Sam's Blog

Link: http://www.theclashonline.com/

I was on the corner of Santa Monica and Sepulveda Blvd. this morning on my way to work and I was jamming to the song “Police and Thieves” with the windows down. I was singing along and a young motorcycle cop pulls up beside me. He’s wearing a helmet and I wasn’t sure if he could hear my music or not. It was pretty loud though and it’s not the best song to be blasting next to a police officer. But he stared at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled, but as I drove off, I couldn’t help but laugh at how corny he was. It was cute.

Back to the rest of my weekend. I have so many mixed feelings about going back to Modesto. In many ways it was awesome and in other ways, it was just sad because the people there still think the same. I want to say that we have grown to a little bit over 200,000 residents. I am not sure how accurate that number is since the new year, but it’s pretty close. New huge housing complexes have sprung up so fast and more people are moving in daily (such as a majority of M’s family) that it’s hard to keep track. There are many new shops, restaurants, bars and such and it feels kinda urban. But as in every city, most of the people are lame.

M was forced to go to her 2 year-old cousin’s birthday party after the wedding. She left and I tried to rest for a bit. It was Alisha’s birthday as well that day. I hadn’t seen Alisha in about 4 years. She went to UCSB and I remember meeting up with her at the Moby/Bush concert years ago, but I think that was the last time I saw her. I forgot how tall she was and how short her hair tends to be. She’s doing okay, relatively. We met up with Loretta and Marissa there as well. I hadn’t seen Marissa since December and she looks really good and really happy. She’s going to move to Australia next year. I am so jealous! She told me that she reads this blog frequently, which really surprised me. So Marissa, say hi to Kevin for me and I am hoping that you are doing well in Modesto! I later met up with an old friend that was coincidentally in town this weekend and it was nice to hang out and go out for some drinks and catch up. It’s great to always be able to be so frank and candid about each other’s lives even though we only see each other about once a year.

M and I woke up kinda late and we had to get on the road to miss Sunday traffic. Her mom was so cute and made us breakfast and chai. I am really grateful for their hospitality this weekend. They treated me like I was one of their daughters and it was so sweet of them. I drove a part of the way home, between Fresno and Bakersfield. M’s car is awesome and so nice to drive. I wasn’t stressed at all. It was smooth sailing. It was nice to just talk with M about everything that happened this weekend and who we saw and how things have changed and stayed the same. We can keep each other company very well and I am glad that we can travel together without killing each other.

We got into LA and we went shopping for M’s apartment and I convinced her to get a 32” instead of a 27”-inch television. The only problem we had was transporting it, so we had to postpone the purchase until a later date. But I am excited for her because her roommate moved out this weekend and she will have the apartment to herself until August. The entire living room and dining room is empty, along with the bedroom and bathroom as well. So basically there is only furniture in M’s room. I told her that we should throw a party. It would be nice and we would have a lot of open space. We shall see though. I was exhausted last night once I actually sat down and relaxed. I had dinner with Josh and Wen. I don’t think that I am used to Josh’s vegetarianism. I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I keep forgetting and we can’t share food most of the time. But at least we both eat shrimp. I love me some good shrimp.

I had lunch with Lisa and Josh and Kathi (from Josh’s animation program) at the new Greek restaurant, Daphne’s today. It was yummy. I love kabobs. Meats on sticks are great, which reminds me that Memorial Day weekend is very soon…a BBQ needs to be organized. Too bad Nate is in St. Louis, his house is perfect for grilling and we’ve had BBQs there the past two Memorial Days. Maybe we’ll have one at our place. Our balcony is really small though. I guess we will see! Anyway, it is always nice to see Josh during the day. I am glad that his student schedule is flexible enough for me to see him often. It’s also awesome to hang with Lisa and hear her work stories and catch up on the weekend. It felt like I was gone for so long this weekend. I feel so uninformed. Hopefully I can catch up with people throughout the week.

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A big thanks to Amy P. for sending me treats from her visit to Kyoto and the Heian-jingu Shrine (as seen in the movie Lost in Translation). They were a pleasant surprise. I love getting mail, especially packages. I miss you so much and I am counting down the days until you get back here to the states.

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A big Congrats to Po for passing the California BAR exam. I've known her all of my life and I am so proud of her. Now I have someone reliable that I can turn to in case I get into any trouble. Hehe. Actually, a lot of my friends are in law school right now. Lucky for me!

S&TC quote of the day:
"I love your house. It's so you." - Aleksandr (Season 6 - Out of the Frying Pan)