A Nanny for Grr

I finished "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris. Definitely not a disappointment. There was one chapter where I was truly laughing out loud. That is fine, but it's not so great when you're at work and you work in a cubicle, so everyone can hear you. Yeah, I felt stupid, but couldn't help it. Very good stuff. I wish I could write like that. Hey, I wish I could write period.

I think I'm ready for a change. Work and such. Grr & I are ready. The year is almost over. Time for a new job or grad school or both! Or maybe I could actually write something. Yeah, I know my talk is cheap, seeing as I've been saying that for awhile. My first excuse was my dead computer, and now I'm grasping for another excuse. I need to start carrying around a notepad and jot down ideas. That's probably my best bet of actually embarking upon that. I also should start browsing for a new job or grad school again. I know that I've missed all the grad school deadlines, but then again the good news is that I have almost a year to actually get the applications done and figure out where to apply and all that jazz.

Really dry outside and my hands are starting to crack & bleed again. Yeah, it's kinda gross and ensures that I always have to have lotion on me. But this isn't anything new, been this way since I was little. I had to wear gloves to bed with intense, prescription lotion that was probably just vaseline, since it had the consistency of it. It helped a bunch, but I remember hating to sleep with gloves on. That was the terrible part. My parents had to coax me into putting the sticky lotion on, and then the gloves over it. I really had no choice, seeing as it was either that or having bloody hands.

My Mom's cousin (my second cousin?) had a baby. My Great Aunt called last night, thinking (as she always does) that my number is my Mom's. She often leaves these lengthy messages on my machine for my Mom. I have to then call my Mom and transcribe them to her and let her know her Aunt called me again looking for her. Last night, I answered the phone. My Aunt was still confused and at first thought she was talking to my Mom. It's kinda funny, cuz I don't think we sound alike, but what do I know? So, she calls to tell me that she's a first time Grandma. She's all excited telling me how she got her daughter-in-law a nanny for the day and one for the night to "show Jessica how to care for a baby". I thought that was priceless. If only there were such a thing. Like, why didn't I get a full-time nanny to show me how to take care of Grr? Is this commen practise? I feel badly for Jessica. She seems like a really nice girl, so hopefully she's fine with it all. I'd be a wreck with all those people around. I'd yell and scream for them to leave, that I could definitely take care of my own baby by myself. Then again, with it crying all the time, I might be happy to have the extra help. I don't know. All I do know, is that I do think it's funny. It's just funny what people with money do with it. I had this mental image of this woman telling Jessica that she's changing her baby's diapers all wrong. Just glad it's not me. That's my mantra. When it is me, I'm even more upset. I'd rather make fun of other people's misfortunes...

Tofurkey is yummy

Thanksgiving was last weekend. It was nice. I like having that much time off with nothing to do. I slept a lot, which apparently I needed.

I finished The Orchid Thief yesterday. It was good. I liked her writing style and they way she told her story of the orchid world. Now, I'm going to start "Dress You Family in Corduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris. I'm excited to read another book by him.

So, I'm pretty tired today. I went to a Kings game last night and agreed to going out for a drink afterwards. So, I got home late and ended up going to bed much later than normal. At least I had a good time. The game went into overtime, which was rad. And the Kings ended up winning the shoot out. It was very interesting and fun. I ate nachos and cheered. Good times.

I'm really excited for next week, as I'll be driving up to Tahoe with a quick few hours stop in SF on the way up there. I'm excited to romp around SF a little bit. I'm hoping to eat at Herbivore for lunch. I'm really crossing my fingers for that one! And then maybe I'll go see a movie or see if my friend could meet up with me early for a drink. We shall see. The best part is that I'll be on vacation. Yay! Grr gets to spend some time with her grandma. Maybe she'll let my Mom pet her this time. Poor Grr.

It's lunchtime and I'm hungry! Tofurkey leftovers. Yum!!!

Green Belt!

I finished The Fountainhead almost 2 weeks ago and attempted a draft of a blog, but never finished it. So, here I am again typing another blog. I really enjoyed The Foutainhead. It turned out to be a fantastic story with intricate, but real characters. And the architecture wasn't too technical, but more philosophical. So, someone like me who doesn't really know much about architecture was still able to grasp all the nuances and the characters and their thoughts and motives. I thought it was a great take on society, capitalism, socialism, the concept of the individual versus a collective, the idea of being egotistical, the power of the media, etc. Very interesting and thought provoking.

Now, I'm reading The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. A true story of which, the movie Adaptation is based upon. It's really interesting. I didn't know that Darwin wrote a book or essays on the evolution of orchids. I really had no idea that they were such an evolved flower and that they have withstood time for so long and so well. Of course their biggest enemy seems to be man. They are a very smart plant. And Florida sounds to be a huge place for orchid fanatics. I also didn't realize that anything like "orchid fever" existed. Pretty crazy. Here's one of my favorite excerpts:

In a Florida newspaper, "April 21, 1994 -- Police saw a man pushing a shopping cart with a big palm tree in it about 10:45 P.M. Saturday. When they approached him the man abandoned the cart and tried to hide behind a van. When police found him, he told them he stole the palm tree from a house and was going to sell it to buy crack."

Yeah.

And now for some more fascinating stories about my fairly dull existence, or is it existanz? So, I got my green belt. Not sure if I have already said that. I went to the test for the last half hour. I made up some excuse as I don't like going to the tests. No adults go, and it's mainly kids who are about 7 years of age or younger. And as I'm sure most people could understand, even though I'm not much taller than them, I don't like being grouped with them. My teacher has me do my form, do some kicks, show some different defenses that I've learned, like how to get out of someone choking me from the front and then has me break a board with my side kick (yes, I'm still wearing the brace on my ankle to class). And then, he has me to do some kicks with this 6 year old girl. Yes, that's right, she's six. So, the deal is we face each other in fighting position and then one of us does 3 consecutive kicks, while the other moves back 3 steps as those kicks are being performed and then we switch and it goes on this way. Well, instead of just doing 3 kicks (so it's like taking 3 steps forward except you're doing different kicks) this little demon is running and kicking. No joke. Instead of stepping backward, I'm almost running from this kicking fiend. I think she got in about 9 kicks instead of 3 too. Yeah, it was funny to watch. But knowing I'm going for my green belt and having a six year old white belt chase me around kicking because she doesn't understand the concept, well...yeah...I'm still a bit embarrassed. And my boy wonders why I don't invite him to these things...sigh.

That's it. Send money. You can make the check out to Grr Pickles.

Happy Anniversary

I just noticed that I posted my first blog on the 27th of October last year. Thought I'd type a little tribute, because I doubt I'll remember on Friday. I'm still reading "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I'm enjoying it, and really enjoying that it's taking me quite sometime to get through it. I still have a bit to go. I like drawing it out.

I heard from my brother and apparently he's getting tired of Monica's "childish antics". I could've told him that from that first email posted in my last blog. But I suppose there is something to be said in figuring out things for oneself. We shall see if she gets phased out or what-not. You never know.

Why hasn't anyone sent any donation checks yet? I still need money and Grr won't get a job. Psh.

Correspondence

Okay, so here goes, I really have to put up the first email that my brother's ex-fiance (I'm not sure if they are still together or not, apparently it changes by the minute) wrote to me. My brother gave me her email address asking me to email her, so this is what I emailed her and then her reply. This is fun...Enjoy!

Me:
Hi,
My brother gave me your email address and asked me to
email you. He's told me a bit about you. What
part of San Diego do you live in? Do you ever
come up to LA to visit? Well, I'm not really
sure what else to say here, just thought I'd send
you an email.

Email me back when you get a chance.

Her reply:
lol a little weird I know....I think talking or emailing whatever....is better than not knowing of each other at all and it being weird....I'm pretty sure he's told you as much about me that I have heard about you....I know you are small, 27, single, and have a cat named grr I think, and that's just about it lol...so that's a start....I live in La Mesa now, near Lemon Grove, I go to LA, about....umm....a couple times a year, mostly for the garmet district to shop, because I have a horrible addiction....these are just the facts about me...ahh umm....I'm 25 and a half....I'm 5'1, I eat a lot....I'm not a huge fan of blondes though I have friends who are, so there I go being a hypocrite....I have a shopping addiction, I'm divorced, I'd rather sleep than have sex, I have 2 yorkies Tweety and Mini...yes yes...lol I think that covers the umm....weird part of me....so what about you? what are some facts about you that I should know? do you prefer Liz or Elizabeth? okie dokie, I'll talk to you later....

I'm laughing just reading it again! Priceless!!

Back from the Twilight Zone

I had a jaunt with the Twilight Zone over the weekend. I'm glad to be back, but boy was that a crazy trip. I've never taken LSD, mushrooms or any other hallucinogens, but I sure felt like I had on Sunday. I guess I felt like I was in a Dahli painting. Life sure can be interesting. I guess that's the understatement of the year!

I finished Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs and Naked by David Sedaris some weeks ago. Both were great. Burroughs first fiction book after his two memoirs did not disappoint. And I really like how witty and funny Sedaris is. So both books were great reads. After those two, I started The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I decided I needed a really thick book to hold my interest for a time, this one seems to be doing the trick. I saw the movie in film school some years back and remember really liking it. The book is turning out to be a great read. I'm not even halfway through it yet and there have already been many twists and turns.

I finally got a new-to-me computer. Picked it up last week from my friend's where he was installing my old hard drive as a slave drive and putting my old modem on it and some other programs I requested. I love the flat screen monitor the best. It's pretty cool. Now, I just have to make myself sit down and start writing. I guess I could write a little and post some of it here, just to get the 2 people who read this to let me know if it's any good. Or maybe, since it's my first try, I'll just write it and then bury it in my backyard. We shall see.

Taco Tuesday was last night. I haven't had that in a few months. It's fun to buy all the ingredients (yes, veggie taco meat is just as good) and make tacos. It was so yummy. Just what I needed. I suppose I should go to class tonight, as it's been almost a week since I've been. My weekend was very draining and although I was excited to go to class last night, I just wasn't up for it.

I just realized this post is rather boring. Let's see if I have any stories to regayle. Oh, I did see my brother on Sunday. It was the first time in almost 4 years. I cut communications with him almost 4 years ago and a few months ago he emailed me and I agreed to getting back in touch. I don't email him back too much and I don't ever call him, but he calls me from time to time. I guess the main reason he asked me to talk to him again is that he thought he might be getting married to this *cough**dumb**cough* girl and she wanted to get in touch with his parents and me. I emailed with her for a bit, but realized that I would say something really mean soon and just stopped. Her emails were a bit pointless and stupid. Maybe I should copy and paste some of them here, so I can show you how lame she is/was. Anyways, that's a bit of a tangent. So, my brother went to my Mom's this weekend to visit. He called me and tried to get me to meet up with him on Saturday night, but I just couldn't. But I did still go visit my Mom on Sunday, knowing he'd be there. We chatted a bit. It was nice to see him. I still think I'm adopted though.

Not much of a story, I know. I think I'm still trying to get back into the swing of this "real world" life again. I'm glad I didn't go to work on Monday as I think I still was incapable of functioning at a decent level yet.

That's it for me. Over and out. Go read something.

Once upon a time

I finished "Villa Incognito" by Tom Robbins on Friday. Sometimes it just takes a bit for me to type an entry. So this book was great, as I think Robbins' books are. Now, I can offically say I've read all of his books. I thought I could before until I found out about this one. His sarcastic, witty writing combined with a good story makes for a fantastic read. Although, I do know some people who can't get into his books. I'm not really sure why as I've always thought his books are pretty easy to read. But, I suppose they do take some getting used to. You have to follow a plethora of characters sometimes and the storylines are a little absurd. But, that's why I like them. Stretch the imagination. His stories incorporate intellect and imagination. 2 things, I'm fond of. He always does a lot of research too, which shows in the works he produces. Reminds me a lot of Vonnegut. This one did not fall short, which made me happy, as I was ready for all the intellectual stimulating absurd things he could throw my way.

Now I'm reading "Naked" by David Sedaris. Back to good old absurd everyday things. It's good. He's pretty funny and pokes fun at all the outlandish things from his childhood and whatnot. And, finally the library has "Sellevision" by Augusten Burroughs on hold for me. I'm picking it up tonight for after I finish this one. I'm excited to read it. It'll round out my Burroughs memoirs.

I found a writing contest I was going to enter. Then, I found out I had to find a new computer. Then I procrastinated. It's been about a month since I've had a home computer now. My monthly budgeting has gone out the window. And I need to actually start writing a story. Although, I did find some more contests online because I don't think I'm making the cut for this one. I don't have enough time. Oh well.

Just noticed there's a scheduled outage on this site in about 20 minutes. I'd better cut this short...

Please donate money to me...for my computer memorial fund...please...

Why is chocolate so damn good?!?! Yummy.

All stressed out and no one to choke

So, my computer is officially deceased. The memorial service will be soon and I'll be reciting a eulogy. I think I'm just going to dive in and get a brand new computer (or as new as I can afford, at least). I think it's time.

I finished, "Dry", the 2nd memoir by Augesten Burroughs yesterday. It was good. I do enjoy his writing style and am fascinated by his life. I've even placed his 3rd memoir on hold at the library, but it still says "request pending". I'm going to embark upon another Tom Robbins book, assuming that I can make it to the library before it closes tonight. I didn't know that he had written another one and I'm a bit disappointed that I had no idea. I prided myself thinking that I've read all Robbins' books, but alas that was my mistake.

I'm just a bit in a funk lately. I'm hoping this weekend I'll be able to cheer myself up. We shall see. My martial arts class isn't helping as I haven't been too happy with it lately. It's becomming a chore to go to class. Wondering if I should move on and find another one? I just hate the thought that I'm giving up. I've paid for this month, so I'll go through the next few weeks and see how I feel after that. Part of it is the parking lot there. It's such a hassle to park because there aren't enough spots and there isn't much street parking close-by there. I don't like thinking about walking to my car in the dark after class. I have to leave early to sit and wait in the lot for someone to leave to get a parking space and even then it's a big pain. Plus I don't really have any friends in my class. There's no one for me to relate to, being the only girl, and there's the fact that I'm in my late 20s and most of the other student's are 14 year old boys. And my ankle still isn't healed. I think most people think I'm being a baby about it. So, I thought that I just needed to be tougher. Well, that was a mistake, as I hurt it again in class on Tuesday night. Back to the brace for me. Argh.

Work is stressing me out. Too much. Too many stupid and annoying people too. And there is really nothing I can do about it, but try and get through it. I think I'm stressed with a lot of things, not just work. I have a lot on my mind lately. Too many things. Last weekend was a nice, long weekend. I thoroughly cleaned my apartment, at least there's that. I also saw "Little Miss Sunshine" last weekend with my neighbor and his boyfriend. It was an awesome movie. I loved it. And another neighbor of mine made me dinner on Monday. That was really cool. All home made. Mmmmmm.

High holidays are coming up. Sucks, that they fall around the weekends this year. Lots of temple. And fasting again. woo-hoo...

I hate allergies.
I hate black widows (had a fun black widow infestation scare this week).
I hate stupid people.
I hate people.

I like chocolate, popcorn, french fries, hot showers, Grr and maybe one or two other things.

Maybe I can redo my patio chairs this weekend.

People actually read this?

Well, there's one comment and I had a few people also IM and email me regarding my last post. How come it all had to do with buying myself flowers?? Apparently that's a topic people like. As an update on the flowers, they are mostly wilted, I had to throw some away and I think today is the last day for the rest. Anyone who actually reads this is welcome to buy me flowers too. Just in case you were wondering. Not sure when I'll be doing that again, as it was a crazy experience. The funny thing is, I do buy myself flowers rather frequently. Not too much, but enough that it's funny to me that I got all these responses to it (from the cashier to people asking me about it) this time.

Before I stray from topic, as I seemingly do, let me just comment a little on my latest read. I finished "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs yesterday. And I was going to start "Naked" today, but I recieved an email that a book I was waiting for from the library is in, so I'm holding off on my Sedaris book. So, instead of my normal lunchtime reading session, I'm sitting here typing in my blog. Yay! So, "Running with Scissors"...interesting. He writes a lot like Sedaris. This was a memoir from when he was young. It was pretty disturbing and I'm surprised at how graphic he got in some parts. It ended rather abruptly, but I did enjoy it up until the end. It was like a car crash in that it was really disturbing, but I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed reading how messed up this poor boy's life was. I had a somewhat "normal" and pleasant childhood, so needless to say, I was intrigued by how different this was from mine. I'm not sure how I would've turned out with that kind of upbringing. He sounds relatively okay after all that. I think I would've ended up in a looney bin. I think I'm close to that now and my childhood was pretty damn good!

Enough of that. I have a cold. I am not sure how this happened, as Tuesday I was fine. Allergies in the morning, which I'm used to. Wednesday I felt kinda tired and what I thought was allergies, stayed with me all day. Thursday I woke up feeling like I was going to die. And I'm still feeling awful. My poor nose is raw, no matter how much lotion I put on, and I just want to sleep all the time. I did sleep almost 12 hours on Saturday night, which is crazy. Saturday was my half birthday and although, it was a pretty good day, my cold came on full fledge on Saturday night and really made me uncomfortable. I wish I could get a few people to jump on board my half birthday, but I suppose it's hard enough for people to remember my half birthday, let alone my real one!

Oh, and it looks like I'm going to be bored for the next 2 weekends, if anyone wants to hang out with Grr and I or go see a movie, I'm down, just let me know!

Dayquil is my new best friend.

SALE on Grr Fur!!!

I finished "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris last night. I enjoyed it. It's a funny book. Same line as that Dave Eggers book I read. It reminded me of a quirky documentary. The more that I read things like this, the more it makes me think that I really should just sit down and start writing something. I could definitely write things like that. Well, first I have to discipline myself and actually sit down at my computer and second I have to get a computer excorcist for my computer. It has become possessed. I unplugged it over a week ago and have not tried plugging it back in yet. I'm very scared to actually. I really should just email my computer friend and see if he can fix it. I've just been lazy. I do all my budgeting on my computer, so right now the keyboard has a bunch of receipts and papers stacked on it. I know that is going to overflow sometime soon and Grr is going to have the grandest time of shredding it all. Have I mentioned that Grr is a professional shredder? She is. So, let me know if you ever need any documents shredded.

I want a new computer. Anyone want to buy me one? I guess I need money for that. Anyone want to just send me money?

So, I'm going to embark upon "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs at lunch today. Sounds like a disturbing novel, but we shall see. I guess it's a memoir. I'm going to write a memoir entitled, "I Hate People". And that one will be followed by, "Yes, even you". Sound good?

So, I tried a little experiment last night. I turned off my cell phone for the entire evening and night. I never do that. I'm not sure what I was trying to gain out of it. I checked to see if there were any messages after a few hours from my home phone. It was fairly uneventful, but maybe I'll do it again. Try to wean myself from it or something. I did call my Aunt & Uncle last night. I also never do that. But, my Uncle is getting older and has all these procedures coming up. He's from Ireland and has this great accent. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I actually had a nice conversation with the both of them. It was a weird night. One more story, then I'll go do some work. I also went to Trader Joe's to get some yummy food last night and decided I needed flowers. Apparently, I only date guys who don't buy me flowers and therefore I have to buy them for myself. So, I'm feeling all good that I picked out this pretty bunch. I go to the check stand to pay for everything and the guy at the register scans all my food, then the flowers and says, "Please don't tell me you're buying flowers for yourself because that'd be a shame". I really wanted to tell him that I am, but only because I don't know how to tell my boy, "Hey! Buy me flowers!", because as soon as he does I know it's only cuz I told him and not because he wanted to buy me flowers. So, instead I mumble that it's for a friend and not for me. I'm still enjoying them, just not as much as when I first picked them out. Psh. He ruined it for me.

Grr Fur for Sale! Won't somebody just give me money?

Immersed in Books

I just finished The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Boy, did I read that one quickly! I just started it last Wednesday. Well, it's good timing as I just got an email today that both David Sedaris books I put on hold have come into the library. So, myabe I can leave a little early to drop off this book and pick up those 2 tonight.

The Bonesetter's Daughter was another great book by Tan. She captures a lot in her characters. The way she crafts the mothers and daughters and their family history is beautiful. So many emotions are entwined. I really enjoy reading her works.

Went to class last night. Wasn't the greatest night for class for me. I'm hoping tonight will be better. My life seems to be getting more complicated the more it seems to flow easier. I wonder why that is. Maybe I need lower expectations for myself and everyone around me. That way I won't be so disappointed. Now I just have to figure out how to do that...fun stuff.

For now immersing myself in books seems to help. I'm going to go with that.

On a lighter note, I'm trying to redo these chairs I have on my patio. Apparently it's a much bigger undertaking than I thought it would be. I need an electric sander, but no one I know seems to have one. But I refuse to give up, just going to take me a lot longer than I expected. That's okay, it's an ongoing project. :)

Craziness!

I have been so crazed, I totally forgot to even type about the latest book I finished almost a week ago! "The Other Woman" by Jane Green was pretty good. It was a fun read. It's about this girls' mother inlaw. At times it was pretty amusing, but it got a bit much for me towards the ending. Like there was just a lot going on and it got a bit too dramatic. Most of the book is pretty light-hearted and fun and then the author was probably told to add a little more drama or something. Just seemed that somewhere towards the end the tone of the book changed. All in all though, it was good. Not sure who I'd recommend it too.

On Wednesday, I started "The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan. Amy Tan books seem to be my back-up whenever I cannot find any other books on my booklist or that people recommend to me. I'm enjoying this one a lot. Her characters and story are so well-done. I love it. I'm waiting for 2 David Sedaris books to come into the library for my next reads.

Oh and I never wrote my complaint letter about my 911 call. I was told that the cops showed up an hour later because of all the calls they received about this guy, not one of us said he had a weapon or that he was actively hurting anyone. They also said that all the shops (including my teacher's studio) are their own domain. So, my teacher could've hurt this guy once he was inside to protect his studio. That's good to know. And next time (hopefully there won't be a next time) I have to make a 911 call like that, I'm going to make sure I say he has a weapon and is hurting someone, otherwise the cops won't come for a long while. So, anyways, when the cops finally came the guy was in Ralph's. Apparently, a cop went to cuff him and he pushed the cop. The cop fell backwards and hit his head. So this cop is bleeding, the other cop calls it in and 20 more cops and some ambulances show up and how this guy is looking at a long sentence because he assaulted a cop. Crazy, huh?

That's my story for now...work sucks...why won't someone just give me a bunch of money to read, watch movies and just do what I want to do?? Please?

Over and out.

Mmmm, donuts

It's finally Friday. Donuts and coffee for this morning is just grand. I've been waiting for this day all week. I can't believe how crazy work has been the last week and a half. I have pretty much ignored most (actually, almost all) of my friends. I haven't responded to any emails or returned any phone calls. I'm just so tired and can't even find the strength to chat with anyone in the evenings. And, as for emails, not sure when I even have time for those.

Anyways, I'm hoping today goes by quickly, so I can curl up with Grr and my Netflix tonight and go to bed early and sleep in. Yes, I live an exciting life, I know.

Last night I had a bit of an adventure. Thought I'd share...I went to my martial arts class to get a bit of a work out to make it a full 3x this week of going. It was just me and this 15 year old kid in class last night. About 20 minutes or so before the end of class, this guy walks in and asks my Master if he could sit down and watch. My Master said he could, as long as he was quiet. After about 5 minutes of sitting there, this guy starts screaming and yelling obsenities (looks like to the voices in his head). My Master starts telling him that he needs to leave, so this guy gets up, walks onto the mats and gets in in the Master's face. He was trying to provoke the Master into fighting him or at least hitting him, he was pushing and everything. Now, knowing full well that my Master could take him down and probably mame this guy or even kill him, I get scared. I ran over to my purse and start dialing 911. I was most scared of the Master hitting the guy without being hit first and this horrid man suing the Master. Anyways, so I'm put on hold with 911 a bit and when I finally get to talk to someone, I give them the address, the description of the guy, my phone number, my name, a plethora of information. The guy finally realizes that I'm on the phone with the police and leaves. We could see him going into the restaurant next door and hear him screaming and banging his fist on the wall. We lock the door and sit in wait for the police. 15 minutes go by and the 15 year old kid's Mom comes to get him. We've been watching this guy go across the street to harrass people at the gas station, the gas attendant and Walgreens. I'm just thankful that it doesn't seem that he has a knife or any weapons as he could've already hurt a bunch of people. I mean, the police station is only a couple of miles from where I was, why didn't anyone come out? So, the Master walks me to my car and I never did see if the police showed up. It had been 20 minutes since I called 911. I'm disappointed in the police and 911. It was pretty scary. I was a bit shaken up. I called my Mom when I got home and she thinks I should write a letter. She's going to help me compose one on Sunday. I don't even know to whom we're writing to, maybe the councilman? Well, I guess it's the only thing I can do at this point, so I'm down for it. I just hate to think that this guy could've hurt people. Maybe, just maybe in writing this letter, I can help just one person, right??

Or maybe I just want to waste paper and postage.

Ahoy Matties!

So, I just finished "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. Wow. I can't believe that's a true story and what Moby Dick is based on. I've never read Melville's classic as I've heard that it's very difficult to read. And I liked that this one was true. I can't even imagine an 80 foot whale, let alone one that malicously tried to sink a ship that I was on.

It was a great tale. The author did a good job in piecing everything together and telling an amazingly captivating narrative.

I'm going to read a fun book, a friend lent me called " The Other Woman" by Jane Green. I'll let you know how that one is soon enough.

I need a nap. Actually I need about 5 naps. Work is burning me out.

Feeling Melancholy

Just felt like typing an entry. No real point to this one, just feeling a bit melancholy. I'm reading, "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the true story of the tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. Pretty crazy. Supposedly, this is what Melville based Moby Dick on. I've never read Moby Dick, but am enjoying this book. It's just crazy that this really happened and used to be a bedtime story.

So, I'm thinking of grad school again. Just thinking. I'm almost done paying off my undergrad loans, I think it's time to be in more school debt! No, that's not the reason, but it isn't such a bad one. I just feel like I should have more of a degree. I'm getting older and don't want to be stuck in this job forever. I know that it'll be tough finding another job that's pretty stable and secure where I'm comfortable like this one, and think I'd have a much better chance if I got a Masters degree.

I'm still thinking, we shall see. I'm trying to talk myself into starting to apply. Let's see if I can! The challenege is on!

Back to work...

3 of a Kind

I just finished "Girls' Poker Night" by Jill A. Davis. I loved it. I actually laughed out loud during some parts. Totally cute story. It's not a long book, and written very well. This one really makes me want to become a writer. It's these charming, cute, witty stories that have great characters that really interests me. Where do I being though. Maybe I should start a writing blog and see if anything comes of it. I guess that wouldn't work for me. Hmmm. Any ideas? I'll think of something.

I got all upset at my martial arts class on Monday night and actually left class early. I haven't been back yet. I was going to go tonight, but now I have a work function directly after work to go to. I guess I'll go back tomorrow night. Last night, my excuse was that I had to go to Target to get a present for my buyer that I'm going to lunch with today. I guess I just got frustrated on Monday night and my ankle was hurting and I was paired with the 12 year old boy who probably thinks my sprained ankle is just fine by now and that I'm just being a girl. Plus, our master had us doing these kicks that I couldn't do with my ankle (hence I hurt it trying to). And I was thinking that maybe we'd switch to different kicks soon, but he never did. After about 20 minutes of holding the pad up for the 12 year old to kick over and over and over again, I just got more and more frustrated and upset (this is after about 20 minutes of stretching too, of which the master had the 12 year old lead us in, while he talked to his guy friend about a dumb date he went on. Oh yeah, the first stretches usually only last about 10 minutes, 15 tops.) So, finally when the master called a break, I said I was leaving. Just said my ankle hurt. I went home and my neighbor went swimming with me.

So, yeah, my ankle is still messed up. Life is okay though. I just get frustrated with it sometimes. I'm frustrated with myself right now. I wish I could figure out what I want to do with my life. Oh well. What a downer this entry just turned into! Sorry about that. Well, I'll start my next book tonight. And, as I have 2 to choose from, I'll have to fill you in later as to which one I choose..."always play with their minds"

I don't think I ever want to go to the Amazon

I finished "River of Doubt" by Candice Millard on Thursday. It was a great story. I can't believe that Teddy Roosevelt and his son, Kermit, went on that crazy adventure. They definitely didn't know what they were in for. The River that they went down is now called The Roosevelt River. I think it's a tributary to the Amazon. Just the description of them close to starvation and the Indians who actually let them live and the devastations of getting sick or loosing boats was insane. But, for me, the topper was the description of the insects and parasites. Did you know that there is a parasite that lives in the river that will jump up your urine stream and get stuck in your bladder? If you don't get it surgically removed within a day or two you die. There are so many more that just made me cringe and cringe and cringe, that I was exhausted from just reading about the insects and parasites and trees and plants and animals. Phew.

Now I'm reading a bit of fun, because after that book who wouldn't need a little uplifting fun. This one is called "Girls' Poker Night" by Jill A. Davis. And, I've actually found myself laughing out-loud from it. Should be a quick read and then I have another crazy true story about whaling or something. Yeah, I don't know, but someone keeps giving me these true tales and somehow I read them and end up getting sucked in and actually enjoying them. Could I be turning into a non-fiction reader?!? Oh the horror. Nah, I think it's good to mix it up some. I really need to find some great sci-fi books to read soon.

So, I went to the beach on Friday. I had the day off and decided I needed to swim in salt water. It was the perfect day for the beach as I think it was about 104 degrees (if not more) where I live. The beach was the perfect temperature and the water wasn't even that cold. I went swimming in the water and got pummeled by a wave. It tumbled me a little to where my left knee is a tad scraped up. But, I still went swimming for quite a long while. You just had to get past the waves and then you could swim and float around. It was nice. And no, my ankle is not 100% yet. Sucks. But it is getting better. I'm still wearing the brace. You'd think that the waves would've killed it, but I was fine with my ankle.

My Cat gets Car-sick

It's true. Grr gets car sick. I usually take her food and water away from her a few hours before she goes anywhere in the car, but for some reason I only took it away an hour before. So, she had a lovely accident only about 5 minutes into the 25 minute drive to the vet. Boy, was that fun. Grr was uncomfortable, still not feeling well and trying to stay away from the mess in her carrier and I was just tempted to turn around, take her home and call and reschedule. But, I figured I'd rather get it over with and get her annual shots now than put this off for yet another fun Saturday morning excursion. As if all that wasn't bad enough, the 11am appointment I scheduled turned into us finally getting called in at about 11:45. At least they helped me clean out Grr's carrier and try to clean her a bit. Poor Grr. I didn't get home until about 12:30. At least she didn't have another accident on the way home.

I saw "The Devil Wears Prada" on Friday night. It was really good. The best part is that if you've read the book, you're still going to love this movie. The screenplay differs from the book, which makes it all the more fun to watch. It's the same basic premise, but not the exact same story. I liked it and thought it was a lot of fun.

I'm about halfway into "River of Doubt". Contrary to popular belief, I've actually been slacking on reading and haven't really read much. Not to say this book isn't interesting, because it is, I'm just a slacker sometimes. I'll start my reading frenzy again sometime soon...and should be done with this book sooner. I'll let you know how it all comes together then. Although, I do have to say, so far, I don't think I could ever go into the Amazon. All those animals, insects, fish, reptiles, creatures freak me out. I'm going to have nightmares tonight, from what I read about today.

Reservations Needed

I finished "Everyone Worth Knowing" by Lauren Weisberger today. It was really good. A guilty pleasure book, so much fun to read. I didn't want to put it down, I was so into the story. I really enjoy her writing, as it's fun, entertaining and the story moves quickly. I can't really compare this one to the "Devil Wears Prada", as I enjoyed both books immensely.

Next I'm going to embark upon the Amazon River in "River of Doubt". I've heard it's good and am excited to read it. Then, someone else is letting me borrow another book, that she swears is wonderful. I think I'm set for the next couple of weeks. That's always good as I hate trying to figure out what to read next.

I very ready for tomorrow about 1pm to roll around as I have a 4 and a half day weekend. So excited. I really have no plans so far, except for to see another movie at the LA Film Festival tomorrow night. Then, I think I'm going to hang out with my Mom on Saturday. I'm thinking I should go see a movie or two at some point too, I just hope the theatres are not too crowded for the holiday weekend. I guess I'll just play it by ear. Maybe I can actually start to not plan so much. Well...Not sure if that'll work out for me.

So, I saw this really cute movie called "Ira and Abby" at the LA Film Festival last weekend. It's by the same writer of "Kissing Jessica Stein" (which I loved too). It was a good film. Funny and cute. It examines the institution of marriage within the Generation X realm. Poses questions like What is marriage? Why do people get married and divorced? I liked it. It was a little slow starting, but once it picked up, it was a lot of fun. Tomorrow night I'm seeing "Monster House" at the Ford Ampitheatre, which is outdoors. It should be fun and if not, no worries as we're bringing wine and snacks and I can just get a nice buzz.

That's it for now. Happy 4th of July!

I still hate people

It's true. I just don't like a lot of people. It's not that I think I'm better than them...okay, well maybe I do. Just some people are so tiresome. Do I really have to spend my time humouring them? Eh, I just don't like it. Grr likes to cry incessantly sometimes, but since I'm not too sure what she's saying, I have to think it's much better than when some people talk incessantly. Not that I don't talk a lot or say stupid things, cuz I know I do. But I'd like to think I have some kind of internal censor before I say most things, so that I don't sound as stupid as many, many (oh, too many to count) people I come across on a daily basis.

Yes, I'm bitter. Am I too young to be so bitter? Maybe. Been this way for a long time already. Lost faith in too many losers, err I mean, people. Maybe I put too much faith in people before, causing me to really despair when they messed it up. I don't know. All I know is that I'd love to have faith in them now, but can't. I'm an optimistic pessimist or is it a pessimistic optimist. Whichever, I subscribe to it.

Okay, and on that note and the fact that I really messed up my ankle 5 weeks ago from slipping while doing spinning hook kicks that I even have to go to a physical therapist, I suppose I should start typing about what I'm supposed to: Books!

I didn't get more than about 30 pages back into Crime & Punishment (which was an amazing 30 pages again, mind you) before I was given a book entitled "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. This is what I started, while relaxing in a remote part of Tahoe in a cabin near a beautiful lake. It was awesome. Oh yeah, the book... This book tells about the historical, first, World's Fair in Chicago, 1893 and a serial killer, who used the fair to his advantage to lure people (mainly women) to their deaths. It was a pretty good book. Very intriguing. Lots of history about Chicago, architecture, phrases that arose then that we still use today, snack foods that started then that we still eat and consume, and many, many more interesting facts. The biggest problem I had with the book was that sometimes you could tell the author was super interested in the architecture and landscaping as he'd go on for pages & pages and so much in depth of all of it. For me, it got a bit tedious at times. I wanted to know more about the killer and what he was up to and instead I was reading about what kind and how many flowers were to be planted in front of such-and-such building. But, all in all, I did think it was a pretty good book. I learned a lot. Just no pop quizzes please.

Just started, "Everyone Worth Knowing" by Lauren Weisberger today. She wrote "The Devil Wears Prada" (yes, the movie comes out soon, which upsets me only because I should've written that story and should be the one being paid lots of money for the rights of it to be made into a movie - just jealous). So I'm thinking this one should be good too, as I really enjoyed that one.

A Short Entry

I finished "The Kiss" a memoir by Kathryn Harrison last night. It was a pretty disturbing story.. Well-written, but disturbing subject matter. Not sure what's going to be my next read. I was told that someone has a book in mind for me. For now, I'm going to reread Crime & Punishment. I usually say it's my favorite book, but haven't read it in about 6 years. I figure it's time for a brush-up. There are so many books I haven't read and want to, that's why I've been putting off rereading anything.

Life's been pretty stressful lately. And I think it's more that I'm so frustrated that I can't walk and go to my martial arts class that everything else is getting me more stressed than normal. The weirdest news is that my brother, who's in the Navy, called me from Dubai yesterday. I looked at a map to see exactly where it is. I knew it was off of the Persian Gulf, but that's about it. I remember that Garfield used to always try to ship Nermal to Abu Dhabi, which I found out isn't too far from Dubai. I guess the strangest part of all this is that I haven't spoken to my brother in well over 3 years. We've emailed once or twice a few weeks ago, but that's the extent of contact for us. We'll see if I'm ready for getting back in touch with him. I'm not so sure.

Work is calling...

I want to walk normally again!!!

Damn ankle. At least I'm not on crutches anymore, but am still limping and it is still pretty sore. Plus the swelling is still there. Fun, fun. I'm a gimp.

So, I finished that Anne Rice book about Jesus as a 7 year old boy. It was a great story. I really enjoyed it. Rice definitely researched so much into the time surrounding when Jesus grew up. The historical aspects are amazing. I learned a few things and even googled a few topics that I was intrigued by. I think it's always pretty cool when I learn a few things from a book and enjoy reading it. Very interesting to think about Jesus as a boy. Do you think he knew what was happening and that he would become the start of many religions and wars? That in years to come, people would fight and say it was in his name? Or maybe he didn't even exist and his story is a plethora of many at that time? I don't know. But, I do know that how Anne Rice depicted Jesus as a 7-year old was absolutely amazing.

Now, I'm reading "The Kiss" a memoir by Kathryn Harrison. A friend of mine let me borrow it. Sounds a bit depressing, but I think I'm ready for that. Also seems like a very fast read, so I'll need to line something else up soon. Hmmm, maybe I should go on the library website to find something. Good idea!

Ooh, found a good website for music. You can type in a bunch of artists you like and it will play them, plus others that it thinks you may enjoy. It's really neat. www.pandora.com If you like music and can stream it (like I can at work), check it out.

Over and out...

Go Fly a Kite

I finished Kite Runner over the weekend and started, "Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice. No, I'm not converting or anything. A friend lent it to me, and since he's already read 2 books I've recommended to him, I figured it was worth a shot. And, truthfully, it's really good so far. I'm only about 80 pages into it now, but am enjoying it. It's about Jesus at age 7. Pretty cool.

About Kite Runner. Well, I can't really convey how much I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was an amazing read. It had everything: excitement, adventure, love, friendship, war, betrayal...etc. I did get choked up a bunch of times. I really don't know what else to say about it, except it is a fantastic book and I think would be great for just about everyone.

So, I sprained my ankle pretty badly at my Martial Arts class last Thursday night. I'm still on crutches and I just want to get back to walking. Spinning hook kicks. That's what I was doing, when I slipped and fell on my ankle. At least it's not broken. It's been pretty painful and learning how to do a bunch of things on one foot has been very interesting. I somehow even managed to do a little vacuuming last night. The swelling is finally going down and my ankle is lots of shades of purple, blue and green. When I went to urgent care on Friday, I was waiting in the exam room for awhile, so I was reading Kite Runner. The funny thing is that I was tearing up from the book, when the doctor walked in and she thought I was in pain. I had to tell her (as embarrassing as it was) that my ankle wasn't making me cry, it was the book.

My goal is to be able to walk again by about Friday. Wish me luck!

Trackstar

That's the band that wrote that song that I quoted from some blogs ago. I listened to the mix that the song is on when I went on my mini roadtrip. I drove to San Francisco then to Carson City, NV then back to SF then back to LA. I took a week and stayed in each place for a few days before driving again. I put over 1,300 miles on my car and it handled it all beautifully. Yesterday I got my car washed, because it still had the bug massacre and I knew I wouldn't be able to wash it well enough. So, the thick dust film on the windows is now gone and so are the bug guts. It looks pretty. The most spectacular thing about my trip (aside from seeing all my friends and my Dad, of course) was driving through the Sierra Nevadas. I knew I was going to drive through them, but it was totally different when I actually was driving. It was gorgeous! Just an amazing sight. I'm going to drop off my film today (yup, no digital for me!) and see what kind of pictures I got. I hope they came out okay, as I'm out of practice with my '69 canon, so we shall see...

A.H.W.O.S.G (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) was a great novel. I really enjoyed it. It was really sad and uplifting all at once. I loved the humor and sarcasm too. I'm going to see if I can get another book by him. I think he has a few out. Dave Eggers is the author and he is a good writer. There were many things in this novel that I could relate to and many things that I'm glad I couldn't. It is very heartfelt and you can tell that Eggers really put his all into it. It felt almost like reading a very personal letter, at times. Very voyeuristic. But I really enjoyed his plight and him being able to share his story and inner thoughts (even if some things are fictionalized or over-dramatized).

So, now I'm reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is a wonderful, wonderful story. I have been on the verge of tears and probably even cried a few times already. I think I should be done with it fairly soon and then I'm going to read this Anne Rice novel about Christ. Sounds interesting. It's been recommended to me, so I figure I should finally pick it up. I didn't start it earlier because I didn't want to take it with me on my trip, for one I didn't want to get looks from strangers when I stopped in for a bite to eat and read on my driving breaks and the real reason is I didn't want to have my StepMom or Dad make any comments or think that it meant that now I want to convert or something. Although, I have to admit that I had a really great time with my Dad and Stepmom. I should've stayed with them another day or so. Oh well, just means I'll have to go visit again. It really was a nice vacation. Just wish I could've seen a few more friends in SF. I missed Jorge, just knowing he's gone was kinda hard once I was there. And I kinda wish the friend I stayed with could've actually made some time to hang out with me more instead of running off to her boyfriend's all the time. Oh well. All in all, I really did have a great time though. Learned some more about myself and others. I guess that was the point.

Memoirs of a Girl with a Cat and cat fur

Maybe I should write a memoir. Or not. Anyways, last week was a rough week. Had a couple of deaths to contend with. One was very shocking. A friend that I'm going to miss dearly. And the other was a bit more expected and actually a sort of blessing. I'll miss them both a lot.

I could wax on about that for a bit, but I suppose rather than focusing on the morbid (of which I did a lot of last week) I shall focus on the latest book I just finished. I finished The Kitchen God's Wife on Saturday. It was a great book. Amy Tan is really a wonderful author. I love how she's able to switch between the mother's point of view to the daughter's so easily. It's really fluid. It was a great story about mother and daughter keeping secrets from one another because they thought it was best if the other didn't know. As soon as all the secrets are revealed, they become much closer than they ever were. The daughter finally understands why her mother is and has been the way that she will always be. Makes me wonder a little more about my parents and how they grew up, my Mom especially. She's told me little things here and there, but I don't think she likes talking about it too much. And I know her life growing up in India must have been so very different than my life growing up here.

I was starting to read, "Honey Don't" by Tim Sandlin, but was having trouble getting into it, so my friend gave me "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers to read instead. This one is supposed to be a little bit humorous, which I think I need right now.

"It's raining and I've grown to hate this town"

or something like that. I can't remember the exact quote. It's from a song that someone put on a mix tape for me back in college. Archers of Loaf maybe. No, that's not the band. I'll have to dig up the tape to find out, I can't remember. Anyways. I finished The Ring on Saturday. It's a good book, a little creepy. Not as terrifying as I thought it was going to be. A good read, for sure. I enjoyed it. I decided I didn't really want to read Cold Mountain or The English Patient just yet and went to the library to find a new book. Of course, I didn't have my booklist on me and I could only remember a few authors off the top of my head. I couldn't find anything and came across "The Kitchen God's Wife" by Amy Tan. I remember reading a bit of her in high school and liking it, so I picked this one up. Well, that and I was sick of looking around for a book in the library. I kept thinking "Just pick one, there are so many books here and there's got to be a few you'd like, just grab one!". But, I couldn't just grab one. I looked at a few covers, but nothing jumped out at me. Anyways, I started this one and am enjoying it. I'm going to have to print out another copy of my booklist and find one to put on hold at my library, when I'm about halway through this one. I've got about another week or so to decide what book or books should be next. I think I'll request 2, so that I have a back-up.

I suppose I should type a little about The Ring. Well, let's see. I like the idea a lot. Getting even with society and unleashing a sort of virus that you can infect people with. Intriguing idea, especially since it's not really a sickness. And there is an out, but you have to infect someone else to get your out. Or you can live life to the fullest for the week you have and die a terrifying death. I liked all the red herrings. Since I'd already seen the Japanese movie, I kinda knew what was going to happen, but the book was a bit different so things weren't exactly the same. I guess that's why it wasn't as scary for me. Although, there were a few things that were definitely Not in the movie. Lots of twists.

So far, I'm enjoying The Kitchen God's Wife. It's coming together as a nice story set in the Bay Area, which I really like. All the street names are nice and familiar to me! :)

Well, work is calling to me...

The Joys of Reading

Well, last night a friend came over and gave me more books as a belated birthday present. So, I actually own my own copy of "Kafka on the Shore". Yay! And she's read it too, so I finally got to discuss that book with someone. We actually came up with a lot of theories and conclusions of what we think happened. So, that was really cool. Made me realize why it's my favorite Murakami book. Just so much involved without being too convoluded. And you get to come up with your own theories of what you think may have been going on. It helps that I've read all the rest of his books too, because I really kept going back to "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World". There seem to be a few common elements with the two. I like that.

Anyways, I was having a really hard time getting into "Cold Mountain", so I've decided to read the other book I received last night...drum role please..."Ring". It's that thriller/horror story. This is the book that the Japanese and American movies, "The Ring" is based on. So, I'm trying to prepare myself to be scared and jumpy!

It's going to be creepy. More to come.

It's All Politics

I finished "When We Were Orphans" yesterday. Last night I started "Cold Mountain", one of my birthday presents. Yes, I am a nerd, I like books. One of the best birthday presents was books and I also got a giftcard to Borders. Both are good presents for me!

So, onto "When We Were Orphans". It was a good story. Very well written. A bit of a detective story. It's also a very political story of Shanghai and the settlement that Englad set up there. Lots of corrupt people and how corruption just tends to expand and expand. Somehow this family was brought into the corruption and because of a few careless words and whatnot, this boy lost his parents. You find out in the end what happened to them, but it takes this guy years to figure it out and the twist is really great. He's also trying to get to the bottom of everything while in the middle of the war between China and Japan that also takes place in Shanghai around the settlement where he grew up. I liked the naivete of this guy and his dealings with the corrupt and the hierarchy of English society. Even when he thinks he has a grip of the happenings surrounding him, you can tell that he's living in the past too much. So much so, that he misses a lot of the important details happening around him during the present. Most of it is told from his point of view many years later, so he can see all his mistakes and how he really had no grasp of what was going on when he was going through it all. Very interesting. From what I've learned, perspective is everything. A few weeks, months, years later we see things we would never have even dreamed of. Best to learn from all this and try to take it with you, not to dwell on what you could've or should've done. Most of the time we are faced with similar situations throughout life. I guess the best thing is to try and do things differently, so that the same results are not always achieved.

Well, that's all I got for now. I hope "Cold Mountain" is good.

Satan's Little Helper

I finished The Devil Wears Prada last night. It was a great book. Really good read. As I suspected, a lot of it hit really close to home for me. I'm not going to give away the ending at all, but I'll say that I was really pleased. The funny thing is I realized as I was reading it, that most people reading are going to see it as purely fiction and think that there is no way that anyone would ever treat their assistant in that manner. Although, I know first-hand that this is not the case. There were a few instances in the book that I actually thought that her experience was better than mine. And a few times that I actually felt lucky. I don't know it's really a toss-up. I was more lucky in the respect that my co-worker, who helped train me and was with me day-to-day was very nice, understanding and even sympathized with me. She even commented on how nobody had ever addressed my boss like I did, when I got really frustrated with him. I had only a few outbursts and were probably at times that didn't even really call for it. But, truthfully the times that he was really, really awful to me, I was so dumbfounded that he even treated me that way, it took awhile to even process that anyone would treat me that way.

There are a few stories I like to tell of that time, because it really shows how much of a bastard he is. One of the toppers of the list is the time that my nice co-worker was out for the day. So, they even hired a temp for the day to help me out with the phones and filing (I would never have been able to do it all on my own). Well, in the morning ( I was always the first one there), once the temp got in, I started showing him how to use the phones. My boss came in and was in a bad mood and wanted me in his office immediately, even though I wasn't even done putting together his call-sheet or showing the temp really anything. I tried to warn him that me going in there, meant that his phone would be unattended for the time I wasn't at my desk, but he really paid me no attention. I went into his office and he started rattling off more people to add to his phone list and other things he wanted to me to take care of before lunch. I frantically was writing it all down on my notepad and since he had stopped talking, I thought he was done with me. So, I got up to run out and set to my tasks, answer his phones that were ringing frantically, and somehow show the temp how everything worked. As I jumped up, he started screaming at me (yes, his office doors were open & yes, the temp got to hear all of this over the incessant ringing of his phones) that he wasn't done yet and I wasn't allowed to leave his office until he excused me and told me he was done. Then (now here's the clencher) he actually yelled at me, "Who pays your bills?!?" This is where I became dumbfounded. Whose boss yells that at them?? I mean, really. I didn't say anything, so he kept saying it, until I said, "Um, you, I guess." Anyways, after a full lecture of how he pays me and I need to listen better and pay attention and wait for him to dismiss me, I finally got to leave his office.

That poor temp though. The look on his face was a mixture of sympathy, disgust and utter fear. Not sure how I was able to compose myself after that. It was on a Friday and the more I thought about it over the weekend, the more I really, really wanted to bring in my credit card statements, student loan and everything else I needed to pay off, on Monday. I would've marched into my boss' office and said, "Since you pay my bills, you might as well pay them all in full" and then set them all on his desk. I never did that, but it would've been nice.

Anyways, that's my story for the day. I've now started to read, When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro. I'll let you know how it is.

Here I am

It's been a few weeks, thought I'd update on the last 2 books I read. I finished Kafka on the Shore which was just a wonderful book and then to round off my Murakami reading I just finished South of the Border, West of the Sun yesterday. The only Murakami book left to me is a non-fiction book and unless I'm really, really interested in the subject matter I probably won't be reading it anytime soon. That's it, he's just going to have to write some more books and get them translated into English faster!

Kafka on the Shore was one of my favorites. Wow. I really couldn't put the book down and finished it within a week of getting it. The story was wonderful. South of the Border, West of the Sun was interesting too, but I really do think that Kafka on the Shore has moved up on my list as one of the greats.

Now, I'm reading The Devil Wears Prada. I had a job about a year ago for only 4 months, but it seemed like much longer and I swear I worked for Satan himself. I was telling that to someone and the stories that go along why I think my boss really was Satan and she recommended this book to me. So far, the only boss I can really think of that I've despised. I've had horrible jobs before, but this one topped it all. I worked 10-12 hour days (no overtime pay) and got yelled at about 95% of the time. It's the only job where I've actually spit in my boss's coffee (hey, don't judge, you would've too!).

My birthday is this weekend. Not sure how I feel about that. Older, I suppose. Fun. But the festivities will be next weekend as I've decided to take a 29 hour excursion to San Francisco for the weekend.

Want some Grr fur? I've got tons to share!

Knowing the truth can be Hurtful

I don't really like to go into personal matters, as I wanted this blog to be about the books I'm reading and maybe music and such; however there is something of my personal life that I want to allude to. I just got confirmation on something I suspected for the past few years, last night. The funny thing is that even though I had suspected it and was almost sure of it, the fact that I never had confirmation on it, was kinda a good thing. Even after a few years, I still wasn't prepared for the truth of it all. Really makes me wonder whom I can really trust. I know, I'll never know the full truth of it all and I don't think I want to. Now I'm faced with if I should confront the people or if I should just let it go. I'm feeling I should just let it go. It was a few years ago and a lot has happened since that time. But, of course, this is easier said than done. I just hope that I can truly let it go in my mind.

On to the happier things: Books!! So, I'm already about halfway through "Kafka on the Shore". It's a great read. Same Murakami, very strange story with really weird, but very intriguing things happening. I can't wait to read more and find out where this is all going.

And in my Martial Arts class, two more girls joined. So, I'm happy that there are girls now. It's really made it a lot more fun.

Until next time!

Reading in Coffeehouses

So, last week, I still had about half of "Every Secret Thing". I tried to renew it, but I couldn't. I guess someone else put it on hold. So, I put "Kafka on the Shore" (Murakami's latest book) on hold. Got an email on Friday that "Kafka on the Shore" was in. So, I buckled down and went to my favorite coffeehouse in the Valley and spent about 2 hours reading. I finished "Every Secret Thing" and was able to return it on the due date. It was a good story. It does seem really messed up how much Patty Hearst was put through. She was kidnapped and spent a couple of years with her kidnappers and did all these things just to survive. So, finally when she gets back to her old life, you'd think that her main ordeal would be over. Unfortunately, it seems like it just began. Of course, about 85% of the book is about her time with the SLA and doesn't focus too much on her being in prison and such afterwards. She does tell about all that stuff. But what I find amazing is that 2 of the people from the SLA are also captured at the same time as her, and it seems that they get more leniency than her. And she was the one kidnapped! Public opinion really seemed to sway this case more than anything. People were so outraged and were so stuck on the fact that because it was Patty Hearst that she'd get special attention from the government and prisons and such, that it went the exact opposite way. So after her huge ordeal, they treated her like she murdered someone and she was only on trial for the Hibernia Bank Robbery.

Well, I guess all the events surrounding the time of the SLA and Patty Hearst really marked a point in history. I think it was the first time that the Stockholm syndrome was used for a kidnappee in the US. I think it proved a lot of things in the psychological sense and how she went through what she did. It's a pretty unbelieveable story. I don't know what I would've done under those circumstances, but it is fairly miraculous that she survived. Sounds like she was damaged mentally and physically, but somehow was able to move past it all.

Well, I'm back into fiction. So far, the 30 pages of "Kafka on the Shore" are good. I'll keep you updated...

Spoken Like a Champion

So, I finished Icy Sparks last week. It was good. I didn't enjoy it as much as some other books I've read, like "Secret Life of Bees", but thought it was a pretty good read. I'm now really into the book I'm reading. Patty Hearst's autobiography of her kidnapping in the SLA. It's called, "Every Secret Thing". I know that I'll never know what actually happened, but it's super interesting to read her account of everything. I'm enjoying it immensely.

Work has been really crazy, so it's been difficult to find time to read lately, but I'm still reading a few pages a day at least. I also passed my belt test and am now an orange belt in my martial arts class. It's been going well, aside from a lot of people there thinking I'm 14 and 16 years of age. I guess it's nice to look young, just never thought I looked that young.

Well, work is still kicking my ass, so I'd better get through it. I have tomorrow to look forward to. I'm going to a work event in San Diego. Sucks that I have to get up super early to be down there, but I figure for a day on a boat with food and alcohol and not having to be at work, but being paid for it just the same, is actually a good thing.

Whistle While You Read

I finished the short stories by Murakami. And, actually, the last one entitled, "Honey Pie" was my favorite. I can't really explain why, it was just a good story. Although, the Super Frog saving Tokyo was a good one too!

My books that I put on hold at the library are still not in. I have no idea what is happening with that. So, in the meantime, I lucked out and found a book that is on my booklist at the library. I'm about 1/4th of the way through it. Just started it over the weekend. It's called "Icy Sparks" by Gwyn Hyman Rubio. It's a sort-of girlie book about this girl growing up in Kentucky. So far, it's okay. It's a sweet story. I'm interested to find out where it goes. I'm just hoping that by the time I'm almost done with it, that one of the books I put on hold will be in. I'm thinking of putting the last fiction book of Murakami's that I haven't read yet on hold too. Out of 3, one should come through soon, right?

So, it is the start of another year. 2006. Grr and I are ready. We're armed with fur! I gues this means I'm going to be 27 soon. Strange, I don't feel like I'm getting that close to age 30. But, I suppose that's how it goes. Weeeeeeeee...

Back to whistling and working.