:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 ::

Yay! As my final major accomplishment of 2002, I took the behind-the-wheel driving test at the DMV and received my driver's license! I can finally drive! And I passed the first time with only minus four points!

:: SL 11:54 PM [+] ::
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I have finally decided, "Enough with this G-rated blog!" My god. Why haven't I begun to use profanity? Or hidden sexual innuendo? And can you believe I have not used the word "phallus" once in the month or so I have been writing on this blog? Well, here it is: phallus. Yay! And as an added bonus, here is the adjective form of the word: phallic! [In Southern accent] Why, dare I say, that is certainly the most phallic-looking lollipop I've ever seen. I do hope I avoid sucking on it... GASP!

:: SL 3:48 AM [+] ::
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Sigh. I am 18, an adult, yet I am still held hostage to the wrath of my perpetually angry father who refuses to let me visit my friends. I had been let out early from work because it was a slow news day, so I actually had a chance to visit my friends, but noooo... my father orders me to come home immediately because he thinks I will come home too late if I visit my friends. I had promised to be home by 10, and I would have returned home at midnight anyway had I remained at work. AUGH. He'll never understand the meaning of "social life" because he severely lacks one.

Mood: Angry
Music: Steps, "Tragedy"

:: SL 9:49 PM [+] ::
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Well, I did nothing worth mentioning today... Another blah day.

I ran another 3 miles today... but I'm still no thinner. Sigh. I have a negative body image.

Well, [Disneyland] today [Disneyland] was [Disneyland] a [Disneyland] rainy [Disneyland] day [Disneyland]. Perhaps [Disneyland] I [Disneyland] should [Disneyland] get [Disneyland] out [Disneyland] my [Disneyland] umbrella [Disneyland]. Or, [Disneyland] perhaps [Disneyland] I [Disneyland] could [Disneyland] get [Disneyland] out [Disneyland] of [Disneyland] this [Disneyland] area [Disneyland] to [Disneyland] go [Disneyland] on [Disneyland] vacation [Disneyland].

:: SL 11:35 PM [+] ::
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It was another lovely day at work... I think my love for newspapering has been revived. I shall try to join the school newspaper staff second semester.

What was interesting in today's news... let's see... um... Justin Timberlake is scary... um... Nick Carter is really scary... terrifying, actually.

Sigh... will I ever see my beloved band, Barrage, ever again? Hmmm... It looks as if they are currently performing live at... let's see... hmmm... oh, interesting... at Club Buzz... which is located inside... Disneyland! How peculiar. Well, more the reason to go to Disneyland!

:: SL 11:14 PM [+] ::
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Happy Boxing Day!

A delightfully pedantic explanation from snopes.com:

Despite the lively images suggested by the name, it has nothing to do with pugilistic expositions between tanked-up family members who have dearly been looking forward to taking a round out of each other for the past year. Likewise, it does not gain its name from the overpowering need to rid the house of an excess of wrappings and mountains of now useless cardboard boxes the day after St. Nick arrived to turn a perfectly charming and orderly home into a maelstrom of discarded tissue paper.

The holiday's roots can be traced to Britain, where Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day. Reduced to the simplest essence, its origins are found in a long-ago practice of giving cash or durable goods to those of the lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but beneficences to those less fortunate were bestowed the day after.

Cool holiday, eh?

Well, it was back to work for me today. I worked an 8 hour shift this evening at The Tribune, copy editing tomorrow's issue. It was nice to see former co-workers/friends again in the workplace.

[cough] Disneyland [cough]

Gee... I really should take some medicine for my chronic coughing...

:: SL 11:04 PM [+] ::
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Merry Christmas everyone!

The script from the "Believe... In Holiday Magic" fireworks spectacular at Disneyland:

Does your heart hold the magic of the holidays? Is it filled with warm memories just waiting to be discovered again? Well now is the time to open your heart. Believe in that magic, and remember those treasured moments. Oh, they’re still there, deep within you, waiting to touch you once more. So come along, as the magic of the season leads the way!

Can you remember how Christmas makes your feel?
That special magic in the air, when all your dreams were real?
Can you remember the smell of gingerbread, candy canes and sugarplums that dance inside your head?
Remember when the twinkle stars at night told you reindeer were in flight, and jolly Santa Claus was on his way?
The warmth of candle glow, a kiss of mistletoe,
The magic lives when we believe it’s in our hearts to stay.
Remember the caring, a season worth sharing. Believe in the magic in our lives.
Just open up your heart, and relive the feeling. Just remember the magic. Yes, remember the magic… one more time.

We treasure it again. It never has to end. Remember the magic in our lives.
Just open up your heart, embrace all those feelings. Just remember the memory, yes, remember the feeling, for all time.

Treasure the holidays forever, and always believe.

:: SL 11:20 PM [+] ::
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I baked pumpkin pies today. I love pumpkin pie... There's just something about the special spices that really turns on my tastebuds.

I also watched Mickey's Christmas Carol, which reminds me to be kind and generous to others.

:: SL 11:47 PM [+] ::
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Here's an interesting piece of news:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/parenting/12/24/santa.effect.ap/index.html
Yes, that certainly is the top of my list of things to do this holiday season [rolls eyes].

Happy Christmas Eve!

:: SL 3:01 PM [+] ::
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Wow, what a great day! I got to hang out with some of my friends and spend the day in SLO-town. We watched Two Weeks Notice, which had several hilarious moments. We also played dominos in the upstairs Starbucks at Barnes and Nobles. Who knew that dominos could be so fun? I also wore all day my uber-special Mickey Santa hat, which is my absolute favorite.

25.5 hours until Christmas!

:: SL 10:37 PM [+] ::
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I got some pretty fish today for my fish tank, which has sat empty for far too long. They are beautiful freshwater fish with brightly colored neon stripes and markings. They all swim together according to type... e.g. the blue fish swim together, and the black fish swim together. I got the fish at the new Petco in SLO-town.
I also did some Christmas shopping today.

Today, I actually ran 3 miles! I'm starting to exercise again because I am becoming corpulent about the middle.

Only 2 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 11:55 PM [+] ::
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Check out the first link under the [::..recommended..::] column directly to the left of this post.
I got it a while ago, but I thought I should bring it back up again because it is so amazingly hilarious.
Thanks, Sharilyn!

I went to see Lord of the Rings again with my sister, who had not seen it yet. I just wanted to remark once again how wonderful it was to see Legolas jump onto that horse from the ground. Yay!

Oh yes, and I also watched Monsters, Inc. on DVD... These few days have been movie catch-up days.

Only 3 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 8:35 PM [+] ::
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Well, it's another day... Had to go into SLO-town to visit the orthodontist, who said to me, "It would be prudent to wear your retainer more often." Prudent... what a great word... but not when it applies to the frequency of my wearing of corrective oral devices. I did do a little bit of shopping in SLO-town, but I only found a present for my mother. I still need to do quite a bit of Christmas shopping. I also found a really cool surfer shirt (I really miss the surf/skate culture of California!), but I decided against buying it because I have too many clothes already. Then I visited the high school to see Ms. Wright, who is still deliciously sardonic at times yet still completely friendly. I stayed for the afternoon rehearsal of "Oliver," which will be presented in February.

I also saw Minority Report again on DVD today... What a great movie. I love the numerous plot twists.

What else did I do today... Let's see... Oh yes... I played Roller Coaster Tycoon, the best game ever invented, for a couple of hours. I like designing my own crappy theme park that can never ever compare to Disneyland, which I revere so much I can hardly speak its name.

Only 4 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 11:53 PM [+] ::
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Ah, it's great to be home. Security was crazy at the airport. The line to get into the gates was the longest I had ever seen. I nearly missed my flight because the line was so long. The flight was nice, but I wasn't able to get much sleep due to a crying baby. This was not too helpful considering I got no sleep last night because of my essay. There was a stopover at LAX, and then I boarded a smaller plane to SLO-town. I got there before the drenching rain, but I caught the wind, which caused so much turbulence that it was a wonder we landed safely. It felt like a roller coaster ride going up and down in that plane. Anyways, I'm happy to be home and to see friends and family today.

It was especially enjoyable going out to see "Maid in Manhattan" with my dear friends. Some important things I learned tonight:
-Ranch dressing may look like something else.
-I have a fixation with pepperoni.
-Footsies should not be played in a theater.
-Some back-up singers are really good at snapping in rhythm with style.

Only 5 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 11:57 PM [+] ::
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Greetings! Just reporting at 4 in the morning to take a break from writing this wretched essay I've been working on all night that is due right before I leave for vacation. So, what are my thoughts at 4 in the morning?
-I am a bad writer.
-Essays are annoying.
-I hate, loathe, despise, abhor, detest, strongly dislike my required writing class for which I have to write this cursed essay.
-And I even have to write another essay for this ludicrous class over winter vacation. AUGH!
-You shouldn't dip coconut/oatmeal computer programs in melted taffy and slam it against the defenestrated cabinet.
OK... It's back to work for me... Or, maybe I should get some sleep...

:: SL 1:30 AM [+] ::
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Yay for Lord of the Rings! There are a multitude of incredible moments in the film, and the special effects are absolutely amazing. I highly recommend this film.

Many of my classmates and roommates have already left for home. The school is pretty deserted at this point. My flight tomorrow morning is at 7:25, so I will have to be up at 5 in the morning. I will be back in wonderful California tomorrow afternoon. I'm so glad it's finally vacation!!!

Last night, I proceeded to corrupt my friend from across the hall by teaching her the meaning of the term "fluffer." For those of you who don't know what a "fluffer" is, be glad you don't... You might not want to know.

Only 6 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 8:36 PM [+] ::
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The Simpsons hate DCA...

In a recent episode of The Simpsons, the family is visiting someone in prison when Marge remarks, "I don't think this is exactly a good place to take children." Then, Lisa replies, "Well, at least it's better than Disney's California Adventure." This is followed by murmurs of agreement by the rest of the family. What hilarity!

Anyways, this continues to be a tough week as I battle a huge essay and a test on Wednesday, but it will soon be over. I will finish everything tomorrow afternoon, and I will then go out with friends to see the second installment of The Lord of the Rings. Yay!

Only 7 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 12:51 PM [+] ::
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It sleeted today. It was as pretty as falling snow, but it was very wet and melted as soon as it hit the ground. The white flakes of ice drifting down felt very "Christmas-y." The decorations are up everywhere, and the decorations combined with the beautiful architecture truly makes for an impressive sight. Ah, the holiday season. It's time to pull out the Christmas CDs and blast them at full volume while singing along!

Only 8 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 5:21 PM [+] ::
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Wow, our dining hall ladies are so wonderful! Today, they treated us to Ben and Jerry's ice cream and a chance to make tie-dye t-shirts! Although making tie-dye t-shirts has been a summer camp staple, I never got to go to summer camp as a child, so I never made one before. Well, no more. Today, I made my first tie-dye t-shirt. It's really pretty. It has green, purple, and blue on it. I had an enjoyable time making mine. The ice cream was delicious, too. I had one with big white chocolate chunks in it. Yay for ice cream!

Only 9 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 11:33 AM [+] ::
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Sigh. On Wednesday, I have a 10-page paper due as well as a test in my chemistry class. Right before I leave for vacation, too. Oh well. I will be back at home on Thursday afternoon if I survive the coming days.

On a lighter note, my friend and I will be baking cookies and pumpkin pie this evening. That should be fun.

Only 10 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 2:38 PM [+] ::
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Well, Jon Stewart is certainly a hilarious man. I managed to procure front row seats at his talk on Friday, and I was less than 10 feet away from the guy. He talked about political humor and the media, as well as "The Daily Show," for which he is a writer and anchor. He is just as funny in person as he is on television, with his random comments and sarcastic wit. I had a great time at his talk at the government school.

:: SL 11:58 PM [+] ::
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A couple of interesting news stories on cnn.com:

Apparently, they are debating in Australia whether "mooning" is an implied consitutional right. Constitutional right or not, I still think it's kinda gross. Read all about it here:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/12/13/offbeat.australia.mooning.reut/index.html

Poor Moby. He gets ragged on so much for being a pacifist, and now some hooligans go and attack him. Read all about it here:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/13/moby.attack.ap/index.html

Tee hee... I am but a pawn for cnn.com, whose parent company, Time Warner, is owned by the evil conservative Rupert Murdoch, whose very existence proves that there is no such thing as the "liberal media." Guess where I learned that from!

Only 11 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 1:24 PM [+] ::
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This entry was published 12/12/2002.

I went to go see the Gilbert and Sullivan musical "The Mikado," which was absolutely hilarious. The music was quite enjoyable as well. One great thing about student productions here is that everything is done by students, from all the stagework, to the directing, to publicity, to ticketing. There was even a live orchestra to back up the singers. Very well done.

Only 12 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 10:51 PM [+] ::
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Today has been a drab day. People at the dinner table had very little to say, and we sat there, poking our food. I guess the drabness can be attributed to the fact that vacation is but a week away, and everyone is more than ready to head home. Many people are leaving this weekend. I will be back at home in the early afternoon of December 19. Yay! Anyway, for dessert they had DYO (decorate your own) cookies with frosting and sprinkles, so that was a nice holiday touch.

I found out that I got tickets to go see Jon Stewart speak this Friday at the JFK School of Government. Jon Stewart, of course, is the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He is a hilarious comedian, and I look forward to hearing him speak this Friday. It will be a nice end to this week, which has been all too hectic.

Only 13 days left until Christmas!

:: SL 6:52 PM [+] ::
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I went to the last lab in my chemistry class for the semester today. The expression "as exciting as watching water boil" accurately described the lab. I was kind of disappointed that the last lab couldn't be more exciting, like something involving explosions or pretty changing colors. No, today's lab was just melting and freezing a substance, all the while measuring its temperature in order to graph out its heating and melting curves. We watched the substance melt; then we watched the substance freeze. Fun fun fun. Oh well... there's always next semester. Now for some discourse pertaining to gustatory matters:

Pudding Party! Today, the lovely ladies at the dining hall gave us a wonderful snack. Every night, from 9 to 10:30 p.m., we can go get a late night snack at the dining hall in case students get hungry later in the evening. The selection varies day by day, varying from cereal, to fruit, to baked goods. Tonight, they had a huge selection of pudding: vanilla, chocolate, tapioca, and butterscotch. They even had whipped cream and sprinkles as toppings! What a delight. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I had a little too much pudding this evening... But it was tasty, and I couldn't help it!!!

:: SL 6:53 PM [+] ::
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I did my laundry today, but I made the mistake of putting in the wash every piece of warm clothing I had. I only had shorts and a t-shirt left to wear, and it was a delightful nine degrees outside. Needless to say, I nearly froze on my trek across the yard to get to the laundry center.

Speaking of cold weather, it hasn't snowed for a week now, but it's remained so cold that the snow, now compacted to white ice on the ground, is still present. It will be so nice to return to California next week!

:: SL 8:52 PM [+] ::
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I had forgotten how wonderful naps are. Last night, I had to stay up a little later than I would have liked in order to complete a homework assignment due today. This morning, I felt super-tired. So, early afternoon today, I took a nice nap. It was very refreshing and I feel much better. Therefore, I whole-heartedly recommend naps to all.

:: SL 12:51 PM [+] ::
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Apparently, my good friend decided to go all out last night and drink for the first time. Allegedly, she had eight cups of spiked punch and became so drunk that she passed out and had to spend the night at the university hospital.

I don't have problems with people drinking, but I think it's sad when people drink to the point of putting themselves in danger. I only wish the best of health to all my friends.

:: SL 12:38 PM [+] ::
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Watch out for emus! According to cnn.com, "A trio of emus -- large, flightless birds that resemble ostriches and are native to Australia -- ran off Monday from the home of their owner in Niles Township, Michigan. One of the birds, named Andy, was caught Wednesday."

Bad Andy!!!

Read the whole story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Midwest/12/07/offbeat.emus.escape.ap/index.html

:: SL 10:59 PM [+] ::
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For those who may have forgotten Friar Jack (Gasp... I almost did!), here's a link to his website: http://www.friarjack.com

Get E-spired today!

:: SL 12:42 PM [+] ::
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Hello! Welcome to my new blog! Of course, a blog is a web-log, or an online journal. I had wanted to post an online journal/web log ever since I first learned about blogs this summer. I only hope mine can be as random and entertaining as some other ones are. I plan to update this at least once a day, so do come back and visit to see what's going on.

Alright now, it's time for today's rambling commentary! Today's subject: Al Gore, the man who should be the president of our country. Contrary to how the media portrays him, Al Gore is not an uptight stiff. He is actually quite funny and charismatic. I got to meet him, along with his wife Tipper, today when the couple stopped by the university and gave a talk about their new book, "Joined at the Heart." Overall, I got the impression that he is a friendly guy with a sense of humor and who loves his family very much. I shook his hand and thanked him for his commitment to public service and his focus on the environment. Meeting Al Gore made me feel even more disappointed that he is not our president. Sigh. Let's hope for Gore in '04.

Well, I will post more later... Until then, adios... ahhhhh!

:: SL 11:03 PM [+] ::
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