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche ), 98 Degrees *
58. Take A Picture, Filter
59. Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers -
60. Big Pimpin', Jay-Z Featuring UGK -
61. Purest Of Pain (A Puro Dolor), Son By Four
62. He Can't Love U, Jagged Edge
63. Separated, Avant
64. I Wish, Carl Thomas
65. U Know What's Up, Donell Jones
66. Faded, SoulDecision Featuring Thrust
67. Only God Knows Why, Kid Rock -
68. Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal -
69. Bag Lady, Erykah Badu
70. Meet Virginia, Train *
71. Party Up (Up In Here), DMX -
72. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do), Mya -
73. Forget About Dre, Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem *
74. That's The Way, Jo Dee Messina
75. Swear It Again, Westlife *
76. The Next Episode, Dr. Dre Featuring Snoop Dogg
77. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart, Britney Spears -
78. Crash And Burn, Savage Garden *
79. Yes!, Chad Brock
80. The Best Day, George Strait
81. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Toby Keith
82. Where I Wanna Be, Donell Jones
83. My Best Friend, Tim McGraw
84. Broadway, Goo Goo Dolls *
85. Dance With Me, Debelah Morgan
86. Don't Think I'm Not, Kandi
87. I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack & Sons Of The Desert
88. Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay
89. What'chu Like, Da Brat Featuring Tyrese
90. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
91. I Like It, Sammie
92. 24/7, Kevon Edmonds
93. Girl On TV, LFO -
94. Bounce With Me, Lil Bow Wow Featuring Xscape -
95. What About Now, Lonestar
96. I Don't Wanna, Aaliyah
97. Independent Women Part I, Destiny's Child *
98. Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary -
99. Waiting For Tonight, Jennifer Lopez *
100. Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba

My Super Power. . .

2005-09-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Extreme healing powers

Explanation: When injured your body
focuses on the wound and heals rapidly, within
a few seconds. This makes you pretty much hard
to kill and you can help people in danger using
yourself as a shield. Almost anything is
possible in combat but you prefer looking after
others. In bad purposes you can do the same as
above but for evil intentions.
This power fits you pretty good since you want
to help those around you, and when you are
pretty much unstopable, that's not an obsticle.
You are caring and nurturing and are more a
pascifist. Even if you know there are much
unfairness in the world you still chose to see
from a positive angle because you belive in the
good of this world. You are probably friendly
and have a soft spot for people who are not
accepted. Though to others you come of as naive
and gullible. You could be taken advantagde of
if the wrong person comes around. Even if you
could be seen as pure, you are not that
completely since you're human and make mistakes
too.

Negative aspects: If your naiveness has
been making you blind for too long you could go
into dark thinking.

What Power is Compatible With You? [beautiful anime pictures + 12 detailed results]
brought to you by Quizilla

Abstinence Only...Is a Bunch of Crap

2005-09-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I completely believe that high school kids are not ready for the responsibilities that come with sex and should not be having it. But they are. Teaching kids cohesive sex ed will not increase the number of kids doing it, in fact I am pretty sure it will have the opposite effect. Sex ed scared me so much (I think I had it five years in a row) when it came to diseases and pregnancy that I knew there was no way in hell I was going to sleep with someone in high school. And I didn't. Watching a special about the teen pregnancy epidemic in rural areas of Texas (with abstinence only sex ed programs of course) brought to light a very good analogy for this situation. As teens were advocating the implementation of a sex ed class that did more than say "don't do it" parents argued that it would be like a big, green go light that it was okay for kids to have sex. One of the students advocating for the program said, "We teach people about what to do if there is a fire, it doesn't make them go out and light them."

It is time for people to get a grip. Kids have sex. They are too young, they aren't emotionally ready, but adults telling them that condems don't work isn't helping anybody. Just ask those teen moms in Ohio or Texas...

And a big part of any sex ed class is that abstinence is the only way to protect yourself 100% against pregnancy and disease, so it isn't like those teaching the class are telling students the best ways to do it.

Boys are dumb.

2005-08-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

There is no nice way to say, but sometimes it is very true. My example of why boys are dumb for the day is Nate. Nate and I went out three times last July. By last July I mean July 2004. We had nothing in common - he had gone to college but still seemed trapped in a frat boy mode (he was 27), he used the words 'lame' and 'gay' a lot (which I found offensive and explained to him why he needed to stop - stupid should not be equated with gay and not just knowing that is ridiculous), and he just didn't stimulate me intellectually. We fooled around a few times, but i had told him from the beginning I wasn't looking for a relationship. I realized right away that there just wouldn't ever be anything more between us and after the third date I didn't return his phone call, thinking that he'd get the hint. A week later he emailed - why hadn't I called him back? He wanted to take me out again...

I was working with a few twenty-something males at the time and ran the situation by them. Oh, they said, he has probably come up with a million reasons why you didn't call him back yet - and none of them have to do with him. If you want him to leave you alone, just tell him you aren't interested in seeing him again or he won't get it. So I draft a nice, but rejecting email response and run it by the guys at work then send it his way. Basically I told him that I had started dating someone else (true) and even though I wasn't looking for a serious relationship (I was, but certainly not with him!) I couldn't see myself dating two people at the same time. After that I didn't hear from him again.

That is, until today.

13 months later he has emailed me again - do I remember him? He just wanted to "say hi." Oh please, he wants action, but if you are horny wouldn't it be easier to go to a bar than turn to a girl you went on a few dates with over a year ago that rejected you?

I often wonder if a few guys who I used to date ever think about me, but why is it THIS is the guy who actually does??

Unused Head Shot...

2005-08-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Just had to post this in order to add it to my profile. I should find a copy of the other one too, it's pretty cute. Too bad I never made use of them while living in LA, but oh well.

What Broadway Musical Will I Be In?

2005-08-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

What Broadway Musical Will You Star In? by cleothewhiplady
Name
Age
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor
Musical	Aida
Part	Lead

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Okay, I think everyone in Aida is black, but when I was little I wanted to be black, so maybe it could work...right?

What Broadway Musical Am I?

2005-08-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Which Broadway Musical are You? by BroadwayMusicH2

Your Name

Your Age

Opening Night

November 3, 2019

Length of your bio (in words):

440

Salary

$92,203

Number of Performances

6,619

Percent of House Filled each week:: 64%

Show you will be in (and role you will play):

Brigadoon- Jeannie (f), Charlie (m)

Quiz created with MemeGen!

My Broadway Song is...

2005-08-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

What is your Broadway song? by neonlemonata
First Name:
Full Birthdate:
Song:	"When You Got It, Flaunt It" from The Producers

Quiz created with MemeGen!

D'oh!

2005-08-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

I had started a nice long babbling blog entry, and what did I do with it? I cut it from the word document I was working on to move it somewhere else, then, before I pasted it, I copied something. ARGH! And now my own idiocy has turned me into a pirate.

I don’t remember what I was really saying except that I started off with the fact that I only have one hour and 45 minutes left at my UCD internships! Woo hoo! Only bad thing about it is that I have literally nothing to do for that time – and I don’t think they’d be happy if I took a nap on the clock. After work, as a reward to myself for completing this job, I am getting a manicure and pedicure – I am certainly looking forward to that! I haven’t had a pedicure since before I graduated from college.

I also had something written about gas being expensive, but that I was glad I didn’t have to spend $100 on gas these past few weeks (without rehearsal and house-sitting for my parents, I have only been using a tank per week!).

And the thing I was really getting into was a little rant about how I only have one year left of graduate school and still no clue what I will be doing when I am done. There are a number of things I could do, I just don’t know where I should be looking for jobs (geographically speaking) and what I will decide to pursue. There are so many things I am in interested in, I don’t know how to chose – I guess I will look in all avenues and chose the job that is available… It is a frightening thought that next May I will be a real adult – done with school and actually on my own. Weird.

Okay, so I should write more, but I am still annoyed about losing the first entry. I think I’ll take my break.

ps. only 18 days until Brandon comes home!! :)

Another List

2005-08-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Seven things you plan to do before you die!!
1. Figure out what I am doing
2. become the first honest politician
3. Move to Europe, at least for awhile
4. Get married
5. Have a baby
6. Fight for women’s rights and gay rights
7. Have a puppy

Seven things you can do!!
1. Get a Masters Degree
2. Enjoy spending time alone
3. Be happy
4. Be a supportive friend and partner
5. Laugh…a lot
6. Design good layout and content for newspapers and newsletters
7. Sing

Seven things you can't do!!!
1. plan my life like I want to
2. fix other people’s problems
3. really believe that things will work out the way I want them to.
4. exercise enough
5. eat healthy enough
6. stop drinking iced mocha’s
7. figure out what to do next

Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex!!
1. Sense of humor
2. smile
3. intelligence
4. cute face
5. athletic body
6. good chemistry between the two of us
7. supportive family relationships

Seven things you say most!!!
1. oy
2. does a sigh count as saying things?
3. Is it really only Monday?
4. Law and Order is on.
5. I am tired.
6. Do you know how much gas cost?
7. I love you.

Seven celebrity crushes!!!
1. Christian Bale
2. John Cusack
3. Brad Rowe
4. Ewan McGreggor
5. Christopher Meloni (Stabler on Law and Order SVU)
6. Colin Farrell
7. Brad Pitt

What does a pig say about me?

2005-08-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

This article makes me want to cry...

2005-08-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Dear President Bush,

It seems that you have misplaced the findings of the "Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001" because the committee actually found that there was NO link between Iraq and Sept. 11. I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop blantently lying to the nation by throwing Sept. 11 into all your Iraq speeches to raise support through more lies. I would also like it if you stopped comparing this war we can't get out of (and perhaps shouldn't have gotten into) to "just wars" like WWII. I am not really a war person, but I can understand where the Jesuit (maybe all Christians?) ideal of a "just war" has its place. I can't even begin to explain how this war and WWII don't exactly fit hand in hand.

_______________

Sorry for the crazy venting but I just cannot believe that this man is the leader of our country! He is so frustrating!!

A college with a dress code...

2005-08-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

This actually isn't one of the strangest colleges I have heard of...if you want to be a little freaked out (well, more than a little) check out Bob Jones University: http://www.bju.edu/academics/ although they were better when they were completley unaccredited - because they wanted it that way. Right...

Another Nice Waste of Time:

2005-08-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the idea Shanda!

1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?
My freckles these days, gotta love the summer sun!

2. How much cash do you have on you right now?
About $25.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?
Best

4. Favorite plant?
tulips

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Brandon’s parents.

6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?
A nice, single beep.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
White Ann Taylor t-shirt with cute gathered shoulders.

8. Do you "label" yourself?
Only if “bleeding heart liberal” is a label.

9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?
Don’t know that brand, but they are hand made Indian shoes from the United Kingdom (don’t ask).

10. Do you prefer a bright or dark room?
bright

11. What did you have for breakfast?
Blueberry cobbler and an iced mocha (both of which I made)

(What happened to number 12?) ***

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping!

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?
Sorry I did not get back to you yesterday. To which I responded with an angry voice mail saying “how many times do I have to tell you not to text me! I don’t pay for the service and every text costs me money! STOP IT!!”

15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups" or Banners?
nope

16. What's an expression that you say a lot?
Oy.

17. Who told you they loved you last?
Brandon

18. Last furry thing you touched?
Sunny, my yellow lab dog, she’s so adorable!

19. How many hours a week do you work?
About 40. I can’t wait until school starts and I cut back to 25 or so.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None, gotta love the digital camera!

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
Right now seems pretty good. I really don’t think there has been a terrible year, every year seems to build on itself pretty well.

22. Your worst enemy?
The TV

23. What is your current desk top picture?
A black and white shot of waves crashing on the rocks – it is gorgeous.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
I’ll see you about 8 then. Bye!

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix all your mistakes, which would you choose?
I would definitely take the million dollars. I know this probably sounds terrible, but I don’t think I have really made any major mistakes in my life so far. But I wouldn’t take the money for granted - I’d just love the opportunity to have a meaningful (albeit inevitably poorly paid) job, travel and enjoy life.

Oy.

2005-08-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like I want to post something deep and meaningful, but I also want to take a nap…being as I am at my internship, neither is going to happen, but I figured I would post something since I am trying to pass the time. I was left four projects to complete by my supervisor today. I did them all before noon. So I have spent the last three hours trying to create additional projects for myself to fill the remainder of my work day. So far I must have done something, but I couldn’t tell you what. I still have another 45 minutes to get through.

Let’s see what can I babble on about? Well, for one thing I am excited about only having 3 days and 1 hour left of my internship (clearly). I am also very excited about Brandon coming home in 28 days – trust me, I will only continue to get more and more annoying about this as the date approaches. Just remember, we will have been apart for nearly 3 months on September 12.

This past weekend I had a lot of meetings about my thesis and so far everyone has been very positive. I have three interviews scheduled and a fourth pending the selection of a time/date. I have two more initial meetings set for this Friday. Which, unless they are completely horrified by me, means I will have 6 participants lined up! That means I only need 2 more in order to meet my minimum of 8. Mainly I just can’t wait to start the interviews. I love listening to people tell stories about their lives – what their childhood was like, what their parents did, how they decided what they wanted to be when they grew up… it’s funny because people often don’t see why their story is important, why it should be captured as history. But every story helps provide a stronger, clearer vision of what a community was truly like for the people who lived it. Let’s face it, most people were normal, common people not presidents or generals, therefore this is history that people can connect with, that they can understand, because their family members lived it.

Anyway…40 more minutes…I certainly hope someone has sent me an email or something…entertain me!!

This week wasn't so bad after all.

2005-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wanted to do a little update to my blog as it has been awhile (the ants seem to have retreated), but after I wrote it and submitted it, I was told that blogger was down for maintenance. Why it didn’t tell me this as soon as I went to my page I don’t understand.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I was able to work from home which meant I did not have to drive from Sacramento to Stockton and back (woo hoo!), plus my new computer arrived which means a new toy to play with. With my dads help I think we have everything set up and I was able to set-up my calendar and quicken again…

Then it was on to rehearsal which went well and home for bed. Today I was up at 5:45 am to drive to Davis for work. I managed to get up here around 7 which meant I had an hour to go to my apartment, get the mail and take a nap. Brandon called and coyly asked if I had checked my email (I hadn’t), but I guessed at what he wanted me to have seen – he bought his ticket home today! He will be arriving in San Francisco on Monday, September 12 @ 1:50 pm! I know it is a month away, but now I can begin my countdown and have something to really look forward to. I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since I returned from England…which means that these last few days apart should go quickly too.

Not only do I have the show and work to distract me, I have been getting a lot of positive response about my thesis project which has gotten me all excited. I am doing an oral history project on the Mexican American community in Stockton. My focus is on individuals who’s parents were working class (farm/factory workers for the most part) and who themselves are “professionals” (teachers, politicians, lawyers, etc). I am curious to see how education and the English language affected their relationship with their parents and their culture. (Sorry if this isn’t totally clear, it’s a spur of the moment summary…) I will be having my first “intial” meeting tomorrow with the mayor of Stockton and I have 3 others scheduled with two others simply waiting to be given a date. Considering I just sent out letters requesting people participate last Friday and I only need 8-12 (already have 6) I am feeling quite on top of things – at least for now!

But I should be working. Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Nothing is simple.

2005-08-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

I got back to my parents house after working in Sac today and was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening of just me and Sunny (my dog). I was ready to sit down with a nice glass of red wine, some of my favorite cheese and watch re-runs of Law and Order all night. But no. I kept noticing a few ants on the couch. That's right, ants on the couch... so I start moving things. I moved the entire three piece sectional couch. MYSELF. TWICE. I vaccumed the entire thing as well as underneath the couch and the wall. I put it back together and two or three ants popped up. I smashed them. Two more came. Where were they coming from, you may ask. I only wish I could tell you. This is when I moved the couch for the second time and sprayed some 409 (my friend suggested windex, but I didn't have any) on this tiny part of the carpet that was coming up from the wall a little bit. I still refuse to sit out there and I left out the vaccum incase there are more ants later, but every time I have checked since then the coast seems to be clear (ie Ant Free). At least I got a work out I guess. It just wasn't really what I was hoping to do tonight.

But I hope that that is taken care of and I can be as much of a bum as possible for the rest of the weekend. I am tired. And I miss Brandon. He still hasn't set a date to come home, but it is looking like it will be around mid-Sept. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Sept. 12...

My Laptop Died...

2005-08-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

My laptop has been on the fritz this week and after not starting up for a second day, I decided to drop it off to be looked at. Fortunately my parents have offered to buy me a new laptop (have I mentioned how much I love them?) so that I have a reliable computer to do my MA thesis on. But I was still hoping I could get my old one booted up so that I could remove my old documents, music and pictures off of it. Well, the computer guy called today and said that the hard drive was dead. This seems like a big problem. He can replace it, but that would over $100 for the part, plus labor and I am thinking “screw my old stuff” I don’t want to pay serious money to fix a computer I won’t really be using. Plus, it was acting up at the end of the spring semester so most things got backed up then.

So tonight I am ordering my new laptop!! Plus, a free mini iPod (well, I have to pay, but will get a full rebate)!! Of course, I have an iPod, so I don’t know what I will do with the mini, but you can’t pass up a free toy like that!

Anyway, I am at work and should be working, but needed a momentary mental break, plus I haven’t updated this thing in awhile. This has been a busy and stressful week, but all I have left is rehearsal tonight and work tomorrow then yippee, it’s the weekend!

Great Quiz

2005-07-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

This one is fantastic, you can determine how conservative or liberal you are on a scale ranging from Jessie Jackson to Ronald Reagan... I was a 10 which puts me right with Hillary Clinton, who I freaking love!

Oh Glorious Weekend!

2005-07-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

This has been a fantastic weekend. It started off yesterday evening when I went to dinner and a performance of "A Night Without Pants" at the Empire Theatre (where the show I will be in is going to be) with my friend Collin. It was so nice to catch up. It's funny that we have known each other since we were 11 and even though we don't see each other more than once or twice a year we always feel so comfortable and close during those occassions. It's nice to have that type of friendship. After the show Collin and I met up with our friend Jon, we went and grabbed coffees then retreated to my house for a nice political debate in the backyard...

Today has been full of errands, but I grabbed sushi with Jon and we ran a bunch of errands together afterward. Then we went to his place and lounged around in his pool which was quite warm and wonderful. Now I just feel sleepy and am thoroughly enjoying the fact that I have no plans for the rest of the evening and I get to be all alone. Well, Sunny (my yellow lab) will be here to bother me every few hours but she's so cute, I can't really complain. I just wish there was something better on TV than "UFOs in the Bible" on the history channel...

I have also been reflecting on the fact that i only have two more weeks of a ridiculous amount of driving, so I am looking forward to that coming to an end! but for now, I am off for a nap!

How Forgiving Are You Quiz Results:

2005-07-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Balanced forgiver. You're a basically kind person with a sense of balance and boundaries. However, you're no Mother Theresa.

Well that sounds about right. I tend to let things go, but if someone cuts me off on the freeway my inner sailor may pop out. I figure in personal relationships there is no reason to get riled up or hold onto anger if you don't have to...it doesn't hurt the other person, only yourself. Sometimes this is easier said than done, I suppose.

It's only Tuesday??

2005-07-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

This summer is killing me! When I was in college I could take 5 classes a semester and work 40-60 hours a week at the newspaper. But now, I am not taking any classes and although I work five days a week, it is generally only 30-40 hours a week, but sometimes (last night for example) I just want to sit down and cry. I think I am tired from going back and forth between jobs, the commuting between Davis, Stockton and Sacramento and the emotional drain of missing Brandon.

Friday I was driving from work in Sacramento to my parents in Stockton around 2:30 in the afternoon and I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. If I had had to go any farther I would have needed to stop and take a nap. And I am not one of those crazy people who stay up all hours of the night, I am usually in bed by 10, 11 at the latest. Yesterday I came home and my dad was there and asked how I was. I told him I was tired. Before rehearsal I got a coffee so that i could stay awake and hopefully pull my lines out of my butt (which I think I managed to do pretty damn well).

When I got home from rehearsal my dad told me i had looked so tired before i went, he wanted to make sure i was okay to do all the driving I have to do and then told me to make sure I drink coffee before each trip. That was great. My dad has always given me crap about my iced mocha addiction (yes, it is an expensive habit, no I am not cutting back!) and now he is encouraging it. Wonderful. Maybe he will start paying for them too - that may be pushing my luck a bit I suppose. Anyway, the folks are off to Hawaii today, lucky bums! Guess I can't be too mad since i have spent a month in England this year. This is a long rambling mess, I apologize - remember, I am tired.

Oh it's SO true!

2005-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Red States...

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all of the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush
Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are
people with higher morals then we lefties.

Peace out,
Blue States

Another "Duh" Moment

2005-07-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, who'd have thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be a terrible governor?? It seems like people are finally catching on and realizing that it is more important to elect someone who has a tiny clue what they are doing and not just elect someone because they are famous...

The end is almost here...to the week, at least!

2005-07-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am at work, should be working, but I needed the mental break. Today has been fine – at least I actually woke up on time. Yesterday I was supposed to get up at 6 am to leave Stockton by 6:40 and get to work in Sacramento by 8ish. Yeah…that didn’t happen. I am a very light sleeper, but I never even heard my alarm go off! Fortunately my mom was kind enough to check and see if I needed to get up, which at that point I very much did. I knew at that point I shouldn’t rush because I was definitely going to hit major traffic and in the back of my mind I knew I should have waited until 9 to leave, but I left at 7:50 instead…and got to work at 9:50!! I can’t believe it took me 2 hours to get from Stockton to Sacramento and the worst thing was a lot of the stopped traffic on the last stretch was because people were stopping to look at an accident that was completely out of the way – hence, there was no reason to slow down at all and we were barely moving!! I can’t stand it when people don’t know how to drive. I think four years of living in LA made me a bit more aggressive when it comes to the road than I used to be. Not sure if that is a good thing.

Anyway, today has been much less exciting. I talked to Brandon for a bit on my way to work and on my lunch break (took at least 12 tries to get those two connections where we could actually hear each other…grrr…). It was nice to hear his voice, of course I still miss him…about 2 more months until he comes home. I can’t start a countdown yet as he hasn’t booked a flight yet, but it should be sometime around mid-September. I am certainly looking forward to it, but for now it is back to work for another hour and 20 minutes, than errands, paper editing and movie watching.

Why did it take so long?

2005-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

I know it is only more of the same, but in a sick way it makes me happy. I don't want anyone to ever forget that I voted for Kerry last November - and the "Anyone but Bush" bumper sticker will be on Ned (my car) as long as I have it.

Nothing much to say

2005-07-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow is Monday, back to the grind. I think that working 5 days a week is more stressful when going back and forth between jobs - I spend two days a week working at UC Davis and three days a week at CSU Sacramento. I guess August will be here soon enough and that will be the end of the archives internship at UCD. But tomorrow it is a long UCD day, then driving back to Stockton for rehearsal. I love how on Sunday night I already can't wait until Friday.

I was able to be productive, exercise and spend time with friends this weekend which was good. The only bummer was that Brandon did a double marathon (in the UK) from Saturday through Sunday and then had his phone off Sunday (when he told me to call to check on him). Hope he managed to survive those 100 km without too much trouble. At least I had a nice letter from him that he sent when he was in Sierra Leone. So even if I couldn't talk to him, I was able to get a little surprise from him this morning in the mail (well in yesterday's mail, but I didn't bother to get it until today). My favorite part was when he said the African boys at the hostel where he stayed saw a picture he had of me and said I was beautiful and he was so lucky :)

I hope he knows it!

It's late (for me), so I am going to call it a night.

It is about freaking time...

2005-07-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

POLL SUGGESTS DROP IN BUSH'S PERSONAL CREDIBILITY
Thu Jul 14, 7:25 AM ET (Reuters)

President Bush's personal credibility appears to be eroding at a time when Iraq has become the top public priority and the White House is engulfed in controversy over senior Bush adviser Karl Rove, a poll released on Wednesday suggested.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed the percentage of Americans who believe Bush is "honest and straightforward" fell to 41 percent from 50 percent in January, while those who say they doubt his veracity climbed to 45 percent from 36 percent.

The telephone survey, which was conducted July 8-11 and included responses from 1,009 adults, also showed that Iraq has replaced jobs as the leading issue among Americans.

With a 3.1 percent margin of error, polling data said 40 percent see Iraq as the top priority for the United States, against 34 percent who view jobs as their main concern. In January, jobs ranked highest among 46 percent to 39 percent for Iraq.

The new poll also showed Bush's overall job approval rating slipping to 46 percent from 47 percent in May, while his disapproval rating crept upward to 49 percent from 47 percent.

The White House this week has been reeling amid controversy over Rove, the top Bush political adviser who was named by a Time magazine reporter as one of the sources who identified CIA agent Valerie Plame to the media in 2003.

Democrats have called on Bush to fire Rove or block his access to classified information. But Bush, who originally pledged to dismiss anyone responsible for leaking Plame's identity, said he will withhold judgment on his deputy chief of staff for now.

Fire the evil Karl Rove!!

2005-07-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Newsweek magazine revealed that Karl Rove – as you know, the President's closest political advisor -- was responsible for disclosing the identity of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The agent, Valerie Plame, worked on weapons of mass destruction for the agency and by exposing her identity, the leaker could have jeopardized the lives of other covert agents in the field. At best, it was recklessly irresponsible; at worst, it was malicious; and either way, the leaker undermined our national security.

President Bush has pledged to fire anyone who helped leak Plame’s name to the press. Now we know that the person responsible was Karl Rove. Please take a moment to sign the petition telling the President to keep his promise now at:

http://www.moveonpac.org/firerove/

A good way to waste my time

2005-07-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Cjristina has inspired me to complete a number of these silly quizzes - it is also an excellent way to postpone cleaning my room!

Kissing Purity Score 71%
For you kissing isn’t a casual thing. Lip to lip action makes your heart sing.

How American Are You? 32%
You don’t love it or want to leave it. But you wouldn’t mind giving it an extreme make-over.

What’s your 2005 Summer Anthem?
“Behind These Hazel Eyes” by Kelly Clarkson

Broken up, deep inside
But you won’t get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

What type of kisser are you?
Part Expert Kisser:
You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity
You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off
And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave
When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

Part Romantic Kisser
For you, kissing is all about feeling the romance
You love to kiss under the stars or by the sea
The perfect kiss involves the perfect mood
It's pretty common for kisses to sweep you off your feet

I love mocha's but apparently I am not one:

2005-07-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic

At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung

You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping

Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

I feel old.

2005-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to a wedding and it was the first time I have gone to a wedding of my own friends. It was beautiful, but I still could barely believe that my friends from high school were getting married!! It made me feel so old, getting married is something that adults do. Perhaps I am an anomaly because I don't have any friends with kids and, until yesterday, I didn't have any friends that were married. I guess this was a hint that we are growing up and inching ever closer to "reality" - whatever that may be.

At first I was a little worried that I was going to freak out since I went to the wedding alone (it's hard for your date to make it when he is in another country) and I am a girl, so I have always been emotional at weddings - even when it is people I barely know. But I think I held it all together very well and being there alone gave me the opportunity to catch up with some other girls I haven't seen since high school graduation 5 years ago (I can't believe it has been five years already!)

All in all it was a lovely day, but certainly a mile stone too. Who would have thought you could feel old at 23?

Can't get enough of London...

2005-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Brandon and I in London in March. Aren't we cute?