See Holly Type.

American West Coast Tour.

2009-08-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Ramona Falls - Clover.

15 days.

San Diego CA to Vancouver BC.

Vancouver BC to San Diego CA.

Best 3800+ miles spent.

Melting.

2009-07-12T02:56:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Phoenix - 1901.

Why did I stop listening to these guys? I really loved Alphabetical, but never thought to follow up. I just heard this song on the radio earlier today and it makes me happy to think they might be known more than just that one song in Lost in Translation.

After MUCH NEEDED rest (+18 hours in a 24 hour span) my brain was ready to do some brow-furrowing style thinking. It didn't lead me to lots of happy places, mainly to an island of frantic internet searching for cheap flights and mixed feelings of a "wasted" summer doing decidedly unfun summer stuff.

It boiled down to about a 10 day window to travel instead of the planned 25 days.

*hrumph*

A wise "bird person" once proposed: Can one have happiness and still be sad at the same time?

I agreed with the statement, but also noted that I agreed with its converse.

Which leads me to this seemingly permanent furrowed brow I have. At the end of this post I'm still not sure if I personally stand with the statement or its converse.

Is this what happens at 4am with too much sleep?

Juggling.

2009-06-30T22:56:00.001-07:00

Listening to: The National - Fake Empire.

End of Day 3 at summer school and so much has happened since the last post.

1. Unexpected surprise work day on Monday.

2. Unexpected surprise workforce wipeout sans me [lame].

3. Very expected Las Vegas trip from Monday through Wednesday.

4. Unexpected extra day in Vegas.

5. Unexpected workless weekend for ONCE in my life.

6. A relatively low-stress summer work schedule.

I'm looking forward to a summer of Condensed Juggling followed by Juggling for the Income-Impaired leading into another school year in Advanced Juggling. It will be ~~juggling~~ challenging to say the least.

Going Batty.

2009-06-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's 3:12pm.

The last TPIoLs of the day are winding down and all I can think is:

Drugs are amazing.

Trust me, it's not what you're thinking.

It's been a stressful week for all the reasons I never thought I would be stressed out about. I can really relate to how Team Vista feels right now. I prepared for weeks, bracing for all the what-ifs, making hard copies of TPIoL prep, updating my DP, the whole nine yards.

And for what? I barely used any of it... or did I? In my attempt to cover everything I thought I would need, I learned that I was just preparing for higher level struggles. I was building the foundation to the house that was to be swept away by a tornado.

I don't know where I'm really going with this. My brain is mushy and I'm going batty.

I think I've heard at least 3 people say "When is it summer already??" in their most nasally/whiny voice today and they weren't all students.

11:12am.

2009-06-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

After the hearing, the parties took a recess while the judge deliberated with the paper jury.

Why is the silence so loud??

It's a flat drone like cotton balls screaming with white hot breath

or like glassy firm jello in a bank safe.

The noise hurts. Everything.

I can't even focus on the green ink in my green "wood" journal. All I can do is stare at the color of its pages that reminds me of chewed up and regurgitated cereal boxes, not that I would know what that looks like or anything.

[awkward pause]

As I break the staring contest with the cardboard vomit colored page and accept the writer's block it gave me, tensions also broke in court with hand gestures, a forced guffaw, and a clumsy scramble towards a door handle.

What seemed like 15 minutes was really just 2 or maybe 3, but no more than 5.

2≤x<5

where x=time elapsed in silence (in minutes).

What a nerd.

Superzero.

2009-06-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Metric - Help I'm Alive (Acoustic).

Your sketches today reminded me of a superhero sketch I made way back in 2004. I was going to post it the day you guys drew your superhero/villain sketches but I forgot...

...until now!! Introducing...

I also made my vehicle which at the time I thought was comedic gold.

I remember these took forever because I used Paint, a mouse, and my shaky hand.

QQC, My Friend, it Has Been Awhile.

2009-06-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

Currently reading: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs.

Love your neighbor as yourself. - Leviticus 19:18.

Nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff. - Leviticus 19:19.

After Jacobs humorously retells his experience with a shatnez [Hebrew for "mixed fibers"] tester to make sure his wardrobe is free of mixed wool and linen, he questions the Bible's seemingly random format.

"How can these ethically advanced rules and these bizarre decrees be found in the same book? And not just the same book. Sometimes the same page." (43)

It is a bit puzzling, but maybe the bizarre ones weren't bizarre back when the Bible was written or being formulated. Values change and are constantly changing to fit the present day. Secondly, does there need to be a reason? Sometimes things just are and exist for the sake of existing. Or maybe there is no reason.

Poop. [cryptic message?]

2009-05-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Quantic - Tell it Like You Mean it.

Currently should be reading: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs.

Reading is for those who absorb the meaning of words and groups of words that form thoughts, ideas and pictures.

I absorb the word too. I absorb the word and groups of words as a symbol. They too form thoughts, ideas and pictures, but I don't think they form the same type of thoughts, ideas and pictures as those who (whom?) absorb the word for its meaning(s).

I don't think I'm explaining myself well enough. If only I knew more words with the right meanings.

blarg.

Anyway, maybe I'll get some reading in tonight. It's such a great book so far.

In other news, I've been working on my Digital Portfolio after school lately. There are some weird but minor color coding issues on refs & photos and I still have my about me page to *ahem* "pimp out", but overall progress is... progressing.

Looking forward to the 4-day weekend,

-Holly.

The Newness.

2009-04-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Depeche Mode - Wrong.

Currently reading: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs.

I am a product of the 80s, therefore I must love Depeche Mode.

Period.

Anyway, I finally caught up with my sleep and a bunch of other stuff. I changed the layout a bit, did some mental spring cleaning and finished those thank you cards from LAST MONTH (I'm sorry!!).

Now that I'm all caught up, I've got lots of new stuff ahead.

1. New Blog.

For awhile now I've been really frustrated with myself. I haven't been pushing myself to be more tangibly creative. Hopefully this will motivate me more.

http://seehollycreate.blogspot.com/

2. New Set on Flickr.

I posted some pictures from Festival del Sol. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Take a peek if you wish.

3. New QQC.

"Like whoa! Are you for reals, Holly?

"Yes. Yes I am."

Quote

"If I had what they call a God-shaped hole in my heart, this quest would allow me to fill it."

Question

After researching his several Bibles and living as literally as possible, will Jacobs actually fill the God-shaped hole in his heart?

Comment

I can relate to Jacobs and his God-shaped hole in his heart. I grew up in a family that eventually sacrificed soccer games over church on Sundays.

Soccer.

And then basketball.

And then softball.

And then basketball again.

And then Buddhist youth group?

I feel like religion has always been in my life, but it never pulled much weight. I hope that Jacobs' insight and written progress will awaken something in me that has remained dormant all my waking life.

かていきょうしのブログ (Tutor's blog [I think])

2009-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Listening to: America - Tin Man.

Currently not reading: Anything.

Loopy.

I felt loopy today.

It could have been the 1 small bottle of water I drank instead of 3.

It could have been the slow trainwreck of failing learning strategies.

It could have been the 2 tangerines and granola bar I ate for lunch.

It could have been the structured chaos of joint project time.

It could have been the 3rd poke in the knee to remind me that I set my alarm at 7pm instead of 7pm that required me to get ready in less than 10 mins.

Or it could be other stuff that I refuse to address and think about.

Most likely it's all of the above, but I'm pointing the blame at the strawberry filling in my granola bar.

End of discussion.

In other news, I've been trying to get into classic novels, most recently Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. It's not working. So unfortunately I'm going to have throw it into the long queue of books I own but not yet read. Instead I'm going to start reading a non-academic book that is also in my queue called The Year of Living Biblically: One man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible by A.J. Jacobs. I read his previous book and enjoyed it throughly. Before buying it, I skimmed through the section where he tries to physically stone sinners in Central Park. From those 2 pages I knew it was going to be good.

Hopefully this book will get me out of this "I frownface reading" phase.

We'll see...

Becoming the KO.

2009-03-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Holly has really been ignoring her reading journal entries.

Bad Holly.

But Holly has been distracted by other things. It's bigger than shiny objects and butterflies. And it's not the sun or pterodactyls. Holly hasn't even picked up a book since last reading journal.

Very Bad Holly.

Maybe she'll pick up the slack on Monday. After all it is Holly's birthday. In the meantime, she'll be training to be this lady.

Awkward.

2009-03-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Happy March!

2009-03-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Oh Creativity! Where are you? I miss you.

I'm slowly getting back into writing my absurd short stories, based mostly on my ramblings like the happenings of an ice cream social hosted by Jon Lovitz.

I've been doodling more lately so maybe some kind of comic-like thing will come out of it. Who knows, but I'll keep you posted.

It's hard to see, but this is character development for Robot Boyfriend. He's swell.

Well, I'm off to sleepyland. See you all Monday.

Last Week Can't Be Beat.

2009-02-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just read some more of: You Just Don't Understand: Women and men in conversation by Deborah Tannen.

Q[uote]: "... overlapping speech/interruption that is not destructive, not intended to exercise dominance and violate others' rights... [is] instead cooperative and a means of showing involvement, participation, connection."

Q[uestion]: How can an interruption not be destructive in a flow of conversation?

C[omment]: According to Tannen, I have a "high-considerateness" style of communication while those who use "high-involvement" style of communication benefit from overlapping and interrupting. "High-considerateness" folks tend wait for pauses and take turns to show respect and give time to let statements settle and soak in while "high-involvement" folks constantly question and complete others' sentences to show they're listening, that they're really into the conversation and that they're attempting to understand.

Tannen also explains that these two styles vary from culture to culture. She gives the example that New Yorkers tend to be "high-involvement" in comparison to Californians, however Californians tend to be "high-involvement" in comparison to those from the Midwest. Tannen also attributes these styles to how you were raised.

So going back to the question, it's hard to see how an interruption can't be destructive to a "high-considerateness" communicator. Sometimes when I'm being interrupted, I feel it's rude or that my say isn't important enough to hear out. Sometimes I completely forget my train of thought when I'm being interrupted. Either way, I tend to get flustered when this happens. Most of the time, I'm not offended because I realize the "high-involvement" types are just trying to understand and not personally trying to screw me up. I also realize that some people feel uncomfortable with pauses because they may lead to awkward silences. I enjoy the silences and pauses., even the awkward ones. It's always a good time to reflect.

Ok. Hopefully, I'll get to more later.

Toodles for now.

Moving on/out and VD (Valentine's Day).

2009-02-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Jamie Lidell - Multiply.

*sigh*

My love/hate relationship with the word continues...

I know I'm behind 2 posts. It seems like I'm always behind. I type this down more so as a reminder rather than a statement. Eventually I'll get to them. Perhaps on Monday [question mark?]

I just felt the urge to post. Both my roommates are moving out and as much as I know I will miss their presence when they are gone I am thrilled to live alone. I'm a little out of breath right now because I've been moving furniture, blasting amazing music and dancing for the past 2 hours.

I had a little taste of living on my own for about 7 months. At first it's a bit scary.

The quiet

The weird noises

The echoes

The emptiness

The void of social interaction/community (conversations/discussions, house dinners, house cleaning parties, games)

Yes, it's strange, but man-oh-man-oh, the freedom is crazy awesome. The freedom to:

Make as much noise as you want, whenever you want

Create quietness on your own terms

Have parties on your own terms

Use an entire refrigerator

Take out less trash

Walk around in your robe

Dance around (although personally having roommates never stopped me from doing this)

The transition is easy for me. I'm very independent and I definitely need my own space from time to time. It's not like I'm a recluse or anything. I enjoy socializing, but I'm also really lazy. Sometimes I enjoy getting all dressed up for parties because it is fun, but usually I find it to be a chore.

Speaking of parties, I'm off to one in less than an hour so I should probably get ready. Happy Valentines Day all. I wrote a news article about the history of the holiday when I was in high school. Did you know it may have been derived from a roman holiday where the priests would sacrifice a goat? They would then cut up its hide into bloody strips and the men would go about town gently slapping women and the fields with it to enhance fertility.

Sexy.

So for those of you who have someone kill a goat, cut it up, and slap your significant other with it.

And for those of you who are single, don't stress about it. It's just a holiday to promote animal murder.

Peanut Butter and Photo Jam.

2009-02-09T01:50:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Architecture in Helsinki - That Beep.

Currently planning to read: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole [maybe].

So I guess I've been living under a rock when I'm not at work/school because I just found out about that whole peanut butter recall. Goes to show how often I eat/buy peanut butter or how completely oblivious I am about the world around me. My world is so much more interesting than "reality" anyway.

I was starting to upload more pictures onto the Team Vista Flickr account when all of a sudden it started to make my face frown. Not only am I restricted to 100MB per month, I am also limited by 200 photos. I already have over 200+ photos from Debate Day and I have at least another 100 photos from the last day at Mater Dei and the first day at the new campus.

Lame.

I suppose I could upgrade to the Pro account, but that costs money and I have an irrational phobia of online expenditures. I used to know people who could hack into bank accounts for the heck of it and get away with it. Fortunately they did it for the challenge and not for profitable/unsavory reasons. Sure, that was 7 years ago and I bet businesses have come up with more secure firewalls, but it still bothers me.

Hey. Did you know that you all are on the Keiller Leadership Academy website? Take a look and try to figure out where.

Anyway, I'm behind on sleep [again] thanks to this whole photo mess and to a lesser extent my interesting weekend. See you all tomorrow/later this morning.

-Holly.

Semestre Deux: 一番「いちばん」"Number One"

2009-02-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Rilo Kiley - Does He Love You?

Currently finished [finally!]: The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.

Let's get to business, yeah?

Q[uote]: "To the Taoist, Nothing is something, and Something--at least the sort of thing that many consider to be important--is really nothing at all." (143)

Q[uestion]: Is Hoff telling us that there are multiple definitions of "something" and "nothing"?

C[omment]: This is kind of taken out of context because before and after this quote he explains and gives examples to clarify it. A few lines down from the quote he gives the example:

"One his way back from the K'un-lun Mountains, the Yellow Emperor lost the dark pearl of Tao. He sent Knowledge to find it, but Knowledge was unable to understand it. He sent Distant Vision, but Distant Vision was unable to see it. He sent Eloquence, but Eloquence was unable to describe it.

Finally, he sent Empty Mind and Empty Mind came back with the pearl."

Hoff argues that we go about searching, thinking, analyzing in an almost haphazard randomly selected direction when we should just sit and settle and let the "emptiness" guide us in the right direction. It's the simplest most effortless route to take.

I'm glad I finally got to read this. It's very good and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Winnie the Pooh, Taoism/religion/philosophy or of short books!

Number 13.5: I Wonder Part 1.

2009-01-27T23:17:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Beulah - What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades?

I wonder what we should do in a lockdown.

Thanks to Botterman, it got me thinking... what will happen if this occurs? Not that I'm slightly worried. The chances are crazy small and I really doubt the guy/gal's going to be packing heat but I imagine we'll stay low to the ground and lock the doors. What about fires or earthquakes? In the Cascades (Oregon, Washington and BC Canada) they have volcano drills in case of some nasty pyroclastic flows. We tend to think in volcano-related deaths that the cause is lava, but if you ask anyone in the Northwest, they'll say pyroclastic flows. I don't want to get into it, but it's just a bunch of hot gas and rocks all up in your business going at super fast speeds. No fun.

I wonder when I'll take that frolic in the grassy hills past our campus.

I can imagine it. Me, in a flowing dress with a crown of daisies, skipping with a picnic basket in one hand and a rolled up blanket under the other. The sun smiling bright and the birds chirping. The fresh scent of green grass. Ahhh. Knowing my luck, it'll be more like me in jeans and slippers and a ratty old tee, treading lightly on the wet, mushy grass and then *whoosh* I slip and fall on my butt, spilling my dinner all over the ground. As I pick up my soggy sandwich and muddy blanket off of the grass, I frown at the gloomy sky and hear those black crows beckoning. Yay.

I wonder if there will be carbonated drinks 100 years from now.

What will be the drink of preference in 2109? Universal fruit juice? Tablets that expand to make you feel quenched? Jello? I suppose this could be applied to anything. Will humans even exist in 100 years? Cockroaches will so outlive us. They're practically older than the dinos. Those dudes are survivors. My father has worked with these pests for decades as quality assurance/control for your water (Sparkletts) and your delicious delights (See's Candy). I know how disgusting they are, but my friend is absolutely terrified of them because she feels that since they've already outlived us, they've got the upperhand no matter how much bigger we are than them.

I wonder what is essential to a great sleepover.

My roommates and I cleaned the house up and it's lookin' real nice. I no longer feel ashamed to have guests over. We want to have some of our girlfriends over before one of them leaves for Spain. We are rather lazy and bad entertainers so we don't know what to do when our guests come over. We figure we'll watch some sap-tastic movies and popcorn or we'll play the game that will never be mentioned because it has successfully ruined my life. But that's it. My lack of ideas goes to show how often I entertain.

Number 13: Holy Stressball!

2009-01-25T22:32:00.000-08:00

I promised I'd take care of my body today, but I didn't. Today Sarah and Sam got into car accidents with the company cars. They are ok, but we don't know about that other lady who started the pile up. Anyway, Di and I made dinner for them and met up at the event location.

The whole day has left me uptight, stressed and tense. As I type, my head hurts and my breathing is slightly short. I wasn't even in an accident and I feel all amped up.

My neighbor is so sweet. He made me dinner because I was all stressed out.

The reactions to all the craziness of the day have reinforced my faith in humanity and in compassion. It seemed as if the world came together today. After the pile up, 5 cars full of strangers pulled over to tell the cops what they saw. At the event the bartenders let us barrow their truck to load our stuff because we had to tow the totaled vehicles to the event to get the gear out. Shirley the Cake Lady helped set up when we were running 2+ hours behind schedule. The owners, who never go to the events, helped set up. Even their significant others pitched in. My friend and I felt an OBLIGATION to do something about today. My neighbor sympathized by making me food.

*sigh*

We are not robots

made of steel and plastic

lights, rubber, logic and numbers

We are human.

Humane.

carbon, blood, heart and soul.

I can't think. Reading not really an option right now. I did read yesterday. It was about Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, but I can't really recall it. I think sleep will help reorganize the blurry clutter, the swirling cauldron of witches brew. Probably a clearer post tomorrow.

Until then,

-Holly.

Number 12.5: A Serious Letter.

2009-01-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Holly's Body,

You are for sure experiencing some strange irregularities in your normally regular schedule. As delicious as Holly's Tongue and Brain may think, I know you are consuming too much caffeine. And I realize that the late hours and lack of sleep have left you struggling to function properly. That grilled ham and cheese at 11pm probably wasn't the greatest decision either.

For these reasons and many more, I am sincerely sorry.

I've been choosing to ignore you when I know you mean so much to me. You carry me and are necessary to my survival. I really ought to reconsider my current priorities and shift you to the forefront HOWEVER the reality of the matter is that I am enjoying myself way too much with good people, good conversation, and overall good vibes.

I hear depression affects you physically like with aches and pains and all, so a sad Holly is an unhealthy Holly, right? Yeah, I agree it's not good enough of a reason either, but you can tell I've already made my decision. Perhaps we can catch up on Sunday? Sleep in, work out, eat healthy? It's my day off too. I think it'll be good for both of us.

Hoping you can stick it out until then!

Lovingly,

Holly.

Number 12: Deadlines and Torrey Pines.

2009-01-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Anni Rossi - Wheelpusher.

Currently reading: The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.

It's a little late, but I did it. Man, you would think by now I'd get into the routine of doing these, but it's still a struggle.

Anyway, my obsession of collecting books continues to consume me and my wallet. I buy these used books in hopes that perhaps I'll read them one day. So far I've read most, but that doesn't mean I've finished most.

So I've been slowly reading The Tao of Pooh and it's a fun read. It's about how we tend to overthink, overcalculate, and overextend when we should just be. It's a very simple uncluttered philosophy. I'll probably write more about it when I'm done.

I just recently found out about Anni Rossi. We were schoolmates from K-8. Our brothers were friends, so our families would get together. I've completely lost touch with her ever since she went to a private school to develop her fab musical talents. It's just strange to see her now in comparison to the person she was in middle school, but then again I bet I've changed quite a bit too.

Today was fun. My friend and I went on an unproductive photo playdate in Torrey Pines. It's was perfect beach weather which is rather ironic for January, but that's just one of the perks of living in San Diego.

This kid was freakin' adorable, running around chasing seagulls.

Some living coral on a rock

"Sammy" the spotted squirrel became my bff. Jealous?

The view was amazing. This doesn't do it justice!

There were some funky-shaped trees up there. This Torrey Pine was on a cliff so it was manipulated by the sea breezes.

There were also some funky rock formations.

Number 11.75: Fried Day.

2009-01-18T00:45:00.000-08:00

Ugh!

ugh.

*sigh*

Friday.

Parts of me want to stab you with those plastic cocktail swords that anchor those deliciously fake maraschino cherries or olives.

Other parts of me want to place you on the mantel like a trophy...

...or perhaps more appropriately a reminder.

Yes.

Friday was just one of those days I want to never relive ever again and relive all over at the same time.

So loaded you are, Friday!! *shakes fist vehemently in the air in what seems the direction Friday is located (southeast?)*

After a 24 hour marination I've come to terms with some big life issues, one being teaching as a career path. It was not my patience that was tested, but others more abstract and harder to explain. The sad thing was that I wasn't happy with the results. If anything, it left me with more questions and more confusion but that's good I guess.

Oh bother.

I'm glad I got a hot date with Monday. Together we'll de-stress the craziness that is 2 jobs, reflect on a man whose influence has changed and is changing the world and thai food. Yes, thai food. The weekend twins will be so jealous. Ha ha ha!

Man, Monday is so under-appreciated. "Oh! Sounds like somebody has a bad case of the Mondays." How horribly offensive! There's never enough love for poor Monday. Often thought of as the dreadful first day of the week even though it's really the second day in most calendars, Mondays are nobody's friend, but that's not saying much because well, nobody is nobody/no body. To me Mondays always means fresh starts.

I don't know where I'm going with all of this. I don't have much time to reflect or refine right now since I gotta get some sleep in for tomorrow's wedding (again and again and again, again). Surely our struggling economy has affected many realms in our lives, but it sure doesn't seem to affect weddings. I hope it never affects weddings because a time when celebrations become discouraged is not a time I want to live in. Hmmm, that sentence is awkward and I'm too tired to fix it. It's time to get the heck out of here. kbyenow.

Number 11.5: Flickr Pictr.

2009-01-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Air - La femme d'argent.

After havin' a little e-mail chit-chat with Mr. Dave, we thought it best to use a third party to host my massive amounts of large file pictures. I've forever used Photobucket, but Flickr just looks prettier and also all those awesomely pretentious amateur photographers use it and since I've got the proper starter equipment I felt like I should follow suit.

I've got some photos from our last day at the old campus and some from our first day at the new one, but because I've got a free Flickr account, I'm allowed a certain amount of space per month. Perhaps if I have enough time, I'll host it elsewhere or on my actual DP folders. Anyway, here's the link to the Debate Day stuff. I had to exclude a few photos. If you really want one that's not up there, you'll have to e-mail me.

Number 9/10/11: Reading Journal Wherehouse Sale.

2009-01-12T00:19:00.000-08:00

Listening to: The "quiet" hum of my "old" compy.
Concurrently reading: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Like Sound Through Water by Karen J. Foli.

Over break I rocked this one out. I feel justified posting this super entry. I read a lot by Holly's standards and by the end of this entry I'll finally be caught up. Yay!!

First off, I'm reading You Just Don't Understand [see Number 3 entry]. I'm sooo close to the end. As mentioned in the previous entry, it's really frustrating to read redundant information. I feel that this book could be condensed into an essay, but I'm still reading on in hopes that some great epiphany will appear in the last few pages. *crosses fingers*

Secondly, I'm reading The Tao of Pooh. It's such an awesome book. It's about comparing Taoist principles using the characters from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. The style is interesting because the author writes as if he's talking with the actual characters. It's a short read and I hope to eventually get to The Te of Piglet, Hoff's sequel.

Lastly, I've been browsing through Like Sound Through Water. It's a personal journey of a mother dealing with her son's learning disability. I'm having difficulty maintaining interest, but it's easy to read so I'll try to power through it anyway. I'm not too far in it, so that could also be another reason why I don't find it particularly compelling. We'll see in about 50 pages if I think it's worth reading on.

Anyway my break was great, but as always it was way too short. I felt that I didn't get enough done, but then again when do I NOT feel this way?

"Barely ever," the voice in my head replied.

"Indeed," answered actual voice from my head.

Number 10.9999: Mad Skillz and Scrobbling.

2009-01-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

Listening to: The awesomeness that is Pandora.

Hey Team Vista!!

Has you seen my DP lately? I has photos. I also has cheezburger from In-N-Out aka the place that will eventually kill me. Well there are not a lot of photos but there are a few AND my resources page has beefed up since I bulked e-mailed all your butts way back in 2008. Mariah brought up a good point about how you all can't access my photos over the internet. Perhaps I will have a place for my "mad photo skillz" on my DP but first I should talk to IT Man Extraordinaire Dave Hua if webspace is an issue.

About 5 years ago my friend who almost literally lives in music turned me onto Pandora. For those who have never heard of it, it's pretty amazing. You just type in a song or an artist and it starts to create a steaming playlist of songs and artists that sound similar. You can also customize playlists by giving them a thumbs up or down and it'll increase/decrease songs that sound similar to the song currently playing. At the time it really REALLY sucked because they didn't have the money and/or popularity to have a good diverse music library. However now it's awesome and still free. Yay!!

Another similar program is Last.fm. It's like Pandora with a more social networking slant. The cool thing about Last.fm is it's tracking feature. It "scrobbles" your songs and gives you suggestions of similar artists you may like and you can connect with people who have similar musical tastes.

Well, I'm going to spend the rest of my Friday evening having a laundry and cleaning party.

Jealous?

You should be.

-Holly.

P.S. I do not like these ads on Pandora. Real annoying. : |

Number #: Winter Break.

2008-12-29T00:22:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).

Those two missing blogs are pulling my brainstrings. I can picture two little naggy gnomes poking my brain with twigs.

So annoying!!

(Side note: I'm quite impressed by this 5 min mouse-drawn ms paint-like drawing that I spontaneously drew.)

Anyway, I've been meaning to post my break reading, but I've been more or less internetless for the past week. Tomorrow/Monday after work I plan on going to the bookstore to get

-Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

-The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

They are both pretty short and I'll have a lot of free reading time this weekend as I'll be in the car visiting my friend's family for the weekend. I am confident I'll have them done by the time I get back.

This is incredibly short and I'm feeling really unsatisfied because of it, but I've got work in less than 6 hours and I really ought to sleep. Maybe I'll post again before the new year.

Hope everyone is enjoying their breaky-break!!

Number 9.999: Holy Sickness!!

2008-12-14T22:39:00.001-08:00

Listening to: Radiohead - House of Cards.

dying.

[figuratively]

I generally don't like change. I rely heavily on my preparedness, my creative nature and my ability to adapt to cushion the shock of change. Usually it works since I often think of hypothetical situations and use my creativity to adapt and come up with possible solutions but obviously it doesn't work all the time.

Last week was crazy. So much was going on that I didn't even have time to stress out about it. It was to the point that I kind of just let it wash over me and hope that things will work itself out [which SHOCKINGLY doesn't always work]. Probably as a result of this, I got sick.

So I've been in bed trying to preventatively heal myself and it probably would have worked if I didn't have a second job and a 10 hour shift to work.

But it's no real acceptable excuse for not blogging. I'm sure you all have other reasons for not doing the journals or would rather do something else. I've been there. In fact, I'm being there.

Anyway, to quit my rambling I know I didn't do one last week and I'm not doing one this week, but hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon.

-Holly.

P.S. Yay and congratulations to you all on your debates!! They were so amazing. Everyone was super impressed and you all should be very proud of yourselves regardless of the outcome of your debates.

Number 8.875: Muscling On.

2008-12-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Menomena - Muscle'n Flo.

Throughout all my strange/random musical phases, I've always been a huge fan of Menomena (not this menomena/Mahna Mahna). Initially it was the music. How can 3 guys use/play all those instruments? It also didn't help that I've been absolutely in love with the bari sax since middle school. And to top it off, these guys are just so darn lovable and down-to-earth; the chillest most modest guys you'll meet. Their website is pretty ridiculous, but their old website was a hilarious eyesore that I miss greatly.

Lately I haven't found the right words to explain how I've been feeling until I heard this song. I think it's part lack of inspiration and part lack of motivation to get my professional and personal life in order. I need to "face just what I'm made of" and "it's time now that I pick up my hustle". I get this nagging feeling that "there's so much more left to do" and it's a real daunting task. So much so that I feel the need to procrastinate and push it away as "I stumble my way towards another daily struggle".

But I'm feeling much better now and am confident that it'll get even better in the near future.

Reading journal has been postponed due to me loving my coworkers way too much. The end. Period.

Number 8.75: Talking Stoves.

2008-12-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

I'm still thinking about inanimate objects coming to life.

It's still hilarious/awesome.

Number 8.5: Logical Fallacies.

2008-12-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Cotton Balls.
Soft
Fluffy
Natural
Human's best friend

or are they?

The individual cotton fibers are in fact alive and exist solely to crawl into your pores to suffocate your lungs and restrict your heart from beating.

IT'S TRUE!!

But have no fear, Polyester is here!!

Although naturally occurring, Polyester is not alive and will not crawl into your skin and try to kill you.

Huzzah!!

This guy didn't die and he wore a polyester suit.

So please reconsider what you're currently wearing. You maybe just a few hours away from a slow excruciating death.

Some of the logical fallacies used:
-Appeal to fear- This fallacy utilizes fear as a scare tactic.
-Appeal to celebrity- This fallacy uses famous people to help the viewer agree with you.
-Post hoc ergo propter hoc- This fallacy means that if something followed something else then that something is the cause of that something else.

Number 8: Eight is Great.

2008-12-01T03:45:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Wham! - Last Christmas.

Currently Reading: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.

This song right here is BY FAR my favorite christmas/winter holiday song. If I hear this song I will proceed to yell along with it. In fact I heard it over the weekend in the car with friends. They threatened to kick me out one minute in when I started my "80s Emo" dance. Besides being a perfect song for karaoke, I like this song because I'm a fan of George Michael and to a much lesser extent that other guy in Wham!.

I had a great break, but as expected it wasn't very productive. I got some shopping done and lots of research for my camera, but I was planning on organizing my negatives and I never got around to it. I'm content with not getting to it because I got to spend loads of time with family especially my grandma who is a baller. (She just is, ok?)

Anyway, this book is random. It starts by explaining "Today's Special: Beets". The chapter ends with "An old Ukrainian proverb warns, 'A tale that begins with a beet will end with the devil.' That is a risk we have to take." What? Beets? The devil? It's all very kooky, but in a good way. I mean even the back of the book doesn't make sense.

JITTERBUG PERFUME is an epic

Which is to say, it begins in the forests of

ancient Bohemia and doesn't

conclude until nine o'clock tonight (Paris time).

It is a saga, as well,

A saga must have a hero and the hero of this one

is a janitor with a missing bottle.

The bottle is blue, very, very old and

embossed with the image of a goat-horned god.

There's more, but you get the point. It's random, but the cool thing is that this will make sense after you read the book and you'll find it to be a fitting summary. That's what I like about Robbins books. They start off strange and out of place, but end up to all make sense.

It's crazy late now and I shouldn't have even posted, but I felt like I should. I recently came back from a secret driving range and was using my friend's 8 iron. The 8 is truly great. It's strange how things just sort of parallel.

See you all in a few hours.

Number 7: Número siete.

2008-11-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Agustín Lara - Veracruz.

Currently Reading: Drink Cultura: Chicanismo by José Antonio Burciaga.

This is probably my favorite Agustín Lara song. He composed hundreds of songs in his career. It's crazy amazing. Even though he wasn't the prettiest of them all, he seemed to get a lot of hot ladies including María Félix. I think he had a few wives which made him quite the womanizer. I bet Britney Spears was thinking of him when she sang that song.

Yup. I'm sure of it.

It always feels like I'm rushing through these reading journal entries. They always creep up on me. Maybe it's because reading is not a habit and more of a chore or something to check off of my To Do List. This really makes me sad because reading is cool and fascinating but it equally hurts my brain. FRUSTRATING!!

Anyway, I heart this book. It's kind of like The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, but way less lame. Yeah, you heard me. I think House on Mango Street is lame. I can appreciate the style, format, and tone, but that doesn't make it less lame. It just makes it a good book that I think is lame.

Whoa! I gotta stop going on these tangents and get to the point!!

Like Cisneros, Burciaga describes the Chicano life in little vignettes. I love his informal tone as if the book and I were having a discussion at a taco shop. The topics he chooses to explore seem trivial, but a true cultural anthropologist knows even the most trivial stuff is important. There's talk of jalapeños, piñatas, chicano heroes, the differences between califas and tejanos, and *gasp* pendejismo! I have forgotten how much I enjoyed reading this book. I read it for a class and I think that's probably why I dismissed it initially.

I, like many of you [I imagine], have gone through what I like to call

The 4 Ds of Class-Assigned Reading

Step 1: Defiance.

*Psh* What do my teachers know?!

Step 2: Disbelief.

Oh... this is kind of relevant.

Step 3: Deference.

Oh! This is actually very interesting.

Step 4: Delight.

Um, I kind of really like this book.

If anyone is interested, I'm more than happy to lend it out. Hope everyone is enjoying their break!!

-Holly.

Number 6.5: I Write of Wishes.

2008-11-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Ani DiFranco - Wishin' and Hopin'.

I heard the Dusty Springfield version of Wishin' and Hopin' on the radio on the drive back home and was reminded how hilariously absurd the lyrics are. The hilarity is amplified by Ani DiFranco's version because she's a "righteous babe". Also the Hot Chip song has been added to the "mixtape" to the right.

Anyway onto the core of this entry, today's I Write was sooo awesome that I had to participate. I only allowed enough time to write down a list. Sadly, it wasn't very long. Some of the cool ones were:

-The ability to hover (my ultimate superpower!)

-Have bartering as a normal form of payment/make bartering more acceptable in daily transactions.

-the ability to silence people

-the ability to ease people's suffering

-the ability to stop/slow time

But there was one that was so amazing that I HAD TO share it during the Flying Piggies. If I dedicated enough time to explore one of my wishes it would have been this one: The ability to talk/communicate with inanimate objects.

How cool would it be if we could talk and communicate with inanimate objects? What if you're writing with your pencil and all of a sudden it barks at you "Hey! I'm dull. Sharpen me!" or "Ow! Stop pressing down so hard, okay?" Or as Josh B. mentioned, what if you dropped your binder? It'll probably say "Ouch!". And you can talk to rocks and be like "Hey guy! How's that wind erosion working out for you? Not so good? Yeah, I figured." Or you can ask it, "How were you created and how did you get there?" Oh the stories those rocks can tell you!!

"Well, I came from this really large mountain with snow and then I crumbled off when the weather got warmer and the snow melted. I floated into a stream for several miles, got kicked onto a highway, picked up by a convict on court-enforced community service into a trash bag that was shoved into a landfill that was attacked by environmentalists and was chucked at the back of a policeman's head and then I rolled on over to where you're standing right now."

Just like that.

And don't get me started on natural disasters!! What if you can talk to a volcano? I'd say, "Hey man, you don't need to be so angry all the time. You really ought to chill. Have you considered anger management classes?" We can chat with earthquakes and storms and wildfires and the wind and tornadoes. And can you imagine the insightful conversations we could have with Mother Nature or even Earth?

Whoa. So so cool.

In other news, I see some pairs using global warming as part of their cases. Why do you use this very reputable source in your debate? (If you can't see it embedded here, go here.)

I'm sorry, but this just cracks me up

every

single

time

period

Number "6": F is for Fulfilling basic human needs.

2008-11-16T02:51:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Hot Chip - Look After Me.

I'm dropping a quick post. It's nearly 3am and I got off of work. I love my job(s), but it can be super exhausting. Another 12 hour shift today/tonight and in t minus 9 hours I've got another 12 hour shift waiting for me. It'll be at NTC/Liberty Station where the HTH Village is located. It's so freakin' nice over there!

Anyway with that said, I am giving myself an F this weekend for my reading blog. I'd rather spend an hour and a half sleeping than 1 hour of reading with [let's say] 30 minutes of introspection/blogging. Sometimes you have to cut your losses, so that you can take care of yourself. If you aren't well or you haven't been taking care of yourself, how can you properly function? You just can't do it. Wait. I take that back. Maybe you can do it, but you wouldn't be able to do it well and how can you be proud of that?

So yeah, that's my little rant.

I was given this album around this time a few years ago as a gift from a close friend. It's so weird, but it really changed my life. And I mean weird both as the album is pretty weird and that it's crazy that an album or a song can change lives. I still think about that time and the shared memories I've had whenever I listen to any of the songs. It's funny how we link the music that we hear with memories, but then again memories are funny in itself. I could on a loooooong rant about memories, but I'm tired and I have to rest up for tomorrow.

Good luck to all and have a lovely Sunday.

-Holly.

Number 5: Hot Topic, Not a Retail Store.

2008-11-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

Listening to: MGMT - Electric Feel.

Currently Reading: The Law and Prop. 8 by Goodwin Liu, courtesy of LA Times.

Same-sex marriages.

Whoa.

I live with 4 extremely different people. Under one roof lives a hippie liberal, a very conservative mormon, a proud navy veteran, and a strangely indifferent waiter/masseur. We never talked about Prop 8 in our home. We knew it would end badly or at least I knew it would end badly.

Regardless of how I personally feel about this topic (and boy, wouldn't you all like to know?), I couldn't stop thinking about all of the same-sex marriages that lead up to Prop 8. If Prop 8 passed (and if you've been hiding under a rock, it did pass aka ban on same-sex marriages) what will happen to them? Will they be nullified and taken away or will they be "grandfather-ed" in and be the exceptions to the rule? And if the latter, how will it affect their/our lives as "exceptions to the rule"?

Another question, how can the courts allow same-sex marriages? Isn't the duty of the courts to validate or question the law, not to CREATE/ALTER it? Sure, it can be argued that the courts questioned/reinterpret the law which then becomes a potential catalyst for change, but that doesn't mean they can literally pass laws like the legislative branch.

This opinion piece helps to sort of answer some of my questions. Goodwin Liu believes that "Although the answer is not clear-cut, retroactivity [of the same-sex marriage license] is generally not favored in the law because people are entitled to conduct their lives in reliance on the law as it exists today, without having to anticipate how it might change in the future." So chances are the roughly 18,000 couples will keep their licenses even though there is now a ban on them.

The article doesn't seem to address my second question over the validity of the courts power. California government is quirky. I believe California is the only state to have the initiative system which can pretty much bypass state law (with enough money). I know that was random, but I'm still really tired and sore from yesterday and I know I'm not making complete sense right now.

Anyway, if my house is any indication of the crazy strong opinions in California, I imagine that this isn't the end of Prop 8 and of same-sex marriages.

Hope everyone is enjoying their 4 day weekend!

-Holly.

P.S. Did anyone hear about the protest yesterday in San Diego? I heard it was big. I'm curious if anyone has information about what happened.

P.P.S. Yay MGMT for their resurfacing success!!

Number 4.99999: My Spanish Equals Frown Face.

2008-11-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Listening to: My roommate talkin' about our crazy weekends.

Currently Reading: Postponed!!

I'm not in the mood to read right now. I worked 13 hour shift last night for my other job as a caterer and it's difficult to just get out of bed. SO SOOORE!!

Anyway, I felt that a news article would be easier to manage than the two books that I'm attempting to read. I don't understand what happened next but I thought it would be a great idea to find a spanish article in La Opinion. Back when I was taking upper division spanish courses, I would have to read AND comprehend college-level spanish on a regular basis. Normally it wouldn't have been a difficult task 2 years ago, but I haven't been practicing since then and now I suck. In the end, I accomplished to make things harder than they should have been.

So, I'm putting it off until I feel better.

Number 4.5: Random Spontaneous Connection.

2008-11-06T01:06:00.000-08:00

Listening to: Tom Waits - Green Grass AND Cibelle's cover of the same song.

Realizing the time right now, I'm going to make this short and perhaps I'll add more later, but I was compelled to write after listening to Tom Waits' Green Grass on my music shuffle. How perfect is it to hear this song while wrapping up our Life & Death Project?! The lyrics are told by a buried body singing to a loved one. The original and the cover have different feels but have the same loved tone. I just love the concept of the song.

Anyway, I added a music playlist thing to my blog that everyone and their mom seems to have. I've added the songs that I have mentioned in this and previous posts. I hope that this will better connect to what I'm talking about in my posts.

Hoping all is well,

-Holly.

Number 4: Team Awesome.

2008-10-31T03:48:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Mars Volta - Cicatriz ESP.

Currently reading: No Halloween for Maryland's Sex Offenders by Cynthia Dizikes of the LA Times.

There is a number of reasons why I'm up at 4am. Maybe it's the overdose of caffeine, the lack of restful sleep, the tired beyond tired of recent work/school related events or maybe it's the impending doom of the Halloween weekend where I'll be driving 8+ hours right after I work with you guys. AND I STILL NEED TO PACK!! ACK!!

But maybe, just maybe, it's because I've been up all night thinking how awesome everyone/everything was Thursday night. I can't express how PROUD and extremely HAPPY I am of all of you. My friends were impressed and so was I. Amidst all the chaos (and boy, was there ever chaos up in Team Vista!) everyone cohesively worked together to get it done. I absolutely loved how you all stepped it up and helped other groups, even ones not in your pods. I think Team Awesome is way better of a name than lame Team Vista.

Since I won't be near a computer over the weekend, I figured I'd do my reading journal now. Maryland is just one of the several states who are enforcing "No Candy" signs to be placed on convicted child sex offender's homes. It's a relatively short article about how different states are handling this gray issue. In California, officers will be patrolling homes to check if the offenders are not soliciting candy, in costume, and that their outdoor lights are off to deter trick-or-treaters. I simply like how it's called Operation Boo.

Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about some of the other states who are much more strict. Some states are forcing offenders to post signs saying "Sex offender lives here" or actually straight up detaining/arresting sex offenders for the night. Please don't get confused in thinking I support sexual abuse or child molestation, but what about those who have paid their dues and have truly reformed? Is it fair to condemn them for life?

Also in a slightly related note, did you know that if you get caught peeing in public three times, you'll become a repeated sex offender? I never really thought about it, but it does makes sense.

Lastly I chose this song because well, it's over 12 minutes of pure awesome!! That's all. Well, I gotta get packing still so I'll see you guys in a few hours lookin' haggard but happy to alive!

Number 3.75: Be-ing and found poems.

2008-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Common - Be (Intro).

I found these eulogies to be a rather enlightening experience. I wrote them as if I died now. Sad to say, I wasn't happy. I wasn't sad like depressed sad. I was disappointed. This was it? This wasn't the way I wanted to be remembered. I know I impact many people and that if I died today, I'd have no major regrets but I felt that I could/can do more. Next I thought, do I think it's possible that I CAN DO ENOUGH so that I feel content that I'm accomplished and self-fulfilled? I'm not so sure.

This assignment really got me thinking about the present, just like this song. Common is an amazing lyricist. Be is probably my favorite Common album. People complain that the intro is too short (clocking in around 2:24), but it's perfect because just like the present it passes you by way too quickly.

I want to be as free as the spirits of those who left

I'm talking Malcom, Coltrane, my man Yusef

Through death through conception

New breath and resurrection

For moms, new steps in her direction

In the right way

Told inside is where the fight lay

And everything a ***** do may not be what he might say

Chicago nights stay, stay on the mind

But I write many lives and lay on these lines

Wave the signs of the times

Many say the grind's on the mind

Shorties blunted-eyed and everyone wanna rhyme

Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized

We got arms but won't reach for the skies

Waiting for the Lord to rise

I look into my daughter's eyes

And realize that I'm gonna learn through her

The Messiah, might even return through her

If I'm gonna do it, I gotta change the world through her

Furs and a Benz, gramps wantin 'em

Demons and old friends, pops they hauntin' him

The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun

When drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones

Walk like warriors, we were never told to run

Explored the world to return to where my soul begun

Never looking back or too far in front of me

The present is a gift

and I just wanna BE

Now for the found poem, extrapulated from Maya Angelou's Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now.

fourteen-room ranch house

elaborately embroidered

lush gardens, palm trees

four-course dinners

three cars and a pool

rich white folks

soft scrambled eggs in silence

weak tea and toast

had no joy

living well is an art

loves dears darlings

remain flexible

we are created creative

remains fresh in my mind

every gift is a gift

take great pleasure from small offerings

life is an ongoing adventure

a pure adventure

I do not need to know all things

we know nothing

love of life

love

life

Number 3.5: I can't sleep!

2008-10-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Bobby Womack - Fly Me to the Moon.

Currently wanting to read: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.

As much as I love orchestras and Sinatra's smooth voice, I love this version more. Both are from the heart, but this one is "heavier". It reminds me of the whole Fred Astaire/Gene Kelly preference. I can't remember who, but someone compared Astaire's style to the bourgeoisie/upper class and Kelly's style to the proletariat/lower class. Sinatra is like Astaire and Womack is like Kelly.

Anyway, I've been super restless lately. I can't seem to pinpoint the reason(s), but my mind is all over the place. After school, I went thrift store shopping for my halloween outfit. I've managed to gather everything minus shoes for under 10 bucks. It definitely helped that one of the places was 50% off everything. Score!

At one of the places I got a 1st ed copy of Jitterbug Perfume for 50 cents. Granted it was torn up, but most of these stores don't care. I'm very excited especially since I let someone borrow my copy of the book and I never got it back. : (

So back to the restlessness... I really can't find the words. It's like my brain is wide awake, wanting to explore and just...GO or something but the rest of my body is "dead tired". It's times like these I just want to leave and drive around aimlessly and get lost on purpose. This urge happens a lot. I only heed it 10% of the time. I think I'd heed it more if I can get my act together and research for the graduation gift I've been procrastinating to buy (A digital SLR camera that'll probably deplete 70% of my savings)

For the time being, the weeknights are filled with thinking and pondering life while I

-sew purses out of old t-shirts and skirts.

-make buttons from bottlecaps, film canister tops and fabric scraps.

-procrastinate my research some more.

-try to "play" the violin.

-watch my guitar collect dust.

-make mixed tape style CDs for close friends.

-lie in bed listening to mostly motown.

It's now 1:30am and I should have been in bed hours ago, but I'm not.

I think this has helped.

Good night.

Number 3: Glad to be.

2008-10-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Listening to: The Smiths - Ask.

Currently reading: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen.

I am still dragggggging along, reading Tannen's drawn out book. I'm a little past the halfway point. Everyday I read it I get more and more annoyed because it's JUST interesting enough to keep on reading versus me chucking the book across the room in frustration. Currently I'm reading about the subtle difference between an aggressive conversation and a challenging one. I don't want to get into it because I don't want to ruin it for those of you who would someday like to read it, but I can't help to see all the parallels in my life. All of these little gems in the book I can completely relate to with personal conversations that I have had, both with males and females. Even though I'm struggling hard with this book I would still recommend it to others because at the very least you'll find yourself reminiscing amusing/frustrating/life-changing conversations. It's all very introspective and therapeutic!

Moving on...

No indie lifestyle can be complete without an unadulterated love of Morrissey. What an English crooner!! I think he had a show somewhere in Ensenada two summers ago. A bunch of my buddies were planning to go, but stuff fell through and I eventually had work. Poop. He plays fairly frequently in LA. My friend has seen him at the Hollywood Bowl which is an amazing venue because it's outside. You can have picnics. PICNICS I SAY!!

Anyway, I love this song. It's so loaded with multiple meanings (such is the case with many Morrissey lyrics) This song clicked in my head during my reading because for the most part I'm a shy person. I do sometimes regret the missed conversations that I could have had if I weren't so shy. Tannen argues that generally speaking, most women are non-confrontational and tend to pull back what they really think. She believes that by speaking out, women risk intimacy with the community. I don't know if I totally believe it, but I can see where she's coming from.

Number 2: Frank Lloyd Wright.

2008-10-20T01:48:00.000-07:00

Listening to: The soothing hum of my "old"/5 year old computer.

I had a rather interesting weekend back home in Pasadena. Amongst various family events, I came home to visit two people in particular. One is a very busy aspiring director workin' in "the biz", the other an extremely radical/awesome Cal alumnus who is leaving for Iran and then Israel for about 7 months. Long story short, I didn't get to see them. Instead I filled it with close friends and lots of delicious food. Yum!

Perhaps these missed connections are a sign saying that I should move on. Maybe. I won't give up yet, but I am getting weary and impatient. We'll see...

Anyway, I went on this tangent (not this one) because now I had this extra free time. I came across an old Sunset Magazine advertising the Hollyhock House. The Hollyhock House was designed by American architecture legend Frank Lloyd Wright. Like photography, I don’t know much about the famous artsy people in their fields but I sure love Wright. My dad is into architecture. I think in a different lifetime, he’d be one. He’s definitely got an eye for what looks equally good and functional.

But I digress.. The article talked briefly about Wright’s life and his work in Southern California, but mainly focused on the Hollyhock. Wright was influenced by the Pre-Columbian (as in before Columbus or native/indigenous) Maya. Intrigued by the Maya’s acute sense of geometry and that tiny little picture in the magazine, I went to check it out.

The place is way cool just like the rest of his pieces (I’ve seen two others: Taliesin in Scottsdale, AZ & the Millard House in Pasadena). Public tours ended and I was tempted to climb the fence so that I can sneak into the group, but opted not to mainly because I’m pretty clumsy and I’d probably just end up hurting myself. Also, it’s kind of against the law so I guess that was a good choice. I walked around the house. They had an art center and gallery under the same style. It was up on a hill and looked over LA and Hollywood. I would highly recommend it if you're in town.

I only took two pictures with my phone because I was too distracted/fascinated by everything. If you're still curious, there's plenty of information and pictures on google.

This was an interesting design.

It was built into this wall.

Number 1.5: Our Town Vocabulary.

2008-10-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Jamie Lidell - Green Light.

Oh man!! I almost forgot about posting pictures. I'm not a very good person.

Shrill- High-pitched or piercing (sound).

(Taken from The World Trade: An Evolution. )

Savant- A scholar, a learned person.

(Taken from good ol' Wikipedia, Even though it's a self-portrait, it must be cited somewhere, right?)

Unobtrusive- Not readily noticeable, inconspicuous.

("Blender Duck" taken from Cute with Chris. **Can you spot the duck?**)

Number 1: Maiden Voyage.

2008-10-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

Listening to: The O'Jays - Back Stabbers.

Currently reading: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. by Deborah Tannen.

Back in college, one of my professors suggested I read Deborah Tannen's You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. He even let me borrow his copy. Even at the college level, you'll find really cool professors/teachers who go out of their way like Ted and Kay to help you grow. Anyway, the book is about the differences in how women and men think and communicate with each other.

Tannen brings up some really insightful differences, but I feel that she could have condensed the book into an essay. She states a few points and then gets a little too wordy for my taste. Because of this, I'm having difficulty finishing it. So much so that it's taken me a span of nearly 2 years to get to page 125. (Granted, I take 4-5 month breaks in between readings.) I really should just suck it up and finish it in a day. Maybe I'll try to finish it tonight.

Tannen believes that most men categorize relationships (friendship/work/love) asymmetrically, meaning they gauge their relationships as "I'm better/worse than ___". Conversely, she believes that most women categorize relationships symmetrically, meaning they gauge their relationships as "I am closer/more intimate with ___ than ___". Another way to look at it is that men think in terms of a ladder where being on the top rung is the best while women think in terms of a circle of chairs where you sit in the middle and who ever is closest to you is the best.

The reading reminded me of the song I'm currently listening to. The lyricist is one paranoid fellow because he's convinced that his buddies are out to steal his lady. Tannen would argue that because the lyricist believes his relationships are based on trying to be better than his peers, he feels that his peers are trying to take him down a notch by stealing his lady, making him worse/lower than his peers.

I like to think I know a lot of random music, but even I don't think I can always connect my reading so directly to a piece of music, especially ones that I'm currently into. I go through phases when I listen to music. At one point I was into 80s new wave (Devo, Eurythmics, Oingo Boingo) followed sharply by heavy metal with the likes of Megadeth, Motörhead and Slayer and then I went on a really big bossa nova kick (mainly Stan Getz/João Gilberto and Caetano Veloso). I've just been lucky lately connecting the two realms of reading and music. Don't expect it to happen every time!

Number 0.5: It's a doozy/not even a real entry.

2008-10-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4.

To make it easier on the people who want to skim over this novel-sized entry, I've highlighted the important stuff.

Ok. So it's Tuesday and not the weekend like I had mentioned before. I'm a bit behind. Sorry!

First off, I'd like you all to know a bit about myself. I was born at Huntington Hospital, a behemoth in Pasadena, CA and grew up in a small suburb south of Pasadena named South Pasadena. After succeeding in the public schools, I relocated and attended San Diego State University. I definitely wanted to get away from home, but family is very important to me. I decided that a 2-3 hour drive is far enough to balance the two conflicting points. 5 long years later, I graduated from SDSU in Chicana/o Studies with a minor in Spanish. (Come to me personally if you're curious and I'm sure some of you are very curious.) 4 strange months later of relaxing, job hunting and stressing out I was lucky enough to be hire here. My life path is often cloudy and everything hasn't gone my way, but that cliché about when one door closes another opens really rings true to me. Months of rejection have lead up to High Tech High CV and I'm just so glad to be here as your tutor.

I feel as a tutor/academic coach/teacher's aide/whatever I should do the same work as the rest of you. What a better way to understand the obstacles that you all face than to actually do the work with you. So here I am starting a reading journal blog (kind of. I realize I haven't officially started it yet.)

Growing up I was never into reading. Coming from the loins of a librarian and a father with a meticulous eye for reading procedural health code documents, you would think I'd be naturally into reading. My parents never forced reading on me like a chore, but highly encouraged me to read everyday. I honestly tried because I wanted to catch the reading bug that most of my friends had. Fiction, non-fiction, thriller, crime, fantasy, informational, history, nature, I read it all. As early as elementary school, I quickly learned the difference between a well-written book and a book that I liked because even though I never found a book I enjoyed I could at least appreciate a well organized and/or beautifully written piece of work.

It wasn't until high school that I found the first book I truly enjoyed. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is a descriptive and very funny novel about a guy with a large ego and a "creative" imagination. I was hooked, but even that took me months to read. I later realized [like earlier this year] that I'm pretty darn dyslexic and it's probably the reason why reading is so difficult for me.

But that doesn't deter me! Reading is fascinating. When we all write, our voice is heard in our choice of words. English is a crazy language because we've got words for everything. For instance: To say, explain, announce, speak, respond, express all mean about the same thing, but there are slight differences between them. You can't always use them interchangeably. So when we read, not only do we learn about what the book says, but we also learn who the author is and how she/he thinks through their choice of words. So when you're stuck reading something you aren't feeling/enjoying, try to get into the head of the author. It may change your perspective of the text and the author who created it.

-Holly.

P.S. Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4 really showcases Chicago's amazing horn section. Many think this song is about drug use, but really if you listen to the lyrics, it's about struggling with perseverance. (In this case specifically, composing songs) 25 or 6 to 4 is in reference to the time of day:

25 [minutes] or [2]6 [minutes] to 4 [in the morning].

Number 0: Testing.

2008-10-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Listening to: Metric - Live it Out.

See Holly.
See Holly type.
Type Holly, type!

(Real entry to follow sometime this weekend... maybe.)