you can still be thankful in december...

I had planned on barging back into the blogging world for a Thanksgiving extravaganza. Then I got sicky...but I am still bringing it back. So, all the things I'm most thankful for in this glorious life (one week later):

grace. my iPhone. friends. laughter. taco bell. being employed. tomas de la cruz, my trusty jeep. good quality engrossing fiction. prayer. answers to prayer. unexpected answers to prayer. baseball. being alive to witness and experience the Giants as world series champs. DVR. spectre. the soreness after a good hike. living in california. family. friends that are family. enjoying the use of all 5 senses. the comforting sights and sounds from a VCR. sunsets. crossing things off my Super Random Life Goal List. the subtle brillance of Brendan Fraser. cooking with friends. live music. the Sigh No More album by mumford. cross-country road trips. laughing to the point where your face hurts. sleep. christmas joy. my rainbow flip-flops. HIMYM. not having all the answers. my babyniece. new experiences. things that don't change. star wars. facebook (for making far away friends and family stay connected). mountains. the ocean. ice cream. not being lactose intolerant.

I'm certain there is more but that'll do for now. Thanks, it's a good thing!

"it's the end of your job as you know it..."

I find it appropriate to adapt a REM song for my blog post title. I discovered an all-90s radio station in Sacramento and it's the greatest most random station ever. Goes from Dave Matthews Band to Mariah Carey to Beastie Boys to N*Sync to Dr. Dre to Amy Grant.

Seriously fantastic. Brings about much joy and car dancing every time I get to listen.

http://www.90sbuzz.com/

My Americorps job is over tomorrow.

Hard to believe it's been a year...and yet what a year it has been.

Struggles, growth, challenges, pride, joy, learning, smells, transition, experience, to say the least.

It's not something I'd recommend to everyone, and it's not something I would do again, but I think it was something that I needed to do. Apparently the ol' G-O-D knows what he's doing. At the moment, he's keeping the next step in my journey a secret (which is always frustrating) but I'm actually finding a bit of a peace in the unknown.

Last night was Wednesday night...one of my favorite nights of the week (and without too many shows to watch....though I am now hopelessly hooked on Psych Ü). And my post-college bible study started back up. Always full of lots of laughter, good discussion, and potluck. We talked about Ecclesiastes. Honestly, I had never thought about it as a depressing book in the bible. It's always been one of my favorites. What does that say about me? I don't know, I just like being reminded that there is a season for everything. There's gonna be good and there's gonna be crappy. I find a comfort in knowing that I'm not alone and it's not gonna last forever. It all really is a "chase after the wind."

(though, the stupid Rebecca St. James song has been stuck in my head since talking about it.)

And now it's in yours.

Apparently, Rebecca St. James still makes music. Good to know. I used to do her 40 days with God bible study.

Somehow, it's nearly the end of August. Luckily, it hasn't been too insanely hot this summer. But that has also helped it not feel like summer. It just sped on by. Kids are back in school. I've got my yearly desire to buy school supplies. The Giants are in the playoff hunt. And there's still a month before shows start again. I have a feeling there will once again be too many hours of television that I want to watch and not enough hours in my day. Maybe I need different priorities....nah....I just need all the good shows to not be on Thursday!

One hour and one day left on the job!

Let's do this.

me gusta futbol

Ah, The World Cup. It's like the Olympics with a singular sport :) It's every four years. And it's those every four years that remind me that I do, in fact, enjoy soccer (or rather, futbol). I grew up in the valley....I've been surrounded by it my whole life. A good number of my Saturdays were spent at the soccer fields at CSUS (before that area became the dorms and a pond) cheering on my friends. It was practically required to play at recess and any other P.E. break at Julien Elementary. And it was fun. Some days were more fun than others but I really did like it. And my most vivid memory of playing soccer was in 5th or 6th grade (so...maybe not that vivid, but still) was when a girl named Nessa got her arm broken during P.E. playing soccer. And how happy I was that it wasn't me. But still....it was impressive, and a well kicked ball.

What else makes me like this sport? I admire the crap outta those that play. Have you tried sprinting around for an hour and a half recently? Yeah...I definitely don't make it as long as I did once upon a time. And goalies are straight up badass crazy....in the best way possible. Love them! Much like I love and appreciate catchers. Catchers are just insane. "sure, I'll squat for a couple hours. Wanna throw a ball 90 mph at me too? Ok, sure. Oh, what's that? You want to come racing at me full speed and tackle me while I hold on to a baseball? Yup, bring it on. Cameras showing close up shots of my crotch while I flash some signs? Why not. Hit in the noggin and other various body parts with foul tips and what not? Yup. I'm game." But goalies are flying all over the place....wearing much less protection than a catcher. "You wanna kick a ball at me full speed while I try to read your mind and cover a 8' x 24' area with my best ninja/jedi-like abilities? Okie dokie"

Why else? I'm a girl. Girls like athletes. My top 3 athletes: 1> h2o polo players/swimmers (best overall body and tan) 2> soccer players (have you seen their legs?! glorious to gaze at) 3> baseball players (arms. forearms. catchers' legs. arms.)

But why do I neglect to remember my appreciation and enjoyment of soccer those 3 years between world cups? Call it my Olympic theory. Every 4 years I'm suddenly an expert in things like synchronized diving (the greatest Olympic event ever, in my opinion) and ice dancing (which is different than figure skating....but don't ask me why for another 4 years). Why? Because I need to be in the know....and I need to cheer on MY country. That's the difference. Only during the World Cup does the USA come together and care about soccer. Because we are competitive. Because we love our country. Because tying England felt pretty much like winning. And because you get miraculous moments like those brought to us by Landon Donovan. That is now my most vivid World Cup memory. My previous one? Sitting at a cafe in downtown Lakeland FL and watching the Zidane headbutt incident. But who cares about that now. I've got a genuine American Miracle Moment to care about. It's those things that bring people together....make people care about soccer....and feel good to be American. Because, even if we feel like we are a powerhouse in the world, we still secretly want to be the underdog because it's only when you're the underdog that you get moments like Landon Donovan scoring in stoppage time after being denied a legit goal (AGAIN!) from refs who for some reason hate America.

America may be out of the World Cup now....but I'm still caring about the World Cup. Maybe I'll attempt to hit up a San Jose Earthquakes game someday....but no matter what, in four years, I'll be straight up obsessed with soccer again. USA.

"al azar" (that's spanish!)

sitting at work...thinking "al azar" thoughts

• went to 2 gigantes games last weekend. came back with a new sweatshirt, a new BEAT LA tshirt (which has instantly become my favorite shirt EVER), free rally scarf and Willie Mays bobbleheads, fun memories and a 4-0 record on the season for games that I attend.
• looked through pictures on my facebook and started to mourn my long hair.
• read online that McDonalds used to put sugar on their fries to help kids crave them. I see this having the potential to be accurate. They do something to make you crave them.
• I've been getting 7 hours sleep a night and yet I continually wake up desiring more sleep. Could this be my childhood and college years catching up with me?
• I recently passed the 20 months left of my 20s mark. yup, that's less than 2 years. what a strange thought. an even stranger thought? how much can happen in that short amount of time.
• fresh strawberries are a good start, but I'm beyond ready for some peaches, plums, apricots, and pluots picked from the tree.
• I want to do a Star Wars marathon.
• It's the final week of the TV season. I find myself not caring as much and yet caring way more than ever....if that makes any sense. Suffice to say, LOST shall be consuming my entire weekend.
• It hasn't really sunk in that I get to hang out with my dearest friends from college memorial day weekend for a mini-reunion. Shall be good fun.
• On the other hand, my 10 year high school reunion is in July and I couldn't really care less about going.
• I've actually kept up fairly well with my 2010 year long commitments {read the bible in the year with my bible study group and take a picture a day for project 365 with a group of college friends} Only missed one day in project 365 and I'm only a week behind in the bible reading.
• went to my childhood church a couple of weeks ago. saddened and led to multiple cusswords. sigh.
• purchased 2 VHS copies of Billy Blanks Tae Bo but have yet to actually be productive with them. soon. real soon.
• speaking of VHS, I had to go to wal-mart to find some (5 pack for $8!) so that I can be my historically minded pop culture junkie self this weekend. I shall be adding the LOST finale shows to my VHS finale collection which includes: Full House, Home Improvement, Boy Meets World, Dawson's Creek, Friends, etc. Someday I'll get one of those fancy VHS to DVD converter thingies and transfer. But as much as I love my TV on DVD collection, there's just something special about watching the VHS....especially seeing the commercials that were on :)
• I moved in over a month ago and have yet to put away my laundry....that's not good...huh?
• Wes Anderson was created to make stop-motion animation films. Tis his purpose in this world. If you haven't already watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox, what the cuss are you waiting for?!
• I want to go to the beach, I want to go hike around the mountains, I want a tan. It would be ideal to combine all these wants.
• As a huge fan of Gladiator and of Robin Hood, I was most excited to see the Ridley Scott directed Robin Hood. Let me tell you, I've never been more disappointed watching a movie. Horrible and not Robin Hood. It's basically an origin story. No shenanigans and hardly any archery! Terrible. Only highlight? Kevin Durand (Keamy from LOST) as Little John.
• I want to actually become bilingual in Spanish. I should be more proactive in achieving that Super Random Life Goal.
• 45 minutes and 2 days left in my work week. 102 days left in my Americorps VISTA commitment. Not that I'm counting or anything...

hibernation over....

I spent the better part of my afternoon completely bored and going through friends' blogs when I happened upon my own and saw just how long it had been since I shared some "word vomit" with y'all. Now it's not that I forgot all about my blog, had too much time on my hands, was bored to a whole new level, or filled with so many wondrous and random things that I just couldn't convince myself to narrow it down on a proper topic. No, no, no. It was all of those things combined. Which is quite a unique talent, if I do say so myself.

I've been serving as an Americorps VISTA for 8 months now with less than 4 months to go until I once again get to address the age-old dilemma "what do i want to do with my life?" One of these days that question will have a definitive answer, right? Any thoughts or ideas? Kindergarten teacher is NOT an acceptable answer (no offense kindergarten teachers).

I'm finally down to the last half hour of work for the day. It feels as though it should be AT LEAST Wednesday, but alas, tis only Tuesday. The redeeming part about that? LOST and glee tonight! yip-yip-yippee!

It's not much, but I'll try to put my boredom to good use in remembering how to channel my writing skillz. Namaste.

and p.s. Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you :)

Fandom Classifications

So, I'm an absolute Pop Culture junkie. This we know. But now, I have learned the actual names and classifications that partially define me. Oh the joys of being a geek. And I know I'm not alone here. So, what's your classification?

Which fandoms are you a part of?
In pop culture, there are many fun classifications and names for different types of people. Which ones do you belong to?
By @EWFrontRow | Survey created less than 2 days ago | This survey ends on Feb 28, 2010

1- Which of the following fan groups do you consider yourself a part of?

- Abramsologist - You consider J.J. Abrams a genius and love many of his movies/shows
- BSGer - You consider Battlestar Galactica one of the greatest shows of all time
- Dunderhead/Dunder Mifflinite - The Office is one of you all-time favorite shows
- Fanboy/Fangirl - you're obsessed with at least one cult TV show or franchise, or belong to a very active fan community
- Film Snob - you're not ashamed to admit it: you know a lot about movies and like sharing your thoughts and opinions with others
- Foodie - you love food and food TV and enjoy reading and learning about restaurants, food preparation, and food personalities
- Gleek - you’ll never stop believing in Fox’s Glee
- Idoloonie – American Idol makes you crazy (in a wonderful, obsessive sort of way)
- Janeite - you regularly read and re-read the works of Jane Austen, and have watched at least a few of the film/TV adaptations of her works
- Lostie/Lostaway - Lost is one of your favorite shows and you love reading or coming up with your own theories about what is going on
- Maddict – you’re so in love with Mad Men, you’re this close to joining Maddicts Anonymous
- Potterite/Potthead - you think that Harry Potter could very well be the greatest book series ever
- Psych-O - you’re a huge fan of USA’s Psych
- Reality Head - unabashed lovers of reality TV
- Scaper - Farscape rocks your world
- Shipper - you are deeply invested in the relationship of at least one TV couple
- Team Mars/LoVe – Still waiting on that Veronica Mars movie
- Trekkie/Trekker - Star Trek fan
- Trubie/Bon Tempest - True Blood coarses through your veins
- Twihard - you have a mildy unhealthy Twilight obsession but are proud to admit it
- Vultures – new episodes of Bones give your life meaning
- Warsie - you are a Star Wars fan
- Watch and Learner – you love watching educational/true TV that teaches and informs you; true stories and how-to shows are among your favorite shows
- Whedonite/Browncoat/Active - you adore and evangelize the works of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon
- Whovian/Torchwoodite – You adore the world of Dr. Who and love the shows Dr. Who and/or Torchwood
- X-Philes - fans of the TV show X-Files
- None of these

So, for the record, I am:

An Abramsologist-Dunderhead-Film Snob-Gleek-Lostie-Shipper-Vulture-Warsie.

And I like it

http://twtpoll.com/uyxr7c

The Guilty Pleasures of the OOs

Or as I like to refer to it:

The

"I know I shouldn't admit to liking this movie but honestly, if it's on cable, I am totally stopping and watching it every time"

List

Also featured in the list:

"This makes me laugh WAY harder than it should"

and

"That plot line made absolutely no sense" (I'm looking at you, The Lake House!)

and

"Dear Lord, I'm such a girl sometimes"

and

"Yup, stuff blows up and I like it a lot"

and

"yeah, I still own it on VHS"

Here we go...

1. M:I 2 (2000)
2. Bring It On (2000)
3. Center Stage (2000)
4. Coyote Ugly (2000)
5. Dude, Where's My Car ? (2000) --sidenote: my first dvd I ever owned!
6. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
7. Get Over It (2001)
8. Serendipity (2001)
9. The Wedding Planner (2001)
10. Joe Dirt (2001)
11. American Outlaws (2001)
12. Crossroads (2002)
13. xXx (2002)
14. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
15. What A Girl Wants (2003)
16. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
17. A Cinderella Story (2004)
18. The Prince & Me (2004)
19. Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! (2004)
20. 13 Going on 30 (2004)
21. The Ringer (2005)
22. Hitch (2005)
23. The Pacifier (2005)
24. Fever Pitch (2005)
25. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
26. John Tucker Must Die (2006)
27. The Lake House (2006)
28. Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny (2006)
29. Catch and Release (2007)
30. August Rush (2007)
31. Blades of Glory (2007)
32. Shooter (2007)
33. Music and Lyrics (2007)
34. The Gameplan (2007)
35. 27 Dresses (2008)
36. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
37. Definitely, Maybe (2008)
38. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008)
39. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
40. House Bunny (2008)
41. Australia (2008)
42. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
43. 17 Again (2009)
44. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
45. Band Slam (2009) -- actually quality tween flick!
46. All About Steve (2009)
47. Fired Up (2009)

Yup. There it is. Out there in the blogosphere. I realize this could potentially come back to haunt me one day...but...tis the truth. I've seen 'em all....and enjoy them! Everybody's got their own list like this, no doubt about it!

I'm excited for new Great, Guilty, and Garbage to partake in!

Bring it on, Hollywood!

The 100 Favorite Movies of 00s According to Me

These are by no means the BEST (though some are) nor the most QUALITY or HIGH BROW...but these are the top ten movies per year that stuck with me most, one way or another, in no particular order other than alphabetical. Some would make it to the top of another person's The Crap list, I'm sure, but that's what is great about film and pop culture. There's a place for everyone and everything means something to someone. No matter how ridiculous the plot :)

The Year of 2000

1. Almost Famous
2. The Emperor's New Groove
3. Frequency
4. Gladiator
5. Memento
6. Miss Congeniality
7. The Patriot
8. Remember the Titans
9. Snatch
10. X Men

The Year of 2001

1. Ameile
2. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
3. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
4. Monsters Inc.
5. Moulin Rouge!
6. Ocean's 11
7. Royal Tenenbaums
8. Shrek
9. Training Day
10. Zoolander

The Year of 2002

1. Adaptation
2. Austin Powers in Goldmember
3. Bourne Identity
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. Lilo and Stitch
6. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
7. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
8. Orange County
9. Spiderman
10. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

The Year of 2003

1. Big Fish
2. Bruce Almighty
3. Elf
4. Finding Nemo
5. Freaky Friday
6. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
7. Old School
8. School of Rock
9. Something's Gotta Give
10. X2

The Year of 2004

1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2. Day Without a Mexican
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Mean Girls
5. National Treasure
6. Passion of the Christ
7. Saved!
8. Shaun of the Dead
9. Shrek 2
10. Spiderman 2

The Year of 2005

1. Batman Begins
2. Brokeback Mountain
3. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
4. Crash
5. History of Violence
6. Just Friends
7. Pride and Prejudice
8. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
9. Upside of Anger
10. Wedding Crashers

The Year of 2006

1. Casino Royale
2. The Departed
3. Dreamgirls
4. Mission: Impossible III
5. Monster House
6. Over the Hedge
7. The Prestige
8. Stick It!
9. Stranger Than Fiction
10. Thank You for Smoking

The Year of 2007

1. Bourne Ultimatum
2. Bridge to Terabithia
3. Enchanted
4. The Kingdom
5. Ocean's 13
6. Rescue Dawn
7. Stardust
8. Surf's Up
9. 3:10 To Yuma
10. Transformers

The Year of 2008

1. Bolt
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Dark Knight
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
5. Incredible Hulk
6. Iron Man
7. Prince Caspian
8. Quantum of Solace
9. RockNRolla
10. Tropic Thunder

This Year...2009

1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. The Hangover
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. The Proposal
6. Star Trek
7. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself
8. Up
9. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Zombieland

Ten Years...Lots of Hours...Too Much $...Good Times

Check back tomorrow for The Guilty List.

The Worst Movies of the 2000s

I've been sick since Sunday night. So, needless to say, I've had some time on my hands. And I went through wikipedia and the list of all the movies that came out this decade. And I made three lists: The Great, The Guilty, and The Garbage. Today, we begin with The Garbage. The Crap Movies that were made in the 00s. The ones that could have fed small countries instead hurt our minds and wasted our time. The only requirement to be on this list is that I actually had to watch it.

I present to you, in chronological order, The 33 Worst Movies I Saw in the 00s:

1. Down to You (00)
2. Someone Like You (01)
3. Cats & Dogs (01)
4. Down to Earth (01)
5. Driven (01)
6. Head Over Heels (01)
7. Sweet November (01)
8. Reign of Fire (02)
9. Walk to Remember (02)
10. From Justin to Kelly (02) *
11. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde (03)
12. Pirates of the Caribbean (03)
13. Little Black Book (04) *
14. Along Came Polly (04)
15. Bad News Bears (05)
16. Must Love Dogs (05) *
17. Sky High (05)
18. Stealth (05) *
19. Dukes of Hazzard (05)
20. The Guardian (06)
21. Material Girls (06) *
22. Bobby (06)
23. Because I Said So (07) *
24. In the Land of Women (07)
25. Spiderman 3 (07)
26. Shrek 3 (07)
27. Evening (07)
28. License to Wed (07)
29. Drillbit Taylor (08) *
30. Hancock (08)
31. The Ugly Truth (09)
32. Land of the Lost (09)
33. Bride Wars (09)

* = the crappiest of the crap

Tune Back in Tomorrow for The Great!

I'm Calling B.S.

It's November 4th.

Why is it almost 80 degrees outside?!?!?!?!?!

Ridiculous.

I want cloudy overcast days with the potential for rain. I want heavy fog. I want to curl up by a fire with hot chocolate. I'm going to be by a fire tonight...we're having a bonfire for bible study...but I'm afraid I'm going to need to wear a tank top to not want to die of heat exhaustion.

Come on FALL...show up!

The Things We See and Hear...

Things I witnessed on my Lunch Hour:

• woman driving a minvan while dressed as a cow and talking on her cellphone
• the song Thriller on 3 different radio stations
• 4 guys playing hacky sack in front of a tattoo shop
• woman wearing a shower cap and rain boots...NOT dressed up for Halloween
• a customer service lady wearing a green t-shirt and with a green soul patch. really not sure what she was supposed to be...

Thriller will absolutely be stuck in my all day now. It's definitely kickin' right now. And I posed this question to my friend earlier who said she loved Halloween music. What songs are there besides Monster Mash and Thriller?

rich vs.poor vs. poverty

In the words of the great Steve Martin in the movie The Jerk:

"I was born a poor black child.'

 Now, like Steve Martin, I was not actually born a poor black child. But for most of my life, I've lived at or below the poverty line. Growing up, I didn't really know this. But that's because of the reliance of my parents on the great evil that is credit cards and also because of the charity of others. Quite the combination. But, I was well dressed and there was food on the table. And a VW bus that the sliding door fell off of. My brother would often have to ride gripping the door handle to make sure it didn't fly off. Good times and character building. 

Growing up in the 80s, it was a material world, and that helped me to think I was a material girl. I'm a tomboy and pretty kickback but when I get things, I tend to want the best. I'm cursed with good taste (but luckily not in everything. I'm not ashamed to shop at the dollar store or list Taco Bell as a favorite restaurant). I got into a bit of trouble my freshman year at college. I had a Nordstrom card and South Coast Plaza was literally 5 minutes away. Plus, I was feeding a growing Roxy addiction...hungered by the close proximity to the beach (not that I surfed). 

My sophomore year at college, events happened which led to my dad losing the house and pretty much all of my childhood possessions. I was obviously devastated. Plus, I now had no home to go home to. Pretty rough. But here's the thing, even then I knew that it could be worse. I know that there will always be people worse off than me. Even after I lost my job as Director of Fun and spent 9 months unemployed, I knew that I was still fortunate to have all that I do.

The way I've looked at it, I've been houseless, but never homeless. I've been blessed by people who love me and help me and feed me. What I learned at my Americorps orientation is that means I'm rich in Social Capital. Which is the truth. I'm blessed. 

My new job requires me to live at the poverty line. When I told my uncle this the other day he was positive that it was illegal and couldn't be done. But I understand it. I'm working with refugees who are coming to America with nothing but a small bit of social capital. They've got a friend or family member who is taking them in. But the goal is for them to become self-sufficient. And really, that's my goal too. I miss having money (not that I ever had a ton to begin with). I miss paying all my bills on time. I miss being able to get in a car and drive somewhere spontaneously. I don't always have the right attitude and I've done my share of complaining and stressing, but in the end, I know I'll be a better person having lived this experience. I have my own place, I'm technically employed, I have a car that is still running (through I'm convinced the power of prayer), and I have a computer to be writing this on. I'm infinitely blessed. 

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but I'm thankful. Be thankful for all the blessings you have in your life, no matter how small.

What Netflix Thinks About Me

Ever wonder what your Netflix choices say about you? I got a taste of that today. I was a bit caught off guard when I actually looked at the categories Netflix decided I would be most interested in:

• suspenseful independent comedies
• goofy Action & Adventure
• imaginative Sci-Fi & Fantasy
• visually striking Dark movies (and yes, the Dark was capitalized. what does that mean?)
• Emotional 20th Century Period Pieces

I am a weird weird person...at least according to my movie tastes...just proves I'm eclectic...and a former Film Major.

But honestly, I don't know about you, but I tend to netflix the things that either no one else will see with me in the theater, or that I don't want to spend money on seeing in the theater, or old movies that I never saw in my childhood or haven't seen FOR-EV-ER. So, apparently that leads me to liking these types of netflix choices.

Oh well, I suppose it could be much weirder, right?

It's Back!!

I watched a leaf fall from a tree yesterday.

I walked out of my door this morning and was smacked in the face by the gloriousness of Fall. And I couldn't be happier.

No more baking while driving in my un-airconditioned Jeep.

Jeans, scarves, and sweaters get to start sneaking their way back into my wardrobe.

Giants baseball is winding down for the season (that I'm not happy about, but that's another time).

Soon I'll get to snuggle up in a blanket (though not a Snuggie. Saw it at Costco and determined that I'd never purchase one. But if someone bought one for me for Christmas, I'd probably use it)

I can use my heater.

My beverage of choice will be Apple Cider (until I can find the tasty wonder that is Wasil)

All I can say is...It's About Time.

Welcome Back Fall. I embrace you wholeheartedly!

A Return to Normalcy

I don't know what it is...16 years of school schedules...rotation of the earth...baseball winding down...but whatever it is, September seems to be when life goes back to normal. Don't get me wrong, summer is fantastic. Even when you are employed, there is just something different about summer life. But, maybe I'm more a creature of routine than I thought I was.

I'm pumped this week. This week, normal life returns with it's ordinary wonderfulness.

Last night, my bible study group started back up. It truly is a community, which is as rare as the Loch Ness Monster (or Ryan Garko) these days. But it does exist. And it's fabulous. We meet. We eat. (which will be potluck-style this year! Absolutely I am bringing Jell-O next week) We read. We discuss. We pray. It is simple and it is good.
And after bible study, I go play volleyball for 3+ hours. We've been up and down in our numbers but after about 7 years we've still got a good group. It's certainly changed through the years. Lots of people coming and going, one marriage, and its been equal parts trash-talking and endless support. A rarity to say the least. But it's a group that I love. We are a family as well. Basically, normalcy is exhaustion and soreness on Thursday morning. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

And this week, television begins it's fall return. Tonight: Bones (!), Fringe (which found itself the last half of the season and ended with a barrage of twists, turns, and jaw-dropping awesomeness. You should be watching. That's all I am saying), The Office (hooray!), and I already watched Community's first episode that is airing tonight. And it's entertaining. But the joys and tragedies of DVR and Thursday nights. Once Grey's returns next week (and based on my reaction every time I've seen the promo for the season premiere, I'll be an emotional wreck) the great debate on what to watch live/DVR and what gets to be watched online. I think NBC comedies are going to get the online treatment. Thanks to whoever's internet I'm borrowing in my apartment complex!

Life is back to normal. And I'm a big fan of that. Ü

Things I Miss...

• Back-to-School shopping. I love school supplies.
• Spectre.
• Extra Money.
• Traveling.
• Going shooting. Both shotgun and bow & arrow.
• Card catalogs.
• Writing in cursive.
• NYC.
• Having a Fridge with Built-in Ice Maker
• Telephones with cords
• Life before the internet
• Having phone numbers memorized
• Getting fancied up
• Brown Duckie
• Eating Meals with 50+ minor league ballplayers
• The Beach
• Newport Beach Public Library
• Running Around Lake Hollingsworth
• Tailgating at Candlestick
• Life before Twitter existed
• The Bethel Bazaar
• Rock-n-Bowling
• John Cheng Cookies & Chicken Bar Thursday
• Red Steer
• Riding in the bed of a truck
• Skiing
• Gas costing less than $1.00

ponderings and emotions

• this giants/dodgers rivalry is back full force and I love that! and thankful we didn't get swept.
• I've recently discovered Bejeweled Blitz on the facebook. I'm beyond addicted. But yesterday as I was playing, I had to wonder if my addiction was simply because I'm so awesome at the game (which I am) or because the voice telling you "Go" and other stuff is eerily similar to the "Finish Him" voice on Mortal Kombat II. That was a great game. Many hours of my youth was spent on my Sega Genesis playing that before my mom took it away because it was "too violent" I'm still bitter about that. That bitterness rivals only my bitterness of giving away my original Nintendo and my bitterness of not getting to watch Casper in 8th grade because there were ghosts involved.
• I'm ready for the new job. though it really has been a bit nice to not do much. but it shall be nice to have a purpose...not A Purpose-Driven Life, but just living with purpose. Yeah, there's a big difference.
• ready for some new TV shows to start up. I'm going through some withdrawals.
• I've said it before, I'll say it again: I HATE THE DODGERS, but I love Vin Scully.
• went to Target the other day and saw that all the seasons of Alias were only $12.99 a piece. That was disheartening when I thought about the fact that you could get all the seasons for how much I paid for one and a half. The curse of tv on dvd addiction.
• I'm excited for fall to get here. When I was in Monterey a couple weeks ago, there was fog, I wore jeans and a sweatshirt, I ate soup, it was glorious. I'm over the upper 90s. Bring on the fall!

weekend cable movie time

There is just something about the cable channels that know how to plan a movie marathon to suck you in. Especially on the weekend. Recently, I enjoyed a bountiful marathon on AMC of Hook, Rookie of the Year, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (RIP John HUghes) it was beyond words amazing.

Anyways, so, today Stick It! (one of my favoritest movies) was on ABC Family. So, after watching the Giants lose I was watching the comfort food weekend cable movie marathons. But the movie that followed Stick It! was by far the one of the worst movies I've ever bore witness to. I couldn't even leave it on for background noise. It was so bad, I couldn't even "not turn it off to see the horrible badness that is actually funny how bad it is"----and this coming from a girl who owns Crossroads on VHS and watched all of the craptacular Nickelodeon tv movie Spectacular! The offender of the day was a "film" called Picture This "starring" Ashley Tisdale. Seriously bad. Not just the acting. But the storyline, the message it was sending out....I was outright offended. And it was using the story motive of Camelot. Poor Camelot....what did it ever do to deserve such a horrible fate?

So, basically, steer clear of Picture This if it ever comes and invades your Sunday afternoon TV watching. Any movies that you've ever dubbed "Too Bad to Even Watch and Make Fun of" ?

...this is it...

Yup. It took a No-Hitter to bring me out of blogging hibernation. But sweet lord almighty, what a great night, great story, great everything. Jonathan Sanchez...he of endless potential...became a major part of history when he needed it most. Even I had suggested that Sanchez may be best suited for the bullpen. Proved wrong tonight. And then his dad had to come and smother him in a huge hug in the dugout afterwards....I'm a sucker for that. I mean...I lost it watching the perfect game in For Love of the Game. Anyways, it was a proud night for a Giants fan. Especially after Lincecum took a no-hitter into the 7th last night. And Cain going tomorrow night. All of this has led me to a major conclusion/decision/belief---

This is It.

This can and may and should be the season. It's got all the telltale signs. Look at the White Sox of 2005, the Tigers in 2006, the Phillies last year. I'm feeling it. Been feeling it since Spring Training. And that feeling has intensified as the season has progressed. The guys have stepped up. I know there's still the second half but I gotta say, I'm feeling good about this season. 

Yeah Giants. 

gobble

Happy Day After.

Hope your day was fonz-tastic.