6 Months

Today is my 6th month Blogger anniversary.

What an unexpected and unprecidented six months it's been, boy howdy.


Time flies when you're...learning a whole lot about life and how to adequately live it (let's hope that doesn't stop)...

When the simple becomes complicated

My friend Levon, bless him, always keeps it interesting, even when he's not trying.

Take tonight, for example. He came by to get the desk that my old roommate left behind. After 20 minutes of struggling to get it into his Honda Civic ('93), he promptly locked his keys in the car.

This is where my AAA membership comes in handy ($45 USD a year, well worth the investment). I called them up, and half-an-hour later, the man arrived to break his way into Levon's car -- and quickly, I might add. He wore squeaky shoes, as well.

Yup. Levon -- my hat's off to you -- you certainly can take a girl away from her work in the most unexpected ways. Thanks a lot, brother, I love you anyway...even if you do give away my Valentines cookies to homeless guys at gas stations (and email that girl, or else!!)

S is for Silly

S is also for Sad, as in...it's sad that as I was admiring a snail crawling up a wall tonight, I heard a CRUNCH under my foot when I took my next step. Oh, sorry about that little guy...

And for Sucked-in, as in...Flickr will suck you in at approximately 2:30 in the morning...

And finally for So, as in...I'm so fortunate (blessed, lucky, thankful, etc.) to be right where am I at this moment in time.

Today, I...

+Got up exactly one minute before my alarm went off.
+Realized I left the bathroom heater on ALL NIGHT.
+Learned that if you want to disarm a group of middle-aged men, put a small, blond toddler in their midst.
+Sent in my unemployment claim (check pending, should arrive in about 10 days).
+Saw a man who looked and dressed like Jesus (at least what everyone wants you to think Jesus looked and dressed like).
+Learned that there may actually be affordable office space to be had in L.A.
+Got my first passport photos ever. A good pic, and if you've seen my ATM card, you know that's not always the case.
+Witnessed a woman nearly getting run over by a car. I'm not kidding, metal touched flesh -- she was lucky.
+Heard my mother is feeling better (thank God).
+Had my car's oil changed by a man named Simon.
+Took a nap (oh wait, that's in the near-near future).


And it's only 2:45.

The Units

I love my parents (the parental units, if you will).

I just got off the phone with my dad, who's so sweet and funny. I usually never get a chance to talk to him solo, since when I talk to my parents, I talk to them both at once. It's funny, though, 'cause when I get my dad alone on the phone, I realize how similar we really are. So often, people compare me to my mother (my mother is the biggest culprit of this, mind you), but I truly think my dad and are are more alike. Laid-back, relaxed most of the time, yet when we get mad, it comes in flashes and leaves just as quickly. We're both dreamers, usually with our heads in the clouds, and we can riff on stupid movie plot ideas for hours. Yet we're also pretty organized and on top of things when we need to be. Both affable and smiley and ridiculously easy to make laugh (and also both very ticklish). The only bad thing is that we both have a tendency to go straight to the worst case scenario. I guess if we were in a pickle together, we'd probably want someone else in the boat with us, so to speak.

And my mom? Well, right now my mom's pretty sick. It might be the flu -- they're going to the doctor tomorrow. At her age, 63, it's all a bit worrisome. I can't believe the time in life has come where I'm starting to be really concerned when they get sick. Umm, I don't really like this feeling, actually. It leaves me a bit unsettled to think that one day, the parent/child role could be reversed. Not that I wouldn't take care of my parents, it's still scary to think about.

Do yourself a favor

And go see this movie!




Gegen die Wand, or Head-On. You will not be dissapointed, I promise you. Perhaps you will not find yourself much in common with the two protagonists of the story, Cahit and Sibel, who meet in a mental hospital after their respective failed suicide attempts. Who, after a marriage of convenience, end up falling in love, only to be met with tragedy.

You'll say to yourself -- I'm not that willfully self-destructive, I'm not the child of old-fashioned Turkish Muslim parents, I'm not a recreational cocaine user...but still, this story will resonate.

It's glorious and exhilirating, grimy and messy, funny and tragic. And I garuntee you'll never be so tickled to see a man dance around with blood streaming down his arms, glass embedded in his hands, so madly in love.

Clementine gardens

This is what happens when breakfast becomes art.

A few extra-ripe clementines become...



Flowers and leaves and butterflies, suddenly.

Who knew that small citrus fruit could be so inspiring? They work as good palette cleansers, too (helps with onion breath -- remember that). So tiny, so versitile.

Wish you were here

It's done! It took 31 days, in which I endured doubt, ant infestations, a full-time job, unexpected house guests, stomach flu, a cold, software perils, parking tickets, a clogged sink, and did I mention doubt?

But that's okay, 'cause it's finished, and all is well. To celebrate, I went to Pt. Dume, in Malibu today. This is February in California, people. Bet you wish you were here.