Synesthesia from Terri Timely on Vimeo.
Wish my world were this trippy.
I'm re-posting this from Jacob Marshall's blog. As founder of the multisensory aesthetic experience theory on which his band, Mae, is based, he's done a lot of research into my most favorite of mental conditions: synaesthesia. If you know me you've heard me talk about it, but in case you haven't, a brief synopsis: your world is comprised of the trippiest shit known to man. When you experience something with one sense, it triggers a response from another sense, such as perceiving colors and shapes when listening to music. It's actually very common (1 in 23 people have it), but not to the degree you'll see in this video.
RADCAKES!
Thanks for the immense amount of input on my hairstyle! I took your advice to heart and chopped it all off. I now have a neon green mullet; it's the color of a green screen, can you imagine?! Just kidding! Lawlz. But it is pretty short. Definitely shorter than my boyfriend's. Erm. Yeah. And now for The Most Awesome Thing Anyone Has Shown Me This Week, Including That Mess Of Paste By That Kid At Camp - courtesy of Schneckleface:
Also, I intend to purchase the new Cobra Starship album DIGITALLY. I know. Normally I buy things in hard copy so I can have the album artwork. But if what's up on Gabe's blog is legit, then I will intentionally NOT buy a hard copy so I don't have to deal with looking at the album artwork.
Also, I intend to purchase the new Cobra Starship album DIGITALLY. I know. Normally I buy things in hard copy so I can have the album artwork. But if what's up on Gabe's blog is legit, then I will intentionally NOT buy a hard copy so I don't have to deal with looking at the album artwork.
True life
Phone conversation I just had with Boyfriend:
Me: Hey!
Boyfriend: (sounding very upset) Did you hear what happened?
Me: (thinking) Something with his dad. Something with his mom. Or Dick died, or got in an accident, or.... (Out loud) No, what?
Boyfriend: Michael Jackson died.
Me: Hey!
Boyfriend: (sounding very upset) Did you hear what happened?
Me: (thinking) Something with his dad. Something with his mom. Or Dick died, or got in an accident, or.... (Out loud) No, what?
Boyfriend: Michael Jackson died.
No two people are not on fire.
Week one at my new job as a camp counselor is almost over, and I have no complaints. All right, so we spend a large percentage of the day in the bathroom and I feel like I'm the only counselor on spill patrol at snacktime, but that's forgivable. I'm getting paid to play with a herd of four-year-olds all morning! I almost know all thirteen of my kids' names and I've established enough authority over them to actually get them in some semblance of a straight line when I have to. Sure I feel like I've shouted myself hoarse coming home every day, but it's not because the kids are bad - it's just because I have to make myself heard over their gibbering if I want to get anything done. Thus far every such annoyance has been worth its weight in sheer cuteness. Today one of my little boys turned around, looked up at me, and said, "You're beautiful." Then he turned to his friend next to him and said, "don't you think she's beautiful?" And his friend, very decisively, goes "yes." ZOMG SO CUTE!
After nearly a week of rain and indoor play, we finally got to bring them outside today for a toy car wash. It was the first time I didn't have to be in the midst of the chaos entertaining them, because they took care of it themselves. When we're stuck inside the counselors have to get really creative. Bathroom break becomes storytime for the kids who don't have to pee. Walking down the hall becomes follow the leader with some pretty sweet variations (picture me pretending to be a frog, an airplane, and a chicken). BUT, the lady who supervises the supervisors told me I'm a natural and she could tell right away! =) So overall this job's a lot of fun and really rewarding (and it'll be waiting for me next summer if I want/need it), but I know I'm not ready to be a parent because after three hours, I'm REALLY happy to go home!
I didn't get to do that yesterday, though. I watched Princess Sharon's kids from noon til seven. They are the EPITOME of adorable! I convinced them that hunting dragons is my night job. I said it's very important because people don't believe in dragons, so they can't be allowed to see any - and that's why I have to keep them under control.
They always want to play doctor. Last time I said I had a sore throat and a headache, so Zander took my temperature and decided the only cure was to give me a tattoo on my hand. I said "I don't like needles! I don't want a tattoo! What is it of?" and he said, "a circle with colors in it." Oh. Well, that's okay I guess. Especially since I told him he had enough earwax for me to go spelunking in his ear canal. After that they decided to play hair dresser. Zander started shaving the sides of my head and I said "DO I LOOK LIKE A BOY? Are you giving me a mohawk or what?" Well by the time he and his sister Aizza were finished, I was sporting an imaginary rainbow mohawk.
Speaking of my hair, I'm getting a real haircut tomorrow. Any ideas? I've got to chop off a good four inches, but I don't want to go shorter than my shoulders. I was thinking maybe a little longer in front and shorter in back, but that would require me to straighten it I think and I am way too lazy to do anything with my hair 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time I feel obliged to look decent for Boyfriend. Oh- also, I want to grow out my bangs. So that doesn't leave a whole ton of options. Tell me what you think I should do!!
I'll end on a musical note. I am falling in love with every word that comes out of Matt Nathanson's mouth. I want to melt at every line! Oh love songs....
After nearly a week of rain and indoor play, we finally got to bring them outside today for a toy car wash. It was the first time I didn't have to be in the midst of the chaos entertaining them, because they took care of it themselves. When we're stuck inside the counselors have to get really creative. Bathroom break becomes storytime for the kids who don't have to pee. Walking down the hall becomes follow the leader with some pretty sweet variations (picture me pretending to be a frog, an airplane, and a chicken). BUT, the lady who supervises the supervisors told me I'm a natural and she could tell right away! =) So overall this job's a lot of fun and really rewarding (and it'll be waiting for me next summer if I want/need it), but I know I'm not ready to be a parent because after three hours, I'm REALLY happy to go home!
I didn't get to do that yesterday, though. I watched Princess Sharon's kids from noon til seven. They are the EPITOME of adorable! I convinced them that hunting dragons is my night job. I said it's very important because people don't believe in dragons, so they can't be allowed to see any - and that's why I have to keep them under control.
They always want to play doctor. Last time I said I had a sore throat and a headache, so Zander took my temperature and decided the only cure was to give me a tattoo on my hand. I said "I don't like needles! I don't want a tattoo! What is it of?" and he said, "a circle with colors in it." Oh. Well, that's okay I guess. Especially since I told him he had enough earwax for me to go spelunking in his ear canal. After that they decided to play hair dresser. Zander started shaving the sides of my head and I said "DO I LOOK LIKE A BOY? Are you giving me a mohawk or what?" Well by the time he and his sister Aizza were finished, I was sporting an imaginary rainbow mohawk.
Speaking of my hair, I'm getting a real haircut tomorrow. Any ideas? I've got to chop off a good four inches, but I don't want to go shorter than my shoulders. I was thinking maybe a little longer in front and shorter in back, but that would require me to straighten it I think and I am way too lazy to do anything with my hair 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time I feel obliged to look decent for Boyfriend. Oh- also, I want to grow out my bangs. So that doesn't leave a whole ton of options. Tell me what you think I should do!!
I'll end on a musical note. I am falling in love with every word that comes out of Matt Nathanson's mouth. I want to melt at every line! Oh love songs....
Dreams - for lack of a better title
Weird how contact lenses are like jellyfish. It somehow makes it that much more exciting to stick one in your eye. That reminds me... Ravin and I saved a whole bunch of jellyfish last weekend, we just found 'em lying on the beach, poor things....
On to the real reason I'm blogging this early on a godforsaken Saturday morning. Which is first of all that I have orientation for my job in 20 minutes, but second of all because I had really preposterous dreams last night that I thought I should share.
First, I was with four other people: Two guys, another girl, and someone's grandma. We were mini-golfing. Then everyone started disappearing until it was just me and grams, so we decided we should track them down. One of the guys reappeared momentarily to help us climb over a brick wall, then vanished again.
In the room we'd climbed into, there was nothing but a very tall post in the middle with rungs twisting all around it for climbing. Naturally that explained where everyone had gone! Grams and I started climbing. For a minute the other girl was out in the first room, watching and cheering us on, but she too disappeared again.
The post was much higher than it looked. When we got to the top, Grams and I marveled at how our fingernails had grown much longer in just the amount of time it took us to climb (but it might have been some sort of magic, too, that sped up our bodily processes). There was a latch that said "EXIT," so we pulled it.
Suddenly the post started sinking. And I say started like it was going slow, like Peter walking on the water and starting to sink when he doubted - but no, this thing was going straight down like someone had chopped the bottom right out from under it. We fell for ages and ages. I managed to hang on, but Grams must've let go, because when I finally landed at the bottom and the wreckage of the post conveniently disappeared like I was in some sort of video game, she was gone.
I looked around. We'd fallen so far I was sure I was in the ninth circle of hell, but it didn't look like much. Just a wooden room like you might find at a laser tag place or in someone's tree fort, with a big square hole cut right in front of me. There was another level below the hole. I couldn't see, but someone down there was begging me to help them because their child was bleeding. But I knew it was a ploy and wouldn't go. Instead I took a running leap, cleared the hole, and took off down the narrow wooden corridor. It was like scaffolding.
The person in the lower room was suddenly a monster and sprang out to pursue me. I ran down this scaffolding hallway as fast as I could, down winding wooden staircases and around corners that could've led anywhere. A couple times the "monster" jumped out at me and I had to change direction. It wasn't at all scary - in fact, it looked like the guys we'd come with wearing masks or face paint - but I ran anyway.
At last I came out into daylight and I knew I was safe. Grams was there, and maybe that girl, and the two guys walked out the door behind me, still wearing face paint but laughing like nothing had happened. I guess I was the only one who didn't realize it was a game =/
Second dream, I was working at a very rich person's house, either babysitting or tutoring their kids. But I didn't leave when my duties were complete. Instead I decided to make homemade fudge and went out and bought a chocolate plant. I was skeptical that it would actually grow chocolate, but when you dug a little around the roots, there would be globs of chocolate. Someone had a machine that made glowing bubbles and I thought it might be useful for making the fudge, but it didn't work. Some guy was hanging around the pool area, might've been an older brother or relative or friend, and he kept trying to spoon with me. I was like HEY. I have a boyfriend, go away.
And now off to an extremely ordinary morning of staff training!
On to the real reason I'm blogging this early on a godforsaken Saturday morning. Which is first of all that I have orientation for my job in 20 minutes, but second of all because I had really preposterous dreams last night that I thought I should share.
First, I was with four other people: Two guys, another girl, and someone's grandma. We were mini-golfing. Then everyone started disappearing until it was just me and grams, so we decided we should track them down. One of the guys reappeared momentarily to help us climb over a brick wall, then vanished again.
In the room we'd climbed into, there was nothing but a very tall post in the middle with rungs twisting all around it for climbing. Naturally that explained where everyone had gone! Grams and I started climbing. For a minute the other girl was out in the first room, watching and cheering us on, but she too disappeared again.
The post was much higher than it looked. When we got to the top, Grams and I marveled at how our fingernails had grown much longer in just the amount of time it took us to climb (but it might have been some sort of magic, too, that sped up our bodily processes). There was a latch that said "EXIT," so we pulled it.
Suddenly the post started sinking. And I say started like it was going slow, like Peter walking on the water and starting to sink when he doubted - but no, this thing was going straight down like someone had chopped the bottom right out from under it. We fell for ages and ages. I managed to hang on, but Grams must've let go, because when I finally landed at the bottom and the wreckage of the post conveniently disappeared like I was in some sort of video game, she was gone.
I looked around. We'd fallen so far I was sure I was in the ninth circle of hell, but it didn't look like much. Just a wooden room like you might find at a laser tag place or in someone's tree fort, with a big square hole cut right in front of me. There was another level below the hole. I couldn't see, but someone down there was begging me to help them because their child was bleeding. But I knew it was a ploy and wouldn't go. Instead I took a running leap, cleared the hole, and took off down the narrow wooden corridor. It was like scaffolding.
The person in the lower room was suddenly a monster and sprang out to pursue me. I ran down this scaffolding hallway as fast as I could, down winding wooden staircases and around corners that could've led anywhere. A couple times the "monster" jumped out at me and I had to change direction. It wasn't at all scary - in fact, it looked like the guys we'd come with wearing masks or face paint - but I ran anyway.
At last I came out into daylight and I knew I was safe. Grams was there, and maybe that girl, and the two guys walked out the door behind me, still wearing face paint but laughing like nothing had happened. I guess I was the only one who didn't realize it was a game =/
Second dream, I was working at a very rich person's house, either babysitting or tutoring their kids. But I didn't leave when my duties were complete. Instead I decided to make homemade fudge and went out and bought a chocolate plant. I was skeptical that it would actually grow chocolate, but when you dug a little around the roots, there would be globs of chocolate. Someone had a machine that made glowing bubbles and I thought it might be useful for making the fudge, but it didn't work. Some guy was hanging around the pool area, might've been an older brother or relative or friend, and he kept trying to spoon with me. I was like HEY. I have a boyfriend, go away.
And now off to an extremely ordinary morning of staff training!
Kicks and Giggles
The third installment of my Life At College series. A bit belated, I know, but let's all enjoy reliving the memories, shall we? We're far enough removed to laugh about it now....
Installment four to be completed in the (semi) near future (i.e. hopefully before installment five starts up in August!)
Installment four to be completed in the (semi) near future (i.e. hopefully before installment five starts up in August!)
Everything you do makes it easy to fall in love with you.
Boyfriend and I had a lovely 6-month anniversary celebration this weekend. Boyfriend will call it a victory celebration, and I can't really argue that: six months marks the longest relationship I've had, and still no qualms!
He surprised me with flowers. Now, as a guy, you can never go wrong with flowers, especially red roses. See how pretty they look in my kitchen? I smile every time I walk by them. ^_^
(I love that the chalkboard in the background says "Happy B-Day Julia.")
For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant, the one my family often went for special occasions and celebrations when I was younger. Boyfriend hadn't been there before but he enjoyed it as much as I did. It's such a cute, quirky little place; what's not to love? It's out of place on the busiest intersection in town, surrounded by the likes of Taco Bell, Mickey D's, Chili's and a car dealership. You'd think it was someone's cheery little yellow house. Out back is this tiny little dirt lot. You wouldn't suspect a thing - but surprise! It's a restaurant. The walls are decorated with strawberry-themed antiques and the tables and chairs are all mismatched. It feels like a little, very eclectic country kitchen. And the food is SO GOOD. We both ate way more than our stomachs could actually fit.
That, of course, meant we had to go walk it off at the reservoir when we got back to my house. Dusk was just turning to night and the fireflies were out in the canyon by the dam. Unfortunately, so were the mosquitos, so we soon walked back home and usurped the family room to watch Toy Story 2. Boyfriend's idea, not mine, I'll have you know. Not that I would ever complain about watching Toy Story. I just thought it was worth mentioning since I generally complain about him choosing terrible movies. So, on top of being the reigning champion of my love life, Boyfriend must also be congratulated for doing absolutely everything right on our anniversary. ^_^
And now it's tangent time! Because what would my blog be without random drivel peppering every post? Has anyone else noticed that Woody looks an awful lot like Gabe Saporta? It's his eyes and mouth, I think, and the general way his face moves.
My new theory is that Pixar is wholly responsible for Cobra Starship. How else could that band possibly be as amazing as they are? Okay, that's all I have to say about that.
He surprised me with flowers. Now, as a guy, you can never go wrong with flowers, especially red roses. See how pretty they look in my kitchen? I smile every time I walk by them. ^_^
(I love that the chalkboard in the background says "Happy B-Day Julia.")
For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant, the one my family often went for special occasions and celebrations when I was younger. Boyfriend hadn't been there before but he enjoyed it as much as I did. It's such a cute, quirky little place; what's not to love? It's out of place on the busiest intersection in town, surrounded by the likes of Taco Bell, Mickey D's, Chili's and a car dealership. You'd think it was someone's cheery little yellow house. Out back is this tiny little dirt lot. You wouldn't suspect a thing - but surprise! It's a restaurant. The walls are decorated with strawberry-themed antiques and the tables and chairs are all mismatched. It feels like a little, very eclectic country kitchen. And the food is SO GOOD. We both ate way more than our stomachs could actually fit.
That, of course, meant we had to go walk it off at the reservoir when we got back to my house. Dusk was just turning to night and the fireflies were out in the canyon by the dam. Unfortunately, so were the mosquitos, so we soon walked back home and usurped the family room to watch Toy Story 2. Boyfriend's idea, not mine, I'll have you know. Not that I would ever complain about watching Toy Story. I just thought it was worth mentioning since I generally complain about him choosing terrible movies. So, on top of being the reigning champion of my love life, Boyfriend must also be congratulated for doing absolutely everything right on our anniversary. ^_^
And now it's tangent time! Because what would my blog be without random drivel peppering every post? Has anyone else noticed that Woody looks an awful lot like Gabe Saporta? It's his eyes and mouth, I think, and the general way his face moves.
My new theory is that Pixar is wholly responsible for Cobra Starship. How else could that band possibly be as amazing as they are? Okay, that's all I have to say about that.
Wotgoo
I was thinking about what kinds of swearwords people in fantasy worlds might use. I'm not sure why, because I don't really want there to be a lot of swearing in my book (or on my blog... sorry =/), but it crossed my mind and turned into a pretty hilarious tangent.
Think of the many prefixes of "shit." Bull. Horse. Well, okay, apparently in my world, two equals many. But if you lived in a place like Myriad, you'd probably be more likely to exclaim "FAIRYSHIT!" or "DRAGONSHIT!" or, if you were really enthusiastic, "KRAKENSHIT!"
Or maybe feces wouldn't be the base word at all. Maybe you could think of something even fouler, like the fetid trail of the swamp-dwelling Wot, and make that into a curse word. You might say "Wot-shmuck" or "Wotgoo" instead. It sounds silly to us, but I'll bet it wouldn't sound silly if you grew up around Wots, say in Gyllentide or Aaron.
Or take the f-word. It's actually an acronym for "fornication under consent of the king." Way back when, you had to go to the king for a fucking license if you wanted to get it on. But imagine a world where something is more tightly regulated than sex, something like magic. You may only be allowed to use Spells and Magicks Approved by the King, or SMAK.
So it seems that swearing is entirely cultural. If these are the sorts of words they use in Myriad, then none of you Versitan readers would be offended; perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to include them after all.
Think of the many prefixes of "shit." Bull. Horse. Well, okay, apparently in my world, two equals many. But if you lived in a place like Myriad, you'd probably be more likely to exclaim "FAIRYSHIT!" or "DRAGONSHIT!" or, if you were really enthusiastic, "KRAKENSHIT!"
Or maybe feces wouldn't be the base word at all. Maybe you could think of something even fouler, like the fetid trail of the swamp-dwelling Wot, and make that into a curse word. You might say "Wot-shmuck" or "Wotgoo" instead. It sounds silly to us, but I'll bet it wouldn't sound silly if you grew up around Wots, say in Gyllentide or Aaron.
Or take the f-word. It's actually an acronym for "fornication under consent of the king." Way back when, you had to go to the king for a fucking license if you wanted to get it on. But imagine a world where something is more tightly regulated than sex, something like magic. You may only be allowed to use Spells and Magicks Approved by the King, or SMAK.
So it seems that swearing is entirely cultural. If these are the sorts of words they use in Myriad, then none of you Versitan readers would be offended; perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to include them after all.
How to save a life (and a million other rants)
I got CPR certified today. It's for my job as a camp counselor, which starts the 22nd. I'm pissed because there's this one girl, let's see I'll invent a name for her so it's not gossiping.... We shall call her Alyssa. When I saw Alyssa at orientation on Monday I was like WTF??? She lives really close to me so I know the cops are at her house ALL THE TIME because she's always having crazy parties with booze and stuff. She's been at it ever since she got into high school. And now she's working with people's children?? Really? And old enough to be behind the wheel of a car? I mean we're talking Apocalypse-scale disasters waiting to happen here. Well she was late tonight. When she came in an hour after the class started, I was like YES. Now she can't work. Not because I don't want to work with her, although it's true that I can think of no less pleasant way to spend my summer (except maybe with Angry Frodo), but more because I really don't think she should be around people's children. But they certified her anyway! So now if something actually goes wrong, she won't have a clue what to do! REALLY PEOPLE? >:(
And now a rant that actually crossed my mind a couple nights ago but I was too lazy to post it then. I hate Facebook. I really, truly do. It first entices me to creepdom and then reveals things that make me want to break stuff. So this person from my deep, dark past of not that great a depth or darkness is now living the perfect life in the perfect state with a perfect job and a perfect marriage with the only girl in the world who could ever possibly put up with him. He's paid no dues. He has been entirely irresponsible with his entire life. His high school degree doesn't even count! He never did an ounce of work the entire time I knew him and only graduated because he was home schooled! He never did shit, he doesn't know shit, he's never experienced shit. Now he has a job, like a legit one that there is actually a selective process for getting, and HE DIDN'T EVEN GO TO COLLEGE. He is responsible for guiding kids through the process of adolescence as if he could understand their position, as if he ever experienced a second of normal existence in his adolescent life. I mean, I never hated him or wished bad things to happen to him. I didn't want him to fail at life entirely. But it should not be this easy! He's had no pain and all gain! He's ONLY three years older than me. HOW IS HIS LIFE THIS GOOD?
I think it's funny how high school kids' idea of a good time is taking a zillion photos so everyone on Facebook can be jealous of what a good time they had. I think it's disgusting that Facebook albums no longer have a limit on the number of pictures people can post in an album. Nobody has time to look through a dozen different people's 200-photo albums of the same event! This change increases self-absorption because now we believe that people owe it to us to look at these Godzillalbums. 60 pictures was a lot to ask, but doable. 200 pictures is grounds for deletion of friends. Consider yourselves warned.
And now a question of actual importance. Do employers really look at your friends' Facebook profiles? That's really dumb if they do. No there are no pictures of me naked at keggers floating around the internet. The most incriminating thing you could find would probably be me and Schneckleface dyeing our hair turquoise last year. But never in the past have people been so sharply and invasively judged by the people they work for, especially for things they can't control, like what kind of language and pictures people who went to their high school may choose to use on their profiles. I'm not saying I'm hiding anything. I don't think there's anything especially incriminating about pictures of me and my friends bumming around a 24-hour Wal*Mart with goofy galoshes and a gallon of ice cream. But it still feels wrong, like people are prying into something that shouldn't - DOESN'T - concern them.
Now that I have you all in a nice negative mood, it's time for a poll: Would people comment more if I didn't make such long posts? I tend to treat this thing like a journal sometimes... XD
And now a rant that actually crossed my mind a couple nights ago but I was too lazy to post it then. I hate Facebook. I really, truly do. It first entices me to creepdom and then reveals things that make me want to break stuff. So this person from my deep, dark past of not that great a depth or darkness is now living the perfect life in the perfect state with a perfect job and a perfect marriage with the only girl in the world who could ever possibly put up with him. He's paid no dues. He has been entirely irresponsible with his entire life. His high school degree doesn't even count! He never did an ounce of work the entire time I knew him and only graduated because he was home schooled! He never did shit, he doesn't know shit, he's never experienced shit. Now he has a job, like a legit one that there is actually a selective process for getting, and HE DIDN'T EVEN GO TO COLLEGE. He is responsible for guiding kids through the process of adolescence as if he could understand their position, as if he ever experienced a second of normal existence in his adolescent life. I mean, I never hated him or wished bad things to happen to him. I didn't want him to fail at life entirely. But it should not be this easy! He's had no pain and all gain! He's ONLY three years older than me. HOW IS HIS LIFE THIS GOOD?
I think it's funny how high school kids' idea of a good time is taking a zillion photos so everyone on Facebook can be jealous of what a good time they had. I think it's disgusting that Facebook albums no longer have a limit on the number of pictures people can post in an album. Nobody has time to look through a dozen different people's 200-photo albums of the same event! This change increases self-absorption because now we believe that people owe it to us to look at these Godzillalbums. 60 pictures was a lot to ask, but doable. 200 pictures is grounds for deletion of friends. Consider yourselves warned.
And now a question of actual importance. Do employers really look at your friends' Facebook profiles? That's really dumb if they do. No there are no pictures of me naked at keggers floating around the internet. The most incriminating thing you could find would probably be me and Schneckleface dyeing our hair turquoise last year. But never in the past have people been so sharply and invasively judged by the people they work for, especially for things they can't control, like what kind of language and pictures people who went to their high school may choose to use on their profiles. I'm not saying I'm hiding anything. I don't think there's anything especially incriminating about pictures of me and my friends bumming around a 24-hour Wal*Mart with goofy galoshes and a gallon of ice cream. But it still feels wrong, like people are prying into something that shouldn't - DOESN'T - concern them.
Now that I have you all in a nice negative mood, it's time for a poll: Would people comment more if I didn't make such long posts? I tend to treat this thing like a journal sometimes... XD
Weekends are for the Warriors!
Wow what a weekend it has been! And the longest one I can remember having all year. I have finally discovered the secret to slowing down the racing rapids of time: NO SLEEP! Haha. But truly. Friday feels like a lifetime ago. I had lunch with Ravin and The Pantsless One that day, which was great because I hadn't seen either of them in over a week and that is unacceptable for summertime. But I was sick most of the week so it was really all right. Boyfriend and I had a date that night and I made him take me to see "Up," which was amazing! Just the right amount of goofy and random mixed with totally adorable. Even Boyfriend managed to like it, though at first he was like "NO. We're not seeing that." Win!
Saturday, TPO and I helped one of my former teachers throw a custom birthday party. Holy cow. Any family that can afford that for their daughter has to really be raking it in. It's a catered event, and when I say catered I mean there are sandwiches cut in hearts, stars, and crown shapes, shoe shaped cookies, and cupcakes adorned with massive frosting flowers and butterflies. Princess Sharon (it's weird for me to suddenly call her by her first name after being her student) brings costumes and puppets. She sings and plays games. I mean WOW. I would've loved to have Princess Sharon throw me a party as a little girl. But I don't think we were ever that rich.
It was a long drive there and back, during which TPO and I had significant discussions about some of life's bigger issues. Things are a-changing, we noted; our discussions, which once circled around Pokemon and schoolgirl crushes (and schoolgirl crushes on Pokemon characters... I mean... that never happened XD), have shifted to anything from work to booze to sex to families (the ones we have now and the ones we will start in the not-as-distant-as-it-once-was future). Sometimes I hate that I'm growing up, but other times I think about it and realize that I have always been content no matter what age I've been. I think you grow into the number. But age IS just a number. Even if you're dealing with different issues than you used to, it doesn't mean you have to be grown up in every sense, and I don't think I ever will be (just wait til you hear how we spent the rest of the weekend if you don't believe me). However, adults need to behave like adults when they are in families and relationships and stop acting like nobody else matters. Their thoughtless selfishness scars the people they ought to care about and that's unacceptable.
Okay, random tangent, sorry. That night we went to Boyfriend's for a movie night. I don't know when we will learn that he's the wrong one to send to Blockbuster. I felt bad that I'd dragged him to a kids' movie about a house that travels by balloon power so I didn't argue, even though the back of the movie was fraught with terrible grammar and spelling, which should've been enough to clue us all in to the quality of the thing. I mean talk about no plot, disturbing (if not especially graphic) violence/sex for absolutely no reason, terrible acting, terrible writing, and terrible cinematography. Even Boyfriend hated it, and he picked it.
Then TPO and I drove to the other end of the world to swim in Ravin's pool. I was glad to have something to do all night, since in spite of my sickness I'd been struck with pretty bad insomnia for the past couple of nights. We had to take a long, dark, winding detour because 3A was shut down for a few miles. Got there at 1AM. The pool was deliciously warm and we were at that silly, happy point of tiredness that I've missed for quite some time. Quote of the night: "I wonder if I can stretch both of my legs without blubbbjihaiewhfjasdnfl." The answer, Ravin, is you can't.
After swimming, we went to the 24-hour Wal*Mart to buy ice cream. It was 3AM. Ravin and TPO had to sit in the car seats and dance about in silly galoshes. Then they bought sippy cups to drink their Mountain Dew out of. TPO did Cher impressions on the car ride home while Ravin sang like the old man in Teen Girl Squad who has the running gag about ointment. Then we devoured the gallon of white mint chocolate chip ice cream, drank allegedly citrus flavored soda out of baby cups, and watched Pokemon until we fell asleep.
Only two hours had gone by when Ravin's mother came in to complain about us sleeping in the living room, open all the shades and proceed to do something in the kitchen that involved a suspicious number of pots and pans. So I got up and left. I had to be at church to videotape the sermon anyway. No matter that I was almost an hour ahead of schedule. Somehow I made myself look alive, went to the service, and filmed the thing, averting the slight disaster of not getting shit for audio and having to awkwardly run around the sanctuary trying to fix things. I looked after the pastor's son for a few hours while most of the congregation went to a wedding and then joined Boyfriend and Mama Swede for dinner.
I really appreciate that she always feeds us when we go there and I will never complain about that. But apparently my body forgot how to digest ham, because I felt awful when we left for Ravin's. Still, I went swimming with everybody (meaning Ravin, TPO, Boyfriend and the Italian, except Boyfriend wouldn't get in because he didn't have a swimsuit), laughed at the awkwardness that is my friends, tried some of the beer that Boyfriend snatched from his Mom's fridge (which is really lame since he's old enough to buy his own), and went to Wal*Mart again to get noms. It was fun, but I don't remember a whole lot of details. My brain was beyond functioning. I probably said/did retarded things that made no sense, like even worse than usual. I remember I was jumpy because I kept imagining that I saw people out of the corner of my eye. Every time I blinked it felt like I had been startled out of a light sleep. If I stayed awake beyond midnight, it wasn't by much.
I had to bring Boyfriend back for work this morning. Ravin and TPO still hadn't slept when I left. I crashed the second I got home and slept for four glorious hours. Still not feeling quite human but it was all worth it. =)
Saturday, TPO and I helped one of my former teachers throw a custom birthday party. Holy cow. Any family that can afford that for their daughter has to really be raking it in. It's a catered event, and when I say catered I mean there are sandwiches cut in hearts, stars, and crown shapes, shoe shaped cookies, and cupcakes adorned with massive frosting flowers and butterflies. Princess Sharon (it's weird for me to suddenly call her by her first name after being her student) brings costumes and puppets. She sings and plays games. I mean WOW. I would've loved to have Princess Sharon throw me a party as a little girl. But I don't think we were ever that rich.
It was a long drive there and back, during which TPO and I had significant discussions about some of life's bigger issues. Things are a-changing, we noted; our discussions, which once circled around Pokemon and schoolgirl crushes (and schoolgirl crushes on Pokemon characters... I mean... that never happened XD), have shifted to anything from work to booze to sex to families (the ones we have now and the ones we will start in the not-as-distant-as-it-once-was future). Sometimes I hate that I'm growing up, but other times I think about it and realize that I have always been content no matter what age I've been. I think you grow into the number. But age IS just a number. Even if you're dealing with different issues than you used to, it doesn't mean you have to be grown up in every sense, and I don't think I ever will be (just wait til you hear how we spent the rest of the weekend if you don't believe me). However, adults need to behave like adults when they are in families and relationships and stop acting like nobody else matters. Their thoughtless selfishness scars the people they ought to care about and that's unacceptable.
Okay, random tangent, sorry. That night we went to Boyfriend's for a movie night. I don't know when we will learn that he's the wrong one to send to Blockbuster. I felt bad that I'd dragged him to a kids' movie about a house that travels by balloon power so I didn't argue, even though the back of the movie was fraught with terrible grammar and spelling, which should've been enough to clue us all in to the quality of the thing. I mean talk about no plot, disturbing (if not especially graphic) violence/sex for absolutely no reason, terrible acting, terrible writing, and terrible cinematography. Even Boyfriend hated it, and he picked it.
Then TPO and I drove to the other end of the world to swim in Ravin's pool. I was glad to have something to do all night, since in spite of my sickness I'd been struck with pretty bad insomnia for the past couple of nights. We had to take a long, dark, winding detour because 3A was shut down for a few miles. Got there at 1AM. The pool was deliciously warm and we were at that silly, happy point of tiredness that I've missed for quite some time. Quote of the night: "I wonder if I can stretch both of my legs without blubbbjihaiewhfjasdnfl." The answer, Ravin, is you can't.
After swimming, we went to the 24-hour Wal*Mart to buy ice cream. It was 3AM. Ravin and TPO had to sit in the car seats and dance about in silly galoshes. Then they bought sippy cups to drink their Mountain Dew out of. TPO did Cher impressions on the car ride home while Ravin sang like the old man in Teen Girl Squad who has the running gag about ointment. Then we devoured the gallon of white mint chocolate chip ice cream, drank allegedly citrus flavored soda out of baby cups, and watched Pokemon until we fell asleep.
Only two hours had gone by when Ravin's mother came in to complain about us sleeping in the living room, open all the shades and proceed to do something in the kitchen that involved a suspicious number of pots and pans. So I got up and left. I had to be at church to videotape the sermon anyway. No matter that I was almost an hour ahead of schedule. Somehow I made myself look alive, went to the service, and filmed the thing, averting the slight disaster of not getting shit for audio and having to awkwardly run around the sanctuary trying to fix things. I looked after the pastor's son for a few hours while most of the congregation went to a wedding and then joined Boyfriend and Mama Swede for dinner.
I really appreciate that she always feeds us when we go there and I will never complain about that. But apparently my body forgot how to digest ham, because I felt awful when we left for Ravin's. Still, I went swimming with everybody (meaning Ravin, TPO, Boyfriend and the Italian, except Boyfriend wouldn't get in because he didn't have a swimsuit), laughed at the awkwardness that is my friends, tried some of the beer that Boyfriend snatched from his Mom's fridge (which is really lame since he's old enough to buy his own), and went to Wal*Mart again to get noms. It was fun, but I don't remember a whole lot of details. My brain was beyond functioning. I probably said/did retarded things that made no sense, like even worse than usual. I remember I was jumpy because I kept imagining that I saw people out of the corner of my eye. Every time I blinked it felt like I had been startled out of a light sleep. If I stayed awake beyond midnight, it wasn't by much.
I had to bring Boyfriend back for work this morning. Ravin and TPO still hadn't slept when I left. I crashed the second I got home and slept for four glorious hours. Still not feeling quite human but it was all worth it. =)
The Pictures
Last night, finding myself unable to fall asleep in spite of how sick and exhausted I was, I decided to turn on a movie. One familiar enough that I could just listen to it and not have to keep my eyes open to follow the plot. One without a ton of action or suspense. Something G or PG rated, fun, cute, something I could fall asleep to. And then I realized that my DVD collection is sorely, sorely lacking. I have the first Batman movie (the Bale version), Castle in the Sky (but only in Japanese, Korean, and four versions of Chinese), LotR 1 and 2 (but not 3), Narnia, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Shrek, and Pleasantville. Oh, and Kiki's Delivery Service, but the VHS wouldn't fit in my computer. I tried.
In the end I settled on the obscure, infinitely corny "Whisper of the Heart," which my friend Kurisuchu lent me like a year ago (sorry Kurisuchu! D= ) It's clear to me that this movie selection problem must be remedied! So, I am going to make a list of DVDs I intend to buy at the soonest possible date and at the cheapest possible price. To be amended.
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
A Beautiful Mind
The Wizard of Oz
The Lakehouse
Some Disney classics that I'm too lazy to think of right now
Wall-E, Monsters Inc., both of which I can possibly steal from my family without anyone noticing.
In the end I settled on the obscure, infinitely corny "Whisper of the Heart," which my friend Kurisuchu lent me like a year ago (sorry Kurisuchu! D= ) It's clear to me that this movie selection problem must be remedied! So, I am going to make a list of DVDs I intend to buy at the soonest possible date and at the cheapest possible price. To be amended.
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
A Beautiful Mind
The Wizard of Oz
The Lakehouse
Some Disney classics that I'm too lazy to think of right now
Wall-E, Monsters Inc., both of which I can possibly steal from my family without anyone noticing.
What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME!
Wow, when everyone's asleep, my house is like the soundtrack to a safariventure. Every step produces a creak louder than the last, and on a different note, too. Even the cabinets are in on it - in fact, they're the noisiest of the lot. Honestly I don't know how my Dad can go into the kitchen for noms to quell a midnight diabetic attack and not wake every person in the household; he must be magic or something. I went down for a snack last night and good grief you'd think the London Philharmonic Orchestra was in the living room! And I am invariably the last person to bed, so I have the good fortune to experience this every single night I'm home! Yippee. But it seems it has been a while since I last drove home late at night. Usually when I get back, Leo's visible over my neighbor's yard. Tonight it was the Big Dipper; Leo had already set, or nearly. Somehow I know Ravin is responsible for this. XD
So why did I arrive home so late this evening, you ask? Well, my friend, it is because THE KETTLE SOCIETY LIVES! Or the slightly modified Kettle Society, I should say, "slightly modified" meaning that only half the original members were present. It was me and my friend Ash tonight, and I must say it was the most productive discussion I've had about my story... ever, thank you. And he even liked the dorky name "Kettle Society," asking for a kettle time (deadline) when I had to leave. Sometimes I forget what a riot he can be. He was telling me about the time in high school when he was fiddling with a mechanical pencil in math class, simply out of boredom, and managed to stick it in his eyeball. Only Ash.
I responded with the story of middle school English, back when gel pens were the shiz and I had one in every color imaginable. I had taken one apart or was chewing on the end or something, and accidentally flicked the end away from myself. Well apparently I'd chewed the end open because suddenly the girl in front of me was covered in metallic blue ink. And she was wearing white. And she would later become valedictorian, which we all predicted years before it happened and which rendered her very intimidating. I don't think she really said anything about it. But I felt her wrath simmering beneath the surface. Her icy calm demeanor said it all.
All right, enough reminiscing. This weekend Boyfriend and I went to New York and it was awesome! Even though I complained about my feet almost the entire time (sorry, Boyfriend). So here's what went down.
First we ate dinner at this famous deli that Boyfriend's dad recommended - very persuasively, with a gift of $100 cash. The place had a lot of character! I couldn't believe the size of the sammiches they served, but anyway none of the meats sounded remotely appetizing, which tends to happen when you don't eat something for a long time. So I got eggs. I felt like a spoilsport but oh well. They seated an author at the table beside us and we ended up talking a little. I seem to meet a lot of nonfiction writers. I don't know how they do it. They have to get things right! Making up a world is so much better because you can never be wrong! But to each her own, I say.
Then the show. Ohmygosh the show. Eh, only one of the three openers was actually any good, but Mae blew me away. The videos showed a lot more thought than the last batch. The last two were even in 3D. Glasses were free if you bought their EP, which of course I did. It was only available on this tour and smelled amazing. What's not to love? They had us activate the ocean scent during the song "The Ocean." Yummy. They played a few songs I hadn't seen live before, like my favorites "Breakdown" and "Anything."
The Blender Theater is a fantastic venue, for the record. Great setup, with stadium seating at the back if you don't care about being up close and personal/are too lame to dance. Little bars on either side, serving too-small drinks for too-high prices (gotta love New York). And extraordinary lighting, particularly when they turned on the fog.
And now a word of advice: do not walk around the city in Chucks that are a size too small, and then proceed to try and dance at a show, and THEN try to walk back to your hotel. It really. Effing. Hurts.
Saturday we went to the Metropolitan museum of art. On the way we encountered a street market just outside the hotel, where I got crepes for breakfast (yes, plural, because they were so dang good) and Boyfriend got various forms of heart attacks (on a bun, on a stick).
The museum was enormous. No one could ever appreciate all that art in one day. But we came close, I'll say that, and we both got some good ideas for our own projects from the things we saw.
That night we went to dinner with Boyfriend's godmother, Mia, who is an amazing woman - very bubbly, talkative, and all around a positive presence, which you wouldn't expect from a New Yorker. It was funny because the way she talked and looked, I kept almost thinking she was Boyfriend's sister. She took us to an Italian eatery called Otto. It was a lively place and the food was pretty yummy, but sooo filling. When we were done she insisted on paying for us. What a sweetheart =)
We were going to visit Times Square again - we'd walked through briefly the first night, spending a lot of time gaping at the three or four stories of TOYS R US (all in caps because the thing was a monstrosity, complete with a ferris wheel that had character themed cars and colored lights easily visible from the sidewalk). But then we realized how beat we both were and decided to sleep instead. I only regret not getting the chance to drag Boyfriend onto that ferris wheel... XD JUST KIDDING, I WOULDN'T MAKE YOU GO ON IT IF YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE HEIGHT. But if you were worried about looking retarded I'd prolly just kick you in the shins until you did what I told you. ^_^
Sunday was basically just a travel day. Ugh, the stiffness. All I wanted was a good Pilates class after five hours in the same little seat with my oversized backpack taking up all the foot space.
I would have liked to experience New York for a little longer than a weekend. It's dull coming home after a teaser of a break like this, and all the things that drive me crazy, like the dog going bonkers every 7.2 minutes, seem so much worse. It was nice being able to walk anywhere we cared to go, and having food accessible all the time (albeit preposterously expensive food), and even lots of vegetarian places to try (not that Boyfriend was into that).
Even if you've got nothing to do you could always just go stare at Times Square. And it's so easy to find your way around since the streets are numbered. But cities are loud and smelly and I don't trust anyone there, so I wouldn't like to live in a city. It's just nice to visit for a little while. Next time, we're bringing the crew, taking a cheaper bus, and coming back in the middle of the night to escape evil hotel fees. Who's in?
So why did I arrive home so late this evening, you ask? Well, my friend, it is because THE KETTLE SOCIETY LIVES! Or the slightly modified Kettle Society, I should say, "slightly modified" meaning that only half the original members were present. It was me and my friend Ash tonight, and I must say it was the most productive discussion I've had about my story... ever, thank you. And he even liked the dorky name "Kettle Society," asking for a kettle time (deadline) when I had to leave. Sometimes I forget what a riot he can be. He was telling me about the time in high school when he was fiddling with a mechanical pencil in math class, simply out of boredom, and managed to stick it in his eyeball. Only Ash.
I responded with the story of middle school English, back when gel pens were the shiz and I had one in every color imaginable. I had taken one apart or was chewing on the end or something, and accidentally flicked the end away from myself. Well apparently I'd chewed the end open because suddenly the girl in front of me was covered in metallic blue ink. And she was wearing white. And she would later become valedictorian, which we all predicted years before it happened and which rendered her very intimidating. I don't think she really said anything about it. But I felt her wrath simmering beneath the surface. Her icy calm demeanor said it all.
All right, enough reminiscing. This weekend Boyfriend and I went to New York and it was awesome! Even though I complained about my feet almost the entire time (sorry, Boyfriend). So here's what went down.
First we ate dinner at this famous deli that Boyfriend's dad recommended - very persuasively, with a gift of $100 cash. The place had a lot of character! I couldn't believe the size of the sammiches they served, but anyway none of the meats sounded remotely appetizing, which tends to happen when you don't eat something for a long time. So I got eggs. I felt like a spoilsport but oh well. They seated an author at the table beside us and we ended up talking a little. I seem to meet a lot of nonfiction writers. I don't know how they do it. They have to get things right! Making up a world is so much better because you can never be wrong! But to each her own, I say.
Then the show. Ohmygosh the show. Eh, only one of the three openers was actually any good, but Mae blew me away. The videos showed a lot more thought than the last batch. The last two were even in 3D. Glasses were free if you bought their EP, which of course I did. It was only available on this tour and smelled amazing. What's not to love? They had us activate the ocean scent during the song "The Ocean." Yummy. They played a few songs I hadn't seen live before, like my favorites "Breakdown" and "Anything."
The Blender Theater is a fantastic venue, for the record. Great setup, with stadium seating at the back if you don't care about being up close and personal/are too lame to dance. Little bars on either side, serving too-small drinks for too-high prices (gotta love New York). And extraordinary lighting, particularly when they turned on the fog.
And now a word of advice: do not walk around the city in Chucks that are a size too small, and then proceed to try and dance at a show, and THEN try to walk back to your hotel. It really. Effing. Hurts.
Saturday we went to the Metropolitan museum of art. On the way we encountered a street market just outside the hotel, where I got crepes for breakfast (yes, plural, because they were so dang good) and Boyfriend got various forms of heart attacks (on a bun, on a stick).
The museum was enormous. No one could ever appreciate all that art in one day. But we came close, I'll say that, and we both got some good ideas for our own projects from the things we saw.
That night we went to dinner with Boyfriend's godmother, Mia, who is an amazing woman - very bubbly, talkative, and all around a positive presence, which you wouldn't expect from a New Yorker. It was funny because the way she talked and looked, I kept almost thinking she was Boyfriend's sister. She took us to an Italian eatery called Otto. It was a lively place and the food was pretty yummy, but sooo filling. When we were done she insisted on paying for us. What a sweetheart =)
We were going to visit Times Square again - we'd walked through briefly the first night, spending a lot of time gaping at the three or four stories of TOYS R US (all in caps because the thing was a monstrosity, complete with a ferris wheel that had character themed cars and colored lights easily visible from the sidewalk). But then we realized how beat we both were and decided to sleep instead. I only regret not getting the chance to drag Boyfriend onto that ferris wheel... XD JUST KIDDING, I WOULDN'T MAKE YOU GO ON IT IF YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE HEIGHT. But if you were worried about looking retarded I'd prolly just kick you in the shins until you did what I told you. ^_^
Sunday was basically just a travel day. Ugh, the stiffness. All I wanted was a good Pilates class after five hours in the same little seat with my oversized backpack taking up all the foot space.
I would have liked to experience New York for a little longer than a weekend. It's dull coming home after a teaser of a break like this, and all the things that drive me crazy, like the dog going bonkers every 7.2 minutes, seem so much worse. It was nice being able to walk anywhere we cared to go, and having food accessible all the time (albeit preposterously expensive food), and even lots of vegetarian places to try (not that Boyfriend was into that).
Even if you've got nothing to do you could always just go stare at Times Square. And it's so easy to find your way around since the streets are numbered. But cities are loud and smelly and I don't trust anyone there, so I wouldn't like to live in a city. It's just nice to visit for a little while. Next time, we're bringing the crew, taking a cheaper bus, and coming back in the middle of the night to escape evil hotel fees. Who's in?
