Dumpster for my thoughts; feel free to rummage!

Heath Ledger

2008-01-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

As I signed out of my hotmail account, I was shocked by what I saw: being rerouted to msn.com, I was staring at a photo of one of my favorite actors, Heath Ledger, next to the words "Dead at 28." It felt like my heart just stopped. How could this be?

I've loved Heath Ledger ever since I saw him in "The Patriot" and "10 Things I Hate About You." I always joked with my husband that if ever I had a chance with Heath (which was never) then I would have a free pass. (I believe my husband's choice was Shannyn Sossamon, who played opposite Heath in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Order.") I always felt that he wasn't like the other young actors of his age, that he valued his integrity as an actor more than being a celebrity. He was wonderful at his craft, being able to immerse himself into whatever character he portrayed on screen with what looked like such ease and confidence. He always managed to bring me to tears with his performances.

Right now, the cause of death has yet to be determined. Personally, I believe that it was an accidental overdose, although I do believe that there may have been some emotional issues that he had been battling with which led to the insomnia that he stated he had been suffering from. The fact that he devoted himself completely to every character that he portrayed, experiencing the same pain and psychological suffering that his characters did, could have been a factor also. He seemed like a person who could really get at the heart of a character, and you can't do that unless you possess the same ability to empathize, emotionally and psychologically, the way he did.

I feel broken-hearted, not only for the rest of his fans and myself, who will no longer have the pleasure and privilege to watch him continue to grow in his craft, but for his loved ones who have lost such a wonderful person. I pray for his family and friends during this difficult time, especially for his little daughter, Matilde Rose. This was a loss that happened too soon.

The Importance of Being Generous

2007-11-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

One lesson that has been instilled in me by my parents is the importance of being generous. All throughout my life, my parents have always been generous with whatever resources they had, even when what they had was very little. I can remember numerous times when my extended family would go out to dinner and the check would never arrive because my mom would slyly pay the bill without anyone noticing. Being their daughter, I have taken on those same beliefs and I try to be generous in whatever way I can.

But this belief of mine was tested recently when I began attending a big university. In one of my classes, several different people have been approaching me about needing my notes from lecture. In the beginning, I really did not mind, but after the seventh person came to me asking for my notes, I started to wonder if I was being taken advantage of. I did not know any of these other students, but they seemed to notice that I came to class regularly since I seemed to be the only person that they chose to come to for notes. I could have refused to help these people, but I just do not have it in me to refuse to help someone, regardless of whether or not they were really sick and could not attend lecture.

And then it happened. I decided to eat at one of the student dining halls, so I went in, ordered my food, and went to the cashier to pay. To my utter embarrassment, I had not noticed that the dining hall did not take ATM cards, and since I never seem to carry cash, I was in a bind. To make matters worse, the nearest ATM machine was a ten minute walk away. I stood there feeling like a total jerk, furious with myself for not listening to my instincts when it told me to stop by the ATM this morning. The cashier lady asked me if I had any friends that could help me out, and I answered her honestly, stating that I didn't really know anyone on campus. I quickly moved out of the way to let someone else go ahead of me, wondering what in the world was I going to do?

That person who I let go ahead of me was the good Samaritan that saved me from this embarrassing situation. He kindly paid for my breakfast, no questions asked. I couldn't believe it. That person could have easily just paid for his food and walked away, but he chose to help me even though he had never met me before. The cashier was also touched by the gesture and we all went our separate ways feeling a little better about the world.

There are many lessons that one can take from this. One lesson is that we must, as human beings, be generous towards one another. Even with the little things that we can do, the world can be a much better place. Another lesson is to treat others how you would like to be treated because what goes around comes around. So why not send some goodness around to others? It will definitely come back to you one day.

Season Finales

2007-05-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Man, what a night! I couldn't believe the season finale of "The Office"! Talk about a cliff-hanger with the Jim-and-Pam relationship! I've wanted them to get together for the longest time, and now that it has happened, I'm almost afraid to see how this is going to pan out. If The Temp was the one that was offered the position at corporate, then that means that both Jim and Karen are coming back to Scranton. This is what is making me wonder if Jim and Pam are even going to work out because Karen will probably still be around, right? And I know that there is NO WAY that the Scranton branch will take The Temp seriously as their new boss from corporate! They never took him seriously as an employee at their own branch!

Another big finale tonight was the "Grey's Anatomy" wedding between Christina and Burke. I think we all knew that this wedding was not going to happen, so there was no big surprise there. I also had already figured that the woman who hit on McDreamy at the bar last week was Meredith's half-sister, Lexi, because she had said at the bar that she was having a bad day (mother's funeral, maybe?) and she was the Grey sister that was never shown before. I also remember that her mother (the one that died during surgery two weeks ago) had mentioned having another daughter who was a medical student back in season two. Now she is going to be an intern next season? I know that the actress has been cast for 13 episodes next season, so if McDreamy and Meredith aren't officially over now (Did you see that look she gave him at the altar? It was like ice!) this Lexi person is the wrench that the writers are throwing into their relationship.

I feel like I have to put my two cents in on McDreamy and Meredith's relationship. I wanted him to be with her because she loved him so much, but I've always felt uneasy about him because 1) He didn't tell her he was a married man when they were first together. 2) He only wanted her back when he realized that she was going to move on with McVet. 3) He turned her away, AGAIN, when she had chosen him over McVet. 4) He wanted to give up on her after the whole drowning incident. And 5) He resented her for his not being considered for Chief of Surgery when Chief Webber mentioned the promise he had made to Meredith's mother.

I honestly believe that he is selfish as all hell. Yes, he did try to save her and gave her CPR and all that when she had drowned, but that's what you're supposed to do! All of her friends who love her so much would have done the same, if not more. And don't get me started on the conversation that he had with her in his trailer. It is because of moments like these that she doesn't trust him. The other shoe always seems to drop in their relationship, and the only stable thing she has in her life are her friends.

Okay, maybe I'm being too hard on him, but he's irritating me. I think she needs to be on her own for awhile, without him. She needs to have a sense of self worth that is not based on her relationships with men or her memories of her parents. Now that she will be a resident, she's got her career to move forward with. I just think she deserves more from life. If they break up, I think it would be healthy, but knowing the drama on this show, he will most likely move on to her sister. Ewww.

One Year Anniversary

2007-05-01T15:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my one year wedding anniversary! Unfortunately, I had to go to school and my husband had to go to the dentist, but we had a wonderful dinner last night at King's Fish House! Of course, we went all out and ordered steak and lobster! Our server knew that it was our anniversary so we got free cheesecake with strawberries, too! It was funny because we remembered how we barely touched our dinner at our wedding reception due to the fact that we were both way too excited to eat, and the only wedding cake I had was the little piece my husband fed me when we cut the cake. I think last night's dinner made up for all of that!

Honestly, this year went by so quickly, and I have a feeling that before we know it, we're going to wake up and it will be our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary! Here's to many more happy years together!

Naruto

2007-04-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Which Naruto Character Are You?
Test by naruto - kun.com

The Naruto Ninja Rank Quiz
Your Result: Jounin

You are a Jounin.

Wow- you must be a really great ninja that has much mastery in all jutsus and good personality.
Fellow Jounins are Kakashi-sensei.(though he is a special Jounin, yes)
Chuunin

Genin

The Naruto Ninja Rank Quiz
Quizzes for MySpace

I Fell in Love All Over Again

2007-03-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

I love to read...actually, that's an understatement. I LOVE TO READ! I have always enjoyed reading novels, non-fiction, anything that teaches me something new or helps me escape the monotony of everyday life. I have library cards to borrow books but I would rather buy books so I can add them to my personal collection. I'm also one of those people who tend to keep my college textbooks after the term is over rather than selling them back for cash. As one can imagine, my personal collection of books has grown into a pretty decent sized library. Believe me, my husband likes my collection also, but when the time comes to move all of the heavy boxes filled with my books, he begins to regret letting me spend so much time at bookstores or online at Amazon.com!

Now, let me discuss my transition from PCs to Macs. It was about three years ago when my husband talked me into getting a Mac iBook G4 because he was getting a Powerbook. I needed a laptop for school and he needed one for work. I was a little worried because I had been trained on PCs most of my life. How hard was it going to be to switch over? Surprisingly, it was a piece of cake! And I can still use Microsoft Office on my Mac which allows me to send files to people whether they use PCs or Macs. Plus, when I received my iPod, adding music to it was so simple that I could have taught my puppy to do it himself...okay, maybe not my puppy since he thinks that anything not nailed down belongs in his mouth. I was just trying to emphasize how easy it is.

What do books and Macs have to do with each other? Since my library has been growing and I have not had an opportunity to do a proper inventory, I was looking online for some kind of system to help me keep track of all of my books. I also tend to forget when I lend things out to people. I searched Google for library software compatible with Macs and I found this website, Delicious Monster, which showed me EXACTLY what I was searching for! It is a program for Mac that allows you to inventory your books, movies, music and video games. By entering the bar code found on the back of each item, the program finds all of the available information on your item, including thumbnails, prices, reviews, description, etc. You can also use a web-cam to scan the bar codes, making it even faster and easier to enter items into the computer. It keeps track of who I lent certain items to and helps organize my items into categories or genres.

I'm looking at our collection of books, DVDs, and video games and thanking the stars above that I found this program! If I had not found it, I do not believe I would ever get it all done! No more Excel spreadsheets! I love my Mac!

What a surprise!

2007-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've had two great surprises happen to me recently which I wanted to share. The first being the birth of my niece, Naomi Shayne! My sister-in-law was due on my husband's birthday, and since it was going to be a c-section, we figured there wouldn't be much of a surprise there. She and her husband didn't want to know the sex of the baby until the birth, but my entire family was already assuming that it would be another boy. The only people that believed differently were my father (who bet my younger brother fifty push-ups that it would be a girl) and my sister-in-law who claimed that this pregnancy just felt different than her last one. She took that to mean that it was a girl this time. On the morning of January 3rd, my mom called and told me that it was, in fact, a baby girl! Now my brother and my sister-in-law have a complete set! My husband and I immediately hit a Target and bought her a bunch of pink baby clothes since the hand-me-downs from her brother were all blue. I even saw a pair of baby ballerina slippers and just could not resist getting them for her! Yesterday, I went to the Hello Kitty store and picked up a Hello Kitty pillow with a ballerina outfit!

The second surprise came from my husband. Ever since I read an article last year about the Nintendo Wii, I have wanted one so badly! We could not find one anywhere, and believe me, my husband did everything he could to get one minus flying to Japan himself. Since I've been on break from school, I wanted to have the system to play during my free-time. When we were in Ventura to meet my new baby niece, we even checked all of the Targets, Best Buys and EB Games there to see if they had any in stock, but alas, they too were completely sold out. The only thing we could get was an extra controller from the Target, and since we had heard that all the stores were sold out of them also, we decided to pick one up for when we do finally get our system. Then, on Monday, my husband and I came home from running errands all day and he found a package sitting on our doorstep. He pretended he didn't know what it was, then he said that it was something he had ordered for me a while back. When I ripped off the paper, there it was, my brand new Nintendo Wii system! He told me that he had won it off of ebay and made sure that it wasn't delivered to us until we returned home from Ventura. And all those times that I was out looking for a Wii with him while we were in Ventura, he just kept praying that they were all sold out also so that he wouldn't end up buying two! I was so elated when I got the Wii that I was screaming and jumping up and down on the couch like a little kid!

The Wii is so much fun! We were bowling, batting, golfing, playing tennis, spearing fish, and shooting meteors to the wee hours of the night! My arm does get tired very quickly, and I do find that I take a lot of drink breaks while playing, but it's worth it!

End of 2006

2006-12-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe that 2006 is already over! This has been a pretty busy year for my husband and me! Right from the start of the year, we were hard at work preparing for our own wedding that took place in April. Then, we put our energies towards preparing for Comic-con 2006 where Erwin showcases his own artwork every year. We had numerous trips, like our camping trip to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and Disneyland in June. When November came around, my husband's best friend and the love of his life got married on their twelve year anniversary and my husband had the honor of being their best man! It seemed like love was in the air with Erwin's other best man getting married to his lady the following weekend and two couples who are great friends of ours getting engaged this year! Congrats to all of them!

Right now, I'm anxiously awaiting the birth of my niece or nephew (my brother and sister-in-law like to keep it a surprise!) who is due on my husband's birthday! Everytime I get a call on my cell phone from one of my family members, I keep thinking that it's the big news! We can't wait to welcome him or her to the family!

We spent Christmas in Hawaii on Oahu with my husband's family because his little sister is currently going to college there. Unfortunately, the climate change made me sick and I'm still getting over a really bad cold as I'm typing this. I completely lost my voice, but it's slowly coming back.

What would the coming of the new year be without coming up with resolutions? Here are a few of my own...

1. Exercise!

Even though my husband loves me just as I am, it wouldn't hurt to get into better shape. He and I have made an agreement to get back into shape, especially because we're supposed to go on a cruise this summer!

2. Clean out all of my old junk!

I swear that there are boxes and boxes of clothes and junk that I haven't even looked at since I moved here to San Diego! If I haven't touched it, I probably don't need it. I just need to toss it all out and start anew!

3. Cook!

My schedule will be much more open this Spring and Summer, so I really need to take advantage of that time and learn how to make more dishes.

4. Wedding Album

We have been putting this off for months but we really need to finally choose the pictures we want in our wedding album. Our parents are waiting for their albums, too.

There are probably more resolutions, but I'll start with these three for now. Happy New Year!

So You Think You Can Dance

2006-08-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages! I've tried to write, but I'd end up just deleting what I wrote because, well...it was lame! But I think I've found something that I do want to discuss!

I've been watching "So You Think You Can Dance" since it's first season with Melody, Nick and Big Poppa. I believe it is one of the greatest opportunities for artists to showcase their talent, grow as artists, and motivate others to do the same. I've watched every episode in awe of what these young people can do with their bodies, and I admire them even more because of the courage they had to take a chance and try out for the show.

In the beginning of the second season, I was a little disheartened because I had not developed an attachment to any of the dancers. I remember last season I was already rooting for Artem, Melody and Ryan during the try-outs, but in the second season I did not start feeling invested in anyone until we were well into the Top 20.

And then Heidi caught my eye. I thought she was awesome during the Vegas week when she saved her cousin, Benji's, butt from elimination. But when she did the "Sex Bomb" routine (the cha-cha) with Ryan, I finally had found my girl! I wanted her to win! Technically, she was not as strong as the other ladies, but she is an awesome performer! She may have been in the bottom three couples the first two weeks, but after the cha-cha, she never saw the bottom three again! It seemed like she had hit her stride and from there she continued to rise above everyone's expectations.

I had other favorites, too. I liked Benji because although he was a ballroom dancer he really went after the other styles of dance like his life depended on it. He has such a great performance quality that when he danced the other styles that he may not have been that strong in, you didn't pay much attention to that because he sold himself so well! And when you put him and Heidi together, forget about it!

Because of Benji, I began to love watching Donyelle. I applaud this beautiful woman for having the courage to keep fighting and dancing, even though she had been looked over many times because of her body type. The fact that she and Benji were NEVER in the bottom three during the entire season shows you how great they both are at dancing and performing.

Then came Travis. He said himself last night that ballroom was his kryptonite, and the numbers he did with Martha left much to be desired. But when they all switched partners and he did the Mia Michaels routine with Heidi I felt I found another dancer to cheer for and love! Technically, nobody can touch him! And when he and Heidi did that Afro-pop routine I was mesmerized!

Last night during the finale, I cried a few times because there were many moments that were so touching. I cried during Heidi and Travis' performance of the Mia Michaels routine (always so beautiful yet painful). I cried again when Donyelle was told she was out, but she told this story about how she had quit dancing prior to the show and asked the Lord for direction. Then, she tried out for the show and from this experience, she realized that she cannot stop now!

I loved everyone that made the final four this year! They ALL deserved to be there! Seeing how much they had all grown throughout the season and the relationships they had built amongst each other was amazing. I think that is the thing I love best about them; it's all love. Everytime someone was voted off, they all felt like a member of their family was being taken away from them. I think the elimination I'll remember the most was when Ivan got voted off. The others were devastated but he began a little dance that must be an inside thing amongst them to let them know it was all good with him and he wished them well. They all possess wonderful sportsmanship.

Which brings me to my final and most important point. I've been surfing the net and reading about other peoples' reactions to Benji winning the competition and some of it has been very mean-spirited. Why do people need to be like that? I can honestly say that I would have been happy if any of the final four had won because I know that they all deserved to be winners in their own right. They all have different strengths that set them apart from one another. It was never about who was the best technically. It was about who was America's favorite.

I'm married to a wonderful artist (not a dancer, an illustrator) and I know how difficult it is to get up the courage to even try to work in this kind of industry. I understand his talent and at the same time I can still admire other artists' talent that is a completely different style. One thing I've learned from working with him at conventions is that we must embrace the art that others bring and share the love. Artists are already at a disadvantage in our society where only a small percentage of us appreciate art, whether it be dancing, paintings, sculptures and literature. There is no need to have hate amongst each other. We're all in the same boat, trying to do what makes us happy in life which is to cultivate our talents and share it with the world.

With that said, I would like to wish Heidi, Donyelle, Travis and Benji luck as they embark on life's next big adventure! I know you four have what it takes to make it! It has been a joy watching you every week and I will miss my Wednesday nights with you all! Peace out!

I can't believe it's already April!

2006-04-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

I swear, it feels like 2006 just started! The time that I thought I had is quickly slipping away, so there is no time to waste!

I've also come to realize that I'm horrible at keeping this blog up to date. It has been over a month since my last entry. Sometimes I will sit down and try to write something, but when I read what I wrote it just doesn't feel like it's worth sharing, so I just delete it.

There was so much that happened over this last month. We spent three weeks up in the Bay Area to see family and friends, get wedding stuff done, and we had our Co-ed Wedding Shower! Everything went very well, but the entire time leading up to the shower I was not feeling well. I got stomach sick and dehydrated, but I kept thinking that I would just get over it eventually. Then, the day before the shower, I was at the store with Erwin and I felt like I was about to pass out. He said we had to go to the hospital because it had already been four days and I wasn't getting better. Plus, I couldn't be sick for our shower.

We went to the emergency room at the VA hospital and they took one look at me and admitted me right away. I guess I must have looked crappy! I was put into a bed right next to a white, middle-aged couple, so we could hear everything they talked about since we only had the curtain separating us. They were pretty interesting because they knew the words to that 36 Mafia song from "Hustle and Flow." The wife started singing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" and "Whoop dat Trick" while Erwin and I looked at each other and giggled. People can be very surprising sometimes.

The blood work and CT scan showed that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with me, but I was dehydrated from throwing-up so I had to have two bags of intravenous fluids. Plus, I still had a throbbing headache and my face and my hands were going numb. The doctor said that I may have been having anxiety attacks which would explain the dizziness and numbness in my face and hands. Then, to make my headache go away, he let the nurse shoot some magical stuff into my IV and I was floating on air the rest of the night!

Why was I having anxiety attacks? I guess I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that everything was going smoothly for our shower and for our wedding. I worry way too much, and I just couldn't relax and let things flow. I think things would have been much worse if I didn't have such great support from Erwin. Somehow, he has the ability to make me feel safe. I know that I can't continue to worry myself to death over these kinds of things because our wedding is coming up at the end of this month and it's our time to celebrate, not be sick!

As each task gets completed it makes us realize just how close we are to the big day! We are so excited for our wedding, and even more excited to begin our life together as husband and wife. It may sound cheesy, but I truly believe that Erwin is my soul-mate, my best friend, and I have everything I could possibly want in this world when I'm with him.

Weapon of Choice: Hot Glue Gun

2006-03-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

I've never been the "arts & crafts" type, but ever since we started planning for this wedding, I realized that I could save money by making some of the stuff myself. It really wasn't that difficult either, just a matter of getting the right tools and having patience. My hot glue gun has been an awesome tool, and aside from the fact that I accidentally burned my finger a few times, it's fun to use!

These flowergirl baskets pictured above were made by me! I actually made four of these for my four flowergirls. I was looking at the stores and on the internet for baskets that looked similar to this, and their costs ranged from $20-$40 each! Plus, I wasn't really satisfied with how the online baskets looked, so I decided to buy small baskets from Michael's (they were about $2.99 each), small burgundy flowers, some white satin-like fabric from Wal-Mart, some white batting, and burgundy ribbon. The total cost of my materials was definitely less than the price of one of the baskets I saw online, plus my baskets were done in my wedding color!

I really had fun making them, plus my technique got better and better with each basket. My artistic husband-to-be was so helpful, giving me good ideas and letting me know when I might be over-embellishing them. He didn't want me to pull a Santino! (All of you Project Runway fans know what I'm talking about!)

The diaper cake pictured above was also made by me for a friend of mine who is pregnant. I went on the internet to find out how to make these myself instead of buying the expensive ones. We went to Target and bought onesies, bibs, burp cloths, bottles, and most importantly, diapers. We got even more stuff that I wasn't even able to fit into the cake, so I put the rest in another box and wrapped it. I loved the little blue puppy, so I wanted him to be on top of the cake, and the bottle that he is holding in his arms is filled with Hershey's kisses! I got the blue ribbon and little bows from Wal-Mart, and the pearl beading was something that I bought for my wedding but ended up not using. I attached those pieces to the ribbon with extreme patience and my trusty hot glue gun! To add some color contrast, I added those little bugs all around the cake that are actually teething toys and fabric bugs that are supposed to hang on the handle of the baby carrier.

This cake was soooo much fun to make, plus it smelled like a freshly bathed baby! I have many other pregnant friends, so I will continue to perfect my technique when I make their cakes!

Is this what parenthood will be like?

2006-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, Erwin went out to get some milk and alka-seltzer, so I was left alone with the doggies. I had offered to go with him, but he insisted that I stay with them since he would only be gone for a little while. I'm so glad that I did stay.

Kinno, my older cocker spaniel, had been working on this bone for awhile, and I guess he got tired of it and left it alone. My baby cocker spaniel, Obi, saw that the bone was free so he went over to it and attempted to walk away with it. Kinno caught sight of him and immediately attacked him. All I heard was Kinno's aggressive growling and barking, and then I heard my puppy screaming and crying. I jumped up and tried to break them up, but when I picked up the puppy he was bleeding on his nose and his right ear!

I can't explain the sense of panic I felt. The puppy was so terrified that he jumped out of my arms and attempted to hide underneath our futon. He was shaking and crying so bad, so I scooped him up and held him to me so that I could try and calm him down. I couldn't get him calm enough to allow me to clean up his blood, and seeing the blood just made me even more upset.

When Erwin returned, he was able to clean up his ear and nose while the puppy rested his head on my shoulder. I felt like I NEVER wanted to let him go. I thought that maybe if I held him forever, nothing would ever hurt him again. It's crazy how much I love him. Don't get me wrong, I love Kinno, too. I couldn't stay upset with him for long. Kinno saw the tears in my eyes and he walked up to me while I was holding Obi. He gently nudged the puppy with his nose as if to say he was sorry.

By the end of the night, all was calm again, and the two of them were sleeping soundly next to me on our bed.

When I was about eight or nine years old, I was pretty mean to my younger brother. I remember he and I were fighting over something, and I shoved him off of my bed out of anger. When he fell, his head hit the handle of a drawer which caused a really deep cut on the back of his head. He started bleeding profusely and I tried to hide it, but there was blood everywhere! We ended up in the emergency room that night and he had to get stitches. To this day, he still shows me that scar and teases me about it.

The point of all of this is that I'm now realizing what it must feel like to be a parent. It hurts when your kids harm one another, and it hurts to see your child in pain. If I'm reacting this way about my dogs, how much worse will it be when it is my own flesh and blood? Man, this is really going to be tough.

I must give props...

2006-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed the new look of my blog, and I owe this make-over to my man, Erwin, a.k.a. Onesickindividual! For those of you that did not stumble upon my blog through his blog, you can find the link to his "Artistic Commode" on the right panel of the page. (Ha! He claims to be MY better half! Okay, yeah, he is.)

Ever since we first met in high school I've known him as "Erwin, the artist." His early canvases used to be freight trains and blank walls, and now his art has moved onto book covers, magazines and more! Whenever I was running for student government in high school, Erwin was the one who designed my flyers and posters. When Erwin first had a crush on me, he drew a picture of my Cabbage Patch Kid, framed it and gave it to me for Christmas. His most recent gift was his drawing of the night he asked me to marry him which is posted on his blog. His ability to express himself through his art is phenomenal, and like many others, I'm a big fan!

Thanks, honey, for making over my site! Is my brain really that big?

Eating, shopping, vacuuming, mopping, curling, etc.

2006-02-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

The only thing that the activities listed above have in common is that I did them all today. Here's how it all went...

I woke up this morning and had a craving for some Hawaiian BBQ. A few years ago during a visit here, my friend tried to bring us to this restaurant called Da Kine's but it was closed. Then, Erwin and I had dinner with another couple and they told us that Da Kine's was the best Hawaiian BBQ they've ever had. So, we finally had the opportunity to try out their food today, and boy was it yummy! I ordered the beef teriyaki plate and Erwin ordered the chicken katsu. The marinate was perfect and the macaroni salad was the best I've EVER had! I wasn't shocked at how busy it was on a weekday (all of the internet reviews said it would be packed), but I was surprised that so many different kinds of people came to eat there (meaning it wasn't mostly islanders and Asians). I accidentally ordered a regular sized plate when I meant to order a small, but now I'm glad because I have leftovers for later!

Erwin and I went to Target for the third time in a week! We always manage to forget something we needed and end up having to go back. I know, I know, we should make a list, but we never think to write one out if we only need two or three things. And there is something about Target that makes us forget what we actually came there for once we walk through the sliding doors! Everything is eye-candy for me! One time we went there with the intention of buying paper towels, and we ended up walking out with two bicycles and completely forget about the paper towels! But today, we remembered to get what we came there for; spray cleaner for pet messes. I also bought a mop, bucket, multi-purpose cleaner and cereal.

When we got home, I began working on vacuuming and cleaning up the living room and kitchen. We've been kind of lazy about cleaning up lately, and looking at the mess was getting to me. I felt like I couldn't be productive with anything until I straightened the house up. The doggies were terrified of the vacuum cleaner so they all huddled together on top of the couch while I sucked up all of the dust bunnies. Then, I filled a bucket full of hot water and pine-sol and mopped the entire kitchen and living room. I love the way the house looks now!

Today, I received a set of new hot rollers in the mail that I ordered from Amazon.com. Last week, I attempted to curl my hair with a curling iron and it took me FOREVER to get it done! My hair is the longest that it has ever been, so it takes so much time to make sure that I get every strand. I tried using my rollers a little while ago and I think I really need to practice using them. I like how the curls came out, but I need to perfect the technique of rolling the hair neatly.

Oh, and I did watch the Curling match between the USA and Canada, and unfortunately, the USA team lost :o(

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

Erwin surprised me this morning with a drawing of the two of us on the night that we got engaged with the lyrics to a song that captured the magic of that night so perfectly. The drawing was sitting on top of the dresser next to our bed, and I didn't even see it at first until he pointed it out to me and said "Happy Valentine's Day, babe." He told me that he had been working on it for the last few nights while I slept. I hadn't given much thought to Valentine's day this year because we'd been so bogged down with wedding tasks and most of our cash has gone to paying for wedding stuff. So, I took him out to lunch for his gift. Food always makes him happy!

We've been watching the Winter Olympics on television, which kind of surprises me because I didn't think I would be that interested in it. If anything, I thought I would only be watching the figure skating events, but now I'm checking everything out! One event that I never even knew existed is Curling, which consists of sliding a heavy disc known as a "rock" down a lane of ice and trying to get it as close to the center of the target, or the "house", as possible. The concept of the game is very much like bocce ball which I learned how to play a few years ago. The game is very interesting to watch because of the strategy involved.

I was very sad to see Michelle Kwan bow out of the Olympics, but at the same time I commend her on her courage and her grace. For her to realize that she would not be able to give it her best and to give up her last opportunity at a gold medal in order to give someone else a chance is awesome. I'm in awe of her character. It broke my heart to see her tears during her press conference. In my eyes, she is one of the best skaters of all time!

As for the pairs competition, I thought that Zhang of the Chinese team was unbelievably courageous to continue to skate after she fell so hard on the ice! The fall looked horribly painful, and she was in tears, but she would not allow that to stop her from finishing the program with her partner. They did so well in spite of the fall that they won the silver medal! The crowd gave them a standing ovation, and she was brought to tears thinking that she wished she could have done better for the audience. Could you believe that? As far as the Russians who won the gold, I am not a fan because of their interview after they witnessed the fall of their opponents. The Russian woman said that the fall was "nothing special" and that the Chinese couple had been "too aggressive" during the warm-up, thus not allowing them to warm up properly. She implied that they deserved it for being overly competitive. The Russian man who was her partner said that he felt bad that they fell but that was the price for attempting such a difficult move during such an important competition. I was like "WTF???" Even the commentators on NBC couldn't believe their ears! It's like "Damn! You already won the gold medal, can't you be gracious?" They obviously were not briefed on how to give good PR.

The snowboarding half-pipe event was exciting to watch, especially seeing Shaun White getting emotional because of his family. The U.S. men and women snowboarders made it look so easy! The U.S. may not have swept the medals like they did in 2002, but they definitely showed that they are a force to be reckoned with!

Speed skating has been heartbreaking at times, especially when a mere slip at the start of a race can be the end of an athlete's attempt at a medal. At times, I just couldn't watch the beginning of a race because I didn't want them to slip and fall!

I guess I'll end my synopsis of the Winter Olympics thus far. Hope this is a romantic day for everyone!

One year of planning for one weekend of my life...

2006-02-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Right now, it seems like planning for the wedding takes up 95% of everything I do. The other five percent is for eating, bathing, sleeping, brushing my teeth, and going to the bathroom! I've had so many former brides tell me that this planning phase is going to fly by really fast, so I should really enjoy it while it lasts. I guess I won't know how much I'll miss it until it's all over, but right now I really don't think I will miss it. It's hard work! I think the part that I will truly miss is the wedding day itself, and I'm so excited for that part, and the new phase in my life afterwards!

One thing that I really do enjoy is my discussions with Erwin about ideas. Surprisingly, he is very interested in being involved, and being the artist that he is, he has awesome ideas on how to personalize every aspect of our wedding. Yesterday, we spent the day running errands, and one of our spots was Best Buy (so he could look at new cameras for our honeymoon) and the others were Michael's and Wal-Mart. It amazed me how knowledgable he was about hot glue guns and he happily added his opinions regarding fabrics and flower choices. I know his mom is pretty crafty, but I never imagined that he paid so much attention. Maybe his mom made him hold ribbons for her?

We had to go to the paint section of Wal-Mart to get some spray paint for our flower girl baskets. Erwin has a history in "Urban Art" so he was like a kid in the candy-store! When we got home, I showed him the four baskets that I needed him to coat with white paint, then he grabbed this other big basket and asked if he could paint it, too! I was thinking to myself that he might start spray painting furniture if he were to get too excited! But then he convinced me that we did need to decorate the bigger basket also to put wedding favors in, so I agreed and he was happy!

When things start to feel a little overwhelming, like I can't wrap my head around what needs to get done next, I go into my closet and close the door. I know, that sounds weird, but it works. Inside my closet is my gown, my veil and the flower girl dresses that I ordered. Going in there to look at those dresses calms me because it reminds me of what all this is for. I daydream about what everyone will look like and how fun it's going to be, and that alone recharges me.

So, we've got less than three months to go and I know it's going to feel more like one month! There is definitely no procrastinating going on over here! 86 more days!

Just an update...

2006-01-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought I should just write an update about what's been going on lately.

Erwin and I are three months away from our wedding day, and the tasks are really starting to pile up! But I am proud of the fact that in this last month, we knocked out so many tasks! Bridesmaids' dresses, tuxedos, flowergirl dresses, and save-the-date cards have all been taken care of! We took care of the wedding gown, photographer/videographer, flowers, and the ceremony and reception site a long time ago. It looks like invitations, ringbearer outfits, and the other random stuff (like candles, flowergirl baskets, and ordering the gifts for the entourage) is next on our plate.

I want to take some time to write about my loving fiance. The other day, we stopped at Sport Authority to just browse and walk off the food that we just ate, and he happened to see a heavy bag stand that he really liked. He had bought a heavy bag a few months back, but had not attached it to the ceiling because we have been on the fence about whether we were going to move to a bigger place. The stand happened to be on sale, and it included a speed bag attachment on the other side. I asked him if he would like the stand for his belated birthday present. I knew he really wanted it, but he didn't want to admit it to me. It was one of those moments when I had to just say "I'm going to buy it, and you can come with me if you want!" It's almost as if I have to shove the gift into his hands. But I knew that he was glad that I bought it. While I stuffed save-the-dates into envelopes (because I'm really particular about how I do things and I wouldn't let him help me) he went down to our garage, rearranged everything down there, and put together his new stand. He loves it so much that he even went down to take pictures of it to put up on his own blog! It makes me so happy to be able to put a smile on his face!

(Sigh) Okay, I've got to get moving on those other tasks now.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along!

2006-01-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's been about four days since we brought Obi, our new puppy, home and the dynamic of the house has changed. We have two other dogs; Kinno who is going on ten years, and Phoebe who is about two. Phoebe is actually Erwin's sisters' dog, but we're watching her for her while his sister gets settled into college. Kinno and Phoebe get along fine, and they got along really well with our other puppy, Spike (he passed away earlier this year). But Obi seems to be another story.

Obi is really little, and the breeder told us that he was the runt of his litter. He seems like he is younger than he actually is. Right when we got into the house when we first brought him home, the other two dogs were waiting at the door to find out what we brought. It seemed alright at first. They did the normal "sniffing of the butts" to check each other out. Then, Kinno and Phoebe went about their own business and that was that. I thought "Great, that was easy."

Well, not exactly. Not even an hour into our return home, the puppy started screaming and crying! He was totally shaking from fear because our big dog, Kinno, was growling and standing over Obi as he laid on his back. I totally panicked while Erwin grabbed Kinno off of him. There was no biting, but the way that the puppy was shaking, you would swear that he just got his arm ripped off. It broke my heart to hear him crying and to feel him shaking, and it took him a while to calm down.

Kinno wasn't the only one scaring the crap out of the puppy. Phoebe, who I'm sure was just wanting to play, got him to start shrieking like crazy, too. And it's been like this for the past four days. I'm afraid to leave the three alone. I don't want to be angry with any of the dogs, but it really upsets me, then I feel even worse because I feel so guilty for feeling angry. I love them all like they were my kids, and it is really hard to deal with being so frustrated and angry with something you love so much.

I've read so many things about introducing a new puppy to the other family dogs, and there is this whole thing about letting them set the order of the pack. Kinno has to show Obi that he is the Alpha dog in the house, and if we take that away from him, he'll only resent us and the puppy. But everytime Kinno flexes his muscles to show Obi who is boss in the house, Obi becomes hysterical and I can't help but pull the two apart and chastising Kinno, thus interfering in their natural need to establish order.

When we first got Spike, Kinno didn't even want to be near him. I knew that he was a little jealous of the attention being taken away from him. Then, there was one weekend when we had to put the both of them in a kennel while we attended a wedding out of town. When we got back, the two of them were bonded like brothers. I'm sure that the experience they had of us being gone and being left amongst many other dogs made them naturally want to stick together. Kinno became the big brother and Spike was more than happy to follow his lead. I would totally try this again, but right now, I'm so afraid of what might happen to Obi if he is left alone with the other two.

This situation just breaks my heart. Now I know how parents feel when their kids fight with each other. How can you choose sides when you love them all so much? What do you do when you want to protect the young one, but you're afraid that the older one will resent you for it?

2006 is here!

2006-01-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well, 2006 is here, and it came around faster than I thought it would. There are a lot of things that I want to change about myself in this new year, and I hope that I can accomplish all of the goals I have for the first four months of this year. Last year, my resolution was to quit smoking, and I have quit smoking cigarettes. The goals that I have for this year are really huge life changes, which makes them a bit harder since it's difficult to undo certain habits.

We have two new additions to our home in this new year; Phoebe and Obi-Wan Kenobi (a puppy, not the Jedi, although he has the potential). Phoebe is Erwin's sister's dog, and we took her in because she moved to Hawaii for college and Phoebe is supposed to follow after she completes her vaccinations. Obi-Wan Kenobi is our new puppy. It's like we're running a doggy daycare, only these are all our dogs!

My wedding is in less than four months now and I'm getting nervous, but not about the commitment part of it. I'm more nervous about everything going smoothly for all of our guests because we're getting married in Las Vegas. I adore Erwin and know with all of my heart that he and I are meant to spend our lives together, and we're excited about the "being married" part of it. But yeah, a wedding with so many guests is totally nerve-wracking!

Well, that's all for now.

Great Moments from Christmas 2005

2005-12-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

1. Setting up my "Elf Station" at my parents' home! As with every year since I was a teenager, I've been in charge of wrapping all of the gifts from the Cembrano Family. It's my yearly gift to my mom because she hates wrapping gifts. This year was a great night of fun with my brothers, my sister-in-law, my parents and Erwin, not to mention lil' Joshua! This will be the last Christmas that both my brothers will be living at home because both are moving down to Southern California, too! I hope that we continue this tradition of meeting again every year with mom and dad for Christmas!

2. Our "Porch" meeting, with refreshments provided by E! Loved the conversation, loved the jokes!

3. Our viewing of "40 Year-Old Virgin" after the "Porch" meeting, which made it 100 times funnier!

4. How Erwin's Grandma got nothing but pajamas from EVERYONE for Christmas!

5. Erwin's witty comment when we were about to take a group picture:
Erwin's mom: Hey! No ugly faces, okay?!
Erwin: Oh, okay! Myra, get out of the picture!

6. Mig's reply when we asked him "Hey, are you drunk?" Mig: YES!

7. Knocking on Madison's bedroom door to say "hello" to all my little nieces. When I opened the door, all of the girls ran to me and bear-hugged me with all their might! I miss them so much!

8. How 70% of the white elephant gifts were Starbuck's gift cards!

9. My many Borders gift cards!

10. My Yummy Left-overs! Prime Rib!

11. Lovely messages from friends and loved ones, wishing us a Merry Christmas!

12. Watching my dad with his grandson...I could swear I've never seen him so content. Hopefully, Erwin and I can give him some grandchildren, too.

New Year's is on it's way, so resolutions need to be made!

John Spencer

2005-12-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

I just read on the internet that actor, John Spencer, has died at the age of 58 due to a heart attack. He played the Chief of Staff on "The West Wing" and, strangely enough, his character suffered a heart attack on the show and survived. His character on the show was running for Vice President alongside Jimmy Smits' character, but the results of the election weren't going to air until February or March. The producers have not discussed what will happen to the story due to his death.

I've always loved "The West Wing" and I recently bought seasons 1-4 on DVD and watch the reruns on Bravo all of the time. I've fallen in love with all of the characters and the actors themselves, and it makes me truly sad to hear that John Spencer has passed on. John Spencer was a great actor, and from what his colleagues have said, an awesome person. He will truly be missed.

Movies and Books

2005-12-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today I went to go see "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at the movie theater. It was a really good film, and Erwin and I both enjoyed it. But there is a question that has been bothering me for quite some time about whether or not reading the book before seeing the movie makes the viewing of the film better or worse. Now, I'll use some examples from my own experience to explain.

I believe the first book that I ever read that had a movie adaption (and this is excluding those Disney books that have animated adaptions) was Gone With the Wind. Never before had I been so invested in the lives of fictional characters as I was with Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie and Ashley. I remember my parents going out and renting the movie for me after I finished reading the book, and I fell in love with the movie and all of the actors in it. Of course, since Gone With the Wind was over a thousand pages long, it would have been impossible to fit every detail into the movie, so there were a lot of subplots and character information that they couldn't show. I felt like I enjoyed the movie even more so because I had read the book and I could fill in the blanks myself. I started to believe that reading the novel before seeing the movie would be better than the other way around. Also, it seemed to me that I may not enjoy reading a book as much if I had already seen the movie and knew what the ending would be. I always need the suspense to keep me interested in what I'm reading, therefore, knowing the end result would kill that.

Now, the Harry Potter series is a different story. I've seen films 1-4 and I have to say that I am so incredibly impressed by J.K Rowling for creating these characters and their world, the screenwriter for adapting the story so well, and the producers and directors for their work in bringing Harry and his friends to life. I have not read any of the books before, but I just started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and I love it! Doesn't this contradict my statement earlier about losing interest in reading a book if I already know the ending? Sure, because I'm still very much interested in reading every word on every page even if I already know what is going to happen. Seeing the movies didn't ruin anything for me. There are still many characters and details that couldn't be included in the movies, and the books are helping me to appreciate the stories and their characters even more than before.

So what is so confusing? Well, I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe recently, and I was very excited to see the story come to life on screen, but I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I would be. Now, don't get me wrong, the movie was done really well, and the other people in the theater really enjoyed it. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe I should have worn socks and shoes instead of flip-flops because it was really cold in the theater. Either way, this experience was not like the one I had when I saw "Gone with the Wind" on screen for the first time. I just kept thinking that I wish I hadn't read the book first.

Memoirs of a Geisha is now a movie also, and I read that book back in 2000. I have decided I won't reread it before the movie. I know the basic plot of the story and how it ends, but I think I'll enjoy this movie more if I just let the movie retell the story to me.

As you can see, I'm still torn about which order I should do things in; movie or book first?

Star Wars

2005-11-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

As most people already know, the third episode of Star Wars came out on dvd last week. My fiance is a HUGE Star Wars fan and he has been addicted to playing this Star Wars xbox game for the last two or three weeks! Anyways, a day before the dvd came out, he decided that he was going to watch the first two episodes over again to prepare himself for the third. Now, I swear that this is the truth, but I have NEVER seen any of the Star Wars episodes. I don't even remember seeing episodes IV-VI, but I was aware of the fact that Darth Vadar was the evil character and Luke Skywalker was a good guy. I had no idea how the characters related to one another, so I would definitely have failed the most basic Star Wars trivia quiz if I was ever made to take one. But I knew that my fiance had a goal to somehow get me to watch the entire series.

I'm not really a fan of sci-fi movies or fantasy type of stories. I tried getting into the Harry Potter series but I just wasn't feeling it. Erwin managed to get me to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he had a little help. The company that we both used to work for decided that our annual holiday party would be a private screening of "Return of the King" on its opening day, so I wanted to understand what I was about to watch. We watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" a few nights before I saw the third movie, and I was so glad that I was able to see all three back to back! I actually enjoyed it!

So, back to the Star Wars thing, I was laying down on the couch when he decided to watch the first episode, so I watched it along with him since I didn't have anything else to do. Of course, I asked him so many questions just so that I could keep the people straight in my head. Then we moved on to the second episode and I realized how cute Hayden Christensen was. Soon after that, we moved onto the third episode and I realized that Hayden Christensen is pretty HOT! Oh, and I saw Anakin Skywalker transform into Darth Vadar.

Of course, I didn't want the story to end there, so we continued on with episodes IV-VI. I have to admit that IV-VI was much more funny and a little goofier than the first three episodes. I kind of feel like the first three episodes were taken a little too seriously, but I still appreciated it for what it was.

Errands

2005-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Nothing much has been going on. Halloween wasn't as eventful as I thought it would be. I was expecting to have dozens of kids knocking on our door for candy, but since our house isn't as close to the main road we didn't have that many kids come by. Now Erwin and I are left with a lot of candy, and I don't really have much of a sweet tooth to begin with.

Today I ran some errands with Erwin. He NEEDED to go to Target to get two DVDs; "Star Wars Episode Three" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I decided to come along to get some lens cleaner for my glasses and pick up some dog food for Kinno-boy, but I ended up raiding the pet area and bought him a pack of new bones, Beggin Strips, a Kong toy with insertable biscuits, poopie bags, and the meat and gravy pouches that he likes mixed in with his kibble. I don't know what it is, but I totally enjoy making him happy! I love that boy to death! When I handed him his new bone, he sniffed at it and then left it alone, but when I started to pretend to chew it, he grabbed it and took it away to hide it!

Right after we went to Target, Erwin and I went to eat at Wendy's. While we were eating, we noticed that a man who was alone with his little toddler was singing out loud with all of the songs that were playing over the speakers. The man actually had a pretty nice voice, and he seemed to know just about every song that came on. Erwin said "See, people should feel free to sing out loud in public if they feel like it!" I don't think he would be saying that if the guy couldn't hold a note.

Halloween 2005

2005-10-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Halloween is such a fun holiday for kids and adults! It gives everyone a chance to be anyone or anything but themselves. The last time my fiance and I dressed up for Halloween was in 2003, and we won the Best Costume award for dressing up in pajamas and putting fake blood on his pajama pants while I carried a bloody knife and a jar with apple juice and a hot dog floating in it. We were John and Lorena Bobbit and everyone thought our costume was so simple yet so genius. I was just glad that I got to wear pajamas the whole night and felt oh so comfortable in my house slippers!

Last year I wasn't feeling all that great so we ended up staying home. But this year, we plan on handing out candy to the kids in our neighborhood. This is our first Halloween in San Diego, and all of our family still lives in the SF Bay Area. I was kind of bummed that I wouldn't be able to attend my goddaughter's Halloween party so I could see all of my nieces and my nephew dressed up. My cousin was bummed also because she was hoping that my fiance could draw sketches for the kids at the party. I should have told her that he has a fee for his drawing services, but most likely she would pay us with some good food.

We hit up Target to get our Halloween candy but later on regretted our purchase there because we found better prices for candy at Walmart and Rite-Aid. Then we went to the mall and stopped at Pumpkin Station to pick up our pumpkins. We even invested in getting fancy carving tools with cool patterns that you can transfer onto the pumpkin to make it look like you're an expert. I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in ages and it was fun to go around and look for the perfect pumpkin. I think a pumpkin patch is one of those places that always makes you feel like a kid again when you visit, kind of like Disneyland.

If you look to the right of my blog, you can see the pictures of the pumpkins that we carved last night! I think they turned out better than I expected, and it's by far the best job I've ever done! My fiance is the great artist between the two of us and it made me feel wonderful when he told me that he loved the work I did on my pumpkin!

Well, I hope you have a great Halloween and please be safe!

When the doorbell rings

2005-10-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

The other night, Erwin and I were just relaxing in the living room watching TV (what else is new?) when the doorbell rang. I don't know why we have become fearful of answering the door because it always seems like we're trying to pass the task off to each other. ["You answer the door!"--"No! You get it! I got it last time!"] We don't really know anyone in the area except for a couple of friends, but they would usually let us know if they were coming to visit. I guess answering the door is like a crapshoot. Or like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get. (okay, I ripped that off of that Tom Hanks movie)

One time when the doorbell rang, it was two men in shirts and ties carrying bibles. Erwin was able to see them from the window so we didn't answer the door. Now don't think I have anything against God or Jesus. I believe in the both of them, and that's how I was raised. I have two bibles in this house and a church around the corner that I like very much. I know that what these men were trying to do was witness to me, but there is just something about that that makes me uncomfortable. We have freedom of religion in this country which is why there are so many religions that are practiced freely. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't feel comfortable with anyone trying to preach to me just like I would never feel comfortable preaching to someone else. For me, and I'm speaking for myself only, I need to feel comfortable with the priest or pastor that I'm listening to, and any person off the street isn't going to gain my trust like that. It takes time. And just like I was explaining before with the freedom of religion, these people actually do have the right to go around and spread the Word of God, but I also have the right not to answer the door. (Okay, that sounds really bad! I'm not a heathen, I swear!)

Another time, there was this girl that rang our doorbell who was trying to fundraise for her speech team. Ahhh! I love people who participate in speech! It's so beneficial to young people to learn that skill early on. It helps you so much in life because speaking with confidence is such a deal-breaker in this world. Anyway, this girl was selling magazine subscriptions, and since I always end up paying the full cover price at Target, I figured we might as well get the subscription and save some money. And you know what else this girl did to prepare? She made little stickers that she left with all of her customers so that no other students would come to the same houses she had already hit. We still have the sticker on our door which states "Shasta's a Rockin' so don't come knockin'!"

Going back to the evening I was first writing about, I was the one that pulled door duty for that one. It was this young boy who had a bag full of stuff to sell. He told me that it was for this club he was involved in that helped keep kids out of gangs and involved in other activities. The club was fundraising for their trip to Knott's Berry Farm and he said he had never been there. Okay, maybe the kid was borderline cheesy, but I had to have faith and help him out.

For one thing, I remember being that age and trying to fundraise for all of my activities with school and church. There wasn't enough money to go around and we were trying to offset as much cost as possible. Some people were helpful but many more were grouchy and mean. I don't ever want to be that way towards a kid that is trying his or her best to participate in positive environments. I told the kid to show me what was in the bag, and he had some pretty scented candles and chocolate and mint patties. I bought both and he was extremely grateful. I honestly was glad to help.

Here is something important that I want to share. There are a lot of kids that want to participate in extra-curricular activities but can't do so because of lack of finances. Schools used to be able to take care of these costs, but more and more, they are losing money in their budgets and they rely primarily upon fundraising to keep these programs running. When a kid has an activity that they enjoy doing, they now have something to work hard for and they follow the rules because they don't want to risk losing their opportunity. The next time you see a kid fundraising, stop and check out what he or she is selling. You are helping them out more than you even realize.

Scary Movies

2005-10-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm watching this marathon on Bravo called "100 Scariest Movie Moments." They're covering everything from horror flicks like "Cujo" to suspense thrillers like "Fatal Attraction." They even have all of these actors, producers and directors (all of them having worked in the horror film genre, except the Coors Light Twins) sharing commentary on each flick. It's bringing back so many memories from my childhood.

I am second to the youngest of seven cousins from my mother's side, and we all lived in one house up until I turned ten. My older cousins were already in junior high and high school, so the movies that we rented for the weekends were usually of their choosing, and boy did they love horror movies! I remember seeing most of the "Friday the 13th" movies, the first "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Jaws" and "Halloween." I don't know why always begged and whined to be allowed to stay up late to watch with them because I always ended up begging someone to walk me upstairs to my room because I was terrified that something might grab me from underneath the bed!

I think that movies about serial killers and ghosts are pretty scary, but for some reason, those kinds of movies didn't leave the same impression on me as these two other movies did, and I don't think they would really fit into the "horror movie" category.

The first movie I'm going to discuss is "The Fly." I guess this could be considered a science fiction movie, but either way, it gave me nightmares as a child and still freaks me out to this day. This dude thought he had a bright idea in building this teleportation device but doesn't realize that a fly got into the machine with him, and there's the ballgame! For the rest of the movie you witness his disgusting transformation into a nasty, gigantic fly! Maybe it was because it was a movie that was nothing like anything I had ever seen that made it so damn scary, but after that movie, I became a ninja with a fly-swatter!

The second movie that really scared me as a child was "Platoon." I remember being really little, and my parents wanted to see the movie so they had to bring me along. I even asked them if I would be allowed to see it because it was rated R and they told me that since they were my parents I could come with them. I wished I hadn't. I think I suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome for some time after I saw that movie! I was so tense throughout the movie, wondering if these guys were going to make it out alive. I mourned with them when they lost one of their buddies. But the most horrifying part of the movie, the part that stuck with me until this day, was the end when the helicopter took off and left that one dude in the jungle, and then all you can see are the planes bombing the crap out of the area they just left! As a child who expected some kind of happy ending, this movie gave me nothing to feel glad about. I kept thinking about the guy who got left behind, and that chilled me to the bone. I can still see him yelling after the helicopter, but nobody saw him, and then they were gone.

Anyone else wanna share their scariest movies?

One thing I never learned...

2005-10-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is going to come off as a totally weird thought, but I realized that there was something I never learned how to do when I was growing up. Of course, there are many other things I never learned how to do, like how to pee standing up or how to juggle. But this thing I never learned is something that started to really bug me when I realized that I may never be able to impart this skill to my own daughter (or son) because I didn't know how. Well, maybe that's being a little overly dramatic since I don't have any kids. It actually hit me when I was trying to braid my own hair last night and it dawned on me that I don't know how to French braid hair. You're probably thinking "Who cares?" Well, at this very moment, I care, and not knowing how to do little things like this bugs me. It's probably a very simple process since I already know how to do a normal braid, which is why it is gnawing at me even more. I've tried to look at internet sites on how to French braid, but when I try to do it to my own hair, it doesn't come out right.

My older cousin used to French braid her own hair and now she French braids her daughter's hair. She never taught me how to, and since I grew up with the mandatory 80's bowl-cut, it wasn't feasible to braid my hair anyway. So I'm now twenty-six years-old with my hair being the longest it's ever been, and I don't know how to French braid it to save my life. Nowadays, kids are learning how to do cornrows and I can't even get to base one. Which reminds me, I don't know how to text message as quickly as kids do, and it's frightening because I'm still wondering why a ten-year-old needs a cellphone in the first place. Back in my day, we used pay phones.

So I came up with a strategy. Since my fiance and I live far from home now, which means my nieces aren't available for this task, I think I'm going to invest in one of those Barbie hairstyling heads to practice on. Besides, I don't think it's right to try to lure one of the neighbor's kids with candy so that I can use her for her head. Well, I hope Erwin doesn't think this is too crazy, although I myself already think it is. But I am determined to learn this skill so I can cross it off my list of "Things I Never Learned How To Do." I'll let you know how it all turns out!

The Gift of Sight

2005-10-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've had the same pair of glasses for the last couple of years, and I knew that my eyes were getting worse. These glasses no longer gave me perfect vision, but I was being too cheap and/or lazy and didn't feel like getting a new pair. I should have already gotten new glasses last year when one of the lenses kept popping out of the frame, but no, I tried to keep these glasses as long as I could. But last week, life was finally forcing me to do something about it. Erwin, my fiance, and I were heading out to the mall, and while we were driving I attempted to wipe the lenses of my glasses when they snapped right in half! Since we were going to the mall, we went straight to a LensCrafters and ordered a new pair.

Unfortunately, they said that the frames and lenses I needed were not in stock and needed to be ordered, so I wouldn't get the glasses until the next week. I rarely ever wear my contacts, so I decided to try and fix my broken glasses in the meantime. I took some scotch tape and did my best to bind the two sides together. Erwin told me that they looked fine, but I knew they looked ridiculous and I told him I would only be wearing them at home in order to watch television.

Erwin and I were out running errands today, so I was wearing the taped up glasses while we were in the car. There was one point where we were crossing the street and I noticed that this lady was staring at me. I didn't think much of it, but then, we walked into a magazine shop and I noticed more people giving me a weird look. I started looking for a magazine for Erwin when it dawned on me what was causing all of the staring; I was still wearing the taped up glasses on my face! I said to Erwin "Babe! Why didn't you remind me to take the glasses off when we got out of the car?" He laughed and replied "Sorry, I didn't even notice you were still wearing them." I was totally embarrassed, but not because of how I must have looked, but because I SHOULD have noticed I was wearing them since there is a huge piece of tape that blocks my vision!

Anyhow, I finally got my new glasses tonight, and I'm very happy with them. The prescription is stronger, so my eyes are still getting used to them. I didn't realize how bad my eyes were getting until I put on my new glasses and saw how much sharper the world looks to me now.

That's my dump for today!

The Naruto Ninja Rank Quiz Your Result: Jounin You are a Jounin. Wow- you must be a really great ninja that has much mastery in all jutsus and good personality. Fellow Jounins are Kakashi-sensei.(though he is a special Jounin, yes)
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