La De Da

After putting it of for a while, I finally opened a checking account back here. It feels good not to have all those graduation checks just sitting there. I also went to the mall, where I got a new wallet. Other than that, it was the same old routine.

I didn't mention it earlier, but I got my law school schedule a few days ago; I have an 8:00 class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I'll really have to get up early in order to make the commute. Lets hope it works out. I also learned that I'll have to read A Civil Action, which shouldn't be too difficult.

Ms. Weatherup's Wild Ride

My mom let me borrow her minivan again (since Chrissie is using our shared car), ao I made plans to go to a movie on the other side of the hill. Of course, since I haven't driven much outside of the general area and didn't have a map that gave me an overview of major streets (Mapquest was out of the question, since I don't feel ready to tackle freeways in the minivan)... and because my sense of direction is still, uh, atrocious, I got lost to the point that I couldn't make the showing. Instead, I had lunch in Larchmont (which is right by my old high school) and went over to LACMA (which had a Murillo exhibit I was interested in). It's really pleasant just to be alone and able to think and remember without having to worry about or be distracted by the people around you; losing yourself in thought is really something to be cherished. It's one of the major reasons I enjoy having a decent amount of solitude so much. Anyway, I drove back home; though I took a different route, I had a much easier time of getting back home.

And, according to my sister, the air conditioning is broken again.

Heat

This afternoon, I walked a few blocks to a deli, where I had lunch. After I got back and slacked a bit, Chrissie and I drove to Balboa Park, where we walked and went on the paddleboats. The paddleboats were especially fun; we kept on following random ducks around.

Today, the temperature was 100 degrees in the valley... and the car's air conditioner is still broken. Needless to say, the drive wasn't exactly fun, though at least we could listen to the car stereo if we needed to be distracted from the fact that we were melting.

Stuff

Early this afternoon, I turned the car in to fix the air conditioning (yet again) and see if they could fix the stalling problem that the car sometimes has. Unfortunately, nothing came of it; the price of fixing the air conditioning would be $600, and they hadn't gotten the chance to look at the other problem. I had to take the car back. Hopefully I'll be able to get it fixed somewhere else. I dread having to stay in a car without air conditioning, particularly since I spend the bulk of my time in the Valley. Later on, I was able to watch my Amélie DVD. Later on, I was able to call Pepperdine about the student housing... I really hope I can work something out... living at home and taking the long commute would be a nightmare.

Stuff

I got to see my friend Natasha today; we met at the Gentle Barn in Tarzana, where she is thinking of volunteering. It's sort of a rescue station for farm animals. While there, we had vegan food and went on a guided tour, where we were told the stories of the various animals living there.

Later, we drove down to Santa Monica; we were in separate cars for part of the way, so this was my first solo freeway drive (and the 405 is one of the trickiest freeways around). We didn't have much time to do anything, so we just ended up sharing a pretzel. Finally, we went to a restaurant where we were going to listen to a guitarist, but we were turned away (there was a private party or something). We eneded up eating somewhere else before I said goodbye and drove back home.

La De Da

The Hollywood Bowl concert was a lot of fun; it was neat to listen to Pink Martini (and Sergio Mendes, who also played) and hear the ways in which the music sounded different when played live. They also performed a few songs that weren't on their CD, so that was interesting.

Yesterday, I was able to get the radio/CD player installed in the car; I am so glad that I got it done; it's nice to finally be able to listen to music. Unfortunately, they were pretty busy, since it was a Saturday and many people needed installation, so it took a fairly long amount of time to get it done. I ended up spending a couple of hours at the Northridge mall with little to do, since there weren't any movies that I wanted to watch and I got bored with the stores fairly quickly. Luckily, I had a book to read, so it wasn't too bad.

Assorted Rambling

I haven't been very motivated to update lately; my life has been a bit on the dull side lately. I have been able to get a bit of driving time in, though I haven't gone too far out of the immediate area. In any case, it makes things easier, since navigation becomes less of a problem.

Chrissie and I have been looking for a new CD player/radio to install in our car; they are around $100 plus installation, but it's really worth it, since driving long distances without music is no fun. Hopefully we'll be able to get that done in the coming weeks.

I had to get a new watch band today, since mine had broken a few days ago. I'm so used to having a watch that not having one, even for a few days, was maddening.

Finally, Chrissie and I will be going to the Hollywood Bowl to listen to Pink Martini. I gave her their CD for Christmas this year, so I thought it would be fun for us to see them perform.

Vroom!

This morning, mom, Sunny, and I went to our grandparents to say hello; as usual, grandpa took Sunny on a walk around the neighborhood, and gram gave me too much to eat (I think grandmothers are contractually required to do that). It's fun to see them; I'm glad we're pretty close. That afternoon, I drove (on surface streets) to the Cartoon Network building in Burbank, where I met Craig Bartlett for lunch and got to see the 1/2 hour pilot for Party Wagon, a cartoon he's developing. It's really great that he's so generous with his time. Later, I drove down to do some reading at a coffee place, but I had to leave before I had the chance to do much reading, as I had to meet my parents for dinner.

It's nice that I'm getting more confident about driving; I really value my independence, and it's a relief that I can just take off when I want to instead of having to be dependent on my mom for transportation. It's also much better for my parents, since they shouldn't need to be at my beck and call at this point.

Happy Birthday To Me

My birthday was low-key, but nice nonetheless. After I woke up, Chrissie drove me to the Coffee Bean. Later, my grandparents came over to wish me a happy birthday. Later, Chrissie and I drove to Jerry's Deli for a birthday lunch. The rest of the day was sort of uneventful for me. Chrissie had to leave that afternoon (she's visiting a suitemate of hers in Indiana), so I was stuck at home for a while. That evening, my parents and I went to a birthday dinner.

7/10

Yesterday morning, I went with Chrissie to her campaign site; it was certainly better than staying at home. While I was there, I ghostwrote an opinion piece for the candidate that I didn't really agree with, but anything that will get me out of the house is good, right? Later, we went to Borders, where she searched for gift items before she had to leave for dinner with a friend.

Today I slept in and had an uneventful morning and afternoon, but I did get out of the house later. I just drove to the mall and stayed around there for a while, but it was nice having time alone where I wasn't rotting in fromt of a TV screen. It was actually my first time driving without a passenger.

It is really hot around here, particularly in the Valley. I'm sort of worried that I'm suffering from some heat exhaustion... I've been feeling faint lately, and even started to black out a few times. Hopefully, drinking more water and having enough salt (according to some web sites I looked at, some heat exhaustion is caused by electrolyte imbalance rather than simple dehydration). If it gets any worse, I'll have to take more serious action, but I think I'll be okay.

For those who have forgotten or have never heard in the first place, tomorrow is a very special day... and no, I'm not talking about the anniversary of the day Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton.

Stuff and Junk

On Sunday, I went with the family to see Minority Report, which I thought was pretty well-done. Afterwards, Chrissie and I went to the local Blockbuster, where we rented The Very Thought Of You, Four Weddings and a Funeral (her choices), and Pi (my choice). We ended up seeing The Very Thought Of You that night. I also got a call from Fred, which was good because we haven't talked for a while.

Today was the usual routine of sitting around and watching TV, which gets dull after a while. Hopefully I'll find more things to do soon.

Fourth and Stuff

The Fourth was fun; we went to my mom's parents' house, where we spent the day with aunts, uncles, and cousins. My twin cousins are two, and are at the age where they're starting to talk a decent amount and connect with people more. Unfortunately, I had something of a headache that day, and I got somewhat tired by the end.

Friday was mostly uneventful, though I was able to put together some CD labels. My mixes have been unlabeled for months, so I'm glad I'm starting to organize things more.

Today, I visited my friend Natasha; we had dinner and saw Lilo and Stitch. It also marked my first freeway trip in a long time (I was accompanied by my dad). The car I have to drive is not exactly easy to manuver, and because of my inexperience, I wasn't exactly the best driver. We escaped safely, but I really wish that there was a decent system of public transportation around...

Early Mornings

Miraculously enough, I got up early this morning. It's odd how having the little bit of extra time changes the rest of the day; you really are able to get more done. Anyway, I went with my sister and dad to get my dad's car from the shop (we are both in the 'learning to drive' stage, though belatedly so). Once my dad got his car and left for work, the two of us drove to get some coffee before heading home.

I had the house to myself for much of the afternoon, since Chrissie had some campaign stuff to work on. I was able to take the time to copy some photos to CD, a long-overdue task. Later that afternoon, the two of us went to the mall, where we walked around before going to see Lilo and Stitch, which was a lot of fun.