Groceries and Sublets and James Bond, Oh My!

After two days of vague, one-line posts, I think it's high time I write an update on what's going on in my life. I am back in Charlottesville subletting an apartment not far from the university. Thankfully, it's furnished, so I didn't have much to do in the way of moving in. But yesterday was a huge headache; I arrived at the airport around 10:30 AM coming fresh off a red-eye from Los Angeles (and then the shortest flight I've ever been on - 15 minutes, maybe, from Dulles to Cville). Emily drove me to my apartment, where I waited for the key-check exchange. This happened without much ceremony or difficulty. However, things came to a crashing halt about five minutes after my key-provider left, when I figured out I couldn't open the front door. Emily, being the wonderful, kind, and obliging person that she is, let me stay at her place for a couple of hours to rest while I tried to resolve the key situation. Finally, after a helpful call to the actual apartment renter in NoVa, I discovered I could get in through the back door. Such utter relief!

I dropped my things off in the bedroom and went to Lemongrass to reunite with Pooja, which proved to be quite a successful outing, not least because I got to eat for the first time since my veggie quiche at Dulles about twelve hours earlier. Then I went to Annie's new place and watched my first ever James Bond movie, Goldfinger, with Annie, Emily, and Jacqui. I found it entertaining in the sense that it's nearly fifty years old, so it's hilarious ("Are they going to have a literal roll in the hay?!"), and young Sean Connery was attractive, so he wasn't bad to watch for a couple of hours. Then Emily me drove to my apartment for the fourth time that day, and I tried to get used to my new surroundings and go to sleep. This was more difficult than you might think; my apartment has no air conditioning (it was about 100 degrees yesterday, which means a lot more in Virginia than it does in El Centro) and there was a lightning storm outside. Once I did get to sleep, however, I slept really well.

Today I unpacked everything, was inexplicably given a bottle of water by a kind stranger who addressed me as "sweetheart," spent a few hours at work, and went grocery shopping with Pooja. Being an adult is expensive! At least I won't have to buy this much next time I go shopping; I stocked up on soup, pasta, and beans, and once I get sofrito from my mother and some rice shortly afterward, I should be set for my summer staples. Right now I'm enjoying a movie on television that I already own (Clueless) and looking forward to eating fresh fruit for breakfast. First day working with Noah tomorrow! Good night, all!

X-Men: First Class

Richie and I went to see X-Men: First Class this morning. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, or rather that it was on par with what the reviews had concluded. I never did see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but I didn't like X3 at all (you don't kill Scott Summers off in the first 15 minutes of the movie and expect it to be good!) and didn't have high expectations for any further additions to the franchise. I guess if you get James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender to star in your prequel, though, you have a pretty good chance of making a decent film. So here are some thoughts (SPOILERS, natch):

• James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender can act. A lot of the dialogue was a bit silly, but they pulled it off where less talented actors wouldn't have. They also have fantastic chemistry. And groovy genes, to use Xavier's favorite pickup line.
• It's been a while since I've seen the first two films and I've never read the comics, so I really don't remember much about Mystique and her story. I've seen some commentary that basically says this film made Mystique a scared little girl and she didn't get a chance to shine. I do wish this film hadn't ended with the schism (and Mystique's Face Heel Turn a la TV Tropes), but I had no problem whatsoever with Mystique's general portrayal. Or maybe I just really like Jennifer Lawrence as an actress.
• I get really excited whenever I hear French in films now because I know enough to understand it! Also, it was interesting to me that they chose to give Magneto a Spanish (as in, from Spain) accent for his small bit of Spanish dialogue in the Argentina bar scene. At first I thought, God, his Spanish is terrible, but then I realized that Spain Spanish just sounds kind of ridiculous with the lisping and it probably isn't Michael Fassbender's fault.
• I know it seems to be the general consensus on the Internet that Magneto is badass and the Argentina bar scene is glorious, but I really dislike it when main characters are brutally killing people, even former Nazis. It's uncomfortable to watch because it's the type of behavior I refuse to condone in real life. I don't even like the military because soldiers kill people (yeah, technically they're the enemy, but they're still human beings) with lives and families, and they're ordered to do it by the state. I'm babbling but that's basically how I feel.
• Richie and I both laughed at the "Nein" scene. I felt bad, but it was really narmy and over the top. Sorry, Baby Magneto.
• I'm not cool with Kevin Bacon talking about enslavement and the camera cutting to the one black person in the movie. Secondhand discomfort, movie.
• Like I said, I know next to nothing about the comics. From what I understand, though, one of the first classes at Xavier's school featured Scott, Jean Grey, and Bobby Drake. I really liked the Bobby/Rogue romance they included in the first two films, but I'd kind of love to see a movie about Scott and Jean coming to the school for the first time and learning to control their powers.
• That Wolverine cameo was hilarious.
• Sue me, I liked Moira, even if apparently the filmmakers completely ignored everything about her in the comics. Maybe this is because Rose Byrne's character in Bridesmaids was so annoying it was nice to find a Byrne portrayal I enjoyed.
• Okay, it needs to be said. Why on earth would you join Sebastian Shaw's team after you've seen his minions kill people all around you?
• So sad, we hardly knew ye: Oliver Platt's character, Darwin, Magneto's mother (NEIN NEIN NEIN), that French banker's filling.
• Moment of shallowness: Your pretty is occasionally distracting, James McAvoy. Even when you're a faun, but especially when you're a young genetics professor. Why must you be so beautiful?
• I give this an A-. If you have the money to burn and some time to kill, check it out. Very entertaining!

Zut Alors! A Post!

Today's post comes to you in four parts.

Part I. Life at Home

I am currently leading a very lazy existence at my parents' house before I go back to Charlottesville next week. Both of my brothers are still in school (although that will change after tomorrow) and my dad is usually at work in Yuma during the week, so most days I run errands with my mom or lie around my old room not doing much of anything. On the bright side, my Sims 2 legacy is progressing well, and the Mac versions of the expansion packs were a good 70% off, so I just went ahead and completed my collection. I'm also thisclose to finishing Atonement, and I'm quite excited to see how it ends. On the not-so-bright side, I've been massively unproductive. I can't even motivate myself to take my Netflix DVDs to the mailbox across the street. Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. Anyway, I think I've had a relatively good visit. Most of my friends are still in school or not around, but I've seen plenty of Jackie (we had an awesome sleepover on Monday night), and I had lunch with Pastor Suzi twice. Rest assured that all this lethargy has not thrown off my (admittedly rather lax) exercise schedule; I've been biking with my dad and walking the dog fairly regularly. 

Things are starting to come to a close. I'm starting to think about which clothes I want to leave here and which ones are going back to Virginia with me, and it's finally time for Richie's graduation. I am looking forward to having my own place (in the sense that I'm responsibly subletting it) and earning some money this summer, but I'll definitely miss my family. My mom is pretty sure she's going to come to UVa for Family Weekend, though!

Part II. Winter's Bone

Ever since I turned 17 and felt that I could in good conscience watch R-rated movies (yes, I'm weird like that; I haven't had a drink in my life and won't until I turn 21, for example), I've made it a point to see as many of the Best Picture nominees that I can. This past year I've done well, at least for me; when I watched the Oscars in March, I'd seen half of the films (Toy Story 3, The Social Network, The King's Speech, Black Swan, and Inception), and I've since seen two more (True Grit and Winter's Bone). Out of those, I loved Toy Story 3 and Inception, enjoyed The Social Network (mainly for the glorious Sorkinese), The King's Speech, and True Grit, and respected Black Swan as a well-made psychological thriller, even if I didn't exactly like it. However, I really have no idea what to make of Winter's Bone.

The one unequivocally good thing I can say about it is that Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress, and Winter's Bone convinced me that she will make an excellent Katniss. Ree basically is Katniss, although for some reason I found Ree slightly more likable than Katniss, who was never my favorite character in The Hunger Games (PEETA <3 <3 <3). Maybe that's because everyone except for Ree's brother and sister is kind of a jerk. I'll admit it - Winter's Bone is just not my cup of tea. It was gritty, dirty, and distinctly unpleasant. The pacing is uneven and the plot is hard to follow. It's an uncomfortable movie to watch. Ree's life is very hard, which the film makes abundantly clear. None of her relatives (except her uncle, Teardrop, in his own gruff way) seem to care about her. Her family is poor, and she has to be the primary caregiver at age 17 because her mother is basically catatonic. They're barely getting by, to the point where Ree has to resort to killing squirrels in the woods for dinner (the scene where she skins one did not do any favors for my vegetarian digestive system). It's all very fine and well, but nothing in this movie really appealed to me. I wanted to like it, I really did. I think my problem is that I'm all about the "light, bright, and sparkling" (I will love you forever if you can tell me who said that and in what context), and even the dramas that I like have to be either relatable or about something that holds my interest. The grim realities of life and the meth trade in the Ozarks just isn't it.

Part III. Tornado

There was a tornado today in Springfield, Massachusetts, just across the river from my former hometown of Agawam. Of course I've seen the news coverage of the tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, but it's not until it happened in my own backyard (er, onetime backyard) that the reality really hit me. It feels very surreal, even though it doesn't sound like it was nearly as serious as the ones in Alabama and Missouri. This really is a terrible year for natural disasters. Please keep the people of Springfield and the surrounding areas in your thoughts and prayers.

Part IV. Before

P. S. John Green, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Parks and Recreation and El Centro, California

Exams are over, the semester is finished, and I am home for a few weeks before going back to Virginia to work during the summer. Holy run-on sentence, Batman! Anyway, it's nice not to have to worry about school for a few months. I have been spending my days either lounging around playing The Sims 2 or running errands and hanging out with Jackie. Not a bad start to the break, if I do say so myself. My reading is getting off to a good start, too; I read the entirety of Will Grayson, Will Grayson on the plane from Dulles to Phoenix, and I'm hoping to finish another novel (maybe Atonement) before June.

I would also like to watch the television shows I keep hearing about. I've seen the first six episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the pilot of Firefly, but as they're both on Netflix Instant Watch and many of my friends swear by Joss Whedon, I feel obligated to watch a bit more of each (especially since Firefly only lasted one season). Sara loves Mad Men and has shown me the first two episodes, so it is my roommately duty to devour the rest when Netflix starts streaming them later in the summer. My parents bought me the complete Sports Night collection for Christmas and I haven't even watched one episode, but it's an Aaron Sorkin creation, so I really don't have any excuse not to like it (Netflix assures me I will). The animation and superhero geeks in me can't wait to start Batman: The Animated Series, and of course there are the last four seasons of Gilmore Girls and practically all of Friends to finish. TV-wise, this summer is going to be exciting!

In the meantime, the shows I currently follow are all coming to the end of their seasons. Michael Scott has left The Office and the Worlds team is getting into gear on my guilty pleasure show, Make It or Break It. And then there's Parks and Recreation.

I think I've figured out why I like Parks and Recreation so much. I was drawn to it in the first place because, for all her bluster, Leslie Knope cares deeply about government and its ability to help people. Parks and Rec is caricatured and hyperbolic, sure, but it's a love letter to public service in the same way The West Wing (my favorite television show of all time, period) is. It warms my government-major heart to the point where I identify with Leslie in a lot of ways. So when (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS) she and Ben Wyatt finally kissed in last week's episode, I had a sort-of epiphany about relationships. Ben is a bit Hollywood Homely, but he's exactly my type; he has a good heart, he's smart, he's passionate about the things (and people) he loves, and he's a huge nerd. When I saw Leslie falling for him, or really him falling for Leslie, I suddenly had this need for them to get together, and I think a large part of that is because I see Leslie in myself. Granted, Leslie has been in plenty of relationships before, whereas I've been in absolutely zero, but to see Ben kiss her gave me hope (END SPOILERS). Sometimes I feel like I'll never find a guy who will love me for me. I'm still waiting for my first kiss at age 20, and it's more than a little frustrating. But when someone who reminds me of me as much as Leslie Knope can find nerdy, political love with a guy who's crazy about her, I think that maybe there is someone out there for me. Perhaps it's silly, but I'm seriously invested in the Ben/Leslie relationship and I can't wait to see where tomorrow night's episode takes them. And really, what is television if not escapist?

With that, and the fact that my body clock still thinks it's two in the morning, I shall leave this here.

Stormy Weather

Alas, Andi and I lost our challenge to the weather. It was raining hard enough by nine this morning that Andi texted me to suggest we visit the farmer's market another time, and I had to agree with her. I spent the next few hours sleeping and listening to NPR off and on. Then, just as I'd had brunch and decided to be productive for the day, the sirens started blaring and a message told us that the National Weather Service had just issued a tornado warning. When I was very small my family lived in rural Iowa, so I suppose I've been through tornado warnings before, but there isn't much in the way of severe weather in Imperial County, California (unless you count 110+ degree highs in the summer), and I was more than a little frightened. No one in the lounge was taking the warning very seriously, however, and we got the all-clear well before the warning was set to expire. As it turns out, I was scared for nothing. Ah well. It was still pretty exhilarating!

The Wesley second-years performed a parody of Rebecca Black's "Friday" at Coffee Haus (our no-talent talent show) tonight (it got big laughs and a partial standing ovation, so I consider it a job well done). We rehearsed around 6, I went to eat dinner with some friends, and then headed back to my dorm to print off a few copies of the lyrics. It hadn't been raining at all when I left the Foundation, but as I stepped outside on my way to Wesley Mem, it started pouring in a way it hasn't all year. My sandals and the lower half of my jeans were soaked through, though at least I was able to keep the lyrics and most of me dry under my umbrella. And then, just after I crossed the street, it started hailing. It was tiny - maybe pebble-sized - but I was pretty relieved to get to the Foundation! This was definitely not something I encountered on a daily basis in California!

Merry Christmas!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I've had a lovely Christmas at home with the family. My brothers and I have a tradition where we all sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve, and in my family we keep our stockings by our beds rather than by our nonexistent fireplace. Amazingly, Josh let me sleep until after seven this morning, although he kept waking me up between midnight and three to tell me our stockings weren't full yet. Thanks a lot, kid.


Anyway, this year my parents gave me my very own digital camera (I've never had one before), quite a few new DVDs, and a beautiful gold cross. They did not give me The Sims 2: Nightlife for Mac, but it was under $25 on Amazon, so I went ahead and bought it for myself. Merry Christmas to me!


Now I'm recovering from my massive food coma. For breakfast, I had eggs, a cinnamon roll, and a piece of nut ring (a pastry my grandmother bakes and sends us every year) with cream cheese. For dinner, I had arroz con gandules, green beans, and yes, a little bit of pernil (pork roast to the non-Puerto Ricans). My stomach was not happy with me for ingesting meat, for the record. This is what I get for not eating meat since Thanksgiving, and specifically for not eating red meat since early in the semester (it's been so long I honestly can't remember when). I have had chicken a couple of times since I've been home, however. Puerto Ricans eat a lot of meat, and as a compromise with my mom I told her I would eat poultry while I was staying with the family.



Other fun things I've done this week:

• I went to see Tangled with Jackie, Steph, and the Birdsong clan. We ended up going to the 3-D showing because that was the time that worked for all of us. Now, I loathe 3-D and wish the whole silly fad would go away in a hurry, but it did not take away from Tangled's adorableness one bit. So cute! It did make me miss my once-Rapunzelian hair, though. 
• Later that day, we kidnapped Jackie and took her to the Forever 21 in Calexico because it was her birthday. Sadie and her sisters blindfolded her with a Strawberry Shortcake bandanna. It was hilarious.
• The Southwest High School Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers' Club had a reunion on the 23rd. We went to see Deathly Hallows: Part 1 again. I still really like it!
• Jackie spent the night and we watched Coraline together.
• 50% off sale at New York and Company! So many new earrings, and a totally cute jacket and pink top.
• Wrote a chapter of a story. Not saying anything other than that.
• The fam and I watched Inception between meal preparation today. It was my fourth time, Richie's third, and everyone else's first. Dad seemed suitably impressed, but Mom dozed through half of it and was upstairs checking her email for much of the rest. Oh well. She'll get to truly appreciate it sometime soon.

Well, that's been my week. Hope all of yours have been just as nice and relaxing.

Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, and Mele Kalikimaka!

I Went Outside in Short Sleeves Today...

... and it was glorious! I'm back in California for Christmas!



The reading project has begun! I was intending to start with The Great Gatsby, but I discovered to my considerable disappointment that the book I checked out of Clemons on Friday was in fact not the novel itself but a collection of essays about The Great Gatsby. Luckily, I had also packed a copy of A Wizard of Earthsea, so I still got to read something new on the plane. I'm only three chapters in at this point, though, and quite honestly I was bored stiff the entire time. However, Harry Potter has taught me that I should never, ever give up on a book before chapter 4, so I shall persevere.


I drove today for the first time in about four months! There's no need for me to have a car in Charlottesville, besides which I don't own one and probably won't for some time. Still, I happen to love a) driving and b) my parents' new(ish) Toyota Camry, to the point where I'm jumping at every opportunity I get to pick up one of my brothers from a friend's house or to go to the store. At least the Camry gets good gas mileage, so I don't have to feel too guilty about wanting to use the car so much.


Jackie and I went to Starbucks today and I nearly forgot that I can't use my Plus Dollars here. Heh. On the other hand, it was over 70 degrees. I can't remember the last time I regretted ordering a hot drink because it was too warm outside. Oh, El Centro.

Political Crazy Week

This afternoon at work, I was checking my notifications and received a pleasant (understatement of the century) surprise: President Barack Obama will be visiting Charlottesville to stump for Congressman Tom Perriello this Friday! 


The bad news? I can't be there.


The good news? I can't be there because I'll be on my way up to NoVa with Mary Lacy, and possibly Lauren and Elizabeth, to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive the next morning, followed by what sounds like an absolutely wonderful weekend at Mary Lacy's house.


(I still really wish I could see the president, though, because he is one of my heroes and I have never seen him in person before. It's the tragedy of having lived in The Middle of Nowhere El Centro, California in 2008. Why does a Democrat need to go to California in an election year? Answer: He doesn't. And he certainly wouldn't waste his time in the Imperial Valley if he did.)


Still, this is Virginia. The president won the commonwealth, with its thirteen electoral votes, by 6.29% in 2008. It was the first time it had gone for a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. I'm guessing President Obama wants to try to hold on to Virginia in 2012, and he should definitely come by Charlottesville at some point that fall. Michelle Obama campaigned right down the hill from my dorm in September 2008, and I'm pretty sure her husband was in Cville and/or Albemarle on multiple occasions. This Friday will not be his last visit here, I'm quite sure.


And anyway, how many times are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert going to be having rallies on the Mall, conveniently located just two hours from me? When am I going to have this opportunity again? Never, clearly. And while I still get starry-eyed over the president, I won't pretend some of his decisions haven't really bothered me. Mostly because I don't think he's been liberal enough, or he hasn't done enough to discontinue insane Bush policies. But hey, I'm practically a socialist (only half joking), so I fully admit that my own expectations are probably markedly different from that of the average American. What I'm trying to say is that while President Obama has sometimes disappointed me, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rarely, if ever, do. They are satirical love.


Speaking of Jon and Stephen, tomorrow will also be a banner day for Democratic politics and their shows, because President Obama will be on The Daily Show and Congressman Perriello will be on The Colbert Report. I'm super excited for the watch party on the Corner! There's nothing like watching your favorite political figures with your favorite University Democrats by your side.


So, awesome day tomorrow, plenty of GOTV as the week goes on, and the Rally/March on Saturday. I really cannot think of a more perfect way to spend my time. Not to mention Wesleyanos are amazing, and this weekend at Chez Mary Lacy should be bomb. Here's to a birthday week for the record books!

The Life of a Government Major

If I never read the words Rational Political Ambition Theory again, it'll be too soon. My foreign policy midterm is tomorrow, which means I have been producing flash cards like a fiend. I actually opened a second packet of them today! Hope this raises my college student cred. The mock court assignments in Constitutional Interpretation are also being decided tomorrow, during discussion section. I'd like to be either Ginsburg or Sotomayor (left-wing ladies represent, especially the wise Latinas), but I wouldn't mind taking a back seat during the trial and writing as someone like Thurgood Marshall instead. I'll be treated to a 10-11 page paper in any case, due the week after my birthday. I am filled with joy at the prospect, as I'm sure is readily apparent.


The Stewart/Colbert rallies are fast approaching! I'm very, very excited. This is the kind of thing I always wanted to do as a high school student, but never could because El Centro is in the middle of nowhere, where nothing ever happens (I wonder how I would translate that sentence into French - so many negatives!). Michelle is coming to spend the weekend soon - can't wait to take her all around UVa, the Corner, and the Downtown Mall! Mellow Mushroom is a must. We shall have a blast, which we would in any case, because we are fellow missionary kids and she is such a fun person to hang out with.


I want to do nothing but watch Gilmore Girls and Avatar: The Last Airbender this weekend, but I really ought to be doing Supreme Court research instead. Woe. On the other hand, prayer partner event on Friday (and no class)! And by that time, my midterm will be over.


19 days to 20!

Things That Will Never Make Sense to Me

• People getting engaged or married at age 18-21. Especially to someone who is also 18-21. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, when I hear someone I know is tying the knot and they're younger than I am, I'm stunned. Why do you want to get married so young? How do you know you're going to be remotely compatible with this person fifty years from now? Does not compute.
• The popularity of Twilight. Whyyyyyyyy?
• Lady Gaga.
• Or why I kind of dig her music, because I don't like her as a person at all.
• People who think Barack Obama is a socialist. LOL no. He's slightly to the left of Bill Clinton.
• People who think Barack Obama is a communist.
• Actually, just conservative politics in general. Let's give more money to rich people and let poor people suffer because they're lazy! Guns! Racial profiling! Arugula is elitist! Amurica!
• Half the things my Sims do. The school bus is right outside, why are you merrily painting along while your sister runs out the door? It's your first day of school OH NO IT'S NINE O'CLOCK AND YOU MISSED THE BUS AND YOUR GRADE IS NOW A D EXIT WITHOUT SAVING.
• Why I decided to cut my hair. I miss you, waist-length locks.
• Marijuana legalization. Sorry, I'm a bad liberal, but I just don't see how this is a good thing in the long run. Maybe because I'm not a fan of drugs. Or even drunkenness. Although admittedly I've never had a drink in my life, so I can't really say I don't like alcohol. I'm waiting until I'm twenty-one, okay?
• Why I just signed up for NaNoWriMo, when clearly I can't even blog every day for a month. How can I write an entire novel?
• Speeding. Is it really that hard to go 70 mph on the freeway, Californians? Or at least keep it to 75? Apparently yes.
• PEOPLE WHO TALK ON THEIR CELL PHONES OR TEXT WHILE THEY'RE DRIVING. NO. JUST NO.
• Fight Club fanboys.
• Why I'm blogging when I really should be getting something to eat.
• The awful situation in El Centro this past Monday, and why a ten-year-old boy no longer has parents, and why my eleven-year-old brother no longer has a sixth grade teacher.

Entertainment 2010: August 1 - August 31

I just realized I haven't updated my blog since I came back to college. Oops.


Well, so far so good this year. Virginians and their inability to withstand temperatures exceeding 90 degrees make me laugh, but I suppose I shouldn't crow too loudly considering El Centro rarely has more than 10% humidity. Actually, if the news reports are any indication, Virginia was a downright miserable place to be this summer, so I'm glad I was in Southern California where it's normal to have 100+ degree weather every day. Anywho.


I'm taking some interesting classes (my favorite right now is Constitutional Interpretation) and enjoying the university life again. I do miss my family, but I've found there are also a lot of things about UVa that I've missed. El Centro is generally a pretty boring place. Charlottesville has the Downtown Mall, where there are crepes and farmer's markets and sunshine and puppies. You also can't see a movie for three dollars in El Centro, but there's the Newcomb Theatre at UVa. Of course, sleeping outside when you could be in a dorm room is a pretty strange thing to do wherever you go, but I've done that, too. What can I say? I have crazy friends (Lauren, Mary Lacy, Lacey, and Elizabeth, I'm looking at you!) who enjoy crazy things. Sleeping on the Lawn, I ask you.


I have an insane amount of reading to do, so I will just post my entertainment list for August and then hop to it. Expect another entry soon!


Entertainment 2010: August Update


Books - New Reads
N/A


Books - Rereads
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling


(Wow, this is pitiful. I am a bookworm, really!)


Movies - First Viewings
Vampires Suck (DO NOT RECOMMEND. Oy vey.)


Movies - Repeat Viewings
Inception
Iron Man 2
Anastasia
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


¡Hasta luego!

Farewell to Hair: A Story in Photographs

Friday, August 13, 2010

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Happenings: July 2010

Wherein I compile the month's goings-on and categorize them into the good, the bad, and the random.


The Good:

• Reading with mon petit frère every night. I don't think I can make him as big as a Harry Potter nerd as I am (like that's even possible), but there's no shame in trying! I really enjoy it when he's genuinely surprised by something that hasn't been in the movies, and I love hearing his theories, when he shares them with me.
• A lovely lunch with Miss Jacqueline and Miss Sadie this past Monday. I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian, but if I do I shall miss Mexican food very much. And of course I shall miss my friends when they head off to Notre Dame next month!
• Rescuing dogs with Jackie. Well, just one, but I think we had fun, in a kind of weird way.
• Inception. Just Inception.
• I am now $700 dollars richer. Go summer jobs!
• Going to see Despicable Me with Alyson Fink. Such an adorable movie.
• Chilling with Sara Fink the week before. Awesome times were had.
• A Very Potter Sequel.
• My two West Wing days with Jessi. Who knows, we might have another one, seeing as how we're only on season four in our best-of-the-series marathon.
• A federal judge striking down a good portion of the Arizona immigration law. I wish the whole thing would just go away, but this is a great start! Now if we could only convince half of Americans to get over their xenophobia...
• Getting excited about my writing again.

The Bad

• I still don't have my financial aid from UVa yet. I understand it's taking longer than they anticipated, and I'll be very grateful when it does get posted, but I'm starting to feel a bit anxious.
• The Sunburn of Evil is now peeling, which is unpleasant to say the least.
• My legs are really, really hurting, which I guess is what happens when you attempt to do lunges for five minutes and then walk your dog. Ow.
• Summer cabin fever (yes, I am allowed to make up conditions). Restlessness from being away from school, I suppose. It's not a good feeling. I love my family, but I'm really looking forward to going back to Virginia and seeing my college friends again.
• Looks like San Francisco is a no-go at least for this summer. Boo.
• BP still sucks. As do Republican partisans with video-editing software. Or, you know, just the Republican Party in general.

The Random

• I guess I'm just sensitive to the cold, but the air conditioning in my room is like a meat locker. And I thought I wouldn't have much use for my UVa hoodie this summer.
• I've just gotten used to Pacific Standard Time, only to have to go back to Eastern Standard Time in about three weeks. So yeah.
• My dog is such a ham. He's always rolling over onto his back and wriggling in front of me so I'll scratch his belly. He's also adorable, so I can't resist. Come to think of it, he's a bit like his namesake. Attention-seeking, handsome, smart ... and that's where the comparisons end. Because he doesn't really mind being cooped up in the house, although he does enjoy his walks. Er, his name is Sirius, by the way. Three guesses who named him.

Also, it is July 31, which means I must wish a very happy birthday to my all-time favorite author, J. K. Rowling. You are an amazing woman, Jo, and an inspiration to any aspiring writer! Thank you a million times over for your wonderful books!

See you in August, everyone!

California Dreamin'

It's a sunny, hot day here in Southern California, and nearly half of la familia Barnes-González is in Illinois (or perhaps Indiana, on the way to Illinois), helping my grandparents move. My brother, Joshua, is undoubtedly playing with his new Nintendo DS, which he paid for himself, and which took its sweet time getting here. He's eleven, and such a boy sometimes. He once waved a dead cockroach in front of me on a stick and threatened to chase me around the house with it. But we're also reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix together, and he puts up with my constant attempts to teach him French, so I guess he's all right in my book.

El Centro is a sleepy place. Maybe it's because it'll be 115 today, or we're about two hours away from the nearest big city (San Diego), but there's rarely anything of consequence happening here. When I was finishing up my first year at the University of Virginia I couldn't wait to come home, but now that I've been away from school for two months I'm impatiently counting down the days to go back. I miss the bustle of college life, with friends just a portal away, and always someone to watch movies with at midnight. True, I don't have to pay three dollars to do my laundry when I'm at home, but I also can't run across the street and frolic on the Lawn in a Regency dress. Well, I suppose I could, though I'd rather not incur strange looks from the neighbors.

I do love some things about El Centro. For one, there's real Mexican food here, not the Tex-Mex they insist on serving us in the dining halls. As much as the idea of vegetarianism appeals to me, there is nothing more delicious after a long day than a steaming sincronizada (a quesadilla with carne asada inside of it, preferably made with flour tortillas). My mom also makes (and is teaching me to make) excellent Puerto Rican food, so I'm not lacking for tastiness at mealtimes. Many of my closest friends live here, although I've seen surprisingly few of them this summer. Still, I've managed to surprise Sadie and Katherine at the mall, have Starbucks with Andy and then Priscilla, go to the movies with both Fink twins, Alyson and Sara, rock Disneyland with Jessi, have an enjoyable chat with Mariana at Andy's party, and see several people from high school (Randall and Jonathan, just off the top of my head) while I'm working at the community college. There's also been lunch with Pastor Suzi, who is one of my favorite people, and a couple of Sundays of youth group, with Mrs. Tyler and my brother Richie's friends. I might get to see Gabby on Monday. And of course, I've spent plenty of time with Jackie, though she's currently away at Notre Dame for a summer program. I miss you, mi amiga!

I've recently come to the conclusion, however, that even the enjoyable aspects of El Centro don't really feel like they're a part of my life anymore. I've moved on. I love my family and I'm always happy to spend time with them. I love my friends and the company they provide. Church at FUMC is still interesting, and the congregation is as welcoming as ever. But that stage of my life is over now. It's nice to come back for a visit, but it should only be that. I'm returning to Charlottesville in a month and five days, and right now, it's where I belong. I have to get back to studying government, and my beloved Harrison, and Jane Austen Society, and informal worship at the Wesley Foundation. I have to start precinct captaining in earnest for University Hall, because we have a congressman to re-elect in the Fifth District (Perriello! Perriello!). I have to watch shooting stars at one in the morning with Sara and Maria, and have an Avatar marathon with Pooja, and finish up season one of The West Wing with Kathryn. I'll be twenty in November, and as much as I appreciate the slow days of summer (my last as a teenager), it's time to embrace adulthood now.

Or, at least, adulthood as it is in college.