Obama and Firepit

Blog No. 170: Obama and Firepit

"When I asked about elections in 2008, he basically said that he had not made any decisions for either, but I did see a twinkle in his eye."

---Rory Gilmore, predicting the 2008 presidency. XP

That was my reference to Obama. I had watched one of the new reruns of Gilmore Girls, the episode itself aired in 2006. Just as I said, Rory Gilmore predicted Obama's presidency. XP

Anyways, JT sent out a mass text, inviting everyone to his firepit shindig thing, as mentioned in the previous blog. I texted him back to see if he could pick me up. Unfortunately, he had to stay there, mainly because he was hosting.

So I called/texted Piper to see if she wanted to go and could maybe tag a ride with her and Difuentez. However, that apparently ensued some drama. Apparently, Piper had kept Difuentez up the night before, doing who knows what. Then, Piper, I guess, promised Difuentez that he'd get some sleep tonight. As she said that, JT's text was sent.

If that wasn't enough, Piper called me up to try and get me to talk to Difuentez. Normally, you'd think he'd be okay about giving rides. This time, however, he would have to drive from his house in the hills somewhere, all the way to the city, then back toward ARC, then do everything in reverse when it ended. I could imagine the inconvenience for him. However, he was trying to talk himself to doing it, saying that because if he didn't drive Piper and himself, then he would be making me miss out on something I wanted to do... In the end, Piper had texted his reply, No.

Just as that text came, a text from Dictator Roze came to my phone. I thought I might as well explore different avenues of drivers, so to speak, so I can be less dependent on Difuentez driving me everywhere. I ended up convincing Dictator Roze to go and take me with her. XP

At around 11, she arrived at my house. Apparently, she was awake since early that morning, doing stuff like rearranging her high school's old band room and house sitting. I could tell after she had passed the stoplight on Whitney Avenue to get to JT's place. XD

She also mocked the "speed table" that Piper and I have mocked the first time we went to his house after the Anberlin concert. Not a "speed bump" but a "speed table". Exactly. XP

Anyway, Dictator Roze and I walked around the house, in the complete darkness, through the thick brush of dried grass to get to the firepit in the center of the yard. There were unlit tiki torches along our path to the firepit, unlit because "the wind kept blowing them out" as JT says. It was rather windy. If you weren't careful, the wind could blow in your direction, blowing cinders of flame in your direction and searing your eyeballs. XP

BLAH and Jason were there, surprisingly. We ended up talking briefly, before they made their trip to a gas station for marshmallows. Dictator Roze and I pretty much took their spots when they left. XP

It was pretty mellow. We just basically sat back on the couch, staring at the fire, talking about stuff. JT walked around to everyone and hopped over the fire a couple of times. He either sat next to me or behind us, where he had pet my hair... A little creepy, but all the same very relaxing... Dictator Roze had her jacket covering her body and half her face most of the time. I showed her my sketch of her and Taka and she basically thought it was funny. Not the haha it looks so weird funny but the haha of all the pictures you could've chosen, you chose this oh-so-flattering pose of me kind of funny. XP

When BLAH and Jason came back with marshmallows, all of us basically toasted marshmallows for awhile. I tried to throw one at BLAH's cleavage, which she ended up just inserting it in there anyway, which also ended up being eaten by JT. XD

I mentioned that I wanted to make the fire have different colors. It kinda changed when burning marshmallows, but I actually wanted to try and make the entire firepit all of one odd color, like green or purple. I looked it up and it basically takes a day or so, using some herbicide and some dissolving agents to make the actual chemicals, then the logs had to be soaked in it for a day for it to actually work... Someday! XP

We actually ended up leaving around 1:30 AM. My excuse for leaving early: "I forget that, although JT and others are 'peers', they are still older than me." Dictator Roze and I basically left before the alcohol and hookah.

...

My sister's response: "Hasn't that been the case since, like, second grade?" What with skipping the first grade and graduating high school at the age of sixteen...

...

Well, I was surprised that they actually still had those weird tall vases like the caterpillar had in Alice in Wonderland cartoon for smoking. Dictator Roze laughed at my reaction. Those vase-like objects served as a "catalyst for departure," as she puts it.

So, Dictator Roze and I basically talked about dreams as she drove me home. She talked about a couple of times she was talking in her sleep. I could only remember waking up saying or mouthing the words, "Get your hands off my cheesecake!", which Dictator Roze asked if I was saying that to Taka in the dream. :P

Dreams are weird. XD

No Way Ray

Blog No. 169: No Way Ray

For the past 2 weeks, Piper, JT, and I have been trying to go to Ray's Streetside Performances. Ray Zhou is a super awesome guitarist we mutually know through Choir. He goes to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music now, but he's here for the summer, still performing. Well, Piper and I have been trying to coordinate a ride to Folsom to see it.

The first time we went, we arrived alright, but, once Piper called Michelle, we figured out it was canceled for that day. We ended up playing Munchkin at my house.

The second time, JT didn't answer his phone the majority of the day, while I was with Taka and King and Difuentez at Piper's empty house. By the time he arrived, it was already late. We ended up playing Munchkin at Piper's house.

This time, I tried texting JT. This is what I get:

"Well I'm planning a firepit thing that night."

"You mean a campfire, s'mores, and ghost stories?"

"Firepit, s'mores if you want them... and I suppose you could tell ghost stories..."

"Well what else is there? Book burning? Native American dance rituals? Witchcraft?"

"A social place to be on a cool summer night with a nice elemental fire, good company, and whatever that personally holds for you?"

"Okay I guess that's cool... Well have fun with that!"

"I will?"

"Is there any question that you won't?"

"Huh, I always enjoy myself. I don't know about fun."

Doesn't enjoyment imply that there's some fun involved? Who knows...

But yeah... Working with someone as spontanneous as JT tends to lead nowhere, really...

...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

...

I find the Bing.com commercial very amusing. XP

I have dreams that panned out like this commercial. I would very much like to meet the advertising team behind this...

So yeah...

No Ray...

So much for enriching our minds with comprehensive guitar strumming... XP

Environmentally Too Friendly

Blog No. 168: Environmentally Friendly

I remember on Monday, during class, King was asking what we should do before our class on Wednesday, today. I said a few things, like a rousing round of Munchkin (if JT were to let me borrow the card game), or a stroll through the mall, (which turned King off all too quickly), or a game of tennis.

Turns out, King talked it over with Taka and they both decided on a game of tennis would be fitting. :P

When I arrived at school today, 5/17, I walked to the table outside where Taka, Abril, and King were. We basically sat for a little bit. Taka told me the plan to meet Yowty and a few other asian dudes at the tennis court right next to their neighborhood at 4, an hour away. So, while we were bored, Taka cranked up some tunes. Taka, Abril, and I really slashed that Captain Planet theme song, as well as the Fresh Prince clean rap song...

While we were walking to the parking lot, we passed a couple of those annoying Environment California reps hanging around campus, trying to ask for donations and volunteers for the cause. I conveniently strided away from them through the grass. Taka mentioned how stepping on the grass was not being "environmentally friendly." So, further down the path, I kicked my sandal at a tree. XP

Random thought: "Can there be a thing as environmentally too friendly?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drive-Thrus always crack me up. I have a few fond memories of Drive Thrus, like that one time right after prom. A friend of ours, I'll call Mariska Hargitay, wanted to get Taco Bell food while the table of eleven of us waited for our IHOP meals. My other friend, I'll call Teh Rod, (because she likes being referred to as such), was concerned for her safety, seeing as it was 2 in the morning. So Teh Rod, Mariska Hargitay, and I walked through the drive-thru of the next door Taco Bell. Fortunate for us, they took our order! XP

Today, King was taking us through the Burger King drive-thru, seeing as Taka was famished for some Whopper Juniors. Abril asked us if we could've gotten a discount as ARC students. So:

"Can we get the ARC discount?" King asked.

"Do ya want that as a combo?"

Giggles all around. XD

"Um, can I get like 5 Whopper Jrs?"

"King! David wanted a number 1!"

"Can we start over?"

"Do you not want the Whopper Jrs?"

"KING!"

He eventually got it right...

Silly Burger King drive thru window... XP

~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the tennis courts, we ate our bountiful, yet greasy Burger King Whoppers. I gave them my fries, seeing as I only wanted a soda with my Whopper. Taka was still hungry after her only Whopper Jr. :P

When King and I pulled out our Western Civilizations notes, a new person arrived. Amanduh, (misspelled on purpose), was one of their Foothill friends. She had arrived with a big AMPM slushie she drank on the way there. She's pretty cool. While King and I studied for our quiz, Taka pulled out her Payless tap shoes and tried to practice on the sidewalk, which didn't work out too well...

Then Susan Surrandon and Phillip surprised us as they arrived. I was totally not expecting them to arrive, so it just made the day better! XP

So we had a random tennis day.

Oy, Susan Surrandon...

Anyway, Phillip ended up playing an epic one-on-one match with Yowty, who, like me, still needs to play one-on-one with Dustin (our Roger Federer) at some point in time. Taka, Abril, King, Amanduh, Susan Surrandon, and I played three-on-three tennis. We basically had some fun and exercise while hitting the net multiple times, getting balls stuck in the fence, accidentally hitting some people in the crotch (TAKA!), and hitting the balls out of the park and into traffic. It was a rousing good time! XP

~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 5:45, King and I had to say so long for our Western Civ quiz today.

The quiz itself was not at all hard. After looking at the outline and repeating the important people and chronology aloud, I feel really confident. The quiz was only a page long. The 6 multiple choice straight from the outline, the 5 matching, and the 4 chronology was cake!

After the quiz, we basically sat and listened to Jardine rant about Sparta and Athens. At one point in the conversation, I wanted to step in because the person who asked a question was all snooty toward the teacher, something about the French being the first to practice of "true" democracy, but I didn't. I could've said his answer in less than a minute, but I let Jardine draw it out to 20. XP

Then King took me home!

Kaylah and the CIA

Blog No. 167: Kaylah Day

It all started with a random text from Kaylah on Monday night: "So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing really... I was going to walk to It's A Grind, but if you have something else in mind?"

"Actually, that was what I was thinking. Care for a ride?"

So ensues one of our world famous Kaylah Days, (or IAG/Lunch/Goof on the Goof Days as she sometimes refers to them). XP

When she picked me up, she drove us to our usual spot, It's a Grind. On the way, Kaylah was mentioning that she might not stay in Sacramento for long seeing as the people who offered her awesome paying job from last year couldn't take her in. She's basically searching for a restaurant job, now, to get some experience before her graduation from UCSC and goes to school at the CIA, (Culinary Institute of America, NOT Central Intelligence Agency, sillies...). Kaylah had also mentioned, before the summer, that she wanted to bring me along and go on a road trip to her house in Santa Cruz. So I don't know what this set back says for that trip, unfortunately. DX

We saw Terry and his mom in the parking lot. Apparently, Terry had to get his big toe "cut off" or something along those lines, so he didn't stay long.

We both ordered a cup each of what Kaylah has been waiting for for awhile now, a Funky Monkey. The Funky Monkey is basically a chocolaty, peanut buttery, banana-y blended coffee drink, topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and banana chips. Kaylah had ordered a side of those banana chips along with extra on top of her drink. Never saw the blonde actually wanting real food. XP

Kaylah and I conversed for awhile. We basically talked about our plans over the summer. Some of the conversation was talking about current reads. Some of it about my summer Western Civilizations class. Some of it about her secret love sessions with Beth... Some of it about pestering me to transfer sooner rather than later...

The Blonde pulled out her laptop, where she pulled up the CIA website. She basically showed me some expensive kitchen cooking sets that she aspires to acquire in her cooking ventures in her future restaurant. Then she basically took me on a virtual tour of the CIA campus on her laptop. The website had those 360 degree panoramic shots of certain spots on campus. Apparently, there are dorms that are named after spices... Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Cayenne, Nutmeg, and Juniper. Very cute... There were also these lavish restaurants on campus and brilliant architecture. I had doubts about visiting her at the CIA, but now I absolutely, unquestionably have to! XP

She also showed me her 7-layered cakes for Terry, Beth, and Dan that she made. The "Black Forest" cake for Dan and the "Toffee Towers" for Terry and Beth. Those cakes looked to die for! *mouthgasm*

Terry arrived at some point, after his toe was cut off at the podiatrist. XD

I showed them my recent sketches, as well as gave Kaylah her bracelet I have weaved a while back. She loved the Jasper sketch, seeing as it was her favorite kind of kitteh. XP

They showed me some of the SNL videos they've seen, like "Motherlover", which is very creepy seeing as it had the REAL Susan Surrandon in it as one of the mothers, which ade me think of my Susan Surrandon with Justin Timberlake... Not a pretty image...

When we looked up, we saw an old friend from Charter, Nic. He was basically a piece of the puzzle that built the atmosphere of the old Charter. He did a lot of backstage work, as well as on stage work at the NCS Blackbox. Nic mentioned he was doing lighting for shows at a theatre downtown, which seemed fitting for him seeing as one of the teachers he seemed to hang around the most at Charter, Perkins, was basically the award winning goddess of theatre lighting. XP

He was meeting up with our old Gov't/Economics teacher, Silveira, to briefly talk about something. Silveira was basically famous for his totalitarian dictator image, (when he has his beard growing), and his booming triple bass voice. Every middle schooler that is cycled through at Charter basically fears him, but really he's a pretty cool guy, an awesome teacher, and a recreational golfer. XD

After they left, I showed Kaylah the game of Winter Bells. She was basically hooked on that game of Minesweep after Beth taught her the legistics of gameplay. Now I got her hooked on another mindless game, only with a good soundtrack. XP

Around lunchtime, we decided to get In n' Out burgers and have lunch at Eye Ball Park. The park had basically a metal structure of a forehead and eyeballs with lashes on the grassy hill. XP

We basically talked about some movies we've seen, like UP and what not... Then we started to get full, so, after I ate my fill, I tried grossing them out. Terry had some weird chili cheese fries that had some meat, onions, and their Innout secret sauce. It kinda looked like a weird, human-made pink substance... Kaylah is always grossed out when I mention her "bolemia" to her, and mention every detail of how the oh-so-greasy food will come out!... Then Terry had mentioned earlier that he finally saw that stupid viral video, 2 Girls 1 Cup, which, when I mentioned the name again, made him step away from his food, too. XP

Kaylah wanted to see Lennox, so I told her to take me to the apartment, where Audrey and Lenny were on the bed watching the Colbert Report. Lennox was a little fussy, seeing as he didn't know Kaylah's or Terry's faces and he had just awoken from a nap. When we left, he cozily slumbered on my sister's chest. XP

Then Kaylah took me home! XD

Hairstyles

Blog No. 166: Hairstyles

Everyone knows my hairstyle. A long, curly, wavy, thick mess of a ponytail. It's part of the whole, "rabbi" look I've apparently grown accustomed to.

What I've noticed more and more is that a good deal amount of hair is brushed out everyday. Mom has noticed this, too, only after she noticed how my ponytail has gotten skinnier over the few months. A lot of that had to do with an old hair tie that kinda chewed up my hair, leaving behind shorter strands of curliness. She thinks that it'd be about time I got a hair cut... More like insists that I'd get a haircut... But still, I kinda feel it's about time, what with having to worry about the long hair for over a year now...

Thing is, if I get a hair cut, I would end up having to style it. I don't want it too short so that you can see the skin of my head. I don't want it too long to make me closely resemble Weird Al:

I already see enough resemblance as it is... DX

I would end up having it short enough on the sides, then long enough on top to do something else to it. I don't want to be in the "in-between" stage, (too short for ponytail, too long for hair gel), type situation, so if I get it cut, it would be most likely the last anyone would see of my ponytail...

Taka suggests just trimming the hair, (making the ponytail shorter), which isn't a bad idea. Thing is, I also wanted to donate my hair to the Locks of Love Organization, where you'd donate ponytails of hair for bald cancer kids. If I were to get it cut, it would have to be short.

Then I started looking up male hairstyles. After I filtered out all the J-Rock and the Zac Efron photos, I just saw nothing of true interest. A lot of the photos that popped up were of what I guess is called a "faux-hawk":

Which actually looks good on him, but has been over played and over with. It just says to me Hey, I can so totally pull a mohawk look but I'm too much of a dork to shave both sides of my head to be THAT committed to a style! XD

I did see some that I would have, only all of which would require some form of straightening. The more I looked, the more I found emo styles, spiky styles, or BOTH:

Then I realized that this Green Day fellow has the same kind of hairstyle that Kate Gosselin of John & Kate Plus Eight show has:

Which then reminded me of BLAH, because she, too, has this hair for some odd reason:

Then I just started wildly and randomly posting related pictures:

Yeah...

But to the point I'm trying to make:

Should I get a new hairstyle?

...

Hair is weird. XP

Down the Toilet

Blog No. 165: Down the Toilet

In case you guys really wanted to know, my toilet's busted. To be honest, it's been busted for awhile. What happens is that every 6 hours or so, my bathroom floor would be flooded with water. I've put a cup under where the knob to turn the water on and off was so that it didn't leak, but every morning I've still woken up to a flooded bathroom, a full cup of toilet water, and the smell of eau di FISH TANK.

So I had to turn the water to my toilet off, making it less convenient to have my time to get ready! system to work! Plus, whenever I wake up now, I have to walk downstairs for me to pee. It just ruins this man's system...

A plumber will be called, soon hopefully...

Anyways...

I've scanned some more sketches.

This is Mila, daughter of my favorite high school english teacher and the super awesome technology teacher! XP

Eric, in the Philippines. Those monkeys creep me out! XP

More of my sketches here: [grimshawdmac.deviantart.com] Still not a link.

~

Today was pretty smooth.

I had to spend time with family today, so I didn't go and play Ultimate Frisbee with JT today... (Alas, my husband, we will meet again someday! *dramatically reaches hand into the sky* XD)

Still, I had fun.

I went to Mel's with Audrey and Lennox. We met up with my mom, grandfather, and Jabyne and Nicole. (Side note: It still feels weird, Jabyne is technically in my generation, yet I group him so often with my mom's generation that I sometimes want to call them "Uncle Jabyne and Aunt Nicole" XD). Jabyne and Nicole wanted to bring their kids, Ayanna and Gaby, out and about today, too. I really wasn't contributing much into the conversations, but I have listened intently to what they've had to say, seeing as we hadn't seen them in awhile. I find consistency to be a good quality in this case. There were only a few times where I was dragged into the convo...

Jabyne's getting an AA degree soon, which is apparently the highest degree anyone has in my immediate family, (which made Nicole include me in the conversation, asking what my college degree was going to be in. She was amazed, though, when I told her that I'm planning to study abroad within the next two years. XP). Gaby still tries to act shy around me, so I just stare at her to make her feel more uncomfortable, corrupting the mind of today's youth as always. XP

Jabyne and Nicole also brought up how they wanted to go to Disneyland, which made me pay more attention. When Jabyne asked mom if we were going this year, I looked up at her to see what she would say. She replied that I was in summer school, that we would have to work around that, yet I've told her that I only needed to be present 6 of the 16 days of class. So the thought of Disneyland has entered my mom's mind, again. I'll ask her tomorrow if she actually plans on making arrangements this summer... XP

Ayanna and Gaby wanted toys out of the claw machine, which led mom, my grandfather, and Audrey to bring up that I was a "master against the claw" so to speak. Way back when my grandfather lived smack dab in the middle of Downtown Sacramento, we would always visit him at Denny's, where we had a bi-weekly dinner. I would go to the claw machine, whenever I didn't have my DS or sketchbook, and win one or two toys. They were remarking that I'd sometimes help out other kids win toys from the machine for them. Jabyne had complained that those machines were rigged, which I agree. Thing is, he never had much luck with those machines as I have. So, he handed me two dollars. A minute later, I walked back with Ayanna and her stuffed frog. Then mom handed me a dollar in quarters. The next minute, Gaby ran back with her soft plush piglet. Sure, Jabyne has seen the world on his travels as a marine and army man. Still, he felt outmatched by his lucky college cousin. XP

So yeah, it was pretty much a family lunch thing...

If you were wondering about Lennox the entire two hours, he was asleep the entire time. XD

Just a Sketch

Blog No. 164: Or Two

Might as well begin the new segment I said I was going to do. :P

Sketch Saturdays:

First one is of Jasper, Piper's cat. I wanted to stray away from doing human pieces just this once and thought that Jasper should fit the cut. XD

~

Second, Dictator Roze and Taka. I thought it was about time I did some current friends too. This sketch was a quick one, considering the amount of time I put into it. Before I scanned, I figured that I should've added Taka's pearl necklace, but I really did not want to do each and every bead... So I went with a cross, what with Taka being religious and all. ^ 3^

And yeah. This was what I've done this week. Check every Saturday blog to find more random sketches like these, and, as always, you are welcome to take a closer peek at these and past sketches on my DeviantArt: [grimshawdmac.deviantart.com]. XP

No it's not a link. Type it into your web address bar you lazies! XD