Manikins

Here's my big question:

Why do manikins have nipples?

They don't need them. The only thing they do is sit there, hard as a rock, and make manikins look very very cold. Because they are solid bras don't contain or restrain them, and they just create an unsightly effect.

The solution: no nipples on manikins.
Clothes would look better, and manikins would feel less self conscious.
The only downside is for middle school boys who would have less to snicker about when their mom makes them go shopping.

Childhood dreams

When I was a kid (up to pretty recently actually) I thought that I would really like to be in the FBI or do what they do on CSI. I've always really liked those crime/catching killers type of shows. I thought it would be exciting and exhilarating to risk my life like that. I thought that facing death like that would make me feel invincible. I wanted to be that hero; solve the puzzle and bring bad guys to justice. 

Tonight I was watching Criminal Minds (in the dark, by myself of course) and it clicked: I could never do what those people do. It would be such a sad life. On television the good people live and the bad guys get caught, but their work controls the agent's lives. Not to mention that in reality good people die. I would lie in bed at night thinking about all the people that died, and how I should have saved them. Emotionally I couldn't do it. It would make me too sad. I almost started crying while watching that show tonight. And what about a family? I couldn't have the family that I want if I was always trying to catch bad guys, never knowing when or if I would come home. 

So, kudos to all the people who do protect us and catch killers. You have a hard job, too hard for me. 

A blast from the past: I didn't always hate camo

As everyone knows, I hate camo (the camouflage pattern) unless you are hunting or in the armed forces. But, confession time: I didn't always.
In the sixth grade I had this long sleeve camo shirt with a big red sparkly  star right in the middle of it. I thought it was cute because I was 12 and it was tight. So this one time my brother, Tyler, and I walked to the Circle K gas station on the corner. I was wearing my 'cute' camo shirt. Then, as we were buying whatever we were buying, the lady at the counter says, "now you boys have a great day!"
From that day forth I have hated camo.

Things I forgot

I've been home in the AZ for a couple of days now and it makes me remember how many things I've forgotten. Maybe 'forgot' isn't the right word... I remember things that I don't think about when I'm away. I think about high school a lot more, and the things that happened back then.
I play the 'what-if' game in my head. It makes me laugh. Laugh and wonder. In every ridiculous 'what-if' situation there's a little truth, a little possibility of what could have been. I wonder if things would be any different now if I could go back and change little things. If I had done all the things I said I wanted to do before I left... If I had left nothing unsaid...
The long and short of it (where did that saying even come from?) is that it really doesn't matter. I mean I guess I could go back and say, "oh hey, in high school I really wanted to tell you ____, but I didn't, so I'm telling you 2 years later when it doesn't really matter. I'm glad this isn't awkward. Kbye!" But somehow I don't think that would be effective in any way.

change and giving thanks

Recently I've been feeling... I think "shaky" is the best way to put it. Not shaky like a frail old lady who might fall over & break her hip, but shaky like less sure about things than usual. It may just be because I'm not going home for Thanksgiving & I miss my family, but I've just been a little nostalgic. Maybe it's because I can feel things changing &, as much as I like change, I don't like change that I don't dictate (it's a bit of a control thing). Not to mention the school stresses that are always at the back of my mind.
Anyway, what I've decided to do is make a list of some of the things that I love and am thankful for, because I know that I wouldn't have any of them without change.
I am thankful for/love:
-My family, and that they love me enough to miss me.
-All of the wonderful relationships that I have made since coming to Loma, they are better than I could have ever imagined.
-The friendships that have the stamina to span time and distance and carry on to and through college.
-My best friend Bailey that I love and miss so much; we'll grow old together even if we're apart.
-Point Loma itself. As much as I complain about some things, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
-Love itself.
There are so many more little things, like scarves, dogs, cuddling, that Marissa isn't super messy, etc that I'm thankful for too.

"Don't hurt or be hurt and don't live in a way that makes you feel dead and don't deceive anybody or yourself and take care of what matters"
-Zadie Smith On Beauty

sister wives

I am currently sitting in my dorm room watching Sister Wives. What is that? It's a show about this polygamist family. First an foremost, I could never be a polygamist. I would be too sad. And jealous. These women are saints slash brainwashed. Not helped by the fact that their husband is a tool box with not ok long hair.

Mommy Dearest

I know that it's a bit after the fact, but this past weekend my lovely mother traveled the hour long plane ride from Phoenix to San Diego to come visit me. It was an excellent break for the both of us: mine from school and hers from life mothering three, variously aged, school children and a dog.
What we accomplished:
We did a lot of eating, that's for sure; from pizza to burgers to Asian goodness, our bellies were never empty.
We survived riding in the car with my 82 year old grandfather, who is nearing the age where one should stop driving (for the safety of the public).
We caught up and enjoyed each other's company.
We successfully avoided being roped into any large family gatherings that neither of us wanted to attend.
We made a significant amount of pumpkin bread (and left out those weird allspice balls that I put in there last time).
Overall the weekend was a smashing success. Love you Mom!

For romantics the world over

“You have bewitched me, body and soul. And I love- I love- I love you.”

—	Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice

Things I've learned this week from:

My best friend, Bailey:
Give people a second chance.

This precious dog on caf lane:
I have puppy fever. You know how girls of a certain age get baby fever, where they just want to have a baby? I don't want a baby, I want a puppy. I just want to cuddle it & walk it & tell it how much I love it. I think I'm obsessed.

Andrew Peterson (in his song "dancing in the minefields"): 

The softest part of my heart is the overlap between true love and old people. It just gets me every time. I don't cry very much, but that music video just made me tear up. I love that true love is out there, that people have found it and made it work. It makes me so happy now just thinking about it, like a big yellow sunflower in my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtTa81LyuQM

Excuses & Catching Up

Now that it's been more than a month since I last blogged, I figured I'd come back.
The first month of school was just so... hectic? I was getting back into the groove of school plus working, and catching up with everyone that I hadn't seen since May. So my excuse is pretty standard: I was busy.
BUT
It is one of my new (school) year resolutions to blog regularly.
SO as a crash course on the past month & then some:
-Drove with Claudia back to lovely Point Loma
-Moved in
-Started classes & work
-Started dating Michael (became facebook official, so you know it's real)
-Remembered how to procrastinate on homework

more specific updates to come.

Slacking: The Story of a Sad Summer

Why haven't I blogged in over a month? Because I wanted this blog to be about cool and exciting things that happened this summer, and there haven't really been any. Most of my friends were gone/busy during the summer, so I sat around playing Mario Kart & reading books. And eating so much Pei Wei that I'm pretty sure my belly's going to burst.
But now summer's practically over! All I can really say is "finally". Not that I didn't like being home with my family, but I was lonely. This home just feels like kind of a weird in-between place now; I don't really belong here. Everyone has their own lives now, this past year is the first one where we were all free to really define ourselves, and we all changed. Sometimes growing up means growing away, and that's ok.
Now that I'm really packing up I'm so excited to go back to Loma, but I also want to spend a little more time with the fam-bam. Until Sami starts screaming because she doesn't want to take a shower that is.

Away We (san die)Go [part 2]

Today's adventure: sailing.
First and foremost, I have never been sailing before. All I knew was that, according to pictures and movies, I should probably wear navy blue and khaki.
Sailing trip notables:
- I messed up from the start (somehow failing to secure us to the dock & then shove off from the dock adequately), establishing that I had the least amount of sailing prowess on the boat.
- Coleman was deemed the most promising sailor of the three of us guests, and so was allowed to steer for a bit.
- The above did not work out so well, the wind started blowing us right & the Colemeister panicked. In this panic he momentarily forgot his right and left, and, instead of correcting by turning the wheel left, kept turning frantically right. This near capsizing caused Alain (our skipper and esteemed professor at PLNU) to jump up and, to the relief of everyone aboard, take control of the boat. Coleman then had to deal with a few minutes of "don't you have a driver's licence", etc comments. In Coleman's defense, driving the boat is a daunting task (not saying that the entire scene wasn't a comical one though...).
- On our return course I, ashamed as I am to admit it, got sick. Although I was extremely successful at keeping the boat clean, it went straight into the water (sorry fishies).
- Pulling back into the boat spot was a little difficult and we may or may not have run into the dock.
- There was a bird's nest, complete with eggs, hidden in one of the boat's sails. Unfortunately the baby birds inside the eggs dropped right out onto the deck at my feet when Alain was trying to re-situate the nest. Poor little unborn birdies.
When all is said and done I consider the adventure a success. Nobody fell overboard, we didn't capsize, everyone enjoyed him/herself, I got to meet Alain and Adam, and learn a few things about sailing.

Away We (san die)Go [part 1]

Some of my best childhood memories occur at the Del Mar Fair (now the San Diego Fair). My mom always hated it; she hates crowds & anything that makes you sick, but we loved it. We have tons of pictures and home videos of my brother and I in the petting zoo hugging huge nasty pigs and whatnot.
Anyways, we went to the fair for the first time in at least 5 years the other day. I was so stoked. Not only had my mother finally given in to years of pressuring, but I got to hang out with the ever lovely Michael Morris for the day.
My mom and Sami had no inclination to ride many rides so they hung out in the kiddie section and pet farm animals while we spun around trying to make ourselves sick.
My day at the fair brought me to the conclusion that all sorts of crazy people go to the fair, from dancing gender ambiguous ginges to leash babies, and eat all sorts or crazy fried foods (fried butter being the most outlandish that I saw).
Altogether: a successful day. The only non-successful part was that I forgot my camera. And my nose may have gotten a bit toasty, but it was worth it.

Thank you for calling Pei Wei at The Summit...

I am currently spending my summer working about half of the hours I want to at Pei Wei Asian Diner. Here are the things that I wish everyone knew about Pei Wei, and common courtesy in general:
1) Wrong pronunciation does not bother me until you try to tell me how to pronounce the name of the restaurant at which I work or the dishes on the menu. I am paid to know more than you.
2) You cannot bring a dish back after you have already eaten it all. "I ordered shrimp & I got chicken. I ate it all already, but I want a gift card or something" is just rude.
3) Yes, we do clear off your dishes & wipe off your table after you leave, but that does not make it ok to throw your food all over the table. We gave it to you on a plate for a reason.
4) If you order all your drinks in to-go cups take them with you.
5) "I want chicken and vegetables with brown rice" does not help me in the slightest.
6) When you walk in at 8.50 and see that we close at 9, please do not dine in, at least have the decency to order take-out.

Sibling Bonding: The MIM

To start off: the MIM is the musical instrument museum. It's the only one of its kind, & they decided to build it at a random intersection right off the 101 freeway. I wish I knew why.
Anyways, my mom decided that Sami (my 9 year old sister) & I needed to get out of the house, so she sent us to explore the MIM. I thought that a museum of instruments could either be a mega-bust or just the opposite.
The top floor was broken up into rooms based on region: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Latin America, United States/ Canada, & Europe.
The bottom floor had different galleries where you could play some of the instruments, see self-playing instruments, & a gallery of famous artists.
Sami spent most of the time telling me that I could get her this or that outlandish instrument for her birthday. One of the security guards thought that she was serious & tried to explain that the instruments in the gallery were not for sale, they were just for looking at. I didn't have the heart to tell him that she did not really want an enormous Asian gong for her birthday.