1. i've become obsessed with the abc family show 'greek'. this is in large part due to the fact that one of my new roommates is responsible for the lack of cable and internet in the house since monday morning. i am currently stealing wireless from 'sharing is caring' and in this case sharing is definitely caring. can't help all the season premieres i'm missing though. ask me how i feel about that.
2. RAE - if you're attending this (as i suspect you are), can you port an extra copy of stardust (pb is fine) on the off chance you are actually able to get close enough to gaiman to get the john hancock?
3. To cap off this special month, don't miss the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social at participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide, a special night to join together and share the simple pleasures of life with a FREE ice cream and family fun. On September 25th from 5:00 - 8:00PM, guests will be treated to a 3 oz. serving of Jack or Emily's Creation. All donations will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
you're welcome.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
unemployment
it has its pros and cons. it makes me feel a little disconnected from life. even though my social activity has remained largely the same, just not having a schedule, a time to start something and a time to finish it, makes me feel unproductive and non-contributory to the world around me. i feel like i should be doing something more important with my time, volunteering maybe? but i just feel so darn lazy and unmotivated!
as far as pros go, staying up til 4am and sleeping until 11 or 12 is pretty awesome. going to the beach on a tuesday afternoon is pretty awesome. and being able to do some exploring on days where crowds are at a minimum, again, pretty awesome.
yesterday, i took advantage of the latter and met my friend jen at the autry national center of the american west in la.
my friend bronwyn had recently told me about an exhibit there, which doesn't exactly fit with the theme of the museum, and that made it even more intriguing.
as i've now learned, there are just over 100 streets in los angeles named after saints. the exhibit explores the history of those saints and the current relevancies or ironies their streets hold in the modern day city. the artist, j. michael walker, spent years researching and painting. some streets fit their saints perfectly, and others are almost amusingly disjointed. apparently the streets were named arbitrarily, so it is particularly interesting to see how the neighborhoods took shape around them.
one street was named after the patron saint of the homeless, and is now lined with homeless shelters. one street, named after the patron saint of farmers, is now filled on a daily basis with day laborers and migrant workers tending the gardens and landscaping of the high end homes. one street, named after the patron saint of poverty, is one of the wealthiest parts of the city.
as you might imagine, it was quite an interesting exhibit.
we wandered through the rest of the museum, and truth be told, it's pretty campy. i have to admit that i have never really connected with that era of national history. short of thinking val kilmer is the best doc holladay ever, neither the old west or the pioneer generation has ever peaked or kept my interest (blasphemy, i know!). jen completely enjoyed it, and i, as usual, enjoyed taking photos!
after the museum, we headed just a couple miles up the street to the the griffith observatory, a high priority on my 'to do list' since my arrival here. not only do i enjoy observatories and planetariums, but this particular one is an incomparable visual landmark in the city, and many films and tv shows have shot and shown this facility.
the building itself is stunning, and affords some amazing views of los angeles, set high above the city.
but there are wonders to be found inside as well. the planetarium show was both relaxing and entertaining. literally. they have actors narrating the celestial movements above. it's been a long time since i've been to a planetarium (the last time being a really awful terrible blind date), and i'd forgotten just how cool they can be.
after the show, we did some exploring. on the bottom level, where you can weigh yourself on each planet (pluto and venus pretty much rock!) some helpful (helpful=bored) doscents asked if we had any questions.
so i came up with one and asked 'what is the one thing i should not leave here without knowing/seeing?'
of course he couldn't name one thing, so he began to tell us about the picture behind him and how that giant mural represented an index fingers measurement of the universe (needless to say, it was packed with starts and constellations).
he also told us how we had to ask at the desk to hold the meteorite from meteor crater (one of the cross country road trip stops on my way to california), and how we needed to find someone with a tie and badge upstairs to demonstrate the tesla coil. both things we would not have known existed otherwise.
when we had finished all the learnin' inside, we were just in time to head to the roof and the zeiss telescope. jupiter was in full glory, and it was amazing to be able to look through such a large telescope.
we finished off our day's adventures by taking in the city at night, and i got some pretty awesome photos (if i do say so myself). not to mention that i've now got two more checks on that list of mine!
the rest of the pics can be found here.
as far as pros go, staying up til 4am and sleeping until 11 or 12 is pretty awesome. going to the beach on a tuesday afternoon is pretty awesome. and being able to do some exploring on days where crowds are at a minimum, again, pretty awesome.
yesterday, i took advantage of the latter and met my friend jen at the autry national center of the american west in la.my friend bronwyn had recently told me about an exhibit there, which doesn't exactly fit with the theme of the museum, and that made it even more intriguing.
as i've now learned, there are just over 100 streets in los angeles named after saints. the exhibit explores the history of those saints and the current relevancies or ironies their streets hold in the modern day city. the artist, j. michael walker, spent years researching and painting. some streets fit their saints perfectly, and others are almost amusingly disjointed. apparently the streets were named arbitrarily, so it is particularly interesting to see how the neighborhoods took shape around them.
one street was named after the patron saint of the homeless, and is now lined with homeless shelters. one street, named after the patron saint of farmers, is now filled on a daily basis with day laborers and migrant workers tending the gardens and landscaping of the high end homes. one street, named after the patron saint of poverty, is one of the wealthiest parts of the city.
as you might imagine, it was quite an interesting exhibit.we wandered through the rest of the museum, and truth be told, it's pretty campy. i have to admit that i have never really connected with that era of national history. short of thinking val kilmer is the best doc holladay ever, neither the old west or the pioneer generation has ever peaked or kept my interest (blasphemy, i know!). jen completely enjoyed it, and i, as usual, enjoyed taking photos!
after the museum, we headed just a couple miles up the street to the the griffith observatory, a high priority on my 'to do list' since my arrival here. not only do i enjoy observatories and planetariums, but this particular one is an incomparable visual landmark in the city, and many films and tv shows have shot and shown this facility.
the building itself is stunning, and affords some amazing views of los angeles, set high above the city.
but there are wonders to be found inside as well. the planetarium show was both relaxing and entertaining. literally. they have actors narrating the celestial movements above. it's been a long time since i've been to a planetarium (the last time being a really awful terrible blind date), and i'd forgotten just how cool they can be.
after the show, we did some exploring. on the bottom level, where you can weigh yourself on each planet (pluto and venus pretty much rock!) some helpful (helpful=bored) doscents asked if we had any questions.so i came up with one and asked 'what is the one thing i should not leave here without knowing/seeing?'
of course he couldn't name one thing, so he began to tell us about the picture behind him and how that giant mural represented an index fingers measurement of the universe (needless to say, it was packed with starts and constellations).
he also told us how we had to ask at the desk to hold the meteorite from meteor crater (one of the cross country road trip stops on my way to california), and how we needed to find someone with a tie and badge upstairs to demonstrate the tesla coil. both things we would not have known existed otherwise.when we had finished all the learnin' inside, we were just in time to head to the roof and the zeiss telescope. jupiter was in full glory, and it was amazing to be able to look through such a large telescope.
we finished off our day's adventures by taking in the city at night, and i got some pretty awesome photos (if i do say so myself). not to mention that i've now got two more checks on that list of mine!
the rest of the pics can be found here.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
crushing
given that i have no real life crushes at the moment, and that unemployment has my sleep schedule completely wacked, which has resulted in my watching vanity fair at 3:30 in the morning, and falling in crush, yet again. then i started thinking about my celebrity crushes. think with me for a moment...
ME thinks me has a 'type'...tall, dark, and broody.
ME thinks me has a 'type'...tall, dark, and broody.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
a brave new world and a bold new haircut
it may be an understatement to say that my hair and my identity are closely related. i've had long hair for most of my life (with the exception of one unfortunate incident while living in utah), and longer has always been better. but my hair had gotten too long, or rather too long to still look healthy or be any fun. i've been considering making a change for all of two days, and when i went to see my stylist today, i gave her a couple of different options.
her reaction to the last was so strong and so excited, that i told her to go for it, having established a 'relationship of trust' over the past several months. go for it she did, and while this is a HUGE change for me, i didn't cry when that first snip was taken and something like 10-12 inches fell to the floor. this is a major step for me! usually THREE inches makes me cry.
not only did i not cry, but i am, right now, loving it!
her reaction to the last was so strong and so excited, that i told her to go for it, having established a 'relationship of trust' over the past several months. go for it she did, and while this is a HUGE change for me, i didn't cry when that first snip was taken and something like 10-12 inches fell to the floor. this is a major step for me! usually THREE inches makes me cry.
not only did i not cry, but i am, right now, loving it!
Monday, September 08, 2008
best (and most heartbreaking) call ever
me: hello?
kendyl: hi tara
me: hi kendyl!
kendyl: i miss you. i want to see you. i miss you because i love you.
and that was just the beginning. apparently, according to kate and mom, kendyl has been crying quite a bit in the last couple weeks, and when asked what's wrong, she says she misses me and wants to see me. um hello, jab to my heart!
in other news, there have been many celebrations over the last few days with the d family. the twins celebrated their 11th birthday on friday, and the celebrations started on labor day with a trip to american girl place in la, where dolls and doll accessories were purchased in abundance.
they continued when i dropped by on friday for a surprise gifting. the surprise yielded the desire results with excitement all around, but mostly from the twins, who were the recipients of an american girl doll tote (which was purchased quite stealthily in the presence of the giftee) and a call ripken jr. signed baseball. i was an absolute hero for an hour, and it was awesome!
rachel and brad remove the wax
further celebrations were held on sunday with cake (decorated by nicole) and will continue (as nicole is officially now a teenager!) through tomorrow.
nicole shows off her new cell phone...and it's...um...room
my first day of unemployment yielded some time at the beach, a call for an interview, and dinner with roomies.
paige, me, and dez
the interview is for a company that i applied to well over a month ago, so hopefully i'll start getting more phone calls soon!
kendyl: hi tara
me: hi kendyl!
kendyl: i miss you. i want to see you. i miss you because i love you.
and that was just the beginning. apparently, according to kate and mom, kendyl has been crying quite a bit in the last couple weeks, and when asked what's wrong, she says she misses me and wants to see me. um hello, jab to my heart!
in other news, there have been many celebrations over the last few days with the d family. the twins celebrated their 11th birthday on friday, and the celebrations started on labor day with a trip to american girl place in la, where dolls and doll accessories were purchased in abundance.
they continued when i dropped by on friday for a surprise gifting. the surprise yielded the desire results with excitement all around, but mostly from the twins, who were the recipients of an american girl doll tote (which was purchased quite stealthily in the presence of the giftee) and a call ripken jr. signed baseball. i was an absolute hero for an hour, and it was awesome!
rachel and brad remove the waxfurther celebrations were held on sunday with cake (decorated by nicole) and will continue (as nicole is officially now a teenager!) through tomorrow.
nicole shows off her new cell phone...and it's...um...roommy first day of unemployment yielded some time at the beach, a call for an interview, and dinner with roomies.
paige, me, and dezthe interview is for a company that i applied to well over a month ago, so hopefully i'll start getting more phone calls soon!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
you know you're a southern california girl when:
1. you have a permanent flip flop tan line
2. 84 degrees is hot!
3. freeway numbers always begin with the. ‘the’ 405, ‘the’ 5, ‘the’ 101. no more jus’ plain ol’ ‘7’
4. you have faced near evacuation due to wildfires, and delayed planes due to earthquakes
5. your driver’s license is too flimsy to pick a lock
6. you can build your base tan while shopping at the local mall
7. there is a one minute time limit on staying in the same lane while driving on the freeway
8. during 'orange' season, you can choose from 10,246 varieties
9. you have more swimsuits than business suits
10. weekends mean your bike gets more miles than your car
11. disneyland is a friday night activity not a vacation destination*
12. paying for car insurance means taking a second job
13. you don't ever, ever, never close your windows
14. the speed limit is either an impossible dream or a helpful suggestion
*okay, so i haven't actually been to disneyland yet, but this is true for 90% of the southern cal girls i know!
2. 84 degrees is hot!
3. freeway numbers always begin with the. ‘the’ 405, ‘the’ 5, ‘the’ 101. no more jus’ plain ol’ ‘7’
4. you have faced near evacuation due to wildfires, and delayed planes due to earthquakes
5. your driver’s license is too flimsy to pick a lock
6. you can build your base tan while shopping at the local mall
7. there is a one minute time limit on staying in the same lane while driving on the freeway
8. during 'orange' season, you can choose from 10,246 varieties
9. you have more swimsuits than business suits
10. weekends mean your bike gets more miles than your car
11. disneyland is a friday night activity not a vacation destination*
12. paying for car insurance means taking a second job
13. you don't ever, ever, never close your windows
14. the speed limit is either an impossible dream or a helpful suggestion
*okay, so i haven't actually been to disneyland yet, but this is true for 90% of the southern cal girls i know!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
in support of a friend
many of you may remember me talking about a good friend i have here in california, who i have quite literally known for 13 years. when i moved here, he and his wife were the only two people i knew (aside from the cousins, of course), and they extended their friendship and love to me, most notably during the period after which i lost cyra.brandon, at age 31, and within a month of my arrival, was diagnosed with germ cell cancer, and during the following months i was awed by his humility and his gratitude as he received treatment for the disease. he is now, thankfully, cancer free, and in recognition of the support he received during that difficult time, has shouldered the daunting task of creating, hosting, and performing at a concert to benefit the make-a-wish foundation.
the concert will be held on sunday, september 14th. for you non-mormon readers in the area, i highly encourage you to attend. for you mormon readers in the area, i'll leave it to your conscience as it is a sunday event. for my part, i will be on-hand to support someone who i am blessed to have in my life again, and who has provided a great deal of service to me.
if you are out of the area and can't attend, but are interested in supporting in a financial way (no pressure, but i'd be remiss if i didn't at least extend the opportunity), please contact brandon directly and tell him i sent you. tickets for the event are only $10, so obviously, large donations not expected:)
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