Even More Randoms

-After a month-or-so hiatus, I've decided to resume my drum practice with Professor Dave (aka drum-teacher soul mate) twice a month. When I expressed my concern to Micah about not really having much of a reason to learn drums (despite the fact that I LOVE playing drums, I just don't know if it'll ever have any practical uses in my life), he quoted some song about how all girls should play drums and have a hobby, or something. So yeah, this is officially my "hobby".

-I'm wearing knee-high fishnets today and I'm so worried about getting in trouble for that at work. I work in a really nice office so I have to cover the tattoo on my leg but I'm SO SICK of wearing tights everyday. So. Sick.

-Items I have checked out at the library:

Oren, Michael B.
Six days of war: June 1967 and the making of the of the modern Middle East

McCarthy, Cormac
The Crossing

Hosseini, Khaled
A Thousand Splendid Suns

-Last night, in lieu of catching up on previous seasons of Mad Men and Weeds (which has been my usual weeknight happenings lately), I filled my night with all sorts of lovely people and things.

As soon as I heard Anh's keys turn in the door I ran downstairs and sat on the bottom step . We talked for a bit and when I excitedly suggested we jam (we have my drum kit and a guitar and amp set up in my bedroom), he quickly concurred. He taught me a couple new beats, and then played along on guitar.

We only played for a bit, as I had plans to meet Alie at the mall at 7:30. I didn't have anything to buy at the mall (in fact, I've vowed lately to stay far away from the damn place) but I Alie and I haven't had a chance to hang out much lately, so I followed her around the mall while we talked and solved each other's problems.

I left her as she was searching for a birthday gift for her new boyfriend (what the hell do you get a new boyfriend, anyway?) and headed to Micah's house. After a glass of wine, some yummy tacos from the nearby taco truck, and a couple shared Twix, we got down to cases. Micah set up a little insulated fort in his living room, surrounding myself, a microphone, and his couch (with another glass of wine thrown in for good measure), and recorded a monologue I wrote.

I intend to submit it to a radio show whose title starts with the word "this" and end with the word "life" and has the name of a country thrown in the middle for good measure. Why not, right? It's a play on my original post for This Recording, which you can read here. I added a few things, including an ending based on my mother's response to the post, which was simply, "I resent that you said I was bitter."

We still have some editing to do...and by "we" I mean "Micah", all I did was sit on the floor and criticize him, and make a lot of inappropriate jokes. My voice sounds very uncharacteristically smooth. Not at all like my lispy, everyday voice. Plus I've been listening to that radio show long enough that I know when to throw in those dramatic pauses and self-reflective rhetorical questions. Wish me luck!

I was probably making a joke about farting when this was taken.

Randoms

-Update from my last post about camp: So not only did Anh (my roommate) attend that camp at the same location in elementary school, but reader and fellow blogger LBN and I were in a cabin together when we were 12 years old. Small fracking world. Any other readers have a "small world" connection with me? Tell me...I won't bite.

-I have a fancy new title, thanks to the lovelies over at This Recording; "contributing editor". I don't even know what that means, other than I have to put some of my rampant brain happenings down paper [computer screen] once or twice a week (and get business cards made, of course). Edit: read about my mom and dad moving to Israel here.

-I've been wasting so much time reading the archives of this blog (Sweet Juniper!). He also takes amazing photos. These photos, of the Detroit Public Schools Book Depository and of Michigan Central Station (which you may remember from the lovely book, Middlesex) damn near made me cry.

-Some random photos that were on my camera (I have a flickr account now, btw):

Cats

My Elvis

Curtis

Feist at the Hollywood Bowl

My new bedroom

Two guys playing at the Hollywood Farmer's Market

They were playing this amazing polka-style music, but covering the Pixies and stuff like that. The guy with the trombone had a kick drum set up behind him and he would keep time by stomping on the pedal. It sounded amazing.

Randoms

*Siiiiiiiigh* Oh, hey guys. What's new? Oh right, I'm supposed to tell you what's new with me...that's how this thing works, right? Well actually, nothing is really new, but everything is going well and I'm generally happy all over. Let's see...

I wrote about last weekend's Little Radio Summer Camp for losanjealous.com and thought it was a good piece until they kinda chopped it up a little and took out most of the photos, and now I'm not so fond of it.

There's a photo of me on the LA Times website sitting in the bleachers at Preston's dodgeball game wearing cowboy boots and holding a leetle dog.

In an attempt to get my fracking laptop to not be the slowest thing in the world, I'm taking all my pictures off it and transferring them to flickr. I'm not totally sold on flickr yet, as a longtime Photobucket user, but I'm glad they have a place to go. See the very unorganized and schizophrenic pictures here.

I think Anh and I have found our dream apartment. Now we're just waiting to hear from the landlord so we'll know if we can move-in peacefully, or if we'll have to force our way in the middle of the night and quietly fill the house with our belongings and trick the landlord into thinking we've lived there forever. Read about the apartment of my wildest dreams here.

Randoms - Food, Part 1

I'm sitting at my desk, eating the most perfect breakfast right now. It's a banana bran muffin and a small (fuck no I'm not calling it "tall"!) nonfat latte. It would be much better if it weren't served with a side of guilt, though. I have this total aversion to buying food when I'm alone, unless I'm doing something special like taking myself out to breakfast on a weekday where I'll sit and read the paper and drink too much black coffee. Hell, besides going out to breakfast, I even feel guilty paying for coffee. The one exception to this rule is a latte at Intelligentsia...but with tucking myself into a corner table to read for a solid hour or two, people watching, and the best freaking latte I've ever had, that's more like paying for an experience in itself.

Yesterday I didn't bring a lunch to work, which is something that happens maybe once a week. Part of the reason I "forget" to bring a lunch every so often is so I'll have an excuse to get a bean and cheese Pupusa from Sarita's in Grand Central Market. This is, by far, one of my favorite things to eat lately, and at $2.60 for a good sized pupusa with two bags of Curtido and some hot sauce on top, well it's cheaper than my usual frozen Trader Joe's lunch...but still, I feel better about myself when I bring the former for some totally nonsensical reason.

For no reason, here are my favorite eggs Benedict experiences (that I can remember):

• Broadway Manor Inn (Van Ness & Broadway - San Francisco) This is the first place I ever ate eggs Benedict and black coffee. I had never liked ham or Hollandaise sauce in the past so I have no idea what drove me to order this. I think it had something to do with it sounding like something a "grown up" would order, and this was my first trip to San Francisco alone...hell, it was my first trip alone, period. I was about 20 years-old and needed to get the hell out of Los Angeles (live here for a couple years, and you'll get it) so I hightailed it to SF, where I knew no one and had only been a couple times before with my family as a kid. I stumbled upon a cheap motel, and this was the diner attached to it. It was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had (also see: breakfast buffet in Germany).
• The Phoenix Bar & Irish Gathering House (Mission District - San Francisco) I used to come here on Sunday mornings, when C had a job that forced him to work weekends. They made their eggs Benedict with boxty (an Irish potato pancake) instead of an English muffin. They also used the fattiest, yummiest Irish bacon I've ever had. That, coupled with a pint of Boddingtons, made it possibly the most caloric (and wonderful) thing I've ever eaten. After eating, with a food coma already sinking in, I'd walk to Dolores Park to lay in the grass and read.
• Canter's (Los Angeles) Did I ever tell you that the Canter's were "family friends" of my grandparents? I probably have. My grandfather owned the butcher shop next door to Canter's, and provided them with all their meat. Also, my mom went to school with one of the Canter's daughters. Anyway...once, after a long night of drinking and dancing, we all went to Canter's (as young people in LA are want to do). Micah and I split an order of eggs Benedict, which was a huge plate of yellowy, artery clogging goodness. Do you remember that Micah? I think we'd met not too long before, and we bonded over the fact that we both go batshit crazy when presented with a above-average eggs Benedict. But I wouldn't recommend Canter's version unless you're drunk, or have been drunk in the last few hours...they put a single black olive on top. Isn't that strange?

Finally, I've always wanted to start a food blog called ilikefoodfoodtastesgood.blogspot.com, named for the Descendents song.

Really Randoms

I followed a stray Siamese-mix cat up the driveway of a huge old Craftsman house the other day and came upon this. I think it used to be a horse shed or an old garage or something. I could see that a couple of the sheds had old, rotting knick knacks and furniture in them, piled haphazardly about. I'm going to jump the fence one day and slowly pick through everything. That is a promise.

This facade is in the back alley down the street from my house. Whenever I walk by it, I get goose bumps. I love it.

Sometimes I think I look very ethnic. I'm not sure which ethnicity, but I think I look like I'd speak Israeli perhaps?

-I love this website: http://www.listverse.com/

-I'm sick of apartment hunting.

-By the end of the day, I may officially be a "freelance writer".

-That tiny, unassuming container of garlic sauce that came with the gyro I ordered at lunch was actually a lethal weapon, as my breath and constant burping is currently demonstrating.

Insomnia: If it isn't thoughts about the end of the world, it's your mother [cat].

I'm happy to announce that I've cracked the code of what Elvis, my darling cross-eyed Siamese cat, is trying to say with his constant (constant!) mewing. Don't be fooled, normal-cat owners and non cat-people, a Siamese cat's meow is quite different than your average cat's. Don't believe me? Go here and play any one of those videos...or just picture a baby crying, loudly and constantly, and you'll get the picture. Below is what I'm pretty sure Elvis is trying to say...it's to be read quickly and without any pauses for periods:

you're home. you're home. you're home. i'm so glad you're home. i've been so bored. what are you going to do now? where are you going? look at me. touch me. pet me. oh, you have to pee? why don't you pet me while you're sitting on the toilet. here, i'll bring you my toy while you're sitting there so you can throw it and then i'll go get it and bring it back to you and you can throw it again. did you notice that i pulled all the feathers out of my toy? isn't that great? most of them are strewn across the living room for you, but i ate a few of them, so i'll probably puke later. what are you going to do now? what are you eating? can I try that? [wraps paw around my hand and forcibly pulls whatever it is i'm about it eat towards his mouth and then sniffs it loudly] let me try that. [i drop a bit of whatever crunchy, salty thing i'm eating onto the ground and he chews it up but doesn't eat it] i didn't like that, let me try another one and maybe i'll like that one better. please. please. please.

are you sleeping? why are you sleeping? can we play? i'd really like to play right now, or you can pet me instead if you'd like. why aren't you waking up? what if i poke you in the face with my paw? still not awake? how about if i poke you in face with my paw, but have just a little bit of my claw sticking out? awake yet? here's my toy. i let it soak in my water dish for a bit so it's nice and soggy. here, i'll drop it on your face. you didn't react, so let me pick it up and drop it on your face again. you're awake! yay. throw it. throw my toy. why are you locking me out of the room? i don't like closed doors. let me in. let me in. let me in. i miss you. let me in. etc.

Randoms

-Just two weeks into it, and I'm already getting sick of looking for an apartment. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about moving into a new place with Anh...it's just the constant scanning of Craigslist and Westside Rentals, seeing the same places listed over and over again, the laughably overpriced apartments, the shit landlords try to pull off in regards to obviously crappy and/or unsellable amenities*, the lunchtime trips to check out apartments that don't cut it and end with texts to Anh along the lines of "That was a definite NO"...well, it's wearing me out. I'm looking forward to the moment we find the perfect place (at a hopefully good price), but in the meantime it's stressing me out a bit. I think I just need to focus on the good things; like Elvis and Curtis (mine and Anh's cats) becoming BFF's, the fun summer BBQ's we're going to have (if we find a place with a yard), and the giddy trip to IKEA that will take place immediately upon move-in.

*The only shower in an otherwise beautiful Craftsman house was located directly in the middle of one of the two bedrooms!!! The landlord acted like it was no biggie.

-I had two very successful days of writing last week. It was hard to get myself to start, but once I did, I couldn't stop. I've written one and a half short stories so far, but I may try to stretch the first one out, because I really like the subject. Still don't know what to do with them once I'm finished, though.

-Hardstark v2.0 may be in the works. Preston and I played a little music together over the weekend (me on drums and him on guitar/singing) and it sounded really great. This is the first time I've ever played music with a boyfriend, and I really liked it. I've never had a thing for musicians, but he looks damn fine when he plays guitar.

-Since my schedule's been too busy lately (i.e. I've been too lazy) to go to yoga or to walk the reservoir with Alie, I've decided to get a mini trampoline so I can jump up and down like a moron for twenty minutes a day, in hopes of making my ass...well, not move as much, I guess. Seriously, have you ever tried jumping on a trampoline for exercise? It's the awesome.

-My 28th birthday is next weekend, which is weird. "Late 20's"...eesh. I think we're (me and another Gemini-inclined girlfriend) going to have a backyard BBQ, followed by a group bike-ride to the cemetery screening of The Hunger. It's funny...this time last year I was super depressed. I wanted so badly to fast forward to a year later. I can see why...I'm so happy now.

Kidz "R" Dumb

One of my favorite bloggers wrote about hers and her daughter's funny misunderstandings as children, and the subsequent comments made me laugh so hard that I thought I'd post mine here, and ask you to post yours in the comments:

• Up until I was about four years old I thought that, in the past, the entire world was in black and white (like in old movies) and that color hadn't been invented yet. To make matters worse, I thought color was invented while The Wizard of Oz was being filmed...right when Dorothy opened the door to her house when she landed in Oz. I can't believe I just admitted that.

• Before I could read, I thought the words that flashed on the screen during Wheel of Fortune that stated what category the winning answer was in ("phrase", "location", "person" etc.) was the actual answer. When I watched it with my family, I would get really angry when they wouldn't tell me what the answer was, and would repeat what category it was in, instead.

• Pretty much every kid my age who grew up in Orange County will say this, but there was a local commercial for a car dealership owned by a guy named Cal. His jingle was "Go see Cal, go see Cal, go see Cal", but I thought the song went "Pussy cow, pussy cow, pussy cow". Seriously, ask anyone from Orange County and they'll say they thought the same thing.

• I thought the old Nabisco jingle was actually sung as "Nothing's cool!", instead of "Na bis co!".

Okay, now you tell me yours.

Also, here's a picture of Elvis on a leash (he hated it), for no reason:

Randoms

-I just turned in my first-ever paid writing piece. The compliment the editor sent me almost made me cry from happiness.

-While I was reading an email this morning I suddenly, out of nowhere, sneezed right into my cup of tea which I had been sipping. It sprayed all over my desk and on my face. It made me laugh.

-This Tuesday my Totally Awesome Drum Teacher will start teaching me the beats for 10 songs by one of my best friend's band. The goal is for me to play the drums for her shows, once she finishes her new album. I'm gonna be secretive for the time being and not reveal any more information...cause I'm awesome like that.

-I'm making deviled eggs tonight for a Lost Pot Luck. I'm excited.

-Do you like pictures of food? I like pictures of food. Here are pictures I've taken of food this week, for some reason:

Little Tokyo

In my mind, this is what every character in a Haruki Murakami book eats for lunch.

SO YUM!

Not Koreatown

Oh hell yes.

Not an "It's It", but close enough.

My new favorite food...pupusas.

Arty burger.

Jello!!!

My first Dodger Dog!

Not Food

Bought this in Little Tokyo. Tupperware and Engrish: two of my favorite things.

So gay. Also, why do I have the largest hands in the world? That's not an optical illusion, my hands are really that large.

Randoms

Let's play "did you know?"...

-I hate the sound of wind chimes.

-People who clap when they laugh annoy me.

-I've been using the same brand of eyeliner since I was 13.

-I haven't had my natural hair color since I was 13.

-I've had my nose pierced three times. Once was at the county fair. The second time I did it myself at a friends house. The third time my mom broke down and took me to get it professionally done. This is all before I was 14.

-I had a cat for 20 years named Whiskers. I found her as a kitten when I was five. She was put to sleep three years ago while lying on my lap.

-I took tap dancing lessons for about five years in elementary school.

-I fell while roller skating about three years ago and landed hard on my tail bone. It hurts pretty much everyday.

-I once dropped a microwave on my toe.

-I've never met a stray cat I didn't like.

-I have an obsession with tupperware, and glass pitchers and measuring cups.

-I think there's a difference between people who say "see you soon" and "see you later"...I just haven't figured out what that difference is yet.

-I think poorly of people who kick animals off the bed for their own comfort.

Randoms

-Sometimes I wonder if I would enjoy my morning cup of coffee as much if I didn't have to wait 10 or so minutes for it to cool down enough to be drinkable. There's something so much more satisfying in that first sip when you have to wait for it...or maybe I just like depriving myself.

-My sister posted this really cool Georgia-centric picture on her blog, and I'm stealing it

Can you see the brusing on my toe from the fateful "broken toe incident"...or as I'm calling it "Georgia Dropped A Microwave On Her Toe '08". It's still not totally healed, although going dancing Friday night probably didn't help matters much.

-There are a ton of things I love about being single, having the entire bed to myself being on the top of the list, but two things that I found out recently that SUCK to do alone are watching Lost and taking a trip to the video store. I did both this weekend. Exclaiming "holy fuck!" at the end of the latest episode of Lost to an empty bedroom is a particularly isolating feeling...but then I remember that I get to eat a ton of brie cheese on sourdough with raspberry jam and half a bag of mint milanos without having to justify it to anyone or worry that it's going to make my ass fatter because there isn't anyone to see said ass, and I feel better.

Randoms

I have somewhere around five posts started, but for some damn reason, can't seem to finish any of them. I'm not too worried, as I've had moments of brain power-outages when it comes to blogging topics before...but I hate letting a few days pass between posts.

I wanted to do another "Google Searches That Brought People To My Blog" entry...but seriously?, about 98% of them are either "IBTC", "gazongas", or some form of "being pants-ed" or "embarrassing story" searches. I'm serious. It's fucking ridiculous. Otherwise, my favorite is "big breasted women with really long finger nails".

I have an idea!!!! What do you think I should blog about??? Any questions you've been dying to ask me about my oh-so-fascinating life? Any dating quandaries or predicaments you've gotten yourself into that require the advice of a just-barely-holding-it-together (but making it look ever-so-effortless and fun) girl such as myself ? If so, email them to georgiaisyourfriend@gmail.com, or just leave them in the comments section (anonymity guaranteed, as always)

Links (aka Hey, Look Over There!)
*Beautiful, well written, heartfelt blog about a girl and her coyote.
*Drunk History - You like comedy? You like history reenactments? You like drunk people recounting historical events? Me too! [thanks Ben!]
*Not only do other people exist, it's also the name of a really funny blog.
*200 people frozen-in-place for five minutes in Grand Central Station. This video gave me goosebumps!

Quotes from Alie (aka Reasons I Love Alie Ward...Let Me Show You Dem)
*Only schizophrenics cross the street like this!

*If you get laid tonight, I believe in god.

*Was he like "Hey Fuckface. Lets make out, if you're not too stupid and smelly"?

*I was like "Who's that drunk douchebag trying to hug The Georgia???".

*Why don't you stick a crystal antler up your blowhole, gaytard.

Randoms

-It started with my throat being a little sore last night. This morning I woke up coughing, and by noon I was nauseous and shivering at my desk. It's hard for me to admit that I'm sick, as I'm a very healthy person...but yeah, I'm sick. I haven't been sick in over a year...boo.

I'm staying home from work tomorrow, and I plan on staying in bed and watching the last two episodes of Lost, which I've missed due to a lack of a television. (you know what I hate?...people who say "I don't watch t.v" when you ask them if they've seen some television show or another. I'm not one of those people, I just happen to not own a t.v. at the moment).

I just took a shot of Robitussin...and now I'm feeling quite breezy. If anyone wants to bring me the first season of 30 Rock on dvd and a big bowl of matzo ball soup, please do. A big "thank you" to Alie for bringing me chicken soup in the form of McNuggets (or "McNuggz", as we refer to them)...she's the best surrogate boyfriend I've ever had.

-"Twitter my blog" is my new favorite saying, especially since Micah pointed out how dirty it sounds, and that the phrase wouldn't have made any sense 7 years ago. I have twitter posts on my blog now, btw...did you know that? I kinda love it.

-My hippie roommate moved out. The feeling of relief I have regarding her no longer living here is overwhelming. I didn't write about her and all the problems I've had with her in the off chance she reads this, but honestly, I think she's too self absorbed to give a shit about anyone's blog (says the girl who HAS a blog and writes about herself almost daily).

-Valentines Day...yeah. I think this year is going to be pretty damn good, actually. It'll be my first V-Day in, like, six years without a male companion, and I couldn't be more happy about that.

-Whenever I was sick when I was little, my mom would take a washcloth and run it under hot water, then lay it on my forehead. She would also make me hot water with lemon and honey. A little part of me wanted to call my mom when I went home sick from work today, just because there's nothing like your mother's sympathy...but then I remembered I'm an adult now. What did your parents do for you when you were sick?

Randoms

-One thing I really love about East Los Angeles are the taco trucks. It's something I didn't discover until I moved back here in April...but I've been making up for lost time. There's something about eating an amazingly good taco (or three) in the middle of the night while leaning on the chain link fence in front of the taco truck, or sitting on a curb, that just feels so right to me. It's a pretty regular thing for one friend or another to yell "taco truck!" at some point during a night out. I hope my friends and I never grow out of that.

-I think I've found my drum teacher soul mate. He's a friend of a friend that I happened upon by chance. I had my first lesson with him on Tuesday night and it went swimmingly. He was really impressed with my drumming skillz, and doesn't think it'll be long before I'm rocking. I've taken one paid lesson before, and although I liked the teacher (who I found off Craigslist), I don't think he and I quite jelled. For example, Craigslist teacher sent me home with the sheet music for the Casa Nova (um, yeah) while Soul Mate Teacher sent me home with a totally awesome beat that I'll actually use at Hardstark's next practice.

-Hey! Let's play Marry/Screw/Kill!!!
To play, simply comment with three people, assign each a fate, and optionally explain why. (idea stolen from This Recording). Anonymous comments are always welcome.
As for mine?

Marry This one needs no explaining. I love this man with all my heart.

Screw Ok, this one needs explaining. Truth is, I couldn't think of anyone random I'd actually want to sleep with if given the chance. I know this is horrible and creepy and just plain wrong, but I've always found Fidel as a young man to be the hotness. What can I say? I'm a sucker for guys with beards...and those who overthrow governments.

KILL!!!
hate.

Randoms - Music History Edition

-When I was in 7th grade, my sister's boyfriend Will (a classic hippie-jock, who later died of a drug overdose), gave me a mixed cassette with these albums on it:


and the advice (although it was more of a stern warning) that I was never to listen to the radio again. I listened to that cassette to death. Although I'll probably never listen to a whole Led Zeppelin album again, I'll always appreciate Will giving me my first taste of non-top 40 music (even if he was a jerk who tried to make out with me when he was drunk).

-In 8th grade, my loner, computer-dork brother Asher, made me come into his room to listen to a tape he had just picked up. I still remember the feeling I got even in the first 20 seconds of hearing it...that cliche of being completely floored, and never viewing music in the same light again?...yeah, I got that feeling. It was this album:

and we listened to it nonstop for a month. Asher later introduced me to Pavement, Sonic Youth, and this album:
which makes me wish I had ignored the gutter punks I hung around with, and had stuck by his side (oh, the shows he's been to!)

-I went to my first show was when I was 13 years old at the now-defunct IceHouse in Fullerton, CA. It was to see my then-favorite band:
I was buzzing with excitement the entire time. Aside from the fact that I was about to see my favorite band play, I had never seen live music in this way before. The sweaty crowd, the opening bands, no parental supervision...it was almost too much for my little self to bear. The Vandals started playing, and my heart was racing. Then, two songs into their set, a couple skinheads (who were pretty prevalent in the early 90's Orange County), stabbed a guy. The show was immediately shut down, and not long after, the venue was, too. I heard a rumor that the skinheads stabbed the guy for wearing a Jimi Hendrix shirt, but I don't know if that's true.

-On my first day of high school, I wore ripped jean shorts, ripped black tights, 8-hole purple docs, a cat collar, and a shirt with this print on it:
Don't judge me, it was 1994.

-Midway through my freshman year of high school, an older goth kid named Christian moved into my neighborhood. He was new to our small, suburban town and he and I became friends. Before he had started dying his hair black, wearing long, black flowing dresses, and listening to Sisters of Mercy, Christian had been a punk. Wanting to purge himself of that image, he gave me all his old punk cassettes, which I was thrilled to inherit. I treasured these rickety old cassettes, and played them constantly. These bands still hold a special place in my heart:

Randoms

-Ever wonder what dorks do when we're bored by an opening band at a show?...we get judgemental and pass notes! Below is the contents of the note passed between me, Micah and Anh last night at Spaceland.

me: this is bad!

micah: so boring

me: I think the drummer only knows one beat!

Anh: but I *heart* the Killers (seriously, this band sounded like the Killers)

me: lolz!

micah: but they have a projection machine!

me: so edgy!

Anh: Oh noes!! I'm in yr bandz, playn one beat!

me: I'm blogging this, btw.* (then I drew a little picture of a bird with "hardstark" written all pretty over it)

*"I'm blogging this" has become my new catch-phrase. I say even if I have no intention of blogging about whatever's happening...it's more of a "this is hilarious/creepy/sweet/annoying and I want to remember it" kinda thing...I want to get a shirt made.

-Last night kicked off, what I'm calling, "My Weekend of Not Spending Any Money and Trying Not to Drive My Car Cause I Don't Even Have Money For Gas" weekend. Considering I have a three day weekend, this is going to be tough. I got on "the list" for the show last night (I'm not bragging, my friend's band had a no-limit list...there were about 200 people on it) so that was free. Then the aforementioned Anh bought me a black-and-tan (thanks, Anh!). And we found a parking spot a block away, so "fuck you!" valet parking! Tonight we're going dancing at my favorite downtown bar, which happens to be free, and I'm not planning on drinking just to make life easier/hangover free. The rest of the weekend: yoga, hiking, reading, studying, practicing drums, band practice, taking photos w/ my sister, napping, eating leftovers.

-Things I Don't Like:
.having to wake up when it's still dark out.
.my weird dream about Brian Posehn last night (it wasn't pervy weird, just really, really odd)
.the fact that I have an inability to be late, ever. I know this sounds like a good thing, but when you're constantly 15-30 minutes early everywhere you go, you end up waiting around a lot, plus your friends get annoyed cause they're never ready when you get there. If I make a conscience effort to be late to something, I'll end up arriving exactly on time.
.not having a bathtub (although I can. not. take a bath in a tub unless it's a free-standing tub, and not one that's attached to a shower...ugh)
.that tray of pastries in the office kitchen that keeps yelling my name every time I walk by.
.V8.
.democrats and republicans.
.boring lists.

Randoms - Links Edition

-One of the many reasons I was excited to move back to Los Angeles was because...wait for it...I missed the 99 Cent Only store. If you're not from LA (and a surprisingly large number of readers lately aren't), you have to go there next time you're in town. Seriously, fuck Hollywood Blvd. and Disneyland...the 99 Cent Only store is the place to be. Among the isles and isles of useless yet entertaining products (I bought Venus Fly Traps there once), are useful, and often times awesome, products (all for $.99!). Lately they've stepped up their game and have had some pretty classy products for sale (classy for poor folks, like me). I have an obsession with food blogs to begin with (like Smitten Kitchen, Cupcake Blog, and Third & Fairfax in which Santos reviews, among other restaurants, those at the Fairfax Farmers Market...which holds a special place in my heart since not only have I been going there since I was a baby, but my grandmother worked at a bakery stall there until she died) but The 99 Cent Chef puts the icing on the $.99 cake by posting recipes using ONLY items bought from the 99 Cent Store. Pretty awesome, no?

-I still don't understand why I have a fascination with "Mom Blogs". It's weird and a little embarrassing...but when/if I do become parent, I'll be well equipped to deal with all the random, unexpected things that pop up. I've also found my favorite face mask ever through a mom blog (four crushed aspirin, a tablespoon of honey, and a drop of water mixed together...seriously, your face will thank you...which, wouldn't it be creepy if you face actually thanked you??!) and I really don't think I would have ever started a blog of my own if it hadn't been for Amalah and her candid ways. Mom-101, Untangling Knots, and Amalahs' Advice Smackdown are a couple of my favorites.

-Gawker has become a good friend to me in the years I've spent at boring office jobs...this post (and accompanying video) about why Sesame Street was so wonderful when we were kids made me smile today.

-I Can Has Cheezburger? Do I need to say more? Do I need to tell you that my brother, sister and I bonded during lunch the other day by excitedly naming off our favorite captions, while my brother's fiance (I forgot to mention that my brother proposed to his long-time, lovely girlfriend, Yolanda!!!) looked on in horror and contemplated whether or not she really wanted to be legally bound to a family of cat-freaks. Do I really need to tell you that EVERYONE who's ever told me they love this website says "I like to go to it when I'm feeling down...it cheers me up."

-I want:
this necklace

from Fred Flare.com

this sheet set

from Delias.com

and, ever since I was a little kid, I've dreamt of leaving notes on food. My dream come true:

Randoms - Not Making Much Sense Edition

Holy crap...I am so effing tired today. Four hours of sleep will do that to a girl, I guess. Today is my last day at my temp job though, and I'm getting off super early to celebrate. Yay. Whoa...I just seriously zoned out for a few seconds there...like, staring off into space and everything. I would pay some serious money to sit in a hot tub right now. Here's this:



Aw crap...I just remembered that I need to delete the browser history on my computer here at work, lest my past employers find out what a pervert I am.

Randoms - Jewish Edition

-I grew up in a very suburban neighborhood, where the majority of families were Christian. Although we had a Jewish congregation, we lacked the amount of members and money to warrant a temple of our own...so my Hebrew school was taught in the Sunday school classrooms of a local church. Every Friday night we'd gather in little classrooms that were decorated with crayon drawings of the crucifixion (and of Santa during December) and we'd learn the Hebrew alphabet, and about Moses, and at the end of the night we'd sing a series of blessings before drinking grape juice and eating challah.

I know this all sounds quaint, but I actually hated Hebrew school just as much as I hated elementary school. The teachers were bitter, middle aged, self-righteous, Israel-can-do-no-wrong housewives, and I can honestly say that they turned me off to Judaism for a long time. When I look at Judaism from a historical point of view, I find it fascinating...when I look at it from the point of view my Hebrew school teachers wanted me to look at it ("look how we've suffered, this is why we're better than them") I want to rip my hair out.

-I try not to let it bother me, I really do...but when I hear store clerks and coworkers and doormen, etc. say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays", I want to punch them in their ignorant faces.

-The very best part of having a Bat Mitzvah was that it meant I didn't have to go to Hebrew school anymore. For a full year before it, you have to go to weekly, two hour lessons to learn your "Torah portion". This means sitting with one of the bitter housewives (in my case, the mean wife of our Rabbi) for hours on end while you attempt to make sense of and correctly read a language that looks like fucking gibberish. I eventually just learned to speak it phonetically, and on the day of my Bat Mitzvah I stood up in front of my family and friends, in a purple strappy dress (and a perm), and recited the whole damn thing from memory, while I pretended to follow along in the Torah with my finger.

-When I was little, after the holiday break, my friends would ask me what I got for Hanukkah. They were always envious that I got eight days of presents, and them only one...but what they didn't realize was that a) they usually got way more than eight presents under their stupid tree B)my family was totally poor and most Hanukkah's our gift would be $1 a night.
My family and I don't really exchange gifts anymore, and the gifts at the family Hanukkah party are mainly for my grandmother and the little kids. This doesn't bother me at all...in fact, I think it would be weird to receive presents from my family at my age.

-I can't believe the amount of people I encounter who don't know this: being Jewish isn't my nationality, it's my religion. Just because I'm a Jew doesn't mean my family is from Israel. My family happens to be from Eastern Europe....Germany, Poland & Russia, to be exact.

-I don't believe in God, I don't think Jews are entitled to Israel any more than any other religious group is, I have only been to temple 4 times since I had my Bat Mitzvah fourteen years ago, I eat the hell out of all pig products and shellfish, I don't light candles on Hanukkah, I think Christmas is fun, I try my hardest never to date Jewish guys...but I'll always say I'm Jewish if someone asks. I'm even proud of it. Yeah, I don't really get it either.

Randoms - Photo Edition

I love these photos by Justin Cox of his friends before bed. These are my favorites:



Does the poster for this horrendous looking movie:

remind anyone else of a poster for a movie these guys would make:

(or is it just me? Seriously though, how much does Philip S. Hoffman look like Justin in that picture???)

Mine and Dorian's feet:


4th of July in Echo Park:


Yawning - 3 Ways:




I'd rather be here:

Randoms

Okay, enough! I've been trying (halfheartedly) all day to post the damn pictures from Thanksgiving and Roller Disco but they're just not working out and really, who the hell wants to see them anyway? In reality, the only reason for me to post them is so in a couple months when I read my archives I can be all "Oh yeah, I remember that! My hair was so short then." In the mean time, I have a lot on my mind, and it bums me out that I'm not in a place, mentally, where I feel comfortable sharing that stuff on my blog. I wish I could be the type of person who divulges every detail here, but I'm self conscience by nature (with cocky/overly confident undertones) and I'm just SURE that someone who I don't want knowing all my insecurities is reading this and thinking "wow, that Georgia sure is a piece of work" instead of "gee, that Georgia is one interesting girl with fabulous hair who never overuses commas!". So anyway, here's this in the mean time:
1. My brother and I have both had one seizure in our lives. My took place while I was sleeping when I was 12 and his took place in the video arcade at Sgt. Pepperoni's Pizza when he was 11.
2. I have a second interview on Friday for a job that I think will make me very, very happy...it involves writing...and answering phones, but I'm focusing on the writing part for now.
3. I told someone close to me a lie and I feel awful about it. I'm sure most people say this, but I rarely lie. I'm terrible at it and feel extremely guilty about doing it. This lie really doesn't affect this person very much, but I still feel bad and have already written the email to them telling the truth as well as explaining why I lied.
4. I've decided to start a blog project where I force myself to talk to someone at a social event that I wouldn't normally speak to, and then blogging the experience. I already have my first victim, um, I mean participant...I just need to write the entry.