i grew up in the san fernando valley, which is part of the greater los angeles area, and as said before has made the the valley girl you all know and love. when i got into san francisco state i couldn't wait to escape the bubble of self involved anorexia and explore new and different places. i was more than excited to experience life in a city, and if nothing else have an adventure for four years, to at least add to my cultural learning. when i first moved i always assumed i would go back to southern california eventually. i mean i loved the city and the atmosphere, but i am a product of suburbia, and i just couldn't imagine settling down without the possibility of having a front and back yard. but as life would have it, a semester into college and the girls i thought were my best friends decided they didn't want me in their lives anymore. the devastation made me determined to love san francisco even more. and as much as it kills me, i have to thank them for that. i spent the next year and a half throwing myself into the city life. i let go of my fear of public transportation and spent time exploring new parts and places in the city.
i learned about great places to go shopping, to eat, and to just have some fun. but more importantly i think i experienced true san franciscan culture. growing up in a bubble, it never occurred to me that moving to sf would not only be a location change, but it would introduce me to a whole new mentality. everyone is so much more relaxed and laid back. i didn't feel the same sort of pressure to be super skinny, or really tan, or tall and blonde. i was able to feel like i finally fit in somewhere and i truly enjoyed it. i think i really became myself. i realized how much i was censored in highschool, and so much of it was dictated to me by those so called friends. i'm a weird person, and i like that about myself, but it definitely took san francisco to bring it out.
i was in love, and it seemed like i was never going back to southern california. i mean how could you move back to the boring valley, when there was so much fun to be had in the city. and then this year happened. well really this semester. this has been the roughest semester i have had in college so far. i hurt my back three times, which sent me into a frenzy of discouragement and lack of motivation. i feel like every time i tried to get up, i just got shot back down. and sometimes quite literally. the stress of being an adult has finally consumed me, and i don't know what to do anymore. i've never wanted to move home more, in fact i've even considered transferring schools for my last three classes and just getting out as fast as i can. (probably fortunately, it's not possible). i don't think it's southern california i miss. i know it isn't. it's having someone to take care of me that is most appealing. i never thought i would say this, but i cannot wait to move back in with my parents. i'm sick of taking care of everyone, and i just want someone to take care of me. there's nothing like a semester of dragging yourself to doctors, arguing with health insurance, trying to make ends meet with a dead end job, fixing problems in the house, trying to get all the bills paid and worrying about passing your classes to make you want your mom again.
the mighty has fallen. (me being the mighty of course). and the path i am going to take to overcome it is still unclear. i really need a break from life, from everything really, so i can patch myself back up, but that seems next to impossible. i'm just trying to stick it out, but honestly, it breaks my heart to say it, i'm counting down the days til i can get that one way ticket out of the real world, and back to southern cali.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
please turn off all cell phones and pagers
i have been an avid movie go-er for years. my parents LOVE going to the movies, mainly for the popcorn (see one of the posts below), so as a kid we went a lot. then in highschool that was the cool thing to do on the weekends, because at 14 there really isn't much else to do. and plus there is just something so fun about going and seeing the movie play on a huge screen, in the dark theatre, i just really enjoy it. and don't even get me started about previews. those are the absolute best part! i love previews! i would pay ten dollars to sit and watch previews for two hours, that's how much i love them. but nevermind that, this post is about something more important, something much more troubling than my love for previews...
the extreme decline in movie theatre etiquette.
what the fuck happened in the last five years?! when in gods name did it become okay to answer your cell phone in the middle of a movie?! or bbm your friend the entire time? or record the movie on your camera? (newsflash: if you watch it the first time, you won't have to have it recorded to remember what happened!) or even worse, have a conversation at full volume about how you don't think adam likes you. (well he probably doesn't like dumb hoes who talk in movies! and honestly i don't blame him) i mean is the whisper extinct? and how come i missed that memo?
i just don't get it. and i don't think i ever will. call me a traditionalist, but when i go into a movie theatre, i make sure my phone is on silent, and in my bag, and i don't look at it until the movie is over. (unless of course, it is a horrible movie, and i am trying to figure out how much longer i have to endure it. but even then i try very hard to keep the phone hidden in my purse, and under the seat, so that blaring light doesn't bother anyone else.)
in the last few years alone, movie theatre etiquette has just ceased to exist all together. i cannot tell you the last time i saw a movie in which there wasn't some annoying interruption. whether it be the five 12 year old girls chasing after their 12 year old boy friend in the top row the ENTIRE length of the Hannah Montana movie, or a 5 year old child chewing the stairs of the theatre crying because the 10:45pm showing was clearly past his bed time.
it is just sad that we live in a world where we can't ignore a phone call or a text message for two hours, is it really that urgent and necessary that you answer now? and if it is, why don't you rush up and leave the theatre, so the rest of the patrons can enjoy. you do not need to have the conversation while still watching the movie. despite what you may think you are not in a sound proof bubble. and my god, that light on your phone might not seem so bright to you, because all you are doing is cooing over the fact that he finally texted you, but for me up in the back row, it is ALL i can see. so put your phones away, the boys will love you for not being so freaking desperate. and spending ten dollars to try and hold your arm up and steady for two hours, just so you can have a shitty quality version of only the dialogue and lumpy black shapes moving around, seems really really stupid. REALLY stupid. you must really be dumb to think that is going to be a lucrative business. instead save yourself the trouble, just enjoy the big screen, and you will leave just as satisfied, with both arms intact.
even though i have yet to experience and interruption free movie, i still keep going. i just can't wait that long to watch it in the privacy and silence of my own home. so today i am making the journey again. hears to hoping i enjoy at least three quarters of the movie distraction free!
the extreme decline in movie theatre etiquette.
what the fuck happened in the last five years?! when in gods name did it become okay to answer your cell phone in the middle of a movie?! or bbm your friend the entire time? or record the movie on your camera? (newsflash: if you watch it the first time, you won't have to have it recorded to remember what happened!) or even worse, have a conversation at full volume about how you don't think adam likes you. (well he probably doesn't like dumb hoes who talk in movies! and honestly i don't blame him) i mean is the whisper extinct? and how come i missed that memo?
i just don't get it. and i don't think i ever will. call me a traditionalist, but when i go into a movie theatre, i make sure my phone is on silent, and in my bag, and i don't look at it until the movie is over. (unless of course, it is a horrible movie, and i am trying to figure out how much longer i have to endure it. but even then i try very hard to keep the phone hidden in my purse, and under the seat, so that blaring light doesn't bother anyone else.)
in the last few years alone, movie theatre etiquette has just ceased to exist all together. i cannot tell you the last time i saw a movie in which there wasn't some annoying interruption. whether it be the five 12 year old girls chasing after their 12 year old boy friend in the top row the ENTIRE length of the Hannah Montana movie, or a 5 year old child chewing the stairs of the theatre crying because the 10:45pm showing was clearly past his bed time.
it is just sad that we live in a world where we can't ignore a phone call or a text message for two hours, is it really that urgent and necessary that you answer now? and if it is, why don't you rush up and leave the theatre, so the rest of the patrons can enjoy. you do not need to have the conversation while still watching the movie. despite what you may think you are not in a sound proof bubble. and my god, that light on your phone might not seem so bright to you, because all you are doing is cooing over the fact that he finally texted you, but for me up in the back row, it is ALL i can see. so put your phones away, the boys will love you for not being so freaking desperate. and spending ten dollars to try and hold your arm up and steady for two hours, just so you can have a shitty quality version of only the dialogue and lumpy black shapes moving around, seems really really stupid. REALLY stupid. you must really be dumb to think that is going to be a lucrative business. instead save yourself the trouble, just enjoy the big screen, and you will leave just as satisfied, with both arms intact.
even though i have yet to experience and interruption free movie, i still keep going. i just can't wait that long to watch it in the privacy and silence of my own home. so today i am making the journey again. hears to hoping i enjoy at least three quarters of the movie distraction free!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
finals: time to crunch, or crack...
i'm in the library (well the annex, the temporary library)...nope not studying. instead i am procrastinating. as if i couldn't procrastinate anywhere else, i chose to wake up early and come to the library do it. my hope is that somewhere in between all this procrastinating i will get at least some of my TWO papers done. probably more, than if i was procrastinating at home.
both of these papers, one ten pages, and the other seven, are due on thursday, and i have done maybe a quarter of each (and that is me being very generous to myself). i don't know what it is about me, that just cannot get anything done til it absolutely needs to be. i mean i have things to do tomorrow, which translates into, these papers better be done for the most part by today. which i fully understand, and yet here i am blog blogging away.
the library is such an intersting place to sit and people watch. the most random people come here. and the new cool thing about this temporary library is that you can bring whatever you want to eat in here. which is my new interesting thing to look at, because people bring EVERYTHING in here. seriously there is someone a few tables down eating mcdonalds with french fries smothered in ketchup. down a little bit from him, is a girl eating soup. it's crazy! two days ago i saw someone eating nachos. the only draw back is that instead of studying, i see people eating, which makes me think about how hungry i am, and what i want to eat to quench that hunger.
but today i came prepared!! (its the girl scout in me). i came equipped with snacks and a sandwich and tea, and gum and candy. so hunger is not going to overcome me. now if i could only just squash the procrastinating bug and go tackle these papers!!
wish me luck. i hope everyone is doing well on their finals!!
both of these papers, one ten pages, and the other seven, are due on thursday, and i have done maybe a quarter of each (and that is me being very generous to myself). i don't know what it is about me, that just cannot get anything done til it absolutely needs to be. i mean i have things to do tomorrow, which translates into, these papers better be done for the most part by today. which i fully understand, and yet here i am blog blogging away.
the library is such an intersting place to sit and people watch. the most random people come here. and the new cool thing about this temporary library is that you can bring whatever you want to eat in here. which is my new interesting thing to look at, because people bring EVERYTHING in here. seriously there is someone a few tables down eating mcdonalds with french fries smothered in ketchup. down a little bit from him, is a girl eating soup. it's crazy! two days ago i saw someone eating nachos. the only draw back is that instead of studying, i see people eating, which makes me think about how hungry i am, and what i want to eat to quench that hunger.
but today i came prepared!! (its the girl scout in me). i came equipped with snacks and a sandwich and tea, and gum and candy. so hunger is not going to overcome me. now if i could only just squash the procrastinating bug and go tackle these papers!!
wish me luck. i hope everyone is doing well on their finals!!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
tell me again how much i saved?!
a few years ago i used to work at target. that glorious haven: the store that has everything. this is in no way a bashing of target, because despite some of the interesting things that happened while i worked there, i actually thoroughly enjoyed it. it's a great company to work for, and i would recommend it to anyone. anyway, target most definitely has one of the most interesting clientele that a store can have. mainly because everyone can find something they need there. so while i was there, i developed some theories about the people who shop there, and i'll share one of them now.
we will call this meta-frugality: a word i just made up (well at least i think i did) that describes commenting or bringing attention to your own frugal-ness.
this is a common action i observed while ringing up people's items. i cannot be sure if it just made people feel better about all the money they saved, or if they just needed to be reassured that they were not spending more money than they thought. but it went like this:
i would say about 95 percent of the time i rung up an item that was on sale, the customer would verbally double check that it rang up for the price that it was on sale for. for example, let's say that water picks were on sale for $19.88, this is how the situation would play out:
me, holding the water pick over the scanner, across the bar code
BEEP (success!)
customer: that was $19.88 right?
me: uh, yeah
customer (with a suddenly more reassured confident face): okay, good.
now normally, this would just seem like regular conversation, but i began to notice that it happened ALL the time, and multiple times during the ringing up process. i mean, if someone was buying all items that were on sale, they would ask it after every item was rung up. or even worse, they would shake it up and ask, "how much was that?" which of course would make my reply much more complicated, since i would have to look at the screen and repeat the numbers. much harder than just saying "uh yeah."
my conclusion from this whole thing is that people just LOVE to hear about how much they saved. it's as if my reassuring them that the price on their item was in fact the sale price, i am actually saying "congratulations! you did it! you got it for only $19.88. what a deal!" which when you really think about it is kind of pathetic. it's not like getting something on sale is any great feat. especially when it is something from target, which usually means that there are five hundred of the same item, for the same sale price. it's not as if you picked out the only one out of the stack that was on sale.
and i'll tell you, this action was not limited to expensive items that people were really getting deals on. i mean this was no $500 saving on a plasma screen tv. this was 50 cents on the mega roll of toliet paper. all i can say is that from someone who loves to get deals herself, save the congratulations for when you get home. or pat yourself on the back on your own time, because chances are, the cashier probably doesn't give a fuck.
we will call this meta-frugality: a word i just made up (well at least i think i did) that describes commenting or bringing attention to your own frugal-ness.
this is a common action i observed while ringing up people's items. i cannot be sure if it just made people feel better about all the money they saved, or if they just needed to be reassured that they were not spending more money than they thought. but it went like this:
i would say about 95 percent of the time i rung up an item that was on sale, the customer would verbally double check that it rang up for the price that it was on sale for. for example, let's say that water picks were on sale for $19.88, this is how the situation would play out:
me, holding the water pick over the scanner, across the bar code
BEEP (success!)
customer: that was $19.88 right?
me: uh, yeah
customer (with a suddenly more reassured confident face): okay, good.
now normally, this would just seem like regular conversation, but i began to notice that it happened ALL the time, and multiple times during the ringing up process. i mean, if someone was buying all items that were on sale, they would ask it after every item was rung up. or even worse, they would shake it up and ask, "how much was that?" which of course would make my reply much more complicated, since i would have to look at the screen and repeat the numbers. much harder than just saying "uh yeah."
my conclusion from this whole thing is that people just LOVE to hear about how much they saved. it's as if my reassuring them that the price on their item was in fact the sale price, i am actually saying "congratulations! you did it! you got it for only $19.88. what a deal!" which when you really think about it is kind of pathetic. it's not like getting something on sale is any great feat. especially when it is something from target, which usually means that there are five hundred of the same item, for the same sale price. it's not as if you picked out the only one out of the stack that was on sale.
and i'll tell you, this action was not limited to expensive items that people were really getting deals on. i mean this was no $500 saving on a plasma screen tv. this was 50 cents on the mega roll of toliet paper. all i can say is that from someone who loves to get deals herself, save the congratulations for when you get home. or pat yourself on the back on your own time, because chances are, the cashier probably doesn't give a fuck.
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