winner winner winner!
i was at phil's bbq last night with some friends, and i insisted on buying dinner for one of them (she's currently unemployed, and the get together was in her honor... how could i not??). as i was waiting in line, i noticed that there was a small sign advertising phil's 10-year anniversary, celebrated by the store with hourly giveaways and fabulous prizes. i looked around, but didn't see how to actually throw my name in the hat of prizes, so i gave up. but while the register was spitting out my receipt at the counter, the cashier was suddenly quite loud and excited, saying "you won!" and shoving a receipt in my face. turns out, i was that hour's prize winner, as selected by the computer. as we walked to the prize canister, i asked what i could win. "tshirts, bikes, amusement park tickets...". i told him that "i don't want no tshirt." he told me to choose wisely then.
my hand reached in, the envelope came out, and it was every girl's dream: plastic. a gift card for phil's, though when i asked how much was on it, every visor-clad head shrugged with "i don't know"s. turns out it was $10, as the automated lady told me from the customer service # on the back.
how's that for karma?
current mood: i like my bbq hot

the promotion
it's that time of year again, time for my one good deed of the year. tomorrow morning, sometime before 6a, i will be getting in my car and driving to cal state LA to be the model alumna of the jet programme. i've volunteered at the pre-d every year since my return, and last year was exciting because they FINALLY took a leap of faith and put me on a panel. this year, i put forth the same plea when it came time to call for volunteers, and the response was again a panel... but this time, they PUT ME IN CHARGE.

oh man. i hope they know what they've gotten themselves in to ; )

all in all, it will be an interesting day, ending nicely with dinner with d. and THAT i am looking forward to! not so much the drive home that night, though.
current mood: road warrior-ish

FORE! thought
i had been assigned to schmwork (schmooze and work) the hospitality tent for the US Open on Thursday, and i have to admit, i wasn't really looking forward to it all that much. i'm definitely not a golfer, though it is on my list of things to do, and i definitely didn't know anyone in the tent to even get things kicked off right. so i decided to walk the course, and along the way, i saw two guys who were walking around with white white white faces. after following them for a while, i decided i had to say something, so i tapped one of them on the shoulder with an "excuse me... did you know you're covered in un-rubbed-in sunblock?" he looked at me for a second, then his hands flew to his face to rub it in again, all the while cursing the sunblock and his friend, neither of which had indicated to him that he was walking about looking a bit the crazy person. while frantically rubbing his face, he pointed at my ucsd logo'd shirt and said "hey, nice shirt, i went there." turns out he and i went to the same warren college and graduated (technically) the same year. small world, huh? he had also grown up in north county, so it was even more coincidental. i spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with him and his friend at the 16th pin, getting a few lessons in golf, stepping over sunburnt drunk people passed out in the grass, heckling players and other spectators, and generally goofing off. i get the impression i got a different US Open experience than most who had journeyed there, but at least i have a new appreciation for the audience. and for sunblock ; )
current mood: schooled

mama needs a new pair of shoes!
as i was standing in line upstairs at nordstrom's last friday, i suddenly had a sinking feeling... quite literally. my right heel of one of my favorite pairs of shoes had punctured the floor and lodged itself flat. as the cashier sweetly called out for the next person in line, i let her know that i'd love to be there, but i was unfortunately stuck in her floor. she seemed unfazed as i tried to work my shoe out of the death grip the floor had on it. i finally released it and examined the damage, which was minimal, considering i had been nibbled on by the building. but there was definitely a tear in the suede on the back of the heel, so i proceeded downstairs to the shoe department to inquire as to whether or not they would be able (and willing) to fix it. after finally being directed away from the grumpy salesman who didn't want to help me as i was obviously not going to be spending money, i finally got a hold of the manager. he had already taken a lap upstairs to see the damage, and then frowned at my heel. his expression told me right away that my shoe was doomed for repair, but he followed it up with the words every shoe-girl wants to hear: "let's get you a new pair of shoes!". my eyes went wide as i considered those words; it was like the golden ticket of the urban girl's dreams. in an amazing show of self-restraint, i let him know that i was short on time at the moment, to which he promptly handed me his business card with "customer went through floor upstairs, we owe her a new pair of shoes" on the back. i carried it out, willing my eyes not to dart around so no shoes would seduce me in to a rash decision.
so now i'm sitting on this golden ticket, and will be scheduling myself into a day where i can take as much time as i need to carefully select my new pair of any shoes i want. and knowing me, as much as i would probably dream of going for the most lavish pair i could find, i will guess practicality will take over my head, and i will walk out with something quite boring. but i'm going to try not to do that :)
current mood: lucky!

that time o' year
i've gotten into the annual habit of letting people know, right about the end of march, that i will resurface again in july. that's the cyclic madness of my job, and this week is the climax. starting last saturday, i've worked every weekend and weekday night, extending in to late late (like midnight) monday the 9th. i've turned down friends and ignored family, all for the eventual success of wrapping up the school year. i'm pooped, and my feet need a break from the constant high heels. plus, with my apartment being turned upside down for the last month plus, i'm unsettled and discombobulated. i'm looking forward to july, getting back to myself, and maybe a little vacay... napa, anyone?
current mood: exhausted

hard head
my worked moved in to our new building about 2 months ago, and the grand opening was 2 weeks ago... yet the building is not done. it's strange, watching the dusty construction men tromp through the hallways with students sprinkled here and there. the sophisticated suits trying to hold important meetings while the buzz of equipment permeates the air. and everywhere, hard hats, hard hats, hard hats. except for on us normal people. i guess our hard heads are enough. my day is usually punctuated with air guns shooting bolts into the ceiling downstairs... so much so where my chair moves or my monitor shakes. my personal favorite is the saw sound, because i'm sure that bugs bunny is going to come popping through the floor any second.
current mood: watching my head... and my toes.