What the hell??

What is this video??


A description from this blog says:

"The amount of money that went into this blonde lady's vanity project is INCREDIBLE. Helicopters! Dragons! Swordsmanship classes! Also, this is the best thing I've ever seen. Also, can someone explain the storyline to me? Also, sleighride!!

Every time you watch it you will find a new favorite part."

OMG, I can't believe people make stuff like this. I feel like there's a plot somewhere in there but gosh, I could not find it.

HAHA.... HAHA

Hmm, hello

Wow, it's been a month since I posted? I didn't think it's been that long! But with returning from vacation and being swamped at work (I feel like I've been sprinting for a month), the fun New Hope fundraiser, and the election, I'm just now breathing again.

Right now I'm backing up my almost-full Mac to a backup hard drive, watching college football and waiting for the Cal/Stanford game, and enjoying the great SoCal imitation weather-wise that Oakland is pulling off. Yey sun, yey warmth!

Mitch and Nora are still awesomely adorable. Nora is heating herself on the windowsill while Mitch is cleaning his fur while curled between polar bear, my red curtain, and the warm cream flannel blanket.

Things that are in heaven: Ben & Jerry's ice cream, football, cats specifically Mitch, Nora, Frisky, Pancakes, and Waffles, peppermint, and gingerbread houses. That's what I know for sure, there may be more things. Your thoughts?

I decorated my little place with Christmas lights, Christmas musical snowglobe, and my tree skirt folded into a runner/cover. I feel excited about the holidays this year. And my favorite flavor of all time is peppermint which comes out from spring and summer hiding to re-debut in winter. Bring it on, peppermint! Come on out and play. And I love gingerbread houses - light up ones, snowglobe ones, make-it-yourself ones. Anyone want to make one with me?

Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone and have a wonderful time being grateful for your life, friends, and family :)

Videos

Boybama - Battleground of your heart

For all the white women...

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

9 Phrases Women Use

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

11 Phrases Men Use

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Drunk History
LMAO

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Boston, foliage, and maple candy, here I come!

Yey, I leave tomorrow morning for my New England trip.

See you all next week!

Pet peeves

1. Pedestrians who just walk across the street without looking. If they could just pause and wait for the natural flow of traffic to ebb by vs. making cars brake and stop all the cars behind them.

2. OMG, people who do not know to put the period before the quotation marks. It should be:

"I didn't want to walk the dog this morning."

NOT

"I didn't want to walk the dog this morning".

Does that even look right?

3. Commercials that are louder than the TV show.

That's all for now.

On a positive note, I spoke at church for the first time this morning. I spoke on money and finances - feel that it went well and am proud of myself. I like speaking and teaching - maybe I should do more?

Twitter

Does anyone use Twitter? Isn't it just like Gmail chat lines but updated like 20 times a day?

It kinda seems interesting but then I remember that I can't even blog more than once a week!

OMG, Mad Med is one of my fave shows and in the movie Love Actually, one of the dumb American blond bimbos the English guy meets and sleeps right away is the actress January Jones, the wife of the lead on Mad Men. Weird!

Staying up too late

What am I doing? Go to sleep, Orangecat.

I've been on a Facebook binge these past few days, adding like 15 people. I found both my brothers, one with a fake name who hasn't accepted me as his friend. Yep, that is so him, ha ha. Should I be offended my other brother hadn't added me? Facebook has such a surreal effect on me - I get happy seeing some people's wedding pics and new babies. But then also I get down looking at others' wonderful, travel-y lives. So I have to limit myself. Then today, one of my elementary best friends/frenemies but who moved away in junior high, contacted me (how did she find me?? i don't live in SD anymore) and wanted to add me as a friend. weird!! what do I do? I'm trying to figure out how to add ppl but only show them a limited profile. Yet I can't even find out on the site where the friend requests are... ah, Facebook, you are a good distraction during this Palin/economy crash craziness...

I'm watching Love Actually. I haven't seen it in so long, it's good :)

McCain's next Hail Marys

What will he do next?

Haha

From Slate.com

Sabotage

Does it sometimes seem like someone on McCain's team is actually trying to sabotage him?

I mean, did someone actually think this trick this week would work? It feels so ridiculous, I stop and think, "No, it can't quite be real... maybe there is a traitor on the Republican team." Maybe, right? I mean, who says there isn't? Wouldn't that be crazy if there were such things as political Donnie Brasco's who sneak in, gain the confidence of the other side, hide recording devices in their boots during dinner at Japanese restaurants, and then betray them.

Could it be possible?

Economy and New England

This economy craziness... what to say? The only time I'm glad I'm not rich with lots of money in stocks and 401K. Whoo hoo, I'm low on money!

I'm typing on my Mac and using Mitch as an elbow rest. Ah, Mitchie.

My brother and sis-in-law got two cats. They named them Pancakes and Waffles bc that's Lesley's favorite food: breakfast food. If they got a third cat, it'd be named French Toast. Hee hee but for reals. Yey, more cats!

I'm getting excited about the New England road trip. I leave two weeks from yesterday. We have a rental car, places to stay, and some maps. That's kinda it. Sounds like a nice, relaxing, wandering trip. We have plans to 1) visit Ben & Jerry's HQ, 2) drive around and see beautiful fall leaves, and 3) eat lobster in Maine. I love not having many plans. I intentionally didn't buy the Lonely Planet book bc I wanted to wing it. But yes, me winging it, still involves lots of web research and getting free maps from www.visitnh.gov and other similar sites :) I feel like I'm going to fall in love with New England and want to move there. It just looks so beautiful.

Bye, furry armrest. You were good to me.

Is it just me or does Twitter not sound that interesting? Isn't there such a thing as info/communications/friend overload? I can't handle Facebook more than one day every couple of weeks.

Really good NY Times interview on Palin

Wow, this kinda sounds like how Bush works - secrecy , blurring between personal and professional lines...

Guns

Who the HELL is in favor of semiautomatic weapons being legal?! For what f'ing purpose?

I don't agree with hunting for sport or keeping a handgun for personal safety but I respect that some people think that is important. I don't respect it so much that I wouldn't vote hell yes on making owning a gun illegal. I'm just saying I'm open-minded to understand differences.

But you tell me, to my face, that you want to kill a deer with a semiautomatic weapon or that you need one to defend your family. You tell me the reasoning behind that.

I was so mad when Palin said she supported them in her interview.

Why doesn't McCain get called on his lies?

From the RealMcCain.com

Palin

I'm not going to say anything new, that hasn't already been said.

My reaction to her speech was like, wow. She didn't hold anything back. I also thought as I watched kinda amazed she was so bold in her attacks on Obama. And stuff wasn't even true. Wow, you have a pair, woman.

But I also thought, ok, I can maybe understand how some ppl, esp those in the red states so to speak, could like what she's saying. But only in terms of leading America, which is actually only half of the job description of the presidency, which let's be honest, she's basically applying for that job. Old man McCain who?

What's the other half? Representing America and American interests in international relations. And how could anyone watch her and think she could wisely fulfill that half of the job? Two reasons why she can't: 1) Not only no experience bc Obama doesn't either and no candidate ever does, but no history of having to partner with other leaders. This is where a Senator trumps a Governor, who can do whatever the heck they want (yes you, Shwarze-I-Hate-you-governator) within reason. 2) She seems just like Bush - strong-willed, stubborn, clear opinion and focused. I don't want another Bush negotiating with our world leaders.

Which yeah, how exactly is the McCain/Palin ticket selling their campaign as opposite of Bush when they're just like Bush? Mavericks, trust them, they can lead. No, I want a leader who knows he needs a strong team with them bc that means he knows how to work with people and compromise. I'll take that over someone who sticks to their guns, sometimes literally.

On a different topic

Ok, Mark, here's a post on a different subject...

My coworker is the sister of a famous lead singer of a well-known band. I used to not know this, and I now know this. I was at lunch with coworkers for one of the women's birthdays and we were chatting about famous men we find attractive. Brad Pitt's name got floated around quite a bit. Then someone said, "Well, you know Tina's [fake name] brother." The other women nodded heads and murmured, "Yeah, Tom [fake name] is pretty cute." I was confused. "Tom?" "Yeah, Tom, Tina's brother. Don't you know him?" "Well, uh, did her brother come into the office? How would I have met him?" I have to say that I had no idea who Tina's brother was and Tom's real name is kinda common. "You know, Tom [last name], from [famous band]."

What?? Tina's brother is Tom from Famous Band??

(Tina and Tom are so off their real names, it's weird to type it!)

The women continued, "Yeah, doesn't she look like him?" and described stories of their relatives visiting the office and being very impressed with meeting Tina. One women's niece knew who Tina was just by looking at her (and her hyphenated last name which has her maiden name included) because she's such a big fan, she has all the family members memorized. Creepy...

So I get back to the office, kinda in shock, and happen to pass Tina a few times that day. I try to secretly stare at her, trying to find resemblance to Tom. Kinda, I guess.

I've gotten a chance to talk with Tina more lately during four mile walks around the lake. I want to ask what it's like to have this famous brother but seems very blase about it. She'll mention him a few times here and there but only in context of her own life.

I find myself surprised by how I see her differently now that I know this. Why is she different because her brother is a famous musician? Fame is a funny thing, isn't it? Putting a camera on someone, broadcasting their image and/or creative expression to millions of people, makes you feel like you both know them intimately and that they're better or different or not quite like you. But they're still just a person, with the same emotions and weaknesses. And so with their siblings, also.

Things I think we should bring back

Saying "That's so real"

High-jeans with belts and cropped shirts

Overalls with one strap hanging loose

Dressing like you're 35 when you're 16 (like wearing pantsuits)

Wearing see through shirts

Saying "Don't have a cow, man" and not sarcastically

Phones with looong stretched out cords that are twenty feet long

Flipped out, hairsprayed bangs

Having intense, overdramatic reactions to events causing simple things to turn into huge catastrophic emotional roller coaster situations... oh, wait, that was just fictional 90210.

Seriously, did they not sell tank tops in Beverly Hills in 1990?? I'm watching during a heat wave and I'm sweating watching these blazers and thick sweaters on ppl in LA. Can I go to the Gap, buy some tank tops, take a time machine to 1990, and hand them out to fictional tv characters? It's driving me crazzzy.

More thoughts on 90210

Wo, Brandon was a drama queen. He keeps butting into everyone's business and getting pretty passionately angry after like one person tells him one thing.

The fourth episode is kinda racist. Brandon is intimidated during basketball tryouts by these tall, good players including several black guys. Bitter Steve puts the angry bug in Brandon's ear that these guys are bussed in, aren't smart, and don't even show up for classes. That's an extreme argument even for an anti-affirmative action opinion. Brandon gets mad, investigates (remember he's also a journalist) that some of the guys are part of this assistance program but later finds out he was totally wrong about one of the black guys. In kinda apologizing and saying how everyone judges everyone else, Brandon says, "Well, I'm not a cowboy and you're not a gangbanger crackhead." Wow. TOTALLY the same kind of level of stereotype. WOW.

This show is like a made-for-tv special. Ah, special episodes, everytime.

Ok, watching the new show. I don't like the curly haired girl (eh), the supposedly lead guy seems like a wuss, and the main twin girl is super skinny. All these white people look the same, can you tell them apart? And I say that as a white chick!

OMG, my heart skipped a beat when an actor that had been on The Wire hugged the actress from Arrested Development. Ah, my tv worlds have combined! Kinda. And yes, she still does a great passive-aggressive bitter drunk.

The pilot echoes the pilot from the original 90210. I say that because I watched it last night, hee hee.

In the first scene, the dad says, "Family is the most important thing." Arrested Development, shout out!

These kids actually look like teenagers. Not 30yr old MEN (yes, you, Ian Ziering).

It feels like the OC a bit.

I'm waiting for Shannon Doherty to show up. Brenda, come out and play!

Beverly OMG Hills

Darn you, CBS.com! You got me hooked on Hawaii 5-0 in the spring and now you have the first three entire seasons of Beverly Hills 90210. I am becoming addicted even though I didn't really watch it in the 90's. And you have Family Ties and MacGyver!? I'm a goner... "Work, I'll be calling in sick for a few weeks..."

I am laughing as I watched the first two shows. Hee hee.

9 Things I learned while watching 90210 (get it? "9"):

1) Despite living in freakin' LA with a shining sun, the most appropriate clothing is jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and jackets. All kinds of jackets - blazers, denim jackets, a black suit coat with white shorts to a pool party (yes, I saw you, Steve Sanders), varsity jackets. Can't get enough. Mmm, jackets. Even going to the beach to TAN requires jeans, sneakers, and a jacket. Heaven forbid someone wear a tank top! (Seriously, was covering up "in" in 1990?)

2) If you move from Minnesota at the tender age of 16 to Beverly Hills, you also leave behind remembrance of any friends from your previous life. You never call, write, or even mention them. You are comfortable being uprooted entirely during HIGH SCHOOL, moving to an entirely different culture (kinda, just go with me), do not show any anger to your parents, and only have issues with how little money your family has (then why did you move to BH???). You perhaps got a brain transplant when you switched time zones? "I have no friends from Minnesota. I do not miss them. I am a blank slate, ready to be filled with new interesting character friends."

3) Is it weird that Ian Ziering is the best actor on the show?

4) If you surf drunk at 7am in the morning (hahahaha), Brandon Walsh will be around to save you.

5) If you look 30, you are actually a 16yr old in 1990.

6) If you are 16 during 1990, you think light denim jeans go well with a dark denim jacket. You are delusional.

7) Brandon Walsh finally gets decent hair gel and wears ok khakis by the end of the second episode and begins to look cute. The high-waisted jeans with a tight belt are good riddance.

8) The show does a surprisingly good job of showing the angst rich teens/kids must feel when their parents are never around and they don't call. Honestly, that would be pretty sad. It looks like freedom but it seems lonely.

9) If you are Brandon and Brenda Walsh, you make BFF's really quickly. Like in an hour. So close is your friendship you can say cheesy things like "I have next period free, let's go grab a burger" and "I want to be your friend." This was Brandon and Dylan, who btw enters the scene in the second episode which is very telling. There's always a big jump from the pilot to the second episode because they're shot about 4-8 months apart. Clearly, the producers were told to bring in a dangerous, rebel-y character. Dylan is perfect.

BH 90210 is all Monterey Jack and Cheddar - pure cheese, all the way.

With one of the best credit songs, too. Oh, how did I not watch you when I was 12-22??

Are there nonRepublican humans?

I ask that because it often feels like Republicans don't think so.

I've been musing about why the Elephant party's flinging of poo usually works to turn America against the flinged-upon, even if the crime is not that dire or really that big of a deal. Damn, the Republicans make it into a big deal, don't they? Really, was Clinton sleeping with an intern as big of a deal as they made it? Oh, they say, it was the lying that made him worthy of impeachment. Oh, ok, lying, you want to go there? Do you really want to address lying when Bush and Cheney are still in power?

But then there are rationalizations for why Republicans lie. Or steal or cheat or are pregnant or whatever. I'm fine that Palin's daughter is pregnant (I agree wholeheartedly with Obama that this has nothing to do with her ability to govern) and besides being scandalized by the true scandal (that Gov. Palin's four-month-old is actually her daughter's son, which c'mon, look at the pictures - Palin really did not seem pregnant. Not sure if it was Brickel or Brislin or whatever her name's but it's VERY hard to believe it's the governor's son), I'm pissed at the reaction from the right.

Of course I'm happy they're not cussing them out and kicking them to the political curb bc she's only 17 and all, but this rolling over backwards to explain how this young girl's pregnancy actually matches all of the right's opinions is BS. OK, girls get pregnant, it happens. But don't use it as some kind of twisted way to show how kind and open-minded you are, Republican ppl. Because you know if happened to a Democratic leader's daughter, there would be no forgiveness. Only hate and judgement and hissing of "oh, look at how good your teaching about sex-ed was" and no open arms. No treating the ppl like humans.

It feels like Republicans think only they are humans, with the potential for mistakes and slip-ups and accidentally shooting ppl in the face. And "sorry" rarely comes or if it does, it feels like a dish thrown on the table and we're supposed to be happy we got apology dinner at all and we better eat it quick. We don't get to question. Or make mistakes.

So Republicans, are Democrats human? Can you give us grace for our sexual mistakes and hopeful-but-sometimes-flawed ideas? Or is every mistake and wrong turn only proof that our entire party, our whole belief system, is headed down the wrong road? Because when you Republicans mess up, it's only you as an individual that fell, not a party that only funds abstinence teaching. No, that's not it at all. It was one girl, probably just one night while we're at it, and she's getting married to him! So now we're supporting marriage. Go us.

Stiff, the book

I finished a book called Stiff by Mary Roach, who more recently came out with a book called Bonk. Stiff is about cadavers. Bonk is about sex.

She's a great writer. I kept laughing out loud and when I tell ppl that, in regards to the subject matter, they look at me funny. But she just says the funniest things! And has a natural curiosity that I appreciate.

I now know way too much about cadavers. In connection to my weird obsession with organ transplant and wanting to know where do all the med school skeletons come from? (you kinda don't want to know), I can now add to that illustrious curiosity resume "Knows extensive cadaver facts and will elaborate easily."

Mary Roach writes respectfully of the dead and takes on a distant approach (it's not analyzing what happens to our beloved, but more strangers). In the end, I came away thinking there's no good way to handle a body after it's gone. Everything is messy and ugly and not pretty.

She writes that after talking to many researchers and other ppl who deal with cadavers, she hears that the biggest no-no to do to a dead body is test bullets or bombs on it. This is after reading about crash-test cadavers (I know, surprised me too) who get smashed in simulated car accidents, embalming, body farms where they study the body's messy, liquidy breakdown by having many bodies in different stages of decomposition, and plastic surgeons who practice on decapitated heads. So what's so bad about using cadavers to test bombs or bomb-seeker shoes? I found that very interesting. I say, blow me up. I'd rather have my corpse thrown into a bomb or have bullets shot at it then to be a crash-test body. Or to have maggots run through me and all the researchers take notes. Ugh. Sudden re-death anyday, please.

My blogging skills lag

Eh. Blogging. Writing witty quirky comments on my life. Eh.

My coworker rode BART into work this morning with a fundraiser event goodie bag over her shoulder. A little teddy bear stuck out as the fundraiser was for a kids' camp. Some guy behind her said in a annoying voice, "Do you always carry teddy bears into work?" haha

My 30th bday was really really fun. I came into the wkend very chill and so everything was fun and enjoyable. Dinner at A Cote then Bhangra dancing (the lesson was the best part then I forgot everything) and then Oaklandish generously catered a picnic for me and my friends at Lake Merrit with free boat rides and alcohol. Yey! Oh, that wasn't just for us? Thanks anyway, Oaklandish! You rock. Seriously, we should have just told ppl to meet at the boathouse and enjoy the free farmer's market food (kettle corn, yellow watermelon, salami sandwiches, need I say more?), sangria, beer, DJ, and boat rides. And four square, too?! Wow, a good party. But seriously, playing capture the flag three times, watching ppl "surf" on Josh's bike, and finally getting to use my awesome picnic basket made it really fun. Thanks JillK for helping organize :)

Thanks to everyone who came - I am glad to have you in my life and I appreciate our friendship :) Even if I don't blog about you.

Yey, I'm 30. About darn time to start a new decade. The 20's were looking to' up. Not me - I'm looking hot, of course ;p

Olympics!!

I'm sufficiently into the Olympics now, after watching ten hours on Sunday from 2pm-12am. That will do it. So to return to my favorite list format, here are 10 things I have learned from watching lots and lots of Olympics coverage:

1) I have a huge crush on Matt Grevers, the 6'8" awesome and cute swimmer. After Ad Hoc, you are next on my proposal list, Matt. Be warned.

2) The Chinese are able to be crazy coordinated. Americans could NEVER do the things they did in their opening ceremony. We are really not that disciplined or able to fake discipline for the pride of our country.

3) The NBC commentators and esp that peppy weird Mary chick seem to speak about the Chinese and China in a condescending manner. They're constantly amazed by the Chinese, which is both insulting to China - like did you think they were a different kind of being, white Americans? - and insulting to Americans. Do you reflect America when you appear shocked and complimentary that a Chinese acrobat practices 7-8 hours a day and then performs? Have you never heard of a professional athlete that practices a lot out of dedication? Have you never conceived that other cultures study more and practice longer than our lazy American butts? Are we really that ignorant of China and Chinese ppl?

4) NBC is stupid to not have a Chinese-American commentator ANYWHERE in their coverage. We are then stuck with little tidbits on ancient Confucius and the one of the freakiest thing I ever heard. During the opening ceremony, one of the commentators proudly talked about the grace all Chinese have as they showed the 2008 (I assume) women dressed in ancient costume, and then went on to talk about if you go into McDonald's in Beijing, you will see that same grace. WTF?? The other commentator called him out, laughing, saying, oh so if you order a hamburger, they delicately hand it to you? It feels like Americans and NBC are unable to reconcile the ancient and modern China, which it true for how we are unable to see other countries as well.

5) I find myself faintly surprised that I'm admiring the intense and probably hugely psychological damaging training of the Chinese. So what if they start training them in the womb and they're gold medal-ready at age 2? So what if their family is probably threatened/lavished based on their child's performance? So what if the athlete might lose a limb if they fall off the uneven bars or will never work again if they come in fourth in swimming? They win, don't they? Then what's the problem. Will we Americans ever have that dangerous yet winning combination of determination, fear of failure, national pride, and absolute scared sheetless of letting down their country?

6) I hate how NBC manipulates the schedule so I don't know what I'm seeing live, or watching delayed, and there's only a few hours of coverage a day. I remember when there would be tv coverage on all the time, including off hours, and we would adapt our lives to watch it. In eighth grade, we would watch during the day at school because that was when it was ON, stupid NBC. I hate the way we Americans change the rest of the world's schedule to accommodate ours, esp so NBC can make sure it gets high ratings. That's the main reason. And there are a lot more sports (field hockey??) that I would like to watch. Esp in the TiVo and DVR age, how can they not be playing coverage 24 hrs a day?

7) I have never heard of synchronized diving into two days ago. Ok. Can we go back to more Matt Grevers coverage? Seriously, more mens swimming is a good thing.

8) Anyone else impressed but a little freaked out by the multiple crews of 2008 of Chinese in the opening ceremony? They were instructed to smile so they didn't look intimidating but how could you not be a little scared of so many ppl doing things in unison? Ppl trained to drum or do tai chi could definitely be trained to do bad things in unison. Nothing against Chinese ppl, just saying that large nationalist crowds doing things at exactly the same time kinda reminds me of Germany. Around, say 1939.

9) I loved watching the US Mens swimming team fight back to win in the 4x100m against France. I started cheering loudly, jumped up and down, and ended by screaming and raising my arms. I watched it late Sunday night and woke up Monday morning happy. Wow, it really changed how I was feeling that wk.

10) The Olympics might be the only time I feel proud of America. Go USA!!

Did I mention my crush on Matt Grevers? Ok, just wanted to make that clear :)

Go women's gymnastics and men's swimming tonight! (Or whenever it actually happened, stupid NBC...)

Life and stuff, and my iPhone

I picked up my iPhone yesterday and it is super cool. I started playing around with and adding applications last night. The light saber one and Koi fish one are my current faves. They have almost no purpose but make me smile.

I got my tax rebate last month but am stubbornly refusing to use it to shop. I want to buy a HD TV but I just can't bring myself to use the money on consumption. I hate that Bush so much. Anyone else feel this way?

I've started walking a lot at lunch with my fast coworkers. Around the lake, 3.5 miles plus walking down to the lake and back, in an hour. Crazy but I'm getting faster.

So not into blogging lately

Eh.

Ehhhh...

I got new purple shoes that are awesome. They have great heels, peep toe, and a flower on the side of the band that goes across the top. I wore them today to work and they were as comfortable at the end of the day as the beginning. I kept reaching down to touch the flower at work bc they're just so cute.

I walked around the lake again during lunch with my coworker walking group. Dang, they are fast but I'm getting better. I have problem solved the things that were challengin and now 1) make sure I have high socks and not only low blister-causing ones, 2) have my new shoes and not my older shin splint-causing shoes; 3) bring extra socks; 4) don't carry my huge nalgene; and 5) try not to talk so I am only two strides behind the other women instead of like ten. Seriously.

I preordered my iPhone last Monday. When will you come to me, my love?? hee hee

Jill K is gone for two weeks. Ah, I miss you already.

Mitch and Nora are the cutest cats ever. Evah.

Brunch this Sunday at At Hoc!! I am really really excited, and am happy I'm going for a kinda birthday celebration with Esther and Wayne.

Nora now naps next to me at night before I sleep. She's currently cuddled next to my leg and grooming her back leg including chewing on her toes/claws. SOOOO cute. Like dripping with cuteness. Like a main dish of cute with a side of steamed cute and a dessert of cute with whipped cream. And a drink of diet iced cute.

Have you seen www,cuteoverload.com? You will be overloaded by the cute.

Dumb internet

I wrote a long post yesterday, rambling about how many tourists there are in SF, how my Excel class was cool, that I preordered my iPhone, etc. etc. But my dumb internet crashed or went down or something and lost it. It happens almost everytime.

Ah, tired. Not in the mood to write it again.

Sleepytime.

What the hell is going on with fashion these days?

Seriously, what is going on with what is stylish now? High heels with clunky ankle straps, ankle boots, skinny jeans, ugh ugh. I feel like honestly the world is responding to the deep depression our world is sinking into, and going "Oh hell, wtf, the world is going to craphole, let's make the ugliest shit fashionable bc we just don't care anymore. All hope is less, let's make this the new style and this and this.

I feel like we're going to look back at this time in five years, and consider it a version of the early 90's grunge flannel shirts, babydoll dresses, and hypercolor shirts.

the new iPhone commercial, not quite

Here's a mockucommercial for the iPhone 3g.

Hee hee!

Summertime in Oakland

It feels different, the summertime in the hood.

I don't like walking alone at night as much, compared to the winter which is a bit odd. I don't carry a purse at night and def not my laptop.

My neighbors have more parties, drink more, play music louder and longer, and ironically it all makes me want to stay inside in the summer.

I get more random guys saying stuff and driving slow by me in the summer. I try to not dress nice or wear a skirt. I intentionally put on a uniform, the most casual I can be.

It doesn't make me want to buy ice cream from the ice cream man or go to a burrito truck, which I feel more comfortable doing in the winter.

And all this time, I thought that summer would be the most fun. Well, the firework show was amazing and it's nice it's not raining. Besides that, I'm ok with fall coming.

What's new?

Ah, what to say? Stuff is new but there's nothing I feel like writing about.

I feel tired this week and a bit on edge/tired. Hopefully I'll feel better by this wkend.

I wore a pencil gray skirt today that I don't know if I've ever worn out. I've had it for yrs, it's always been a bit too tight but this morning it was loose. I was surprised but loved wearing it with my fancy black heels with the bow. I was dressed up. I think the being on edge and some anxiety this wk has made me lose my appetite and drop a few pounds. Yey for anxiety, yey. Whoo hoo.

I got to sign my first letter at work today which is kinda a big deal. A letter that gets sent to the public with me as the contact and my signature. After two months of preparing countless letters for other people's signature, it feels fresh and cool. I would def love to take on more responsibility even as I've just gotten over being overwhelmed.

A week from now, some things should be more clear. We'll see.

I'm getting the new iPhone soon, maybe this wkend when it's released. Maybe next week. I don't care enough to stand in a line overnight to get one. I am so excited. Everyday a situation comes up where I sigh and say, "If I had my iPhone right now..." I basically decided a yr ago to wait a year for the second generation to come out. In Jan, I really really wanted one as I was switching phones but decided to wait until this summer bc I knew it was coming out. So it is! And it will be soon mine! The notes, PDA part, the web, online part, the pictures, and voicemail, everything. YEY :)

"I got a Masters degree then got married" gray hoodie

OK, actually a clip about yogurt and how women are targeted by ads...

No way!

Ok, I've had to interact with this kind of guy and yeah, it's REALLY fun to get these calls. Sarcasm dripping.

It's 4:27 long but worth every second esp the last 45 seconds. OMG, all I can say.


http://view.break.com/527579 - Watch more free videos

Grateful v3.0

There are just so many stories in the news I want to write about but they all make me sad and tired. The father and two of his sons killed in a completely random, not "road rage" as the press is saying, act in SF; a suspect has been arrested and while he is innocent until proven guilty, it doesn't look like he's innocent based on evidence. But his fancy pants lawyer is working overtime to spin the gang member as a sweet family man with a wife and baby including having the wife on the news saying, "Everyone is surprised" as they show pic after pic of him with his fellow rough gang members. BS you're surprised. BS. I just don't even know what else to say. Bullshit.

The huge accident on 880 today that shut down the freeway and killed two people. I'm sorry.

The fires, asthma problems, housing crisis, Bank of America laying off 7,500 employees after buying Countrywide, young kids that are sick - does anyone else just feel sad from the world sometimes?

I don't take being grateful for things lightly but I want to be grateful as a discipline, to turn away from what comes too easily - everything else.


So with that, things I'm grateful for:

1) Health insurance and being healthy

2) Healthy Choice chocolate fudgesicles

3) A working fast cool computer

4) My free tv

5) the Alameda library, free books

6) Mitch and Nora








Nora's paw looks like a shrunken money paw, lol.

Grateful v2.0

I am grateful for:

1. Carpooling with Greg, Jon, and this week Wayne. They make me laugh and Greg can be a good gym buddy, too. (Good luck with all the stuff going on right now, Greg)

2. So I Think You Can Dance - ah yeah

3. Getting to leave work today at 3pm and come home and chill

4. My mom coming to visit next week, dinner with my brother and wife, and taking a day off work to go see tigers :)

5. Feeling motivated at work today and finishing a lot of random projects including creating a cool excel tracking sheet

I am v. proud of myself today for a) not eating any chocolates from the candy jars at work, and b) going to the gym and doing 40 minutes on the elliptical. Go me!

Grateful

(It has now been a year since I started the blog, wow time flies).

I am grateful:

1. For my and my families health
2. For a good affordable oscillating remote controlled fan from Costco
3. For time and space to be more chill
4. For discussions at community dinners
5. For having a job, not being unemployed
6. For my cats Mitch and Nora who are the cutest cats ever
7. For having enough food and my needs met

Karaoke and other important things

I sang karaoke three times in one week, twice at work. Ah yeah, this is def my kind of work. I sang YMCA, All My Life by K-Ci and Jojo, and badly badly sang My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion. Karaoke is fun!

Not sure if it's because I'm older or this workplace feels different, but I find myself talking about my church and faith a lot more at work than I ever have before. Community dinners come up naturally in conversation esp as I bring in leftovers or take up a coworker's offer of buying her tamales for my dinner next Monday night. One coworker was fascinated by our community living and told how she has tried to start a community with shared living for awhile and studied European community models but hasn't seen it take off. We agreed that there is prob have to be a bigger shared vision like spirituality. Another coworker stopped me in the halls to share how she and some of her friends are thinking about buying property together to move in and have their parents move in, as a new approach to community and caring for elder parents.

I really think ppl are hungry for community and shared life.

It's freaking hot in Oakland, sweating here in bed, watching my borrowed TV, and catching up on my writing.

The borrowed TV - I feel like it's a way God has answered one of my simple prayers. I've been TV-less since Dec. 1 and I've liked it but now have been wanting a TV. One of my fave shows, So You Think You Can Dance, is on and bc it's live, it's not a show you can watch online. Tired from work, I've been tired of going to other people's houses to watch TV. I just want to to veg at home with a TV. So I've been thinking about this for a few months (and had already decided in Jan that I would get a TV again in Aug for football season) and getting a job opened up ideas. I started researching this wkend online but I struggled bc I just didn't feel like it was the right time to spend money on one. And I'd only buy an HD one bc of the upcoming analog change. So I kept going back and forth but there was no right I could feel right about it esp as I really really want an iPhone in July and will be getting one. How could I splurge twice when I just got a job??

So last Sat I saw Jody's old TV in Kristin's room and, things ended up with me borrowing her old analog TV. I had a few glitches with setting up my dvd player and tivo (doesn't work too well without clear vision, boo) but at least I now have sitcoms and SYTYCD and movies. Even though I didn't clearly pray for this, I wanted to not spend money and be wise about my situation and I feel like God agrees with that and helped me honor that. I got what I was craving while not spending money I didn't want to spend. It's not perfect but it gives me a few more months before I feel I have to buy one.

I feel grateful :)

Random

An interesting article on No Child Left Behind, the history, and current vision.

Did I mention that I renewed my passport last month, mailed it on a Monday, and received the new one back the following Thursday? Only a week and a half. I was impressed.

Last week, after our Board mtg that ended after 11pm, our pastor and another leader were standing outside a car and were held up at gunpoint. I had left but headed upstairs to chat with Wayne. As we were on the porch, talking about how late the ice cream truck comes by, we saw two youth running somewhat oddly to chase the truck down. Were those guys the robbers? Could I have been robbed also, if I had walked and chatted with them instead of going upstairs?

Mo and Nic are gone, in France. Cleaning their place today. I miss them.

Thanks Pin for coming over and installing my wall heater. Not like I need it right now but good to have.

Tomorrow we're celebrating Philippine Independence Day at work with yummy Filipino food at lunch. I'm really excited!

I'm wiped, time for bed. Early tonight, for a change.

Ok I might be obsessed

Yes, I'm googling Steve Jobs and reading all the articles that come up as I listen to this morning's keynote presentation about the new iPhone. Go to apple.com to see it.

Here's Jobs' commencement speech for Stanford in June 2005.

Ok, I need to go to bed now!

Ah, Gates vs. Jobs

Back to smashing our idea of who gives money away. I like Macs and Apple and all, but this is interesting. Back to the theme that Republicans donate more to charities than Democrats.

Until recently, Bill Gates has been viewed as the villain of the tech world, while his archrival, Steve Jobs, enjoys an almost saintly reputation.
Gates is the cutthroat capitalist. A genius maybe, but one more interested in maximizing profits than perfecting technology. He's the ultimate vengeful nerd. Ostracized at school, he gets the last laugh by bleeding us all dry.

On the other hand, Jobs has never seemed much concerned with business, though he's been very successful at it of late. Instead, Jobs has been portrayed as a man of art and culture. He's an aesthete, an artist; driven to make a dent in the universe.
But these perceptions are wrong. In fact, the reality is reversed. It's Gates who's making a dent in the universe, and Jobs who's taking on the role of single-minded capitalist, seemingly oblivious to the broader needs of society.


Gates is giving away his fortune with the same gusto he spent acquiring it, throwing billions of dollars at solving global health problems. He has also spoken out on major policy issues, for example, by opposing proposals to cut back the inheritance tax.

In contrast, Jobs does not appear on any charitable contribution lists of note. And Jobs has said nary a word on behalf of important social issues, reserving his talents of persuasion for selling Apple products.
According to Forbes, Jobs was recently worth $3.3 billion which puts him among the 194th richest in the world, and makes him the 67th richest American. But the standings were shuffled on Tuesday with Disney's $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation -- a deal that makes Jobs' Pixar holdings alone worth some $3.7 billion.
But great wealth does not make a great man.

(emphasis mine) from Wired magazine, Jan 25, 2006 by Leander Kahney.

Now, the article points out that Jobs could have be donating anonymously. However, his wife gives to political campaigns so they do give in their name.

Does this change how we should see Apple and Jobs?

Fun facts about Steve Jobs

Did you know he's adopted?

And that he and his wife are vegans?

(From wikipedia)

I want an iPhone!

Come on, Steve, release the new iPhone tomorrow in SF! You know you want to ;)

IPhone in 3G! IPhone in 3G! IPhone in 3G! IPhone in 3G! IPhone in 3G!

Stolen identity

Yes, I shred documents and am careful to not share my passwords but c'mon, the odds of my identity being stolen or Social Security number due to my own action are small compared to due to a large security breach. Now Stanford may have up to 72,000 former and current employees' information out there because a laptop was stolen. Well, sheet.

Hmong Hip Hop Heritage

From NY Times

Wow, a radical business concept - it's not for the money

How Craigslist does business differently, and the capitalists can't figure out what to do with it all. From December 2006.

Jim Buckmaster, the chief executive of Craigslist, caused lots of head-scratching Thursday as he tried to explain to a bunch of Wall Street types why his company is not interested in “monetizing” his ridiculously popular Web operation. Appearing at the UBS global media conference in New York, Mr. Buckmaster took questions from the bemused audience, which apparently could not get its collective mind around the notion that Craigslist exists to help Web users find jobs, cars, apartments and dates — and not so much to make money.

Wendy Davis of MediaPost describes the presentation as a “a culture clash of near-epic proportions.” She recounts how UBS analyst Ben Schachter wanted to know how Craigslist plans to maximize revenue. It doesn’t, Mr. Buckmaster replied (perhaps wondering how Mr. Schachter could possibly not already know this). “That definitely is not part of the equation,” he said, according to MediaPost. “It’s not part of the goal.”

“I think a lot of people are catching their breath right now,” Mr. Schachter said in response.

The Tech Trader Daily blog ponders this question: “If YouTube was worth $1.65 billion, who knows what Craigslist would be worth if Jim and [site founder] Craig Newmark ever considred becoming — what’s the word? — capitalists.”

Craigslist charges money for job listings, but only in seven of the cities it serves ($75 in San Francisco; $25 in the others). And it charges for apartment listings in New York ($10 a pop). But that is just to pay expenses.

Mr. Schachter still did not seem to understand. How about running AdSense ads from Google? Craigslist has considered that, Mr. Buckmaster said. They even crunched the numbers, which were “quite staggering.” But users haven’t expressed an interest in seeing ads, so it is not going to happen.

Following the meeting, Mr. Schachter wrote a research note, flagged by Tech Trader Daily, which suggests that he still doesn’t quite get the concept of serving customers first, and worrying about revenues later, if at all (and nevermind profits). Craigslist, the analyst wrote, “does not fully monetize its traffic or services.”

Mr. Buckmaster said the company is doubling in size every year, as measured by page views and listings.

Larry Dignan, writing on Between the Lines blog at ZDNet, called Mr. Buckmaster “delightfully communist,” and described the audience as “confused capitalists wondering how a company can exist without the urge to maximize profits.”

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

This made me lol a few times including the use of cat harnesses," corporal cuddling," and cat cocaine aka tuna.



Is this guy single?? I'd date him!

Long time no blog

Ah, it's been a long time since I've been regularly blogging. Not having internet, not checking at work, and work being tiring has basically been wiping me out. A lot going on folks.

I'm on a new thing where I'm against credit cards, used even responsibly. I don't like our economy becoming so dependent on credit cards and how that increases their influence in government. And I don't like what using credit cards does to small businesses. Use cash, people! It's worked for centuries, it keeps your budget in check, and it's free (kinda)! A paper bill is a happy economy. My new motto. I'm still ok using credit cards for big purchases where you need some time to shift some money around to pay for it or where you really want the points. How about a $300 minimum unless it's an online purchase, hotel room, or travel? How would that change how we shop and what we buy?

Ok, that's the news for tonight.

The internet, I've missed you!

A week without the internet at home - how did I survive?? By being pissed off at first then not minding too much and then kinda not caring anymore. Ah internet, we do have a passionate love affair.

Indiana Jones was good but the plot ending was "huh? eh."

Saw Sex and the City tonight. Really good and def fun to see on opening night. The audience cheered at everything! and sounded like they had started early on the cosmos.

I can't remember all my other random thoughts... will post when I do!

Random thoughts

I'm excited about the Indiana Jones movie opening this weekend.

I'm debating between biking, driving, or carpooling/parking/BARTing to work. I currently do the last option but it feels just ok. Three miles from work feels so close and realistic for biking but it's urban biking, you know? To be decided...

I really like this new English artist Adele. Going to see her in SF on Thursday. I like this song but Hometown Glory and Chasing Pavements are also favorites.



I walked around Lake Merritt some during my lunch break today. Nice. If I have more time tomorrow, I will change into my walking clothes and go all the way around.

I've been scapbooking lately and enjoying it. I like being creative, and making fun vibrant memory books in the process.

Seis Random things

Ok, Mark, I'll answer your challenge!

I'm still tired from the new job so it took me three days to notice I was tagged on my own blog to share six random things about myself.

Here are six truly random things about myself:

1) I seriously considered and researched becoming a tiger trainer last summer. I spent hours finding out what schooling you need, what the jobs are, the pay, the need to travel, etc. I read tiger trainer blogs and quizzed my fave tiger spot's trainers where they went to school and how they like the profession. Based mostly on the need to easily relocate which I don't find appealing at this time in my life, I decided not to do it. But it lives on in my heart.

2) I can't whistle.

3) I scored higher in math on my SAT's and got better grades in math my whole life. Math came easy to me; this guy Alfredo and I were the top math ppl in junior high, always competing and tutoring everyone else. Becoming an English major was actually choosing to tackle my weak area, and I left college finally knowing how to write.

4) I really really love football. All football, any team.

5) I love fruit and candy, and fruity candy esp. strawberry belts, gummy bears, and red licorice.

6) My first beloved car was a red Toyota Tercel which I had for nine years, and was named Herbie Charlotte.


Ok, I'l pass this on to Jill and Shyam, who happen to be married. Here's the original passer-on-er's blog Mark.

And here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

End of first wk summary

I'm totally wiped out. A long week both in the day at the new job and at night. Good wk, I still really like the job, just a lot going on. My body feels like I ran a marathon.

On a sidenote, this is an interesting cute website. Social Security has the top baby names since 1880. I looked mine up in my birth year and it was #1 for girls. It was #1 for quite awhile but now Emily has been the top girl baby name since 1996. Hmm... I wouldn't have thought that.

I started to go to random years and saw that my aunt's name in the year of her birth was #5. Looking at the names by years, I realize you can almost tell how old someone is just by their name. My dad's is somewhat rare now but was #6 in his year.

First day of work

Ah, this was a cool first day. Prob my best first day ever. After coming by the office around 3:30pm after a looong HR orientation, I saw my cubicle and got the tour. My team got me flowers, a card which they all signed and wrote witty paragraphs on, included me in an impromptu debrief of a donor visit, thought enough to leave me a Cinco de Mayo cupcake on my desk, and my voicemail and login info was neatly handwritten in a note on my desk. And my training for the next two weeks was scheduled and printed in color on my desk, with a fat binder with my name on it, and my name already on a sign at my cubicle. Wow. My kind of people - considerate, planned out, prepared. I feel won over. If I wasn't already excited about the job, I would be now!

I feel a bit shocked. I have always been thrown into positions with little or no training, and either bored out of my mind for weeks as they get their act together to figure out what they want me to do or have to hit the ground running on the first day, completely overwhelmed. This group, on the other hand, seems aware of the possibility of being overwhelmed starting a new job and carefully plans out the training. Including planning two lunches, one a group team lunch on Friday, into my schedule!! A colleague said this was the best job she ever had in regards to transition - lots of time to learn and train. I really believe her.

I feel a bit spoiled so trying to remind myself that sucky things will come up. But for now, with my new shiny badge with actually a good pic of me on it, I feel really happy. And really grateful. Thanks God.

I just think I might like it here :)

Traveling Orangecat

Hello, everybody! (in Simpson voice)

I got back from DC today. It was a light, lovely trip and exactly what I needed. Jess' new condo is super cute and it was fun to stay with her. I caught dinner with Laura, old Cal friend, which was good, too. She helped enlighten me on why she likes Obama and her reasons made sense and somewhat swayed me. Perhaps more on that later...

But to talk about my trip without writing too much bc I'm tired from the 10 hours of traveling today plus the jet lag, I will summarize my thoughts in 10 bullet points. One for every hour of travel today.

1) Cherry blossoms are really pretty even if you visit after they're gone and you only see trees that your good friend Jess kindly says, "They look like cherry blossoms" and you take pics together by them. Faking it is almost as good as the real thing.

2) Washington DC seems freakin' obsessed with super high escalators including the Rosslyn Metro stop one. Info from Wikipedia on it:

It features the third longest continuous escalator in the world, at 205 feet 8 inches; an escalator ride between the street level and the mezzanine level takes 159 seconds.[2]

OMG. Third largest in the world?!? Jess picked me up from the metro last night after my dinner with Laura and she told me to go to a diff station than the one she lives by, to the Rosslyn one. I had been telling her scary stories of the high escalators all over DC (including the one she uses twice a day in her daily commute) and she kept telling me "You should see the Rossly one." So getting off, I rode the escalator and couldn't look back after the first third. It was too high. My muscles started cramping as I tightened my stiff posture and leaned forward to decrease my fear of falling off or down the entire 205 ft. How many stories is that? 6 or 7? It's really really high people. See here for the pic but it doesn't do it justice. Think of being on an escalator for 3 MINUTES and how high that has to be. Anyways, I got out and accusingly told Jess, "You switched stations just to make me do that escalator, didn't you?" She laughed but really didn't answer me. Hmm... So there, Jess, now you know the true extent the escalators scared me and the impression they left as this is #2 in my list! Even when I was in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, these high school kids pointed to their escalator and said, "Wow, that one is like super big." Which is was bigger than normal non-DC ones, but nothing compared to the Court House or Rosslyn monster. I scoffed under my breath at them.

3) The National Museum of the American Indian is really cool and not boring like I thought. And I actually like Native American culture so i have to think they're not highlighting the best part of their museum in the Smithsonian guide. The building itself is rounded and inside the exhibits are rounded and inclusive, no right angles. And how they approach presenting history from their view (which all museums present history from some view) including quoting ppl and sources in the "all-knowing" info placards in front of an exhibit, is just so different and refreshing and felt authentic. See this Wikipedia article for info and a pic of the building.

4) The postal museum is cool also though the whole time I was wondering if the stamp increase paid for the delightful interactive stations. And I could not stop laughing at the section describing the dangerous job of postmaster. They tried to make it look like the postmaster carries around a tommy gun and works everyday under the threat of extreme violence. Uh, go ask a Marine if your job is dangerous, Mr. POSTMASTER. Paper cuts, lately??

5) And on the military topic, I watched the PBS Show Carrier at Jess' place and am so addicted. I watched about four hours over three days and just watched more online. I dare you to tell me this isn't interesting! And full episodes here.

6) Ppl really like to run in DC. It felt like a city of determined type-A's and even in recreation, they were all marathon runners.

7) The National Portrait Gallery's exhibit on the Presidents in the American Art Museum was interesting, again more interesting than expected. I really like the excerps of radio recordings of FDR's Fireside Chats including three during WW2. He was an impressive speaker.

8) Sometimes it rains and storms in DC but it's ok. Sorry southern Virginia ppl who got their houses blown to bits by the storm :(

9) Reading Jess' paper every morning, I've been learning more and more about the food crisis in the world. It's really bad, not since WW2 bad, they say. I feel somber and have been thinking about the food I take for granted.

10) Pomegranate margaritas from Rasika just taste like lime margaritas. And they seat horribly, and yes, I yelped about it!

*Curtsies* Thanks for reading! It was fun and easy, with plenty of time with friends and alone for prayer and reflection with God speaking. With that and the learning/seeing new things, it was a perfect short trip before I start the new job. Thanks God :)

Stamp price increase

The freakin' stamps are going up in price, again! On May 12th, they're increasing to 42 cents for a first class standard envelope.

ONE YEAR AGO on May 13, 2007 they went up 2 cents from 39 to 41 cents.

Wikipedia has a history of price increases by the Post Office.

Grr, grumble, I have all these 41 cent stamps that will soon need a stupid 1 cent additional stamp.... grrr, stupid post office.

Stupid Forever Stamps, I don't want to INVEST my money further in the govt by buying your Forever stamps! Stupid govt.

Pineapple Express

I love this song in the trailer, well edited to fit with the action-y parts of the film.

Hope the movie's as good as the trailer!

Red band trailer (R-rated)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall = A

Ah yeah, this movie is hecka funny. I saw it last night with two good friends and we laughed our asses off. Could not stop laughing. Totally an A movie. Hey, I paid full price on a Friday night in the Bay Area which is a solid $10.25, people.

I like Judd Apatow but usually find movies he's involved in to be in need of a good editor. Plots go on tangents (Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's acid trip in Vegas in Knocked Up?) that bore me and jokes could be better. I'm ok with some randy humor but Superbad was just too much and I won't watch it a second time even though my love for Michael Cera is somethin' serious. And I love Will Ferrell too but his movies really need to be tightened up in every which way. Don't you just watch them and think, "hmm, good but could be better?"

So with all that said, FSM seriously hits all the right notes. It's funny, has a plot that mimics mainstream "normal" plots in a good way, and really shows both sides of a breakup. There are real characters with even the British rocker being one of the more well-rounded. Segal could totally have written him as a one-joke guy but he doesn't and it's one of the reasons the movie hits it, no net.

There's some crude humor (and yes, Jason Segal full-frontal) but it seems more funny and not "ah jeez" like Superbad's FREAKIN' ENDLESS penis jokes.

I read some of the reviews that say Segal can't carry the movie and he seems pathetic and Kristen Bell doesn't act, and I think, "Did you just watch the same movie I did?"

Oh yeah, I already had a huge crush on Jason Segal (Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, and How I Met Your Mother have all developed our deep relationship) but this tops me over the edge. Jason, will you marry me?

The official trailer, not red band

Movies I like

1. The Family Man
with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni

Quick summary from IMDB:

A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.

I like this movie even though it didn't win awards or is on any top 100 movie list. I can't quite define why I like it. I like movies about real, normal lives and the complex emotions that come with it. I guess we all do :) I think both Cage and Leoni are really good in it, and one of those times the casting is spot-on. I could see another actor playing the depression and disgust with the family life as fake and unbelievable. But you really believe Nicolas Cage's character is ambitious and money-hungry, and seriously can't believe he's stuck in this suburban New Jersey life. And Tea Leoni really plays a life-can-suck-but-why-not-laugh-about-it? character Kate with her own ambitions and career choices. I like that her choice isn't just mom or professional. In either scenario, she has a career but one is nonprofit lawyer and one is high-paying lawyer.

I find it interesting that in the movie, Cage's character Jack is honest. He meets for the first time his best friend (played by Jeremy Piven who's married to one-liner Kate Walsh, weird!) and says true things but gets laughed at by Piven. Jack says, "Kate's my wife?" "This isn't my life," etc. Jack's daughter Annie perceptively realizes this new guy is not quite her dad and believes he's from aliens. Maybe from Jack's unfamiliarity with kids and need to be honest, he blurts to Annie, "I work on Wall Street. I don't live here. I don't know what I'm doing here." The only person that knows his secret is the young daughter who helps him figure out where he works and how to change a diaper. It's funny, bc Jack is trying to be honest. So a middle-aged suburban dad could say lines like that and we'd all just laugh and think he's having a grumpy day?

I guess the concept is so interesting to me. I wonder all the time what my life would have been like if I did this thing different, went to a diff college, chose that job instead of this one, moved back to SD instead of staying in the Bay Area, and such.

To spoil the ending if you haven't seen it, I like how it ends. I like how he has to go back to his "real" life and doesn't get to stay in the "glimpse" life like he wants. And I like how Kate is a top lawyer and he runs after her in the airport to convince her just to have coffee with him. He doesn't propose and there's no promise they'll end up together. But he's a changed man.

And Don Cheadle plays an angel-type character, hmm.

Update on racism post

I was talking with some friends last night about the Aristocat movie and the offensive Siamese/Asian cat, and asking about the buck teeth stereotype. Jill K, who's Japanese-American, said that the buck teeth image is attributed to the Japanese. That they have buck, large, or ugly teeth. She laughed and said the Japanese are known (teeth-wise) as the British of Asia. Oh, and the colonizing other ppl thing.

Hmm, I had never heard of that before. Sure, I've seen the buck teeth stereotype before (in Breakfast at Tiffany's and other media) but wondered where it emerged from.

Thanks Jill K for continuing to school me, my Japanese-Am sista!

Racism in Aristocats?

I picked up the Disney movie The Aristocats yesterday. I love love love the song "Ev'rybody wants to be a cat" (I mean, that's just an established fact like gravity and the revolution of the earth, right, that everyone wants to be a cat?) and the opening song "The Aristocats." I'm not sure if I've actually seen the movie before but having the grand Disney collection of best songs from all their movies and TV shows, I feel like I have.

The movie is set in 1910 France but made in 1970 America has interesting class issues. Here's the plot summary from IMDB:

The beloved, pampered housecat of a retired opera star in 1910 Paris finds herself stranded in the countryside with her three children, the victims of a plot by their owner's butler to cheat them out of a huge inheritance. They must find their way back to their home and owner, with the help of an independent-minded tomcat and other animal accomplices, while evading the butler and foiling his plan.

So we have a sweet rich female cat, voiced by Eva Gabor, and her three kittens (where else in a Disney movie could you have the star be a single mother, and consider romance also?) who are helped by a world alley cat, Thomas O'Malley. The song "Ev'rybody wants to be a cat" comes about almost in the end when Thomas, leading the cats back to Paris, brings them to his "pad" (he's hip, you see) and his scat cat friends are there playing jazz.

Ok, here's the racism. This motley band is actually all different races of cats. The leader is voiced by a black man who in person is a famous scat artist; there's an English-accented cat with a white mod wig, big purple sunglasses, and blue pearls (??); a Latino cat with bandanna and a strong accent; and then there's the Siamese cat.

Ah, the Siamese cat. Assumedly to sum up all stereotypes Asian, the cat has slanted eyes, breaks out into playing the piano with chopsticks while singing about Shanghai, Hong Kong, and fortune cookies, slams a triangular drum part on his head to look like a Chinese hat, and has a strong "Asian" accent. But also the Siamese cat has huge buck teeth. WTF? I know this isn't the first time I've seen this but where did this come from? Why did white people think Chinese or Asian ppl have buck teeth? Where did that stereotype even come from? I should ask my friend who's an AsianAm professor.

Oh, and the Siamese cat is voiced by a white guy, according to IMDB. Yeah [pause].... yeah.

Interestingly, on the CD Disney released in the early 1990's, the Siamese cat's offensive lines in the songs are cut. I've never heard his part before until I saw the movie. I guess I'm glad they kept it because the original version reveals the truth of the racism. I mean, I understand wanting to make it less offensive to modern audiences but if you start cutting all that out, ppl never see the daily racism that used to be in TV and movies and newspapers, and don't know why people of color get pissed off. And the daily racism that's still there, to be honest. Just ask Ambercrombie & Fitch.

Is this the most offensive thing I've ever seen? No. Does it kinda not make me like the song as much? Yes.

The Siamese cat's main part is from around 2:30 to 3:07 in the clip.

Yep, that was espresso I drank last night

I ended up staying up until 4 in the morning (4 in the morning, Snoop Dogg voice) doing who knows what. I was mystified by my late-night energy until I remembered that I had a white mocha at 9pm or so last night. Even with half the espresso, that sucker kept me up until waayy too late.

Espresso, I blame you. I'm still sick and this doesn't help!

Hmmm

Not sure exactly what to write about but let me try to write what I've thinking about without actually saying what I'm thinking about. My inner thoughts in vague concept, if you will.

1. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't.
2. Sometimes a planned high-five is what I want the most, and makes me very happy.
3. White mochas with half the espresso (one shot instead of two) are perfecto.
4. I wish I just knew, you know?
5. I'm not sure, could something like that last longer than a few months or so?
6. Sometimes I obsess, and I hate it.
7. I really like how this year is going.
8. At this moment, turning 30 this yr sounds all good.
9. I can't control people and sometimes, ok often, I wish I can.
10. Is having hope always a good thing? When is it better to not have hope?

Economy growth

I'm on a theme lately. Here's an article from the NY Times.

Emphasis mine:

The bigger problem is that the now-finished boom was, for most Americans, nothing of the sort. In 2000, at the end of the previous economic expansion, the median American family made about $61,000, according to the Census Bureau’s inflation-adjusted numbers. In 2007, in what looks to have been the final year of the most recent expansion, the median family, amazingly, seems to have made less — about $60,500.

This has never happened before, at least not for as long as the government has been keeping records. In every other expansion since World War II, the buying power of most American families grew while the economy did. You can think of this as the most basic test of an economy’s health: does it produce ever-rising living standards for its citizens?

In the second half of the 20th century, the United States passed the test in a way that arguably no other country ever has. It became, as the cliché goes, the richest country on earth. Now, though, most families aren’t getting any richer.

“We have had expansions before where the bottom end didn’t do well,” said Lawrence F. Katz, a Harvard economist who studies the job market. “But we’ve never had an expansion in which the middle of income distribution had no wage growth.”

I got a job!

Yey! I was offered and accepted a job today. I'm really happy and excited about the job, not just about the idea of not being underemployed anymore. It's in downtown Oakland at a well-respected large nonprofit. I really like the woman that's going to be my boss, and the specific development area I'll be working in.

Pray for me that I pass all my TB and necessary pre-job tests :)

The torch scavenger hunt

I went into SF yesterday to see the Olympic torch. It was crazzzy torch madness. I saw an old Cal friend on BART and ended up hanging out with him the whole afternoon as we decided to start chasing the torch through SF. We walked from Embarcadero to Chinatown to Broadway Tunnel to Columbus to Pier 39 to Van Ness/Bay and finally to Marina Green before Chrissy Field. About two and a half hours of walking. Kinda fun and exhilirating but also bum bc we wanted to see it! We were neutral observers just wanting to see the historical moment take place.

There were a lot of protesters but also a lot of neutral ppl who were out in everyday clothes to see the torch. I guess Newsom made the right move but the fact that it was so secretive made it really frustrating. What's the point of carrying the torch through the city if it's a secret and the whole thing feels you're hiding as you carry a dangerous thermal nuclear weapon through the streets of SF in a van? And the most reliable way to track it down was following the helicopters?

Lesson learned: next time I'm trying to find something important in SF that Newsom is hiding, I'll follow the helicopters. Good life lesson.

I'm not too mad at him just bummed. But walking/running through the city with other ppl was kinda fun. And def got my exercise for the day :)

Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer

This article definitely makes me want to invest some moola (when I get a job and get some) bc that is where the money is, literally.

And affirms my rant earlier this wk about bigger systems and things in place keep ppl poor. Yes, individual choices matter but what would happen if we only had to pay 15% of our income on tax if we earned under $100K but ppl earning $500K and above paid 35%? Don't get me started on minimum wage which is so completely ridiculous. Any presidential candidate who will raise minimum wage and limit the outrageous wages of CEO's has my vote. Obama, you hear me?

And what if, yes, health insurance was free for all Americans? That would have a staggering affect on the wealth of our poor and middle class.

What if public education was decent and ppl didn't feel the need to send their kids to private school to give them a chance?

What if our President wasn't wasting trillions of OUR money on this war, and that money could go to social services?

Get myself all riled up in time to head into SF to see/protest the Olympic torch.

Parts of the article, not all in succession (emphasis mine):

Economic data show that a huge swath of low- and middle-income families, both in California and across the nation, are barely scraping by. By many measures, their living standards are stagnating or declining as the prices of such necessities as food, fuel and medicine rise faster than wages.

Today, two liberal Washington research groups are set to issue reports on income trends in the 50 states showing that the gap between those at the bottom and middle of the income scale and those at the top is widening at an accelerating pace.
In California, the poorest 20 percent of families saw their incomes rise 1.4 percent in the 2004-06 period compared with 1998-2000, after adjusting for inflation, according to the study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute. The income of the middle 20 percent of families rose 3.8 percent. By contrast, the top 20 percent gained 13 percent after inflation, while the income of the top 5 percent jumped 20.8 percent.

"We are not seeing shared prosperity," said Jean Ross, director of the California Budget Project, a liberal research group in Sacramento that is helping distribute the report. "There's a pulling away at the top that's leaving the bottom 80 percent of families behind."

The trend reflects a range of factors, according to the report's authors, including stagnant wages at the bottom of the income scale, robust pay increases at the top, and a hollowing out of jobs in the middle as manufacturing employment drops. In addition, investment income has grown faster than wages, benefiting those with large stock and bond portfolios. Government tax, trade and labor policies also contribute, the report contends.

Ha ha

Breaking News: Plight Of Missing Hikers Will Make Great Movie

Funny videos

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Slate: "This one's a simple gag. Take the classic Jeff Goldblum Apple Christmas ad from 1999, slow down the audio track, and suddenly the Fly is slurring his words as if he'd just downed a pitcher of eggnog (1:01)."

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Slate: "Puppet Master
To avoid violating an NCAA regulation that bans the airing of March Madness highlights until all the games are over, a North Carolina local-news sportscaster decided to use stuffed animals and dolls to demonstrate highlights from Duke�s razor-thin win over Belmont (1:40)."



Same news station but different game. I think I like this one better. LOL



Jewno


Youtube description: "From http://www.ImprovEverywhere.com, three agents entered a Starbucks one by one with their own giant desktop computer and CRT monitor rig. They bought coffee and worked at their computers as if they were laptops. One computer even had a Wi-Fi card installed, enabling our agent to surf the web."

Money

I'm reading and clicking through this really interesting series on CNN Money called "America's Money: In their own words" where ordinary Americans write brief descriptions of how they're doing with money. Hey, even I'm very underemployed but I feel bad for these ppl. At least I didn't buy a home in the last few years, need to move and sell that house, or have kids that are sick.

Here's a random sampling of one of the stories, there are 52 total.

There are some other interesting articles and videos on CNN Money about ppl looking for work for months, sending out 10 resumes a day with no response, etc. It makes me feel better bc yes, job searching sucks. It's frustrating, demoralizing, and depressing to do a lot of work and get no return. (Maybe I can even talk about it bc I have a third interview next wk that is looking good. But no promises).

Reading the stories, I feel two simultaneous responses. One, annoyance at the chirpy ppl who politely boast that they saved for a rainy day, and refinanced at the right time, and "live modestly," and just can't scratch their heads enough to understand how so many other ppl are struggling and losing their jobs and homes. Why didn't they smartly plan like us? is the implied naive question. "Those ppl are so foolishly spend-happy and not wise like us." FIRST of all, at least in the CNN Money series, all of these ppl are white. Did you stop to ask that maybe you're getting better loans bc you're white and seem as reliable borrowers? That maybe your parents helped you with a down payment, when not everyone has that advantage? Ok, besides race, did you think that maybe only luck and God has kept you together and you yourself are only one major illness or crisis away from foreclosure or bankruptcy? Are your children healthy? Is your job in a stable industry? One woman wrote that she planned for a job in an industry that could provide the lifestyle she wanted. Ok, that's great but some ppl want to follow their DREAMS and do something different than engineering or a lawyer or doctor. What about them? Are you a caretaker like others? Do you think some ppl are financially strapped bc they are selflessly taking care of their elderly parents, children, or grandchildren? Our lives don't always work out the way we think they will and sometimes we need other ppl to help us. Do you feel proud bc you live in a cheaper state like Minnesota? Well damn, I don't want to live in Minnesota. Do you look down at ppl who "choose" to live in the more expensive states like California and Hawaii? There are many other factors in life for why we live where we live more than is gas 80 cents cheaper. Gawd. I get very angry at ppl who attribute their good fortune to only their wise planning and intelligence and not the advantage of being white, darn luck, not needing to care for troubled family members, and God somehow blessing you and sparing you from a major health crisis or similar financial disaster.

The second smaller response I have is seemingly opposite. I think, ok, now, could you afford that bigger house? Do you need cable and a large cell phone plan if you're not doing well financially? I really think that the American idea of what is "standard living" has risen dramatically. We think large screen HD TV's are normal, buying Coach and Vittuin (?) is normal, buying $800 shoes, eating out and spending is normal. And we feel anti-normal when we spend less, buy clothes infrequently, shop at Target for a purse. One woman wrote that her and her husband were going to upgrade their modest house to a bigger house a few years ago. The payments would have been 2 maybe 3 times their former payments. Luckily the husband said no and now a few yrs later, the wife is unemployed and the only way they're surviving is bc they live in this modest house. She's so grateful for her husband's logical thinking. We should all live like that.

Don't be so foolish to base your good-fortune on your intelligence and wisdom. Bc when the shit falls, and it will fall on you someday, your viewpoint will be unable to see it as an accident or just life's shit. You will blame yourself as if you could have stopped it. But you are not the center of the universe. You cannot foresee the housing crisis, Bear Sterns sinking like a torpedo, your health emergency, or anything else. You can only do the best with what you have, try to save, and live below your means. And not f'ing judge other people bc you don't know their life.

Adrenaline

This week has been really full and packed. I feel like I've been running on adrenaline - excitement and wanting to "be on top of my toes" and some anxiety too. Three job interviews, church mtgs that I led a discussion at to prep for, financial church stuff to work on, intense friend situation, SFSU student that I mentored for a bit came to hang out and have dinner, preparing to go to SD next wk including initiating and planning a last minute road trip part of it.

Ironic that spring break for others has been the most busy time for me.

Worthy blog

Check this out. About black men and women missing in America, who don't get the attention often that white Americans do when they're missing. Where do our resources - the police, FBI, news stations urgent notices - go in finding missing individuals?

http://www.blackandmissing.blogspot.com/

The rise of "casual games"

Here is a "casual game" (something you can play for five minutes while waiting to get on a conference call) that won the big award at the International Games Festival. Pretty cool. The goal is to get the ball to touch the star by drawing objects that make it move closer to the star according to the laws of physics. Drawn in crayon, hence the name Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Makes me feel guilty for wanting a compliment

What happens when the "most-praised" generation goes to work? It seems like older bosses have to figure out cross-generational ways to affirm a lot, even if they're rolling their eyes when they do it.

If this doesn't make you think

A Washington Post article says conservatives give more money, donate more time, and give more blood than liberals.

Makes you think.

A quote:

People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.

My initial thought was conservatives probably are more religious and give to churches. True.

Brooks demonstrates a correlation between charitable behavior and "the values that lie beneath" liberal and conservative labels. Two influences on charitable behavior are religion and attitudes about the proper role of government.

The single biggest predictor of someone's altruism, Willett says, is religion. It increasingly correlates with conservative political affiliations because, as Brooks's book says, "the percentage of self-described Democrats who say they have 'no religion' has more than quadrupled since the early 1970s." America is largely divided between religious givers and secular nongivers, and the former are disproportionately conservative. One demonstration that religion is a strong determinant of charitable behavior is that the least charitable cohort is a relatively small one -- secular conservatives.

I used to looove Tetris

Human Tetris

LOL

OK, so what do you ask next, after cocaine?

"Marijuana?"
New York Gov. David Paterson: "Yes."
"Cocaine?"
"Yes."
"You used cocaine governor?"
"I'd say I was 22 or 23, I tried it a couple of times, yes."

Can you keep some of this sheet to yourself please??

New State ID's??

I didn't realize this was happening soon. Where does California fall with the May 11 deadline?

Easter

I really liked this article on Slate about Easter. Not sure if the writer is Christian. Here's the quote I tried to fit into my gchat line but wouldn't quite take the squeeze:

Even the resurrection, the joyful end of the Easter story, resists domestication as it resists banalization. Unlike Christmas, it also resists a noncommittal response. Even agnostics and atheists who don't accept Christ's divinity can accept the general outlines of the Christmas story with little danger to their worldview.

But Easter demands a response. It's hard for a non-Christian believer to say, "Yes, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead." That's not something you can believe without some serious ramifications: If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, this has profound implications for your spiritual and religious life—really, for your whole life. If you believe the story, then you believe that Jesus is God, or at least God's son. What he says about the world and the way we live in that world then has a real claim on you.