fortune
as we are wrapping up our conversation, the waitress brings the cookies, crinkly in their perch on the receipt. the conversation has a hint of waiting to it, so we're grateful for the distraction. cracking open the thick skin, i pull out the sliver of paper that punctuates the point:

Now is the time to set your sights high and go for it.

i'm going for it, with that slip of paper in my pocket.
current mood: chotto nervous

summertime fun
...or rather, weekend fun. in the summer.

current mood: bouncytrouncyflouncypouncyfunfunfunfunfun

hell no, we (can't) go
you may have heard about the labor strike that's going on across UC campuses. they started monday with plans for a 5-day strike, and as we round out the week, they have only gotten stronger in their campaign. on monday, there were a handful of green-shirted folks on a corner on the campus, by today there were tents and horns and whistles and signs. and honestly, i have been impressed by their efforts, and have supported their rights to strike for their cause. however, reality sorta set in when we realized that we weren't going to have trash service (okay, no biggie, i can walk my trash out to wherever)... AND when all the major restrooms (read: more than one toilet) were closed since there was no one to service them. and THAT is when i started to have a tiny bit of an issue. so now we have one entire building sharing 2 toilets on our floor. you basically have to take a number and get in line if you gotta go. and i have yet to find alternative facilities! so my days are tempered and liquid intake is measured until the strike breaks... or i do.
current mood: thirsty!

S&M
not necessarily my best photog skills, but they really do capture the essence of our little so*cal family:


congrats stephanie and "big mike"!
current mood: loved

hands free
i like watching the aftermath of the new hands-free law for simultaneously driving and talking on a cell phone in california. this morning i saw a guy shouting at his dashboard. poor guy.
current mood: can you hear me now?

civic duty
today (and hopefully only today) i'm in jury duty, and have already been greatly challenged by not laughing out loud at some of the things i see and hear. the orientation must have been made by or for first graders, but the part that amuses me the most is the constant iteration of how much i am going to enjoy my experience, and perhaps even make lifelong friends. hey, anything can happen, but please forgive me as i take a little more pessimistic perspective to that. i've also come to find other people's interpretations of "business casual" dress quite... uh... creative? anywhere from medical scrubs to metallica tshirts with slacks.
i had hoped for a bit of silver lining to being trapped down here in as that i (used to) have quite a few friends who work downtown and therefore would be able to see them during my almost 2 hour lunch break. however, due to a bankruptcy filing and an inconvenient nfl meeting, my peoples have either moved away from their downtown employer, or are occupied entertaining clients. so i guess i'm on my own.
i found as i climbed on to the trolley this morning that i felt a flicker of japanese familiarity. staring in to my own reflection as the scene outside ticked by was always my opportunity to be introspective while riding the trains around j-land. i easily fell in to that same state of mind as my hazy face came in to view in the trolley window, trees and buildings and poles darkening it occassionally. and while the face has changed over time and experience, the feeling has not, and i felt again connected to my hometown... whichever one that may be.
current mood: thoughtful

brilliantly britt-ish
bday shenanigans are the best!


current mood: like a rockstar

numb
coming to work after my two cavity fillings this morning was a bad idea. packing celery for lunch was a worse idea. and going to spin class in a few minutes may prove to be the worst yet.
current mood: a little drooly