I hope that I am not the only one disturbed by the snippets of fact and gossip that is currently flurrying around Hollywood. It started last year with Britney Spear's public announcement of her desire to be a mother. After marrying a bum who's name eludes me at the moment... feder something... I shall call him fedora... speculation began about who would be the next starlet to produce offspring. Focus on Jessica Simpson began (although I bet this is dying down with rumors of her and Nick's breakup). But now, apparently it is Heath Ledger and his new girlfriend, who is best known for her role as the bad girl on Dawson's Creek (one of the many shows I never watched). If you want more info on this new development, click here. And I would not be surprised if this trend continues.
Now that you have background, I shall commence my tirade. (And no, I don't generally keep up with Hollywood... all this information is garnered from standing in line to Wal-mart during visits, and clippits that I hear from other people... its really hard to NOT know info like this, especially as a female, and in a female dorm) WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING! Perhaps Britney and Fedora won't be the absolute worst parents in the world, but in my opinion, they aren't the type of people I consider to be even remotely fit to raise a child. And Heath and whatsherface? I guess, from my impression of what I see of them, I don't understand how they would be mature enough to carry the responsibility of raising a child. My sympathies are with these children. They are doomed for a lifetime of therapy. Living in Hollywood is difficult and vapid enough, but to be completely submerged in it from birth, with pop star parents who carry around a froo-froo dog and treat it like a kid, and spend ridiculous amounts of money on trivial things, and are in this constant social whirlwind, there is no way you can maintain even a sense of normalcy for these children, who are going to have ridiculous expectations of how life will be, and will constantly be disappointed. Its difficult enough for seasoned Hollywood-ites to raise a child... I honestly think that its just the new thing to do. While on spring break in LA, K-Lub made the statement that Californians in general, just jump on the bandwagon of trends, instead of being practical. Such as the movement to buy bikes like those out for rent on the beach, instead of a more sensible bike. Just because its the new trend. I have a feeling that this is potentially the case when it comes to the stars having kids, mixed in with a severe case of keeping up with the Jones. Maybe some of them honestly want a kid (say for example, Britney and hat), but no matter the reason, I still pity the poor, innocent kids.
May God have mercy on their souls.
4.25.2005
4.24.2005
the formal and an ER visit
Okay, first things first, I'm doing fairly well, and I'm now adjusted to the effects that the IRRITATING lawsuit is wreaking on my summer... okay, so I'm still mad about the fact that they're suing us when they're the ones who screwed everything up, and are now making us pay for all the expensiveness of court, but I'm okay, and know that God has it all under control.
Second, I changed my paper topic, so if you have any thoughts on accents/language in Disney movies (in general, or specifically, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, the Lion King, and maybe Lilo and Stitch) I would definitely appreciate the input, and hey, I could even cite you as a source! Wouldn't you feel special!
Now for the good stuff... The formal was AMAZING, I forgot how much I missed spending an afternoon getting beautified (Lindsey, you are talented beyond words with hair, talented with hair, not the words with hair, yeah, misplaced modifiers are fun), and while we were out, I got a ton of compliments on Lindsey's fabulous dress (and a mom told me I made her little girl's day, getting to see that dress). Ian looked dang hot in his pink tie :D and Brit looked GORGEOUS, as did Cory *wink wink*, and we had fun wandering Target all spiffed out, before getting to the dance. Which was a blast, Cru people are awesome! I heart dances!
Now, I bet you're wondering about the ER visit, and have been skimming, thinking gosh, the formal sent Anna to the ER?! Not exactly... as it's final project time for all those studio people, after Ian and I left the dance, we went to studio (after changing, of course). He was working, and I was watching, when all of a sudden, Ian gets enlisted to drive Daniel to the ER... while working on his model, Daniel sliced two of his fingers a good one. So we got to drive up to those ambulance doors, hazards flashing... where Daniel got everything taken care of (although it took a while to clot, I quote the EMT "he's a bleeder!"). But it did take a while. While we were there, someone got brought in after being hit by a car, and another person with chest pains... and they only had ONE, count 'em ONE doctor. In a college town. On Saturday night. And that was my fun excitement. Due to this occurrence though, the ol' sleep tank is running low, and this isn't my best writing. I shall apologize for it. But I had to share. And Daniel's a trooper. After he got stitched and bandaged, he was back in studio. Arch profs (and design profs in general) are insane and are trying to kill off their students, Vanessa and I decided.
So in conclusion, good luck to all those studio-ers out there, hang in there, we're thinkin of ya!
Second, I changed my paper topic, so if you have any thoughts on accents/language in Disney movies (in general, or specifically, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, the Lion King, and maybe Lilo and Stitch) I would definitely appreciate the input, and hey, I could even cite you as a source! Wouldn't you feel special!
Now for the good stuff... The formal was AMAZING, I forgot how much I missed spending an afternoon getting beautified (Lindsey, you are talented beyond words with hair, talented with hair, not the words with hair, yeah, misplaced modifiers are fun), and while we were out, I got a ton of compliments on Lindsey's fabulous dress (and a mom told me I made her little girl's day, getting to see that dress). Ian looked dang hot in his pink tie :D and Brit looked GORGEOUS, as did Cory *wink wink*, and we had fun wandering Target all spiffed out, before getting to the dance. Which was a blast, Cru people are awesome! I heart dances!
Now, I bet you're wondering about the ER visit, and have been skimming, thinking gosh, the formal sent Anna to the ER?! Not exactly... as it's final project time for all those studio people, after Ian and I left the dance, we went to studio (after changing, of course). He was working, and I was watching, when all of a sudden, Ian gets enlisted to drive Daniel to the ER... while working on his model, Daniel sliced two of his fingers a good one. So we got to drive up to those ambulance doors, hazards flashing... where Daniel got everything taken care of (although it took a while to clot, I quote the EMT "he's a bleeder!"). But it did take a while. While we were there, someone got brought in after being hit by a car, and another person with chest pains... and they only had ONE, count 'em ONE doctor. In a college town. On Saturday night. And that was my fun excitement. Due to this occurrence though, the ol' sleep tank is running low, and this isn't my best writing. I shall apologize for it. But I had to share. And Daniel's a trooper. After he got stitched and bandaged, he was back in studio. Arch profs (and design profs in general) are insane and are trying to kill off their students, Vanessa and I decided.
So in conclusion, good luck to all those studio-ers out there, hang in there, we're thinkin of ya!
4.20.2005
that window and siding company is ruining my summer.
As the title states, that window and siding company is ruining my summer. "What window and siding company?" you may ask. Well, I shall tell you.
It all started this past November, when my parents decided to finally shell out to have our house sided, and new windows installed. Six months later, my parents are being swept into a fun legal battle, because the company, quite frankly, did a pathetic job, which could mess up things in our house, cost us a lot more in heating and air conditioning costs, and make replacements for these new things come a lot sooner. So my parents, unsatisfied with the job, didn't pay, because they wanted to get everything fixed first (just like the Kansas Attorney General states... satisfaction with the job, THEN payment). But then the owner gets mad and claims my parents are just trying to get out of it, which is very not true. Honestly, is it too much to ask for a job well done, especially when it's as expensive as this sort of thing? And they won't own up to the fact that they messed up. So my parents have to pay for a lawyer, and all the costs that go along with trying to get this thing all figured out, which isn't free by any means. And there could be hearings, and a trial, its insane. So, if you're going to have windows or siding put in, talk to my family before you select the company.
"Okay, yeah, that's super annoying, but how does that relate at all to your summer?" you are probably now wondering. Well, I shall tell you.
The costs that this legal proceeding is consuming, on top of paying for a new car to replace the dying nova and insurance with Nathan as a driver, means that the wonderful Orlando vacation that my entire family has been hoping and looking forward to since last summer is probably not going to happen. Also made more unlikely because we will have to be around for potential hearings and trial. And my parents are going to be busy with all this stuff, so enjoying my last summer at home with my family is not going to be the easiest thing in the world. All this on top of the fact that I may be certifiable by the end of the summer for many other reasons: possible lack of a job, Brit and Linds staying here, Ian busy at home, and most of my hometown friends being in various parts of the country, or the world for awesome summer missions trips and such... it all means that I will probably fall into a permanent vegetative state over the summer. Not good when classes come around again. I was counting on fun family times, and that vacation, to keep my sanity. So now I don't know what I'm doing for the summer... I could still go home, try and get a job nearby, and just work all the time so I don't have time to think about everything, or I could stay here and do the same thing. Or perhaps I shall move to South America and live at one with the monkeys in the treetops. I'm starting to stress out about this, which is not good. And I'm miserable because allergens here right now are horribly high, and I'm suffering severely. But Brit was a doll and went therapy shopping with me, and an outfit later, I'm a little better. Anyhoo, now that I've vented (I'm still steamed at that company though), I do feel even more better. So I think I'll try and get something accomplished.
Have a better day than me, and beware those siding and window people.
It all started this past November, when my parents decided to finally shell out to have our house sided, and new windows installed. Six months later, my parents are being swept into a fun legal battle, because the company, quite frankly, did a pathetic job, which could mess up things in our house, cost us a lot more in heating and air conditioning costs, and make replacements for these new things come a lot sooner. So my parents, unsatisfied with the job, didn't pay, because they wanted to get everything fixed first (just like the Kansas Attorney General states... satisfaction with the job, THEN payment). But then the owner gets mad and claims my parents are just trying to get out of it, which is very not true. Honestly, is it too much to ask for a job well done, especially when it's as expensive as this sort of thing? And they won't own up to the fact that they messed up. So my parents have to pay for a lawyer, and all the costs that go along with trying to get this thing all figured out, which isn't free by any means. And there could be hearings, and a trial, its insane. So, if you're going to have windows or siding put in, talk to my family before you select the company.
"Okay, yeah, that's super annoying, but how does that relate at all to your summer?" you are probably now wondering. Well, I shall tell you.
The costs that this legal proceeding is consuming, on top of paying for a new car to replace the dying nova and insurance with Nathan as a driver, means that the wonderful Orlando vacation that my entire family has been hoping and looking forward to since last summer is probably not going to happen. Also made more unlikely because we will have to be around for potential hearings and trial. And my parents are going to be busy with all this stuff, so enjoying my last summer at home with my family is not going to be the easiest thing in the world. All this on top of the fact that I may be certifiable by the end of the summer for many other reasons: possible lack of a job, Brit and Linds staying here, Ian busy at home, and most of my hometown friends being in various parts of the country, or the world for awesome summer missions trips and such... it all means that I will probably fall into a permanent vegetative state over the summer. Not good when classes come around again. I was counting on fun family times, and that vacation, to keep my sanity. So now I don't know what I'm doing for the summer... I could still go home, try and get a job nearby, and just work all the time so I don't have time to think about everything, or I could stay here and do the same thing. Or perhaps I shall move to South America and live at one with the monkeys in the treetops. I'm starting to stress out about this, which is not good. And I'm miserable because allergens here right now are horribly high, and I'm suffering severely. But Brit was a doll and went therapy shopping with me, and an outfit later, I'm a little better. Anyhoo, now that I've vented (I'm still steamed at that company though), I do feel even more better. So I think I'll try and get something accomplished.
Have a better day than me, and beware those siding and window people.
4.17.2005
An Ode to PB & J: an approximately paragraph long rambling discourse on the goodness of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
So I just finished writing a composition in French (slightly over 1 page long, using the 'conditionnel' mood verb tense, its fun, let me tell you). It could be a little longer, but it is two lines over the minimum (but if you have any interesting ideas for what my life should be like after I graduate, feel free to tell me. I've got the usual stuff... good job, good marriage, a couple kids, lots of traveling... I think I might add a pet snake in there too. So any creative assistance would be welcome! At any rate, after focusing on all that French, I decided to take a blog-break before I dive into some of my other homework. (by the way, if you have any info on language in either the Philippines or in a former Spanish colony that I could use as a comparison, it'd come in handy in a final project that I'm starting to work on!)
Anyway, so yesterday, I woke up... really late, and decided that perhaps I should get some lunch before the good ol' Derb closed for the afternoon. So after throwing on some grungy clothes, I made the trek across the parking lot (beautiful day) and up the stairs to the dashers line. Nothing sounded too appealing, so I went to the wonderful sandwich standby. Walking back to my room, paper bag with sandwiches and milk inside, I began to think about how much I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Honestly, they are very underappreciated. No one ever talks about how amazing they are, so I decided that it was time that they get their due. However, I haven't had my poetry writing class yet (that's next semester), so I don't really know if rambling about the goodness of pb & j for approximately a paragraph really technically constitutes an ode... *mental note to self: look up the word ode* Probably not, but ode sounds much more interesting and poetic than "an approximately paragraph long rambling discourse on the goodness of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Honestly, what kind of title is that... ya know, never mind, I like it. *adds subheading to title* much better.
So really. Just think about the pb & j. That wonderful sandwich that brings back warm memories of your childhood, when your mom would lovingly pack a lunch for you to take to joy school, and you'd sit at those little tables in those tiny chairs, where you weren't quite cool enough to sit with the popular little girls... scratch the memory retrieval sentiment. So really. Just think about the pb & j. That wonderful sandwich that brings you back to the simple pleasures in life. The creamy stickiness of the tan peanut butter spread across a soft slice of iron kids bread, (depending on your peanut butter preference) with little bits of peanuts dotted across the surface. The wonderful strawberry red color of the jam sparkling on the other slice of bread, just waiting for you to slap the two sides together and shove it into your mouth, where the bread would immediately stick to the roof of your mouth, and you'd hurt your tongue trying to get it off, before giving up and just washing it all down with an ice cold glass of creamy milk (or perhaps pasty water-milk, if you drink skim). Honestly, I think the world would be a better place if everyone would just sit down and eat pb & j together. We could achieve world peace.
Have a wonderful day. Eat a pb & j.
Anyway, so yesterday, I woke up... really late, and decided that perhaps I should get some lunch before the good ol' Derb closed for the afternoon. So after throwing on some grungy clothes, I made the trek across the parking lot (beautiful day) and up the stairs to the dashers line. Nothing sounded too appealing, so I went to the wonderful sandwich standby. Walking back to my room, paper bag with sandwiches and milk inside, I began to think about how much I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Honestly, they are very underappreciated. No one ever talks about how amazing they are, so I decided that it was time that they get their due. However, I haven't had my poetry writing class yet (that's next semester), so I don't really know if rambling about the goodness of pb & j for approximately a paragraph really technically constitutes an ode... *mental note to self: look up the word ode* Probably not, but ode sounds much more interesting and poetic than "an approximately paragraph long rambling discourse on the goodness of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Honestly, what kind of title is that... ya know, never mind, I like it. *adds subheading to title* much better.
So really. Just think about the pb & j. That wonderful sandwich that brings back warm memories of your childhood, when your mom would lovingly pack a lunch for you to take to joy school, and you'd sit at those little tables in those tiny chairs, where you weren't quite cool enough to sit with the popular little girls... scratch the memory retrieval sentiment. So really. Just think about the pb & j. That wonderful sandwich that brings you back to the simple pleasures in life. The creamy stickiness of the tan peanut butter spread across a soft slice of iron kids bread, (depending on your peanut butter preference) with little bits of peanuts dotted across the surface. The wonderful strawberry red color of the jam sparkling on the other slice of bread, just waiting for you to slap the two sides together and shove it into your mouth, where the bread would immediately stick to the roof of your mouth, and you'd hurt your tongue trying to get it off, before giving up and just washing it all down with an ice cold glass of creamy milk (or perhaps pasty water-milk, if you drink skim). Honestly, I think the world would be a better place if everyone would just sit down and eat pb & j together. We could achieve world peace.
Have a wonderful day. Eat a pb & j.
4.12.2005
The Much Anticipated California Post!
I should probably be doing things, like homework, putting away laundry, job finding things, but honestly… what’s more important? Keeping up on school so that the money that my parents and organizations crazy, I mean smart, enough to invest in my education have spent, goes to good use, or finally commemorating my week long adventure in California to the annals of cyberspace? That’s what I thought. And this post is going to be fabulously long… and you thought my weekend rantings were long, wait until you see the massive torrent of words that I am about to unleash on my unsuspecting readership. It shall resemble the crashing waves of the pacific ocean, and you, poor reader, are like a tiny clam, buffeted in the swirls of sand, other debris, and surf boards dashed in the salty depths of what we like to modestly refer to as ‘waves.’ Honestly though, what can you expect, an entire week of California, and I’d have just a smidgen to say? I think not. However, to throw you a life preserver, I shall attempt to put in bold headings, so that you may feel free to skim, and only hit the parts that sound interesting. And then of course I just might put in a couple tirades about a few things at the end that have happened just today, as well… fun, I know!
Saturday: Flying Out!
After brunch with Cory, Brit and I headed to Dave’s house in KC. And we didn’t get lost… which is a major milestone for us! His house is nice, and his parents are amazing. They took us out to lunch at this awesome Mexican place (“on the plane, they only feed you pretzels!”) then Dave brought us to the airport… he’s such a sweetie! We hung out in the airport a bit, then we went through security, where I had to remove my belt and my shoes, I felt rather naked, but oh well, all in the name of public safety. Our flight out of KC was delayed a bit, because of bad weather in Chicago, and so we almost missed our connecting flight. Let me tell you, those gates had to be in completely different wings, and its not fun running through O’Hare with a couple bags, praying the plane hasn’t detached from the walkway yet. And I got complimented when we got on the plane, a flight attendant told me “you are a beautiful young lady” and I doubt he was hitting on me: he was a 40-something black guy. And the pilot expressly stated that the plane would be flying over Kansas, and “directly south of Goodland” so we flew right over home, or at least close enough. And Britni’s grandpa was awesome and picked us up at the airport and got us McDonald’s. And I must say, the cars in that parking garage there in the OC, that was insane, I’ve never seen so many pristine super expensive cars in one place.
Sunday: The Long Nap
We went to church, which was good, ate at Olive Garden, where I tried something new. I’ve been working on that… alleviating my pickiness. Anyway, we returned to the house, and took a brief nap that turned into about 3 hours long…
Monday: DISNEYLAND
My first time to Disneyland. It was fantabulous, and, to steal Caleb’s quote, “it really is magical!” Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones! And we stuffed ourselves silly at dinner. Lunch did disappoint us though. We waited in line for almost 2 hours at Club Buzz. But in line, we met a really nice Filipino lady from the bay area. And we watched Fantasmic, which was awesome. I do believe Britni had to close my jaw for me at one point during the show… hehe. Plus we got swords made by none other than WILL TURNER, and princess pens, and I *HEART* Pirates bracelets. I’d say my first trip to Disneyland was a smashing success. And that evening we spent an incredible amount of time on the phone with the guys, trying to work out the hang out plans. It took forever, and we discovered that public transportation is rather lacking when you’re trying to get from Huntington Beach to certain places in LA, but we finally got something worked out.
Tuesday: The Getty, Rain, USC, PCH, and Pepperdine
Brit’s grandpa once again was amazing and drove us all the way to the Getty where we met T and Ian in the parking lot, and it was so good to see them! We caught the shuttle up to the Getty (which took a while, and it was an insane-o line). The architecture tour was fascinating, and I felt like I was walking around a giant’s project model, but it was really really cool, and I got some awesome pictures (the artistic type that Brit gets frustrated looking through because “where are the people!”) We ate lunch, I got attacked by the salad when the wind picked up, and it started to rain, so we went in and looked at the art stuff. I found a clock with everything written in French, and we attempted to translate. It started to pour, and T had to get back for class, so we headed back to USC, but traffic was bad, so it took forever, and T missed his class. But we did get to see a teddybear attached to the back of a pickup. When we got to USC, we went to the bookstore, where I got a fantastic scrape on my toe that turned out to look like an “A”, however, it was bleeding profusely when it happened… not a good spot to have a bleeding wound when you’re walking through ankle deep water. And we all got USC shirts, and saw the football team practicing. We also got to have a “USC experience” and eat this drive through Mexican food, which was good, but there was something extremely spicy, which I couldn’t hack eating. Then we took off with Micah for Pepperdine. Ian and I were crammed in the back with the luggage, since the trunk didn’t work. And it was our first time on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). We stayed with some really nice friends of Micah (that is, Brit and I did, Ian stayed with Micah), and conked out not long after arriving.
Wednesday: Car Time, Sushi, and Bibles
We woke up and went to this little place in Malibu where Micah loves the breakfast burritos, then went back to campus and got a tour, saw the Randumb Show, and got Pepperdine shirts, before heading over to USC to pick up T. We couldn’t find a parking spot, so decided to just head back to Huntington Beach and hang out there. Traffic was FANTASTIC, and so we got a lot of quality car bonding time in. When arriving in Huntington Beach, we narrowly missed being in a car accident (saved by Micah’s excellent driving skills). Then we got some sushi (which Brit and I were required to try) and washed it down with some Coldstone (but its just not the same without Cory). After the guys left, Brit and I took a walk on the beach, saw the aftermath of a giant grape eating contest (well, it probably wasn’t, but I think that sounds more interesting, plus it looked like something of that nature). And Brit and I were thoroughly salted and chilled. We got bibles that night as well. Nice NIV leather bound pocket sized for church and such. Other people get wasted on spring break, we get bibles!
Thursday: In & Out Burger and Shopping!
I had my first In & Out Burger experience, got a shirt, enjoyed it complete with 1000 Island dressing (the burger, not the shirt). Then we went shopping. Yay for Alias season 2!
Friday: California Adventure
We headed over to California Adventure after lunch, caught the Aladdin musical, saw the Incredibles (just Mr. and Mrs. Sadly no Dash, Violet or Jack Jack), rode the Tower of Terror and Soarin’ Over California, and ate a great burger in the hangar food place. All in all, a wonderful day. Plus we got to see “Disney's Electrical Light Parade” complete with the cheesy music!
Saturday: K (-Lub) Time!
Brit and I hung out with Caleb on the beach, played some Frisbee, caught up on all our lives and happenings. We met her family at Ruby’s on the pier for some lunch, and I had an excellent burger there… it had some sort of pepperjack cheese, and maybe ranch, I don’t remember exactly, just that it was DIVINE. Then we went back to the beach and Caleb and boogyboarded. I was rather unsuccessful at catching a wave, which Caleb did manage to do. After about 20 minutes, I couldn’t feel my body, so we went back on the beach. It was fine for a few minutes, then you aren’t numb, and Caleb and I were both convulsing. Brit tried to help, but after a while, we gave up and went back to her grandparents, where we warmed up, showered, and ate a fantastic home cooked dinner. Then we went and hung out at Hope, which was fun! I just wish we could have met his suitemates… he’s made them sound so intriguing!
Sunday: Home Again
Caleb was a doll and took us to LAX. Our flight home was pretty uneventful, aside from a gate change at O’Hare, which was annoying, but not rushed. Dave was amazing and met us at the airport. And the ride back was fun. Brit and I jammed out to *N’Sync, we ate at McDonald’s and I got a happy meal, complete with a blue beanie bear named red shoe. We renamed it blue bear, which is much more fitting if you ask me. He’s so cute, sitting on my dresser, watching me type. Awww. I know, I get too emotionally attached to things like my plants and stuffed animals. But when you never got to have a pet, and then your beloved fish dies, it happens.
Anyway, I do believe that’s all the high points, and a lot of extra random information as well, but now you’re all updated, and I can just make everyone read this instead of having to say a play by play every time someone asks, save the vocal cords and all, ya know.
I shall conclude by saying congratulations if you actually skimmed down this far, and I detest Earth In Action (although Andrew, Mr. I'm-acing-the-class-and-I-don't-even-think-it's-a-big-deal, himself was a doll and studied with Brit and I for the test tomorrow), as well as the dryers in Boyd, that don’t dry. Perhaps I shall discuss this in more depth some other day, but for now, I think I’ve procrastinated sufficiently, and I should get back to studying. Have a wonderful day!
Saturday: Flying Out!
After brunch with Cory, Brit and I headed to Dave’s house in KC. And we didn’t get lost… which is a major milestone for us! His house is nice, and his parents are amazing. They took us out to lunch at this awesome Mexican place (“on the plane, they only feed you pretzels!”) then Dave brought us to the airport… he’s such a sweetie! We hung out in the airport a bit, then we went through security, where I had to remove my belt and my shoes, I felt rather naked, but oh well, all in the name of public safety. Our flight out of KC was delayed a bit, because of bad weather in Chicago, and so we almost missed our connecting flight. Let me tell you, those gates had to be in completely different wings, and its not fun running through O’Hare with a couple bags, praying the plane hasn’t detached from the walkway yet. And I got complimented when we got on the plane, a flight attendant told me “you are a beautiful young lady” and I doubt he was hitting on me: he was a 40-something black guy. And the pilot expressly stated that the plane would be flying over Kansas, and “directly south of Goodland” so we flew right over home, or at least close enough. And Britni’s grandpa was awesome and picked us up at the airport and got us McDonald’s. And I must say, the cars in that parking garage there in the OC, that was insane, I’ve never seen so many pristine super expensive cars in one place.
Sunday: The Long Nap
We went to church, which was good, ate at Olive Garden, where I tried something new. I’ve been working on that… alleviating my pickiness. Anyway, we returned to the house, and took a brief nap that turned into about 3 hours long…
Monday: DISNEYLAND
My first time to Disneyland. It was fantabulous, and, to steal Caleb’s quote, “it really is magical!” Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones! And we stuffed ourselves silly at dinner. Lunch did disappoint us though. We waited in line for almost 2 hours at Club Buzz. But in line, we met a really nice Filipino lady from the bay area. And we watched Fantasmic, which was awesome. I do believe Britni had to close my jaw for me at one point during the show… hehe. Plus we got swords made by none other than WILL TURNER, and princess pens, and I *HEART* Pirates bracelets. I’d say my first trip to Disneyland was a smashing success. And that evening we spent an incredible amount of time on the phone with the guys, trying to work out the hang out plans. It took forever, and we discovered that public transportation is rather lacking when you’re trying to get from Huntington Beach to certain places in LA, but we finally got something worked out.
Tuesday: The Getty, Rain, USC, PCH, and Pepperdine
Brit’s grandpa once again was amazing and drove us all the way to the Getty where we met T and Ian in the parking lot, and it was so good to see them! We caught the shuttle up to the Getty (which took a while, and it was an insane-o line). The architecture tour was fascinating, and I felt like I was walking around a giant’s project model, but it was really really cool, and I got some awesome pictures (the artistic type that Brit gets frustrated looking through because “where are the people!”) We ate lunch, I got attacked by the salad when the wind picked up, and it started to rain, so we went in and looked at the art stuff. I found a clock with everything written in French, and we attempted to translate. It started to pour, and T had to get back for class, so we headed back to USC, but traffic was bad, so it took forever, and T missed his class. But we did get to see a teddybear attached to the back of a pickup. When we got to USC, we went to the bookstore, where I got a fantastic scrape on my toe that turned out to look like an “A”, however, it was bleeding profusely when it happened… not a good spot to have a bleeding wound when you’re walking through ankle deep water. And we all got USC shirts, and saw the football team practicing. We also got to have a “USC experience” and eat this drive through Mexican food, which was good, but there was something extremely spicy, which I couldn’t hack eating. Then we took off with Micah for Pepperdine. Ian and I were crammed in the back with the luggage, since the trunk didn’t work. And it was our first time on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). We stayed with some really nice friends of Micah (that is, Brit and I did, Ian stayed with Micah), and conked out not long after arriving.
Wednesday: Car Time, Sushi, and Bibles
We woke up and went to this little place in Malibu where Micah loves the breakfast burritos, then went back to campus and got a tour, saw the Randumb Show, and got Pepperdine shirts, before heading over to USC to pick up T. We couldn’t find a parking spot, so decided to just head back to Huntington Beach and hang out there. Traffic was FANTASTIC, and so we got a lot of quality car bonding time in. When arriving in Huntington Beach, we narrowly missed being in a car accident (saved by Micah’s excellent driving skills). Then we got some sushi (which Brit and I were required to try) and washed it down with some Coldstone (but its just not the same without Cory). After the guys left, Brit and I took a walk on the beach, saw the aftermath of a giant grape eating contest (well, it probably wasn’t, but I think that sounds more interesting, plus it looked like something of that nature). And Brit and I were thoroughly salted and chilled. We got bibles that night as well. Nice NIV leather bound pocket sized for church and such. Other people get wasted on spring break, we get bibles!
Thursday: In & Out Burger and Shopping!
I had my first In & Out Burger experience, got a shirt, enjoyed it complete with 1000 Island dressing (the burger, not the shirt). Then we went shopping. Yay for Alias season 2!
Friday: California Adventure
We headed over to California Adventure after lunch, caught the Aladdin musical, saw the Incredibles (just Mr. and Mrs. Sadly no Dash, Violet or Jack Jack), rode the Tower of Terror and Soarin’ Over California, and ate a great burger in the hangar food place. All in all, a wonderful day. Plus we got to see “Disney's Electrical Light Parade” complete with the cheesy music!
Saturday: K (-Lub) Time!
Brit and I hung out with Caleb on the beach, played some Frisbee, caught up on all our lives and happenings. We met her family at Ruby’s on the pier for some lunch, and I had an excellent burger there… it had some sort of pepperjack cheese, and maybe ranch, I don’t remember exactly, just that it was DIVINE. Then we went back to the beach and Caleb and boogyboarded. I was rather unsuccessful at catching a wave, which Caleb did manage to do. After about 20 minutes, I couldn’t feel my body, so we went back on the beach. It was fine for a few minutes, then you aren’t numb, and Caleb and I were both convulsing. Brit tried to help, but after a while, we gave up and went back to her grandparents, where we warmed up, showered, and ate a fantastic home cooked dinner. Then we went and hung out at Hope, which was fun! I just wish we could have met his suitemates… he’s made them sound so intriguing!
Sunday: Home Again
Caleb was a doll and took us to LAX. Our flight home was pretty uneventful, aside from a gate change at O’Hare, which was annoying, but not rushed. Dave was amazing and met us at the airport. And the ride back was fun. Brit and I jammed out to *N’Sync, we ate at McDonald’s and I got a happy meal, complete with a blue beanie bear named red shoe. We renamed it blue bear, which is much more fitting if you ask me. He’s so cute, sitting on my dresser, watching me type. Awww. I know, I get too emotionally attached to things like my plants and stuffed animals. But when you never got to have a pet, and then your beloved fish dies, it happens.
Anyway, I do believe that’s all the high points, and a lot of extra random information as well, but now you’re all updated, and I can just make everyone read this instead of having to say a play by play every time someone asks, save the vocal cords and all, ya know.
I shall conclude by saying congratulations if you actually skimmed down this far, and I detest Earth In Action (although Andrew, Mr. I'm-acing-the-class-and-I-don't-even-think-it's-a-big-deal, himself was a doll and studied with Brit and I for the test tomorrow), as well as the dryers in Boyd, that don’t dry. Perhaps I shall discuss this in more depth some other day, but for now, I think I’ve procrastinated sufficiently, and I should get back to studying. Have a wonderful day!
4.04.2005
I'm a pathetic blogger, but I'm a snake bitten pathetic blogger!
So I've been meaning to write a big huge post discussing all of the fantastic California spring break trip. But this past week, I've been caught under the avalanche of homework and tests that seems to occur right after a major break, which was followed by a period of unmotivatedness where I did nothing for an entire day except go to class and vegetate in front of the television. However, I think I've finally returned to normal (as normal as it gets for me, at least) but I'm still not inspired enough to recount spring break in all its glory and actually do it justice. So I shall postpone that (never fear, it will be up eventually, hopefully sometime this week).
In the mean time, I shall tell you my fun story from this weekend. After a wonderful time at Chuck E. Cheese's for Coltrane and Carrie and Kendra's collective birthdays, we returned home and decided that the beautiful day should be enjoyed from the wonderfulness of Pillsbury Crossing. None of us had been there before (us being JB, Brady, Ian, Brit, and I), so it did take a few missed (but only by a bit) turns before we arrived. We decided to avoid the congregation of drunken revelers actually in the water, and instead hiked out the other way. The guys spied a snake and excitedly tried to grab it, but only managed to make it slither away. I used my excellent creeping skills and snuck up on it. Under direction from Ian, I proceeded to grab it by the tail. I don't think it really appreciated that, and it was quite feisty for such a cute little guy, and managed to maneuver itself and bite my finger. In shock, I dropped the snake. I passed out, and had to be rushed to the ER where they managed to save me from the brink of death... okay, not really, I just wanted to see if you were actually paying attention. HAH! After I dropped the snake, the guys congratulated me on how I was "man enough" to grab the snake in the first place, and how impressed they are because "wow, Anna, I've never even been bitten by a snake!" and we examined my wounds (very minor, but it did bleed) and a weird substance on my finger. After much pondering, Brit, Ian and I came to the conclusion that the snake wet itself on my finger. As Ian said, "you scared it." So now I have lovely bite shaped small scabs on my finger, and a nice, very scrubbed other finger. All in all, I'd have to say it was quite the exciting day!
Post Script: I've gotten pictures back from California, the concert, other random things, so if you want to see them, hit up my website and check em out!
In the mean time, I shall tell you my fun story from this weekend. After a wonderful time at Chuck E. Cheese's for Coltrane and Carrie and Kendra's collective birthdays, we returned home and decided that the beautiful day should be enjoyed from the wonderfulness of Pillsbury Crossing. None of us had been there before (us being JB, Brady, Ian, Brit, and I), so it did take a few missed (but only by a bit) turns before we arrived. We decided to avoid the congregation of drunken revelers actually in the water, and instead hiked out the other way. The guys spied a snake and excitedly tried to grab it, but only managed to make it slither away. I used my excellent creeping skills and snuck up on it. Under direction from Ian, I proceeded to grab it by the tail. I don't think it really appreciated that, and it was quite feisty for such a cute little guy, and managed to maneuver itself and bite my finger. In shock, I dropped the snake. I passed out, and had to be rushed to the ER where they managed to save me from the brink of death... okay, not really, I just wanted to see if you were actually paying attention. HAH! After I dropped the snake, the guys congratulated me on how I was "man enough" to grab the snake in the first place, and how impressed they are because "wow, Anna, I've never even been bitten by a snake!" and we examined my wounds (very minor, but it did bleed) and a weird substance on my finger. After much pondering, Brit, Ian and I came to the conclusion that the snake wet itself on my finger. As Ian said, "you scared it." So now I have lovely bite shaped small scabs on my finger, and a nice, very scrubbed other finger. All in all, I'd have to say it was quite the exciting day!
Post Script: I've gotten pictures back from California, the concert, other random things, so if you want to see them, hit up my website and check em out!
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