Meditation2

Asian People All Look Alike

Damnit. I took this test on AllLooksSame.com and got 9 out of 18. I got the first 6 right and then the next 4 wrong! So, I guess even me to [east] asian people all look alike. What's your score?

Speaking of asian-ness, I finally got my "I will not love you long time" shirt from Blacklava.com. Take that stupid bitches who think I will be their exotic oriental flower!

Art School Projects

Interpol and Matador Records are sponsoring a short film contest. Interesting. It's not supposed to be a music video for them but beyond that you can do whatever you want. Interesting. I'm rather curious what people will come up with.

Methadone

I'm trying to not drink coffee and I didn't even think of replacing it with energy drinks! Trying to go cold turkey, how could I be so dumb!?!?!

Personally I like Amp, Rockstar, and KMX (orange) but once I drank a KMX and my nose starting bleeding. But this guy did some serious energy drink testing of his own to find out his favorite.

I'm waiting for the cheep energy drink + alcoholic beverage market (a la Sparks) to grow. Drink alcohol and take your B vitamins together while staying perky all night for the same price as a Red Bull. It's like Ensure for the alcoholic.

The Way to a Man's ___

Apron for the cook who really knows what's cooking in the kitchen. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

Show: I <3 BS

Okay, not really.

But I still went to the Bob Schnieder show. First I'll say that BS fans are hardcore. They know all the lyrics, the sing along, and they dance. It's the cult of BS and I wasn't a member. It was bound to happen that all the shows I go to would be so fucking awesome that of course I would have to go a show where the sorriest thing to ever happen to me at a show happened.

Bob Schiender, clad in a Kiss tshirt, was roaring away and I wasn't into it. Then I got tired. I didn't realize how tiring it was to stand at a show where you weren't totally interested in the performer. I started yawning uncontrollably. My back started to ache. I stretched it out and then just gave up and hunched over.

So here is the Saddest-Sorriest-Thing-to-Ever-Happen-at-a-Show:
I was standing next to Mickey and his crew who were all completely enthralled by BS's varied vocal and musical stylings. This random guy, noticing my boredom, slouched shoulders, and incessent yawning, took my shoulder in his hand and shook me with a look on his face that said, "It's okay! Bob rocks! Cheer up!" After he let go I felt so sorry for myself that someone noticed me like that that I just gave up trying to remain interested and walked away without a word to sit down.

More reasons why doing covers is a bad idea:
BS performed a reggae tinged cover of Radiohead's "Creep." Sacrilege!!!

Show: BFD = Brief F_cking Disaster

Beastie Boys, The Strokes, Violent Femmes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers... In one place on the same day!?!

I'm so tempted to go the Live 105's BFD. I know it will suck and I will undoubtably wish I had spent my $70 bucks on 5 small club shows. It doesn't matter that all those bands are fantastic and that I'm dying to see YYYs again because Shoreline is the worst possible venue in the bay area and cramming those bands into 30 minute sets is just plain wrong.

I think I've been to 3 BFDs and looking back it was more trouble that it was worth. When I was 17 my boyfriend and took an extremely long and arduous bus ride to Shoreline from San Jose. I remember the old man in the back of the bus throwing up more clearly than I remember the bands playing. The last time I went all I really remember is Julian Casablancas squinting at the sun asking where everybody with seated tickets was.

Their, There, They're

their: possessive pronoun. "Officer, this is not my Olde English, it must be theirs."

there: adverb, indicating location. "Dude, hide your stash over there in the corner."

they're: contraction of they are. "Shit, they're coming for us."

I Luv Carbs

Today is National Carb Awareness Day!

And one of the best ways to enjoy carbs? BEER. When Mickey got the keg for his party I asked him, "How much is in a keg?" He gave me an answer but I forgot it. Thankfully there are people who do experiments to answer these kinds of questions.

Dream: Motorcycle

I dreamt that I was dressed in motorcycle leathers, on one those sport bikes. I was riding on the freeway at night not quiet sure where I was going so I followed the car in front of me. I was feeling really confused (maybe cuz I HATE driving!) so I just kept following the traffic. Then the car suddenly switched all these lanes and got on the off ramp. So, confused and clueless about where I was going, I followed. As I turned the bike flipped and threw me off the bike. I pratically did a somersault in the air and landed flat on my back in the middle of the lane. Then, this is weird, there were two of me! There was Monica on the ground unconscious and Monica standing looking at the other Monica. I was the standing Monica. I wasn't what I should do about body laying there so I carried it over to the sidewalk on the ramp. Soon police and paramedics showed up. The cops asked me some questions but went away quickly. Then a paramedic started chatting with me. Eventutally he got to trying to explain to me some kind of signage code made up of colored diamond shapes. It didn't make sense to me. When I finally felt the code click, I woke up.

AIM can be so useful

me: i have 1.8 million people in my [myspace] network
Henry: wtf
Henry: are you serious
me: i know
me: it's insane
Henry: damn monica
Henry: you are one popular bitch
Henry: and i mean that in the most complimentary of ways ;-)

Then he sent me this link

Arthur sent me a link to a pimp name generator. I got results such as...
Diamondtrim M. Slim
Master Fly M. Love
Magic Tickle. M. Trump
Stealth Maestro Lee Ice
Reverend M. Fresh
Master Pimp Lee Kicks
Bishop Don Monica Glide
Tricktickler Lee Skillz
Fine Ass Lee Gates
and my fave
Silicon Slick Lee Beautiful

Yeah... You can tell that I've been using my time very wisely on my first offical day of summer break.

Thank god Ethics class is over. How the heck does the word "normative" relate to ethics as "is" not "should"? I don't even know what the question is really asking! Prof. gave all the girls who were leaving class hugs. Haha. Funny old Italian man.

I just had some today

Procrastination

I should be studying... but instead I will be telling you about what bands I've been listening to lately.

The Lovemakers. I like "Set Me Free," a great song about cohabitation and what happens when you break up. "Dance" sounds a lot like The Faint. "Internet Girlfriend" has an interesting, very sexy, video.

Matt Pond PA. Complex, full sound. "Other Countries" is beautiful.

Hint Hint. "Natural Collegiate"... A heavier, less artsy rockin Interpol?

Dios. I love Dios. Critics make comparisions to Brian Wilson. "The Uncertainty of How Things Are" is my favorite.

Deerhoof. "Milkman." Somehow I managed to completely ignore Deerhoof all this time. I need to catch up.

Poem: i make promises to myself

i make promises to myself
like:

i will
never
categorize + number
your flaws

but

i am
checking off
a chalkboard list

i press on
the gold stars

they fall off

i will go through the motions
     taking it off and turning you on
i will make you weak
     opening you up and closing off
i will conjure up feelings
     you didn't know you had

i broke my own heart
and now i want you
to put it back
t    o    g    e    t    h    e    r

this is not a master plan
it is an endless
predictable loop
with no exit

still
     i want to feel you radiate

ideally
     i will
     put away the past
     and like a morning glory
     open up to the sun
but always
     fragile and waiting
     for the sun to set.

Skippiddy dooo damnit!

I neeeeeeed a new steresteresterooooooo.

My audiophile brother and father refuse to buy me anything less than a reference level stereo. Okay, not exactly refuse but you can see them grimace with displeasure when I talk about needing a new little stereo. They know that I don't need anything very fancy pants for my bedroom, but I'm using the stereo that my mom used in her BATHROOM. Folks, it's 100 watts. For the bathroom. These are serious audiophiles we're talking about and I don't know anything.

If you have any suggestions for a "bookshelf"/"executive" system around $500 please, please comment. And where I should go to buy one. I don't want to deal with slimy or, worse, stupid salesmen. I don't want a Bose Wave (too ugly), a boombox, or excessive wattage. I can't handle my tinny laptop speakers anymore.

Techy and Barfy

I wrote about Comcast purchase of Tech TV a while back and it seems as though it's gonna worse than it sounded. Jane at GameGirlAdvance thinks it doesn't look pretty either. A decent channel and it's going down the tubes because of merging.

I saw Laura Swisher's online personals ad as the featured person of the day like a month or so ago. You would think that an attractive TV personality like her wouldn't need to post a personals ad. Maybe it was part of the show. Ooh, it would be fun to go to a taping...

Speaking of techy-geeky-nerdy stuff... Mickey is out of town :( for E3. I thought it was be such a dull week without him around (especially considering that we've been attached at the hip since school has been over) but the week is turning out to be pretty good. Does this mean I'm becoming less co-dependent?!?!? Naw. Don't think so.

I saw Super Size Me last night. During middle-school and part of high school I was definitely a "heavy [McDonald's] user." I was really pissed when I heard that they were going to stop selling my favorite, the McChicken. When my dad's mother came to the U.S. to visit she totally fell in love with McDonald's; it was the only American resturant she liked. Right before she had to fly out she requested that she take her last American meal at McDonald's. After seeing that movie I'm convinced that McDonald's has engineered their food to be addictive. My brother knows he's having an emotionally bad when he's had at least one meal at McDonald's-- it makes him happy. Everybody knows it's bad for you but the cheap price and the tastiness are just too much to say no to. For now though, my cravings for McDonald's fries are down to an all-time low. One thing I really liked about the movie was that the guy, Morgan, really liked McDonald's food. It's not like he hated it and was out to make a McDonald's bashing movie.

Peaches and that Dali-mustache guy

The Peaches show last night was so much fun! She's such an fantastic entertainer and musician. I never thought much of her singing (mostly I liked the message and the beats) but she did a cover of Kelis's "Milkshake" and sang it just as well as Kelis! She changed her costume numerous times right on stage and with finesse. She used a different guitar for each song she played a guitar on. She had two sexy backup dancers that joined her for a few songs. She used fake blood very convincingly and even smeared it on the faces of front row audience members. After she noted that she doesn't have a band and is essentially doing kareoke she brought up all these women on stage to sing along to "Teaches of Peaches." (This is the song that played in the exotic dancing scene in Lost in Translation.) During the Kelis cover one of the dancers came out in a bikini and used silver hula hoops with amazing skill. During "Shake Your Dix" the dancers did just that with dildos. Yeah. So the show was very raunchy but it was great! The crowd (a very interestingly dressed group) was dancing the whole time and just having a blast. So much fun! I must admit I did some ass shaking as well. Tee hee.

Oh, I saw the Dali-style mustache man, Brian(?), from Evening at the show. He was standing, in a cool black velvet blazer, right next to my brother and I was tempted to act stupid and introduce myself and tell him how my ex was the guy who called him a "guitar god" but I think I needed a couple more drinks to do it. With the prices the Fillmore charges for booze it was just not gonna happen. Damn my shyness!

Suicide, Digital Lives

Last night someone jumped from the second story above the Starbucks across the street from my place. I didn't see it happen but I saw the crowd and the cops. My brother saw it when he was walking to the liquor store. He said there was tons of blood and broken glass everywhere. I stood on the balcony for a peek and I saw some of my other neighhors doing the same thing. My brother said he overheard someone saying that the person who jumped said that they thought they could fly. Probably drugs, but maybe they were pushed out because that would explain the broken glass. People don't usually choose to jump through the glass.

Anyway, it's got me thinking about life/death again. :/

In other news, I signed up at Myspace.com so add me if you're on it. The people on Myspace seem much different than the people on Friendster. It's a lot more sexy, more rock n roll, and more friendly. I got like a bajillion friend requests and messages since I signed up. I hate to do it, but my photo is clearly one of those I-cut-the-ex-out ones. Ugh. I suck.

His and Hers

I love Dr. Drew. Other than that I will only say that I am not your average girl.

Highs and Lows

With my peeling sunburn, Quasimodo eye, paranoia about being burglarized, and thoughts of my ex-boyfriend I was feeling so freaking depressed, ugly, scared, and regretful. After a good cry alone and talks with friends I'm much better. Life is back on a high.

A had a lovely visit with Sylvie (and her little birdie) yesterday. I hope your ankle is better soon.

Mickey and I went to Urban Ore today. Tons of cool old stuff.

I'm going to see Peaches at the Fillmore on Friday.

I'm going to the AIGA Portfolio Day on Saturday.

Zache's band, The Girls, are playing Thee Parkside on Sunday at 9pm. I will be there for sure.

AND I finally bought my tickets to Europe. I'm mostly going to be in Spain but will also visit in Switzerland and Italy.

Faking It?

Looks like someone is out to ruin links.net. God, what f_cking a hater.

I met Justin last year and he even gave me a ride home and I never once thought he was fabricating stories for his website. I did think that he was a bit more reserved and quiet in real life but the way you write about yourself is never going to exactly match how people see you when they interact with you face to face. Admittedly I thought his site was growing increasingly boring. If it was fake wouldn't it still be interesting after 10 years? This guy who says Justin is making it all up is a loser.

Wishing

I'm thinking about you today with heartache sitting in the hollow of my chest. It took me a long time to believe that love is not inherently beautiful.

----------------------------------

November 11, 2001

beautiful summer
you take me away from time
a prelude to more

i wish your bed was
our bed so i could save you
from nightmares with love

----------------------------------

I deserve it

Sunday morning my forehead felt a little weird-- not quite itchy but strangely tingly. I checked it out in the mirror and couldn't see anything unusual so I figured that it was probably just an enourmous pimple in the making. Last night a bump emerged. I titled my chin up towards the mirror and saw that my forehead was swollen with dimension. Fuck. While I was icing it my brother said to me, "Man you are seriously allergic to insect bites." I went to bed thinking that tomorrow morning it's gonna swell so much that won't be able to see out of one eye.

It happened.

This is what I get for telling Dan that this guy who sent me a message on Friendster looked like Quasimodo. Damnit.

Putting on Pounds

I've been very, very busy getting fat. Thanks to beer and my Evil Cake of coffee/ liquor/ butter/ chocolate I am almost back to my pre-break-up weight. I can't even remember how many cups of Anchor Steam I had at Mickey's kegger last weekend. (What a fancy pants to have a microbrew at a party!) Then again, I also don't remember the walk home. I remember leaving and arriving but not the inbetween part. Bizzare, but that was last weekend. This weekend...

Thursday
I went to the CCA graduate student show. Pretty good overall but nothing overly impressive. I saw the singer from Ghost Orchid, AGAIN. Damn, I see that guy everywhere. I had dinner at Blue Plate (at Mission & 29th), which was tasty (I had the braised artichoke and he had the tuna) but too pricey. The ambiance was great and the decor was beautiful but $8 for fizzy water was irritating. Definitely try to get the window booth. Very nice. Afterwards I watched Mean Girls. Tina Fey should really do more movies. For being a teen genre film, Mean Girls was well written, very funny, and had a plot! They played a Peaches song during the movie!!! If you liked Bring It On you should watch Mean Girls.

Friday
My last Ethics class wasn't too bad especially since I showed up about 15-20 minutes late. For once, we even ended class early! So there really is a god. Friday evening was the "For Good Measure" Thacher Gallery Student Showcase reception, which I had two graphic design pieces in. We had dinner that night at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack (Virginia & Mission, near 30th). I would totally recommend it. I had the Penne Pasta with goat cheese. Very yummy. Despite how tiny the restuarant is, it still had a bar and a DJ! The spaghetti is only $6, everything else is like twice as much. We were at a loss for something to do that night so we went to Slim's to see Manic Hispanic, a hispanic punk rock band. They were a fun, high energy band which is something I always dig. There was even a sizable mosh pit. The crowd was full of rockabilly guys, which I didn't understand at all.

Saturday
I slept in and had brunch at noon-1ish at the Pork Store Cafe (16th & Valencia), whose name has always been offputting for me. Luckily Mickey knows better than me to dismiss a bad name. My Eggs Florentine was quite good although the crispy hash browns could have used a bit less butter. The best part though was the biscuits. OMG. The biscuits. Eat the biscuits. I saw Morris and Zack walk by outside while I was grubbing inside. After an artery clogging brunch we headed out to Marin for a calorie burning hike to Stinson beach. Well, we took the Dipsea trail to the beach but we never finished it (I blame the hollandaise sauce.). :( I found this graph of the Dipsea trail elavation which made me feel better about wimping out because it makes it look like a very tough hike. hehe. I think we must have turned around after "Cardiac Hill" because we stopped at the top of a hill to take a break and take pictures. After we got back to the car we drove to Stinson Beach and laid in the sand for a while before heading back to the city. After dinner we watched Whalerider, which I really liked, and had take-out from Yo Yo Sushi (Mission and Valencia) where we were given free beer. We made brownies and I fell asleep watching The Family Guy.

It's funny that all three restuarants I've mentioned are complete misnomers. Blue Plate was expensive, Pork Store Cafe had tons of vegetarian options, and Emmy's Spaghetti Shack was not shack-like at all.

Lizard on the Dipsea Trail.

The view!

Sunday
I went down to San Jose with my brother to out flowers at my mom's grave and we had dinner at By-The-Bucket. My brother loves the hot waitresses there and I love the food so it works out well. :)

College Traditions

I got this email today:

Hey Seniors!!!!!!

According to tradition, the USF Senior stumble takes place on dead day,
Friday, May 14th. We will be walking the holy grail to USF Seniors known as "The Irish Mile."

Here's the schedule:

2:00 PM- 4:00 PM Hukilau @ Geary and Masonic

THen we move west...

4:00 PM- 6:00 PM Pig and Whistle

6:00PM- 8:00PM Ireland's 32

8:00 PM- 10:00 Abbey Tavern

10:00PM- 12:00AM The Blarney Stone

12:00AM- 2:00AM Tradr Sam's

Please join us for a night of good old fashioned fun! If you are interested
in purchasing a commemorative t-shirt for $10.00 please email to
seniorstumble2004@hotmail.com We will get back to you promptly!!!!

-Senior Stumble Committee

I got an email last night from someone claiming that they are heading yearbook at USF next year. Poor soul. She has no idea what she's getting into.

Freedom Fat

I'm pretty excited that Supersize Me is finally going to show in San Francisco (at the Landmark Embarcadero theater) beginning May 7th. You probably don't have to watch the movie to know that eating at McDonald's everyday for every meal is going to kill you pretty quickly, but the movie still looks interesting.

Fact from the movie's website:
You would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fry and Big Mac. Yikes!

#131

from namestatistics.com
Monica is the #131 most common female name.
0.166% of females in the US are named Monica.
Around 211,650 US females are named Monica!

Mike, you're number #4.

There's a Place for People Like Me

Lest I forget that love is also a beautiful thing and not just way to make yourself vulnerable to the most debilitating kind of pain, I read this amazingly sweet homecoming story. Let the happy tears flow.

On to love of a different kind... I saw the same Pentagram calendar in TWO different catalogs, which also happens to be the same calendar I have hanging in my room. Gotta love that calendar's graphic simplicity. This month's featured typeface is Triplex, one of my favorites.

Left: from HoldEverything catalogue. Right: from Design Within Reach catalogue

Bad UV Rays, Bad!

So I spent the afternoon outdoors painting a mural at a middle school. My arms are now bright red with a sunburn. Oh, the pain. Sucks. At least I will be spending the evening at a party in the Mission. Getting drunk to celebrate the end of the semester, oh yeah. But my arms!

I went to Yoshi's in Oakland last night for some sushi and jazz. The lead musician mentioned a million times that he's been nominated for a Grammy and that he has had his some of his songs "go to number 1." Not exactly the most humble man-- he did use his teeth to play the guitar and then stood on top of chairs. He mentioned something about Jefferson Starship too... "We Built This City" was recently ranked at the worst record ever. Well, the performance was indeed pretty cheesey. Thank goodness the lack of vocals tempers the cheese factor.

I had a yummy super girlie cocktail too. If you ever go to Yoshi's and love sweet fruity cocktails get the Red Apple Martini.