100th post! Woo! [Excitment fades back into anxiety.]
Things go from bad, to badder, to worse. Ready for a sob story? I can deliver them like no other.
As I sit in my apartment at 1:22am, anxiety ridden and clutching a hammer, I know that sleep will not come tonight. My shuttle for my new flight comes at 6:00am and I was hoping to catch a little sleep before then. I now believe that is impossible. But let me start from the beginning.
Saturday: Leaving Hopper at the vet was horribly sad and frustrating. On top of being overwhelmed with sadness of leaving her, the vet kept adding on a bunch of charges that made me lose a little bit of my mind. For the sake of my sanity, I won't rehash the details, but the jist is, I will never go back there, other than on Friday to retrieve my pup. Like Mario saving the Princess from the castle. My poor baby!
Not wanting to stay at my apartment by myself, and wanting to make it easier for my airport ride, I stayed at a friends house. I made the mistake of deciding to stay up all night. We watched movies and had a nice time. I was able to keep my mind from my sad little pup for a little while which was nice. I ended up deciding to take a power nap at 5:00, to wake up at 5;30. That all went well.
Sunday: We go to the airport and I'm surprised at how fast I get all checked in and everything. I go to my terminal, buy a bottle of water and a magazine, and put on my iPod. I hear some announcements and take off my headphones. Yes, you guessed it, my flight was delayed. 15 minutes, they said, so I put my headphones back on knowing I'd have plenty of time to make my connecting flight. Another announcement, I remove my headphones. And then they announce the worst thing ever. Flight cancelled. Not delayed. Not rerouted. Cancelled. The details get boring so I'll give you the rundown. I wait in line for close to 3 hours. It seems to be taking about 30 minutes per person. I'm in the back of the line, because they were doing it by connecting city. Since I had one of the longer layovers, Charlotte was close to last. By this point, I was exhausted. Throughout the crowd, there are various rumblings of there being no flights available until after Christmas. Mentally I prepare myself for a Christmas in LA.
Finally, finally, finally I get to the ticket counter at our terminal. The woman seems as exhausted as I, but is very nice. She finds a flight for me, for tomorrow. Ehhh. So off to home I go, still without sleep and ready to eat a house. They comp me a shuttle from the airport. The ride takes a while, but I talk to a nice guy from Switzerland who is travelling around the states for the first time. We talk about Switzerland and his impression of America so far. It was really cool to hear about his journey.
Anyway, I get home and order pizza and pass out on the couch. Completely exhausted, I sleep for four hours, waking up at 7 wide awake. I decide to continue my night on the couch, hoping to sleep more before my shuttle that is to arrive at 6. Well, the one night I'm at my apartment alone and without my dog, my doorbell rings at 12:30. Confused and a little scared, I quietly make my way to my door. I look in the peep hole and there's no one there. I get a little nervous, but keep looking. Then, after a solid minute, a man, possibly homeless, peeks his head into my view. He's looking into my peep hole, which as we all know is impossible, but it's still creepy. He then rings my bell again and disappears. I'm shaking at this point, completely freaking out. But it's silent, and I don't see him anymore. So I grab a hammer and my phone and root myself in front of the peep hole. Nothing. I hear a few sounds that could possibly be in my hall, but it's also kinda windy out so I can't be sure. I think back to other times in which I've called the police, and given their response times then, I thought I would just call the non-emergency number and ask for someone to come by. That way, at least I'd know someone was on their way. Still heard nothing, but let me tell you, sleep was the last thing on my mind at this point. Unfortunately. I keep a watch on the street and peep through the hole every now and then.
Finally, I see a police car drive up, shine its light on my building, but before I have time to be embarrassed, they pull off, obviously convinced everything was fine. That's the last I've heard of them. I heard my neighbor go outside, and went outside and talked to him. I told him what had happened, and he made me feel better, saying I'd be fine, and to just not answer my door. I told him that if he heard me hitting someone with a hammer, that it might be me attacking a homeless man and to call the police. Yeah, so anyway, at least they're home. Now it's 2:13 am and I'm still a little too scared to sleep. The one, ONE, night I'm without my dog, this happens.
Okay, tired. Might attempt to let one eye sleep. Life in the city is never boring, that's for sure.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Christmas Cheer
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Woo. Yeah, I'm not in the spirit yet. I remember when I was little, my brother, sister, and I would sit around the piano, (this isn't a lie, by the way), and come up with a concert for my parents. We'd include some dance moves and, if I'm not mistaken, props. Then we'd perform for our parents and try to pretend we didn't see my dad peering around us to watch the subtitles on Larry King. Our parents would go to bed and we'd sit up and watch a movie like Home Alone or the old Frosty cartoon movie. Then we'd dare each other to peek into the forbidden attic and sneak cookies or chips or something else unhealthy and that was supposed to be eaten in moderation. We'd try and try to go to sleep, but stay up late. And then our eyes would somehow pop open at five am, bright eyed and bushy tailed pulling our parents from their bed. They'd "snooze" us for a little while, but when we couldn't be hushed any longer, they'd take 30 minutes to wake up and get coffee, aka, set our presents out. Then we'd walk in with our hands covering our faces. Slowly letting the room be revealed, finger at a time.
Now THAT was Christmas. But now it's all different. Lucky if we're even all in the same room together, the only dance moves displayed are those of yours truly trying to get out anxious energy of being at home and feeling stuck. Especially now when going home means not having a car. (Perhaps my time in NY has trained me to think that car=freedom.) Now our parents drag us out of bed on Christmas morning wanting to "get it over with" so my mom can vacuum and we can eat. They feed us wine to keep us sedated and from fighting over the internet. Every year, they try the whole "let's sit as a family and just talk" thing. My dad still dodging for the muted television, while we all listen to my mom tell us all the new threats and all the people that are missing in the world.
It's not that we don't get along, it's that with my family, like most families, small doses are best. When my mom whines about me only staying for four days I'm like, "Really? Give me two days and you'll be sick of me, honest." Keeping five adults entertained under the same roof for a week is like mission impossible.
Christmas now is different. It's still nice. It is. Don't get me wrong. I do love my family. It's just hard. Taking all of us, used to our routines and certain lifestyles, and making us pretend we're all five again is taxing on everyone. I like going home, and perhaps wouldn't be quite as bitter about it if my dog could come with, (sadly, this year she's spending it with the vet). I leave on Sunday and do look forward to seeing the Christmas tree and my mom proud of all her decorations. I look forward to Christmas Eve where me and my brother still watch movies and stay up late, eating junk food. It's the post-Christmas stuff I dread. The first 48 hours is always great. After that, it's like, I want my bed, my house, and this year, my pup! The imfamous holidaze.
It's the weird years where we're no longer kids, and we don't have kids yet, that makes it awkward. We all want to keep up the spirit, but it's slightly dampened by the fact that we all know Santa doesn't exist and a little piece of magic is missing. This year in particular, I didn't get a tree and worked almost up to the day when my flight leaves. Maybe it's the fact it hasn't been too cold, seeing as this is my first Christmas in LA. I went to a few holiday parties, but take away the garland, and it's just another get together. I'm just not in the spirit yet. And I'm as perturbed as you by that fact. I haven't once popped in any Christmas cds, (but in fairness, my music lately has been dominated by the wonder that is Rilo Kiley's new album, "Under the Blacklight"). So maybe the feeling of giddiness will bubble in my chest when I land in my hometown.
Well the truth is, I miss the cheesy, happy Christmas feeling I used to get standing in my parents living room playing the piano and singing horrendously, laughing as my sister does the twist, or some other dance to make my mom laugh. I miss Santa! I miss all the holiday cheer! But as all things do, Christmas has evolved, and will continue to evolve as time passes.
Well Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy time with your friends and families! Here's to me getting in the spirit soon and bah humbug to being an adult! Believing in Santa was fun.
Now THAT was Christmas. But now it's all different. Lucky if we're even all in the same room together, the only dance moves displayed are those of yours truly trying to get out anxious energy of being at home and feeling stuck. Especially now when going home means not having a car. (Perhaps my time in NY has trained me to think that car=freedom.) Now our parents drag us out of bed on Christmas morning wanting to "get it over with" so my mom can vacuum and we can eat. They feed us wine to keep us sedated and from fighting over the internet. Every year, they try the whole "let's sit as a family and just talk" thing. My dad still dodging for the muted television, while we all listen to my mom tell us all the new threats and all the people that are missing in the world.
It's not that we don't get along, it's that with my family, like most families, small doses are best. When my mom whines about me only staying for four days I'm like, "Really? Give me two days and you'll be sick of me, honest." Keeping five adults entertained under the same roof for a week is like mission impossible.
Christmas now is different. It's still nice. It is. Don't get me wrong. I do love my family. It's just hard. Taking all of us, used to our routines and certain lifestyles, and making us pretend we're all five again is taxing on everyone. I like going home, and perhaps wouldn't be quite as bitter about it if my dog could come with, (sadly, this year she's spending it with the vet). I leave on Sunday and do look forward to seeing the Christmas tree and my mom proud of all her decorations. I look forward to Christmas Eve where me and my brother still watch movies and stay up late, eating junk food. It's the post-Christmas stuff I dread. The first 48 hours is always great. After that, it's like, I want my bed, my house, and this year, my pup! The imfamous holidaze.
It's the weird years where we're no longer kids, and we don't have kids yet, that makes it awkward. We all want to keep up the spirit, but it's slightly dampened by the fact that we all know Santa doesn't exist and a little piece of magic is missing. This year in particular, I didn't get a tree and worked almost up to the day when my flight leaves. Maybe it's the fact it hasn't been too cold, seeing as this is my first Christmas in LA. I went to a few holiday parties, but take away the garland, and it's just another get together. I'm just not in the spirit yet. And I'm as perturbed as you by that fact. I haven't once popped in any Christmas cds, (but in fairness, my music lately has been dominated by the wonder that is Rilo Kiley's new album, "Under the Blacklight"). So maybe the feeling of giddiness will bubble in my chest when I land in my hometown.
Well the truth is, I miss the cheesy, happy Christmas feeling I used to get standing in my parents living room playing the piano and singing horrendously, laughing as my sister does the twist, or some other dance to make my mom laugh. I miss Santa! I miss all the holiday cheer! But as all things do, Christmas has evolved, and will continue to evolve as time passes.
Well Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy time with your friends and families! Here's to me getting in the spirit soon and bah humbug to being an adult! Believing in Santa was fun.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Work Sucks (Which Means My Social Life Will Be Heating Up Soon)
For as long as I remember, I've had this odd balance---
I'm stopping midsentence to say that due to overdosing on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air", I've started branching out on my late night television to discover that VH1 actually plays videos late at night. And Pink is on right now with her "Dear Mr President" song. And wow, I love it. I really like Pink. I have some questionable music tastes but I defend this one. Her voice is amazing. She stands for something and doesn't care what people think. She's kinda badass and I love her. I love this song and the video is so touching. Funniest line: "You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine." Damn girl. You tell 'em.
Man, this song is really making me speechless.
Okay anyway, back to odd balance. Either work or social life is always booming. It seems when work is sucking the most, I'm enjoying some social fun times. When I'm getting promoted or something good is happening at work, I'm being stood up or a friend gets mad at me or something that puts me in the dumps. I've had a lot of work success in the past few months, but now, all of the sudden, work is totally going foul. Possibly I have spring fever now that I've gotten a promotion that doesn't quite kick in yet, but last week and present one I've managed to mess up quite a few things, or have quite a few things mess up on me.
Example? An output that used to take 2 hours, now is taking an average of 5 because of some odd graphics issue I'm having on one of the episodes. A reoccuring one that I can't figure out. I have to use a 3 hour work around. Another example? I got new footage in for the music video I was working on this fall, only for my computer to freak out, (bad hard drive maybe? this one is still a mystery), causing half of the footage to be lost. And I've made a few dumb mistakes, which has gotten my editor to be a little more short with me and not quite as warm as he once was. All these things could only mean one thing. Something fun is about to happen. Let's hope it's not got anything to do with the blind date I'm being forced onto while I'm home.
Funny story. My mom and her friend, who has a son that lives in NY, thought it would be a good idea to set us up on a blind date while we were home for the holidays. Get this: Mom wasn't even going to tell me about it. She was going to see what color shirt I was wearing and call his mom and tell her to tell him. Yeah, it was supposed to be a big secret. Luckily, my mom couldn't hold it in and told me. She's pretty serious about it, telling me that maybe if things work out I could move back to New York and get married. And hey, she adds, he makes enough money that you wouldn't have to work and could start popping out babies. She asked me, completely serious, why I was laughing.
Oh dear. My 25th birthday is looming and she is starting the fun pressure games already. Not to mention the completely inappropriate and awkward "date" she has arranged. I may ask him if he got the goats my father sent. I make a mean baked ziti so I think I'd be worth quite of few. Good news? As my friend and I were joking earlier in the evening, I could accidentally get pregnant and my mom would probably clap her hands and jump around screaming, "Finally!". Not that that is even close to being a possibility right now. But then again, work is sucking lately, so we'll just wait and see.
Full circle. I love it.
I'm stopping midsentence to say that due to overdosing on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air", I've started branching out on my late night television to discover that VH1 actually plays videos late at night. And Pink is on right now with her "Dear Mr President" song. And wow, I love it. I really like Pink. I have some questionable music tastes but I defend this one. Her voice is amazing. She stands for something and doesn't care what people think. She's kinda badass and I love her. I love this song and the video is so touching. Funniest line: "You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine." Damn girl. You tell 'em.
Man, this song is really making me speechless.
Okay anyway, back to odd balance. Either work or social life is always booming. It seems when work is sucking the most, I'm enjoying some social fun times. When I'm getting promoted or something good is happening at work, I'm being stood up or a friend gets mad at me or something that puts me in the dumps. I've had a lot of work success in the past few months, but now, all of the sudden, work is totally going foul. Possibly I have spring fever now that I've gotten a promotion that doesn't quite kick in yet, but last week and present one I've managed to mess up quite a few things, or have quite a few things mess up on me.
Example? An output that used to take 2 hours, now is taking an average of 5 because of some odd graphics issue I'm having on one of the episodes. A reoccuring one that I can't figure out. I have to use a 3 hour work around. Another example? I got new footage in for the music video I was working on this fall, only for my computer to freak out, (bad hard drive maybe? this one is still a mystery), causing half of the footage to be lost. And I've made a few dumb mistakes, which has gotten my editor to be a little more short with me and not quite as warm as he once was. All these things could only mean one thing. Something fun is about to happen. Let's hope it's not got anything to do with the blind date I'm being forced onto while I'm home.
Funny story. My mom and her friend, who has a son that lives in NY, thought it would be a good idea to set us up on a blind date while we were home for the holidays. Get this: Mom wasn't even going to tell me about it. She was going to see what color shirt I was wearing and call his mom and tell her to tell him. Yeah, it was supposed to be a big secret. Luckily, my mom couldn't hold it in and told me. She's pretty serious about it, telling me that maybe if things work out I could move back to New York and get married. And hey, she adds, he makes enough money that you wouldn't have to work and could start popping out babies. She asked me, completely serious, why I was laughing.
Oh dear. My 25th birthday is looming and she is starting the fun pressure games already. Not to mention the completely inappropriate and awkward "date" she has arranged. I may ask him if he got the goats my father sent. I make a mean baked ziti so I think I'd be worth quite of few. Good news? As my friend and I were joking earlier in the evening, I could accidentally get pregnant and my mom would probably clap her hands and jump around screaming, "Finally!". Not that that is even close to being a possibility right now. But then again, work is sucking lately, so we'll just wait and see.
Full circle. I love it.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Step Away From iTunes
So since I'm already on a night schedule, I decided to just go ahead and stay up until I have to take my brother to the airport at six am. I thought it would be fun to finally set up that iTunes account I've contemplated for a while now. And I can't stop buying songs! Embarrassingly enough, the song that made me breakdown and sign up was "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty, and you know what, I'm not embarrassed! Judge me if you must, but I like Matchbox Twenty, 20, or even, XX. They were my first concert that I chose to go to, (I got dragged to quite a few in my younger years - usually famed country music stars).
Anyway, the point is, I need to get away from iTunes. I keep thinking of songs I want, need, and have to have.
Instead of purchasing songs I've convinced myself I can't live without, I'll tell you how I got a cruel universe joke played on me tonight. I have days when I wake up and feel like I'm going to see a celebrity. Today was one of those days. When I have my day planned out, I just know that probability is higher in some places, and there's a certain ratio that can get my hopes up.
A friend and I went to a resturant in which last time I was there, we saw four celebrities, of various degrees of course. Favorite sighting of that day was Sean Gunn - yes my Gilmore heart always wins out. Anyway, today, nada.
We happened to go by some other places that I would consider high probability, and still nada.
Well, my brother came over tonight and we went to get some dinner in Los Feliz. Well, my little Gilmore-loving heart nearly exploded as a Lauren Graham wanna-be walked in the diner we settled on. Los Feliz and I have a history of these run-ins and this woman was seriously freakily similar to Lauren Graham. Freakily. This woman had a nose (job?) that, if I'm not mistaken, was a replica of LG's nose. Strange thing to notice, but it was that and the hair that had me really thinking it was her. It took me a few seconds of staring before I settled on "No way". What a tease though! That would have been seriously the most amazing thing ever. Worse case scenario, this woman was LG's stand-in or something. It was the strangest thing. I felt like someone was playing a joke on me. I wish I could have gotten a picture but on the slim to none chance it was actually LG, I'm sure flash bulbs make her cagey.
Anyway, the point is, I need to get away from iTunes. I keep thinking of songs I want, need, and have to have.
Instead of purchasing songs I've convinced myself I can't live without, I'll tell you how I got a cruel universe joke played on me tonight. I have days when I wake up and feel like I'm going to see a celebrity. Today was one of those days. When I have my day planned out, I just know that probability is higher in some places, and there's a certain ratio that can get my hopes up.
A friend and I went to a resturant in which last time I was there, we saw four celebrities, of various degrees of course. Favorite sighting of that day was Sean Gunn - yes my Gilmore heart always wins out. Anyway, today, nada.
We happened to go by some other places that I would consider high probability, and still nada.
Well, my brother came over tonight and we went to get some dinner in Los Feliz. Well, my little Gilmore-loving heart nearly exploded as a Lauren Graham wanna-be walked in the diner we settled on. Los Feliz and I have a history of these run-ins and this woman was seriously freakily similar to Lauren Graham. Freakily. This woman had a nose (job?) that, if I'm not mistaken, was a replica of LG's nose. Strange thing to notice, but it was that and the hair that had me really thinking it was her. It took me a few seconds of staring before I settled on "No way". What a tease though! That would have been seriously the most amazing thing ever. Worse case scenario, this woman was LG's stand-in or something. It was the strangest thing. I felt like someone was playing a joke on me. I wish I could have gotten a picture but on the slim to none chance it was actually LG, I'm sure flash bulbs make her cagey.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
An Epic Blog Entry
I've needed to update for a while.
Highlights?
*I moved to Hollywood.
That's right! Hollywood proper. I now have one of the easiest commutes ever!
*I've been working on a new show pilot as the associate editor. Sometimes acting as a second editor, sometimes as an assistant. That was terrifyingly hard at first-especially the second editor bit. It was one of those jobs where I was working ten hours and by the end of the day, I still felt like I had sooo much work to do. I constantly felt behind and like there just weren't enough hours in the day. Things have since calmed down and I'm happily working nights again.
*My family came for Thanksgiving. It was bizarre and wonderful. We ate at tons of great restaurants and did a bunch of touristy things. I finally went on one of the star homes tours and left the bus feeling dirtier than I ever recall feeling. It really made me feel sorry for celebrities. But then again, as my brother in law pointed out, it's the price of fame.
*I saw the Stars live again. And on the first lyric, tears came to my eyes. It was so moving and amazing. They are rooted deeply in my heart.
*The writer's strike. I've never been happier to work in reality. I'm totally with the writers on this one though. The internet is quickly replacing dvds and dare I say, changing the industry forever. Their pay deserves to evolve with the changing times. The sad part of all this is all the other people working in Hollywood that have no jobs, as by this point most productions have gone dark. In an industry where a lot of the crew is living paycheck to paycheck, this comes as a major blow. Especially so close to the holidays. Sad all around. Let's hope they reach a resolution soon.
*In my new apartment, I decided that I would install a new toilet paper holder with my new toolkit I got! Well I go to Target and find this cute ring one. I go through the process of installing it, and once it is on the wall, I go to put the toilet paper on. It is then that I discover that it does not open. Upon closer inspection of the packaging, I notice it says "Towel Ring", not "Toilet Paper Ring". Yeah. I know. I'm embarrassed about it. For some strange reason, installing this toilet paper ring thing was standing for my independence and ability to do things for myself. Oh, the irony.
*And now for the BIG one. I got a promotion. A big one. I'm going to be editing starting in January! I can not express my excitement about this with mere exclamation points. Anyway, I'll edit for a couple months, fill in as an assistant temporarily until this new show starts up in the summer, in which I'll be serving as an editor! Permanently! Like, for real editor. Okay, that's very huge for me. Seeing as my birthday in at the end of December, I'll be officially an editor starting in 2008, after my quarter-century birthday.
*Lastly, I am amazed by the Universe. First, I went to the planetarium, in which my mind was blown. Then, in a matter of a few days, I watched the History or Discovery show "The Universe". (Watch it!)
Here's a statistic to blow your mind. If only 1% of the suns in the universe have an earth-like planet revolving around them, then there are billions of other Earth's out there. Billions! 1%. We have found like 200 planets so far that revolve around alien suns. ("Alien" as in not ours.) None have the ability for life to grow because they are either too close to their sun or too far away. Even if only one of the billions of planets out there happens to fall in the able-to-sprout-life range, we are not alone. And that's one out of billions of possibilities. It all depends on where the planet forms and starts its rotation.
There could be "Earth"s that are still in the stage of development that would mirror what we call the "Prehistoric Era". Dinosaurs, people. Think of all the possibilities. There could be civilizations still using candlelight to draw their cave paintings. There could be civilations that have already met their Armageddon's, nothing but charred remains of structures that once held an abundance of life. There could be life decades further advanced than us.
Maybe there is no other human life at all. Perhaps something in our atmosphere is so rare that it only allowed us to evolve the way we did. But, for the first time in my life, I'm seriously doubting it. I think I believe in aliens.
Highlights?
*I moved to Hollywood.
That's right! Hollywood proper. I now have one of the easiest commutes ever!
*I've been working on a new show pilot as the associate editor. Sometimes acting as a second editor, sometimes as an assistant. That was terrifyingly hard at first-especially the second editor bit. It was one of those jobs where I was working ten hours and by the end of the day, I still felt like I had sooo much work to do. I constantly felt behind and like there just weren't enough hours in the day. Things have since calmed down and I'm happily working nights again.
*My family came for Thanksgiving. It was bizarre and wonderful. We ate at tons of great restaurants and did a bunch of touristy things. I finally went on one of the star homes tours and left the bus feeling dirtier than I ever recall feeling. It really made me feel sorry for celebrities. But then again, as my brother in law pointed out, it's the price of fame.
*I saw the Stars live again. And on the first lyric, tears came to my eyes. It was so moving and amazing. They are rooted deeply in my heart.
*The writer's strike. I've never been happier to work in reality. I'm totally with the writers on this one though. The internet is quickly replacing dvds and dare I say, changing the industry forever. Their pay deserves to evolve with the changing times. The sad part of all this is all the other people working in Hollywood that have no jobs, as by this point most productions have gone dark. In an industry where a lot of the crew is living paycheck to paycheck, this comes as a major blow. Especially so close to the holidays. Sad all around. Let's hope they reach a resolution soon.
*In my new apartment, I decided that I would install a new toilet paper holder with my new toolkit I got! Well I go to Target and find this cute ring one. I go through the process of installing it, and once it is on the wall, I go to put the toilet paper on. It is then that I discover that it does not open. Upon closer inspection of the packaging, I notice it says "Towel Ring", not "Toilet Paper Ring". Yeah. I know. I'm embarrassed about it. For some strange reason, installing this toilet paper ring thing was standing for my independence and ability to do things for myself. Oh, the irony.
*And now for the BIG one. I got a promotion. A big one. I'm going to be editing starting in January! I can not express my excitement about this with mere exclamation points. Anyway, I'll edit for a couple months, fill in as an assistant temporarily until this new show starts up in the summer, in which I'll be serving as an editor! Permanently! Like, for real editor. Okay, that's very huge for me. Seeing as my birthday in at the end of December, I'll be officially an editor starting in 2008, after my quarter-century birthday.
*Lastly, I am amazed by the Universe. First, I went to the planetarium, in which my mind was blown. Then, in a matter of a few days, I watched the History or Discovery show "The Universe". (Watch it!)
Here's a statistic to blow your mind. If only 1% of the suns in the universe have an earth-like planet revolving around them, then there are billions of other Earth's out there. Billions! 1%. We have found like 200 planets so far that revolve around alien suns. ("Alien" as in not ours.) None have the ability for life to grow because they are either too close to their sun or too far away. Even if only one of the billions of planets out there happens to fall in the able-to-sprout-life range, we are not alone. And that's one out of billions of possibilities. It all depends on where the planet forms and starts its rotation.
There could be "Earth"s that are still in the stage of development that would mirror what we call the "Prehistoric Era". Dinosaurs, people. Think of all the possibilities. There could be civilizations still using candlelight to draw their cave paintings. There could be civilations that have already met their Armageddon's, nothing but charred remains of structures that once held an abundance of life. There could be life decades further advanced than us.
Maybe there is no other human life at all. Perhaps something in our atmosphere is so rare that it only allowed us to evolve the way we did. But, for the first time in my life, I'm seriously doubting it. I think I believe in aliens.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Funny Fame (by association?)
Okay. So I have these friends who have sort of become a little famous lately for their sketch comedy. Pretty crazy actually. Their group is called POYKPAC and of course I'm going to pimp them. (Do people still "pimp" things?)
"POYKPAC"
So that there is their link to their super funny videos on YouTube. Based out of Williamsburg, they are starting to get recognized on the street and fan mail and the whole thing. Kinda crazy! (In fact, they might even get their own internet show!) One of their more recent videos has a couple shots of me in it. Look for a blonde in the front row, I enter with Maggie, and check out what we did for entertainment in college here:
Anyway, it's pretty cool to know people on the cusp of hitting it big. So you heard it here first! Poykpac is the next big thing! Tell your friends!
My life is kinda insane right now. I'm in the process of getting a new apartment, which I found one today that I love. Now if we can get our pesky landlord to release us from the lease. I'm thinking with the fire, it's a battle that can be won. I edited that music video, which I'll link here the second it's officially on YouTube, and got a small promotion at work, with possibility of a much, much bigger one soon.
I'm second editor on a new show for Discovery channel and that's going good I think. Well, it's going. I'm trying to knock their socks off so the big promotion can happen. Big promotion would mean me as an editor next season for the show I've been working on before this latest one, (starting in December). So that's HUGE. Huge I tell you. So lots of stuff going on.
Well check out POYKPAC and spam all your friends with links and I'll check back in soon!
"POYKPAC"
So that there is their link to their super funny videos on YouTube. Based out of Williamsburg, they are starting to get recognized on the street and fan mail and the whole thing. Kinda crazy! (In fact, they might even get their own internet show!) One of their more recent videos has a couple shots of me in it. Look for a blonde in the front row, I enter with Maggie, and check out what we did for entertainment in college here:
Anyway, it's pretty cool to know people on the cusp of hitting it big. So you heard it here first! Poykpac is the next big thing! Tell your friends!
My life is kinda insane right now. I'm in the process of getting a new apartment, which I found one today that I love. Now if we can get our pesky landlord to release us from the lease. I'm thinking with the fire, it's a battle that can be won. I edited that music video, which I'll link here the second it's officially on YouTube, and got a small promotion at work, with possibility of a much, much bigger one soon.
I'm second editor on a new show for Discovery channel and that's going good I think. Well, it's going. I'm trying to knock their socks off so the big promotion can happen. Big promotion would mean me as an editor next season for the show I've been working on before this latest one, (starting in December). So that's HUGE. Huge I tell you. So lots of stuff going on.
Well check out POYKPAC and spam all your friends with links and I'll check back in soon!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
No Words...
Where do I begin? Sheesh. What a few weeks this has been. No kidding. You ready for an epic tale? Sit back, grab a drink, and get to reading. I'll begin two weeks back.
An amazing thing happened. I got a temporary job that lasted exactly to the day of when my perm job was supposed to start back up. And I not only got the job, I nailed the interview. They showed me the stacks of resumes and did the whole bit of flattering me by saying they liked my resume the best and I was the first they called, etc etc. Then made a whole show of tossing the rest of them into the trash. Okay, so it was probably the best interview I've ever had. The show was something definitely cool and different. I heckled a bit a got a wee bit over my usual rate and everyone seemed nice and welcoming. So I was pretty excited.
The day I found out I got the job, I also found out that I got to edit a music video for an actual record label and an actual band and it could actually go on tv! (Maybe, possibly, maybe). Flying high here, right?
Okay, then things started going terribly wrong. I soon discovered that my once top-of-the-line editing system had plummeted so far below the line that it couldn't even handle aforementioned music video. Not only that, the new job was not quite as great as I had imagined. It was hard going back to working days when I had grown so accustomed to nights. Having people breathing down my neck and not being able to get online and waste time was definitely a downer.
So one problem at a time, I knew I wanted to do the music video. I had just wrapped up the short that I've worked on literally all summer and was excited to go to something different. The song is catchy and poppy and fun, with a hint of darkness, and altogether perfect for me. The director is someone I've wanted to work with for a while, and well, music videos have always had a special place in my heart.
At this point in my life, I was broke. Broke broke broke! I quickly learned that in order for me to update my system so that it could handle the project, I wouldn't even be able to update my exsiting software, (since it is an Academic version, [which at the time sounded like such a good deal]). I'd have to buy the super expensive bundle of applications I'd rarely use, one of which, enabled me to do the video.
Thirteen hundred dollars in debt later, I'm sitting at my computer, all excited and ready to install my new software when I discover that I need to update my OS X to even be able to INSTALL FCP 6. What?!? That would have been nice to know at the store where I had bought the software as they were closing and locking the doors behind me for the night.
I should have taken this as a sign that the universe did not want me to do this project. But I couldn't stop there. This was an unreturnable purchase and I was going to use it damnit.
The next morning I awoke nice and early and was at the store as they opened the doors. I went in, bought my OS X gazillion, (after the fated conversation with the nice salesman, "Do you really need it now?" "Yes. Why?" "The new version is coming out next week. You should wait until then." Of course. "I can't!"), and left the store feeling even smaller than I felt when I entered.
I got home and spent the entire day installing software, including yet another upgrade I had to download as the smoke flew from my ears, and then, finally, FINALLY, importing the footage. Somehow, someway, I still got the first cut done that night, right on schedule. I was doing my best to overcome these obstacles and desperately wanted to leave a good taste in the mouth of the director. The next day, of course, (this is getting ridiculous, no?), after all of that hard work, I discovered that one little tiny box had not been checked when I imported the footage, (not to get into too many boring specifics, but it's an HD project and this was the first time I was dealing with actual HD in my timelime), so I had to reimport. Reimporting caused all my current files to reconnect almost an entire second off, meaning I was basically having to recut the entire thing. In one night to even attempt to stay on schedule.
Can I just say for the record this was one of the most fun things I've ever had the privelege of cutting. Even so, I would have preferred to do it once, especially with the tight schedule we were on, but I digress. I stayed up late, starting off my week on four hours of sleep. I finished, yay, but the lack of sleep hurt me.
Monday-I went to work, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Tuesday-I went to work, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Wednesday-I went to work completely exhausted, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Thursday-I went to work even more exhausted, realized I had made a couple of HUGE mistakes, like sending a bad DVD to the Network, (eck!), cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, cursed my boss for not letting me check said DVDs before he burned and sent them, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Friday-I went to work unbelievably exhausted, didn't make any mistakes, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, got in my car and started to drive home. I was trying to make my way as fast as possible through the rain, (yes, rain in LA), and traffic, so I'd have enough time to walk my dog before the director came over. I got a call. EPIC! I warned you! (I actually had to stop and remember that other stuff because it is so pale in comparison to my next catastrophe. I was like "Wait, didn't something else suck like four days ago?")
My house, a duplex, had gotten struck hard by the rainstorm. The shotty old wire coming off of my bedroom and onto the pole had ripped from our house, still barely hanging on, but doing so in a vicarious manner. My roommate, who was home when it happened, had seen the sparks from the event, and ran outside. A small fire had started under our house. She grabbed the dogs and called the fire department. By the time they had gotten there, the fire was out and a large portion of cable/internet wires was a mess a black goo. Needless to say our cable/internet still hasn't been fixed!
They put up some tape and told us we needed the electic company to come out as soon as possible. It was around this time that I was finally getting home. The electricity was understandibly out, (just our house), and when I touched the back railing by the stairs, I got shocked. A loud, unbearable hum was coming from my wall, and our fire alarms were beeping mercilessly, as they run solely on electic energy and not batteries. The fire department had left and there was no fire at this time, so I tried my best to feel safe. My roommate went to a movie and I was stuck at home alone to sit and hope that, despite my gut telling me otherwise, everything was okay.
I kept getting wiffs of an odd odor that I pinpointed as a vitaminy smell. The fact that the fire alarms weren't working troubled me, but I tried to stay calm. Finally, sensing the smell was getting stronger, I broke down and called 911. I asked the fire department just to come back and investigate the smell. A little over two minutes later, four trucks came roaring into my neighborhood. My cheeks flushed, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
They could not smell anything and when I told them that the railing had shocked me, they looked at me like I was crazy. The dogs had both yelped in the front yard, as if they were getting shocked too. They didn't believe that it was anything to be worried about. They left, as there was no fire.
The electric company was slammed and no one came that night. I also had to understandibly cancel the editing session for the evening. I couldn't even sleep in my room as the hum was not only annoying, but troubling. It sounded like a ball of electricity trapped in the wall. I slept of the couch. A fitful nights sleep at best. After a week of short sleep nights, my nerves were rattled and body, exhausted.
I awoke the next morning and me and my roommate both called the electric company begging for someone to come out. One house without power didn't seem to be a big priority. We explained it was an emergency, but there was only so much customer service could do.
Finally, after an unsettling morning, a lone man from the electric company came to investigate. He looked shocked and basically said, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
Duh. This is what we'd been saying. He was nice enough to call the dispatcher directly, hopefully expressing the severity of the situation. He was also nice enough to explain that somehow electricity had infiltrated our entire yard, or anything metal touching the house. And no, I was not crazy for thinking I got shocked. I actually did and thank goodness it wasn't enough to do any damage.
But he couldn't turn the electricity off. Basically that had to be done at the pole or something. For some reason, he couldn't do much. So again, I waited. Waited, sniffing the air anxiously. Roommate had gone to breakfast and I had stayed home, not wanting to leave the dogs alone. I was so nervous, just waiting for the house to catch fire, I actually packed up some things in my car. I just knew. I can't explain it, but I knew. I was putting my head between my knees taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down. I felt helpless. Like I was just waiting for it to catch fire. Like it wasn't a question of "if", it was "when". I literally was having an internal debate on whether or not I was overreacting when I smelled the vitaminy smell again. I didn't want to false alarm the FD again, so I waited. It got stronger, much stronger, and finally I broke down and called my roommate begging her to come home. When she got there she laughed at the fact that I had packed up my car, but as the rain started falling again, the smell got even stronger.
So I got on the phone with the power company and told them we needed someone now. Now. Then, my worst nightmare happened. My roommate saw smoke. I took the dogs outside and put them in my car, yelling to the power company that my house was on fire, it was too late now, and I had to go. I hung up, feeling utterly helpless and like no one seemed to give a damn that we've had this huge risk around us and no one could seem to do anything but wait. Wait for this, I guessed. Wait for the house to go up in flames. That's what it took it seemed. My roommate ran down a few seconds later, having already called the fire department, and said she saw flames. In my head, it was gone. The house was gone. When the fire trucks pulled up, I met them at the street and told them where the kitchen was. Immediately when they ran in, I started crying. I know. I'm such a girl. But it had been an emotional day and I'm terrified of fires and I really thought the house was long gone. And just to push the sympathy points a little higher, it was pouring down rain and I was completely soaked. And neighbors were coming up to me offering me umbrellas and water and to go inside their house and sit, but I couldn't move from the driveway, alternating from watching the house in horror, and not being able to watch at all, fearing I'd see flames from the roof. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that.
I'll add in here that we couldn't reach our landlord because of the Jewish holiday and he had left no emergency number.
I got dragged away from the house by a friend who took me down the block to her house and supplied me with dry clothes and made me calm down-which was probably a good thing. I think the firefighters were laughing at me. When I returned, it was business as fire usual. They had decided they had no other choice but to cut down the power line completely. They were inspecting all the walls with a camera thing to make sure nothing else was on fire.
A fireman, the chief I do believe, approached me and asked if I was the one that called last night about the "vitaminy" smell. I confirmed that was me, and he, in turn, confirmed, in his best apologetic tone, that I wasn't crazy. What I had been smelling was the old insulation smoldering in the walls. HA! (Although I'm not sure how much I appreciate being right on that one.) I knew I wasn't crazy. I'm pretty sure they felt bad about the jokes they made after they left. So yes, technically there was a fire in our walls for nearly twelve hours. This house we SLEPT in.
Anyway, that is how I spent last weekend. Hardly any damage was done, although the firemen did chop up one of our walls! The house has since been rewired, although not very well. Needless to say, we're not really feeling too safe here anymore, and are looking for a place elsewhere. Because of our dog situation, (them not getting along too well), we're going our seperate ways.
And now, I'm going to try and finish a project I've been working on and was almost done with before this big mess! Goodnight!
An amazing thing happened. I got a temporary job that lasted exactly to the day of when my perm job was supposed to start back up. And I not only got the job, I nailed the interview. They showed me the stacks of resumes and did the whole bit of flattering me by saying they liked my resume the best and I was the first they called, etc etc. Then made a whole show of tossing the rest of them into the trash. Okay, so it was probably the best interview I've ever had. The show was something definitely cool and different. I heckled a bit a got a wee bit over my usual rate and everyone seemed nice and welcoming. So I was pretty excited.
The day I found out I got the job, I also found out that I got to edit a music video for an actual record label and an actual band and it could actually go on tv! (Maybe, possibly, maybe). Flying high here, right?
Okay, then things started going terribly wrong. I soon discovered that my once top-of-the-line editing system had plummeted so far below the line that it couldn't even handle aforementioned music video. Not only that, the new job was not quite as great as I had imagined. It was hard going back to working days when I had grown so accustomed to nights. Having people breathing down my neck and not being able to get online and waste time was definitely a downer.
So one problem at a time, I knew I wanted to do the music video. I had just wrapped up the short that I've worked on literally all summer and was excited to go to something different. The song is catchy and poppy and fun, with a hint of darkness, and altogether perfect for me. The director is someone I've wanted to work with for a while, and well, music videos have always had a special place in my heart.
At this point in my life, I was broke. Broke broke broke! I quickly learned that in order for me to update my system so that it could handle the project, I wouldn't even be able to update my exsiting software, (since it is an Academic version, [which at the time sounded like such a good deal]). I'd have to buy the super expensive bundle of applications I'd rarely use, one of which, enabled me to do the video.
Thirteen hundred dollars in debt later, I'm sitting at my computer, all excited and ready to install my new software when I discover that I need to update my OS X to even be able to INSTALL FCP 6. What?!? That would have been nice to know at the store where I had bought the software as they were closing and locking the doors behind me for the night.
I should have taken this as a sign that the universe did not want me to do this project. But I couldn't stop there. This was an unreturnable purchase and I was going to use it damnit.
The next morning I awoke nice and early and was at the store as they opened the doors. I went in, bought my OS X gazillion, (after the fated conversation with the nice salesman, "Do you really need it now?" "Yes. Why?" "The new version is coming out next week. You should wait until then." Of course. "I can't!"), and left the store feeling even smaller than I felt when I entered.
I got home and spent the entire day installing software, including yet another upgrade I had to download as the smoke flew from my ears, and then, finally, FINALLY, importing the footage. Somehow, someway, I still got the first cut done that night, right on schedule. I was doing my best to overcome these obstacles and desperately wanted to leave a good taste in the mouth of the director. The next day, of course, (this is getting ridiculous, no?), after all of that hard work, I discovered that one little tiny box had not been checked when I imported the footage, (not to get into too many boring specifics, but it's an HD project and this was the first time I was dealing with actual HD in my timelime), so I had to reimport. Reimporting caused all my current files to reconnect almost an entire second off, meaning I was basically having to recut the entire thing. In one night to even attempt to stay on schedule.
Can I just say for the record this was one of the most fun things I've ever had the privelege of cutting. Even so, I would have preferred to do it once, especially with the tight schedule we were on, but I digress. I stayed up late, starting off my week on four hours of sleep. I finished, yay, but the lack of sleep hurt me.
Monday-I went to work, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Tuesday-I went to work, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Wednesday-I went to work completely exhausted, realized I had made a couple of mistakes, tried to correct them, cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Thursday-I went to work even more exhausted, realized I had made a couple of HUGE mistakes, like sending a bad DVD to the Network, (eck!), cursed the assistant before me and the vague notes she left me, cursed my boss for not letting me check said DVDs before he burned and sent them, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, drove home, walked my dog, and the director came over and we worked for the rest of the night on the cut.
Friday-I went to work unbelievably exhausted, didn't make any mistakes, stared at the clock, waited for it to hit six thirty, got in my car and started to drive home. I was trying to make my way as fast as possible through the rain, (yes, rain in LA), and traffic, so I'd have enough time to walk my dog before the director came over. I got a call. EPIC! I warned you! (I actually had to stop and remember that other stuff because it is so pale in comparison to my next catastrophe. I was like "Wait, didn't something else suck like four days ago?")
My house, a duplex, had gotten struck hard by the rainstorm. The shotty old wire coming off of my bedroom and onto the pole had ripped from our house, still barely hanging on, but doing so in a vicarious manner. My roommate, who was home when it happened, had seen the sparks from the event, and ran outside. A small fire had started under our house. She grabbed the dogs and called the fire department. By the time they had gotten there, the fire was out and a large portion of cable/internet wires was a mess a black goo. Needless to say our cable/internet still hasn't been fixed!
They put up some tape and told us we needed the electic company to come out as soon as possible. It was around this time that I was finally getting home. The electricity was understandibly out, (just our house), and when I touched the back railing by the stairs, I got shocked. A loud, unbearable hum was coming from my wall, and our fire alarms were beeping mercilessly, as they run solely on electic energy and not batteries. The fire department had left and there was no fire at this time, so I tried my best to feel safe. My roommate went to a movie and I was stuck at home alone to sit and hope that, despite my gut telling me otherwise, everything was okay.
I kept getting wiffs of an odd odor that I pinpointed as a vitaminy smell. The fact that the fire alarms weren't working troubled me, but I tried to stay calm. Finally, sensing the smell was getting stronger, I broke down and called 911. I asked the fire department just to come back and investigate the smell. A little over two minutes later, four trucks came roaring into my neighborhood. My cheeks flushed, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
They could not smell anything and when I told them that the railing had shocked me, they looked at me like I was crazy. The dogs had both yelped in the front yard, as if they were getting shocked too. They didn't believe that it was anything to be worried about. They left, as there was no fire.
The electric company was slammed and no one came that night. I also had to understandibly cancel the editing session for the evening. I couldn't even sleep in my room as the hum was not only annoying, but troubling. It sounded like a ball of electricity trapped in the wall. I slept of the couch. A fitful nights sleep at best. After a week of short sleep nights, my nerves were rattled and body, exhausted.
I awoke the next morning and me and my roommate both called the electric company begging for someone to come out. One house without power didn't seem to be a big priority. We explained it was an emergency, but there was only so much customer service could do.
Finally, after an unsettling morning, a lone man from the electric company came to investigate. He looked shocked and basically said, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
Duh. This is what we'd been saying. He was nice enough to call the dispatcher directly, hopefully expressing the severity of the situation. He was also nice enough to explain that somehow electricity had infiltrated our entire yard, or anything metal touching the house. And no, I was not crazy for thinking I got shocked. I actually did and thank goodness it wasn't enough to do any damage.
But he couldn't turn the electricity off. Basically that had to be done at the pole or something. For some reason, he couldn't do much. So again, I waited. Waited, sniffing the air anxiously. Roommate had gone to breakfast and I had stayed home, not wanting to leave the dogs alone. I was so nervous, just waiting for the house to catch fire, I actually packed up some things in my car. I just knew. I can't explain it, but I knew. I was putting my head between my knees taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down. I felt helpless. Like I was just waiting for it to catch fire. Like it wasn't a question of "if", it was "when". I literally was having an internal debate on whether or not I was overreacting when I smelled the vitaminy smell again. I didn't want to false alarm the FD again, so I waited. It got stronger, much stronger, and finally I broke down and called my roommate begging her to come home. When she got there she laughed at the fact that I had packed up my car, but as the rain started falling again, the smell got even stronger.
So I got on the phone with the power company and told them we needed someone now. Now. Then, my worst nightmare happened. My roommate saw smoke. I took the dogs outside and put them in my car, yelling to the power company that my house was on fire, it was too late now, and I had to go. I hung up, feeling utterly helpless and like no one seemed to give a damn that we've had this huge risk around us and no one could seem to do anything but wait. Wait for this, I guessed. Wait for the house to go up in flames. That's what it took it seemed. My roommate ran down a few seconds later, having already called the fire department, and said she saw flames. In my head, it was gone. The house was gone. When the fire trucks pulled up, I met them at the street and told them where the kitchen was. Immediately when they ran in, I started crying. I know. I'm such a girl. But it had been an emotional day and I'm terrified of fires and I really thought the house was long gone. And just to push the sympathy points a little higher, it was pouring down rain and I was completely soaked. And neighbors were coming up to me offering me umbrellas and water and to go inside their house and sit, but I couldn't move from the driveway, alternating from watching the house in horror, and not being able to watch at all, fearing I'd see flames from the roof. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that.
I'll add in here that we couldn't reach our landlord because of the Jewish holiday and he had left no emergency number.
I got dragged away from the house by a friend who took me down the block to her house and supplied me with dry clothes and made me calm down-which was probably a good thing. I think the firefighters were laughing at me. When I returned, it was business as fire usual. They had decided they had no other choice but to cut down the power line completely. They were inspecting all the walls with a camera thing to make sure nothing else was on fire.
A fireman, the chief I do believe, approached me and asked if I was the one that called last night about the "vitaminy" smell. I confirmed that was me, and he, in turn, confirmed, in his best apologetic tone, that I wasn't crazy. What I had been smelling was the old insulation smoldering in the walls. HA! (Although I'm not sure how much I appreciate being right on that one.) I knew I wasn't crazy. I'm pretty sure they felt bad about the jokes they made after they left. So yes, technically there was a fire in our walls for nearly twelve hours. This house we SLEPT in.
Anyway, that is how I spent last weekend. Hardly any damage was done, although the firemen did chop up one of our walls! The house has since been rewired, although not very well. Needless to say, we're not really feeling too safe here anymore, and are looking for a place elsewhere. Because of our dog situation, (them not getting along too well), we're going our seperate ways.
And now, I'm going to try and finish a project I've been working on and was almost done with before this big mess! Goodnight!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Awkward Moments
Why do I feel like my life is a parade of awkward moments that will never end?
The two that come to mind right away that happened quite recently are as follows:
The day I was talking to my dad about how secure I felt with my job, I got an email letting me know that the show I've been working on is going on a two-week editing hiatus. This was while I was on my week vacation mind you. So instead of trying to figure out how to survive without one week of pay, I found myself having to figure out how to survive without three weeks of pay. Big difference there.
The short notice and nonchalance that this message was delivered to me, made me a little angry. But I was okay. Then I talked to the other assistant, who was lucky enough to recieve a phone call, who told me he wouldn't be surprised if it was extended past that. And then, speaking to another assistant, confirmed my fears that this company seemed to have a bad reputation for these sort of unexpected surprises.
So, in fear of living on the street, I started looking for alternate employment. Temporary, if I was lucky. I applied for a couple of week/two week jobs, but didn't hear anything back. A friend got me an interview at the company he works for, and although they deal more in promos and behind-the-scene specials, I thought I'd go to the interview and check out what sort of hours/pay/work I'd be dealing with.
Well the interview went great. Which would usually be a good thing, but not really in this case. They could only offer me what I was making now with lots of overtime factored in. They also stated, "If assistants can make it here, they can make it anywhere." Which to me was the equivalent of them saying, this is the hardest, longest hours job that you could take in a thirty-mile radius. If this was an editing position, then sure, I'd be up for the challenge. But this is an assistant job which usually is pretty mundane work. I knew pretty much at that point that I wouldn't take it.
But they loved me. I left the interview pretty secure that I landed the job. Which sucked. I should have tripped the interviewer on her way out or asked if it was okay if I had every other Friday off.
I weighed my options, and knew that if I stuck out these two weeks, then I'd be in better position in the long run. And in this field, it's hard not to think of the long run. So I put my faith in mankind and optimism and hoped that two weeks would all the hiatus would be.
Of course, my phone rang the next day. Why is it that when you want a job, you don't get it, but a job in which you don't want, falls at your feet? Well, I answered, rehearsing how I was going to let her down easily. Sure, now I can think of a thousand things to say, but in the moment, I was nervous and knew I'd babble, and just wanted it to be over.
The first, and I mean first, thing she said when I answered was, "Don't tell me you found another job!" in a cheerful, playful tone. Ouch. One of those. And everything I had planned to say just flew out the window.
"Umm," I said, trying really hard to be eloquent in such an uncomfortable situation.
I felt her face falling.
"Unfortunately, I did," I said stupidly and filled with guilt.
It was just awful and awkward and I know she'll never use that as an opener ever again! Just awful. Man, I still slap my forehead when I think of it. Ultimate grimace.
Second uncomfortable situation is completely and totally my fault. I bought these amazing shoes the other day. I mean they are dressy and flat and patterned and have a dragonfly on them. I bought them before I went home for the wedding to wear to the rehearsal dinner. Well, they were a little small, but I figured they'd be fine.
I wore them the night before the dinner, to a family dinner thing, and almost immediately I felt pain when I walked. Squeezing toes, tell-tell rubbing on my heel. I knew it would be a long dinner.
By the end of the night, I was limping. Actually limping. My feet were seconds away from bleeding and I threw the shoes forcibly into the backseat when I got into the car.
I was forced to wear much more casual flip flops to the rehearsal dinner. Feet still aching and cursing me.
So upon returning to LA, I decided that I'd wipe the bottoms of the shoes down and try and exchange them for a bigger size.
There wasn't much wear luckily, but before I got to the store, I checked for blood stains once more.
I went into the store, shoes back in the box, in the bag, with the reciept, and asked a salesperson if I could exhange my shoes. He took them out of the box and inspected them. They passed the test! Home free! So he goes to the back and finds the bigger size, bringing them out to me. I put them on, and Viola! These shoes weren't made to hurt! They felt great! It was amazing. So I told him so.
Then, for some unknown reason, perhaps a miscommunication between brain and mouth, I go on to tell him how the other pair messed up my feet so badly. And THEN, if that wasn't enough, I went ahead and showed, yes showed, him my blisters.
Okay, so at this point, he's looking at me like I'm crazy. I don't realize I've totally just ratted myself out until a few seconds later. I immediately start backtracking, pretending I was talking about another pair but he totally didn't believe me. He's STILL looking at me like I'm insane. Because I am I guess. Who does that???
I innocently hold up my bag holding the old painful shoes in one hand and the new box in the other and ask timidly, "Where do I do the exchange?"
I could tell he was having an internal battle. Finally, and amazingly, he directed me towards the register. Somehow, I was still able to exchange my shoes. I did turn to my friend next to me "Ohh-ing" and "Ahhh-ing" over some other shoes and then proclaiming I would never shop anywhere else for shoes. Once he showed me the register, he disappeared rather quickly. I can only assume he was doing me a favor by doing that.
Let's hope lessons were learned from these experiences.
The two that come to mind right away that happened quite recently are as follows:
The day I was talking to my dad about how secure I felt with my job, I got an email letting me know that the show I've been working on is going on a two-week editing hiatus. This was while I was on my week vacation mind you. So instead of trying to figure out how to survive without one week of pay, I found myself having to figure out how to survive without three weeks of pay. Big difference there.
The short notice and nonchalance that this message was delivered to me, made me a little angry. But I was okay. Then I talked to the other assistant, who was lucky enough to recieve a phone call, who told me he wouldn't be surprised if it was extended past that. And then, speaking to another assistant, confirmed my fears that this company seemed to have a bad reputation for these sort of unexpected surprises.
So, in fear of living on the street, I started looking for alternate employment. Temporary, if I was lucky. I applied for a couple of week/two week jobs, but didn't hear anything back. A friend got me an interview at the company he works for, and although they deal more in promos and behind-the-scene specials, I thought I'd go to the interview and check out what sort of hours/pay/work I'd be dealing with.
Well the interview went great. Which would usually be a good thing, but not really in this case. They could only offer me what I was making now with lots of overtime factored in. They also stated, "If assistants can make it here, they can make it anywhere." Which to me was the equivalent of them saying, this is the hardest, longest hours job that you could take in a thirty-mile radius. If this was an editing position, then sure, I'd be up for the challenge. But this is an assistant job which usually is pretty mundane work. I knew pretty much at that point that I wouldn't take it.
But they loved me. I left the interview pretty secure that I landed the job. Which sucked. I should have tripped the interviewer on her way out or asked if it was okay if I had every other Friday off.
I weighed my options, and knew that if I stuck out these two weeks, then I'd be in better position in the long run. And in this field, it's hard not to think of the long run. So I put my faith in mankind and optimism and hoped that two weeks would all the hiatus would be.
Of course, my phone rang the next day. Why is it that when you want a job, you don't get it, but a job in which you don't want, falls at your feet? Well, I answered, rehearsing how I was going to let her down easily. Sure, now I can think of a thousand things to say, but in the moment, I was nervous and knew I'd babble, and just wanted it to be over.
The first, and I mean first, thing she said when I answered was, "Don't tell me you found another job!" in a cheerful, playful tone. Ouch. One of those. And everything I had planned to say just flew out the window.
"Umm," I said, trying really hard to be eloquent in such an uncomfortable situation.
I felt her face falling.
"Unfortunately, I did," I said stupidly and filled with guilt.
It was just awful and awkward and I know she'll never use that as an opener ever again! Just awful. Man, I still slap my forehead when I think of it. Ultimate grimace.
Second uncomfortable situation is completely and totally my fault. I bought these amazing shoes the other day. I mean they are dressy and flat and patterned and have a dragonfly on them. I bought them before I went home for the wedding to wear to the rehearsal dinner. Well, they were a little small, but I figured they'd be fine.
I wore them the night before the dinner, to a family dinner thing, and almost immediately I felt pain when I walked. Squeezing toes, tell-tell rubbing on my heel. I knew it would be a long dinner.
By the end of the night, I was limping. Actually limping. My feet were seconds away from bleeding and I threw the shoes forcibly into the backseat when I got into the car.
I was forced to wear much more casual flip flops to the rehearsal dinner. Feet still aching and cursing me.
So upon returning to LA, I decided that I'd wipe the bottoms of the shoes down and try and exchange them for a bigger size.
There wasn't much wear luckily, but before I got to the store, I checked for blood stains once more.
I went into the store, shoes back in the box, in the bag, with the reciept, and asked a salesperson if I could exhange my shoes. He took them out of the box and inspected them. They passed the test! Home free! So he goes to the back and finds the bigger size, bringing them out to me. I put them on, and Viola! These shoes weren't made to hurt! They felt great! It was amazing. So I told him so.
Then, for some unknown reason, perhaps a miscommunication between brain and mouth, I go on to tell him how the other pair messed up my feet so badly. And THEN, if that wasn't enough, I went ahead and showed, yes showed, him my blisters.
Okay, so at this point, he's looking at me like I'm crazy. I don't realize I've totally just ratted myself out until a few seconds later. I immediately start backtracking, pretending I was talking about another pair but he totally didn't believe me. He's STILL looking at me like I'm insane. Because I am I guess. Who does that???
I innocently hold up my bag holding the old painful shoes in one hand and the new box in the other and ask timidly, "Where do I do the exchange?"
I could tell he was having an internal battle. Finally, and amazingly, he directed me towards the register. Somehow, I was still able to exchange my shoes. I did turn to my friend next to me "Ohh-ing" and "Ahhh-ing" over some other shoes and then proclaiming I would never shop anywhere else for shoes. Once he showed me the register, he disappeared rather quickly. I can only assume he was doing me a favor by doing that.
Let's hope lessons were learned from these experiences.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
If You Honk One More Time......!
Two mornings in a row my peaceful reverie of dreams and fairydust has been rudely interrupted at 8:30 in the morning by a car horn that knows no limits. It's not one or two honks, or even an alarm of some sort. It is the unrhythmatic NOISE, constant honks, one after another for a period of up to six or seven minutes. I lay there for a few minutes, hoping the person will come to their senses and stop the madness. This morning, I clumsily jumped out of bed after five minutes of the disruption; my aim? Nothing short of throwing a chair off of my balcony or a verbal lashing not suitable for my babybook. The second, and I mean second, I stepped onto my front porch it stopped, and no cars with annoyed drivers in sight. I check all the driveways, parked cars, even garages in my line of vision, and nothing. Not even an echo that could direct me in the general vicinity. Across the street, my neighbor also had enough, and was storming to the street at the same moment I stepped out. We both scoured the streets, both coming up empty handed.
The honking bandit had made a clean escape. But tomorrow I will be ready. I will sleep in full garb as to not waste time when I wake up and storm to the street. At the first honk, my feet will hit the floor. I have an anger inside of me that needs to be let out, and thus far, I've been successful at not misdirecting it towards an innocent bystander. Tomorrow, my fury knows no bounds and the honking bandit will be sorry.
The paranoid side of me wonders who I pissed off enough to do such a meanspirited thing. Well maybe I'll have answers for you tomorrow.
I'm back in LA with my brother and so far it's been nice. It's been fun hanging out with him and we've been having a good time relaxing and pretending like we are on summer break. Because I'm currently without job, long story, but I know in a week and a half, I'll be back to the grind of 6 to 3. Pm to am.
In other news, a friend of mine wrote a blog entry about the earthquake I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd link it here cause as always, his way with words astounds me.
Shake-N-Bake
The honking bandit had made a clean escape. But tomorrow I will be ready. I will sleep in full garb as to not waste time when I wake up and storm to the street. At the first honk, my feet will hit the floor. I have an anger inside of me that needs to be let out, and thus far, I've been successful at not misdirecting it towards an innocent bystander. Tomorrow, my fury knows no bounds and the honking bandit will be sorry.
The paranoid side of me wonders who I pissed off enough to do such a meanspirited thing. Well maybe I'll have answers for you tomorrow.
I'm back in LA with my brother and so far it's been nice. It's been fun hanging out with him and we've been having a good time relaxing and pretending like we are on summer break. Because I'm currently without job, long story, but I know in a week and a half, I'll be back to the grind of 6 to 3. Pm to am.
In other news, a friend of mine wrote a blog entry about the earthquake I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd link it here cause as always, his way with words astounds me.
Shake-N-Bake
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The Night Before, (And Other Random Thoughts)
It's officially the night before one of my best friends' wedding. I just got home from all the rehearsal hoopla, and I'm nervous! I'm in the wedding party, which means I have to walk down the aisle, which means all eyes will be on me and I won't be able to tell a joke, which means I'll be nervous with none of my usual defense mechanisms at my disposal. I'll also have to stand still for a semi-long period of time, which makes me nervous because in such situations I have been known to lose my equilibrium. Besides all that stuff, SHE's getting MARRIED. This girl in which I grew up with, and from my middle school circle of friends, was certainly NOT the one we thought would get married first. It's all just unbelievable in that way that's hard to describe, (and I only realized it was hard once I started trying to explain it).
The night was interesting, to say the least. There are four of us that ran in the same circle for years and years. We hardly ever get together, all being in different places, metaphorically and physically. It's me, the bride-to-be, and friend A and friend B. Well tonight, friend A and B decided they hated each other after an incident. Me, always forced to play peacemaker/babysitter/go-between/middleman/what have you, had to try and explain to riled up friend A, (who no joke was ready to fight, FIGHT, in the middle of the parking lot of the rehearsal dinner-now that's classy-[ahh, I love coming home]), that by fighting friend B, bride-to-be would certainly have a memorable night, and not in the good way. So, there was that. I think the situation was diffused and hopefully things will work out tomorrow. (Although, I have a feeling my peacemaking job is not done.)
Another interesting thing is that when I come back here, I feel like a superstar. Now, I know, my job is pretty modest. I'm an assistant editor for a little tiny reality show and when I'm in LA, I'm major small fish in major big pond. But when I'm here, it's like a new ball game. Someone introduced me to the groom's mother as, "This is Betsy. She's works in television in LA." After humbly revealing the teeny-tiny little show I am merely an assistant editor on, I was surrounded by people. It was a little crazy actually. And I assure you this is not a huge show. The only reason I'm not saying the show name is for my own privacy purposes, but it's not that cool. When and if people have heard of it, I usually get a nod, and sometimes a, "Oh interesting." Well apparently I found this show's audience. Embarrased and shy, one of the relatives approached me during the evening and just wanted to talk to me about the show. It was pretty crazy. I had to tell the grandfather a couple of times that no, I've never been on the show, but he was convinced he had seen me on it. That's one amazing thing about working in television: it's just a job, but the fact that so many people can tangibly see your work on such a large scale, it makes it impressive. Such a small scale, but I can only imagine how actors and actresses must feel. It must be like that all the time for them. Just blows my mind!
I saw "Superbad" last night, and wow, it's amazing. I would say not to watch with anyone who you would potentially be embarrased around with any sort of mention of sex, because the entire movie would be squirm-worthy. I have pity on those who thought it was a good idea to take their mom with them. Squick! But wow-fantastic comedy. Best comedy, short of Wet, Hot, American Summer, I've ever seen.
Well I need to get some sleep so I'll catch you guys up more later. Goodnight!
The night was interesting, to say the least. There are four of us that ran in the same circle for years and years. We hardly ever get together, all being in different places, metaphorically and physically. It's me, the bride-to-be, and friend A and friend B. Well tonight, friend A and B decided they hated each other after an incident. Me, always forced to play peacemaker/babysitter/go-between/middleman/what have you, had to try and explain to riled up friend A, (who no joke was ready to fight, FIGHT, in the middle of the parking lot of the rehearsal dinner-now that's classy-[ahh, I love coming home]), that by fighting friend B, bride-to-be would certainly have a memorable night, and not in the good way. So, there was that. I think the situation was diffused and hopefully things will work out tomorrow. (Although, I have a feeling my peacemaking job is not done.)
Another interesting thing is that when I come back here, I feel like a superstar. Now, I know, my job is pretty modest. I'm an assistant editor for a little tiny reality show and when I'm in LA, I'm major small fish in major big pond. But when I'm here, it's like a new ball game. Someone introduced me to the groom's mother as, "This is Betsy. She's works in television in LA." After humbly revealing the teeny-tiny little show I am merely an assistant editor on, I was surrounded by people. It was a little crazy actually. And I assure you this is not a huge show. The only reason I'm not saying the show name is for my own privacy purposes, but it's not that cool. When and if people have heard of it, I usually get a nod, and sometimes a, "Oh interesting." Well apparently I found this show's audience. Embarrased and shy, one of the relatives approached me during the evening and just wanted to talk to me about the show. It was pretty crazy. I had to tell the grandfather a couple of times that no, I've never been on the show, but he was convinced he had seen me on it. That's one amazing thing about working in television: it's just a job, but the fact that so many people can tangibly see your work on such a large scale, it makes it impressive. Such a small scale, but I can only imagine how actors and actresses must feel. It must be like that all the time for them. Just blows my mind!
I saw "Superbad" last night, and wow, it's amazing. I would say not to watch with anyone who you would potentially be embarrased around with any sort of mention of sex, because the entire movie would be squirm-worthy. I have pity on those who thought it was a good idea to take their mom with them. Squick! But wow-fantastic comedy. Best comedy, short of Wet, Hot, American Summer, I've ever seen.
Well I need to get some sleep so I'll catch you guys up more later. Goodnight!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Stars
Wheee! I finally got to listen to the new Stars album! Here's my favorite track:
"Barricade" sample at Last fm
I'm sorry! But the line, "Oh, how could anyone not love the terrible things you do?" might be the best line ever. (Tied with, "How could anyone not love your cold, black heart?")
Other favorite from the album: "My *Favourite Book". *(Canadians!)
"My Favourite Book" sample at Last fm
The album comes out in September and is titled "In Our Bedroom After The War". If you aren't familiar with this band, please do yourself a favor and listen to some of their tracks. Beautiful music and amazing lyrics. This band is easily in my top 3! And I'm indecisive so narrowing it down that much is a big deal!
It's not their best album, personally I give "Heart" and/or "Nightsongs" that honor, (depending on my mood), but it's a great one nonetheless. Squee!
Okay, I got carried away with Stars info!
Other than the Joni Mitchell I've been obsessed with lately, ("California", "All I Want", "You Turn Me On, [I'm A Radio]", and "Twisted" to name a few), these are my Songs of the Moment. Wow, it's been a while since I've had one of those.
And now that I mentioned it, I have to post some "Twisted" lyrics because this song makes me laugh so hard.
"They say as a child, I appeared a little bit wild, with all my crazy ideas. But I knew what was happening, I knew I was a genius. What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three? I knew that this was meant to be.
"Now I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight. That's why I got into the vodka one night. My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do. But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to, now. Do you think I was crazy? I might have been only three, but I was swinging!"
On to more important matters! I finally got a snap of that infamous billboard I wrote about last week here.
Lots of mutimedia today! I'm getting pretty good with this html stuff, I must say.
"Barricade" sample at Last fm
I'm sorry! But the line, "Oh, how could anyone not love the terrible things you do?" might be the best line ever. (Tied with, "How could anyone not love your cold, black heart?")
Other favorite from the album: "My *Favourite Book". *(Canadians!)
"My Favourite Book" sample at Last fm
The album comes out in September and is titled "In Our Bedroom After The War". If you aren't familiar with this band, please do yourself a favor and listen to some of their tracks. Beautiful music and amazing lyrics. This band is easily in my top 3! And I'm indecisive so narrowing it down that much is a big deal!
It's not their best album, personally I give "Heart" and/or "Nightsongs" that honor, (depending on my mood), but it's a great one nonetheless. Squee!
Okay, I got carried away with Stars info!
Other than the Joni Mitchell I've been obsessed with lately, ("California", "All I Want", "You Turn Me On, [I'm A Radio]", and "Twisted" to name a few), these are my Songs of the Moment. Wow, it's been a while since I've had one of those.
And now that I mentioned it, I have to post some "Twisted" lyrics because this song makes me laugh so hard.
"They say as a child, I appeared a little bit wild, with all my crazy ideas. But I knew what was happening, I knew I was a genius. What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three? I knew that this was meant to be.
"Now I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight. That's why I got into the vodka one night. My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do. But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to, now. Do you think I was crazy? I might have been only three, but I was swinging!"
On to more important matters! I finally got a snap of that infamous billboard I wrote about last week here.
Lots of mutimedia today! I'm getting pretty good with this html stuff, I must say.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
My First Earthquake!
I have waited anxiously for this day. (And not in the good way.)
Tonight, as I leaned against the wall casually, laughing at something my co-worker had said, I felt it. It was louder than I thought it would be and it was one of the most unsettling things I've ever experienced. We shook for a second, and the building seemed to sway a bit, and then there was quiet.
I was waiting the next big shake, as I stood looking wide-eyed to my co-worker who seemed to find a little bit of amusement in my expression. I asked if it was over, and he said yes, but I couldn't get my land legs back. I felt like I had been at sea for a while, and my entire body kept trying to catch up.
It was strange, and a little scary. And it was a relatively small one, as we surely just got the edge of the quake in the article below. But it was enough to convince me: I hate earthquakes. They are as unpredictable as tornados, and I hate the unpredicable.
But there we go. I finally experienced an earthquake. Whew.
Earthquake Article
Tonight, as I leaned against the wall casually, laughing at something my co-worker had said, I felt it. It was louder than I thought it would be and it was one of the most unsettling things I've ever experienced. We shook for a second, and the building seemed to sway a bit, and then there was quiet.
I was waiting the next big shake, as I stood looking wide-eyed to my co-worker who seemed to find a little bit of amusement in my expression. I asked if it was over, and he said yes, but I couldn't get my land legs back. I felt like I had been at sea for a while, and my entire body kept trying to catch up.
It was strange, and a little scary. And it was a relatively small one, as we surely just got the edge of the quake in the article below. But it was enough to convince me: I hate earthquakes. They are as unpredictable as tornados, and I hate the unpredicable.
But there we go. I finally experienced an earthquake. Whew.
Earthquake Article
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Well...That Was Stupid
So do you feel as privileged as I to be alive? I guess my feeling of gratefulness is at least explainable, seeing as, for all intents and purposes, I should maybe be dead. Yikes! I did something incredibly stupid yesterday, and immediately afterwards almost burst into tears that I didn't die. Okay, so there were no tears, but I was shocked-and no not physically. Okay-enough with the tease.
A little backstory is necessary, I presume. In one of the edit bays at work there is a leaking AC unit. Everyday, this thing leaks all over the ground. It has become such a nuisance for us that, many times a week, the water on the floor goes unnoticed. We joke that one day, someone is going to get shocked. WELLLLL...to empty out the back of the unit helps decrease the flooding, and since we empty it out like everyday, there is a plastic trashcan with around a foot of water in it sitting beside a bookshelf in the office.
Okay, so here goes: I sit in the chair and start to scoot it up to the desk. There's a little resistance, but I think, in my not thinking rationally, that maybe the wheel is caught on something. So in a split-second, I pull up a little harder and then I hear a splash. I turn around, and much to my horror, a dvd player, that is plugged in, has plummeted into the trashcan of water. The power cord is wrapped around the foot of my chair. In such horror that I have ruined a piece of equipment at work, I immediately, and this is hard to admit, because, I'm not a dumb person, but I immediately reach my hand into the trashcan, and pull the device out, setting it on the ground. I reach into the bucket of water, that holds an ELECTRICAL item, that.is.plugged.in.
Okay, so I'm not sure where my mind was at that moment, but it certainly wasn't thinking of the dangers of doing such a stupid thing. I set it down on the ground, and horror sets in. I touch my arm and pay attention to my body, and check for signs of near-death. I put my head on the desk and take deep breaths only to realize, I didn't die. Which is always a good realization to have. But I certainly could have, and maybe should have, and got so freaked that I couldn't really function for quite a while. My co-workers made me feel a bit better saying that if it had been on, or whatever needed to happen for the water to ignite the electrical portion of the dvd player, would have happened immediately and I would have known before I had a chance to reach in the bucket. A little solace, but with the cord wrapped around my chair, I wonder still my fate.
Anyway, I didn't die. Which is a good thing. I learned a pretty big lesson, and the dvd player, albiet this is the least of the worries, wasn't expensive and is not going to be missed. But man, it's good to be alive. Lesson time: Don't do that people. Think rationally! Don't stick you hand in water that hold an electrical item! Ever! Not a good plan! Not a smart idea!
Okay, well I'm sure as hell glad that turned out okay. Whew. Not much left to say now except, well, that was stupid.
A little backstory is necessary, I presume. In one of the edit bays at work there is a leaking AC unit. Everyday, this thing leaks all over the ground. It has become such a nuisance for us that, many times a week, the water on the floor goes unnoticed. We joke that one day, someone is going to get shocked. WELLLLL...to empty out the back of the unit helps decrease the flooding, and since we empty it out like everyday, there is a plastic trashcan with around a foot of water in it sitting beside a bookshelf in the office.
Okay, so here goes: I sit in the chair and start to scoot it up to the desk. There's a little resistance, but I think, in my not thinking rationally, that maybe the wheel is caught on something. So in a split-second, I pull up a little harder and then I hear a splash. I turn around, and much to my horror, a dvd player, that is plugged in, has plummeted into the trashcan of water. The power cord is wrapped around the foot of my chair. In such horror that I have ruined a piece of equipment at work, I immediately, and this is hard to admit, because, I'm not a dumb person, but I immediately reach my hand into the trashcan, and pull the device out, setting it on the ground. I reach into the bucket of water, that holds an ELECTRICAL item, that.is.plugged.in.
Okay, so I'm not sure where my mind was at that moment, but it certainly wasn't thinking of the dangers of doing such a stupid thing. I set it down on the ground, and horror sets in. I touch my arm and pay attention to my body, and check for signs of near-death. I put my head on the desk and take deep breaths only to realize, I didn't die. Which is always a good realization to have. But I certainly could have, and maybe should have, and got so freaked that I couldn't really function for quite a while. My co-workers made me feel a bit better saying that if it had been on, or whatever needed to happen for the water to ignite the electrical portion of the dvd player, would have happened immediately and I would have known before I had a chance to reach in the bucket. A little solace, but with the cord wrapped around my chair, I wonder still my fate.
Anyway, I didn't die. Which is a good thing. I learned a pretty big lesson, and the dvd player, albiet this is the least of the worries, wasn't expensive and is not going to be missed. But man, it's good to be alive. Lesson time: Don't do that people. Think rationally! Don't stick you hand in water that hold an electrical item! Ever! Not a good plan! Not a smart idea!
Okay, well I'm sure as hell glad that turned out okay. Whew. Not much left to say now except, well, that was stupid.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Aliens in America
Okay, first off, I loved it! Seriously! It was funny and endearing and I love the two boys, Dan Byrd and Adhir Kalyan. They are just fantastic.
I recognized the father from a "Sex in The City" episode from back in the day. And when Scott Patterson says the character is a blank slate, he's right. Not that Patrick Breen wasn't good, it's just not a huge part and doesn't have many characteristics that add too much to the show. (And he reminded me a lot of David Sutcliff, which is kinda humorous considering...) I have no idea how SP is going to play the father, but I can't wait to find out. Most importantly, I think he will be able to do it. And do it well.
Anyway, the music was awesome and the mother is awesome. I can't say enough good things. Cherry on top? The principal reminds me a tad bit of Principal Blackman from "Strangers With Candy". The first scene in which you see him, there's a subtle hilarious thing he does that immediately gave me a good feeling about this show.
For as many wonderful things I can say about it, my informed friend believes it's not going to make it. Which is unfortunate on many levels. I hope she's wrong. But for my part, I'll spread the word to tune in October 1st, with the assurance that audiences won't be disappointed. I'm a little sad that it's on The CW, considering the low ratings it will probably get as a result, but hopefully, it will still be able to do well, even if only by CW standards.
Yay for AIA being good! I can totally see why SP was drawn to this project!
(It's hard to review something that you love! There's nothing to gripe about!)
I recognized the father from a "Sex in The City" episode from back in the day. And when Scott Patterson says the character is a blank slate, he's right. Not that Patrick Breen wasn't good, it's just not a huge part and doesn't have many characteristics that add too much to the show. (And he reminded me a lot of David Sutcliff, which is kinda humorous considering...) I have no idea how SP is going to play the father, but I can't wait to find out. Most importantly, I think he will be able to do it. And do it well.
Anyway, the music was awesome and the mother is awesome. I can't say enough good things. Cherry on top? The principal reminds me a tad bit of Principal Blackman from "Strangers With Candy". The first scene in which you see him, there's a subtle hilarious thing he does that immediately gave me a good feeling about this show.
For as many wonderful things I can say about it, my informed friend believes it's not going to make it. Which is unfortunate on many levels. I hope she's wrong. But for my part, I'll spread the word to tune in October 1st, with the assurance that audiences won't be disappointed. I'm a little sad that it's on The CW, considering the low ratings it will probably get as a result, but hopefully, it will still be able to do well, even if only by CW standards.
Yay for AIA being good! I can totally see why SP was drawn to this project!
(It's hard to review something that you love! There's nothing to gripe about!)
I Smell A Blog Entry
Sometimes things happen in life in which you are powerless to do anything except write a blog entry. Such an event happened to me yesterday. I was riding with my friend around town and spotted possibly the most intriguing billboard I have ever seen. It read: "Life is Short, Have an Affair" and then gave a website. My friend and I were stupified at the prospect that this billboard was actually ENCOURAGING people to have affairs. I immediately stated, "I smell a blog entry."
Because what kind of society do we live in that makes it okay for people to publically try and convince people to lie and cheat and damage your family for their own gain? And actually say, "Hey it's okay to do all this horrible stuff that, let's face it, never turns out well for any parties involved, because life is short, and hey, that means it's all okay."
Surely this was a misunderstanding. Me and my naive little heart decided that when they said "affair" they actually meant vacation. (I chose to ignore the intimate position of the two people on the sign.) But I looked up the website, because honestly, wouldn't you? If for no other reason than to just make sure that this is not as horrifying as it sounds. And look up I did. And it wasn't as bad as it sounds, right? Wrong! It's worse! If you thought "Life is short, Have an affair", is in poor taste, try these. "When monogamy becomes monotony." "People who are inclined to have affairs are usually more attractive." "It's stimulating, naughty, and fun at the same time!"
Yeah that's right my innocent little creatures. Our world sucks! This site is even more horrendous than the giant billboard. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that this site is trying to convince you to have an affair. Telling you it's going to be fun, the people are really attractive, and hey, what a great escape from normal day to day life.
So basically, yeah. It's a horrifying prospect that people actually use this service enough that they can afford a giant billboard in Hollywood. They even brag about how many people have signed up with them: clocking in at one million, three-hundred ninty-five thousand! (Wha--!?!) What a sad state of affairs. (Pun intended.)
On a more exciting note, another billboard I saw yesterday was promoting the show in which I make my LA editing debut! Woo! "Murder" premieres on Spike TV, next Tuesday night, July 31st, at 10pm! Yippee!
Because what kind of society do we live in that makes it okay for people to publically try and convince people to lie and cheat and damage your family for their own gain? And actually say, "Hey it's okay to do all this horrible stuff that, let's face it, never turns out well for any parties involved, because life is short, and hey, that means it's all okay."
Surely this was a misunderstanding. Me and my naive little heart decided that when they said "affair" they actually meant vacation. (I chose to ignore the intimate position of the two people on the sign.) But I looked up the website, because honestly, wouldn't you? If for no other reason than to just make sure that this is not as horrifying as it sounds. And look up I did. And it wasn't as bad as it sounds, right? Wrong! It's worse! If you thought "Life is short, Have an affair", is in poor taste, try these. "When monogamy becomes monotony." "People who are inclined to have affairs are usually more attractive." "It's stimulating, naughty, and fun at the same time!"
Yeah that's right my innocent little creatures. Our world sucks! This site is even more horrendous than the giant billboard. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that this site is trying to convince you to have an affair. Telling you it's going to be fun, the people are really attractive, and hey, what a great escape from normal day to day life.
So basically, yeah. It's a horrifying prospect that people actually use this service enough that they can afford a giant billboard in Hollywood. They even brag about how many people have signed up with them: clocking in at one million, three-hundred ninty-five thousand! (Wha--!?!) What a sad state of affairs. (Pun intended.)
On a more exciting note, another billboard I saw yesterday was promoting the show in which I make my LA editing debut! Woo! "Murder" premieres on Spike TV, next Tuesday night, July 31st, at 10pm! Yippee!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Useless Info About Drugs
Drugs. I would never have expected to be doing a blog about drugs, but today has just been one of those days. I went to the dentist today, (follow-up appt), and when I was speaking to the hygenist about how I was from NC, she told me she had a friend there. He is a neurosurgeon apparently. Then, out of nowhere, and quite unexpectedly, she leans in and is like, "I don't know how he does it after all the LSD we used to do!"
Bwah! I'm just going to skip over the part where this guy works on people's brains, (and that she was about to work on my mouth). But I laughed, and she laughed with me, but mine was more of those startled laughs where something catches you so off guard that you don't know what else to do. The fact that this woman felt so comfortable with me that she shared such an interesting tidbit about her past, was just so unexpected! You don't expect that from your hygentist, let me tell you!
Anyway, now here I am now watching this thing on cocaine on the History channel. The "Hooked" series. Pretty awesome, btw. It's discussing cocaine, and let me tell you, this stuff is interesting. Did you know that Freud was addicted to cocaine? And that the very dreams he had and became famous for interpreting, were cocaine induced? Also, it was used medicinally at first, in over-the-counter drugs given to adults and children alike. Causing all sorts of addictions and craziness in all sorts of people. (All ages!) Insanity! AND, if that wasn't enough cocaine trivia, then try this on for size. The south made it illegal before the federal government because they believed it made black people violent towards white people. That's right! Double-u tee f people.
Anyway, it's late and I'm all out of drug trivia at the moment. Have a good day people of the world and thanks for reading.
Bwah! I'm just going to skip over the part where this guy works on people's brains, (and that she was about to work on my mouth). But I laughed, and she laughed with me, but mine was more of those startled laughs where something catches you so off guard that you don't know what else to do. The fact that this woman felt so comfortable with me that she shared such an interesting tidbit about her past, was just so unexpected! You don't expect that from your hygentist, let me tell you!
Anyway, now here I am now watching this thing on cocaine on the History channel. The "Hooked" series. Pretty awesome, btw. It's discussing cocaine, and let me tell you, this stuff is interesting. Did you know that Freud was addicted to cocaine? And that the very dreams he had and became famous for interpreting, were cocaine induced? Also, it was used medicinally at first, in over-the-counter drugs given to adults and children alike. Causing all sorts of addictions and craziness in all sorts of people. (All ages!) Insanity! AND, if that wasn't enough cocaine trivia, then try this on for size. The south made it illegal before the federal government because they believed it made black people violent towards white people. That's right! Double-u tee f people.
Anyway, it's late and I'm all out of drug trivia at the moment. Have a good day people of the world and thanks for reading.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Woe!
So as a good friend of mine keeps saying--karma owes me big. I've had a kinda hectic couple of weeks. Between trying to scrounge up enough money to register my car in California before my 30-day grace period is up, and trying to play peacemaker in my home between the two dogs, who think they are both dominent, things have been a little stressful lately.
As far as the car thing goes, little did I know when I was buying my car in NC, that when I brought it into California less than a year after purchase, I would have to pay sales tax on it, which roughly estimated is 1000% percent. I've had thirty days to get the sixteen hundred dollars together, and all was going well until the tooth incident of 2007.
The two dogs in our house have been fighting pretty frequently. It's been stressing me out enough, but It all came to a head on this past Saturday night. Several things were unusual about this fight. I was outside and the two dogs were hanging in my roommates room. Usually when the fights occur, we are both present and it seems to be a fight over attention or food or something. But I hear the tell-tale yells from my roommate who is friutlessly trying to seperate the transformed beasts. I come in and rush to help. We hadn't done much research on the matter, so we were still grabbing their collars trying to seperate them. Wrong move, I now know. As I grabbed Hopper's collar and started pulling her towards me, the collar snapped flying back into my face, breaking off a large piece of my bottom tooth.
I was horrified, but kept my cool, (well as far as the tooth thing goes), until we had sucessfully broken up the fight. Immediately afterwards, I broke down, having enough of the fights and suffering the trumatic loss of a large piece of tooth. It was painful and had me just at a loss at how something like that could happen. I saved my tooth and after some good pep talks and sympathy pains from friends, we set out to Walgreens where I could get something for the pain, and/or, discomfort.
Once again, this financial burden increased two-fold. How in the world could I afford to get this fixed when I have a hefty bill to pay for my car, that coincidentially is due this week. I called some emergency dentist, not having a dentist in the area, who offered to call me in some painkillers and said he could see me first thing on Monday. I passed on the painkillers, and stuck to Tylenol, but counted down the hours until I could find some relief. The Tylenol worked pretty good, but the whiskey worked a little better. On Saturday night, with the dogs locked up for the night, I sat back and through a straw drank some whiskey that eased the pain quite nicely. I just wish that in my gum-numbing fun I would have realized just how painful it would be to brush my teeth. But no, not then. It felt fine and I brushed, carefully, but still with enough fervor to have me up at six am on Sunday crying for my mommy.
Monday came and I went to see the dentist. He was able to glue to portion I had broken off back on, but not without shooting me full of novicane first. (Little did I know, you aren't supposed to drink coffee on mornings before you visit the dentist in which you are going to be numbed. Now you know.) Five shots later, I was finally numb enough for them to start work. It went off without a hitch, and after expressing my financial concerns, they gave me a discount that although made thing easier to handle, still took enough out of my account to not have enough to pay my bill at the DMV.
Long story short, I got some help from the parents, which at this point in my life, is a little humbling, but much appreciated. And today, finally, on the day that marks the end of my grace-period, I can go and register my car.
So everything seemed to work out, as things usually do. Now I'm just trying to find a way to keep the peace with the dogs. I've been absolutely horrified about another fight, and have started to keep the dogs seperate almost every moment I am home. I have to get some sort of advice from some dog professionals about how to handle this correctly. If you have any advice, please share. I'm at a loss right now, so scared to even attempt any methods of defusing a situation, not even wanting to let them get close enough to each other to try.
But, other than that, things are just great! Heh! I perhaps had a quarter-life crisis last night, in the startling realization that all the women editors I know are single and without children, and that one of the assistants I work with is way older than I thought. Her solace was no help, "Time flies!", "I still feel like I'm twenty," "It was only yesterday---"
Whew. So lots going on right now. My computer battery is dying and I'm about to go to the DMV to take care of this pesky robbery thing that I feel I am a victim of. But I was just checking in and sharing my latest with you fine folks.
Aliens in America review to come!
As far as the car thing goes, little did I know when I was buying my car in NC, that when I brought it into California less than a year after purchase, I would have to pay sales tax on it, which roughly estimated is 1000% percent. I've had thirty days to get the sixteen hundred dollars together, and all was going well until the tooth incident of 2007.
The two dogs in our house have been fighting pretty frequently. It's been stressing me out enough, but It all came to a head on this past Saturday night. Several things were unusual about this fight. I was outside and the two dogs were hanging in my roommates room. Usually when the fights occur, we are both present and it seems to be a fight over attention or food or something. But I hear the tell-tale yells from my roommate who is friutlessly trying to seperate the transformed beasts. I come in and rush to help. We hadn't done much research on the matter, so we were still grabbing their collars trying to seperate them. Wrong move, I now know. As I grabbed Hopper's collar and started pulling her towards me, the collar snapped flying back into my face, breaking off a large piece of my bottom tooth.
I was horrified, but kept my cool, (well as far as the tooth thing goes), until we had sucessfully broken up the fight. Immediately afterwards, I broke down, having enough of the fights and suffering the trumatic loss of a large piece of tooth. It was painful and had me just at a loss at how something like that could happen. I saved my tooth and after some good pep talks and sympathy pains from friends, we set out to Walgreens where I could get something for the pain, and/or, discomfort.
Once again, this financial burden increased two-fold. How in the world could I afford to get this fixed when I have a hefty bill to pay for my car, that coincidentially is due this week. I called some emergency dentist, not having a dentist in the area, who offered to call me in some painkillers and said he could see me first thing on Monday. I passed on the painkillers, and stuck to Tylenol, but counted down the hours until I could find some relief. The Tylenol worked pretty good, but the whiskey worked a little better. On Saturday night, with the dogs locked up for the night, I sat back and through a straw drank some whiskey that eased the pain quite nicely. I just wish that in my gum-numbing fun I would have realized just how painful it would be to brush my teeth. But no, not then. It felt fine and I brushed, carefully, but still with enough fervor to have me up at six am on Sunday crying for my mommy.
Monday came and I went to see the dentist. He was able to glue to portion I had broken off back on, but not without shooting me full of novicane first. (Little did I know, you aren't supposed to drink coffee on mornings before you visit the dentist in which you are going to be numbed. Now you know.) Five shots later, I was finally numb enough for them to start work. It went off without a hitch, and after expressing my financial concerns, they gave me a discount that although made thing easier to handle, still took enough out of my account to not have enough to pay my bill at the DMV.
Long story short, I got some help from the parents, which at this point in my life, is a little humbling, but much appreciated. And today, finally, on the day that marks the end of my grace-period, I can go and register my car.
So everything seemed to work out, as things usually do. Now I'm just trying to find a way to keep the peace with the dogs. I've been absolutely horrified about another fight, and have started to keep the dogs seperate almost every moment I am home. I have to get some sort of advice from some dog professionals about how to handle this correctly. If you have any advice, please share. I'm at a loss right now, so scared to even attempt any methods of defusing a situation, not even wanting to let them get close enough to each other to try.
But, other than that, things are just great! Heh! I perhaps had a quarter-life crisis last night, in the startling realization that all the women editors I know are single and without children, and that one of the assistants I work with is way older than I thought. Her solace was no help, "Time flies!", "I still feel like I'm twenty," "It was only yesterday---"
Whew. So lots going on right now. My computer battery is dying and I'm about to go to the DMV to take care of this pesky robbery thing that I feel I am a victim of. But I was just checking in and sharing my latest with you fine folks.
Aliens in America review to come!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Jezebel James
My blog is finally back up from a brief hiatus caused by an idenity crisis. (My blog's, not mine.) The good news is I'm back with a review of The Return of Jezebel James, aka Amy Sherman Palladino's new show, ahem, sitcom.
I haven't watched a sitcom in so long that I couldn't help but be startled by the laugh tracks and applause at the end. This, of course, is not unusual, but caught me off guard immediately. Then there was Parker Posey. I'm a fan, I like her work, but immediately I felt like I didn't like her as this character. Maybe it's because of the obvious similarities to Lorelai, (from Gilmore girls), where PP just didn't deliver where I knew LG could have. Not fair to compare the two actresses, I know, but it was the natural place my mind went. Why? The chatty-chatty dialogue of course. ASP is back in action with the snappy convos and the quick retorts. Did I think it worked? Honestly? No. Just one humble person's opinion, but it just wasn't carried the same. It seemed like ASP was trying direct Posey exactly towards a classic Lorelai performance in nearly every scene. (Including those infamous sad faces!)
First half of the show, it was cringe after cringe of Gilmore moments, (my personal favorite: when NAI-April showed up). The jokes fell short and I wanted to scream at the audience everytime they 'laughed'--"Stop telling me that was supposed to be funny and that I'm supposed to be laughing!" (First step in improving the show: lose the laugh track!)
Okay, this review is not all bad! I swear! By the end, I was satisfied. Don't know if I'm going to be running home to catch new episodes but it's definitely Tivo worthy. (Rating the pilot on a sliding scale of course.)
My mind started changing for the better midway through, with the appearance of Lauren Ambrose-who is awesome in this show. She makes the cartwheel thing (from the promo) funny! If that's not amazing, I don't know what is!!! For some reason, all the jokes started working. I laughed out loud a few times, and could even start to appreciate some of the characters, who before I had simply found annoying and useless.
But there's a big problem here. And I hate to say it, because I hate negative reviews of things, especially people, but it's clearly a problem. I went in with a clear mind, forgetting about Gilmore and all things previously ASP, but almost immediately it was clear to me that Parker Posey's character was a reincarnated Lorelai. Which, by all accounts, would be great, if only it was pulled off. But it's not. Not even close.
Long story short, Gilmore fans are going to be disappointed I fear. Like I said, the show itself rounded out pretty nicely, but, and this is a major but, somehow, ASP and PP have to get over the Lorelai hump. Everytime I would start to see Sarah, (Parker Posey's character), in her own light, they'd throw something towards me that would remind me of Lorelai. I was fighting them at every turn! This character needs something that's not there now. Something is off with her. She's too theatrical and just, well, kind of annoying. LG made the quick and witty dialogue endearing. The way it is now, Posey makes it seem like how Gilmore girls would sound if someone described it to you without actually watching it. All those people who used the, "I hate the unrealistic banter" excuse for not liking Gilmore girls are going to depise JJ.
I haven't watched a sitcom in so long that I couldn't help but be startled by the laugh tracks and applause at the end. This, of course, is not unusual, but caught me off guard immediately. Then there was Parker Posey. I'm a fan, I like her work, but immediately I felt like I didn't like her as this character. Maybe it's because of the obvious similarities to Lorelai, (from Gilmore girls), where PP just didn't deliver where I knew LG could have. Not fair to compare the two actresses, I know, but it was the natural place my mind went. Why? The chatty-chatty dialogue of course. ASP is back in action with the snappy convos and the quick retorts. Did I think it worked? Honestly? No. Just one humble person's opinion, but it just wasn't carried the same. It seemed like ASP was trying direct Posey exactly towards a classic Lorelai performance in nearly every scene. (Including those infamous sad faces!)
First half of the show, it was cringe after cringe of Gilmore moments, (my personal favorite: when NAI-April showed up). The jokes fell short and I wanted to scream at the audience everytime they 'laughed'--"Stop telling me that was supposed to be funny and that I'm supposed to be laughing!" (First step in improving the show: lose the laugh track!)
Okay, this review is not all bad! I swear! By the end, I was satisfied. Don't know if I'm going to be running home to catch new episodes but it's definitely Tivo worthy. (Rating the pilot on a sliding scale of course.)
My mind started changing for the better midway through, with the appearance of Lauren Ambrose-who is awesome in this show. She makes the cartwheel thing (from the promo) funny! If that's not amazing, I don't know what is!!! For some reason, all the jokes started working. I laughed out loud a few times, and could even start to appreciate some of the characters, who before I had simply found annoying and useless.
But there's a big problem here. And I hate to say it, because I hate negative reviews of things, especially people, but it's clearly a problem. I went in with a clear mind, forgetting about Gilmore and all things previously ASP, but almost immediately it was clear to me that Parker Posey's character was a reincarnated Lorelai. Which, by all accounts, would be great, if only it was pulled off. But it's not. Not even close.
Long story short, Gilmore fans are going to be disappointed I fear. Like I said, the show itself rounded out pretty nicely, but, and this is a major but, somehow, ASP and PP have to get over the Lorelai hump. Everytime I would start to see Sarah, (Parker Posey's character), in her own light, they'd throw something towards me that would remind me of Lorelai. I was fighting them at every turn! This character needs something that's not there now. Something is off with her. She's too theatrical and just, well, kind of annoying. LG made the quick and witty dialogue endearing. The way it is now, Posey makes it seem like how Gilmore girls would sound if someone described it to you without actually watching it. All those people who used the, "I hate the unrealistic banter" excuse for not liking Gilmore girls are going to depise JJ.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Dude! Your Car's Been Toad!
So the good news is, I'm officially nocturnal. The bad news? The sun is rising and I'm wide awake. Maybe not wide awake. I'm a little punchy. (For instance, I currently think replacing "towed" with "toad" is hilarious!) Further proof of this is when I pulled into the driveway a few minutes ago, talking to my east coast sister on the phone, I shushed her and insisted there was a rattlesnake in my front yard. Upon further investigation, it was the neighbors sprinklers.
Today, while all of you were at work, and I was spending my day lounging waiting for my nightshift to begin, I watched as a car was towed from my street. I wondered what exactly their indiscretion had been, but figured it was probably just a run-of-the-mill repossession or something.
Well, tonight, or this morning rather, upon returning home from work, I took my dog out for a tiny little walk. How can a tiny walk be little you ask? Well, it's to the street and back. She pees, yawns, leads me back inside. There you have it: tiny little.
Okay so I'm walking cautiously to the street, (watching out for rattlesnakes mind you), and I see a man in a suit walking down the sidewalk. It's one of those situations where the person doesn't see you, but you know when they do, it's going to startle them. Well, right before I got to my fake-cough to announce my presence stage, he noticed me and almost seems to duck away from me at first. It was odd. He looked like your standard business man, nice suit and tie, going in for an early morning in the office. But he was looking for something. And I watched him as he passed my house, and looked back confused. Then it struck me: he was looking for his car.
A few things. First of all, where had this man been? This car was towed around 2pm yesterday afternoon, and now it is 5:30am. He seemed a little unfamiliar with the area, and although I certainly don't recognize everyone in my neighborhood, I had never seen this guy before. And if he was a business man, as one would assume from his attire, wouldn't he have had to work yesterday? I ponder the possibilities because, let's face it, I'm nosey and want to know everything about people that strike my fancy. Okay, "fancy" is not the right word there. Or maybe it is. What I mean is, people who I find interesting or intriguing.
Okay, secondly, this car was not a super-fancy car. It was not a Rolls or Benz. (Yes, I just said "Rolls" and "Benz".) This guy seems well enough off that he wouldn't be getting his Honda repossessed. Especially if he was the over-achieving business man I painted him as in my first impression.
Thirdly, and this only occured to me after the fact, but was he reaching for a gun or something when he saw me? He seemed to go for something. Maybe it was pepper-spray or his pocket-protector, but he sure was jumpy.
So what does this spell out? Sketchy.
i decided to toss out my first impression and formulate a new one.
On Sunday evening he went to dinner was some of his associates. They discussed their sketchy business matters and what not. "Swifty", as he prefers to be called, is a major drug addict. The other members invite him over to one of their houses and insist he park miles away. Here, they go on an all night drug binge where they play a fierce and psychedelic game of D&D. Soon enough, Sunday evening turns into Monday morning and they're still at it. Finally, around 5pm, they all pass out. He wakes up at four, still in his suit from dinner, and decides it's time to head home. He begins his walk, nerves still rattled from the drugs. He's paranoid and jumpy, drug hungover and tired. He gets to the street where he's sure he parked his car, and can't seem to find it. He's so busy looking for said car, he doesn't see the girl walking down her driveway. When he sees movement from the corner of his eye, he turns and reaches for his sword, (that he's sure really exists---or it did a few hours ago anyway), sure that the dragon he had been fighting hours before had returned for round seventeen. He's startled to find that his sword has disappeared but is temporarily relieved that the dragon had also seemed to vanish due to the presence of a mortal and her K-9. He returns to his task at hand: finding his car. Confused, he wonders if he had sold it while on the binge, as it seems to be nowhere around. He then wonders if "Quantum"'s spell had actually worked. He whips out his phone to investigate the situation. Only to be reminded by his pal "Lark" that he stopped paying for his car to save up for his fantasy character figurines and premium rocks. "Rats", he thinks. "Not again."
On another note: I wonder if dogs don't think that we kiss them because we don't lick their faces?
Today, while all of you were at work, and I was spending my day lounging waiting for my nightshift to begin, I watched as a car was towed from my street. I wondered what exactly their indiscretion had been, but figured it was probably just a run-of-the-mill repossession or something.
Well, tonight, or this morning rather, upon returning home from work, I took my dog out for a tiny little walk. How can a tiny walk be little you ask? Well, it's to the street and back. She pees, yawns, leads me back inside. There you have it: tiny little.
Okay so I'm walking cautiously to the street, (watching out for rattlesnakes mind you), and I see a man in a suit walking down the sidewalk. It's one of those situations where the person doesn't see you, but you know when they do, it's going to startle them. Well, right before I got to my fake-cough to announce my presence stage, he noticed me and almost seems to duck away from me at first. It was odd. He looked like your standard business man, nice suit and tie, going in for an early morning in the office. But he was looking for something. And I watched him as he passed my house, and looked back confused. Then it struck me: he was looking for his car.
A few things. First of all, where had this man been? This car was towed around 2pm yesterday afternoon, and now it is 5:30am. He seemed a little unfamiliar with the area, and although I certainly don't recognize everyone in my neighborhood, I had never seen this guy before. And if he was a business man, as one would assume from his attire, wouldn't he have had to work yesterday? I ponder the possibilities because, let's face it, I'm nosey and want to know everything about people that strike my fancy. Okay, "fancy" is not the right word there. Or maybe it is. What I mean is, people who I find interesting or intriguing.
Okay, secondly, this car was not a super-fancy car. It was not a Rolls or Benz. (Yes, I just said "Rolls" and "Benz".) This guy seems well enough off that he wouldn't be getting his Honda repossessed. Especially if he was the over-achieving business man I painted him as in my first impression.
Thirdly, and this only occured to me after the fact, but was he reaching for a gun or something when he saw me? He seemed to go for something. Maybe it was pepper-spray or his pocket-protector, but he sure was jumpy.
So what does this spell out? Sketchy.
i decided to toss out my first impression and formulate a new one.
On Sunday evening he went to dinner was some of his associates. They discussed their sketchy business matters and what not. "Swifty", as he prefers to be called, is a major drug addict. The other members invite him over to one of their houses and insist he park miles away. Here, they go on an all night drug binge where they play a fierce and psychedelic game of D&D. Soon enough, Sunday evening turns into Monday morning and they're still at it. Finally, around 5pm, they all pass out. He wakes up at four, still in his suit from dinner, and decides it's time to head home. He begins his walk, nerves still rattled from the drugs. He's paranoid and jumpy, drug hungover and tired. He gets to the street where he's sure he parked his car, and can't seem to find it. He's so busy looking for said car, he doesn't see the girl walking down her driveway. When he sees movement from the corner of his eye, he turns and reaches for his sword, (that he's sure really exists---or it did a few hours ago anyway), sure that the dragon he had been fighting hours before had returned for round seventeen. He's startled to find that his sword has disappeared but is temporarily relieved that the dragon had also seemed to vanish due to the presence of a mortal and her K-9. He returns to his task at hand: finding his car. Confused, he wonders if he had sold it while on the binge, as it seems to be nowhere around. He then wonders if "Quantum"'s spell had actually worked. He whips out his phone to investigate the situation. Only to be reminded by his pal "Lark" that he stopped paying for his car to save up for his fantasy character figurines and premium rocks. "Rats", he thinks. "Not again."
On another note: I wonder if dogs don't think that we kiss them because we don't lick their faces?
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Is It Just Me, Or Are T-Shirts Getting Funnier and Funnier?
Here are a few that have had me dying laughing tonight:
Here are the ones that I will likely be wearing soon:
And the winner of the evening is:
T-shirts courtesy of:
(Check these links out! Much more hilarity lies within!)
T-Shirt Hell
Dirty Microbe
Busted Tees
Snorg Tees
Here are the ones that I will likely be wearing soon:
And the winner of the evening is:
T-shirts courtesy of:
(Check these links out! Much more hilarity lies within!)
T-Shirt Hell
Dirty Microbe
Busted Tees
Snorg Tees
Friday, June 08, 2007
Odd Job
Okay I have the strangest job in the entire world right now. I'm digitizing hours and hours and hours of people's home videos. Like some people sent in one modest tape with a video they cut together on it, and others, well others sent in upwards of twenty tapes from years of filming. I'm watching people's weddings and family dinners, listening to roommates talk about their new apartment, watching friends hanging out carefreely singing or talking, unknowingly devulging this information to me, a person who they've never met, sitting in this strange building in Los Angeles at 2am. Is that creepy? I feel kinda creepy watching all these videos, even though it's literally my job right now.
But it's so interesting. A little depressing as well. A couple of times, I've formed some attachments to these people I'm watching, only for the next tape of their story to be a memorial video. No kidding. This has happened three times. I'm now to the point where I cringe every time I put in a new tape, hoping that they met a better fate than the last guy.
There've been a few survivors. Right now, I'm following this girl, (on tape 18!), through her life. It's odd, but I feel like I know her. I'm like watching her interact with her parents, grandparents, brother, friends, boyfriends. When the tapes started it was 1994. Now it's 2000 and she's living in a new apartment.
Okay, so what an odd job right? It's making me want a video camera right this instant. Which is bad because I have credit card bills. And oh man, this tape has "Warning: Sensitive Material" on its label. Now I'm scared.
Back to work.
But it's so interesting. A little depressing as well. A couple of times, I've formed some attachments to these people I'm watching, only for the next tape of their story to be a memorial video. No kidding. This has happened three times. I'm now to the point where I cringe every time I put in a new tape, hoping that they met a better fate than the last guy.
There've been a few survivors. Right now, I'm following this girl, (on tape 18!), through her life. It's odd, but I feel like I know her. I'm like watching her interact with her parents, grandparents, brother, friends, boyfriends. When the tapes started it was 1994. Now it's 2000 and she's living in a new apartment.
Okay, so what an odd job right? It's making me want a video camera right this instant. Which is bad because I have credit card bills. And oh man, this tape has "Warning: Sensitive Material" on its label. Now I'm scared.
Back to work.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
In My Own Backyard!
Perhaps feeling guilty from the last time I failed to act quickly enough, today I believe I was inducted into my neighborhoods "Community Watch" program.
So I'm going about my normal morning business, drinking coffee and scanning the internet. My wireless internet is down so I wasn't on the porch as much as usual. My front door was open and I was sitting on my couch hardwired into my modem. I hear a man on the street below yelling. I come to the porch and see a man looking helplessly around yelling "Thief! Thief!"
He yells to other neighbors that have come outside that he's looking for a black man. He starts walking up my driveway and I get nervous. I call for the dogs and walk towards the backdoor to ensure it's locked. (Thinking that the thief might be looking for a house to hide in.) As I turn the corner into the kitchen, I hold my hands up in some sort of karate pose that I never knew I knew. No one's there. Relief. It's locked and I turn my attention back towards the driveway, sticking my head out of the window just in time to see the man cornering a young black man, with poofy hair in my backyard! The guy looks scared as the worker who has been chasing him starts to move in, yelling "Thief!" and pointing in his direction. I watch it all and grab my phone to dial "911". The kid jumps the fence next to mine and gets away. The worker then runs into my front yard and grabs a broom of some sort, taking the brush part off, (left with just the handle), and jumps into a car. He means business.
At this point I'm trying to describe stuff to the 911 guy, but also trying to figure out where they are going. I've completely lost the suspect at this point, so I tell the 911 man where the worker headed.
I was shaking and nervous but gave all the info I had. The street turned silent as the chase moved elsewhere, but with doors locked and windows drawn, I sat nervously, with the dogs, hoping that Thief wouldn't come back and get revenge on nosey neighbors.
It's now almost 30 minutes later and no police to speak of. The guy chasing him has returned and checked our backyard looking for the purse that Thief seemed to no longer be carrying. He couldn't find it, which worries me that perhaps Thief stashed it and will be back for it later. No one has heard from the cops and I salute the LAPD for taking such action against this criminal. Good to know I guess.
The lady that lives below me, the landlords sister, came out and ensured me that this happens all the time and that they never come into the houses. She said, "he'll do it again and eventually get caught." Good to know lady! Way to ease my nerves! So apparently, this guy snatched a purse off of a woman in a market down the street. I assume that the worker saw and chased him here. Also apparently, this market is not one that I'm going to be frequenting.
Well that's it for now. I guess it's over. He got away. But not for lack of trying! This worker guy was like superman chasing this guy.
Nothing like a criminal chase to wake a person up in the morning.
UPDATE: It took about an hour, but the police finally came. They were milling about in the backyard with the worker from before. I was brushing my teeth and looked down and noticed a black bag on the roof of the garage. As I went out to tell the cops, they had just seen it as well. Turns out, it was a bookbag but the purse was still missing. They get all my info and I went on my way. Let's hope they found that purse! And hope even more that Thief doesn't come back looking for it.
So I'm going about my normal morning business, drinking coffee and scanning the internet. My wireless internet is down so I wasn't on the porch as much as usual. My front door was open and I was sitting on my couch hardwired into my modem. I hear a man on the street below yelling. I come to the porch and see a man looking helplessly around yelling "Thief! Thief!"
He yells to other neighbors that have come outside that he's looking for a black man. He starts walking up my driveway and I get nervous. I call for the dogs and walk towards the backdoor to ensure it's locked. (Thinking that the thief might be looking for a house to hide in.) As I turn the corner into the kitchen, I hold my hands up in some sort of karate pose that I never knew I knew. No one's there. Relief. It's locked and I turn my attention back towards the driveway, sticking my head out of the window just in time to see the man cornering a young black man, with poofy hair in my backyard! The guy looks scared as the worker who has been chasing him starts to move in, yelling "Thief!" and pointing in his direction. I watch it all and grab my phone to dial "911". The kid jumps the fence next to mine and gets away. The worker then runs into my front yard and grabs a broom of some sort, taking the brush part off, (left with just the handle), and jumps into a car. He means business.
At this point I'm trying to describe stuff to the 911 guy, but also trying to figure out where they are going. I've completely lost the suspect at this point, so I tell the 911 man where the worker headed.
I was shaking and nervous but gave all the info I had. The street turned silent as the chase moved elsewhere, but with doors locked and windows drawn, I sat nervously, with the dogs, hoping that Thief wouldn't come back and get revenge on nosey neighbors.
It's now almost 30 minutes later and no police to speak of. The guy chasing him has returned and checked our backyard looking for the purse that Thief seemed to no longer be carrying. He couldn't find it, which worries me that perhaps Thief stashed it and will be back for it later. No one has heard from the cops and I salute the LAPD for taking such action against this criminal. Good to know I guess.
The lady that lives below me, the landlords sister, came out and ensured me that this happens all the time and that they never come into the houses. She said, "he'll do it again and eventually get caught." Good to know lady! Way to ease my nerves! So apparently, this guy snatched a purse off of a woman in a market down the street. I assume that the worker saw and chased him here. Also apparently, this market is not one that I'm going to be frequenting.
Well that's it for now. I guess it's over. He got away. But not for lack of trying! This worker guy was like superman chasing this guy.
Nothing like a criminal chase to wake a person up in the morning.
UPDATE: It took about an hour, but the police finally came. They were milling about in the backyard with the worker from before. I was brushing my teeth and looked down and noticed a black bag on the roof of the garage. As I went out to tell the cops, they had just seen it as well. Turns out, it was a bookbag but the purse was still missing. They get all my info and I went on my way. Let's hope they found that purse! And hope even more that Thief doesn't come back looking for it.
I'll Leave You With Something Thought-Provoking
I was doing some copper bracelet research tonight for a friend who has been having some arthritis in his hands. (Arthritis?!?! I'm getting so old, it's terrifying.) I happened to come across this gem of page that explains the benefits of a copper bracelet quite clearly.
Why does our Dealon Healing Copper Bracelet work? Well, we're not doctors and we make no medical claims for our product, but, we believe it's the copper.
Wow, thanks for clearing that up, Dealon!
Why does our Dealon Healing Copper Bracelet work? Well, we're not doctors and we make no medical claims for our product, but, we believe it's the copper.
Wow, thanks for clearing that up, Dealon!
At Least I'm Honest
"Hey, if you're still unemployed today, Tuesday the 5th of the month of June, me and my pup are thinking about going hiking today around noonish. (I'm all about it, she's still deciding.)
Okay, so hiking is maybe an overstatement. There's definitely mountains and a dirt path, but I will embarrassingly be out of breath in like one incline, and you will have to carry on the conversation by yourself until we start going back down and my breath returns. Your presence, however, may protect me from perhaps my greatest fear, mountain lions. I will also be a joy to chat with once the inclines are over, (I'm awesome on the decline).
This is all assuming I make it out of bed tomorrow morning and can actually walk from my hike today. So far I'm not sore, but we'll see. Anyway, thought I'd see if you were interested. I know how fun distractions are during the job search process.
-Ms BCT"
Okay, so hiking is maybe an overstatement. There's definitely mountains and a dirt path, but I will embarrassingly be out of breath in like one incline, and you will have to carry on the conversation by yourself until we start going back down and my breath returns. Your presence, however, may protect me from perhaps my greatest fear, mountain lions. I will also be a joy to chat with once the inclines are over, (I'm awesome on the decline).
This is all assuming I make it out of bed tomorrow morning and can actually walk from my hike today. So far I'm not sore, but we'll see. Anyway, thought I'd see if you were interested. I know how fun distractions are during the job search process.
-Ms BCT"
Monday, June 04, 2007
Conundrum
Okay, so I'm trying to get on this night schedule thing, but I'm currently in a conundrum. I am going hiking with the roommate and our doggies at eleven a.m. tomorrow morning. I also work tomorrow night. Right now, it is one a.m. I'm trying my hardest to stay up so I'll be on my A game tomorrow night, but I'm tired. We ate a large homemade meal tonight, and have spent the evening watching hits like "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "One Fine Day" reclining on the couch. Roommate went to sleep a while ago, and my eyes are drifting shut. I'm trying to decide if I should just go to sleep now so I can wake up a little early to drink my coffee---NAP! I'm going to take a nap after hiking! Problem solved. G'night.
My Song of the Moment
My Song of the Moment
Thursday, May 31, 2007
With A Side of Sanity Please--
For the past few years I've routinely been getting these panic attack things. I first started getting them in movie theaters. In my college life, I spent many a day in a theater and especially during the previews, when things were quiet but my mind wasn't completely enthralled yet, they would strike. The room would start to close in and my throat would feel like it was closing up. I'd adjust myself uncomfortably in my chair and reach for water, (for the sensation of liquid travelling down my not-closed throat). I never would tell whoever I was with, but sometimes I'd stop myself from grabbing their hand and pleading, "Call an ambulance. I'm dying."
"It's in my mind," I'd repeat to myself, sometimes laughing just to make a sound. Trying not to let anyone around me hear the gulps of air I was snatching up, probably getting myself so high on oxygen, working only to increase my levels of anxiety. I couldn't sit in a theater, completely still and silent, and not have an attack. And I never thought, or considered, why this was happening until I started riding the subway.
On the subway, usually when the train was traveling under water, but always when I was alone and silent and still, I'd have attacks. It was quiet and still and I needed to do something, but knew that I couldn't. Same as the theater. Knowing that if I freaked out right there, it would cause quite a scene. And I'm not sure when I started feeling this way, but I hate making scenes. I think my body hated the fact that I couldn't scream at the top of my lungs and revolted against me in the form of rapid heartbeat, not being able to catch my breath, tightness in the throat, shaky legs, sweat. Several times, I fought to stand upright, always grabbing the nearest pole and nearly hanging from it as my legs refused to hold me up. I've almost reenacted the scene from Friends where Joey motions at the old lady to get up out of her wheelchair so he can sit down, several times.
My attacks have come in other situations as well. The common thread always being the same things: Me not being able to speak. Me not being able to move around or yell or bounce off walls. And this is why I think my sanity is hanging on by a thread. Does my body want me to speak or yell or whatever so badly that when it feels like it can not, it decides to shut down? Me having to stand still, being forced to be quiet, is the kryptonite that kills my sanity. I wonder what would happen if I allowed myself to do whatever my body wanted in these situations? Do I have a case of turrets that I'm fighting so hard to conceal, my body freaks?
This is just one more reason why pretty soon these entries are going to start with: "So my therapist says...."
And speaking of sanity, tonight is my first night as one of those people who only comes out when the sun goes down. Yep, I started a night gig. So far, I likey. I mean, I'm writing a blog entry! Woo. Tonight is apparently a slow night, so I guess I won't judge quite yet. The person I'm working with, (awkward!), is the person I might be replacing. Yikes. And it's a secret, as in, he doesn't know that. And it kills me when he talks about how much he likes his job, his hopes and dreams, his contentedness with his life. I was telling someone about the situation, my dad I think, and he thought this would happen. That I would form an attachment(?) to the person and end up feeling guilty about this whole situation! I mean, I wish they wouldn't have told me! I wish it just would have been, boom! You're here, he's not. Oops. But no. I'm a knowing participant. And yikes does that suck.
What sucks even more? He's kind of creepy. He's not, being that he seems really nice and great and helpful, but he has the potential to be that type of person. You know. That type. The type that has a button when pressed he freaks out and burns stuff down. That scares me. Maybe I'm completely misjudging here, but just because this is what I do, I'm going to be paranoid about it for a couple of months if I do, in fact, end up replacing him. Like, someone walk me to my car please! (I'm taking applications, cute boy from floor above mine.)
Speaking of boys, I just want to say, for the record, I don't like being catty. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs. But today, there was a goat comment that nearly slipped through my lips. (I held it in thank goodness. I'm a lady afterall.) But as a wise person once said, "Squatters make other squatters, squat." Enough said.
Hello room temperature coffee. I'm great, (thanks for asking). How are you??? Oh, delicious?! That's weird.
I'm slipping inside the eye of my mind, Oasis!!
"It's in my mind," I'd repeat to myself, sometimes laughing just to make a sound. Trying not to let anyone around me hear the gulps of air I was snatching up, probably getting myself so high on oxygen, working only to increase my levels of anxiety. I couldn't sit in a theater, completely still and silent, and not have an attack. And I never thought, or considered, why this was happening until I started riding the subway.
On the subway, usually when the train was traveling under water, but always when I was alone and silent and still, I'd have attacks. It was quiet and still and I needed to do something, but knew that I couldn't. Same as the theater. Knowing that if I freaked out right there, it would cause quite a scene. And I'm not sure when I started feeling this way, but I hate making scenes. I think my body hated the fact that I couldn't scream at the top of my lungs and revolted against me in the form of rapid heartbeat, not being able to catch my breath, tightness in the throat, shaky legs, sweat. Several times, I fought to stand upright, always grabbing the nearest pole and nearly hanging from it as my legs refused to hold me up. I've almost reenacted the scene from Friends where Joey motions at the old lady to get up out of her wheelchair so he can sit down, several times.
My attacks have come in other situations as well. The common thread always being the same things: Me not being able to speak. Me not being able to move around or yell or bounce off walls. And this is why I think my sanity is hanging on by a thread. Does my body want me to speak or yell or whatever so badly that when it feels like it can not, it decides to shut down? Me having to stand still, being forced to be quiet, is the kryptonite that kills my sanity. I wonder what would happen if I allowed myself to do whatever my body wanted in these situations? Do I have a case of turrets that I'm fighting so hard to conceal, my body freaks?
This is just one more reason why pretty soon these entries are going to start with: "So my therapist says...."
And speaking of sanity, tonight is my first night as one of those people who only comes out when the sun goes down. Yep, I started a night gig. So far, I likey. I mean, I'm writing a blog entry! Woo. Tonight is apparently a slow night, so I guess I won't judge quite yet. The person I'm working with, (awkward!), is the person I might be replacing. Yikes. And it's a secret, as in, he doesn't know that. And it kills me when he talks about how much he likes his job, his hopes and dreams, his contentedness with his life. I was telling someone about the situation, my dad I think, and he thought this would happen. That I would form an attachment(?) to the person and end up feeling guilty about this whole situation! I mean, I wish they wouldn't have told me! I wish it just would have been, boom! You're here, he's not. Oops. But no. I'm a knowing participant. And yikes does that suck.
What sucks even more? He's kind of creepy. He's not, being that he seems really nice and great and helpful, but he has the potential to be that type of person. You know. That type. The type that has a button when pressed he freaks out and burns stuff down. That scares me. Maybe I'm completely misjudging here, but just because this is what I do, I'm going to be paranoid about it for a couple of months if I do, in fact, end up replacing him. Like, someone walk me to my car please! (I'm taking applications, cute boy from floor above mine.)
Speaking of boys, I just want to say, for the record, I don't like being catty. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs. But today, there was a goat comment that nearly slipped through my lips. (I held it in thank goodness. I'm a lady afterall.) But as a wise person once said, "Squatters make other squatters, squat." Enough said.
Hello room temperature coffee. I'm great, (thanks for asking). How are you??? Oh, delicious?! That's weird.
I'm slipping inside the eye of my mind, Oasis!!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
I Love Dogs!
I feel like my day was ripped from the pages of a screwball comedy. I've had the pleasure and privilege to take care of three dogs today. Not by choice, mind you, by default. At least if I had known what I was getting into, I could have mentally prepared. Alas, I haven't been this mad at a dog(s) since Hopper ate my Liz Phair CD. I cried extraordinarily large, hot, white tears. 
Our three stars:
Hopper-You know her. She's my little lady.
Cillian-My roommates little lady.
Stanley-My roommate's friend's puppy in which she was taking care of this weekend.
The set-up:
Roommate unexpectedly had to go elsewhere for the evening last night and much of the day today. Leaving me with default doggy duty.
My day began as the sun rose and woke little Stanley up. It was about six am. He decided that it was time to chew my headband, a hole in my carpet, and then wake his friends. Hopper, being well-trained to not rise before me, held her position on my bed, but Cillian was up and ready to play. When I refused to open my door, and let loose the herd to run rampidly through the house, no doubt waking my downstairs neighbors and thoroughly pissing them off, they revolted against me. All jumping on my bed, BARKING, AT ME, to wake up.
Barking. Enter my new pet peeve. Newly discovered. Barking, incessantly that is, dogs. Dogs that bark at every noise they hear, and that won't stop with a simple "Shut up!" Multiple dogs doing this may be a cause of death for me in the future. I nearly climbed out my window right then and there. Luckily, for your entertainment pleasure, I decided against it.
Not so luckily, these dogs were up. Up and not going back to sleep with any traditional methods of persuasion. Tranquilizers weren't at my disposal. Stanley, being an un-housetrained puppy, had to immediately be taken out. He's nearly eight months so I'm not exactly sure why he's not completely housetrained. But he's not, and he doesn't seem to care when you rub his face in his mistakes.
So I rolled out of bed with probably a picturesque face and an attitude that even coffee wouldn't fix. The second I got off the bed, the dogs were running around in circles and bounding all over the place, surely waking the neighbors, despite my best efforts.
Walking three dogs is hard enough. When they all want to go in different directions and love twisting up in each other's leashes, it's far worse. Stanley thought it was a good idea to pee on Hopper while she was peeing and Cillian saw a squirrel. I silently pleaded for my roommates timely return. Some how I made it through the morning, which is actually pretty long when you wake up at six. I had to seperate the dogs quite a bit in the early hours, still trying to keep the pretense of quiet.
By ten, when I hear the downstairs people mulling around, I let them be the wild animals they had wanted to be. What do they do? Sleep! Of course! By this time I had three cups of coffee pumping through my veins so no sleep for me.
Stanley then proceeds to poop in the den and pee in my room. Lovely. This is right after me taking them out again, mind you. And on this trip, instead of actually going to the bathroom, (obviously), Stanley thought it was a good idea to chase at a frou-frou dog of a not-so-friendly neighbor. When we get back in, he goes for my sunglasses, actually in the process of chomping down on them, and I yell at him louder than I've yelled at any other living thing ever. He smiled at me a wagged his tail. Infuriating.
At lunch, I take the dogs in the car to get some well-deserved lunch, (for me). Here, they were surprisingly well-behaved. Looking back, perhaps I should have just driven around all day.
Home again, Cillian, in the hopes that every car passing by was her mother returning home, found it important to bark as loudly as possible in case roommate was to miss the turn. She also found her release of energy in taunting Hopper all day, trying to get her to fight. Which with Stanley's presence, these two fighting is not an anomaly.
By nightfall, with roommate still not back, I knew I had to take the dogs out again. Courageously, I leashed them up and went where few have gone before. (I'm an exaggerator by nature.) The highlight of this walk was, beside the comically twisted leashes throughout and the three near trips of yours truly, was when Stanley's leash got stuck, somehow, inside of Hopper's collar. While I was trying to keep the dogs still long enough to untangle, Cillian decides now is a perfect time to finally get a snap in on Hopper. While my head is right by Hopper's face, she starts trying to bait Hopper into a fight. When I yank her leash, Hopper yelps and I realize I have yanked the wrong leash. At this point, what can you do but tredge on and go home and drink at beer at 7 o'clock on a Sunday evening? Nothing. So with choas around me, I sat here, where I am still, trying to ignore the loud barks and bounding dogs throughout the house.
I'm officially taking myself off doggy duty. Come hell or low water.
Our three stars:
Hopper-You know her. She's my little lady.
Cillian-My roommates little lady.
Stanley-My roommate's friend's puppy in which she was taking care of this weekend.
The set-up:
Roommate unexpectedly had to go elsewhere for the evening last night and much of the day today. Leaving me with default doggy duty.
My day began as the sun rose and woke little Stanley up. It was about six am. He decided that it was time to chew my headband, a hole in my carpet, and then wake his friends. Hopper, being well-trained to not rise before me, held her position on my bed, but Cillian was up and ready to play. When I refused to open my door, and let loose the herd to run rampidly through the house, no doubt waking my downstairs neighbors and thoroughly pissing them off, they revolted against me. All jumping on my bed, BARKING, AT ME, to wake up.
Barking. Enter my new pet peeve. Newly discovered. Barking, incessantly that is, dogs. Dogs that bark at every noise they hear, and that won't stop with a simple "Shut up!" Multiple dogs doing this may be a cause of death for me in the future. I nearly climbed out my window right then and there. Luckily, for your entertainment pleasure, I decided against it.
Not so luckily, these dogs were up. Up and not going back to sleep with any traditional methods of persuasion. Tranquilizers weren't at my disposal. Stanley, being an un-housetrained puppy, had to immediately be taken out. He's nearly eight months so I'm not exactly sure why he's not completely housetrained. But he's not, and he doesn't seem to care when you rub his face in his mistakes.
So I rolled out of bed with probably a picturesque face and an attitude that even coffee wouldn't fix. The second I got off the bed, the dogs were running around in circles and bounding all over the place, surely waking the neighbors, despite my best efforts.
Walking three dogs is hard enough. When they all want to go in different directions and love twisting up in each other's leashes, it's far worse. Stanley thought it was a good idea to pee on Hopper while she was peeing and Cillian saw a squirrel. I silently pleaded for my roommates timely return. Some how I made it through the morning, which is actually pretty long when you wake up at six. I had to seperate the dogs quite a bit in the early hours, still trying to keep the pretense of quiet.
By ten, when I hear the downstairs people mulling around, I let them be the wild animals they had wanted to be. What do they do? Sleep! Of course! By this time I had three cups of coffee pumping through my veins so no sleep for me.
Stanley then proceeds to poop in the den and pee in my room. Lovely. This is right after me taking them out again, mind you. And on this trip, instead of actually going to the bathroom, (obviously), Stanley thought it was a good idea to chase at a frou-frou dog of a not-so-friendly neighbor. When we get back in, he goes for my sunglasses, actually in the process of chomping down on them, and I yell at him louder than I've yelled at any other living thing ever. He smiled at me a wagged his tail. Infuriating.
At lunch, I take the dogs in the car to get some well-deserved lunch, (for me). Here, they were surprisingly well-behaved. Looking back, perhaps I should have just driven around all day.
Home again, Cillian, in the hopes that every car passing by was her mother returning home, found it important to bark as loudly as possible in case roommate was to miss the turn. She also found her release of energy in taunting Hopper all day, trying to get her to fight. Which with Stanley's presence, these two fighting is not an anomaly.
By nightfall, with roommate still not back, I knew I had to take the dogs out again. Courageously, I leashed them up and went where few have gone before. (I'm an exaggerator by nature.) The highlight of this walk was, beside the comically twisted leashes throughout and the three near trips of yours truly, was when Stanley's leash got stuck, somehow, inside of Hopper's collar. While I was trying to keep the dogs still long enough to untangle, Cillian decides now is a perfect time to finally get a snap in on Hopper. While my head is right by Hopper's face, she starts trying to bait Hopper into a fight. When I yank her leash, Hopper yelps and I realize I have yanked the wrong leash. At this point, what can you do but tredge on and go home and drink at beer at 7 o'clock on a Sunday evening? Nothing. So with choas around me, I sat here, where I am still, trying to ignore the loud barks and bounding dogs throughout the house.
I'm officially taking myself off doggy duty. Come hell or low water.
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