Feliz Cumpleanos/Happy Bday!

This is Jackie.

She stole the title of only-child from me seventeen years ago today. At the time, I was totally devastated. No little sisters here, please!! I was doing just fine with two doting parents all to myself, and as soon as said parents brought Jackie home, I immediately demanded to know when the little cretin was going back wherever it was she came from. Their answer - "Never." - didn't particularly satisfy my two-year-old self. That was the first -- but certainly not the last -- time my sister proved herself to be completely annoying.

Let's talk about some other annoying things about Jackie:

Jackie has no respect for my space, privacy, or property. She would waltz into my room and throw herself on my bed whenever the mood struck her. And then she actually took over my room, which is even worse. She also has a flat stomach, which is totally unacceptable. She has a 'q' in her name, which is extremely exotic. In fact, over all, she probably got the better name. And long, thick, hair, perfect for messy buns. I really can't do messy buns. 

When Jackie gets mad at you, she goes silent. It's a total boycott. She Just. Does. Not. Speak. To. You. EVER. It's basically the worst thing ever, because when I get mad, I'm the total opposite. It drives me completely insane. She does this intentionally, and I know it...

She got the better car too, which is just not cool. Same model, but hers has leather interior and heated seats, among other fabulous things. 


Speaking of fabulous, Jackie got the blond hair and the bubbly personality to go along with it. You really just can't help but like her, no matter how annoying she is at times. She also has this innate style and sense of fashion that utterly escapes me. Oh, and never tell her you want to know her "honest opinion" on anything you're wearing, because she's a little too honest, if you ask me. I really don't think younger sisters should be so patronizing...

But she kind of became my best friend my senior year (her freshman year) of high school. Which is something everyone told us would happen, and I always swore wouldn't. But I'm okay with that because even though she is still annoying (read: still my younger sister), Jackie is possibly the most annoyingly fabulous person I've ever met. 

Hey, Jackie? I'm really sorry I guilted you into giving me the bigger half of everything when we were little. And for dumping that liter of soda over your blond bob at Wild Waves. And for asking Mom and Dad to return you to the hospital, because I'm really glad they didn't.  

One more thing about Jackie. She has this weird habit of inserting random phrases of Spanish -- a language she doesn't actually speak fluently -- into every day conversation. I have no idea where that came from, but Feliz Cumpleanos, Jaque!!

And Happy 17th Bday, Jacquelyn!!

(You know what I'm sayin', girlfy...)

An Extremely Nerdy Revelation

So yesterday, before my flight home, my uncle and I sat over Starbucks coffee in the new-ish food court facility at the airport, and I made an extremely nerdy revelation.

I have academic nightmares. Like real, middle-of-the-night, unconscious dreams of a collegiate, academic nature that are completely horrifying.

Saturday night, for instance, I had this hellish dream that I had secretly enrolled in Accounting 250b (its prerequisite, 250a, officially ended my quest to become an accountant). In this dream, I hadn't gone to any of the classes in over a month, had a failing grade, and the final exam scheduled for this week. I actually woke up panicking that I wouldn't be able to drop the class, trying to figure out ways to get myself out of the mess before I realized a few moments later I wasn't actually registered for 250b (thank God!!) and hold high grades in all my classes.

My uncle says this dream is not entirely uncommon, that a lot of college grads -- even people who have been out for decades! -- still have it.

What about you -- ever have one of those? Or am I just crazy? (This is a possibility that I'm definitely willing to entertain...)

A Family Affair

Thanksgiving is a family affair, full of tradition, and my aunt, uncle, and their three kids flew in from Chattanooga for it. We spent most of the week and all of the weekend together, so now that I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back to LAX I can really post something substantial.

Of course we have to discuss the food. My Mom and Aunt got that going pretty early on Thursday morning. The turkey'd already been brining (that really is the secret) for 24 hours, but they had all the sides and desserts that still needed work.

That's the Southern hashbrowns in the red dish (more on that later!), the sweet potatoes under the lid, and of course the green bean casserole and the stuffing on the lower rack. Fortunately, we've got a double oven, so the turkey was baking in the one beneath.

Prepping the green bean casserole.

It all ended up being delicious. Rolls, mashed potatoes, the green beans, hashbrowns, stuffing (both bird, and non-bird), an amazing chocolate mousse, and pumpkin pie. 

And of course the turkey!

And didn't it turn out magnificently? It didn't just look beautiful -- it was actually delicious. The first time I ever actually enjoyed a Thanksgiving turkey. Moist and succulent, even the leftovers. A bird to be remembered. 

Anyway, every year we take a family photo with the fully cooked turkey, a tradition from my mom's side of the family, and this year was no exception. Only that picture wasn't on my camera, so here's one of my mom and aunt. They've got the whole identical-twin-thing going. That's my aunt on the left, my mom on the right.

While the food was cooking, the kids did a little art project, making crosses listing the things they're thankful for. Nicholas, my aunt's youngest, is working on his here. 

We always do these. My sister's from a few years ago is hilarious: "One Tree Hill." "Cell phones." And, my favorite, "My True Religions denim."  Certainly something to be thankful for, and you gotta love that kind of shameless honesty...

Nick's was a little more earnest. "God." "School." "Friends." "Cousins." And how cute is that handwriting?

Nick and Little J are about the same age, and they did the place cards, too. They weren't without some "typos," but that only added to the charm I think.

As always, my Dad carved the turkey.

He gets two pictures here, because he's so rarely in them, being the photographer himself most of the time.

My Mom is a fantastic decorator, and the table looked marvelous. 

Very festive. And look at the whole family together!! 

Then of course we tucked in to dinner...

...and after, while we were watching the dishes, we all broke into an impromptu dance party via iTunes. Some of us know all the choreography (NOT just the main sequence) from the  Village People's original "YMCA" music video. Some of us do not. 

Guess which kind of people we are?

I think this is where I sign off so you don't all think we're completely insane (which maybe wouldn't be too far off the mark, but whose family doesn't have a little crazy mixed up in there?). 

I hope all your Thanksgivings were as full of fun and family as mine was!

What I'm Thankful For

So yesterday I did this post about what I really, really, wanted. Today, it's Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd let you know I'm not completely narcissistic and share what I'm truly thankful for, because it's a lot.

I'm thankful for my huge, crazy family that somehow puts up with me and my craziness. I'm thankful so many of them are here today.

I'm thankful for the butter-basted bird baking in the oven, and all of the rest of the food currently baking, cooling, and settling in various places throughout the kitchen (especially for the crispity, cheesy goodness that is the hashbrown dish -- more on that later!).

I'm thankful that come Monday, I will return a world-class educational institution for classes, and I'm thankful my parents value my education so much and have the means to send me there.

I'm thankful for my fabulous roommate, who shares her food, enjoys our experimental cooking sessions, tolerates my idiosyncrasies, and likes bad TV as much as I do.

I'm thankful for my parents' willingness to jump behind my dreams, and support my decision to take a semester off of school to intern in Washington, DC. I'm thankful for all the opportunities I've received, and the way they make the whole world seem to stretch out before me, in any way I want to experience it.

I'm thankful for the little things too -- the mulchy, clean smell of a Seattle day right after rains, the warmth of a California fall, the leaves that crunch, the winds that blow, the stars I appreciate even more now that the skyline of Los Angeles -- a totally different kind of beauty -- illuminates my sky instead.

Today, and always, I am thankful for all of it. And right now, as I type this, I'm thankful for this blog -- a place where I can pour out my day in writing, and share it with my family and the blogosphere -- and I'm thankful for you -- everyone who bothers reading it or commenting. You brighten my day.

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. 

Made for Walkin'

I am kind of in love with these boots.

I don't think they're on sale on Black Friday, but I'm okay with paying sticker for them, because they're slouchy and suede and heather gray, and even though they're not my usual style, I've been lusting after them for basically ever. I recently tried on a pair and loved them, but didn't have my wallet with me at the time.

But this time...ohhh, this time I'll be ready. Only I just realized that even though they probably won't be on sale at my nearest Nordstrom's, those other shoppers who rush the store for the deals might see them, fall in love, and take them away forever!!!

I don't often get this way about any item of clothing, but these are kind of symbolic now. They're different from what I usually wear -- I'm not certainly not terribly edgy or fashion-forward, but I love these and I'm kind of inspired by them. And now, with the upcoming move to DC (I've all but signed the lease agreement on an apartment!!), I'll need boots for just walking around the city in the winter.

So, really, I kind of need them in my life. And I'm willing to stake-out Nords with all the crazies at the crack of dawn to pay full-price for them if I have to... 

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Did you read it? I read it.

I read EVERYTHING by Roald Dahl, though.

You know how film critics sometimes call movies "a romp"? All Roald Dahl's books are like that. "Romp-y." I think that's the only way to really explain him.

And the movie? Well. It was fairly "rompy." Not quick and fun like the book, of course, but still an adventure, and crazy long like so many movies are these days. The medium -- stop-motion animation --gave the film a rustic, autumnal feel, and provided a nice break from the overly-digitized kids movies that have become the norm. Only I'm not so sure how I feel about stop-motion animation in general, especially in a feature length film like this.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the whole film. It had its funny moments, and its cute, heartwarming moments. It also had a few weird moments, when just as I was getting used to the characters, style, and medium, something a little bit bizarre happened (not hugely impacting the plot, just something a little odd) and I was a little bit unnerved. Just a little bit. Very odd. And I can't say I was hugely pleased with the ending, either. What I can say is that it was very star-studded. Adults will enjoy hearing the voices of stars like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson (who was HILARIOUS!), Bill Murray, and others coming out of stop-motion animals.

(Owen Wilson was fabulously funny.)

Overall, I'm not entirely sure what I think of this movie. I enjoyed it. I'm not dying to go back to see it again. I wouldn't pay ten bucks to see it again (then again, I didn't pay for myself this first time...) My sister and I took our young cousins and baby sister to see it, and on the ride home they weren't babbling about their favorite parts and quotes the way kids usually do, if that means anything.

But the cute/funny moments definitely outweighed the bad. I'm sure the critics will like it, and it will almost certainly be well-received by the industry, but I'm not personally totally sold either way. Usually, I'm pretty decisive about movies. This is a weird instance on so many levels. My advice? If you're dying to go see it, check it out.  If you weren't particularly tempted, don't let the rave reviews drag you in just yet. It'll be just as quirky on DVD. Hopefully you'll even find it "romp-y."

The American Music Awards

The AMAs.

I was so there...The procurement of the tickets is kind of a long story (suffice to say that Hye Young and I were fortunate, through the efforts of myself and the rest of the Building Government, to obtain a significant subsidy from USC, via a loophole for the funding of "cultural events of interest"). 

So on Sunday afternoon, Hye Young and I got all dressed up, and headed a few blocks downtown to the Nokia Center for the awards show. Neither of us had ever been to one, and the AMAs are especially cool because they're performance based rather than presentation/speech based. Anyway, here we are up on the mezzanine, where our seats were:

(Please note the terrible quality of this picture. But don't judge -- the ticket specifically requested no cameras be brought in, and we followed that guideline (we were probably the only ones who did!!) so all of these images are all grainy and low quality, courtesy of my otherwise-fabulous Crackberry.) 

The amazingness of that evening is just too much to put here, but I'm going to try to give you an idea of it. 

First of all, the "live" aspect of the show was an experience in and of itself. As an audience member, we felt privy to a behind-the-scenes type environment and a very participatory vibe. During commercial breaks, for instance, we got little backstage video peeks via the giant screens, and they played performance clips of AMAs past -- Paula Abdul, for instance. Michael Jackson. Will Smith. Then the announcer would lead a countdown 'til "Live!" and call for "Applause! Applause!!" a few moments before to give a really active, enthused vibe to the show.

Of course, the best parts were the live performances. Janet Jackson gave an 8-minute intro, but I'm convinced she was lip-synching. Whitney Houston was on stage live for the first time in five years. Carrie Underwood was charming as always, and Keith Urban was surprisingly good as well. But may I just say that Lady Gaga is insane?? She is destined to pull an Ozzy. She WILL eat a live animal onstage. Wait for it.

For me, at least, one of the highlights of the evening included the Black-Eyed Peas:

Fergie's kind of dancing around in front. That's Will.i.am up on the right. Let's pretend the bluriness adds to the artistic factor, shall we??

They did two songs -- "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow" -- and they were FABULOUS!!!

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys did a performance of "Empire State of Mind," which is one of my favorite songs at the moment. Quite frankly, it was one of the best things I've ever seen.

That's Jay-z and Alicia Keys right there. (You can kind of see 'em, if you squint real hard...)

Until Eminem and 50 Cent got on stage. I wish I could articulate exactly how amazing it was, but there are no words. To be honest, I'm a big-time country girl these days, but I've wanted to see Eminem since I was about eleven and Slim Shady came out (I won't tell you about the phase I went through where I thought his name was "M&M". It was a shameful experience....).

You really can't tell, but that's Eminem on the left, and 50 Cent to his right, kind of facing Eminem. Yeah. Just keepin' it real with my awesome Blackberry camera...

Anyway. Just too much greatness for one stage.

And after something like that, I can't possibly see the point of discussing Adam Lambert's fiasco or really anything else at all. 

Eminem and 50 Cent were amazing. Let's just leave it at that.

(Off to brine a turkey!!)

I Bagged My Own Groceries

Today I finally made the trek down to Superior Groceries for some much-needed milk, cheese, bread, and veggies. Every time I go, I'm reminded that grocery shopping here is a little different than when I'm used to.


At some of the grocery stores back home, it's not unusual to see women in their Lululemon yoga pants or Paige denim, walking the aisles their Tory Burch flats, an iPhone cradled to their ear as they try to push the cart with one hand and keep a kid inside it with the other. The whole ambience is warm and inviting. The floors are tiled.

QFC back home. Gourmet coffee dispensers on the left, cereals on the right.

Aisles are well-stocked with boxes of 100-calories snack packs and a myriad of organic and gluten-free products. There's a wine section with hundreds of bottles in a variety of price ranges. There are a thousand different kinds of cheeses, breads, and fruits available, all neatly organized and artistically arranged.

The frozen section at QFC.

It's not like that here. The store itself, called Superior, is quite a departure from the one my family frequents back home, and most likely a departure from the norm for the vast majority of my fellow students here as well. It's just...not quite as polished. Things are just kind of stacked around, piled high on the shelves, often in the original cardboard pallet in which they were shipped.

Superior. Random cereal and canned goods on the left, produce on the right.

Though stock levels are unpredictable, Superior carries two very different genres of products - there are some items clearly only purchased by USC students, but most are aimed at the surrounding community. A lot of it is ethnic foods, tailored to the Latino community. Some things are cheaper versions of brand foods I recognize, while other things I've never even heard of (what are binuelos? Horchata mix? Bolillo). Maybe not all of it is the quality you'll find at other places, but it's definitely cheaper ("You bag, you save!").

The frozen section at Superior.

The customers at Superior are a little different from the customers at QFC back home too. They buy different things, have different diets, different priorities as to what goes in the shopping cart. A lot of soda and chips and processed foods, not as quite as much produce (although the produce is remarkably inexpensive). At the register (mostly self-check-out), instead of reporting how much you saved with a membership card or whatever, the digital readout reports how much of your purchase is foodstamps-eligible.

This grocery store, this neighborhood -- they're different from what I'm used to. It's real, it's vibrant and yes, at times, gritty. Occasionally I'm thrust out of my comfort zone. This is a world outisde of my cozy, suburban bubble.

I'm learning a about a lot more than just English Literature here. And I like that.

Confession Time

I have a confession to make. I just got back from a 12:30 AM showing of New Moon. You know, the Twilight movie. And I really liked it.

I went to the new Regal Cinemas downtown at LA Live with a friend of mine. It was the first time I'd paid for a movie at a Regal in about eighteen months. In my Washington life (certainly not my LA alter-ego!!) I worked at one, and saw all the movies free. Overall not a bad job.

Anyway. Twilight. No, I don't own a t-shirt. No, I didn't even pre-order the tickets. My friend picked them up at the box office after she had dinner with her boyfriend in the same complex. And no, we did not wait in line all day. We got 12:30 AM tickets, and showed up a little after midnight.

But in the spirit of full disclosure, I have read all the books. I liked them too.

The Excitement is Palpable. At least for me.

So...I've been busy. And I've neglected you, and I am truly sorry. I am a college student, and while most of the time I'm still not quite sure what that means, I have my days (and weeks) of nonstop insanity. Hence, no new posts.

But something very, very exciting has happened in my life. And it's kind of a big deal.

I have been chosen to intern for an incredibly amazing member of the US Congress. Which means that, barring something drastic, I will be moving to Washington, DC for the next semester. At least, I'm seriously looking into it. But there's a lot to be done: I need to cancel my University Housing contract, un-register for classes next semester, take a Leave of Absence, and find a place to live near the Capitol.

Considering I'm not going to get paid anything for five months of full-time work, I am RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED!! 

One More Year

So apparently I can graduate next spring. I met with my advisor this morning, and she laid out my schedule for the next three semesters, and when they're over, I graduate.

That's so weird to me. I mean, I've talked about it a lot -- with my parents, with friends -- but now that it can REALLY happen, now that it's REALLY almost over, I'm not sure how I feel about it...

Home for Halloween

So I went home this weekend. And it was lovely, for the most part, and great to see everyone.

The house was decorated, which I loved, but I was bummed to miss pumpkin carving. Little J was a "Glamour Witch" with my mom, which J-town and I found hilarious. We were never allowed to be witches. The three of us did go as Fifties Girls one year pre-Little J. I'm not personally in possession of any of those photos, but I do have a few of home:

 Look!! Leaves!! I miss that in L.A., but leaves of all colors were everywhere at home. It actually felt like fall for the first time all year.

I loved that it actually felt like Halloween. There is something terribly wrong with being 86-degree weather on October 31st, which is what was going on in LA. Fortunately, it Seattle, we got pounding rain the night before, and then Halloween dawned clear, bright, and cold -- one of my favorite kinds of Seattle days.

Other things that were fabulous about Home:

- space

- full-sized bed and duvet

- fully-stocked fridge

- water from the fridge instead of from a Brita

- a dishwasher

That's just the short list. I was really glad to be back, even for the weekend.

Oh, and a Honey/Barbie/Princess ALERT:  No sign of the hamster. It's Bad News, Bears at the casa. Little J's real bummed. We looked EVERYWHERE. I honestly don't know where this thing could be. We've heard it can sometimes take more than a week for them to show, but keep your fingers crossed!

On the Loose!!

We are not animal people in my house. Or I guess, more accurately, we are not people in favor of animals in the house. At least not my parents. 

We didn't do the whole "pet thing" when I was a kid - except for occasionally taking home a class pet over break, and an accidental beta fish, we've had a strict no-pets policy.

And then this happened:

My parents got Little J a hamster for her birthday. Which, at seven, would have sent me over the moon too. It's had a lot of names: Honey. Barbie. It's Princess for now, because it lives in a bright, plastic castle.

Good grief, Charlie Brown. (I'm not the only one who caught a bit of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" on ABC now, am I??)

Jackie started calling it "Artist," as in, "The Artist formerly known as Princess." Personally, I think that's hilarious. Only right now it might be a little dicey, with the whole "formerly" thing.

You see, Princess/Honey/Barbie/Artist is on the lam. Missing in action. AWOL. Apparently she broke out of her pink and blue palace on Wednesday night and she's been on the loose ever since!! And trust me, a little hamster in a pink palace sounds a lot more appealing than an AWOL one...

Tomorrow, I fly back home for the weekend, and I really hope I don't find a dead rodent anywhere. For Little J's sake. And for mine.

Mika Hit Hollywood! (And So Did We!)

So last Friday, I threw out a trivia question. About shoes.

Q: Who is the only man for whom Christian Louboutin has designed a custom line of shoes?

The ANSWER, almost a week later:

MIKA!

Apparently, he and Christian Louboutin are pretty tight. So tight, the master himself designed and handcrafted a line of shoes just for Mika, including the blue studded ones above and a pair of silver high tops, and of course Mika loves them. Mika and I have that in common. I don't think I (or any woman, for that matter) have seen a pair of shoes by Christian Louboutin I didn't like. 

You know what else Mika and I have in common? We were both at the Hollywood Palladium last week!! 

If you are unfamiliar with Mika, check out my right hand column. I've posted a clip of "Grace Kelly," one of my favorite Mika songs, and one of his most well-known.  Give it a listen while you scroll through the day's posts.

And okay. I PAID forty-some dollars to be there, and he EARNED thousands of dollars. But still. I saw Mika on the North American leg of his "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" tour!!

And of course I wasn't alone -- I went with Bridget, my roommate Hye Young, and our friend Taylor. 

The decision to wear the crazy stuff was made while I was in my Friday afternoon American Lit class (I really don't think I have anything neon anyway...). Hye Young literally made a drive-by pick-up by my building, and I jumped in the car and we were off!

We met Fletcher there. He may have been the only straight man there. He doesn't know that yet though. Poor Fletch. Just wait.

Speaking of waiting...

We got there super early to get a good number and get right up to the front of the stage when the show started. So we had a while to chill...

..which would've gotten REALLY boring.

  Except we were in Hollywood. 

On Sunset Blvd. 

So somehow we managed to pass the time.

And then the SHOW STARTED. 

We got RIGHT UP TO THE FRONT. We were super psyched. Except maybe Fletcher. He just realized he was the only straight male in the building, and he felt duped.

  (We're sorry, Fletcher. But we really needed another driver...Um, is 'thank you' enough for subjecting you to hours of waiting, and then hours of screaming girls and gay men?)

But then MIKA TOOK THE STAGE.

Did I mention we were WAY CLOSE?? 

Well, we were. And we only got CLOSER!

Hye Young ended up getting some pretty good shots, too. 

Mika. He's kind of a superstar. 

At least it's totally that kind of vibe, you know? And he's got real talent. Something like five octave range or whatever, and classically trained in opera before he started singing things he wrote himself. 

It was kind of an amazing show.

And kind of an amazing day.