I’m currently sitting in my English class, waiting for my FINAL CLASS to start.

Part of it is exhilirating, the other part a little… i dont know.  What does “one down, a million to go ” feel like?

I spent about 13 hours on Monday finishing it up.  I’m so tired, and the tankard of coffee I drank is giving me major heartburn.  It’s a small victory (one class, woo.), but I’m still proud of myself.  Me 2 year ago would not have, could not have accomplished this.

And now I have 13 days to just RELLAAAXX.  No more watching TV without feeling guilty about not doing school work.  Hell, I can read for fun again!  I can knit.  i can maybe go to the gym?? (note the tentative tone.)

I’m a bit sad that I can’t share this excitement with some.  At least not right now.

than sitting in a coffee shop, listening to tv producers shop talk.

The weird smelly homeless lady who keeps stroking a remote and pouring water in her hair doesn’t help.

However, all $600 bucks of it are earmarked to paying my parents back.  200 to my dad, 400 to my mom.  Zero for Allison. 

However, it was nice to dream about what I COULD have spent it on:

* Some free weights.  A set of 2 1/2 lbs, 5 lbs, and 10 lbs.

* A GPS.  I would love to be able to explore this city more without being worried about getting lost.  or having to print out directions.

* A BioTrainer. You hook it to your waist and throughout the day, it counts how many calories you burn in your daily activities.  Since weight loss is essentially calories eaten vs. calories burned, I think this would be extremely helpful.

* contacts.  I like the glasses, I think they are a pretty good look for me and my personality, but after 2 years of having them, I’m getting a little frustrated of having to wear them ALL THE TIME.  It’s like wearing the same accessory every day.  I’m done.  And I swear to god, I had a friend tell me the other day after looking at my birthday pictures, “You know, you are REALLY photogenic.  Or maybe it’s just because you aren’t wearing your glasses”.

*clothes.  I mean, c’mon.

For those of you who are living under a rock today… the California Supreme Court lifted the ban on gay marriage, stating that banning it violates the constitution.

This is so wonderful, and really sets a wonderful example for the rest of the nation.  California is the 2nd biggest state in the union (if this is incorrect, let me know.), and by allowing same sex couples to marry in this state… it’s just so so wonderful.  I couldnt be happier.

It is interesting as to when this happened because, as some of you may know, I am currently writing a massive research paper for school on Legalizing Gay Marriage in the State of California.  About 30 minutes after the Supreme Court’s decision went public, I got an email from my professor:

be glad we’ve talked and that I know you are thinking about the issue and researching it……you can still do the paper on gay marriage

Susan

So I wrote back and asked her if I should tweak my paper at all now, and what would be deemed acceptable, since I already turned in my thesis and topic sentence.  Well, she is awesome.  Couldnt have asked for a better first teacher as an introduction back into school:

your position could be that the nation should follow California’s lead and use the same arguments as to why

you could continue w/CA  and play like it never happened [who knew???] and write your paper w/my blessings.

you could “keep talking about California, as even though they lifted the ban, major conservative groups are trying to get enough signatures in order to add the ban to the constitution?”

let me know what you decide
Susan

I’m still not entirely sure what I am going to do… but I’m gonna have to make a decision quickly, as my paper is due in a week and a half.

You know, it’s interesting… while I was definitely a more outspoken person when I was younger, I find that I am becoming more passionate about important issues the older I get.  I am also getting more liberal.  While I was raised with very liberal ideals (I come from a long line of Democrats.), it has only been in the last couple years that I have become a fighter.  Legalizing gay marriage and protecting women’s right to choose have become things that really stir up a fire in my heart.  And 10 years ago, I would have thought same sex couples being allowed to marry would have been “cool”, today I am thrilled to the point of almost tears.

At the beginning of 2007, my new years resolution was to keep a list of all the books that I read. My goal was 100 (and looking back on it, I don’t know how doable it EVER was. There are 52 weeks in a year, so to read 100 books would require you to read, MINIMUM, 2 books almost every week. That’s a heavy task for someone who works full time AND now doesnt have time to read on the bus.)

Anyways, I read 49. Nothing to sneeze at, I guess. But if it were up to me, I would read more than I did anything else. Ah,, dreams…

But I digress. I decided to keep doing this for 2008. And this year’s book list makes me sad:

Books Read in 2008
1. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
2. “Dolores Claiborne” by Stephen King
3. “Woman” by Richard Matheson
4. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” written by Himself
5. “Amusing Ourselves to Death; Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Alexander Postman
6. “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson
7. “Unaccustomed Earth” by Jhumpa Lahiri
8. “Gay Marriage: Why It’s Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America” by Jonathan Rauch

The year is almost half over! And yes, I knew that when I started school, I would have less time for recreational reading… but almost half of these were books I HAD to read for school.

Summer session is coming, and since it’s so condensed, I decided to take a bullshit whatever class online. The alternative option was going to class 5 nights a week. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workload. So I’m gonna give this a shot.

Question: have any of you taken an online course? And if so, what was the outcome?

Currently Reading: “Gay Marriage: Why It’s Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America” by Jonathan Rauch

Currently Listening To: Katy Perry

I live in Van Nuys.  In addition to severe overcrowding, we also have the immense honor of rivaling New York City in one other area: roaches.

Before I started driving, I used to have to walk half a mile to the bus stop every morning for work.  There was not a day that went by that I didn’t see at least 3 roaches.  Sometimes dead, sometimes alive.  Some big, some small.  All within inches of my open-toed shoes.

Once I saw one chilling out on my knitting needles at home, and about lost my shit.  Jordan found this all QUITE hilarious, and posted this comment on my Myspace the following day:

Since working at my current job, I have come in contact with many roaches.  The last couple of jobs I worked before this were several stories up, and also in Sherman Oaks, if that makes any difference.  However, my current job is still on the 2nd floor.  And since I’m the receptionist, I see everything and everyone that comes in the office.  You would think I would notice insects almost the length and width of my forefinger.

Earlier this week, there was a real head scratcher, as one ended up in the office dishwasher.  Right next to all the dishes that we eat off of on a daily basis, was this gigantic roach.  Just scurrying around in this white prison. Needless to say, we poisoned his creepy crawly ass, and ran the dishwasher twice.

The next day, there was one in the sink. I thought I drowned it… but those fuckers don’t die. I heard somewhere that they tested them with some sort of simulated nuclear blast, and them (along with twinkies) survived.

ick.

I wuv imeem.com

imeem is, in short, a site where you can listen (not download) pretty much any music for free. If someone has uploaded it, it’s there. Artists themselves sometimes have their own music there that you can listen to for free (Gavin Degraw’s new album was available for listening 2 weeks before it was actually released for sale. I was, sadly, a tad disappointed. But thats another blog for another day, me-thinks.)

Anyways, on Pamie.com, about 2 years ago, she posted an awesome “Women Who Rock” mixtape of sorts. I’ve had this list for a while. And while I had to make a few minor adjustments based on what was available to me on imeem, I think it’s pretty awesome. I would have imbed it, but wordpress seems to be the one site that doesnt accept it. Anyways, enjoy!:

http://www.imeem.com/people/wCW7LbA/playlist/BDuIAwKe/women_who_rock_music_playlist/

How to Be Smart

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Much of our media looks down on smart people. Sometimes it almost seems to be unpopular to be smart. Such an attitude will not fare you well in the real world. Cultivating your intelligence, not just faking it, is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your happiness in life.

Steps

1. Work on your vocabulary. Read good books, read and use a few definitions from the dictionary each day, or subscribe to a “word-of-the-day” service online. You can also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on increasing your working vocabulary.
2. Further your education. Get good grades if you’re in school, you don’t have to study all day long. Just make sure that you finish your home work. Believe it or not teachers will change your marks, depending on your behavior with them. If you’re not in school, consider going back. Study hard. Do your homework. Show that you’re willing to invest into your greatest capital– your mind.
3. Watch the news and talk about recent things that have happened around the world.
4. Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific studies and interesting inventions. Even educational television is a great way to learn about new things. People who have something to talk about other than their own internal problems and worries appear far smarter than most, and probably are.
5. Read good books. They will make you both appear and actually be smarter and reading really is fun. Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all genres including non-fiction. Make sure the books are interesting to you. As you read more you will soon learn that, just like movies, some books are better than others. Keep searching out the ones you think are good.
6. Be organized. Get a notebook or small digital planner to write down your homework assignments and write down the due dates. Get a weekly planner with your class schedule and plan your activities. Get a monthly calender to write down birthdays and big events. Write down what classes you have, when to do homework and what your homework is, dates, when you are hanging out with friends etc. in your planner.
7. Learn to listen carefully to others’ opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Keep an open mind.
8. Be nice to people. They may call you a nerd, a freak, a geek, or use a racial or homophobic slur, but in this case they really will only be jealous. Being nice to most people is also a sign of maturity and intelligence. Keep it up and people will notice, and so will you. Sometimes a good tactic is to go along with their mockery, and laugh at yourself. Stand up for people who are getting bullied, even if you might start getting bullied. Never insult anyone, gossip or hurt someone physically. Don’t make offensive jokes.
9. Be friends with smart people who do all of the above. It will boost your self-esteem and your confidence, make you less likely to be teased, prevent depression, help you study harder, make your life happier and otherwise enrich your life. You can also make studying fun with your friends.
10. Know how to solve the Rubik’s cube. It is easier than it appears if you learn tricks in visualizing the cube’s geometry.
11. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math. There are all sorts of tricks for doing complicated math in your head that will amaze others.

Tips

• Do not hesitate when someone asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer. Instead ask the person back.

Related wikiHows

• How to Exercise an Open Mind
• How to Be Organized
• How to Be a Nerd
• How to Improve Your Memory
• How to Become an Excellent Student

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Smart. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I had the best birthday weekend ever! Here’s my giant photo blog!

So, I woke up early on Saturday so I could be here for the delivery guys to deliver my new bed!! It’s so comfy and beautiful and BIG! Look at it!

It barely fits through my door.

(it’s just as comfortable as it looks)

Then, I drove out to Manhattan Beach to drop off the stuff at Chris’s house, and then we went out to Santa Ana since he was in a show that night. We hung out at this place called “The Gypsy’s Den”, which was pretty cool

I then went across the street and saw Chris in “strangers, babies”, which was really good. It got a great review in the LA Times, and the whole cast is very talented. I’m so fortunate that all of my actor friends are immensely talented.

We stayed up pretty late watching Top Chef with Chris’s parents (I love Chris’s parents. I have known them forever, and since I’m practically a sister to Chris, they have always been so good to me, especially letting me use their house for the party. they are truly wonderful people.)

Then the next day, the PARTY! And here are a ton of pictures from that:

(I think Chris might literally murder me for posting such an insane picture of him. Oh well, love you sweetie!)

Shawn, you are the prettiest princess in all the land.

I love my cousin (and i love this picture!)

I dont even care that I look like I weigh a thousand pounds in this picture, we’re freakin adorable.

We started talking about The Office and 30 Rock a lot during the party… so we decided to just watch a few episodes

(sidenote: I LOVE that my friends are nerdy enough to be totally jazzed about watching The Office during a beach party)

So many couples… where was MY boyfriend sitting?

Why next to my gay boyfriend, of course…

Then we decided to take a walk on the beach, since it was starting to cool down, and it was such a beautiful day (we really did get quite fortunate with the weather…)

Yay, look at all my friends!

Now wave to the camera!

(Kevin is such a rebel. Or he was just really in love with whatever was in that red solo cup.)

And we’re off! (Batman leads the way)


(This would be a really cute picture if Chris werent making one of his weird Chris faces…)

There we go!!!

And then Shannon took my camera hostage for her own selfish needs…
(even if this is a super cute picture.)

Tera-Bera!

And thats when Shannon became a Sea Monster. As she sometimes does.

Jordan: hey, should we disrupt Tera’s phone call?
Kevin: Sure, why not?

(This is the tail end picture of them clucking around Tera. As they do.)

Oh yeah, I’m dating Batman. No big deal.

Then, Jordan and I attempted to get a picture of us midair. It wasn’t easy…
Here is us winding up…

Jordan made it! Me not so much…

(And Shawn getting in the way.)

Here, I just tripped…

And finally… SUCCESS!

(I wish I had done a cooler pose.)

So we go back to the house for more 30 Rock and CAKE!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

So I decided to try my hand at an outside-myspace blog.  Yes, it’s still a blog, so credibility shouldn’t REALLY be a factor… but I prefer the term “web-journal”.  Also, sometimes I’m at work and I think of really great things to talk about, and I can’t access myspace here.  So… yeah.

Just trying it on for size… we shall see.