Sam's Blog

Link: http://www.thecure.com/

I always look forward to Fridays. It’s the last day of the week and you just coast by at work and wait until the end of the day until the start of the weekend. Tomorrow, being a semi holiday weekend and all, I only know of 4 people coming into work. It’s usually dead on Fridays because it’s technically a half day, but most people work full days one week and get the next Friday off. But I like the idea of having the office basically to myself. I can get settled in and do some organizing. I love love love casual Fridays too. I never really knew how much I would like it until now. It’s crazy what wearing a pair of jeans feel like when going to work. I like the idea and am looking forward to going to work tomorrow, especially since it’s probably going to be a half day anyway because no one will be there.

I am learning a lot at work and becoming more comfortable with the systems that I am learning. There are some quirks that I need to figure out, but the theory and concepts are starting to seep in. I’ve been in my boss’s office at least once a day for him to sign new contracts, which means that we are getting new deals done everyday. It feels good to churn out a deal and finish most of it up and get it approved and sent off to New York. I feel productive. More so than in my old job, though I do miss my coworkers (some of them). I have tons more to learn, but I think that I am going to like it here. I will be meeting all of our clients pretty soon and attending a lot of functions and mixers. It all sounds like great fun!

I think that I actually have concrete plans this weekend. I never really know what I am going to do for 4th of July. Josh’s director of the animation program always throws a party at his house in Hermosa, so I’ve been going to that these past few years, but I know of a few other things happening and it’s exciting to know that I have options. I am also glad that I am not organizing anything at all. Less stress. Yay!

S&TC quote of the day:
Samantha: You know, women dressing like men is very popular right now.
Carrie: And here I thought it was Pokemon. (Season 3 – Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl…)

Link: http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/queen/artist.jhtml

Oi. Exhaustion is the word. I'm feeling a bit better this morning, but I've been running on empty these past few days. My cousin's wedding this weekend was great fun, but tiring. Tons of family came out of the woodwork from Utah, Minnesota, and Texas. Some of these people I haven't seen in years…some as much as 20 years! Wow. They were all surprised to see how big I was. I was a lot taller than they expected, but I don't think they really expected much overall. I saw my godmother which was really nice, and a lot of my little cousins (who have gotten a lot taller than me now). It's weird. My parents both attended the wedding reception, but they didn't speak to each other, which I expected. But it's such a strange feeling. The bride is a family member of my mother's side, so all the people that attended were all on my mother's side of the family, but my dad probably keeps in touch with all of them better than my mom does. I never really thought about it until now. It was hard for me to figure out our family tree. I didn't know what to call people…uncle, cousin, great uncle, etc. There's a different term for everything in my language, which is also age-based, so that complicates things so much more. It was hard for me to determine which term to use, but most of my family didn't really care. I uploaded all of the wedding photos on my Flickr account, but I basically used up my 20MB limit for this month, so that will comprise a majority of the pictures on there. I saved it as a set, so you should be able to access them on the left side of the screen. I need to put in captions when I have time. Because I used up all of my allowed space, I was only able to upload a few more photos.

The morning after the wedding, we went to lunch at the same restaurant where the reception was held. They gave the couple and their family a free lunch, which I thought was very cool of them. My brother and I rushed back to LA to pick up Josh and catch a screening of 2046 (thanks Alexis for setting up the website so fast for me) at the LA Film Festival, but we didn't get there in time because of traffic and such. We ended up watching a French film called, The Beat That My Heart Skipped. It wasn't too bad. I liked a majority of the movie, but there was something lacking in it. Maybe it was that I didn't have any sympathy for the main character. They didn't really develop him enough to the point where I cared. But it wasn't too shabby. Josh stuck around and went to the DGA, where the festival was screening his short animated film. He saw Jodie Foster there watching the screenings and he had a very excellent Q and A session with the audience. Oh, we also saw Kirsten Dunst while getting our tickets for the movie at the Virgin Megastore on Sunset. And M and I saw Jon Lovitz (who looked like he had lost some weight) at the Century City mall parking lot. (I bought some new work clothes and 2 new suits!) Lots of random stars this past weekend! Anyway, after Josh's screening, we met up with Kurt and had a late dinner at California Vegan. He seems to be doing fine and I am jealous that he is able to wake up early to go running. I can’t even wake up early to blow dry my hair on most days. I am not a morning person at all, even though I try to be.

Monday was good because I learned a lot at work. I’m slowly but surely picking up the lingo and figuring out the computer systems and such. After work, we went to Kabuki for Amy’s farewell dinner. She’s moving to Colorado for an internship and then to New York for a year to explore the theater world over there and gain more experience in her field. I am happy that she is moving far, far away for her craft. But I will miss her dearly. I am glad so many were able to come out on such short notice. It was awesome.

Last night, two of my favorite coworkers from my previous job took me out to dinner. They felt like Italian food and I suggested Buca di Beppo because they had never been. We ended up staying there for three hours and chatting and catching up on the clinic gossip. I miss them a lot. They were my frequent lunch partners and I called them mom and dad. They treated me so well. It’s nice to joke around and tease each other like that. I know that in the future, I will have these types of relationships with my new coworkers, but I know that it will just take time. The people at my new job are sweet and they keep to themselves a lot because they’re constantly working. But I know that I’ll remember their names and become more acquainted with them soon enough.

I went to lunch with a coworker today. I knew her from UCLA because we worked together freshman year. She filled me in on a lot of the office dynamics. It’s always nice to know since I’m the newbie. We went to pick up my new glasses as well. I’m so excited, I am sure I’ll post a picture of them soon. After work, M and I had dinner at Q’s and caught up with our lives. She is a bit smitten right now, which I think is cute. She’s going to have a few friends visiting, so it will be nice to hang out with them this weekend. I am tired still. Argh.

S&TC quote of the day:
“If you’re tired, you take a nap-a, you don’t move to Napa.” – Carrie (Season 4 – I Heart NY)

That was the best sentence of the day. I was then handed a thick Office Max catalog. It was like Christmas. I am an office supply nut, and since I had an empty desk, I went to town on that catalog and ordered so many great things. I was very happy. My first day was great. I was given a tour around the building and around the entire floor and met all of my coworkers in the other departments. I learned a lot about what I will be doing and I set up all of the technical aspects of my job…passwords, voicemail, ID badge, parking, etc. I love the fact that there’s free coffee and sometimes free snacks. My email account at work has been active since the day that I accepted the job and since then, I had over 100 emails. It was a bit overwhelming, but most of the emails were companywide emails that were sent to us and the subsidiaries, so it wasn’t that bad. I know that I will pick up the lingo and the work soon enough. One of my bosses took us out to lunch and it was nice to chat and get to know him a little better. We also had a social function in the late afternoon with “beverages” provided. It was a big change for me and people there seemed a lot more laxed and laid back. I think that I will enjoy it here. The people are all so very nice and hopefully I will remember their names soon.

After work, Josh and I went with the girls, et all and a bunch of our PRO members to watch Russell Peters, an Indian Canadian stand-up comedian that was performing at Royce Hall. He was hilarious. His openers were mediocre, but he was fabulous. It was a great time and I like how he just feeds off of the audience and picks on the fans in the front seats and works off of their responses. I am glad that he didn’t do his routine that I’ve already seen on his special.

After the show, we were all hungry and went to Noodle Planet. Shahab, Kurt and Sandy met up with us there. I haven’t seen Sandy in almost a year. I am glad that she’s back in the states. I’m sure she misses the sunshine here. I would miss it terribly. But it was nice to catch up with her because I haven’t talked to her in a few months. She’s staying here for a while, so I am hoping that we can hang out often. Her sister just got residency at UCLA’s hospital and is living in Westwood, so I’m sure that they’ll be around. I can’t believe her sister is a bona fide doctor already. Wow. Well, only one more day of work and then it’s the weekend. Yay!

S&TC quote of the day:
“I was a huge fan of being anywhere you could smoke and drink at two in the afternoon without judgment.” – Carrie (Season 1 – Take Me Out to the Ballpark)

Link: http://www.theverve.co.uk/

So many emotions running through me today. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was my last day at work today. It’s so hard leaving a place that I am used to going to for over 2 years. The staff, the patients, the nurses, the doctors, and the other people that I’ve met in other departments. They were all so sweet and got me catered lunch from Chang’s, my favorite Chinese restaurant and they got me gifts too, which was totally unexpected. I talked to a lot of people today and I never really knew what to say. It’s all so surreal to me still. I don’t think that I’ve really grasped the concept. I am sure that I will very soon once I start driving to Santa Monica and going into my new office building and meeting tons of new people. I’ve learned so much from my fellow coworkers and they are so very supportive. I really am so fortunate to have worked with them these past few years. Sigh. I am really going to miss them. Now I’m getting sadder.

In other news, I finally bought a digital camera today. I wanted something easy, fun, and good quality and I think that I made a good choice so far. I guess we will see soon enough once I start taking a lot of photos. I mainly bought it for my cousin’s wedding this weekend. Tons of family are going to be there, some of whom I have not seen in about 7 years, or even longer possibly. So I figured that I should get a good and reliable camera for the occasion. I set up a Flickr account last week and I will link it on this site once I get some more pictures on there. There’s only like 4 pictures on it right now, but hopefully it will change.

I also went shopping and got some new pants and a top for my first day of work tomorrow. For some reason, I am not as nervous as I thought I would be. But again, that may change come the morning time. I am excited though. I like new things and I can’t wait.

Oh and I am always happy to start the day off with a lovely voicemail by Alison. I love ya babe and this phone tag business needs to stop soon! The nightshift is messing up our phone schedules. You need to stop working them! Eh, I am sure that I will talk to you soon.

S&TC quote of the day:
Samantha: “I'm always surprised when anyone leaves New York. I mean, where do they go?”
Miranda: “The real world?” (Season 4 – I Heart NY)

Link: http://www.greenplastic.com/

I cleaned out most of my desk yesterday. I carried the box full of stuff home. It's a weird feeling. I said goodbye to some nurses that I wouldn't see because they only work a few days a week and will not be there for my going away party tomorrow. It's kinda bittersweet in a way. I am happy for the new job, but I will miss all of my coworkers so much. I know that I will meet new ones, but the relationships that I've formed here are wonderful and I will miss them. It was weird because as i said my goodbyes yesterday (and even today) I was surprised that I was not emotional at all. It's very unusual for me not to be. Maybe it's denial? Maybe I haven't really realized that I am leaving for good? I don't know. Maybe my body is saving up for tomorrow because it will be my official last day? It's such a weird feeling for me though. I don't know what to do about it but live it. I guess that's all I can do at this point. I know that I will keep in touch as best as I can and try to visit, but I know that it will not be the same. It never is.

Link: http://www.sherylcrow.com/

I’m losing track of days and activities that I do on particular days. I totally forgot what I did on Thursday. So I will start off on Friday. I went to my lovely optometrist and I usually dread going because it takes so long for him to examine me every time. I am used to it because I have been doing it yearly for the past 20 years. My vision is horrible. But this time, it wasn’t too bad at all. I had been seeing him for about 4 years now, so he is familiar with me and my history. I found out that my sight hadn’t changed too much since last year, which is always a plus because I want it to plateau out for the next few years so I can get laser eye surgery eventually. It took me a really long time, but I found the perfect pair of glasses. My glasses are important to me because I wear them to work everyday. Contacts are a pain if I wear them daily and they dry out way too easily, so I can’t wear them the entire day anyway. But I am stoked about the glasses and I will be receiving them in 7-10 business days. Oh and Friday was the last day for my director at work. It was pretty anticlimactic and it seemed like no one really cared all too much, but I am just worried because we haven’t replaced my boss that left two weeks ago and we haven’t replaced the director as of yet. So we are in a bit of a situation at work. I try not to get too involved since I’m leaving in a few days, but it’s hard not to. After work, I went to Donna’s graduation and saw a lot of animation folks there. The food was great. I forgot how good UCLA catering services were. Yum!

I was still tired from the entire week. I had a few ideas for activities for the night. I was debating whether to go to Ivar, but I don’t think that I had the strength to get all “Hollywood” and dress up and dance. I instead was lucky to be able to hang out with Lisa all night. I chilled with Lisa and Sia for dinner and we chatted about everything that was going on in our lives. I hadn’t seen both of them in a long time. Lisa is working two jobs at the moment and has not been seen by many people. Sia has been hiding out at Clementine and working a lot as well. I miss them as roommates. We had so much fun together. It’s not that Josh isn’t fun either, but it’s different because he’s my boyfriend. We did so many stupid/fun/embarrassing/nerdy things in our apartment and I miss it. If I was living there, I wouldn’t have mistaken a peanut butter elephant cookie for a coaster. But it wouldn’t have been as funny if I knew that it was actually a cookie and not a coaster. They still crack me up and apparently I crack them up as well. We dropped Sia off at the Viceroy and we went to grab a milkshake and hot chocolate. I am glad that Lisa and I have remained really good friends despite our busy schedules. She is great and irreplaceable. We bonded over stories of how hard it is to train the people that were going to replace us at our old jobs. It is quite challenging, especially since mine keeps on calling me at 8am on the weekends wanting to ask me questions about work. Grr. It’s just hard to deal with sometimes, especially since the last thing that I want to think about is work on the weekends. But I only have a few days left, so it doesn’t really matter I guess. But anyway, it is always a pleasure to hang with Lisa and since summer sessions for Orientation will be starting soon, I would like to see her as often as possible because I will hardly ever see her this summer.

Saturday was fun because I hung out with Matt and Mike most of the day. We started off at an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet at Annapurna Indian restaurant. I was bummed because they didn’t have any naan. I found it rather odd that they didn’t have it, but the rest of the food was yummy. We then toured Santa Monica and the entire promenade searching for new bowls for the boys because they had recently broken a few. We put in much effort, but we didn’t find anything. It was such a beautiful day though. Actually, this entire weekend was warm and sunny and fabulous. Perfect even. After I got back, I had dinner with Angela. We haven’t seen much of each other with our differing schedules. But I look forward to our spontaneous plans and having great conversations. I am sad to hear that she will be also attending morning classes as well as her night classes. I guess it doesn’t matter time wise because I never hung out with her in the mornings because I would be at work, but I know that she will have less time for her to do homework, family stuff, etc. and I know that she will be even tighter with her free time than she has been lately. Eek. I don’t even want to think about it. I have faith that we will find some time for each other, but I worry that she will be running on empty a lot this summer.

After dinner, I got ready for M’s party. Well, it was actually a party for Tina’s graduation, but since they live together now, it’s their party. I am glad that M is happy with her living situation. She seems so much less stressed and happy that she could finally be able to throw a party at her apartment. It was a pretty good turnout for graduation weekend. The beverages were plenty and the music was loud. I was glad to see Meropi there. I hadn't seen her since she moved out last summer. She subletted out apartment last summer and she was fun to hang out with. I met a lot of really cool new people and I hope to see them again sometime soon. I liked the party because it was tame and decent and there were no overly drunken people that we had to worry about. Everyone was drinking and having a good time and dancing or chatting or whatever. It was really nice and very grown up. Frank and I were thinking about going to Avalon after the party because they were going to stay open ‘til 9am. A lot of his friends were planning on staying there all night, but Tripp, who was the only person that I knew that was going to be there, had already left and no one really wanted to drive all the way over there and still potentially have to pay a cover. So we just slept and it felt good.

I slept in today and was woken up by the lovely Kate, whom I haven’t actually talked to in a while. We were supposed to hang out when she was in LA last weekend, but the timing was off and she was incredibly jetlagged coming from Israel, then New York, and then Los Angeles. She came mainly to surprise her mother for her birthday, which was so sweet. But she had no idea what day or time it was and she only stayed for a few days. So we didn’t get to see her, but I know that we will see each other soon. Hopefully for New Years. We wanted to get together and go to Paris or London for New Years, but I don’t know how possible it is given my new job. I am not too familiar with the vacation hours and holiday schedules as of yet. But anyway, she filled me in on her trip and her life. I miss her a lot. She’s the type of person that I can “pick up where we left off” easily and have no problems with not talking to her in a long time. We are always solid and there’s great comfort for me in that. But it’s rough when we can only see each other a few times a year.

I was greeted by James when I got home. He had crashed at my place because Josh was having a small party with his friends from school. James cracks me up and I am glad that we see each other as often as we do. If only he can actually finish his films because I really want to see them badly. Anyway, I spent the rest of my day with Nate and Lisa. We cruised with the top down on Nate’s car. It was such a lovely day for that. It felt like we were in the movie Clueless and that we had no cares in the world. We were just driving around and listening to awesome 80’s music and singing along. The sun was shining down on us and it was such a blissful feeling. We had a lovely lunch and then picked up Jon and watched Batman Begins. It was a lot better than I expected. Christian Bale was hot, but I still think that his best performance was in Empire of the Sun. Anyway, it was very dark and though I was annoyed by Katie Holmes, it was overall a good and entertaining movie. Plus, cutie Cillian Murphy is in it and though he is a villain, he is still hot too. Jon took us to the Library Ale House in Venice and it was a very nice place. I wasn’t too hungry, but the ambiance was great and the company was even greater. I am exhausted and will regret staying up this late tomorrow morning. But for some reason, I don’t care. Well, I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that I will be done with my job on Wednesday and starting my new one on Thursday. Yay! I can’t wait.

S&TC quote of the day:
“Well, it's not that simple anymore. The real question is, is he a straight gay man or is he a gay straight man?” – Carrie (Season 2 – Evolution)

Link: http://www.coldplay.com/index.php

Josh’s film screened today at the UCLA Spotlight Festival in front of many industry folks. I am so proud of him and I hope that he will get some people talking about his film and spread the word. For as much as I hate networking, I know that it is very necessary to get jobs and recognition in his world (and in my soon-to-be world when I start work next week). I saw Jon Cryer (he will always be Duckie to me) there because he was in one of the short live action films. It was awesome. The films this year were great and I am amazed by the quality of the films because I know that there is so much hard work that goes into making any film. Wow. I was impressed. It was also nice to see his mom again. I haven’t seen her since Christmas! Holy cow.

I stopped by my mom’s place to drop off some stuff and she reminded me that my cousin’s wedding is next weekend (I totally forgot). I can’t believe that it’s coming up so fast! This makes having a sleepover next weekend very difficult. Argh! I have to figure it out. My mom just found out that she has high blood pressure and I know that it runs in the family because my grandma has it as well. I’m concerned for her and I told her not to be too stressed or worried about things, but I don’t know if she will listen. My mom is pretty good with her health, so I hope that it’s not that bad. I just got mine checked at my doctor’s office and I seem to be normal, which is a relief. Health problems scare me. After working at a cancer center, I tend to be overly cautious and force my friends to see their doctor for regular check ups and to see their gynecologist. I also force my older relatives get colonoscopies, if they can. My mom gave me eggs and soda this time, no fruit. I never leave there empty handed because she forces me to take something. I know better to not say no this time.

It’s only Wednesday. One more week exactly. One more week and I’ll be done with my job and starting another one. I am just waiting. I am ready. Training my replacement is very trying at times, but she is getting the hang of it. I know that she will be good and up to par by next week, so that is a major relief for me. I like leaving a place knowing that there is someone that is competent taking over. That way I won’t worry too much or feel bad, I guess. I figure that I will watch over her Monday-Wednesday next week and help her only if she needs it. So those days shouldn’t be too bad. The excitement hasn’t worn off yet.

I am happy because I got a pair of rose/mauve colored Puma’s that were on sale. Hooray! And I couldn’t resist the pair of Dr. Scholl’s sandals because they were on sale for $10. I’m still such a girl. I love me my shoes. And yet I always want more.

S&TC quote of the day:
“Hi. I'm not here but my shoes are, so leave them a message.” - Carrie's answering machine message (Season 3 - Hot Child in the City)

Link: http://www.nin.com/

I have been thrown off all day. I had dinner with M last night because she had to do something during our “Tuesday night dinners” and I kept thinking that it was Wednesday today. I hate when that happens. We went to The Cheesecake Factory again (it seems like we go at least once a month) and we had a lot of interesting conversations. One in particular about cunnilingus and the proper etiquette involved (like not falling asleep, ahem) and why people love it or hate it. It’s such a fascinating topic and no one talks about it. It’s a shame. People don’t talk about a lot of things, unfortunately. I always have tons of fun with M. Her life is changing so much for the better with a new roommate and hopefully a new position at work. She’s still juggling boys and trying to figure out what she wants in life that will make her happy. Everyone is pretty much in this stage right now, including most of my friends and me. I know it’s typical after graduating college, but it’s so hard trying to find the things that you like out of life, be it a career or hobby or pretty much anything in life right now. I start my new job in a little over a week and I am still excited about it. I hope that this feeling never ends. Anyway, I went to M’s place to see her new desk. It really is so awesome and I am so proud of M for putting all together herself (with the help of a few power tools). We watched Six Feet Under, which was fabulous, I might add, and then hung out. We then started playing around with the inflatable penis that was on her bed. Please see pictures below. We are so nutty.

I am still training the lady that will be taking over my position when I leave. It’s really hard to remember everything I do, as funny as it sounds. I’m always running around everywhere and it’s hard to explain to her all of the little details and also try to explain the big picture. She seems to be catching on rather quickly, which is great. I feel so out of touch throughout the day though because she is logged onto my computer so I can’t check email often or be on AIM or read the news. I miss the little things. But I am pretty easy to get a hold of, so it’s not a big deal. I just miss the outside world sometimes.

After work, I went to watch Josh’s experimental film class screen their films. Josh’s film was great and he did a fantastic job with the sound. I am so proud of him. Tomorrow, his film from last year, Self-Portrait, will be featured in this year’s UCLA Spotlight Festival. I am ecstatic and looking forward to going.

After the screening, we met up with Nate at BJ’s. His sister, Samantha (who looks like Britney Spears), and her friend, Magda (who looks like Penelope Cruz), joined us. Samantha just moved to Orange County after graduating from GWU in DC. She and Magda are living here for the summer, so I am sure that we will see each other more sometime in the near future. They are so cute! I hope she brushes up on her driving skills because she will need them to survive the streets of LA. She was already honked at and cursed at today, poor girl. Anyway, I am so thrilled that she is close by.

My stomach has been hurting all day. I think it’s because of the super spicy beef salad that I had for lunch yesterday, but it’s still bothering me now, so I am not sure. Argh! It still hurts.

S&TC quote of the day:
Miranda: Why didn't you just get an automatic?
Carrie: I love this car! It goes with my outfit. (Season 3 – Escape from New York)

Link: http://www.depechemode.com/

It’s been a bit hectic these past few days. Thursday was exhausting. I met up with Nate and had dinner. He was my partner in crime all night. We went to St. Nick’s to meet up with Ramona, who was in town for the weekend. She just graduated law school at Georgetown and is studying for the BAR exam up north at home. She was with her lovely sister, Kiran, and a few other friends that I have met previously. One friend in particular caught my attention because I had seen him last weekend while Andrea was visiting. He and Andrea had met at St. Nick’s the Saturday before and they got along fabulously. So it was a bit weird running into him again but it was so absolutely funny that Nate called her and told her. Good times. We strolled over to Marty’s party (it rhymes, hehe) in Westwood a little after 10pm. Nate and I realized that we hadn’t been to an apartment party in Westwood on a Thursday night in soooo long. Yes, we were getting old. I saw quite a few people that I knew, but the rest were all new to me. They looked young. They are young. They had Wet Hot playing in the background and we were quoting it like mad. I think I know that movie by heart. Sticky hardwood floors, vomit-stained bathroom floors, drunken girls tripping over stairs and people, weird guys giving me and Nate the eye, and there’s always the quiet guy that avoids eye contact (but he seems to know a lot of people because they keep checking up on him). In any case, it was a fun party and yay to Marty for throwing it. Nate and I didn’t get back until 2am and we hung out for another hour until I was convinced that he was sober enough to drive back to Hollywood. I learn so much about him when he’s slightly inebriated and though I try not to take advantage of it, I can’t help it when he volunteers all of his information, so I just listen. But it’s nice that we can be so open about our lives. I miss him because I barely see him once a week now that he’s on the other side of town.

Friday was rough because I was going off of 3 hours of sleep. Fun fun!! I went to start my car and it didn’t work. Great. I hopped on the bus and got to work late. The place was so busy when I walked in and it was nonstop until lunchtime. The day dragged on and on. And then there was cake for Sandra’s birthday and another cake for one of the nurses that were leaving. I hopped on the bus to go home and find that traffic wasn’t moving. They closed down parts of Wilshire. I don’t know the real reason why, I heard that it was because of a bomb threat at the Federal Building or a protest there. Either way, it made crossing Wilshire Blvd. very difficult. I saw a scooter run into a pedestrian and it wasn’t too bad of an accident, it just made my heart jump for a bit. It was scary but no one was really injured too badly. Anyway, an hour and a half later, I arrived at home and went straight to bed. I don’t take naps well at all, but I was exhausted from the night before and from work that day. I woke up and went to dinner with M. She let me choose and I chose Thai food. She luckily found some ribs that she could eat and I was content with my food. I am happy that she is not against trying new things. She is awesome. I was supposed to go over and help her fix her desk, but she got a late night “call” and ditched me for her “friend.” It’s all good though, I didn’t mind. I was finally able to watch the season premiere of Six Feet Under. It debuted on Monday, but I didn’t have time to watch it all week. I guess it didn’t matter because we don’t have cable, so we have to acquire it by other means, but I have a lot of friends that do, including my old roomies. I like to watch the show with very few people. It’s not a social show. It’s too intense and people start talking and I hate that. With other shows, it’s okay, but not this one. It’s very emotional and powerful and I can’t be distracted. I’ve been a huge fan for a long time now and Josh and I had a marathon earlier this year. We started from the beginning, all the way down to the season finale of the fourth season. I wished more people watched it. It truly is one of the best shows on TV right now. I am saddened that it is their last season. Boo HBO. But I was finally able to sleep that night.

Saturday was a bit pressing at points. I had to go fix my car and meet up with friends for brunch at The Grove. Went shopping for a new shirt for the “Prom” (UCLA Animation department’s annual screening) and found a great black lace tank top. Perfect. I helped set up food etc. for the event and was really impressed by a lot of the films. Some were very funny and entertaining and I enjoyed the long program. Tripp was the DJ for the night and though I kept on telling him that he sucked because he didn’t have any bands that I requested, he really didn’t. He was wonderful and I am glad that he was able to do the event. I am also happy that he played Depeche Mode for me, upon my request. He’s so lovely. I was able to finally hang out with Ramona and Kurt for most of the night. Ramona seemed to be doing very well. I am glad that she visits us often. I need to head up there sometime soon, especially since I have a lot of people that I am suppose to visit and I always tell them that I will, but I never do. I am horrible, I know. Kurt and I made fun of each other all night. I am glad that we have reverted back to our playful antagonistic friendship. He seems to be doing well, for the most part and I am happy to see him that way. His mother is doing well for the given circumstances. She is a fighter and is one of the strongest women I know. So we danced stupidly throughout the night with the animation students and faculty and perhaps even some people in the industry. But we had a jolly time. Kiran and her boyfriend, Henry joined us later and we danced the night away. I had a great time.

I slept in really late Sunday morning. I didn’t get back from the Prom until 3:30am and needed the extra sleep. I had lunch with Lisa at Tito’s Tacos and it was nice to finally just talk and hang out with no real time pressures that we have during our sporadic lunches. She is Wonder Woman and juggling two jobs right now and trying to establish herself and get used to her new position. I applaud her for all that she has done and I am glad that she is happier. I wish that I can see her more often though because once summer starts, I will not be able to chill with her. So sad. After lunch, Josh and I went to the Student Academy Awards to see all of the nominated films and also to support his fellow classmate, Shane Acker, who has an amazing film called “9.” He’s been to so many festivals and won tons of awards. When I first saw it, it was so amazing and I was speechless. It was awesome. He won the gold, but he could not accept it because he was in France. The films that won for documentary and alternative were absolutely wonderful and I was lucky enough to watch them to their entirety that day. It was a lovely event and I was happy that I went. It was really an opportunity of a lifetime.

Today was long. I had to start training my replacement at work and I forgot how hard it was to train someone. A lot of things are second nature to me, so it’s very hard to try to explain things to her and tell her why I did the things that I did. It’s going to be a long week and a half!

I am currently excited about: Batman Begins, Rent (the movie), ending work and starting a new job, the new Harry Potter book, Nick Hornby’s new book (A Long Way Down), City of God, 2046, The Aviator (which is still on my coffee table, waiting for me to watch it), M’s party, and Amy’s sleepover.

S&TC quote of the day:
“There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city and alcohol is often included with the meal.” – Carrie (Season 3 – Attack of the Five Foot Ten Woman)

My friends Sokhary and Alan recently got married and here are a few pictures of their traditional Cambodian ceremony. And if I chose to have a traditional wedding, then I would wear similar clothes. They are so cute!

Link: http://www.beck.com/

So I have some news to report. I never have any news, but I finally can say something. It’s official. I got a new job. It’s all exciting and sad at the same time. In a way, I know that I am ready for a change. And in another way, I know that I will miss everyone at my old job. They are all really very great people and I feel bad leaving right now because we are already short staffed and there are so many changes going on in the clinic. It feels like I am abandoning them. But I know that I cannot pass up this opportunity. It’s too good for me. Even my boss told me to take the job and run. I can say that I am in the “industry” now. I’ve always wanted to be in the entertainment and media field, but I would always try and get nowhere. But now it’s different. I have a lot more work experience and I have done a lot of networking. I am ready to make this my career of choice and I know there is room for growth and a long future ahead of me. The change will do me some good and I will be learning so many new things and meeting tons of new people, especially people my age, which never really was a problem with my old job, but it is definitely a plus in my new one. I met with the HR lady today and I will be starting in exactly 2 weeks. I saw where my desk would be (L-shaped desk, yay!) and met all of the people in my department. They all seem really cool and I am really excited to start there. I have so many people to thank who have been really supportive and have been nothing but positive about this whole process. I couldn't have done it without you guys.

I haven’t been doing much else really besides focusing my energy on the new job. It was a grueling past couple of days, so I am very relieved that things are final. I just have to break the news to the rest of my coworkers tomorrow and that’s going to be so hard to do. I have become so close to them. I have become a surrogate daughter to some and a confidant to others. It’s going to be hard working there for another two weeks knowing that I will be leaving them. And then there are the patients too. One of our younger brain tumor patients came in today to say hello. I hadn’t seen him in about 3 months and we caught up with each other and it made me realize how close that I’ve become to all of the patients and their families. It’s funny how when patients get good results back after their chemotherapy treatments, they always say, “I hope I never see you guys again, no offense.” It cracks me up, but it’s true. I know that the patients hate coming here and hate getting treatment, but now I am leaving them. But then again, sometimes I get really attached to patients and they pass away and it’s always hard on me as well. It’s super depressing and I am kinda glad that I won’t have to go through that in this new job. It’s rough sometimes.

I realized that I haven’t been posting much. I will provide a quick recap. On Monday, I was getting ready to use my new gym membership and realized that my sister had taken my CD player to Mexico with her. All the more reason for me to get an ipod. But luckily Nate will let me use his old one for a while so I can get used to the functions and how it works and that way when I get one, I won’t be so clueless, though they don’t seem too difficult to work. Many thanks to Nate. Anyway, I went to dinner with M and Antonio that night. I hadn’t seen Antonio in months and he’s currently studying for the medical school board exams, so he’s always locked up and reading (and I thought med school was torture enough). We went to Damon & Pythias and it was Antonio’s first time there. I love introducing people to new restaurants. I always hope that they like it and luckily, he did. We just sat there and lovingly made fun of M all night. It was fun! Hehe.

Tuesday night was the usual dinner with M and I suggested C & O again, even though I had just gone there a few days before. It was yummy! Afterwards, we went shopping for a new desk for M. We were browsing for an L-shaped desk, a big one for her room so she can do school work and work from home at times. We saw one that was perfect and it literally took my breath away. It made M speechless. It was really pricey though, but we saw a sign that said the hutch came free with purchase of the desk, so we got really excited (maybe too overly excited, yes we are nerds) and the desk will be delivered in a few days. Woohoo for finding good deals. I love shopping for office supplies. It makes me happy. M too. Angela and I worked out together after dinner. I am making a regular work out schedule and I hope that Angela and I can work out together often. Turns out that I didn’t need music at all. Angela and I talked the whole time and the workout wasn’t too bad. I just hope that I can keep up with this regularly.

Today was recuperation day. I found out that one of my other bosses is resigning and it just makes me so much sadder that I am leaving. The place is probably going to fall apart and will have to slowly be rebuilt. We already lost one manager last week and now it’s her and me and another nurse whose last day is tomorrow and possibly another nurse, if she gets the job with Amgen. Oi. Crazy times. I got home and relaxed and even took a short nap. But I don’t nap well, so I was grouchy when I woke up. I hung out with Angela and Josh for a bit and I am exhausted now. I can’t wait for the weekend though. There will be a few visitors and the annual “Prom” for the UCLA Animation department is this weekend as well. It shall be fun!

S&TC quote of the day:
Miranda, reviewing Charlotte's prenuptial agreement: Listen, this is just their opening offer. It's totally standard to go back in and negotiate.
Charlotte: Negotiate? I can't even buy stuff on sale! (Season 3 – All or Nothing)

Link: http://www.u2.com/

The weekend is over and I just got back from the last Andrea sponsored event. She cracks me up. We think that she cursed all of her favorite bars/clubs in LA because they’ve all changed for the worse since the last time she was here.

For example:

1.) Tigerheat (Thursday night) - Apparently the DJ was horrible, which made it very difficult to dance. Many young, young (like under 18 young) gay boys were there with their designated “fruit flies” and “fag hags.” Unfortunately I was not there to witness said event, but I am sure that I would have hated it just as much.

2.) Fast Times (Friday night) - (The Space)

So this local hangout has totally changed. We’ve been going there for over 5 years and we never had to wait in line or pay a cover. The place got really crowded by the end of the night, but it was pretty empty when we first arrived, which made me furious because we had to wait for a while in line and by the time we got to the front, we had to pay a $5 cover because it was after 10:30. Those bastards! It made me kinda mad. I know that it was only $5, but I have NEVER paid to come to this club, ever. So sad. There was a wide variety of people there. They ranged from barely 21 (who were super obnoxious) to 50+. It was amusing. The music was super loud and they had a new bassist. I miss Devo! He was good. Prince kept on flirting with M all night and said hi to her when we first walked in. Most of the guys there thought that they were too cool for school, especially the ones that were dressed in 80s garb. And then there were the weirdoes that kept on trying to dance with us. They were up on Andrea and M and wouldn’t leave us alone. One of them said to Andrea that I had a bad attitude. It’s funny because it wasn’t that at all, I was annoyed by them and they wouldn’t leave us alone. So we had to just ditch them and go across to the other side of the dance floor. After the band played “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” we left. Our ears were ringing (even in the morning the next day) and we were agitated. This was the first time that I ever left before the end of their set. So sad.

3.) St. Nick’s Pub (Saturday night) - This bar always attracts very interesting and different crowds every weekend. But apparently it was lesbian night because the bar was crawling with lesbians. There is nothing wrong with that, but we found it kinda weird. Some of them tried to dance with us and one even bumped my butt repeatedly while I was at the jukebox looking for songs. She was a subtle one…oh yeah. Everyone in my group was pretty toasty and we had many amusing and personal conversations (sometimes a little too personal) and much fun was had regardless of the dancing lesbians in the front of the bar. Andrea was preoccupied by a boy she met there and didn’t care about the lesbians at all after that. I was glad to see Nadja and Oriana again after so many long months. I like the fact that I have a place to stay in when I go to Boston. Oriana should be living there for quite a while, so I may hit her up sometime soon. I had included Boston in my east coast tour, but I am glad that I have a good friend living there that can show me around and have good suggestions. But hanging out with all of the drunkards was enjoyable and a bit embarrassing at some points in the night. I didn't mind too much because I was very amused throughout the night.

So those three hangouts had changed so much in 6 months and I am not sure if Andrea would want to go there again when she visits. But we all had good laughs and the company is what really matters anyway.

So today’s brunch was not organized by Andrea, but it was one of my monthly functions. There was a great turnout and I was really happy that so many people came out. But the wait was very long and we got really restless. It was really nice because basically the whole “gang” was there (sin Amy) including significant others. Since the wait was forever, a few people bailed but the food was great and there was good company. We saw Hal Sparks there again. I guess he frequents that place on Sunday afternoons. (A big thanks to Alexis for the posters that she gave me.) I will have to find a place for them in my apartment. We all went to Kitson afterwards. Not many normal people are familiar with this place unless they read about it in US Weekly or People magazine because people like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan shop there all of the time. It’s just overpriced trendy clothes and accessories that you can probably get for so much cheaper at Urban Outfitters or even a thrift store. I’m not dissing the place, but I realized that its way over my head and that I cannot justify spending $595 for a rhinestone studded unicorn t-shirt, even if I had millions of dollars to throw away. I don’t care if it was handmade. It’s just a waste.

On a side note, I went to Costco with M yesterday afternoon and we went shopping afterwards at the promenade in Santa Monica. Can you believe that there is not one single store that sells short sleeve mock turtleneck shirts? We couldn’t find one anywhere. I guess it is the wrong season.

And so the last event of the weekend was dinner and drinks. We went to C & O Trattoria because Andrea could not leave LA without going there and I agree with her sentiments. We had reservations and they promptly sat us. The service was great and I was glad to hang out with Andrea’s sister, Jenn, and her new boyfriend. They are a very fun couple. I still can’t believe that she is in college and all grown up. So strange to me. We went to Barney’s in Hollywood after dinner and grabbed some drinks. Overall, it was much time well spent with the gang. We haven’t seen each other this frequently since, well, the last time Andrea was in town. All of this activity has been making me slack on cleaning and errands, but I will try to make time for all of that this week. It was wicked fun and I will miss Andrea dearly. Luckily, she will be back very soon.

S&TC quote of the day:
Charlotte: He and Stanford are in love!
Anthony: Well, according to "Honcho," he used to be in love all over town. (Season 6 – Boy, Interrupted)

Link: http://www.illagain.com

I am tired. I have been all week. I think that going from 8-10 hours of sleep while I was recovering, to 4-6 hours really took a toll on me. At least it’s Friday and Andrea is in town. For those of you who don’t know Andrea, she comes into town with tornado speed and has every single moment of her visit planned precisely and organized with complete accuracy. She is getting her PhD in Denver and visits a few times throughout the year. She was born and raised in LA and I think that she misses it dearly. Suffice it to say, my weekend is totally planned as well because of her visit. It’s nice to have concrete, unchanging plans. It’s very adult of us, especially considering the fact that most of my friends (and me included) are the most indecisive people in the world.

Well, I am tired mainly due to the fact that I’ve been staying up late every day. On Wednesday night, I went to the Temple Bar to see Ill Again perform. It was their 3rd year anniversary as a band and they played a lot of old songs that I haven’t heard in a long time. I can't believe that it's been 3 years. I am glad that we went with some new people as well and help the Ill Again family grow. Josh, Angela, Nate, James, and Bob and I all went and after the show, we went to Swingers and grabbed some food. I didn’t get to sleep until 2am, which is why I am still tired. It’s all self imposed and all my fault, but I know that I can recover this weekend, hopefully.

Yesterday was fun. We had a huge luncheon for my boss because her last day is today. It was nice and there was cake! I am going to miss her. She was such a great boss. It will probably take a long time for the department to find a replacement. I saw my oral surgeon for a post-op and he says that I am healing fine. He gave me a syringe to clean out the holes and I used it last night and the results were gross, but it was refreshing to know that I am cleaning them. It tickled a bit too, so that was fun.

After work, I volunteered at the UCLA Alumni sponsored Senior Sendoff. It was nice to see Eva, Dre, Christy, Kent, Angela, Giacosa, Rob and Darling. But the whole event was weird to me. The seniors this year are so…young. I wonder if I looked that young in 2002. So weird to me. It’s like a whole different generation. I ran into one of my students and I felt old. She was graduating early. But then I realized that this time next year, a majority of the students that I counseled will be graduating. Eek! I am old. I saw a lot of old friends there from O-staff and SAA and such. It was very enjoyable and I was finally able to hang out with Eva.

I pretty much crashed when I got home. I talked to a few people on the phone, including the ever-elusive Roni. She’s been crazy busy with school and it was awesome to talk to her and catch up. Josh and I will be visiting her in July, so I am way excited.

Today is the start of Andrea’s crazy weekend. It should be entertaining, to say the least.