$.97

I had a pleasant time with Mama Liu for a couple of days during Christmas break. We did a lot of reflecting, debating and of course, laughing.

During one of our talks, she mentioned Christmas of 1996: this was the year she read through the entire Bible for the first time. (Since then, she reads through the Bible at least once a year. Usually twice. It's very admirable.)

In '96, I had to buy a 2-liter bottle of soda to take to a church potluck. My mom didn't have the money. She said we kept driving by the bank to check if my dad had put in money, but he hadn't. My mom felt so sad. That night, she asked me, "Did you know that we are sinners?" I replied, "Of course Mom. That's so rudimentary." She stated, "I didn't know until this year." I feel sad I don't remember this conversation because it's the first time my mom shared about her faith.

That night, Jina, who was like a big sister to me, bought my bottle of soda to take to the potluck. I have always been surrounded by people who have generously loved me. I am so thankful to have a mother who is so content and strong in her faith.

In all circumstances, we can always be grateful.

Lots of movies and documentaries

I took last week off. I pretty much slept, ate and caught up on my Netflix queue.

• Killer at Large: a good documentary about obesity. My favorite person was the Militant Lunch Lady.
• The Trials of Henry Kissinger: that man was crazy.
• Frost Nixon - Watergate Interviews: the actual interview. Nixon was another crazy man. It's scary hearing him talk about the incident and take no responsibility whatsoever. He truly believes he did nothing wrong.
• Miracle at St. Anna: I liked the story, but maybe it was something about the execution of the story.. I wasn't too impressed.
• Sweet Bird of Youth: Tennessee Williams and Paul Newman can do no wrong.
• King Corn: two guys decide to grow an acre of corn. It's disturbing to see how farming corn has turned into a huge industry where nutrients are not really valued. It's more about production and turning the corn into unhealthy things we put in our food.
• After Innocence: documentary about men who are exonerated. Working on reentry issues, this was an enlightening documentary. There are so many resources for those who are released from prison, but none for those who are exonerated. It makes no sense.
• Frontline - Inside the Meltdown: an analysis of the economic meltdown.
• The Natural History of the Chicken: this turned out to be a surprisingly good documentary. It looks at different ways of raising chicken and what this means for the consumer.
• The Devil Came on Horseback: documentary about a military official who goes to monitor the peace zone between Sudan and Darfur for the African Union. He starts documenting what he sees. I liked the documentary because it portrayed the situation in a personal and real manner.
• Darfur Now: This documentary looked at the genocide in a more big picture perspective. It analyzed policies and was shot beautifully.
• Confessions of a Superhero: documentary following four character actors who take pictures with tourists on Hollywood Blvd. It's kind of depressing. Overall, a solid documentary.
• The Machine Girl: Japanese movie about a girl who gets her arm chopped off, gets a machine girl as a prosthetic and seeks revenge against all the bullies who killed her younger brother. Yep, it's so bad, it's good.
• The Host: I didn't really like it. I don't know why it did so well in Korea. Ryan's take on the movie: "Everyone was so overly-dramatic. Even the creature was dramatic. You Koreans and your drama and your soaps." I had no response.

letter

Training to be a ninja?
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

My father wrote me a letter. It was quite nice.

Even when I was a little girl, my father would write "Miss Grace Liu" on the envelope of a birthday card. It made me smile to see it on his letter.

Overwhelmed.

Looking up
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Line of Leaves

Line of Leaves
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

While waiting, waiting, waiting...

Miss Art

Pollock!
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I helped Ryan study for his art history exam last weekend. During college, I always enjoyed making art history guides the most because there were pictures.

Is there a job related to just going to art museums all the time where the only requirement is that "one must appreciate art in all its forms"?

I don't want to be an art critic. I am an art lover.

How do you tell a man kindly that you don't like his facial hair?

"So, do you like it?"

"Well... I like to see more of your face."

"Well...... Too bad!"

Fail.

Best Break-Up Ever?

I think it really was though.

Especially compared to the Joaquin fiasco earlier this year.

Ryan and I both grew through the relationship. We're just in different places. So cliche, I know. But, it's the truth. We both knew it; we were both surprised it lasted as long as it did.

We talked about what we appreciated in each other, encouraged and thanked each other. I know in my head, it's the right thing. But, I still feel sad. In the end, I know I'll be okay.

But for now, I picked the scab from where I got hurt the last time we spent time together. I don't mind the scar.

I posed the question:

Koala so cute
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

What could be cuter than a baby panda?
(simultaneously)
Mon: a baby wombat!
Me: a baby koala!

They're relatives!! This was possibly one of the greatest moments in our friendship.

Summer Boyfriend

My parasol
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Is it true that a boy can tell when the girl is going to break up with him, and that's when he turns his game on? I heard this the other day and wondered.

And, why does the boy I don't like always call/text me?

Boys.
Boo.

Ah, forget it.

"Let's go see The Killers and make out in the bleachers."

Weekend of Love, Discovery and Play

Clive seeing Amy for the first time in the wedding dress
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Thursday/Friday:
Amy's wedding was the most perfect wedding I've ever been to in my entire life. I may be biased because it was Amy's wedding. But still, it was definitely beautiful. I love seeing Amy and Clive together. I enjoy hanging out with Clive's family and I appreciate how they've adopted me as a sister too. Throughout the rehearsal and wedding day, there was such warmth. I'm not the biggest fan of marriage, but experiencing being a part of a wedding broadened my perspective. I saw how amazing it is when two families unite. It's so wonderful to see the amount of love in such a room.

Saturday: hung out with mama, which was fun because we haven't played in a while. We talked about silly things, laughed and ate. I always assess the plants at her place. We talk about them like they're kids.

Sunday: had breakfast with Jonathan and for the first time, actually verbalized my plans for applying for grad school. It was nice to share ideas and get some feedback. I'm uber excited about the possibility of going back to school. Oh, how I missed it so. We went thrift-store hopping and I bought five books for $6!!!
- Modern One-Act Plays
- A Mercy by Toni Morrison
- The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
- Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 by Garrison Keillor
- The Complete Book of Vitamins (I may give this one to my mama because she's obsessed with health, especially vitamins.)

Sunday night: pleasantly surprised by a visit from Ry. Late night sushi dinner with his best friend and his girl. It's funny to watch how Ryan and Will (Ry's best friend)'s mannerisms are similar. They've been friends since junior high. Their pet peeves are pretty similar too. It's neat how friends become more like one another. Or, do we all just start out there and navigate towards those who are like us?

Overall, a jam-packed weekend of fun.

Bloom!

Bloom!
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

My mom and I potted a few plants over the 4th of July weekend. Most of my plants died while I was away in New York, so I needed new ones. The only one that survived was the persistent succulent plant. I really like succulents and cacti because they survive through anything. But, I needed a bit more color in my place, so I got a couple of flower plants. I truly enjoy them so and can't wait to come home to see how many more flowers have bloomed.

My place finally feels like my home.

Typewriter

T is for Typewriter
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I wish I had a typewriter in a cabin near a lake.
Protected by tall trees surrounding the cabin.
The sound of the keys and "ding" at the end of the line would be all the rhythm I need in my life.
I would write poems, stories and thoughts.
Maybe even feelings.
I would write.
After I was done for the day, I would soak my feet in the cool lake and watch the blue hues take over the orange in the sky.

The Hollywood Bowl

Adele!
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Cheese, crackers, wine, grapes, blanket and good music. I was a happy girl.

- Adele was so amazing. Her voice is even more sultry and wonderful live. She sang all my favorite songs and I really enjoyed her Etta James and Sam Cook covers. The string orchestra was such a lovely addition.
- Etta James was supposed to perform, but she backed out last minute because of an illness. I kind of expected this could happen because she's kinda crazy and I think has lots of medical issues from all her drug use when she was a young rising star.
- So, her replacement was Chaka Khan, who had a lot of hair. She was pretty fabulous. "I'm every woman" pretty much got everyone up dancing (except for my friend). I liked the little stories she would tell during the instrumental parts of the song. It was so dramatic. She talked about how she was a "bad girl," but then the grace of God saved her. After she went off about how much she loved God and Jesus, she finally said, "Okay, that's enough church! It's time to sing some more secular songs!"
- There was a sign language interpreter at the concert and she was so fun to watch, especially during Chaka Khan's set. The interpreter was totally dancing while signing.

"Daydreamer, sittin’ on the seat
Soaking up the sun he is a
Real lover, makin’ up the past and feeling up his girl like he’s never felt her figure before"

Air Sex

What have I gotten myself into?

It ought to be an interesting night...

Yowzahs!

I just checked the weather for the prison tomorrow.

99 degrees.

Good grief.

Weekend Recap and This Week

Weekend Recap:
- Amy's bridal shower: check. It was quite a stressful and hectic day, but it all worked out in the end. Although I threw up twice and felt nauseous the entire day, I think listening to my playlist titled "Girly" helped me get through it all. Amy enjoyed it, so that's all that matters.
- Wedding season has begun. It's so exciting!
- It was so nice seeing the Hong's and Charlotte yesterday. Charlotte and I realized we're like the two grumpy old men muppets.
- Keisuke made a fun shot for me. :)
- Singing "Lean on Me" with Johny was fun.
- Video game with lots of shooting at 3 in the morning is NOT okay.

This Week:
- Going to Sacramento tomorrow to visit the Solano prison. It should be an interesting trip. The best part is signing a waiver that basically says I give up all my rights and I'm okay with being taken hostage.
- Adele and Etta James on Sunday! I'm already looking forward to the weekend and it's only Monday. I have a feeling it may be a long week.

A Whole New World

Hmm, I miss singing that song with Keisuke.

I went to an art exhibit on Saturday at the Laguna Art Museum with Ryan because his work was involved with the current exhibition. I was a bit reluctant at first because Ryan works at a place where they make video games. Art and video games? But, I was pleasantly surprised. It was interesting to see the art inspired by the games. People really get immersed in the game and it becomes another realm of reality for them. I found that so fascinating. Ryan was telling me about how some guys like playing female characters because they can control the woman's actions. He said they may have a distorted view of masculinity. I found that very disturbing and interesting. It's probably not like that for all those guys, but I think it may be for some.

There was this one video piece where they just taped a player's hand movements in the game. Such coordination and agility!

The whole gaming world is so bizarre to me. I never played video games growing up and never even owned a gameboy. I think the only game I knew how to play on a gameboy was Tetris.

Sidenote: it's interesting hanging out with animators. We were at a bar the other night and Danny (Ryan's friend) gets all excited and says, "Wow, that guy has a great face. I wish I had my sketchbook." The guy did have a very cartoonish face, but I probably would not have even noticed if Danny didn't say anything. I love how we all notice different things in the world!

June Gloom

I enjoy it.

Red Flags

Exit and Oceanside Pier
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

How many red flags does it take in a relationship before one exits?

The whole pros/cons list sucks and isn't helpful at all. I guess in the end, the question is, "Does he bring me closer to God?"

Hmmm...

94/9 Independence Jam 2009

Dan from The Black Keys
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

The lineup:
- Dead Confederate: blah.
- Metric: fun
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I find Karen O so intriguing. I couldn't stop taking pictures of her. She's so mesmerizing and an amazing performer. She's fantastically crazy.
- The Black Keys: the band I was most looking forward to and boy, did they deliver! Dan can play a mean guitar. I couldn't even take that many pictures of them because the music was just too amazing.

Overall, it was an incredibly fun show. I think it's number two on my top five favorite shows list.

Daydream and Play

Magritte
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

That's all I wanna do...

Artgasm, Motrin and Rest (forced and voluntary)

in awe in the Degas sculpture room
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

It was time for my annual vacation. I went to New York for a week, then rested and played with friends for the rest of the time. It was quite pleasant.

Here are the memorable moments:
- gallery hopping with Charlotte
- watching basketball games with Charlotte and Josh
- art, art, art!!! = artgasm
- getting sick and having to go to the ER
- going back to the ER because I was still in pain and throwing up, then being told by the doctor to simply take some Motrin
- sitting around and watching lots of trashy television during my times of rest
- the Degas sculpture room! I yelped with glee.
- Picasso's later works. Mind-blowing.
- S'mores cupcake
- finding the perfectly sensible black blazer (thanks to Charlotte's good eye)
- meeting up with Matt: eating the yummiest mushroom burger ever and talking about books
- watching "The 39 Steps" with John MSN
- wine and cheese night with Charlotte
- girl talk with Charlotte

I heart Charlotte (and NY). But, Charlotte more.

At the end of the day,
"We got more bounce in California
Than all y'all combined
We got more bounce in California
We like to party all the time
We got more bounce in California
Where the hustlers all reside
We got more bounce in California
Rollin' easy when we ride"

It's good to be back home.

One Mic

One Mic
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Went to a spoken word event last week and it was mind-blowing. I cried, I laughed, I swooned. I was all over the place.

A few of my observations:
- Poets are intense.
- Poets have good taste in shoes.
- It's fun to boo at the judges when you don't agree with their scores.
- Everyone has issues.

This week has been much better:

Two Thumbs Up
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

- No breakdowns during meetings
- No boy(s) dramarama
- Good sleep

I am pleased.
Looking forward to a four-day weekend. :)

JJ is a music video star:

Oh, and his Chevy too.

Boy Advice from Andrew:

Andrew working...
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

"good luck w/ the boys. we can be good and/or troubles. just don't read into guys too much. generally speaking, there isn't too much to read. unless this male is a lady-boy!"

He cracks me up.

St. Vincent

street art
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

"But I'm a wife in watercolors
I can wash away

Seventeen cold showers
Couldn't wash away

Save me
Save me
Save me from what I want"

Currently obsessed with:

Neat Rock
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

- finding neat rocks
- documentaries. "Dear Zachary" rocked my world.
- The Black Keys
- finding the perfect dining table
- blood oranges

Las Vegas

Water show at the Bellagio
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

It was my first time exploring the strange town of Las Vegas. It felt like a huge bizarre amusement park because there was music everywhere.

A list of my impressions and experiences:
- overwhelming
- too much stimuli
- yummy drinks
- yummy naps by the pool
- fun water show at the Bellagio
- lots of dancing
- a couple of not-so-good decisions

Not so sure everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

We'll see.

Documentaries

I've had a strong inclination towards documentaries lately.

- 'The Business of Being Born' explores the physical and emotional aspects of childbirth. It actually made me not so fearful of the birthing process. Although, it did make me a bit scared of the enormity of pregnant women's boobs.
- 'Bigger, Stronger, Faster' takes a look at the use/abuse of steroids by gym rats and athletes. It was quite disturbing.
- 'Man on Wire' is probably my favorite thus far. It's the amazing story of a French wire-walker who walks across a wire connecting the two World Trade Center towers.

House AND Mos Def?!

I'm so excited.

Mama Liu

Mama Liu was so proud of taking this cheesy picture
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

"Why do YOU get presents when I was the one in pain?"

Mama Liu gave me one of the most memorable presents ever. She read journal entries she wrote to document my growth.

Memorable lines:
- "March 24, 1983 4:30 a.m. Hanjong and I go to the hospital because my stomach hurts. It was kind of drizzly, so I wore a coat."
- My mom documented pretty much all my sleeping patterns. My mom likes to sleep (as do I - I guess I get it from my mom), so this was all very important information for her.
- "Youngeun doesn't like dolls. She prefers playing with pencils and paper. She walks around always carrying a book by her side."
- "Baby Youngeun does not like to eat meat."
- "1996. Youngeun is not so nice anymore. I think she's going through puberty."

I'm glad I'm my mom's daughter.

First Day of Spring/DOB Celebration

so happy for dessert
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

So, the Ok Go show got postponed because one of the band members was sick. However, the night was fantastic. It was a night of good food, delightful company and LOTS of dancing. We ended up going to a club and I believe there was much more dancing than there would have been at the Ok Go show, so I was very happy. While we were dancing, a couple of more people from my work showed up. The two ladies are probably in their 50's and simply put: fabulous. They could probably out-dance any one of us there. I hope I'm that fabulous when I'm their age...

Overall, it was nice seeing old friends and celebrating with new friends.

Light

in the tent
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

Funny-Ironic-Sad

"See Grace. This is what it's like to date YOU."
- Mon

I think a healthy relationship is a miracle.
To meet someone.
For both sides to fall in love at the same time.
To grow that love.
It's a miracle.

Meeting someone with the same issues as myself has been an eye-opening experience. As Mon says, it's like someone is putting a mirror up in front of me. So, the funny-ironic-sad part is that I finally felt ready to take a risk and work on my commitment issues. But, it turns out he has the same issues and is basically freaking out the way "the old me" would have. So, I can't even really be upset with him because I completely understand. Either way, I'm definitely learning a lot and hopefully growing a little bit too.

Spring!

Spring!
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I'm so excited for Spring.

JJ Quote of the Day

You don't bring sand to the beach.
That's what you're doing.

Liberation!

It was such a delightful weekend in San Francisco.

Growing up, I haven't always felt the closest with my fellow girl-kind. It's hard to say when that started or why, but I just felt more comfortable around guys. This past weekend was all about being a girl. Kendall and I visited Mon. We hung out with her fabulous roommate Tara and Jenn, whom I befriended the last time I visited. It was such a wonderful weekend of art, walks, going out, dancing, affirmations and girly talks about moments of liberation. It was so nice to feel so loved and be in love with everyone. I think all the talk of liberation gave me an extra boost of confidence this week to check off one more thing on my things to do before I die: ask a guy out. I had been waiting around for the right guy to risk losing my dignity when being rejected, but just hadn't found anyone "worth it". And then I thought, it's silly for the guy to always have to ask a girl out. I'm trying to take more risks this year. We'll see how that turns out. So now, I feel the pressure of having to keep the conversation going when we do go out because I asked him. Is this what guys go through before a date? Eek. However things turn out, I think this was a good exercise for me and I encourage all women to try it at least once. It's quite liberating.

Love boldly! Live generously!

"Be your own star!" - Jenn

Can't sleep.

:(

The Blues

I went to a tapas bar last Friday and there was this older gentleman singing the blues. He was fantastic. This led me to explore my current selection of the blues and it's quite lacking. He sang a lot of Muddy Waters, so that's where I'm heading.

Today is Etta James. All day.
She's so rad.

Lego

I Lego N.Y.

I had to drop by work in the morning to finish up something before I went to LegoLand on Friday.
Lucy: Oh, today's your day off. What are you doing today?
Me: Going to Legoland.
Lucy: You're taking some nieces or nephews?
Me: Nope, going with a friend. Two grown adults.

It was quite a bizarre place. So many legos. My favorite was MiniLand where they had replications of various places around the world. Oh, and they had a special inauguration exhibit, which was fantastic.

Beauty

I heard this excerpt of a Navajo chant in a documentary and it reminded me of God.

With beauty before me, I walk.
With beauty behind me, I walk.
With beauty above and about me, I walk.
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.

Kristin Quotes of the Day

K: "Is that tupperware for your shoes?"
G: "No, it's a shoe box."
---
I bought a Peanuts "Love is..." calendar. Every month, there's a cute picture and a line about what love is. January: Love is walking hand-in-hand.
K: "That's an ironic calendar for someone who's got her love locked down."
---
K: "Oh my gosh, I am a middle-aged black man."
(When looking through her "The Office" calendar and noticing the similarities between Stanley and herself.)
---
It's a fun day of laughing in our office.

Map It.

Mailboxes
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I just spent nearly the entire day geotagging 1,434 pictures on flickr.
I do feel a sense of accomplishment.
It's probably undeserving, but nonetheless.

At least I went to the market. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even gone outside today.

The Hand Expert

feeling the breeze
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

My sixth grade teacher just friended me on Facebook. I find that to be quite awesome. Especially because he was possibly one of the coolest teachers I ever had. He played the drums, was the coach of the basketball team and always did experiments from 'Bill Nye: The Science Guy'. (Maybe I had a crush on him... Hmmm, I never realized...)

Anyway, one of the most memorable assignments from his class was to choose any subject, research it and become an "expert". While other kids chose to be experts on surfing, the guitar and baking cookies, I chose to be an expert on hands. I memorized all the bones, muscles and drew huge diagrams. If I think about it now, I imagine my classmates were bored out of their minds during my presentation as I recited all the bones in the hand pointing them out on my huge pictures. 

Fast forward six years. It was my senior year at one of my high school's basketball games. I noticed my sixth grade teacher sitting a couple of rows ahead of me. I went over, introduced myself and asked if he remembered me.

His response: "Of course! The hand expert!"

As a child and throughout my life, I've always enjoyed drawing hands. A part of me thinks that's why I chose to be a hand expert.

So giddy...

What an exciting day! I don't believe Obama and his administration will fix everything, but I do believe they'll make better decisions than George W. That's good enough for me.

It was nice watching the inauguration with JJ, crying and cheering together. We saw his father in the crowd! After the inauguration ceremony ended, I spent about an hour with Midge, who served as the personal assistant to President Jimmy Carter. We both teared up again as she spoke about her journey. Midge has worked so hard on civil rights issues and women's rights. It's amazing to hear her speak. She gave me a copy of a pocket-sized Constitution today and wrote: "Now it's your turn to carry the torch. Hold it high and keep the flame bright."

Inauguration Day

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

with Stella

with Stella
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

She looks so annoyed, but I'm so happy.

A Couple in Chicago

The Obamas in 1996 from The New Yorker.

... was here

... was here
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

This is what happens when I'm not around. My computer gets around. What a whore.

Stella

IMG_2694
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I start dog-sitting tomorrow. It's going to be so nice being reunited with Stella, the prettiest and most socially awkward dog ever. :)

I'm excited. I hope I can sleep tonight.

:( Chargers

It was so pretty while it was snowing during the beginning of the game.

Then, it all went downhill.

The entire city, county was so excited for this game. Everyone was wearing Chargers gear throughout the weekend. On my way home after watching the game, I saw a person take off his Chargers jersey. Everyone was so sad. It was so interesting to see such excitement and disappointment within three days.

Insomnia/Sick

I can't tell whether I have insomnia or I just can't sleep because I'm so congested...

I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and haven't been able to go back to sleep. 

But, I don't feel tired. 

I feel so awake. 

And, I've been so productive:

• paid all my bills for this month
• cleaned the place 
• organized my closet
• booked a flight to San Francisco
• bought a couple of books
• had breakfast
• watched "30 Rock" and "Ugly Betty"
• listened to a John Malkovich interview on KCRW
• listened to the Christmas sermon I missed at Flood Church

all before 7 in the morning. 

I still have the entire day! Wow, what to do...

Currently obsessed with:

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Echinacea
• The "Up Series"
• Andrew Bird

CONSPIRE art show presented by Sanctuary 143.

Sore Throat

Today is
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I guess I haven't been sick in a while.
It was time.

I think I may be allergic to work. 

Work is definitely the culprit for this sudden illness.

I get tickled pink when...

Book Globe
Originally uploaded by gliuoo

I'm first in the queue for a book on hold at the library.

New:
- The whole story of Jonah (minus him being told to go to Nineveh) was probably figurative. I learned this in my study Bible commentary the other day and it made me kind of sad. I always liked believing he really was swallowed by a huge whale. I guess it's terrifying if it's real, but still... I feel like someone just popped my bubble.
- Flickr has a partnership with Blurb. One can create a book with pictures from Flickr and add text. The possibilities!
- I like football.

Can't fall asleep.

I even cheated, but it's not working.

Maybe it's because I feel anxious about going back to work tomorrow.

I think I shy away from New Year's Resolutions now. I just feel like it's a set up for disappointment. I figure if there's really something important I want to change in my life, I should start any day, not just wait around for New Year's. But, it is nice that everyone takes a moment to think about how to better their lives, so I guess I support it.

More than specific goals, I like the idea of having a theme. 

2009: Take more risks. Love boldly. Live generously.

Why peacocks can't fly

"Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down."

- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Whew

Watched football all day. Such an emotional roller coaster.

In the end, I was happy because the Chargers won. :)

Thus far,

I haven't been doing too well with my grand movie-going plan, but it has been a pleasant vacation. 

Highlights:

• catching up with old friends, especially Matt and Kendall. Matt is my brilliant friend and aspiring writer. I think we spent at least a couple of hours of our day just talking about books. It was fantastic. Kendall is simply delightful. My stomach hurt the next day because I laughed so much.
• "the perfect date" in L.A. with Mon and Kendall = drinking blush wine while talking and listening to Kendall's sex mix, meeting strange men at a hookah bar, getting chocolate and strawberry donuts freshly made at four in the morning, driving back to Lake Elsinore at six while watching the sun rise. I realized how difficult stuff like this is for me now. It took me a couple of days to recover.
• new super soft bath robe.
• photography books!
• yummy naps.
• laughing at awkward moments between Johny and J.Lo.
• catching up on reading.