Friday, May 29, 2009

Update

I am really liking this hair :)
After skipping a week's post, I definitely have plenty to share. Goodness, where to start? Well, first, my summer plans seem to be solid. I'm definitely going to Redlands for 6 weeks of a couple dance classes. Just waiting to know which ones I can choose from because Tit changes every cycle. When I go is still up in the air because my uncle's good friend isn't in good shape, so we're not entirely sure how everything is going to go around that time (June 21st, I mean). Also, I'm going to another graduation, my oma's memorial (she died from Alzheimer's disease last year), visiting with my cousins from Texas and Bakersfield (I hope), and a whole list of things to do. Some of those things include learning how to play the guitar and reading a healthy stack of books. :D

As for what has already been happening, well . . . I went to one cousin's graduation in Berkeley last Friday. I skipped another cousin's on Saturday because I didn't want to end up like my aunt: sick. That was futile. I ended up getting a more mild version of her cold later (day before yesterday) and I'm getting over it. On Sunday, I went to the family reunion for my grandma's side (The Robinsons), I think. I can never be sure because both the Archbolds and Robinsons are always at each reunion. Only the James ones make any sense, but I can only remember one of those happening anyway. Monday, I saw X-men Origins: Wolverine (with someone). I liked it. and Wednesday, I cleaned, mostly. I also video chatted for the first time. That's fun. Hung out with my boyfriend yesterday. Today, I'm cleaning in preparation for my cousins from Texas coming up next weekend. The cleaning has to start now because that's just how my family works.

I'll go back to the topic style next week. This was more of an update to show that I'm going to continue blogging. I'm just trying to decide what purpose it's going to serve. Maybe just talking about fun topics and sharing stories or things I've found? Maybe just writing practice or sharing things I've already written? I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to make a decision soon. Until then, take care. :)
Bo is a bit silly.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Music and a lack of lyrics

I just might keep this blog up. The only reason I can think of not to is that it takes me a bit of time. I'm indecisive and I tend to be a perfectionist. Not the most productive duo. I'm more of a Twitter-person, but blogging is probably better for keeping up the habit of writing things that people will actually read. I've actually started to like blogging. That's something I didn't expect to say. There's just something about sharing what I'm thinking about with the internet in more than just handful of words that's a big strange, but it's a good type of strange.

Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of instrumental music lately. Sometimes, I just don't want to clear out all of the words around me and in my head, but I can't find silence. That's when I go straight for artists like John Jarvis, George Winston, David Lanz, Bond, Suzanne Ciani, Mannheim Steamroller, and a few others. [As I type this, "Changing Colors" by John Jarvis is playing.] Words are very distracting to me. I like just listening to how something sounds rather than what someone is saying. It's more of a feeling and less of a search for meaning. I like lyrics quite a bit [different topic], but I often find myself listening to everything except the words. Some songs do seem to say something without so much as a simple hum like David Lanz's "Beloved". Every time I hear that song, I think I'm listening to a song with lyrics. I appreciate those types of songs the most because it doesn't make sense that words would come so naturally to a lyric-less song. It's like a secret.

Well, good luck on finals everyone!

Edit: I'm going to keep this blog up as long as I can. I'll probably do more linking to other people plus the regular blogging and pictures. Speaking of pictures. . .
This is what my hair looked like a few years ago before I started dyeing it [ignore the strange I'm-fascinated-by-my-hand look].

Sunday, May 10, 2009

My grandpa says I've been scalped

Parts of the past few days made me smile. Thursday night, I saw the new Star Trek with two of my friends. I loved it and can't wait to own it! I might even see it again except in IMAX this time. It's definitely worth it. Before I saw it, I had seen some of the old Star Trek movies and episodes when I was little, but not enough to recall anything. My aunt had remembered the old movies enough to find one inconsistency, but it didn't seem to lower her opinion at all. Seems like everyone I know who has seen it loves it.

Friday, I got my hair cut. Before then, my hair had always been at least shoulder-length. My friend, Rachel, was happy to change that. She cut it like a pro and I'm super happy with it. I can't imagine how great she'll be after she goes through cosmetology school.
She straightened it, too. Looks and feels good both ways, so I'm happy. :)
Saturday was actually kind of bothersome. I learned a valuable lesson though: NEVER take someone else's acne medication especially if the side effects sound painful. Not one of my smartest decisions. Watching the first old Star Trek, however, was a smart decision. I'm about to poke fun at how bad it was, but I really did like it. It was just cheesy. For example, every single time something surprising happened, the characters would open their eyes as wide as possible like someone said "Okay, so we need really long shots of you guys looking surprised. Pretend you can't blink for a few minutes". Some of them even gaped like parched animals in the desert. At those parts, something funnier was often happening. Half of the movie was spent in super slow motion. Most of the time, those parts were supposed to be in warp speed. The cover did say "Special Longer Version", so maybe that's why the movie had so many slow motion, panoramic shots. Whatever the reason, I'm glad the rest of the movies move more quickly.

Today, Sunday, just makes me smile because it's Mother's Day and my aunt is enjoying it. I hope every mother/mother-figure is having a good Mother's Day, too. :) If not, Miiki feels for you.
Picture taken shortly after my aunt went on a trip. Miiki and my camera didn't take the news well.

Friday, May 1, 2009

I live now

Not sure when this was taken exactly, but it was definitely before 1991.
My mom died in a car accident when I was 4 years old. She was driving to visit some friends a few hours away. A drunk driver lost control in the rain, swerved into her lane, and hit her. My dad died when I was 11 years old. He got lung cancer when I was 8, it went away after a few months of treatments, then came back and nothing could be done. He died May of 2003. I moved here that June and have lived here ever since. When I tell people, they don't always look at me the same way after (the fact that I'm a dork is beside the point). A few distant family members pity my sister and I because we're "the orphans". Well, I don't see myself that way and my sister can speak for herself. I don't lack parental units. In fact, I don't lack family at all. I have a huge family and I live with my aunt, uncle, cousins who are like brothers and a second sister to me, my sister, and cousin's friend (not to mention, the pets we have). I let it slide when my aunt is called my mom or anything like that because my aunt and uncle and cousins are like parents and siblings to me. I would never want to trade them for a different "normal" family. I like how there's plenty to miss when I go on a trip or someone else goes on a trip. There's rarely a dull moment around here, for better or for worse (better at the moment because Miiki is sleeping with her tongue hanging out of her upside down head). At the moment, I can't say I'm missing much. Sure, I still miss my parents, but I'd be missing out on life if I lived in the past. There's plenty of life ahead.

At our grandparents' house in early March. Good picture of everyone = nonexistent.

Loving the rain. A nice May 1st, imho.