Sam's Blog

Link: http://www.wholefoods.com/

So I was at Whole Foods today on my way to my car after work. I was trying to find something to make a quick dinner. We have a lot of meatballs in our freezer and I decided to make meatball subs, easy right? I only needed cheese and bread. But it was a meatball sub, so I wanted to get some sort of French roll. So I looked and passed the organic white bread, organic wheat bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, vegan bread, pita bread, etc. Hmm...no French rolls. Wait, I see some kind of roll...oh wait, they're dinner rolls. Oh, there's La Brea baguettes. But they're really long and hard. Heh. I just wanted some submarine sandwich bread, really!! Argh! So I waited for the workers to help me. They're usually very helpful, from what I remember. So I wait. There's a lady in front of me. She orders 2 large skim cappuccinos. Argh, that's going to take a while and there's only one person working back there. I look at the bread area again. Nope, not there still. Well apparently cappuccinos are harder to make than I thought (which is BS because I worked at Starbuck's for 2 years and I can make 2 cappuccino's in about 1.5 minutes, depending on what type of milk, and if I wanted to be efficient). So I wait and look around for someone else to help me. Nope, no one. So time passes and I finally get to ask him the one simple question. I asked and he stared at me blankly. I was trying to describe the bread, "you know, like the bread they use at Subway or Togo's or any sandwich shop," but still nothing. He was like, you can cut the baguettes and make a sandwich out of them. And I was like, I guess I can, but they are too hard!! I just want BREAD! Then he was like, hmmm...and I got excited because I thought he was thinking of a good idea. But then he walked over to the hot dog buns and picked them up and I was like, "No, it's not the same, I'm sorry, I don't want to be difficult." So I stopped. I put the cheese back and walked out. I really wished Trader Joe's opened there instead and I should've went to Ralph's when I had the chance. I miss Breadsticks too. So I ended up making chicken and pasta. It was very yummy, but the ordeal was frustrating.

Link: http://www.toriamos.com/

So it has been a long day. I am more upset now than anything. I think I am numb. I couldn't help it. I cried. I cried a lot. I had lunch with a few old friends, Jesse, Vanessa, Lisa, Angie, and Eva and we discussed this morning's events. We were all devastated and had few words. So we decided to be more active politically to ensure that this will not happen next time. We were thinking Hilary and Obama in 2008! That would be so awesome. It was nice to be around people that shared my views, especially on this eventful day.

As if my day couldn't get any worse, my really good friend from home told me that his father had just passed away. I am so devasted. He was one of the greatest and coolest dads that I knew and I feel so bad for my friend. He was one of the mock trial coaches in high school and I will never forget him. I cried even more. What a day. This is probably one of the worst days ever. Sigh.

So I went to the UCLA store today after work. Big mistake. I always forget how crazy it gets there. Ran into Alex Kaplan (former Student Alumni Association president) there. I haven't seen him in months. He just started law school at Loyola and is keeping quite busy. The store was such a madhouse that I lost him. Oh well, I will see him tomorrow night at Homecoming. He told me that Gallo (Ryan Gallo, fellow O-staffer and SAA cohort) wasn't going to be there tomorrow night. That made me kinda sad because I haven't seen him in a while. He had to work tomorrow night so he can get Saturday off so he could go to the game. I miss Gallo's tailgates. They were the best. Getting drunk in the morning before a football game is one of the best feelings ever. Anyway, it took me so long to sift through the stuff at the store and I finally was able to find shoes for Josh (I was going to surprise him), but then this short Asian girl walked by and totally elbowed me in the lower lip. It hurt so bad. It still does, hours later. I wouldn't be so mad except that she didn't even stop or apologize. That's one of the reasons why I didn't like Asian girls. I don't mind some of then now (especially since some of them are my best friends) but Asian girls and I never got along in high school or even the beginning of college. I don't hate my own kind or anything, but it was just that I didn't mesh well with them. I consider myself Southeast Asian (since I am Cambodian) so there is a huge distinction when people use the word "Asian" as a whole. Anyway, she was rude and it really hurt. I had to put ice on it when I got home. I did get a lot of things from there so I could make my trip worth it. I will be wearing the sweatshirt at tomorrow night's event. It's still throbbing and I am hoping the meds I took will work soon.

I think I am getting sick. It's a horrible feeling and I think that I am coming down with something fierce. My body is fighting hard to resist it, but I am not sure that it will work. Or maybe I am just getting run down. I don't know, we will see. I am hoping for the best.

Plug: Go watch A Burning Thing that Randy is putting on. I haven't seen it yet, but I am planning to this weekend. Come join me if you want! I hear it's great.

Mood: Irritated a bit
Music: "Down in It" - Nine Inch Nails
Thought of the Day: Don't go the the annual UCLA student store sale, ever again. Remember my fat lip.

"Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk."

So I found out that Zach Braff went to Nate's party Saturday night, about 1 hour after Josh and I left! I'm so mad that I missed him. I guess one of Nate's roommate's friends is friends with him and brought him to the party and they hung out her room most of the time. But Nate said hello and apparently he is just like his character from Garden State, kinda aloof and awkward when he speaks. But I am bummed. We left the party around 2:00am because the wedding was earlier that day and we were exhausted. Oh well, I am sure that if I was meant to meet him, it will happen on its own. And I am sure that I will say something stupid to him because I wouldn't know what to say.

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.

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?