Inexplicable

Tonight, I have a case of the mean reds.

I'm not even sure why since I had a great day. This afternoon I met up with Tris, Danielle, Sven, Brendan, David, and Hana for bowling, which––considering that I'm more of a handicap than an addition to any team––I assure you I did not play. Instead, I discovered my bowling calling as the team scorer. It was really fun, especially referring to everyone by their Bowling Names. (For example, Sven became Bad Seed, David Captain Kick-Ass, Brendan Pookie, Tristan Bob, etc.)

Then we went to the Headlands where we hung out and (almost) promptly ran into Jordan who'd come in unsuspectingly under the guise of getting a cup of chai. He was immediately clued into our evening plans, a favor he returned by offering to drive Sparky and I to Mendocino. In other words, things worked out beautifully.

Even the Mac house was incredibly cool. After monopolizing the couches in the "café" section of the bar, we just sat around chatting for a couple of hours. I had some hot chocolate with Bailey's which was delicious, Sparky and a few others finally got to eat dinner. All in all, it was a good night.

Therefore, my case of the mean reds is inexplicable. They just came on me suddenly as soon as I stepped through the door of my house. Maybe I just need some sleep.

If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, I wish you a happy New Year's Eve. Drink and be merry.

Does it ever freak you out when cats or dogs suddenly swivel their heads into a seemingly empty corner of the room and just stare? As if there's something there that you just can't see. And apparently it's extremely interesting. More interesting than, say, you.

I've been scaring myself with books and TV again. As if you couldn't tell, right? I finished those two books with the death toting heroines and was all set to start on Sunshine, but I decided to intersperse the scary books with happy books like I mentioned in my last post. So, I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to offset the horror of the other two. Unfortunately, this benign comfort wore off as soon as I began Sunshine, which, I must add, would not be so freaky if my cat would STOP DOING THAT.

Maybe I need another happy book.

I'd forgotten what reading for pleasure feels like. Unusually for me, I've been on a Scare Myself phase for my reading list. In the last two days, I've consumed two horror books-during which heroines see (and speak to) dead people-with plans for a new vampiric volume tomorrow.

I think after McKinley's Sunshine, though, I'm going to move back to the world of realistic, hunky dory fiction. I've had enough of leaving the light on. Oh, wait, I wanted to read some Lewis and some Shelley. Argh! It looks as though I'll be imitating Tom Bodett for awhile longer.

Here's the current reading list for break (note the lack of Impressive Tomes):
1. Grave Sight (check)
2. Twilight (check)
3. Sunshine
4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
5. Frankenstein
6. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
7. Death on the Nile
8...Huh.

I've finally noticed that almost ALL of these books are guarenteed to make me turn to my trusty lamp in order to forge that secure, cozy feeling. Maybe I need to mess with the list a bit. Lose the Shelley perhaps? Throw in a little Happy Prose? Ah, something to ponder.

Well, I guess I've avoided it long enough. It's time for the sad news.

Sebastian died today, or maybe last night. Since he doesn't make any noise, I didn't notice until 11am this morning when I went to feed him. He stopped eating a few days ago, and his tank contracted an odd filmy residue that kept coming back. But I never thought he'd die. He was the miracle fish. He recovered from a bloated swim bladder for goodness' sake. The vet assured me that that was UNHEARD OF (emphasis mine).

I am going to be holding a small intimate funeral tomorrow, should anyone care to attend. Afterward, I'll be serving Goldfish crackers and Crystal Geyser water in the den. Near his old tank. We can talk about what a good fish he was and what a wonderful mascott he made during Relay for Life for the rest of the Dashing Sebastians.

Ironically, despite the fact that I was wasted all day, I can't sleep. Ha! Good one, Morpheus! You're hilarious! Can I have my dreams now, Mr. God of Sleep?

Anyway, when I get tired––as you all know––I get a little...odd. Earlier, I stumbled across Google's Blog Search and decided to test run it, cuz someone used it to find my blog. When I searched for my name, I found this thing:

A- Age you got your first kiss: Jeez...personal opener.

B - Band/artist listening to right now: In the general sense of "now": The Beatles. In the specific: a nifty band called silence.

C - Crush: Teale

D- Dad's name: David

E - Easiest person to talk to: Teale?

F - Favorite bands at the moment: Weezer

G- Gummy worms or gummy bears? I don't eat things that jiggle usually.

H - Hometown: Fort Bragg, CA

I - Instruments: Piano, guitar (if you really stretch the old imagination)

K - Kids: *looks nervous*

L - Longest car ride ever: From one nameless town to the next on a family road trip when both my brother and I really had to pee.

M - Mom's name: Katy

N - Nicknames: Linnie, Katydid, Kait, Mensa-girl (So I like the games they put out! Sue me!),

O - To graduate high school? Been there, done that.

P - Phobia[s]: heights, spiders and mild claustrophobia

Q - Quote: "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~ee cummings

R- Im making a question for R...its....raddest thing you ever did? Avoiding this question.

S - Song you sang last: "Wedding Bell Blues" The 5th Dimension

T - Time you woke up [today]: 10:13am

U - Unknown fact about me:

V - Vegetable you hate: chard

W - Worst Habit: Toss up between talking too much and lacking confidence

X - X-rays you've had: my teeth and my stomach

Y - Yummy food: Enchiladas, curry and Devika's Indian food (yummmmmmmmmmm)

Z - Zodiac sign: Cancer


I apologize for any boredom you may have experienced during the course of this blog. Please restore your browser to its original position. Thank you and enjoy your stay in Cyberspace.

I got my hair cut today. It's pretty awesome. I'm quite excited. The stylist was actually able to get my hair to hold a wave. Usually it's stick straight and about as interesting as it is green. As a consequence, after I do my hair, it feels boring and conventional. But today it feels flippy and frivolous. I never feel flippy and frivolous!

I tried once. I attempted a perm when I was 12. I got it in the morning. By that afternoon, the weight of my hair had straightened it back out again. So feeling flippy and frivolous for me is blissful.

I'm also feeling extremely tired having stayed up until 6am last night and then getting up at 9am. Well...I tried to get up at 9am. My cell's alarm went off at 9 and I have a vague recollection of thinking, I should reset the alarm for 10. I woke up again at 10:15 to find my hand wrapped around my phone, which was flipped open. Since I turn off the alarm by pushing a button on the SIDE of the phone and, thus, do not have to open it, I can think of only one explanation: I fell back asleep in the middle of resetting my alarm.

That's just sad.

Tonight, my parents and I are going over to Maggie's house for dinner. If you don't know Maggie's mom, Mary Jane, you might not understand the vague nervous feeling that is roiling in the pit of my stomach. Whenever she finds out that I have a boyfriend, it's like an interrogation room. I mean, more friendly and she feeds you, but it's question after question until she knows everything she wants to. Not that I begrudge myself the opportunity to talk about him. Ever.

I should probably get going. I'm almost done burning half of the radio station's music library onto my new laptop. Yes, yes, I know. I'm a music nerd.

Christmas has gotten complicated in Fort Bragg.

Here's how the holiday usually (i.e. for all previous years of my life) breaks down:

-I come home and the Holiday Baking Extravaganza begins. In general, this last from about the 19th to the 24th. Practically every spare moment is spent baking and/or decorating the baked goods. The main attraction is our Sugar Cookie Decoration process, which includes three or four family friends and seven or so hours.

-In the interim, my brother and aunt arrive to fill the empty space within the house, starting with the space underneath the tree. Often, the presents will spill out from their designated area into the rest of the livingroom, exemplifying materialist American stereotypes. (I must take this moment to assure my readers that I am not obsessed with material objects, nor is my family...Have you seen the new Steve Madden heels at Macy's? Righteous.)

-Christmas Eve commences with Family Fun Time (aka a board game, inevitably one that half of the family hates) early in the day.

-Around 2pm, we start cleaning the house in preparation of our annual Christmas Eve party, which begins around 7pm. Friends pile into the house, stop by for a few minutes, eat some of our casually displayed baked goods and then leave again after they've opened their gifts.

-Around 10pm my family opens our gifts, leaving the stockings for Christmas Day.

-We wrap up the holiday with a giant Christmas Day dinner around 3 in the afternoon (which both my aunt and mother insist will be served at noon).

This is how it's worked for the past 21 years of my life. (Granted, things changed a little after I went away to college, seriously compacting our baking time to the aforementioned 5 day interval.) What happened this year?

-I come home to find that my mom has decided to cut the baking in half. This drastic decrease in the size of our produce included a removal of half of the usual batches of sugar cookies. Now, to fully appreciate this, you might have to have been part of one of our decorating parties. We practically remain glued to our seats with thousands of sprinkles, frosting in six colors and about 150 cookies (no exaggeration) that need to be covered in these items. But it doesn't stop here.

-The woman who usually decorates these cookies with us (and has since I was 3) decided to go to Austin for Christmas this year. This is the only explanation I can come up with for the fact that my mom decided we weren't going to decorate the sugar cookies this year. At all. And we were only making 24 to begin with.

-Christmas Eve, I find out, we aren't going to be throwing our usual party. Instead, we're leaving the house around 1pm to see a movie and then go to dinner at a different friend's house.

-My parents decide not to put out half of our holiday decorations and revoke our house's Christmas light priviledge. The only festivity found on my house is a wreath. A bare wreath.

Now, this may seem frivolous, like empty concern, to some. But those who know my family and have seen our Christmas Spirit in action, might be as concerned as I. Just ask Sparky.

Last night, I saw one of the funniest comedy acts ever. They're a folk music duo called Flight of the Conchords who play comedic folk songs. For example, they have one song called "Alby the Racist Dragon" and another where they call themselves the "Hip-hop-opotamus" and the "Rhyme-nasaurus." I don't know if one can describe them. At the end of the show, they pulled out this "guitar" that is also a mandolin, trumpet, drumset and several other digital instruments. Throughout the song, they just kept adding weird noises and then, at the end, they began dancing "provocatively" with their guitars.

They appeared on HBO and the BBC, but they're still pretty new. So everyone should get out there and check them out!

Your mind is subconciously thinking about Monkeys.


What are you subconciously thinking about?
brought to you by Quizilla

Apparently, monkeys have invaded my mind while I was spacing out this afternoon. What does one use to fight monkeys?

I just read that last post (cuz I'm in Fort Bragg and I'm really bored) and I realized that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Sorry about that. I was going on about three hours of sleep or something equally ridiculous, thus, any nonsensical ramblings are the product of a sleep deprived mind and really must be excused.

The song that I've been hearing non-stop is "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and it's amazing. If you haven't heard it yet, you really should. Additionally, you should all check out Sufjan Stevens. I ran across his album a few weeks ago at work and forgot to post about him. A few weeks later, my friend Matt sent me "Chicago" (which is an extremely happening song) and I forgot to post. Then Teale told me he was listening to the guy's album, and, low and behold, I forgot to post. So, Mr. Stevens, I apologize for not shouting from my rhetorical soap-box about your awesome-ness. I repent.

For some reason, all of the Christmas music playing on the radio lately is pissing me off. I'm not sure why. Considering my total adoration of the holidays, it would seem logical that I would equally adore the obvious love everyone else is feeling, and usually this is the case. Recently, however, all I can think is that these people are trying to cash in on the year's most profitable season. There is no joy, no love. Just profit-mongering. *shakes fist at radio*

But maybe that's just the remnants of Finals Bitterness talking.

I suppose I should sign off before I really get caustic. Maybe I'll go bake some cookies or something, that should make me feel better.

*muah*

Teale turned me on to this song by Neutral Milk Hotel that I just can't stop listening to. I hear it in my head whenever I think of him, which is odd since I rarely associate specific songs with people.

Right now, I should be finishing my packing. Unfortunately, I am so far from being done that I can't bring myself to continue, despite my raging tiredness headache and the fact that I have to drive for 3 hours tomorrow.

On a lighter note, it seems that my horrible driving skills have been transferred from being Myung-centric to being Teale-centric. I hit every single pot hole and rough patch on the freeway tonight during all three trips to Oakland/Berkeley. It was horrific. I'm sure that he was fearing for his life. Hell, I was fearing for his life.

I really should go to bed or something. Maybe I'll go get some water.

Anyway, have a great break everyone! Congrats on being done with finals! (Good luck to those who aren't yet finished.) Call me/write me while I'm rattling around in Fort Bragg/Mendo, which should begin around 2pm tomorrow.

*muah*

Fevers do funny things to my mind. I begin to hum odd songs such as The Partridge Family's "Come on Get Happy." I agree to house a cat for two weeks (she really is cute, though). I call people repeatedly, forgetting that I spoke to them not twenty-four hours before.

And, I decided that doing this would be a good idea:

On his blog, my brother posted this weird game that he played. Basically, you type "(your name) needs" (i.e. "Kaitlin needs") into the Google search and post the top 5 funniest hits.

5. Kaitlin needs another pony.
4. Kaitlin needs some love.
3. Kaitlin needs to use the bathroom now.
2. Kaitlin needs to be educated on comic books.
1. Kaitlin needs help evading an assassin bent on seeing her activities halted.

Wow. There are some weird people out there with the name Kaitlin.

I'm mad. So very, very mad.

Not, as one might expect, over the fact that I have six papers due in one week. Nor can I boast a confrontation with an annoying Republican. In fact, considering my cushy life, I have very little to be mad about. But I am.

(Attention please, we regret to inform you that a malfunction has occured within our system. As a result swearing, ranting and raving may ensue. We apologize for any inconvenience. Have a nice day.)

A friend of mine quoted something at me the other night about how all the tragedies of the world can be traced back to a woman's fickle heart. Now, I'm fairly certain that he just found this amusing, but I did not. At all. Contrarily, I find that idea insulting, untrue and an horrific thing to say to any woman.

Men cannot understand the ramifications of being a woman. I know that this is a partyline sentiment which many people might find argument with. However, I must disagree with these allegedly "enlightened" people and tell them this: Men do not understand the Female Condition. I'm not saying that this makes them bad people. And I'm not claiming any intimate knowledge of the Male Condition, so don't get uppity with me over my "hypocrisy."

I got in an argument today about the morality of thought. Now, in general, I don't think that punishing people for their thoughts is just. When we begin regulating thought, we will have lost all true freedom. So, perhaps I suffered from the horrors of asymptotic language when I told my friend that thinking carnal thoughts about women on the street shouldn't be allowed to happen.

However, I truly believe that thinking these thoughts is a violation of someone else's rights. The sanctity of one's body should not be compromised by any individual at any time without express permission. Therefore, having a strange man wink at you on the street, blow you a kiss, whistle, make naughty comments, is more than just an annoyance. To me it's more serious than the word "harassment" can entail. Of course, this could be a result of the nerve-wracking experience of a man following you, courting you with rough language, and telling you you're a "bitch" because you won't lie down on the sidewalk and do the dirty with him.

Men don't get this.

They cannot comprehend that thoughts could do so much damage. They've never experienced some stranger deliberately letting them know that he/she would like to violate them ten ways to Sunday, and they probably never will. It is a purely feminine experience. By virtue of being born male, they have a right to personal space that women are denied daily.

So for a man to tell a woman that men have the right to "think whatever they want" about her…That's inexcusable, insulting, and, frankly, terrifying to me. But what is more terrifying is that some women aren't pissed off about what we've been told is our lot in life. They just except that this is how things are and try to take the comments, whistles, jeers, etc as compliments.

Screw that. I refuse.

Sometimes I think I need to go to work stoned. That's the only way some of these albums are going to sound listenable. For example, the musical stylings of No-Neck Blues Band on their album "Qvaris." I swear to you, the only way you could sit and listen to this album is by smoking lots and lots of pot. So much so that you can't move to turn it off.

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. If you were stoned, you might actually enjoy the crazy noises and sampling. I, however, wouldn't know, having never been stoned myself. But others assure me that this is the case.

Obviously someone told the lyricist from Parks and Recreation that his genius lyrics ("Star 69 girl" and "la la la la la" just to quote a few) would catapult him to stardom. Someone needs recind this lie out of kindness to that man.

Aside from an unfortunate name, The Beating has an interesting sound. They're like a less melodic and synthesized version of The Killers. In all, they're a nice counterpoint to the whole Bright Eyes Emo sect of the world. Sometimes we all need relief from the Mellow.

Pearls and Brass have this song that sounds exactly like something I've heard before, but I can't place it for the life of me. I'm not sure if it's a cover or just a really stereotypical hard rock song. Either way, I'm a little confused. I mean, if it's a cover, that's cool and all, but why include a cover on your break-out album? If it's not a cover, why aren't they trying to sound less like all the bands of the 80s and more like, I dunno, something different.

However, considering that covers are becoming more and more common on popular albums (see the lastest Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore contributes to society), this aversion I have to them must be unique to me. Obviously, I need a head readjustment or something.

Prathna: the world is not a happy place anymore
Kaitlin: that was the moment all the happiness ended
Prathna: i think it started when we skipped autumn
Prathna: and it progressively got worse

Here, by popular demand, is my Christmas Wish List:

1. New hair; mine is attempting to kill me
2. Death Cab albums (except for Plans)
3. Internship with Jude
4. Weezer memorabilia
5. Malamute puppy
6. Postal Service album
7. Teleportation device
8. Finding Nemo
9. Reindeer
10. Exciting earrings
11. Cute flannel pajamas; it's so cold in Berkeley
12. Logh albums
13. Rivers Cuomo
14. Batman Begins 2-disc DVD
15. Volkswagon Bug convertible (green with black top)

There, that should be plenty to choose from. Considering that I have way more than 15 friends, I'm totally going to get everything on this list. NICE!

A storm blew in. The cats nearly ate the turkey. (Twice.) My parents' friends got drunk before we served the appetizers. My mom and aunt got in the obligatory fight over how to cook dinner right as they're finishing the last dish. My brother and I nearly dropped an entire tray of wine glasses. Maggie got violently ill and had to be taken home in the middle of supper. My parents burst into song three times during the course of the meal. Several pieces of pie went flying as we tried to serve it. Then my brother and I finished off the night with a game of cards while the siblings/spouses got in arguments.

All in all, just your regular Hayes-Jaskula family holiday. The only thing missing was the very-much-alive turkey running through the house.

Oi.

Since I didn't go home for the holiday, I'm attempting to spend all this extra time doing homework. A resolution that, as you can see, I'm not living up to. It's very sad. Last night, I spent four hours watching episodes of a TV show (which shall remain nameless) instead of reading The Sound and the Fury.

In Other News:
I have successfully avoided Black Friday, despite my poor brother having to work. In retail. Let's have a moment of silence for him.
Christmas present buying has officially begun. I, personally, have not yet bought anything, but I have ideas for almost everyone. That NEVER happens. Woohoo!
The national NSCS office still hasn't sent out an email concerning the Peace Corps presentation next Tuesday. No one is going to come.
I'm dying of Senioritis.

The Slip is pretty darn awesome, I must say. They're a total jam band, though, so their album (available on their website for easy listening) is quite a bit different from their live performance. While both are good, I think I like seeing them live better.

It was a little confusing when we arrived, though, because all three members of The Slip + a new singer were the band that opened for The Slip, Surprise Me Mr. Davis. (Apparently, the singer for SMMD is Nathan Moore, who usually heads up ThaMuseMeant.) Their songs sounded a lot like the album versions of The Slip songs, which I thought was a little odd since The Slip doesn't sound like the recordings of The Slip. But hey, it could just be me.

Last night, I was supposed to go to Bottom of the Hill with Hilary, but we were both too exhausted-me after working five hours with an almost 2 year old and Hil after riding horses all day-to get up the energy to get our butts over to SF. So, instead, we rented a movie that turned out to be exquisitely...confusing. The Jacket is a great movie, but I was confused the entire time until about 3/4ths of the way through. And somehow, I came away thinking that was the point.

In Other News:
I saw HP 4. It was okay, but they had a tendency not to explain things, so if you hadn't read the book, you wouldn't know what the hell was going on.
My pool skills might be improving. After a humiliating defeat (x3) at the hands of Myung, Teale, and Mike, respectively, I thought that I would never get the nerve to play again. However, when I played with Myung and Nancy Friday night, somehow it all came together and I had about three absolutely beautiful shots. They were magical.
The Castro District is extremely confusing street-wise. I led the way up and down Market (thinking it was Castro) about three times before we figured out that we needed to be a block up.

Considering that I am fighting the threat of bad music one boy band at a time, my friend recently asked me for my stance on Celebrity Playlists. Do I like them, vandalize them, think they're the stupidest invention since lip-synching?

Surprisingly, I think the subject came up thanks to the new Harry Potter film. As true Hollywood mega-stars, the teens' publicists are product-placing their young charges as energetically as possible. Thus, Daniel Radclifef and Rupert Grint have created Celebrity Playlists on iTunes.

Some of the other veteran playlist creators include the members of Weezer, which endeared me to the process if only because Weezer is my favorite band. Of all time. This is not something I tend to gloss over, so I'm sure that most of the readers of this page are already aware of this fact about myself, but it bears repetition.

I digress.

In general, I'm of two minds about these alleged Celebrity playlists.

First of all, how do we know that the stars really listen to these songs? What if they're just picking the ones they think are "cool"? Second of all, why the hell do we care what Daniel Radcliffe has playing on his iPod nano? I certainly don't. Then again, I'm not a prepubescent Harry Potter fanatic with "I (heart) D.R." posters plastered all over my wall. However, I maintain that I do not see the point in actors or actresses making these lists, as the only effect would be to "bring the stars closer to their fans" or some such publicity bs.

On the other hand, Celebrity Playlists compiled by musical artists--such as, say, Weezer--are an interesting tool. Not only do they neatly outline the artists' current or past influences, they have the added bonus of painlessly expanding a fan's musical canon. If one of your favorite musicians--such as, say, Rivers Cuomo--liked Usher, you'd give him a listen, and you know it.

Actors and actresses don't carry this kind of musical clout; unless, of course, we're talking about someone like Hilary Duff, the current artistic-medium-cross-over sweetheart. And frankly, I wish she didn't.

My contemporary novel class got out early yesterday, so I ended up going to history sooner than usual, something I will never do again. It freaked me out. You know all those people who are in the lecture hall before anyone else gets there, silent, as if they've melded with the chairs? They're so much a part of the background, something you see every day, that I never even notice them anymore. Well, I had to confront them yesterday. Worse, I became one of them. When I arrived, they weren't in their seats. They started trickling in one by one just like everyone else usually does (only, you know, like ten minutes earlier than everyone else). And they completely ignored me.

I had ousted them from their usual background position, replaced them as wallpaper.

It bothered me so much that I started making noise (dropping my backpack, slamming my book shut) just so that I stood out. It was a weird day.

Today was slightly better, though. I went to my internship at the magazine. And I found an absolutely awesome band called Lovedrug. At first, I was like, "Lovedrug? What are they some sort of kickback to the 80s, wannabe Adam Ant people?" But they aren't at ALL. They're actually really amazing. CHECK THEM OUT.

I have become addicted to thefacebook. Again.

I really thought I had weaned myself from is tormenting grasp. I spent almost one year free of its enticing spell, where I would check my page for messages maybe once a month. And then I discovered the pictures.

That's right. thefacebook now lets you post pictures and I have created three albums full. And that's just so far. It's horrible. Now I can't stop checking my page. Every few hours, I go back on and check for messages, send a message, make an update to my page, load a new photo. I can't stop!!!

I'm debating whether or not I should create a support group.

Myung and I went to play pool last night. I was having a bad day so it was good to get out. Of course, after Myung spent two hours cheering me up with pool tips, I almost killed us by turning onto a One Way street the WRONG WAY. That was scary. I don't think Myung will ever ride with me again.

On an up note, though, I wasn't as bad at pool as I remembered myself being. I flatter myself that I actually gave Myung a run for his money (not that we were playing for money) on a couple of games. It was very fun. We're thinking of going again later this week.

In Other News:
I have a paper due on Thursday that I really need to start on.
My brother got paid to have a story published. What what!
Prathna had a majorly excellent party to celebrate Diwali.
Hilary, Danica and I went out on Friday and had a MASSIVELY good time.
Saturday we had a Girls' Cooking Extravaganza. Very fun.

Tomorrow night I reaffirm my post as intern to Chris as I embark on the expedition to Café du Nord. There, I will endure endless amounts of gofering, merchandise selling, drink toting, lifting, last-minute-errand-running, and many other menial tasks that I can't even think of right now. Meanwhile, I will be listening to the musical genius of Sean Hayes.

I'm looking forward to it.

Other than that I have an incredible weekend planned. Friday, Hil and Dani are taking me to Voda, this vodka bar in SF. Then we're going dancing. Sounds fun, no?

That's all for now. It's time to study. Woot, woot...

I don't know if I'll ever recover from the sheer coolness I was exposed to in the past 72 hours.

Friday night, Danica and I went to the final show of the Foozer tour, which started with the wonderful surprise of Hot Hot Heat as the opening band. They were a major step up (sad to say) from The Kaiser Chiefs who opened in San Diego. The whole set was awesome, not just "Goodnight, Goodnight," which is always a plus.

Next came the coolest Weezer set EVER (that we've witnessed). And during this totally awesome set we TOUCHED RIVERS!!!!!! Pardon the emphasis, but we TOUCHED him! He came by and shook our hands! I am now able to die happy and fulfilled. What was it like, you ask? Sweaty.

As part of the traditional final show prank, Dave Grohl bought/rented (what's the terminology here?) six male strippers to dance on stage for Weezer's last song, which was hilarious, but I was more interested in watching the band. Does that make me odd? Anyway, they had blue paint on their chests spelling out "W-E-E-Z-E-R" and they had fringe in some out of the way places--which was a little scary to see as they danced along to "Buddy Holly."

And, of course, Foo Fighters were awesome as always.

Last night was the Parker House Halloween bash. I think it was pretty successful; people seemed to have a lot of fun. I know I did! Of course, my senses were a little toasted, so I can't be sure what all was happening around me. But I have a vague memory of the latter half of the party, and I think it went well!

Ah yes, this weekend was the best weekend of the semester for me. And not just cuz Danica and Prathna were incredibly hot as Wonder Woman and Catwoman.

It was a slow week at work, only seven or so albums to listen to. I did, however, get a kick out of the name on the back of one of the jackets: Kimchee Records. How cool is that? I love kimchee.

The sad thing is, we don't really have any "Dos" this week. Nothing was shocking or fascinating in its genius. But the show must go on, so, I'll instead mention a few tracks that caught my attention.

Dos:
KISS KISS "Drifts and Pulls"-Sounds a little like the Doors or Queen from way back when.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE-Been around for a while. They're like a British take on Death Cab for Cutie and, in some songs, they throw in a bit of a blue-grass feel just for the hell of it. "Grass" was the song I picked off their tracklist, but there were a couple of jewels mingling with the mediocre on this album.

Don'ts:
THE BLACK ANGELS-Not so bueno. I would say they suffer from post-modern disillusionment, but they aren't eloquent enough to convey that to their audience, so I can't be sure. Mostly, they just try to sound classic rock and end up with the whinny-factor of pop-punk bands. I do have to give them props for the female drummer, though.

Honorable Mention:
HILKEN MANCINI and CHRIS COLBOURN-Two of their songs deserve the honorable mention slot: "Wedding Cake" and "Moonbeams." Otherwise, their music is unmemorable; everything they do has been done before and, often, better. Listening to the album set me in a trance of boredom while I worked. "Moonbeams" jolted me out of it with an odd first line which praises moonbeams and vasiline in the same breath. I kind of started to worry what the rest of the song was going to be about. Luckily, that's the only iffy line in the song. Then, while it still had my attention, it stepped up a notch and actually became good. Imagine my surprise.

There you have it, another week in my musical history tour. Hopefully the scenery wasn't too bland.

*Muah*

I am a music snob. I realize this and I try to keep the snide mental remarks to a minimum. But sometimes I can't help it. I mentioned last time that I started working for ReadyMade as an intern in the music section. Ironically, I have yet to meet the actual music reviewer. Instead, we communicate through post-its on cds and I work directly under Julia (I'm not sure of her title). Anyway, so I started working there about a month ago, and it's really fun to listen to all these cds that the public hasn't heard yet. However, I have noticed a general trend that is pissing me off.

When you see bands that have their lead (female) singer dressed up like a prostitute while the guys are in jeans and t-shirts, you know that they were thinking about what sells, not about the music. And then there are the people that can't sing worth *%^#, I mean, can't even FAKE it, that get pushed by labels just because they look pretty on the sleeve.

Don't get me wrong, I've always known this was happening. I've been hearing my parents complain about the degeneration of the music business since I was in saddle shoes (yes, unfortunately I did have an affinity for these as a small child). And it wouldn't have bothered me so much this week if it hadn't been for the fact that I just saw two awesome bands in concert mere days ago. After watching a show like that, with bands who got where they are through talent, it's bound to rankle that so many amazing musicians are out there being passed over by labels because they don't have a gimick.

I hate gimicks.

So, from now on I'm going to use this space to introduce my limited readership to good (and horrid) bands that I run across that you might not have heard of.

LOGH "A Sunset Panorama"-Released earlier this year, Logh's album quietly fell into obscurity. (It's not even available on iTunes with their other album.) However, amid the sometimes inane lyrics ("I fell into the well/I fell into hell" or the profoundly eloquent "My Teacher's Bed") are a few absolutely awesome tracks. The album kicks off with the instrumental "String Theory," showcasing a peaceful classical influence, and it ends with "An Alliance of Worlds" which tends towards Alt/Rock. If you like the Shins or Interpol, you should check out Logh.

BURNSIDE PROJECT "The Finest Example Is You"-Kind of an older Death Cab for Cutie. Burnside Project mixes old-school-techno-dance-beat influence with beautiful vocals that would sound just as seamless if placed over an acoustic band.

Insomnia is not your friend. Sure, you start out thinking, "Okay, so, I've got insomnia. That's another eight hours I can add to my day. Now I can try all those things I've always wanted to try but never had time for. Like…midnight gardening. My productivity will shoot through the roof!"

Well, productivity aside, it sucks. You lay around for hours trying to sleep, unable to do anything else because there's the slight chance that the one moment you COULD have fallen asleep passed by as soon as you sat up to do something. So, you spend the whole night oscillating between constant tossing/turning and lying completely still as if you're trying to sneak up on sleep or something.

I'm a veteran. I've had it off and on for years. Nasty stuff, insomnia. Once you have it, it triggers a viscous cycle. Well, I'm sure you've experienced it at some point. All that tension that not being able to sleep creates. But the worst part comes when you try to talk to the doctor about it. First they look surprised, as if they weren't aware that people could have trouble sleeping (I guess residency hardens you against this problem). Then, they get down to business:

Doctor: What do you do when you can't sleep?

You: Uh, I just lay there. You know, trying.

Doctor: Do you start to worry about how tired you'll be the next day? Start questioning why you can't sleep?

You (leaning forward): Yeah!

Doctor: Well, there's your problem right there.

You: You know what's wrong with me?

Doctor: You're too tense to sleep.

As you squint at them, trying to decide whether or not they're joking, they tell you to try and relax and then walk off, leaving you squinting into thin air. Extremely helpful. Meanwhile, they're out like a light as soon as their heads hit the pillow and you're stuck watching late night infomercials cuz you've seen all the movies you own seven times. (I'm just guessing here.)

In Other News:
-The school year began with me taking six classes for 24 units. Since then, I located my sanity in my desk drawer (the "junk" drawer) and have dropped two of those.
-I've started an internship at ReadyMade Magazine (thanks Mark!) as intern to the Music Reviewer so I get to listen to all the new music before it's released. AWESOME.
-I've begun applying for grad school and wondering why the hell I'm putting myself through the pain and suffering.
-Babysitting for Mitch has become a highlight of my week because he's just about the cutest baby ever (tied with The Baby, Mira, and Ari).

~The Ass

I thought that potatoes had to be in dirt in order to sprout. Obviously, I was wrong.

Walking into the kitchen the night of my triumphant return to Berkeley, I found myself greeted by a sweet potato with a small colony of plant life establishing itself in our fruit/vegetable bowl. Actually, considering my exclamation at the sight, I believe I may have been greeting it, rather than the other way around. I was rather nervous at the thought of living alone even for the two weeks until Devika arrives back in Berkeley. However, with my sweet potato family for company, I think I'll do just fine.

A rather hefty duration of time has elapsed since my last entry, so I'm unsure where to begin trying to catch everyone up on my bizarre life. Needless to say, it is as bizarre as ever.

I have yet to start babysitting--my first day is on Sunday--so I've been trying to keep myself occupied for the last week with menial tasks such as rearranging my room. Well, I wouldn't call it rearranging since the effort was confined to a purely intellectual exercise due to my realization that the configuration of electrical outlets in the room foils any interior designs I might have had. Thus, that plan being thwarted, I decided to make my first journey to the Berkeley Public Library.

Exciting, no? Well, hold on to your hats, kiddies cuz the craziness is just beginning. I've also made plans to take some junk to the dump! I know, I know, ZANY.

Though I may have been hiding it behind my optimism and clever turn of phrase, in truth, I'm dying of boredom. Basically, for the last couple of days, all I've done is the following:

MONDAY
Walked to Berkeley Public Library
Searched in vain for a Large Print section (a story for another time)
Walked home
Drove to Target on errand for Aunt Jan
Read

TUESDAY
Walked to Berkeley Campus
Searched for the entrance to the Chicano Studies Library on errand for Devika
Walked home
Read

WEDNESDAY
(Now here's where the excitement begins)
Drove to SF to meet my parents for breakfast
Did laundry
Read
Am now writing on my blog

Aside from my apparent trouble with libraries, I've been leading a rather stale life since my return. Someone come save me from my lack of spontaneity!!

COUNTDOWN TO WEEZER: 8 days

Relay is tomorrow, and that's really exciting. Now, it's raining and I'm wondering if that's going to effect our ability to set up the tents. *shrugs* But the rain is making me really happy, actually. I feel so comfortable right now. When it's raining and I'm inside writing at my computer or reading a book, I feel totally in my element. I rarely feel more comfortable about life in general. What can I say, I'm a Northern California girl.

I mean, I love the sunshine and hanging out at the beach, too. But sitting in front of a fire or holed up in my room during a storm is my favorite way to spend my Alone Time.

Ooh! Lightening! Hmmm...Thunder barely a second later. That means it's about five miles away, right?

*muah*

COUNTDOWN TO WEEZER: 9 days!!!!!

OMG, we're actually in the single digits! I'm so excited. The next couple of weeks are going to be a blast. This weekend, we've got Relay for Life. Next weekend, we've got the LASA culture show, Danica's bday outing to Cheesecake Factory, and the Weezer concert! *squeals*

Unfortunately, before all of that, I have to write an 8 page paper on a Jane Austen. Granted, it's just a first draft, but it's a GRADED first draft. Phewwww. I don't know when I'm gonna have time for that. And talk about bad, I found myself complaining about all the stuff I have to do to one of my professors. ACK. Now she thinks I can't handle the pressure that is Cal-life. Wonderful. Just the impression you want to have on the Head of the English Department. Yeah, I really know how to screw myself, don't I? But I'm not so very worried about it. Worse that happens, my draft is too short and she tells me that I need to step it up a notch. Woot.

I missed the bus today, so I missed class. Again. I've missed this class TWICE in the last two weeks. That's just bad. Especially since it's a small class and she takes attendance. Speaking of the bus, though, I saw Bus Guy again. He graduates this semester, so I won't be seeing him around much longer. Shame really. He's really nice.

I'm really nervous about this whole applying for the senior seminar you want, thing. I don't even know if I'll be able to enroll in a class. It sucks, man. And if I don't make it into the H195A class, then I can't do an honors degree at all since you have to do both semesters.

And, yet, I'm generally very happy with my life at the moment. Sorry my post sounds so depressed about stuff. I'm really not, I swear. *shrugs* Whatever. I'm off to go watch an episode of West Wing in my cool DeCal.

Prathna: Do you think Fem Sex is the Decal for us? :)

Goodbye all!
*muah*

COUNTDOWN TO WEEZER: 16 days!!!!!

This paper is going to kill me. Now, I know what you're thinking about my usual habit of melodrama, but this time I'm serious. I can't seem to get past the third page, and it's supposed to be between 8 and 10 pages. And it's due Thursday. Can you say, "Kaitlin's screwed?" I don't even a definitive topic yet. I'm trying to write something on the film "Orfeu Negro" and its failure to create a "black idiom." Unfortunately, that is harder than it sounds. *sighs*

On to better news: Relay for Life is just around the corner! We're almost completely ready. We're just waiting for someone to offer to go buy the facepaint we want to use at the site. We aren't really holding our breath, though.

On to weirder news: I'm apparently supposed to be running for President of NSCS. I did not realize this until this morning. The speeches are to be given at 6pm. Where was I when this was decided?

I still can't believe I'm actually going to see Weezer live. I'm soooo excited! The concert is going to be soooOOOoooOOOOooo great!!!!!!!!!

And now I'm going to go and write a few more pages. Hopefully.

*muah*

COUNTDOWN TO WEEZER: 22 Days


Today started off not so good. I woke up way too early for my late night hangover. No, I was not drinking last night. I was merely out extremely late, so I didn't get much sleep. Then I spent half an hour staring at my closet, trying desperately to put together an outfit that wouldn't be too hot and that I could wear sneakers with, but that wouldn't look TOO eccentric since I was meeting with a professor at noon. Finally, I was running late and desperately threw on whatever I grabbed.

I ran out to the busstop and waited for awhile, but the bus never came. So, I started walking because I could not be late. At each subsequent stop, I turned around to check and see if the bus was coming. No bus. Next stop. No bus. Third stop. No bus. About a block away from the next stop, the bus passes me.

I make it to campus and to Professor Merrit's office with two minutes to spare and I'm relieved to find that, not only is someone inside with him so I have a minute to catch my breath, but there is a chair outside his office. Yes! So, I drop my backpack on the floor and collapse into the chair. Only to jump up a second later as I feel water seep through my skirt. I had somehow managed to find the only chair on the SIXTH floor with a puddle on it. WTF, mate? Luckily, Professor Merrit-who rivals Prof. Botteril for nicest prof ever-had a towel and we managed to clean it up. We decided that the only possible explanation was malicious intent since the chair is in the middle of a windowless hallway without any leakage and it was a big puddle of water, so it'd be hard to miss if you were at fault.

Luckily, Danica-BEST ROOMMATE EVER!!!!-had class at one and was willing to bring me a pair of pants.

Unfortunately, this meant that I was stuck in Dwinelle until she could get to campus and I was a little bored. Thus, I called many of my friends and left odd messages on their phones. *clears throat* Sorry about that. My temporary, boredom-induced insanity has come to an end.

After that the day got better. My skirt dried really quickly since it was so warm today. I met up with Mark, which is always fun. I was a little punchy because of my sleep deprivation, though, and Mark was laughing at me. :p Class was good, nothing too major. And now I'm at home and I just finished a large salad. I say life is good. Maybe I'll even make chocolate milk. Oh, the possibilities.

*muah*

So, blue cellophane is strung across our living room with colored foil fish hanging down from it. I feel like I'm living in an aquarium. Sebastian feels right at home, though. Okay, so he looks about as excited as peat at the moment, but he's generally not a very active fish.

Relay for Life is almost here! Just a couple more weeks now. It's exciting. Danic, Hilary and I spent about an hour looking up stuff online that we could buy cheap and sell to make a profit for donations at the event. We found some cool stuff. Like bubble-fluid in a bottle with a fish cap. And puffy fish water bottles for the team. Danica wanted to get this giant shark hat that everyone would have to wear as they walked around the track, but I think my face gave away my lack of enthusiasm.

We also got Joe to agree to wear a grass skirt and play the ukelele I brought him back from Hawaii. Our site is going to be the coolest site at the event. Woot!

Unfortunately, in order to gain his agreement, Hilary and I had to promise to wear coconut bras. Then we learned that he would have worn the skirt anyway. Minor setback. As long as there are shirts involved (it's gonna be freezing) I'm fine with this situation. What Joe doesn't realize, though, is that he's not wearing a shirt. Only a shell necklace. Muahahahaha!

I know, I'm evil.

So, I'm going to go be evil in front of the television now. Jeremy lent me his copy of Fight Club and I rented a couple of others. I'm going to go drown my sorrow at my lack of paper topic.

*muah*

It's so weird being back in Berkeley after being in Hawaii for a week. Everything is upside down. I mean, here, it's raining. There, it's sunny. Here, everyone is stressed. There, everyone is chill. Life is just odd like that. Thanks to this rain, though, I'm losing any semblence I had of a tan. So sad. And I had to put in long hours at the beach for the pathetic color I actually managed to attain. Gah!!!

To drive me even further up the wall, my internet keeps shutting off. Both Danica's and Devika's are fine, but mine is fritzing like crazy. I've been trying to write this same post for the past two days, but every time I'm ready to post it, the airport card shuts off. It's NO GOOD I tell you.

But when life gets me down, I just stop and think to myself: I'm going to see Weezer in concert.

And I feel fine.

So, I'm going to go tell myself that while I sit through yet another really old movie with bad special effects that claims to be "fantasy" but which is really just annoying and "avant garde." Pray for me?

*muah*

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I know everyone wants to hear about Hawaii, but I have much more exciting news.

DANICA AND I ARE GOING TO SEE WEEZER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're playing at the Warfield in April and we're GOING!!! They were sold out and we were all panicking, but then she looked on eBay and she got the final bid on a pair of tickets. *hyperventilating* You have no idea how excited I am. As Dani said, this is a religious experience for us. Must...breathe...

Right now I have them playing in the background. "Feels so fine I can't control my brain" Rivers, you sing my soul...

I bought a new bathing suit.

Good news: It's not black. (*glances nervously around* Is that a hallelujah chorus?)
Bad news: I went bathing suit shopping.
Even worse news: This was supposed to be consolation for a messed up midterm. Foresight is obviously not my strong suit. (Ha! Suit! Get it? *laughter trails off* Yeah, it wasn't intentional.)

I also discovered today that I am the victim of a Flirt-n-Flee. Actually, I already suspected that that would be the ultimate outcome. He just had that vibe, you know? But I got the proof I needed today. The flirt/flee-er seems to be working his way around the class. I started to suspect something was slightly off with him when one of the girls in the class kept glaring at him during the first few weeks despite never having spoken to him--to my knowledge anyway. But the nervous glances in her direction piqued my sympathy so I didn't think much of it at the time.

Dani and I leave for Hawaii in six days. SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went shopping last weekend. It was great. We're going to have so much fun. ^_^

Anyway. I guess I should go now. I'm pretty tired, so I'm gonna grab caffeine.

*Muah*

Hey all!

It's been a while, huh? Sorry about that. I really have no excuse. I mean, updating this thing takes about five minutes. However, I've been trying to get my schedule straightened out and all this other crap. Some of you will be sad (others happy) to know that I have dropped French and am no longer attempting to be bilingual.

In other news, Mark got me this really really yummy hot chocolate for Christmas and I think I've finished almost half the jar already. It's called Penzey's and it's a mint hot chocolate. Soooo scrumptious. Thanks Mark!

I'm enrolled in a Public Policy DECal. Sorry, just wanted to shock you guys. I am, in fact, in a Public Policy DECal, however, the actual topic of the DECal is "The West Wing". Yes, that's right, the TV show. It's so fun. Though, I've now become obsessed with "The West Wing." I watched the newest episode last night and, I have to say it, the show has gone downhill since Sorkin left as the writer. *sigh* So sad to watch your favorite show crumble before your eyes. Oh! And there's this really annoying woman on the show now, who has this really high pitched voice and--since the show was on Valentine's Day--was putting V-Day candy on everyone's desks and humming love songs. It was sickening...

Last night, I was procrastinating doing homework for about three hours, one of which was spent watching "The West Wing." So, in that time, I cleaned my room, changed the sheets, rearranged my bookshelf and painted my nails. Now, my DVDs are in alphabetical order and I have (bright) pink nails. Yes, I am a loser.

Okay, that's long enough for a post. I'm going to go have some lunch.

*muah*

Well, I just wrote a huge post and LOST it due to my staggering brilliance. Now I'm not really all that inclined to write another one. *sigh* Oh, well. Let's try this again.

Time for the uber exciting Winter Break Update!
Because it stormed almost every day, I spent my break mostly in the house. I watched a lot of movies, read a number of books, sewed, knitted, etc. (Name something you can do on the couch in front of the fire, and I probably did it.) I hung out with my friends a little, but, considering the storm, the agenda changed very little. (Maggie and I saw "Finding Neverland" and it was amazing. I love Johnny Depp!!)

Mostly, I spent time with my mom, which was really nice because we haven't spent one on one time together in a long while. Last week, she took a day off work and we spent it getting our hair cut and shopping at the boutiques in Mendocino and Fort Bragg. It was really relaxing and fun.

Classes have started once again (as if you missed that. :p), and I am in the midst of a dilemna. I know what you're thinking. "Kaitlin, how on EARTH have you managed to screw things up less than three days into the semester?" Well, I will tell you: I'm stupid.

I signed up for five classes, thinking I would walk in on the first day and hate one of them. Unfortunately (or, debately, fortunately), I loved all of them. Except for French 2, oddly enough. But that was just the first day. It's gotten much better since then. So, now I am signed up for 20 units and I have to drop at least one class so that I can take the two DECals I have my heart set on. Ahhhh!!!!

Now I have to go pay attention to my French book. It's feeling lonely.

*muah*