Sam's Blog

Link: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/garden_state/

The quote is a lyric taken from a Frou Frou (Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth) song called "Let Go," which is on the Garden State soundtrack. I watched Garden State on opening night (Wednesday) and it truly is a great movie. I had high expectations going in because Josh was building it up for me, but it was everything that I hoped it would be, and more. It's so real and accurate and it makes you think a lot about your own life. Not many movies do that or have that effect on me. It reminds me of a lot of people I know and I even see a little of myself in it a bit. I haven't been this excited about a movie since Kill Bill vol. 2, everything else has been okay.

Anyway, It's been so busy these past few weeks at work and I don't think it's going to get any better for at least two more weeks. It's so mentally and physically exhausting. I usually end up going home, eating, and then watch The Daily Show and then fall asleep. The working world sucks right now. It's a sad existence, but I guess it will have to do for the time being. It's so sad because I haven't done anything at all, laundry, cleaning, washing my car, etc. I guess it's going to be a fun and busy weekend. At least I am able to hang out with some Orientation people (hopefully) this weekend. They just finished back to back freshmen sessions, so I imagine they are more tired than I am.

In general, cancer sucks. But I am surrounded by it daily. I work at a cancer clinic (UCLA Bowyer Oncology Center) and right now, since we are so short-staffed, I'm temporarily working in the treatment center where patients receive their chemotherapy and blood transfusions. It's just sad. A lot of patients are really cool and they have a great sense of humor, given their current situation. It's sad in good ways and bad because I would see a patient come in all of the time (which means they're getting a lot of chemo treatments) and then they leave for a long period of time (which, most of the time, they're getting better). I am happy for them, but it was really hard for me in the beginning because I soon realized that I am close to those who come often, but usually, those are the sickest. I've been working there long enough to associate names with faces and that always makes the patients happy, but I get so sad when they open up to me and tell me that "the doctor said that there is nothing that he/she can do for me anymore." I cannot begin to understand how horrifying that would feel. But surprisingly, a lot of the patients are fine wiith it. I think that they accept death a lot better than their family members do. Now that I think about it, the family members are the ones that freak out the most a majority of the time. I dread checking my work email sometimes because they always notify us via email when patients pass away. It's so hard to deal with, especially at work. So, I am surrounded by this daily. I can't help but get frustrated at times.

I usually don’t mind my walk from the parking lot (Lot 32) to work (Medical Plaza) in the mornings. It usually wakes me up and gives me some energy for the beginning of the day. But it’s been so hot lately and I have been arriving to work all sweaty and gross. Arggh! It’s frustrating and it just reminds me that everyone else is having fun outside except me. I miss summer breaks. Working full time throughout the year sucks. I can’t enjoy nice summer days like these.

I always regret eating at Roscoe's about 2 hours after eating it, but yet I always go back. Maybe it's the nifty wetnaps that they give you after the meal or maybe it's because of the stray cats that lurk around that neighborhood, who knows! But they do make good biscuits.
Anyhow, chicken and waffles go together like peas and carrots. They're so satisfying. But the grease hit me while I was watching I Love the 90's (which is fabulous!) and it was really hard for me to sleep. I can tell that my body is getting older. Too bad it feels like my mind isn't doing the same. Ever since I graduated, I feel like I'm not utilizing my brain to the fullest and I feel dumber even though I try to read more books and keep up with the news. It's not the same.

So I'm at Roscoe's with Lisa, who was my roommate last year, but now is forced to live in the dorms (Reiber Hall) all summer. She's losing her mind with her job and all. But we went there with her friends, whom I have inherited throughout the past year: Angie, Marty, Justin, and Ryan. They're really cool. But they reminded of how LONG the summer can be as an Orientation Counselor. At times, I miss it because it keeps you so busy and the students are fun, but then again, I remember being tired all of the time working 60+ hours a week and giving tours and getting a tan. Maybe I don't miss it as much as I thought I did. I do miss working with people my age.

Well, we yet again tried to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Saturday, but we never seem to get around to it. This time, my sister's friend was visiting from Modesto (who lives in NY now) and we had dinner, but it got late and we missed the show. I think that it's a sign to wait for it to come to video. Pretty soon, more movies will be coming out and I will want to watch those instead. Speaking of Garden State, I found out that Zach Braff has a blog. You should definitely check it out, if you are a fan.

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I went to a screening of Fight Club last night and kinda met Chuck Palahniuk. I said hello and it was weird, what do you say to famous people? I always feel pressure to say something profound or cool, but I always end up sounding like a geeky fan. I touched his hand, but didn't realize it was him because he was tearng movie ticket stubs as we were walking in the theater. Most people didn't even recognize him. He looks a lot younger than I expected, even though his pictures are on the back of most of his novels. He had a great Q & A session and seemed like a really cool guy. I would love to pick his brain sometime. He is a fascinating creature.

It's weird how living in LA these past few years made me immune to all of the "celebrities." I've seen so many random celebrities, such as, Christina Aguilera (whom I hugged for no good reason and lied to her because I said that I liked her music), Sasha Mitchell (of Step by Step fame), Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Babyface, Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding), Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, MC Hammer, Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro, Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Sean Williams Scott (Stifler), etc. and the list goes on and on. I don't remember a lot of the encounters anymore, sadly. Which means I am getting older or I am getting use to it. I prefer to think that it's the latter.

On a random note, I've been listening to The Polyphonic Spree and to quote Josh, their music is so upbeat and happy that it "makes you want to kill yourself," which I think is funny considering his computer film. They're music was just what I needed after this long work week. I was first introduced to them through the show Scrubs and have been curious about them ever since. On a side note, I can't wait until Garden State is released (July 28th). I'm in love with Zach Braff.

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Ok, so that Coke 2 commercial has been playing nonstop and it's been getting that song stuck in my head. Then Josh brought over the Rolling Stones Greatest Hits (40 Licks) for me to burn and I have been listening to it a lot. It's not that I'm obsessed over the song or anything, but it's weird how my mind works sometimes. That song reminds me of Kate because we watched The Big Chill together. And we were both mad because that song wasn't on the soundtrack, even though it was used in a very pivotal scene in the movie. It just seemed wrong. I miss Kate because she was my movie buddy and even though she's not in NY yet, she is still at home and I don't see her that often. We will hang out, oh yes. We will hang out. So I'm sitting at work with that song in my head still. Darn.

On a side note, my weekend was excellent. It started off great because we ran into Spike Jonze and Jason Schwartzman in Westwood. We were too chicken to talk to them though because it was obvious that they were on a double date, sans Sofia Coppola and Selma Blair. They have new girls now and I didn't really care to see if they were dating famous girls or not. It's funny how much shorter famous people are in real life. They already looked short, but they are extremely short in real life. Crazy!

After the sighting, I went to St. Nick's Pub. John, Nate's long time friend from St. Louis, got too drunk and we had to drive him home. But on the way, we stopped at Del Taco and had the most interesting conversations about relationships, trust, friendships, etc. He also quoted Office Space a lot and therefore he is "cool" in my book. He's a solid guy and I hope that we are able to hang out more.

M and I slept together Saturday night. It's weird to wake up next to a girl in bed. I'm going to leave it at that. Even though M and I have known each other since junior high, it feels like I am still getting to know her everytime we hang out. She and I are very alike: fun-loving and complex and we laugh all of the time. I'm very proud of her. I hope all of you that are reading this are able to meet and hang out with her. Luckily we were able to hang out this weekend because we don't really hang out outside of our regular Wednesday dinners. I don't think that I can ever get tired of her crazy antics! We watched Something's Gotta Give (2nd time for me) and I still love it. I recommend it if you haven't watched it yet. It's a cute romantic comedy. Diane Keaton is great and I hope that someday I am able to own a house like hers in the Hamptons. It's beautiful.

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Is it just me, or are people still wearing Uggs? I saw quite a few this weekend and I thought that they were "out" now. Not only is it summertime, but it's been getting pretty warm and therefore should not necessitate Uggs. Maybe I'm getting old, but can't people see that they're plain Ugg-ly! I guess it's good for the boys because the girls that wear them, usually wear them with a short skirt. Nothing left to say but Hooray for Australian made boots, eh?

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So Emily Ellis (use to be de la Cruz) was basically my "senior buddy" when I was a freshman in high school. She is currently married with 3 kids and is expecting her 4th child any day now. It's crazy how time flies!! I am glad that they are moving back to the US from Canada (finally!) because her husband, Jared, is starting an MFA program at BYU. Hooray! Their kids are the cutest!!

I usually tell my rants and raves to very few people. But since this website is "public," I will use my best judgement as to what I will share.

I am trying to use this site as a forum for me and my friends to rant, rave, air dirty laundry, let skeletons come out of the closet, or voice our opinions on certain issues that affect our daily lives. Feel free to comment or suggest certain topics of conversation. Check back often because I am hoping to use this site frequently!