december 2005 archive

Thursday, December 29, 2005

no. 33

well, thanks to a christmas present i received, i've been able to knock another item off the to-do list. yep, i got a showerhead. one of those really nifty rainfall types. and, contrary to what i thought, it was so simple to install that i was done in less than five minutes. maybe i'll take a picture when i get home so i can demonstrate my handiwork.

school starts less than 2 weeks, with my orientation a week from today. in the meantime, it's work, clean, and enjoy the free time while it lasts! hope everyone has a joyous new year!

posted by sara at 10:35 AM | link   

Friday, December 23, 2005

smoke detector

you know it's been a rough day when the title of my post is determined as i gaze aimlessly at the ceiling and grab the first thing to come into my field of vision. it's been a day of restless sleeping and pill-popping as i battled a migraine. i stepped into the office today feeling unsteady. when phyllis noticed i wasn't feeling well, she asked if i had a headache and chastized me for not visiting a docor (something i've neglected, in a strange fit of denial over the answer to the question "do you get frequent headaches?"). the bummer part, aside from being short people at work (bless cindy for staying late!) is that i'm missing a christmas party for josh's work. if i had taken immitrex sooner, i might have been ok (as i am now), but i was in denial.

well, there are presents that need wrapping, and i'm about ready to go to bed again. even if i was there all day. these posts have been a bore lately, i'm sure. dear reader, my apologies.

posted by sara at 9:51 PM | link   

this just in

Welcome to UC Irvine's Anteater family!

Our records show that you intend to register at UCI for Winter 2006.

mind you, at this point, not only have i registered and paid for classes, but this statement of intent to register was submitted the day i found out i was accepted! humm....

posted by sara at 8:19 AM | link   

Thursday, December 22, 2005

l' o.c.

i'm about to head to newport and fashion island to get me some christmas cheer. it's been a hard day's work and my lack of accomplishment in the areas of housekeeping and the giving of christmas greetings only haunts my thoughts long enough to be pushed aside with a determined shove in a desire to shame such thinking out of existence. tis the season, but it's not the only thing that makes it merry. it is my attitude, and i cling dearly to the hope that friends know how much i care, whether or not they recieve my well-wishes before the 25th of december. besides, i can't bring myself to sign a simple "love, sara"; being raised in an old-fashioned home means you write a personal note.

still, all things considered, it's getting late, and some last-minute shopping must be had. merry christmas!

posted by sara at 5:45 PM | link   

Sunday, December 18, 2005

titles are overrated.

amidst the fray of christmas festivities (parties & shopping), i've managed to read quite a bit. i looked over my list of things to do and purchased used books of the 3 recommended reads by 2 friends and one rather anonymous individual (reader tristan, i appreciate the suggestion and i'll bite, though i'm a tad apprehensive about "guns, germs, and steel). i still need a few more ideas, there are seven open slots for books.

two more weeks of freedom. i'm quite speechless at this point.

posted by sara at 10:10 PM | link   

Friday, December 16, 2005

invitation to spellcheck

from a pricey spa in newport (email spam):

Get 'Spa'tacular savings on the gift of luxery and treat yourself too!

posted by sara at 12:05 PM | link   

Thursday, December 15, 2005

a christmas carol & a microchip

well, for christmas this year, josh & i took the family out to see a production of "a christmas carol" at south coast repertory theatre. i'm happy to say that fulfills one of my "101 in 1001" activities and that it was loads of fun. i've already bought tickets for tom stoppard's "the real thing" which plays in a few months. something about seeing "rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead" in high school left a permanent mark on me: i think stoppard's writing is witty and brilliant. i could always be proven wrong.

also, the cats have all been microchipped so, if they run away, hopefully they will find their way back into my arms. monty, poor old guy, had to be knocked out with a little gas in order for the technician to give him the shot. he never knew what hit him. two more down!

posted by sara at 10:25 AM | link   

Monday, December 12, 2005

le fin

my esteemed career at saddleback has come to a close. sadly anti-climatic, i know i'm not getting a's this semester and that i've been a poor manager of my time. with the quarter system glaring at me from around the corner i know i'd better get my act together and get organized. i have three weeks. with any luck, i'll hit west elm in santa monica and poke my head in the fossil store while i'm at it--although i'm less concerned with my wardrobe and more aware of my need for a quiet room to study in. with a proper desk and file cabinet.

poor josh has been wretched (and wretching) for most of the day. me, on the other hand, i've been surprisingly symptom-free (with the exception of headaches--can't seem to dodge those). i'll chalk it up to those overpriced vitamins (juice plus) i'm taking because i don't have the world's most hearty immune system. that's twice now that josh has experienced some form of malady since returning from thanksgiving vacation. poor guy!

and so it is: the holidays have officially begun (for me). i must read & write & shop & clean & laugh & smile & rejoice & see movies!

posted by sara at 11:55 PM | link   

Saturday, December 10, 2005

mean mr. mustard!

looking for some accompaniment to my afternoon snack, i flip on the television to the sundance channel and am confronted by sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band. at first glance, i thought beatles. and it is, to some certain extent. but it comes to us care of the bee gee's (3 of them) and peter frampton, along with steve martin, aerosmith, earth, wind & fire, and alice cooper. oh, and it's narrated by george burns. it's a classic romp in camp and i couldn't bring myself to change the channel. and, yes, in the movie, frampton comes alive. or, rather, his character does. ah, the irony.

posted by sara at 2:42 PM | link   

largo

if i wasn't on the verge of meeting jon brion last night after the show at largo... i might be disappointed if i didn't know he was going to be playing next friday, and in to next year. nature called and i relented, meaning that by the time we were leaving he was engrossed in conversation and didn't even glance as we walked past him (i was hoping to offer a cursory "thank you"). it doesn't matter that he's my "friend" on myspace, i somehow envision brilliant conversation flowing out of my mouth so that he might give half a second's thought that i really believe what i'm saying about his impact on the music industry and film scoring. you know what i mean by that, right? that's it: brilliant conversation out the window. i might as well hold myself in the fetal position and drool.

however, it is on my 101 in 1001 list. i'm crossing my fingers that i can get a photo for evidence!

if i didn't have to go to work right now, i'd tell you more about the show. we were there until 2am and it was AWESOME!

posted by sara at 9:06 AM | link   

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

law & order

it's only one more week until school starts, then my 3-week reprive before class begins at uci. in the meantime, i'm busy studying for finals, shopping for christmas gifts, and trying to keep my sanity. i'm hopelessly procrastinating at the moment, watching "law & order" reruns and eating. i should do some laundry, clean, and maybe pull the tree out from the garage. i love decorating for the holidays, but i'm nervous that our baby cat will have too much fun with the new toys i'm about to put up. oh, yeah, and i should spend some time studying.

recent times in words & phrases:

"That's nice, that blouse or whatever that you're wearing." (elderly gentleman to me at work. it was a sparkly, teal sweater with three-quarter length sleeves and a faux-fur collar.)

paul mccartney in concert: so. awesome.

memoirs of a geisha: a book i ate through in 8 days. the movie looks like it's going to be amazing.

geography project: not perfect, but pretty satisfied with the results

antibiotics...probiotics (i didn't know there was such a thing!)

i just remembered i need to renew my car insurance.

posted by sara at 4:17 PM | link   

november 2005 archive

Sunday, November 27, 2005

montgomery ward

last 10 days in brief words/phrases (a la douglas coupland circa microserfs):
the house
san francisco
oregon border
mt. shasta
fog
fog
fog
fog
fog
rain
fog
sun
rain
cold cold cold cold cold
but i don't want to take philosophy!
walmart checker breaks plastic hangers
where's waldo?
the jello mold is perfect!
let's play "ship the dirty laundry home"
don't trust the hertz "never lost" gps system
mille bornes
cats = monkeys?
don't get barbara's barn in the picture
dim sum
san carlos
futbol
iHome
Hotel Triton
is that cop after ME?
books on tape make road trips easier
i miss my cats (moxie is stinky)
electric blankets RULE
harry potter and the goblet of fire
it's WINDY!
is it a tree, or an intruder?
who puts up their christmas lights the day after thanksgiving?
if i see one of those ridiculous inflatable snowman again...
3 more weeks till school is over
100% on my sociology paper: wOOt!
ann's home from the hospital: double wOOt!
i bought my first christmas present at the airport: ____!

posted by sara at 10:39 PM | link   

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

registration

it's a working vacation for me this thanksgiving season. so far i've written a sociology paper and registered for winter classes. it was a little depressing to learn that, for all the efforts i went through in convincing myself of the usefulness of taking spanish instead of waiting for fall to come 'round and enroll in french or japanese, i can't even get a jumpstart on THAT. all foreign languages meet 5 days a week. something's gonna happen by next fall one way or the other: i have to take 2 years of a foreign language as an english major (humanities dept. requirement).

much to the chagrin of my councelor, i DID enroll in music writing. if my passion for music can't hold me in that class, then i shouldn't be a writer. her advice was to wait until i took "crit 100a", but i'm taking my chances.

let's go bowling.

posted by sara at 10:07 AM | link   

Thursday, November 17, 2005

wide awake?

today was a harsh wake-up call to what the next three years of my life are going to be like. i worked this morning, fled to campus for a counseling appointment, then dashed to my class at the the local j/c. the classes for my major sound decidedly boring my first quarter, but i'm sure it'll be more interesting once i'm actually attending the classes.

truthfully, i'm terrified.

posted by sara at 9:01 PM | link   

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

an aside, by the author

momentary bursts of inspiration considered, my writerly ambitions are being sucked into sociology papers at a breakneck pace. i don't anticipate a winning NaNo year, but i'm proud to say i've made considerable progress. november just isn't my month this year. last year i was almost applying to uci; this year i'm meeting with counselors and planning my winter schedule. (pause, phone rings)

i just learned that two coworkers were in a car accident last night & they need me to come in and cover for lunches. they're ok, thankfully, but what an awful thing to go through. what to say? i guess i'd better get a move on.

update: actually, one coworker, dear ann, is in icu at the moment. it sucks.

posted by sara at 8:55 AM | link   

Sunday, November 13, 2005

...or

i could read more of chris baty's "no plot, no problem", become inspired, and pound out a thousand words in less than an hour. i'm at 7300. weak, but i'm still tickin'. go, me!

posted by sara at 11:10 PM | link   

ah, well...

yo, so, it's almost halfway through the month and i've slipped behind on my nanowrimo goal. rather than drive myself insane, i gently concede that, in this month of thanksgiving vacation and running the home stretch at school and preparing for class registration, my noveling ambitions will most likely fall short. i will continue to write, however, and reaching 6,000 is far more than i've ever spent on a piece at any given time.

in other news, it's late...

posted by sara at 12:38 AM | link   

Monday, November 07, 2005

WriMo update

humm, well, i've crested 4500 words. paul gave alex a used corolla instead of the hyundai, but that was a decade ago and now she's about to graduate to an audi a4. how hot is that? she's also on the cusp of moving to los angeles because of the promotion she received at work. the fbi haven't called her back. and forget about the part with maria and the dry cleaning--she was a friend, not a maid. i should actually have more than twice the word count, but life is life. i've got a whole month to make up for it?

saw shopgirl last night: abfab. i probably enjoyed it as much because i've been hooked on claire danes since high school (my so called life). steve martin's novella actually transferred into a much better screenplay, but i've got to believe that improvements were made. it's been about two years since i read it. and the score by barrington pheloung was exquisitely brilliant; it complemented the film perfectly, as though the two were betrothed.

posted by sara at 7:10 AM | link   

Friday, November 04, 2005

i'd like to register a complaint

dear mr. baty,

thusfar i am off track with my november noveling ambitions. i haven't even crested the proposed 6,000-word goal to date and i'm having trouble sleeping because my cat wants to share my pillow. my eyes are dry, and i've yet to experience the "week one rush" described in your book. perhaps it'll pick up next week, when maria brings over the dry cleaning or paul buys alex a hyundai. because, if nothing else, that car has the best mileage warrenty out there. even if it did only cost him $10,000.

some of the characters are bored with me already. i still can't figure out why the fbi were there when alex almost crashed into that guy on the freeway. and why did i decide that the emt didn't need to slip alex his phone number--he was HOT! as far as alex's job, well, it's pretty boring. her coworkers are liars and gossips, and she works in orange county, which has to be as complacent as it gets. she listens to sigur ros, though, so there's got to be something redeeming there. plus she owns an apartment complex in san clemente. i sure wish i knew how old this wise, single lass is!

if you have any words of wisdom, mr. chris baty, or a writing muse you could send to the self-proclaimed "furiousmuse", i would request one post-haste!

obliged,

sara, NaNoWriMo 2005 participant

p.s. my cat is chewing on my elbow! help!

posted by sara at 9:46 AM | link   

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

barely distinguishable

audioblogging from the U2 concert...

(i still haven't found what i'm looking for)

(one)

(with or without you)

my favorite part of the concert was at the end when bono brought four girls up from the audience who had a sign letting him know they were a band. instruments were passed out and the staples center was rocked by some awesome talent. that's an experience those girls will remember for the rest of their lives. i'm so glad i got to witness it. bono dubbed the band "exit".

posted by sara at 9:25 PM | link   

october 2005 archive

Monday, October 31, 2005

poised

minutes to spare and i've finished my sociology homework at the eleventh hour yet again. the clock stares at me, taunting "it's almost midnight". and, i feel compelled. bjork is hunting in my eardrums, and i think i'm going to start my novelling. ready, set... go!

posted by sara at 11:58 PM | link   

Sunday, October 30, 2005

re-united

my 10-year reunion last night is full of juicy morsels. i don't really have time to post much of the details, save for the fact that our school's "it girl" (you know who i'm talking about) called me a "naughty little number" for some innocuous reason. it was quite amusing.

despite the high cost of attendance, it was full of everything you could want from a get-together with former classmates: chicken marsala, an open bar, a really long video montage with songs like "eye of the tiger" and "forever young", and a dj circa 1989 (did we really want to hear "brass monkey" and "the humpty hump"?). i should have known what was coming when we had this exchange:

me: do you have beck? two turntables & a microphone?
dj: baby got back?
me (louder): no! beck! two turntables & a microphone!
dj: i'll look into that.

yeah, he looked REAL hard. overall, it was worth it. i got me some writing fodder. and a classic keepsake/memory book. you know: a spiral bound booklet about the size of a steno pad with black & white scanned photos and self-written bios. on those, my favorite came from an alum whose occupation is "entertainment, fashion". when asked what she's been up to the past 10 years, she wrote: "i like light bulbs, protazoa, glue".

i've spent about 5 minutes trying to come up with some hip witticism to offset that and i just can't do it.

posted by sara at 5:46 PM | link   

Friday, October 28, 2005

broadcast

a totally rockin' show last night, but too crowded for me. standing-room shows are pretty common for small venues, but the cramped quarters & pushing kind of grate on me after a while. in addition, the show didn't actually start until about 11:40 at night. while this is fun, it's hard to stay awake after working all day and coming home to the couch and the cats and 3 episodes of various law & order spinoffs (2 criminal intent, 1 svu). i'm kicking myself for not being more disciplined about my homework & wonder about next month's noveling. i think i'll just give up the tv altogether. blogging may be a bit slim, too, considering all the stuff i've got going anyway.
as a side note, i've uploaded a bunch of photos on flickr this morning (in random order, i might add--some of the "most recent" are actually a couple weeks old!). i hope to have many tales to tell after being reunited with long lost alums. 

posted by sara at 10:39 AM | link   

Thursday, October 27, 2005

the nordstroms piano phenomenon

dear reader, be warned. radiohead is cool. listening to richard clayderman do radiohead is NOT cool. therefore i beg you: by all means avoid christopher o'riley's radiohead "tributes". it is a fallacy and the man should be whipped with a thousand wet noodles. i think if i brought the album home to my parents, even they would say they like radiohead. and that, well, that's just sick. not to mention darned near impossible.

i failed to mention here that if you're really hankering for radiohead sans voice, brad mehldau is the ticket. he's played at largo in LA a number of times and is an incroyable jazz pianist. highly recommended.

posted by sara at 5:00 PM | link   

NaNoWriMo

i've officially committed. are there any readers out there on the 'net who are also participating in National Novel Writing Month in november? if so, brave souls, leave a note in the comments box. and, if you've even been contemplating it, i encourage you to give it a go: i don't even think i broke 3,000 words last year. however, i've picked up chris baty's "no plot? no problem!" and cruised through 30% of it on my day off. it's very encouraging & an easy read. and, it's not as though i don't have a busy schedule as it is, but there's something very romantic about the whole noveling thing.

posted by sara at 8:37 AM | link   

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

goooo anteaters!!!

it's official...

uci just deemed me worthy of joining the ranks of undergrads at their insitution!

i'm giddy with glee! for those of you who deserved a personal phone call (there are several of you) my apologies! the kaleidescope of change in front of me is outstanding!

posted by sara at 12:16 AM | link   

Thursday, October 20, 2005

labor of love

i'm pregnant. with hope. for uci to love me.

i don't know that many things in life get me worked up as much as this. i will be hearing from uci between now and the 31st.

it's been an interesting month not to post as much as i typically do, but i won't deny the reprieve is doing me good. school has been beating me up on a regular basis, and with those 5am feedings for the kitties (i've learned to lock the door & fall asleep poste-haste) i think everything is just blurring right by me. somewhere in my head it's december already & i wake up wondering what happened to my homework and why none of the holiday shopping is done. folks, it's gonna be an amazon christmas. you can bet your bottom dollar. or, if you get memorablia that says "paul mccartney" or "u2" or "broadcast", you'll know where i've been. all those ambitions to knit everyone beautiful scarves is lost: who has the time when i'm either typing or thumbing through text books! honestly!

as it is, we have a wedding this saturday and i need to get a gift, a dress (wearable now & next august: congrats to lauren!), and a card. oh yeah, and all that homework??? argh.

so, needless to say, i'm busy, but generally doing good with life. for the first time in a while, i can look around at our comfy & cluttered abode and relax (unless i think moxie's sneaking about on the kitchen counter again). i am content with paul mccartney singing in the background & blogging on my iBook & the prospect of working 19.5 hours with the bank and going to school. in general, i have a great deal to be thankful for and i'm learning more & more to count these blessings. i think this is the peace that passes all understanding. it's certainly not anything i've done.

posted by sara at 5:37 PM | link   

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

silence is...golden?

i wish i could just get over it. but i haven't heard from uci and wait, that means this post shouldn't exist.

darn you, socks! darn you!

sociology is a beast and i think i missed my midnight cutoff for the paper. e-gads! there go my straight-A dreams (i haven't gotten those since junior high though. so, who am i kidding. i'll take a B!).

moxie lost his first tooth.

i celebrated the nephews birthday at disneyland (go ahead--no wonder the paper didn't get done in time!). and i just remembered i didn't call him yesterday. e-gads! i'm a bad auntie!

i got a B on my geography midterm. yeah! B!

i did some laundry. i put it in a basket. i failed to fold the unmentionables & the whites are still in the dryer.

the job front is shifting. more later: i'm not sure where i'm headed, if anywhere. update: i'm staying with my current employer, same office, and reducing my hours. it's a win-win situation (except for my coworker, who is leaving because of working 2 jobs and taking a full load of classes. she will be missed!)

i forgot to take my tea with me to work. angel's dream tea! ah, reverie.

i have a new tinker bell travel mug. i love it. she is everything i am not.

i have to go empty the cat box before i go to bed.

it's cold in here. josh is asleep in the other room and the air i'm sucking in through my nose might as well crystalize and form icicles in my nostrils.

i need a haircut. a massage. a chiropractic adjustment. and maybe some good acupuncture.

i don't care about proofing this post.

i do care about ditching my daniel lanois tickets. i think my craigslist buyer fell through and the show is on saturday. any takers in the oc? email me @ muse [at] furiousmuse dot com. i'm going to a wedding instead. 4 tickets @ $25/each (slightly discounted from the ticketmaster price) altogether or in pairs.

i'm going to bed now.

posted by sara at 12:07 AM | link   

Sunday, October 09, 2005

survey

just a brief post...my last until i hear from uci. my friend's brother's girlfriend (...) is at usc and needs responses to a survey about blogging. if you would be so kind to take about 7 minutes of your time to go here to fill it out. it concerns blogging and various sources from which you gather your news.

thanks!

posted by sara at 3:37 PM | link   

Thursday, October 06, 2005

it's a revolution

josh & i saw sigur ros last night at the hollywood bowl. were it not for our friend justin, i would never have thought to purchase tickets. the show was amazing and leaves me reeling in its wake. if you're feeling cheeky, check out this video for a sample of their brilliance in composition, both in film & sound. i hope you have broadband.

i'm on watch/listen to the video number three as i write this because i just can't get enough. i don't normally jest about musicians i admire, but i did (jokingly) ask josh if the lead singer is a castrato. he sits vocally in his falsetto range the entire duration of the set and it's mildly unnerving to think that a boy can sing higher than i can (not that i'm much of a singer, but my ambitions are such that i might one day hit that high note christine is scripted for in lloyd webber's phantom of the opera).

jonsi played amazing guitar: he frequently used a bow to drone out growly electric tones from his...oh, don't even make me guess what kind of electric guitar it was. but it was so...cool. see how dumb my writing gets when i try to express my appreciation for music? when georg grabbed a stick and began pulsing out single note bass rhythms, i melted. ever a fan of the minimalist school, i latched on instantly to that and orri's mad, mad drumming. it would be unfair to overlook kjarri's talent on the keyboards which, though seemingly indistinguishable among a grouping of more prominent instruments, would be missed if he went awol mid-performance. to complement the group further, the icelandic band was joined by their cohorts, the amina string quartet. so much talent in their adept fingers, hands, and wrists. they executed complex rhythms and plucked ferociously during one the the pieces and it weaved all the music together so perfectly. i am simply in awe of the accomplishment i witnessed at the 'bowl. it leaves me stupefied. and perfectly stupid with words which fail to capture the absolute truths i seek to express. if you're in doubt, go to their site and download some of their work and judge for yourself. (and, if you're still in doubt after that, meet me back at this post and we'll duke it out in the comments box, sucka!)

again, i will proclaim that music students a decade from now will be studying bjork, sigur ros, and radiohead based on the innovations they are making to modern composition. i've studied enough theory in my former days as a music major to know this. and, if my predictions are false, then shame on those textbook authors and the creators of curriculum. it would be an absolute travesty, an offense to all things sacred in the world of music.

i feel so strongly about music sometimes i wonder if i shouldn't be majoring in it: music history or something that doesn't necessarily expect a dedicated person to perform like a trained monkey at the sound of a buzzer. it's not as though i don't enjoy performing, mind you, but the pressure i felt as a teenager left a bad taste in my mouth. but my love of music goes so far beyond words: it burrowed into the caverns of my soul and took up residence so long ago that i almost feel as though i might die without my ability to enjoy it. to feast on it like a wonderful piece of ripe fruit which has been perfectly formed and warmed by the sun on cool days until it reaches such perfection that it drips from your mouth with a sweetness so crystal clear that your taste buds want to sing & dance with delight at the pristine flavor. and i look at my analogy & laugh because i still realize that it doesn't come close to respecting my love for music!

right now, i'm so in love with sigur ros. the new paul mccartney album may be a little lonely for a while (but i like that one, too!). go check them out.

posted by sara at 6:32 PM | link   

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

inchoate

it's the end of the year, but i feel as though i'm in the beginning stages of this major flux in my life and the closer It gets (aka The Letter from UCI), the more nerve-wrecked (yes, wrecked) i am.

work has been weird lately. not work itself, but customers. one guy was behaving so badly that we phoned the police. he was raising his voice & ordering us around and i felt SO uncomfortable. the emotion has burned off now that 5 or 6 days have passed since that event and i've moved on. but i was really burned up about it for a good 5 hours after it happened. no one wants the police to come into their work, i don't care who you work for: it's never a good sign.

then there's that random woman who refuses to let me help her. and i just can't think what i did to offend her. i wish she'd give me a chance to make amends. instead, i just stand there in stupified silence, looking dejected and disappointed. until the next customer comes along and then everything is fine. (i realize this is totally & completely the woman's method of thought: what did i do ? it must be my fault! truth is, it's absolutely a mystery. so i'm not going to worry about it.)

dino's in town again, which hannah & max in tow, which is great. our house is a few significant degrees cleaner because of it. yea, us!

i want to hear from UCI sooner, not later. i want to cease living in limbo. i want to have a firm path before me and know where i'm going.

i want to go...to bed.

posted by sara at 10:57 PM | link   

Monday, October 03, 2005

drive-by confessional #1

i know my account's overdrawn...i started doing doing drugs and...now i'm in rehab.

allow me to clarify: i have nicknamed my teller window the "drive-by confessional", and this was actually said TO ME today. sorry, e-dogg, no such "excitement" going on in my life.

posted by sara at 2:48 PM | link   

sociology nightmares

last night/this morning i dreamt that i had 20 minutes to take my online test and that i failed. which is why i'm up at 5am. crazy life, indeed!

6:38 am: so i just took the test (it's an online class) and i got an 86% on it. and now it's done with and i can decidedly NOT stress out for the rest of the day. yea!

posted by sara at 5:23 AM | link   

september 2005 archive

Friday, September 30, 2005

overheard

"ok, so now we're going to go to pick up your pictures and run some other errands in the area, you'll get your pedicure, and then we can go home!"

oh, by the way, this was said to a girl of about ten.

posted by sara at 1:11 PM | link   

Thursday, September 29, 2005

uninvited

we've guests again. relatives. they're in the kitchen. i've been feeding them all day long and, out of respect, locked the cats up so they can't be bothered. but MAN how i wish those freakin' ants would just disappear! for good!

i've had too much homework to continue photo-blogging, and i'm expecting an answer from uci by the end of october. i don't know how that relates to photo-blogging, but that's ok, you're tracking with me, right?

still trying to write and keep up with homework. argh. my mind is so spacey. this has to be the worst post ever. just maybe.

posted by sara at 6:45 PM | link   

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

once more, with feeling

oh, i feel sorry for my mom. she's finally joined the ranks of Those-Who-Must-Go-To-Shelters/Rescues-To-Adopt-A-Cat (in the past 20 years, all of her cats adopted Her. lucky!) so she brought home a cat, and it proceeded to do its business anywhere but the litter box. after 3 unsuccessful attempts at using the appropriate means of disposing of his waste, mom is returning the cat. it's just a little much to start of a relationship with an incontinent cat for her and i'm a bit bummed at the cat: he has no idea what he's missing out on by misbehaving.

i'm still awaiting news from uci & trying to wade my way through a busy schedule and massive pounds of reading for my classes. i've finally asked about cutting my hours at work, but i'm not sure what only 5 hours will do for me. i have been so overwhelmed this past month, and now that i don't have rehearsals on wednesday nights anymore, i can hopefully breathe a little easier.

moxie gets, UHhum, fixed tomorrow. i'm really hoping this minimizes my 5am wake-up calls. in the end, though, i'm thinking i should just give in and get up. i might actually get more done this way. i got about 5 hours of definite "sleep" last night, but after that, it was hit-and-miss till about 7am. i don't mind it, really. my body has been adjusting to this new-fangeled alarm clock for a few weeks and i kind of like getting things done with the extra time. maybe i'll even start going to the gym before work. hummm. it's nice to work things to my advantage if i can.

life is pretty uneventful otherwise. my bio for my high school reunion is due in a few short days and i'm currently listening to the cutting crew--yea for the eighties. yep. i lead the common life.

posted by sara at 2:21 PM | link   

Friday, September 23, 2005

4+3=7

i'm heading to the triple-digit region of california today & not exactly looking forward to enjoying the weather. the cats woke me up at 5:30 this morning, but i was sort of counting on that so that i could get a few things done. i can't believe (pause). ok, what was i thinking to write? ah, 5 hours of sleep...i must remember to pack my pillow!

i'm also got strange ambitions about hitting the gym here in a bit--i just ate a "luna" energy bar. dude, there is just way too my scattered-brains running in my head at this wee hour.

posted by sara at 6:10 AM | link   

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

get up, get behind

i think i've been awake since 5am. which either means that i'm requiring less sleep these days since i went to bed at 11:30-midnight-ish (please note, going to bed is not always defined to falling asleep). i blame a multitude of things on my insomnia. i have three cats, one of which likes to dance on my head when he's hungry (moxie). the little grey monster is also prone to fits of grooming. sweet as this appears between other felines, it actually involves a lot of tugging & back & forrth shaking of the head. ah, the joys of pet ownership.

this morning i had a lot to accomplish. i'm currently at the dealership, parasiting their (weak/fluxuating) wireless connectivity and determinely avoiding my sociology homework. my sister's birthday is tomorrow & so i'm going to visit her on my day off. the dawn has proved difficult for me. not only was my most direct route hampered by a downed power line, but i passed a shopping center where a delivery truck had apparently caught fire in the loading docks. it's been an interesting morning.

josh was still in bed when i left. for that, i am impeccably jealous. still, he woke up with me around 5:00 & we discussed the various things that were stressing us out and i was able to experience some twilight sleep for about the next hour before the cats coaxed me down to the kitchen for some food.

in other news, J.D. is the new INXS singer. a shout out to Mig: i loved your performance of queen's bohemian rhapsody!

posted by sara at 7:58 AM | link   

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

together again

i would be hard-pressed to deny the anxiety that plagues me as i ponder my upcoming high school reunion. bios are due by the end of the month. not only has that been the subject of recent writing group debate, but it has been deliberately avoided by me in order that i may happily tag on the phrase "will be attending UCI in January". time is short, however, and i wonder, can't i just write it that way after all? if life is measured in major events, no one wants to know that i've been enrolled in junior college for the past 10 years, nor that i have three cats and that i just bruised my big toe so bad that the nail fell off. actually it was sort of coaxed off in a fit of boredom, save for a tiny bit that is still painfully attached to my skin. the nail won't have grown back in time for display in open-toed shoes, and i probably won't have abs of steel, but i'm dragging josh along for dinner with some friends who have committed their hard-earned money to this over-priced hotel meal (prediction: dinner roles, salad with italian dressing, chicken piccata with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes, and nameless dessert item) for various reasons of camraderie or discomfort. me, i'm just hoping to get the scoop so i can write about it.

if anyone out there is like me, they sometimes still feel like a child (if they don't have kids of their own) and they wonder at their accomplishments and how 10 years flew by so quickly. speaking of which, i should make an appointment to have alyssa style my hair that day. i'm growing it out & would hate for it to look, well, like the 10 minutes i spent on it this morning.

yoshimi, patricia, emily, niall, and hopefully sara & bill, you're the ones keeping me sane. God bless you! we'll have to sneek the others in after dinner....

posted by sara at 11:20 PM | link   

Saturday, September 17, 2005

elizabethtown

cameron crowe is my new hero. on apple's home page, there is a featurette where he discuses his new film & how it is circled around music & how the songs helped shape the movie. it is AWESOME, and gives me chills to witness another person react to music with a similar passion as the one i have always held in my heart. if i could memorize his narrative, i would keep it in a book to look at again & again. newfound respect to you, mr. crowe. you can bet i'll be seeing this flick when it hits theaters in a few weeks (october 14).

posted by sara at 10:57 PM | link   

Thursday, September 15, 2005

collapse

i'm starting to get awful callouses on my hands from playing the djembe. that, plus this incredible soreness that just radiates on my entire hand. it hurts to count money today, something that is an unavoidable side effect of working at a bank. my discomfort aside, it's a wonderful privelege to be playing again. hopefully this will encourage me with my self-directed piano studies. but at this point, it almost hurts too much to type, so that'll have to wait. as will this blog.

posted by sara at 10:35 AM | link   

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

curses! foiled again!

as i mentioned yesterday, i was due to donate blood today. and, yet again, my hematocrit level is too low: 35 instead of the necessary 38 for a donor. this despite the multi-vitamin i've been taking faithfully for 2 weeks which equals 100% of the iron i'm supposed to be taking. i'm at a loss here. should i take more iron supplements? will my body discard the excess, or is too much actually bad for me?

this day has flown by at a swift clip with all i've got to do. the jetta needs a car wash and i haven't been to the gym in at least a month. homework deserves some attention as well. it's amazing how much my life is demanding of me these days. oh yeah, and that housework thing? my mom has taught me well. i'm considering maid service every other week, but my house has to be cleaned before they come over. thanks, mom!

ah, inherited idiosyncrasy.

posted by sara at 3:19 PM | link   

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

in excess

first, forgive me for not posting pictures on my foto log, i have been continuing to photograph daily, occasionally to the peril of other drivers, but things have been progressing pretty nicely if i do say so myself.

tonight i saw an ambulance on the road. it's the second or third time this has happened in recent weeks on evening drives home. it's eerie to stare through those two small windows in the rear and play the casual observer to the aftermath of an emergency. the lights weren't flashing in dire urgency, but tonight it seemed as though something was covering up part of the passenger's face, and i couldn't see anyone else back with him, but obviously there had to be an emt or two. the time before this, i was able to watch the men at work on a man who had a tube of oxygen straddling his nose.

i'm watching rock star: inxs right now and i really liked the performances tonight. i think mick looks like one of the monkees. humm. is his name mick? i think i heard it right. oh, oops, its mig. yep, outfit is very retro. oh my, he just ditched the jacket. no mo monkees!

i need to listen to some stones. rolling stones.

i love dave navarro's show-boating on the guitar. i think it's a good way to feel the chemistry for performers to be on stage together. you really get a feel for whether or not they will gel with your mates.

full day tomorrow. what should be a day off leaves no rest for the wicked: work meeting, doctor appointment, blood donation, and rehearsal. pray that i'm not anemic, as that is generally my hamartia when it comes to donating blood. sheesh, i better get some rest.

posted by sara at 10:37 PM | link   

Saturday, September 10, 2005

i am trying to break your heart

watch the video that this links to. in the comfort of your home, if you will. (thanks, toni)

if only, if ONLY, i could learn not to complain about all the CLOTHES i have because i have so much washing to do, or not to complain about all the ANTS in MY HOUSE because of all the FOOD i have, or all the HOMEWORK i have to do because i have to go to SCHOOL, or about all the HOURS i'm WORKING because i have a JOB that pays the BILLS or about the HEADACHE i have because my BACK aches so i lie down in my BED and SLEEP so i can FEEL BETTER, or about cleaning the litter box because my THREE CATS are ALIVE & WELL, or about the COST OF GAS because i have a CAR that takes me where i want to go.

posted by sara at 6:50 PM | link   

Friday, September 09, 2005

law & order?

this semester is going to kick my butt. friday night spent at orientation for my internet sociology course left my stomach churning. or was that the leftover saurkraut? lots of work required, high doses of procrastination highly discouraged.

so, who wants to do the laundry to-night? meh.

in other news, happy birthday, amy! last night was a blast!

posted by sara at 9:22 PM | link   

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

dot dot dot

today is my first post from my brand new iBook G4. i have the power of wireless at my fingertips.

today i learned:

-tom cruise's laughter on the television is disturbing
-our neighbors have a wireless network too, and it's not password protected
-our houses are way too close together here if i can tap into their network
-my website looks awful in safari
-blogger functions differently in safari
-my temporary dot mac account is a beautiful thing
-i can play the djembe with a pear-shaped shaker and sound pretty good
-when i try to play complicated rhythms i lose the beat in an awful way
-appleworks just blows chunks
-microsoft word is actually good for something.
-all my cats will beg for chicken
-in a fit of excitement, i will forget to shower & shave my legs & will stare at a computer until all the moisture has been sucked from my eye sockets
-tom cruise did NOT look sexy in that scene from "risky business"
-E true hollywood story makes me ill
-the importance of a "to do" list only stands true if you can cross a few things off
-i have a lot "to do" tomorrow
-"stickies" (post-it notes for your desktop) are a beautiful thing
-i can't wait to use iPhoto
-i may never use my pc (non-laptop windows-based computer) again

posted by sara at 5:11 PM | link   

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

makin' mom proud...

...one packed lunch at a time. and i actually remembered to have breakfast this morning, too. now if only i would stop killing my plants. i will work on replanting some in the morning tomorrow. unless i get my cool new showerhead and have the chance to install it. oh, the joys of having a list!

by the way, i plead with you, dear reader, for a book recommendation! i need 9 more (for my list of 101 in 1001) AND 10 recommendations for films i should see. your help is greatly appreciated.

posted by sara at 2:29 PM | link   

Monday, September 05, 2005

your love is gonna drown

death cab for cutie's new album, plans hit my ears recently because of a facination with the band name. i think, actually, it's because i think of the movie death to smoochy. i can't really explain the reasoning behind that, save for the common denomenator of the word "death".

i'm still in my incubation phase with the album. it's been hard to find my favorite 2 or 3. "i will follow you into the dark" is simple, with strumming guitar and vocals which throw one into a sort of iron & wine meets nickel creek as far as tone and feel. "your heart is an empty room" some quaint doves-like qualities with its steady drum beat and simple electric guitars. the instrumental bridge in the middle is nice. the quality of songs do pick up with "crooked teeth" and continue through the end, but that's a few too few for me. the album was, overall, "nice". favorite pick "someday you will be loved".

when i listen to music, i look to be moved to a degree which inspires me to dig into my magic hat of analogies and want to write about something. not like today. where i wrote mostly out of obligation (yep, part of 101 in 1001, #101). i want to find albums where i think "if i don't write about this and tell the world about how beautiful this album is then i just might die of shame". hopefully next month's review will be better.

posted by sara at 8:16 AM | link   

Sunday, September 04, 2005

goings on

apart from the extremely painful waiting game regarding uci's response to my application for admission, life has been veritably normal. for the most part. i was recently recruited to do percussion at our church's women's retreat and last week's rehearsal, which followed this awful bout josh & i had with the stomach flu (thank God it only lasted 24 hours!), went swimmingly and i'm excited everyday for the opportunity to share my music skillz with others. it's also been yet another thing for me that's aided in turning me back toward my faith in God, which has been lacking in intensity for some time, sort of wallowing in the background with the stack of unfiled bank statements and piles of important stuff i've stuffed in a box "for later".

it's so easy to forget in times when life is going fairly well and it becomes this white noise in the background, which you are aware of some of the time but frequently experience as this sort of constant irritation that has to be tolerated, like a piece of cat litter trapped in your nylons. when you get home, you can take the nylons off and be at ease, but until then you keep shifting your toes around and fingering at the irritant in an effort to rid yourself of the reminder that indeed, there is cat litter in your stockings and it is not comfortable. only, the nylons aren't ever coming off because you made a decision one day that you had to keep that pebble in your pantyhose because it's something you've realized you can't live without. this analogy is falling to pieces, but you get the drift. i've sometimes wanted to go back to life before God, i confess. i think it was easier and harder all at once. while i experience a constant accountability for decisions i make, while i agree that it's possible to live a good life outside of the Christian faith, there's more to it than that.

so, part of my reasoning behind number 100 on my list of 101 in 1001 is a call to get back to basics. not only in an effort to clarify Christianity for myself, but with a desire to understand that this is not a rote effort on my part. i want to get to the point where i not only feel comfortable defining myself by my beliefs, but to clearly understand the reasons for my choice and be able to communicate with others who say to me "so what?" because this isn't an emotional choice. emotional choices are weakened by a shift of feelings and easily waste away against pressure. that's why marriages can't find sole support in a foundation of "i love you's". there needs be some brains behind it, a conscious effort to commit. and that's what i aim to define. it was there once, but it's fallen to the wayside and i need to bring it back into focus.

posted by sara at 8:33 AM | link   

Thursday, September 01, 2005

in your eyes

American Red Cross, now accepting donations.

< soapbox> i'm not sure that sharing my feelings about the devastation will accomplish anything other than some sort of self-serving bragging rights about how, oh yeah, i feel bad for them, too. one would have to be inhuman not to be moved (to tears) by the tragic images we see on the television set or on the 'net as we sip our morning cup of coffee in our warm jammies and slippers with the family all nestled within these walls we call home. we wonder at the state of thie world, be it tragedy half-way across the world or in the middle of these united states. only a few months back, the victims of katrina were in their living rooms ooh-ing over the tsunami tragedy. now they are experiencing things first hand. so my challenge, then, is not only to myself as i gaze over my proud list of things to do is to dig deeper yet again and start living with a little bit less. while i can't ask you to put your own family in jeopardy, i will ask you if there isn't something you can do without in order to aid our fellow man. and, i'd like to see those famous ones get off their butts just like they did for tsunami aid: i wanna see sandra bullock's donation in the paper again. i wanna read about the FUNDS donated by those people who performed for "free" so that WE could support those in need. picture yourself stripped of all the basic human needs, all the creature comforts we take for granted. just do. something. anything. and, if you would, pray. in a time when these people have little or nothing, they need Hope. < /soapbox>

posted by sara at 6:33 PM | link