tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-378701102024-03-12T16:27:51.325-07:00Ennui for freeWelcome to my blog! It should be smooooth sailing, folks ... I'm kidding. It shan't be - at least I hope not. Upsetting? Perhaps. Neurotic? Probably. But I assure you that it will always remain far from unreadable. In all earnestness, please enjoy. I hope this isn't a waste of your time ... because I'll admit to you, - friend, stranger, critic, etc - with my heart, beating, vulnerable and moist on my sleeve - it will never be a waste of mine.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-79415785221820333172008-04-25T18:04:00.001-07:002008-04-25T18:06:01.890-07:00change of addressForgot to tell you that I changed my blog. No big reason for it except that I have more friends on this other side of the fence. <br /><br />That's funny cuz I almost hopped a real fence today. Good I didn't, would have totally gotten hurt.<br /><br />anyways, see you there.<br /><br />http://cellardoor99.livejournal.comCarolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-80873880160577820932008-03-11T21:25:00.000-07:002008-03-11T21:27:49.367-07:00Filipino wives . . .These lists have gotten pretty tired, but I like this one's approach, it's really good.<br /><br />I found this on 'Stuff Filipino People Like' : http://www.thinkunique.net/stuffasianpeoplelike/filipino/<br />________________________________________<br /><br />YOU MAY BE MARRIED TO A FILIPINA IF . . .<br /><br />♥ your refrigerator is always full but you cannot find any food that you recognize.<br />♥ instead of a dowry, you got the whole bill for the wedding and honeymoon.<br />♥ most of the decorations in your house are made of wicker.<br />♥ you are expected to be able to read her mind just by watching her eyebrows move up and down and which way her lips are pointed.<br />♥ all her relatives think your name is Joe.<br />♥ the instant you are married you have 3000 new close relatives that you can’t tell apart.<br />♥ your house isn’t really on fire, but there is a very charred fish right on top of the stove burner.<br />♥ all the desserts are sticky and all the snacks are salty.<br />she eats her fruit with giant salt crystals and her fried chicken with ketchup.<br />♥ even the ketchup tastes weird . . . very weird.<br />♥ you throw a party and everyone is fighting to chop the leathery skin off a dead pig.<br />♥ all your kids have 4-5 middle names.*<br />♥ your in-laws take 10 years to acknowledge your existence and to call you by something other than “that white guy.”<br />♥ you try to call her up on the phone and someone tells you “for a while” and you want to know “for a while, what??”<br />♥ you are trying to go to sleep and she keeps asking for the comFORT’r, and you ain’t got a clue what she’s talking about . . .<br />♥ your first Christmas present is some funny looking baggy see-thru shirt made out of leftover lace doilies.<br />♥ your phone bills are all international and average 3 hours per call.<br />♥ she sweeps with something that witches usually fly around on.<br />♥ her idea of classy, expensive champagne is Asti Spumante<br />♥ the rice cooker is on 24 hours a day and uses up 50% of your electric and food budget.<br />♥ on your first trip to the Philippines, you have 18 giant boxes that weigh 1000 pounds each and your “carry on” luggage requires a small forklift truck.<br />♥ the same luggage is over filled with things that cost an average of 15 cents each like old magazines and M&Ms — the worst part is when you get off the plane, the same stuff you’ve been hauling around half way around the world is available in every store in the airport for half the price!<br />♥ all her pajamas look like they were worn by the Dalai Lama until they got too faded.<br />♥ the first time she’s pregnant you have to go out at 4:00 in the morning looking for some weird type of greasy sausages, green mangoes and bagoong.<br />♥ You buy a new $500 freezer so she can store 200 pounds of SPAM and CORNED BEEF that was on sale.<br />♥ everything in your house was bought on sale, even if you don’t need it .. as long as it was a “bargain” is all that matters.<br />♥ she gets really excited by sucking the fat out of pig knees.<br />♥ your daughter gets her ears pierced when she’s 2 minutes old but your sons are not circumcised until they turn 21.<br />♥ all your postage bills instantly double.<br />♥ you hire a yaya because your wife thinks you clean mirrors with soap and a sponge and the yaya seems cheaper than a divorce.<br />♥ the only “white meat” she likes is You, and that’s if you’re lucky . . .<br />♥ her favorite sauce is called patis, Americans call it turpentine.<br />♥ she actually thinks that bowling and golf and billiards are real sports and are more important than baseball and football.<br />♥ you were married 5 years before she explained to you that “ARAY!” doesn’t mean “ooh, baby!”<br />♥ she prefers bistek to beef steak.<br />♥ her idea of new upholstery is rinsing the bagoong stains out of the slip covers.<br />♥ she can eat and talk at the same time, in fact that’s her especialty!<br />♥ her favorite meal is leftovers, her favorite fancy dessert is Jello mold and for something REALLY romantic, she’ll offer you a halo-halo with 2 straws.<br />♥ you still don’t know what’s the difference between manong and manok.<br />♥ she and the kids are always saying “Daddy made utot” and you still don’t know what it means but they think it’s pretty funny.<br />♥ other than eyebrow raising and lip puckering, her next most expressive form of communication is grunts and pssst’s<br />♥ she goes to the movies just for the AC.<br />♥ her homeland has more Megamalls than islands.<br />♥ before every holiday and visit, her sisters fax you a 10 page “bilin” list which says “suggestion only.”<br />♥ your kitchen table has a merry-go-round in the middle.<br />♥ all the vegetables she buys at the Filipino store look like they were grown at Chernobyl.<br />♥ your in-law’s first visit lasted 5 years.<br />♥ her friends are named Chinky, Girlie, Boy and Bimbo and you are not allowed to smirk.<br />♥ her home economics course only taught shopping, eating and siesta; cooking, cleaning and sewing were not electives.<br />♥ her idea of edifying reading is gossip magazines.<br />♥ all your place settings has the silverware backwards and there are no knives.<br />♥ she washes her hair with a bucket and her car with a broom.<br />♥ she uses an umbrella even if its not raining.<br />♥ her favorite book (she has 3 copies) is “1001 New Recipes for Pig Parts You Were Gonna Throw Out”<br />♥ you are the only family in a 200 mile radius with 6 DVD player, 5 televisions.<br />♥ she’s done her best job planning a surprise party for you if she manages not to tell you about it until a week or two before.<br />♥ she “cleans” her closet by throwing all the crap into your closet.<br />♥ you are pretty proud of yourself because you think you snagged up for yourself some unique, rare, tropical goddess type until you go to the Philippines and can’t tell her apart from anyone else in the whole country (unless she’s taller than 5,,1″, then it’s a bit easier).<br />♥ there’s always singing in your house, even when the radio’s off.<br />♥ your own mom, who was lukewarm about your marriage originally, now calls you long distance…to talk to your wife, not to you.<br />♥ your family announces that in the unlikely event of a divorce between you and your wife, she will always have a place to stay, but you better find a new family.<br />♥ your wife asks to get a job so that you will both have a little extra money, then thanks you for not complaining about having to drive her to work.<br />♥ your wife has a contagious smile.<br />♥ you both decide to divide your spare income, and you spend yours on a computer game or a power tool, only to learn that she spent her money buying clothes for you<br />♥ she might not have had a second pair of shoes growing up, but she’s rapidly making up for lost time.<br />♥ everything in your house is “namebrand”.<br />♥ you have a Western Union “Preferred Customer” card. Really.<br />♥ you complain when your wife tells you that longaniza is only for breakfast.<br />♥ you learn to like rice, even plain.<br />♥ you have a budget.<br />♥ she may only tell you she loves you once in awhile. But, she shows you that she loves you in everything she does and says.<br />♥ you go to sleep each night knowing you’re the luckiest man in the worldCarolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-29352786701743906662008-03-06T11:49:00.000-08:002008-03-06T11:58:07.402-08:00I really have no idea what all this means.Really bad dream John and I go to his work at night to meet his friend, Pete and another girl there. We then go to a strip mall with a coffee place and we all took Pete's car to get there. It's pouring rain, yet the place is packed. I feel pretty cool because I finally get to socialize with anyone of John's friends and also I'm out of the house i general. I also feel a little bummed because the rain is so loud that I can barely hear what everyone is saying. Also, they're talking about games and work which I can only speak very little about, so I'm actually a little extra bummed. Again, I am happy that we are just out with friends cuz that's pretty much my favorite thing. Going to get snacks and coffee with people. So I sit there sipping and enjoying my coffee, which is strange because I asked for half coffee, half ramen noodle soup (the good kind, not instant). This is obviously one of the more creepy, dreamlike elements of this dream - of which there seem to have only been a few. I feel glad that the guy actually only put in like a fourth cup of coffee, cuz it just tastes like soup, with a small hint of coffee and it's not bad.<br /><br />I stop trying to hear John and the others and I'm looking around and checking out the place. There is a very cheap and ugly fountain that poor families are playing near and staring at. Then I see that there is a Tapioca Express and I get pretty excited and point it out to the group. The rain goes from steady to torrential every other minute or so. Then I overhear a word or two, which is all I really catch from time to time, and the girl friend (who I understand has an undefined courtship with Pete) mentions their plan to stay all night in the 24 hour TapEx and play WOW or some other video game. She is not proposing the idea, they have already decided that this is what the group is going to do. If a group decides to "bar-hop" and hasn't personally asked me, I really wouldn't care, after all, I'm just out to have fun. But here the situation is obvious. They play WOW online with headphones and mics just about every night. They play just to play, sometimes to really put time into their guild work, or mostly just to spend virtual time talking with each other. I suddenly feel very betrayed by John, because I either am going to sit and watch (which isn't going to happen, he knows I have little interest in it) or I'm gonna sleep in the Tap Ex while they play (not really an option) or I'm going to stay in the car by myself. I look over at John with my mixed expression of disbelief and some other unexplainable feeing, and he gives me this sly little smile, looks up and whistles as if to joke around like he didn't know what was going on. <br /><br />I thoroughly fumed and yelled something and then stormed to the parking lot. I felt so bad and ran/walk the whole way. After a while I knew someone was behind me, I took a little glance and saw that it was John but with his jacket draped over my head. He caught up and hugged me from behind. I realize it's not John but some worker from the stores and I think I pushed him away and he left. I'm not sure. Then I kind of just remember waking up on the street part of the parking lot - not in between the cars but pretty much in the main thoroughfare part. The feeling of pure betrayal heightened even more.<br /><br />I get up - it's almost sunrise or so - and storm into TapEx which is still has a line out the door. I spot familiar faces, more of John's friend's had shown up throughout the night, but I walk by them and have decided that I'm totally fine with all these people witnessing the crazy woman screaming and bawling and destruction that I'm about to lay down.<br /><br />All I keep doing is crying and yelling to John, 'Did you just leave me to play a video game?' 'How did you not care about me being out there?' 'What the hell are you doing right now? I don't understand anything. Why is this happening?' . . . stuff like that. Although there's another more pitiful question that I kept asking him that I can't remember anymore. We get out of the store and my eyes are glued to his face and how he is responding in the worst way possible. My guess is that he thought I'd be better that he not go talk it out with and just allow me to blow off steam by myself (in the parking lot? all night? in the storm? with no keys to Pete's car even?). He never really answers my questions and I feel like this is exactly how John really would act but then I also equally feel that this is nothing that I'd ever imagine him to do. I can't decide, and the dream is pretty real feeling so I am thoroughly upset here. I wake up to my alarm and still feel all these shitty feelings - even the ghost feeling of my throat achy from the almost guttural screaming and my face plastered with frustrated tears. What upset me the most was that he had no answers for me. He just had an I'm Sorry I Did a Bad Thing look on his face. He tried to calm me down but never explained much. And all I needed was the answer to the question, 'Why?!'<br /><br />One of the only other random, dream-like thing is that I go into a nearby grocery store with a cart. It's really small place and a lady is stocking bagels and tells me that she needs 2 more minutes and can't move out of my way even though I'd been waiting there for like a minute already. I come out of the store with one fresh bagel in a little bag and find John alone at a side table near another table with a lady eating. I commence another round of my yelling and screaming that is pretty much the same as my other one. I'm starting to look at how this five year, pretty much engaged relationship is falling apart for a stupid reason over an incident of which I have no understanding. In the middle somewhere I had woken up, but decided to sleep more to figure it all out. But, again, no answers.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-1612994661226134702008-01-22T17:01:00.000-08:002008-01-22T17:31:08.537-08:00OMG followed by OMGHuge OMG day, really. I know one has to be careful of overusing the trendy term, but today I let it all out, cuz there was definitely heaps of OMG in my day today.<br /><br />First of all, I'm off today, and a day off feels so good that I usually feel like going to work as a customer just so I can truly feel that I DO NOT HAVE TO WORK TODAY feeling! I usually veg out and stay home, but still, the feeling is there.<br /><br />So, mostly though, today I found this great website that sells funny Pilipino-American pride t-shirts and other gear. (Like most people, I found it while watching a new HappySlip vlog.) I'm so excited, I almost paid extra for expedited shipping! You know that means I was excited. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqYeCUEyYWBblNooth2N1jS-n_Hz2V9kuXfjldegNKh_SpmKvjk5Mp5D_LNqJ8jldwNeZyfYB2BFCdfLONZAZuhDr6NtiK-ysG8sU-Jcg9sqqCghqV3zdYK3IZvqkBuYDO8KZ/s1600-h/Pinay+logo.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqYeCUEyYWBblNooth2N1jS-n_Hz2V9kuXfjldegNKh_SpmKvjk5Mp5D_LNqJ8jldwNeZyfYB2BFCdfLONZAZuhDr6NtiK-ysG8sU-Jcg9sqqCghqV3zdYK3IZvqkBuYDO8KZ/s200/Pinay+logo.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158473503253399730" /></a><br />I ended up getting a tote canvas bag with this "Pinay" logo they have and then I saw this other design they have that says "Maganda" and has a flower, I think a hibiscus which my dad grows, which I used to draw a lot in high school. Anyways, when I first got my MacBook a while back I wanted to name it, cuz she's a cute little thing who I spend a lot of time with. My friend Jammie thought 'mac-galing' would be cool cuz magaling is tagalog for "really well done" or almost like "bravo". But Mac-ganda would be cool too, and I really need more meaningful stickers for this sucker. And I've been wanting to go to the Philippines SOOO much recently too. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7peeeCcsxOwMOi25X5FaCl87oCSpOzKA6_TmxEFZinJEA3kITOJKlC_Yy7XGsF1rv2TaDQkW9d_m9M0HS6d6GpmzhRvFNefC_H5bIUG7FC7pgookVRSvFNCMubNK2Fh6KXlx/s1600-h/MacGanda.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7peeeCcsxOwMOi25X5FaCl87oCSpOzKA6_TmxEFZinJEA3kITOJKlC_Yy7XGsF1rv2TaDQkW9d_m9M0HS6d6GpmzhRvFNefC_H5bIUG7FC7pgookVRSvFNCMubNK2Fh6KXlx/s200/MacGanda.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158473705116862658" /></a><br /><br />So, okay, and theeeen John sent me a YouChoob thing that talked about this Filipino cover band singer who sings exactly like Steve Perry from Journey! And theeeeen, Neil Schon from Journey saw him on YouTube and freakin' hired him to replace Steve Perry!!!! How absolutely awesome is it that the new Journey lead vocalist is a Filipino guy! He is a stunning, even "soaring tenor" - as the press release contends - and states that he doesn't wanna copy paste Steve "The Voice" Perry, but be true to himself as well as to the greatest band in the world! I'm like beyond myself and filled with madaming Fil-Am pride! I'm literally pumping my fists in the air. Just as you imagined it.<br /><br />Witness the uncanny resemblance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nnNji6s3ck<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY_KOx_KAJmn4JfquOPRzrkhse7su7ATHP_IbdjPOU-txWxRdLUeQs2rdBYjJsGog_xVG2Elv0CDzTN1mik7iogAUu-azEz1RiSYFF570wpLIXzdNANXcA0Qa56I0TK8uzGle/s1600-h/Journey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY_KOx_KAJmn4JfquOPRzrkhse7su7ATHP_IbdjPOU-txWxRdLUeQs2rdBYjJsGog_xVG2Elv0CDzTN1mik7iogAUu-azEz1RiSYFF570wpLIXzdNANXcA0Qa56I0TK8uzGle/s320/Journey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158478012969060562" /></a>Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-88408905159491256082008-01-14T12:31:00.000-08:002008-01-14T12:45:26.368-08:00A KEYS!I went to my Uncle Rick's this weekend and my Auntie Marie had this gorgeous baby grand piano, a Petrof, which sounds like some awesome Russian or East European brand, which is enough to impress me. It had cool filligree (sp?) too. It's just inspirational to see an instrument like that.<br /><br />Speaking of how awesome pianos are in general, Alicia Keys' new album is on point. I listen to it on loop, it's just simply great writing. Her vocals have even more confidence than they have previously and the songs have just so much substance to them. I never doubted that she can keep creating great albums that can just stand on their own, but it still is an amazing group of songs. This is reminding me of my days at the Union where I found it actually harder to review good album, as opposed to bad ones. hehe.<br /><br />btw, I've seen the new Rob & Big episode like 4 times now, it's a real good one and it was free on itunes. So funny, and they really haven't changed much since their first season. Which I imagine is difficult to do for anyone.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-57777917175429992652008-01-07T16:10:00.000-08:002008-01-07T16:23:07.372-08:00Britney, Britney, Britney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLmaOP0iLoEtgbiM8kcyXxofuBrxe3yUXzfeiQ1ZwPGOttmYInyrd-Ka4e2uNnqRIXCCGsFKurbfZSR4285K4LYQEnV94NfVI3S9PHSCCUDJDF5EoJMoD76nnzRyt7Y7mAUud/s1600-h/0107_britney_spears_crazy_00-thumb-450x337.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLmaOP0iLoEtgbiM8kcyXxofuBrxe3yUXzfeiQ1ZwPGOttmYInyrd-Ka4e2uNnqRIXCCGsFKurbfZSR4285K4LYQEnV94NfVI3S9PHSCCUDJDF5EoJMoD76nnzRyt7Y7mAUud/s200/0107_britney_spears_crazy_00-thumb-450x337.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152894667153410210" /></a><br />I like Britney Spears' music. It's not a secret. She puts on a good show and has supplied me with great catchy music for all girls nights out and all those times that I like to dance around in my room in my underwear. I also was amazed at the way that she dominated the world with very little effort. Just like Mariah Carey All these thoughts are, ofcourse, pre K-fed.<br /><br />But I guess now she really dominates it all . . . front page Yahoo links their own story intimating that Britney's recent downward spiral and hospitalization will actually put a damper over a wonderful, celebratory better-than-the-Oscars award show, the Golden Globes. Imagine that? What's worse is they equate the importance of this almost predictable saga of 'Another pop star falls' with the industry-shaking SAG strike! They think people are really going to stay home cuz Britney Spears might dominate headlines because of something she's probably already done?! egads! Shame on Yahoo.<br /><br />http://omg.yahoo.com/spears-strike-loom-over-film-gala/news/5378Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-1915933817657286402007-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:002007-11-05T19:39:07.420-08:00Things that I just can't stand, but that I actually really love.<br><b>LAUNDRY</b> Everyone will prolly agree with this one. . . but here's the thing -<i> I actually love laundry</i>. I like taking good care of my clothes, I even especially love to baby my vintage and/or sentimental pieces. I like putting it out in the sun too [if you didn't already know, a good half of your laundry should never visit the dryer for more than 5-10 minutes].<br /><br /><i>What I really hate is doing laundry in a laundry room at an apartment complex.</i> It's incredibly heavy to move to the laundry room. It's expensive. You can't do small loads cuz it's more expensive. It's harder to baby the dryer. You have to go back and forth all day to move it over. You have to share with neighbors. And then sometimes those neighbors will take your laundry out of the washers! I'm sorry but no one like to know that your damp undies have been manhandled! God, I just hate every part of doing laundry at an apartment. But - I actually like laundry.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2wqQc3AEy5_C3AKERpKr56VG55j4yKRFxvElzkAiSxUCvSBXqxdHlPce7D9ZD3QtUVRk83kXUxjP8Q1lIq4fpGD-1LhQ2oPhTZJ-hRYrpI8U9lAxW40TZH1_M1pwT-2d2oGB/s1600-h/rice.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2wqQc3AEy5_C3AKERpKr56VG55j4yKRFxvElzkAiSxUCvSBXqxdHlPce7D9ZD3QtUVRk83kXUxjP8Q1lIq4fpGD-1LhQ2oPhTZJ-hRYrpI8U9lAxW40TZH1_M1pwT-2d2oGB/s200/rice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129564795323099490" /></a><br /><br /><b>STEAMED RICE</b> If you know me at all, you know that I love carbs. I will eat oatmeal and pancakes for breakfast (made from scratch, thank you very much), rice for lunch and then rice for dinner, and then maybe cereal or a piece of toast for a midnight snack. Ok, this is an exaggeration, but still. My relationship with steamed white rice is special to say the least (it's actually boiled, why do they call it steamed? hmmm, just realized that), and I will never compromise it for any fad hollywood diet. I feel complete dismay cuz now my mom thinks she's fat because of it. Rice has been a staple for many cultures ever since time freakin' began. And being Filipino, I can't think of any more exciting sounds than that click sound of the rice cooker tab when it pops up letting you know that your steaming pot of hot rice is ready for your mouth! <br /><br />I even saw a mini documentary on the man-made "8th wonder of the world" Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines. It's now on my list of places I wanna visit very soon. I'll prolly do a worship dance when I get there. . . . all joking aside, I'll prolly actually cry when I see it, and then dance. it means alot to me because the whole thing requires a lot of care, mostly done completely by hand and it really shows that if FIlipinos embody any attribute to the fullests I would say it was their high levels of hard core work ethic. <br><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZndr6Tiz9MBOH6hZKyyLLVirGzuqQCce8wWPN1yw2DkkM5XJU4s9cTR4GtBLI69mVBqm6OoAsBXlFQqmS0K76zBBHMLzbOZojqbuJRsdPjCgVBusW1za25Amu3CoitDqEJk/s1600-h/1200px-Pana_Banaue_Rice_Terraces.JPG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZndr6Tiz9MBOH6hZKyyLLVirGzuqQCce8wWPN1yw2DkkM5XJU4s9cTR4GtBLI69mVBqm6OoAsBXlFQqmS0K76zBBHMLzbOZojqbuJRsdPjCgVBusW1za25Amu3CoitDqEJk/s200/1200px-Pana_Banaue_Rice_Terraces.JPG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129564232682383698" /></a><br /><b>Click me, I'm an amazing picture!</b><br /><br />I've totally gone off topic. Man, I really did that time. So what I ACTUALLY can't stand is the steamed rice they give you at chinese fast food places, <i>especially</i> Panda Express. I've figured out that this is because most people get the fried rice and chow mein (one of the worst nutritional decisions ever. There's enough calories in the orange chicken to keep you going the whole day, why do you need a fried rice and noodles? How much oil do you think it takes to coat EVERY grain of rice and EVERY noodle? Alot. duh. ) And to make fried rice, you need day old rice. Not dryly made rice, but day old rice. But at these places they just make shitty dry rice solely because they make fried rice out of it. So when you ask for steamed rice, it's just horrible little pebble-like, shamefully dry rice. GRRRR!Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-51016360980148827552007-09-22T22:08:00.000-07:002007-09-22T22:41:55.148-07:00My date with my cousin Nicole!I did another cool, very San Francisco thing today (and with Nicole in tow! . . . easily one of my favorite people in the world)! We talked to each other the night before and were both pretty bummed about various things, not the least was that we have really been missing our loved ones. And so I suggested that we go to this thing that I'd discovered somehow. We ended having the funnest day walking around the city with a suitcase of free clothes and finding wonderful food on this wonderfully cool and mild day. =)<br /><br />It was a clothing swap event. We showed up with a huge beach bag and a SUITCASE of our old clothes, paid the $5 entrance fee and started diving through piles of clothes on big tables. Each table had a crowd about 3 deep and it just seemed like an orgy of arms. Grabbing, pulling clothes out of the piles, eve flipping over entire piles of clothes to bring bottom dwellers to the surface. . . in other words, my idea of fashion heaven . . . it was awesome, better than Buffalo Exchange, easier than Ross or Big Lots and the thrift store. And it was all free! The crowd had a few older folks, but mostly SF hipsters. All the people who, as Nicole and I have, wholly embraced the idea of recycled clothing mostly through Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads. I felt like I was actually rummaging through my own closet at some points. I found pieces that seemed to be totally me, I didn't have to buy them or commit to them, and they didn't even all smell like cat pee! Although later, Nicole said she had, at one point, found the cat pee pile.<br /><br />People tried on clothes everywhere, in front of mirrors, anywhere. Most women didn't really care about taking their shirts off, either. There were these two flamers. A lady was dumping yet another bag of clothing unto a pile, and instantly there was a shrill yell from one of the gays who had spotted a full slinky mermaid halter gown completely covered in blue sequins. He threw his arms straight up in the air so that his friend could pull the thing over his head, and over his clothing. Another lady came to their aid by adjusting the halter and making sure they properly laced the back. Even more than simply finding the gown itself, this guy was soooo amazed that the dress had yet another thing to zip or lace or tie. It was pure entertainment.<br /><br />I think I came out with 4 great sweaters, a dress, 2 wool-y type skirts, an office-y blouse and a great black denim jacket. And they all actually fit me. HA! Also, our $5 admission came with a drink ticket for the bar, there was on site screen printing and tailoring, an awesome DJ named Poolboy and the remaining clothing went to charity. So why, do you ask, was this a very San Francisco thing to do? Well I'm thinking that - in truth - it's something that could really be done anywhere cuz it's the coolest event to organize. Win win for all involved. I think that every city should organize events like these, I'l be back in November for the next one!<br /> <br />We had taken BART and a 1 minute bus ride to get to the art space where the event had been held and since we had brought a roll-y suitcase it was easy to just walk about the Mission district afterwards. The Mission district is probably the coolest part of the city for me. It's not overly artsy or even overly hip and I always have fun when I go. It's full of book stores, seemingly <i>all lined up in a row</i>, the shopping is totally uniqu - whether it's vintage or new - and it's just such a diverse area. I think I saw a place serving food from Senegal! After hitting up the thrift store - which seems like something Nicole and I were born to do - we ended up at this cute little place called Wierd Fish, and had really great catfish sandwiches and sweet potato fries.<br /><br />Another thing we rean into: a block party full of bikers celebrating a BIKE FILM FESTIVAL! Where else would there be a whole film festival about bikes.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-68545132831565470832007-09-21T20:49:00.000-07:002007-09-21T20:57:39.003-07:00the Cods!Cody is definitely alot like me. I started writing this out, but I think I'm just gonna make a list of all our striking similarities. Lists are fun!<br /><br /><i>We are both very short.<br />We suffer sensitive, problematic skin.<br />We both have a shamefully terrible sense of smell. It's so bad that please don't tell hesitate to tell me if I smell because I usually can't smell myself.<br />Depending on who you ask, we're pretty lazy/sleepy/mellow.<br />We have wet noses.<br />We are easy to startle/scare.<br />overactive eye booger production<br />Depending on who you ask, we're pretty furry/hairy. </i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj0vXXUbMB7k1LQ0Midafy0u2L7BQxlF4tMV_KfhfkHgJQg2WgzFRZfDB-oTYC6lX4tigD1OV8xDpcLYTFXvW9ghiLIL8UcYmNhW3MRzQg4Jk15801E4Tgu7f5ddGZ3a1QKEh/s1600-h/Photo+5.jpg"><img style="float:center; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj0vXXUbMB7k1LQ0Midafy0u2L7BQxlF4tMV_KfhfkHgJQg2WgzFRZfDB-oTYC6lX4tigD1OV8xDpcLYTFXvW9ghiLIL8UcYmNhW3MRzQg4Jk15801E4Tgu7f5ddGZ3a1QKEh/s200/Photo+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112871617539449154" /></a><br /><br />The only big opposite traits that I can think of right now is that I'm dark skinned with dark hair and he's cream colored (not white!) with just a few medium brown areas. Cody is not a big chatterbox like myself, and is indeed extremely shy. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk86M443rXUsrsePCU6Ws6mCfc4iUWr6N51Ad_AY2w_WskGAC94Mlby9WCcJxopDJcXwiTsYjLlFcbwZU2_dxSidRQ_w2YelB6odk34UUtzDnzCVxo-ADFv7rlBvS_RJFO-HM/s1600-h/Photo+57.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk86M443rXUsrsePCU6Ws6mCfc4iUWr6N51Ad_AY2w_WskGAC94Mlby9WCcJxopDJcXwiTsYjLlFcbwZU2_dxSidRQ_w2YelB6odk34UUtzDnzCVxo-ADFv7rlBvS_RJFO-HM/s200/Photo+57.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112871621834416466" /></a><br />So my point is that I was just tellin' Cody that he looks really nice today. Instead of responding, he continued to sniff out the debris on our concrete patio. Only after a good 15 minutes of this did he actually plop his end down and just stare upwards. It literally looks like he's just looking up at nothing with his tongue out . It really does look like "dumb dog" or just plain retarded behavior. But I have to say, that honestly, if I were a cute little white boy lhasa apso dog, I think I'd do the exact thing. All day. Except when I was napping, which is what I'd prolly be doing 75% of the time.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-58881419910987167592007-09-21T20:39:00.000-07:002007-09-21T20:42:02.910-07:00Book Review: The Lovely Bones, Alice SeboldI worked at Borders for more than a year and I worked the boring ass registers, usually at night whic was always slow. I leaned there with my chin in my hand staring at the shelves <i>actually wishing</i> that I could help customers in their purchases. It's purely insane, but I think that's what happens anytime you place someone in any kind of confinement. The thing is that if I wasn't a register girl, I would have <i>constant actual contact</i> with the books themselves. <br /><br />All lunacy aside, one book that I stared at the entire time was this one, cuz it was literally on the number one shelf in the front of the store for a good two years or so. It sounded interesting and got good critical reviews despite its sucess with the bookish Oprah-watching housewife types. So, I REALLY didn't wanna jump on the bandwagon and read it. But at the same time I would open it and try. But I just didn't get into it. <br /><br />Last week or so, I was reading a friend's blog and she talked about reading the book and how it was so affecting that she found herself driving to work in complete tears. From then on an invisible seed had been planted. I went to the library the other day to pay my fines ($2.75! Man.) and suddenly remembered the book. <br /><br />I read it in three nights. Sebold's voice is entirely unique. Never seen it before ever. I think that being allowed into the vision and point of view of another person is probably one of the awesomest feelings ever. I think that's what it is to be in love, actually. Get in someone's skin, sit in a recliner in a little theatre located behind their eye sockets, and just watch. Not judge, not worry, not affect. Just experience someone who is so not you. <br /><br />Sebold allows this on two levels. She sets you up in the front row seat right next to Susie the murdered and raped 14 year old while she watches her former world from Heaven. But she also delivers this language that is new, original, totally fresh and yet entirely accessible. At 3am. In bed. From a free city library borrow.<br /><br />Her characters are completely amazing individuals, but not unreal or impossible. The way she wrote the book, from Suzie's viewpoint, was definitely some work on her part. And she pulls it off. What I really enjoyed is the way she would sneak in these little pieces of info - I call them " 'omg, are you serious?' mystery info nuggets". She would just be writing a scene, and at an unsuspecting moment she'd just add in a little sentence. And ofcourse, since the story revolves around the grief of the family and the Susie's unsolved case, their are moment of utter thrill as the reader joins the characters in their search for understanding, motive and the killer himself. The sentences feel like when you've been looking for something non-urgent for a while, and it's not really a big deal to find it now or later, but when you do find it your like, 'Man, now I can do this, and this and that, cuz I finally found this thing that I've been inactively searching for for a while'. So, the nuggets definitely keep you reading and sometimes they even make you say, 'omg' out loud. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNIrrxmqANi2J10GBLqnHSDr5u_CVVoumAsV6vRy_vZHk4Rkd7NHFhKw5G9weMF_boy9ydd0iBoJeHLsqrMxekuflIdHUh9Mj5CVIFp4k-23DTHhC_QzH9qSQfzxncP1FxiHX/s1600-h/LovelyBones-m.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNIrrxmqANi2J10GBLqnHSDr5u_CVVoumAsV6vRy_vZHk4Rkd7NHFhKw5G9weMF_boy9ydd0iBoJeHLsqrMxekuflIdHUh9Mj5CVIFp4k-23DTHhC_QzH9qSQfzxncP1FxiHX/s200/LovelyBones-m.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112868684076785970" /></a><br /><br />As always, if you read the first few pages and hate it, then don't force the feeling. Just cuz I thought it was a total modern classic, don't mean anything if it really ain't your thing. Either way, truly a great story, even if your mom thinks so too.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-13597879057443534862007-09-11T00:26:00.000-07:002007-09-11T00:27:30.672-07:00My idea of a short blogHaven't been in the blogging mood in a while. . . I actually got tired of writing all my thoughts out cuz it made me think about things too much, and I already do that. I'm, like, sick of my own opinion. Very wierd feeling<br /><br />So I thought I'd do little blogs to start off. Here goes.<br /><br />I borrowed the 2 disc Pan's Labyrinth DVD from John's Dad cuz John bought the movie only DVD of the movie. I'm kind of a person who will love watching "Making of-" featurettes more than movies. John and I are very different that way. I will watch a movie, a movie from my top ten list, like twice. And I'll be good. It'll leave its impression on me and I need nothing more. But John actually watches movies over and over and over. He'll just throw on Pirates of the Caribbean during dinner. And then it eats up 3 hours of my time, I look up and it's time to sleep. And I feel dumb cuz I've already seen the movie and could've had that 3 hours back. Not that Pirates isn't a total classic. It is. I just hate getting sucked into any task lasting 3 hours.<br /><br />Anyways, that was prolly just the first digression. So, yeah, the Pans Labyrinth special edition DVD is one of the best I've seen in a long time. Not only were there awesome Pale Man and Faun design/makeup/prosthetic featurettes, they had included a Charlie Rose interview with Del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Inarritu!!!<br /><br />And it was the most watchable, intellectual yet fun yet stimulating discussion about film/storytelling/art I've heard since being in my lit classes in college. Man. Seriously. Good.<br /><br />I also really liked the interactive thing that allowed the viewer to go through Guillermo Del Toro's notebook. You click on certain things and it leads to even more mini vids on how the movie makes us say, 'Wow that was a really good movie'.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-15138647683597307202007-08-21T13:40:00.000-07:002007-08-21T13:47:38.725-07:00The friendly (expensive!) skiesI've been in Toronto since the 8th (having a great time) and have much to tell but I thought I'd post a seperate rant about travelling and what I've learned about flying from this trip. . . So I'm thinking that I'll never fly this cheap again. I flew with AirTran Airways, who I've never even heard of. Someone told me later that they're totally shady cuz they contract all their workers and their planes and that they had some big accident that they tried to cover up by changing their name, etc. Anyways. It was the most sardine experience ever. I couldn't cross my legs, or bring my legs up, I could barely fit my backpack in the space in front of me. For 5 hours. Thank god I had a good book and everyone was asleep. Then I got itchy! grrrr. I'm wondering if I should've went for the $40 business upgrade that they were offering at check-in. My layover in Atlanta was 4 hours, from 4am to 8am. I watched a month's worth of saved <i>Best Week Ever </i>podcasts and 'peoplewatch'-ed, easily my most favorite thing to do. Ever. Especially in the Dirty South! I've never seen so many black people in my life. I felt like I saw every kind there ever was. Then I went on my next flight where, thank the gods, I was next to an empty seat. I slept well but woke up to strange fluctuations in cabin pressure. That only I could feel. Then I swallowed hard and it literally felt like i'd swallowed <b>painful air</b> which travelled up the side of my face to my temples. I could actually "poke" the bubble when i touched my hairline. It was the creepiest thing and I was very afraid. I got a little melodramatic inside and thought about how great my life has been so far and that if the gods really wanted to take me right then and there that that would be fine with me. Gosh I'm morbid. . . The pain slowly faded away and just turned into a traveller's headache which is a fine trade off from scary skull bubbles! <br /><br />Anyways, I'm actually finishing the mini entry from my return flight so that I could share my crazy running-through-the-airport-like-that-scene-in-<i>Home Alone</i>-story. We flew to Buffalo instead of Toronto because of the nearly $200 flight difference. The line at the border crossing coming into the U.S. today was nearly an hour long. We ended up rolling into the airport just 10 minutes before our flights. Although, after speaking to many a airline representative - apparently - even though 99.9% of all flights for the next 48 hours out of Buffalo were filled to the brim, a standby ticket is really not a bad deal because everyone was being held up at the border! Hooray for me because I was able to fly standby an hour later! But boo for me because I had to pay $350 to get home. (AirTran is holding $169 in credit for me to use within the next year) I really had no choice because all the flights were about that price and were on wednesday. What's even more suckier is that my parents and my brothers' flight was CANCELLED. I still don't know what Northwest is gonna do with them actually. Man, travelling sucks. It just does... alas, at least I get to see my Poopykins and my Codykins in about an hour. Even though I had a really memorable time in Canada with my two dozen + family members, I'm really looking forward to a big bear hug and about 30 dog licks to the face.<br /><br />UPDATE: My parents and brothers demanded a flight straight out of Toronto and got one, but not until 2 days later. My mom's writing an angry email to Northwest Airlines demanding travel vouchers which would be well deserved because the inconvenience comes with a price tag: Joe and my dad have to miss 1-2 days of work each, and my mom actually had a Utah business trip with my Aunt that she has to cancel. Again, boo for travelling!Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-41365487411951774152007-08-02T23:12:00.000-07:002007-08-02T23:18:03.601-07:00Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.[Thanks to Sharon who posted such an astounding collection... I now repost my favs]<br /><br />When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris. <br />How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck Norris? <br /><br />Chuck Norris doesn't throw up if he drinks too much. Chuck Norris throws down<br /><br />Chuck Norris grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage<br /><br />Little known medical fact: Chuck Norris invented the Caesarean section when he roundhouse-kicked his way out of his monther's womb<br /><br />Chuck Norris doesn't bowl strikes, he just knocks down one pin and the other nine faint.<br /><br />It takes Chuck Norris 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.<br /><br />The Bermuda Triangle used to be the Bermuda Square, until Chuck Norris Roundhouse kicked one of the corners off.<br /><br />Chuck Norris once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.<br /><br />Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.<br /><br />Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.<br /><br />If at first you don't succeed, you're not Chuck Norris. <br />When Chuck Norris says "More cowbell", he MEANS it. <br /><br />Chuck Norris shot the sheriff, but he round house kicked the deputy<br /><br />In a fight between Batman and Darth Vader, the winner would be Chuck Norris.<br /><br />If you work in an office with Chuck Norris, don't ask him for his three-hole-punch.<br /><br />Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn't nearly foolish enough to attack him. <br />Only Chuck Norris can prevent forest fires.<br /><br />They were going to release a Chuck Norris edition of Clue, but the answer always turns out to be "Chuck Norris. In The Library. With a Roundhouse Kick."<br /><br />Chuck Norris can kick through all 6 degrees of separation, hitting anyone, anywhere, in the face, at any time.<br /><br />Chuck Norris make onions CRY!!!<br /><br />Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.<br /><br />When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris.<br /><br />Chuck Norris' smile once brought a puppy back to life. <br />Chuck Norris speaks in all caps.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-4398686044078967082007-07-29T15:20:00.000-07:002007-07-31T14:19:00.847-07:00Great things about the Bay Area, 2nd of many<b><i>Radio</b></i> I don't know why, but radio here is wonderful. Actually, what I really can't figure out is how radio here can be so different. Clear Channel and other media companies seem to exist mostly to feed the greedy wallets of those in the music business, and most importantly the pop business. Radio wasn't horrible in L.A. but man, at a time when there is no shock to the new, they play just the right amount of old stuff to make your day (or most likely, your grueling drive) get-throughable. I've have not heard mid-career Janet Jackson dance tracks since Janet Jackson was in her mid-career! I mean, there's a difference between nostalgia (Mariah Carey's <i>Someday</i>) and something that you love but just haven't heard in a while (Janet Jackson's <i>If</i>!). Nostalgia is definitely a tapped market (Hot Topic, Special Editions of <i>Labyrinth</i> and <i>The Last Unicorn</i>, etc.), but the latter is just so fun to have around when your stuck in midday traffic. Sure, people still play <i>Hey Ya</i> and once a month they bring out En Vogue's <i>Hold On</i>, which are fantastic songs. But man, one time I was pulling out of Target and I heard <i>Free Your Mind</i>!!! I nearly shat my pants it felt so good! After that ended and I stopped dancing and narrowly averting curbs and small children, they played<i> The way you move</i> by Outkast. On a tuesday afternoon! These are not one time moments either, they be playin the good shit all the time. They've been playing so much Prince that I don't even mourn the loss of my Prince Greatest Hits CD that John bought for me after I saw an infomercial for it. Score!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOnJ5csQsf_hA2ZHtwow58g7reA0T_S3OetZ261VSEeNjHr0imTThrq6Wr8QgCsH_VHgY1H3CjdRPsqZqc-GDBFxyxnDFMulvKVLVZ-GsBiGX99tD3KoigiUwna0E_cy8vN4l/s1600-h/060713michaeljackson004.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOnJ5csQsf_hA2ZHtwow58g7reA0T_S3OetZ261VSEeNjHr0imTThrq6Wr8QgCsH_VHgY1H3CjdRPsqZqc-GDBFxyxnDFMulvKVLVZ-GsBiGX99tD3KoigiUwna0E_cy8vN4l/s320/060713michaeljackson004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093473441207451442" /></a><br /><br /><br /><b><i>Great things about the Bay Area, 3rd of many</i></b><br /><b><i>public tranportation </b></i> Sucks that I work nights, I can't really use it right now. Sigh. But oh man, I've heard that the public transportation here is some of the best in the nation. I believe it. I saw a bus the other day that has free WIFI. On a bus. ON A BUS. <br /><br /><i>side note:</i> I'm writing poolside. And you're not. haha. . . I'm watching John float about in the pool, attempting get a primer tan. Maybe all that body hair is getting in the way. Or maybe he's just been working/gaming too much. Or maybe he's not really Mexican/a quarter Filipino. HAHA. I'm so mean. But it's ok, cuz he won't do anything. ;} Cody, on the other hand, really hates it here. There's a big tub of water, no grass to poop on and new concrete which prolly smells like wet children and not like the piss of other dogs. Not exactly a fun place for him - it's like a big mix of everything he hates.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-37020861725817660522007-07-30T15:27:00.000-07:002007-07-30T15:34:49.219-07:00Projekt Revolution TourLast night's concert was totally mega sweet! For sure. John got us tickets for my birthday (a full month and a half early . . . What a great bf!). I've always wanted to see Linkin Park in concert. I have their Pankake Festival concert DVD and used to watch it endlessly. I don't know if there's any other band that I really, really, really want to see. Well, ok, there's a few, but I can't even think of them cuz I'm still pumped over how great this band was. Apart from the awesome, high energy sets from My Chemical Romance and LINKIN FREAKIN' PARK, there was a second stage which was over with by the time we got there. We caught Julien-K who were pretty good and gothy. But for some reason the the roadies from Placebo walked onto the last 5 minutes of their set and started tearing down early. Major show fowl. They weren't even running overtime. They even took the guitar out of one of the guys' hands. Not sure what that was all about. So yeah, John and I decided to walk around more and check out the booths. You think there'd be more vendor booths than just the couple that were selling jewelry, but oh well. John, my Tangueray and I enjoyed the shaded cantina area and people watched, which is the best thing to do at a concert like this where everyone and everything was out, walkin' about and burning together under the hot sun. Btw, how bad do I feel bad for white people and the painful looking sunburns they got yesterday! Man. Doors were at noon and we'd gotten there at like 4:30. By that time the damage had definitely been done but I still felt like passing out those cone hats that Vietnamese rice paddy workers wear. The chick in front of me had a killer bra tan complete with strap and that plastic circle that links in the back. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj9LWqfYwyJ5YMcrWiTcecKiCHNwjIc0igvCE8fP_7M-8O_Y1iEGAof1jXliUMtxTLS9ruS0O4fJa9qEKEG-DWq2wUN-u6_NFGDnQzmvzOUgy2RRrJRjm9Y2OSiuqOaTwigi9/s1600-h/linkin-park-strips-5001177.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj9LWqfYwyJ5YMcrWiTcecKiCHNwjIc0igvCE8fP_7M-8O_Y1iEGAof1jXliUMtxTLS9ruS0O4fJa9qEKEG-DWq2wUN-u6_NFGDnQzmvzOUgy2RRrJRjm9Y2OSiuqOaTwigi9/s320/linkin-park-strips-5001177.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093121846594666274" /></a><br />Two thirds of the way through my drink, I had a moment. While watching all the cubes, the punks, the dads, the neo punks, the small children, and the other crazies go by, John tells me that a lady had just walked by who looked like Beth from <i>Dog the Bounty Hunter</i>. I practically broke my neck doing a 180 to look at her. Then I had an idea that I haven't had in a good 5 years. I suddenly had a really good idea for a halloween costume. I'm going to be Beth and it's going to be awesome. I'm talkin the real deal here - tattoo on my boob, blonde wig, stripper shoes, blue eye shadow, iridescent pink lipstick and A FANNY PACK EQUIPPED WITH MACE!!! I have to go all out, mostly because that's how she rolls, but also because since I'm asian and a pretty dark shade of brown I'm not sure about how recognizable I'm gonna be as Beth, but I think since I have a few months to prepare that it'll actually be fine. If only I can get John to dress up as Dog . . .<br /><br />I was surrounded by tall white people, so I had to stand on the chair. I leaned on John so that I wouldn't get in too many people's way and he served as a great buffer to my rockin out. I didn't think I had the power to knock over John, but Basically, people were so pumped over LP that there were times that I couldn't here Chester. That's what kind of concert this was. I mean, I couldn't decipher absolutely everything myself, but that's because I spent the whole time screaming and singing at the top of my lungs, but I shat up enough to check out the rest of the crowd, because that's always cool to watch. <br /><br />I don't wanna get longwinded about all the reasons I love LP, but I do have to say a few things. LP is six guys. That's alot to deal with. A lot of opinion, a lot of emotion and thoughts and ego and tastes. But these guys are still going strong as a united, damn good band. And they're not afraid to cry on stage. They're my kind of band, they had a varied set list from intense hard metal tracks to the early hip hop-y fused tracks to songs with just Mike, Chester and a piano. They were really diggin the crowd too which always makes for great output. <br /><br />Here's another part of the story. I decide to get garlic fries (I think they're a Bay are a thing, not sure, but I do know they're delicious) and a corn dog. We go back to our seats and Taking Back Sunday is up. I only knew that one single they have, which I like. They seem kind of like a blank rock band actually. Placebo was better. HIM was HIM, a little too Creed-y for us. The big guy behind me, however, thought they were the bee's knees and was totally drunk singing. I'm all about people who are all about their bands so I didn't really mind, but then he started spitting on me. I put a tissue over my fries and laughed a little inside. But then he started getting a little angry and just very negative. I kind of feel bad for people who get really negative when they drink or when they're in a cool place in general. These all day concerts are all about good vibes, you know, kind of Woodstock-like, and for someone to start dissing other bands because they only came for one of the bands is just so fowl. I blocked him out, but I couldn't help seeing all the dirty looks he was getting and by the middle of MCR's set he was nearly kicked out by security. His wife was so mad, "Just wait til tomorrow when you can remember what we're talking about." Ooooo. Burned (and not by the sun). Security had nothing over her.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-35840620814777434222007-07-27T16:21:00.001-07:002007-07-27T16:21:46.592-07:00Hippie rant (1 of many): Water is killing usI'm sitting here in front of Whole Foods and I feel bad for buying a bottle of water. I almost never buy bottled water. Even before the world was all eco-conscious I knew that it was a big waste of money and plastic and that it was just plain silly. Sure, Smart water tastes freaking awesome, but what I usually see is people going to Costco and buying crates of tiny ass bottles of Kirkland water. As if that stuff isn't just tap water. And then people don't reuse the bottles as much as I think they should. Some people don't even use it as a "to go" thing. They drink it at home! Grrr! So if I buy water, I usually get a big bottle, and make sure it's suitable for refillin' and reusin' at least a dozen times. I did that today. Bought a pretty, curvy cute bottle of water to go with my indian food, mostly because it was a cute bottle and not expensive. <br /><br />After my meal I realize that the water was bottled in New Zealand. The other thing about bottled water is transportation. Liquid is heavy, which means transporting it everywhere is an <i>enormous</i> oil and pollution problem in itself. This bottle alone is so heavy that I use two hands to drink it. This water is pretty great, and not bad for how much I paid for it, but in the end, it's not worth its real cost in anyway. No water is, unless your dying in the desert or you've got to wash poop off your hands.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-70919552473880096392007-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:002007-07-27T16:21:08.239-07:00I don't even leave my dog in the car for more than 45 seconds.I couldn't get this news story out of my head. . . . The thing is that I've been working more Cocktail shifts at work instead of working just room service and ofcourse, a big part of waiting tables (especially for me) is forgetting about things. As in everything. From bringing someone extra chopsticks when they've dropped theirs to remembering to actually type in someone's order or spilling drinks. (I have day-mares about this actually. I've been pretty traumatized by it even though the guest who I spilled the $15 glass of Rombauer chardonnay on was really nice and didn't seem bothered by it much. In fact, he gave me a hug cuz I looked stressed over the spill and the large party of 12. His friends joked with me the next day too. I love happy hour people btw. They're never really too drunk and they're always happy cuz they're no longer at their shitty job.)<br /><br />So yeah. This puts it in perspective you know. I'll have one table where I've practically done everything right, they love the food, picked the right wine. Last night, a lady from Hawaii went from pretty chatty to a hugger by her third Grey Goose. She gave me her card in case I was ever in Hawaii, and urged me to go to this free show in the city. And then the table next to them was dirty looks galore and I was just dreading the time that I'd have to approach them again. All over a dropped chopstick.<br /><br />This guy forgot to do what could simply be called an "errand" and ended up royally screwing up his entire life. Forget the possibility of prosecution and jail time. This guy's life is over. Because of a simple act of forgetfulness.<br /><br />http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_207011854.html<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> Not really, but, I've moved from Whole Foods to Peet's. (My life in a nutshell, really . . . the good news is that there aren't as many yuppies in here as usual. I think the Starbucks across the street does a good job of filtering them out. The even better news is that the laptop/studying for a test guy near me has head phones on and is blasting Dancing Queen by Abba.) ANYways, I just read in the Chronicle about more of that story. Interestingly, the headline is, "Don't think it can't happen to you". And it makes me think more. Yes it's true. Sometimes I get in bed and realize that I've forgotten to feed my dog. Half the time I leave for work realizing that I'd forgotten to eat enough to last me the next 5 hours. Forgetting things is a big part of life, of course. But do we really need the newest Volvo to be equipped with a communicator telling the the driver that it has detected a heartbeat left in the car after the alarm has been enabled?! Or $90 car seats with similar functioning weight sensor pads? Good lord. <br /><br />The worst part is that the front page article even includes a box of tips on how you can be reminded that you have a child. One of them suggests to place a stuffed animal in your passenger seat as a marker for you to remember your back seat brat. Another suggests that you leave your purse or lunch bag in the back so that you never leave the car without opening the back. But then again, I always forget my lunch at home.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-9811325432505809552007-07-27T16:16:00.000-07:002007-07-27T16:19:35.501-07:00Chin pics!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvDWHfFHTYYrHOzSxU_F0G1W6ORSW6IC2lXxoEnZGF51FFkQ5EJqBMhrQRSKAas6C8FbaJVoX4vw09puouAr3jGSc9xReHok0gLui0WzN4ayalhDb68e7UasOIHtKIm-gj7WS/s1600-h/DSC00624.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvDWHfFHTYYrHOzSxU_F0G1W6ORSW6IC2lXxoEnZGF51FFkQ5EJqBMhrQRSKAas6C8FbaJVoX4vw09puouAr3jGSc9xReHok0gLui0WzN4ayalhDb68e7UasOIHtKIm-gj7WS/s320/DSC00624.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092020170303373074" /></a><br /><br />These are mildly to not so mildly iPhoto-ed pics of the new chins. This is the best I could do, honestly. They were taken in nightshot and taken through cage wire. Muy dificil. But anywho, enjoy. Oogle at the dorky but super cute extra forehead fluff. =D<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q_wf9dAOVNhEEVUwTqwuqwIr0dHTD0WhUepeY1Bby3moJSvqqHJyZpwFQuBpnrxoo0GfTtL2CGhOdTTpPsHDRVxbbBkMujQ2k622OtkeTl10oeiiZiQJIXrcKnScOvjsLuZN/s1600-h/DSC00617.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Q_wf9dAOVNhEEVUwTqwuqwIr0dHTD0WhUepeY1Bby3moJSvqqHJyZpwFQuBpnrxoo0GfTtL2CGhOdTTpPsHDRVxbbBkMujQ2k622OtkeTl10oeiiZiQJIXrcKnScOvjsLuZN/s320/DSC00617.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092020166008405762" /></a>Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-28953524279551415022007-07-26T15:30:00.000-07:002007-07-26T15:44:06.044-07:00My fav movie: The Last UnicornBecause you adore the movie, MAYBE HALF as much as I do, I share with you this site where you can get an autographed DVD of The Last Unicorn. The thing is that this is the only site that will give Peter S. Beagle ANY portion of profits. He is the author of the book and has somehow been taken off of the payroll for the DVD sales. Maybe the book as well, not sure. <br /><br />I believe he was on site for the animated movie in 1981, and is also on board for the remake (live + CG) version teased on the movie site (grrr!!!). <br /><br /><a href="http://www.conlanpress.com">Buy here</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.the-last-unicorn.net/">oogle here</a>Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-87400106203178452312007-07-25T12:42:00.000-07:002007-07-25T12:43:08.630-07:00BEBISHES!!!<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JxNzSVdRU3Y"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JxNzSVdRU3Y" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-76155329105724933612007-07-24T01:37:00.000-07:002007-07-24T01:48:25.168-07:00A word or two about MacsA great friend of mine, Sharon, who I seem to only hang with when there's a book festival or a Journey/Billy Idol and other Rock ManSluts concert to go to, is deciding what laptop to buy. Since I believe everything is connected in some karmic, Buddhist way, this blog will teeter back and forth from being a plea to her and everyone else (sans gamers, the haters and the uncool) to get a Mac and an ode to Mac-ness in general.<br /><br />Actually, I don't know much about my Mac. And that's why I love it. I don't need to know much. 98% of all problems can be easily solved by the lay person. It's user-friendly. So user friendly that I believe it is the ideal computing machine for all people like me. And by that I mean people who have the computing skills that I do (Grandmas, soccer moms, small to medium sized children, etc.)<br /><br />For instance, last night, Mi Chica Graciela and I finally saw each other on AIM and tried out iChat with our built-in webcam thingys. It took forever actually because everything worked fine except that she couldn't hear me. After much much ado, I thought maybe we should just restart our programs. And it worked!!! I find that anytime something isn't working very well on a Mac, you can usually just restart the program (not the entire system) and all is well. I wish I could press restart on certain moments in life. Like last week when I spilled a $15 glass of chard on a customer. But that's neither her nor there. Except that I really can't get the incident out of my day-mares. Maybe this will help. . . <br /><br /><embed width="430" height="389" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i128.photobucket.com:80/player.swf?file=http://vid128.photobucket.com/albums/p180/Art_chic_27/MISC%20ichat%20photos%20and%20videos/8b7fba18.flv"></embed><br /><br />I have no shame. . . . Anywho, we webcam-ed for like an hour or something. It was soooo fun, but webcams really need getting used to. It's kind of wierd at first. I didn't get the amateur porn vibe or anything, just that wierdness of live video. I felt like I always had to be entertaining. I kept showing her the unexciting stuff in the room, like the bottle of hot sauce on my table, and my dog, who didn't get it. Or I'd make faces. And wave. (Am I really turning 26 next next month?) Then she wanted to share music, and do funny dances, for which I was totally down cuz it seemed like pretty standard webcam activity, but even though she was with me in many ways, it felt wierd dancing in front of my laptop to the latest Justin Timberlake club jam, even though i really love his dance songs. Oh man, the moment we got it to work, Gracie just LOLed for like 5 minutes straight, and I started bouncing and dancing on my couch. It's just so fun, and just plain crazy to experience.<br /><br />Gosh, I digress. Geez. Anyways. Back to my MacBook, which my friend says to name Mac-galing. It's the tagalog word for, uh, like, something that works well, or something that is cool. Hard to translate. You can say it instead of Bravo. . . . So, there's so many things to say really. I'm writing on a Sticky note, its a simple note program but you can basically use it to write whatever you want. I guess it isn't Word, but I wasn't about to spend $80 on the Office upgrade when I don't need excel and all that other stuff. I find Stickies perfect. You can color code and you don't have to toggle between docs, they literally look like Post-its on your screen. You never have to hit save or anything. And if I ever have to make a pamphlets or anything, well, I could always hack InDesign, my fav design program.<br /><br />There's those other Mac things like widgets, but I hear you can get those on PCs too now. Expose is a Mac thing too, and whatever they call that cool function that happens when you press F11.<br /><br />Spotlight is the "Search" function that is really much better in design and function than it's counterpart on Windows. So is the Finder, which I guess is similar to Windows Explorer. But also looks better, and works better. I can honestly say that most things on a Mac not only look better, but work better. Which helps to reduce typical computer rage to about 4% of what I usually experienced on PCs. <br /><br />Hater you call me? I don't hate, I appreciate. Apple puts out alot of good product. I never said perfect and I never will. I know they're pricey and I know that "Mac people" are usually obnoxious, but that's ok because things are changing. The thing is that Macs are expensive but the thing is they're worth it, like all good investments in good products. Someone thought about all the little things so that even though you pay more, you really do get more.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-71565291135376116212007-07-24T01:18:00.000-07:002007-07-24T01:42:18.612-07:00the new roommatesSo after a few examinations where John and I referenced no less than 3 sets of chinchilla anatomical photography, we figured out that the two surprise babies are a boy and a girl. John named them Tom Foolery and Palaver.<br /><br />For those who don't know what palaver means (I didn't either), here's the thesaurus entry: <br /><br /><b>palaver</b><i> "holy cow, what a palaver we caused in the girls' dormitory!"</i> fuss, commotion, trouble, rigmarole, folderol; song and dance, performance, to-do, carrying-on, hoo-ha, hullabaloo, ballyhoo.<br /><br />We had to DIY chicken wire to the outside of the cage because the babies can escape through even just an 1"x 1" hole. John woke up five times the other night to come out and find that they'd escaped the cage. Although chins are pretty smart, they never remembered how scared and cold they felt once they got on the outside. Each time, John would find them huddled together in the same spot in a very small space between some books, just inches away from the cage.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-68010630766297072982007-07-18T14:52:00.001-07:002007-07-18T14:52:53.604-07:00uh, . . . just click on this.http://itp.nyu.edu/%7Ejyp243/jy/pillow.htmCarolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-44470449092791065092007-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:002007-07-17T15:36:07.880-07:00John's pets are more Mexican than he isLate last night I was having a snack. I walk to the kitchen, Cody follows ofcourse. And then he trots away all quick like and I follow him, cuz he's usually very interested in what I'm doing in the kitchen, naturally. Turns out he's made a beeline for the cage o' lesbians aka the chinchilla cage, where John's chins live their crazy lives, chewing everything in sight and jumping off the walls - literally. <br /><br />So I check it out, and then in between the wall and the cage I see a FREAKING RAT TAIL!!! I was so disgusted that there was and for any period of time, has been a mouse and/or rat in the apartment! I felt like gagging and screaming and irking out all at the same time. But I made sure to call John before I thoroughly squirm the hell out. John was in bed, and was like, "man, ok. Lemme get a shirt on at least." So he checks it out and finds a BABY CHINCHILLA!!!!!!!<br /><br />We had a<b> full three minutes of 'like, uh, WHAT???!!! Shen's a skank, and RZA is actually GZA???!!! "Freakin Mexicans!!!"</b> (For the record, John said it first, not me. I'm simply quoting him.) (Oh, their full names are Shenanigans and Razzmatazz, but like eveyone in our little family, they have like 6 nicknames. Sorry if I've confused you. Speaking of names, we now need 2 new ones.)<br /><br />Talk about mixed emotions. . . We were just trying to figure it all out, gender-wise. I was super glad that it wasn't a rat. John was going crazy cuz it was so cute, and he's a sucker for little furry things. We had our OMG faces on for a solid 5 minutes. Chinchillas are mostly fur, so when Shen got what is known in certain circles as "a fat ass", we never thought pregnancy, we just thought she was growing or whatever - she's only like 2 and a half. And ofcourse, Petco can't get the sex of a chinchilla wrong right? Psh! Dumb petstore! Anyways, Shen's been acting funny lately, John's been catching her lying on her side in this creepy way. Oh yeah. Uh, side note: I always thought that RZA's clit was a little big. Yes, I've seen it. And yes, I've seen him, uh, do stuff to it himself. I just thought she was a crazy lesbian who sucks her own clit. I think that's what you would've thought of it, right? If you've ever lived with chinchillas you will be amazed at the crazy insane shit they do all the time. <br /> <br />Anyways, so I immediately get online and find out what we're supposed to do. One of the first things I read was that they can have up to 4 kits, which is what baby chins are called. So i was like, uh, we might wanna look around more. John moves the couches, and FINDS ANOTHER BABY CHINCHILLA! Meanwhile, Cody's running around like, 'We got NEWBS'!!!<br /><br />So we had to babyproof the cage with cardboard because the babies are small enough to squeeze through the bars, which is why we found the babies ouside of the cage. I'm just going to list all the crazy chin facts that I found out, because just like chins themselves, it's all completely loony! But soooo interesting.<br /><br /><i>*Apparently RZA could try to get Shen preggers again within the next 3 days. It's called breedbacking, and it's very unhealthy for Shen, so John had to run out and get another huge cage (they're the ferret sized cage. Even bigger than some rabbit cages, cuz chins are tree dwellers. From South America.)<br /><br />*The baby's have no height concept, so we had to take the ramps out so that they don't go leaping to their deaths.<br /><br />*Last, and gnarliest factoid: Apparently, if one of the baby's are a boy, we have to separate him too, because in 4-6 months he could possibly IMPREGNATE HIS MOM!!! <br /><br />*Sorry, THIS is the last one. To answer your questions - yes, baby chins are totally adorable, and I know you demand pictures of them. And John's guns. And John's body hair.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3Zk6hwKfa2x9aIiHN4FHs_Y8TCv8hcQ6sSJ79uMy3HF7yV-hMKF3iqL9I3NzCM4LwbRq64MmgPLyV-nkVVYKtRtYWMSwaqZSSwry_pLS_uE73vBxBCQEU1A29wJl17Q3zGGe/s1600-h/Photo+44.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3Zk6hwKfa2x9aIiHN4FHs_Y8TCv8hcQ6sSJ79uMy3HF7yV-hMKF3iqL9I3NzCM4LwbRq64MmgPLyV-nkVVYKtRtYWMSwaqZSSwry_pLS_uE73vBxBCQEU1A29wJl17Q3zGGe/s320/Photo+44.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088285625846529410" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Vg6vevPFFzvLl-d38EdxPWBNxcAwawzOoLghd-krRAcYJQgvuawiIV6SW-ozP2xwvzKljb3zM0wQ8LMLhSSNqvryFOKX078zE7SM7GNCdC4du2q417F7_ez8S9xbkW8UOi5v/s1600-h/Photo+47.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Vg6vevPFFzvLl-d38EdxPWBNxcAwawzOoLghd-krRAcYJQgvuawiIV6SW-ozP2xwvzKljb3zM0wQ8LMLhSSNqvryFOKX078zE7SM7GNCdC4du2q417F7_ez8S9xbkW8UOi5v/s320/Photo+47.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088285960853978514" /></a><br /><br />John had to go to work late cuz of all this, and so I took over the job of fighting all these little fires. I ran out to get wire and tape so that I could DIY / babyproof the new cage and he also mentioned that we need to verify the genders of the babies soon. (Something that a little place called Petco should've done before selling RZA/GZA to us.) So I'll most definitely post other updates about Shenanigan's further shenanigans as well as the happenings of RZA's jizza. For now, I have to go and Google Image search 'chinchilla genitals' to determine the sex of the baby chins, mostly so that we can name them but more importantly, to further prevent all this chin sin.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkH0VhyphenhyphenLErsTRjGYaNOYo1thUEhtH7F-EQQ1aMq_Uur-yndrLbjRkm2dgq4NRI7kwa92wiKyNPPTB4CSgibej1REH9AMUKxyRXzjvVXAvruKYk4cPIDet5uAtmAUti06UmsGV/s1600-h/Photo+35.jpg"><img style="float:center; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkH0VhyphenhyphenLErsTRjGYaNOYo1thUEhtH7F-EQQ1aMq_Uur-yndrLbjRkm2dgq4NRI7kwa92wiKyNPPTB4CSgibej1REH9AMUKxyRXzjvVXAvruKYk4cPIDet5uAtmAUti06UmsGV/s320/Photo+35.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088285965148945826" /></a> <b>Cody:</b><i> "I can't believe you got her knocked up! First they think you're a girl, and now you guys are gonna have - not one, but two kits?! You can't ask me to keep ALL these secrets. Can I at least give them a hint?. . . Dood, your ass better get a job."</i>Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870110.post-33524753007036227392007-07-07T22:14:00.000-07:002007-07-08T13:09:47.439-07:00a few product reviews<b>... Cuz product reviews are fun and helpful.</b><br /><br />I'll say it again ... I got a new MacBook! YAY! So I decided to invest in all the accessories... I found this <a href="http://onlycooltoys.com/">keyboard protector made of Japanese silicone</a> for only 10ish dollars. They usually run at least 20. This one is really thin, yet strong and made especially for this model. I habitually lift it to see how much stuff that it has already prevented from floating down into the innards of my computer through the side of the all the keys. Very good investment because no one wants to crack open their laptop and feather dust abound every electrode of their very pricey Mac machine. Or pay someone else to do it. . . . When I run into more monies I'm definitely getting the RAINN laptop stand. Oddly, it seems to be the only one that looks good for real 'lap top' use. Not odd is the price: 80 bucks.<br /><br />Another recent purchase was out of necessity, bet John would raise his bushy eyebrow and a skeptical smirk to that. But that's ok because I bought a <a href="http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/601-0582800-7084913?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000J67JL8">PURPLE AND PINK VACCUUM</a>! Again, YAY! It was only $129 at Target, and I, along with the 80 other reviewers on target.com, think it's just wonderful. It works great, is very powerful (ok, that more or less means that it's really loud, but I like loud). The dirt chamber and the bottom brush head is clear for easy cleaning which is what we need because we are hairy people. Others have said that it sucks on bare floor, even when you switch it to the bare floor option. It actually spits out debris. Painful when your floor is full of hardened rice grain. But vaccuuming bare floor always feels wierd anyways. Anyways, vaccuums are something that really need attention, but seem to really give you many good years if you just do simple maintenance fairly often. . . I usually clean out the brush head at least every 3 vaccuums. And I usually empty out the dirt canister every time. It makes is suck harder. Everytime. :]<br /><br />Now, since this is my first review entry on my blog I want to end with a product that I have really hated - just short of loathed, really. I call it a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CRC-400-4-Cup-Rice-Cooker/dp/B0001XAG8W">white person's rice cooker</a>. The only reason why I say that is because if you're gonna buy a rice cooker it should be Asian. I'm not going to explain this, because it needs no explaining. But I was duped and I allowed myself to make this horrible purchase which I could not return because it was out of box, blah, blah. Looking at Amazon reviews, I guess some people really do like it. Why do I own it and use it? Well, It looks good on the countertop and it's a Cuisinart. Because of these two reasons, I trusted the purchase to be a smart one. Also, it retails for like 50-60 dollars and I got it for 40 because it was a floor sample at Robinsons-May when they went belly up. Sigh. So, almost every single aspect of this product sucks. This is prolly gonna get wordy (because, well, it's me. And this is about someing that cooks my carbs) so imma get my list on right now.<br /><br /><b><em>PROS</b></em><br /><br /><em><b>It's small and light.</b></em> I like light things especially when they're things that I have to wash and/or move a lot.<br /><br /><b><em>It has no other PROS except that it looks cute on the counter cuz it's stainless steel and says Cuisinart and has a square footprint!</em></b><br /><br /><b><em>CONS</em></b><br /><b><em>It took more than a few tries to figure out how IT wanted to cook MY FOOD!</em> </b>It requires a tad less water than most cookers. And by tad I mean "an impossibly untangible, very hard to measure amount", which I only determine by primal Asian instinct. I couldn't explain it in words, but only I know how to measure the water. But still, a year or two later, I still produce a horrible, <em>horrible</em> batch of rice every other week or so.<br /><br /><b><em>It scratches easy.</em></b><br /><br /><b><em>When trying to remove the steamed food from the steaming hot steamer insert, your hands get steamed and burned because there's just no easy, safe way to do it.</em></b><br /><br /><b><em>The glass lid is just a shitty design.</em> </b>It basically will slide off when the pot is tilted even just a little bit = more steam burns and the possibility of it crashing / shattering on the floor.<br /><br /><b><em>It just doesn't cook well. And that's it's primary function!</em> </b>Almost all of the cooked rice comes out with a somewhat hard center. We usually just leave the cover on for a good 10 minutes before serving to get a little more cooking time in.Carolynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03764849446765768276noreply@blogger.com1