See... regarding my last post, I think what has been bothering me the most is that the crucial information comes in what happened next. We saw all of this family drama... but how did the MIB come to be so absolutely set against his brother? Like MY brother said, there was never a point during the episode where MIB showed hatred for Jacob... there was always a brotherly bond there. Are we supposed to assume that their relationship as we have been shown it in the present is a result of Jacob's condemning action of chucking MIB down that tunnel? Sentencing him to something "worse than death"? We've been taught that making assumptions about LOST is a silly thing to do. Heck, we've even been shown that a lot of things that we come to think of as reality, as givens, are quite another.
Part of me likes the idea that the smoke monster preceded the man in black- and perhaps there's room for that, somehow- but I cant get past the fact that it wants to kill the Island's protector/replacements so badly when we see it in the form of MIB. In the last episode never saw the smoke monster trying to kill the guys' mother- the protector... smokey didnt seem to be part of Jacob's story until that moment that he threw his brother into the light. It's possible that the smoke monster is living the MIB's cause, since it's inhabiting his body- but with the Locke-thing, it seems more like Locke's body is serving the monster- not the monster serving all of Locke's past dreams and aspirations. And anyhow, MIB's cause was never to kill Jacob- not that we've seen. Even though MIB is capable of killing family... he shares a different type of relationship with Jacob than he did with his mother.
On an unrelated but still LOST note, can someone help me out with this one? You know a few episodes ago when Desmond has his sideways-world excursions? We switched with him from world to world whenever something like unconsciousness happened, right? I might be wrong here. I just remember that when he fainted with Penny in sideways-land, he "woke up" in the Island world- and sort of vice versa, he woke up to Penny once more after leaving consciousness in the Island world. I might be recalling it wrong so correct me if so. But if I'm right, how can these two worlds exist smoothly? If you can only be conscious in one world at a time? Because I dont think the premise of the worlds is that way, but that's what it seemed like, at least, during that episode- and in episodes earlier in the show, when Desmond was trying to find his constant. Anyhow. Huh.
OH. I'm going to be with the Brockton Rox this summer. In Brockton, MA. :)
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Across The Sea
ANOTHER LOST POST. DONT READ THIS IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED THE LATEST EPISODE... and seriously even if you have, with only 2 more new episodes to go, you might just throw in the towel after watching last night's episode and in that case would want nothing to do with this blog entry. I would understand.
#1. Who is Claudia, where did she come from? How are people drawn to the Island before Jacob can draw them there- before he had a purpose to call them there? I have a feeling that these are some of those interesting questions that we will not be receiving an answer to.
#2. How long ago is this?? They're speaking in Latin at the beginning.
#3. What's the name of Jacob/the Man in Black's mother?
#4. How did she get the job of Island Protector?
#5. Why is the young Man in Black "special" according to mom?
#6. What a short labor. And babies without umbilical cords?
#7. What's up with the board game? This is probably the biggest piece of symbology in the episode but I kept waiting for the game to be some kind of metaphor for what's going on throughout the show.. never happened. If it's simply showing where those black and white rocks that keep popping up come from, then, eh.
#8. Jacob cant lie to save his life... unlike the MIB... who is special because of it?
#9. "Do you love me, Jacob?"
#10. I like the young Man in Black.
#11. "What's dead?" "Something you will never have to worry about." This implies some sort of immortality. Clearly, the kids are still aging, growing up... so does that mean that she's saying that one day when he takes over her protector roll (as she clearly assumes he will be the one to do so), he'll be immortal? I dont quite follow, because she says that she's made it so that the boys will never be able to hurt each other. Is this an immortality that allows aging, or aging up to a certain point? And if that's not the case, then what does it mean that they cant harm each other yet they are NOT immortal? HOW does the mother have these powers? How does Jacob have the power to grant Richard agelessness.
Pause. On the immortality front, are any of them actually immortal? Clearly, Jacob isnt- he just doesnt age, and cant be killed by his brother. Clearly, the mother isnt. Neither is Richard, who cant kill himself but can be killed. The Man in Black/Locke-thing, we're not sure about. Though Ben was able to kill Jacob, none of our survivors have been able to kill the Locke-thing- and there have been some attempts, to be sure.
Unpause.
#12. Hold up. What is going on with the fairytale that pokes its way into this episode? Seriously, legend is cool and fitting. Fairytale stuff though? Golden CGI light beaming out from a tunnel where a stream is flowing and red flowers are blooming? I remember last night's reaction to this... something like a raised eyebrow, and a whaaaat? Talk about a departure from the show. This whole episode seemed out of place because we really didnt see any of the main characters of the show. Now with the weird magical light, which still remains unnamed and unexplained... is it electromagnetic energy? It seems to be linked to the wheel that has been pushed on several occasions (by Ben, Locke, etc). It seems like a fairly important thing to know, so why cant we just cut to the chase? I mean, if you can call it cutting to the chase after all this time.
#13. Wow, this fairytale scene is complete with harp and chimes in the score.
#14. Why cant the mother protect the "light source" forever?
#15. "One day, you can make up your own game, and everyone else will have to follow your rules." young MIB to young Jacob. Hmmm.
#16. Why can the MIB see dead people? Why CANT Jacob?
#17. Before "present day" when the MIB is actually taking the form of many of the dead people we see on the show, "who" are these ghosts?
#18. Ahh. At around 17 min and 25 seconds, a REAL LOST scene.. trekking through the jungle at night with a torch. I can dig this.
#19. Jacob has a temper.
#20. "You'll never be able to leave this Island." Mom to little MIB. Truth? and Why? And was the ghost of his real mother trying to kill him by either getting him to leave (which he apparently cant do) or by driving someone else to kill him as he tries to leave- all because he is a candidate? Was the real-mom-ghost an old Smoke Monster who was just trying to escape the Island too, and needed all protectors/potential protectors dead? That just seems a little off, and a little too much of a leap or assumption to make. As far as we know, it's only the MIB who wants to leave - and not some possible other smoke monster being - because he wants to go to where he comes from (why? you've got me... if he has known the Island as his home for his entire life, I could see how he might be curious to see what's across the ocean but dont understand his sudden hatred of the Island).
#21. Isnt Hawaii beautiful?
#22. The mother had her baby on the Island and lived, or was going to if she hadnt been murdered. Maybe she was so far along that she wasnt affected by whatever tends to kill all other pregnant women.
#23. Yes.. Jacob will stay with his mother... for a while. What's the significance? He ends up staying for 30 more years.
#24. Tell me your thoughts on the loom.
#25. Tell me your thoughts on the mother's reaction to Jacob when he asks what she thinks of his tapestry.
#26. Love the first interaction we see between grown up Jacob and his brother. The brotherly back and forth... "well, then I'm sorry I asked about her."
#27. MIB has some muscle.
#28. "That's easy for you to say... looking down on them from above." MIB to Jacob.
#29. MIB talks about "his people" being greedy, manipulative, untrustworthy, selfish... these words describe their mother and the actions we have seen her take with Jacob/MIB.
#30. MIB says that the people are a means to an end- to get off the Island. This is different, at this point, as it doesnt appear that there are rules to his being able to leave (again... that we know of, that have been laid out- his mom did say that he cant leave). I dont understand why he hasnt built a boat after all this time. Really? Wait instead to figure out how to channel the electromagnetic activity underneath the surface of the Island? There have got to be easier ways to reach his goal.
#31. "No, it's impossible.. there IS no way off the Island." And the MIB's response is to yank his dagger from its sheath and huck it at a well. See? See Jacob? The knife sticks to the rocks. I told you there's a way off.
#32. "How do you know all this? How do you know it will work?" "I'm special, mother." And that's it. That's it? That's our explanation?
#33. Why does the MIB think that he doesnt belong there?
#34. Honestly, how does that woman overpower the MIB? She's weak and scraggly looking, he's been digging and working hard for 30 years, muscle man.
#35. "What's down there?" "Life, death, rebirth... it's the source, the heart of the Island." This would be a great little explanation, or a great start at least, if we knew what the Island is. The source of the Island? After all this time it still doesnt mean a lot to me.
#36. There's that flask of wine again. I read in some blog a long time ago that Jacob and the MIB always offer the candidates they've come upon a drink, and the writer was pondering the significance of that. I wonder if there really might be some kind of significance.
#37. Thank you, Jacob, for asking that woman why her "time is over". No thanks to you, lady, for ignoring the question.
#38. Why doesnt Jacob have a choice as to whether or not he's going to take over as protector?
#39. OOOOOH what does it MEAN? Now, you and I are the same. WHATTT DOES THAT MEAN
#40. Did the mother really fill in that well by herself? And kill all those people, and burn the village? Since she and Jacob are "the same" now, did he help her?
#41. Why is the MIB freaking out with the board game in hand? Is it meant to be a symbol of his mom in that scene? His anguish as he realizes what she has done?
#42. We didnt know until she got stabbed that the mother wanted to die. Apparently. It wasnt like Richard, who was trying to kill himself/get someone to help him die. Why was she happy to be killed?
#43. Jacob. Jacob, Jacob. Anger issues. Interesting, the transformation we see with Jacob. He is hot-headed with Richard, too. But anytime that we've seen him after that, he has always been calm/collected/in control.
#44. There's light down that tunnel. When Jacob throws his brother in, the nearly instant reaction is that a train of black smoke comes shooting out. Jacob later talks about how the Island is like a cork stopping the wine (Evil, Malevolence, etc) from spilling out all over the world. When the Evil that he speaks of is uncorked, everything else ceases to exist. So can someone help me tie these points together?
#45. Jacob's parting words are to his brother, not his mom.
After watching last night's episode, I came away with way too many questions. This is what I'm going to do- I'm going to watch the episode again right now and give my live thoughts/list all of my new or yet-unanswered questions in real time. This episode was such a waste in light of what it could have been. Do the writers realize that there are now only TWO episodes left in the series? How on earth can they be creating more questions? I think they're setting themselves up for failure, for massive disappointment, as I was disheartened and sort of miffed after watching the latest installment of LOST. In past episodes, scenes including Jacob and the MIB have been really substantial, very satisfying and/or thought provoking. They've been useful and relevant and the acting has been stellar. Finally, we get a glimpse into their backstory, only to find 1) that the blonde kid playing young Jacob isnt a LOST-caliber actor (I dont know if this was just me but apart from really looking like a young Jacob, I thought this kid was distractingly... not good); 2) the writers think enough of us (viewers) to answer the trivial question of who the two skeletons in the cave are from season 1 (Jack and Hugo recently ran across them again in season 6) before even naming the MIB or his/Jacob's faux-mom; 3) ...again about wasting an episode that could be used for so much good- there were so many questions that could have been answered, relevant questions, that stubbornly remain mysteries. I feel like the LOST people are now just being stingy with us, and at this point in the life of the show, I would think that they owe viewers more than that.
My hope is that I either missed some big truth or truths in this episode, or that the writers really can turn it all around in the remaining 2 episodes. I've heard Damon and Carlton say before that some questions just wont be answered- arent crucial, and wont be answered. Well, again, why the heck are you shoving that stupid explanation of who "Adam" and "Eve" are in our faces when there are so many more pertinent secrets to be shared? That was kind of insulting almost, like one more distraction - like a parent trying to distract a little kid who sees a toy they want by pulling out a stick of gum and making it seem like the gum is so awesome, have the gum, forget about the toy. NO! THE TOY IS AWESOME. Give me something I can have and play with for a long time. Who cares about the Island's "Adam" and "Eve", who (as it turns out) aren't very Adam and Eve-like anyhow.
Ok ok. Time to watch. Comments to come.
#1. Who is Claudia, where did she come from? How are people drawn to the Island before Jacob can draw them there- before he had a purpose to call them there? I have a feeling that these are some of those interesting questions that we will not be receiving an answer to.
#2. How long ago is this?? They're speaking in Latin at the beginning.
#3. What's the name of Jacob/the Man in Black's mother?
#4. How did she get the job of Island Protector?
#5. Why is the young Man in Black "special" according to mom?
#6. What a short labor. And babies without umbilical cords?
#7. What's up with the board game? This is probably the biggest piece of symbology in the episode but I kept waiting for the game to be some kind of metaphor for what's going on throughout the show.. never happened. If it's simply showing where those black and white rocks that keep popping up come from, then, eh.
#8. Jacob cant lie to save his life... unlike the MIB... who is special because of it?
#9. "Do you love me, Jacob?"
#10. I like the young Man in Black.
#11. "What's dead?" "Something you will never have to worry about." This implies some sort of immortality. Clearly, the kids are still aging, growing up... so does that mean that she's saying that one day when he takes over her protector roll (as she clearly assumes he will be the one to do so), he'll be immortal? I dont quite follow, because she says that she's made it so that the boys will never be able to hurt each other. Is this an immortality that allows aging, or aging up to a certain point? And if that's not the case, then what does it mean that they cant harm each other yet they are NOT immortal? HOW does the mother have these powers? How does Jacob have the power to grant Richard agelessness.
Pause. On the immortality front, are any of them actually immortal? Clearly, Jacob isnt- he just doesnt age, and cant be killed by his brother. Clearly, the mother isnt. Neither is Richard, who cant kill himself but can be killed. The Man in Black/Locke-thing, we're not sure about. Though Ben was able to kill Jacob, none of our survivors have been able to kill the Locke-thing- and there have been some attempts, to be sure.
Unpause.
#12. Hold up. What is going on with the fairytale that pokes its way into this episode? Seriously, legend is cool and fitting. Fairytale stuff though? Golden CGI light beaming out from a tunnel where a stream is flowing and red flowers are blooming? I remember last night's reaction to this... something like a raised eyebrow, and a whaaaat? Talk about a departure from the show. This whole episode seemed out of place because we really didnt see any of the main characters of the show. Now with the weird magical light, which still remains unnamed and unexplained... is it electromagnetic energy? It seems to be linked to the wheel that has been pushed on several occasions (by Ben, Locke, etc). It seems like a fairly important thing to know, so why cant we just cut to the chase? I mean, if you can call it cutting to the chase after all this time.
#13. Wow, this fairytale scene is complete with harp and chimes in the score.
#14. Why cant the mother protect the "light source" forever?
#15. "One day, you can make up your own game, and everyone else will have to follow your rules." young MIB to young Jacob. Hmmm.
#16. Why can the MIB see dead people? Why CANT Jacob?
#17. Before "present day" when the MIB is actually taking the form of many of the dead people we see on the show, "who" are these ghosts?
#18. Ahh. At around 17 min and 25 seconds, a REAL LOST scene.. trekking through the jungle at night with a torch. I can dig this.
#19. Jacob has a temper.
#20. "You'll never be able to leave this Island." Mom to little MIB. Truth? and Why? And was the ghost of his real mother trying to kill him by either getting him to leave (which he apparently cant do) or by driving someone else to kill him as he tries to leave- all because he is a candidate? Was the real-mom-ghost an old Smoke Monster who was just trying to escape the Island too, and needed all protectors/potential protectors dead? That just seems a little off, and a little too much of a leap or assumption to make. As far as we know, it's only the MIB who wants to leave - and not some possible other smoke monster being - because he wants to go to where he comes from (why? you've got me... if he has known the Island as his home for his entire life, I could see how he might be curious to see what's across the ocean but dont understand his sudden hatred of the Island).
#21. Isnt Hawaii beautiful?
#22. The mother had her baby on the Island and lived, or was going to if she hadnt been murdered. Maybe she was so far along that she wasnt affected by whatever tends to kill all other pregnant women.
#23. Yes.. Jacob will stay with his mother... for a while. What's the significance? He ends up staying for 30 more years.
#24. Tell me your thoughts on the loom.
#25. Tell me your thoughts on the mother's reaction to Jacob when he asks what she thinks of his tapestry.
#26. Love the first interaction we see between grown up Jacob and his brother. The brotherly back and forth... "well, then I'm sorry I asked about her."
#27. MIB has some muscle.
#28. "That's easy for you to say... looking down on them from above." MIB to Jacob.
#29. MIB talks about "his people" being greedy, manipulative, untrustworthy, selfish... these words describe their mother and the actions we have seen her take with Jacob/MIB.
#30. MIB says that the people are a means to an end- to get off the Island. This is different, at this point, as it doesnt appear that there are rules to his being able to leave (again... that we know of, that have been laid out- his mom did say that he cant leave). I dont understand why he hasnt built a boat after all this time. Really? Wait instead to figure out how to channel the electromagnetic activity underneath the surface of the Island? There have got to be easier ways to reach his goal.
#31. "No, it's impossible.. there IS no way off the Island." And the MIB's response is to yank his dagger from its sheath and huck it at a well. See? See Jacob? The knife sticks to the rocks. I told you there's a way off.
#32. "How do you know all this? How do you know it will work?" "I'm special, mother." And that's it. That's it? That's our explanation?
#33. Why does the MIB think that he doesnt belong there?
#34. Honestly, how does that woman overpower the MIB? She's weak and scraggly looking, he's been digging and working hard for 30 years, muscle man.
#35. "What's down there?" "Life, death, rebirth... it's the source, the heart of the Island." This would be a great little explanation, or a great start at least, if we knew what the Island is. The source of the Island? After all this time it still doesnt mean a lot to me.
#36. There's that flask of wine again. I read in some blog a long time ago that Jacob and the MIB always offer the candidates they've come upon a drink, and the writer was pondering the significance of that. I wonder if there really might be some kind of significance.
#37. Thank you, Jacob, for asking that woman why her "time is over". No thanks to you, lady, for ignoring the question.
#38. Why doesnt Jacob have a choice as to whether or not he's going to take over as protector?
#39. OOOOOH what does it MEAN? Now, you and I are the same. WHATTT DOES THAT MEAN
#40. Did the mother really fill in that well by herself? And kill all those people, and burn the village? Since she and Jacob are "the same" now, did he help her?
#41. Why is the MIB freaking out with the board game in hand? Is it meant to be a symbol of his mom in that scene? His anguish as he realizes what she has done?
#42. We didnt know until she got stabbed that the mother wanted to die. Apparently. It wasnt like Richard, who was trying to kill himself/get someone to help him die. Why was she happy to be killed?
#43. Jacob. Jacob, Jacob. Anger issues. Interesting, the transformation we see with Jacob. He is hot-headed with Richard, too. But anytime that we've seen him after that, he has always been calm/collected/in control.
#44. There's light down that tunnel. When Jacob throws his brother in, the nearly instant reaction is that a train of black smoke comes shooting out. Jacob later talks about how the Island is like a cork stopping the wine (Evil, Malevolence, etc) from spilling out all over the world. When the Evil that he speaks of is uncorked, everything else ceases to exist. So can someone help me tie these points together?
#45. Jacob's parting words are to his brother, not his mom.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
LOST - the 4th hour from the end
LOST SPOILER ALERT. For goodness' sake, dont read this until you've watched the most recent episode.
After watching LOST last night, today has been a quiet day filled with thought. I feel almost as though I have "lost" 3 friends, each of whom I've known for years. One of them has been more or less "gone" for the entirety of this season, but somehow he was back to his old animated and resourceful self last night, it seemed. (not sure if there was a reason for that, or if it was a continuity error, or if my observation is legitimate.) Of course the other two had to go... that was the most romantic and painful direction in which to take them, after their recent long-anticipated reunion.
So. Three episodes remain, and we still have no idea what this Locke-inhabiting being is up to. Until last night, I was under the impression that he needed the survivors to join him in leaving the island- and admittedly, I had no idea why this would be, and was slightly impatient to be given a reason for all of the, "You all must come to the island, or leave the island, together and in a certain way" blathering. We've never been told about these rules, still, after all this time! Several characters seem to know enough to at least tell the key players that things have to be a certain way, so there are rules at work here, no question. I guess that after all this time, I'm ready for some context. I'm ready to understand the rules, I'm ready to understand each side's objective. Anyhow, I guess that the Locke-thing actually needs them all dead, which would make sense with Jacob dead too- the Man in Black told Jacob that if Jacob found a replacement, he'd just kill him or her too. With no replacements, the Man in Black/Locke-thing could skeedaddle, I guess. But Jacob's replacement hasnt been named, so isnt it sort of like there's no one holding the position right now? I dont see why the Locke-thing cant just up and leave. Also, STILL not sure why he's not allowed to kill the candidates... and very much wondering why Charles Widmore had such a change of feeling, or apparently so, towards the survivors. AND... WHERE IS BEN!! ...fine- where is Richard, too? There are only 3 new hours left of LOST. I want to see what Ben is up to!
Lots of cover letters to mail out today. Maybe more writing to come later...
After watching LOST last night, today has been a quiet day filled with thought. I feel almost as though I have "lost" 3 friends, each of whom I've known for years. One of them has been more or less "gone" for the entirety of this season, but somehow he was back to his old animated and resourceful self last night, it seemed. (not sure if there was a reason for that, or if it was a continuity error, or if my observation is legitimate.) Of course the other two had to go... that was the most romantic and painful direction in which to take them, after their recent long-anticipated reunion.
So. Three episodes remain, and we still have no idea what this Locke-inhabiting being is up to. Until last night, I was under the impression that he needed the survivors to join him in leaving the island- and admittedly, I had no idea why this would be, and was slightly impatient to be given a reason for all of the, "You all must come to the island, or leave the island, together and in a certain way" blathering. We've never been told about these rules, still, after all this time! Several characters seem to know enough to at least tell the key players that things have to be a certain way, so there are rules at work here, no question. I guess that after all this time, I'm ready for some context. I'm ready to understand the rules, I'm ready to understand each side's objective. Anyhow, I guess that the Locke-thing actually needs them all dead, which would make sense with Jacob dead too- the Man in Black told Jacob that if Jacob found a replacement, he'd just kill him or her too. With no replacements, the Man in Black/Locke-thing could skeedaddle, I guess. But Jacob's replacement hasnt been named, so isnt it sort of like there's no one holding the position right now? I dont see why the Locke-thing cant just up and leave. Also, STILL not sure why he's not allowed to kill the candidates... and very much wondering why Charles Widmore had such a change of feeling, or apparently so, towards the survivors. AND... WHERE IS BEN!! ...fine- where is Richard, too? There are only 3 new hours left of LOST. I want to see what Ben is up to!
Lots of cover letters to mail out today. Maybe more writing to come later...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Coffee Bean
Today I got some good mailing action taken care of. I did something very stupid, and uncharacteristic for that matter, by mailing something that ended up costing me about $14 when I could have thought ahead and gone the flat rate route. Pretty dumb.
Some job searching, some cover letter writing, some gchatting with Roshan, Julie, Kenny, and Nicole, some reading, some coffee drinking. Currently, I'm listening to the Red Sox game (the video feed is blacked out because the Angels are playing the Sox and Angels games are all blacked out for me... how stupid!!!) and enjoying the Papelbon/Dunkin Donuts commercials. What a combination. Red Sox kicked some behind last night... taking out their angst from being swept by the O's over the weekend. Understandable. Embarrassing. And now Jon Lester is pitching insanely well. Without going into it too much, this is his second consecutive start in which he has pitched dominantly which is a key sign that we're seeing the real Jon Lester once again, after a tough first few outings at the start of the season.He's gone for 7 innings, 106 pitches, 4 hits/1 earned run/1 walk allowed, and he's struck out 5. That's a really nice night right there- unfortunately, the game's tied at 1, so our boys better step it up and get Lester that W.
What a glorious, sunny day. Tonight we've got a new episode of LOST... not sure what to have for dinner before then, if anything. This coffee might be enough for me. Hopefully by now everyone has received their pictures of my norcal excursion.
Julie just sent me this picture of Boston, taken this evening:
The Coffee Bean is the closest coffee shop, so if I'm wanting coffee or a place to hang out, The Coffee Bean is my go-to place. Today, I decided to give Peet's Coffee a shot, and judging by today's brews at either coffee shop, I can say that The Coffee Bean's coffee is much much better. I suppose that this is good to know, and if I was really interested in investigating this matter I'd enlarge my sample size but The Coffee Bean has never once let me down. It's sad that there are no cheap places like Dunkin Donuts- at least, I havent found them- but The Coffee Bean is a comfortable hangout spot for studying, writing, and job hunting/dreaming.
I have to wonder why Dunkin Donuts has not moved into California. I know that there's a demand. People would love it out here, cheaper coffee, donuts, bagels, breakfast sandwiches all together. The major coffee joints around are all alike- fancy coffee, decadent-looking bakery items. What about those of us who dont WANT all of that quality stuff? Just a plain old bagel or an occasional treat donut hole will do the trick, thank you.
Well, it's pretty cool to see that at my blog has over 700 views. Tell your friends, and maybe the pressure will get to me and I'll start writing something interesting here :)
Some job searching, some cover letter writing, some gchatting with Roshan, Julie, Kenny, and Nicole, some reading, some coffee drinking. Currently, I'm listening to the Red Sox game (the video feed is blacked out because the Angels are playing the Sox and Angels games are all blacked out for me... how stupid!!!) and enjoying the Papelbon/Dunkin Donuts commercials. What a combination. Red Sox kicked some behind last night... taking out their angst from being swept by the O's over the weekend. Understandable. Embarrassing. And now Jon Lester is pitching insanely well. Without going into it too much, this is his second consecutive start in which he has pitched dominantly which is a key sign that we're seeing the real Jon Lester once again, after a tough first few outings at the start of the season.He's gone for 7 innings, 106 pitches, 4 hits/1 earned run/1 walk allowed, and he's struck out 5. That's a really nice night right there- unfortunately, the game's tied at 1, so our boys better step it up and get Lester that W.
What a glorious, sunny day. Tonight we've got a new episode of LOST... not sure what to have for dinner before then, if anything. This coffee might be enough for me. Hopefully by now everyone has received their pictures of my norcal excursion.
Julie just sent me this picture of Boston, taken this evening:
The Coffee Bean is the closest coffee shop, so if I'm wanting coffee or a place to hang out, The Coffee Bean is my go-to place. Today, I decided to give Peet's Coffee a shot, and judging by today's brews at either coffee shop, I can say that The Coffee Bean's coffee is much much better. I suppose that this is good to know, and if I was really interested in investigating this matter I'd enlarge my sample size but The Coffee Bean has never once let me down. It's sad that there are no cheap places like Dunkin Donuts- at least, I havent found them- but The Coffee Bean is a comfortable hangout spot for studying, writing, and job hunting/dreaming.
I have to wonder why Dunkin Donuts has not moved into California. I know that there's a demand. People would love it out here, cheaper coffee, donuts, bagels, breakfast sandwiches all together. The major coffee joints around are all alike- fancy coffee, decadent-looking bakery items. What about those of us who dont WANT all of that quality stuff? Just a plain old bagel or an occasional treat donut hole will do the trick, thank you.
Well, it's pretty cool to see that at my blog has over 700 views. Tell your friends, and maybe the pressure will get to me and I'll start writing something interesting here :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
visit this link!
http://lost-promo-contest.abc.go.com/published/8594
My LOST finale video, submitted to ABC's contest. Just go and watch, vote if you want (5 STARS!!) but voting doesnt count at this stage. 5 finalists will be selected by their judges, and the 5 will be voted on in mid April. there are some vids on there that are better than mine, for sure... but hopefully mine's one of the top 5 at least! then we can rock the vote when I get to round 2.
My LOST finale video, submitted to ABC's contest. Just go and watch, vote if you want (5 STARS!!) but voting doesnt count at this stage. 5 finalists will be selected by their judges, and the 5 will be voted on in mid April. there are some vids on there that are better than mine, for sure... but hopefully mine's one of the top 5 at least! then we can rock the vote when I get to round 2.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Busy weekend
(Pictures ahead. Click on 'em for full size.)
So much for the weekend being a time set aside for relaxation and recharging.
The last time I really posted was Wednesday... which feels like eons ago. I went out with Emily on Friday night, and we got comically lost on Robertson St. Either we have very similar luck with directions or I jinxed her, because we really did manage to spend 30 minutes looking for a particular place to eat on one street. In the process I was able to ask a Red Sox fan for help with directions, so it was definitely eventful. Emily and I get along really well. And the kicker of our game of hide and seek with Thai Boom, the restaurant we were headed for, was that once we finally found it, the place was a tiny hole-in-the-wall. She had seen that it had high ratings on Yelp.com , and I had mentioned Thai earlier in the day as well, so that's what we had settled on, to try Thai Boom, but as the place turned out to be about the size of Nadine's living room, we opted for another Thai place that just happened to be across the street. I think it was something like Nathalie's. Not sure. Very cool place though. I got Naked Shrimp- 6 shrimp served in individual little square-shaped cups, each cup filled with fish sauce, cilantro, chilis, garlic, and probably some other stuff. Mmmm. Afterwards, we went to Yogurtland. I already talked about that a bit so I'll spare you. But it calls for another MMMMMMMM. So good, so close, so cheap. Westwood Village is a great area, right by UCLA, lots of stuff to do.
Wow, just realized I didnt write about my dinner out with Jess, who is a friend of Gussy's, who is a friend of Robin's! Yes, friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend. That's what this town's all about, after all! Jess works at Dreamworks as an animator. Pretty cool right? I definitely think so. Everyone I've had the chance to spend time with has been incredible. Very interesting people, all of them. Easy conversationalists. Good stories. Good advice. We tried a new restaurant (the name of which neither of us caught, shoot!) in her area of Los Feliz. Another example of how easy it is to drive around here- I would have been hopelessly lost several times on the way there if LA's roads didnt make so much sense. I dont know why but sometimes I decide to deviate from the directions that googlemaps has given me. LA's roads are so formulaically laid out, for the most part, that it was easy to set myself back on track once I realized that my plan wasnt quite right. The restaurant had very slow service but the vibe was ... just lovely. We were all seated outside, and each table was sort of its own island. There were leafless tree-like saplings, one by each table more or less, and so the whole space was broken up nicely this way. Each table had votive candles, a wine bottle of water, and around the space were different very fragrant, subtle-but-beautiful flowers scaling intermittently placed trellises. I'll definitely go back- the minestrone soup was much different than I've ever had, with large chunks of vegetables and no beans or pasta. Yum.
Ok, what's next?
As of Friday, I started working from home. It's lovely so far. I love having lunch at home. I love dressing down. I love having the flexibility to get other things done. Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the DMV in the morning to finalize the registration process, as I had my car smog checked on Thursday and the DMV was closed on Friday. It'll be nice to have the door closed on that for a while. Got my insurance cards in the mail today too... the logistics are pretty much taken care of. Also got to talk to my Grandma for a long time. A bubbly 45 minute conversation, at the end of which I still had plenty more to say and I'm sure she had more to tell. But I needed to get back to work.
Friday night went on for too long... I stayed up till about 1AM, only to have to get up at 5:30AM for the 5K that I ran at Dodger Stadium. I didnt know what to expect, with regards to the course as well as to what my own performance level would be- but two things that I definitely did NOT expect:
So much for the weekend being a time set aside for relaxation and recharging.
The last time I really posted was Wednesday... which feels like eons ago. I went out with Emily on Friday night, and we got comically lost on Robertson St. Either we have very similar luck with directions or I jinxed her, because we really did manage to spend 30 minutes looking for a particular place to eat on one street. In the process I was able to ask a Red Sox fan for help with directions, so it was definitely eventful. Emily and I get along really well. And the kicker of our game of hide and seek with Thai Boom, the restaurant we were headed for, was that once we finally found it, the place was a tiny hole-in-the-wall. She had seen that it had high ratings on Yelp.com , and I had mentioned Thai earlier in the day as well, so that's what we had settled on, to try Thai Boom, but as the place turned out to be about the size of Nadine's living room, we opted for another Thai place that just happened to be across the street. I think it was something like Nathalie's. Not sure. Very cool place though. I got Naked Shrimp- 6 shrimp served in individual little square-shaped cups, each cup filled with fish sauce, cilantro, chilis, garlic, and probably some other stuff. Mmmm. Afterwards, we went to Yogurtland. I already talked about that a bit so I'll spare you. But it calls for another MMMMMMMM. So good, so close, so cheap. Westwood Village is a great area, right by UCLA, lots of stuff to do.
Wow, just realized I didnt write about my dinner out with Jess, who is a friend of Gussy's, who is a friend of Robin's! Yes, friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend. That's what this town's all about, after all! Jess works at Dreamworks as an animator. Pretty cool right? I definitely think so. Everyone I've had the chance to spend time with has been incredible. Very interesting people, all of them. Easy conversationalists. Good stories. Good advice. We tried a new restaurant (the name of which neither of us caught, shoot!) in her area of Los Feliz. Another example of how easy it is to drive around here- I would have been hopelessly lost several times on the way there if LA's roads didnt make so much sense. I dont know why but sometimes I decide to deviate from the directions that googlemaps has given me. LA's roads are so formulaically laid out, for the most part, that it was easy to set myself back on track once I realized that my plan wasnt quite right. The restaurant had very slow service but the vibe was ... just lovely. We were all seated outside, and each table was sort of its own island. There were leafless tree-like saplings, one by each table more or less, and so the whole space was broken up nicely this way. Each table had votive candles, a wine bottle of water, and around the space were different very fragrant, subtle-but-beautiful flowers scaling intermittently placed trellises. I'll definitely go back- the minestrone soup was much different than I've ever had, with large chunks of vegetables and no beans or pasta. Yum.
Ok, what's next?
As of Friday, I started working from home. It's lovely so far. I love having lunch at home. I love dressing down. I love having the flexibility to get other things done. Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the DMV in the morning to finalize the registration process, as I had my car smog checked on Thursday and the DMV was closed on Friday. It'll be nice to have the door closed on that for a while. Got my insurance cards in the mail today too... the logistics are pretty much taken care of. Also got to talk to my Grandma for a long time. A bubbly 45 minute conversation, at the end of which I still had plenty more to say and I'm sure she had more to tell. But I needed to get back to work.
Friday night went on for too long... I stayed up till about 1AM, only to have to get up at 5:30AM for the 5K that I ran at Dodger Stadium. I didnt know what to expect, with regards to the course as well as to what my own performance level would be- but two things that I definitely did NOT expect:
4 Hill/Incline spots in 5K (exact hills not pictured)
Yep. Had to walk a couple times. Which is why I was also not expecting:
Less than 10 minute miles! I havent run since I was on the East Coast, and for anyone who's counting, that's been over a month now. Again, I walked for a couple brief periods, so I was pleasantly surprised at my time.
I was planning to run with my friend Roxy, who also signed up, but we never met up. There were so many people there! The race was supposed to start at 8 but was delayed until about 8:30... terrible, terrible. See, on the morning of a race, people have routines. For instance, if you drink enough water to keep you "running" for about 30 minutes of a race, you drink it at a certain point not too far out from the start of the run so that you wont have to go to the bathroom before you're finished. The delay of the race by half an hour nearly proved to be a disaster for me!! At 8 I was already starting to think that I wished there was a nearby portapotty, but I knew I'd make it through just fine regardless... then they delayed the start by a few minutes every few minutes, and by the time I was climbing the last hill I was concentrating on just holding on for a few more minutes. Let me tell you, it was a close call. And I know for a fact that I was not the only on in this boat! It turned out fine, though, and after the race I hung around till about 1pm. There was a lot to do- so much free energy-this and protein-that. I have a backpack full of STUFF that I still havent really gone through. The LA Marathon was the next day (today, Sunday) so there was a whole Marathon expo happening. And the stadium was open! So of course I spent a lot of time exploring. I wandered into the luxury suites part of the park and talked my way into one of the suites (different rooms were rented out by various charities for post-race unwinding). Nice view!
Then I went up to the Top Deck area behind home plate and spent a good long while sitting in the sun. (Met an Aussie! He knew his baseball, I was impressed.)
..And other exploration pics..
And that's the race. I got home around 1:30pm or 2pm and started the resting process. I cleaned my room and watched LOST... man was I tired, but I couldnt make myself take a nap. Roxy texted later on and we went out to walk along the 3rd Street Promenade. Fun, busy street that's closed off to cars/only for pedestrian traffic. Lots of stores. We relived our respective race day moments of trial and triumph. Then we both went back to our homes and crashed! ZZZZZ
Today was all about the LA Marathon. The majority of the course ran down Santa Monica Blvd, and the entire west-bound side was shut down for the runners. I live off of a side street that connects to Santa Monica Blvd so I walked out to watch for about an hour. Races are really fun events. Inspiring. I saw children runners, runners that must have been in their mid 70's, blind runners, runners with only one leg, overweight runners, very athletic runners, average-looking runners. The whole time I was thinking about how great it would be to run a marathon. I was standing by the Mile 18 marker, and saw maybe 10 people out of the thousands I watched run past who looked like they were laboring, out of breath, red in the face. I guess it's all about pacing, walking when you need to. Lots of people were walking at that point. I was standing on an incline spot so I would imagine that by Mile 18 you're feeling any even slight upward slant in the road as if it's a mountain. Walked up the street a bit to where it was a downhill slant, and ended up talking with a guy and his family who were visiting from Lowell MA. He was sporting a Boston team print button-up so I had to chat with him! And actually, as I was running my 5K, I got about 10 GO RED SOX cheers from people in the crowd as well as people I passed/who passed me. I was wearing my Pedroia shirt, of course :) People dont wear sports shirts out here- that I've noticed, at least. And I really do look out for that. I talk to any Red Sox fan I stumble upon.
When I was tired of standing, I walked back across the street to the Century City Mall and sat in the food court area (it's outside, and a great place to hang out). Wrote some letters, listened to the live entertainment. They have live music there every weekend.
Since then, I've cooked myself some dinner (chicken, spinach, corn, garlic, lemon juice over pasta), watched some LOST. My body is saying, it's time to sleep. My mind and my will might just give in tonight. I have to be up early to get in line at the DMV, take care of this car stuff once and for all.
Long entry. I deserve to be able to end it abruptly. Have a great night everyone. Happy birthday, Grandpa. We all still think of you often. Miss you very, very much.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Far away, this ship is taking me far away/ far away from the memories, of the people who care if I live or die..
HOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD you here in my arms..
I just wanted to HOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD you here in myyyyyy arms..
The janitor at work has squeaky sneakers. Made me think of Grandma today :)
Yesterday's LOST paled in comparison to last week's episode. And I have a feeling it wont have been better than next week's either, because next week we get the inside scoop on Richard!! We've all waited years for this.
When I lived on the East Coast, Springtime daylight savings held significance for me because there was more light in the sky when I got up every morning. Here, it means that it's a lot warmer when I get out of work! I love this. I wouldnt have made the connection myself- but I saw a friend's post on facebook regarding this fact the day after we set our clocks forward. Sure enough, I had experienced a blissful rush of joy that evening when I exited the office building out into the fading day only to find that it was very much warmer outside than it had been inside. That kind of warmth where the air is still and soft and somehow billowy. I love driving home from work between the mountains. Everyone drives so fast here... but my car doesnt easily agree with speeds over 75mph, so I dont worry about it. I enjoy the ride, leaving my sunroof open whenever possible and cranking the tunes.
I'm lovin Hysteria by Muse right now. Especially the instrumental bridge bit.
This morning I went to John O'Groats for breakfast with Joanna and Andrew. I enjoyed applesauce pancakes (wow, huge pancakes... I could only deal with 1 1/2 of them) and some chicken apple sausage minus all the oil that usually comes with breakfast sausages (which meant that I actually rather enjoyed it). We chatted like we'd known each other for any amount of time which gives me great faith that they'll be good friends of mine in the months and years to come. Andrew works at MPower Pictures, and Joanna used to as well but now works at a clinic that provides options alternatives to abortions to pregnant women. Joanna is going to give me a makeup consultation (happy, mom?)... which i'm thrilled about, honestly. Anyway, they were encouraging and I came away with a renewed sense of purpose in my being here in LA. Cant wait to find my way into foley.
This time last year I was working in Boston listening to spring training games with Bill every day. The announcers were pretty bad. We listened to Sox games but if they didnt happen to be on, it didnt matter who was playing... as long as it was baseball. I miss that. I need to start working from home soon so that I can listen in.
I went to Reality LA this Sunday and was blown away. I absolutely loved it. The worship was especially impressive... 30 min of worship, and hour long sermon, and 30 more min of worship. House and stage lights are down during worship which is something I had appreciated about Catacombs worship at my college, but which I'd never seen at a church before. In a place where everyone looked like they had been up for 3 hours getting ready (everyone looked perfect and beautiful.. that part was a little unnerving for me) the lights being down did a great job of reminding that the time wasnt about seeing who was wearing or doing what. The message was one of the most powerful messages I've heard in my life. The pastor was actually the pastor of a different Reality church- Reality LA was a one that he had planted. Good solid mix of scripture and life application.. not too heavy on one side or the other. I'm excited to hear from Reality LA's pastor, who I hear is a pretty intellectual speaker (though he looks like a 30-something hipster! these LA people...)
Grandma- after you're done reading this, go on facebook and ACCEPT MY FRIEND REQUEST! If you see red flags/boxes toward the top left of your facebook page, click them!
Shower time in California. The big LA Marathon is this Sunday... i run a 5K at Dodger Stadium this Saturday. Also draft my first fantasy team of the season on Saturday, cant wait to see who I wind up with!
I've been sick for a few days, with symptoms ranging from long-lasting headaches to sore throats to sneezing and a few coughs here and there. I guess nausea must be next.
The janitor at work has squeaky sneakers. Made me think of Grandma today :)
Yesterday's LOST paled in comparison to last week's episode. And I have a feeling it wont have been better than next week's either, because next week we get the inside scoop on Richard!! We've all waited years for this.
When I lived on the East Coast, Springtime daylight savings held significance for me because there was more light in the sky when I got up every morning. Here, it means that it's a lot warmer when I get out of work! I love this. I wouldnt have made the connection myself- but I saw a friend's post on facebook regarding this fact the day after we set our clocks forward. Sure enough, I had experienced a blissful rush of joy that evening when I exited the office building out into the fading day only to find that it was very much warmer outside than it had been inside. That kind of warmth where the air is still and soft and somehow billowy. I love driving home from work between the mountains. Everyone drives so fast here... but my car doesnt easily agree with speeds over 75mph, so I dont worry about it. I enjoy the ride, leaving my sunroof open whenever possible and cranking the tunes.
I'm lovin Hysteria by Muse right now. Especially the instrumental bridge bit.
This morning I went to John O'Groats for breakfast with Joanna and Andrew. I enjoyed applesauce pancakes (wow, huge pancakes... I could only deal with 1 1/2 of them) and some chicken apple sausage minus all the oil that usually comes with breakfast sausages (which meant that I actually rather enjoyed it). We chatted like we'd known each other for any amount of time which gives me great faith that they'll be good friends of mine in the months and years to come. Andrew works at MPower Pictures, and Joanna used to as well but now works at a clinic that provides options alternatives to abortions to pregnant women. Joanna is going to give me a makeup consultation (happy, mom?)... which i'm thrilled about, honestly. Anyway, they were encouraging and I came away with a renewed sense of purpose in my being here in LA. Cant wait to find my way into foley.
This time last year I was working in Boston listening to spring training games with Bill every day. The announcers were pretty bad. We listened to Sox games but if they didnt happen to be on, it didnt matter who was playing... as long as it was baseball. I miss that. I need to start working from home soon so that I can listen in.
I went to Reality LA this Sunday and was blown away. I absolutely loved it. The worship was especially impressive... 30 min of worship, and hour long sermon, and 30 more min of worship. House and stage lights are down during worship which is something I had appreciated about Catacombs worship at my college, but which I'd never seen at a church before. In a place where everyone looked like they had been up for 3 hours getting ready (everyone looked perfect and beautiful.. that part was a little unnerving for me) the lights being down did a great job of reminding that the time wasnt about seeing who was wearing or doing what. The message was one of the most powerful messages I've heard in my life. The pastor was actually the pastor of a different Reality church- Reality LA was a one that he had planted. Good solid mix of scripture and life application.. not too heavy on one side or the other. I'm excited to hear from Reality LA's pastor, who I hear is a pretty intellectual speaker (though he looks like a 30-something hipster! these LA people...)
Grandma- after you're done reading this, go on facebook and ACCEPT MY FRIEND REQUEST! If you see red flags/boxes toward the top left of your facebook page, click them!
Shower time in California. The big LA Marathon is this Sunday... i run a 5K at Dodger Stadium this Saturday. Also draft my first fantasy team of the season on Saturday, cant wait to see who I wind up with!
I've been sick for a few days, with symptoms ranging from long-lasting headaches to sore throats to sneezing and a few coughs here and there. I guess nausea must be next.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Really. Best Buy doesnt sell USB cables?
Well let's see. What can I tell you?
I've watched the most recent episode of LOST a number of times since it aired. It was a fun one for me. I wont give anything away here though. My friend Kate had me over to view the show on Tuesday, and it was something else to drive through West Hollywood (where she lives) at night, all lit up. On Wednesday night, I went out with my friend Emily- we tried a coffee place near to where I'm living, but it closed almost as soon as she had purchased her drink (I'm only drinking water for Lent). Instead, we drove around. It was relieving for me to be able to just... talk. About nothing in particular. And again, the city is eye-catching and beautiful at night. Thursday... Rob and Kathleen came into town to see their son's lacrosse game, and came to Nadine's to have dinner beforehand. Mmmm, chocolate + coconut gelatos. So yum. It was great catching up with them. Finally, I went out with my new friend Roxy on Friday night. (The connecting factor between Roxy and me is Jay, a good friend who's in Boston.) She suggested that we go to The Grove, which is sort of like an LA-style Faneuil Hall (meaning, it's much more expansive, and instead of looking like Boston, quaint and bricked/cobblestoned, it looks palm treeish and just very nice)... I had wanted to see Remember Me, which came out yesterday, so we did both. Saw the movie at this large, beautifully architectured theatre in The Grove. The film was emotionally heavy, to say the least. And I guess that I will only say the least because unlike many other love stories, this one is distinctly and shockingly memorable.
There. My week, paraphrased.
Today I drove around quite a bit. Found a Goodwill and spent some quality time looking around.. got some stuff, mostly work clothes. Spent time with Nadine, who isnt feeling very well. Walked to Century City, tooled around the outdoor mall, made my first visit to Sees Candies. OOOOh, they give a sample of your choice. I was a happy girl. Hmm, went to Borders, looked around the nicest food court I've ever seen, listened to some live music out in the sunshine... I'm very happy to be within walking distance of a place with so much to do. Just the fact that there's a Borders is enough... but there's also a grocery store, Apple store, movie theatre, food, and lots of shops. Ahh, and it was an incredible day to be outside. Not hot, comfortably warm. Lots of sun. I was going to head to a park today but it never happened... and i didnt take any pics either. Well.. I took a few with my phone but you wont be too excited or anything.
Did I mention that I discovered a tick on my arm last weekend? A little one too. Luckily it was just crawlin around still. I sliced that sucker in half.
Hmm. I think I'm going to Reality LA church tomorrow. It's east of here off of Sunset Blvd. Shoot, I should have gotten in touch with Ted and Barb's relatives who go there. I need to get back on connecting with people... I tell myself that I can only connect with so many new people at a time but if I think about that excuse, I dont buy it. How difficult is it to send a facebook message or an email? Yawwwwn. We're losing an hour tomorrow. Dadgumit.
Bowden pitched some today vs the Pirates. Got the save.. but it sounds like he had to work for it, wasnt very smooth going. I read that he's changed his pitching motion and that he's "reinventing" himself as a pitcher. This, I believe, just looking at him now. He's so much leaner than he was. I mean he wasnt fat by any means but he was just... big! Muscle mass. Not so much now. AND i hear that he's not showing his socks anymore. Sad. It was so much easier to instantly pick him out of the mass of uniforms. Oh well.
I bought 87 blank cdrs for $10 today. Craigslist is phenomenal. As soon as I got back to the condo I started burning cds... the ones I've been listening to in the car are by bands like Sanctus Real and Relient K... old-time stuff. I did pop in my Dropkick Murphys (with a few other random bands) mix, about a month early too, as I had decided back in October not to listen to "Tessie" till I was at my next game. Presumably, or at least presumably at the time, the Sox would win that next game, and I'd hear Tessie over the stadium's system after the game, and the season would be in gear. Agh, Fenway, what have I done? How will I get through the season without being with you? I hope my Grandma comes out here this summer so that I can take her to an Angels/Red Sox game.
At least fantasy baseball is about to start up :) First draft is next Saturday... along with a race I've entered into, starting and finishing at Dodger Stadium. It's a 5k through a park.
I'm about to go to bed.. but one more thing. Ryan Westmoreland- who is an elite Red Sox prospect- had to leave Spring Training and will be having brain surgery to remove a "cavernous malformation of the brain". He played with the Lowell Spinners last year so he's still a ways away from the bigs, but he's generally thought of as one of the (or THE) top position prospects in our farm system. He's 19 and he's even a hometown hero- from RI. Prayers for this kid please!
I've watched the most recent episode of LOST a number of times since it aired. It was a fun one for me. I wont give anything away here though. My friend Kate had me over to view the show on Tuesday, and it was something else to drive through West Hollywood (where she lives) at night, all lit up. On Wednesday night, I went out with my friend Emily- we tried a coffee place near to where I'm living, but it closed almost as soon as she had purchased her drink (I'm only drinking water for Lent). Instead, we drove around. It was relieving for me to be able to just... talk. About nothing in particular. And again, the city is eye-catching and beautiful at night. Thursday... Rob and Kathleen came into town to see their son's lacrosse game, and came to Nadine's to have dinner beforehand. Mmmm, chocolate + coconut gelatos. So yum. It was great catching up with them. Finally, I went out with my new friend Roxy on Friday night. (The connecting factor between Roxy and me is Jay, a good friend who's in Boston.) She suggested that we go to The Grove, which is sort of like an LA-style Faneuil Hall (meaning, it's much more expansive, and instead of looking like Boston, quaint and bricked/cobblestoned, it looks palm treeish and just very nice)... I had wanted to see Remember Me, which came out yesterday, so we did both. Saw the movie at this large, beautifully architectured theatre in The Grove. The film was emotionally heavy, to say the least. And I guess that I will only say the least because unlike many other love stories, this one is distinctly and shockingly memorable.
There. My week, paraphrased.
Today I drove around quite a bit. Found a Goodwill and spent some quality time looking around.. got some stuff, mostly work clothes. Spent time with Nadine, who isnt feeling very well. Walked to Century City, tooled around the outdoor mall, made my first visit to Sees Candies. OOOOh, they give a sample of your choice. I was a happy girl. Hmm, went to Borders, looked around the nicest food court I've ever seen, listened to some live music out in the sunshine... I'm very happy to be within walking distance of a place with so much to do. Just the fact that there's a Borders is enough... but there's also a grocery store, Apple store, movie theatre, food, and lots of shops. Ahh, and it was an incredible day to be outside. Not hot, comfortably warm. Lots of sun. I was going to head to a park today but it never happened... and i didnt take any pics either. Well.. I took a few with my phone but you wont be too excited or anything.
...and I found this book in Borders. It was an interesting read for a few pages, so I bought it used on Amazon for $1.50 and will hopefully get it soon!
Did I mention that I discovered a tick on my arm last weekend? A little one too. Luckily it was just crawlin around still. I sliced that sucker in half.
Hmm. I think I'm going to Reality LA church tomorrow. It's east of here off of Sunset Blvd. Shoot, I should have gotten in touch with Ted and Barb's relatives who go there. I need to get back on connecting with people... I tell myself that I can only connect with so many new people at a time but if I think about that excuse, I dont buy it. How difficult is it to send a facebook message or an email? Yawwwwn. We're losing an hour tomorrow. Dadgumit.
Bowden pitched some today vs the Pirates. Got the save.. but it sounds like he had to work for it, wasnt very smooth going. I read that he's changed his pitching motion and that he's "reinventing" himself as a pitcher. This, I believe, just looking at him now. He's so much leaner than he was. I mean he wasnt fat by any means but he was just... big! Muscle mass. Not so much now. AND i hear that he's not showing his socks anymore. Sad. It was so much easier to instantly pick him out of the mass of uniforms. Oh well.
I bought 87 blank cdrs for $10 today. Craigslist is phenomenal. As soon as I got back to the condo I started burning cds... the ones I've been listening to in the car are by bands like Sanctus Real and Relient K... old-time stuff. I did pop in my Dropkick Murphys (with a few other random bands) mix, about a month early too, as I had decided back in October not to listen to "Tessie" till I was at my next game. Presumably, or at least presumably at the time, the Sox would win that next game, and I'd hear Tessie over the stadium's system after the game, and the season would be in gear. Agh, Fenway, what have I done? How will I get through the season without being with you? I hope my Grandma comes out here this summer so that I can take her to an Angels/Red Sox game.
At least fantasy baseball is about to start up :) First draft is next Saturday... along with a race I've entered into, starting and finishing at Dodger Stadium. It's a 5k through a park.
I'm about to go to bed.. but one more thing. Ryan Westmoreland- who is an elite Red Sox prospect- had to leave Spring Training and will be having brain surgery to remove a "cavernous malformation of the brain". He played with the Lowell Spinners last year so he's still a ways away from the bigs, but he's generally thought of as one of the (or THE) top position prospects in our farm system. He's 19 and he's even a hometown hero- from RI. Prayers for this kid please!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
My parents are on a vacation. Outside of the Northeast.
This machine at my workplace sounds so much like the tika tika tika tika of the Smoke Monster.
I came across a "Sean Casey" while databasing yesterday.
I drove to, through, and from downtown LA today... after work. At RUSH HOUR. It really did take me approximately 5x as long to get there with that much traffic. But I have a sunroof and a cd player. So I was all set.
Karen is in town for a conference, so I stopped by to see her (she was the downtown LA destination) and she gave me a few things that my parents sent over including my tax refund check, weeeeeeee... and my MBOX 2, yeyyyyy... and my LA 411. Also got some mail, a book, my razor, and a picture of my mom, grandma, and me from Marc's Boston gig while i was still in college. Love that pic, so glad it came to me over here :)
Adam is arriving in LA TONIGHT! or has already, possibly. I cant believe how many people I know have come to town just since i've been here. I'll see him on Saturday, if he can keep me away for that long!
Alice in Wonderland comes out tomorrow. I'll definitely go to see it soon.. especially if i can find a cheap theatre around. There's got to be ONE. Somewhere. In Rancho Cucamonga there was a $6.50 movie theatre. $4.50 matinees.
That's all. Just a little update.
I came across a "Sean Casey" while databasing yesterday.
I drove to, through, and from downtown LA today... after work. At RUSH HOUR. It really did take me approximately 5x as long to get there with that much traffic. But I have a sunroof and a cd player. So I was all set.
Karen is in town for a conference, so I stopped by to see her (she was the downtown LA destination) and she gave me a few things that my parents sent over including my tax refund check, weeeeeeee... and my MBOX 2, yeyyyyy... and my LA 411. Also got some mail, a book, my razor, and a picture of my mom, grandma, and me from Marc's Boston gig while i was still in college. Love that pic, so glad it came to me over here :)
Adam is arriving in LA TONIGHT! or has already, possibly. I cant believe how many people I know have come to town just since i've been here. I'll see him on Saturday, if he can keep me away for that long!
Alice in Wonderland comes out tomorrow. I'll definitely go to see it soon.. especially if i can find a cheap theatre around. There's got to be ONE. Somewhere. In Rancho Cucamonga there was a $6.50 movie theatre. $4.50 matinees.
That's all. Just a little update.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
what's new?
I havent written since Friday? Well. Saturday was a blast, riding around town with Tony. If we spent a whole day touring Boston, we'd have at least driven by everything. Not so here. We touched some of the west side of the city. Look at a map and you'll see that this is a very small portion of Los Angeles. The area I'll be living in is beautiful, especially compared to my general expectations of LA. Tony treated me VERY well. I met some of his friends, we ate at Islands and at a sushi place in the Valley. ...i almost tried sushi. Instead, I stuck with avocado rolls. I dont think that it'll be the raw fish thing that keeps me from liking sushi- it'll be the seaweed. Anyway, Saturday fueled my excitement at moving into the city.
Sunday was church (where Rob is the pastor; also met a guy who drives the bus for the Angels' local farm team), brunch (first omelet ever- mushrooms and spinach with salsa and avocado!!), and some car searching (fruitless but informative). Interestingly enough, Rob spoke about Zacchaeus as the first in a series similar to White Pine's "They Met Jesus" (parents' church in Maine). This series is called "Unstuck" and focuses on how Jesus "unstuck" these various people from different stumbling points in their lives. I liked the clear focus on Zacchaeus' repentance. Also pretty cool to imagine this small man who cant see over the crowd, who's widely despised by the people, and yet Jesus sees and addresses him specifically, and goes home for dinner with him.
Monday, Rob and Kathleen left for Phoenix for the week (through Saturday night). I'm the house manager right now :) I've been looking for cars, and have a good lead actually:
I've seen it a couple times, and now am waiting to hear a few maintenance details. Who knows. could be the one. Has a few small paint chips here and there but i'm not real concerned with that stuff. The car is generally pretty beautiful.. blue :)
I'm rewatching LOST right now (writing during commercials). Who's 108??? Kate, Aaron, Lapidus, Desmond? Oh and is it me or does the jungle look different to any one else? Not necessarily on purpose. Maybe just a continuity flaw. Like they're filming in a different location.
I will say that I'm done with these episodes that leave out half of the entire active cast. I cant take only seeing Ben and Richard every other week! That's asking a bit too much. But Hurley's sudden promotion to, like, main protagonist.. it's pretty cool.
Today... maybe i'll get myself a car! I've got another lead, similar to the pics above though a newer model and a brighter blue. It's warm out already. Time to giddy up. Opening day is getting closer!
Sunday was church (where Rob is the pastor; also met a guy who drives the bus for the Angels' local farm team), brunch (first omelet ever- mushrooms and spinach with salsa and avocado!!), and some car searching (fruitless but informative). Interestingly enough, Rob spoke about Zacchaeus as the first in a series similar to White Pine's "They Met Jesus" (parents' church in Maine). This series is called "Unstuck" and focuses on how Jesus "unstuck" these various people from different stumbling points in their lives. I liked the clear focus on Zacchaeus' repentance. Also pretty cool to imagine this small man who cant see over the crowd, who's widely despised by the people, and yet Jesus sees and addresses him specifically, and goes home for dinner with him.
Monday, Rob and Kathleen left for Phoenix for the week (through Saturday night). I'm the house manager right now :) I've been looking for cars, and have a good lead actually:
I've seen it a couple times, and now am waiting to hear a few maintenance details. Who knows. could be the one. Has a few small paint chips here and there but i'm not real concerned with that stuff. The car is generally pretty beautiful.. blue :)
I'm rewatching LOST right now (writing during commercials). Who's 108??? Kate, Aaron, Lapidus, Desmond? Oh and is it me or does the jungle look different to any one else? Not necessarily on purpose. Maybe just a continuity flaw. Like they're filming in a different location.
I will say that I'm done with these episodes that leave out half of the entire active cast. I cant take only seeing Ben and Richard every other week! That's asking a bit too much. But Hurley's sudden promotion to, like, main protagonist.. it's pretty cool.
Today... maybe i'll get myself a car! I've got another lead, similar to the pics above though a newer model and a brighter blue. It's warm out already. Time to giddy up. Opening day is getting closer!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Time for some zzzzzzz
The countdown is almost complete. I'll be up at 3:30am to get myself to Logan Airport and onto a 6am flight. There's a foot of snow outside- maybe more by now- and across the country LA is currently enjoying a 68degree night. I'm ready for that.
Tonight's episode of LOST was the best one in a long time.
See ya on the other side.. of the US.
Tonight's episode of LOST was the best one in a long time.
See ya on the other side.. of the US.
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