Thursday, November 6, 2008

"The Last Lecture"

As some of you may remember from one of my recent posts I received a book called "The Last Lecture" for my birthday. After I got it I began to read it right away, but only got to page 7. Then a few weeks later I picked it up again and read about 20 more pages. I would have kept reading, but my roommates got home from work and demanded my attention as usual.

Finally, I picked it up again today and began reading at about 1 pm. With no foreseen interruptions I figured I would read for about an hour. But I couldn't put it down. I finished at about 3:30 pm.

When you read a good book you have this incredible urge to tell everyone you know that they need to read it too. I only read it because my second mom raved about it. Normally, when you tell people to read a book they say they will, but never actually do. I've seen it happen a thousand times. However, knowing how enjoyable it can be to read a good book, I listened to my second mom. Sure it took me a little while, but I did it. And I'm glad I did.

"The Last Lecture" is about a Professor named Randy Pausch facing his own mortality when he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As some of you may know pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat because doctors only find it when it's way too late. Because he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University he was asked to give a last lecture. The book talks about going after your childhood dreams, and the fundamentals you need to get there . . . which is what his Last Lecture was on.

Reading this book was kind of inspirational. Maybe you think I'm dumb, but until you read it yourself I'm going to have to call you the dumb one.

I'm sure the inspiration I got from this book will soon wear off, as most inspiring things do over time, but I'm going to try and make the most of it while I can. Hopefully, even when this feeling fades I will still remember what I learned from this book when I am faced with a difficult situation . . . because . . .
_________ (a quote from Randy Pausch)
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"Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things" . . . . and

"Experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted." - - - quote from his book, although not his own words.

Just read it.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

100 divided by 4 Part II ( I told you I would write it)

Okay, where was I?

Thinking . . .

Thinking . . .

Should've read the end of my last post . . .

Thinking . . .

Thi . . .Oh Right, I had just opened a package from my parents and sister. After that I called Anna . . . no answer. My stomach was growling! I think I ate some candy or a cupcake in hopes of ruining my appetite. It was at this time I discovered that appetites can not be ruined and my Mom had lied to me for a very long time. But I digress . . .

Anyway, I was hungry, and Anna and Bo were taking forever! Finally my phone rang, I was so excited! But it wasn't them. It was my friend from Bakersfield. Once I saw who it was I felt a series of emotions. My thought process was as follows: "Damnit, it's not Bo and Anna (sadness and grumpiness), Oh wait it's my friend from Bakersfield, I haven't talked to her in forever! ( remorse, because I only sent her a text message for her birthday just ten days earlier, followed by excitement mixed with happiness).We talked for a bit about her son, my age, my job, her job, her new place, my new place. . . old friends . . . and that's about it.

Side Note : I forget to mention that my second mom (Anna's biological mother) had called me earlier to say Happy Birthday. When I first answered she sang happy birthday to me and I said thank you. Then I asked her if she was still at the DMV. OOPS! I thought it was Anna.

So . . . I'm still at the house, hungrier than I have ever been in my life. . . Except for that one time I was at my Grandma's mobile home and me and my fam had just gone swimming. . . and finally they call. They told me they would be home in about ten minutes and when they got there they were going to honk, at which point I was supposed to go into their room and close the door.

Why their room you ask? Because they thought I might look out my window and see them coming up the stairs with whatever it was I wasn't allowed to see. But in their room all you can see when you look out the window is a wall. It's so nice that they trust me so much.

It seemed like a lot longer than ten minutes until they finally got home, not to mention other people kept honking downstairs and it was very confusing. So in order to avoid being in the living room when they got back I just stayed in their room.

After what seemed like days, they finally got back. I said "WHERE'S MY SANDWICH!" . . . Sure it might have been rude, but I was hungry, and when I'm that hungry I get angry and demanding. Luckily they understood. After a few minutes they said I could come out of their room but I wasn't allowed to go into my room now. Then they said they were going to be in my room for a while and to not ask questions. I said "whatever, I just want my sandwich!"

So I ate, and I ate, and I ate some more . . . it was a big sandwich. When I finished I knew I had gone too far. I was really full. The type of full where you don't want to move, and if you were to lay down, you might be asleep for a while.

Fortunately I didn't fall asleep. I just watched tv and waited . . .

and waited . . .

and waited . . .

and waited . . .

Finally, Anna came out of my room and asked if I wanted them all at once or throughout the rest of the day. I couldn't decide so she said " okay! All at once!. So she brought out the gifts . . .

and then she brought out more gifts . . .

and then even more gifts . . .

Basically there were a lot of gifts.

I began opening them one by one.

The first one I opened was a tiara. Then I had about 20 gifts that were pens, notepads, post-its, mouse pads, more pens, more notepads . . . ALL WITH CHARACTERS FROM THE OFFICE ON THEM! I WAS SOOOO EXCITED! And it only got better, they also got me a 24 pack of Redbull, and a very cool hat that really can't be explained with words.

They really know the way to my heart. After all the gifts were open I sort of forget what happened. So I'll just skip ahead to the next cool part of the day.

Our friend Dick came over because he wanted to celebrate my birthday with me (probably because he's in love with me, but it also could have been for Anna's cooking . . . either way . . . ). But they had to go pick him up from the Bart station.

When they arrived back at the house they asked me to come downstairs because they said they wanted to show me something.I was nervous, I knew it meant trouble, but my curiosity took over and I went down anyway. Bo and Anna were both waiting by the trunk of their car . . . I knew they were up to something, but I thought that they may have caught one of the kittens that roams the neighborhood. I know we can't have a kitten, but I thought they were just going to let me pet it so I went closer (with hesitance of course).

As I slowly approached the vehicle I became more and more weary of what was in store for me. When I finally reached the trunk of the car BAM, SILLY STRING EVERYWHERE, ALL OVER MY CLEAN CLOTHES. I ran away, but Bo was not about to let me get away. He chased me up and down the street until I finally gave in and just stood there while he continued to cover my whole body with silly string.

When it was finally empty he walked away and Dick began spraying me with his can. Eventually he set the can on the ground and asked if he could give me a birthday hug. I allowed it, but quickly escaped, grabbed the can and began to spray him, then David, and Anna as well. I wasn't able to cover them with it quite as well as they did me, but I still got them back.

Note to everyone : Never EVER leave a can of Silly String unattended. I think they learned a valuable lesson that night.

After that Anna made Meatloaf, my favorite dish, and the four of us fully intended to go bowling. But somehow we wound up in front of the tv and our computers until it was too late. I was okay with it though. My bowling abilities are not what they once were when I used to practice three or four times a week, and I feared letting down their high expectations of my skills. I always like to emphasize that it's not my score that reflects my ability but my potential. Does that make sense? I don't really care if you understand, I know what I mean.

So that was my birthday. It was simple and fun. Just what I wanted.

But that's not all, no no no, that's not all. The great thing about living in different cities/ states than the rest of your immediate family is the gift delay. Even though my birthday was a week ago, yesterday I got another package in the mail. It was from my oldest sister. She got me like 5 puzzles. Extremely difficult puzzles that only someone with my extreme puzzle putting together skill would be able to do. I like them very much, Thank you sister who is eight years older than me, Thank you for understanding what a much younger person like me would enjoy .. . . and for being able to read my birthday list.

One last thing, my extreme laziness has left me no choice but to post this without proof reading it. Please excuse any grammatical/ spelling errors that might have occurred through the duration of this post. Thank you.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

100 divided by 4

Well, as some of you may know it was my birthday a little while ago. I turned 25 and I feel at least a day older than I was the day before. I didn't mind turning 25, you see, every time it's almost my birthday I start thinking of myself as the age I will be when my birthday finally arrives. So, although my birthday was only a week ago, I've been telling people I am 25 for at least 3 weeks now. Also, I know no matter how old I get I will always be 8 years younger than my oldest sister, 6 years younger than my brother, and a year and a half younger than my other older sister. In other words, I will always be the youngest person in my immediate family. However on the other side of that I will always be 9 months older than my best friend and 2 years older than her boyfriend who is also one of my roommates.

Anyhow, the point of this post is not to talk about how old I feel (18) or how much younger I am than my family members. The point is to talk about all the cool stuff I got. Which is really what birthdays are all about. Right?

Lets begin with what I did that day and I'll work all the Cool gifts in.

When I woke up it was early. I thought it was at least 10 o'clock, but it was apparently only 8:15. I would have kept sleeping but I just wasn't tired. So I woke up, showered and went to the gas station to purchase my daily RedBull. MMMMM . . . . RedBull . . . so delicious . . . so full of caffeine . . . what was I talking about? Oh right, my birthday.

Okay, so after I got my RedBull, I decided to clean the apartment. My roommates family had just left the day before and I needed organization! Luckily I know how to clean thoroughly because I lived with my OCD sister for a total of one year. ( Just to be clear, I said a TOTAL of one year . . . I just want to make sure you understand that it was not one consecutive year).

I knew my roommates wouldn't wake up for quite some time. I'm not even sure they know what 10 am looks like, let alone 8.

So I began cleaning. I took out the trash, wiped down the counter, scrubbed the kitchen floor. It felt good. By the time I was done my roommates had woken up and while I was putting away the mop and broom in the closet right next to their bedroom door, Bo opened the door and yelled my name, which scared the bejeezies out of me, as was his goal. You see we always try to scare each other. Unfortunately, he is always much more successful than me, because I scare much more easily. In fact I think the only times I've ever really scared him were accidental.

Anyway, when they woke up Anna asked me what I wanted to do that day and I told her nothing, which was completely true. It was my only day off that week and I just wanted to relax. She said that was fine but she had to go to the DMV to take her driving test because she needed to get a California driver's license instead of the stupid Nevada one she was carrying around.
I said that was fine, it gave me more ME time. So her and Bo left for the DMV around 11 o'clock.

I spent the next few hours just relaxing and watching television. Around 2 o'clock I was very hungry. My roommates were supposed to be bringing me a sandwich from Mr. Pickles, but they were taking FOREVER. I still waited though. I love Mr. Pickles. While I was waiting the mail came and I got a package from my parents and my sister (the older one, not the oldest one). I was so excited and opened it quickly. It was a little difficult because my hands were shaking from the hunger.

When I finally got it open there was a bag (some might consider it a purse, but I refuse to call it that). A really cool bag! One I would actually carry with me wherever I went. I know this was my sisters idea because she thinks I have a problem with losing my wallet and keys. I mean, yes I do occasionally forget where I put those things . . . which in turn causes me to turn the house upside down looking for them . . . but that's normal right? And I don't understand what the big deal is about leaving your wallet in your car! Just because I have one of the easiest cars to break into, and it's been stolen once and broken into once doesn't mean it will keep happening.

Nevertheless, I really like the bag. And I am proud to say that I have taken it everywhere i go for the last week that I have had it. Oh, and did I mention the bag is made entirely out of seat belt material! Well it is!

Okay, so there was more in the package than just the bag. There were things inside the bag too. They got me a book I asked for called "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch . . . it was recommended to me by my second mom (not to be confused with my biological mother whom I will always know as Mommy). I also got some really cool markers. They are kind of hard to explain, so I'm not going to try, but I like them very much.

I would like to publicly Thank them once again for those super cool gifts. Thank you Sandy (my sister) for finding a bag you knew I would like instead of picking one you know you would like. Thank you mom for giving birth to me 25 years ago, even though I was a "surprise" and also for the gifts. And Thank you Dad, even though you had no idea what you got me, but you worked hard to support our family and made sure we had enough. (Although Cable tv would have been nice when we were little).

There is much more to tell about my 25th birthday, but I feel as though this getting longer than most people would like to read , so lets consider this part one. Don't worry there will be a part II!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Long time no post

Well, it sure has been a while since my last post hasn't it? Soooooo much has happened since September 25th!

Since my memory is going in my old age of 25 I will start with the most recent events and hope more will come back to me through out my writing.

Most recently it was my roommates birthday. On October 10th he turned 23. His girlfriend and I had plans, BIG plans. She wanted to make a scavenger hunt for him that would last all day long. We spent weeks, nay months coming up with clues that rhymed. Okay, so we thought up most of them minutes before he woke up that day. What can I say, we work well under pressure.

We began by leaving him a note on the bathroom mirror. We also decorated the bathroom with balloons. Anna (his girlfriend, my bestfriend/ roommate) blew up most of them as I was exhausted from work the day before. The note on the mirror instructed him to take a shower, get dressed, and head to the car to find his first clue.

With each clue we left a gift. We had several gifts from various people in his life. I was in charge of leaving the clues at each location. We only told him where the first clue was, after that, each clue was hint for the location of his next clue.

We tried to be as clever as possible, which, if you ask me was pretty damn clever. The location of these clues were as follows: A big slide by our house where he once passed out after going down backwards (yeah it's that big), Mimi's cafe, In N Out Burger, his locker at In N Out burger (he's sort of a VIP customer there, and VIP's all get lockers), the sidewalk outside of the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. . . which is wonderful by the way . . . , our friend Dick, and finally we just gave him the last clue at dinner.

It was a long day that didn't go quite the way we planned, but was still amazingly fun. It was also very tiring and I had to work at 5 am the next day.

Other than that our apartment has sort of been like a hotel the last week. Anna's mom came to stay for about 5 days, and then Bo's family was here for about 5 days. Note to everybody (never offer room service as a joke . . . some people won't know you're joking, and making grilled cheese sandwiches at 3 am is no fun at all!)

We also got to go on a boat tour around Alcatraz Island last Wednesday. It was really cool, and very informative. I finally got to see the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time on this tour, plus I got to see Alcatraz up close. We didn't actually get to go on the island, but we'll do that another day I'm sure.

Now, Let's recap . . . Birthday adventure, families in and out of our apartment and Boat Tour around Alcatraz Island.

The only other thing I can think of is that October 9th - 14th was Fleet week. So basically Fisherman's Wharf has been even more insane than usual. But it's over now, and I couldn't be more happy. Things are finally getting back to normal in my life and it feels so good.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Big Night

Tonight's the night! The night when regular people without interesting lives of their own drop what they're doing, sit down on the couch, turn on the television, and watch the two best shows on television to date. The Office and Grey's Anatomy! That's right folks, the two season premiere's of the year that make life worth living!

We are a mere 6 and 1/2 hours from the moment we have all been waiting for (some people longer than others). I am so excited, but also torn between which one to watch first.

First of all, I feel the need to tell everyone that I have to work tonight, so I won't be able to watch them until I get off at 1:30ish in the morning. I thought a lot about calling in sick, but decided to suck it up and go to work.

Now, back to the real dilemma, The Office or Grey's Anatomy first? If I watch The office first, I'll only have to wait an hour before I watch Grey's Anatomy. BUT, I've seen the preview for Grey's Anatomy and I am dying to know what's going to happen. I guess I'll have 8 long hours at work to think about it. In the end I will probably just flip a coin.

Friday, September 19, 2008

All alone for a whole week

My roommates are taking a trip this week to go see a baby. I don't really understand why seeing this baby is more important than spending time with me, but I'm trying to be supportive of their decision.

However, it's going to be a long lonely week without them and I don't think I'll know what to do with myself. I used to love it when my old roommate went out of town. I feel bad for saying it if that person is reading this, but I think she already knows. I think the difference this time is that my roommate is also my best friend and we always have a good time together. Plus if we're annoyed about something, like the fact that I take a sip of water and then put the bottle back in the fridge, she can tell me, and vice versa.

And now they're deserting me! When they are here we always have so much fun. We do puzzles, play scene it, and have foosball tournaments. I don't want to be home alone! I don't know how to entertain myself anymore. A girl can't live on tv alone!

I suppose I will get by, try to work extra hours, and maybe branch out a bit as far as friends go. I mean I like the people I work with, we get along, maybe they will want to hang out with me?

Friday, September 5, 2008

Update

I can't really think of any specific thing to write about right now, so I figured I'd just give you a little update on what I've been doing.

I've been working.

A lot.

I don't think I've ever worked more than forty hours in one week before in my life. School was an issue. An important issue, but still an issue. I just got over my entire body throbbing with pain from all the work. It's only been two weeks, and it's not as though it's a difficult job.

Sure it can be stressful, but not mentally. Just physically.

Other than that, I am currently addicted to Grey's Anatomy. My roommates wanted to get me hooked so we would all crave a fix together. I understand. It's hard to have an addiction and not want others to be going through the same thing. So since I couldn't fight them, I joined them. Over the last week I've watched three entire seasons. The fourth one isn't out on DVD until September 9th, so I will have to wait five days until I can have another fix.

I don't know if I'll make it.

Sometimes I feel really pathetic enjoying something that isn't even real. I just think "what is the point? None of this is actually happening, nor did it ever happen, and yet, I can't stop watching."

It's kind of weird actually, because I can sit there and think that all day about a drama or a comedy, but when it comes to scary movies I can only focus on the possibility that I might wake up in a really gross place, with a chain around my leg and a tape lying there that says "play me".

But* I digress. My roommates and I are getting a long very well. Except for the time one of them thought it would be funny to trip me down the stairs which led to a great big bruise on my gluteus maximus. At first I was really angry. But then I realized I can rub it in his face whenever he's being mean to me. So, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise really. Plus he tried to buy my friendship back with redbull, rootbeer, and Disc one and two of Grey's anatomy season three (rentals anyway).

Moving on. I currently have a sinus infection. It's annoying but I think I'll live. Although with all the Grey's Anatomy I've been watching I'm constantly afraid that my next doctors visit will lead to a terrible diagnosis of an untreatable disease.

Let's see . . . what else . . . OH! The tv in my room is interesting. It's not mine, it's my roommates, and it has character. If I want to watch something before I go to sleep I need to turn it on an hour before I go to bed so that it will work when I finally lay down. It has to warm up. Not to mention that since I've used it more than it's been used in a while the color is no longer . . . normal. It's actually a green tone now. Which kind of makes everything more toxic-waste looking.

You're probably also wondering if I've had a chance to explore the city much. I'm guessing you're wondering that because everyone I talk to asks me that question. Well, the answer is no. I go to work, and then I go home. I've been to Target, Lucky's, Blockbuster, the gas station down the street, and Walgreens. However none of those places were in San Francisco, they are in Daly City.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Stay tuned for more updates on my exciting life in a big city.

* I always feel guilty about starting a sentence with a conjuction (and, but, or). I think my middle school english teacher drilled it into my head that it was a big no no. I'm sure it is, but on the very few occasions I read a book, I see sentences that start that way. Am I crazy or is it against the laws of grammar?