I’ve decided to write about everything on my mind (which all happens to be pretty pessimistic, sorry) here we go…

It is officially my last two weeks of work for a long while.  I feel as if it is bittersweet.  Much more sweet than bitter.  Actually, the only thing that can fall under the category of bitter would be missing the kids I work with.  Other than that…not waking up at 6 in the morning…SWEEET..getting out of Rancho…SWEEEEET…being in Italy FUCKING SWEEEET!  To be honest, what I am really doing here is making myself feel better for the Coachella line-up that I was informed of today.  FML. On a side note, I have been dreaming about twisting my clothes into tiny balls to fit into my suitcase, so pathetic.

Now another bitter subject, my chargers.  If you look at the bright side sucking from the first quarter is much better than sucking in the last two minutes.  I’ll give you that boys.  The only upside of that game was the half-time, which I spent playing flip cup with friends and parents.  Along with the flip cup came some serious competitiveness from Amanda and Jessica’s parents and Grant’s (Amanda’s dad) ipod blasting Black Eyed Peas which made me happy.  Other than that it was an awful afternoon that ended with me drunk and ripping off my Sproles jersey out of disgust.

Now for the Golden Globes.  I may be picked on for stating this but….fuck yes for Glee winning best comedy or musical series.  Now for the B’s.  Screw Inglourious B’s not winning anything.  That movie was epic to say the least and from what I watched they did not receive what they deserved,  whatev.  And then this B….Sandra B…a couple years ago she is a wo-man entering a beauty pageant to find an explosive hidden in a crown and now she is winning freaking Golden Globe Awards for taking in a black orphan? Ugh.

Fun fact for the day: Mel Gibson’s father who is currently a pastor in Australia denies that the Holocaust happened.  Do these people really exist?  I would really like to know where he thinks millions of people ran off to…

As bad as this post looks, I have been very happy today.  I enjoyed working and now I am looking forward to relaxing the rest of my night.  I also enjoyed seeing Katie and Cameron yesterday.  They went on a cruise for the weekend and I loved hearing stories and seeing Cameron.  I think he has grown into a really chill person and Katie and I want to go visit him in the LB whaaa whaaaat?! YEEYUH.

And to close this post off…an entry from Girl, Interrupted which I am thoroughly enjoying..this is the introduction, which I thought was really realllly good for this book…

“And it is easy to slip into a parallel universe.  There are so many of them: worlds of the insane, the criminal, the crippled, the dying, perhaps of the dead as well.  These worlds exist alongside this world and resemble it, but are not in it.  Most people pass over incrementally, making a series of perforations in the membrane between here and there until an opening exists.  And who can resist an opening?  In the parallel universe the laws of physics are suspended.  What goes up does not necessarily come down, a body at rest does not tend to stay at rest; and not every action can be counted on to provoke an equal and opposite reaction.  Time, too, is different.  It may run in circles, flow backward, skip about from now to then.  The very arrangement of molecules is fluid: Tables can be clocks, faces, flowers.  Another odd feature of the parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from.  Sometimes the world you came from looks huge and menacing, quivering like a vast pile of jelly; at other times it is miniaturizing and alluring, a-spin and shining in its orbit.  Either way, it can’t be discounted. Every window on Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco. ”

I was on winter break with work and came back on the 7th with new kids to work with and a different schedule, that is always exciting.  My break consisted of:

• Late nights in parking lots (my favorite)
• Hanging out with Lough…finally
• Preparing for Firenze (meaning…meetings..packing lists…shopping…lots of shopping..buying books/classes…mass amounts of e-mails…)
• Finding beautiful places
• Enjoying those beautiful places
• Reading more new books! (btw, I bought Girl, Interrupted yesterday.)
• Exploring new music (thanks, Jeff) and my camera!
• The worst sleeping schedule alive which I didn’t kick when I went back to work
• Spending a lot of time with my brother. (Watching Big Brother UK which is absolutely amazing.)
• Adventuring with Katie and long talks with her mom (so greatttt)
• My car blowing up at an intersection in OB.
• A nice tow-truck ride home with a single father with full custody of his 11 year old son.  I must elaborate on this… So Katie and I were driving down to OB to hang out with some friends and I stop at the first light off the 8 and my car just shuts off, a bunch of warning lights turn on, and it won’t start back up.  So I had a brief panic attack and then two men immediately stopped and helped us push it through the intersection and to the side of the road.  When the tow truck got there I remember telling Katie, “Oh, this should be an interesting ride home.”  Judging people at first site is something I really need to work on..but anyways..we get in the tow truck he immediately says, “Radio is yours to control, along with the air, windows, and heat.  I mean hey girls, your paying for this ride right?! Might as well make it luxurious.”  After some brief general conversations we asked him what his schedule was like.  He told us he works 12 hour shifts (specifically 7:00 pm to 7:00 am) to support his son.  It was so great to see a dad that had full custody and was doing everything in his power to keep it that way.  It was definitely an eye-opener and that experience alone made me realize to just have one conversation with someone before you make inaccurate judgments.
• Seeing Nine…you know me and musicals…
• Walking the hills in my neighborhood while listening to amaaazing music.
• Being an idiot and watching all four seasons of Weeds and the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm (Larry David is so great.)
• Downloading Serendipity..life-changing, Jingle All the Way..classic, The Grinch..favorite of all time, Elf..which makes me so happy.

Okay  so I think I have wrote enough of this list but you get the idea.  Not anything epic but enough to decide that I had a wonderful break.  Now I’ll flash forward to yesterday.  I had my first class for Italy.  Our semester starts in January..here..and then our semester ends a month early in April.  It was a four hour class and I think I am going to enjoy it.  We are going to read Dante’s Inferno which is exciting I have heard so much about it..and lots of writing and blogs!  I enjoyed meeting more people in the program and it just fist-pumps me up to go to Firenze! After class ended I went home and spoke to Carlos. He came in town from Japan and I was super stoked to see him!  My car was out of gas at Jeff’s so I picked him up and we went and got some gas to get my car running or -keep the car running- ahahhaha anyways..after that we went to Amvets for a long while.  I got a beautiful red sweater and another new book (two in one day, I know…) and Carlos got some new records and a shirt.  After we left we parked where Katie and I like to spend time and just talked.  Whenever I hang out with Carlos I always feel like I get a reality check or that I know what is really important in life.  I think he helps me distinguish the filler from the important things in life and I really appreciate that.  We had great conversation with Sigur Ros in the background and it was really nice!  After that we went to Albertson’s and got apple slices and salad.  We took it to the park off of Fury and had a late picnic.  Once we finished, I dropped Carlos off and went home and took a nice nap.  I love days like those.

And today……CHARGERS PLAY-OFFSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I am up this early due to excitement building since last week.  San Diego should be going crazy today and if not I hope the rain in this upcoming week brings lightning bolts.  I then hope those lightning bolts burn every raider fan.  Okay…a little harsh…but I’m a serious fan!  And on this note….it is time to go put the jersey on.

So this weekend was pretty eventful, and I am pleased with all the things I did!  Friday I went over to Rob’s house which was alright.  I always enjoy his bathtub/pond filled with gold fish and that awful poster of everything disgusting in America in his bathroom.  Hung out Harry/Kyle/Danny for the first time in a long while but they decided going to the bar was a better option (brats).  So when they left I did as well…I went over to Ally and Ben’s which was very emotional/interesting.  I really love that house…the wall paper, the atmosphere, and the faces I always see.  I ran into Jeff and Mark and we (meaning me) cried, chilled, made fun of vomit-covered Australians, and had a few revelations I wasn’t expecting.  Nostalgia.  Overall it was a good night and I definitely realized some things about myself.  I like nights like those.

Saturday was awesome.  Mark, Joe, and I went over to my friends and played a ridiculous drinking game that involved shouting “sex,” but before that we got some amazing new champagne…I think I was jealous of myself while drinking it.  I also don’t think Joe and Mark liked it as much as I did.  Anyways, we left and had intentions for Coronado which turned in to IB.  We found a perfect spot…benches lined up along the beach with a cold but not too cold wind chill.  I liked when Joe and Mark examined the waves, it was one of those times where you are so content with where you are at that exact moment.  So we sat on the bench (me with a towel wrapped around my shoulders) and ate sunflower seeds… drank some white zifandel… lit my history note cards on fire in honor of me pulling an A in the class…during consisted of us flipping off the cards and I am pretty sure one of us said “Fuck you Mao!”  After I left  Joe and Mark proceeded to pee on them which is absolutely fantastic.  I gave them both high fives.  On the way home we rocked out to Wake Up and Life Is Beautiful which reminds me of how amazing we all were years ago.  Nostalgia.  I am looking forward to Jet Black New Year, don’t let me down fellas!

Sunday started with the Parade of Lights which was weak if I do say so myself.  Joe, Jeff, Mark and I went down there and watched from a sleeping bag where Jeff and Mark wondered how many people thought they were gay.  Nostalgia.  In the middle of all the lame boats there was a magnificent one…  the lights were totally going to Transiberian Orchestra and that is awesome.  I felt a little more quiet than usual, maybe because I was soaking my company in or because I was feeling super nostalgic.  After the lights we went to Hotel Del and saw the ice skating rink which was also pretty weak.  I was expecting much more, but it was awesome seeing this little blonde girl stomp her cute ass across the rink knocking every boy down on the way.  After the skating session ended we found a sweet bonfire pit and listened to Jeff drop some flows.  I think the highlight of sitting there was when the guy said, “I’m not going anywhere near your log dude,” to Jeff. Jajaja. Amazing.  Anyways we left Hotel Del and got some gelato.  That whole trip consisted of J&J’s inside jokes.  Nostalgia.  After that we went to Balboa Park and spun in an egg (which was freaking amazing) and then acted like we were in elementary school again by not being able to touch the lava quicksand on the playground.  After doing a donut in the parking lot we proceeded to leave and ended the night with watching 500 days of summer.  As good as that movie is, it makes me sad.  Maybe because stories like that are real and happen more than we think.  I love how in the beginning of the movie they tell the audience that it is not a love story, it definitely isn’t.  It is more understanding Tom’s agony as he loves a girl whose feelings don’t reciprocate.  Yep man, shit sucks.  jaja. And coincidence.  Hmmmmmmm coincidence or destiny?  I am going to be honest I haven’t made up my mind.   Anyways, the night ended with Jeff making moves on Joe and Joe running away.  Oh, nostalgia.

I guess I should title this post nostalgia….

-Kaydie

-Work has been crazy, from ankle-panted (yes, i just said ankle-panted..) special ed kids in the center of a quad filled with appalled teenagers to trying to complete and turn in a leave of absence form for 3 months (yes, this time off will be amazing.)  The kids finals were almost more stressful than mine, which is ironic.  I don’t like feeling over-whelmed at work but with the kids and me on winter break it will be a nice time to relax!

-I officially made my decision to be adventurous/spontaneous by traveling abroad to Florence, Italy.  I am going from February 11th to April 24th.  With this decision came mass amounts of paperwork, e-mails, meetings, and loans (yuck).  All of this definitely keeping me busy these past few months.  Now enough of the Debbie Downer persona, I also got a brand new laptop and am about to get a high quality camera.  I mean its necessary, right?  I’ve also been splurging on the little things such as new coats, boots, sweaters, and everything lovely for this Christmas and this spring in Florence.  My schedule while there is absolutely perfect.  I am taking Humanities through the Arts, English: critical thinking and writing, Italian life and Culture (this class consisting of wine tastings, culinary lessons, soccer games, concerts, etc..) and Italian 1.  I won’t go through my daily schedule but I will say that my last class is on Thursdays and ends at 1:00 pm.  Giving me the opportunity to travel from Thursday afternoon until Monday morning.  One word….epic.  I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of the stress and with the departure date around the corner, I might just lose my mind.

-Okay so in my eyes, this reason is more than valid.  Why?  Because I am doing something productive and healthy.  Reading!  I have been a book nazi for a while now and I think its becoming an addiction.  As of right now I am reading Up In The Air.  I just started reading it a few days ago but it is pretty interesting, very detailed.  I also bought another book that I haven’t started reading yet but its a true story about this dude that follows the bible LITERALLY in modern society.  It is supposed to be absolutely hilarious (he even stones adulterers), I am stoked.  I also read the first book True Blood is based off of..such a dork with the vampire books, I know this.  And I also read the first three Twilight books, in like 2 weeks.  Kill me, I know.  I read The Motorcycle Diaries for my history class.  For Che being a crazy Cuban communist, he had some good stuff to say…I really enjoyed it.  Let me just point out that I am versatile with the books I choose to read before I tell about the next one…..OKAY I suck and am addicted to Gossip Girl (The TV shows soundtrack is amazing might I add…) but I read the book of everything that happened before the first season begun so that was kind of cool..also re-read Rant, it will always be one of my favorites. OHHHH WOWW and I found Battle Royale the book,  I only know of three people the could really appreciate this statement…Anyways!  For the past 2 months, I’ve done good!

Enough with my reasoning for being lame and on with some things to look into!

1. Sigur Ros has changed my life this fall.  I mean, for me Sigur Ros=Fall.  They are amazing, and Starlafur brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it…

2. Serendipity.  I always forget how much I love this movie until I watch it around Christmas time every year.  For some reason, this year it seemed even better.  I think I appreciate good movie script more nowadayssss…

an excerpt, my favorite:

“Jonathan Trager, prominent television producer for ESPN, died last night from complications of losing his soul mate and his fiancee. He was 35 years old. Soft-spoken and obsessive, Trager never looked the part of a hopeless romantic. But, in the final days of his life, he revealed an unknown side of his psyche. This hidden quasi-Jungian persona surfaced during the Agatha Christie-like pursuit of his long reputed soul mate, a woman whom he only spent a few precious hours with. Sadly, the protracted search ended late Saturday night in complete and utter failure. Yet even in certain defeat, the courageous Trager secretly clung to the belief that life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. Uh-uh. But rather, its a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan. Asked about the loss of his dear friend, Dean Kansky, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and executive editor of the New York Times, described Jonathan as a changed man in the last days of his life. “Things were clearer for him,” Kansky noted. Ultimately Jonathan concluded that if we are to live life in harmony with the universe, we must all possess a powerful faith in what the ancients used to call “fatum”, what we currently refer to as destiny.”

3. Glee. You hate it or you love it.  I love it….I’ll admit sometimes it can be really lame but I think their version of “Don’t Stop Believing” makes up for it.  This girls voice is absolutely ridiculous, especially for musical theater. Don’t mind the video…just listen.  Only if your into weird show tunes like I am..haha.

4. Passion Pit.  Enough said.

5.  Hot Chip-Keep Fallin’.  I’ll leave you to searching for that one.  Be prepared to get funkyyyyy.

Last night I realized everything I have been missing out on.  It really sucks.

Thanks for the read,

Kaydie.

A Good Read

“I’ve traveled the world twice over, met the famous; saints and sinners, poets and artists, kings and queens, old stars and hopeful beginners, I’ve been where no-one’s been before, learned secrets from writers and cooks, all with one library ticket to the wonderful world of books,”-Anonymous.  It has become very apparent to me that books are slowly being kept as dust collectors on shelves as televisions and movies have swept today’s society.  Reading a story is more imaginative, effective, detailed, and stimulating than watching it in a movie.

Books give readers an escape from reality.  Authors’ words are mere outlines to a beautiful picture a readers mind can create.  Reading is an opportunity for ones mind to wander and explore the endless options a book provides.  When watching a movie, the story comes from the director’s perspective, not yours or the original authors.  Being creative and imaginative is part of how our brains work and that is not accessible when a movie is doing the thinking for us.  When reading a book the ideas come straight from the author and the reader gets to decide how to interpret and picture those ideas.  For example, there have been multiple times I have read a book and then seen it on the big screen and I have been thoroughly disappointed.  People have their own imaginations and trying to please everyone with the right castings or settings is impossible to accomplish.

How many times have you fallen asleep during a movie?  When watching a story it is very easy to lose concentration, nod off, or actually fall asleep.  Watching a movie allows one to relieve their stresses and relax on a cozy couch.   Losing focus can be much easier when one is not engaged in an activity.  Books are effective, when reading one is alert and aware of what is going on.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of movies and I understand why people would want to watch them.  I watch them!  They are a very easy way to unwind.  In terms of effectiveness, Marie Winn (author of The Plug-In Drug) states, “Television images do not go through a complex symbolic transformation. The mind does not have to decode and manipulate during the television experience,” thus providing non-readers with low recognition, writing, and reading skills.  This is because reading has been neglected and movies/televisions have taken its place, especially in the last 60 years.

Books offer a plethora of details to paint perfect pictures in ones mind.  I cannot count the times I have thought or have been told that “the movie version lacks detail.”  Movies tend to focus on the plot where as books wrap the plot up in wonderful detail.  I have yet to find a movie to book transformation where I can say I thought the movie was superior.  I have been a fan of reading books since I can remember, and can be seen with a new one in hand each week.  I always try to watch the movie version and read the story, but the lack of details always leaves me loving the book more.

Books also stimulate the readers mind.  A new science study was done this year showing that when reading about an action the corresponding part of your brain reacts.  For example, if you were reading about catching a baseball, the MRI would show activity in your Parietal Lobe which associates with movement, orientation, recognition, and perception. This study showed society that reading can enhance every day skills and make one aware for future encounters because the brain feels it has already gone through them.  Reading also enhances comprehension and grammar immensely.  Seeing and reading new vocabulary and sentence structures only make a reader more knowledgeable.

Reading has always been a way for me to escape reality, exercise my mind, and put my attention towards something positive.  Reading is a door in your life that can open anything from the most fascinating fantasy world to a chance of endless pretending.  As a society it is important to not let books be drowned by movies trying to generalize them.  As J.W. Eagan once said, “Never judge a book by its movie.”

A good update: I’ve decided on a switch of routine.  A vast schedule change consisting of no napping directly after work and staying up until my meaningless english class begins at 6:00 on Mondays.  Going to bed at a decent hour is not something I have done since freshman year of high school.  From late night phone calls which has now turned into late night partying, lets just say I am not reaching full potential at work due to sleep deprivation.  So what to do to stay awake? Blog my ass off.  Livejournal is old and boring and only a site to recall memories from (some very much so missed and some I wouldn’t mind ever reading again.)  This all leaves me here…to bore or to entertain.

So my mid-October mind has been preparing for the most wonderful time of the year.  Yeah, so I like Christmas.  I’m not going to lie, I might not be in such a mood if it was not for Arcade Fire’s Tunnels jump starting it.  I mean Christmas is not even all that it covers, I am talking true happiness for Autumn arriving. Wonderful song/lyrics.

“And if the snow buries my, my neighborhood. And if my parents are crying then I’ll dig a tunnel from my window to yours, yeah a tunnel from my window to yours. You climb out the chimney and meet me in the middle, the middle of town. And since there’s no one else around, we let our hair grow long and forget all we used to know, then our skin gets thicker from living out in the snow. You change all the lead sleepin’ in my head, as the day grows dim I hear you sing a golden hymn. Then we tried to name our babies, but we forgot all the names that, the names we used to know. But sometimes, we remember our bedrooms, and our parent’s bedrooms, and the bedrooms of our friends. Then we think of our parents, well what ever happened to them?! You change all the lead sleepin’ in my head to gold, as the day grows dim, I hear you sing a golden hymn, the song I’ve been trying to say. Purify the colors, purify my mind. Purify the colors, purify my mind, and spread the ashes of the colors over this heart of mine!”

Enough of the nonsense and some opinions that might matter to you or not…

A good read: Rules of Attraction.

Just finished reading it a week ago. Written from multiple perspectives leaving you unknowing, I like it.   It was a pretty good book to movie translation minus some minor details.  Not as emotional as the movie made it out to be, but filled with beautiful writing and a bunch of fucked up college students. Who could complain?

A good listen: Miike Snow.

Who knew a random Swedish band with a first time release this year could catch my eye? They’ve got a great sound…check it out.

A good laugh: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Little Britain.

Always sunny provides me with a consistent 30 minute long laugh every time I watch it.  If you keep up and want to share favorites..here is mine..”The Gang Gives Back”  you know..the episode where the gang is forced to volunteer to be coaches for youth basketball teams.  I only think of one image: A fat, Asian, sandle-wearing kid running laps with a pepsi.

Little Britain (BBC comedy show) is full of laughs too.  Basically, a bunch of fat ugly dudes posing as women saying awful and rude scripts.  Filled with hilarious skits, my favorite being the fat fighters.  I know I am posting video after video but I promise this is the last one!

Thanks for the read!

-Kaydie.