The Beach Vent

The Lost Generation Crossover

2011-10-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've read articles that have begun calling my generation, a lost generation. We are not the first to be trapped by the status of an ailing economy, and we will not be the last. Not because the world will always ruin your day and screw you over, but because that is the flow of life--good and bad take place. Sometimes you win and other times you lose. Because it isn't fair, by rule.

As I sit in my classroom, talking about cultural notions, myths, and theories, there is nothing but the moment of discussion. Speculation, thinking out loud. It's rather easy to talk out your ass, but some do submit worthy topics and ideas. Once I get home the typical conversation of "how was your day? How was class tonight?" comes. From time to time my dad asks me what I want to do after gradation. My answer is always the same--like many other students,. Frankly I have no idea. Hope for fulfilling employment. Somewhere nice with good pay, enough to move out and begin true adult life away from home. Simple wishes really. But my own outlook on this becoming a reality is bleaker than it used to be. Maybe it's the times, or what is called a life crisis. Or maybe I aim to be like an audience member going into the film with low expectations, if I think it'll be terrible then it may pleasantly surprise me. Who knows. He asks what others are thinking of doing for jobs after they finish school as well. That's slightly easier to answer because being a major within the humanities and social sciences does give the option of credential programs and future teaching. Though I do mention that most of us don't actually want to teach. Teachers should have a passion for their job, with a will to inspire the stubborn student. I wouldn't want to teach on the basic reason of being in charge of other peoples' children--parents are nuts. If I were to follow the path of the credential program, I'd want to teach at the university level. Here there is the ability to talk as adults, each student responsible, no parents to deal with. Now I've gotten off my topic, as usual.

I intended to simply post this excerpt from a Depression era book observing the time's youth culture to point out the similar environment facing our young people today. Perhaps you won't see the similarities, or you will. Either way I will have gotten you thinking about the future. We all want the same things: success, security, enjoyment. That never changes.

"As naturally as their voices broke and depended, our young men grew up in the assurance that education and hard work were the Open Sesame to respectable jobs secured by reliability and perseverance, to homes of their own, and to honored places in the eyes of their fellow-men. In the past few years many of them who are out of school today have no work, through no fault of their own.
Many others are engaged on slim part-time jobs so trifling in the time they fill and the money they produce as to have little or no meaning to the young workmen.
Bleakly our youth has been marking time while the clock ticks away its bright years, the good years of plowing and sowing and sweating. They are runners, delayed at the gun. They have lost so much time at the start that only the exceptional can challenge the finish. (4)
…..They have seen people who wanted to work--and could not--and people who did not want to work--and would not--living on the same level of government bounty" (5)"
--- Maxine Davis, The Lost Generation

Any of it sound familiar? There are generally three options when faced with class consciousness. Keep telling everyone that it'll get better, redefine success, or violent revolution. I would hope that if there is a revolution that it won't be violent. But at this stage in our country's troubles, something has to happen. Occupy Wallstreet, Tea Party groups, recession, wars....there's a lot going on. Nobody knows the future--but we do make the future, one decision at a time. And for godsakes people, if you can't afford something do not buy/lease it. We all need to stay within our means, and that goes for the country itself. Be accountable. Alright, signing off. Have a lovely evening.

World War Z

2011-09-01T23:50:00.001-07:00

Just received my order from Amazon and I'm excited. Apparently it's organized into entries from different people, therefore an oral history as the title suggests. I've yet to read a zombie book so this should be interesting!
Also, I just finished Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It was a good mix of history and fantasy, with an awesome ending twist :)
Both of these are currently in the process of becoming feature films. Tim Burton is directing the Lincoln film; and apparently Brad Pitt is signed onto World War Z as a main character.

Onto Book #9!

2011-07-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've just finished book #8 in the Southern Vampire Mystery Series, aka the "True Blood" books. So far each book has been strong and I'm hoping to feel the same about Dead And Gone (book #9). Rather not say much about what's going on plot-wise or give away any spoilers. But if you like the HBO show and like to read, I'm sure you'll enjoy the books. Of course you must remember that television shows are commonly altered versions of whatever literature they've been "based on". So don't get pissed when the two aren't exactly the same.
As of right now, I'm about a third of the way through Dead And Gone. I like it better than the previous already, probably because there's more Eric. By the way, if you're a Bill fan...sucks for you. It seems like Bill is becoming a less important character since no longer being romantically involved with Sookie. Perhaps you can blame it on the fact that it's from her point of view? Anyways...
Once next week hits, I should be done with this one and onto the next (Dead in the Family). So hopefully if time permits I can pick up a few books for vacation! Hooray vacation!
Has anyone heard about any light/fun books for me to bring along? Oh god, what will I read once I finish this series? Oh right, school will be in session by then and it'll all be lecture related---booo.

Kids and Social Sites

2011-07-13T11:55:00.001-07:00

You log onto your social networking site to check for comments or other notifications. All clear for now except a slew of "likes" on a status. But you see that rare little pop up notification, "new friend request!" A bit excited you click to see who wants to hop on the friendmobile with you. The picture appears to be some random 7-11 year old with sunglasses on. To be fair you check out their full page to be sure. Yep, they're 9 years old and wants to be your friend. I've had this happen on MySpace, Facebook, etc. Not only is it creepy but it makes you wonder how this child got onto the site in the first place.

My first issue with kids on the internet is not the obvious go-to that a parent might pull out like, "there's pedophiles online!" Because that's true and if you were a good parent, you'd simply teach your kids not to talk to strangers whether it's in real life or online.

Reason number one: My big issue with these random kids trying to be cool and friend a million unknown people is that honestly, it's against the rules. There are age restrictions on many sites like Facebook, for example is 13 & up. I'd recommend staying off Facebook until the age of 16 just because of the ridiculous drama and hormonal rollercoaster that affects everyone from age 11 to 16.

Personally, I grew up in what I see as the last generation of playing outside and calling your friends' home phones. I had no internet til I was in 9th grade, then it was so slow that the only thing to do was use AOL Instant Messenger. I clearly remember the advent of cellphones for all, i.e. everyone and their mother wanted a Motorolla Razor. No one in my family had a cellphone until about...2006. I got my first cellphone during my junior year of high school, it only made calls (gasp!). So I've made my point with that one....technology plus children, not the best idea til they have emotional control over themselves. It'll save them and their parents a lot of trouble.

Reason number 2: go outside and play with your friends, you'll miss it when you're older. As I get older I come across things that make me stop and think. "Why did we all want to grow up so fast? Seriously?" The simple life of calling your friend's house and walking over is likely dead but I think kids today can retain the little bit that's left. Avoid living on the internet, it's so easy to get caught up in posting what you're doing and taking pictures FOR your page. I mean come on, really? You're destroying your self-worth in the end by making it based on what others see on your page. You're a person, not a webpage. Having your "friends" post on your page does give you a little dose of happiness from the interaction but unfortunately you shouldn't rely on it. Logging on to find out that gossip was spread about you and "everybody" hates you, or even some kid discovered how to photoshop your picture inappropriately (typically dick drawings or fat jokes). The possibilities are endless online.

Overall, finding out you've been friend requested by a child makes you feel like a pedophile even though you fancy people your own age. Do kids under the age of 16 NEED a page? No, it's strictly optional for all of us. Hell, do we even need a page? No, but it makes life easier for keeping up with old friends and planning get togethers--or Facebook stalking. The internet has it's good and it's bad. There's photo sharing with relatives but there's viruses, there's fun games to play but there's also creepers. It's ultimately up to the person in charge of the computer, that should be the parent.

Complaints Against Me

2011-07-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

Tonight there were 2 complaints made. Here are what I've come up with as my possible factors or reasons.

"You never want to do anything"
1. When I try to plan something, nobody has money for it or they have work (broke college students)
2. When I plan things, nobody shows up (ex- my 20th birthday everyone bailed)
3. Severely different music tastes for concerts (ex- Tom Petty)
4. Money. Fun costs money most of the time
5. I don't want to play WoW
6. Heavy drinking is not on my fun list (puke)
7. Talking n sitting doesn't count as fun for most people anymore for some reason.

"You've been so irritated lately"?
1. Hot, sweaty, disgusting weather
2. Being ignored often
3. Lack of time with friends
4. Losing my ring at work
5. Suddenly having to pay $300 for car registration after having my hours cut
6. The downstairs of my house is still under construction aka annoying
7. Paranoid about my dog not being able to walk.

If there are any other complaints, please tweet them to me.

Unfortunate Fools

2011-06-19T17:04:00.001-07:00

There's always a sad story once in awhile about some poor kid who dies of a drug overdose at a party or a big event. Of course it happened to a 15 year old last year at the Electric Daisy Carnival and the company (Insomniac) ended up having to go through all sorts of problems with the Los Angeles police, etc. Basically they moved this year's EDC out to Vegas. An obvious choice for a massive three day carnival/ electronic music festival.

I went to EDC in 2008 before it grew into a multi-day massive and had the time of my life. Granted, everyone around me was 'rolling' (E), on mushrooms, or 'candy flipping' (both). I was completely aware of this by the size of their puils, nonetheless everyone was happy and friendly. There wasn't a single random person that couldn't appreciate a smile and a hug. Well, except the kid on acid who was scared by our friend making dolphin noises....

Massives are by definition, massive. Literally. The 2008 EDC that I attended had about 70,000 participants. This led to horrible cellphone reception and delay, as well as crowding. If you had AT&T your call wouldn't go through and text messages took an average of five minutes to receive. This made meeting up with friends difficult.

Now back to my starting point--the kids who overdose. It's very easy for someone on drugs with little experience to end up in a bad place. All it takes is one person to take the wrong pill, or too many. Some dealers actually sell laced pills or fake pills to unsuspecting teenagers. This happens because dealers like money and teenagers tend to be stupid. Simple equation there. I've heard stories of people getting meth-laced pills, and it wasn't a happy story though no one died. Not having enough water or drinking too much water can also cause complications.

All this combined into one situation for a 'rolling' teenager can be difficult to sort through. Losing track of your friends, getting lost, losing your phone or money. Honestly I don't understand how anyone goes into an event with +70,000 other people and thinks, "yea I can do this." I know a bunch of people who did it somehow, but my cautious personality doesn't allow me to go there. I stayed on the safe side and always went sober.

EDC was my first rave, and my favorite. You could feel the vibes of expressive freedom and though it sounds super cheesy, love. At that time there were still people going (most on drugs) to experience the music and have a good time. As my rave days progressed I saw this slipping away and gradually it wasn't fun anymore. More douchebags looking for a high, more young girls dressing up like Rainbow Brite hookers. My last trip to a massive ended with friends taking bad pills and getting sick while I limped around with bloody knees in the cold 3am temperatures of January. I had seen better days, for sure. Those on drugs percieved me as a downer or a party pooper, not realizing that I'd been hurt thanks to a security gaurd running into me as he chased someone. In fact, the scars are still visible on my feet from skidding across pavement---not cute.

What's my point? It's not the event coordinators or companies that are to blame for such problems and deaths of anyone in attendence. They provide a venue to enjoy music, go on rides, and have fun. There is also generous security at the gates that pats you down worse than any airport security member would. "Shake out your bra please....we have to check your pants, thank you." Everything is done correctly, but the problem is the consumer. Many are just fools who don't stop to think. Those that manage to get in with intent to sell or consume E, mushrooms, acid, etc. It happens because people do what people do, whether they're responsible human beings or not.

If you die from it, it's your fault. I won't feel bad or pity someone who chose to partake. I just read about a similar case this year at the EDC taking place in Texas. There were so many calls for health emergencies that they were forced to shut down the whole place. It is an individual's responsibility to be aware of and chose to put something into their own body. Food or drugs, it's a choice. Apparently most the people attending weren't thinking or readily prepared.

Reminds me of the teenager who drowned in Lake Mission Viejo a few years ago. He was on acid and apparently he and his friends failed to think about being around the water. Some said, "poor guy, he was such a great guy" I'm sorry but a 'great guy' isn't fool enough to take a bunch of illegal substances to the point of incoherence.

All in all, I enjoyed the good times throughout 2008-2009 before giving up on the deteriorating rave environment. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to be able to live without needing any substances to enjoy life. i'd say I'm proof that none of those people needed to take pills to have a good time. It was their choice, a foolish one for many.

Summer Reading

2011-05-25T00:39:00.001-07:00

Now that the semester is over and all I have to do is go to work, I find that my calendar is looking a bit sad. Going to the gym and watching movies only takes up so much time. Hence, I called the 800 number on the back of my Barnes & Noble gift card that's been in my wallet for likely the past two years. Forty bucks, awesome!

So tonight after dinner I headed over to Barnes & Noble at the Spectrum to hopefully find something interesting. Entertainment value was key, and after reading for classes all spring the last thing I wanted to buy was another history book!

It took awhile after wandering through the sections mocking the silly titles and cover art with my brother, Colin, and Sophia--but I picked one. Being that I'm a True Blood fan, I decided on the written source itself: 'Dead Until Dark' by Charlaine Harris. Plus I got a new bookmark! Hoping its a page turner to take up some time over summer! Feedback &/or review later.

Fools Rush In

2011-05-25T00:24:00.001-07:00

Apparently the requirement of thoroughly knowing your partner before getting married is too time consuming for a lot of people. If you haven't had the time to interact, react, &/or adjust to your partner's habits and mannerisms....then man, you're screwed. Basically don't get married until you've been together for a year minimum. I said minimum!

Honestly, any amount of time less and your friends will ask themselves 2 things. "Is _________ in the military?" or "Is she pregnant?" Both are speculations that come up. Sorry but people generally ask "why?" when you do things suddenly in order to understand your logic or lack there of. What could be so terrible about waiting a bit longer before puttin' a ring on it? God forbid you find out that they do annoying things and aren't always a ball of sunshiny happiness. Emotions exhibit, therefore you should know all of them. Plus living at home awhile longer won't kill you.

If you haven't already addressed basic components and questions, then you shouldn't be getting married. Period. I glanced through this book for a laugh. Sex, work, gender roles, children, friends, money, etc. Oh and definitely do not get married because you're religious and want to have sex. That's a terrible decision.

By the way, your boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancée has all the same bodily functions that you possess. Just a human-to-human tip for ya.

Well, that's all folks. I wish you all good decision making skills and happiness!

Home Improvement

2011-05-19T02:03:00.001-07:00

For some reason anytime we start working on the TV room, Rocksie proceeds to get up on the couch n shake like we're in a thunderstorm. When we first started on the room in...December, she shredded her Christmas present toy. Seems to be that any sort of home improvement or decorating makes the dog freak out. Silly doggie, we're trying to make the house better!
Until we finish the TV room project, I guess she'll just continue to get up on the couch n panic. To higher ground!

Hair Commercials

2011-05-10T22:49:00.001-07:00

There's all these hair removal products on the market and some of them probably don't even work. Like Smooth Away pads, I felt great for a day after basically sandpapering myself. Nair burns like a bitch or your hair grows back funky.
Then I think, is it really so difficult to just shave your legs? Nope, it's not.

Finally Leaving

2011-05-06T23:42:00.001-07:00

The idea of leaving Blockbuster for a new job was so exciting, and it essentially still is. But I've been here a year and a half, naturally you become friends with your long-term coworkers. This is the part that makes me sad.
Dan, Greg, n Naim. I'm gunna miss them a lot. Hopefully my new coworkers will be as awesome and all as different in personality as they have been.
No more closing Monday nights with Dan blasting Radiohead n discussing politics. No more reminding Naim of when our school winter n spring breaks are. No more weird ass customers with Greg. No more talking about animated movies with Nick.
Weird. Change is exciting and I'm ready for it but I'm sad to lose the time with the friends I made.

Birthers

2011-04-30T17:19:00.001-07:00

If the President was a white man just like the previous ones, then nobody would be asking for his birth certificate. Fact.
Racism still exists, also a fact.
Get off your high horse with your pointing fingers and vote Obama out of office during the next election if you're so upset. That's what elections are for after all.
Assholes.

12th Birthday

2011-04-25T00:32:00.001-07:00

I had quite a moment earlier today. Evan n me were about to take the dog on a walk. I stood by the sink, making a sandwich before leaving. He suggested that we not go all the way to the park. I felt myself turn red and my face scrunch up. My stomach sank into my feet. It's rare that I ever lose myself to my emotions. I burst into tears in fear of losing my dog. She turns 12 years old this year, and despite her always being a good happy dog....she is getting old.
I can't imagine her not being around. I can't imagine being able to ever replace her, but no one and no being lives forever. In another dimension I hope that there's pets that live as long as their masters. Because we don't get to have that luxury but I think someone out there should for the rest of our sakes.
Hip displasia, arthritis, allergies. Pills and peanut butter twice a day. Sometimes she stumbles or needs help to get her back legs up the steps. It endlessly worries me. My eyes water just thinking about it. Doggie is my sibling, my baby, my friend. How could anyone live without that companion? It's just so difficult to watch someone you love get old, human or furry friend. I pray I can continue to have a few more years :)
--Courtney

Gym Equipment

2011-04-23T01:29:00.001-07:00

I had a thought earlier at the gym today. Not necessarily regarding anything fitness or sport related, but one of the individual. What do people think about when they're trapped on the treadmill/elliptical/etc? Maybe they run off to LaLa Land for distraction or simply watch the tv in front of them. The iPod music only distracts you for so long before it just becomes a beat to pace yourself to. It's always strange how my mind wanders in order to cope with working out. It can go anywhere from "just concentrate on the picture on the wall" to "pretend you're in a race with all these other people."
I hate the urge to look over at other people. It makes me feel awkward when others do it to me. Almost like asking someone how they did on their test really. This spawns the need to compare yourself to them.....perhaps I could say that we all have moments of reverting to selfish childhood here.
Comparing, imagioning, wandering. We're all in the same place but not talking to each other and avoiding eye contact. Looking someone in the eye is too personal here, not sure why. Probably because you're sweaty and don't want the attention drawn to how your shirt looks wet or your makeup has run just enough to make you look exhausted.
I could imagine that depending on the gym-goer, their thoughts may wander in different directions than mine. The musclehead guy, the OC housewife prancing around, the heavy guy working his ass off, tiny asian woman, etc. All could have drastically different scenarios playing out as they work out.
Add needing to wear glasses into this equation and it becomes stranger. I don't work out with them on so my vision becomes a pitfall. At times I end up trying to figure out what the closed captioning on the big tv's are saying. That's a doomed battle for me haha. Reading the other guy's shirt is hard enough! The worst is recognizing people at the gym--or them recognizing me rather. I can't see the detail of someone's face til they're 4 feet away.
Anyways, it's been a long day. Goodnight.

Creds

2011-04-20T23:34:00.001-07:00

No, not like 'street cred'---credentials. I've toyed with the idea of getting teaching credentials. It's difficult to narrow down my future job to anything specific. Yes, I enjoy my major right now n its academically satisfying. Learning things of my interest is easier to write about, discuss, etc. I'd love to get a job that uses it but I'm not sure what to do with it.
Should I decide to go after teaching credentials? I still haven't nailed that one down yet. It's an ok option but I do take issue with a few aspects of the teaching profession. For one, it'd require more time and money invested in school. The pay would't be 'good' til I were to reach the university level, unless I were to work at a private school and publish from time to time. Especially now it's a hard to imagine becoming a teacher with the economic climate and the shape of our edecational system.
If life were easy, there would be an easy answer for 'what do you want to do after college?'
---Courtney

Yelling into the Void

2011-04-20T23:04:00.001-07:00

At times you can feel like your voice doesn't go very far. You can post on your Facebook page or tweet via Twitter. Into an abyss of words, pictures, etc. It seems to be such a mess to sort through. Then once you get a response or two, you feel you're not alone in a belief or conversation. A feeling of satisfaction sets in. But once it becomes a wave of 200 people, it's a little overwhelming.
I'd never experienced that until tonight when I casualy checked my Twitter app on my phone. And whatta ya know! There's people reposting my super lame pun of all things. I somehow gained 200 new followers and had my joke 'retweeted' about 500 times, making it a "Top Tweet".
I pat myself on the back for a second and then move on...because I know it's not of importance in the real world. Today was a good day, and hopefully your day was just as good.
---Courtney

Establishing 'Thoughts via Cell' posts

2011-04-20T01:50:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I want to tweet a complete thought but find that having only 140 characters of room to be insufficient to even spell out the words correctly. And so, I've downloaded the Blogger application for my phone. Hopefully this will lead me to post more frequently as to no have my thoughts build up; whether of frustration or happiness. You know how it can be--you come across something or hear a person say something that just sets off a chain reaction inside. Let's see then. I aim to post at least weekly.
First off, I just started reading "Always On" for my American Studies 101 class even though the reading hasn't been assigned to be completed for another 2 weeks. The topic of digital communication is one of interest to me. I'm fascinated by how some have applauded or critiqued it in its effects on language n social interaction. Currently I've read as far as Chapter 2 so I think reporting in with somewhat of a response after a bit more would be logical.
Alrighty, good post. Let's hope I can stick with it. Have a lovely....morning? It is 2am after all.
--Courtney

Still on Shaky Ground

2011-02-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

So I finally heard back, err didn't hear back from the Apple store.

For some reason my Gmail account decided to neglect me and not receive the emails from the hiring manager. After going out to lunch near the mall, I dragged Evan in with me so that I could talk to an actual person to see what's up.

Hiring manager was able to give me some feedback about my interview and that was pretty handy. Apparently I'm not up to par with my tech knowledge right now. I thought I was good enough to be put through the training but alrighty. But hooray for knowing what to fix!

Reapplying was suggested so hey I haven't exactly fallen on my face with no will to try again. I'll give it another go in a month or so, but first I'll apply to a few other places for the heck of it. Supposedly our store isn't closing for "the next three years" but I don't trust management at all. They're closing all the local stores with the exception of my store and two others. The Rancho Santa Margarita store was staying open last week and then last night at work we got calls asking about our status after some customers saw the RSM store put out a closing sign. T_T

So for now, I'm staying on the look out for new opportunities. If you know of anything, pass it my way! Next up, Trader Joe's.

College & its Alternatives

2011-02-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

"a report based on the book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses found that after two years of college, 45% of students learned little to nothing. After four years, 36% of students learned almost nothing."

Just read "8 Alternatives to College", here's my thoughts......

I like that he specifies that kids from 18 - 22 should try out new things before going to college to break out of the system that has had them stuck. I understand this completely, there's alot of lazy people just coasting through their first two years.

Quick summary of Altucher's alternatives to college:

Start a business.
Work for a charity.
Travel the world.
Create art.
Master a sport.
Master a game.
Write a book.
Make people laugh.

Remember, James Altcher is focusing on "ambitious kids". So this plan might not be for everyone. We all have certain career aspirations and dreams, but those things will never happen without some perseverance.

I can see what he means, college is getting more expensive by the semester. I'm currently working part-time, living at home, and attending college as a full-time student. It's tough sometimes but luckily student loans exist and my parents were kind enough to pay for me to go to community college for 3 years. The alternatives are good options for those dying to escape the slaughter house that is currently our education system. Yea, sorry California but your college system is fucked up still. There's times when you feel like you're just another student ID number to your administration, and getting a break can be refreshing enough to make you want to go back and start/finish that degree.

College degrees are practically mandatory now, and graduating high school is a mundane achievement. In the past all you needed was that high school education. I've seen some of my parents' grade cards and they were able to take more trade focused classes that aren't offered anymore. Metal working, motorcycle safety, home economics, Foods 101, etc! None of those were offered 2003-2007 when I was in high school. And now that I'm in my fourth year of college I can see what that does.....no real world experience. Life isn't a series of SAT style tests, it takes more thought than that.

So what I think Altucher's main point is to opt for the "alternative route" which is experience. You can't mount it on your wall in a shiny placard but its valuable. Experience complements any degree, and often times it makes the difference of whether you get the job or not. So maybe one could merge Altucher's suggestions and do a bit of both?

I'll be in school for another year and a half to finish my degree. No I don't LOVE college, but neither of my parents went and I want to give them that. To make them proud, and to prove that I have a good head on my shoulders. But I also refuse to coast through it and waste the loan money I'm going to have to pay back in the end.

The real question is: is going to college worth it to you? For me it is, but hey we're all different :)

Here's the actual article: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-college/

My tips for making it through:

Start out with the best grade possible, the 1st test starts you off on a high note.
Raise your hand during class discussions (it's not obnoxious).
Do not take the elevator, taking the stairs will get your blood flowing enough to wake up.
PAY ATTENTION and take notes.
Going on Facebook during class = the teacher murdering you with words.
Take classes that interest you if possible (sorry nobody likes GE).
Your teacher assigns 50 pages of reading per lecture? Do at least half of it.
See the prize at the end, you're getting a degree for a reason. Don't forget that!

New Movies 2/8/11

2011-02-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

The Romantics

Josh Duhmel, Anna Paquin, & Katie Holmes

Quick summary: Laura is the maid of honor at Lila and Tom's wedding. And unfortunately she's also Tom's ex. Their group of friends meet up for the rehearsal dinner, night before the ceremony. Over the next 12 hours they face their messy relationships and prewedding jitters.

Buy it? Personally I didn't like it enough to suggest buying it, and like most other lower budget films I doubt that you would be able to go into Target or Walmart and find it on the rack for purchase. But if you're up for a decent drama about the complicated, and sometimes overlapping relationships that some people suffer through.

Verdict: Rental!

Wild Target

Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, & Rupert Grint

Quick summary: Victor Maynard is a professional hitman, one of the best in Europe. But when he's assigned to kill Rose, he somehow ends up becoming her security. Along the way Victor gets an apprentice (Rupert Grint) and confronts what he really wants from life--of course this is a comedy so hilarity ensues.

Buy it? I'm never one to run out the door and buy anything without seeing it first, so I recommend it as a fun rental. Loved seeing “Ron” in a new role, he’s a similar character but much more fun. The cast probably had alot of fun filming it lol especially the random birthday party stuff. Definitely check it out if you enjoy most English humor.

Verdict: Rental!

And Then Before Ya Know It..

2011-02-05T01:22:00.001-08:00

On the way home from the orthodontist today, me and mom had a discussion about jobs. I was telling her how I'm starting to feel the passing of time and realize that I'm going to need a better job. Mainly for financial stability but also to be able to move up in that company. Any of us can hope for a new job from the old one that we have grown tired of, but getting that new job is harder than just picking one and going for it.
The economic situation that most businesses are in right now....not the best though improving. And I understand that everyone wants to stay in business or at least above water. Sadly this is putting people like me in a shit situation for job outlook.
No right now isn't exactly peak hiring season. I definitely know that but it doesn't stop me from applying and looking, asking around. My mom told me that something will come up when its meant to and hopefully it'll be a solid job.
I've interviewed at 2 places in the past week which is nice. Kind of like a false sense of progress, I've stepped out there but not really left the building. The first was at CVS and the second at South County Physical Therapy. I knew after 2 minutes of my interview at CVS that I didn't want the job. Why? These guys were robots and the workers looked like someone had sucked out their souls with a shop vac---I like people with personalities. My interview at SCPT was good but I rather not take the place of someone who is studying to work in that field. I'd feel like I was stealing their seat! No, I have no intentions of a career in physical therapy so I willing accept that I'm not the best choice. The benefits of workplace experience would be much better for a student who wants to be a PT. And that's just not me.
So basically, I'm yet to find anything that greatly interests me and would benefit me enough (to leave my current job). We'll have to wait and see what comes next. Patience.
Note: I am NOT going to work at a food place, all of those who have suggested it can shut up now. This includes restaurants and fast food places. I am not picky about jobs, because if I was then I would never have worked at Blockbuster.
Going back to me beginning to "feel the passing of time". Has anyone else noticed this? It's like I was 17 years old and graduating high school then the next thing I know, I'm in my 4th year of college? Holy crap man, its crazy to think about. Of course it all makes logical mathematical sense. As we get older, the time that goes by seems faster and faster because it starts to become a smaller fraction of time compared to our entire life. For example, as a kid the school year felt like an eternity because you were only 10 years old. Because 9 months of school was a decently large amount of time in a 10 year period. But 10 years later its not going to seem so damn long. Now I'm just rambling.
I don't know. I feel like I want more stability for future things. Mainly things like being able to pay off my student loans and pay for my phone bill by myself.....It's like the Domino Effect. Stupid Eisenhower, why did you have to come up with the Domino Effect? Yea it was a theory on the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, but I think it's more likely to be about overthinking. Helloooooo overthinking mind! I start thinking about getting a new job and the next thing you know I've made an entire outline of what I need from that job including possible promotions and a payscale estimate for the next 5 years. Goddamn. Now we're back to the "before ya know it" thing again.

Friend Classification + Ramblings on the Subject of Friendship

2011-02-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

Most of the time I consider myself to be pretty tolerant of other people as far as friendships go. You can be obsessed with whatever artist or musician, smoke or drink, single or not. Doesn't really make a difference. To be perfectly honest, you can be an asshole or the nicest person in the world. I've been asked many times "how can you stand being friends with _______?"

"Best friends", they tend to be similar in thinking, like my friend Nura or Breanna. Both quirky and smart, we shared an interest in film and a few high school classes. Even though both are what I call "my wandering friends". This refers to the fact that both of them have traveled alot in the past few years, mainly because after graduating high school Nura who moved to Ethiopia for almost a year then detouring through Europe on her way back to California. Besides that Breanna now lives on in Monterey's Air Force base or training center, I'm not sure how they specify it there. I'm yet to visit.

Moving on here...I often lose contact with these people, and reconnect after extended gaps or do the monthly hang out session type dealio. Only through our mutual efforts do we remain friends.

My "conflict friends" are another story. These are the people that you hang out with for generally short periods of time or your brain will explode. Whether its because of their obnoxious, over-the-top personality or whining too much. Everyone has at least one or two friends like this. Usually they're just so high energy that it wears you out.

"The dumb ones", yes I said dumb. You love them but man they're just dumb sometimes. This friend is often subject to being combined with a "energizer bunny". Drinking too much or getting in trouble is funny to them. At this point in time I find that this friend gets annoying really fast because you want to tell them what you think but you don't want to be mean about it. So by avoiding voicing your opinion, you ultimately stop telling them things and become distant. I have more than a few of these and yea they get annoying after awhile but I never break off the friendship.

"Omg what happened" people. We all think it in our head but nobody will say anything out of politeness. No elaboration necessary, ten bucks says you know a few too. Suddenly falling off the map then popping up with any of these; having a kid, getting fat, large tattoos, religious obsessions, etc. There is no way to ask what happened without sounding like a complete asshole and starting a shitfest.

"Druggie friend"--No explanation needed for this fellow. He or she likes drugs, commonly the stoner in a group of friends. When they pick you up and start heading to a business center you know what's up. Roll down the windows and hope you don't get any secondhand smoke. Gross but one of the nicest people. If you run into an old classmate like this, they generally remember you and want a hug. I've never quite understood how that works since most stoners are pretty slow reacting.

All of these above people. I am friends with. ALL OF THEM. Why? Where did they come from? And I think I might have figured it out. It's not overly complicated. I didn't have a jacked up childhood and my parents never fought or divorced. Everything was great. Apparently this attracts people with the opposite experiences to me (majority). My boyfriend has said I had "the perfect childhood" compared to his experience. My brother has this too but its worse enough to call it the "trainwreck problem". If you've got problems then you'll end up talking to him about it. I think this is the big reason he likes psychology. Continuing on...

People are too picky and unforgiving of others. Its not that I put my trust in just anyone that I become "friends" with, its the effort that the other person shows. The amount of meaningful talk instead of texting. The inside jokes and understanding the others body language. Enjoyment and humor. Essentially being able to read each others' moods and tell when something is wrong. These things make a friendship.

I fear that so much of this digital age shit is starting to impact the younger generations negatively. Speaking for my own age group I know that the advent of AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace opened up a whole can of worms for the world of communication. How often do we all actually have those meaningful interactions, talking in person--not just texting? I wonder if anyone still passes notes or girls still have passbooks with their friends. I still have two passbooks in my cabinet and its hilarious to read what we thought was so important.

This upcoming generation is losing out on all of that and most likely going to suffer from alot of boredom. If I can read the complete summary of who you are on Facebook then why bother meeting you? Hanging out? What will I ask you if it answers all my questions? It seems to make actual true interaction pointless.....we'd all be on our phones anyways. Ugh.

I think that I choose to put up with just about everyone, with the exception of the people I see as unrelatable. You choose your friends. I choose my friends. But I don't think we really choose who we get along with, its more of a temperament issue and I'm the golden retriever that's happy sitting next to anyone.

Endless Job Search

2011-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of my job. Tired of the changing management, changing policies, and constantly being told that we're probably going out of business. The whole feeling of my work environment has gone from great to "can I kick my boss in the face now?" That's bad. Obviously nobody wants to work in a hostile work environment.

So I've been conducting a job search over the past few weeks, basically the last month. I really wish someone would just call me back or be nice enough to give an interview. A few days ago I went out and bought business slacks for that purpose haha. Thanks JC Penny for that lovely sale! But alas, buying pants for an interview doesn't mean you have an interview. Needing a job doesn't get you a job. This is the real world, and I'm tired of waiting.

All I ask for in a job is friendly people, a busy-ish work environment, and more than $8.50 per hour. Yea yea that's minimum wage, but I've been paid $8.50 for being yelled at by customers who don't want to pay that much in late fees for 15 minutes straight. Even when I worked at the CPA office in Laguna Beach, paid $8.50 for 5 times the amount of work.

I'm so impatient about it. I've applied at Target, CVS, Petsmart, Tommy Bahama, Fresh & Easy, Regal Cinemas, and the Apple Store. Everywhere! (no I don't plan to work in the food industry thanks)

Quick summary:

3+ years of job experience
6+ months professional office experience
an associate's degree
a car to get there

Seems that most places are looking for FULL TIME employees

....yea I have to go to school so that's not possible

I can do 25 hours max per week

SOMEBODY HIRE ME AHH

First Day of Spring Classes

2011-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of spring classes, and I'm quite proud to say that I made it to school on time even with 2 traffic jams. The usual right before the I-55 and then on the 57 past Angel Stadium where a car had broken down in the center lane.

I managed to not be late to any of my 4 classes either :]

Film Music
California Cultures
Intro to American Culture
Women in American Society

As usual I've found a look-alike to someone I know. If you went to high school with me you'd know him as "Paul the Freshman". Right out of the corner of my eye I spotted him, seated in the row next to me. I had to hold myself back from screaming "woahhh shit you grew a beard!" It was bizarre.

One thing that bothered me today during 2 of my classes. I noticed that I was one of only a few white girls in the classroom. The color didn't matter to me, but it was the size! I was the only non-obese white girl. Really? Out of 45 people, there were 25 girls and about a third of the girls were overweight. That just makes me sad.

We all have an inner social pyramid, and some people have it stacked up by race and others by attractiveness. I don't subscribe to either of those, but it seems that I'm very hard on overweight people. I'm not really sorry when I saw "eww gross" because everyone should dress for their body. Not just wear the same tight t-shirt that the other girls are wearing. It's unflattering and only amplifies the "omg look at me" effect. It's like when you see someone, guy or girl, wearing neon pants. You don't notice their face or what they're doing. All that registers is GUY WITH NEON PANTS. It's the same thing.

There were countless people today dressed for meeting new classmates, n some of them appeared to have gotten dressed in the dark. Honestly I don't care about the people who wear workout clothes or a college sweatshirt to class. It's comfortable and that's a big thing for me when I buy clothes--so I understand. Plus who give a crap what your classmates think if you're not even allowed to talk during class. Woohoo lecture classes make everyone a complete mystery n prone to assuming who their fellow peers are.

One more thing, err more of a question. Why in the world does every guy have to douse themselves in Axe or any other overpowering cologne? It's always seemed worse for the first week of classes. I understand trying to make a good first impression but dude, lay off on the smelly stuff. I can't handle sitting next to anyone like that, it's terribly distracting.

So, quick summary.

finding look-alikes of people you know can be creepy.
wear clothes that don't "yell" at the people around you.
don't come to class smelling like you bathe in Axe or other cologne.

Getting Back Into It

2011-01-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

I need to get back to yoga classes. But I was so frustrated last time I went by the instructor. Yea, I go to the classes at 24 Hour Fitness but still I expect a good yoga teacher as I've had many times. I need to drag a friend along with me to go the first few times so I'm accountable to having to go instead of making excuses in my head n just going back to sleep.

It's ironic that I fell off the yoga wagon after the most stressful event of my life (my mom's heart attack a few months ago). In a way it shot my motivation for doing things while it made me sit and stare at the lake for a good 2 hours. Funny how a sudden appreciation for little things makes you completely zone out n fall inwards. Even though she was fine, it still knocked me on my ass enough. At least we were on vacation, I don't think I would've handled social situations very well. I did become irritable about little things like my boyfriend's step-dad making comments to my dad about putting mayo on his sandwich. Of course my dad can stand up for himself and told him to fuck off right in front of me. Concern for myself had completely drained from my mind after those few days at the lake. As usual my focus became taking care of everyone else, the typical female job. I shutdown for the most part, just my blank face with eyes shut as I laid on the balcony swing. Listening to the crickets and the water was the closest to relaxation I'd get. My last yoga session by myself was the previous day. It was nice, with a view even. Now that I think about it, my motivation was zapped and that's what needs to be built up again.

I'm not a naturally athletic person, never have been and never will be. But as I've spoken about in previous posts, I'm now trying to spend time on doing things that are good for me whether its what I eat or working out. I need me-time sometimes, though I do enjoy taking care of the people I love. I don't enjoy being a personal reminder system or a maid, etc...blah blah blah. And so I'm looking for rewarding things for ME.

My goal for the month has been to start running, which is going well so far. I've put the headphones on and ran, not far but its the act of going for it that counts. Generally past the pool and down the trail through the neighborhood and back through the dog park to my house. Simple really. Hopefully this next month I can get myself to a yoga class too. Perhaps Sunday mornings, though the Sunday instructors are always such....they favor the beginners too much. I don't want to "stretch" my feet for five minutes. That's a waste of the hour if you ask me. I want to show up and engage myself throughout the class. Not pussy out with beginner exercises.

It would be nice to get back to the point where I can comfortably do my own routine at home. But that took awhile to do. I downloaded yoga position apps for my phone, bought a book all about the poses and working through a routine day by day. Somehow I had become obsessed with it. Most likely because I was getting me-time in a room full of people that were looking for the same thing--concentration and a peaceful hour that's all about you. Gaining flexibility and a noticeable difference in my core were the cherry on top.

Let's see if I can do this. Being that the spring school semester starts on Tuesday for me will ad a challenge. Homework on top of work, on top of goals. Winter break has been dull and full of working so I welcome back classes, lectures, and things to think about. I can manage if I really try.

Healthy

2011-01-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

I have never been overweight, but I have this fear of becoming overweight. It's pretty ridiculous considering that never in my life have I weighed over 126lbs. I'm 5'4 and a size 4 for godsakes.

As a kid I remember feeling extremely awkward, mostly 7th - 9th grade. I was about 4'11 in 7th and of course I was in PE like everyone else. Regular physical activity. I've never been super comfortable with myself. It really didn't help that I hadn't really hit puberty whatsoever until I was almost halfway through 9th grade. Late bloomer, unlike the majority of my friends. Naturally I felt out of place and weird. That was such a strange in between period because you're lost somewhere between being a kid and a teenager. It weirds me out now to see kids that age acting like they wanna be older. Hell I didn't want to be older then, I was like "I'm going to get a what and do what once a month? wtf gross!" Being a kid sounded wayyy better. The whole body changing thing was not ok with me. Braces, sweatshirts, and short hair. Oh man, I was hot shit--not. I think that time period fucked up the way I looked at myself. The lack of attention from guys and how much prettier I thought half the girls were than me, that really didn't help. Then it was more of a "I wish I had pretty hair and no braces" as compared to now which is "I look fat ugh."

This has gotten better with age but recently I've gotten more paranoid about it. I've tried to do away with bad habits for the most part, but of course my ocd side takes over. Its like having a person sitting on your shoulder--almost like the angel and the devil that typically pops up in tv shows--but all it says is "that probably has too much fat in it, read the label" or "that's going straight to your abs!"

Last year I decided that my resolution was going to be drinking enough water to curb my snacking and also give my skin a little love. Now I've got my big Weight Watchers cup (it was my mom's) that I carry around at home n keep with me at work. I can drink 3 whole cups per day max. That sounds like nothing until you realize that it holds 32oz of water. And yes, its helped my skin a little but for the most part its eliminated any sort of "hey hey what's in the pantry" thoughts I get.

But what really made me paranoid was my parents health. First of all, my dad has type 2 diabetes. I wish he would eat better and maybe go on walks or some sort of moderate exercise. It scares me to think that the extra weight could cut anything short. It makes my eyes tear up just thinking about it. In August while on vacation, my mom had a heart attack. She was in the best shape of the past 10 years and working out with a personal trainer 3 times a week. Why? She's not old enough for that to happen. Now we know that it was caused by her being on a hormone patch for an extended amount of time. Something about weakening your blood vessels, its in the fine print on the prescription of course. You never think that kind of stuff will happen, well except for gas or mood swings. They might as well just make "shit might happen so go to the doctor" as their disclaimer.

Continuing...since both of my parents have had health problems, its given me (and I know its affected my brother as well) a sense of...warning? Not quite the word I'm looking for, maybe more of a slap in the face by reality that your health is something that you have to keep up with. So now its me trying to balance the "be healthy" thing without going overboard. I would never make myself throw up or any of that nasty eating disorder crap. But it can be a struggle to force yourself to "want" a smaller portion of a favorite food or get enough fruits and veggies. Obviously it really helped that my mom was in really good shape before her heart attack, other patients that were perhaps overweight or ill had higher risk factors of death. And as I sat on the floor--no I laid there (yea gross floor whatever)--I thought of all the scenarios of what could happen, carried all the stress in the room, swore up n down in my head. I told myself that I had to take care of myself better, because if anyone can have a heart attack like that out of the blue they better be in good shape so they can pull through. I guess its easy to phrase as, giving yourself the best chances for survival? It was a kick in the pants, nonetheless traumatic.

I refuse to "go on a diet". If I'm going to change how I'm going to eat, then its going to be an overall change. Temporary food changes just mess up the whole process. You can say that you won't drink soda anymore, but doing i can be hard when it stares you in the face at a restaurant. You don't really want the water, you want a Dr. Pepper. But hey, water is free so you make that half the reward. So far, I'm going step by step. I've mastered getting enough water. The next step is actually getting to the gym 3 times a week. Now that is a challenge.

Thank god I'm not a smoker or a heavy drinker--by the way, that's the first thing they ask you when you've had a heart attack. Heart disease from heavy drinking for the lose! The things on my health list aren't many but they're important. The hard part is sitting in front of fries and not wanting to reach for them constantly. And yes, mom is doing fine now. It's been almost 6 months since it all happened. No special "diet", just moderate exercise and low fat/low sodium like everyone should be doing.

Right now my goal isn't to lose weight, but gain muscle and tone up.

My New Years resolution this year: skin.
1) no sunburns
2) drink enough water
3) always use lotion
4) no tanning--spray tan is ok

Woops

2011-01-08T01:30:00.001-08:00

I can't remember the last time I actually logged into my Blogger. Sorry about that--been wandering Tumblr for a few months instead. But besides that I honestly forgot that I had this site.

Well now, I should probably attempt to get back into this blogging thing but I'm not sure how its gunna go. Especially starting right before the semester starts. Oh well, let's give it a go while I'm here right?

The only thing I've got to do now is try to find something to write about. I'll be writing on Notepad for awhile before I post anything. So this is me checking in. Hello hello! I will post soon :]
--Courtney

Military Dancing

2010-07-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Soldiers tend to get in trouble for dancing, like recently in Isreal. Yep, it was “inappropriate conduct during a military operation”, but they were probably bored as hell. Here's a few servicemen and women who, clearly, had alot of time on their hands.

Isreali Patrol Dances to Ke$ha's "Tik Tok"

Isreali Military Women do Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend"

Isreali Army does the Soulja Boy

Lady GaGa's "Telephone" in Afghanistan

US Soldier Dancing with Iraqis

US Soldiers "Just Dance" to Lady GaGa in Afghanistan

Tumbleweed

2010-05-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've decided to randomly join Tumblr:

BEACHFRONT

Of course my Tumblr's title is a play on words with my last name, as always. This will still be my blog, but it will be reposted from my feed to my Tumblr. Just a heads up, seeya!

Anniversary on a Budget

2010-05-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

How do you plan a meaningful romantic trip when you're almost broke?

We didn't celebrate our 2 year or 3 year anniversary because of money issues. Mostly him trying to pay back his step-dad. So this year I was hoping to do something special without a huge price tag. Wine tasting sounded romantic. But how romantic can things get when all you can afford is a cheap hotel in town? Maybe we'll be lame and just go sleep in a crappy hotel out of town. I have no idea. Tips, tricks, hints, cheat codes anyone? CRT + $ doesn't make money spray out of my computer huh?

There's a few things to consider here. Amount of money, age by the date of our anniversary, and well, basically just amount of money. I'll be turning 21 on the 10th and our anniversary is 2 weeks later on the 29th. So I suppose we have no age restrictions to consider anymore, how convenient. If only there was a birthday coupon for these things.

"Best Southern CA Romantic Getaways"
"CA Vacation Guide"
"Top 10 Romantic Hotels in Orange County"
"Laguna Cliffs" - $269 per night
"Catalina Island"

Promising? Palm Springs' Old Ranch Hotel or Rendezous

Reading the News

2010-04-27T17:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a few articles I thought were interesting and a bit entertaining as I browsed the internet. Reading the news and keeping up with current affairs is good for you. It's much better than staring at your Facebook page seeing what your neighbor did last weekend. Plus news is good for conversation, especially when your mom asks, "so what did you learn today?" after sleeping through your class lecture on accident.

World -
Mexico issues travel alert over new Arizona law
Scottish police once believed in Loch Ness monster
China lifts travel ban against people with HIV

Local (CA) -
Playboy's Hugh Hefner helps rescue Hollywood sign
Laguna Beach adds 300 goats to workforce
Union: Strike sends message to other districts

College & Jobs -
6 Mistakes New Grads Make in Their First Jobs
College hookups aren't as common as people think
Popping Pills a Popular Way to Boost Brain Power

Tech -
Facebook's expansion triggers political backlash
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint
Latest MacBook Pro CPU runs so hot it can boil water

Health -
Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests
Casual Sex Increasing in U.S.
More U.S. babies born with syphilis, report finds

Beauty -
Timeless Fashion and Beauty Secrets Your Mother Knew (and Should Have Shared)
How to bronze without overdoing it
The Best Bathing Suits Under $40
8 Style Secrets to Never Looking Fat Again Without Dieting

Maturity & Internet TMI

2010-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Maturity seems to be coming up in problematic conversations, Facebook, and Tweets lately. And not just from one group of friends, but from almost everyone. There's been status update after status update, followed by countless tweets. I'm tired of it. To end this argument once and for all. Let me tell you, ALL of you what I think. So I'm going to address both the issue of maturity and all this TMI via the internet! I'm starting off with a quote, a very appropriate quote:

"Age is no guarantee of maturity"
~ Lawana Blackwell

By definition, being a certain age makes you legally responsible or "mature" enough to buy cigarettes to give yourself cancer, join the military to get shot at, and go to jail for being involved in illegal activity. Does this mean you're ready for a substantial relationship with another human being? No. Does this mean that you're ready to have another's life in your own hands? No. Does this mean you should be able to have a child? No. Your age has no weight in your maturity.

"Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension"
~Joshua L. Liebman

My own mother has told me stories of all the friends and family she's known over the years. Her brother (my uncle) refused to "grow up" until he was almost 40 years old. Sometimes people choose to act like or seek out activities to feel child-like. Ever heard of Michael Jackson? Enough said. But these days it all spills over onto the internet instead of remaining as rumor or speculation. You can literally log onto a social networking site to read anything that someone thinks, and they've posted it all themselves. So really, the poster is the one to blame for any opinions, viewpoints, or reactions from what they have posted. In other words, it's your own damn fault you posted it.

"Half of maturity consists of knowing when and how to be immature"
~ Chris Bowyer

I don't want to hear about how "Sally is a stupid two-faced bitch" or about how everyone is out to get you! I no longer want to hear about silly complaints about anyone's life. "I hate my life! FML!" Fuck YOUR life? You live in Orange County! One of the richest and safest places in California! Are you kidding me? Suck it up and be grateful that you weren't born to a poor farmer in India or Africa where you'd get to go work in a factory n die before the age of 40 from a terrible disease!

If you answer YES to any of these questions, you do not need to tweet it:
1) Do you sound like a 5 year old?
2) Are you talking trash?
3) Did you spell anything wrong?
4) Would your mother be offended?

What puts me off the most are the posts about hating people. Hate is a strong word. you can say you hate murders, but don't say you hate your brother or your parents. Family disputes can get messy and aren't easily healed. I know this from watching family squabbles between my relatives. You don't want to start that, so don't post it. Not only that but it is fundamentally disrespectful. Their house, their rules. I still live at home, and apply by all the rules because otherwise I'd be shit outta luck with nowhere to live. Tell your parents you love them and appreciate them once in awhile, it makes a huge difference in your relationship. Even a "Hey mom thanks for making dinner for me tonight, it was really good" will suffice.

Tweeting and updating your status are the equivalent to taking out a megaphone and yelling into it.
COURTNEY IS HAVING A GOOD DAY!
COURTNEY IS GOING TO WORK NOW!
COURTNEY LOVES EVAN!
COURTNEY NEEDS TO GO GET DRUNK!
COURTNEY THINKS THAT GIRL'S OUTFIT IS WEIRD!
COURTNEY LIKES GOING TO THE POOL!
COURTNEY HOPES SHE DOESN'T GET A SUNBURN!
I've been backing off of my internet usage for this reason. I don't want to annoy or even notify people of the mundane things that nobody, and I mean nobody cares about. Sure, I'll tweet a few times in a day or update my status every other day now, which is much better than before. I don't want to annoy or give out TMI via the internet anymore. It's not only stupid, but pointless. Ten bucks says half your friends looks at your status or tweet n think WTF?!

"Age is only but a number it is maturity that makes the difference"
~ BLB

So next time you're pissed, frustrated, or in a weird mood. Think about how mature your post is making you look. You're only as mature as you make yourself out to be.

Summer Blockbusters 2010

2010-04-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

So there's some movies coming out this summer, blockbuster season (no, not the place I work) You know what that means! Big budget movies full of explosions, hot girls, and impossible story lines! I'm hoping to see at least 2 or 3 "good" ones this summer. And there's plenty of opportunity...

Despicable Me - The trailers for this one havent shown much other than a mysterious character stealing all of the world's monuments and replacing them with blow up replicas. I'll need to see more advertisements before planning on seeing it. Though I do love the minions haha.

Iron Man 2 - If you liked the first movie, then you're probably already planning on seeing this movie opening weekend. Robert Downey Jr. is joined by Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansen this time...oh and she's going to be wearing a skin-tight suit as "The Black Widow". Should be popular, order tickets ahead of time if you wanna get into the midnight showing!

The Last Airbender - Avatar, not to be confused with the James Cameron movie from last year should be pretty successful. The animated series has continued to keep up a huge following by any kid that's into anime. i've seen the animated show once or twice and it was pretty decent. I expect it to become a trilogy if this first movie makes enough cash. Plus its directed by M. Night Shama-llama-ding-dong!

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - Honestly it pisses me off that they all have English accents and that Jake Gyllenhall isn't a Persian guy. Is it that hard to find a good-looking Persian actor? I don't think so.....therefore I will not be paying to see this one. Dick move, Disney!

Salt - Angelina Jolie is a spy? What?! Nooo! I'm kidding of course, who doesn't enjoy Jolie in an action role? She does just as good as the boys do, or better while looking good. There's rumors of this spawning a trilogy if successful, fyi. Angelina with a Russian accent, verrry nice. I guess we'll find out if she's really a Soviet sleeper agent! Hmm...

Step Up 3D - Looks like shitty 3D dancing with a predictable story like every dance movie ever made. The soundtrack will be played on KIIS fm all summer, please avoid ripping your ears off. Ten bucks says the main character and the girl fall in love.

The Expendables - Now this is a man's man's movie, no joke. Jason Statham, Jet Li, Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Dolf Lundgren. Appearances by our governor, Mr. Swarzenager and Bruce Willis! All that's missing is Chuck Norris and Jesus. Looks kick ass.

Please Lord, don't let any of these new movies be as bad as Transformers 2 (Worst Movie Razzie winner of 2009 by the way). Along with a big budget comes action stars which is typical for summer....none of these will be Oscar nominees, nor are they meant to be. Unless its for special effects of course. There's a few more movies that I didn't have time to include, such as Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (I've posted the trailer in a previous blog if you're curious)

What movie or movies are you most looking forward to this summer?

Lifestyle Choices & Cancer

2010-03-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Reading about health related topics is always interesting. Being informed about these issues is important, especially when you start getting older---I may not be old yet but I'd like to stay looking and feeling young for as long as possible. I like feeling healthy, who doesn't? Lately I've been more watchful about what I'm eating, how much, etc. Mostly because I wanted to feel better about myself, in my skin. But also because bathing suit season is coming up quickly. I rather not feel like a cow in a bikini, whether other people think I look like one or not.

Its intimidating knowing that someday a doctor could tell you that something is wrong. And I know that there's a history of cancer in my family. Breast cancer, skin cancer, and colon cancer. Reading an article on Yahoo, "Up to a Third of Breast Cancers Could Be Avoided", made me think. Its not just your family history that puts you at risk anymore, your lifestyle choices affect it as well. I feel like this is a bit obvious for anyone in the US being that there's a serious obesity problem.

"It's hard to lose weight, but it's not impossible.
The potential benefit of preventing cancer is worth it."

Being heavy, smoking, drinking, and etc raises your risk. So why not skip the cookies or the tanning session? If it makes you less likely to get cancer, then why not go for it? Live better, live longer---sounds good to me.

More than a couple of drinks a day can boost the risk of breast cancer by 4 to 10 percent.
25 to 30 percent of breast cancer cases could be avoided if women were thinner and exercised more.
Lifestyle changes in areas such as smoking, diet, exercise and sun exposure can play a significant role in risk for several cancers.

Theoretically this gives you some control over your risk, if you choose to take your health seriously. Great news for all you health nuts out there! So stay well, haha like those Kaiser Permanente commercials say, "Live well and thrive".

Related links:
FDA weighs steps to curb tanning bed cancer risks
Pregnancy 'reduces breast cancer risks'
A healthy diet may trim breast cancer risk

*http://www.cancer.org
* http://www.iarc.fr/

Duet

2010-03-12T22:27:00.001-08:00

I completely forgot that we ever made this, but it made me smile.
8 hours we spent on production.
My hair is so short omg! And the wig is ridulous!
I hope you enjoy our embarrassment.

Great Grandmothers

2010-03-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Great Grandma Hellman

94 years old---Mom, grandma, Hurricane Katrina survivor

I only met her 3 times but she was a sweet old woman. Cried easily when she talked about her home in Louisiana. She told Evan that I was just "the prettiest little thing" :]

It reminds me of my own great grandmother, though I have not seen her in quite a few years. We all just celebrated my little brother's 18th birthday, which was her 96th birthday as well. It's crazy to think of all the things that she's seen change.Being born in 1914? Damn, there's so much! And here's just a few of them:

The Roaring 20's - women's sufferage
Prohibition
World War I
The Great Depression
World War II
Red Scare/Communism
Creation of the CIA & FBI
Modernization of the automobile
Vietnam War
Sexual Revolution
First man on the moon
Invention of the first computer
Invention of the internet

These ladies have seen it all, literally. Sometimes I feel old after seeing a "10 Year Anniversary Edition" of Toy Story 1, but hell, they went through everything! I wonder if Great Grandma Green will make it to 100 years old....I know she's satisfied with the amount of time that she's lived to this point. Its just so epic of a time span:

Counting to 12

2010-03-10T22:54:00.001-08:00

Feeling a little stunned right now after putting this list together. What is my list of? Ohh you know, just all of the people I know under the age of 22 that are in the process of getting married. So here we go; Facebook friends, old church friends, El Toro class of 2007 classmates, and a cousin...

Jackie Albright
Brooke Bashore
Allison Head
Ashley Kinsbury
Adam Linnel
Katie McMannis
Megan McMannis
Jordan Moreno
Kimmy Owhiler
Maggie Stoecker
Brittany Ulrich
Sara Westland
Amy Williams

That's alot of people! Congrats to all of them! I admit being a wee bit jealous though I'm also a little weirded out by it...but I guess we're all getting older whether we really notice it or not. I think it proves that having a partner with a full-time job or has graduated basically raises your chances of getting married. Plus being able to move out on your own highers it too. If you got both of those things then why not? Lucky bastards lol.

I have the long standing relationship, the commitment. Why must my stupid female mind drive me up the wall when friends and acquaintances have their partner "put a ring on it"? Technically I wear a promise ring, a notch down from an engagement ring. Better than no shiny reminder of love. Oh well, I should just wait and be happy for my relationship.

"6 Common Myths About Women" Response

2010-03-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

It's late on a Thursday night as I go through all of the articles posted on the Yahoo homepage. Politics, sports, celebrities--the usual. I look through the interesting ones then go for the always intriguing dating column's article. Tonight's article is titled, "6 Common Myths About Women".
1. Forget what TV told you.
Entertainment sources put alot of emphasis on beauty, usually the beautiful aren't portrayed as very smart. Brainless girls who know nothing more than brand names and stare at shiny objects. Just because a girl is attractive doesn't mean she's dumb. There are people out there like that but its not every girl you walk past. Some merely use their beauty to get by and don't rely on intelligence whatsoever. This is unfortunate. Overall, beauty and intelligence is NOT connected in any way.

2. I'm not your ex-girlfriend.
Every girl or woman is different. Entirely different. Learn to adjust to different personalities. Not every girl is programmed the same. This is similar to the "they're all the same" crock of shit that girls say all the time. They are not all the same, you just keep picking the same personality that screws you over every time. Try something new??

3. To make things easier, assume I know everything.
The only time I ever ask my boyfriend to explain things is when he's talking about physics. Otherwise I expect him to assume that I'm equally as intelligent most of the time. I know I'm smarter than him in certain categories, but in the area of science....he needs to explain it slowly and in small words like I'm his 5 year old brother.

4. I don't need to stop and ask for directions to find my way.
This is why I asked for a GPS for Christmas last year. It works great.

5. "I have money" does not equal "I love you."
Showing off your money or bragging about it as if its your best quality makes you a douchebag. Girls don't consider this as a quality most of the time, its a superficial thing that just makes you a douche. I'll say it again....douche.

6. I have other interests than shopping.
I hate shopping. Unless it's for Victoria Secret underwear because I love it. You'd never guess that I love sci-fi crap and nerdy things because I'm a girl, but hey I LOVE me some Star Wars. The boyfriend appreciates this. Life shouldn't revolve around your girlfriend's clothes or shoes, if it does and you don't like it, consider getting a new one.

I don't intend to delve into the different types of girls right now because that would make this wayyy too long. Another day perhaps. But for now here's a few other blogs that I found amusing and very true on the subject:

Positively 18th Street: Different Types of Girls
Welcome To My Life!: Types of Girls
13 Types of Girls You Should Avoid

Article: [http://www.yourtango.com/200937120/6-common-myth-about-women?page=0%2C0]

Tenley or Vienna?

2010-03-02T00:56:00.000-08:00

"I've known you for 6 weeks in a perfect vacation fantasyland,

will you marry me?"

Another season of The Bachelor comes to an end. I didn't follow every single episode but I saw the first 3 episodes and the last 3 episodes....who should have been chosen? Tenley or Vienna?

According to the replies to this question ("Did Jake make the right choice?"):
Once again the man falls for the girl who he can rub mud all over instead of the other girl who he has a strong emotional connection with, are we surprised? Not so much. Reality tv is predictable like any storyline in a movie. No matter how their advertisements construe the final episode, the man is never going to pick the fan-favorite.

Sorry Tenley, Jake is an idiot for choosing the Hooters girl. Or as I've heard her called, "pterodactyl with wig" or "horse face". You'll have better luck once you get home---after all, a million guys just saw you on tv. As for Vienna and Jake getting married....there's a higher chance of it snowing in Hawaii than them actually making it to the altar. They weren't in the real world, it was like an all expense paid super-vacation without the other tourists to bother the love birds.

You gotta remember that this is Season 14, and how many couples has the show successfully produced? Ohh just Trista & Ryan.

Careers?

2010-02-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

I keep getting asked the same question lately. It's no longer "what's your major?" or "what school do you want to go to?" It's a whole other ball field! What job do you want to have once you graduate? I guess it has been 3 years of college, even though it's going to be another year or 2 before I graduate---5 year plan for the win.

I usually answer with, "ummmm a good one" because I honestly don't know. I've never been much of a career person. On the other hand, I've always been a planner and at this point i need to start planning for a job. A real job, a grown up job.

When the subject comes up I often revert back to the mom job, but that's not going to be for quite awhile. I need a job before that! And probably a part-time dealio for while there are kids. Kids are expensive, that's a well-known fact of life. I remember back to last year when Evan's mom was encouraging him to join the Air Force (to help pay for school and etc). That's a career, but I have no interest in any form of military. Luckily he didn't really wanna do it either. I rather be a NASA girlfriend/wife, than a AF wife---no offense to those who are.

Sometimes it even comes down to, "what do you want to do when you grow up?" because I feel like a kid trying to become an adult. And my definition of adult is not the one that they teach you in biology. You aren't an "adult" because you're 18, it comes with experience and the ability to maintain responsibility. Kevin and I have decided that this is the new definition:

"The age requirement for considering someone an "adult" is officially being thrown out. It's a frame of mind, not an age. Learning to keep your shit together and being a productive member of society are key features to becoming an "adult". Turning 18 only enables you to do more things that can kill you."

Mmk, getting off that bunny trail before I lose focus on my topic. I know so many people that seem to already know exactly what they want to do. And I can't seem to pick even 5 jobs that I could possibly do. A few people said that I would be a good teacher, but what grade? Maybe I could work in a school administration, I've always thought of that as a nice organized job. But I'd need a business degree---excuse my language but fuck that! I need ideas! Thoughts! Feedback!

I have taken a career class before (my freshman year actually) and it helped me decide on a major in a way. First of all I started college off as a Film major then quickly changed after thinking about my wants in life, aka a life. Then I dropped my Business major after hating the classes and wanting to stab myself with my pen during class. If I couldn't even enjoy the classes at all, then why would I want to do that as my career! Red flag, change of major. Then I tried out Child Development for a semester. I met at least 30 people that already worked at day care or pre-k, heard alot of stories, don't wanna get into that.

So I thought hey, what subject am I good at? History and English. History is more interesting, so I went with it. Apparently because of this, everyone assumes that I'm going to (for sure) be a teacher. "That's all you can do with that degree", some said. Bullshit people, you can work in government, become a lawyer, librarian, curator, and a few other things. That's just off the top of my head. My career-personality test told me that I should work in business or do organizational work......duh, OCD. That really doesn't help me narrow it down -_-

I have options, I just need to pick one or two to narrow it down.
What do you think would be a good career/job for me?

*the top picture is a piece of vector art from deviantart.com, I do not claim to have made it.

Mawwage

2010-02-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

Just a clip from "The Princess Bride" to start us off. In your opinion, how long should a couple wait before getting married? A lot of people I know have recently gotten engaged or had children (I'm almost 21) that I've gone to school with. I know that it depends on the couple, but in some situations it seems like a downright bad idea. There is such a thing as "too soon".

Do you think that you should pass the honeymoon period (the first 6 months) before considering a serious step like an engagement? I do. I don't think that you should marry anyone that you don't know completely. That doesn't mean you know their favorite color and what food they like. It means that you know EVERY side of them, good/grumpy/sad/mad/kind/silly/etc.

"Look, in my opinion the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what-have-you. The right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ***. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with." - Juno (2007)

Getting married under age 22. Not promising.
Being a virgin. Ehh, your choice.
Babies asap. About $250,000 per child.
Knowing your fiance for less than a year. Bad decision.
Conclusion, the Magic 8 ball says "Outlook not so good".

"I need love, love. To ease my mind
I need to find, find someone to call mine. But mama said
You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait
She said love don't come easy. It's a game of give and take
You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait
You got to trust, give it time. No matter how long it takes"
- Diana Ross

Bucket List Additions

2010-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've thought of a few more things that I want to do before I "kick the bucket" while I was watching The Buried Life (Mtv) today:

Go to Comic Con once.

I may not be a "FanBoy" but it would be alot of fun to see everyone dressed up like characters from movies & video games. Why not?

Attend a monster truck rally

I've been to a rodeo, so why not see the truck version? Sounds like fun.

Watch a space shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral, FL.

Space! The final frontier.

Formspring.me

2010-01-28T00:21:00.000-08:00

I had no idea what Formspring.me was until a week ago when some friends on Facebook began posting it to their pages. Its similar to a Truth Box or Honesty Box application BUT its just a page! Post the link to your friends so they can ask you anything anonymously. ANYTHING! Its up to you what is answered and what remains unknown.

Curious? I was, so I added it to the list of sites I'm on (FB, MySpace, Twitter, DailyBooth)
Here's the link to my page--- http://www.formspring.me/beachnerbum

Leave me a question. Anything with a question mark qualifies. Hope you're having a good week, I've got to go get some sleep. Goodnight!

4 Day Storm

2010-01-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

I'm generally not a big fan of rain. But this week it was a nice change to see....well except the part where everyone took the umbrellas and I was left to run across campus in the pouring rain. This picture was taken after I jumped into my car from Day 1 of the 4 day storm. Immediately afterwards I drove over to Cheryl's house where I fluffed my jacket in the dryer before running to her car to pick up her friend Ashley. The 2 of us were on our way to Corner Bakery when Cheryl's grandmother calls (she lives with her grandparents because they're awesome). Her voicemail told us that there was "a tornado coming straight for Irvine!" and of course my immediate response to her was, "there's no way there's a fucking tornado in Orange County guys....that's just ridiculous". Little did we know that there was a water spout in San Clemente and all of LA was flooded---a few lucky people had kayaks to get home. Unfortunately for all of the excited kids that wanted to see a tornado, there was no real tornado touching down anywhere close to us, or even at all. We just ended up watching the news for an hour and a half inside Ashley's house to keep Cheryl's grandma from freaking out. Even the newsmen and weather people said to stay indoors until the Weather Service gave an "all clear". I don't think I've ever had to wait for an "all clear" in Southern California----though I'm sure alot of people have that are near the regular burn areas. California has a tendency to randomly catch fire. Fire! The herpes of natural disasters! You never know when it'll flare up!....that was terrible, anyways...

Apparently I was wrong about the tornadoes because about 2 days later there was a tornado (small and short-lived, but existent) that heaved a sideyard shed into a strawberry field and destroyed a large fence in a nearby city. So the weather has gone a little crazy? But hey we go our much-needed water and some entertainment out of it. The worst thing that happens with "El Nino" is mud slides, in which case, I hope you don't live on a hill. Oh and by the way more rain is on the way next week! Lovely.

Transfer Flashback

2010-01-21T00:51:00.000-08:00

I wrote this last year during spring semester finals week of my sophomore year of stress...I mean college. It's interesting to look at where I was at, in my mind-set with school---I was under the impression that Fall 2009 would be very different from what actually happened. Excuse the typos and the misspelled words, this was written on my old MySpace "blog".

Monday, May 18, 2009

"Well school has been pretty slow as well except for the past maybe, 3 weeks. It's like the beginning of the semester is dragging along just to torture you with projects n assignments n essays, then suddenly oh hello there spring break--->BAM finals are in a week! You're F'd! Haha luckily I did pay attention while school dragged along for most of the semester. I am sooo rambling it's ridiculous.

Anyways, so I'm really kinda disappointed in myself. I thought that by now I would be ready for transfer to a CSU or a UC if I became some kind of study nazi in the library---of coarse I decided to have more fun than last year instead haha. Last fall I did apply at a few places n got accepted by Sonoma, but by then the whole Evan n Ben n me living together plan fell apart when Evan decided that he didn't feel like going north to another CSU. Can I please let all of you know that the school that you attend makes no difference on what job you end up getting unless you're going for a huge career; doctor, lawyers, big time business-person. Let me get this through everybody's head also, there is NOTHING wrong with going to a community college for the first two years. It doesn't mean you're any less intelligent than someone at another type of school.

Continuing the topic of transfering to a CSU....yea so I got accepted to Sonoma but I have no plans of going all the way up there. I simply have no reason to go that far n spend a ton of money that neither me or my parents have. Basically I'd like to get through as much school as I can without ruining my credit score n plunging into a hole of debt especially because my parents would be paying for most of it. Which I'm very glad that they're doing. I know that money isn't easy to come by these days. Alot of us are looking for second jobs n more hours to work. It definitely sucks but I'm sure it'll get better soon.

I also applied to SDSU, which shot me down [I saw that one comin] along with the other 56,000 transfer applicants that were denied. So, they can suck it. For now I'll just be goin to IVC n Saddleback to finish up my last I think 6? credits hat I need then I'll probably go to Fullerton because it's close. Financially it's a good plan so that's what's gunna happen unless I won the lottery.

Dinner's ready. So I should end my rant or ramblings that really had no point. I just needed to let that out I guess. Have a lovely evening. I'll be eating dinner, meanwhile being Twitter-spammed by Nura n Breanna n Kevin like always. Jesus, Nura you update your Twitter too much ahhhhhhhhh!"

I can tell that I was VERY tired of listening to everyone's bullshit about what made their college better than mine. The only difference was that they had a better football team (IVC doesn't even have one by the way) and a higher price, meanwhile I enjoyed a lower cost at the same exact classes in smaller classroom sizes---no giant lecture halls for me! Suckers! In fact, I've avoided what so many of you have done, ruin your credit and bury yourself in a grave of debt. The only thing I'm missing out on by going to community college is the parties and the dorm life of a 4-year university. And ya know what, I couldn't care less. I would probably drive my roommate up the wall with my OCD and spastic study habits. Oh and one last lovely benefit, I never got my freshman 15. Hooray for not getting fat haha. I could go on, but I should be reading right now.

Something to think about: Would you pay to go away to school for the "experience" or stay home to save? Or do you even have an option (I could've if we weren't middle class....stupid government)?

Quick Movie Reviews

2010-01-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Real Quick Movie Review! Sorry I've been behind, so here's a few of my recent rentals!

THE HURT LOCKER (drama) - 5/5
A story about a man who willingly goes to Iraq to do what he loves, disarming bombs. Great camera work and intensity. One of the best movies of 2009! Look for Oscar nominations soon.

THE PROPOSAL (comedy) - 4.2/5
What's the best way to not get deported back to Canada? Oh yeah, marry your boss. Hilarity ensues on a trip to Drew's hometown in Alaska.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (kids) - 4/5
A young inventor discovers how to make it rain food and help his little island. Plus a great "be yourself" theme throughout. Plus Neil Patrick Harris voices Steve the Monkey.

INVENTION OF LYING (comedy) - 4.4/5
One day a man gains the ability to tell lies, in a world where the human race tells the absolute truth at all times. Will this help him change his terrible life? Stories like the big invisible man in the sky are created from a moment with his mother, and changes the world.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (comedy) - 3.5/5
Larry goes back to the Museum of Natural History to find out that his old friends that come to life at night are being moved into storage at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Though his business is doing well, he misses his job as a night guard at the museum. A familiar Egyptian enemy arises with the help of gangsters, Ivan the Terrible, and Napoleon.

Here Comes the Rain Again

2010-01-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Finally! The weather has stopped spazzing out for once and chosen to be winter. It rarely rains in Southern California to begin with, so we need it pretty bad. There's always someone saying that "we're in a drought", but we live in a natural desert. Sorry if your lawn isn't perfectly green all the time. Here's the forecast for the rest of the week (sadly this is harsh weather for us, we're wimps)

Personally, I like watching and listening to the rain. But if I have to go out into it, I hate it. The whole wet and cold thing---not so into it. But hey, it's better than living somewhere with 3 feet of snow or a hurricane on the way. I'll try and be happy with the minimal sprinkles here that we call the "pouring rain". In fact, I'm pretty sure that our rain is nothing compared to other places in the world. Sure it's supposed to rain for the next whole week, but in some places it rains everyday. Rocksie looks confused. "Hey why is water falling from the sky? " If she has to go outside to go to the bathroom, then I'll plastic wrap her like always. Golden retrievers + rain = very stinky...then the whole house stinks.

Random thought, I've never been kissed in the rain---probably because me and my boyfriend don't like standing in the rain---maybe I'll give that a try while it's pouring this week. We might even make a Disneyland trip while all the lame tourists are hiding in their hotels haha.

Fake

2010-01-16T16:20:00.001-08:00

There's always one or two "celebrities" every year that refuse to go away. Over the past few years, it seems like there's been a plethora of them.

Paris Hilton - "Like Kansas, flat, white and easy to enter."

Heidi Pratt - "Someone with no talent but who is so totally full of themselves they don't know that everyone's laughing at them, not with them."

Tiffany Pollard (New York) - "Both Tiffany and her mother Michelle have both shown traits of fronting a FAKE PERSONA in order to become and stay famous.....Tiffany's Ebonics will disappear from time to time. Replaced with a very Proper English way of speaking. This comes from the fact that she was raised in (Utica, New York); As opposed to a poor ghetto. Which is something Tiffany never eludes to."

I got these definitions from UrbanDictionary.com, which means that they're all written n voted to the top of the page by everyday people online like you and me---not their famous friends that think they're so great. I find them disgusting. Every one of them humiliates themselves and goes out of their way to stay famous. DUI's, plastic surgery, and all.

This week Heidi Montag has come out to say that she's just had TEN surgeries done! By the way, this is her second set of procedures. The first time through it was a breast augmentation and a nose job. She wasn't ugly or anything before, jsut obviously insecure. Now I can honestly say that she's a fake. Not famous for anything talent related, over the top about everything, hair extensions, fake body parts....I mean come on, is there anything authentic about this girl anymore? She's sold herself for attention. I hope that she goes to therapy or gets some help before she turns into Joan Rivers.

The Huffington Post summed up her surgeries: "She had her breast implants increased to DDDs, a brow lift, a nose job revision, lipo on her stomach and thighs and a butt augmentation, among other things." I take pride in being natural, and I think that it shows character. But some people get plastic surgery to feel better about themselves. My mom did last year because she's had two kids, this is warrented. But a 23 year old woman with no kids and a career based on the media?? Why!

Sadly this is what she said about her surgeries, "I was made fun of when I was younger, and so I had insecurities, especially after I moved to L.A. People said I had a "Jay Leno chin"; they'd circle it on blogs and say nasty things. It bothered me. And when I watched myself on The Hills, my ears would be sticking out likle Dumbo! I just wanted to feel more confident and look in the mirror and be like, "Whoa! That's me!" I was an ugly duckling before."

What in the hell?!

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-10T22:35:00.001-08:00

This is probably a bit of a belated New Years resolution post but hey, gotta do it before January is over! This month may end up going by fast since Winter Break ends tomorow. Boo! But yay for school....yes? Alright! So let's do this thing.

2010 Resolutions

1. Drink more water.

This seems simple enough right? But for me I tend to go with juice or soda more often. Like many people, I'm a soda addict which is bad for my waistline, bloating, and the health of my teeth. So why not put in some effort to drink more water? We're all made of 70% water anyways. It's great for my skin and my mood. Everybody likes having nicely hydrated skin!

2. Go to the gym....no seriously, just go.

I don't particularly like going though I should. I've started going twice a week since Christmas and I've noticed that I feel better. A bit more energy and a happier feeling. Endorphins! I feel much more confident in myself when I go regularly.

3. Pass Math 8.

As most my friends and family know, math is not my strong point. This semester I'll be taking my final math class in college, and I aim to pass it the first time. So let's batten down the hatches and put in some more study time and effort. I may hate math, but this is the home stretch and I wanna be done with it forever as soon as possible. I took Math 253 fuckin four times, this class MUST go better.

These are all self-oriented goals because I can do them all. Mainly I want to feel healthier, I want to feel better. I'm not fat, or even near being overweight for my BMI, but I want to be in better shape. I find that sometimes I lack confidence because of feeling fat, so why not get rid of the fat feeling by going to the gym? That works. My skin gets all nasty and dry from my eczema, drink more water and put some lotion on it....though that doesn't cure it, it does help a bit. In my opinion (and most self-help gurus'), I can't help anyone else unless I help myself first. So my health and emotional/confidence will be put first this year.

I won't sit there and complain that I feel fat. Or complain that my skin is bleeding because its dry (sorry I know that's gross). I can fix things, or at least help them. For my body's sake, MY body. Why else would I make these resolutions? Haha knowing that my ass is rock hard is a bonus.

Summons

2010-01-06T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day ever attending jury duty...well jury summons. I know its not exactly the same thing. Jury "duty" would indicate I'm on an actual case, which luckily I'm not.

Sitting in a room of 600 people is strange. There's so many people yet everything still manages to look the same. Everything looked gray to me, maybe it was my crappy vision. Old white-haired women sitting in groups of 2 or 3. Middle aged business man looking at a newspaper. Me, sitting alone to avoid any human contact with strangers. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Why? Though the woman staring at me looked semi-friendly, she was past 60 and I have nothing to say to her but "Geez I'm barely awake" or "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

I was "summoned" to report to building 30 of the Superior Court of Orange County in Santa Ana at 7:45am. I'm not functional at that hour. Pretty sure half the people there were sleep walking just like me. My GPS got me there, I parked my car at the lot closest to the entrance and walked to the elevator. Got to the right floor...sat down...started playing Virus Buster on my mom's Nintendo DS (yea it's my mom's lol).

Of course I have the luck to be "randomly selected" for a case on some top floor court room with 75 other people. I was told "oh yeaa, you'll just sit there all day and probably never be called" BULLSHIT, this was the first "random" selection of the day. 75 out of 600 chances, FML. By now it's almost 11am, the sun is all the way up and I'm awake but feeling awful. I didn't eat breakfast because I'm never hungry when I'm dead asleep at 6am....oh and I'm low on iron right now so I feel dizzy.

Feeling sick, nervous, cramped, and bored out of my mind for nearly 3 hours. Unpleasant? Very. I didn't even have time to go to the bathroom. I wasn't a happy camper. I felt like I was either throw up or have an anxiety attack.

Luckily since I'm a full-time student and classes begin on Monday I was unable to be on the jury for the criminal case. I don't think I would be comfortable being on a criminal case anyways. Why can't all the old ladies in the waiting area just be the jury instead? They seem genuinely interested in being there unlike myself....and all the other students that wasted time and gas to report in (only to be disqualified).

"I hate that I couldn't bring in my knitting needles!"
"Why don't they let you bring those while we wait to be called?"
"They're considered a weapon"
"Ohhhh..."

My dad said I had to call him whenever I got to the courthouse and when I left, for safety reasons. So I got to go out to lunch with him once I was done by 12:30....not a bad way to end that miserable process if I do say so myself. June 2010 I'll be called in again, hopefully not for a real case. Maybe I'll give them answers they don't wanna hear and get out of it. Orrrr I could pretend to be a crazy racist or mute. I think I'll go with mute.

Friend Mistakes

2010-01-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get embarrassed for those close to you? I'm not talking bad fashion statements or your friend has a giant zit on picture day---I mean when they tell you about something they did. Perhaps it was something stupid, usually a mistake. We all confide in our close friends about our thoughts, dreams, and our faults. But sometimes my mind tells me to yell "#$@*&^%!!!" at my friends.

Everyone has their faults and struggle with improvement. But I hate to see my friends fail and faceplant again and again. Disappointing, embarrassing. I love all of my friends no matter their problems, and I try to steer them in the right direction but I get so frustrated by them at times.

"What were you thinking?" Clearly they weren't.
"Are you high?" Fuckin stoned out of their minds.
"How much did you drink?" The whole handle of Sailor Jerry.

Of coarse I'm too mild (in personality) to actually do this, but I certainly make a point to call them stupid in my mind. I'm really not sure whether this is a good or bad quality. On one hand I think its good because I'm not being a bitch by telling a friend they acted as an idiot and should know better. And on the other hand, this is an example of not communicating my thoughts to someone I care about.

I (for some reason) attract people with the stupidest problems (in my mind they're preventable). Self-control seems to be a problem with many of them. I won't point out anyone directly for their sake, but it honestly bothers me when they screw up. I had a good friend go to rehab then relapse. We knew it would happen but watching them fall back down sucks. I think he's doing well now, but still hasn't kicked his drug habit. Not all of their problems are as serious (drug abuse) as my example but still their vices negatively impact their life. I can't fix their problems for them, though I wish that were the case. Can someone let me know where to get that magic wand? I'll check eBay or Amazon later.

Let's say I have a friend that's dating a dirtbag. I'll call him Douchey McDoucherstien. I do not like Douchey McDoucherstien, but she does. Do I want to tell her that he's a huge asshole and she can do better? Of coarse I do, but I'm not going to make her into the idiot because I hate hurting people's feelings. I'm sure we all have that thought go through our head after a long weekend of fucked up stories from close or distant friends. "Why was that a good idea?"

So to all those mistakes:

Dear stupid ass,
You're giving me a fricken headache. Please stop. What ever happened to live and learn? Did you forget the "learning" part? Apparently so. Here's to you, showing the fail boat how to do it. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!
You're not invited to dinner,
Courtney :]

Dramatic Little Girls

2009-12-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

I hate women. Better yet I hate girls. The difference may seem difficult to see sometimes but when issues between friends and lovers come up, it becomes clear who the little girls are. I'm sure you've had some experience with this.

You know, one girl has a problem with another girl friend because they don't always get along. One is an idiot or a bitch in the other's opinion. Same old story. Maybe this year I'll make a resolution to keep the hell out of these things. I'm so tired of it. I hear about it all the time and sadly it never changes. Perhaps its the people I know, I'm not sure.

I'm almost 21 years old for godsake. This got me thinking....if I'm friends with someone I will no longer participate in their childish drama. I think immaturity is a big problem right now, not just for me but alot of people I know. Its like they don't realize what they're doing or don't recognize their trivial ways. If it irritates me, then my stupidity (whenever that may happen) must bother some else too. That makes sense right?

I try to be mature about most things, though I am a kid inside--I value that part of myself, but I want the good kid to come out and NOT just the kid who wants to take her friends crayons because she sucks at drawing haha. Everyone has that inside, a good and bad side. Its a matter of letting the good out to play, and keeping the bad in its place.

I like being respected as a person. As a girl, as someone's friend. Don't we all? I hope more people will think about this as we get into our New Years resolutions this next week. Not giving a shit about other people is wrong (not caring what they think is a whole different thing), treat others as you wish to be treated. Its a saying old as time, yet many people completely ignore it.

So to all of you who don't get along: what's the problem? Is it worth not being friend over? Or torturing each other for? Are you just taking crap out on them for no reason? Did they pee in your Wheaties?

Seriously, think about it. If I don't like a girl for a legit reason and you're my friend, it doesn't mean you can't be friends with her. I see this with guys alot. They can be friends with any other guy no matter the problem. They don't make up stupid rumors or create drama because Bob is friends with Joe, and Joe hates Bob's best friend. But when this exact situation happens between a group of girls, it becomes chaotic! "I hate Ashley because Suzy does" or "Mary likes Bob and I do too, so I hate Mary" >.< I know females are territorial but come on. We can't get territorial over our friends like this anymore, its childish. We're not in 3rd grade anymore!

This has been my frustration for years. I at one point completely hung out with boys just to avoid girls' dramatic shit hole also known as friendship. Of course I kept one or two close girl friends but they weren't attached at the hip or anything. I don't like the super clingy girl friend relationships, it never ends up going very well. Guys are just easier to deal with in my opinion. No over-analyzing, no bullshit. They say it all to your face.

To put this all shortly err sum it all up. I'm tired of all this shit going between my friends. You don't like me because I'm friends with your coworker that you don't like? I don't even know why you don't like her. Wtf? Get over yourselves and fucking grow up. The end. Is that so much to ask? Nope.

Merry Christmas :] lol.

Childhood

2009-12-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling nostalgic after having a conversation about PlayStation 1, original Pokemon tv shows, GameBoy Color, and other random things from my childhood. Seems so long ago in a way yet like it was yesterday. Oh how cheesy, I just rhymed. Anyways...I grew up in the 1990's, born in 1989 (last of the eighties aww). Now being 20 years old I can watch old movies that I watched as a kid and see everything I missed lol like those messed up perverted things Disney animators put in when they were bored (Little Mermaid priest has a boner fyi). I can look back and remember all the good tmes when life was way simpler. No internet in the house, no plasma tvs, no cellphones for texting, no DVRs.

Awesome things about being a kid (that make life easier)
1. You don't watch the news or understand it
2. The world is as big as your city
3. You don't have a clue what a period or sex is
4. You don't worry about money

I'm trying to think of how it might be to grow up these days and as I think of all the things on the news and in the media....it sure sounds terrible. I read the things that my 11 year old cousin posts to her Facebook. (Facebook rules state that you must be 13 years old to have a Facebook but let's throw that one out the window) She posted lyrics to the Ke$ha song "Tik Tok" yesterday. I don't know where my aunt is while she listens to music like this. I mean seriously the girl singing talks about brushing her teeth with a "bottle of Jack". Something is wrong there. If I heard that coming from my kid's room I'd take her computer or something. Every kid has an iPod, a laptop, and a tv in there room for some reason. I never had any of those thing and turned out just fine. I only had a boombox and my parent's CD collection to listen to---until I bought my first CD of my very own: N*Sync's No Strings Attached.

I know she loves Miley Cyrus (uhoh) and Taylor Swift---at least Taylor Swift is a nice girl. It makes me sad though, must be so different these days. I've heard a 6 year old use the word "fuck" before. I even had a customer at work get yelled at by her 13 year old son about her not letting him rent a rated-M game. She justified it by telling him that "war and violence isn't ok. My dad was in Vietnam and you will NOT learn that shooting people is ok"...he proceeded to call her a bitch right in front of me. Hello?!

Dear parents, your children are sponges. Please monitor what they're listening to at least HALF of the time. Also, cancel your HBO subscription. Your "baby" boy knows how to use the remote to watch dirty shows.

And then there's the internet, the whole thing. The internet is for porn! Lol not really but yea there's alot of that on here if you click on the wrong link or turn off Safe Search on Google Image Search. Who knew that naked girls had anything to do with my history homework....I didn't.

I think that we all just need to be a bit more careful about what the kids around us are seeing and hearing. All that sex and violence on tv/movies/everything isn't necessary for anyone, especially kids. I value my childhood immensely, and I'd hope that each and every other kid gets a fun, innocent time in their life to just be a kid too. No rush to grow up or become sexual. Just play outside on bikes with the neighbor kids and watch cartoons on Saturday morning. That's what every kid deserves. Don't wanna end up trying to be a kid forever like Michael Jackson, now do we? Noooooope. So here's a few songs that I used to hear on the radio all the time when I was about 6 or 7 years old....

OMC - How Bizarre

Fastball - The Way

Backstreet Boys - Larger Than Life

Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)

Iron Man 2

2009-12-17T02:05:00.000-08:00

Well whatta ya know, another brand new trailer for 2010....enjoy!

Coming May 7th 2010

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

2009-12-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well it seems that this week is movie trailer week for me! Here's another highly anticipated film due for release in 2010! Looks more focused on the Mad Hatter from this trailer, but hey a different side of the story could be interesting. The book is supposed to be a mushroom-acid trip and scary, unlike the animated Disney version. Either way I'll probably be sitting in line at the midnight showing with Nura.

Coming to theaters March 5th 2010!

Ridley Scott's ROBIN HOOD

2009-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

Coming May 14th 2010

This looks pretty damn good so far. Plus we all know that Cate Blanchett is always always always a good actress. I hope Russell Crowe can use this to get his career back. Hmm...

KROQ AAC Live Right Now!

2009-12-13T22:47:00.000-08:00

If anyone is really into rock music, such as Muse, they're on right now at the KROQ (106.7) Almost Acoustic Christmas right now. Awesomeness. They sound great live!

Watch: http://www.kroqfs.com/acxfb/index_nofb.html

Silly Comparison on Your Part

2009-12-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

Once in awhile someone makes a jealous comment about those of us who are in long-standing relationships. They may not see it as jealousy but it sure reads that way. This week the comment was made by a friend that we all know is NOT having sex with his girlfriend yet. "Your relationship is based on sex".....oh really? Since when do you know how many times we have sex & etc? Hmmmm? No, my relationship is definitely not based on sex. Just ask my boyfriend haha.

Anyone whose ever been in a relationship for more than a few months knows that sex does come up eventually. It either happens or it doesn't. Everyone has their reasons on why they're not having sex. But hey, those of us that are in loving committed relationships usually do at some point.

I think its absolutely ridiculous for someone to propose that their relationship is stronger than mine because they aren't having sex. Especially when their relationship is much different and younger. We're goin on almost 4 years here, and they're barely past a year. It's up to them if they choose to be intimate, and vica versa. NONE YO BUSINESS!

So to the person who said this, sorry you and your partner aren't having sex. That's your issue to cover, not mine or anyone elses. Communication, trust, and lovea are much more important than having sex. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?

Shredded

2009-12-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Alert the media, Rocksie has shredded her red dog toy lol. I always think its funny how some people think that dogs are stupid. I think they're quite smart actually.

Currently Rocksie (my golden retriever) is trying to continue shredding her toy without me seeing. She stops n looks the other way whenever I ask her what she's doing. Haha and now seems to be pouting that I caught her.

It looks like it snowed on my floor. Silly doggie riped the toy's head off n ate the ears. Random but really amusing. She does this every Christmas. One toy is sacrificed via her shredding it, and the nshe gets a new one that she treats like her child for the new few months.

True Blood

2009-12-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

True Blood (Season 1 & 2) 4.5/5

So the vampire story genre is pretty popular this year. First with the rise of Twilight and then with HBO's True Blood. Both follow a romantic story-line yet I gotta say, True Blood is much better. Not only are these authentic vampires, but there's alot more of a story than Twilight.
The True Blood series takes places in Louisiana in an alternative world compared to ours. The vampires have "come out of the coffin" and revealed themselves to the world. Some are happy to see this, while others hate it. I love the variety of characters, human and vampire. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlot's (a local Bon Temps restaurant and bar) where her boss loves her and the locals thoughts are heard too loudly....she's a telepath, though only her closest friends know this. her boss, Sam Merlot also is more than human, but he's no vampire.

A serial killer plagues the small town of Bon Temps, mainly "fang-bangers" are targeted by the killer. In the second season, a Maenad comes to town and starts making shit hit the fan. Yes, it gets weirder and weirder. Meanwhile there's a crazy Jesus camp of people that are all for staking vampires because they are the spawn of Satan. Crazy people, it makes me laugh to see such delusional religious people.

There's alot of nudity, senseless in my opinion but hey its HBO so they can do it if they want. Language, nudity, drugs---awesome, its more real than a lame-ass story where nobody ever dies or has sex or anything that happens in real life. There's also no awkward angst and stupid "I have to leave you......its too dangerous". Sorry Twilight, but you also have shitty actors compared to this show. I like that there's more in-depth stories and exploration of the vampire world than "h these are the Cullens and nobody can ever know that they're vampires, PS: there's shape-shifters too". In the world of True Blood there's all kinds of mythical creatures which makes for more choices in story-lines as well as characters. It doesn't get boring, ever.

Overall, I like it. in fact I just finished season 2 at 4AM last night. Me and my brother sat there and watched the show for probably 5 - 6 hours straight. Addicting, very addicting. Our favorite character so far is Eric Northman, a vampire who runs the Fangtasia vampire bar. This series is not for anyone under 18 years old according to its rating, and I'd stick with that if you wanna watch this with kids or your parents. Sex scenes aren't like in the movies, everyone shows their bare ass or chest at some point in the show. Kinda like porn, eww. If you're uncomfortable with nudity or gore, just don't watch. That's really all I gotta say, I just have to wait for the 3rd season to be on the internet because I don't have HBO :[

What's another show that I should watch? I've heard Dexter is pretty good. Thoughts? Responses? Hmm?

Photoshoot

2009-12-11T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, check out these awesome pictures of my brother Ryon :] They're on Jeff Wallace Photography's blog! All credit to him of course, I love these!

http://jeffwallacephotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/ryon-beachner.html

Pictures were taken out in Codo de Caza and a few other places. Finally my family has good pictures (fuckin awesome pictures) of my brother.You might wonder why he's dressed funny---Yes, he does race go karts. A few of the pictures include his helmet and driving suit. Enjoy!

Sunday the 6th

2009-12-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hello again, it's me. Who else would it be? That was a stupid question lol. Well this is a really informal-type blogity blog for the day. Just thought I'd let everyone know that I've got a few movie reviews on the way.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Public Enemies
Lucky Number Slevin

Because its "CSR appreciation week" at Blockbuster for the next 2 weeks, I can get 10 free rentals instead of just 5 free rentals. So I may end up renting and reviewing alot in the next few weeks. Then again I also have end of semester junk and finals to deal with at school. Good luck if you're facing final exams just like me.

It's almost Christmas! I still have no idea what I want other than bubble bath (I ran out a few days ago) and maybe a new Wii game. I need suggestions please! What are you asking for?

PS: I'm starting to watch True Blood. Let's see what all the buzz is about!

A State of Trance 2009

2009-12-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow bloggers and music lovers, just thought I'd shine a light on some new music I've gotten a hold of! I love most genres of music but seem to have an affinity for electronic. No, Lady GaGa doesn't count (that's pop, no offense to GaGa she's great) Maybe because of my rave phase? I'm not sure, its calming to me---but anyways....

I've just downloaded Armin Van Buuren's A State of Trance 2009 and so far its great. I especially like "The Fractal Universe" by Matt Zo. You've probably never heard of Zo---why not? He's a 19 year old DJ and music producer from England. It's crazy to think that this so young and talented. Just take a read of his profile/biography on last.fm: click here yo.

Like most of my favorite trance artists, Zo's music was introduced to me by my good friend Ben. As we drove home from Newport Beach last weekend in his Scion tC (I was excited to drive it for the first time) I remarked, "I feel like I should be driving a spaceship through a galaxy somewhere".

For more information and track listings on this album (it's 2 CDs) go to: Yah, Armin is Dutch. Don't lie, you use Wikipedia as a valid information source too.

Victoria Secret Fashion Show (2009)

2009-12-01T23:04:00.001-08:00

I'm watching the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, feeling fat because I'm fucking bloated from PMS. It's amazing, you should try it sometime....sarcasm of course. I can't help but feel like going to the gym after watching this show. Too bad I have no time for the gym since I have school and work and need sleep.

If I had hours and hours on end to devote to going to work out every day I'm sure that I could look like one of the models. Well except I'm only 5'4 so that's a problem. But hey if I was in crazy-job shape like Miranda Kerr or Marissa Miller, I'd be workin out at the gym in my damn underwear.

There was no Adriana Lima aka "omg I'm taking a shit while I take this picture"-face. My brother calls her that because apparently she looks consipated in all her photos according to him. She just had a baby a few weeks ago. Speaking of babies....

Did anyone notice that Heidi Klum just had a baby about a month ago? Yeah, she looks like she's never had 4 kids before haha. I gotta say that she is a pretty good role model for girls. Not disgustingly skinny or trampy. She's got Seal and her kids, plus this awesome career. She got lucky, that's for sure. I hope I look half as good as she does after having kids, jeebus!

PS: Dear Black Eyed Peas, my mom changed the channel during your performances because you sound awful live, so I didn't get to see more than 30 seconds of Will.I.Am. on the keytar, "singing" badly. Oh and Fergie please leave the sexy outfits to the VS models. I don't know what you're wearing but its big and green.

Plan B

2009-12-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

Everyday there's advertisements on tv. Regular day to day things like cereals, Target commercials, and every other restaurant in town. But once in awhile there's a few that come on that seriously bother me. Recently I've seen the commercial for the PLAN B pill aired.

Plan B's website: http://www.planbonestep.com/
*only sold to 17 or older over the counter
*Only effective when taken within 72 hours (3 days) of sex
*Mild side-effects similar to a period

I understand that there are accidental pregnancies in our country all the time. I know quite a few people that are "oops" babies (but they were all from marriages, not one night stands). Also this week I'm writing an essay for my History class on 1970's womens' rights movement. How convenient.

In the 1960s and 1070s the idea of letting women use birth control was "insane"! It was ridiculous! Why should a women turn down a pregnancy? Its Gods purpose for women to give us children, preventing that role from occurring whenever it...occurs, would be offensive. This is what the older generation thought, but the young women saw it as liberating. A way to choose when a child should or shouldn't come into their life. It gave way for many women to have more time to dedicate to an extended education or a career. Sure this was great, but it was still seen as provocative. The traditional position of the woman was in the kitchen, in the home. As some say it, "get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!"

But this commercial that plays multiple times a day is something entirely different, or is it? It similar in how it gives women who have made an "oops", a way out. It also states in the ad, "this is not a form of birth control". Unfortunately there are people out there that use abortions as their form of birth control. It's sad but it happens....this often leaves them with infertility problems in the future when they wish to have children. Perhaps women will see that as a reason to not get multiple abortions and just be responsible for the sex that they have. PLAN B is simply a safety net for those who need it. I hope that if somebody is out there having sex that they are responsible enough to protect themselves from anything unwanted or unexpected.

This brings up something that I firmly believe: If you're not smart enough to get on birth control and use condoms, then you shouldn't be having sex with anyone. You could subject your partner to an unplanned child or venereal disease. A friend remarked via Twitter yesterday, "A diamond is forever, so is herpes". You gotta be responsible for yourself!

PLAN B will probably prevent alot of accidental pregnancies, but that doesn't mean go crazy. Women of the 60's and 70's saw the pill as a way to push back having kids so they could have a fuller and more complete life outside of being a mother. There's plenty more to life than just staying at home and raising your kids (though I do aspire to be a stay-at-home mom someday, I want my degree first). The women of the past saw this as empowering, it was their way to live for their own self-development.

What do you think of all the new PLAN B advertisements? Its been around for awhile but they're just now advertising it. Would you use it? Or will you just stick to using regular birth control and condoms?

All I Want For Christmas

2009-11-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ohh the holidays, such a wonderful time of year. Time for putting up the Christmas tree and celebrating togetherness and family, love and be grateful. But wait a second, what are you getting everyone for Christmas this year? Some toys, a new car maybe, or maybe new clothes for your kids.

This Christmas for my family is gunna be extra tight. Mom's paycheck is now divided up over 12 months instead of 9 months by the school district, and dad doesn't usually get paid on time. Of course I do have a job, which means I get to buy presents with my own money, no assistance from the parents like when I was younger. On top of all of this, our economy isn't the greatest. Most people won't be going out and spending extravagant amounts of money this year, or at least that's my prediction.

The whole money issue adds some stress to getting gifts for one another but it shouldn't be too bad, I hope. Nobody seems to have much of a list this year anyways. Every year I write up a list with stars next to the presents I prefer (I hate faking happiness on Christmas for gifts I don't like at all), the prices, and what store to find them in.

I think this year I'm gunna stick to asking for things that I NEED. I don't really see anything amazing out there that I want so bad that I'd put a financial burden on someone for. I have a camera, I have a laptop, my car runs fine right now. So maybe it's time for everyone to stop buying a shitload of crap nobody wants and think of things that people NEED. Or better yet, use.

You can't always get what you want, so the song goes. But its Christmas and if you don't get your child that train set they've been screaming about for a month you'll go deaf and grandpa will turn his hearing-aid off. Ok, so get them the train set, but get them other things also that aren't a waste. Kids don't NEED a million toys.

"But my little Suzy has to have the latest and greatest toys!"...uhh have you ever seen a kid play with a mound of toys? There's one or two favorites and the rest just sit and collect dust. My boyfriend's younger brother has two or three train sets and I havent seen him play with them for the past three months, I'd be donating them to the Goodwill by now.

But hey, he's not my kid. My kids will probably have fewer toys, I hate spoiled little kids. And sadly they're really common here in Orange County. I got to watch a kid about three or four years old, scream and cry over not getting the pack of gum he picked up at Blockbuster where I work. Jesus Christ people! Teach your kids what no means or you'll regret it down the road when they decide that you're not worth listening to when you tell them "no, you can't go...."

So I'm going to aim to get each person on my shopping list one thing that they need, and if I don't know what they need then I'll get something that they will use alot. Because why buy a bunch of stuff that's just going to sit there? That's the stuff your friends and family end up return.

Don't get me wrong, happy kids on Christmas is the best. But there's a big difference between a happy child and a spoiled one. Christmas is a time for being with your family, love, and for some the birth of Jesus. There's even Kwanzaa (I don't know, nor have I ever met someone who celebrates this holiday) and Hanukkah. Each of these is about love, not buying presents---unless you're falling for the materialistic crock that our consumer society advertises during the holiday season. Keep it simple, its the thought that counts. Not the price-tag.

[the picture at the top was found via StumbleUpon, its not my work but I love it so all credit to the artist]

Movie Reviews - 11/25

2009-11-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

Bruno 3/5
Ok, first off---before watching this movie or even considering renting/buying it please ask yourself a few questions:

1) Am I ok with homosexual jokes?
2) Am I ok with dildos? Yes dildos.
3) AM i ok with male frontal nudity?

If you answered no to ANY of those questions, this movie is not for you so avoid it. I only tell you to consider these things before viewing such a movie. I'm not going to tell you that Sasha Baron Cohen sucks or anything, he's actually quite brilliant (aha I sound English). But I didn't enjoy this movie like I did when I saw Borat. Both seem to be shock-humor, but hey there's all kinds of comedies. That's all I gotta say about it really, without giving away what happens. Personally I don't like alot of nudity in movies (and yea that means I think porn is disgusting too) so I was disinterested and kinda grossed out.

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/

Marley & Me 4.2/5
I love my dog and this movie made me cry....like the most I've ever cried in a movie. Evan had to go get me tissues because I'd cried all my make-up off. Anyone that's ever had a dog, even a naughty pet that makes huge messes and breaks things, will love this movie. It basically the story of a couple that get married and decide to get a puppy. They name the new puppy, Marley. And it turns out this puppy is "the world's worst dog". There's alot of laughs but it also gets really emotional once the dog gets older. I had to go hug my doggie afterwards. Definitely a good movie.

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822832/

New Moon 3.6/5
Alright, I admitt I didn't go to the theater to see the newest Twilight Saga movie, honestly I do'nt like spending +$10 on a movie that may suck. So I went the safe route and watched it online with my friend Cheryl. I was glad to see that it stayed close to the book, there was only one part where they changed a little piece of the story. But that part was pretty insignificant. Continuing, do you like Taylor Lautner with his shirt off in the rain? No way, everyone does haha. Oh and yeaa there's a scene with a shirtless Edward (Robert Pattinson) as well for the foaming-at-the-mouth R-Pattz fans.
It wasn't a bad movie, in fact it was ALOT better than the original Twilight movie--which was one of the worst movies I've seen in my life. The actors all did a decent job, though there were a few slo-mo shots of the guys that I found really lame. The director is new to the series, apparently the previous director was crap---good move guys. This isn't anything Oscar-worthy but I'd recommend the movie---but whether its worth +$10 to see in theaters is up to you!

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259571/

Obsessed 3.5/5
If you're in the mood for something a little creepy, this is your movie. If you love chick fights, this is your movie. The story goes that a new temp (Ali Larter) starts working at this man's office where she quickly becomes a sexual stalker. Unbeknownst to his wife (Beyonce), the temp keeps showing up again and again to further mess with her husband. "Crazbitch" would be the perfect term for the temp, seriously she's off her rocker n needs to be in a mental hospital. The fight scene between Ali Larter and Beyonce was awesome. So if you wanna watch a movie and yell at the screen for an hour and a half "Breathe bitch!", pick up Obsessed.

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1198138/

Wow, really?

2009-11-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

"Nobody wants a defect for a son or a daughter....I guess that's how gays are these days"

Umm is this the 70's?! No, the whole "mental illness" = gay is no longer an issue. It's been ruled out. Don't ever compare the handicapped to homosexuality. You might as well start comparing yourself to someone in a wheel-chair now. I'm offended. No, people with special needs are on a whole different level. Comparing them is just wrong. Sexuality is more choice-oriented than being born with a serious handicap.

UC Tuition Increase

2009-11-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

I thought that this video/PSA* was perfect to sum up the current problem in our educational system. College is becoming unaffordable, not that it was "affordable" before--but more so than ever before.

I worry that my brother and everyone else his age (he graduates from high school this year) are not going to be able to get into, or let alone PAY for a college education. I don't know what he's wanting to major in or what his intended-career path is, but college needs to be an option.

I'm still in community college, and I worry that I won't even be able to transfer half the time because of Spring semesters being closed to everyone. If I miss out on one class then I have to wait an entire year longer to re-apply to the CSU system.

I won't be going to a UC school, but I feel bad that everyone in the UC system is now getting wallet-raped with tuition. Next year it will cost my friend at UCI: $10,000 for the year. I mean, sure that's great compared to going somewhere like Chapman (private university) where it's $30-45,000 per year. But if nobody can afford to go to college then nobody will. Or the community college system will be flooded even more than it is now. My school had a 30% enrollment rise this year. Hmm I wonder why everyone suddenly is going to community college? It's a great deal for your money. But overall, our education system is screwed up, can somebody please fix it already? Jebus!

Protests @ UC Davis - http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=70635&provider=top
Protests @ UCLA - http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13817925
$10k Per Year - http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/community/uc-tuition-hits-the-roof-10k-a/

*video done by UC students, FilmEd alumni from Foothill Ranch

Movie Review - 11/17

2009-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

Adventureland 2.3/5
I'm no Kristen Stewert junkie-fan but I had to rent this one to see if her acting ability was any different from Twilight. Of course I was disappointed and yes, she acts the exact same. THe only difference between her character "Emm" and Bella from Twilight is that Bella is a virgin in love with a vampire, while "Emm" smokes a shit ton of pot and gets to be Ryan Renoylds make-out partner. Overall, the movie was ok but it seemed long and I was uninterested halfway through. "Do you have weed?" is probably asked 20 times throughout the movie and this is how all the characters meet and socialize if they aren't already at a bar or house party. By the looks of this movie, being a grad student in the upper East Coast is like hell on a stick.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091722/

The Brothers Bloom 3.9/5
So here we have Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as two brothers, con men all their lives. Brody's character, "Bloom" wants out of the con business because he wants an "unwritten life". His brother convinces him to do one last con via a rich heiress from New Jersey, Penelope (Rachel Weisz). All of the characters are great, good story, and all together a good movie. It wasn't widely publicized like most movies these days but The Brothers Bloom deserves to be watched by anyone who likes a twisting con. Oh and if you would like to see someone repeatedly crash their Lamborgini into walls.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844286/

Monsters VS Aliens 2.5/5
The movie was great if you're looking for something fun ot watch with your 4 - 6 year old sibling or cousin, but its not nearly as enjoyable for adults. Many pixar-animated movies aim for a wider audience but Monsters VS Aliens keeps it simple and innocent for the kids in our life. No awkward sexual double-meanings or one liners, no scary images or fighting that could give a young child nightmares. Originally this movie was 3D while in theaters, if you can manage to get some 3D glasses it would make he movie alot better in my opinion. it lost my interest about three fourths of the way through because I found myself asking what the story line was, but hey its for kids. There doesn't need to be much more than "monsters" joking around and saving the planet from aliens.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/

The Ugly Truth 3.7/5
Typical romantic-comedy story-line, predictable but veyr enjoyable. Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler are great together, and both very good-looking. So you can watch this with your boyfriend/girlfriend/friends---but not with your parents. Sitting by your parents while Heigl accidently wears vibrating panties to a meeting would be super awkward. THe movie as a whole is alot of fun, there's some great innuendoes in there. some of them are pretty dirty but it adds to the "ugly truth" that Butler's character tries to prove. Its almost like Battle of the Sexes but everyone wins in the end.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142988/

UP 4.7/5
You'll laugh then you'll cry in this Pixar classic about an old man trying to escape getting taken to a retirement home and fulfill the dream of his wife. I loved this movie, such an emotional movie. I have to say that if your child is still a toddler and may be scared of dogs---don't watch it til they get older. There's just a few parts where the guard dogs chase Mr. Fredrickson and 'the small mailman" as the dogs call him. The two comedic relief characters are the best. Doug the golden retriever was a spitting image of my dog (though she's female), plus "Kevin" the giant exotic bird from South America was hilarious throughout.

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/

No Home For the Heart

2009-11-13T01:14:00.000-08:00

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there" ~Barbara Bush

I don't understand. I just don't, and I probably never will. Parenting is supposed to be the hardest job in the world, but still. Being a parent means that you have to take care of your children. This doesn't end at a certain age or cut-off point. And then there's pushing a teenager out of the nest, but this.....this set me off. Once they come out that birth canal, they are here forever. YOUR responsibility, forever.

It's come to my attention that one of my oldest friends has been told to vacate the house and head out to grandma's or some other relative's house, anywhere but "home". This came about via email, not in person--makes it alot worse in my opinion....at least when you're fired from a company they tell you in person. But no, let's just send an email and hopefully shit doesn't hit the fan. Greaaat. Pardon my French, but what the fuck is wrong with people these days? It's your kid, your family. Family should be at the top of your list in the relationship department. But for some it's like they think family members can be wished away because they seem inconvenient or bothersome. This is ridiculous. If I had a kid with a few problems I wouldn't kick them out, they should be with their family and parents where they can be supported....which brings me to quite a big point.

If your family doesn't support you, then it probably doesn't seem like home. Home is where the heart is, and the heart needs love and support. So where will her heart be? Far away from what was once called "home"? Far away from the friends that care about her? I guess so.

A few of us have talked about kidnapping her to see her before she goes. Nobody is ok with the whole situation. Honestly I'd like to punch a wall, but Kevin did that last year and broke his hand SO I will not be doing that tonight.

Upset. Stupid people. "Life isn't fair"---this is a false statement. Life tends to be fair, but this is only when a full effort is given into all you do. Including parenting, this is a part of life where giving up is not ok. It is not an option or you have simply failed. And for that I feel sorry for you, I pity you. Because I know that this isn't right and know you have given up.

"Blood's thicker than water, and when one's in trouble
Best to seek out a relative's open arms."
~Author Unknown

Bucket List

2009-11-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'll add more to this list later, but that's what I can think of right now. How about you? What do you wanna do before you kick the bucket?

1) Go to Europe
2) Wine-tasting in a vineyard
3) See a glacier in person
4) Learn to ride a motorcycle
5) Walk on the Great Wall of China
6) See the pyramids in Egypt
7) Buy a house
8) Watch the aurora borialis
9) Float around in an antigravity chamber
10) Graduate college
11) Swim with dolphins
12) Drive across the USA
13) Ride on an elephant
14) Steal my neighbor's gnomes
15) Be in the audience of The Price Is Right

Party Theme: Idea Post #1

2009-11-02T22:36:00.001-08:00

I want to have a Tom Cruise Risky Business party. Where everyone is required to come dressed in the white shirt and underwear.

Girls and guys do it for Halloween all the time, but I want a non-Halloween dress up party like this. For some reason I think it would be hilarious. Oh and there would be lots of dancing, not just standing around talking like normal. So, in excense--a Tom Cruise Risky Business dance party.

Thoughts, @beawarriorqueen?

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was a success, but it didn't come without some complications as usual. I was invited to 3 different parties.

1. Tommy was throwing a Halloween party in Silverado canyon.
2. Ashley was hosting a party at her house with her husband and other swim coaches.
3. Phil and his girlfriend were hosting a party at his apartment.

Which one to go to? Well the first one that came to my knowledge was Tommy's canyon party. So I assumed that hey we'll all go. Cheryl and Reenie, along with the rest of the In N Out of Foothill Ranch crew was going. Breanna and Anthony were going too, and I havent seen either of them since July. I wanted to see my friends! But Evan comes over to make dinner the next day and tells me that we're going to Ashley's party on the 31st.

"So we'll go to both?", I said. Evan replied, "I'm staying at Coach's house the whole time, I can't leave. But you can go to the canyon party too if you want, but I want you to stay here with me." Oh really? Is this like one of those trick situations or mind tricks that bitch girlfriends always say to their partners? It sounded like it but I know its not like that. I chuckled a bit about it though. I hate having to disappoint anyone by telling them "no, sorry I won't be at the party". And there was no way to go to Phil's party since I was invited very last minute in comparison to the previous 2 invites. So we ended up staying at Ashley's on the night of the 31st. There wasn't any point in risking going to the canyon party since there's check points all over the roads and Reenie's ex boyfriend might show up at the canyon party. No extra drama this Halloween, please.
So why do I say this year was a success? 3 things:

1. I got to dance with my boyfriend and Cheryl to the music I picked to play at the party.
2. No NorCal cop cars everywhere.
3. No crying on a curb, being comforted by Ben.

Mostly the last 2 things made it better. The party was pretty low key and laid-back. Last year in Sonoma, CA was fun but ended abruptly. This year in Irvine (surprisingly there were no cops) there was drinks, dancing, hookah and friends. I got to spend time with the Yotters and the "Hoffs" (they aren't actually married but we still call them that), Cheryl and I got to dance like crazy people. Waca waca shots. The boys enjoyed some beer pong and poker, while a few of us girls talked in the hookah lounge/tent. Even Ian got to dance hahaha! Pacman ghosts at the door, and pirates who show up after the party ends.

Here's some pictures from the night....

Flag fooball, the Germans, Dr. Acula & his Nurse, Ian in a freaky mask, Baseball "Player", and Wilma Flinstone

Mandie and Jess brought some friends from Concordia

Shea and Brenna came as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

Joe the pirate stopped by at 2am

My BayBay<3

The next holiday that requires major scheduling is Thanksgiving. Last year me and Evan went to 2 Thanksgiving-family gatherings, the year before we went to 3 then felt like we were in a turkey coma. With his divorced parents it's like having 2 families to go see just for him and then my regular/non-divorced family just has 1 Thanksgiving to attend. Hopefully we can avoid getting stuck with a Mira Mesa/San Diego drive to a Costa Mesa/Fountain Valley drive again! Time will tell.

A Letter: Rushing In

2009-10-29T00:57:00.000-07:00

Dear 20 year old girls,

Yes, I just called you girls. You are not women yet though you may think you are. A woman is the adult version of a girl. A woman has a job to support herself or a partner/parents to aid her. She is old enough to make her own choices, and rent a car. A woman also is intelligent enough to know that even though her uterus can hold and bare children---it should not...because YOU'RE FUCKING 20 YEARS OLD. What's so hard to understand about: finish college, get a job, establish long term relationship, THEN marry. Can we all please stop and remember how old we are and what era this is? Sure as hell isn't the 1950s! At least there was long term dating in the 1950s!

Getting to know your partner is part of the process. If you met in person or online, there's no difference. It's the time spent together, learning about the stupid habits that bug the crap out of you and the awful smells/sounds that come out of that boyfriend of yours....yes, your boyfriend WILL fart on you (sorry but it happens, I've been drooled and farted on but I love him nonetheless). Anyways, it's the stupid annoying habits that help you decide whether this person is for you or not. Of course you love them, but after the honeymoon period (first 6 months) is over you may realize that the "love" may have just been obsession or infatuation....or you're crazy and just want everything right NOW.

Marriage is a decision to spend your life (forever) with your partner, aka til you're dead as a doornail in the ground. I hope you all think before you go through that Vegas drive-thru or back alley "ordained" minister. Take it through the seasons and see all the different sides of the person you love, it either destroys you or makes you love them more. Also note: the economy sucks, I hope the one you've chosen is a rich man.

Sincerely,
Someone who would like to see everyone at her 10 Year High School Reunion NOT divorced

This IS the Droid you're looking for

2009-10-28T13:26:00.001-07:00

Alright, alright. I couldn't resist naming it something straight out of Star Wars, my inner geek wanted out on that one thing. But then I thought "hey, why not let the inner geek out for a bit for this blog?" And so, I did.

Oh Apple, how I love your MacBook Pro that I use, but I'm not an iPhone user. Though I may know a few people who have them, I don't really ever want an iPhone. Something I do want? The Motorolla DROID.

This thing is badass. Who wants an iPhone when you can have a DROID? This thing is ridiculous. My brother skipped into the room like a little kid on Christmas to show me the online video of it on engadget.com, which I suggest you watch to get a better understanding of how this phone works. But wait, you need to have Verizon. Sorry, ATT but your service sucks and you have the iPhone anyways. Sprint won't be getting this gem either, since they have every Blackberry ever made.

First off, this phone has the ability to do quite a few things that the iPhone can not. This is illustrated in the following commercial:

Fortunately the DROID can do all of these things. Impressive, yes? Quick summary!

DROID
1. Full QWERTY keyboard
2. Touchscreen front
3. Works as a GPS in the car
4. Shifts to an media center when docked----music, alarm clock
5. Runs multiple widget at the same time

I know that this Christmas will be a cheaper Christmas than most being that our economic climate is currently down. But the DROID offers a break from most expensive gifts during the holiday season. The DROID will be $199 with contract (likely to be a 2yr agreement like most Verizon plans), not bad. I expected a higher pricetag for this phone, thankfully I was surprised.

DROID goes on sale via Verizon online + Verizon store on November 6th 2009. Check it out now on engagdet.com: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-first-hands-on/

Book of Attention Whore: Chapter 1

2009-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

This blog is titled Book of the Attention Whore for a reason. It is the first, of many likely "chapters" of what the attention whores in my life are doing. Somebody has to say something because it's fricken annoying. Let's starts with a definition from UrbanDictionary.com:

"A person who, regardless of whether or not they are attached, will seek out the attention of other males/females to make themself feel important. Usually found on internet forums and voice programs using whatever charms, bodily parts, etc. they may have to make themself appear more attractive to the opposite sex, even though it couldn't be farther from the truth. Some attention whores become agitated and intimidated when another member of the same sex garners more attention than themself and they become hostile and lash out. Will do almost anything to get the attention they seek including posing naked or half naked for pictures and posting them everywhere for all to see...and become increasingly sick to."

Today I logged onto my Facebook page after I got out of the shower. Just to check my wall for any comments or responses to the ridiculous crap that I post from time to time (funny videos or links). My news feed tells me who is at work, what girl misses her boyfriend, and how disappointed quite a few people are that the Angels lost the game last night. But low and behold there's a picture of someone's butt.

"Oh hello, someone's butt! Why are you on Facebook? We all know you're single and ready to mingle, but is this necessary?"

No it wasn't a bare ass, but it was a picture of an ass none-the-less. She was showing off new clothes, which seems innocent enough (though its not if you saw the actual picture). I read the comments. Of course there were a few innuendoes, and a sperm joke. I wonder if that makes her feel better about herself? Knowing that some guy friend would "hit that" or "superman dat ho", as his comment implied.

I don't see how a girl can just be like hmm let's throw my dignity out the window and take some pictures. "Check it out guys, I don't have a saggy butt! It's nice right? Now let me know all the dirty things you're thinking". That's the message it sends. There was another incident with an "ass posting" again this week but this time it was another girl with her friend.
This is your main picture? Really? Congrats, you've just made my blog. Yes I can post your stuff because its publicly displayed, sucks huh? You're a legal adult, I felt bad for all of 5 seconds. You posted it for all your friends to oogle at.

Book of Attention Whore, chapter 1: Post a picture of ur ass on Facebook to receive a multitude of lude comments/inuendos from male friends.

20 Life Lessons

2009-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to smack someone because they have dug themselves a hole? Gotten themselves into trouble when it was easy to avoid? I sure have! This list is compiled from real life experiences of the people we know and love. I hope you enjoy, and maybe add a few.

LIFE LESSONS WHICH WE ALL MUST OBSERVE:

1. Graduating high school doesn't make you smart. It just means you don't completely fail at life.

2. Date someone for at least a year before getting married. You don't know someone fully until you take it through the seasons, as my dad says.

3. Wen insulting some1 on the internet using bad propr gramar n spellin makes U look like a retard.

4. Always talking about yourself may impact your social life.

5. If you are a hefty person, don't wear mini skirts, or mini anything. Dress properly for your form.

6. Do not go work at a place like Hooter's without having Hooters. Otherwise, it's just wrong.

7. There is always a poor drunk girl at a party. Keep her away from men n pointy objects.

8. Don't walk home alone, no matter how "safe" your city is.

9. Crackheads carry knives. BIG knives.

10. If you need to throw up after drinking, do not do so into your wicker trash can.

11. Telling more than half our friends the same secret makes it public knowledge.

12. Bro kids in raised trucks are compensating for a lack of....well, they have a tiny penis.

13. This is very important---All naked pictures are leaked to the internet. ALL OF THEM.

14. Leaving a party with some guy you just met (while having or not having a boyfriend) is a bad idea. Nobody will believe that "nothing happened".

15. Don't try to convince girls with boyfriends that they are in love with you.

16. Walking alone at night in the bad end of town is a bad idea, even if you're "walking with Jesus". This won't stop you from being raped.

17. Losing your virginity should happen when both people have chosen to have sex, sober. So that both people may be able to recollect the event.

18. Throwing fireworks near your neighbor's boat = boat on fire + hefty bill.

19. Don't bring religious items or books to parties. It's pointless n you look like a zealous idiot.

20. Close the damn door when you pee. Just do it.

All of the above have been agreed upon by @beawarriorqueen and myself. I loved making this list, it was a good laugh remembering some of the stories in which they came from. For every "I told ya so" moment there's a lesson. Hopefully some people will be able to avoid those ridiculous mistakes. Do you have any to add?

Obsessive Compulsive 1231

2009-10-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

"Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety, or by combinations of such thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). The symptoms of this anxiety disorder range from repetitive hand-washing and extensive hoarding to preoccupation with sexual, religious, or aggressive impulses."

I have OCD. I know I do and don't need a doctor to diagnose me. He'll just want to give me medication for it, which I do not need. I have it under control and it doesn't usually interfere with my life. My mom said that I was "so OCD" about things a few years back, so I looked into it and discovered that it described the exact way I felt. Self-diagnosis isn't appropriate for most mental disorders like depression or bipolarity. If you think you have either of those go to the doctor because they can help you. But in my case, I don't believe that I need to take medicine every day for this.

Every OCD person has certain behavioral habits, mine are typical things. Like counting how many times I touch things or having to straighten everything. Lids need to be a certain way on containers. I have to shake my soy milk and orange juice cartons before placing them back inside the fridge. I have a million little things.

Right now I'm typing a sentence and I'll probably erase half of it and re-type it again. Sometimes I do this more than once. It irritates me but I have to do it. If I don't then I feel like something bad will happen. Sometimes I try not to do my stupid OCD habits but I fail because of this:

"While some with OCD perform compulsive rituals because they inexplicably feel they must, others act compulsively so as to mitigate the anxiety that stems from particular obsessive thoughts. The sufferer might feel that these actions somehow either will prevent a dreaded event from occurring, or will push the event from their thoughts."

Picture frames must be straight, misspelled words re-typed. All light switches need to be touched 4 times. I have to click my blinker in the car twice before turning. My counting usually is "1...2...3.....1", which is essentially 4, but I stick with the number 3 for some reason. Whatever I'm fixing, I must touch it 1...2.....3.....1, if I do not touch the object the right way the n I have to do it again till it's right. I do this with all of my habitual compulsions, "1...2...3....1". This became especially irritating to me when I went to the gym to work out.

Sometimes I think that people might notice my little habits but they don't until I get frustrated and draw attention to it. Like for example when I'm PMSing it gets especially worse. I can say that more than a few times I've not been able to empty the dishwasher because I've burst into tears out of frustration. The plates weren't dry enough yet or they were too out of order that I couldn't look at them. That's my main way of trying to avoid the OCD things I do. By not looking at them. I tell myself, "turn around and walk the other way before you look like a physcopath trying to fix all the shelves at Target".

Compulsions---

"OCD sufferers are aware that their thoughts and behavior are not rational, but they feel bound to comply with them in order to fend off feelings of panic or dread."

I'm aware of it, and that's the worst part. I know I don't need to count things or touch the doorknob and the light switch at the same time. But I do it anyways because it makes me feel better. In the past my friends and boyfriend have done little things to irritate my OCD like turning my picture frames sideways or moving things around so they could watch me fix them for entertainment. Of course I had to fix these things before something bad would happen. In most cases, my anxiety tends to be based off of fear that harm would come to my family or boyfriend. Otherwise, it makes me feel tense and I have to perform the task to feel relief.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not crazy and tortured. It's bothersome at times but its not taking me away from school, social settings, or life. I know there are people out there who have this mental disorder worse than me. That sounds so bad to me, "mental disorder". Really some people find it to be a good trait. Like my boyfriend likes how I tend to randomly clean his room out of compulsion. It can be handy and annoying.

I need to stop typing now before I re-type this sentence too.....too late. See you guys later.

I'm Not Crying, It's From My Eye Drops!

2009-10-15T01:31:00.000-07:00

I was reading through a few of my old blogs via MySpace. I vividly remember writing out the blog from "April 15th 2008" in fact. My subject? Pink eye.

I'm not sure why but I'm prone to basically the same 5 recurring sicknesses throughout the year. Sinus infections, pharyngitis (it's the same as laryngitis but on the opposite side of your throat fyi), UTI's, pink eye, and ear infections. I suppose I'm lucky enough to avoid getting illnesses like the flu but still, these ones are pretty annoying if you ask me.

My dog just burped....fun fact. How adorable. We had pizza for dinner.

But anyways, my rotating illnesses suck. Especially the pink eye, I'd say its one of the most irritating things you can have go wrong. Why?

Pink eye, aka "conjunctivitis" sucks because...

1. You have to throw away all your make-up so you don't re-infect yourself. Make-up isn't usually cheap (depending on your preference) and it sucks to throw your favorites colors of eye shadow away--because that's always the one you use right as you get pink eye.
2. No wearing make-up. I don't have a problem with wearing no make-up when I leave the house but some girls rather cut an arm off.
3. Blood-shot eyes. You look high ALL THE TIME! I met my friend Nura's church group for the first time and I got alot of weird looks because of my eyes. So awkward.
4. The "Don't Touch Me" effect. You can spread it to anyone just by touching them. Boyfriends hate pink eye, so does your mother. So get some hand sanitizer and sit a few feet away from everyone else.
5. "How did you get poo in your eye?" This is the most irritating part. Someone smarta** always has to bring up the fact that pink eye is caused by fecal matter getting into your eye.

Urbandictionary.com defines pink eye as: "When someone farts in your face, causing poop articles to enter the eye, making it go pink"

The eye drops--which nobody enjoys---can be painful if you've got a nasty case like I did. Here's what I thought at the time.

"I got my eyes numbed n the doctor put this stuff in that made my vision all tinted yellow. Yeaaa, this was bizarre since I had no idea what this guy was tryin to look for or do. Of coarse he pulls out a black light n starts screwing with my eyes by holding them open [which I couldn't feel at all]. He finally rinsed my eyes so it wasn't yellow anymore though still numb, told us that since it hadn't gone away with the first prescription we had to get new $70 prescription eye-drops that BURN WHEN YOU PUT THEM IN. Great, buddy. Thanks, not only do my eyes itch n can't focus very well, but you're telling me that every 4 hours I have to put drops in my eyes that will burn---awesome."

Wooo I was so excited for those burning drops. You could feel them working, so much so that it was like it was setting every germ and every memory of a previous germ on fire. I think that most girls freak out about getting pink eye because of the make-up issue. Alot of people rely on make-up to "make" themselve pretty, or give them confidence.

"I havent been able to wear any make-up whatsoever since I got pink-eye. Luckily, I don't look like a completely different person without make-up like some people do....I hate it when girls think they have to wear make-up allllll the time. It's stupid n bad for your skin anyways. LOL it's hilarious when they go to the beach n freak out cuz it's running or it smeared or came off. I mean come on, dumbasses. If your face is a different color than your neck, there's something wrong haha. I've heard the name "cake face" used by alot of guys to describe some girls. Yay for not being one of those lol. I like knowing that my boyfriend thinks I'm pretty even without make-up on."

I love the fact that I have a boyfriend who still finds me attractive when I have a clean face. He likes when I have it on obviously but its not like I'm suddenly a hideous alien if I wipe it off. I don't need to "put on my face" every morning.

Well that's all for now. Perhaps I'll write again in a few days :] I better get off to bed so I can avoid the swine flu haha---yeaaaa right. Goodnight world, I hope you all are well.

Let's Be Rebels!

2009-10-13T00:28:00.001-07:00

I don't often hear things like this from men, so I thought I'd share. Of course I was bored at the time, wandering youtube.com when I came across this comment:

"The human body is potentially perfect. It is our weakness that necessitates the use of drugs. The true rebels in music today will be drug, tat, and piercing free. Married, and lead noble lives with great discipline" - EdenTheoryRocks

It makes me think about how everyone young nowadays has to cling to something. Usually its drugs, which is sad. I've witnessed this countless times. I had a close friend go away to rehab and return only to relapse and not care. Disappointing to say the least. I watched my friends smoke pot and thought to myself, "how is that fun?" Then suddenly we all had to get in the car and go to Taco Bell because it was "bomb". I don't think I will ever understand why that word is used to describe food being good....it means explosion for godsake.

But what else are the girls and guys of our generation holding onto? I'd have say mommy and daddy issues. It's assumed that rebelling and causing our parents pain will make us feel better. I love my parents and have never seen the need to do this. I like having my parents trust me.

Why do we need to rebel from our parents? Is it even necessary? They did it too ya know, from their parents. Its just another endless cycle. "Let's do drugs! Let's have sex! I'll get my attention this way!" So you think your daddy didn't love you, and now you're in the car driving to get your 5th tattoo? Yea I know girls like that. Sadly I'm older than them. I know it'll turn into a nasty reminder in a few years once they aren't little stick figure girls anymore. The sad fact is that tattoos are there forever. UNLESS you pay out the a** to get it removed, slowly and painfully lazered off.

Some people just need to remember that their parents love them, and if they don't then someone does. When life gives you a sh**ty family, it gives you great friends. I consider myself lucky enough to have both amazing friends and parents. Someone out there does care about you, so don't be so fast to throw yourself down the metaphorical/theoretical stairs. Self-destructive behavior never helped anyone do anything.

I could go on for days about how the decisions we all make now really do affect us later. But I won't because nobody wants to read bitching about druggies and skanky girls. It's a known fact to most of my friends that I can't stand hanging out with or around girls (usually, but there are exceptions). I'm easily irritated by the attention seeking behavior that they project.

So what do you think? Do you think that getting that tattoo or doing drugs is gunna make you feel less angsty?
Probably not, but you're too young to care right? Too bad not thinking now will lead to......well you can find out for yourself. There's a consequence for every decision you make, so make smart ones. Don't just jump on the bandwagon. And by bandwagon I mean, don't go do drugs because you hear that "it's cool". Avoid the Hedonistic lifestyle, all that comes of it is emptiness and a few likely STDs. Look before you leap, think before you speak.

Thank you Incubus for stating it so well:
"The consequence is a bigger word than you think" - Consequence (album - A Crow Left of the Murder)

Time Change (guest blogger)

2009-10-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

This was my first guest spot, and hopefully not my last for @beawarriorqueen's blog. I hope you enjoy it. She introduces it as a response to the big decisions and changes that are taking place right now.

We may only be 20 years old but there's some people who are getting married or having children!
:]

Did you ever have that original group of girls in junior high or high school that you spent all your time with? Boys were stupid so you had to stick together. Each had their personality. The soccer player; the church girl; the one who has to be the center of attention; the pretty one; the rich one; and the awkward nerdy two that stuck together more than the rest.
Yea, I was one of the awkward two. There wasn't really much of an option for me to escape it. Three years of braces, and hitting puberty -- later I was called the whore--though I'd done nothing to warrant being called "whore" except to have boobs that the others didn't. I can laugh about it now because at the time I'd been convinced I would be awkward, flat, and probably alone forever. But life, and puberty, said otherwise.
After time passed, we all went our separate ways. Some of us lost touch, others just didn't seem to care. There were bigger and better things ahead. Things that most of us didn't ever see coming until they happened. Break ups, fights, and relationships dashed on the rocks. It seemed that the only relationship that remained after all was said and done by the end of high school, was that my best friend and I – the other awkward nerdy one – were the only ones that had survived all the way through. The rich one moved up in the social order of high school (we didn't like that too much). When your friend walks past you with everyone else like you're invisible it hurts. The church girl went away to college far away where we still miss her a lot. The center of attention, well most of us had lost touch with her by the time college started. She's now getting married, which threw me off by how unexpected it was to hear. But I'm really happy she's found her man, he seems really nice.
This is such a strange period of life. From age 19-21, so much changes. Your friends go away or stay close for college. Work schedules clash and impact whether you ever get to see your friends. And after not seeing them for awhile things happen. Things? People get engaged, people make life decisions, people join the military. How do you react? The one getting engaged, upon first hearing that my old friend was getting married--I thought, "wow when we made our predictions she was so close to the bottom of our "who will get married first? list". I am a little jealous....being that I have my own romantic relationship going on. And this isn't like oh hey there we're dating, we've been together twice as long as the couple whose getting hitched this next year.
A little piece of me says it's not the right time and I know this very well but the other side says, "Why aren't I the first one? Why isn't this happening to me? Will it happen to me? How long do I have to wait?" I know I'm young, I'm poor, and have to wait. It'll be worth it when it does happen. No sense in hurrying, I'm only 20. Yet still, it's weird. I know I won't be attending the wedding being that we're no longer close friends, but I'll see the pictures afterward. They'll be smiling, and I can click the "like" button or leave a comment to say congratulations!
I'll just conclude my ramblings with this.
We all were so close before, years before, then life happened. Why are my relationships with other women always so difficult to keep up with? I guess that's why I shifted to being "one of the guys". It was easier, it was less drama. There was no more arguments over who liked who, or jealousy of what the other was wearing, no competition. But in the end, I look back and still see those original girls that I sat at lunch with my freshman year. All of us were so young, I looked like a 12 year old for crying out loud! Now, I'm just curious to see who will be next. Who will be the first one to have a baby? Generally the married ones are at the top of the list for babies, but you never know. Life sure likes to surprise you, doesn't it?

Vents Release Pressure

2009-10-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is where I will release my thoughts and feelings about all kinds of topics.
Let's see how this goes, alright?
I call it "The Beach Vent" because without a vent, I might explode.

"When we long for a life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure" - Peter Marshall, tv host.