La Vie En Rose for 2003 September

Most the time, I have to really stretch it to come up with 1800. Oh, but wait, that was the old doesn't-study-or-even-proofread me. I'm turning over a new leaf as soon as Fall quarter starts. Huh--just like I do every quarter. But I mean it this time, I really do! Because I *really* want to graduate. It'll be a miracle if I do, though, I doubt anyone has ever gotten out of a public school as big as UCLA in 3 years plus summer. Oh well, a girl can hope.

Scrapbooking is fun. And it takes a lot of time. Everyday I look up and midnight and say "What? It was 5:00 ten minutes ago!"

I'm reading this book, called The Cat's Meow by Melissa Cruz or somebody. It's pretty bad, and I'm only on the 3rd chapter. I don't think I'll finish it.

I have to wonder how something bad gets published. I can write better than that... I think, but then how do you know? If my book was really bad, I think I'd rather not be published. Except that, she probably got at least some money for it. And I could do with some money.

One redeeming quality about the book is I bought it used from Amazon.com, so it only cost about $5, and most of that was S&H. Although...I could do with $5.

I can have hot dogs whenever I want them, because I bought some at the store. Well, actually, I guess I can have ten hot dogs whenever I want them, because that's how many there are in a package. Except that I ate two, and gave one to Gretel, so there's only seven left. And come to think of it, there's only eight buns in a package, and I ate two (Gretel doesn't need a bun). So I can have six hot dogs whenever I want them!

Wow, that's more math than I've done in a year. Unless you count mentally converting pounds to dollars (meh--I haven't *really* done that in over a year, so no, I guess it doesn't count) or subtracting 25% off.

Tonks has become a wild boy. He leaves early in the morning and comes home late at night (I sometimes wonder if he would come home at all if I didn't go outside before bed with the kitty treat box, calling him) and wanders the town all day and night. We're getting him fixed, so hopefully that will solve his behavioural impusles.

I have a Mary Kay thing tonight. Hopefully I'll make lots of money so I can pay Jennie back for the June bills. And maybe, you know, have more than $11 in my banking accounts. If not, at least I'll get rid of some samples.

Today while doing my hair I found three white hairs. Three. THREE! I'll tell you what this means: 1. I am getting old. (I've already started using day solution to combat wrinkles. Yes, I have wrinkles too!) 2. I am going to have to start dying my hair (I actually wanted to do this anyway, for a bit of red).

Hot dogs are good.

About a week ago, I did something really stupid, i.e. dropping a class I needed in exchange for one I didn't. The one I didn't, I might add, was MWF, and I had no other Friday classes. I immediatly realized my mistake, but the class was impacted, so once I had dropped I wasn't able to add it again. Why did I do this, you ask? I'd like to know too.

But then I went to look today, one the schedule of classes, and there was a lovely wait-list spot, which I snagged immediately. The only problem is the spot was in a discussion that conflicts with European Studies 101 (something I obviously need to take). This is easy to fix, though. I'll just... suck up. The point is, I'm in, and it's much easier to get a PTE number when you're in.

I'm going to LA, to take things to my apt. Wheee! I was supposed to have a reunion, too, with the London friends, but I don't know if it'll happen this weekend.

Yesterday I went fishing and cought some new fishies. One is white and Mom named him Coconut Sushi. The other is a tiny baby and I'm going to let Jennie name him, as a suprise. Unless she sees this before I get there, in which case she won't be suprised.

The reunion didn't happen, my fishies died, but I did get to see Marisa, and drop off my stuff, eventually. Now Jelly Bean is trying to impede my typing.

Off to work on more scrapbooking. I'm all caught up, except for the nearly finished roll in my camera (which I forgot to bring with me this weekend, grrr) so I'm working on a mini Europe scrapbook.

Tonks keeps attacking me. He's a bit on the wild side. Only a few more days before *snip-snip*.

I'm working on Christmas. Soon I'll go back to LA and work on the rest of my life.

Small child overheard while walking Gretel: "Daddy! Is that a *whipsers* wolf?

For some reason the entry above came thorugh twice. Maybe because I pushed the "Publish" button twice. Heh. But I can't delete mutiple entires, or atleast (is that one word or two?) I don't know how. So here ya go.

Mom and I went to Mimis to celebrate me being all caught up with my scrapbook! Until I take more pictures. Which will be difficult since I don't have anymore film. Must remember to get some at Costco tomorrow.

I used a coupon (sp?) from the paper to get my film developed at the one hour at Walgreens. I used some more coupons to buy useful stuff, like tape, travel size deodarant, and Hershey's bars for $.39. Wheee!

I miss my baby. How will I ever survive a school year with out him? he's only been gone since this morning, and I get to go pick him up tomorrow. He is no long a *real* man. Hope he's not mad.("Er... you didn't want that, did you?")

And then on Wednesday I'm going to LA. I get a terrible, wistful feeling everytime I think about where I was at this time last year.

Don't you just love unpacking? No, I didn't think so. I'm safely in LA but quite unorganized. Getting there.

I caught two new fish (and promised not to kill them). I named them Harry and Ginny. It's so cute, the way they cuddle together. Maybe they'll have babies.

I've got a couple. For example:

1. How old does dressing have to be before it spoils? Mine's... 9 months, maybe less. It tastes kinda funny. Should I toss it? I should, shouldn't I? Blast.

2. All the books for my ES 101 class are on the EU. I've got a bunch of EU books I paid bundles for over in the UK, and I dragged them all the way home. Will they do? I'll think I'll make them do. Rather than paying $75 for a new set of books.

3. My desk, chair set up is really bugging me. My forearms rest against the desk when I type, unless I keep them lifted which is quite tiring. I tried moving my laptop to the rolly-out key board thing, which was great except I was way to close to the computer, and my DSL cable didn't reach. I think the solution my be a higher chair. A swiveling, rolly one like my roommate's would be best. I even tried a kitchen chair, which was alright, but not great. The point is, I don't want to pay big bucks for a chair I'm going to use for a year. Maybe I'll steal one of the green ones from home. A rolly one would be nice, though. Oh well, there are things I'd rather have. Like world peace and an "A" in French. Lucky me, I won't be getting any of those.

Then again, I've stolen my roommate's chair and I'm using it right now, and the arm thing is still bugging me. Maybe I'm just neurotic (sp?).

I'm eating the rest of my bagette with hard boiled egg and salad. Earlier I cooked the egg that cracked when I tried to hard boil it with a bit of bacon and had that with the stale end of the bagette. On the menu for future meals: burittos with beans and cheese and salad, salad with beans and egg and bacon, smoothies made with frozen tofu (I actually haven't tried to freeze the tofu yet, but mom and I decided it was worth a shot). It's all part of my plan to eat efficently and not waste food and therefore money.

Not that you care what I eat. Another thing you probably don't care about is I have a wish list at Amazon.com. Just thought I'd mention, you know, because my birthday's coming up. In six months. Well, you know, Christmas. And random pressies are always nice, too. There's only two items, but I really want them. Well, there might be three, but I really only want two.

I was quite productive today, I got my perscription, returned a book, walked all the way to the bookstore in Westwood to find out they didn't have the book I needed yet (but it was good excercise), made a budget... later I'm gong to the gym. I've made a deal with myself that if I 1. don't eat cheetos until finals and 2. go to the gym an average of three times a week, I'll buy those Express jeans I've been wanting with my Christmas money. And, they'll even fit!

Another exciting night in LA. I wish Tonks were here so at least I'd have some company.

But I want to ask, what's with the pirates? It's talk like a pirate day, and I've been invited to a pirate party (which I orginally misheard as "private party", needless to say I was confused when asked if I had any "private clothes"). It is all because of Pirates of the Carribean? But most guys I know have always had a thing for pirates. I remember how Chuck wanted so badly to be a chaperone at "Treasure Island" our Senior Prom, so he could dress up as a Pirate. Someone, please explain. Or not, that's fine, too. It's not really that important.

My mom emailed and offered to buy me a new chair. Really, though, it's not that bad. I think I really am just neurotic. Maybe I should look online to see if they're doing neuroticosity research, so maybe I can voluteer and get diagnosed and recieve up to 10 months free treatment*.

It occurs to me that most people don't derive the same amount of inspiration from fiction that I do. It's like on "You've Got Mail", how Meg Ryan says "Everything I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" or something. But that's not really true. A lot of things remind me of London.

*Inspired by a flyer seen in the gym piddly diddly department. Obviously not really about neuroticosity.

I think I'll have a smoothie, and freeze my tofu.

People talk a lot about finacial freedom. Or do they? I wouldn't know because I don't live in the real world. Anyhow, it's in a Savage Garden song.

Well, it's really quite easy when you live in a non-consumer society of one. How do you do that? Simply, don't buy anything. Ever. Except perhaps food, because otherwise you'd starve. And gas, to go visit your mommy.

This is my quarter survival plan. It should be easy enough, provided I don't leave the apt except to go to the gym. And class, once it starts. And work, if I get my job. And to visit my mommy and go grocery shopping.

It'd better go check on my frozen (?) tofu now, because I get eye strain if I'm at the computer for too long with out my glasses on. I've got revitalizing mask on instead.

Erlack... the tofu is yellow. I don't know about frozen, yellow tofu.

Not only that, the frezer is so dirty the simple act of picking up my ziplock bag of frozen tofu got my hands all sticky and I had to wash them. I hope cooperative kitchen cleaning day comes soon. The problem with that, though, is that I, unlike any of my roommates, actually live here.

After watching my fish cuddle for an extensive period of time, I have given this a good deal of thought and have come up with the logic behind the conclusion: Reasons why Harry and Ginny (of the Harry Potter set) are made--quite literally, as they are literary characters--for one another:

1. Because I say.

2. It is obviously going to happen, whether you like it or not.

3. Two words: Lucky you. (Meaning there is no one else for Harry.)

4. Two more words: Furtive glance. (Meaning there is no one else for Ginny.)

For a more comprehensive list of reasons, please see the following books: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

It occurs to me that I might be just a little on the mad side(not upset, crazy). But that's ok, because if I'm on the mad side, then Georgia Nicholson is completely bonkers. And she has a Sex God for a boyfriend.

She, however, is a literary character, whereas I, unfortunatly, am not.

According to Tonic, I am an expert on three things: 1. Scratching (as in you scratch my back I'll scratch yours) 2. Scrapbooking and 3. Harry Potter. laissez them mange gatueaux (sp?)

Jesus would never snog his mate's boyfriend. -Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas.

I have taken le perscription to le Walgreens. It occurs to me I should have bought salad dressing while I was there. Oh well. Such is life.

I'm very worried about my fish. Being pond fish, they do not realize there is food at the top of the tank. They simply remain stationary, furiously trying to eat non-exisitant pond scum. I have no idea how to train them to eat fish food. Perhaps if I get it to sink somehow... Or if I go to the botanical gardens and steal some pond scum to put in their tank. They don't even have energy to zip around anymore. (Although they still cuddle.) What if they die of starvation? What then? I'LL HAVE KILLED HARRY AND GINNY!

I am now jobless. Scratch. I have always been jobless. I am now hope-for-jobless. Because I was supposed to know that "I'll call you if I need you to come in on Monday" actually meant "come in on Monday". However, it would have been fruitless, because they had a need for more "office skills people" (not me) as opposed to "outreach" people (me). As all outreach has been cancelled, because our government feels that fighting an imperiealistic war is more important than education. Whee.

I have looked on the work-study webpage. I have no hope for a job. I have no skills. I will remain unemployed forever.

So, it is back to my non-consumer society of 3. (The fishies, still alive as yet, join me in saying hello to the outside world.)

With the assistance of my fabulous roommate Jennie, I have made the descison to throw out the frozen, yellow tofu. Goodbye, tofu.

I survived the first day of class, if barely. Today was the only day of French that was in English. From here on out it's muddle muddle muddle. It took me half an hour to find my next class, and I had to ask several people for directions. They probably thought I was a freshman. Fabulous. Then, I had to sit on the floor. I thought my bum was going to fall off it hurt so bad. I'll probably have to sit on the floor everyday, because the class I have right before it is not exactly next door. Happiness. On the bright side, the lecture was pretty well fascinating.

I have learned my lesson re: taking wild animals out of the natural habitat. I am taking Harry and Ginny home tonight to re-release them back into the pond. Hopefully they survive the drive in their weakened state.

Harry and Ginny are in the process of re-adjusting to their natural habitat (the ziplock bag is floating in the pond). Those are two tough fish. I would have been a floater ages ago.

I've come up with a new regime at the gym: go in, put my name on the mile long list of names waiting for the elliptical machines, do some sit ups, get sick of waiting, and go for a brisk walk around campus. Tomorrow, though, I'm getting up at 6:30 to go before class (cringes)because, my guess is, that's the only time I can go and have it not be swarming with people.

I had a lovely time at home with Mommy and kitty. Jen and went to major league imrov and out to dinner, then had a heck of a time highlighting my hair. It was very painful. Painful? Yes, painful. Could have something to do with the fact that my hair is a mile long.

"You two are making the whole restaurant smell good."- Our waitress. "What does she mean?"-Me. "I don't know. She's crazy."-Jen.

It is pointless to go to the gym, ever. I am never going again.

What is more, I hate people.

Don't worry, I'm in a better mood now.