Sunday, August 31, 2008
What's in a week, part 2
This week has not been quite as exciting as the last, but still, it has been an interesting one.
M and I went to Dublin (the San Fran East Bay one, not the infinitely more interesting Ireland one), and ate with our friend Z at an Indian restaurant playing music as varied as traditional Indian music and Aqua (as in, "Barbie Girl").
I listened to and watched the DNC in Denver, CO, which was the first political convention I've watched, and the day after, witnessed on TV the naming of the first female vice presidential candidate for the presidency.
M and I watched my new favorite movie, "Wall-e"!!! This movie is GRRRREAT! I loved everything about it, and can't wait for it to come on DVD so I can watch it again.
My first CGU visitor came and visited me!!! S and her husband C were wonderful house guests, and they totally inspired me to be more proactive in my own life, as well as to listen to more jazz! Oh, not to mention, study for my GRE again!
I took my first class at our new gym, and it totally kicked my butt! I walked around in pain for two days after, but I'm definitely going back.
And I bought really cute blue suede Mary Janes! The perfect topping to a pretty good week.
M and I went to Dublin (the San Fran East Bay one, not the infinitely more interesting Ireland one), and ate with our friend Z at an Indian restaurant playing music as varied as traditional Indian music and Aqua (as in, "Barbie Girl").
I listened to and watched the DNC in Denver, CO, which was the first political convention I've watched, and the day after, witnessed on TV the naming of the first female vice presidential candidate for the presidency.
M and I watched my new favorite movie, "Wall-e"!!! This movie is GRRRREAT! I loved everything about it, and can't wait for it to come on DVD so I can watch it again.My first CGU visitor came and visited me!!! S and her husband C were wonderful house guests, and they totally inspired me to be more proactive in my own life, as well as to listen to more jazz! Oh, not to mention, study for my GRE again!
I took my first class at our new gym, and it totally kicked my butt! I walked around in pain for two days after, but I'm definitely going back.
And I bought really cute blue suede Mary Janes! The perfect topping to a pretty good week.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Palin update #1
It has been brought to my attention that McCain may have picked Palin in an effort to "steal" Hilary Clinton's female supporters. The thought initially did not occur to me because I like to give women more credit than to think that they would vote for ANY woman just because she IS a woman. But, now that I have thought about it, I can see how many women would fall for that. "Oh well she is a woman, she has five children, she is a Protestant, etc etc etc, therefore she gets ME!" Really? She may get YOU, individual nameless woman, but does she get the COUNTRY, and the other nameless women and men out there? I really hope that come election day, women and men alike make their decision not based on the gender of those running for office, or their religion (Biden is a, GASP!, Catholic), or their color, or their age, as much as I poke fun at old McCain, but based on what we may hope to see from these candidates.
No one seriously believes that either McCain or Obama will be able to pull off 100% of what they promise to do if in office; but if just 10% of what they promise will be achieved, it will make a big difference in the direction this country will move in from now on. If there is only a 10% improvement in health care availability for those who need it, I will be glad to see Obama in office. If there is only a 10% improvement in education, it will be 10 much needed percentage points that will be welcomed. If our dependence on Middle Eastern oil decreases just 10%, it will be 10% of a move in the right direction.
It is sick to think that Palin is attractive only because she is female, and her appointment as the nominee for VP has revealed the Republican machination's flawed ethics. She has a newborn child with Down's syndrome, who will need constant care. When Edwards' wife developed cancer, Republicans cried out that he should retreat from the race and stay home with her. How is this any different? I'm not saying that I think this should keep her from being a candidate for VP, but it is interesting to actually see the Republican hypocrisy at work.
It is sick to think that Republicans think that a woman, any marginally, semi-qualified (though this I find debatable) woman, will convince women who wanted to vote for Hilary to actually vote for her own party's ticket, only because she is a woman. When Obama began running, Republicans cried out that blacks will vote for Obama because he is black! Well, they are doing the same thing here, if in fact that is what they are doing.
But what is most sickening is the fact that I do deep down believe that it is possible that many women will mistakingly view Palin as a beacon for feminism only because she is a woman. I think it is possible that an ill-informed woman would vote for McCain/Palin solely because half the ticket is female, ignoring that this ticket will advocate that women should NOT have the right to choose, that women should NOT be allowed to marry their lesbian partners, that women should NOT have those rights solely because they are not women acting in the way that THAT party would want them to. I want to believe that a majority of Hilary supporters will not feel this way, that they will remember WHY they wanted to vote for Hilary besides her gender, remember that she herself has asked her own supporters to give their support now to Obama, and I think that if this gender game was the reasoning behind Palin's nomination, the Republicans will be disappointed come November.
However, four years ago, I did not believe for a second, for a second! that Kerry would lose, and I appreciate and like Obama much more than Kerry. So, like I said in my previous post, this is an exciting and history-making election. In a few months, Palin and McCain, Biden and Obama, will stand trial in front of the millions of Americans who will cast their vote, and I only hope, regardless of the outcome, that these millions of Americans take at least a minute to think about WHY they are voting for their choice. I can see why some people will want to vote Republican. That is their prerogative. But I only wish that people would vote with their eyes and ears open. That women do not vote for McCain ONLY because he chose a woman, but because they truly believe that team is the better of the two options. Just as I hope that when voting for Obama, people don't vote for him and Biden ONLY because they want to see what a black man will do as president, given the chance, but because THIS black man is the better choice for president between himself and McCain.
No one seriously believes that either McCain or Obama will be able to pull off 100% of what they promise to do if in office; but if just 10% of what they promise will be achieved, it will make a big difference in the direction this country will move in from now on. If there is only a 10% improvement in health care availability for those who need it, I will be glad to see Obama in office. If there is only a 10% improvement in education, it will be 10 much needed percentage points that will be welcomed. If our dependence on Middle Eastern oil decreases just 10%, it will be 10% of a move in the right direction.
It is sick to think that Palin is attractive only because she is female, and her appointment as the nominee for VP has revealed the Republican machination's flawed ethics. She has a newborn child with Down's syndrome, who will need constant care. When Edwards' wife developed cancer, Republicans cried out that he should retreat from the race and stay home with her. How is this any different? I'm not saying that I think this should keep her from being a candidate for VP, but it is interesting to actually see the Republican hypocrisy at work.
It is sick to think that Republicans think that a woman, any marginally, semi-qualified (though this I find debatable) woman, will convince women who wanted to vote for Hilary to actually vote for her own party's ticket, only because she is a woman. When Obama began running, Republicans cried out that blacks will vote for Obama because he is black! Well, they are doing the same thing here, if in fact that is what they are doing.
But what is most sickening is the fact that I do deep down believe that it is possible that many women will mistakingly view Palin as a beacon for feminism only because she is a woman. I think it is possible that an ill-informed woman would vote for McCain/Palin solely because half the ticket is female, ignoring that this ticket will advocate that women should NOT have the right to choose, that women should NOT be allowed to marry their lesbian partners, that women should NOT have those rights solely because they are not women acting in the way that THAT party would want them to. I want to believe that a majority of Hilary supporters will not feel this way, that they will remember WHY they wanted to vote for Hilary besides her gender, remember that she herself has asked her own supporters to give their support now to Obama, and I think that if this gender game was the reasoning behind Palin's nomination, the Republicans will be disappointed come November.
However, four years ago, I did not believe for a second, for a second! that Kerry would lose, and I appreciate and like Obama much more than Kerry. So, like I said in my previous post, this is an exciting and history-making election. In a few months, Palin and McCain, Biden and Obama, will stand trial in front of the millions of Americans who will cast their vote, and I only hope, regardless of the outcome, that these millions of Americans take at least a minute to think about WHY they are voting for their choice. I can see why some people will want to vote Republican. That is their prerogative. But I only wish that people would vote with their eyes and ears open. That women do not vote for McCain ONLY because he chose a woman, but because they truly believe that team is the better of the two options. Just as I hope that when voting for Obama, people don't vote for him and Biden ONLY because they want to see what a black man will do as president, given the chance, but because THIS black man is the better choice for president between himself and McCain.
What is he thinking?
I am going to base this ENTIRELY on Wikipedia and CNN.com articles, so as I'm not entirely informed, I don't profess that this should be taken in any way too seriously as a political commentary, but rather a first impression.Let's see what Wiki says about Sarah Palin, in a nutshell...
Runner up in a beauty pageant, which got her to college, which led to a journalism degree and her early career as a .... sports reporter.
City councilwoman and then mayor for Wasilla, Alaska, population less than 10,000.
Current governor of Alaska, population less than a million.
It seems that her politics are clean, and she is a strong advocate for ethical politics and has spoken against corruption, and is an advocate for environmental policies including "independence from big oil companies." *Note, her husband is in the oil industry, and, as will be mentioned later, wants to drill for oil in Alaskan national reserve lands.
She is anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage, is pro capital punishment, and advocates creationism to be taught alongside evolution in schools!!!!
She is for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, which even McCain opposes.
She has five children; her eldest son is in the army, and her youngest, born this year (she is 44), unfortunately has Down syndrome.
I don't mean this in a smart-ass way, but I wonder what McCain is thinking. He must have his reasons to pick a 44-year old woman whose only political experience has been in Alaska, a state in many aspects removed from the continental U.S., with no foreign policy experience, and
who I'm sure many will question whether she can become this country's Commander in Chief if something were to ever, God forbid, happen to McCain, who would be the oldest non-incumbent president in U.S. history. As this story develops, it will be exciting to see where all of this goes, though I admit I am surprised and a bit impressed that McCain chose a woman. I think Hilary would have been a better choice but that's my opinion :) Ha. Can you imagine an Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Clinton ticket? God forbid. Hooray for Clinton giving her full support to Obama!!!
I am excited for the Republican Convention in Minneapolis to see what the Republicans will say. The DNC has been very exciting, and I was very lucky to hear Obama's speech last night (read his speech here), which I believe addressed a lot of the reasons why he, as opposed to McCain, gets why certain things need to be done, and done soon. Like he said, it's not that McCain doesn't care; it's that he most likely doesn't know.
By the way, did you know McCain attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, a prep boarding school that today, in 2008, has a yearly cost of attendance of $38,000? Nothing wrong with that, lucky him that his wealthy navy admiral father could send him there, but this just shows that from the beginning, he was quite removed from the lifestyle that most American teenagers in the 50's were leading. The fact that he was a teenager in the 50's also brings to mind the question of how in the world is he supposed to relate to the country's youngest voters? I think McCain is a bright politician, but this country has had enough of wealthy old white men who have never lived among "us"!!In conclusion, how lucky are we to partake in this historical moment? A woman nearly made it as president, and now, a woman is in the race for becoming vice president! We are going to witness America's first black president, and I'm looking four or eight years ahead, and thinking, Hilary, why not?!
This is an exciting time, to be sure. But the question remains, what is McCain thinking? Is this a plot to fill seats at the RNC, which I hear has been difficult? Does he truly believe Palin is a better choice than, say, Romney? Palin is 28 years younger than McCain, and perhaps he views her as that voice that can relate to the younger population. Can't wait to see where all of this goes.
And seriously, people, check out this site and read through the speeches. I am sure they must be on youtube, but speeches are really interesting when read, as well :) They make for remarkable documents for posterity, and like I said last night, I expect my kid to study last night's speech in his or her political literature class two decades from now :)Oh what the heck. Here are some youtube clips :)
One of the speeches I most enjoyed, Beau Biden's, Joe Biden's son, and Delaware's Attorney General and a Captain in the Delaware Army National Guard (and born the day after my birthday!!). Check it :)
And one of the best parts of Obama's speech. *Note- Obama's comment about McCain saying that middle class means making less than $5 million/year is in relation to an August 15, 2008 response that McCain gave to the question of what he believes "rich" to mean, to which McCain said, "I think if you're just talking about income, how about $5 million?" (Obama's response: "I would argue that if you are making more than $250,000, then you are in the top 3, 4 percent of this country," he said. "You are doing well.") McCain's spokespeople later said McCain had been "joking." Hardly believable when his wife is an heiress and his own background was highly privileged. Seriously, this man has NO IDEA what it means to be a regular American. At least Obama went to law school on loans, not because his daddy had been an alumni! Anyways, I regress. Here is part of Obama's speech:
P.S. Happy birthday to John McCain. Today, August 29, 2008, he turns 72.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Pictures from Nebraska are up
I have added the Nebraska pictures, as well as some other pictures from this summer, to my Picassa albums. They can be seen here.
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| Summer 2008 |
Monday, August 25, 2008
What's in a week?
M initiated a kind of ritual that we have established over the last several weeks, of taking some time on Sunday night and reflecting on all the events that happened over the last seven days. What we have come to realize is that no matter how dull one's life may look like from a distance, if you break it down in such a way that you look at life day by day and week by week, you come to realize how much really happens!
As an example, I will share only the last seven days. Last Sunday night, I never would have thought that within the week, I would have traveled to Nebraska (and possibly for a brief moment, to Iowa!) and spent time amidst hundreds of miles of corn and soy beans, with people who refer to my presidential candidate preference as merely, "the idiot." Or that I'd have to say goodbye probably for the last time to a wonderful human being. Or that I would watch several thunderstorms happen hundreds of miles away, visible only because the land in Nebraska is so flat you literally see to the horizon. Or that I would spend more time with a screaming infant that I ever really cared to. Or that I would attend Sunday service at a Methodist church and meet the pastor. Or that I would spend hours upon hours in the Denver airport, to and from Nebraska! Or that I'd discover that I'm to be an aunt, making my little sister the first to reproduce and get married. Or that a friend of mine would get engaged! Or that I'd get a second callback interview and have it scheduled for the morning after our late return flight. Or that I would actually find myself very much enjoying Henry James's Portrait of a Lady.
All in a week's time, and all with absolutely no prior knowledge. Now, we stand outside on Sunday nights, and hope that the coming week will be as exciting as the last, hopefully with less sadness and with more happy news!
Pictures from Nebraska to ensue shortly!
As an example, I will share only the last seven days. Last Sunday night, I never would have thought that within the week, I would have traveled to Nebraska (and possibly for a brief moment, to Iowa!) and spent time amidst hundreds of miles of corn and soy beans, with people who refer to my presidential candidate preference as merely, "the idiot." Or that I'd have to say goodbye probably for the last time to a wonderful human being. Or that I would watch several thunderstorms happen hundreds of miles away, visible only because the land in Nebraska is so flat you literally see to the horizon. Or that I would spend more time with a screaming infant that I ever really cared to. Or that I would attend Sunday service at a Methodist church and meet the pastor. Or that I would spend hours upon hours in the Denver airport, to and from Nebraska! Or that I'd discover that I'm to be an aunt, making my little sister the first to reproduce and get married. Or that a friend of mine would get engaged! Or that I'd get a second callback interview and have it scheduled for the morning after our late return flight. Or that I would actually find myself very much enjoying Henry James's Portrait of a Lady.
All in a week's time, and all with absolutely no prior knowledge. Now, we stand outside on Sunday nights, and hope that the coming week will be as exciting as the last, hopefully with less sadness and with more happy news!
Pictures from Nebraska to ensue shortly!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
EquiFAT
I went to my shiny gym today to have my Equifit test. I met my trainer, K, who is so cute I want to put her in my pocket, even after she poked and pinched and made me sweat!
First, she handed me a heart rate monitor, which I've never worn before. I strapped it on, and we headed to the treadmill. She hikes the incline to 10 (TEN!!!) and starts off slow. Now, I've been jogging for a few weeks, so my calves, thank God, are not in completely disastrous state, otherwise I think I may have started crying, going at that incline! So, calves in order, I start walking. After a couple of minutes, K increases the speed, until I finally got to the goal, which apparently was 175 (85% of my heart rate potential, or something medical like that which I don't quite understand yet). I was pretty huffy and puffy, but I felt pretty good.
Next, we go to a room where she took my weight (which of course is 3 lbs higher than my scale at home says. How does that work!?!?), checked to see my squat form (apparently good), and then prodded me with this trippy little pincher device which she used all over - my upper arms, my hips, my thighs (basically, a woman's least favorite places to be poked at). Final verdict -- my body fat percentage is 31%!!! Now, K, sweet gal that she is, tried to make me feel better by saying it's really easy to improve that, especially doing my favorite thing which is weights. But still, I felt like a big fatty after she told me that my goal should be between 21-25%. I am ten whole percentage points over!!
This totally inspires me to keep going to my shiny gym, even more than the hefty price does! A year from now, I want that percentage to be at 21%, baby!!!
First, she handed me a heart rate monitor, which I've never worn before. I strapped it on, and we headed to the treadmill. She hikes the incline to 10 (TEN!!!) and starts off slow. Now, I've been jogging for a few weeks, so my calves, thank God, are not in completely disastrous state, otherwise I think I may have started crying, going at that incline! So, calves in order, I start walking. After a couple of minutes, K increases the speed, until I finally got to the goal, which apparently was 175 (85% of my heart rate potential, or something medical like that which I don't quite understand yet). I was pretty huffy and puffy, but I felt pretty good.
Next, we go to a room where she took my weight (which of course is 3 lbs higher than my scale at home says. How does that work!?!?), checked to see my squat form (apparently good), and then prodded me with this trippy little pincher device which she used all over - my upper arms, my hips, my thighs (basically, a woman's least favorite places to be poked at). Final verdict -- my body fat percentage is 31%!!! Now, K, sweet gal that she is, tried to make me feel better by saying it's really easy to improve that, especially doing my favorite thing which is weights. But still, I felt like a big fatty after she told me that my goal should be between 21-25%. I am ten whole percentage points over!!
This totally inspires me to keep going to my shiny gym, even more than the hefty price does! A year from now, I want that percentage to be at 21%, baby!!!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Romeo and Juliet in the Redwoods
For the second year in a row, I had the pleasure of attending Shakespeare Santa Cruz on the UCSC campus when M and I went to see "Romeo and Juliet" last Thursday, Aug. 14. Last year, we saw "The Tempest," which I had never seen as a production, theater or film, other than the very strange "Prospero's Books" movie took much patience to sit through!
Surprisingly, I have never before this actually seen a live staged performance of Shakespeare's most popular play, R&J, only movie versions, my favorite of which will forever be the DiCaprio/Danes movie! Perhaps the movie itself prepared me a bit for this production, as it too was slightly adapted to fit a more modern - though still distant - setting; the director, Kim Rubinstein, placed her star-crossed lovers and their ill-fated families in a Budapest-like environ, complete with Hungarian gypsy music and gypsy-inspired costumes for the cronies of both the Capulet and Montague gangs-- Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, as well as Romeo were excellently captured as young, restless, and violent.
The best part about Shakespeare Santa Cruz is that the stage and seating are all completely immersed in the beautiful tall redwoods, and as the play goes on, the night around you gets blacker and blacker, and you are literally in the middle of the forest, just a few feet away from the stage. Another fabulous part was that part of the set was in the trees itself -- Romeo has an awesome tree house, replete with bright red curtains billowing in the forest breeze. Also, characters often come in through the isles, so actors are inches away from those sitting in isle seats.
The direction for this performance was really interesting in that it combined the comedic with tragic. Juliet (Caitlin Fitzgerald) was great at capturing a 13-year old in desperate first tragic love. She was funny, jubilant, and innocent, and once the love story becomes more and more of a downer, her heartfelt misery was completely believable. We first meet her as we might any 13-year old girl, listening to music, lost in her own make-believe world, drawn out of its childish comforts by her overbearing (and stick-thin!) mother and loving nurse, who introduces young Juliet to the world of womanhood by shaving her legs and armits as Juliet giggles in surprise.
At the party where Juliet meets Romeo, Juliet sings "Dream a Little Dream" for her parents' guests, an original and sweet modern moment that infuses this 400+ year-old play with a little contemporary charm.
When Romeo and Juliet first clasp eyes, the world stands still - literally. The party goers go into slow motion, a clever stage effect, capturing that feeling of being alone in the world with one's beloved. The lovers' kisses throughout the play are so smoldering that the freeeezing Santa Cruz night got hot !
Romeo (Charles Pasternak) was swarthy, moody, and really sexy, a reminder of a young Joaquin Phoenix mixed with Heath Ledger. We watch him evolve from a horny teenager, wanting to get in Rosaline's pants, to a love-struck young man, and finally to a heartbroken husband.
The rest of the cast was really great, especially the Prince, the voice of reason and authority, and Mercutio, flamboyant, loud, funny, and tragic. His death is one of the highlights in this production, the foreshadowing of the unfair calamity that plagues both the Capulet and Montague houses.
The only character who was very miscast was Paris. the actor playing Paris was too flamboyant to be believable as a suitable (read, 'straight') match for Juliet, his voice was weak compared to the strong voices from Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, and everyone else, and he was completely uncharismatic. I feel very bad for him, because he may be a great actor, but he really stuck out like a sore thumb among the other great talent and chemistry.
I'm posting the picture of the final scene, which is posted on the Shakespeare Santa Cruz website, only because it was a beeeautiful end to this beautiful play about the funny side of love --- how soon poor Rosaline is forgotten; the exciting side of love --- the lust, the romance, the friendship. After Juliet sheathes Romeo's dagger into her broken heart, she falls into death as if into sleep upon her lover and husband's chest. They are lying on top of a marble coffin, which becomes illuminated as everything else goes black. Over them, the Prince ends this tale of woe of Juliet and her Romeo.
The main reason I loved this production, more than the actors themselves (great!) and the setting (fabulous!) was that the actors were able to somehow capture the greatness of Shakespeare's words. The cynical reading of the play may imply that Romeo and Juliet's love is too young and naive to survive, too perfect and ideal, and it must be killed in order to be forever remembered as pure, because had they lived, they would soon realize that their young love was not the stuff that dreams are made of. However, this production captured the sadder view. Romeo and Juliet are two very young, very naive teenagers, but, somehow, against all odds, as their story progresses, we are convinced that theirs is a real love, a mature love, one that is rare and precious in this world of superficial, interest-based relationships.
Here is a great review of the play on playshakespeare.com.
Surprisingly, I have never before this actually seen a live staged performance of Shakespeare's most popular play, R&J, only movie versions, my favorite of which will forever be the DiCaprio/Danes movie! Perhaps the movie itself prepared me a bit for this production, as it too was slightly adapted to fit a more modern - though still distant - setting; the director, Kim Rubinstein, placed her star-crossed lovers and their ill-fated families in a Budapest-like environ, complete with Hungarian gypsy music and gypsy-inspired costumes for the cronies of both the Capulet and Montague gangs-- Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, as well as Romeo were excellently captured as young, restless, and violent.
The best part about Shakespeare Santa Cruz is that the stage and seating are all completely immersed in the beautiful tall redwoods, and as the play goes on, the night around you gets blacker and blacker, and you are literally in the middle of the forest, just a few feet away from the stage. Another fabulous part was that part of the set was in the trees itself -- Romeo has an awesome tree house, replete with bright red curtains billowing in the forest breeze. Also, characters often come in through the isles, so actors are inches away from those sitting in isle seats.
The direction for this performance was really interesting in that it combined the comedic with tragic. Juliet (Caitlin Fitzgerald) was great at capturing a 13-year old in desperate first tragic love. She was funny, jubilant, and innocent, and once the love story becomes more and more of a downer, her heartfelt misery was completely believable. We first meet her as we might any 13-year old girl, listening to music, lost in her own make-believe world, drawn out of its childish comforts by her overbearing (and stick-thin!) mother and loving nurse, who introduces young Juliet to the world of womanhood by shaving her legs and armits as Juliet giggles in surprise.At the party where Juliet meets Romeo, Juliet sings "Dream a Little Dream" for her parents' guests, an original and sweet modern moment that infuses this 400+ year-old play with a little contemporary charm.
When Romeo and Juliet first clasp eyes, the world stands still - literally. The party goers go into slow motion, a clever stage effect, capturing that feeling of being alone in the world with one's beloved. The lovers' kisses throughout the play are so smoldering that the freeeezing Santa Cruz night got hot !
Romeo (Charles Pasternak) was swarthy, moody, and really sexy, a reminder of a young Joaquin Phoenix mixed with Heath Ledger. We watch him evolve from a horny teenager, wanting to get in Rosaline's pants, to a love-struck young man, and finally to a heartbroken husband.
The rest of the cast was really great, especially the Prince, the voice of reason and authority, and Mercutio, flamboyant, loud, funny, and tragic. His death is one of the highlights in this production, the foreshadowing of the unfair calamity that plagues both the Capulet and Montague houses.
The only character who was very miscast was Paris. the actor playing Paris was too flamboyant to be believable as a suitable (read, 'straight') match for Juliet, his voice was weak compared to the strong voices from Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, and everyone else, and he was completely uncharismatic. I feel very bad for him, because he may be a great actor, but he really stuck out like a sore thumb among the other great talent and chemistry.
I'm posting the picture of the final scene, which is posted on the Shakespeare Santa Cruz website, only because it was a beeeautiful end to this beautiful play about the funny side of love --- how soon poor Rosaline is forgotten; the exciting side of love --- the lust, the romance, the friendship. After Juliet sheathes Romeo's dagger into her broken heart, she falls into death as if into sleep upon her lover and husband's chest. They are lying on top of a marble coffin, which becomes illuminated as everything else goes black. Over them, the Prince ends this tale of woe of Juliet and her Romeo.The main reason I loved this production, more than the actors themselves (great!) and the setting (fabulous!) was that the actors were able to somehow capture the greatness of Shakespeare's words. The cynical reading of the play may imply that Romeo and Juliet's love is too young and naive to survive, too perfect and ideal, and it must be killed in order to be forever remembered as pure, because had they lived, they would soon realize that their young love was not the stuff that dreams are made of. However, this production captured the sadder view. Romeo and Juliet are two very young, very naive teenagers, but, somehow, against all odds, as their story progresses, we are convinced that theirs is a real love, a mature love, one that is rare and precious in this world of superficial, interest-based relationships.
Here is a great review of the play on playshakespeare.com.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Display of Public Dumbness
I know that certain jobs require employees to spit out little scripts when serving customers. This is acceptable when it's along the lines of, "welcome to ___, may I ____?", or "Thank you for calling ___, this is ___, how can I help you?" I even understand that the bane of modern phone conversations, telemarketers, have little shpiels that they have to go through when you pick up the phone.
What I don't understand, however, is how people can go through their scripts when clearly, CLEARLY, the script does not apply. Example:
I stand in line at the Post Office. I am called to the next available clerk. She asks, "How can I help you?" I say, "I want to send this [presenting a package] regular, media mail. It's a book." She takes the package, places it on the scale. Looks at me and asks, "Anything fragile in here?" I think, perhaps she did not hear me, so I respond casually, "No, nothing fragile. It is a book." She retorts with, "Anything perishable?" At this point I start to be confused, and think I am speaking in Pekinese or something. I repeat, a bit stronger, "No. It is a book," emphasis and all. "Anything liquid?" Good God Almighty!! However, I try to keep in mind that she needs to ask these questions when a person presents a package, but I have stated, clearly, and repeatedly, that I am sending A BOOK!!! So - no need, really, for redundant and idiotic questions.
Moving on to the next challenging step of Postal Interaction -- the kind of service!! "Do you want to send it First Class? It can be there tomorrow," says the clerk. "No, I want to send it regular media mail." "Priority is $6.75," she says. I return, "No, thank you [teeth are clenched by now], that's okay." Her selective hearing took this to mean "okay," so she says, "Total is $6.75." I stare at her. If I was at Hogwarts, she may possibly have turned into a ferret. "No, not Priority, regular media mail." "Oh, $2.58," she says. I pull out my money -- exact change, and hand it to her. "Would you like insurance?" "No, no insurance." "Proof of receipt?" "No, nothing else. Thank you, that will be all." "Any stamps today?" [UGGH!! SHUT UP WOMAN!] "No, nothing else for today, thank you" [my imaginary inner child kicks her in the shins]. You would think that would be all, BUT NO! "Do you need any packing supplies?" Okay, now she's just f*-ing with me, I'm sure, because it's getting ridiculous. I can't help it, but I laugh. "No, nothing else, this will be all, thank you." I take the receipt and leave, confused and annoyed at the experience.
Why? Because the postal clerks don't give customers enough credit. It's as if they think, "these morons walked in here like zombies off a street. Of course they don't know what they need, so we will run through our entire list of options for them." COME ON! When I walk into a Post Office, I know what I need. I know if I need stamps. I know how I want to send my mail. I even know if I want a confirmation. I do appreciate their effort, but sometimes, when the customer clearly knows what she or he needs, there is no need - NONE! - to go through the various prices, the various options, etc. Now, if I were to come in and ask, "What are my options for sending this BOOK [thus, no liquids, perishables, or fragile materials] to NJ?" the clerk could then go to town with the different options.
Okay, that's my rant of the day :) Now on to being productive!!
What I don't understand, however, is how people can go through their scripts when clearly, CLEARLY, the script does not apply. Example:
I stand in line at the Post Office. I am called to the next available clerk. She asks, "How can I help you?" I say, "I want to send this [presenting a package] regular, media mail. It's a book." She takes the package, places it on the scale. Looks at me and asks, "Anything fragile in here?" I think, perhaps she did not hear me, so I respond casually, "No, nothing fragile. It is a book." She retorts with, "Anything perishable?" At this point I start to be confused, and think I am speaking in Pekinese or something. I repeat, a bit stronger, "No. It is a book," emphasis and all. "Anything liquid?" Good God Almighty!! However, I try to keep in mind that she needs to ask these questions when a person presents a package, but I have stated, clearly, and repeatedly, that I am sending A BOOK!!! So - no need, really, for redundant and idiotic questions.
Moving on to the next challenging step of Postal Interaction -- the kind of service!! "Do you want to send it First Class? It can be there tomorrow," says the clerk. "No, I want to send it regular media mail." "Priority is $6.75," she says. I return, "No, thank you [teeth are clenched by now], that's okay." Her selective hearing took this to mean "okay," so she says, "Total is $6.75." I stare at her. If I was at Hogwarts, she may possibly have turned into a ferret. "No, not Priority, regular media mail." "Oh, $2.58," she says. I pull out my money -- exact change, and hand it to her. "Would you like insurance?" "No, no insurance." "Proof of receipt?" "No, nothing else. Thank you, that will be all." "Any stamps today?" [UGGH!! SHUT UP WOMAN!] "No, nothing else for today, thank you" [my imaginary inner child kicks her in the shins]. You would think that would be all, BUT NO! "Do you need any packing supplies?" Okay, now she's just f*-ing with me, I'm sure, because it's getting ridiculous. I can't help it, but I laugh. "No, nothing else, this will be all, thank you." I take the receipt and leave, confused and annoyed at the experience.
Why? Because the postal clerks don't give customers enough credit. It's as if they think, "these morons walked in here like zombies off a street. Of course they don't know what they need, so we will run through our entire list of options for them." COME ON! When I walk into a Post Office, I know what I need. I know if I need stamps. I know how I want to send my mail. I even know if I want a confirmation. I do appreciate their effort, but sometimes, when the customer clearly knows what she or he needs, there is no need - NONE! - to go through the various prices, the various options, etc. Now, if I were to come in and ask, "What are my options for sending this BOOK [thus, no liquids, perishables, or fragile materials] to NJ?" the clerk could then go to town with the different options.
Okay, that's my rant of the day :) Now on to being productive!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Our Rainbow
While writing my Princess Bride review, I looked out the window and the most gorgeous rainbow I've ever seen was forming. M and I went outside to take a look, and it just kept getting bigger and brighter. It actually looked like a bow, a semi-circle, and you could see all the different colors! Even the green and the violet, which you usually can't see in a rainbow!!! It was so gorgeous that we had to take pictures!! Then, to our amazement, a second little rainbow was forming right next to it. It was truly nature at its prettiest. The ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, gree, blue, indigo, violet) mnemonic device is ingrained in my head, and I always say it to myself each time I see a rainbow.
The image to the left was taken by M, and as pretty as it is, it doesn't quite do justice to how huge this thing was, and how perfectly it rounded in the sky.
Now, outside, it is pitch black. Every now and then, an airplane twinkles through the pitch, but for the most part, it is calm and dark. Only twenty minutes ago that beautiful rainbow was outside out window! Oh, and it brought out our neighbors, whom we'd never met!
No matter how tall a skyscraper, or how fast a car, there is always something infinitely more breathtaking in the natural wonders that come out of nowhere, than in man's passing trinkets.
And now, let us all join in, as Brother Iz would have us do, in his rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Beautiful World"!!!
My Name is Inigo Montoya...
The Princess Bride by William GoldmanMy review
rating: 2 of 5 stars
I know there are people who LOOOOOOOVE the film, "The Princess Bride." While I thoroughly enjoy the movie, I think I may only LOOVE it. I mean, Inigo Montoya is FABULOUS and I really really dug Westley, and the pwiest was vewwy vewwy funny!!!! So, when someone was kind enough to lend me the book, I had relatively high expectations. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed in The Princess Bride, but I just wasn't thrilled or moved to laugh till I cry (which the movie sometimes can).
First of all, let's get all English-major on this, and talk about the meta-layered frame narratives going on in this novel. Holy cow! First of all, keep in mind that the book's title is The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. Basically, what Goldman does is this -- he tells his readers that the book they are holding in their hand (his book) is actually the abridgment of the original PB written by this invented author, Morgenstern. As a child, says Goldman (within the novel, not in the introduction or anything), his father read PB to him aloud, and the boy fell in love with the book. When, as a father himself, he attempted to pass on this beloved childhood novel to his very fat and very spoiled son, he is shocked to find out that the boy can't get into the book -- because it is too long and too boring! It turns out that Goldman's father, when reading to the boy, had skipped hundreds of pages of political and historical satire! So, when Goldman's own son attempted to read the book, he found it overly dry and long. This leads Goldman to undertake the task of abridging PB and basically re-publish the book as his father had read it to him -- just the adventure plot and the romance.
While bearing this in mind, you must remember that Goldman is making all of this up. There is no Morgenstern, no original PB. The project in itself is quite interesting and it had me excited at reading a book that really messed with the reader's perception of narrator, of what's real and what isn't. Goldman often includes long parenthesis in which he bitches about his frigid wife or his snotty son, or over some of the stunted romantic liaisons that he failed at. All in all, I must say, that the actual narrator of PB comes off as an ego maniacal and pathetic loser who happens to have been the screenwriter for some awesome movies (think "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Misery." (One interesting aside is the confrontation between Goldman and Stephen King over supposedly abridging the sequel to PB, called Buttercup's Baby, a conversation in which they discuss Kathy Bates' performance in "Misery.")
Once you get over the self-loathing and self-loving that the narrator is indulging in while writing this book, you get to the actual storyline. Westley hearts Buttercup, but she is to be married to Prince Humperdink. Meanwhile, Inigo Montoya searches for his father's six-fingered murderer, Fezzik plods along like a dumb giant, and about 300 pages into the novel, these 2 team up with Westley in an attempt to steal Buttercup away from Humperdink.
The good news is that some of the movie's best scenes are taken verbatim from the book. Inigo Montoya is as fabulous here as he is in the movie. Actually, even more so, because you get a pretty in depth history of his childhood, his training, his thought process. He is by far the most interesting character in the novel.
The scene with Miracle Max is also as rewarding as it is in the movie, and the funniest scene in the book is the marriage (mawwiage) scene.
Still, a couple interesting scenes do not a great novel make, and for once, I may have found a book that I enjoyed less than its film adaptation! Ring the bells and sound the alarms!!
Ah, and I see God is agreeing with me! I have just looked out of our great scenic window, and the most BEAUTIFUL rainbow has just appeared.
To wrap up, I must say that I was left a bit deflated by The Princess Bride. It has a little zing, a little sappy romance, and a little adventure, but overall, I think I approached it about 15 years too late. Had I read it when I was 10, I'm sure it would still to this day be one of my favorites.
P.S. Take one "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Repeat until it becomes unnerving. Result -- the best scene in the novel and the film, by a landslide. Oh, Inigo. I love you. And in this book, only you. I should pull a Goldman and abridge The Princess Bride and leave in only Inigo's part, and add on to his story line. Food for thought!
View all my reviews.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Excuse the abundance of book reviews...
Okay, so I have decided to include my Goodreads reviews on my blog, but I realize that I am bombarding my blog with them, so I will disperse them gradually. For now, I have included a little variety, from the classics to the pop reading to the best book ever (The Giver)!
"The Giver" Book Review
The Giver by Lois LowryMy review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think I have read The Giver at least 5 times. Each time, it has retained its beauty, its sadness, its power. A must read for anyone, of any age, of any creed, of any political inclination. It poses some terrifying questions, and makes a very young boy bear a very large burden. The first book to ever make me want to name my future child after its character! And I was in elementary school!
View all my reviews.
Lasher Book Review
Lasher by Anne RiceMy review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
I hated this book. I gave it 3 stars in reverence of it being the sequel to "The Witching Hour" which I loved. I'm not generally a squeamish reader, but this one took it too far. The overwhelming and almost venerated abundance of incest and borderline pedophilia, the incredibly disturbing attitude toward rape, the lack of interest in coherence in plot... these all added up to a huge mess that I couldn't wait to put down. Rowan and Lasher explore their complicated relationship through a series of S&M-ish episodes; the only highlight of the book is the family history that is revealed through much of the book. The stories are genuinely interesting and the characters are at times even likable. It is interesting that the almost exclusive homosexuality in the Vampire Chronicles is replaced with an almost exclusive incest here. Oh, Anne Rice. I hear you are a devout Christian (perhaps a recent evolution). How did your brain ever create such terrible scenes?
*Note-- I have no clue what's up with that awful cover. The book I read was a hardcover with no dust jacket so I always think of "Lasher" as just big and black, but apparently the publishers decided to put a picture of a John Travolta look-alike on the cover. In my mind, Lasher looks NOTHING like that, he is very tall and very skinny and very pale, with yellowish hair and very very soft skin. Ew now I am remembering certain scenes from the book... which I would tell you that you need to read to understand the creepy factor, but I really don't recommend this book. So you either have to venture out on your own and face the creepiness, or take my word for it and pick up that dusty Judy Blume instead. Trust me, much more rewarding!!! ;-)
**Note update -- Now that I look at him closer, he looks more like Stephen Baldwin than John Travolta. This does add a tad to the creepiness factor...
View all my reviews.
"The Italian" Book Review
The Italian by Ann RadcliffeMy review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
After having read "The Mysteries of Udolfo," I was very excited to read "The Italian," which Dr. R. had mentioned is an even better book. I don't know if it's really "better" but it is very different. The gothic elements in "The Italian" are far less of the "ghost and goblin" kind (think the curtain in "Udolfo," or the mystery corpse), and more of the evil that human nature is possible of. The plot is relatively easy to keep track of, and the characters are more deeply developed than in "Udolfo," with Ellena being a very virtuous and headstrong beloved, while Vivaldi is the equally headstrong and loyal lover. The villains in this book are actually pretty memorable, and there are a couple plot twists that definitely make this an exciting read (though, admittedly, pretty predictable considering the genre and time). Nevertheless, a thoroughly interesting read, and definitely a good study of human pride and its dire consequences. A three star only because as a late eighteenth century novel, it still maintains some of the difficulties of the time for the present reader -- too many landscapes, too much lovemaking without any lovemaking, and too static heroes.
View all my reviews.
"The Godfather" Book Review
Since I mentioned "The Godfather" in my previous post, I am adding today my review from goodreads.com. I will do the same with "The Italian" in a minute. Enjoy! Please feel free to comment on my reviews and argue with my opinions :)
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mario Puzo's novel spans several generations of the Corleone family, going as far back as turn of the century Sicily. The book is a riveting page-turner, with little plot lines jutting out from the principal one - Don Vito Corleone, with three grown sons, struggles to keep the Corleone "Family" together and strong. Don Vito is a fascinating character to both the novel's internal characters and to its readers. He is a family man, a man of honor, brave, intelligent, and loved. He is also the leader of one of the strongest mafia clans in the world. When he becomes temporarily unable to lead his family, someone must step up, and that someone surprises everyone. War hero and family baby, Michael, steps up to fill his father's very large shoes.
The novel goes into many details about several characters that never make it onto the silver screen, or if they do, for very brief moments. Johnny Fontaine, Lucy, and many more make for some of the novel's most interesting chapters, and it is too bad that each character's featured chapter could not be made into a feature film.
For those who have seen the films, Puzo's novel stops where the first film stops, though the second and third do pay homage to some earlier scenes from the novel. However, the novel cunningly leaves Michael's future to be determined by the reader, and one of the films' successes must be owed to the fact that Puzo himself was involved in adapting the screenplays, keeping the characters true to their hinted futures.
View all my reviews.
The Godfather by Mario PuzoMy review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mario Puzo's novel spans several generations of the Corleone family, going as far back as turn of the century Sicily. The book is a riveting page-turner, with little plot lines jutting out from the principal one - Don Vito Corleone, with three grown sons, struggles to keep the Corleone "Family" together and strong. Don Vito is a fascinating character to both the novel's internal characters and to its readers. He is a family man, a man of honor, brave, intelligent, and loved. He is also the leader of one of the strongest mafia clans in the world. When he becomes temporarily unable to lead his family, someone must step up, and that someone surprises everyone. War hero and family baby, Michael, steps up to fill his father's very large shoes.
The novel goes into many details about several characters that never make it onto the silver screen, or if they do, for very brief moments. Johnny Fontaine, Lucy, and many more make for some of the novel's most interesting chapters, and it is too bad that each character's featured chapter could not be made into a feature film.
For those who have seen the films, Puzo's novel stops where the first film stops, though the second and third do pay homage to some earlier scenes from the novel. However, the novel cunningly leaves Michael's future to be determined by the reader, and one of the films' successes must be owed to the fact that Puzo himself was involved in adapting the screenplays, keeping the characters true to their hinted futures.
View all my reviews.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Update Edition
After much popular demand (one very loving boyfriend), I have decided to come out of my writing hibernation and continue with this blog. I think after two years of intensive reading and writing, I was, what you may call, "over it." Mainly, "over" over-analyzing things to the degree that I felt compelled to write about them, but I have come to terms with and embraced the fact that I shall forever be an over-analyzer, and thus must reconcile with my bitty blog.
Today, I want to catch up on some of the things that have happened in the past couple of months that I have very much wanted to write about, but difficulties arose because I do not want to think about them. To write about something that you do not think about is pretty difficult. (I am realizing as I type that I am channeling the style from "The Princess Bride." Which would be ok if I didn't find the book's style really annoying... perhaps a stylistic rethinking is in order).
First of all, I had to say goodbye to my student status (though, my ID still comes with me in case a theater, any theater, offers a student discount -- and not a dang one around here does!!!). This was difficult for me. I love being in school, I love being stressed for time working on a paper, I love the comraderie that comes with school, and now the "real world" is loudly knocking. Actually, it is a combination of it and myself knocking alternatively. It seems that at times I am more than willing to join the real world, but it does not seem to want me. At other times, the real world is so much in my face that I want to call a time out. Well, school is over and I have a feeling that it is over for a while. I know that eventually I will get the itch. It is inevitable and I foresee it clearly. But the itch to prove myself outside the classroom is much stronger, though vague in where it really lies. With school behind me, I walked foot in front of foot into the real world, and the real world had one big time-sensitive plan for me -- to pack.
I swear, I feel like after I finished school, I did nothing but pack and unpack, pack and unpack for a month and a half straight. Graduation weekend I drove up (in my parents' car, as mine decided it did not yet wish to leave Orange County, and instead decided to break down on me) and came to look for an apartment. Within a week, we had picked out place and signed a lease, and whoa Nelly, was that a big moment! I had signed a lease before, I had in fact signed several leases before. And I had signed a lease with roommates before, but this, this was the first time I was signing a lease -- with a BOY! A BOY that would be there day in and day out, day after night after day after night. So, as any responsible lease signer would do, I left. Well, no, not really, I merely came back to Orange County to begin the loooong packing process of 2008. I packed my clothes. I packed my books. I packed some more books. I packed my toiletries, my linen, my posters, my shoes, and a few more boxes of Penguins (I have many. They are very pretty and shiny on my shelf, sitting side by side, little penguins all in a row). Then, my parents said, "pack this" so I packed some plates and some pots. Then, my parents said, "pack this too," so I packed some towels and some vases. Then, my parents said, "this too, pack it" so I packed some blankets and some patio chairs. Then (well you get the picture). Then, my friend Kristin said, I have a futon for sale, and I thought, we have no couch, nothing to sit on, I must have that futon. So Allie and I drove and packed that futon in the car. More stuff to be packed away. My dad and I got a truck. We filled that truck. We filled that truck with some dexterity that it not a damn thing could move around in there. And on Saturday morning, we set out early on for the drive, me in my now-fixed car (also filled with stuff), and my dad in the Budget truck. We drove and drove and drove, and finally, arrived in Palo Alto. We arrived at my new place. My new place where a BOY also lives. (The novelty has not yet worn off).
For the first few days, all I did was wake up, unpack, store, clean. Wake up, unpack, store, clean. Soon, the apartment was not quite as covered in boxes, not quite as crazy. So, I did what any other person in my position would do -- I left! Well, I had to! I had to go back to Orange County to begin a new cycle of packing.
My parents decided that with retirement would come a slight relocation. Oh, not that far. Only a hop skip and a 12-hour plane ride, a stopover, and another 3 hour plane ride away! They were moving back to Romania, and taking the whole house with them. SOooo everything had to be packed. Organized, packed, tallied, kept score of. All the plates had to be bubble wrapped. All the photo albums had to be sorted. All the trinkets, the toys, the treasures, had to be put into boxes. For a week, I packed. Then, their big ol' container came, and everything had to be put inside. So for three days, we lugged. Then, it was gone. Then, the house looked --- well, it looked full, to be perfectly honest! The couches had stayed. Nearly their entire bedroom had stayed. My piano had stayed (coming back to this later). I was supposed to return to Palo Alto, but I too, stayed. I could not leave yet, could not say goodbye to the place I had called home for the past 15 years. So, another week went by. I slept on the couch (not pleasant), I ate my mama's food (quite pleasant), and I got to see my parents for another few days. But, then, it was time for me to return to my own new home, laden with more things to unpack once I arrived.
Then, the visits started. When Marcello's family came, they brought with them much to be later unpacked. Then, a couple of weeks later, my parents came, bringing their truck (now, my truck) full of things to be likewise unpacked and stored. But two things I could not unpack, and store, were my parents. They only stayed for a few days, then we were off to the airport and I had to watch from outside the security line as they walked away and disappeared into the crowd, without shoes, without me.
This was the packing and unpacking saga of the summer of 2008.
Some more exciting things have happened since school ended. I went to the crazyness that is the Camp Pendleton Mud Run (as an observer, not a participant). I witnessed thousands of people running and sloshing and crawling through mud, and actually agreed that it looked like a grand ol' time. Then, last weekend, I went (also as an observer) to the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz, where even more crazy people ran their butts off for over 6 miles. With all this running frenzy surrounding me, I decided that I too shall run. When I read Sharone's blog about the Disneyland triathlon, I got super inspired to get my big booty off the couch (though in all honesty it is not there that often) and give this running thing a shot. At first, I could barely run for 30 seconds without almost keeling over. This was harder than it looked! But Marcello gave me a good running plan, and after following it for three weeks, today I ran for ten minutes non-stop, and including the warmup walk before I started running, I did a 16 minute mile. Stop laughing! It is damn impressive, for me. Besides the joys of running, M and I have just joined a gym. It is lovely and shiny - and expensive! But I think it will keep me going there, and I am very excited to go all the time. Plus, too many people keep insisting on having weddings this summer, and I must look at least presentable, especially for one particular one. I am actually considering going tanning. (It came with the gym package! I SWEAR!) If you saw how pasty I am, and considered how good I have to look for this wedding, you'd understand. Stop judging!
Besides the running and the potential tanning, my life has pretty much been as domestic as it comes. I am still looking for a job, and it did come as a slight shock when hundreds of employers did not call, come knocking, or sent messenger pigeons, begging me to work for them. Alas, as CNN informed me today while I was on my very shiny treadmill at my very shiny gym, this is NOT the time to be looking for a job. So, while I wait, I have honed my skills at domesticity. I have to say, there is something VERY appealing about being able to go to the mall at 2 in the afternoon after having done the laundry, the grocery shopping, and watched back to back Golden Girls.
I have also had time to catch up on some "fun" reading, though someone may want to update me on what "fun" reading is, as two of those books have included Wharton's "House of Mirth" and Radcliffe's "The Italian," which are not exactly light summer reading. I also read (finally!) "The Godfather" (rave!!!) and am now finishing "The Princess Bride" (eh, half snore, half smile). Next on my list, "Good in Bed."
Ok, my first return to the blogosphere has turned into a marathon, so I shall call it a day.
Today, I want to catch up on some of the things that have happened in the past couple of months that I have very much wanted to write about, but difficulties arose because I do not want to think about them. To write about something that you do not think about is pretty difficult. (I am realizing as I type that I am channeling the style from "The Princess Bride." Which would be ok if I didn't find the book's style really annoying... perhaps a stylistic rethinking is in order).
First of all, I had to say goodbye to my student status (though, my ID still comes with me in case a theater, any theater, offers a student discount -- and not a dang one around here does!!!). This was difficult for me. I love being in school, I love being stressed for time working on a paper, I love the comraderie that comes with school, and now the "real world" is loudly knocking. Actually, it is a combination of it and myself knocking alternatively. It seems that at times I am more than willing to join the real world, but it does not seem to want me. At other times, the real world is so much in my face that I want to call a time out. Well, school is over and I have a feeling that it is over for a while. I know that eventually I will get the itch. It is inevitable and I foresee it clearly. But the itch to prove myself outside the classroom is much stronger, though vague in where it really lies. With school behind me, I walked foot in front of foot into the real world, and the real world had one big time-sensitive plan for me -- to pack.
I swear, I feel like after I finished school, I did nothing but pack and unpack, pack and unpack for a month and a half straight. Graduation weekend I drove up (in my parents' car, as mine decided it did not yet wish to leave Orange County, and instead decided to break down on me) and came to look for an apartment. Within a week, we had picked out place and signed a lease, and whoa Nelly, was that a big moment! I had signed a lease before, I had in fact signed several leases before. And I had signed a lease with roommates before, but this, this was the first time I was signing a lease -- with a BOY! A BOY that would be there day in and day out, day after night after day after night. So, as any responsible lease signer would do, I left. Well, no, not really, I merely came back to Orange County to begin the loooong packing process of 2008. I packed my clothes. I packed my books. I packed some more books. I packed my toiletries, my linen, my posters, my shoes, and a few more boxes of Penguins (I have many. They are very pretty and shiny on my shelf, sitting side by side, little penguins all in a row). Then, my parents said, "pack this" so I packed some plates and some pots. Then, my parents said, "pack this too," so I packed some towels and some vases. Then, my parents said, "this too, pack it" so I packed some blankets and some patio chairs. Then (well you get the picture). Then, my friend Kristin said, I have a futon for sale, and I thought, we have no couch, nothing to sit on, I must have that futon. So Allie and I drove and packed that futon in the car. More stuff to be packed away. My dad and I got a truck. We filled that truck. We filled that truck with some dexterity that it not a damn thing could move around in there. And on Saturday morning, we set out early on for the drive, me in my now-fixed car (also filled with stuff), and my dad in the Budget truck. We drove and drove and drove, and finally, arrived in Palo Alto. We arrived at my new place. My new place where a BOY also lives. (The novelty has not yet worn off).
For the first few days, all I did was wake up, unpack, store, clean. Wake up, unpack, store, clean. Soon, the apartment was not quite as covered in boxes, not quite as crazy. So, I did what any other person in my position would do -- I left! Well, I had to! I had to go back to Orange County to begin a new cycle of packing.
My parents decided that with retirement would come a slight relocation. Oh, not that far. Only a hop skip and a 12-hour plane ride, a stopover, and another 3 hour plane ride away! They were moving back to Romania, and taking the whole house with them. SOooo everything had to be packed. Organized, packed, tallied, kept score of. All the plates had to be bubble wrapped. All the photo albums had to be sorted. All the trinkets, the toys, the treasures, had to be put into boxes. For a week, I packed. Then, their big ol' container came, and everything had to be put inside. So for three days, we lugged. Then, it was gone. Then, the house looked --- well, it looked full, to be perfectly honest! The couches had stayed. Nearly their entire bedroom had stayed. My piano had stayed (coming back to this later). I was supposed to return to Palo Alto, but I too, stayed. I could not leave yet, could not say goodbye to the place I had called home for the past 15 years. So, another week went by. I slept on the couch (not pleasant), I ate my mama's food (quite pleasant), and I got to see my parents for another few days. But, then, it was time for me to return to my own new home, laden with more things to unpack once I arrived.
Then, the visits started. When Marcello's family came, they brought with them much to be later unpacked. Then, a couple of weeks later, my parents came, bringing their truck (now, my truck) full of things to be likewise unpacked and stored. But two things I could not unpack, and store, were my parents. They only stayed for a few days, then we were off to the airport and I had to watch from outside the security line as they walked away and disappeared into the crowd, without shoes, without me.
This was the packing and unpacking saga of the summer of 2008.
Some more exciting things have happened since school ended. I went to the crazyness that is the Camp Pendleton Mud Run (as an observer, not a participant). I witnessed thousands of people running and sloshing and crawling through mud, and actually agreed that it looked like a grand ol' time. Then, last weekend, I went (also as an observer) to the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz, where even more crazy people ran their butts off for over 6 miles. With all this running frenzy surrounding me, I decided that I too shall run. When I read Sharone's blog about the Disneyland triathlon, I got super inspired to get my big booty off the couch (though in all honesty it is not there that often) and give this running thing a shot. At first, I could barely run for 30 seconds without almost keeling over. This was harder than it looked! But Marcello gave me a good running plan, and after following it for three weeks, today I ran for ten minutes non-stop, and including the warmup walk before I started running, I did a 16 minute mile. Stop laughing! It is damn impressive, for me. Besides the joys of running, M and I have just joined a gym. It is lovely and shiny - and expensive! But I think it will keep me going there, and I am very excited to go all the time. Plus, too many people keep insisting on having weddings this summer, and I must look at least presentable, especially for one particular one. I am actually considering going tanning. (It came with the gym package! I SWEAR!) If you saw how pasty I am, and considered how good I have to look for this wedding, you'd understand. Stop judging!
Besides the running and the potential tanning, my life has pretty much been as domestic as it comes. I am still looking for a job, and it did come as a slight shock when hundreds of employers did not call, come knocking, or sent messenger pigeons, begging me to work for them. Alas, as CNN informed me today while I was on my very shiny treadmill at my very shiny gym, this is NOT the time to be looking for a job. So, while I wait, I have honed my skills at domesticity. I have to say, there is something VERY appealing about being able to go to the mall at 2 in the afternoon after having done the laundry, the grocery shopping, and watched back to back Golden Girls.
I have also had time to catch up on some "fun" reading, though someone may want to update me on what "fun" reading is, as two of those books have included Wharton's "House of Mirth" and Radcliffe's "The Italian," which are not exactly light summer reading. I also read (finally!) "The Godfather" (rave!!!) and am now finishing "The Princess Bride" (eh, half snore, half smile). Next on my list, "Good in Bed."
Ok, my first return to the blogosphere has turned into a marathon, so I shall call it a day.
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